scenophile

Carried by PangWave

The shining beacon of light in this drama was Pang & Wave, whose chemistry was just off the charts. I absolutely loved their development from enemies in the first season to being an unbreakable duo in this one, I loved how their personalities and plans complemented each other, and I loved that no matter it was these two characters together who were not only the most dependable when shit hit the fan but were also the most fun and domestic when they were just hanging out together. PangWave shined in every single scene they were in.

Aside from that, I definitely felt like The Gifted: Graduation was inferior to its prequel in every way.

While the new additions to the cast did grow on me, I didn't like how much the show focused on them at the start. They were simply annoying and felt very obviously like plot devices. The show got better once the main cast returned — not just because of the nostalgic factor but just because the characters were better developed — and the new characters were more suited in their secondary roles.

Still, I really didn't enjoy how some established characters from Season 1 had spiralled downward in their character arcs; while it was hinted at in the original series, development here just felt very sudden and out-of-character, as if they were being used for the plot's shock factor instead of having their characters grow naturally in one direction.

In terms of the plot, I really think it tries to do too much in too little. There's a good story in here somewhere with the Director's backstory but it has one twist after another and at some point you stop feeling shocked that there's another betrayal or another moment of in-fighting. (There was a lot of infighting in this one, which I didn't enjoy and it felt like it was simply there for drama.) There's some parts of the plot that feel too convenient or characters that suddenly disappear because they're not useful anymore. And maybe I think there were just too many characters, and sometimes the show chose to focus on the ones that were the least interesting. I could not find it in myself to care at all about what the government was doing and I felt like those roles could have been given to characters in power we already knew and it would've had the same impact.

Still, it does wrap up the story nicely and I think the moments between Pang and Wave were well worth the watch.

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Refreshing main couple

Plot-wise there's really nothing special about the story of a cold male lead and a bubbly but clumsy female lead who find themselves in a contractual marriage, but something about the way it was executed was very refreshing. There's still some scenes where I personally found the female lead's optimism to be more like naivete, but overall it didn't affect my enjoyment of the show at all because it wasn't stupidity, and I could genuinely just chalk it up to differing worldviews.

In fact, watching this was overall a really fun and light-hearted experience and I know that's mainly due to the absence (mostly) of the miscommunication and sabotaging second female lead trope. There's hints of it, but none of them felt like true dangers to the main couple, who were just so cute together and communicated really well throughout any sort of issues they might've run into. Chinese dramas rarely do this, but when they do it makes for a really happy drama.

With that being said, I kind of wish there were more scenes of the main leads, whether it's discussing their families (which we just seemed to skim the surface of for each) or just showing more friendships. I'd honestly also be okay if we just spent a little more time on their love story and having them get together later.

I know I'd rather have those kinds of scenes than either of the side ships. While I liked some of the side characters individually, I really didn't care for any of the romances between them, and while the main couple was relatively drama free, it felt like the side ships had all the drama but none of the feeling of importance. There were miscommunications and jumping to conclusions and it just all felt very cookie-cutter cdrama second couple.

I know part of the inability to go into depth is that this drama is relatively short compared to other Chinese dramas, but I think it's also the amount of time dedicated to the side characters that could've been spent on going deeper on some issues and themes. Still, this is a fun and light-hearted watch if you want a contemporary rom-com that feels low-stakes.

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The Triumph of the Second Lead

I always say that I want a drama where the second lead wins and to everyone who replies "Well doesn't that make them first lead then?", this drama is my answer. It's not just about who the main character has feelings for first or which character is the token "nice and patient one." It's also about the reasons the characters have for falling in love and the reasons why a relationship does or doesn't work out...and I felt like all of those reasons were answered beautifully in this drama.

This is exactly what I've ever wanted in every slow burn. Neither of the love interests are forcibly villainized or make stupid decisions to push the romantic plotline — it's simply about how each of them love and live in different ways. Not just for their relationships but even as individuals, every main character had depth and personality, and I just really love looking back and seeing how their friend group came together. True, there are some funny and cheesy high school kdrama cliches, but with how profound and touching the dialogue was, that didn't bother me at all.

The only character who I didn't really care for was a second female lead that came very close to being the typical jealous saboteur; even if there was some redemption and she was nowhere as extreme as other characters I've seen, it was still a little annoying.

This show isn't as long as a regular drama but it's not as short as other web dramas either, and I think this extra time made a huge difference. This will definitely go down as a comfort watch for sure, and there are some lines that will stay with me forever.

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Fun and light-hearted with a dash of tugging on the heartstrings

If any of you happen to be in a drama slump, this is the perfect one to get you out of it (that's what i did for me). There's the light-heartedness of web dramas, but with a much longer runtime, this show was able to give its multiple main characters and couples the arcs they deserved. I rarely find myself so equally enjoying all of the storylines when there are multiple mains, but in this one I definitely did. All the ships had their own distinct dynamics and storylines, made of characters who also each had glowing personalities and backstories of their own. And I loved the friendships that we were able to get between both trios as well, and even more so when we saw the entire group together.

Even though this is lighthearted, I actually really enjoyed the tidbits of social commentary that we got. Ma Joo-ah dealt with people against economic affirmative action in college admissions, Hwang Bo Young talked about living with diabetes and being judged for it, Min-ho and his sister were great in their family dynamics and showing how fast children have to mature without parents, etc.

In the second half, I did think that some of the plotlines got dragged out (particularly one with a cliche jealous second female lead), but I still really enjoyed the main female lead that was involved in that situation and how strong and confident she was. I just can't stop gushing about the different mains in this drama and how they were able to shine despite the plot being quite cliche.

I would definitely recommend this to people who like college-setting dramas and friends-to-lovers, or honestly anyone who just wants something light-hearted to watch.

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Solid plot

Objectively I think the writing for this series is super solid — all the characters had their role and personalities, and all their subplots were tied into the main story and the law school experience quite well. I was really intrigued by the whodunnit-style plot and how we gradually figured out how other cases and figures factored into it.

Because there were so many subplots, however, I definitely liked some more than others; a domestic violence case was really touching and realistic, while others about corruption and media didn't really appeal to me that much. In the end, though there were some scenes that I liked, the overarching plot was interesting but not mind-blowing.

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Great leads but flat side characters

I didn't expect it to be so comforting but it was! A smart and strong FL plus a nice ML, both of who have good communication...It was just so refreshing. This is how I think you should write a strong female lead; she has pride but isn't an emotionless robot and can get hurt, she's great at what she does, she stands up for herself and her friends and goes after what she wants despite Lady Luck not always being on her side. And the ML was great as well; I'm so sick of the cold jerk rich male lead it was fun to see a character that went against all that; he was kind and nice from the start while still being sure of his own boundaries. Together, the ML and the FL made such a great duo; they had great chemistry, full communication, and mutual understanding.

The main side characters, particularly the ML's two friends, were great as well and I loved how bubbly and fun they were while each still kind of having their own hobbies and doing their own thing. Something about this group with the FL just felt so much like found family.

Overall, I actually thought the weight/health theme was done fairly well — it's usually something I'm very hesitant about. There are still some throwaway lines, especially at the end, that made me a little uncomfortable and felt like the writers had no more time left to insert good development, but everything in the early part of the drama was great; the FL was so much more than her weight and her work/friendships/family showed that, and it was more than appearances and "getting revenge" on her exes — she did it for herself.

Other than the main leads, however, I felt like the second and side ships really fell flat. It was hard to root for the second ship considering how it was her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend and the latter was so snarky and pouty, and the other side ship felt a little random and obsessive.

There are honestly a tad too many side characters and many of them were related to family drama and office politics, neither of which I really cared about; and tied in with them were some kdrama tropes that would normally bother me a lot. I'll never like some of them but I was surprised how it actually didn't bother me as much in this drama — mostly because there was a really strong understanding between the two leads which other dramas ruin, while this one made use of it.

Overall, this drama was very fluffy, light-hearted, and cute. There were some cliches and some side-plots that didn't really get fleshed out as much as I wanted, but for a rom-com it was great, and watching this was just FUN. The OST is a bop too.

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Amazing vibes

I can easily see how some people could find this film boring but for me it was just all about the vibes, and the vibes were immaculate.

The cinematography was great and I really loved how there was not a lot of dialogue; even when there was, every shot had the right amount of time and emotional weight dedicated to it. It's very nostalgic, very slice-of-life, and watching it felt like I was unplugging myself from the rest of the world.

This is a film about feeling alone in a crowded room, about watching from a distance, about small psychological victories, and I 100% felt all of it.

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Captivating

One episode in and I already knew I was going to love it. The main character is exactly my favorite kind of hero — the one that doesn't ask for it but has leadership thrust upon them after being thrown headfirst into an insane situation.

The drama started out a little episodic at first but I had no problem with it because it was great seeing different potentials and the pros and cons of them. Hints of the backstory and overarching plot were also inserted really well and I really liked how things came together at the end.

With that being said, however, I feel like the ending leaves a lot to be desired. I liked learning about different potentials in the earlier episodes but I don't think they ever became very significant in the overarching plot and it really felt like the drama ended right when it was about to hit its actual climax, after some of the plot twists were revealed. The build-up didn't necessarily pay off even though I feel like some of the social messages already came through, and the cliffhanger at the end really left me craving more.

I always say I'm not a fan of ensemble dramas but if this one counts it's definitely an exception. I love every single one of the characters in the group (especially Wave) and they'll be one of my favorite cast of characters forever.

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Good Edutainment

It's funny because I really feel like there were two different aspects to this: one that was more serious and historical, and another that used some questionable tropes.

I really loved the political and historical part of this; I've never really watched any historical period dramas in this time and I actually learned a lot, about how people in different classes or of different nationalities were treated, and about how historical events impacted people's lives. For that, I really loved this drama and how it spanned a really pivotal time in world history (about 1925-1959) even though I did find it a little difficult to emotionally invest in at times.

On the other hand, however, I found that sometimes tropes took me out of it. Some subplots felt repetitive as they happened over and over again and I wondered why the character didn't learn from it and so sometimes characters made frustrating decisions. Other times, there were tropes that didn't really feel like they belonged even though they were still woven into the story fairly well.

There was an entire arc where the main character got amnesia — one trope that has always felt annoyingly forced to me and feels like an excuse to make big changes without having to explain them. While I felt like this drama did that arc better than other dramas have, I still didn't love it and it definitely felt dragged out longer than I thought it had to be. It was a turning point in the drama that I really didn't love and just felt like it was inserted for plot purposes. For that reason, the progression of the romance subplot also felt a little awkward throughout the show.

That aside, the OST is perfect and just fits the story and time so well. The acting is great, especially during emotional scenes, and so I still quite enjoyed this one and everything I learned from it.

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Interesting premise but confusing

I'm usually a huge fan of time travel type stories, especially when it has a sort of "oldie" vibe — and certainly, at the start, I really liked how the story was playing out. I loved both timelines and how they interacted with each other, and I also really liked all the characters and their backstories, and how those were tied together.

As the movie went on, however, I definitely just felt like it lost me. There were more characters that I didn't care much about, the three boys started blurring into one another and doing things for no reason, and overall I just thought the movie became "jack of all trades, master of none."

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Heart-pounding, mind-blowing

Just to preface this, I started this without any background information whatsoever — I had never read the manga or watched the anime and didn't know what this was about aside from the gazillion (erroneous) comparisons to Squid Game.

I ended up loving this, especially the individual games; there's always a twist to them, and I was on the edge of my seat during all of them, no matter which category it was. The action scenes are just superb and the drama managed to do really successful and heart-wrenching character development in the little time they had, not for just our main leads but for all the side characters as well.

I have to admit that I don't love the later arc as much as the earlier ones; partly due to my preference for the "out-of-the-system" character and also because I managed to guess the game answers there, but overall the action sequences and fight scenes during these episodes were still great, and I love how the season ends and sets up the next stage of the story.

Cannot wait for season 2!

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Exciting and explosive

Wow — this is hands down, the most heart-pounding, stress-inducing drama I've watched. From the very first episode, I was super invested in the backstory and in the backgrounds of the two main leads. This was, in a sense, the perfect underdog story — the "us against the world" vibe runs throughout all the episodes in the best way. Especially in the first half, the pacing of the story was perfect; it was fast-paced and we were finding new developments all the time. In term of plot points, this is a drama that really requires you to suspend disbelief — I've seen a lot of reviews saying that it became hard to believe, but in my opinion that's just the nature of a conspiracy thriller and I found myself still able to immerse myself completely in the story. There are some political and financial aspects that I was a little less interested in, maybe a little confused by, but in the bigger picture it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the series.

Even with the insane plot, it was really interesting how this drama still managed to get its laughs and rom-com moments in. The chemistry between the leads is really great, and I love how their personalities meshed together even amidst all the tragedy.

With all that being said, however, I think this drama desperately needs a second season. The ending leaves a lot to be desired, especially since the last few episodes packed a lot of new information that wasn't explained and also changed a lot in the dynamic between our two leads. As much as I loved everything I already watched, it really leaves me craving more — and it feels almost as if I only watched three-fourth of a drama.

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Unbelievable but super adorable

Objectively, this is pretty much the perfect rom-com formula. It had a lot of hilarious scenes, the chemistry and acting of the two leads was amazing, an I also liked that the business and antagonist plotlines weren't taken too seriously — there was a lot of comic relief in their scenes and the entire tone of the story was really consistent. This drama was like the perfect mix of every possible good coincidence and trope you could think of, but it was smart enough to call itself out on it in a really witty and humorous way.

However, I did find myself unable to completely immerse myself in the drama throughout it; the plot points were sometimes just so outlandish that even I couldn't suspend my disbelief or overlook the plot holes, such as when it came to the human allergy premise.

Even with that, I thought the acting of the two leads was undoubtedly the best part of this drama — they really brought the story to life, had great comedic timing, and just were so adorable together in all of their fluffy scenes.

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Did I watch the same movie as everyone else?

I'm seeing reviews about people crying at the second half of this movie and I'm just a little lost for words because the movie I watched was just so...mediocre? It was certainly a nostalgic and light-hearted rom-com, but overall the plot points and the characters are just really cookie-cutter and cliche. The two second leads are also considered main roles but were not really given adequate personality or character development.

I also could not handle how many times the main female lead had to trip over her own feet — I understand the clumsy aspect of her personality, but there are different ways to do it. Seeing the exact same thing happen so many times grew old very fast.

With that being said, there are more quiet, thoughtful moments in this movie that really stood out to me, and I wish the movie let those moments shine through more.

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