Not what I expected...

I was excited to hear about this sequel starring the daughter of Ying Luo and non-biological son of Fu Heng, but now that I've finished, it was rather disappointing.

It started off strong, with beautiful costume/production/music and the plot was developing smoothly. They used the same OST and BGM from the parent story, Story of Yanxi Palace, so I liked the nostalgic feel to it. Especially the dramatic BGM that was added at certain moments.

However, as there were only 6 episodes, the pacing was rather fast? I couldn't catch up. Prince Chaoyong didn't have as much screen time as Fu Kang'an, but he started off not liking Zhao Hua and then in episode 2 or 3, he suddenly started loving her? One minute Zhao Hua didn't like Fu Kang'an and later, she did. Then, when he betrayed her and she disappeared, it got even more confusing. I didn't get what was going on. I'm guessing they didn't have the time to explain it so they rushed it at the end when Zhao Hua and Prince Chaoyong got married and the truth was revealed as the plot twist. I suppose it was satisfying to find out Zhao Hua got her revenge on Princess Siwan, Fu Kang'an, and Prince Chaoyong, but I wish they showed the process more instead of just throwing it out there at the end with a few words.

I feel like with the limited 6 episodes, the falling in love and later betrayal of Fu Kang'an wasn't as heartfelt to me as a viewer. Everything happened so fast. There wasn't enough time for me to take in each character and how they slowly grew to have feelings for another. The plot twist revealed at the last minute of the last episode also didn't land well for me. I wish they explained it more?

The plot twist for how Fu Kang'an was not the Emperor's son was greatly executed though! I was shocked and loved how they revealed it through Wei Ying Luo's speculations. :) My favorite scene of the drama. I just love it when Wei Ying Luo has the upper hand and reveals it. Really reminded me of the parent story. I loved seeing the old cast too, it was nice that they didn't replace them and got them all back to act their parts. Wei Ying Luo's scenes were the most satisfying parts to watch- especially when she went to Fuca House after Zhao Hua disappears.

Overall, super fast-paced, historical romance but it was nice to see the old cast if you loved the parent story. Plot was alright, used up all the cliches for the romance and was rushed in my opinion for 6 episodes. Some scenes could have been better explained. Give it a try if you miss Wei Ying Luo and you're curious about her daughter, Zhao Hua, who is more like her mother than others believe.

The actors seem to do a good job overall but the plot got me confused and was the problem for me. Production was top-notch like the original story with its beautiful sets and costumes.

"Everybody says I'm not like my mother. They're wrong."

Read More

Well-deserved 8.2 rating on Douban- give this a try!

How do I even begin to describe how unexpectedly good this drama turned out to be?

I went into it completely blind, barely reading the synopsis, knowing just that it was a crime drama focused on one murder case in this apartment building. With just 16 episodes, the length is perfect, giving enough screen time to focus thoroughly on each "suspect" and to add in on the back story of our victim, Mei Bao. Everything tied up beautifully and logically together by the very end with fast pacing and plot development. The pieces of this mystery fit together at the end intertwining flashbacks as the detectives investigate the crime in present time.

Plot: Focused on a murder case in this "tower" apartment building. Two detectives work on this case and investigate a bunch of "suspects" as the drama goes on. Through flashbacks, you'll find out Mei Bao's life and how things led to the way it turned out. I won't say any more than that to keep you in suspense (so go on and watch it!) Also, this drama also raises some current issues women face in our society today, which I did not expect either but I liked it.

Characters: Mei Bao and Detective Yang Rui Sen were the stars of this drama. As the investigation goes on, you'll learn more about Mei Bao's painful story and in that process, you also get to know our young detective and her passion to get justice for the victim. Mei Bao's family and friends as well as the other people living in the Horizon Tower will share their stories as well and it's really clever to designate 2 eps per character's story. I want to say more but that would ruin the fun of this drama as you try to find out who the killer is. I just have to say the emotions of each character were so understandable that I could see why a specific character ended up deciding to do this certain thing.

Acting: I have to first say Angelababy did an awesome job. I don't usually watch her dramas because her acting is not that great, but she has improved! I love how she did her role as Mei Bao, conveying the pain in her emotions. Moving onto the rest of the cast, everyone did great too. Quite a few of them are experienced actors and others are new faces but they all did very well. For the young actors especially, I can see their potential. The young actress who plays young Mei Bao played Pu Pu from The Bad Kids!

Music: Beautiful music. There's just one, which is the ending song, and it's so good. It's in English and with the sadness of the melody, it matches perfectly to the tone of this drama. Not only that, the BGM was excellent in setting the mood of each scene, especially the sad and suspenseful parts. They definitely kept me on my toes!

Read More

One of the hidden gems of 2020 with unique storytelling, beautiful music, and amazing acting

I haven't watched many really good and captivating Chinese dramas this year, but this one made the cut!

To Love has a unique way of storytelling as it shows the perspectives of both Xiao Ou and Yan Jin so viewers can piece the full story together for the first 14 episodes. Then the remaining episodes continue with the present timeline as the leads work to solve the murder of Zhan Yu. The writer does an excellent job of introducing and developing the story and slowly divulging more facts. I am happy to say that the writer does not disappoint with the pacing even though this is a 40-episode drama. The drama shows that every character has their faults, that no one can be perfect, as some show personal growth. As for the ending... it may not be the ending many of us wished for, but I think the writer did well to stick to the original novel. If you are hardcore HE watchers though, this may not be a drama for you.

Anyways, the directing and cinematography are really well done, transitioning smoothly between scenes and creating an element of suspense/drama too. It is clear that they spent a good amount of money on producing this drama as the locations are beautiful and the sets and props are very realistic. There is also barely any PPL :) And the soundtrack is SO BEAUTIFUL, matching perfectly to the mood of every scene. Props to whoever decided the BGM because the score maximizes the tone and emotions of each scene. The music definitely helped pull at my heart and draw some tears to my eyes. Another thing worth mentioning is that this drama does not have any dubbing (except for the "live" singing) and kept the real voices of every actor!! I wish every drama could do this, so I don't have to see anymore cringey dubbing.

On that note, the leads have AMAZING chemistry. They look so cute on screen and the dating rumors make it even more so! I have seen Li Geng Xin in Princess Agents so I know he's a pretty good actor, so I have no complaints in the way he portrayed Yan Jin with a good amount of confident, cocky, and sweet. I love his bromance interactions with Zhao Ting Hui (even though ZTH was frustrating at first) and Cheng Rui Min. The lead actress is a new face to me, but she is pretty good, so no complaints with her either. Her emotional range is as good as LGX, with her heartbroken teary eyes. The supporting actor playing Zhan Yu is great too. He is a relatively new actor but I can see his potential. Not only does he have a handsome appearance but his acting is good too, drawing my empathy for his character's unfortunate family background. I'll definitely keep an eye out for his future projects.

And that concludes my review. I hope this was relatively helpful to you who is reading this.
To all of our first encounters and last partings... :')

Read More

Pretty heartwarming & cute drama~

Saw the posters and heard about the plot of this drama before it released and brushed it off thinking it'd another one of those time traveling youth dramas BUT then I heard about its high ratings on Douban (8.6 the last time I checked which is very good compared to other dramas' scores) and decided to give this drama a go. And I am so so glad I did!

Plot:
You may think it is pretty cliche after reading the synopsis on here but it was very unique in its own way. First time seeing a drama where the daughter goes back to when her mom is in high school and then befriending her mom from then until college graduation. Li Jin Bu was pretty immature, doing whatever she wished, before "time traveling" but after spending time with her 17-year-old mom and mom's family and friends and seeing how her mom grew up, as a viewer, I could see her change. The writer wrote this drama well to show the youthfulness of the gang of friends and the adding in comedy, romance, and family. It wasn't draggy at all and went by at a good pace. There were some scenes that had me burst out into laughter and some touching scenes that made me tear up.

Acting/Cast:
Never seen any of the cast before except the actress who played Li Jing Bu but I am glad to say they all did very very well. Everyone embodied their characters perfectly, drawing me into their roles respectively. I especially love how well they cast young and the older Li Qing Tong because the actresses conveyed their emotions beautifully as if they actually are one person who grew up. The way they carried out their lines and showed their character's feeling in their eyes deserves to be applauded. The male leads (or whatever you shall call them) were not only very handsome/cute but they acted beyond my expectations too- will definitely follow these blossoming actors.

Music:
Loved almost all the tracks but my all time favorite has to be the ending song-六七月 by 赵贝尔. The opening song was good too and I love how the leads sang it together in the drama too. So talented! The actors who played Duan Xiao and Chen Jun He respectively also sang a solo song each which both sound good too. Do check the OST out~

Rewatch Value:
I don't usually rewatch dramas since I remember what happened halfway into the drama but this one is pretty worth if it ever comes down to a rewatch session of something sweet, funny, and youthful. 24 episodes isn't too much to rewatch too so that's why I gave the score I did.

All in all, quite worth the watch over this summer. Some people didn't like how they ended it but I think it was a nice way to tie everything off since how else can you explain the "time traveling?" I do wish they'd add maybe an epilogue so we can see Li Jin Bu meeting Chen Jun He in present time? Wishful thinking but yeah, please don't hesitate to try if you like youth dramas with comedy, romance, and family!

Read More

Trailer does not do this film justice! Must watch!

The trailer already gave me a great vibe and interested me from the start, but boy, it didn't do it justice! Now that I've finally gotten to watch the entire film, I am in love with how it was written. You watch the trailer thinking you know how it's going to go, but it's going to surprise you.

The 8 jurors were all familiar faces played by actors who I've seen from other dramas and they really brought their characters to life, especially the actor who was the defendant. His emotional acting brought me to tears and it was overall, a very good watch! The film was well produced with good pacing, good camera work, and good music to draw you into the scene.

"When in doubt, think of the defendant's interests."
There was also this meaningful message about what the law is for, who it's for. It's not to punish but to set a standard for those who may be wrongly accused. The writer carefully intertwined that message from the start until the case was over at the end, never losing track of what the goal was. I don't usually rewatch dramas/movies, but this one is one of the rare ones worth it.

Read More

A personal favorite youth Chinese drama of 2021!

Went into this drama feeling hopeful after seeing a MV of the leads and I am so glad I gave this drama a try! There are so many youth Chinese dramas out there that I thought this would no different, however, I was wrong. There are familiar setups and tropes but it's refreshing because of the main cast and the charms they bring to their characters. Moreover, the writing brings the realism of being a teen and the conflicts that come up such as wanting to fit in (be someone you're not), finding your dream (being forced to fulfill another person's wishes), being true to yourself (loving yourself and who you are)... and so many more. Plus just the romance and innocence of being in your 17s.

To add, how rare is it to find a Chinese youth drama that has a female lead that DOESN'T have a bob cut?? That was one of the unique factors hat drew me in. Plus, the male lead isn't your typical smart class leader or "bad boy" who has low scores. And the secondary couple!! Very comedic banter and sweet scenes between those two as well.

I have to say that these four actors are the ones carrying the drama, otherwise this youth drama would be no different than the many others that are released every year in China. Their acting is on point to their characters, bringing them to life even if there are some stiff/awkward moments but it's understandable since they are all new. I especially love Lin Nan Yi's smiles and Wang Yu Ming's personality. Bonus point is that their voices aren't dubbed! Another rare occurance in Chinese drama land.

Speaking of the plot though, I have to give a warning that towards the end, you can tell the writer is trying very hard to push the plot in a certain direction and use certain tropes that we are all familiar with in youth romance dramas. It's not subtle at all and feels quite forced, but it's not too bad. It only made me drop the Plot score by 0.5. I can overlook it because of the main cast's acting, chemistry, and romance. It only happens a handful of times through the storyline anyway. Also, on the bright side, there are NO stupid misunderstandings that drag out the plot. It's quite fast-paced.

A bonus would be the OST of this drama. I love several of them and they fit the scenes so, so well. I definitely have those songs saved for replays. The upbeat ones are my favorites but they also match the youthfulness of the cast so I

Happy that it finished off well. Will keep an eye out on the main cast for sure.

Read More

You won't know what hit you when you get to the end!

I heard this was a romantic suspense and the trailer seemed interesting so I tried this and it hit me with so many unexpected surprises by the final episodes! I thought I knew how it was going to end but it was completely different and out of my expectations.

Plot: So, so creative. You think it's the usual revenge drama since that is what the trailer and synopsis claims to be but it's not that simple. It's much more complex than just the leads getting involved into a bigger revenge plan. That's just what they want you to believe as you watch. I love how the writer uses flashbacks and Wen Ke Er's therapy session in the beginning of every episode to reveal another piece of the mystery. One by one you get to know more of the so-called truth until you realize at the end that there's a even bigger truth, the real truth about what happened that night with the security guard. The writer tied everything up really smoothly and logically with the big plot twist so that you understand how you've been duped.

The episodes were all fast paced. I am so glad it's 20 episodes and not like 40. There was no fillers. Every scene had its use. Every flashback was part of the puzzle (but don't trust everything they show you too). Also, at first, the first 3 episodes felt unrealistic with the female lead's extreme revenge schemes but later you'll find out why it makes sense as part of the bigger picture-- so don't drop it there!

Acting/Cast: I only know the male lead from Bloody Romance but he was a supporting character so I didn't pay much attention to him BUT he is good! His chemistry with the female lead was cute. And everyone was great at their roles too. They successfully embodied them. Wen Ke Er got on my nerves with her soft but kind of high pitched voice but she surprised me with her emotional scenes later on.

Music: Love the 2 songs. They are the only ones I know of and they are so fitting for this drama. The editor or whoever adds the BGM did so well in adding the OST in the most suitable scenes. I have no complaints whatsoever.

Rewatch Value: I don't usually rewatch so I just chose a random number.

Overal, good romantic suspense! It was like 80% suspense/crime/mystery and 20% romance which I felt was a decent balance. There was no cringey/fluff scenes for the romance and I felt that the writer controlled the plot development and romance progession very well. I will definitely keep an eye on the cast for future projects.

Read More

Decent romance that may be worth your time

Pretty good overall!? The pacing and plot development is pretty good. Since it's only 24 episodes in total, I am glad things are going quickly in terms of plot. There are some parts where it feels like it's happening quite fast and other times where it's a bit draggy. There is a plot twist at the end (last two episodes) but it didn't really feel like it. There wasn't much suspense leading up to it, so I didn't feel the shock of the twist. It was more like "oh... okay." But the ending was happy and rather touching at a point.

Besides, the romance aspect is worth the watch. A light romance with good humor. I find myself breaking into a smile because of some of the scenes/dialogue. To add, the OST is beautiful and the main cast is not dubbed!! ❤

The female lead has great chemistry with both male actors and plays the two roles quite well that I can differentiate between the two. I've never watched her before but she's good (not awkward at all). She is especially good at the emotional/tense scenes cause you can see the emotions in her eyes. I already ship her with Chen Mo as Xiao Mu. ?Their scenes are so cute and comedic. I find myself laughing/smiling unconsciously. The actor who plays Chen Mo is a bit stiff at times with his facial expressions and body language but he's still decent. So, I would definitely say the FL is carrying the drama compared to the rest of the cast.

The writer tried to add some angst when the lead couple had a conflict but it didn't really land. The mood felt kind of forced. I honestly like them better when they are being funny and bantering with another. And then the writer also attempted to put conflict between the twins, which worked, but the resolution was a bit too rushed for my liking. Meng Gui's sudden 365 in attitude in the last episode was a bit jarring but I'll take it since everyone got a happy ending.

Read More

Had too much expectations for this..

Watching the trailer gave me pretty high expectations for this film, but unfortunately, after watching the entire thing, it did not meet them- at least for me. I couldn't help but compare the film to Train to Busan so it was pretty lackluster in comparison. I was hoping it'd be the next Train to Busan, but nope, not even close.

Story:
It started off with a pretty good introduction with our male lead waking up to a zombie apocalypse and does his utmost to survive in his apartment while surrounded by zombies. There was even good dramatic BGM for scenes where the zombies attacked, but there were only a handful of those exciting scenes scattered through the film. Besides those short moments, the film had too much filler scenes, creating too much silence and resulting with me getting bored and losing interest.

Also, there were a few points in the film that did not make sense, even in the fake reality of zombies. Why did the two leads jump out of their apartments instead of climbing up to the roof? Why did the man tie up his wife-turned-zombie and try to sacrifice Park Yoo Bin to her? Not only that, I still don't understand how Park Yoo Bin managed to survive being locked up in that room with the zombie wife without getting even a single scratch. It felt like all logic flew out the window at that point of the film.

Ultimately, the ending was pretty anti-climatic with a lousy rescue. The male lead kept posting his status on social media but the story line hardly ever followed up on that and just carelessly tied it back up at the end.

Cast:
Yoo Ah In and Park Shin Hye did a good job with their roles, but nothing that really stood out? Yoo Ah In's character was more funny, offering some comic relief during the dark moments, but other than that, I don't have any thing else to say.

Production:
The special effects and CGI were very well done though, so I do give the production team an applause for that. I was very disturbed and creeped out by the makeup of the zombies with all the blood. It was on the same level as the zombies in Train to Busan.

I would say to watch this film if you're fans of Yoo Ah In/Park Shin Hye and are curious of this new zombie film, but don't expect too much for the thrills.

Read More

Heartbreaking time travel fantasy romance drama

After waiting months for this to be available online, I have finally watched it!! It thankfully met my expectations from watching the trailer and the MVs. You think it's the usual time travel plotline but it's different in a way. It is pretty refreshing watch since I've never seen this kind of time travel used (might just be me though).

Plot:
Our male lead goes back in time (in a way) to save the life of the woman he loves. As a consequence, he ages and is forgotten every time he resets the timeline. He does this multiple times and it's utterly heartbreaking. I feel so bad for him and his ill-fated love with Qiu Qian. The entire movie goes back and forth between present and past as Qiu Qian unravels the truth by reading his journal as he lies in the hospital unconscious. I won't spoil the ending since I've already said too much but definitely a bittersweet one. If you want to watch a fluffy happy ending, do not try this. This will not be right for you. On the other hand, if you're down for sad-ish ones, please do watch this! (prepare a few tissues)

Cast/Acting:
Excellent, amazing, fantastic.. I ran out of compliments. This is my first time seeing the male lead but he was so great. The emotional scenes when he cries just broke my heart. He made me cry a few times, especially when he talks with his dad. And as for Li Yi Tong, I've seen her around but this is my first time seeing on her on the big screen as well. She did just as great and the chemistry between these two leads were off the charts. They looked so cute and sweet together, so it really hurt to see them suffering. The supporting cast were awesome too.

Music:
Wow, the songs are just beautiful. I believe there are two? One by Aska Yang and the other sung by our very own male lead who plays Lin Ge. Both are very fitting songs for this movie, especially Aska's that was played in a scene.

Rewatch Value:
Just random since I don't usually rewatch movies.

Overall, good watch for me. I am satisfied with how it ended. You may not be if you prefer solid happy endings but otherwise, give this a go!

Read More

Where should I start?? There are so many good things to say!!

Plot: From the first synopsis read on MyDramaList, I brushed it off thinking it was going to like other youth Chinese dramas, but boy was I wrong! It may seem like it is, but it focuses not only on the youths on their personal journey through the "gao kao" but their families too. It shows how their parents grow and learn from certain developments and how no parent is perfect. No mother is perfect. No father is perfect. No one is born knowing how to be a perfect parent. The growth of the parents is seen evidently through the 49 episodes as well as the 4 children.

Characters: I already briefly mentioned earlier, but the growth of each main character in the 3 respective families is so touching and as an Asian child myself, I can see certain traits in the parents in my own upbringing and my own parents. For instance, the emphasis on getting good grades as done by Tong Wen Jie and Song Qian reminded me so much of when I was younger. The question of "do grades mean everything" is brought up a lot because of the "gao kao," especially when Fang Yi Fan wants to do dance and singing instead of studying for the "gao kao." Ying Zi's fall into depression was very sad, but shows the reality of the result of so much pressure from parents to do well. The episodes focused on her was really emotional and successfully touched my heart.

Acting: This leads to acting which was major 100%. 120% I would like to say. Every character seemed so real and the actors truly embodied their roles. Even though I know some actors were new like the actor who played Yang Yang and Fang Yi Fan, but I could not even tell. All the children seemed experienced. The tearjerker scenes all brought me to tears. Lei'er... was brilliant at certain scenes like his broken phone and the heart-to-heart talk meeting near the end. T_T I was bawling. The adult actors were all experienced from my knowledge so they were no problem at all. NO ONE was awkward, everyone was so compatible with another on screen with amazing chemistry!! I loved Tong Wen Jie and Fang Yuan's family dynamic the most with their son and nephew. :) "where did Lei'er go again?"

Music: There was a variety of songs played with instrumentals and they matched the scenes so, so, so well! Sad piano BGM for the sad scenes and comedic sounds for the funny ones. Editing was very well done to flow everything together, I loved it!

Rewatch Value: YES YES YES, I am going to once I have time, but later on, so I can maybe learn some more from this drama :) There were many life lessons mentioned like the perspective to look at things, to not always compare your child with other children. 10/10

Read More

Emotional movie that touches on life and death

If you've seen the trailer, you may think this is a mystery/horror movie but don't be fooled. There are two arcs in this: first half fools you into thinking its horror and the latter half is emotional and a real tearjerker.

Basic rundown of this story without spoilers: the female lead notices her neighbors being weird and tries to find out the reason. There is also a strange light shop down the street that she is suspicious of. She works with her boyfriend to discover the truth. The director does a good job using color to portray the mood of the scene- using dark contrast for the "horror" and warm tones for other scenes. Additionally, the metaphor of using lightbulbs to represent human life is the heart of this movie. Characters enter the light shop to get their lightbulb, others don't have one, and some choose to give up their lightbulb.

You can tell they had a good budget and spent a lot of effort and time to create this movie. The transition between scenes and flashbacks was so smooth, you get pulled into the story even more.

There were a lot of familiar faces in this: Zhang Ruo Nan, Bai Yu Fan, Zheng Kai (cameo), Sun Qian, and Liu Yi Jun. They really embraced their characters. Bai Yu Fan and Zhang Ruo Nan's emotional scenes especially broke me. I was bawling at the end of the movie.

Read More

Heartbreaking film based on a true story- prepare your tissues!

This film was definitely worth the long wait for decent English subs! I don't even know where to begin...

It was so well written and it absolutely breaks my heart to read that this plot is based on a true story. Watchers can see the growth of Lawyer Jung Yup who didn't agree that bystanders were guilty of the crime in the beginning of the film become someone who was first to stand up and protect Da Bin.

The actors all did an amazing job, especially the child actress who played Da Bin and the actress who played the evil stepmother. It must have been extremely difficult to act in either position (the victim or perpetrator) so I applaud them both for embodying their roles. I read an article saying that several actresses even rejected to play the role of the stepmother but the actress who accepted, Yoo Sun, did it to spread awareness. I truly hated the stepmother ever since she came onto screen and still hate the real person who committed this crime in the real case. How can the law punish these criminals so lightly?

Additionally, the music in this film was very good. The dramatic ominous BGM matches the hard-to-watch child abuse scenes and the sad string instrument BGM makes you immediately absorbed into the tear-jerking scene. Those sad scenes made me cry multiple times throughout the movie so definitely prepare yourself! I was practically bawling by the time the trial ended.

Most importantly, this film brings awareness to the problematic issue of the law regarding child abuse (in Korean) and how people don't report the abuse when they see it and ignore it. Da Bin grew to distrust adults since they failed to help her and her brother leave her dangerous home on many occasions. This is a very meaningful message behind this film and I hope that those who watch can learn and gain the strength to help others when they see they need it. Well, at least I will do my best if the situation arises. We need more people like Jung Yup and the young boy, Jang Ho, who helped Da Bin in this film.

Read More

"to be innocent, there can't be any reasonable doubt"

After waiting months for English subs, the wait is finally over. I am completely satisfied of this movie and the plot twist at the end made it even better than my expectations. This movie may seem like any other crime movie with the main lead proving the innocence of another but it has its own twist. It is more than just a simple crime movie since (according to Wikipedia) this case was based on a true story and there is also theme of family and forgiveness. They wrapped up everything by the end very well, answering all the questions and closing the case. The cast did amazing in their roles but I love Shin Hye Sun and Bae Jong Ok's performances the most.

Overall, it was a 8.5/10 for me, quite suspenseful with a pinch of touching family scenes. If you love crime, then this is the movie for you! Prepare yourself because are you ready for the truth?

Read More

Great start, then downhill for me

I was so excited when the subs were finally out and quickly started binging. I honestly enjoyed the fast-paced plot development and amazing acting and OST, but around episodes 7-8, I started to get frustrated and annoyed with how the writer took the story.

With an intriguing plot taking place in a prison and with a criminal profiler, I was pulled into this 10-episode drama. They began it quickly and introduced important characters well. I was held in suspense as I learned more about the secrets of Professor Han as the puzzle pieces were revealed. As it is rated R, there was a lot, A LOT, of blood and violence- even more than what you'd see in OCN dark dramas so you've been warned. I wondered at times if that was really necessary, if it was a tad overboard. That wasn't the killing point for me though. It was the plot development.

While it continued to be fast-paced, the bad guys kept winning. I prefer my crime suspense dramas to be more of a win-lose-win formula but this one was just lose-lose-lose-partial win. When the bad guys keep winning, as a viewer, I got upset and frustrated. Witnesses would get killed over and over again. Close loved ones would die. Practically nothing was in Professor Han's favor, up until the finale. The Violent Crimes team with Yu Hee was essentially useless to Professor Han. They were just plot devices to reveal more about the full puzzle. Despite suspecting a mole in the team, Yu Hee continued to disclose confidential info to them, causing witnesses to be killed. And every time, they got away with it. The logic just didn't really make sense halfway through.

As for characters, Yoon Gye Sang did phenomally as Professor Han. I have no complaints. He's the only reason I pushed through these 10 hours. He showed the anger, grief, sadness, helplessness, so on... perfectly on point. My heart ached for him when his loved ones were killed. This man went through so much and had to seek revenge himself too. His two sidekicks and Doctor Min Jae in prison were more helpful than everyone else outside. Speaking of them, these actors were amazing and I loved seeing their scenes. I loved it when Min Jae would call Professor Han "Hyung-nim." The acting of Go Ah Sung was alright, though her crying scenes were a bit stiff. As Yu Hee, she seemed to either be shocked or crying- not much else.

I would not recommend this unless you want to feel frustrated until the very end.

Read More