Editorials 
I'm confused and conflicted.
This show is pretty good, until we hit the 30ep mark. ¾ of the show is pretty enjoyable despite the lack of ambiance and mature cinematography.It's got great action choreography that shows vision and creativity.
The humor is top notch with so many laughable moments.
The characters were all great and memorable, especially those in the Six Halls. Loved the leads as well, I was very much invested in their romance.
Once we locked in for the last 10 episodes, I had a hard time with the drop off.
I'm still not a fan of shock factor happenings towards the end of a show.
There is a subset of people who believe that the final scene gives you the answer, but I personally am not a believer.
I do want what y'all are huffing, but I can't afford it.
This show is good and I do recommend it, but if you're looking for a mostly happy story with no hardship then this is NOT for you.
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BORINGGGG
This is a cumulative review for Season 1 and 2B*tch x Rich is really basic.
The commentary that you get from shows like this are also basic.
Its really heavy handed with it themes, and it makes you realize how unrealistic most of the characters are. By the end we have teens making money moves and ANOTHER CLIFF HANGER ENDING, continuing the tradition from Season 1.
The acting was basic, the music was basic, and so was everything else. I never felt strong emotions while watching, maybe exasperation.
If you're looking for shallow commentary on capitalism, consumerism, class stratification and the evil of most K-drama schools, with a dash of half-baked murder mystery then THIS IS THE OPTION FOR YOU!
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A Mess
TLDR: this show is exactly what would have happened if someone woke up one day and decided to make Till the End of the Moon look nicer while having a sh*ttier story and characters.The Good: As previously mentioned, this is a damn good looking drama. Aside from the wirework and some really bad editing (things appearing and disappearing from hands) Things look VERY nice. It's been a while since I've watched a proper XuanHuan fantasy with the works. The sets were pretty premium looking and visually appealing. Lots of varied settings that add very much needed distraction from all the stuff on screen that either bores/irritates you. The music was also okay, no tracks stood out to me but I definitely feel that the soundtrack is more balanced than TTEOTM's.
Got to also give the cast their flowers, everyone was clocking IN for their check. Not a singling person was phoning it in, Bai Lu was especially exciting to watch as always but I am her biggest fan so I could be biased. Zeng Shun Xi was not a bad actor either, I started the drama thinking his portrayal was a little too stiff (I was having Blossoms in Adversity flashbacks) but as time went on he did kinda win me over…
Okay now THE BAD:
This sh*t is in the wrong order.
I'm not joking, this story is told to its audience in the wrong ORDER.
I'm officially getting into spoiler territory here, so be aware.
In TTEOTM there is a flashback portion that adds to the story. The Untamed also starts in the “future” after most of the inciting events have happened, then it has an extended flashback to tell its background to the audience so they can be more invested in the coming conflicts and have a better understanding of how the past effects the characters they are invested in.
Feud doesn't take either approach, instead it withholds crucial information in favor of subverting expectations later.
I truly believe this show would have been twice as good if it had just told its story in chronological order with Bai Lu's Siling as the focus. If we had experienced her pain and suffering in real time, then it would have had 2 main benefits.
1. Siling's actions wouldn't have seemed so unnecessarily cruel and meaningless. Since I spent so much of the show following Bai Jiusi, we have more of a connection with him and his suffering. When Siling's motivation was revealed I was so tired of the subversion that I couldn't help but think that basic communication could have solved everything… (This is comedic foreshadowing)
2. Creating anticipation, instead of always feeling confused and wondering I'm going to get enough info to alleviate the distinct feeling of stupidity I was constantly burdened with. I could have been given Siling's side of the story and been patiently awaiting Bai Jiusi's finding out more about her core motivation. Then satisfaction from his finding out would have been wayyy better than how it was implemented.
Imagine this same story told in chronological order.
Siling and Bai Jiusi meet and form a connection ➡️ they fall in love➡️ they diverge in their philosophy and spilt➡️ Tragedy strikes➡️ Reincarnation.
Boom, then you can basically pick up where ep 1 starts. It just seems like such a waste of potential.
The other bad: The Side characters.
Almost every side character is either one dimensional or kinda appalling. Our 2nd ML is a creature that is only ever driven by his desire for the FML ( a woman he barely knows or talks to). A lotus demon who commits murder for like 5 episodes and is conveniently excused and redeemed. Another love triangle that persisted until the 3rd to last episode… (dumb)
And a whole host of side characters who don't matter.
In fact, they matter so little that it is only when their lives are endangered and are ready to sacrifice themselves. Each insignificant background character bravely calls out their name before getting obliterated. (Can not make this up, I do not remember those walking corpses and I never will.)
The other other bad.
Bai Jiusi's the most impressive punching bag I've seen since Yu Sifeng from Love and Redemption. Dude is betrayed, beaten and bamboozled in almost every episode. He's supposed to be the most powerful person but he's so whack. It's crazy. Such a stoic character makes terrible and borderline dumb decisions almost every episode.
The romance was so flat. It was definitely that fact that we only see the most basic of interactions between the leads…. then we're thrown into the most nonsensical long ass plot.
SPOILER
--‐---------------------------->
The time travel nonsense really grabbed me by the hair, slapped me and spat in my face and called me stupid for watching till the end.
Siling getting to go back in time and fix everyone's dumb little problems with just communication and ..... Yea.... thats it. She just talks to everyone and that shows that everything was a huge waste of time that would have been solved if ANYONE in the story stopped for a second and TALKED about what they wanted.... OMFG💀 the ending is dumb and unsatisfying too.
Overall, I think this drama is beautiful, but it is most certainly a waste of time. I will never watch it again.
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Mmmm so good and tasty.
This is good.Japanese dramas are usually rated lower than their foreign counterparts because they are sometimes pretty sucky… or they could be missing some sort of fundamental quality that a viewer is seeking.
I can't lie, I've felt like J-dramas have been on a downward trend since the 2010's but every once in a while Japan will surprise me with something good actually.
Romantics Anonymous is one of those for sureeee.
I will start off with the negatives since there is so much good to discuss.
This show is wayyy too short, the modern “Netflix” format of 8 episodes is much too short for a story this heavy. The lack of runtime makes it so that the viewer is left feeling rushed through the story. 10-12 episodes would have been perfect. The episode titles follow a gimmick where each episode is named after a branded chocolate piece in a box set… They literally skip over some of the pieces because they don't have enough time to dedicate an episode to it.
All my criticism is linked to that lack of runtime. The rushed ending, the shallow exploration of the characters' backstories… All of it was addressed as best they could but… it was still a jot unsatisfying.
Anyways, everything else was GREAT.
Liked that it tackled phobias and gave plausible reasons for why they form and can sometimes get worse. LOVED seeing people get professional help from a mental health specialist, and introducing coping mechanisms and self affirmations to an audience who may not have ever heard of them.
It can be powerful to see characters whose problems mirror your own, seeking out help…
The romance was delicate and slow, very cute and satisfying. I loved seeing two adult strangers get to know each other, admire each other and finally realizing they are soul mates.
Both leads were amazing! Haven't seen Oguri Shun do a rom-com in a while… but… uh… he's had the sauce for twenty years… he'll always have it…
Haven't seen Han Hyoju in anything since W… but here she is quirky, earnest, and lovable as Lee Hana.
Love that no one's issues are magically fixed by the end. They just make progress towards wholeness.
Great watch, I've been obsessed with it since I completed it.
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DIYBT
It's so funny to me because I was literally just waxing poetic about the merits of J-dramas, and how they are capable of telling good stories while not being afforded the same budgets as blockbuster C and K dramas…But Bruh…
This show was straight CHEEKS.
I can barely think of anything I liked aside from some parts of the story and side characters.
FL was pretty likable, her tenacity and work ethic REALLY made her grow on me. BUT she's got terrible taste in men and friends and it's not funny.
I'm not exactly sure what was going on with her family either? How are y'all doing all that with a little girl doing homework at the bar???
ML was baffling. I think they were trying to make him a tortured soul with unwarranted self destructive tendencies… BUT his backstory is REALLY stupid if you think about it for 5 seconds, so it makes his spiraling behavior stupid too.
I liked the boxing bits tho, its like watching a sports anime but worse. I'm not that picky.
Cast was great and the music was alright. Cinematography was okay, nothing on screen ever made me open my eyes to see more.
I will never watch this again.
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Pls save me
Blossom is a very good drama that does everything right. It's got great actors, and engaging script and plot, good music and cinematography… It's doing everything RIGHT but its still somewhat off for me personally.After slogging through many dropped B grade dramas, I finally was able to cross Blossom off my list. I'm not sure if it was the months of anticipation or my own high expectations, but this drama only disappointed me.
I will say the crazy thing and admit that I enjoyed The Double more than this in the end.
I feel like the story was at its best when the main leads had more distance and the plot wasn't really revealed yet.
Once everyone and everything starts coming together the story became a little stupid to me. I couldn't understand why certain people changed so much and why other made the decisions they did…
This is a good show but I'm still searching for something that will snatch me from the clutches of LLTG.
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I wanna like it more but…
Blossoms in Adversity is a welcome departure from the typical disgraced family trope… Instead of the usual set up where the story starts off after a noble family has fallen, we get a show that focuses on the failing of the family in real time.This drama does so many things that I like. The music, cinematography (though it's a bit over the top at times) and action were all pretty good. The ML's action scenes were especially good. You can tell that he's been molded into a ruthless killing machine, who is perfectly capable of beating a man to death with his bare hands, then he demonstrates😆.
BIA shows how women are treated as commodities rather than people in this ancient society. Women and girls are supposed to be looked at, and used not heard. The domestic talents they cultivate are ultimately useless when it's time for them to earn money on their own. The purposeful ignorance they live in can even be a threat to their lives in dire situations.
I really enjoyed everything that had to do with this critique of the traditional family unit and expectations of women… Seeing a group of women overcome the odds over and over was amazing… but….
I don't really like anything else.
The ML’s acting was especially bad. I remember seeing a review mention someone had a “frozen face”, as soon as I saw the ML I knew it was him. Only his eyebrows move, it's hilarious.
The romance lacked chemistry, So I skipped through all their later scenes together…
There is a villian and I hate him because he is stupid. The ending seemed super rushed to me, and all their problems were solved super conveniently…
It was alright, I would recommend it, but I would never watch it again.
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Please understand what you're getting into.
This is a story about a 30-sum year old woman getting psychometric powers after touching the butt of a cow that got hit by a meteor... then using those powers (which only activate when she is touching a booty) to catch a serial killer.Of course Shenanigans ensue...
I don't understand why people are taking this drama seriously. This is a comedy, and its a damn good one.
All the jokes were funny and memorable. The cast did an excellent job. I didn't mind the lack of romance because its clear that isn't the point of the show. The goal is to make you laugh! That is what I needed and wanted!
Music and cinematography were great! Added several tracks to my OST list!
I thought the chemistry was fine... some people are complaining about their dynamic when its legit enemies to lovers. ML starts off thinking the FL is a S3x offender... I can understand him being abrasive to her touching him without consent. His reactions were totally appropriate!!! Despite that their relationship develops and deepens.
Its a fun(ny) solid drama that warmed me up!
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It's so good!
A wonderful comedy that is elevated by its cast in every way. It was such a fun experience. So glad I had the time to rewatch it.The only thing holding it back was that some of the villians are so dumb. No one dies in the show despite the fact that there are multiple assassination attempts, yeah they're that stupid.
Honestly that just adds to the humor!
The music, cast, and plot are all perfectly balanced. It's nearly perfect. I wish a little more attention was paid to the romance, but I'm glad I didn't have to sit through another love triangle.
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This review may contain spoilers
Great! until it isn't?
I really liked this show! Episodes 1-7 are basically perfect!At the halfway point things start to take a dip? I felt that the establish patterns of certain bus passengers were being disregarded in favor of a more dramatic presentation?
Earlier in the story our main characters are held down by the other bus passengers for attempting to leave the bus... but when the culprit is revealed and pulls a knife on the main characters all the passengers including FOUR men all stand by and watch the FL get her throat slashed AFTER STABBING ANOTHER GUY??? Not once but twice?
The main leads have to scream for help to get other people into action... even though they were happy to inconvenience the leads earlier...
I also disliked the stupidity of Mengmeng's ? death? Why would the bus stop there? why didn't she look both ways before stepping onto a busy highway? The driver doesn't have mirrors so he could see and be like "watch out!"??? and the lack of urgency towards the end?
The ML is visibly suffering after every loop after the halfway point.... The FL disreguards him and keeps pushing him.... Lady he's bleeding from the nose... yall can't take a break for one loop so the man can relax? And not be burned to death, stabbed or be chased by the cops?
Not to mention the hot potato with the bomb near the end? Eveyone was just taking their sweet time telling the truth to each other.... I know its a DRAMA... but damn.
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This review may contain spoilers
It made me angry.
The leads enter into a marriage contract, but I was not a fan of how condescending the ML was towards the FL. Unlike most people I didn't have an issue with him liking another woman at the start. I only hated how he treated the FL like she was stupid right from the start.Then I started to agree with him.
FL causes so many problems for the people around her... but you're still meant to like her because she tries to make up for it... Over the course of the drama most of her issues are caused by her trying to go above and beyond to please the ML or his family but she just ends up cause grief instead.
Then she sulks... she's like "I know I messed up again, but he shouldn't brush me off." Honey... I'd do the same thing.
I hate the fact that she falls for him first for the most superficial reasons.... Complaining that she's being mistreated by the guy but you're getting hurt and jealous within 3 episodes? Please.
Also the misunderstanding at the end was dumb.
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A Relic of a Bygone Era
The first thing that came to my mind when I started this drama was "dated". Everything in this show is extremely dated. The cinematography, music, story, and tone all feel like I've been blasted back to that very warm era from 2008-2012 for Asian dramas. Unfortunately It's been a decade since then and I need a lil more than what this show was able to give. Plain talk: it's really boring.Though the drama tackles some serious issues like CA, SA, dr*gs and MORE, but it has a serious tonal issue. One moment we'll see the worse thing ever happen to a person and three minutes later you'll see some of the most cheesy comedy ever. The framing device is also weird? It's like a 4th wall break thing like The Office but it doesn't contribute anything… So what's the point in having it at all?
The story is simple… boring… and linear… At times I was shocked at how mature the content could be then be pulled out immediately by the erratic tone. This drama does not know what it wants to be: A crime solving law drama, A conspiracy drama, or a tacky rom com…. in the end it split the duty unevenly…
A big issue for me is the FL and how she's obviously not like other girls…🙄 Shes built up to be a bad B who can take care of herself but the only reason she gets anything done is because she's surrounded by men… I wasn't a big fan of her silly or "cute" moments because I really never felt like I could take her seriously. Like if that chick from It's Okay to not be Okay acted like she did THEN I'd find it cute because that woman was actually a bad B…
The leads had pretty ok chemistry and had some nice moments from the beginning. The whole cast had great acting with only one person standing out.
But like JO HAN CHUL tho… dude was the bread and butter of this drama and carried the entire thing on his back. He was so ridiculous that I'd wake up everytime he was on screen. Man really felt like he was having fun writhing on the floor in his underpants.😂😂😂 It's worth watching just for him, played a great scumbag.
All in all if you like simple straightforward stories with no detours or if you're feeling nostalgic for dramas they stopped making a decade ago then this is the drama for you. You'll definitely have some fun but never rewatch…
Has a satisfying more traditional HEA too!
Hated the wedding dress tho…
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Certainly NOT a waste of time!
I was very interested in watching this drama because Gang Dongwon does NOT do TV dramas. He simply doesn't. Last time that man was in a drama was more than twenty years ago. I found the premise interesting but I wondered what exactly would bring him back to the world of TV. Short answer: he wanted to kiss Gianna Jun and I most certainly can not blame him. (I'd wanna too, but I'm not a super handsome, tall actor)Both leads are now very much Veteran actors with ranges that will astound you and this show fares no differently. I really enjoyed their chemistry and found myself rewinding a lot of their interaction. Between the actors themselves and the direction I felt like there was a lot of subtlety that really made the interpersonal interactions way more believable and I appreciated that.
This show also looks pretty good. It's not Vagabond, but it does what it does well enough. I also really liked some of the monologues, there was a particularly striking line our FL says about a church built out of the bodies of her loved ones. I don't think I will ever forget that line…
The original soundtrack was so good. I decided to watch this on the TV cause I thought it deserved it and my subwoofer was BLASTING. I haven't liked original background tracks this much since My Dearest. The use of “Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was so haunting in the moment. I remember getting goosebumps.
So the not so good stuff is just about everything else.
This show (like most kdrama) starts off incredibly strong and ends up devolving into half baked nonsense by the end. I once again feel that this new shorter format is kind of hurting these dramas. I feel that an extension to 12 of even the old standard of 16 would have helped this show immensely.
The main villain's plan and motivation are genuinely dumb. When you learn what exactly the plan was and how long they had been prepared… it makes you wonder what the point of all the assassination attempts was??? They try to kill people beneficial to the plan more than once and I still don't really get it.
I had no issues until the final reveals made things too dumb. Another one that couldn't stick the landing.
I love Gianna Jun tho.🩷 Her strong but vulnerable portrayal REALLY impressed me. Munju was so relatable.
7.5 but closer to a 7 than an 8.
I'm giving this a higher score just because I personally had a great time watching this. episodes 2-7 were so fun.
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Clanker's first Strike
BAYM…. is kind of a mess. Inconsistent characters, pacing and plot coherency abound.Do not watch this show if you are actually interested in watching a solid historical costume drama with great political intrigue, do watch if you're a foodie who wants to turn off their brain for a moment of pleasure.
I will start by saying that the cast here is pretty commendable. Lots of veteran actors playing new roles that I've never seen from them. This is Yoona at her best (when she's not with GG) her acting is consistent and sincere, I really enjoyed every time she was on screen. Her costars range from amazing to acceptable, but I'm okay with that.
The food was amazing to see and the direction for the cooking scenes were fluid and actually made a lot of sense. It's almost like choreography for dances or fights.
I start having issues with the plot, I get that the show is only 12 episode, but I still feel that the pacing should have been a little more consistent. Now that everything has been completed, I have a hero I don't understand too well nor can be invested in because his development was way too inconsistent. The villain's motivations are unclear and very hard to understand logically. I got why everyone was doing what they were doing on a surface level… but thats all. If you stop and think about any main faction's motivation you will realize that everything is shallow and just a little dumb.
All of that is forgivable, my issue is the amount of ai in this drama. When ai started becoming more accessible it never occured to me that it would eventually make its way to dramas. There are multiple scenes and dreamy sequences where ai is used to highlight the characters reaction to food. Multiple instances in multiple episodes… I can only imagine how many liters of water were wasted to render that dumb pea scene. All of these could have been replaced with using stock photos and video and a dash of clever editing… I'm so disappointed to see that clanker made content has infiltrated a medium I have deep affection for.
Going forward I will be dropping dramas that have ai, If I can see it, it will be dropped.
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They never stick The Landing.
They never stick the landing anymore.Okay, I would like to start off with saying what I LOVED about this drama.
I really liked the main characters and their arcs. The ML does at lot of growing, the 2nd FL works through a lot of her problems and same can be said for the 2nd ML.
This show looks REALLY good. The effects and set are awesome.
The mysteries are all pretty unique and fun to watch. All the arcs had at least one good thing to offer…
The first 10-15 eps are really good. No notes.
Now the REST.
The costumes in this show are awful. They're almost as bad as Til the End of the Moon's. I know it's a web novel world but the color, cut and styles of some outfits just made me scratch my head. Also toooo many accessories on each person. They are supposed to be homeless traveling demon hunters who rely of the good will of the people they help for survival, yet they have so many dangling gold and silver bits and bobbles… It's ridiculous, but forgivable.
About 10/15 episodes in the pacing really starts to take a nosedive. Things take forever to resolve and they become predictable. It was around then that I guessed how everything would turn out…
The last arc was torture for me to get through.
The ending is also so unsatisfying. A quick tie up would have been ten times better than what we got.
This is a cute watch but don't expect it to be the most well put together.
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