Zii3

Great Idea, Disappointed With Writers

Absolutely loved the premise but the execution by the writers was problematic in a couple of ways. The actors are good and the series is interesting despite the shortcomings. Overall worth a watch, especially since it's so short. Possible triggers for child molestation (though details are not shown or talked about) and... I don’t know what to call it, read the next paragraph for more.

As the series summary states, one of the main characters has a split personality disorder. Noah is the adult protector identity and Yu Shi is a stuck in childhood identity.
The biggest issue for me that made me uncomfortable from the start was the sex scene with the Yu Shi identity, who is mentally like a child even though the character is physically around 30 years old. And it's implied that Yu Shi was molested by a man when he was 5 years old, which makes sex with that identity even more cringe. (And later in Ep 1, the costuming decision to dress him in a shirt with Sesame Street characters was disturbing). Thankfully, all further intimate scenes were between Noah and Wu Zheng.

This morally questionable dynamic with Yu Shi stayed uncomfortable in my mind and negatively affected my overall rating. I like that Wu Zheng accepts both sides of YuShi/Noah, but he seems to have romantically fallen for Yu Shi first. Falling in love and getting physical with Noah, who is an adult mentally, is completely different than doing so with Yu Shi, in my opinion.

STRENGTHS
I loved the interactions between Noah and Wu Zheng. They were both natural and believable actors. Their chemistry was strong and their intimate scenes were full of desire.

Once I was parteway into Ep 2, I was invested and wanted to see how Noah/YuShi and Wu Zheng's relationship would play out.

All of the music chosen fit the mood and enhanced scenes. It blended well and was never distracting. The cinematography was consistantly good and created a cohesive feel.

FYI watch past the end credits in Ep 4 for another short scene!

WEAKNESSES
It would have been much less confusing and easier to connect with the characters sooner had the story progressed in a linear fashion instead of jumping around. It felt like they started in the middle of the story just to grab viewers with a sex scene, then jumped backwards to fill in more of the emotional connection, then forwards again to finish where they left off.

The secondary relationship was completely and utterly unnecessary. I wish they had spent the measly 5min of their story on the main couple instead. The ending for the main couple in ep 4 felt rushed and all issues and lingering questions just swept under the rug for the fairytale ending.

The therapist seriously violated doctor-patient confidentiality in two different scenes, which irked me (a careless, inaccurate, and insulting portrayal of that profession).

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Turn off your brain and feast your eyes!

(I rate vertical dramas on their own sliding scale. General spoilers only.) A sumptuous visual feast! A gorgeous gothic fantasy (but brought into modern times). The costumes, lighting, coloring, and sets creat a cohesive, entrancing mood. I kept pausing scenes just to take in the ambiance and the lovely hues created with lights and post-production coloring. And I like both lead actors, a lot. And did I mention the costumes?! Though, I felt like the ML's weren't quite as successful as the FL's. I have to say, that one outfit of the ML's with the red neck tie and hat gave me Van Helsing feels in a trying-too-hard cringy way that had me laughing out loud, lol. The biggest design miss, in my opinion.

But the story? Ooophf. What a disappointing disaster. Beyond stupid illogic for how the ML treats the FL and lets misunderstandings stay in place for so long. I'm trying not to give away specifics, so I'll just say, if he really wanted to pursue her, all he needed to do was to correct what the SFL said the first time he's introduced to the FL. One sentence, right then, and he wouldn't have had an insurmountable barrier that made the FL despise him for his actions.

But, I guess that had to be in place so that the screenplay could make full use of the forced-seduction trope. Over and over. This seems to be the focus of the thin plot for most of the show.

Now, I love this trope, but it's a little lacking here because there isn't enough "seduction" to balance things well. And definitely not enough of the FL melting into her desires despite her misgivings. When it really feels like the FL doesn't want advances, at least on some deep level, then I start getting uncomfortable with it, even in a fantasy. The FL does have a couple of lines in voice-over about being inexplicably drawn to the ML, but not nearly enough of it comes through in the acting. Part of the burden of that fault lies with the director and screenplay, not just the actress, who in every other way was a good fit for the role.

Zhao Zhen Dong can do obsessive leads so well, but the screenplay let him down in this one, making the character consistently unlikable despite all of ZZD's charm and all of the palpable desire in his gaze.

The SFL is obviously only there to make things more difficult. The ML has plenty of other people he can work with, absolutely no reason for him to keep her around. He never does much about her. It's the FL who takes care of her 10 minutes before the end. [Eye-roll]

I know I mentioned a lot of cons, but is the show still worth watching despite its shortcomings? Yes, for the visuals! Especially if a fan of one of the actors. But only if you can completely turn off your brain! I just recommend watching it at a faster speed or fast-forwarding some parts altogether :)

Story-wise I would rate this a 4/10, but the production effort in everything but the screenplay is so good, and so unique, for a vertical show that I'm giving it a 6/10.

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Sweet, mature couple.

A vertically filmed micro drama (I rate these on their own sliding scale).
The romance between the leads is very sweet and there's plenty of these moments. It's healthy and balanced. The two support each other emotionally, trust, and look out for each other. Both characters are fairly gentle people, but they have backbones and don't let other people walk all over them.

General Spoilers below.

A fairly realistic approach to domestic abuse and they showed some of the fear the victim can feel. I really liked the line by the FL: "...because with domestic violence, there's only zero times or countless times. And this is the bottom line." What didn't make sense was how the SML was able to freely harass the FL, purposefully cause a car accident, then stalk the FL again with no repercussions or legal restraints. He finally backs off at the end having learned his lesson, but it was really frusterating and disappointing that he was essentially let off the hook.

Some skinship and multiple hugs, though the hugs are upper-body (there's a space kept between lower bodies), and there are no direct kisses. There are a couple flirty moments though, which were enjoyable. The characters were definitely believably in love with each other with their eyes, but their bodies indicated that the actors weren't 100% comfortably relaxed with each other.

I did enjoy the FL's friends, the ML's brother and his wife, and the FL's parents. I also appreciated how multiple characters stood up the the ML's mother.

Overall this is a decent one-time watch, especially if you already like one of the actors, or like sweet and quick romances. I found the plot got more contrived in the second half, but the extended happy ending was a nice way to finish it off.

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ML is the best thing in this Noona romance

A vertically filmed micro drama (I rate these on their own sliding scale). On the fence about rating it a 5/10, because Noona relationships are less commonly explored and it was ultimately a healthy and sweet relationship. But I felt like there weren't enough happy/joyful moments between the leads to be fully satisfying, the FL character was unmemorable, the plot was a bit overdone is spots, and I was disgruntled with how they approached queerness and the topic of AIDS.

It's an okay one-time watch for a Noona romance fan. The FL was good but the ML stole the show. Lu DanDong did earnestness, longing, desire, and heartbreak really well. He was believable as a 22 year old, and the FL was believable as a 35 year old.

General Spoilers below:

FL's godson (ML) is the son of her best friend (who is 40). The ML has been abroad the last couple years, is about to finish university, and is already a famous photographer. He's also quietly working for his father whom his mother doesn't like and seperated from a long time ago.

ML says he's loved the FL since he was 18. He pursues, supports, and protects the FL, though she rebuffs him for awhile. Once she makes up her mind to accept him and her own feelings, they refuse to back down in the face of opposition (mainly from the ML's mom). The mom tries to control the ML the whole show; she doesn't seem to care about his feelings or opinions.

There are a couple suggestive, heart-fluttering, and sweet moments but not much direct physical contact. There is a kiss or two but they were mostly head-blocked.

The ending is okay; happy but brief and without any physical contact.

I was disgruntled with the gay representation and then a bit weirded out by something the FL does regarding a potential infection of AIDS...

SPECIFIC SPOILERS on that below:

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- The scum SML certainly deserved retribution, but it didn't sit well that the ML and FL threatened to out him (as bi) to the public to make him step down. In addition to sleeping with the SFL, the SML also slept with an effeminate man and the ML set up a recording of it.
- Also, after a rough fight between the ML and SML, the hospital finds that the SML has AIDS and there's a chance the ML could have been infected through wounds during the fight.
- So the "bad guy" is shamefully bi, sleeps with an "obviously" gay man, and also has a bad "gay disease" that threatens the protagonist. I didn't appreciate the tone they presented all of this in.
- In addition to that, while they wait for the results, the FL wants to stay with the ML but he wants to push her away. He cuts his hand and she purposefully sucks on it! I get that she wants to show how much she loves him and wants to be with him, but that was just stupid and seems to make light of, or brush off, the serious consequences that disease can have.

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Worth a watch for Ja and First!

The lead actors are very enjoyable to watch, but the story is not very well written. I watched the whole thing because Ja and First did a wonderful job with what they were given. Especially considering this was their first time as the main couple in a show. There are only a few acting "growing pains" here and there. Mostly they are very natural, heart-felt, and believable in the wide range of emotions they expressed. And the way they interact with each other is both comfortable and magnetic. Awesome chemistry.

Their group of friends and Ja's mother were also enjoyable in their roles.

The script and direction were frequently awkward. Dialogues didn't have a natural flow, or give-and-take between characters. The director seemed to want to show all the latent pauses in-between words or actions that the weakness of the script created. The story/plot required a lot of suspension of disbelief, especially from Ep 7 onward.

Emotionally, there was a whole lot of unnecessary angst, but it was "enjoyable" because of Ja and First's dynamic. In other words, it hurt just right ;)

So if you like experiencing both emotional highs (there's a lot of sweetness too) and lows that are mostly resolved, really hot chemistry and intimate scenes, and can suspend disbelief and logic to go with the flow and not get frustrated, then this is great to watch at least once.

Slight spoiler of the end: it ends well for Ja and First's characters. For me, that's what makes it worth going through the angst!

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Neurodivergent Taishin and Trauma Influenced Takara Make a Balanced Pair.

(General spoiler only at bottom of review.) This is a very good watch for people who enjoy character studies, to others it will likely feel slow. It is a slow burn romance with a slice-of-life feel. To me, the unhurried but steady reveal of layers in the lead characters (their natures, inner workings, and how they view each other) and the growing bond between them gripped my attention and I fell more and more for them over time, as they did with each other.

The psychology and nature of both boys was interesting, well thought out and written, and very well acted. They were distinctly different people yet complimented each other well. They both accepted the other as they were and gave emotional support to each other.

To me, Taishin was obviously neurodivergent, not just "a country bumpkin" or stupidly naive. Taishin exhibited many autistic traits and was a great representation of a neurodivergent mind. The screenplay doesn't point it out or discuss it though, so I can understand why this is missed by those who are unfamiliar with it.

The way Taishin follows, approaches, and interacts with Takara makes sense when viewed as Takara becoming a special interest for him (a rough definition of special interest is a long-term fascination). Taishin is candid and straightforward and divulges more than most people would in situations (not having much sense of filtering), doesn't have a good sense of boundaries, has great confusion about dynamics between people and with romantic feelings, difficulty naming or categorizing his own feelings, has difficulty regulating emotions and crying when both sad and happy, mentally overwhelmed easily, slower thought and speech patterns, spinning thoughts, unable to discern hidden or false intentions, has special interests of birds and plants (knowing lots of names and facts about them), and his pet bird was as important as a family member.

What I admired about Taishin was that he was genuine and earnest, he cared about his friends, he could find joy in small things, he showed bravery in approaching things that were potentially daunting (both his hesitancy and determination is shown in things like approaching a group of new people), and even though there were times when he feelt insecure about himself or distressed, he also had a buoyant positive nature.

Takara has a negative, false narrative about himself stemming from childhood experiences that often leads to contradictions in how he responds to Taishin vs what he feels. He is deeply afraid of his own nature, becoming something he hates, and harming others in the process. I don't want to give too much away because unraveling his character and backstory as the show goes on was part of the enjoyment. Ep 9 has more of his POV, which was especially insightful. His character was indiscernable for quite a while but he is understandable by the end.

I found the romance believable and heart-warming, and the way the characters looked at each other was very satisfying. There is some skinship, wonderful hugs and cuddles (some where they just melt into each other), and a few simple yet heart-fluttering lip presses. This is a very gentle romance, not a steamy one.

I liked the secondary characters too. The group of friends was fun and we got to get a good sense of them even though they didn't get a lot of screen time.

There were no annoying aspects of the story for me. The music was fitting though unmemorable.

GENERAL SPOILER ON THE ENDING

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I lowered my rating just slightly because the ending felt a little unfinished- the question of what would happen once Takara graduated was too much on my mind to fully enjoy the happy point at which the story chose to stop. It looks like there will be a spin off or special episode that shows more of them though, so if that can resolve the hovering question in a well done way, then I may give a higher mark.

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Cute but also cringy. Watch for the leads.

General spoilers only at bottom of review.
Ep 1-6: Not much plot but cute and sweet with great attraction-tension between leads. A simple, fairly enjoyable, light and easy watch.
Ep 7-10: Cringe-fest! Cliched tropes kept popping up, higher suspension of disbelief required to get through, cheesy moments, corny lines, and more telling vs showing.

The lead actors are good and their chemistry is great; they kept me watching. There was slow building romantic and sexual tension, a decent amount of skinship, and realistic making-out. The actors seemed comfortable with each other and the growing interest and attraction of their characters was believable. Most of the time they managed to elevate the weak screenplay. I would readily watch them if they had another project together.

The plot is basic and extremely predictable, the script is mediocre, and the theme song is decent but over-used and I didn't like most of the rest of the music (either didn't feel like it fit well or it just came across as cheap or cheesy).

Good for binge-watching one time; it's cute and light but the 20min episodes don't have enough of a storyline arc individually to feel satisfying on their own. I won't re-watch it.

Stan Huang is great as Gu Jing and held a lot of energy in his eyes. I found him compelling to watch, even when the character wasn't doing much.

Liu Li is naive to the point that some suspension of disbelief is required to like him! Xuang Chen is good with his doe-eyed innocence. I think whatever annoyances I felt were with the way the character was written, not with the actor. It does take some skill to act so believably clueless.

The lead couple in You Are Mine have a mini cameo in this series. I personally felt like it didn't add much, either to their story or to this one.

Ep 7-10 really lowered my enjoyment with this show. If you can shrug things off and roll with it, you may fare better than I did (I could only do so up to a point).

GENERAL SPOILERS on CLICHÉS below.

In broad strokes, here's what's in store for Ep 7-10:
A love triangle, jealousy hijinks, the "burden" of a family member completely (and ridiculously) getting in the way of the protagonists being together, Gu Jing all of a sudden losing his spine and Liu Li abruptly getting one, characters doing things that impact two people without communicating with the other first, public approval/validation when handling a family matter, public gawking over light PDA, secondary characters getting closer romantically (though no time is really spent on it), and a childhood connection (which is told, not shown)!

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Main couple is fun in 1st half, but best romance is the second couple's in 2nd half.

Good for one watch. Fun premise and some interesting characters.

Very slow start but otherwise Ep 4-20 were great, Ep 21-29 were okay, and Ep 30-40 were mediocre. Despite the weaknesses, there was an addictive quality and always something that kept me binge-watching to the end, though I did fast-forward more and more in Ep 30-40.

Fun premise. A few unlikable characters that do have character and moral growth. Melodramatic in a mostly fun way. Had more of a soap opera feel in Ep 30-40.

The chemistry between the leads wasn't great. A lot of that had to do with the way Ling Cen was written and Eugenie Liu's portrayal. She was bland and flat. It was okay for the first half but in the second half, her character became irritating because there wasn't enough emotional depth to keep me invested in her character. It didn't help that I watched this immediately after Lost Romance in which Marcus Chang had fantastic chemistry with that female lead and that actress had great emotional and expression range.

The sister Jing Fan and Yu Quan were always awesome. Great characters, great acting, and good chemistry and romance. They were what I was most invested in for the 2nd half of the show. Loved them.

The girl's parents were well written. Their concern for their kids was well balanced with trying to respect and support their own decisions.

There were some positive messages about queer love too.

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Heartwarming, slice-of-life, and very sweet.

(I rate vertical dramas on their own sliding scale.) General spoilers only below.
Definitely one of the best vertical dramas I've seen! I love the realistic, down-to-earth, slice-of-life, very sweet romance. With big green flag leads, great acting, and good messages throughout. Uplifting and heartwarming.

A FL who has been mistreated by family and starts to blossom with the encouragement and care of the ML. She has been trained to be meek and obedient but starts to come out of her shell and practice standing up for herself. She is smart (in medical school) and good-hearted. The actress is wonderful in this role and I'll be checking out her other work. She is nuanced, believable, and empathizable.

The ML starts taking care of the FL out of duty, but quickly becomes fond and then falls fully in love. The ML proritizes the FL's health and career, is a good communicator and listener, and tells the FL it's okay to cry instead of repressing herself and offers long hugs. I totally melted. I also appreciated that the ML is written as a more realistic, steady type of guy, not just a puppy-like wife spoiler (which seems to become many a ML's whole characterization after getting bit by the love bug).

It's slow burn with a few good romantic-sexual tension moments and a couple good kisses. I found the whole thing extremely emotionally satisfying.

The 3 hour plot was tightly woven; no unnecessary parts in my view. Realistic trials that the couple learn to work through together. Not much time spent on people other than the leads, low violence, no green teas, no kidnappings or other ridiculous plot shenanigans, and no rape (there is a brief grope but it is handled seriously and realistically).

Watched on an authorized channel 7/9/25: Twilight Drama Dreams
https://youtu.be/txKCoQQ37Vc?si=fdfjzXX86dWX-SRO

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Also known as Love, Life And Liberation

You might enjoy if you like character-based angst that's well acted, food tidbits from various cuisines, and can find satisfaction in a romance with physical attraction that doesn't actually get physical beyond holding hands.

It's helpful to watch through the credits to the end of each episode because sometimes there's a bit more to see (often a flashback to high school)!

General Spoilers below.
Love, Life And Liberation is a much more fitting title. The title Naked Dining is completely misleading. This is a very PG romance and the only "kiss" is a slight press of lips while one of them is mostly asleep. Even so, the growing mental and physical attraction is felt, especially from Sota. And that's important because he's the character that didn't know he could be attracted to men, and so him falling for Mahiro as more than a friend is believable. It does not feel like "just a bromance" as some other JBL series with similar character progressions do.

Sota's confusion and progression of feelings for Mahiro were well-paced and very believable. His missteps while he struggles with that and his fear of losing Mahiro's friendship may be messy but are understandable.

Mahiro runs away from things a lot, even (or especially) things that he wants, which at first kind of irked me until I thought more about it. It's an instinctive defensive mechanism for fear; to avoid disappointment, rejection, or negative judgment. While this can be frusterating for the audience, there are people who really do behave this way. Mahiro's hesitancy and fear are noticeable even in the high school flashbacks so it seems life has reinforced this response in him. And I can understand him not wanting to be a sexuality "experiment" for the person he's in love with.

There are a LOT of misunderstandings, but they are also at least fundamentally understandable. What's different in this series is that the characters do actually try to communicate with each other! But often their fears lead them to either put on a brave face or to filter what the other person is saying to match what they *expect* to be said. This type of thing actually happens a lot in real life, so even though the misunderstandings are drawn out dramatically, it didn't annoy me too much because I could understand the progression. And the misunderstandings here really have a cascading effect. (They do get resolved satisfactorily.)

The actors were great, especially Kondo Shori as Sota. They made me smile and also tugged so hard at my heartstrings that I teared up. The secondary characters are well acted and likeable too.

The series is character-focused without much plot. I was really happy that they made 12 episodes (20-25min each) instead of 10 because the character and relationship arcs felt complete. The last few episodes didn't feel rushed like many 10 episode BLs do.

The cinematography was good and the music was okay but not memorable.

It left me feeling very satisfied and I could see myself watching this again at some point. Sota's character arc was especially well acted and I'll want to see that again.

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Revenge story w/ good acting and two "yellow flags" falling for each other.

(I rate vertical BL dramas on their own sliding scale.) Melodramatic but if you can suspend disbelief (there are quite a few nonsensical things) it's mostly a fun watch. Two slightly unhinged people who start with just a physical relationship that grows to more (wouldn't really call it sweet though; neither are green flags).

Quite good acting for a vertical BL. Lead's were believable in their roles and had emotional depth. There were multiple scenes with sexual/romantic tension and multiple kisses: a lot of them aggressive but consensual. There was a good push and pull between the leads, and even though it felt like it became a little repetitive as a plot device by the end, the resolution was good.

Trigger warning that there is one scene later on where one of the men rapes the other (they've been having sex but in this instance one is trapped and very much does not want it even though he loves the other). That did lower my score.

Other trigger warnings for suicide, violence, and gun violence.

At the time I watched it (Jan 2026), it was licensed on the channel @citrus-drama with good English subtitles:
https://youtu.be/5c8zohYxj2s?si=sOM0C6Q1wTBdVXQo

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Superhero-ish FL Gets Revenge While Finding Sweet Romance

A vertically filmed mini series (I rate these on their own sliding scale). Requires high suspension of disbelief but different and kind of fun with a great lead couple. The FL is rather badass and a genius. It was hard to be sure exactly because the subtitles weren't great, but I figured her late-blooming and wide range of abilities had something to do with her gene mutation, that was maybe triggered when she was institutionalized and given drugs. The story sort of feels like it's in the superhero or sci-fi categories in that regard. The romance is sweet with multiple cute moments and some good kisses. The ML is totally devoted and protective but respects the FL and her abilities so when she says she wants to take care of something herself, he steps back. There are terrible family members but also a lot of loving ones. The plot focuses on revenge and was a little hard to follow in spots, but I think that was mainly the fault of the poor translation. I was mostly able to shrug off any confusions because my main enjoyment of the show was watching the interactions of the lead couple anyway.

General Spoiler on the ending:

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The ending is happy though rather abrupt.

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Watch for the spunky lead actress, otherwise forgettable.

General spoilers below.
The lead actors have talent especially the FL, the FL character is feisty, strong and optimistic, the SML is likeable and respectful of the FL's feelings and choices, and the ML puts in a lot of effort to win back the FL. However, character progression is choppy, especially for the ML who feels like he's written as a completely different person about half way through. There isn't really any sexual tension, and the few brief kisses are either DFK (dead fish kisses) or head-blocked. There is the typical obsessed SFL who resorts to immoral means to get her guy and there's no retribution or consequences shown for the last drastic thing that she did. There are a few moments of sweetness here and there, and there is a happy ending.

This is a vertically filmed mini series just under 2 hours, and I watched it in "movie" format on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/8C4y-___VBM?si=C9A-MTS2Kw8uDdmH

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An enjoyable 3 hour romance.

Having watched a string of mini series lately, I would say this is definitely good for one watch, though I likely won't re-watch. My rating scale for mini series is more lenient, and this was quite enjoyable with no aggravations, so it merits a high score.
It held my attention, was fairly well written for a mini series, and the dynamic between the characters was fun. I was mentally invested though nothing hit me hard emotionally, so it was an easy watch.

It did require some suspension of disbelief, but I did not feel annoyed at any point while watching. The plot isn't the most intricate but that's not the focus anyway, the focus is on the relationships between characters.

Pros:
- Chemistry between the leads was great and intimate moments/scenes delivered. Desire and dominance is shown by both leads. The love scene in Ep 15 is fairly risqué for a Cdrama (and there's an extra snippet of that scene in the montage of memories in Ep 24).
- FL remained a strong-willed character throughout with great martial arts skills.
- ML is smart, also good at martial arts, falls for FL for who she is, and becomes devoted.
- Nobody was totally evil.
- Nobody acted aggravatingly stupid.
- No delusional third wheels.
- The plot/angst didn't feel overly contrived (even when some suspension of disbelief was needed).

The fighting, music, and costumes were good (the prince's costumes were especially gorgeous).


GENERAL SPOILER ON THE ENDING:

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Ep 24: For a rock solid HE, stop at 6:08 in (as they look up at the moon).

Otherwise, the last short scene leaves things open, though a HE can be predicted because the leads love each other. It is in character and presented light-heartedly, just feels rather abrupt for a stopping point.

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Thought-provoking exploration of relationship dynamics. Lots of fuzzy feelings.

A wonderfully intriguing exploration of relationship dynamics. Sweet, cute, thought-provoking, and romantic with lots of fuzzy feelings.

The amount of comfortable and very close skinship, cuddling and snuggling, hugging, and petting is maybe the highest of any show I've seen. And it is so cozy, comforting, heart-warming, and satisfying.

I loved how the dynamic between Sumire and Momo managed to be mostly balanced despite growing into codependency. They are both capable people yet they feel better when taking care of someone other than themselves and they feel more grounded when they are needed by somebody else. She needed him just as much as he wanted to be needed by her. Sumire is extremely bad at self-regulating her emotions and Takeshi is really good at helping her with that even though he's 10 years younger. The balance in their emotional maturity made their age gap a total non-issue.

Their master/pet relationship didn't come across as a power-play dynamic to me. There were moments where an imbalance of power would bubble up during arguments (with Sumire being the home owner) but that can happen with any couple.

This was so close to being a 9 out of 10, but the screenplay choices in the last couple episodes let me down in terms of character development and resolution. The ending was still moderately satisfying, the plot just gave into clichés at the end, which was disappointing and a waste of potential (further explained under the "specific spoilers" section at the bottom of my review).

The actors were great, especially Shishon Jun as Momo. He was also completely believable as a professional-level dancer.

FYI: Extra footage!
During the end credits of each episode there is a background video that is repeated and then a smaller box with scenes that change. At first, the small box shows repeated clips from that episode, but when the background video goes from the dog under to bedsheets to the drawer of shirts, the small box starts showing things unseen before! There's no audio, but it shows little snippets of scenes that could have happened to the characters in that episode that are otherwise unshown to the audience. There are some really cute and/or steamy-ish moments between Momo and Sumire that are fun to see as a little bonus.

SPECIFIC SPOILERS BELOW

My critique of the things that disappointed me in the last few episodes. (I had no other notable issues with the otherwise wonderful series.)

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HASUMI & FUKUSHIMA:

I felt like saying Hasumi was "weak to seduction", like it was a character trait, was a bit of a cop-out. I think he was weak to being needed, just like every other main character was! And when Hasumi misses Fukushima and realizes how much he wants to be with her, I wish the screenplay had highlighted more than it did. There was repetition around her sexiness and big chest, her good cooking, and being weak, but I think there were more differences between her and Sumire that drew Hasumi in. Not only did Fukushima show vulnerability (often times faked or exaggerated as a seduction ploy), she showed Hasumi a wider range of emotions period! She showed excitement, happiness, eagerness, and desire to be with him. Hasumi could feel secure in her affection and be himself, instead of constantly and nervously trying to navigate the potential minefield of inscrutability that was Sumire. Fukushima allowed Hasumi to feel relaxed in a similar parallel to Momo and Sumire.

SUMIRE & MOMO / TAKESHI:

- I wish Sumire had at least made a decision to hold off on marriage to Hasumi and moving to Seoul, if not breaking up altogether, BEFORE she found out about him and Fukushima.

- The whole point of Takeshi not contacting Sumire first after he leaves is because, as he previously told Fukushima, Sumire doesn't go after what she wants. She may be greatly effected by losing someone yet she won't ever go after them, which is part of why he has never truly left before. So what was really needed was for Sumire to go after Takeshi. Maybe not right way, but to show her calling him first, to visit him first, to finally show her feelings in actions and words while supporting and encouraging him from afar while he pursued his career goals. NOT just WAITING 3 years in stoic silence for him. And while eventually it shows that Sumire has received letters from Takeshi, there's no indication that's she's reciprocated in any way.

- And then after 3 years she actually goes to a performance of his in Japan but leaves flowers without trying to see him! WTF? So in the end Takeshi is the one who, yet again, has to come to her. Sure, she accepts him romantically this time, but her lack in character growth negatively impacted her worthiness of him, in my opinion. So the resolution was far less impactful, meaningful, and satisfying than it easily could have been otherwise. It felt like the writers wanted a specific final scene of them meeting in the rain and sacrificed character integrity while resorting to clichés to make it happen.

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