Kate

Missed opportunity

I am sad. This show had such an amazing opportunity to mix crime investigation with supernatural elements, and they decided to ruin it by adding tons of boring plotlines that had less than satisfying conclusions.

Imagine this, the show focuses on Lee Hwa Sun, as she tries to catch the serial killer that murdered her husband while the “end of the world” is happening. Instead of giving us paralel plotlines, make it more procedural - her meeting different types of survivors in different places while investigating. Keeping it rather simple is the way to go with a short format like that.

What we actually got were boring characters with typical stories, and literally no valid resolution for any plotline. Props for the writers to be willing to kill the characters, but even that was not satisfying at all, since I was not attached to any of them.

The whole mutants/zombie/alien deal: don’t waste screen time on plots trying to figure out what it is, if you won’t deliver any answers. How about redistributing that time to develop the characters more so I can actually give a shit about what is going on?

Conflicts resolution? Let’s just find a cheap way to either write it off, or deal with it in one clean way, no matter if it’s just lazy writing. ALL the conflicts (and I truly mean ALL) were resolved in the EXACTLY same way.

What was the purpose of Yoo Tae Han even existing in this show? No idea. He had no personality, no clear motivation, no goals, no nothing. He just showed up whenever convenient to help the “good guys”.

It’s hard to even comment on the acting, when the majority of the characters had little personality or were the typical stereotypical assholes. Song Sang Eun did the best and had the most diversity of the emotional performances from the whole cast.

Overall: Honestly speaking, it’s not a bad show, but it’s just amazingly frustrating because it could have been so much better. We do not get fresh and fun new concepts that often, so for it to be wasted like that does not sit well with me. I watched it being mildly entertained, but I kept thinking how every scene and plot line could have been easily improved.

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Each new person we meet is a new chapter in our life.

I want to be completely honest - this is my subjective take on the show. I feel like My Liberation Notes is a drama one either vibes with, or they don’t. I don’t. It’s not like I hated it, but I was not as moved, touched, absorbed by it as other people. It had a fair number of elements I enjoyed, but overall, I was not invested.

I think my biggest reason for disconnecting was the fact I did not relate to any of the characters and, at the end of the day, it is a character driven show. Yeom Mi Jung? Extremely unlikable for the majority of the episodes. I completely gave up on trying to like her when on one hand, she complained how no one ever made her feel alive and whole, but at the same time said she herself never really liked anyone.

I understand that all the depression (probably more specifically dysthymia) symptoms she presented must have been something many people related to. I am not a stranger to these feelings myself, and yet, I could not be on board with what they tried to present with her. Admitting on the side though, the last episode changed my perception of her character quite a bit, and I liked that a lot. They hammered a specific picture of her, and then gave me a 180 change with a new perspective delivered with just one line. Whatever I did not like about how she was written became less valid at that moment.

That said, putting aside whenever she was likable for me or not, I do appreciate some aspects of her personality. The fact they broke away from the “shy introvert” portrayal many dramas have. She was not shy, she was simply not interested in people. Sometimes people who don’t engage in every social interaction are not shy, they just don’t care. At times her inner dialogue and conversations with people made me think she might even be asocial, one step further than introversion. If we truly listen to what she was saying, I still have to appreciate that it’s just who she is - there is no trauma, no social phobia. She just does not like people that much and prefers solitude.

Then we have Mr. Gu. I liked him a lot at first. The mystery around his character in that rural area made me curious about his story, but they dragged it for too long. When I finally found out more about who he is, I was not that interested. It was a well done suspense, since me and many people wondered about his identity, but I feel like keeping the viewers in the dark for so long took away from him as a character. On the other hand, one could say he serves as a good contrast to Mi Jung’s journey, and the different pace they both took in figuring themselves out.

While Yeom Ki Jung was entertaining to watch and one of the reasons I pushed forward and finished the drama, I found her arc a bit one dimensional. At some point I started to feel like her obsession with finding a man was overshadowing the underlying issues she has. It felt like a comedic bit, that is not quite funny when you truly think about it. That said, her romantic endeavors were enjoyable and endearing and for me, she was easily the most likable of all the siblings.

I don’t really have much to say about Yeom Chang Hee, except for the fact he was underused. His interactions with Mr. Gu were amazing and I would love to see more of them - that friendship could have been an interesting addition to the story. I am honestly not sure what his purpose in the drama was. I get the vague idea, but for me his characterization lacks focus? He shined the most in the last (around) four episodes, and I probably enjoyed him the most at the time, out of all the characters.

One of the aspects about the drama that can be either viewed as a positive or negative thing depending on the preferences, is how the main characters were not that well defined. A lot of aspects were left for interpretation. I was discussing the show with many people as I was watching, I also read many comments and takes on the plot progression and characterization, and I have to say - many people had quite different takes on who the characters were.

As far as I see it, it’s a good thing. It’s not a “play in the background” type of a show. The true value comes from wondering about it as the episodes end. Trying to understand the characters. And since everyone looks at them from the lens of their own private experience and personalities, it’s given that they will see different things in them. It’s the viewers who add depth to them, their interactions and plot development. So for me, who was not engaged enough to feel motivated to do that, the drama lost one of the most important aspects.

I know a lot of people love the dialogues and inner monologues in this show. I completely agree they were well written, but they were also repetitive. A lot of them were talking about exactly the same thing, just with different words. So at the end of the day, we end with exactly the same issue - you either relate to the lines and love them, or you don’t and you find them boring.

While they went into detail about Mi Jung’s inner struggles which led to many people appreciating the show, I also feel like a lot of aspects suffer because of it. The relationship between the parents being one of them. Literally all the supporting characters. The biggest let down? Underuse of Liberation Club. I wish there was more focus on this rather than Mi Jung and Mr. Gu together. Using the writing note as a way to deliver the inner monologues was used just a few times, overshadowed by emo train rides that took the spot for the narration time.

That said, with all the complaints I had, they are all subjective. The same things I complain about, other people name as the reasons for loving the show - depending on the perspective. As I said, you either vibe with it or you don’t. It’s really consistent with how they deliver the mood and message, creating a well composed picture. The acting, writing, directing, editing, soundtrack - everything fits well together.

Overall, would for sure recommend to anyone who likes slow paced, character driven shows that focus on daily lives and struggles of normal people. There is no reason not to check it out. It's a good drama, it just does not try to cater to every viewer, and as a result, it might not resonate with everyone. But you won't know if it's something you will see as a true gem, unless you check it out yourself ;)

Ps. Refrain from telling me maybe the genre is not for me. It’s not the genre, it’s this specific show.

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Nostalgic and warm, yet slightly disappointing.

Not to say this season was bad. There were quite a few elements I enjoyed a lot. It was simply not as good as season 1. Why? Because there was little to no development nor arc for the 4 out of the 6 main characters - they already went through it in the previous season.

First of all, in terms of the plot, the mystery seems impersonal since for the longest time we don’t really know why it’s even connected to the leads. It’s just something they come across by an “accident”. In season one Pan Seok was the connection between the male lead and the ghost. Here… it just happens because the plot needs it and there are no personal stakes and the few connections we have are not enough.

Characters wise, I liked the two new leads. Eun Sil was a great addition, but I feel like there was not enough focus on her - how she manages the village, how she interacts with others. Il Young is probably my favorite character. Obviously he had some issues and a dark past, but also seemed like a good person. That contrast made me curious about him. They did well in establishing the mystery parts like how he was able to leave the village, how he knew Thomas, what was his connection to the crimes happening in the outside world.

I feel like we only got glimpses of the village here and there and it was never truly the center of the show. The aspects I actually liked the best in season 1 were the storylines about the ghosts, not the investigation happening in real life. I wanted to see more of the ghosts perspective - depth of regret only someone who has no chance to fix their mistakes can have. Not to mention the whole idea of kids, their understanding of death and where they currently are, how the learn to be happy for the ones that leave the village - aspects that were not really explored enough.

Il Young is probably my favorite character. Obviously he had some issues and a dark past, but also seemed like a good person. That contrast made me curious about him. They did well in establishing the mystery parts like how he was able to leave the village, how he knew Thomas, what was his connection to the crimes happening in the outside world.

As for the rest of the main characters - nothing changed, nothing improved, nothing got worse nor better. They were all rather stagnant. Kim Wook got glorious hair and they tried to give Jang Pan Seok some interesting arc of not being able to let go of the past and traces of his daughter… but I felt like they dropped the topic at some point without conclusion.

The whole real life investigation was just mediocre at best. Random generic bad guys with no depth, little to no established motivation and awful fashion sense. The only good thing about the investigation was the fact we’ve got to see Shin Joon Ho a little bit more.

Production value was great - great sceneries, great set design, good special effects, nice visuals as all tvN shows have.

Acting was great - with this cast I expected nothing less. They did an amazing job with the casting, especially taking into consideration how many kids were part of it. Sometimes finding even one child that can deliver a believable character is hard, here they were able to find quite a few.

Overall, it’s exactly what one would expect from a second season - enjoyable, even if it did not get anywhere near the quality season 1 had.

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The campus love story of psycho and weirdo.

One of the sweetest things I have seen in quite some time. Keeping it simple was the blessing we all deserved. Extremely likable characters, where even their stubbornness could be viewed as cute and adorable.

The plot did an amazing job at setting up the dynamics between Jae Young‬ and Sang Woo, but also introducing them as separate characters with unique personalities. The introduction of the leads was done in such an effective way in episode one, I did not question their reactions and motivations in later episodes - I accepted that’s who they are and their actions made sense.

The plot that links Jae Young and Sang Woo is also believable, bringing up many funny interactions and ways of testing the leads' communication and patience. Enough screen time was used for it, so it never felt like a plot device that could be easily replaced, but rather an integral part of the story telling.

The gradual change in Jae Young and Sang Woo relationship was simply delightful to watch. We could see what moments were the turning points, what led to them, how they influenced the main characters. It was a well written and presented progression, and while the characters were falling in love with each other, I was falling in love with the show itself.

The thing that I appreciated a lot was how Semantic Error showed changing for people you are about is a normal thing, and sometimes you have to get out of your safe zone, but at the same time, they did highlight the importance of respecting and trying to understand the differences in personalities people might have. Mutual respect and mutual effort are the key to any relationship - be it romantic, platonic or professional.

The pacing was perfect, if we take into consideration the length of the show. They truly did their best not to waste the precious screen time on useless side plots that bring nothing to the table. Sure, Ryu Ji Hye’s character was not exactly needed, at least not in the way she was incorporated into the story, but it’s more of my personal view. I’m sure many viewers loved her the way she was and the role she played in the story.

Jang Jae Young‬ is probably one of my favorite male leads in any BL. Yes, he might be a bit of an asshole at first glance, but even his childish behavior was more entertaining and adorable, and less frustrating and annoying. It’s truly impossible not to fall for his charm. The guy shines the brightest when he tries to be patient and understand others. Him being so good looking is truly just a bonus, a cherry on top of his awesomeness.

Think of a completely opposite character of the social butterfly who goes with the flow - that’s Chu Sang Woo‬. His asocial personality was somehow endearing - he had his ways of dealing with problems, and was always straightforward about his expectations and rules. More often than not, I actually thought he was right in his approach - with freeloaders during university work, or setting boundaries with lecturers.

That said, I do think they went a little bit too far with his “robotic” characteristics. We get it, the boy has issues with dealing with his emotions. He needs time to understand them, he is flustered and sometimes scared. While all of this gave us many funny moments, sometimes I just went “okay, chill with the googling body malfunction”. Still love this child.

The supporting characters had enough screen time for me to believe they are more than just one dimensional fillers. Choi Yu Na was extremely cool, but also a caring friend, and Go Hyeong Taek was a ray of sunshine and cuteness that brought some fresh atmosphere on the screen.

I would not say this was an Oscar worthy performance from the cast, but it was on par with a lot of mainstream romance shows, not just BLs. Park Seo Ham truly aced the role of Jang Jae Young‬ - a lot of it was in his eyes. I replayed some of his reactions and scenes simply because I appreciated his performance in them.

Production wise, for sure the best we have seen so far from k-BLs. From the opening shot, the intro, the use of angles, light and shadows, to the set design - nothing I could possibly complain about.

I admit to adding the OST to my playlist. The songs are that good. Even if I have not seen the show and was not emotionally influenced and biased because of that, I would like them a lot.

Overall, this is a perfect sweet de-stresser. What adds to it are all the interviews and behind the scene videos that show the good atmosphere on set and great chemistry between the cast. You can see they enjoyed the filming and liked the story they were presenting on screen. Nothing better than people involved in the production actually believing in what they are creating.

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Ambitious project, maybe too ambitious.

This is exactly the type of a story that requires a longer format. It's not even about complexity, but rather the type of a storytelling - building it on the small hints about the connections and past events, the lasting feeling of familiarity between the characters that the audience cannot grasp at first. Slow buildup is not something you can achieve with less than 115 minutes or runtime.

I can clearly see the production team did their best, but some things cannot be overcome just by trying hard. Here’s the thing, I am not sure I would truly understand the whole plot if I was not checking out comments from people who read the webtoon. Especially Denis’ part of it, which also seemed to be made far more simple and passive? There was simply not enough time to present his side of the story and explain his feelings and motivations.

That’s about Denis, what about the other mains?
Dong Baek is such a stock character, the best of the NPCs. Rarely speaks when others argue about him right next to him, mostly interacting with people if they interact with him first. He acted the way the plot needed him to act, no matter if it made sense or not.

Yu Dam could have had far more depth and I wish we could see more… desperation and sadness? Taking into consideration his story, dude was way too chill about everything. Again, I do believe it was caused by the short runtime.

It does not mean I disliked everything about the show. I enjoyed the chemistry between the leads, I actually enjoyed how annoying Denis was and strangely he was my favorite character. I liked the production quality and the soundtrack. I loved the ending - truly. The conclusion and last few scenes were probably my favorite part.

Overall, a great concept that should have been kept on the shelf till the BL industry got bigger and more profitable, so they could do the story justice with enough support.

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Office drama that will evoke in you the makjang level of emotions.

A character driven tale on the workplace environment, self-worth, values, principles and one bug of a human being called Han Se Kwon that you want to step on with the heaviest shoes you own.

It’s not an overstatement to call this show a perfect office drama. Mixing realism with entertainment is not an easy task - On the Verge of Insanity managed to do that. With the variety of unique characters, it’s a story relatable even for people who never worked in a similar environment. It tackles issues like retirement, layoffs, job hunting, reassignments in the workplace, power struggle, but also more universal topics like acting in line with your principles, loyalty, friendship, selfishness vs selflessness.

The three main characters present different takes on life and dealing with problems. Dang Ja Yeong tries to go by the book, following instructions, seeing it as the best and most efficient way. Choi Ban Seok is a hardworking and loyal person, who is willing to risk his career if faced with moral dilemmas. There are many nasty ways to describe Han Se Kwon, and I’m truly forcing myself to stay civil here. Let’s say he represents the inferiority complex in the perfect way, spiced with his cunning and shady behavior.

As the drama progresses, we see how they manage to face all the problems happening in Hanmyung Electronics and what are the results of their actions. There is no plot that goes from point A to point B, as the drama focuses more on the relationships between the characters, different departments, higher-ups and the employees.

The comedy, though, how good it was! There is nothing better than situational comedy based on the character’s personalities and relationships. No cheap jokes that could work in any scenario.

The casting was a pure perfection. Each of the actors fitted their roles perfectly. Big props to Kim Nam Hee for his job on Shin Han Soo’s character, who became one of my favorites.

The production value is insanely good. I have truly nothing to complain about. The soundtrack has plenty of amazing songs from slow ballads to indie pop and rock.

Realistically speaking, this show might not have the same entertainment value for people preferring fast paced, plot driven dramas. There are many questionable choices made by all the characters, so if you look for a clear cut “smart at any occasion” or “good at any occasion”, you will not find it here. Characters excel in some areas, but fail on others - for me, that’s the charm and the realism of the show.

Overall, On the Verge of Insanity made me smile, laugh, cry, curse at my laptop, and hug my pillow. Vast range of emotions have been awoken and I’m so amazingly thankful. It’s a solid watch from the first to the last episode.

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It's a variety show that's close to perfection. I have only one complaint, but since it's not a major one, I gave it a fair 9.5 rating.

STORY AKA CONCEPT

So freaking fun and refreshing. The best thing a director and writer can do is to invite viewers to enjoy the show more actively, and this is exactly what happened here. Guessing which places were real and which were fake was extremely entertaining (even though I failed more often than not). The concept was just something I have never seen before, and I have to say the scale was huge. They must have had some big $$.

One thing that I would change - more variety of the themes in the episodes. There has been just a little bit too much food. They could have had strange hobbies, surprising online celebrities, etc. Anything, other than food? That said, I must admit, the restaurants’ episodes were the most fun.

CAST

That's the core of the show. I cannot think of a better cast for it than the one we’ve got. Ladies were truly crazy, and Jae Suk was balancing the craze with the work perfectly. Even if the concept of a particular episode was "meh" for me, it was still extremely entertaining because of the interactions between the cast members.

Same goes for guests. Only Lee Sang Woo did not fit into the picture that well (hence I found that episode the weakest). It was fascinating to watch the male guests trying to understand the mess that is happening and try to match the hype.

MUSIC AKA PRODUCTION VALUE

Through the roof! I truly don't even want to think how much money was put into the production of all the places they made. I am simply amazed how they created whole fake businesses in a week, to the point it was almost impossible to distinguish them from the real ones. A lot of hard work and care was put into it.

EPISODES

As I said, not all episodes were equally entertaining. If I had to pick my favorites I'd go with: Sang Yeop episode (truly won everything. Jessi and Sang Yeop were unforgettable), Dong Yoon episode (I loved how dedicated he was to finding the fake place, and he had great chemistry with the cast) and of course Tae Hyun, who truly felt like the regular cast member.

Overall, this is a show I would recommend to everyone. Cannot think of one type of person who would not enjoy it. It had jokes, heart, amazing cast, mystery, elements of surprise. All I can say is - I cannot wait for season 2.

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You know how some dramas have extremely shitty endings, but overall are amazing and you still truly enjoyed them and did not regret picking them up in the first place?
Yeah, this ain't that.

It had a strong beginning and seemed like a fun, well executed cross-dressing show with tons of cliches that make you laugh. Later, it became so amazingly bad I could still enjoy it. But.. At some point every episode either bored or frustrated me.

The plot just seemed like a whole mess. The beginning was strong on romance and had minimal politics, just enough to create the tension between the leads. But then, closer to the end they dropped all the heavy politics' plots, but since I could not care about them with the lack of explanation and elaboration previously... What exactly was the point of it? And when they tried to be semi surprised who the main villain was, WHEN EVERYONE KNEW and they knew since they talked about it more than once. The string of ridiculous events that happened in the 2nd half (and especially the last two episodes) had me questioning my existence.

Another flaw of the show was the male lead. Literally everyone was a better man than him. Heck, the female lead was a better man than him. He had truly nothing going on to make him more believable and relatable. He was a huge block of muscles with little to no expression and personality.

Now to the practical effects. This show made me laugh like maniac while watching the attempted murder of a child. The bridge scene (if you saw the show, you know exactly what I'm talking about) brought me to tears with how bad it was. I had to stop watching for a good 15 minutes because I could not calm down from the silly giggle/mad laugh. If you don't have money for the proper props, use smart camera angles so the viewers know what's going on without you really showing it. Just... be a smart director.

This drama had nothing innovative or refreshing. If you can think of any drama cliche: this had it in. It had the strong and smart female lead, but only for certain episodes and scenes, since she went full 180 closer to the end. The only reason I finished watching it was for Wang An Yu and the doctor guy. While I loved them, I still regret wasting the time…

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The Exorcist meets MARVEL.

Rather than a horror movie, it felt much more like a superhero origin story with a religious twist, and I loved every second of it. It was extremely entertaining, the effects were nice, and so were the fighting scenes. The acting was believable. Except for a bit of a false advertisement (the trailers made it seem like more of a horror than action movie), I'd say this is a solid film.

The best part was definitely Park Yong Hoo's character and how amazingly unimpressed he was about all the crazy stuff happening around him. I chuckled a few times simply because of his reactions, or rather lack of it. He was a rather well written hero, who struggled with accepting his true calling. As I said, it sounds like a superhero origin.

Since I myself don't believe in any of the things presented in the movie (hi there all the atheists) I cannot rate how scary this movie was, coz for me it was not at all. That said, I've been watching horror movies since I was around 6 years old, so it's not easy to scare me anymore.

All the characters were nicely done, we got a believable main villain (in terms of his motivations), the side stories and characters fitted the overall tone of the movie. It was a consistent storytelling without any plot holes and unexplained storylines. The ending felt a bit like a final boss fight in a video game, but that was fitting with how "superhero versus the villain" the whole movie was.

It's obvious how high the production value was. The shots were extremely aesthetically pleasing, the background music was fitting, the set design was amazing (the last scenes in the club: loved them). I also want to thank the demon for not ruining Do Hwan's face close to the end of the movie. He knows the true beauty and how to appreciate that.

Overall, really enjoyable. I might rewatch some scenes with Park Yong Hoo from time to time, since as of today, he is my favorite "horror" movie character.

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What’s good? The actors are good looking and have great chemistry. The editing and pacing was surprisingly not bad, compared to TOSSARA. With just the four episodes they had, they did quite well presenting the story and building the relationship.

What’s bad? Whole first 5 minutes. You can’t just open a show with sexual assault and borderline rape. Not good. And no, just because the bed scene was not shown, does not mean I didn’t have a problem with it. Vee as a character has literally zero redeeming qualities. Watching him being sad and crying was a delight for my soul.

War did a good job. I quite enjoyed his character, even though he was a mess too. I don’t know... I watched the show because of his pretty face. That’s the tea.

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If you present an awful message, at least be entertaining to cover it up.

These 4 episodes commit 3 grave mistakes: questionable takes on serious issues, painfully repetitive story, extremely dumb main character that they tried to cover up with the cast and good production . The only thing I truly got from it was boredom and frustration.

The whole idea of suicide being a sin is simply gross to me. What it means is being sick is sinning. It’s like saying someone who has Tourette syndrome that leads them to say profanities is rude and ill-mannered. They are not. These are the result of their disorder. And I think the drama could have been saved, if they focused not on him committing suicide, but how his act killed an innocent person. That I could partially understand. Saying suicide is a sin though - that’s just uneducated statement from people who know little to nothing about psychology and human’s mind. What you are saying is - being sick is a sin. Maybe reevaluate your opinion.

As for the repetitiveness - where to even begin? The whole being reborn in a new body was fun for the first three deaths, after that it became boring. The way almost all deaths were linked to greed made me roll my eyes so bad. Who gives a fuck about the complexity of human’s experience I guess. Not the writer, that’s for sure. All the reincarnations ended before they truly began, nothing was explored, there was no depth to anything. Extremely simplistic and basic. It lacked excitement and the cause of it was mostly the 3rd mistake: the male character.

Now, being perfectly honest, I think I was the most offended by how dumb the male lead was. Here’s the thing - his suicide was not a selfish act itself. That said, he was a selfish person. Egocentric to the core. Lacking any understanding of other people’s perspectives. And so painfully dumb. Did he even want that second chance? At some point I was almost convinced he started to enjoy dying since he did not really do much to survive in any of the bodies. He focused on random things that were insignificant, was always led by his impulsive emotions and never made any proper plans and back-up plans. He was overconfident in his non-existing skills.

There is not much to say about this part 1. I’m completely not interested in watching part 2.

Sure, the drama was visually well produced and the cast did an amazing job with the characters they were playing. So what, when the writing was mediocre?

Overall, I would not recommend it.

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Peak level of conflicting feelings about this show.

It all went so well, until it did not. It’s hard to just ignore the issue that happened with the 23:00 team, since they dealt with it in the worst way possible. For the show that was created to give groups a second chance, to publicly shame them in this way was just gross. They could have easily given a written statement and moved on. So even if I loved the premise and many great elements, I cannot stop myself from feeling conflicted…

I love a show that focuses on the idols that struggle to shine in the oversaturated market. So much talent and potential is being wasted simply because their companies might be too small to fight against the bigger ones, or they are not that good with marketing, or the team debuted at the wrong time, not being able to secure their place. This show gives them hope and chance to gain more fans, so even if they won’t win, they will still be in a better position than they were before they joined the competition.

Another aspect I for sure enjoyed were the mentors/judges. We’ve got solid feedback, words or encouragement and some funny jokes and interactions. They were not acting mean for the purpose of creating a drama and I could feel they truly cared about these idols. Ryan S. Juhn crying over shirtless men will be remembered as the most iconic moment in the kpop industry. Dude was truly sobbing.

The performances were great. It’s sad we did not get to see all the first round stages in the episode and could only check them on youtube channel, but I understand the time restrictions. I also appreciate that even the eliminated teams could keep the new songs produced for them, even if some of the songs were of questionable quality…

That said, the new songs and the round with them are actually the beginning of the issues I had. First of all, the way they decided which team gets what song was painfully ridiculous and unfair. The songs themselves were not that great either. Close to none of them was memorable.

Another issue with the production were the benefits - what a useless thing. In many occasions the benefits from different rounds had a different value - one time they had exactly zero impact on the ranking, next time they changed it completely.

The first elimination? A freaking joke - how many “fake” rankings can they show before we get to the one that actually matters? They could have used that screen time to show more behind the scene moments.

Overall, it was a nice show with a meaningful idea behind it, but I think they had too many budget restrictions. They did what they could to make it work and the efforts are obvious. Them having such a strong reaction to 23:00 team “scandal” might have also been a panic mode to make sure the program does not suffer any losses.

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Strong beginning, mediocre middle, lackluster ending.

Not gonna lie, I thought it’s going to be more comedy based with focus on Kaneda being a massive fanboy and trying to deal with working alongside, and later dating his idol. It was not. While it still had some scenes here and there focusing on that aspect, it was mostly just an office romance, with not that much romance.

It worked so well at first. Kaneda was sweet and in the constant panic mode because of any most basic interaction with Yanase. Yanase was a nice and helpful mentor, who slowly started to see how adorable Kaneda is. And then they moved to the most basic rom-com stuff one has seen and all the spark was gone - still enjoyable, but ain’t special.

Sadly, they apparently wanted to finish with something more emotionally charged? The artificial, overexaggerated identity crisis Yanse has at some point just seemed so not fitting and out of place, I wish it was never included.

That said, the most frustrating aspect must have been the last two episodes - the fillers. This is the stuff writers add in their 16 episodes dramas when they run out of ideas. It was a completely unnecessary new chapter added at the end of the show. If they truly wanted to dive into the change of dynamics and unsureness in their current situation, it could have been quite a nice short second season - why add it at the end of this one?

Still, I did enjoy the characters a lot. Yanse was such a sweetheart and such a good boy, it was hard not to love him. He was smart, caring, trusting and hardworking. Kaneda gave me some good comedy bits that made me laugh. Sadly… the side characters were extremely forgetful. There were two female co-workers with questionable hobbies. That one guy who complained how he is not valued at work, while also not doing his work well. There was that white/half-white dude who showed up just to cause some emotional trouble. They filled the space, but that’s it.

Production wise, it was really nice. Good camera work, good set design and smooth editing. The transition between the scenes was decent and it never felt like they were completely jumping from topic to topic without caring for cohesiveness.

What was great? The outro. Expanding it after each episode was a great idea, so - to people who are about to watch - don’t skip it, watch till the end.

No complaints about the acting. I was honestly quite impressed with Seto Toshiki - he delivered both the over the top, and more subtle performance, and they both felt natural.

Overall, it’s a nice show with some fun scenes and good chemistry. Better as a binge watch.
Random side note: it had quite a few questionable falls with questionable physics.

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The ultimate sweet romance.

You think you saw unproblematic, cute, heartwarming and wholesome dramas? Let me tell you, none comes even close to Hidden Love. It’s an ultimate sweet romance.

Easily the best aspect of the show was how natural and real everything felt, and I’m not talking about just the romance. The relationship between the siblings? Exactly how it usually looks like in real life. The friendships? Hilarious and relatable - both for guys and the girls. How people act when they are drunk, sick, sad, happy, shy, excited - both the way it was written and then performed was just… natural, and that’s the best compliment a drama can get.

Still, the highlight, the core, the true beauty of Hidden Love was the blooming romance between Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xiu. What started as a teen crush, turned into one of the most healthy and balanced relationships I have seen in any drama ever. Getting into the show I was afraid how they would handle the age gap. 5 years is not much, but it is not little considering the age Sang Zhi was. The writer did not disappoint.

What I loved the most about the relationship was the fact I could see true partnership between the leads. It was not an older guy just taking care of a younger girl sacrificing everything for her happiness. They also did not make Sang Zhi this unrealistically mature, 20 acting 30. They became each other's emotional support, they handled issues in a mature way while still believably presenting characters in their early and mid twenties. They also delivered some good kissing scenes, no fishes to be found on set ;)

And you know what’s great? The leads were amazing as a couple, but they were also great as their own individuals! While there were moments I found Sang Zhi’s behavior too sweet for my taste, it’s simply impossible not to love her. She was emotionally strong, empathic, driven and supportive. Then we have Duan Jia Xu - honestly too good to be real, and that makes me feel depressed. Good natured, patient, protective. But I also appreciated his own arc and the depiction of the loneliness he was facing.

What’s more to love? The sibling dynamics between Sang Zhi and Sang Yan. I’ve got both comedic and touching scenes. Yes, they might have fought a lot, but they also cared for each other deeply. And honestly? The bickering scenes between them were some of my favorite moments in the drama.

One thing that caught my attention production wise were the outfits picked for the characters. Not only did I love the slight couple matches Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xu were wearing (even before they became a couple, their colors always matched), I also literally wanted to steal the whole wardrobe from Sang Zhi.

The acting from the whole case was so good it got me jealous watching. Jelly for the romance, the friendship, the family dynamics. It all seemed so real and so wholesome. I knew Chen Zhe Yuan is a good actor after watching Our Secret, but he was so much better in Hidden Love (even though I did not think it’s possible). Zhao Lu Si's little mannerism added to the realism of the character she was portraying and I could not stop smiling while watching her performance.

Anything I did not enjoy? Not that into the “debtor” story, or rather the closure it got. With how serious it was introduced, I expected something more to happen for it to end. I was also completely not interested in a love story of one of Sang Zhi’s roommates.

Overall, for modern romance fans, this is a golden standard. I’m extremely pleased I’m ending 2023 with this drama. Nothing better than entering the new year with a new found crippling loneliness after seeing the most perfect couple in dramas history.

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It took quite a few detours for them to reach the destination.

Flight to You is a drama that somehow manages to be both amazingly realistic and painfully ridiculous at the same time. How? The characters represent the realistic part, while the plot, especially in the last 8-10 episodes gets a little bit too close to a mental circus you just have to accept and not question the logic behind.

The best aspect of the drama is how the characters have real flaws which have real consequences. Cheng Xiao might be smart, driven and friendly, but she is also impulsive and overconfident which affected her career quite a few times. Gu Nan Ting might be patient, fair and hardworking, but he is also closed off and too strict. Similar descriptions can be written by other characters, even the “bad guys” - no one is just good and pure, or evil and flawed.

Speaking of which - I loved Jiang Tao (or loved to hate him would be more fitting). What a well written antagonist. He was just a normal man that was painfully sexist and too power driven - something we see in real life more often than we should. At some point I even started to feel bad for him - his old fashioned and full of prejudiced worldview was simply limiting - both for him and for the company he cared so much about.

I also appreciated how the supporting characters felt both familiar, as many followed well established tropes, and fresh, by adding small twists to their characterization. The whole show is truly driven by how likable and relatable these characters are.

Onto the plot. Romance was so slow at times it felt like we were walking backwards. It was all in the hands guys, all the romance, love, frustration, pinning, doubt. Pay attention to the hands (not like you can miss it with all the close ups…). Truth to be told, I was completely fine with this snail pace. I appreciated and enjoyed the relationship between Gu Nan Ting and Cheng Xiao not only for the sparks, but also the partnership and friendship they built. How much they influenced each other and grew to be better pilots and better people because of it.

As for the airport related plots - you gotta close one eye and ignore some illogical aspects of it. Closer to the end you might need to close two, since the show just gives up the realism as it struggles to keep up with the plots and give them all a proper closure. That said, by then I was so in love with the characters, I was not even frustrated, but rather amused by some of the developments.

The performances were strong. Wang Kai can deliver any role and make it believable. He makes any character seem like a real life person. Tan Song Yun also aced her portrayal of Cheng Xiao - she was literally THE center of the whole drama and she carried the show on her back with no issue. Each and every supporting cast member did a fantastic job and I honestly have no complaints.

The production value was on the high end of the drama/slice of life workplace c-dramas. Something I want to compliment the show on were the transition scenes - the sped up shots of the sceneries showcasing different times of the days were beautiful.

Overall, a great show that focuses on self-improvement, fairness or lack of it in the workplace, taking on responsibilities and dealing with the aftermath and consequences of both the achievements and failures. It tackles the issues of mental health (at times in a questionable manner) and sexism and how hard it is to fight against it in a workplace. It’s easy to binge watch and surprisingly engaging.

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