Zogitt

The Noble Idiot trope must die! (Again)

This series grabbed and held my attention right from the start. The small town setting is refreshing. The warm and quirky locals gave the drama a cosy feel. It is a hoot when the entitled FL lands with a thud in the middle of the backwaters town and start the whole fish-out-of-water trope. But wait! There is more. Toss in a handsome, no-nonsense ML and we get the central enemy-to-lover storyline. Those innocent villagers are in for a wild ride!

Everything is going swimmingly for a while. I don't think I'm spoiling anything by telling you our leads are falling in love by the day. Unfortunately, as they played students in preparation for the Gaokao, they have to play it straight. Lots of accidental closeness, cutesy gestures and meaningful gazes is our lot.

I'd happily eat all that up and ask for more if their loveline is strong. Even the odd second leads seem to read the room and fades away gracefully. What a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, the distracting side plots just keep piling up.

Most of these subplots are of little significance and centred around small town dynamics and school yard antics. There are also some criminals running amok in the background. I don't understand why those repeated offenders are not hauled away. You'd think there would be a stronger anti-crime message. Yet, the same gang pops up repeatedly.

All these subplots only serve to hamstring our OTP's progress. While both our leads are close to 30yo in real life, they must look and act like teenagers for the bulk of the show. They did well for the most parts, but it is a double edged sword. They look the part which also mean their characters are either too restrained or too impulsive. Oh! To be young again.

Let's face it, by the 2/3 mark, they are together in every sense of the word other than going public and doing all the couple things. We end up in this vicious cycle of maximum yearning but minimal fan service. Just when you think they can breakout after the Gaokao, the FL's father happened.

As expected, our leads lost all their agency and must default to "your father knows best". This is an insurmountable roadblock as far as our leads are concerned. They came to this conclusion after 1 day. The writer then play the Noble Idiot card on us with minimum warning. To rub salt into the wound, this lasted FIVE miserable years!

Call me stupid, but what is the point of this "twist"? This is just gambling with your future. What happens if one of them got hit by a Big White Truck of Doom™? What if someone swept them off their feet and they meet again years later with spouse and bambini in tow? I'm sure this is a trope as well. 🤦🏻

As if to confirm the pointlessness of it all, once they reconnected, they went from "Hello" to "get a room" in one EP. They could have had 2.2 kids by now. Grrrr

This brings us to the last 3 eps. It is fan service overload. Everyone either gets a redemption or are living their best lives. Of course, our leads are 110% together by then and inseparable. Woe to anyone who stood in their way.

I'm not saying this is a bad show. It is an easy watch with nice characters and a cosy setting. I just wish they didn't fluff around (technical term) in the middle and double down on the Noble Idiot trope. It turned a promising romantic drama into just another idol drama. Peace.

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A decent weekend binge

In typical j-drama fashion, this drama has a laser focus on the A-plot. The fact that the story is the usual contract marriage is more or less coincidental. This is also its Achilles heel. The plot is shallow and winds down a familiar path.

To wit, the leads are photogenic. The story is straightforward and tropey. The production is decent. The young cast did well enough. The ML is a bit stiff but that’s par for the course. The FL has more work to do, and she earned her keep. The SML’s role is largely redundant. It injected a tiny bit of angst but that’s about it

The show is solid if uninspired. I certainly won’t go out of my way to hunt it down. If you stumbled across it then it is a decent weekend binge (it is only 9 x 22 mins eps after all). The interaction between the leads is cute, and there is nothing inherently offensive to disturb your inner peace. I enjoyed the show while it lasts. It is a one-time watch for me.

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Sex is good but this show is better

Let’s start with the standard caveats. If you are uncomfortable with open discussions about sex or graphical contents then stop reading now. This show is not for you.

If you are still reading, then you’d better be sitting comfortably because this is a long review.

This show is a rare find. It is a superior show in many ways. It will surprise you with its subject matters. It will shock you with its openness and directness. It will make you re-evaluate your viewpoint about intimacy and gender stereotypes. This being a k-drama is certainly an eye opener for me.

If any viewer has doubts about its main topic, the opening minutes will certainly dispel them. While it might start like a show aim to shock and awe with titillations and sexploitation, it is much more than that. It is very thought provoking and surprisingly earnest. It is particularly relatable for female audiences. Certainly in a Korean context but also in a broader application.

This is because the show is very open about female sexuality and the tightrope they must walk at times. While men are part of the equation, they are often seen as selfish and ignorant. This is very refreshing compared to most romantic c/k-dramas. Typically, what passes as intimacy is reduced to cliche motifs like the intertwining of fingers while lying down and then fade to black.

The sex talk podcast plot allows the writer-nim to explore the full gambit of misconceptions and misinformation surround female sexuality. The lack of frank discussions and societal pressures in eastern societies cloud the issues and perpetuate many myths. Not only does the show lay them bare, but it also presents them in relatable scenarios. Yes, it is much more racy than your typical k-dramas but the sex scenes are not egregious nor are they exploitative. (See later discussion)

Nevertheless, being a rom-com, it can’t discard the venerable playbook completely. While the show started with an almost anti-romance stance, it turns the table in the last third of its run and it becomes quite romantic. It is tropey, but nicely done.

Speaking of exploitation, there are some online comments suggesting that the FL is a user/abuser who manipulated the ML and used him for her gratifications. I understand that POV as she was quite eager to turn him into a friend with benefits but once he confessed his love for her, she backs away and left him high and dry. It is not a good look.

However, I have a different take on this. Looking at the whole picture, we can see that she wasted 5 years of her prime in an unfulfilling relationship. She is uncertain about her self-worth and the role of love, sex and fulfillment after the breakup. Their typical monogamous relationship is strait-laced. Masturbation, casual sex and friends with benefit are exciting and liberating ideas but they are also fraught and alien to her.

Into this maelstrom enters the ML who is suave, handsome and most importantly, available. It is hardly surprising that she zeroes in on him. However, I don't believe that the FL is toying with him. She is naive and eager to experiment. She wants to copy the 2FL but she can't help falling in love with her soulmate. She knows this but she is not ready to commit. Her recent breakup is still raw. She needs more time and went on a journey of self discovery. Please note that she didn't play around as soon as the ML is out of the picture. This is not the behaviour of a cunning vixen. Maybe she could have handled it better but she is in a brave new world without a google map.

We know she has sort herself out at the NYE party. She is happy to see the ML and didn't appear surprised. Did she arrange the meeting? She wore his parting gift and happily show it off to him to signal acceptance. This will do for me.

Similarly, it took a lot of courage for the 2FL to start a new relationship when she swore that she will never be hurt by a lover again. Even someone who is quite self centred about sex still wants to be loved.

Acting is solid from all concerned. Pacing is spot on. There are a lot of energies from the ensemble cast and the OTP’s have oodles of chemistry. It is a joy to see relationships, love and intimacy being portrayed realistically. Yes, warts and all and amen to that! It does makes it hard to go back to the vanilla c/k romance dramas where 9/10 of the show is about NOT getting together and then we are “rewarded” with token PDA.

The show is not about being liberal nor lording over someone. What they are saying is, sex should not be taboo or an obligation. It should be fun and mutually satisfying. Masturbation is liberating. Sex with a compatible sex partner is better but sex with your soulmate is the best.

This show surprised me in a good way and engaged me like few others. I’d happily binge watch this again and so should you.

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Yeah. Ok, just watch it. Umm. Peace.

I apologise for the silly title. I was joking with an MDL senpai, and mentioned I might write an one line review . . . Don't shoot me!

As I just finished The Art of Sarah a few days ago, comparison is unavoidable. I'll keep it simple; Siren’s Kiss is better and both FL looks amazing in couture. If looks could kill!

PMY has been working consistently for years. Not all her dramas are top rated though. If I'm honest, some left me questioning her choices myself. Thankfully, this is one of the better ones. Not perfect, but good enough to keep the faith.

How so? May I present your honour with three pieces of supporting evidence.

Firstly, the optics of PMY is striking. Where she deliberately destroyed her visage in Marry My Husband. She also styled her looks to fit in with her character here. Han Seol-Ah barely eats and mostly survived on water and alcohol. It is a kind of penance, survivor's guilt if you like.

PMY went on a diet before and during the production. She does look gaunt at times which is worrisome. The director knows how to pull your focus towards her in most scenes.

Secondly, the writer-nim did a decent job with the script. While romance is a strong component, it is a whodunit at heart. I won't say that it is the best crime fiction though. It is not hard to see though some of the twist and turns. Now I'm curious about the 1999 J-drama series this is based on.

Thirdly, I have to admit the production team made the most of the posh fine art auction house as its setting. All those beautiful art installations. It is interesting to observe the back-end processes as well. I don't know how realistic it is, but it does elevate it above the typical office drama.

This also allows the show to set up some eye-catching scenes where the boundary between art and reality is blurred.

In terms of acting, PMY is the star. She knows her craft and she is dependable. She ages like a fine wine.

She is ably assisted by the ML. They are well matched and their chemistry is undeniable. Most of the supporting cast did well. The chairwoman and the 2ML are standouts. The SML did ok. He is probably the weaker link.

On top of that, the production value is top-notch. I don't know how realistic it is, but it is certainly a kaleidoscope of excesses. (Cough) The Art of Sarah (cough) OBTW, the OST is pretty good as well.

For me, it is one of the better shows of 2026. It is flawed, but very watchable. I won't quite recommend this to everyone as it is a bit niche in its presentation. It might even spark a debate of style vs substance amongst friends. Peace.

P.S. My original title was "How many femme fatales does it take to change a lightbulb?” . . . Don’t shoot me!

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The plot zigs when I expect it to zag

I enjoyed this drama somewhat. I also feel confused and dissatisfied. These are not minor issues. Some aspects really impacted on my engagement with this show.

This is odd as I started off quite impressed. It has a fast paced, no nonsense start. Bold images and bold plots. Our leads are well matched and have good chemistry. Yes, it is tropey, no surprises there.

There is no doubt Bai Lu is the star. She is beautiful, smart, strong and . . beautiful. She is well supported by Cheng Lei as the handsome yet vulnerable ML. The production value is high. Maybe not quite S tier. One of the more notable costume dramas of 2026.

However, there seems to be a recurring problem with the script. Just when you think the plot is developing logically, it goes off kilter. It is functional, but you feel an imbalance in the Force. That's why I said it zigs instead of zags. It is hard to describe so I'll give you an example.

Princess Ling Yun of the rival Cang Bei kingdom is introduced early on disguised as a wandering male merchant. She met the ML's BFF and they developed feelings. The show builds a sweet little romance between them and then did the unthinkable.

It is a key turning point in the story, I get that, but it also feels pointless. It is a cheap trick to shock and awe us. She was portrayed as a good and resourceful person, she has a bright future ahead and they kill her off so ignominiously. They could have sub in a random barbarian prince. Job done, war starts. No emotional collateral damage.

On the flip side, I kept expecting her to show up and surprise the 2ML. She is smart enough to fake her own death. Why not? A double twist! Nope. She's dead, Jim. It won't take much to throw us a bone, dear writer. You are off my Xmas card list.

Unrelated, the FL suffers from PTSD. She has very vivid hallucinations after the events surrounding the Li Mountain Academy. I get that, but the show is inconsistent. It can go from mild to extreme. This creates uncertainty as we can never be sure if someone she sees is real or a fragment of her imagination.

Speaking of the Academy, that is a very sad and impactful twist. However, once the dust settled, it opens up a Pandora's box. By the show's own reckoning, the FL was only 14/15 when everyone in the Academy died at the same time. She buried 47(!) people with her own hands and then lived alone for 6 years! I assume she was hallucinating like crazy.

The salient point is when we see her at the start of this drama, she is ~21 years old, well-mannered and educated. Perfectly normal and well adjusted. It makes sense if she just left a loving community of scholars. Once we found out the truth, it felt askew and unsettling. Makes me question a lot of what went before. The drama just steamrolled through bumps in the narrative without a care.

Like all things, the end cometh. It was a bit draggy and they cheap out on the epic final battle. We got the breathless messenger rushing fore to declare the ML has won the battle. Huzzah! Thanks for taking a couple of eps to hype it up. The fight scene in the palace courtyard did partially compensate for it.

If I'm honest, the last ep is a letdown. I don't know how they did it, but they managed make an happy ending feel depressing. It is uncanny. They even give us a lecture on good governance in the dying minutes. How romantic? Nothing surprised me anymore.

Ok, before I conclude this, let's talk about the elephant in the room. While the romance between our leads is swoon-y and the foundation of this show, there is no intimacy. There are the odd hugs, lots of loving gazes and whispers of sweet nothing. Yet, not one kiss in 40 eps! Is there a no-kiss clause in their contract?

It got to the point when even the writer is making fun of their situation. She put together one whole EP where the sole aim is to get the FL pregnant. I kid you not. The ML's sister got so desperate she fed him aphrodisiac!

We then watch our OTP walking hand-in-hand into the night while the FL said (and I paraphrase), "let's just do it." Have they not consummate their marriage after all this time?! Why? I have no clue. Are they really that naïve?

In the end, I have mixed feelings about this series. When it is good, it is very watchable. Then the plot turns into an Ouroboros. I'm still not sure how a drama of this calibre ends up in this half baked twilight zone. I am perplexed. Peace.

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The Devil wears sensible shoes

I'm going to be honest with you. The first couple of eps did not vibe with me. I was confused about the direction of the series. Is it business satire? Slapstick comedy? Office romance? It seems to dip its toes in many puddles.

What caught me off guard is the calibre of the cast. I'm not aware any of them being certified comedians, but hat off to the FL. Her timing is excellent and she is ably assisted by others. After just completed her The Art of Sarah starrer, this is a 180° change.

Even with that in mind, this show just doesn't give off that type of vibe. While they did lean heavily into broad stroke comedy early on, it didn't feel organic.

Sure enough, the show changed tack and became darker and more serious well before the half way mark. Playing dirty is the one true way in a chaebol family.

This doesn't make it a bad series. It is very watchable, but I am disappointed. This drama passed up a golden opportunity to be more than a same-same office romance.

That lack of focus translated into a stream of random worker's right stories, swoon-y office romance, unrequited love, woman scorned, business shenanigans and the good old chaebol succession bum fight. Our plate overfloweth with tropes.

As if to emphasise this, it is not the A-plot that is the throughline but the FL's character. It is her acting and the OTP's romance that kept me watching. When the OTP's romance is firing, it is piping hot. The rest are a lot more hit and miss.

For instance, the 2ML is old school handsome. I still remember him playing opposite PMY in Her Private Life. They had smoking chemistry in that show. Now, he is a sad and broken second lead who can't win a trick. Of course, he has his redemption arc later on and so does the 2FL who shafted everyone because of spite.

That is a shame as it has a superior ensemble cast and solid production value. It could have been more. As it stands, it added little to the dramaverse.

In the end, I was perplexed when the A-plot largely ended in the opening minutes of EP.12. What now? We still have almost an hour to fill.

We are presented with a grab bag of relationship issues and office hijinks plus bonus time skip. It is a bit sappy and draggy. The momentum has largely dissipated by then. The show must go on, damnit!

All's well that ends well. One-time watch for me. Peace.

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It is better than I expected but missteps kept it from being great

I liked this show. It was entertaining and made me chuckled on occasions. If only the show knew when to stop and finish on a high and it would have been a surprise hit. As it stands, it is good but not great, funny and cringey in equal measure. A celebration of inconsistency that can be good, bad and meh.

The premise of the show is our leads soul swapped and have to live in each other’s bodies for a period of time. This brings about the usual sex change gags and innuendos. More importantly, they now realise challenges faced by each other. This understanding leads to mutual appreciation, and romance ensues. If all that sounds familiar that’s because it is a popular trope for contemporary as well as costume dramas. To top that off, the show has one of the messiest beginnings of any shows. It is quite possible for some confused viewer to drop the show after the first episode.

So I think it is best that we get the backstory straight now. The show is actually based on a graphic novel and the artist behind it is going through a sad divorce with her husband who is the publisher of the said novel. To mess with him, she deliberately introduced the soul swap plot, fully expecting the novel to crash and burn but the readers end up loving the plot twist. It is that novel we are watching as a live action show. To complicate things, we are dumped in the middle of the ongoing story without much preamble. There is little explanation of people’s behaviour nor their motivations upfront. However, the show does provide some background information later on. This means that for a casual viewer, the first couple of episodes can be bewildering and its overuse of zany sound effects and comedic devices only muddy the water even more. Let me assure you that it is not a farce even though it might appear so initially.

Once the dust settles, the show is actually better than expected. From my perspective, that is due to three key factors. Firstly, the script is quite clever. We have the usual tropes and there are plenty of them but the show work the tropes in such a way that it shows how the leads truly complements each other. They both have their shortcomings but by switching roles, they actually helped each other to overcome some sticky problems that have been festering. It also shows how their lives are more complicated than they thought. This allows a lot of character growth and breaking down the barriers between them.

Secondly, the acting of the FL is great. She truly played two roles. Her female role is quite stereotypical. Not bad but largely cliché for a costume drama. It is when she is playing as the king then she truly shines. She extrudes the gravitas and behaves regally.

Thirdly, the OTP's chemistry is good and their romance is swoon worthy. It is lovely to watch them grow closer together over time and find true love in an organic way. The path is not easy but it is a rewarding one both for them and for us.

This brings us to the not-so-good bits. The soul swapping part went on for too long. While I appreciate how well it set up the eventual growth of the leads, there are missteps so the longer it went, the weaker the overall show becomes. The show also relies heavily on tropes which is more obvious in the middle stretch. It doesn’t suffer from mid show drag per se but the pacing is patchy. The plot is mostly on rails.

The palace intrigue subplot runs the full length of the show. It was mostly predictable with standard antagonists filling the cliche roles. It is not particularly engaging. It was just there. Its conclusion is fairly predictable.

Another weakness is the ML’s acting. The ML is handsome in costume, and he does a decent job while playing the king. His behaviour while soul swapped is like a caricature of a girl and can be quite cringey. It makes the “FL” looks dumb and silly. I accept that she is not the sharpest knife in the kitchen but when she is in her own body, she does not behave like an airhead, so his portrayal seems unnatural and a bit off.

The link back to the contemporary storyline is a waste of time. In the span of 30 episodes, I think those scenes added up to around 20minutes. They are just snippets with a foregone conclusion to round things out. Other than making sense of the messy start to the costume drama and act as a postscript, it serves little real purpose.

The ending of the show is as sweet as you can expect but it is also contrived. It was the ending we have to have but you can feel that they took some serious liberties with the plot to get us there.

All in all, I enjoyed this show. The OTP's romance is swoon worthy. It can be funny and insightful. It did breathe some new life into the genre, but it is not consistent enough to be a breakout drama. It still have one foot firmly mired in tropes and it did the show few favours.

OST is not bad, but it does become repetitive.

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Love it or hate it but you cannot unsee this show!

Quirky rom-com is a staple of j-drama nowadays. Throw fetish into the mix and you will feel right at home. Of course, that formula is not going to appeal to everyone, so consider this your standard disclaimer.
Still reading . . . Good! Let's get on with the review. :)

The synopsis summarised the basic background information succinctly so I’m not going to waste bandwidth. I will say that at first glance, the FL seemed very stereotypical for this type of drama. Young, naïve, timid and inexperience. The ML is handsome, suave and most likely a player. Now hold these thoughts while you read on.

This show is short. Just 9 episodes running twenty odd minutes each. It wasted no time and never slows down. Honestly, I didn’t have high hopes for this show because of the initial presentation and the subject matter. Shows like this can go dark or degrading in a heartbeat. How wrong was I!

Not only was the ML super nice and sweet, he is also totally devoted to the FL and support her in every way. Can we just clone him now, please?

The FL did start off timid and all that but she is nurtured by the relationship and grows to be stronger and managed to come to terms with her condition. It wasn’t like a 180 turnaround, but her development was nice to watch.

Of course, we can’t ignore the “fetish” angle, but the show handled it well. It was never degrading or nasty. The ML is so earnest that it is hard to see it as exploitive or manipulative. The attraction is mutual and their chemistry is undeniable (cue heavy breathing).

The pacing is good (it has to be!) and the Show is totally focused on their love story. This brings us to the best part of the show. While it would be foolish to assume the OTP will live happily ever after, the show went out of its way to provide positive case studies on how to handle CP problems. Every episode tackles an issue, such as jealousy, insecurity, etc. It was gratifying to see a lot of the time the solution comes down to plain old talking and a good dose of trust. Communicate openly and honestly. Tell your partner what is bothering you and the other party acknowledging it and change for the better. It is not rocket science, but it is refreshing in how well this approach served the OTP. Where shows would pile on the angst, this Show just say, we have a problem, let’s fix it and now it is Sexy Time!

Ah yes, there is no shortage of skinship and sexy time. Nothing R rated but the FL is prone to display her "assets" at every opportunity. The ML wasn’t shy either. The way the show approach the raunchy bits is....interesting. It is very stylised, a bit cartoon-y (because of its manga roots?) but it is consistent, like a signature move. After awhile, you knew what is coming and just roll with it. It is too cheesy to get worked up about.

There is no point in comparing this little show to a big budget drama series. It is fluffy and a bit cringy at times but within its little niche, it is a good show. So give it a go. A few hours of your time is no big investment and it can bring a smile to your dial. I certainly had more fun watching this than some longer and bigger budget shows.

Finally, a shout out to @Ariel. I so agree with your review. It convinced me to watch the show. Cheers!

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Goldfish have layers, onions have layers, but this donkey doesn’t

The premise of show is simple. Wives are like goldfish. They live in fish bowl like environment and they need care, attention and love to thrive and stay healthy. Of course, any accredited relationship experts are going to roll their eyes and ask what century this rubbish came from. Sadly, there is an ounce of truth in the modern Japanese society, so it is a valid starting point. However, this can only be a starting point, when you construct a whole show based on this line of reasoning then it quickly shows how shallow and one dimensional it is. It can’t sustain a decent dialogue for long. The Show filled the narrative gaps with sex. A lot of it and quite explicit for a j-drama.

On the surface, this show seems to be pushing a lot of boundaries. However, once you have watched it, you realised that it is only pushing one boundary, but it kept pushing and pushing until you grow tired of it.

I’m not going to do a blow-by-blow description of every extramarital affair. Needless to say, there are many dalliances and that they are presented as the only way unhappy, dissatisfied wives can find love and fulfilment. There is not even a hint of other options or a deep dive into their lives. What we see is what we get. I am all for including appropriate intimate scenes in Asian dramas and we can do with more realistic portrayal of sexual liaison in a relationship. The usual euphemism of a couple lying in bed (sometimes fully clothed) with a pan to their intertwining fingers and then fade to black is so overused and quaint in this day and age.

Thankfully, titillation is not the only game in town. Fate played a key role in pushing our OTP together. Our CP is an odd couple, a young handsome aquarium owner and an older woman suffering from domestic violence and psychological torment. Their story is better constructed and has more depth, but it is still done in bold strokes and quite tropey. What got my goat is not so much their love line but the ending of it.

The writer expended a lot of energy setting up their burgeoning relationship and they had to overcome a lot of opposition to be together. Just when they are happy and free to love each other, it ended. Why? I suppose it could be a girl power thing. It is her way of saying she doesn't need a man to survive. It would be okay if it was part of the developing plot, but it largely just happened out of the blue.

I do find that j-drama like this type of ambiguous endings where it is neither sad nor happy. Often unfulfilling and a little fatalistic. It is a statement of sorts. A reflection on reality? Is that really what we want after investing our time and emotions? We don't need a HEA ending every time but at least make it reasonable and satisfying.

Then the show throws in a 2 years’ time skip. While some relationship improved, several affairs are still ongoing after two years. This is done behind the backs of the husbands even though they are not all horrible. There is no effort to resolve their marital problems and the affairs become the panacea. This sends a confusing message. We are shown some deplorable behaviours but we are also shown some that are deemed to be just naughty and good for the soul. Is this meant to be satire? The show is inconsistent in this regard and ends up trivialising important messages.

Acting was ok. Some characters are one dimensional and there are some overacting but where it counted the key actors delivered. OST is inoffensive.

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Lots of skinship but lazy plots

Once again, this show started promisingly. The production value appeared to be high and scenes were lush and grand, at least in the first few episodes. The meet-cute was nice with reasonably fast pacing. However, the show went south with more and more storytelling issues and plot holes as it progressed. Overall, it was a disappointment.
A lot of the issue with this show comes from a very simplistic approach to plot development. Everything was telegraphed, characters and plots were mostly one dimensional. It wasn't so much character growth but more like personality transplant. Both 2FL and 2ML turned from jilted suitors to homicidal maniacs. It was straight out of Evil Plot 101 playbook but they were literally shouting "you will pay for this in BLOOD!".
By the half way mark the story just felt stuffed with set pieces that doesn't really related to the main plot (if you can call it that) but just so that they can stretch out the episode or add more skinship. The classic case in point is the black inn episodes (ep 31/32). It felt like they brought the writer back to add more scenes but paid scant attention to continuality or narrative logic.
I suppose it is time to address the skinship side of things, this show had a surprising amount of it for a c-drama. We are talking about lots of hugging, kissing (some of that quite passionate) and the OTP being frisky in bed. After completing the show, the cynical part of me is calling them out for using the skinship to distract us from the poor script or at least keep us watching the show. If that is something you like then thou shalt find aplenty. However, you can also find 15mins cuts of their romantic scenes on YouTube.
Similar to the personality shifts, the show also have drastic mood changes, it started off as Contract Marriage 101, Rom-com 101, Palace Intrigue 101, etc and some of it did work early on, especially the scenes between the ML and his group of close friends. He was so ignorant of love and sex that the show was almost like relationship tutorial and sex ed and you will get a chuckle or two. Then the show shifted to Tragic Revenge Melodrama 101 (subtitled "Every Trope Were Used"). Yes, it was designed to hit us with the feels and make us empathise with the characters but the plots were so transparent that you just felt like you have seen it all before (from the golden age of tv dramas).
The ending was laughable. The tone was completely wrong. We are talking about tragic scenes just a episode or two ago; Death and broken people stalking the scenes. The FL was in a coma for days and as soon as she woke up, they were getting intimate. It got worse, the ML then spend the rest of the episode trying to play parlour tricks on his friends (I was groaning with them) when there were orphan threads and unresolved sub plot just left dangling. Was that really all that was left to do after 36 episodes?! It wasn't even decent fan service.
OST was good for the first half but then it got repetitive. Acting was ok. The ML was quite stiff and wooden for half the show but he did open up. FL has to do a lot of heavy lifting but there was little growth in her character. The ML's brother was one of the main villains but he was so wooden, he was more annoying than evil. The 2FL acted her heart out (especially towards the end) but it was a very textbook role. The 2ML was interesting and handsome but once again, his role was so tropey that it was all done by the book.
Honestly, I was going to drop the show around the 2/3 mark but I thought I'd push through but I did fast forward some scenes. The OTP did have their sweet moments and decent chemistry but I won't be re-watching the whole show, may be the 15mins YouTube highlight reel.

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What do you call a romantic makjang comedy?

🔔 I have edited the progressive review into this final version. Enjoy!

I was genuinely excited about this show. Its premise sounds delicious. It is a little bit naughty. That's the special sauce of a good rom-com, right? ;)

In the end, I'm conflicted. There are more lows than highs. I'm sorry that this review will be a bit ranting. I really wanted to like this drama, yet I walked away disappointed.

Like many k-dramas, it starts well. The attraction between our leads is strong. They are motoring along as you do in holiday romances. So far, so swoon-y.

The FL had to lie to get her first decent job. It wasn't a simple white lie either. Heck no! She went from a bachelorette to a married woman with a young son. Snap!

It was audacious, but she is desperate. She needed the money to help her mum so I'll give her a hall pass. It is not the lie that is the core issue here. It is the fallout and the characters interplay that are much more problematic.

The FL is portrayed as a loser from the start. I have no problem cheering on an underdog. Unfortunately, while her work life is forging ahead, her private life is tanking. She is weak and did nothing when she knew her deeds are harming others. A simple mea culpa would have turned the tide and she'll win the handsome guy.

To be fair, this is not helped by the ML falling deeply in love. He is obsessed. He is torn between doing the right thing and going postal. His pain is palatable. It is basically schadenfreude, forget rom-com.

It is a witches brew of cliché subplots by mid show. It is draggy and full of relationship red flags. It doesn't beat around the bush, it is a whole garden maze.

Speaking of red flags, I can't ignore the behaviour of the SML. He is the FL's bestie for 20 years. It is obvious that he has a crush on the FL. When the FL asked him to play her husband at work he took full advantage. He’d sidle up to her and gets all handsy. The FL has no choice but to play along meekly. She looked so uncomfortable. This is messed up.

But wait . . there's more! Here comes the SFL!

She falls for the SML at first sight. She took the effort to get close to his young son and suss out his life story. It was shady but you can roll with it. What is less forgivable is when she starts to blackmail him to go on dates with her to keep his secret. C'est l'amour?

All told, the ML spends several eps close to his breaking point. He wants to protect the FL, yet he wants the "married" woman even more. It was torturous to watch. So many people are hurting. It was a League of Sufferers™.

The ML even plans to drag the SFL into a loveless marriage just so that he can "protect" the FL. When did it ever worked? This triggered his fragile mum as well.

It is all sunshine and unicorns after the truth comes out around ep.9. The tonal shift is dramatic. This only serves to highlight the pointlessness of the preceding eps.

The show is largely on cruise control heading into the home straight. It was borderline sugar overload, but I'll take it after all the makjang shenanigans. That is until the angst train hit us again. We have the whole hit parade of angsty devices plus a break-up with bonus Noble Idiocy. What fun!

No sooner did we get some resolution and let out a collective sigh of relief, did the writer-nim brought forth the Big White Truck of Doom™ . . I mean a big black limo. But wait, there is more! The OG amnesia trope. (Sigh) There is so much going on yet it feels . . formulaic, stale.

The ending is predictable and artificially sweetened. All the threads are tied up with pink bows. I don't want to call it lazy writing . . but if the shoe fits.

The sad fact is that the production quality is not bad, it has potential. The acting is decent in general even though most characters are straight out of central casting. There is a nugget of good idea at its core, it just got workshopped to death over time. Peace.

P.S. the cameo of the $1 Lawyer is a surprise bonus. Is this a hint?

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A wholesome, uplifting story with just enough bite

On the surface, this is a sports centric youth drama. We are talking about junior soccer packed with senior high school boys. So much testosterone! ;)

I'm thankful they are a bunch of good kids. I mean that literally. Sure, there are friendship issues and bullying, but they are minor compared to the usual idol dramas. When you have a band of soccer bros, you know who have your back.

I have my doubts about the FL's role in this setting. She is a square block in a round hole. She has no teaching qualifications nor sporting prowess. She went back to her grandparents’ hometown after a nasty experience at university where she is doing her doctoral thesis. Ditto, our ML who was a star junior soccer coach came back from the UK as a dejected man. Both are ready to execute their version of lie flat.

This drama basically has 3 themes, soccer, soccer and soccer. Oops! I mean our OTP's romance, multiple healing journeys and the beautiful game. ;)

The pairing of our leads is nicely done. Their meet-cute is tropey but very effective. Thankfully, there are no second leads to muddy the water. Even then, it wasn't all smooth sailing as the ML has an ulterior motive to get close to the FL. Once they sort out their misunderstanding, we are rewarded with some nice skinship.

On the other hand, there are enough angsts in our OTP's backstory to allow the writer to inject some real-world issues like cyber bullying, mental illness, identity thief into the plot. Some might find the resolution superficial. I won't judge.

Let's be honest, this is a feel-good drama at its core, good will triumph over evil, eventually. Communication will resolve any misunderstandings, eventually. Our soccer bros will bring their A-game . . eventually. Hwaiting!

With the excitement of the recent FIFA World Cup, the timing of its release is perfect. The show doesn't try to be too technical. There is just enough talk about tactics and game play to give it some credibility. Everything is grounded. Not a hint of Shaolin Soccer anywhere. ;)

The young actors played their roles well. Their interactions give us real Band of Brothers vibe. It is uplifting and heartwarming. They made the soccer segments fun to watch.

You will cheer on the underdogs. You will appreciate the long game played by the elders. It touches on some societal issues, but only lightly. It is a relatively small world they live in. For this type of drama, that is enough.

Is it any good? It is good. Solid rather than inspired. Entertaining and brimming with empowering, feel-good messages. This series has hearts and an easy watch. There are evil in the world, but in this little corner, there is only soccer and romance. That will do.

Ultimately, this is not a big budget production. It is not perfect. We could nitpick until the referees come home, but what’s the point? We should be thankful for a few hours of uncomplicated entertainment in these times. Peace.

P.S. I noticed Ms. Yu toned down her acting and even modulated her voice in this drama. Is this part of her long term plan to transform her image? Intriguing.

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Who needs Tinder when you can join the OTP's friend circle

As an idol romance drama, it ticked many boxes. Our leads are eye candies, and they have good chemistry so their pairing can’t be faulted.

Credit where credit is due, the core theme is solid and made a nice through line. The sleepwalking is a little forced, but effective as a plot device. The late-night calling of the ML's phone by the FL is clever the first couple of times, but it becomes repetitive. The little twist with the call recordings saved us a lot of angst.

The rest of the drama is patchy. This is not helped by a large support cast that are mostly from central casting. The sad fact is the veteran actors did their best. Unfortunately, their characters have little presence and even less to do. There are also some production related issues such as integration of location shots.

Thus, it falls on the shoulders of not one, but 2 secondary couples to chew up some screen time. These two CPs' romances are stilted to say the least. BTW, there is a last minute 4CP. You guessed it, they are also in our leads' friend circle.

Let's start with the 2CP. We have a mushroom farm worker being paired with the FL's long suffering PD. The 2ML is the polar opposite to the ML and is socially awkward. They fell in love at first sight. Really?

The 3CP is even more tenuous. The 3ML is our male lead’s business partner and the 3FL is the village cafe owner. Their pairing is rather random and they have zero chemistry. We watch their awkward courtship with more apprehension than delight. Behold! The magical power of the friend circle!

If the secondary pairings are less than ideal, the meet-cute between the SML and the FL is next level. The script would have us believe the FL ran under a total stranger's umbrella during a sudden rain shower. Rather than mumbling a joesonghabnida and move on, she kept him company for some time, walking around aimlessly in the rain and chatting freely. They ended up having coffee together and she even agreed to a meal the next day. No wonder the SML developed feelings.

This appears to be out of character and made the FL look desperate. I'm glad they eventually parted ways as friends. I'm just thankful we didn't end up with a psycho SML as per the playbook.

We mustn't forget the relationship between the FL and her estranged mother. This is a can of worms. The original reasoning behind the alienation is old school but plausible. The longer the story runs, the more convoluted it becomes. No wonder the FL has mommy issues. Of course, that relationship also has an redemption arc. It is that type of drama after all.

If the show has been more focused on our lead's romance and growth, I'd have given it an 8.5. With all the missteps I can only give it a 7.5

In the end, the show was a hit and a miss for me. I freely acknowledge the series has good bones. I swooned when the OTP is firing. They are a cute couple. I just wish the series as a whole is done better.

As expected, it all ends well. Rainbow and sunshine blessed the land. The last couple of eps used up all the pink ribbon supply and should come with a diabetic warning. A one-time watch for me. Peace.

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Tropey rom-com totally saved by the CP's chemistry and their sweet moments

Yes, it is another contract marriage story between a low EQ CEO and a feisty, cheerful girl. I don't blame you if you switch off after that intro but it does get better. After a decent meet-cute, the story just meanders around for a good half of the show. Of course, the process of the OTP falling in love was front and centre but it was a bit cliché. Even though the ML was not a cold hearted person, his low EQ made his romantic overtures a hit and miss affair. Similarly, the FL was definitely falling for the ML but she kept sending mixed messages to both the ML and SML. This is frustrating for the viewer because just when you thought all the stars were aligned and they are getting together, they backtracked and all the sweet moments from the day before were all forgotten and we are back to the "will they, won't they" phase again.

As the show progressed, the poor SML just hangs around the FL and ticked off the ML. Turning him into a green eyed monster even after the OTP became official. I do feel sorry for him because he was a decent guy but you don't get a strong Second Lead Syndrome vibe with him.

On the other hand, the SFL was a nasty piece of work. She will not take no for an answer. Even after the ML very clearly and repeatedly rejected her advances, she kept escalating her evil deeds against the FL to the point of total annihilation. I'm also annoyed that after doing all that damage, she just packed her bag and went away scot free in the final episode. Very typical c-drama trope but not a good one.

For me, the show only really kicked into high romantic gear after the half way mark. Once the OTP finally become official in ep.17 and was signed, sealed and consummated, we can all rejoice. Their chemistry hit the roof as well. From that point on, we have lots of skinship. I mean A LOT by c-drama standard and there were even several tame bed scenes. The running gag is the grandma wants a grandchild ASAP (yes please!), much to the chagrin of the FL. To be fair, they do look great together and there are lots of swoon worthy moments. Love is definitely in the air and that's what saved the Show.

The 2OTP was quite cute. An odd pairing but I can see how it could work. They got together fairly early on and they were hot and sexy from a running start. They did hit a bad patch later on but once that was sorted, they just kind of plateaued which was a bit of a shame.

The older cast members were all nice. The grandma is a gem. The "evil" mother-in-law turned out to be the good MiL. Some of the FL's mother's scenes were LOL funny.

Acting was great from the leads but monotonal from the SM/FL's. I really liked the ML when he starred in the Imperial Coroner and he didn't disappoint here. The FL is not the classic beauty but she has a very expressive face so there were not many Botox moments. The support casts did their job. The CP's swoon worthy moments gave us the dopamine rushes and I'm thankful for that.

OST was serviceable. I would happily rewatch from ep.17 onwards for the sweet CP moments but the rest I can skip.

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The four horsemen ride again!

There appears to be two types of c-drama watchers, those who has seen L&P and those who have not. Due to some quirk of the space-time continuum, I find myself in the later group. I have since remedied that and I tender this as proof. 😉

BTW, as this drama first aired in 2022, there are already a lot of discussions and countless reviews. I shall focus on some thoughts and spare you the repetition.

There is no doubt this is a good show. While the series is tropey, it managed to weave them into an enthralling story. This is ably assisted by the acting of its young cast and interesting subject matters. I particularly enjoyed the sojourn into the programmer's world as I was a C/C++ programmer in my past life. Their struggle is real.

Our ML is a tortured soul. The FL is a strong-willed young woman who has to grow up fast to save the man she loves. As a chingu said, she must put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

I'm not saying the show is perfect. There are issues. Its unwavering focus on our OTP helps the narrative in the long run. Their journey spanning years is the backbone of this series. We are all in for a bumpy ride.

As you can imagine, they are put through the wringer, especially the ML. This is a 36 eps c-drama after all. The hour before dawn is pitch black for him. His absolute nadir starts around episode 20. Within a few eps, his world has completely collapsed. Before he sunk to his lowest point, he executed a diabolical Noble Idiot scheme. He pushed the FL away so hard that she landed on a different continent! So much pain, so much yearning.

Yes, it is the cliché "how low can he go" scenario. This also allows the writer to pave the way for his redemption in the last third of the series.

Now that we covered the rough plot outline, we need to talk about tropes. This drama is powered by four very powerful ones. I like to call them the Four Horsemen of Tropes.

The first one is the Madonna x Bad Boy trope. The ML is a genius. He is several steps ahead of his peers. The problem is that he is always misunderstood. Just name an antisocial trait and it will most likely be him. It is hard for him to make friends and even harder to keep them. The FL is the one who must do all the heavy lifting in this relationship. She is pretty and righteous.

This brings about the second Horsemen, backstabbing friends. It is sad that friendships can become toxic over time. Jealousy, ambition, love triangle, etc can strain a relationship until it turns sour. The fallout is devastating. The antagonist never walk away unscathed. Redemption is not guaranteed.

Speaking of devastating, we need to look no further than the trope du jour, Noble Idiocy. This show didn’t hold back. Our leads went from cruising along their romantic journey to taking a ride in the Titan submersible (too soon, my bad). It was a desperate act by the ML to push the FL away because he knew he is going to ruin his life. It was a difficult watch. Horsemen #3, tick.

To round out this gathering posse, we have the omnipresent Queen Bee. The FL's mum has been controlling the FL from near and far for years. She is always pulling strings and planning her life. Of course, it all comes down to "mother knows best". This creates a lot of friction for our OTP. The mum's reasoning has scant relevance in this day and age. We mustn't discount the wisdom of elders, but when it is unreasonable, biased and non-negotiable then it spells troubles. While the FL has been passively resisting her machinations for years. Ultimately, she must act to secure her own happiness.

As if to reinforce the pervasiveness of these tropes, I just finished Love For You (2026). In that drama, the ML also pushes the FL away with extreme prejudice mid show. Oh snap! Both dramas have the same FL. Is that just a coincidence or a curse?

Re-watch the whole series will be a bridge too far for me. Just the last few eps is doable. OST is fine. Production value is above average.

Credit to the production team for managing all these tropes. I won't say I enjoyed every minute of it. That is part and parcel of drama watching these days. The downside is its success helps to cement the prevalence of such tropes. You win some and you lose some. Peace.

P.S. 3 bonus observations;
* There is a Big White Truck of Doom™. Enough said.
* How come the FL's mum does not know about the OTP's relationship for 3 years?
* Love the little company that can. A lovely found family. Respect!

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