Kate

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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Low-key masochist/sadist, high-key chemistry.

There are dramas that you feel are too short, but you also saw enough to be satisfied, And then there are dramas like this one - when it's too short and you need to see more. Sure, they did best they could with the limited time they had, but this plot and dynamic deserve more.

Cannot believe we are finally slowly getting Korean BLs with proper plots and new settings. Was the case extremely simple and predictable? Yes. But it’s better this way. There is nothing worse than a complex story forced into a short format - it never delivers. Smart productions know their limits and try to present the best version of what’s possible. BLs are a sub-genre of romance and you do not watch romance for the plot, you watch it for the relationship and the chemistry. Of course having an interesting plot is always a good thing which separates mediocre romance from great romance, but the plot is not the core of the project. So yeah, I am not mad about how simple the story was here. It worked and that’s what matters.

To the more important aspect - the relationship between Lee Chae Ha and Ju Tae Seon. Would I want to swim in the sea of angst delivered by the set up a little bit more, before we move on to mutual positive feelings? Yes. Pinning, angst, contradicting feelings a character has that make them frustrated to the core - I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I just love when characters are so sure of what they are feeling and what drives their actions, to then get all confused when love hits them in the face. But I also understand, yet again, that there was a limited time to show the progression from enemies to lovers and for good balance, you just cannot focus too much on just one phase of that dynamic.

The angry angst era was iconic, the confusion and suppressed care was iconic, the desperate love was iconic. These two truly worked well together. I actually like how cliche they felt - Lee Chae Ha had no backbone for most of the drama and Ju Tae Seon was borderline psycho. If you ask me they are low-key masochists and sadists and that’s how I view their dynamics. Sometimes the aggressive beginnings in dramas make me feel uncomfortable, but here it just worked, because I did feel like Lee Chae Ha was into it.

On that note, the office scene. If you saw the drama you know exactly what scene I am talking about. Hot damn. Masterpiece. Thank you.

For the villains. One, the glorious O Ja Hyeon is presented as one from the beginning and more are hiding in the shadows, but are also rather obvious by episode 2. For O Ja Hyeon - loved to hate her. That one scene where she spilled all the tea was amazing. What a performance from Seo Han Gyeol. She stole that moment completely. I kind of wished she had even more presence in the drama. The other two villains were… fine? I think they missed an opportunity for a plot twist here, and went with the safer option.

Performances were mostly good. There were a few more intense scenes where I was not completely convinced by Park Si Woo’s performance. The issue could yet again be the length of the show. Sometimes both the characters and viewers should sit on the emotions a little bit longer, but pressed for time, the drama had to move on with the dialogues a bit too quickly.

I liked the production and the soundtrack. I like how the lighting and the music matched the intensity of some scenes. I always appreciate the good use of light and shadows. Also, go listen to Marionette, it’s a great song!
I am not going to talk about the intro - I just kept skipping it.

Overall, a pleasant surprise. It was a lot better than what I expected in all areas - plot, dynamics, acting, production.

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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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Predictable and rather simple, yet surprisingly charming.

Not gonna lie, this is not the most complex story I have seen. It’s the same old crime for greed dressed in fantasy elements. Yet, this fantasy set up makes it stand out compared to other shows and make the watch more enjoyable.

I honestly don't care much about the investigation, if it was not directly linked to finding the bodies of the people living in Duon Village. Sure, the mystery was well crafted and had great pacing, but I honestly don't care about the living people involved with it. The plot shines the most when it focuses on the residents and how/why they died.

Some of the characters I liked the most were Thomas, Jang Pan Seok and Baek Il Doo. Most of the cast had a great chemistry between each other, and the friendship between Wook, Pan Seok and Thomas was fun to watch.

Sadly not all characters had much to offer. Personally I found Choi Yeo Na painfully annoying, and at times quite selfish. She had little going on as an individual character, and mostly served the role of delivering exposition and motivating other characters to do some work. There was nothing interesting nor entertaining about her.

No complaints about the production. Maybe some of the cgi was questionable, especially when the residents were leaving the village - the more detailed, longer and more close up the scene were, the worse it looked. That said, Missing: the other side was a beautifully crafted show with quite a number of screenshot worthy moments.

Overall, a fun and easy to binge watch show. I took my time with the first half, but watched the second in one sitting. While there will be a second season, this one can be easily watched as a stand alone, as it provides all the necessary closure.

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The beauty and the pain of white lies.

Somehow does not hit the mark by not diving deep enough into the connections between the characters and separate stories. It’s for sure a light feel good slice of life comedy, but it’s so light there is little to actually feed the soul and make you reflect on different themes presented. It gave me less of a “found family” and more of a “found acquaintances”.

It started great. The way the drama sets the stage and the characters grabbed my attention right away. Since I did not read the synopsis I had no idea what the plot was about, so the funeral scene introducing the Rental Family business surprised me in a positive way - setting the tone for the movie perfectly.

I was ready for some questionable situations that even if at times feel a bit “wrong”, still give the positive and heartwarming message. A nice contrast between what is right and wrong, what feels right and wrong, and what brings the best or the least harmful consequences. I really liked the idea of a more realistic slice of life, where you can still sense how restricted the characters are by the society and its standards, and how they just try to navigate through it causing the least harm. But the movie never fully delivered.

Too many stories, too many characters and too many relationships, not enough screen time. Whenever it’s about Phillip’s changing priorities, becoming part of the team, Shinji Tada’s past story (that seems to be so complex it could be a movie itself, instead of getting 2-3 random scenes here and there), Aiko Nakajima’s dedication to the job and her struggle with setting boundaries, or any of the customer’s tales - nothing made me feel satisfied by the end.

I wish this was a short series - one or two episodes per customer. Give me some time to get attached, to care, to reflect on their individual struggles and what made them use the service in the first place. As a movie, a lot of progress and development was simply fast forwarded.

That said, I did enjoy the overall vibe of the film. It was less moving and more fun. The comedy was probably my favorite aspect - at times dry, but fitting the tone. While the performances were strong, since the story felt less deep, I was not exactly touched by any of the actor's portrayals of the characters. I expected to cry at least a few times, but at the end my eyes were perfectly dry.

Overall, fun, but less than what I expected. Somehow I am not quite satisfied with the second half, especially with how well the whole scenario was set up.

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The most heartwarming kidnapping story one can encounter.

I cried, I laughed, I almost smashed my laptop - it was all worth it. The connection between Ro Hee and Myungjoon is not something I will be able to easily forget.

Not the brightest, but a strong man and a genius child - this setup for the main characters sounds like the beginning of an over the top, unrealistic and not easily relatable story. To make it good, the writing of the characters needs nuance, and that’s what The Kidnapping Day presents.

Myung Joon is not this dumb guy who gets manipulated by everyone while being completely unaware of what’s truly going on around him. He is not just a passive tool for others to use, and his loyalty and compassion are the exact reasons he was one of the most dynamic and driven characters.

Ro Hee is not this emotionless adult-like genius. Yes, intelligence was a big part of her, but the detailed writing did not ignore one of the most important aspects of who she truly was - a child. Many stories focus so much on characters’ cognitive abilities, they completely forget to showcase their emotional development - this way we get these robot-like smart kids who just act like adults. Not here. That innocent and child-like nature made the story far more impactful. It also made it possible to present a variety of the types of interactions she had - some treated her like a child, some treated her as a genius, some treated her just as just… I guess that’s something you will find out if you watch the drama ;)

It’s a story about making choices and facing the consequences. How some wrongdoings cannot be wiped clean, no matter how much we try. How trauma can hunt you for a lifetime. How greed can push you to do despicable actions. How everyone's idea of happiness is different. It’s a story about fear, desperation, obsession, but also compassion, family and support. It’s a whole package.

The Kidnapping Day for sure leans more into character (and relationships) driven drama, but I would never say it neglects the plot aspect of it. It was just slightly less masterfully crafted. Some aspects were not quite detailed, but all was enough to tell a cohesive and engaging story. We hit some dead ends and a few bits had not quite satisfying conclusions, but since I never viewed them as the focus of the drama, it did not bother me that much.

The acting… I have no words. Big props to Yuna who had the hardest and most demanding role to carry. I truly fell in love with Ro Hee and cared for this child with all my heart. Yoon Gye Sang presented so much warmth in his performance, I wished to have someone with a similar presence to Myung Joon in my life. I’m also impressed with Kim Shin Rok as Seo Hye Eun. I kept going back and forth with hating her and feeling sympathy - presenting the complexity of her story and the duality of it was not an easy task, but Shin Rok handled the role amazingly.

The production, directing, editing - all perfect. I even loved the small details like the chapter titles at the beginning of each episode with well selected shots as background and these tiny doodles as symbolic representation. Even the soundtrack was amazing. Especially the instrumental score.

Was the drama perfect? No. I still believe that the second episode was a poorly constructed introduction to the investigation and Sang Yoon. Some characters got me confused about their presentation - from feeling not that threatening, to then abruptly switching to the biggest threat. As I previously mentioned, there were some plotlines that could have been explored more and had better closure.

But even taking all that into consideration, this drama was truly a magnificent experience that kept me tense, happy, sad, angry, hopeful, scared each Wednesday and Thursday from September 13th till October 25th - and I will probably come back to it from time to time.

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Behind every lie is a wish waiting to come true.

Saying I had a mild existential crisis as I was watching the drama could be an understatement. It deals with many themes like environmental issues, free will, destiny, power of belief. difference between truth and lies, the price of responsibility and power. Some presented better than others, but as a whole package, it was truly an amazing journey.

Three main plotlines/themes addressed in the show were the romance between the leads, the questioning of free will and fight against the written fate, and environmental issues.

Starting with the romance - quite an enjoyable delivery. It was slow paced and, while ever present, never felt like it was shoved in my face as the main and only focus of the story. On many occasions the relationship between main leads served as an opportunity to explore other themes and ideas. Have to say though, till the end I was a bit more sold on Orad’s side of that love story.

Free will, meaning of existence, fate - that’s the part that gave me an identity and existential crisis. I almost had a philosophical debate with my laptop when I was pausing some scenes to fully grasp the ideas behind them. I also feel like this part of the plot had the best presentation.

Then we had the environmental issues that were addressed in the show. While I appreciate the inclusion of that topic, I cannot stop myself from thinking some of the scenes were extremely on the nose - sometimes it felt like I was watching a promo for kids in middle school. They could have been a little bit more subtle about the message and trust that the viewers are not complete idiots.

I feel like there were some pacing issues too. While I never felt bored, after finishing the whole show I do feel like the middle part was a bit dragging and was not as tight as the beginning and the end.

What slight complaints I might have had about the plot and pacing, the characters make up for them. Xie Tian Di, while flawed, was still truly likable. It was great to watch her learn from her mistakes and understand others’ perspectives when she was faced with similar dilemmas.

Orad was just adorable. What a loyal man. It’s hard to actually talk about his character in more depth without giving spoilers, so just know there is more to his story than just being a guard for the female lead.

Fali, this guy. I dislike him, but I also want to give him a hug. That said, I am still slightly confused about his goals and plans and overall motivations. I think the writers could have done a better job exploring his character.

Toem is the girl you root for even if you don’t want to. She is smart, cunning, brave, flawed in all the best ways.

Talking about flawed characters - Kakarayan… really didn't vibe with him. He had just a few scenes, but it was enough for me to put him on the bottom of the characters I enjoyed.

The performance - no complaints. Not only that, I was truly impressed with some. It’s quite rare when even the supporting or bit roles are well delivered, but this drama gives us all the best, even if someone shows up for one scene and one scene only.

The soundtrack. 10/10 does not do it justice. I am not joking when I say this is the best soundtrack I have heard in dramas I’ve watched this year, and one of the best in my long history of watching dramas. A song that especially moved me was Shi Shi’s Never Ending Rain.

On the production - no idea what the budget was, but they did everything they could to make it an aesthetic feast with what they had. So many beautiful shots, so many visual ways to represent the emotions and ideas behind the story.

Overall, I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. It’s been so long since a drama delivered well written plot twists that I didn't see coming. The last three episodes were just one surprise after another, but it all still made sense!

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Just like in season 1, season 2 delivered the best entertainment in the form of mydramalist comment section - full of bias, double standards, over exaggeration and villainization of normal mundane people, just with better than average bodies and faces.

Truth to be told, this season was nowhere near as fun to watch as season 1. It seemed like most people gave up halfway through and everyone was just chilling in a friendly manner. I mean, I felt the pain of the editors. The uneven screen time for all the cast, how some episodes literally showed close to nothing from what was happening in Inferno - I guess they truly struggled with finding a good footage to include in the final product.

While in season 1 I felt like almost no one was rejecting anyone because they were “playing the game” and doing what the dating show is supposed to be about, here everyone was obsessed with their initial pick, but also no one wanted to be the bad guy or rude so no rejections happened and it was just this awkward vague bubble that did not want to burst.

I honestly don’t have more to say about it. The only reason I still watched it after the halfway through point, were the fun discussions in the comment section and to know the context of some comments and replies.

Do I feel bad for any of them for not being picked by the people they liked? Or not going to paradise? No. They are all hot, young, with successful careers and even their stay in “Inferno” is a vacation many people could never afford… I think that’s why I enjoy shows like that. I can watch them with no negative emotions.

Ps. Se Jun was THE MVP. Best boy ever. Bless him. Wish him all the happiness.

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Constant state of pain and agony, washed with the holy waves of never-ending angst…

and yet, somehow… Part two made me feel far less than part one did. By the end of the drama I felt like the writer loved their story and all the characters too much to give some aspects up. Too many things were not set up and developed enough, too many plotlines felt rushed, luckily the closure was solid.

Don’t get me wrong though, I still enjoyed the show a lot, but the progression of the story and the lack of focus just lost me a bit. The politics and war were mostly the context in which the characters operated and explored their beliefs, personalities, morality and relationships in part one. It was great. We had many powerful scenes showing the contract between the royal family and the common people. Not knowing any real details was not an issue, because these royal idiots were never main characters in the first place.

Sadly, this whole royal drama gets more attention in part 2. It takes away precious time from the main characters. Where even was Eun Ae? Why did most of Yeon Jun's character development happen between the scenes? He took a couple of 180 in terms of his morality, but we never got enough reason for it to even happen. And it's not like the screen time they took away from these characters was even enough to truly develop and explore the palace storyline. It felt like I needed to do a lot of work myself to fill the gaps of the plot in my mind based on vague ideas and shallow set ups. It's like they tried to turn a character driven show into a plot driven one half way through...

All that said, the drama is still dear to my heart and even if I enjoyed part two less, I still enjoyed it a lot. We've got more of the exploration of different themes relating to morality, justice, duty, honor. Many scenes connecting to events in part one in a smooth and eye opening manner - adding to already intriguing commentary on social standards and gender roles.

Undoubtedly, the best gem, the true treasure of My Dearest was Gil Chae. Easily my favorite female character in 2023, probably top 3 from all the dramas I have ever seen. The masterfully crafted character development, the realistic flaws, the strength that was inspiring. The depth of emotional performance given by Ahn Eun Jin. There are no words that can truly describe how much I adore this character. The drama shows, you can have a female lead that is feminine, compassionate and good, without making her a stupid pushover. Gil Chae was smart, cunning, witty, and resourceful, but also stubborn. At times shortsighted and blind by her perception and understanding of the situation. Her character was beautifully complex and for her existence I am grateful.

Did I love Jang Hyun while watching? Of course I did. Do I want one in my life? Yes. Did I think he was not as developed as Gil Chae and I wished they explored his character more? Also yes. Since the past story did not really lead to anything significant and it felt more like a cheat and easy fix for some plot developments, I could not stop myself from feeling disappointed. The set up for the mystery of his background was perfect, the conclusion answered all the questions, but the overall picture created by that opening and ending felt a bit lacking. With little to no background for the character in part one, I thought they would explore him more in part two, but this did not really happen. From start to finish he was badass, smart, driven, caring (even if he kept denying it) and madly in love with Gil Chae.

What’s more to love? A strong set of diverse supporting characters that felt so real and humane with their, at times questionable ideas and actions. Ryang Eum with whom I went from friends, to lovers, to enemies to lovers trope, with how my feelings changed towards him. Jong Jong who was a loyal friend and support for Gil Chae, even if on the surface it felt like it was mostly Gil Chae protecting her. Gu Jam who always provided a solid dose of entertainment with his sharp comments and badass actions. Yang Chun, who truly shows that good people can have backwards ideas. Even Prince So Hyun and Crown Princess Kang’s scenes had many meaningful and touching moments.

Still adore the production and the attention to details in terms of how the characters are presented. You know how in many historical shows, as long as the female character is part of the main cast, they will have make up worthy of the royal family, looking like Crown Princesses themselves? Not here. From episode 1 till the end of episode 21 of the whole series, there was a lot of care put into making the looks realistic and fitting the context and hardships the characters went through.

Overall, I loved it, but maybe I loved it a bit too much, so it made me expect more. I wish the whole story was more simple, with less side characters and plot lines. Wished the plot focused on the common people more and kept the palace drama and the war as the context and background the story is happening in, rather than the focus of the plot. From the start, I loved this drama for its characters and countless social commentaries and powerful scenes, and it was never truly about the plot for me. While the conclusion was amazing, giving proper closure to it all, I wished the journey itself was either more detailed, or more simple…

That said, once you sell your soul to this drama, there is no coming back, so while I might have had some complaints, they were delivered through tears of both sadness and happiness, and complete devotion I had to the main characters and their journey.

Review for pt1: https://mydramalist.com/profile/Shini/review/300809

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I've watched the last episode on 2x speed so I guess that says a lot about how much I enjoyed it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The worst part of the show was the investigation and overall police work. Why did all of the detectives act outside of the law? What's the point in catching the bad guy when none of the evidence will hold up in court because of how it was obtained? No one put any brain power to solve the case. Instead, we've got looooots of breaking and entering and arresting people left and right without a warrant.

Gray characters? Questionable moral decisions? Making mistakes? I love all that in characters, but still, they need to have SOME redeeming qualities. Here? They all sucked. Everyone was so painfully self-righteous and throwing themselves pity parties titled "who had it worse in life".

The production value was not bad? I'm just questioning why it was so dark for so many scenes. Creating a feeling of suspense and all that happens, when you play around with shadows and LIGHT. The light was not detected here.

The acting was good, I must admit. But I did expect a good performance from this cast.

Overall, nothing new, nothing fresh, dislikable characters, predictable plot.

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So when are we getting a spin-off focusing on Xiao Sheng and Lan Jiang?

Expectations can ruin this drama. They definitely made me enjoy it less than I could have. With the angsty set up, I did expect the show to be a bit more dark, the stakes to be higher and the leads to be in constant danger. What I’ve got was a light version of that.

The tone of the show was probably what I found the most disappointing. The number of times the plot hit the point when they could have easily leaned into a more serious and angsty story, yet more often than not it was used for comedic undertones. Why?

What’s more, I honestly did not care that much about the “big picture”. Separate cases were interesting, well written and engaging, but the overall plot and the mystery I could not care less about. They kept the bad guy in the dark for too long so when he was finally revealed I was like “okay” and then shortly after that the drama ended. Last episode was basically an underwhelming podcast - all talking, no action.

The separate investigations were interesting, told in an easy to follow, but engaging manner. With every story we’ve got some info about the overall plot too. They were setting it up close to perfection. Loved how they were morally not clear - the victims being perpetrators, the abusers becoming victims. They left a lot of room for reflection and many uneasy feelings. Sadly it’s like having great materials, but the final design needs improvement. Separate stories were great, the final main plot was mediocre.

Then we have the romance, which was fine, but not really enticing. Surprisingly more in the background than I expected. I don’t mind, since it was the weakest part of the whole drama. If it was in the front and center, I’d probably drop the show mid way through. I think the moment that Pan Yue started to develop feelings for Cai Wei with her new face is unclear and questionable. They did hint at him being confused about his feelings and starting to develop them before he found out the truth and it honestly bothered me. He was devoted to one girl from his childhood, but now shortly after what he thought was her death, he starts to warm up to a girl whom he remembered to be an awful human being and had zero interest in? Even with her reminding him of his lover, it still did not make much sense for me.

Casting wise… you do not put the stronger actress to first portrayal the character that will be replaced by the actual leading actress. It took me around 15 episodes to truly warm up to Ju Jing Yi. I felt like there was no communication between her and Zheng He Hui Zi about who the female lead is and how she should be played. Cai Wei from the first two episodes is not the Cai Wei we see in the rest of the show.

I don’t really have much to say about Liu Xue Yi. He looked extremely fine throughout the drama, but Pan Yue was such a mid character with not many ups and downs I was getting bored. On the other hand Li Ge Yang completely stole my heart as Zhuo Lan Jiang. The way I wished him and Wu Jia Yi were the leads, the way I found their story to be more engaging and interesting. They were criminally underused.

Visually speaking, I enjoyed it a lot. I’ve seen a few dramas that tried to make every shot visually stimulating, and it does get exhausting. Here they kept it well balanced - highlighting specific moments with more grand visuals, while keeping the rest pleasant to the eye, but not overwhelming.

Overall, it was a fine show. The first half was for sure better than the second. The more they focused on the main mystery, the more boring it became.

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Went into it for a sweet romance and it’s mostly what I’ve got. Natural development of feelings between the leads and beautiful friendships were for sure the highlights. The issue was the second half of the show and all the overdramatic plotlines added. It worked the best as a chill slice of life, why add more?

The first half of the show is everything one might want from high school romance: playful, smart, caring male lead. Smart, positive and driven female lead. Friends with good comedic timing delivering a fun side romance. Plot touching on internal struggles like not knowing what you want to do in your life, wanting to both please your family, but also do what feels right for you. The chemistry between all the cast was amazing, the innocent jealousy, the bickering - butterflies in the stomach mode on.

But then something happened in the second half that made me lose a bit of my interest. The plot surrounding Zhou Si Yue’s family and how it made him hesitate and take a step back was literally enough to fill all the remaining episodes. Why add more to it? Why focus on the 2nd male lead after such a long time? Why add the whole “crime and business” related aspects? A lot of random plotlines were introduced and concluded in 2-3 episodes, so why even bother making them happen if they did not plan to develop them in a proper manner?

All that considered, I still enjoyed Our Secret for fluffy romance, heartwarming friendships and great performance from the cast. Honestly, can we talk about Chen Zhe Yuan? Because he aced the role. I am completely in love with this man right now. He was so natural in his performance. He made me want to go back to my high school days, and that was for sure not the best and most exciting part of my life…

Meng Jie Xu also did a great job with the presentation of Ding Xian. I wish some of her emotional scenes were a bit more… emotional? I don’t think the character was written in a way she would try to restrain her feelings, but that’s the vibe I’ve got a few times.

Overall, a high end of the decent high school romances. Surprisingly not cheesy, not leaving you with second hand embarrassment.

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No one told me it was a boring comedy.

0.0MHz had neither the atmosphere, nor the scares, nor the visuals. It did not have interesting characters nor the plot…. So what did it have? Snapshot filters and killing hair. Even the 0.0MHz from the titles was barely relevant and the whole movie could do without it, changing more or less nothing.

It was honestly, simply boring. The kids had either zero personality or awful one - I did not care if anyone survived. All the conflicts were not set up in any proper way. Truth to be told, they were not set up in an awful way either - they just dropped it all in random dialogues at random times.

Best aspect of the movie? Eunji cursing the demon ghost - the whole final face off was so ridiculous I could not stop laughing.

I can’t even talk about the performances, because the writing and directing was so bad, I am not sure how much of the mediocre delivery really is on the actor, and how much on the other people involved in the production.

Overall, don’t waste your time.

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This was a crazy ride full of messy characters, ridiculous plotlines and scenes, but somehow I loved it. I also lost too many brain cells watching (not good, since I didn't have that much left to begin with) . I don't even know what my opinion is about the show. I loved and hated it at the same time. I was obsessed but also questioned my choices for watching.

Is this a good show? No. Quite honestly and objectively speaking. Characters at times make no sense, they randomly turn "gaynes and romance" from 1 to 10 between episodes, actions of most characters have no true consequences, and some ladies are just crazy. BUT it's entertaining and I enjoyed every second of it.

I planned to watch one episode, to just see why so many people are so obsessed, and ended up watching 11 episodes in one sitting. Once you start, you won't even know when you'll be on the last episode.

One of the things that for sure got people hooked was the chemistry between the main characters. The things they did... Hide the kids. Fire on screen. Overall the characters were fun to watch. Kim is my girl and the best female character I have seen in BL so far.

I don't have much to say about the plot, since it was never important in the drama itself. It's definitely driven by the relationships and interactions between the characters. The writers could completely change the setting of the show, and not many changes would have to be made.

But then there is Moira, who is basically a female version of Lhong. Throw her into the trash please.

I found the last episode a bit too over the top, even for such an over the top show. But it made me laugh and had some heartwarming moments, so I shouldn't really complain right?

Overall, as many before me said, it's a perfect guilty pleasure. Give it a shot and dive into the craze.

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