I Love the Sea & I Love the Show

In a variety show, what are you usually looking for? Your favorite actors/idols as members & their interactions or a good combination between sense of humor & the soul theme? I started this show looking for both of these. I wanted to watch a few of my favorites (Kim go Eun, Lee Dong Wook, Onew) together & along the way I was looking for more about sea & nature. There's no adventure here. The nature, the sea, the vacay vibes & relaxation is all you get from the Show. This show deserves some Cinematography Award or something like that, I know it's the sea & sky that's so beautiful but they were shot from the perfect angle. Although the weather was not with them like rain disturbed their plans but it still went on quite smoothly.


Concept —
I don't feel like writing any much detail here or I will just end up revealing the Show to you. Just Ep 1 and the show straights up to the corner of the sea where they will stay & shoot further. The scenery is like Oooo & Oooh! The soul of the show the SEA rules the camera like an Eternal Queen. The view is so magical & attractive that it made me fell in love with the sea. The perfect combination of blue & white colour, the different shades of them, the greenery around with the perfect music. What else more do we need!

In the beginning, interaction among the members was rather strange & awkward. Jong shin, being the eldest one among them often said that "it's awkward" but he took the responsibility to make them more close & comfortable. Ultimately, they started getting along with each other & that's when there was more laughs and fun. Whole this, felt like character development lol. Towards the end, they are even reluctant to say goodbye. Some people may get bored, as the show is slow in middle and there's lots of cooking and general conversation that may take off the interest and the long duration is there too but nevertheless I enjoyed the show.

One thing I cannot forgot to mention, KIM GO EUN IS SO BEAUTIFUL. YEAH, SHE TRULY IS! I like how she often closes her eyes quickly as if she's winking with 2 eyes with a smile. She looked so cute. She went diving with a team in some episodes to collect garbage from the sea. That's a really good step that deserves appreciation. She carried that 35 kg heavy equipment into the sea everytime. Wow she's so strong.

Cast —
All the members are beautiful in their own way. Su hyun is something I should mention, she's the youngest and cutest one among them but she's taking care of everything. If you notice properly there's always a line at the top whenever she goes to help someone "In conclusion, nothing gets done without Su-hyun 22 (Count of how many times she helped)" lol.


Music —
It's impossible to list all the songs played in the show xD… Su hyun has got a soulful voice. Her voice is so magical & mixes with the vacay vibes of Show. Onew & Yoon Jong-shin are also awesome singers. I think this show focuses a lot on relaxation theme. So, particularly songs are usually smooth & those peaceful kind that just gives more of a connected to nature feeling. A special round of applause to 2 members who played instruments for all those Song performances ·–·•• Zai. Ro & Jeong Dong Hwan. I almost got crazy, listing all songs played over there & then looking for them one by one, then turning to their lyrics & then saving them in a playlist again & again.

Performances that I loved from the Show »»»»
✓Rollin – Su Hyun & Zai. Ru [Og. Brave Girls]
✓Flying Deep in the Night – Su Hyun, Onew [Og. Lee Moon Sae]
✓Departure – Onew, Jong-shin [Og. Hareem]
✓Wind, Where does it blow from? – Onew [Og. Kim Yeon Woo]
✓A Doll's Dream – Su Hyun, Onew [Og. Weather forecast]
✓Lucky – Rosé, Onew [Og. Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat]. This song especially suits Onew. He sang so Perfect!
✓If – Su hyun [Og. Bread] Oooh Her Voice
✓Time walking on memories — Rosé [Og. Nell]
✓Stay Put – Sunwoo Jung-a [Og. Sunwoo]
✓City of Stars – Su hyun, Lee Dong Wook [Og. Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone]… Yesss! LDW finally sang!
✓I'm in love – Onew [Og. Ra. D]

A single line to define Music here — Music is like the 2nd soul of the show.


Rewatch Value —
Well I don't think, variety Ssows hold any much Rewatch Value. They are usually suitable as a single watch. It could be possible for some people to rewatch it years later but for Me, variety shows completely falls in one-time watch category.


Conclusion —
Since there's no format to be followed or no draggy Story, The show is definitely a good choice. it's like a relaxing show where they sing, chat, cook & enjoy by the Sea. My #ScenicSaturdays were all ruled by screenshots from this show only.

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Unexpectedly I loved it so much that I will surely Rewatch it again with tears and tissues

A little background here so you can skip this paragraph, if you wish… [I thought I would regret watching this drama but I think I needed this to get over my drama slump. I had 2-3 dramas in my CW and I made my 1st drop this month. I was almost in a drama slump as I passed on 4 days without watching any episode until I started this drama.]

This Drama and Tissues both are a must. As quoted by others, yes this is a little Melodrama but I usually don't mind it if it's portrayed in the right manner. The cute and innocent Shi Yi played by Bai Lu and actor Allen who nailed this role was the best choice the director made. Another best choice was the setting, the whole winter theme in beginning is like cherry on the top. What was unexpected for me was the supporting roles. It's rare for me to find so many hateable Characters in a drama. Yes it's not a writing mistake. Its Hate-able, characters whose actions irritated me till the end.

The first half is more about the background setting for upcoming twists and plot. While the middle half is where I got to experience all those Sad emotions in one go. I remember that particular scenario from Episode 15 and 16 where I was crying continuously and I felt like "No at this pace I can't continue this Drama anymore". I felt strange all over as I watched a few more episodes. No, it was not the drama's fault. It was me who cannot tolerate the sudden emotional rollercoaster at all. The one-by-one coming situations were breaking me. Ahh why am I remembering so much again. I hated that parts and I loved that parts equally. Tbh, I was confused like I knew the characters had no other choices and it's going in the destined direction but I just can't accept it. I still wish, thing went my way but yeah it won't. The drama has already finished and why would the screenwriter listen to Me lol. Hopefully, I went through that phase and just went on. I am happy that I didn't dropped this drama with the fear that this would be a sad ending drama. If I dropped it, I will definitely miss a beautiful story.


Zhousheng Chen — he's like the light who ruled this drama. I don't believe he died, cause I would rather say he is eternal. A character that I would remember and admire for years.
Shiyi — noblest character. I wonder how did she tolerate all of this till there… like she saw her father going as a child, she was forced to marry Zixing, she was trapped in that palace all alone and then her Master died, she was helpless but couldn't do anything. She sacrificed herself at the end.


One and only is not only about Shiyi and Zhousheng Chen alone, it's about all those people who were a part. Other characters whose individual story touched me ≈•≈
✓ Liu Hui (His Majesty) — he was given too many responsibilities at the age of 6 then he was killed by his own mother at 19. All his life, he was just controlled by others. Poor him.
✓ General Hong Xiaoyu — I had a strange fear from the starting of episode 22 that something will get wrong in her story and that fear came true. She died. Oh… she was so good T~T
✓ Monk — he suffered a lot but he kept calm in precious situations. Him being in the Nanchen Royal Army was the best choice made by him but he also had to leave for his own country.


Characters that destroyed their own life and entered my Hate diary =××××—
×•× Empress Dowager — Do I need to name a reason? She can even kill her own son. She's a psycho. So glad that she died.
×•× Zixing/Prince of Guanling — The self obsessed man. He is just too selfish. He acted as if he liked Shiyi but in reality he's too crazy to like anyone.
×•× Qin Yan — he watched by every bad deed but instead of opposing it he supported all of that. I pitied him for a while but once Mentor Xie died, I sensed that he won't be any better.
×•× Jin Rong — One word for him. EVIL! He had no boundaries to crime. He did everything a devil can do. I feel like I can curse him for hours HE WAS SO BAD!

"Zhousheng Chen, I am here to marry you. If we meet again in the next life, hope you can come to marry me. Will you? I will take your silence as a Yes." — Shiyi.

Oof this line. It's going to haunt me so I have to start Forever and Ever soon…

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A story full of love-hate and a never ending mess

I love Republican Era settings and this even has Jing Tian, only the sight of Jing Tian dressed up in that style was enough to get me on for this.

Talking about the plot, the overall conspiracy stuff is a mixture. Their is a revenge story going on but they also want to show the viewers about Opium consumption and it's ill effects on health and life… All the ways to trick each other are mainly related to Business stuff. So maybe some people could get bored of it, though that's a genre I enjoy… Their are many complicated family feuds (trust me MANY)… they show us struggles for freedom and dreams too. The plot twists are really strange but unpredictable too. It's quite fun to watch but not too much intriguing for your brain either.

The deeds of the main villain is a total MESS. Once I got attached to the characters and started understanding the story… what was waiting for me next door was hate, anger and frustration. Many things annoy you to death here but the story will be left with nothing without them. Anyone looking for light weight fluffy stuff, just run away. This ain't for you.

I realized the cinematography is good and those Qipao dresses, the wavy silky hairstyles keeps us reminding of that era. The visuals are definitely a very big advantage here especially because it's a long 40 episode drama so there has to be something on screen that people can focus on. Of course, in addition to this setting, Jing Tian and Xu Weizhou are the best eye candies to stare at.

Jing Tian ( as Feng Shizhen ) — Feng Shizhen is strong and smart and she knows what she's doing. Jing Tian carries out this role very gracefully. From spying secretly with the gentle look of a governess (teacher) to expressing her emotions at the right moment. I was so hooked up to her character and totally rooting for her from the beginning.

Xu Weizhou ( as Rong Jiashang ) — he is the young master of the Rong family. Jiashang is an arrogant boy and was trained in the military academy from a small age. He is capable but pretty reckless too. He seemed like a puppy in love who wants to do so much but he needs to grow big first xD. I really pitied him all the way.

It's kinda funny how Jiashang's favorite sentence in the whole drama was "please give me some more time". He said this so many times that I couldn't even count it now. He reminds me that most of the scenes between him and Shizhen were repetitive. Though I agree they had their chemistry to carry it on.

Jing Chao ( as Meng Xu An ) — he is super cunning. In the beginning he maintained a cool gesture and a strong aura around him. But his character changes a lot throughout the drama.

{ My issues with the drama…}
—•• The biggest problem here is its pacing. The drama just gets super slow that you feel like the energy is missing. No matter how the plot goes, I literally felt the urge to speed it up like 2x or 3x many times… and every incident is so connected to each other that you can't even skip anything.
—•• I have another problem with the plot which is a spoiler so in the comments section.

The songs were fit for the occasion but didn't sound so special to go to my OST playlist.

✧ Favorite dialogue — "You have to live on, to see hope and a favourable turn" ✧

As to conclude, I am quite satisfied with this drama as all I was expecting here was a good revenge story and a strong female lead, which I got… So this turned out to be a good one time watch.

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Till the end… Thank God… there's an end…

Till the end of the moon is a romantic tale that kicks off nice, goes on flat for a while but bumps down when it couldn't handle its own complications. High budget, star cast, beautiful costumes and what not but what we get served is a repitative story that makes you annoyed once every episode. Oh yeah I yawned and finally skipped a few parts too.

The narrative revolves around the to-be Devil God Tantai Jin (Luo Yunxi) and Li Susu (Bai Lu) who was determined to stop him by hook or by crook. The story wasn't as bad in the starting it was great until it was reasonable but when characters don't communicate and go awry by the concept of "lied for his own good"… its disappointing.

Even if they wanted to make TTEOTM angsty, there must have been a limit to misunderstandings and then reconciliation again and again. The story is pretty much predictable especially in the later half because you basically know that you can't expect anything better with these reckless, moody, jealousy driven characters.

TTEOTM isn't all bad and there were factors that I did enjoy like the second leads Ye Qingyu and Pian Ran's story, Tantai Jin and Xiao Lin's unsung bond… and since I'm questioning the logic of the plot at many places, maybe many things would make sense if the drama was not abruptly cut short by 16 episodes. Because 16 is sure A LOT!… …but if we were going to get this same thing for those 16 episodes too, I'm happy Chinese censorship exists.

For a Xianxia cum Wuxia the story isn't much special but the acting was phenomenal! Especially Luo Yunxi won me with his devilish role. I swear no one could play TTJ or the Devil God like him! TTJ's loneliness, trust issues, obsession all came out so much because it was Luo. Even his Ming Ye who is on the positive end was acted awesome! Hat's off to whoever casted him… although Bai Lu's all three characters were kinda similar but she was successful in making most of the emotional scenes impactful.

Their chemistry doesn't need words. They look so much good together that even with this lackluster plot I stayed and finished this drama. I don't mind if the producers bring a season 2, don't give us any story, anything, just send these two on a date on the day of Chinese New Year, let the emotionless TTJ feel warmth with Ye Xiwu and let them hang out (let the world or three realms be kept aside) and I'll watch that too lol xDDDD. But "no saving people and three realms plot please, I insist"

I was quite impressed by the acting of Sun Zhen Ni (as Pian Ran), Deng Wei (Xiao Lin) and Chen Du Ling (Ye Bingchang). While the first two made me love their characters, Chen duling's roles were so despicable that we need to agree she's such a good actress. After all playing a beautiful bitch who is both hateful and pitiable isn't an easy task.

Acting sure made this drama little entertaining for me till the end. Or I would've dropped this somewhere in the middle when things changed abruptly in the drama…. OST… hmm… There were a dozen songs that went well with the shots but none were that special to be heard again.

CGI was very pretty in some scenes, almost top notch and the costumes often took my attention. I think the makers focused more on their outer beauty and making it mesmerizing like all those snow shots. Wish they invested more on the script rather than all this eye-catchy stuff.

So we get impressive acting, complex three characters for every actor, a failed plot and satisfying CGI. That's how I define Till the end of the moon.

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When the Gamjatang boy falls for the Art Gallerist

A refreshing, funny & cute drama…

[ STORY ]

I think it's Dali's dresses & the aesthetically beautiful posters that attracted me here but Kim Min Jae aka our cutest character Jin Moo Hak kept me till the end…

The story begins just as written in MDL sypnosis but there's a connection between Dali & Moo Hak that hits off back then in Netherland. No, it's not a childhood connection. So it doesn't looks cliched at all. Dali is apparently an art researcher who is a well educated knowledgeable girl with all social etiquettes of a rich girl & then on the other hand our male lead - Moo Hak is money-lover yet a simple boy who understands it's value. He compares everything with Gamjatang & keeps wondering how many bowls of Gamjatang will this or that cost… lol Moo Hak is hilarious since the beginning. People measuring money in every sentence could be annoying personalities but surprisingly Moo Hak impresses us with those genuine talks & his expressions is off the charts. Tbh, I continued this drama 50% because of Moo Hak…

The first few episodes are dipped in Art. The viewers explore art through the art gallery & emotions of people working there. Also through the journey where Da Li is trying to save the gallery… The Father-daughter relationship is another major thing here. Family drama is something you cannot avoid while watching this. There's lot… like really a lot of inner family troubles, emotional dialogues. The whole suspense they tried to create was quite predictable. My wait for the next episodes was tough… so this is how much this drama kept me hooked up… the chemistry between Moo Hak & Dali reminds me of the cute k-drama "Strong woman Do Bong Son". Their cute scenes & Moo Hak melting up while talking to Dali looked similar to "Ahn Min Hyuk" in SWDBS… but of course, except that cuteness, Min Hyuk & Moo Hak are totally different characters…

♡ Favorite Dailogue ♡ ~ "We all started as a dot. The dot caused the Big Bang and created stars, the sun and the Earth. So, we are nothing but dust and stars at the same time." (by Dali)

♡ My favorite role here ♡ ~ Moo Hak's secretary. She's the best. She's capable and loyal and of course funny too. I loved the acting as well as the character. Just perfectly written & acted.




[ CAST ]

✦ Kim Da Li (acted by. Park Gyu Young) — is the actual main role here. She is good. Like very good. Her crying scenes made me more connected to her role & Yes! she looks so cute with that artistic vibe… she's also cool

✦ Jin Moo Hak (Kim Min Jae) — Ahh, just by his name now, I remember that weird dance & that scene where he said "India's capital is Indonesia". Lol, me being an Indian. I died out laughing in that scene… Jin Moo Hak deserves the limelight he gets through this drama. He's handsome & the way he played this character is great…

✦ Joo Won Tak (Hwang Hee) — he had to be the most close person to Dali after her dad & Moo Hak & I think dramas need more role like this. I was scared he won't be a brother & create an awkward love triangle but No… he was such a caring brother to Dali like helping her all the way & Hwang Hee purely acted this role.

Rest all actors also did a good job with their roles.



[ MUSIC ]

❥♪The sweetest love♪ — Ham Yonji (the song is sunny and cheerful)
❥♪With you♪ — Ha Hyunsang
❥♪That's ordinary love♪ — Seo ho ~ (Those lines "One step closer. Two steps closer" is just magical… loved hearing this song…)
❥♪Can't you love me♪ — Fromm
❥♪Straight♪ — DinDin (who expected a rap in song up here? lol… but it's cool the way he sang it.)


[ REWATCH VALUE ]

I am not someone who easily rewatches things… but this was good like the comic elemets and some particular scenes that just sounded good. So I will rewatch some clips later…



[ OVERALL ]

Give it a go if you like Rom-Coms with strong & smart female lead. The Comedy is there, cuteness is there, family drama is there & a "little sprinkle" of suspense is there. Pretty much predictable and a light & refreshing drama…

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Short life is like a dream. Only my love, Shi Yi deserves my lifelong pursuit

First of all, this drama spoils up major things for One and Only in the beginning only. So, BEWARE OF WATCHING THIS DRAMA IF YOU PLAN TO WATCH {ONE AND ONLY} LATER…

Me personally, needed this drama so much after One and Only. The experience was simply healing but could have been better maybe…

Should I talk about Acting? No, it was up to the mark. Of course I will mention my favorite BAI LU. She's so phenomenal and her outfits here. Oh! I want them all. And Ren Jialun is fine Af. Together these two are not less than any eye candy.

Beginning got me like "ok, ok this is another Sweetness loaded C-drama that I watch every year." But slowly this made me realize No, there's more things in this drama. Tbh, most of the supporting characters felt numb to me in beginning and I was bored too at some points as I was comparing Both the 2 dramas. But later on every character got it's own track. If you have completed One and Only, don't jump into this directly. Wait for some days or maybe a week before you start this one as this Drama will feel bland to you after that emotional rollercoaster.

My only complain here is that they didn't show how their relationship developed in beginning via Emails…

Shiyi and Chen's journey after meeting each other officially was so precious that how they used to be awkward but slowly became each other's soulmates. I like how Shiyi was always the one to take the initiative. Chen was not good with words but when he finally said something romantic. It was so much more special. There were moments when it just came out of my mouth like "Aww so Cute". The ending episodes almost gave me diabetes.

[24/25 eps] mid-ending thoughts (spoiler free) —
The writer(Mo Bao Fei Bao) did it again! She knows how to create a complicated story and make us cry…
Once again it feels like I am watching O & O. Even though the dramas are different, setting is different, yet I got the same emotional rollercoaster from here. As I wrote previously in a post. I will be running out of tissues if this continues… And then that kick and back to back punches by Chen. Woah loved that scene. I was just thinking, it would be perfect to have a scene like that here… I kinda like Allen doing action scenes. Tbh, He nails the action parts!

[ OST time ]
♪Continued♪ — Shan Yichun
♪Heart Beats♪ — Bai Lu {her voice is so sweet. It felt like any little girl is singing it. Aww}
♪Time Froze♪ — Yan Ren Zhong {heard this singer for the first time and Wow this was so good}
♪Give you, Give me♪ — Mao Bu Yi
♪Where to go♪ — Lu Hu

♪Time Froze♪ is my favorite OST from the drama.

Conclusion – A healing drama for those who watched One and Only or it's yet another regular C-Drama including Awkward Professor Chen, Step-taker Shi Yi, few happy/sad supporting characters, a lot of family drama and nothing else.

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Sae Bom & Yi Hyun's fight for Happiness

or should I say — "watching them together is our Happiness"

This drama brings out many versions of humans. It shows how layered this society is… I met a mix variety of people here, those who will help others selflessly, those who may save themselves first selfishly, those who think money is God & everything can be bought even in case of emergency… There are those few confused characters too who are in a great dilemma that if they should help or not…

The drama also depicts that Class discrimination between people from upper & lower class can survive even in such chaos… so the more I started to love the leads, the more HATE I had in my mind for those extra mean characters… by hate I mean I wanted them to just die... If you want to watch this, you need enough patience for annoying side characters.

Han Hyo Joo (as ~ Yoon Sae Bom) is an anti-terrorism trainer & someone who is selfless & fearless. She is kinda reckless at times but she is straightforward. I loved the way she kicks, I was like "Oh my God, that was so smooth!" Definitely a very good Strong female lead. But she doesn't falls under the category of Smart female leads for me cause her decisions were all hasty, without consideration.

Park Hyung Sik (as ~ Jung Yi Hyun) is a detective & a former baseball player who has courage and knows when to use his cop & sportsman skills. He is righteous & strong. PHS has definitely got good action skills. That car slide scene is something I saw repeatedly again and again. He is good at no matter what role he plays. Happiness as Hyung Sik's comeback drama is perfect.

The chemistry of the leads is like so pure. They understand & support each other. They are like one team. No forced romantic moments considering a total action-thriller drama. So, No exaggeration of romance. Just a simple couple who pretended to be a couple but actually love each other a lot deep in heart. Their bond is just precious. I wish these two get more chances of cooperation cause look at them, they look so good together…!! And I'll stop fangirling now haha.

Jo Woo Jim (as ~ Han Tae Seok) is a military informant who wants to help everyone. He plays the hard cold guy role in front of everyone but is actually very caring at heart. There has to be someone who takes the tough decisions & be bad, he chose himself for that. There's one scene when I just screamed that "Oh God, HE IS SO COOL"…… well, there's PHS Oppa in this drama so shouldn't I just cheer up for him more but No, Character-wise, I loved Han Tae Seok more…

Keeping us hooked up… This isn't draggy at all… just a simple zombie drama that goes "little" in-depth with the characters but from the enjoyment point of view, I was personally enjoying watching it. It wasn't very scary in terms of visuals but it did make me nervous about what is going to happen next.

I think I am gonna miss the rooftop of this drama, I just feel very attached to it, I wonder what's so special about that place… then, my only complain here was that I wish they gave more background story for the characters first so that we can connect to them…

Overall, I loved this drama and just that it's thriller and I basically know all the facts now, so I won't rewatch this but what a nice ride this was… Give it a try if it suits your drama taste…

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Beginning was great - the blood, action, a car chase & thrill but it actually got draggy in end

[ There are No Spoilers Below so, even if you haven't watched the Drama yet, Read freely. ]


OVERVIEW —

"You think what you saw is all there is. You're so wrong. You see what you want to see because you don't have the guts to face the truth. Just because you don't remember doesn't erase the past."
— I was fascinated by this dialogue.

I was actually not aware of this drama when it already started airing but bumped into it when @Saarthak mentioned starting it in the feeds. What attracted me here was not the hype or the poster or the plot. I was curious about the name (The Veil). I know it's strange to think about it as often names turn out to have no connection with the plot in the end xD… but here's it's not the case. The name actually represents here how many layers this story has. How every little incident and every not-so-crucial-looking character is also connected is the thing. The 'VEIL' which seems to have risen up finally is yet to rise in the next episode. I couldn't help but doubt every character here.



STORY & SCREENPLAY —

This is an intriguing story of a NIS agent (Han Ji hyuk) who loses his memory during a mission and returns back after a year. Now many twists and changes occurred during this year are ready to confront him. Except that he also has to face challenges from inside the organization. Ji Hyuk was always stated as the reckless and crazy agent of NIS as what he only cares is for the mission. He was blamed for not caring for his own colleagues but he's actually nice. Yoo Je Yi and Seo Soo Yeon are two more characters who will play a crucial role here. There are many conspiracies yet to be revealed that will impact Ji hyuk and other NIS agents… the highlight that revolves around Ji hyuk is that "Don't trust anyone."

I did like to appreciate the first few episodes that I enjoyed totally. The creators behind are the Director(Kim Sung Yong), the writer (Park seok ho) and the creative director (Kim Ji ha). It's 12 episodes with 1 hour 10 mins each. So, is it long? No, it's not compared to the usual 16 no. Of episodes in K-dramas and it's a thriller with cliffhangers at the end of every 2nd episode so I easily binge-watched 2 episodes in a day as I started it later than it's airing date… but the 2nd half went draggy and I watched 1 or half episode in a day…

Then, look at those action scenes. I was so thrilled. Every action move deserves a Rewatch. For the first time ever in a drama, I feel like keeping a compilation of all the action packed clips… the (Action) theme here is not for the name sake. It's actually a main part of the drama. This drama without action would have been like Ice cream without cream!

The 1st half of drama is more better and it's more about internal conflicts in NIS, blood, revenge, lots like really lots of blood spits, tortured makeup(they don't show any torturing methods lol, they will rather show you the result of the torture by the makeup xD)

2nd half is like stable which makes it less interesting as earlier it was full action-packed. So, when it turns smooth, it feels slow… In 2nd half, I was predicting things already (but I wasn't correct in all cases though xD). The drama also deals with psychological issues and how your mental health affects your work & decisions, the trust issues between people…

& its time to Move on to some defects —
•⚝• I don't like it that they didn't had any tough job to get most of the clues… all they did was Log in, in the NIS server and ta-da the Clue is there… seriously?!
•⚝• the middle plot seemed draggy… a good starting going off somewhere down…
•⚝• there were some non logical thing that is under spoiler in the 1st comment ↓↓… (only read, if you're done watching this)
•⚝• Some characters are totally same like just different face & name… their motive, works etc were all the same thing repeated…


CAST —

✦ Han Ji Hyuk (acted by. Namgoong Min) — His action skills are Fabulous. Oooh this man! The style & all scenes were so smooth as if it's actually done by some Agent. Not only the action but his Gaze. Oof he looked so damn violent and wild at those action scenes.

✦ Seo Soo Yeon (Park Ha Sun) — I love her hairstyle. She played the rigid outside but soft inside character of agent nicely. She is having a rather interesting character here but how? Watch the drama to know lol

✦ Yoo Je Yi (Kim Ji Eun) — she has a cute personality and the character is also the cheerful kind. So, she was really suitable for the role. Then, I should mention her acting. It's good. So she carried up this mixed role. Now keep guessing what my "mixed" means here haha.

Role of NIS agents and other major roles was carried by supporting actors like
✦ Director Do (acted by. Jang Young Nam) – again, I love the hairstyle. She is gorgeous and especially with that lady boss vibe around…
✦ Lin Wei (Ok Ja Yeon) — I didn't quite understand her profession through the drama. Like MDL says she was there as "China ministry of state security agent". I hope she was given some intro in the beginning… after all, many important clues and details came through her… so stating her position & how's she related was important…
✦ Chief Ha Dong (Kim Do Hyun)
✦ Kang Pil ho (Kim Jong Tae) – Sorry… but he's bad at acting. At least in this character, he didn't act good. I mean his expressions were confused. The situation is clear so act like that. Why are you making the same confused face in every scene.


MUSIC —

The OST list ➳
❥♪Stay with me♪ — Elaine
❥♪Get ya♪ — Lee Jeongmin
❥♪Reason♪ — Yoari ~ (Oof. This song is so perfect for thrillers especially cause it's in English… it's the opening theme… and now I want to praise this song more… but I will reach word limit if I continue now haha…)
……Using ♪Reason♪ behind that car chase scene was the best decision taken here. No idea, who suggestion it was but I really appreciate that whole scene and this song is just ♡♡


REWATCH VALUE —
Hmm… how could I give this a rewatch. The twists were so different that I could only forget them if I have amnesia like Han Ji hyuk lol. So, can't rewatch the whole drama any soon… but yeah I will be rewatching the particular action scenes later…



OVERALL —
A watchable action thriller. Watch it for the beginning I would say and staying further or not is up to you. I won't say that they ruined the 2nd half but it was not as good as 1st half especially from 5-10 Eps. Potentially amazing base concept but the elaboration of the story was weak. Could have been far more better and enjoyable.
(Sorry for making this so long, I had a lot to say on this lol) …… Ok. I am done stating the things from my point of view… now the decision is yours to watch/not watch…

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Love story of celebrity Doona. Toxic. Hot. Engaging.

Imagine a book you had fun reading and the writer gives you a blank page to decide their fate... I think most people synced well with the starting story but what's debatable is... the ENDING. It depends all on how much linked you were to the story and which kind of decision you would've taken if you stood in their shoes. with how much I understood the complexity of these characters I kinda liked the ending.

"Doona!" is a melodramatic beautifully written story of a fallen star, Lee Doona who was having a hard time for multiple reasons and hence somehow messed up her career and ended up living in a rented house in Seoul which led to her encounter with Won Jun, a university student. They shared the house with few other people hence taking us on a journey of awesome friendships, compelling romances and much melodrama.

Although that description sounds like a cute, healing, delightful story. Its kind of the opposite with immense angst, as you witness these messy characters taking up messy choices. They'll wreck your mind but as complicated and toxic as it gets, you'll be more addicted to this and excited to know the end.

with amazing emotional build up and acting, the leads have sizzling chemistry even though they're poles apart. She needed someone to heal her loneliness and the male lead who has never made a risky move realising that he could actually go head over heels for someone like this.

I love the realistic approach of this drama and how no character looked perfect. Even the ML who looks superficially perfect had some minor flaws if you notice. so they had flaws, enough depression inside them that they expressed at different scenes, they made mistakes, regretted them and none went by smiling "okay I'm good"... If you're sad and hurt, cry, move out, don't act up, like this ain't a fairytale.

What levels up the spice of this drama is the melancholic OSTs, crazy visuals, you can't help but stare at Suzy (like damn Bae Suzy and her overall presence is aesthetically a treat to watch) and I'm surprised that I was not disappointed by anyone's acting. They were all wonderful infact especially Bae Suzy (its basically her drama, you'll see the plot revolving around her too)

Overall this was an amazing entertainer, high quality production, visually satisfying intense drama which is both binge watchable and frustrating if you don't sync with the characters. With many viewers this is either a hit or a miss. Some would love it enough to scream and others would hate this enough to scream. Scream-worthy either ways.

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Heartwarming and Special ❤️

Twenty-five twenty-one is a youth-life record of 5 friends. It's about their bonding, their struggles, dreams and how they grew up. 25-21 is a beautiful journey that keeps you entertained till the end. It's nostalgic, funny, gloomy and inspiring. The overall concept of this drama from 1998 to 2021 has impressed me.

So what did I like so much in this drama?

✧ It has a dynamic story that made me emotional many times. I could feel for all of them and I literally smiled and cried along with them… a special mention to the screenwriter Kwon Do Eun for making this so special. The dialogues are absolute perfection. Even normal phrases appeared like quotes.

✧ the suspense. I bet no drama had so many "endgame theories" lol. I was quite satisfied with the ending. I do have some mysteries left unanswered in my mind but I don't mind them much. As compared to this destination they've reached, the journey was far more precious.

✧ Romance is definitely one of the main themes here and you'll end up rooting for our main "rainbow couple." They're the reason I rated this so high.

✧ I love things related to sports in dramas and two of the leads (Na Hee Do and Ko Yu rim) acted as fencers. It had many fencing matches and struggles as a player. I appreciate taking fencing as the main sport which is not a very famous game. And Coach Yang is still the best. “Don’t ever forget how you earned a new opportunity. Whenever you’re having a hard time, remind yourself how difficult it was to start.” – Coach Yang

✧ They chose the "right cast". They look like a bunch of silly teenagers who seek out their part of happiness. Their transition from being childish to understanding things slowly, being mature, taking decisions, falling and learning is beautiful.

✧ so many loveable characters ~

Na Hee-do (Kim Tae Ri) is my favorite character and it will be difficult to move on from this drama just because I was habitual to this voice for the past month. She is like sunshine. It's her straightness, her thoughts and her hardworking spirit that I fell for. At one scene she said "It feels better when I turn my tragedy into comedy." Gosh! How can someone not love her.

Baek Yi-jin (Nam Joo hyuk) – He is not your forever perfect male lead and he gets sad, weak and tries to make things better. The way he and hee do become each other's hope is so heartwarming. “Because you give me hope. And I want more for you and it makes me want to do well too” – Baek Yijin

Ko Yu-rim (Bona) – Yu rim is the proud fencing gold medalist and Hee do's inspiration. She has her own problems. She is hardworking and honest at least. “It’ll probably hurt if you lose it all. But what matters is that you’ve had it at one point.” – Yu Rim

Ji Seung-wan (Lee Joo Myung) – I like her uprightness and being like the silent topper of the group. Also I love her changed look for the later half. Those perms look absolutely beautiful on her.

Moon Ji-woong (Choi Hyun Wook) – the loveable part of him is his nature. He's so carefree, chilled out and supportive. I like his bond with Seung wan.

✧ On the side note, they also show us different types of bonds between parents and children going through different conflicts… so they touch many small topics and present them in the most endearing way.

✧ OSTs —
I'm no critic in music but since this had many many songs I'll list the ones that I liked listening to often ~
❥ starlight – by Taeil (NCT) ( just my type of song )
❥ with – sung by all 5 leads ( just the news that they all sang it together made me happy. it's slow, soothing and the lyrics is beautiful. this song sums up all the feelings of the drama )
❥ I'll shine on you – Bae Ki Sung ( this is just the right thing for karaoke )

In the end, do you like youth based dramas with enough emotional ups and downs, realistic stories of growth, characters chasing their dreams and character development. If yes? Do give twenty-five twenty-one a try!

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A little fantasy time-travel story

So this is how it went… it's a little movie of just 28 minutes. Nothing special or amazing here. But this isn't bad either…… Wasn't expecting much as it's so short and then it's not appreciated so much by others too… started watching it with no expectations and it just went medium like that… I loved the twist in middle. Was not expecting something like that would happen at all. I bet no one else could guess that too lol… I had a slight confusion in the beginning with a dialogue and I thought that's just a small error. But who expected it's actually well planned…

This is good in terms of the time-travel theme cause so far at least I haven't seen a concept like that. Ending could have been better maybe (or what I was wishing for lol). Some people may not get this kind of ending tbh. So, it ended little confusingly… a thing that I can't help but notice was that girl's hand in the ending scene. Her hand was so red. Was it because she was nervous in acting or they made it look like that intentionally…

This story could be expanded I guess. This could form the base story for a long 2 hour movie. Maybe there's something like that already. No idea about that…

To conclude ~ Not bad. Give it a try if you're bored or in a mood for a small high school short film… Also, it's available in YouTube already with English Subtitles…

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What's more beautiful than the blossoming of flowers of love in his barren tree

As if I have finally regained my confidence in anticipation and I can tell myself that some things are still worth the wait. Love Between Fairy and Devil (chinese: 苍兰诀 / pinyin - Cāng Lán Jué) is a fantasy themed romantic Xianxia based on the popular novel of the same name written by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang that strikes at the right time when I was just finished ranting out my other anticipated dramas. Disclaimer - forgive me this is long, I have a lot to say.

Story [10/10] —
Not best but charming. Amongst the profound depths of the three realms, there was a bossy devil (Dongfang Qingcang) locked up in Haotian Tower for thousands of years but a cheerful fairy (Xiao Lan Hua) mistakenly saves him. Like the beast that meets his beauty. There starts a story between them, they even swap bodies and they fall in love eventually. But "WAIT" they were not meant to be together at first. Because they are from different sides. I didn't even realise when I got so invested in their immortal world, its fun how apart from the romantic tale no one is "EVIL" without a reason, how enemies become sworn brothers and how comedy is one of those main elements no matter how much angst we are expecting soon.

The leads chemistry is something I would recommend this drama for. Cold ML × Naive FL. I was the first one who shouted "SO TYPICAL" yet my heart melted as I watched more. The journey made them more precious with their bonding, bickering, all the tests and sacrifices. For the angst I cried a few buckets too.

The Visuals, CGI and production quality —
I can list hundreds of scenes where I couldn't help but rewatch like two of my favourites are –
1. Dongfang Qingcang's entry scene in Haishi city (the one that has a big moon behind him, he goes to save orchid and he legit looks like the boss of the world)
2. there's a scene with two Gods talking and enjoying fine wine but guess what they're inside a painting on a boat ~ how creative is that!
Then her Arbiter hall, Haotian tower, Cangyan Sea's castle and those northern lights in sky its all dreamy wonderful themes so pretty and this level of creativity in scenes and details is something I would die for. Not to mention, Dylan Wang in the role of the the Moon Supreme, his costume, his looks, his visuals!

And I think I never got bored as things change quick and this was pretty addictive instead. Though some complained of dropping this very early, I think it's just until those first 3-4 episodes where the characters need more time to get introduced and then the plot develops stronger with time. This has used quite a minimalistic approach in depth of characters having a not-so complicated structure unlike other Xianxias.


Characters, Casting and Acting [10/10] —

Dylan Wang (Wang He Di) was one of the best casting choices ever made. I can't even imagine anyone else as the arrogant cum sweet devil Dongfang Qingcang (DFQC). His emotional scenes are as strong as his body-swap scenes where he quickly shifts to a pouting, jumping girl. He is very versatile and an amazing actor.

Yu Shu Xin – the temperament of a playful and easy going Fairy Orchid suits Esther very well, her voice might have affected some audience but I think it was just okay. Esther is usually a bubbly girl (as I have seen her in Youth shows before) so both her and this character was pretty similar. Acting wise I don't really think she deserves so much hate, she played well in both sweeter side and the cold vibe (Xi Yun) in later half. Anyway opinions and preferences might differ.

Other leading casts ~
✡ Zhang Ling He (as Lord Changheng) ~ the current God of War stuck between his responsibilities and love that he has hidden for years
✡ Xu Hai Qiao (as Rong Hao) ~ a disciple who wishes his master to come back
✡ Cristy Guo (First God of War or Xie Wan Qing) ~ a warrior who once sacrificed herself to protect the peace of three realms

All were good in their respective roles.
✡ Special mention to the silly, soft-hearted and adorable Dragon Shang Que (portrayed by Lin Bai Rui).

For dubbing, Yu Shu Xin voiced herself and Dylan Wang (Wang He Di) was dubbed by Wang Bao Shun. supporting actors like Zhang Ling He and Xu Hai Qiao were voiced by Ren Jing Hao and Wang Yong Gang respectively.


OSTs [10/10] —
One of the best parts of this drama is those musical scores. There is one for every situation ;)

◍ "Parting Love" (诀爱) - Faye Chan (the stunning illustrations we get for this intro song and the voice! I have never skipped this honestly, it turns out to be my favorite song from this drama, everytime it's played for the leads, it adds a special magic to their chemistry)

◍ "The Oath of Canglan" (苍兰契) - Li Changchao (the song for both Dongfang hellfire and orchid's first powers as well. I love how the singer shifts to a different pitch in middle and the upbeat music behind is just my style, my second favorite)

◍ "Loss of Memory" (失忆) - Yu Shuxin
◍ "Looking For You" (寻一个你) - Liu Yuning
◍ "Shore" (彼岸) - Jing Long & Jing Di
◍ "Longing" (念) - Shuang Sheng
◍ "I Still Remember That Day" (我还记得那天) - Shen Yi Cheng
◍ "I Want To Be With You" (想和你) - Yu Shuxin & Dylan Wang
◍ "Remaining Love" (余情) - Zhou Shen (smoothly ending every episode with his angelic voice)



REWATCH VALUE [9/10] –
How can you not rewatch a show often when you've absolutely loved most of it. So yeah, going to rewatch. I think I got something good to watch in my drama slumps.

Conclusion [10/10] –
The 8th month - August has almost ended and I doubt if any other Xianxia is crossing this standard for me, so with all my pleasure Love between fairy and Devil becomes my Xianxia of the year 2022! On a side note, I really wish we can get more wholesome dramas like this.

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Filler romcom? Yeah. Compelling Demon-human fantasy? Nope.

So the "RECIPE FOR MY DEMON" goes like –
(Take your Goblin, doom at your service, tale of the nine tailed, Strong woman do bong soon, destined with you and some other dramas) — handpick elements you like in a container, sprinkle some Song Kang and Yoo Jung visuals and shake the jar twice with spice nd sauce (jealous/psycho/ctuesy side kicks) , garnish it with some special OST and ta-da!! Your My demon is ready to serve xD

I wasn't expecting much and I didn't recive much either. My demon was enjoyable if you go to see it for the eye candy cast, their chemistry but if you expect a logical fantasy story, take a step back, especially if you've seen other dramas from this genre before.

What I enjoyed is the comedy that popped up here and there, Song Kang should try more Comedies (enough of sending out butterflies lol)... his quirky, childish demon was fun to watch but tbh I would've enjoyed more if Jeong Gu Won was more of a morally grey savage demon becoz we're talking about a demon, not angels. Or are you telling me he changed into an "upright demon" for her? His character arc was just so imbalanced.

On the other hand Do Do Hee being the CEO of Mirae F & B was relatively better since its Kim Yoo Jung acting there who carried some emotional scenes gracefully too when her character solely felt like a damsel in distress always about to die until our demon arrives. What a flat, lazly written character for a FL who is shown as an strong independent individual, smart enough to own a company lol.

Although their romance worked greatly but in some emotional scenes I still felt Song Kang a little bit out of place. It still seemed like one of his better performances from previous though... then these two being cuddly love birds was kinda cute xD. That being said you'll be enjoying this drama if you were looking for a romcom with moderate ups and downs.

Now don't come at me for why I'm comparing this to any old dramas of similar genre because I highly object to the creater's creativity. Just where is the story lol... Looking at the budget and all the hype around it, this certainly could have been far, far better only if they thought of an actual story, something unique, non-cliche. After all the promotions and teasers almost promised us a compelling fantasy.

So this is how my demon was. Unfortunately not recommending it to anyone.

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Cho Sam dal's homecoming to Samdal-ri

This drama serves us a delicate narrative by the concept of "Isn't it nice to have a place to return back to?"

Cho Eun Hye, the famous photographer who hits rock bottom in her career has to return to Samdal-ri, her own sweet hometown where she spend her childhood... Samdal-ri situated in the coastals of Jeju is a friendly neighborhood where people live an unembellished life away from the bustling rush of a big city like Seoul.

Eun Hye (originally called Cho Sam Dal) returns back to Samdal-ri and comes across all the people she used to cherish, spent her teenage with, had bittersweet entanglements with eventually finds herself in the process.

This, this particular concept of healing after a big downfall in life, I love such stories and that took me to watch this drama... The setting in itself is very comforting, we have the beautiful riverside locations and some sunset shots you can stare for hours at, that countryside homely feeling with all kinds of clumsy, gossipy characters that bring cartoon-ish comedy ( I know its unrealistically dramatic at times but ngl it usually worked )

Their warm bonds of friendship and regrets of past heartbreaks with actors like Ji Chang Wook, Shin Hye Sun it made me weep a few times too. "Emotionally" Welcome to Samdal-ri stood out strong...!! and how can we not talk about their chemistry. Its "CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TO LOVERS TO EX TO REUNION TROPE" Sounds interesting right!? XD It was so natural and cute! I wanted more of their dating era lol.

Tbh this is not only her story but it is also about her two sisters, her mother and their family overall, I liked the down to earth healthy dynamics of their family... the thought provoking lines in every ep like "are you okay?"... "you're not alone"... were like cherry on the top for an emotional script.


What still takes away that 1.5 ★ star rating from Welcome to Samdal-ri is —

• some typical worn out tropes like a love traingle

• the slow pacing (it was okay for an airing watcher like me but for binge, people are going to find it draggy at some point)

• less screen time to some supporting characters story (the dolphin lovers family - their story was so adorable, I wish they gave it more depth and maybe a proper closure)


Overall, a decent, emotive drama with great acting and amazing Jeju visuals!

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