Pleasing but full of clichés

I was eagerly waiting for this drama ever since its news reached my ears because of its cast line-up. I was excited for the collaboration of Chen Yu Qi and Lin Yi.

However, this drama's plot rater disappointed me as it is full of clichés. Memory of Encaustic Tile is adapted from the novel "Glazed Tiles of the Past" (昔有琉璃瓦) by Bei Feng San Bai Li (北風三百里). This drama tells us the story of five youngsters from Luli Hutong street, who grew up together. They faced many heart-rending situations because of which they grew up from inside. Some fell in love while some remained friends eventhough they wanted a change in their relationship. When they started pursuing their dreams, seperation between the lovers and friends and became inevitable. The drama was very obvious and predictable all the way long and all this also constantly reminded me of A Love So Beautiful which too focuses of such a plot. Anyways, when some scenes were illogical, some were heart touching too.

The character arcs and developments were so sub-standard and so was the romance portrayal. The main characters were the worst except Zhang Qi (Yan Zi Dong)and Wu Huan. They had a decent character arc, which made them more likeable that the other characters. Shao Xue and Zheng Su Nian was supposed to be more supportive of eachother. At some instances, we could make an exception of Shao Xue. But, ZSN was a complete fool when it comes to reading a girls's mind and supporting her. Sometimes, these character may make us laugh but not like them. Anyways, the portrayal of the bond between parents and children as well as the neighbours were heart-warming.

The delivery of the character the main and supporting leads were decent but the plot is not worthy of their acting skills. I have been a fan of both Lin Yi and Yu Qi ever since they first caught my attention in Put Your Head On My Shoulder and Ashes of Love. We have seen how Lin Yi improved from PYHOMS to Love Scenery and I had confidence in him from the very start. This drama is my first modern drama of Yu Qi and I had high expectations, which were not broken except when she was acting cute where it was not needed. However, both the actors are still quite behind in handling emotional scenes. This was my first drama of Yang Zi Dong's. In this drama, I'm satisfied with his performance. Sun Kai really surprised me with his performance. Also, there were many other familiar faces among the cast and I enjoyed spotting them and their changes from their previous drama.

There music was good but not memorable but, I quite liked the opening song which captured the liveliness of life.

A summary for lazy reades:

WHAT I LIKED

# The portrayal of the bond between parents and children as well as neighbours
# Commendable acting
# The slice-of-life discription of relationships
# Quite good OSTs

WHAT I DISLIKED

# Bad character arc and development
# Bad romance portrayal between leads
# Side characters becoming more likeable than lead characters
# Poor excecution
# Wasted talent of the cast
# Cliché plot
# Some illogical scenes

Overall, this was a pretty decent yet not so good drama. I would recommend this to Chen Yu Qi or Lin Yi fans or someone searching for a light and heart warming drama, which focuses more on family bonds. But, if you are looking for one with a strong romance and trust between the leads, this is not for you.

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One word to describe this: RIDICULOUS

To be honest, I felt ridiculous while watching this! Everything about the story, the acting, the cast, and everything else was ridiculous! I can't believe I'm completed this. I might as well have dropped this if it hadn't been for its length, although I don't usually drop dramas! I was expecting for more from this, after watching some good Korean BLs. But now I'm completely frustrated.

I'm not sure how the story in the Manhwa is because I haven't read it, but the story in this drama is completely problematic. It had a lot of issues that I couldn't get my head around:

1. The ML, Jo Tae Sung, who had been unable to communicate with Seo Hae Bom for years, was suddenly hurt when he saw him being bullied. I don't think he was bullied out of nowhere. Also, the bully seemed to recognise Hae Bom, and he seemed to to be his usual prey. So there's no way Tae Sung hasn't encountered Hae Bom being bullied in the past.

2. Another issue was Hae Bom's development of feelings for Tae Sung, which felt rushed and unrealistic. How could he fall in love with someone who had completely ignored him for the past few years?

3. Then there's Tae Sung's mother, who had previously opposed their relationship and then suddenly agreed. It was not clarified why she did so.

When it comes to the cast and acting, it is anything but likeable, let alone good. They had no chemistry at all. Their performance was comparable of that of children. It was almost comical how bad it was.

What I liked in this drama: Nothing.
What I disliked in this drama: Everything.

I'm not so cruel as to rate dramas 1 or 2. So, I have given this the utmost I can give: 3

It's true that this drama offers incredibly cute scenes and is full of fluff. So, this is a good watch for people who enjoy fluffy high school romance dramas, but not for those who want a good and sensible story with good acting.

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Started of interesting but, went downhill halfway.

I'm confused. That's what I've got to say after watching this ridiculous show! The first half was sufficiently unique and well-executed to pique my interest. The second half, on the other hand, was just a bunch of crap! I'm not sure what to say about it. It was a complete waste of time on my part.


The word "grid" literally means "a network of lines that cross each other," as explained in the first episode of the drama. The horizontal and vertical lines that help us locate points on a map are also referred to as Grid. On the other hand, Grid is a shield created with artificially expanded magnetic fields that protects the Earth from potentially harmful solar winds in this drama. This was the aspect that piqued my interest the most. I was excited to learn more about this, but it turns out that this concept isn't very important in this drama. It's all about the "Ghost," the person who came from the future to create the Grid, and the people who live to catch her (Kim Sae Hae, Jung Sae Byeok, and the whole of the Administration Bureau). What I don't understand is why the "Ghost" couldn't simply go back to the future instead of lurking in the past. This would have saved the Administration Bureau a lot of trouble!


Grid had a lot of potential, but the main issue with this crap is that the drama that began as science fiction devolved into fantacy. I'm referring to time travel when I say fantasy. (Some may think this is science fiction, but I think it's fantasy because time travel isn't possible in the real world and science can't explain it.) Another issue is that the ending was rushed as well as open-ended, which is something I despise in dramas, especially when they are science fiction. The ending was extremely upsetting and seemed to be out of place with the rest of the story. The addition of a new character at the last minute, as well as the final scene (which I won't reveal because it would be a major spoiler), added to the complexity and raised numerous questions.


The plot's pacing, as well as the length of the drama, had some defects. They could have extended the runtime to explain everything in detail so that we, the audience, didn't have any problems understanding. This would have improved the drama's appeal and popularity. I also wish there had been more information about the Grid and solar winds.


The acting was excellent, and the actors gave it their all with the script they were given. But, in my opinion, this drama does not deserve them. But, now that I think about it, I would have dropped this one if they weren't there as well. The drama's rich background music contributed significantly to the drama's overall mood. This is a positive aspect of the drama.


Finally, I wouldn't recommend this drama to anyone, anyone even if they like sci-fi. This drama would not satisfy anyone. Because of the first half and the acting, I've given this drama a 7. Otherwise, I would have given it a lower rating. Don't waste your time with this. There are better stuff out there.

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Good plot ruined by bad editing and story telling

I have been looking forward for this drama since its news reached my ears because of its star-studded cast and plot.

Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities is a Xuannhuan drama adapted from the novel "Jing - Shuang Cheng" (镜·双城) by Cang Yue (沧月). This tells us a the story of Su Mo, a merman, and Bai Ying, the eldest daughter of the Bai clan. While Su Mo bears the identity of the Emperor of Sea and has the responsibility of taking all the merpeople back to Biluo sea from Yun Hung, where they were mistreated and enslaved for their tears which turned into pearls, Bai Ying should marry the crown prince of Kong Sang, Zhen Lan, inherit the earthly power and become the crown princess.

The first episode starts with Su Mo coming back to Yun Huang, the place where he and Bai Ying met, after becoming the Emperor of Sea. During his journey back, he meets Na Sheng, who then states a prophecy which plays an important role throughout the drama. Then, the rest of the 1st episode and the next few episodes shows how Su Mo, Bai Ying and Zhen Lan met a hundred years ago in the Mirror Tower and how their lives changed as they were compelled to bear great responsibilities. For me, the first few episodes felt really rushed. Actually, Su Mo spends 3 years in the Mirror Tower before Bai Ying's crown princess seal was broken when she fell in love with Su Mo and she jumped off the tower. But, in this, it felt like a few days like they fell in love too quickly. The chemistry was not felt. Their love was neither love at first sight nor slow burn. In my opinion, they should have given more time for the character and love development.

By the half of the 5th episode, we come back to the present time and it becomes more interesting and watchable. In this we discover that Bai Ying is actually alive as the Earthly ring saved her. The entire Yunhuang was invaded by Cang Lui a hundred years ago and is now under its control. While trying to save Kong Sang, the crown prince fell in deep sleep which continued for a hundred years, until Na Sheng inadvertantly finds the Heavenly ring. To save Kong Sang's people from Cang Lui's army, the six princes opened Wu Se city by sacrificing half of their spirit. After a series of incidents, Su Mo and Bai Ying meets again but the lovers couldn't reunite because of the circumstances.

Eventhough the script is a little sloppy, the plot is compelling with many predictable as welll as unpredictable twists. Sometimes, the story feels rushed while some times it feels too slow. The editing is done badly and the CGI effects and sets are not lively. But, this has pretty good cinematography.

There are many side couples in this drama. The main one among these is Na Sheng and Yan Xi. Yan Xi is also a mermaid from Biluo. During their first meeting, Na Sheng saves his life and they fell in love. Some other side characters also have their own love intersts. While some unite, some are compelled to seperate. Also there is a love triangle in this but, it is not severe. As Zhen Lan knows Su Mo and Bai Ying loves eachother, he just let it be and didn't try to pursue her.

Anyways, the cast did a good job. Li Yi Feng looks so good in costume dramas and so does Chen Yu Qi. Zheng Ye Cheng too didn't disappoint me. But, Li Yi Feng and Chen Yu Qi are still a bit backwards in pulling out emotional scenes but, they improved a lot in comparison to their previous works

This has many good OSTs sung by famous singers:

Love Is Silent 爱若无声 - 毛不易 Mao Bu Yi
Returning Home 念归去 - 周深 Zhou Shen
Want To Go Home 念归去 - 周深 Charlie Zhou
Not Afraid 无惧 - 阿 Yue Yue
Not For Joy 不为欢喜 - 张碧晨 Diamond Zhang
I Am Your Rain 我是你的雨 - 银临 Yin Lin

The one by Zhou Shen and Mao Bu Yi are my personal favourites. I also loked the starting BGM.

Overall, the only plus points of this drama is the cast, the plot and the OSTs. The other aspects like set, CGI, editing etc. are just meh. The rewatch value is also really really low as I don't want to struggle to enjoy the bad editing again :(
I cannot say this is a must watch or anything but, I can say this is an enjoyable drama if you disregard the sloppy editing.

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Ghost Doctor is a supernatural medical drama that introduced a new concept of coma ghost. We have heard of ghosts haunting the Earth after death. But, this is the first time I have heard of a coma ghost, the soul of a person who is in coma, wandering in the Earth. I was interested in this concept and almost enjoyed the drama.

The most of the plot is set in a hospital. The story begins introducing the invincible first-rated heart surgeon Cha Young Min (Rain). Despite his skills, he is arrogant and short tempered with a cold personality. While, Ko Seung Tak (Kim Bum) is genius student, who is the grandson of the hospital's founder and had to study medicine because of his family despite not being interested in it. Although he is a genius, he has no field experiences because of his ability to see ghosts. Yet, he cares about the well-being of his patient due to an accident which happened when he was a child, because of which he got the ability to see ghosts, and does not wish to see it again. Ko Seung Tak and Cha Young Min loathe eachother, especially Dr. Cha, at the very beginning of the drama.

The current situation changes as Dr. Cha is involved in an accident But, after being a ghost, he finds himself possessing the body of KST, despite not being able to touch anyone else. Eventhough he performs surgery on and saves himself, he slips into coma and his soul becomes a coma ghost. This becomes the turning point of his life to becoming a doctor who is less short tempered and cares more about his patients. When CYM finds that KST can see ghosts, they helps eachother to find the truths about the foul acts taking place in the hospital and is thus forced to share a body.

I actually started this drama due to it's interesting plot. But, after watching the drama, I was disappointed because of its bad development. Everything was too easily revealed. They were not interesting enough to keep me engaging. Of couse the beginning is interesting. But, as the story progresses, everything becomes draggy.

Another thing that became draggy was the romance plot. We could see that there are two MLs. So, the presence two romance plots was obvious enough. Actually there are two more main leads apart from Kim Bum and Rain: Uee, who plays Jang Se Jin, CYM's ex-girlfriend and Son Na Eun, KST's crush. But, after watching the drama, I doubt if they could be called main leads. They were more like two support roles to keep the romance plot moving. Actually, there was no need of the romance itself. The bromance between the MLs were interesting enough. So, the romance was dragged until the very end. Also, the romance with body sharing was unacceptable.

There are many side-characters in this drama, humans as well as ghosts, and many sub stories. My fav support character is Tess, a good ghost who had died years ago in the hospital and the cleaning lady on whom he enters.

When we come to the cast, I'm satisfied with their performance. Rain, Kim Bum and their bromance was awsome. But, I am really sad that the two FLs were ignored, especially Son Na Eun. They didn't have enough screentime to make them feel like the main leads. Could have made their part more interesting other that the romance one by giving them more medical activities. All the supporting characters too did a commentable job.

I didn't really care about the OSTs of the drama. There were some musics but not very memorable

An overall summary for lazy readers:-

WHAT I LIKED:

*The concept of coma ghost
*Good medial plot
* Awsome performance of the cast
* Supporting characters and their stories
*The bromance

WHAT I DISLIKED:

* The draggy plot
* Romace plot
* Really obvious and unsurprising
* Less focus on main characters except the 2 MLs
* Poor writing

Warning for future viewers:

There are many operation scenes as this is a medical drama and the leads are surgeons. So, fast forward if you can't handle blood.
Also there are many medical terms used in this drama, half of which I didn't understand. But, this importance given to the medical part of the drama makes it fairly interesting

Overall, this is a fair watch, if not a good one. It is mildly enjoyable because of the comedy element as well as the performance of the cast. This is a good watch for Rain's and Kim Bum's fans but, those who come for the plot, you will be undoubtably disappointed.

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Not quite bad... but is full of craziness!

I recently developed an interst in mystery and crime-solving dramas and was in search for something good. I had been looking forward for Bad and Crazy ever since its news reached my ear. So, I decided to watch it. I was really excited for Lee Dong Wook and Wi Ha Joon's union in Bad and Crazy.

Bad and Crazy is a mystry action-thriller drama, directed by Yoo Sun Bong and written by Kim Sae Bom, who also worked together on the drama The Uncanny Counter. The series is third drama collaboration between iQIYI and Studio Dragon, with co-producer Mink Entertainment.

This drama tells us about the events that occur after a crazy person, K, appeared in Ruy Soo Yeol's life. As K interups Ryu Soo Yeol smooth life, everything, for Soo Yeol, suddenly takes a turn for the worse. But, as the story goes on, this interuption of the righteous K in Soo Yeol's life proves to be for the greater good. This drama has four main characters: Ryu Soo Yeol (Lee Dong Wook), K (Wi Ha Joon), Lee Hee Kyum (Han Ji Eun) and Oh Kyung Tae.

Ryu Soo Yeol is a corrupt yet competent police officer, who work in the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division of Munyang Police Agency. He takes up his superior's 'pet' cases and solves them, in the way they want them to be solved, for promotion. This often means overlooking corruptions and injustice. He is also master in getting out of trickey situations. But, his life completely changes after K appears in his life.

K is a righteous but crazy person who just appeared out of the blue. He is crazy whenever he sees injustice. He does everything impulsively, without thinking sbout the consequences. His fists and kicks comes before his words. I quite like him but, I think that his screen time was very less. He was not much in this drama.

Lee Hee Kyum is an officer of the Drug Investigation Unit. Despite her adorable looks, her punches could take you to hell and back. She is somewhat similar to K in some aspects. She is a passionate officer who is always ready to immerse herself into any cases. She never hesitates to arrest a person if he commited a crime, even if he is someone close to her. She is also the ex-girlfriend of Ryu Soo Yeol.

Oh Kyung Tae is a kindest person I have ever seen in my life. Earth would be heaven if such people really exist! He is the youngest officer in the Anti-Corruption Investigation Department. He is warm-hearted and has a strong sense of duty. Eventhough he is a rookie, he does not miss a single clue when he investigates a case and never stand back while doing a dangerous task, even if it means hurting himself. He is my favourite character in this drama.

The only strength of this drama is its main cast. Bad and Crazy is a character-driven drama, which focuses on the inner conflict between characters. So, the actors must do an exceptional job to make such dramas a success. I have been a fan of both Lee Dong Wook and Wi Ja Hoon ever since they first caught my eyes in Goblin and Squid Game respectively. As usual, they have nailed their character perfectly in this drama too. I wasn't familiar with Han Ji Eun and N but, they too did an impressive performance.

And as far as the supporting actors are concerned, they did a pretty well job. . My favourite villian in this drama is the ones of the drug organisation. They had the perfect look and guesture a villian should have. But, I'm quite disappointed with the main villian (it's a secret). He acting was nice, but, not quite evil as much as a villian should. Also, there were many child actors in this drama and all of them did a remarkable job.

Though, the drama didn't catch me in the beginning, it got better (except for the villian). It slowly changed from a normal crime-solving drama to a psychological crime-thriller. I cannot say that the plot or the characters are well-written. It could have been better. There are many loopholes in both in plot and main chacracters. But, the way the story unfolds is exceptional.

I watched this drama for the cast and the synopsis was interesting too. But, the actual drama is just meh. I'm confused about this drama. I like it but can't. This drama is enjoyable in some aspects but, I doubt if this would be a exiting watch.

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Dumb Shit

After watching this, what I have to say is that either the scriptwriters are total dumbasses or they didn't really mean this to be a sensible drama.

The story is so full of plot holes that even a dumb person can detect them. I enjoyed the first two episodes (or I wouldn't even have finished this). But as the story moved on, it became more and more senseless. I can't really say that this drama is predictable, coz no sane person would expect such idiotic plot twists anyway! Some of the characters' actions made me wonder what the fuck is going on! Like, when a person died, they were so fucking calm! Not even one character had even one active brain cell, they left me speechless. Anyway, I had a good laugh watching this dumb shit.

The cast was excellent, though. They managed to make the most of their scripts and put in performances that would leave audiences laughing even when there was not much substance. They also had good chemistry on screen. But I hope they choose better scripts in the future. This drama is a waste of the actors' talent.

Anyway, talking of chemistry, Off's and Mond's was the best! I wanted more scenes with them. I was almost shipping Sun with one of the three main roles! I hope my poor boy, Mond, will get many main roles in the future (with, of course, better scripts).

Talking of rewatch value, I'd rather not even hear this drama's name again. Overall, this just wasted my precious 5 hours. Honestly, it wasn't even worth watching for the cast. If you wanna watch them, there are some of their better projects out there. This drama is just a solid NO for me.

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