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Completed
Noona, You Are a Woman to Me Season 2
7 people found this review helpful
by Kate Finger Heart Award1 Flower Award1
26 days ago
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Speed dating on crack - fun edition.

Honestly, I had a blast watching. All the contestants were extremely unique (or at least far more unique than the usual bunch we get in shows like that) with their own distinctive charms. As individuals I loved them, as for the relationships, I had some questions.

Seeing how many couples ended up actually dating after the show, I’d say it was a massive win. Do I understand how at least some are still together? No. But then I saw just a tiny part of their interactions in a short period of a week they lived together.

On a personal level I truly liked Siwon and Jihye. They both seemed really determined and direct - knowing what they liked and what they dislike, being honest with people they interact with.

On the entertainment side I loved Jungwon - what a fox he was. I was shocked by more than one of his decisions and actions.

Pairings one, I adored Siwon and Yujin - they were such an unexpected ship for me, but I loved how wholesome their dates were.

For the criticisms, , it’s the usual: wish the show was longer - not even necessarily more episodes, but they staying together longer. One week is a ridiculously short period of time, especially since if they pick each other at the end, they are called “couples”... when they are still in the process of getting to know each other.

Then I wish there was more variety of age gaps, but also for the smallest age gap being larger than here. The catfish this season was way too young.

Overall, I liked it more than season 1 for sure.

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Completed
War of Faith
7 people found this review helpful
by Kate Flower Award1
Jul 26, 2025
38 of 38 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.5

Being loyal to your party, your principles or are you just fighting against your enemies?

As a Polish person watching Chinese shows depicting the rise of the Communist Party and being so pro communism is always a bit of a surreal experience. So rather than focusing on the ideological picture of who is wrong and who is right, I usually focus on the personal convictions of the main characters and their psychological journey. This show for sure gave me a lot to think about.

We truly got completely different takes on convictions and their impact on decision making. Wei Ruo Lai who had a clear idea of his principles and followed the path that matched them best.. Shen Jin Zhen who was in line with the ideology that presented the future she wished to see - dedicated to a specific path, not letting anything stop her. Shen Tu Nan, who on one hand had a specific set of ideas that he deemed important, but at the same time being unreasonably loyal to the side that goes against what he believes. And then we had Lin Qiao Song (whom I would include in the set of main characters) who rather than fighting for what he believed, he fought against his perceived enemy no matter what.

What’s more - the difference, but also similarities were extremely interesting to witness when I was watching the characters actually interact. The dynamic that was especially fascinating was the relationship between Wei Ruo Lai, Shen Tu Nan and Lin Qiao Song. The way their views completely contradicted each other countless times, the way they were forced to work together, how and why they decided to fight against each other - what motivated each one of them and how far they were willing to go to reach their goals. While more often frustrating than exciting, I cannot deny it was probably the highlight of the drama for me.

Then we have Shen Jin Zhen and I’m a bit on the fence about her. Compared to the complexity and depth other characters presented in their motivations and actions, she was rather… bland. Exactly what you saw was what you’ve got till the end, and there was nothing really much to analyze or reflect on.

I refuse to talk about the big picture, the struggle between two ideologies, and war, fights etc - I did not care which one of the two bad choices would win. The first half that focused more on the economic aspects was surprisingly far more investing than when actual revolutionary acts were happening closer to the end. Me knowing nothing about economics, banking or investment, still caught myself glued to the screen. The plot was presented in a simple and easy to follow way. I kind of wish the financial setting was the center of it all till the end.

Acting wise I have no complaints. I am a big fan of Wang Yang and up till now he did not disappoint me in any role he took. Whenever it's a more subtle or more expressive and raw scene - he can deliver it all. Zhang Tian Yang as Lin Qiao Song was so perfectly rage inducing all I can do is be impressed. The pathetic desperation this character represented was infuriating in the best way possible. Wang Yi Bo is clearly improving as an actor a lot and it’s great to see him take on more challenging roles and actually deliver a really good performance. I don’t really have that much to say about Li Qin - she did what the writing of the character allowed her to do, but it was not much.

The production quality was really good. Be it makeup, costume or set design, I could see the dedication to present the proper details. The make up for wounds? Perfection. No pink or orange blood, no scars that you can see are peeling off from skin because of the cheap glue. The wounds simply looked real. There were also a few explosions and fires in the drama - also done well. Probably a mix of practical effects and cig - whatever it was, it worked.

Overall, I am surprised how much I got into it. It's a show I thought I would drop half way through, but somehow I kept being invested till the end, even if my excitement slowly started to decrease in the second half.

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Completed
Enigma
7 people found this review helpful
by Kate Flower Award1
Jan 8, 2025
4 of 4 episodes seen
Completed 5
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.5

Teacher turned uncle turned love interest?

That’s the crack show. The low key straight version of Midnight Museum and I liked it a lot. Even if I was extremely entertained watching, I cannot pretend like it’s some fine piece of cinema. It could have been - with a better paced story, more episodes and someone to review the writing a bit.

The premise is exactly what a supernatural horror loving fan would eat up - black magic and unfortunate events. What’s great is - they actually did try to make it spooky and managed quite a few times. It was far less silly scooby doo than I thought it would be. I appreciated how they tried to hold the tension instead of just relying on jump scares.

What made the spooky vibes work so well was the editing. Some transitions were so nice and smooth I was genuinely impressed. Editing and directing did the heavy lifting in this project for sure.

On the other hand, the writing was… juvenile? I think that's a fitting description. I actually have far more hope for season 2. This was just a quick introduction to what can potentially be a great story. As much as I love Win and Prim as an on screen duo, this character pairing was just… a misunderstanding. Dude be pretending to be her teacher, then her uncle, while also flirting with her when nobody's watching and I’m just sitting here confused about my existence, because my brain does not compute what I’m seeing.

I did enjoy both as individual characters. Ajin and his fake ass clumsy persona, when in fact he is this hot tattooed black magic wielder. Fa who is so smart, yet desperately wanting excitement and purpose in her life. Great. Yet something about their dynamics was off putting. Rather than being excited to see them on screen for the potential low-key romance, I was excited to see how much of a clownery their next interaction will be.

I want to be perfectly clear though - I did have A LOT of fun while watching the show. It’s a perfect short binge watch material. I could not stop myself from starting the next episode. And with that hype I will be patiently waiting for season 2.

It's only 7.5/10, but it's not:
I'm disappointed and expected more 7.5
It's the: holy shit that was a lot of fun even if many things did not make sense 7.5.

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Completed
First Love
7 people found this review helpful
by Kate
Dec 5, 2023
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

There are different paths one can take to reach their destination.

I have such conflicting and mixed feelings about this show. There were 2 or 3 episodes that seemed too perfect to be true, but at the same time, I weirdly felt a lot of emptiness as I watched. The drama kept building up the nostalgia, the longing, fear of missed opportunities, forgotten past and unsure future, but it never reached the climax - at some point it completely emotionally plateaued and stayed this way till the end.

The non-linear storytelling of First Love bothered me at first, but I grew to appreciate it even if it just fueled the depressing vibes the drama presented. There was a lot of low-key relatable sadness and the lack of positivity in the characters, the emptiness of their lives just slowly crept in and kept me up at night wondering if I am not on the similar path of loneliness. And I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad aspect of the drama though...

I cannot say it was all sad. One of my favorite things about First Love was Noguchi Yae’s relationship with her son. A great portrayal of love and sacrifice, but also support and trust. Watching their little family dates was just calming and heartwarming. What’s more, I loved the support system Noguchi Yea had around her, even if she was not fully aware of its existence. She was so used to keeping to the sidelines so she did not notice how many people liked and appreciated her.

On the other hand, some plotlines and relationships did not get enough of the closure I wished for. Some past encounters, decisions that were made - lacked the resolution, conversation and… ending.

Luckily you can forget it all and truly get immersed into the story thanks to the great performance of the whole cast, but especially our leading couple both in the past and present: Mitsushima Hikari and Satoh Takeru, and Yagi Rikako and Kido Taisei. Some of the best casting for younger versions of the characters I have ever seen. The actors matched each other's dynamics, presentation, interpretation of the characters perfectly! There were a lot of moments where strong emotions had to be presented in a subtle way, and they delivered it and much more.

As for the production, I’m just glad that even though it’s a Netflix production, it has that unique melancholic styling Japanese dramas perfected throughout the years, while adding the high production value a big company like Netflix can achieve.

Overall, it was for sure enjoyable and surprisingly good for binge watching. Chances are that if I watched it at a different time, when my mood was more in the “looking for nostalgic feelings” state, I'd have enjoyed it a lot more.

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Completed
Dinner Mate
7 people found this review helpful
by Kate
Sep 25, 2023
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.5

It almost worked.

Why, oh why are Korean writers so obsessed with overcomplicating everything. Not all romantic comedies need a slapstick over the top side characters, not one, but two obsessive exs with various levels of traumatic past, and 978674 random plot lines. Remove 70% of plot lines and elaborate on the remaining 30%, give characters more depth and time to develop and you would have a truly amazing healing rom-com. Sadly, we still had to deal with the unnecessary 70%, because the Korean writers believe in a simple rule of “more means better”.

I loved the relationship between Hae Kyung and Woo Do Hee. Even though at first it might have seemed like a one way street, by the end of the show it was clear that they both helped each other a lot. Jung Jae Hyuk truly stole the show in the second half and Lee Ji Hoon easily delivered the best performance. The connection between Jae Hyun and Keanu was one of the best side plots of the drama and I would have loved to watch a show focused on them more. On the other hand Jin Noh Eul was one of the most boring and cliche second female leads ever. Even though she was nowhere near as toxic as the second male lead, I somehow hated her more, simply because she was so poorly written.

Dinner Mate had some great messages and the overall plot, but too much was going on for anything to be truly developed in a meaningful way. One thing I did appreciate though is how it clearly showed that dealing with mental issues is a long process that at times takes many attempts and different approaches - sometimes it takes years to face what you fear and what holds you back, sometimes you will never be ready to fully accept it.

Overall, everything was good, but almost nothing was truly great. The few plots that stood out the most could not save the drama, when there were most scenes and plots that felt completely useless and empty. Maybe it should have been a 8 to 12 episode drama with none of the filler?

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Completed
The Gossip
7 people found this review helpful
by Kate
Dec 13, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 3.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Sex jokes, poop jokes, pee jokes - that's the content you will get.

This is one of the movies that left me wondering why it was made and why did the cast agree to do it. It does nothing to their career, there was no way on the planet they got paid a lot for it, as the budget itself seems limited, and not much probability of it becoming a hit.

You know what the movie is mostly about? 3 people sitting down and talking about the most boring things ever and making awful jokes. Anything even remotely connected to horror happens in the last 15 minutes. I saw no real comedy in it either. It’s just full of nothing.

Sure, the performances were nice and the cast was solid, but what’s the point when the writing had nothing to offer?

Overall, just don’t bother watching. It's juvenile humor and poor storytelling.

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Completed
Ultimate Note
7 people found this review helpful
by Kate
Nov 13, 2022
37 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.5

One could mistake it for a censored romance.

I want to start by saying this review is written by an extremely casual viewer of the Tomb series. One that does not care for the release nor chronological order and never even attempted to try to grasp and follow the overall story. I watch it for a fun, easy to binge watch adventure, nothing more, nothing less.

What I liked about the drama? The characters and the dynamics between them. While this Wuxie did not seem enough “Wuxie” to me (compared to other Tomb shows I have seen), he did grow on me and his interactions with other characters were some of my favorites.

Zhang Qi Ling, or as I call him Emo Boi, was the visual cherry on top. Let’s get real - the character has not much to offer in terms of depth. Even if his story is interesting and complex, because the character himself does not really show much reaction to it, or to almost anything around him, what we are left with his looks, fun fighting scene and the (bro)mance with Wuxie. I am not complaining though - because of his extreme personality, his interactions with character are always fun to watch.

Hei Yan Jing and Xie Yu Chen were the other heavy bromance duo - at times their bromance seemed more like a romance even when compared to Wuxie and the Emo Boi. This dynamic was one of the most enjoyable to follow. They were both confident and skilled, which made them true aces of the drama. Not to mention the perfect compatibility of one wanting money and the other having enough to spend.

I do believe they did Ah Ning and Xiu Xiu dirty, and they could have been a more vital and important part of the plot and the story. Technically we know they are capable, but somehow they were always put on the sidelines…

On the good aspects - quite an improvement in terms of CGI. Not gonna lie, I actually like the bad special effects in earlier Tomb shows, but getting a bit more visually pleasing ones this time is a nice change. Especially appreciate the mixing of practical and special effects - this is the best way to get good results.

I can’t really talk about the plot in terms of good or bad, because I honestly did not pay enough attention. Wu Xie was looking for the uncle and following the clues, while at the same time trying to discover the past of his (boy)friend Zhang Qi Ling. Others getting involved, because they are either loyal, want money, get dragged into it or are searching for immortality. Basically the same story all Tomb dramas have. It is one long journey, so it makes sense.

That said, I know close to nothing about all the details about each Tomb and the importance of specific journeys. Did it bother me? No. I simply gave up trying to follow the story for various reasons (change of the cast makes it hard to remember the characters, the shows drop not in chronological order, some shows overlap timeline and it makes it hard to understand what happened when) and just enjoy each of these dramas as a stand alone ride.

The acting was good. Zeng Shun Xi did great, especially with more emotional scenes. The chemistry between the whole cast was top notch. I did at times feel like Xiao Yu Liang was a few times quite close to losing it and at least smiling, during the more funny scenes - the disadvantages of playing an extremely stoic and detached character.

Directing was one of the most spoiled ones I have seen in Tomb shows so far. I enjoyed the way they presented the lore with the drawing like animation and I’m sure I would appreciate it even more if I actually cared about it.

Overall, it was a fun ride. Ultimate Note can be easily watched as a stand alone show, and I’m sure it holds even more entertainment value if someone grasps the Grave Robbers universe as a whole, at least on some basic levels.

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Completed
The Labyrinth
6 people found this review helpful
by Kate
Sep 25, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 3.0
Rewatch Value 3.0

Way to strip a plot of any suspense by revealing everything from the start.

Welcome to the world of one of the worst storytelling examples in the history of horror. Why did they decide to show so much of the background and context of the supernatural events, when the unknown is the vital and most important part of any horror movie?

My brain hurts so much. I feel like the only people who put any effort into this project were the actors, and I honestly feel bad for them.

The level of ridiculousness? Unimaginable. The pacing? PAINFUL. The remake of the game takes about 4 hours of gameplay to complete. They tried to fit that into a 1 hour and 30 minutes movie, and they failed. Since there was so much to show and tell, there was no breathing moment, no time to build the atmosphere and the suspense - I was bombarded with information, action and poor CGI.

There were so many laughable moments. They literally introduced, explained with dialogue and flashbacks, and concluded a whole new past plotline 7 minutes before the movie ended. I think this tells you a lot about the writing and pacing of The Labyrinth.

Do yourself a favor and just watch a whole playthrough on youtube or play the game yourself - the story makes more sense, there is a better suspense and even the graphics for the phone remake are better than any CGI this movie gave us.

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Completed
Dearest
7 people found this review helpful
by Kate
Jul 13, 2022
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Low-key intense.

I was extremely invested in the characters, but not nearly enough in the plot. I was not that interested in the events themselves, nor the past crimes and investigation, but I did care how they affect the characters. With that, I have mixed feelings.

There is no denying that the core of the plot are the characters and their relationships. How far can you go for people you care about? What are you willing to sacrifice? What kind of person will you become by the end? All these questions have been asked countless times in the span of these 10 episodes. I did not quite like all the answers, but that’s life - some things work out, some don’t.

For a show that tries to link a few cases and stories from different timelines in a one cohesive story - they did quite a good job. The plot was not hard to follow, I could clearly see how seemingly unrelated situations were in fact the aftermath of a larger problem. The drama even managed to deliver quite a plot twist/revelation in the last episode that I did not predict - maybe I just stopped my brain from even going in that direction?

Saiai has an amazing cast of characters played by skilled actors, who were able to portray them in an engaging and convincing manner. I might be playing favorites, but I’m totally in love with Kase Kenichiro. This character truly stole the whole show for me.

What’s also worth mentioning is the soundtrack. When the Saiai theme song starts, you know shit is about to hit the fan. I’ve gotten chills quite a few times when the first few notes started.

Overall, it’s a truly solid drama that is carried by the characters. It does not necessarily mean the plot and investigation itself was bad, it was just not as gripping as the relationships presented. I don’t even know when, but the characters creeped into my heart and at some point I stopped caring about the plot and just wanted to see them safe and happy.

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Completed
The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale
8 people found this review helpful
by Kate
Oct 31, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

Zombie flick with lots of laughs and surprisingly moving moments.

I did not expect to cry during a zombie horror comedy, yet this movie surprisingly had a few touching moments and a lot of good comedy.

Flawed family that obviously cares about each other - I am weak for things like that. Add a found family trope to that and you won’t see me complaining. The characters were the core of the movie and they were both amazingly written and perfectly portrayed.

I am honestly not much of a comedy person, but this was amazingly funny. Some jokes were more in my face than the others, but it was all well balanced so I never felt overwhelmed. They were able to keep the light atmosphere without killing all the thrills that come with zombie apocalypse.

Out of all the characters, Hae Gul, Jjong Bi and Man Deok were my favorites, but with how unique and fun everyone was, I’m sure each viewer can find their favorite to root for.

It’s almost a 2 hours movie, but it never felt long. Some might think the set up took too long, as the true action starts well past half point of the movie, but for me it was all necessary. For the characters’ choices to have sense in the last few scenes, we truly needed all that built up. Personally I believe this had some solid pacing - not too slow, not too fast.

Production value was amazing. Honestly beautiful shots. Sometimes I did not know if I should laugh about the comedy or appreciate how pretty the scenery is.

Overall, I would highly recommend it. Great cast, great characters, great story and great jokes. It’s simply a well executed zombie horror comedy.

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Completed
Midnight Diner
8 people found this review helpful
by Kate
Jun 17, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.0

Calming, uneventful charm.

Nothing really happens in this movie. It’s a bunch of random stories and at times completely out of context conversations between characters you know close to nothing about, and somehow it was truly enticing.

After finishing the movie I truly wished there was a guy like Master with his small diner somewhere in my neighborhood. The small sanctuary after the hard day of work, that sense of a small community the regular clients created.

It would be a crime not to talk about the amazing aesthetics of the show. The camera angles, the lighting, the editing and directing - it all created a beautiful movie that was just pleasant to watch.

The acting left nothing to desire. With characters that are not exactly well defined, it might be tricky to truly present them as unique individuals, but Midnight Diner made it. All performances made me believe these are the people I could potentially meet on the street myself. Normal, relatable people with their normal, mundane lives.

Overall, I have no idea why I liked it so much, but I did and that’s what matters. A movie about technically nothing, yet it never felt boring. I was engaged from first to the last scenes.

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Completed
The Grotesque Mansion
13 people found this review helpful
by Kate
Aug 23, 2021
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.5
The Grotesque Mansion is a short movie consisting of five chapters, with the final one serving as a narration throughout the whole film. None of the stories are well explained or concluded, making them seem like scary stories we tell each other at night when we are kids - it’s not about the well constructed plot, but the atmosphere.

The thing that I loved about the directing was how all the cases were linked together - each chapter had a scene we already saw in a previous story, but from a different perspective.

Chapter 1 - Room 504 - The Writer
One of the weakest plots of all the 5 chapters. While the small details in the background added to the eerie atmosphere, overall I was not impressed. The story was not scary at all, but I have to appreciate the acting from Lee Chang Hoon, who played a driven writer on the edge, because his writing has not been going too smoothly lately. I could feel his frustration.

Chapter 2 - Room 907 - The Pharmacist
The best of all the chapters. From the interesting story, to the creepy visuals - I was sold. The setup for the plot reminded me a little bit of P.T., with the radio station giving news about the murder. The loop of the characters’ actions and the corridor shots that made it seem as if I am there observing the situation, made this my favorite part of the movie.

Chapter 3 - Room 708 - The Salesman
Annabelle, but creepier. Except for the "companion" making me uncomfortable, there is not much to say about this chapter. The pictures created for some scenes were nice, but overall it was more entertaining than scary.

Chapter 4 - Room 604 - The Student
Trigger warning for gross body horror. Pimples and a lot of weird stuff happening to the face of one of the characters. Rather nauseating. That said, the body horror was quite well made - no complaints on my part about the effects and makeup. The story is rather simple, and focuses more on the visual aspect of it.

Final chapter - Room 1504 - The Caretaker
Had one of the scariest scenes from the whole movie - the elevator moment got me on the edge of my seat. The Caretaker concludes the story is a coherent way that makes sense, while leaving a door open for a possible sequel.

Overall, The Grotesque Mansion is just a simple and easy watch. Good for an evening when you might be a bit tired and you want to be entertained, but without forcing your brain to do any work.

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Completed
We Best Love: Fighting Mr. 2nd
13 people found this review helpful
by Kate
May 3, 2021
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

Directing and writing chaos.

I truly have no idea what was the vision and direction for this show. What was the main conflict? What was the plot? What was the genre? It was everything and nothing.

Starting from the plot, I think Fighting Mr. 2nd does a huge disservice to season one - the cute, fun and a little bit dramatic story. Here we get full on makjang for the first episodes, that turns into corporation politics, and then into big old nothing.

None of the conflicts make much sense. Shi De agreeing to cut contact with the love of his life, because the dad said so was unbelievably stupid. Shu Yi trying to get his revenge at first made him one of the most toxic (for everyone around him) and unstable characters ever (at least that made sense, it was destructive but fitting). Then we have the "blond lady" misunderstanding and no true chat about it between the main characters. Not to mention the stolen files in the firm, which brought exactly nothing to the story - just stole the precious screen time that could have been used in a better way.

Zhen Xuan and Shou Yi romance could have been an amazing story, but it was simply impossible to do it justice as a side couple in a 3 hour story. Both characters were too complex and had serious underlying issues that should have been addressed in a more detailed manner. I am quite confused why they said Shou Yi has affective disorder though, since the ones that go into that category are stuff like depression, bipolar and manic disorder - mood disorders, so his lack of apparent empathy and incapability to form relationships with others was not quite fitting the label he was given.

Then we have the messy directing. What exactly was the plan? Was the dad supposed to be a scary controlling figure or a laughable, but a slightly obsessive comedic addition? Was the main romance supposed to be realistic struggles of the couple or over the top dramatic melo? I'm not saying you can't have comedy in the serious shows, or deeper topics in a lighter story - the tone needs to fit though. Here, it was a mess.

At the end we get to the problematic aspect of drinking on the set. For some it might not be a problem, for me it is. I see no excuse for drinking on the set. It puts the actor, co-actors and the whole production in danger. You don't just get your actor drunk for the sake of realism.

The only redeeming quality of the show was the acting and the music, and more specifically Unbreakable Love, which isn't even the original song made for the show.

Overall, season one was a good BL with nice characters and good pacing. This was just... a mess.

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Completed
The Uncanny Counter
27 people found this review helpful
by Kate
Jan 24, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
This show was not perfect, no show is. But it was so engaging, I was able to ignore and not think about any possible plot holes or “convenient” plot lines until I finished it. My overly critical and overanalyzing brain was so emotionally connected to the characters and plot, it couldn't care less about any mistakes.

If I had to describe the plot in just a few words I would say: Fight against the supernatural evil, and the one hidden in humanity, that leads to bettering oneself. The format is repetitive, it’s undeniable truth. They dealt with one evil spirit, a new stronger one showed up. How come it’s not boring?

At first, the cases are simply a background for introducing the characters, creating a team work and So Moon’s dive into a whole new world. Slowly, the past connections between different characters are discovered, and the background plot starts to take a forefront position. The progression from the simple procedural plot to uncovering the past mystery and dealing with the main villain is perfectly gradual, and speaks of the great pacing The Uncanny Counter has.

The core of the show are the characters. The cast is pure perfection, and whoever was the casting director, they should get a raise. We are presented with more or less four teams: high school friends, Counters, Yung partners and the evil assholes. Each group is well written and portrayed, and even the villains are charming in their own twisted ways. I still wanted to see them dead, but I was also curious about their next actions and shenanigans. The loyalty among the young friends, the protectiveness of Counters, the moral dilemma the partner’s faced - all that made me love each and every character.

The acting is top notch. Jo Byung Kyoo is a true star of the show. His acting made me cry, scream, laugh, hit my head on my desk… He was So Moon. Kind, smol, positive, but also flawed character, that was willing to slowly learn, mature and improve himself. Easily in my top 5 favorite characters of all time.

Each and every actor committed to their roles completely. I honestly did not feel that even one scene or expression was off. I was especially surprised by Kim Se Jeong's performance. I knew she was a good actress, but she improved so much with the few roles she had previously.

Production value was everything I could wish for. It is a mainstream kdrama, high quality of visual aspects is expected though. The directing of the fighting sequences was well done, making them exciting to watch. Some of the stunts in the first episode felt slightly off, but they quickly improved and became way more natural.

I’m not gonna lie, I did not pay that much attention to the soundtrack as I was watching the show. I was completely “distracted” by the plot to notice what kind of music is being played in the background. That said, I usually don’t care that much about the OST, unless they are extremely bad, not fitting or painfully overused. After listening to the song as I was writing the review, I must say: they are good. Each has a completely different feeling and emotional quality, but they are all making me want to listen to them on repeat.

So what are the flaws? The biggest one was the slightly anticlimactic ending. With all the set up, I was expecting a bit more. Tiny, convenient plots that are either added or forgotten, like Moon, at some point, is never shown attending school. We just don’t see him going there at all. Never to be addressed nor mentioned. He is still a student, he wears his uniform… but he ain’t even close to being in class. Then we have the introduction of Oh Jeong Gu close to the end that felt out of place and useless.

Taking into consideration how well crafted the story and characters are, I was able to ignore the flaws. These cons barely moved the scale, since the pros were that good.

Overall, damn yes. This show had such an emotional impact on me, there were moments when I had to pause the episode, since I was scared/not ready for whatever was going to happen. I loved each and every character. I was curious about the plot and how the team would deal with the obstacles they were facing. There was not one boring episode, and even though I am fine with the given conclusion, I would not mind a possible second season.

*Trigger warning: severe bullying. It’s pretty bad guys, especially in the beginning episodes.

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Completed
Long Khong
14 people found this review helpful
by Kate
Sep 3, 2020
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.5
What have I just watched?

I am quite honestly annoyed. It was an easy 10/10 for me at the beginning. The story was simple yet effective in making me excited and interested. I cared deeply for Praewa and was anticipating all her "evil" shenanigans. But then they added so many plots and background stories for characters I couldn't care less about, it went downhill quickly.

If only they kept it as simple as they presented the plot at the beginning: revenge with pure chaos and death. Let Preawa win, let everyone die. Focus the mystery part of Preawa finding out the real culprit of her misery. Why do we need the "past events" story? It brought NOTHING to the plot, was dumped on me in the last episode, and I was like: cool... But why? What exactly was the purpose of it?

Truth to be told... the last episode was just bad. Amazing letdown compared to the rest of the episodes. The ending was neither shocking nor exciting. They definitely did not construct the story well enough for me to think "wow... yes, this makes total sense, why I haven't seen it coming" as the last few scenes happened.

Best part of the show? Ticha Wongtipkanon and Nene Pornnappan Pornpenpipat. Truly aced the roles given. Preawa looked mad AF and I believe every scene she gave. Nene surprised me a lot in the last episode, being the saving part of it. I also appreciate how daring they were with some graphic elements.

Overall, I don't even know. It's hard to judge a show that had an awesome beginning and tragically bad ending. On one hand, I want to recommend watching the first 4 episodes and drop after that, on the other hand... What's the point of watching just half of the show? Do with that information whatever you like, but don't get too excited while watching at first, because the letdown will be massive later on.

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