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This review may contain spoilers
Failed transition between plot points ruined this drama.
First half was a solid 9/10, second half was a solid 8/10 - when combined it gives me a mediocre 6.5. How they concluded the first half left the bad taste in my mouth as I was watching the second. How they continued the second half of the drama made me feel uncomfortable with what was in the first half. They completely failed at transitioning between two plot points, ruining the whole experience for me. It does not matter how many good ingredients the dish has, when one of them is crap. This is how I felt about this show.It starts with a rather good depiction of various disorders presented in a way that even people who have little to no professional training in any field related to mental health would understand. The visual pictures they created to showcase the inner struggles the characters were facing was such a great touch to make the issues feel real and not just “in their head”. What’s more, I honestly felt like they managed to humanize the patients - while the focus was on their issues, it wasn’t the only thing we saw. What I saw was more than just their symptoms.
The second half is a great representation of various stages of depression - getting ill, denial, struggling to accept it, treatment, and slow recovery. The raw performance by Park Bo Young was gripping and horrifically realistic. You could see her pain and torment. I appreciate how they did not sugarcoat it too much as if getting treatment solves all the issues. The perceptions the society has on you will be changed forever, you might feel limited by many external and internal factors. In just 6 episodes they were able to show that getting better is a long journey not a sprint.
So where’s the issue? The complete mistreatment of Kim Seo Wan as a character. The issue is not that he died, but how his death never got a proper closure and became just a way to give female lead mental disorder to make the second half of the show happen.
You want to tell me that not one person except for the female lead was questioning discharging him, when he literally just got out of his delusion and was clearly struggling with depression? They literally talked about how his mood is down. His parents talked about how he wants to go back to studying, when studying was the trigger for his mental health issues in the first place. He literally faked relapse not to leave. And they still discharged him. The arc was honestly ridiculous and made everyone feel unqualified for their job. Still, I could look behind it if they gave me a proper closure. If people involved in his wrongful discharge at least admitted it was a mistake. Apologized to the parents. If they had one conversation about what and why it happened. But no one took accountability. It was just something sad that happened and then everyone played the victim calling themselves “suicide survivors” - I was so angry I was seeing red.
Then there is the fact that without even giving a good closer to such a devastating and tragic story, they decided to use it to give Da Eum depression. That’s why he died? Not to make the story more deep, to present his characters’ struggles, how sometimes the system fails, how sometimes good intentions to help are not enough. It was there to give Da Eum depression and focused the story on her and her recovery alone. How infuriating.
So when these two halves are combined, I’m just angry. Angry about how they made one of the best and most caring characters' death into a cheap plot device for the female lead’s progression which made me question the sincerity of the presentation of the problems all the other patients were facing. Angry how disrespectful was the set up for the female lead’s struggles and how because of that I could never truly connect to her arc.
What’s more to hate? The romance. I am sorry, but why was it needed exactly? Not only was it painfully unnecessary, the way Dong Go Yun’s character was written gave me a weird type of chill. There was something weird about him.
That said, I still enjoyed the first half of the show a lot. I also really liked the second lead couple. I found the toxic family issue Deul Re was facing and how it was resolved extremely refreshing. Instead of the typical “family is family, one apology is enough, you need to forgive, everyone changes” crap, we got a clear message: abandon your mother. When Yeo Hwan said it I literally clapped.
The acting was perfect. Obviously Park Bo Young aced the role. I don’t think anyone would disagree. One more performance that stood out was Noh Jae Won as Kim Seo Wan. Yes, the way the character was written was extremely charming, but I think the acting had also a lot to do with why I loved him so much.
Overall, I was thinking about writing a more in-depth review, but I’m honestly too annoyed with the show to do it.
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All the sweets are served with HOT TEA.
What a dramatic melodrama it was. All the twists, all the angst, all the pain and toxicity served with the most beautiful Japanese sweets. Great combination.This was not a smart script, but it was for sure entertaining. “Wait what?” was my default reaction to a lot of scenes. Sakura was not the brightest of the bunch, but I appreciated how she was not backing down no matter what. Tsubaki was painfully hot with his kabedons every episode, even if there were no firing neurons in his brain. While the drama did not try to hide who was the evil mastermind even for a second, I appreciate how “who she used” was quite a surprise and twist by the end.
The plot was just a full on crack and they knew it. They warned me from episode one when even the female lead was clearly stating undeniable facts: “Something is wrong with me”. You, male lead, everyone in his family, and me for binging this show in one sitting.
I read that quite a few people were not crazy about the performance of Mizuki Alisa as Tsubaki's mother. I loved it. She delivered that evil mother with over-controlling tendencies and inferiority complex perfectly. All the other actors delivered great performances too. Yokohama Ryusei did not really have to do much with this role - he just had to look hot. Hamabe Minami aced the emotional scenes, though I would maybe like a bit more dramatic reactions here and there.
Overall, I had fun, but I am not fully sure if it was for good reasons :)
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It’s fine to hurt people, if you were hurt first - all forgotten and forgiven…
What a hot mess this show is. I am amazed.I won’t lie, the drama was entertaining. But I also find C class horror movies entertaining. Entertainment does not truly equal quality. I was in a constant state of confusion, and that’s what made it fun.
First of all, I still do not understand when Lee Shin A started to have feelings for Noh Go Jin. She was already liking him before he started to act like a human being and not a psychopath. What made her attracted to him? Was it just his handsome face? I cannot comprehend it. It’s not the case of “he seemed cold, but he showed warmths towards her, so she started to see the good in him” - she was already into him when the tiny bits of goodness started to force their way out of the depth of his trauma and trash personality.
About trash personality and excusing bad behavior because of a painful past - that was a whole ass trend in this show. Except for Lee Shin A, LITERALLY every significant character acted shady and did bad things because of either their current bad situation or past issues. And then it was forgotten and forgiven. The level of scheming was a bit too big for such a sweet resolution if you ask me. Consequences of your actions? Don’t know them.
While the romance had rather good pacing, and even though I do not understand Shin A’s reasoning, I can see a proper progression of both of their feelings. I cannot say the same thing about the mystery aspect of the drama. For the longest time the writer makes you believe male lead is a naive idiot who ignores all the red flags of everything wrong happening around him, when in fact everything was happening behind the scenes, outside of script, probably only in the writer’s imagination. We see none of the process, just the results and it’s so fucking unsatisfying.
I did like a lot of supporting characters. I found every teacher in the academy unique and entertaining. I liked that they were written to stand out on their own and not just fill the space. The side plot for the ex-secretaries was also endearing, especially with their inside woman ;)
The acting was good. Nothing amazing, but I did not have any bigger issues either.
Overall, there are so many better rom-coms, I cannot recommend it with a clear conscience.
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Honestly, what was wrong with these weird transitions between scenes? They showed a really well acted, emotional scene - a dialogue of a mother describing her pain of losing her child who went missing. But in the middle of it, they just cut to flashback of her looking for the child on the day she disappeared - all the emotional impact gone with this weird cut. And then they came back to the mother now describing what was shown… So why even show it? Usually I’m more of a show don’t tell, but here the tell was important, because the emotions the mother was feeling were the focus.
It would be a decent thriller if they did a better job in the post production and completely removed the laughable supernatural elements. It’s not like the plot could not happen without that aspect and it didn't even take that much screen time anyway. It was just another not well executed idea the writer and director had…
The detective was amazingly hot, so that’s a plus I guess.
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It feels like a passion project for someone who really dreams of making movies…
but are not quite there in terms of skills.I could feel that a lot of care was put into this movie and it was taken seriously. I could also feel all the limited resources and how they impacted the final result. The plot had quite a number of twists, but the writing and directing was not smooth and detailed enough to truly tell the story well.
I think one of the biggest issues I had was the fact, I was not exactly on board with male lead. I don’t know how old he is supposed to be, but clearly old enough to know better. Yet he acted like a teenage boy. Sure, his mother would not win an award for the best parent, but he completely disregarded her struggles and just dumped all his grievances - whenever justified or not - on her. Dude had some issues and I struggled with rooting for him.
As for the storytelling - it was a bit confusing. The main lead investigates the attack on his grandpa, keeps referring to the attacker as a killer, barely does anything, but still finds more information than the police? And there is also a dirty lady in the forest that lurks here and there. Also a lot of focus on romance and romantic feelings people have. It all does make sense at the end, but to get there, you need to truly push forward feeling like nothing connects and it’s just a few random scenes put together.
Every character had their traumas, and they yelled about their traumas… and yet we as viewers did not really know what said traumas were. Everything felt extremely detached and awkward because of that.
The acting was decent. Some actors did better than the others, some scenes and lines felt more natural than the rest. Nothing major to praise nor to complain about.
The production was kind of all over the place. The transitions between the scenes were distracting and rough. They had hard-cut the background music during some scenes, not to mention some choices of the songs were rather questionable. The views though, some were quite beautiful. Also… I was over 6 minutes into the movie and they still kept showing credits here and there…
Overall, it dragged painfully. 30 minutes in I felt like I already watched 2 hours. It picks up by the end, but I feel like too much information and actions are dumped in that last 20 minutes so the whole pacing of the movie is off.
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Fanfic like story we all crave in the middle of the night.
I have hardly any thoughts about this show except for the fact that the female lead was amazing and the character deserves a full length drama. Strong, smart, confident - we need it.The political schemes are complex as a set up and deserve a more in depth exploration too. The delicious angst this could bring if it was longer - I can only imagine.
The fanfic-like romance between confident and domineering female lead and puppy male lead with deadly skills was everything one might ask from a short show like this.
What surprised me the most was quite decent acting for a short, low budget web drama. This could have been a cringe fest and not fun entertainment if delivered with poor acting.
Overall, confident, hot male lead who? I only know Li Yun Zhen.
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It lacked a big brain energy.
It’s not like I expected realism - I went in to watch a fun action flick and it is more or less what I’ve got. Yet, it still bothered me how little it took for the main character to infiltrate the scammers and how the scale of their project did not match their security.What’s more, the movie lacked interesting characters. Gwak Pro had some personality and that’s where the list of interesting characters ends. Everyone felt painfully flat and boring.
Truly the best part of On the Line was the behind the scene of how voice phishing works and how many victims may there be with just one fake call center. It’s a good watch for everyone who is on the more gullible side.
That said, the movie serves more as a criticism to the government and the lack of effort and work put into catching the criminals, over a valuable lesson for the viewers. There are no real hints on how to deal with similar issues if they happen in real life, except “hang up” - the issue is, you only hang up when you know something is a scam, and figuring it out is usually the problem.
Acting was fine. Since everything was rather flat, it’s hard not to deliver decent performance.
Overall, I would say a documentary on the similar subject would be a more interesting watch.
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This is not a rom-com, this is life - with all the pain and happiness, traumas and healing.
The way I expected a silly and fun rom-com with a bickering “friends to lovers” couple… The way I got existential crisis and free therapy instead.Objectively it’s a good drama, subjectively it’s an amazing drama. Undoubtedly it will hit you hard if you share the experiences of the main characters - you will pick up on subtle things, connect seemingly small and not quite related moments of their lives, analyze their behavior and connect to them on an embarrassing level. This happened to me. But I also had enough discussions with people to know where I found meaning, they saw nothing. Scenes that made me write essay long posts were just plot points for others.
For me, this show is a slice of life first, rom-com second. It shows the effects neglectful upbringing and parentification can have on a child and I think that’s something everyone who starts watching should understand. There are a lot of scenes where main leads do not interact. We get a well developed view of the parents’ relationships, neighborhood friendships and even some worklife. This could get boring if what you are looking for is a romantic comedy.
The center of the drama were complex family dynamics. Growing up neglected, growing up with internal and external pressure to succeed. Questions like - how to rebuild a relationship that never really started, how to have conversations with your child, understanding that just because you have good intentions and doing something "for their own good" might actually be the poison that slowly kills them. It was as much of a family drama as it was a romance.
What I loved about Love Next Door is how realistic the characters seemed and how all of them had real flaws that truly negatively affected their lives and relationships. Flaws you can relate to. Seok Ryu being an independent and ambitious woman was not all good. You can be too ambitious and too independent. Seung Hyo was quite egocentric in how he viewed other people’s issues - it was all about how it made him feel, and not how other people felt. I did see a lot of flaws Seok Ryu has in myself, hence with the biased point of you, it was easier for me to understand her and explain her behavior. On the other hand, there were moments I was on the verge of hating Seung Hyo for his behavior, and was saved by great discussions with people who were more accustomed to his point of view. I honestly feel like I had my own character development when I was watching the drama.
I loved how they were spitting facts about many social issues - shading even the leads. I think that's something I especially enjoyed. The leads were not there just to deliver the message, sometimes they were the ones who learn the lessons after they've been called out. Talks about privilege, biased perspective, fears, setbacks, family issues. It's not like one person is right and the other is wrong - both are correct and incorrect at the same time and the trick is to combine all the perspectives to get a whole picture. No one is just privileged or underprivileged, because it depends on what and how you measure and what is important to you.
In the earlier episodes there was quite a lot of talk about the workplace environment, jobs, careers, passions. Victims of workplace abuse viewing their own behavior as the issue, contradicting goals based on preferred outcomes and priorities (idealism vs realism), living to work vs working to live, working long hours because you enjoy what you do vs doing overwork because you feel pressured to do that.
What’s more? There were no villains and assholes - all characters and all relationships were complex and well developed. The more you watched, the more you understood each point of view. Sometimes no one is wrong, you are just different people, you just don’t match, the timing is wrong, life is too hard. Sometimes you cannot meet the expectations and only later you see how they were impossible to meet in the first place.
The variety of relationships? Perfection. Different parenting styles even towards your own children, friendships between older women, fathers, neighbors, childhood friendships, new formed friendships in adulthood - all different in flavor, all entertaining to watch.
Women supporting each other in subtle ways. Honestly, the friendship between the mothers was AMAZING. They were all different, from different economic and professional backgrounds, but you could see how much they care for each other. Even if they were fighting, when one needed help, the others did not even hesitate.
Some of my favorite relationships include: the awkward friendship between Seung Hyo and Dan Ho, heartwarming bond between Seok Ryu and her dad, Geun Sik and Gyeong Jong and their drinking therapy, Hye Suk and Gyeong Jong - the romance I would never expect to love so much, Dan Ho and the most adorable child Yeon Du.
Surprisingly I was extremely invested in all love lines - even for the parents. There were moments in the show when I was actually the most interested in their story and development. For me that’s a clear sign they were not written to just be the background fillers for the main leads.
Love Next Door was the drama that at times made me feel like a judgemental asshole when I formed opinions on the characters even though they barely showed up, just based on my expectations of what’s going to happen, or limited knowledge based on the perspective of other characters. I appreciate that: a drama that makes me question my own behavior.
To the performances - we were blessed. You scroll down that cast list and you know you will get some good acting. My favorite performance actually did not even belong to the main cast. Jo Han Chul and Bae Geun Sik just stole my heart. He was so amazingly expressive and realistic in portraying the character’s struggles and the happiness. I cried when he cried, I laughed when he laughed.
Was it all good? No. Technically speaking it’s a story of both Seung Hyo and Seok Ryu. Practically speaking, she is the main character, and he is there to support her story. It’s a thing that exists in almost all kdramas: the lack of balance in the main couple. Usually one is better developed, faces well constructed conflicts, and has a more detailed story written around them. Here it’s clearly Seok Ryu. It’s her journey and while Seung Hyo takes a large space in it, he is still not as well developed as she is.
What’s more - Bae Dong Jin’s character… wasted opportunity. I wish they spent more time developing his perspective. For most part of the drama he was just annoying and I could not stand him. While by the end I saw his point of view, I wish it was more detailed and hinted at from the start.
Sadly, I am not sure I 100% bought the transition from friends to lovers between Seung Hyo and Seok Ryu. For some reason it felt too jarring. The friends part was amazing, the lovers part was amazing, the transition between the two? Lacking.
Still, what a blast this drama was. Feast for my brain, as I overanalyzed everything. Every time I got scared the drama might start leaning towards the cliches, they surprised me with more realistic portrayal of known tropes. It’s as if they baited me with empty calories, but delivered a healthy and filling meal.
Some of my favorite quotes:
"Why do I... Why do I always have to be your pride and joy? Can't I just be your daughter for once, no matter how pathetic or flawed I might be? Why do I have to cover up for your life?"
"Dreams? Do you think dreams can just be had? Only those who have the luxury to search for them can dream. Those who get the chance to rise again after failure can pursue their dreams."
"You're marvelous. You speak beautifully like a poetry. You;re an idealist who loves dreams more than reality. You're always so full of pride. But do you know where all of that comes from? Privilege."
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This review may contain spoilers
There were things to love, there were things to question, and there were things to criticize.
Objectively great rom-com, subjectively I had a few beefs with certain aspects. Specific parts and elements were perfect, but they did not quite make a perfect picture. Be in the characters, plot, set up, twist - some imbalances and conflicts just made me roll my eyes a few times too many. I had fun while watching the episodes, but I was never truly excited to start them.Se Gye was the true unrealistically perfect male lead. His undying love for Seo Ri made all the best men on the planet combine seem mediocre. Handsome, hot, devoted, rich, smart and dedicated, but also willing to show vulnerability to the person he loves. As a romantic interest, he did not have any flaws. The man that no one deserves. What’s more? I adore how the moment he figured out he likes Seo Ri (which did not take him that long), he did not act dumb and was not led by his ego - he acted according to his feelings, did not hide them, did not pretend like he was not interested. Do I want one for myself? Of course.
As amazing as a romantic lead he was, it’s not the same story outside of the lovey-dovey scenes. From the start he was set up to be a masterclass of manipulation and schemes, a fool only to the woman he loves. So why did he keep making the dumbest mistakes over and over again by the end of the drama? You want to tell me that this man with what they claim is a working brain would not take precautions against whatever wild plan Mun Do might have, being fully aware his dear cousin had no issue killing people? Apparently, the moment you drove your enemy into a corner is also the best time to be alone at night in the dark parking lot, asking to be stabbed. He kept underestimating Mun Do without proper explanation, while also writers claiming he can predict every step Mun Do makes to bring him down… so which one is it?
Then we have our lovely female lead Seo Ri - I love this woman as an individual. From the opening scene I knew her story was worth following. Strong, brave, smart. Caring for people she loves. Her strong will to survive and lead a good life was truly inspiring.
I was excited for Seo Ri's scenes outside of the romance. Her slow journey into becoming actually content and confident and not just putting the front as a defense mechanism. Her search for who she was and how to navigate in the “new” world. Her growing career and how she slowly took the spotlight with her sheer talent. Her story was truly amazing.
As for the dynamic between the main characters vs their individual stories… For most of the screen time I did not care for Cha Se Gye as a character outside of his romance with Seo Ri. I did not care about Seo Ri as a character inside her romance with Se Gye. And that clashed badly. I was half excited for the romance scenes, because of Se Gye. Seo Ri gave me the bare minimum, and the last two episodes with grand gestures and sacrifices were not enough. Yes, I loved the last two episodes, but that does not negate the lukewarm romance I’ve got from her in the previous 12… Only in the last two episodes they tried to switch the focus for the leads - we dived deeper into the company politics and schemes on Se Gye’s side, and Seo Ri’s love and devotion to Se Gye. Too little, too late.
Their relationship just felt painfully uneven for most of the drama. She was his whole life, but he was not hers. They made him unrealistically perfect, and made her beautifully realistically flawed. And these two writing types do not match well together. It makes the viewer frustrated with the well written complex character, because they keep hurting the unrealistically perfect one. So when she blamed him for her own mistakes, or pushed him away, I kept thinking - do I even want them together? When he is always the one giving in? It’s kind of annoying to watch. If we talk about character writing she is so much better and more complex. But if you talk about my delulu feels, Se Gye is the gold standard. Love her as a female character. Love him as a love interest.
And I want to state it clearly - Seo Ri’s behavior was valid and made perfect sense. I understand why her character was written like that, why she made the choices she made. Does not negate the fact their relationship did not feel equal up until the last 2 episodes. For quite a big portion of the story she was too self-absorbed. For valid reasons. But one can be right for themselves and that makes them wrong for another person. Too many times she did not learn from her past mistakes at all, did not trust him no matter what he did for her and how open he was. And again, all valid behavior taking into consideration her past, but it's also true that it was all unfair towards Se Gye.
Still, the last episode was so strong, they did make me momentarily forget about that tiny frustration I felt when watching the show.
For the other characters, the two I was especially happy with their developments: Mo Tae Hui and Cha Dal Su. For my girl - I love how they did not let her burn and become the evil second female lead. She fought as long as she thought she had a chance, and when she clearly saw it wouldn't work - she gave up that romantic relationship and entered partnership. I loved that for her. She would work hard for a man, but she would not destroy herself for one. As for Cha Dal Su - obviously an asshole, but in a realistic way. I was scared they would make him oblivious to Mun Do’s schemes, so knowing he was up to date with the shenanigans made me happy.
On the other hand, Mun Do was a huge disappointment. Flat, poorly written, annoying. A lot of things shown about him made no sense. Did he even do any work himself? He kept spying and following Se Gye and Seo Ri personally, as if he would not have people to do it for him. I wish they explored his relationship with his son more - 2 or 3 phone conversations about the kid is not enough to validate his last scene with Seo Ri. It had no emotional impact, because they did not set it up enough.
Moving strictly to the plot.
What I love about this show is how unpredictable it was on a tiny scale. You had all the cliches and they all got a royal twist to them. The scene starts, I recognize the pattern I have seen 938475645987654 times in other dramas, I know how this ends... and then it takes a sharp U-turn. The end of ep 7 and beginning of ep 8 was a good example of that: you expect them to announce they are dating and even if not announced, this coming out in public as gossip. Nope. Seo Ri had a different plan to calm the media and explain the situation. Lead up being exactly what you expect, the conclusion not so much - love it.
On a more technical part of the storytelling and choices made - love how Seo Ri did not adapt to modern time on day one. She kept the speaking mannerisms of Joseon till the end - even if it became less and less obvious. And how Se Gye was just okay with her weird behavior. For the longest time he did not know about her time travel, he just thought she was strange like that and vibed with it.
Sadly, the whole past storyline was a complete flop except for the opening scene in episode 1. Underdeveloped and honestly inconsequential for the modern story for most of the show. They went with "past is mimicking the present" and not "present is mimicking the past" and it completely changed the viewing experience.
Less of the drama flaw, more of a difference in perspectives, but I always feel so conflicted about this whole "scarifying yourself for the other person's life" plotlines... It's hard to call it selfish since the character is giving up so much, but also... it is by all means selfish. Because if they were in the position of the person "dying" they would not want their loved one to give up anything for them. So at the end of the day they are choosing what will be easier for them - give up what's important to you, save the person you love, instead of living alone with the guilt of them being gone. What the "saved" person wants and decides is not even part of the consideration. It’s a well known trope and plot development, so it’s not necessarily a dig against My Royal Nemesis alone, but I wish if the dramas decide to use it, they would present it in more depth, as a moral dilemma it is.
For the big plot twist of Seo Ri from the past actually being the original Seo Ri from the modern times - great idea, mixed execution. I wish they actually set up the existence of said twist better. For most of the drama, the majority of viewers did not even consider the possibility of the twist existing and for me that’s a bit of a failure for the storytelling. It means the twist was simply not set up, just revealed in its full glory when the timing was right. It felt more like a cope to give a happy ending, and not the well developed part of the plot.
I am also honestly shocked how much I loved the last episode. Even though I am 100% confused about the past storyline… I guess that past story has an open ending, we are not meant to know what happened to them. The little “flashback” is more of the imagined ending by the leads, and not a confirmed conclusion. Still, what a solid last episode. I am so used to being disappointed by the last episodes of the drama, I am shocked with my current level of enjoyment. Not gonna lie, the angst desperate era Se Gye went through was everything I needed in life. Seo Ri stepping up and matching Se Gye’s dedication was also something I kept craving to see. The bad guys being published, the good guys moving on with their lives. Loved the details like using the deepfake team from earlier episodes against Mun Do. Little moments that put a smile on my face.
We obviously, as always in any drama in existence, had a whole set of dumb choices from not caring for danger, misunderstandings, miscommunications, saying you will be honest with each other, to lie and hide shit next scene - the usual sins of kdramas. Things we slowly learn to accept, ignore and move on.
As for the performances - bless Im Ji Yeon and Heo Nam Jun. Will start with Heo Nam Jun since it will be shorter - this man knows how to act in love. There are some actors who are so good at showing love with their eyes and micro expressions I could easily be fooled to believe they actually love their co-stars.
As for Im Ji Yeon, this was an extremely hard role to deliver. She truly had to give us everything - tragedy, comedy, romance, mystery. She had to feel strong and imposing because of her Joseon back story, but also vulnerable and delicate because of her modern circumstances. The slow changes in her behavior, mannerisms, way of talking, moving, addressing people. Showing how the character slowly adapts to her situation while not losing the hints of the past life impact. She did not miss one beat, not one scene seemed off.
For the production - this is a typical case of good, but not memorable. Do I remember one moment that stood out because of the scenery, set design, editing, camera work? No. Be it in a good or bad way.
Side note, can we get a new hair stylist for Se Gye. Heo Nam Jun should have his hair either all up or all down - this weird side bangs… not it.
Overall, a really enjoyable watch. A lot of unexplored potential might be the reason I did not rate it higher. I was good, but it could have been great. There are some shows that exist for pure entertainment and nothing would fix the plot to make more than that. But I feel like a few changes here and there could make this drama great.
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I think it’s important to know the title of the drama is more of a destination and not an indication about what the plot will be. Most of it is set when Hee Do is a teenager - last year of high school and the beginning of her 20s. We join her on the journey, as she tries to follow her goals and dreams, builds friendships, experiences sweet victories and bitter loses. She is both mature and innocent with her approach to problems and how she interacts with people. Truly a wonderful female lead that could inspire a lot of younger and older audiences.
Baek Yi Jin perfectly represents the time of our life when we are not quite kids anymore, but we still have a long way to becoming adults. New responsibilities are piling up, and you are slowly learning how to handle them. He was also one of the best male leads in the history of Korean dramas - understanding, supportive, pointing out the mistakes in a mature way, which helped Hee Do grow as a person. Was his selflessness too much? I think it served as a quite well structured flaw that led to many interesting internal and external conflicts he was facing.
He was not perfect, taking steps back when he was overwhelmed by the given situation or unsure of the future results. On the other hand completely immersing himself after he makes a decision to take action - these realistic flaws made him an even greater character.
I think it’s also important to mention how great of a job the writer did with Go Yu Rim’s character. She was quite flawed, self-centered at times, extremely insecure - all that led to many unfortunate moments, making her behave in an awful way. Yet, by the end of the show, the majority of the audience adored her, felt sympathy and wished her happiness.
Not only the main characters, but also the supporting cast did a wonderful job. That said, I find it slightly disappointing how little we got to know both Moon Ji Woong and Ji Seung Wan. I think both of them could present an interesting and unique perspective, but they were not really given the chance to do that. Yes, Seung Wan had a few truly moving and inviting further reflection scenes, but overall, she was mostly pushed to the side lines.
The character that I could not fully understand and root for till the end was Hee Do’s mom, Shin Jae Kyung. I found her striving to be a good journalist and presenter rather one-dimensional and boring. Her reasoning often made little sense and her overall stand on the issue seemed a bit artificial - only existing to create some drama between her and her daughter.
Most of the performances were solid, some truly amazing. I’m surprised how well Kim Tae Ri delivered the role of Na Hee Do. It’s honestly not easy to give a believable performance of a teenage girl by a woman in her 30’. She aced the role and no other actress could do as well as she did.
I’m not the biggest fan of Nam Joo Hyuk, granted it had more to do with the roles he took than his performance. That said, he was born to play the role of Baek Yi Jin. He did great with the duality of the character - mature and protective, but at the same time scared and struggling.
Go Yu Rim’s character and her arc was not an easy task, but Bona did the character justice. Probably one of the characters that evokes the most emotions in all the viewers - be it positive or negative.
The only performance that did not convince me at all was Kim So Hyun as an adult Hee Do. Watching her on screen, she had that theater actress characteristics, so I was not exactly surprised when I found out she is in fact a musical theater actress. Theater and dramas demand a completely different approach, and I am not sure she was able to successfully switch from one to the other. Things needed on stage will work against you in front of the camera.
What a beautiful show it was. My screenshots folder is full of amazing pictures. The pacing was perfect - slow enough for me to have time to appreciate the scenes and dialogues, but fast enough to always keep me entertained. Loved the shots that focused on the details, objects, often hands - they at times served as the guidance of what is the center of the scene and where our focus should be.
The arrangement for the song truly perfectly fits the 90’ and early 00’ sentiment. Being perfectly honest, I am not the biggest fan of the music style from these times, but the show could not have a better list of songs. Wonstein’ Your Existence is probably my favorite song from the drama.
Overall, this is far more than just a romantic comedy. I would say the romance, even though presented throughout the show, is not the focus point. It’s a heartwarming story of finding yourself, fighting for your dreams and convictions, creating meaningful relationships and beautiful memories while slowly facing the reality of adulthood.
If it just concluded on the ending of episode 15. I actually think the last scene from that episode would be the superior and more fitting ending. Where is a white truck of doom when you need it? I’d take one dose of amnesia - please let me forget I’ve seen that last episode. Still, the journey was worth it.
If I had to leave with one last complaint - the whole present times storyline was useless and the drama could do without it.
My explanation for the ending and how for me it makes sense in the comment under the review (hidden for spoilers).
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This review may contain spoilers
Sadly, not as strong as the first season for quite a few reasons. The leads were probably one of the weakest parts, not to mention villain, cast, romance and pacing. Yes, I did have quite a lot of problems with it. Overall, mess. I was thinking about rating it 7, but the "it's okay" that goes with 6.5 fits my feelings towards the drama more.VILLAIN
I truly dislike when dramas use the same villain in two seasons, especially if the first season had a nice conclusion. There was nothing exciting about Do Yoon Wan since we already knew him and his motivations. I didn’t have to ask myself "why he does what he does". Not to mention, he was barely in the drama in the first place. You can have a strong villain and not show him much, but the viewers need to have this feeling of him being the puppet master behind the scenes. We did not get that here. They brought him back every time they had to somehow push forward the politics, and I couldn't care less.
Park Min Guk could have saved the drama, since his morally grey way of thinking was like a bridge between Teacher Kim and Yoon Wan. For the longest time he was my favorite character. Him struggling so much kept me interested, and wondered on whose side he will stand on at the end. But even his character was losing his charm the closer to the ending we’ve got. From a complex person, to a shallow, stereotypical greed and pride driven villain to a random quick redemption? How amazingly boring. How amazingly pointless.
CAST/CHARACTERS
I was not feeling Lee Sung Kyung’s acting, especially during the romantic scenes. Her emotional scenes did not evoke any type of emotions in me. She was there, there were a few tears, she screamed a lot, and I was bored. That said, I did see quite a lot of improvement as the drama progressed, so maybe my lack of warm feelings for her at the beginning clouded my judgement.
I cannot be sure if it was her performance or the writing that made me skeptical, since I strongly disliked how her character was written too. Truth to be told, Cha Eun Jae at the beginning episodes was an EXTREMELY bad doctor, and if it depended on me, I’d give her an ultimatum: therapy or I’ll revoke her license. The writer stripped her from the character development she quite deserved. The quick and easy way of solving her problem with placebo killed any chance of Eun Jae overcoming it herself and becoming stronger in the process.
To the second lead. I was extremely excited to see Ahn Hyo Seop in a new project, after what a train wreck Abyss was. I do believe he has a talent for acting and we could see some of it in this project. Sadly, his character did not interest me either. I believe both main characters were either boring or frustrating, but I would blame the writing not the actors themselves for it. Both Eun Jae and Woo Jin had their moments, but it was not enough for me to love or even care for them.
That said, the whole supporting cast was amazing. I liked all the characters and the actors aced the roles. The only supporting cast that left me frustrated by the end was Shim Hye Jin. Her character was extremely inconsistent. The whole show she was portrayed as a person who avoids “drama” and conflicts and unnecessary risk taking. She treated being a doctor as a job she was doing, not an amazing career nor a mission. Last three episodes the writers decided to give her a sad story, a heart and a brain of her own. It was so out of nowhere I questioned if I’m watching the same character. I loved who she became by the end, but the change in her image should be more gradual.
ROMANCE
The main romance did nothing for me. I would much rather see Eun Jae with Bae Moon Jung, or no one... Luckily, the side couple saved the romance part of the drama, stealing the whole spotlight even with the limited screen time they had. There isn’t much to say on this aspect, since not much happened throughout the whole show. It would be better without any romance in the first place. Even my angels Ah Reum and Eun Tak had some unnecessary drama brought in the last two episodes. What was the point of it, will forever be a mystery to me.
PACING
The editing ruined the pacing. We kept jumping from scenes and timelines and it made me confused. Let’s start with the fact that episode 12 and 13 ended up at the almost exact same time on the timeline, and it was confusing af. Remembering how episode 12 ended, I started the next one and had to check if I did not miss anything, because there was no continuation of the plot.
The ending was quite messy, I don’t know what was the goal of non-linear storytelling, but I did not buy it. The few flashback scenes did close to nothing to explain Eun Jae’s condition, nor to present her relationship with Woo Jin and how it all began. We kept getting new hints about the background of certain characters but nothing followed.
Overall, after the amazing show we’ve got with season one, this was simply disappointing and unnecessary. They tried to fit too many storylines, characters, backgrounds so at the end, nothing felt well developed.
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To quote the drama itself: Ridiculous, huh?
I did enjoy the show a lot for most of it, but the lack of cohesiveness in terms of themes and tone made what could have been an amazing drama, into just a decent one.Here’s the thing - most of the show did not have one big plot that puts it all together. It felt like a borderline investigation slice of life - and I enjoyed it, but mostly because of the leads. I loved how Jiu Xuan Ye was not this powerful, cold male lead that changes thanks to love. I appreciated how Duan Ban Xia was not this badass lady warrior with no fears. They were both well written characters with great chemistry that felt more like a cosy fireplace than hell fires. Even the supporting characters were enjoyable, not following the typical copy paste filler roles.
Honestly - Ban Xia was perfect. She was so real with her reactions, the effect her traumas had on her, with how her character developed and progressed. One of my favorite female leads so far from the dramas I have seen in 2025. She was both adorable and vulnerable, but also brave. She was not fearless, but she was willing to act despite her fears.
But then the characters are kind of all the show had to offer for me. I know many people loved the demon stories, but for me they tried to both keep them eerie and dark, but also many scenes felt more whimsical and fairytale-like. On paper they worked, emotionally they felt shallow. The tone was neither this nor that and it made me disconnect from the story.
And that leads me to the biggest disappointment - the ending. I’m not even saying the ending was bad because it was bitter sweet. It was just an ending to a completely different drama than I was watching the whole time. While I agree that the theme of sacrifice was present throughout most of the cases, it was always related to sacrificing yourself for the person you love or cherish. So if the drama ended around episode 34-35 with Jiu Xuan Ye using the sword to set it all back to how it was before they met to save Ban Xia - I would be far more okay with it. It would make sense in the context of the show.
But then the last two episodes happened. Why is Jiu Xuan Ye’s conclusion about him saving the demon realm? This was never part of his arc until the last second twist. Why is Ban Xia’s conclusion letting Jiu Xuan leave? When her whole arc was about fighting to be with him - her choosing to stay with him no matter what was her gaining the agency for herself. Because no matter what happened and what everyone said - it was her decision. And now she is like: well, I guess that would be a goodbye.
I just simply do not feel satisfied with the ending, because it does not make much sense for him with how the characters were throughout the episodes. I don’t even want to talk about the fake cheap deaths - that’s another story. The last few episodes are a typical case of ending leaving a bad taste in my mouth, even though most of the meal was great. Sadly, the last bite is what we often remember the most.
No matter how many complaints I might have about the conclusion, I have to compliment the acting. Song Zu Er - she knows how to cry! The angst she delivered was pure perfection. At the same time the bubbly happy moments were also delivered in a way they were charming and fun to watch.
We all know Ren Jia Lun is great. I do think he might need to move away from romance though. My man is 36 years old and still delivered some of the worst kissing scenes.
Overall, somehow disappointed. I wish they would keep the lighter tone till the end. I loved how normal the supernatural plot felt, but then by the end they tried to turn it into something bigger and more grand than they were setting up.
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They went: what can we do? Without thinking: can we deliver?
I don’t think I have ever seen a drama more dramatic, but also one with the least amount of any real stakes. Nothing had any consequences. And at some point it killed all my enjoyment.You can kill your political opponents in a shady manner and no one cares, there is no investigation, everyone just accepts “it is what it is”. The most important tournament for the whole country had either no rules or the rules were not enforced at all - both cases make no sense. They kept having obstacles presented to them, things they could not do… and they did them anyway… and nothing. Nothing followed, no long lasting consequences, barely any short term consequences.
I think one of the most frustrating aspects was the complete incompetence of the King of Beixuan and how throughout the show no one tried to assassinate his dumb ass, and they even protected him. I cannot be pro leads, when they are pro trash. Truly impressed how the writers managed to make me hate the male lead literally 15 minutes before the drama ended. Just kill the King of Beixuan and let the King of Yannan rule both countries, he is obviously far better for the job.
Overall, the villains and antagonists were painfully poorly written idiots who managed to get/stay in power by pure luck and the lack of investigation and interest from leads to find out what is even happening behind the scenes. None of their plans were smart, the fight between them and the leads were always ridiculous, especially everything that has been happening in Yanna.
Now to the main course: the romance. The way they baited me with enemies to lovers, to deliver almost none of that. They move from enemies to partners in love way too fast. It does not mean there were no conflicts between them, but they were all based on mostly external issues and conflicting priorities. The best part of the enemies to lovers trope is the gradual change of heart, slow burn warming up to each other, pretending like you don’t care, when you do and the soft angst that comes with it.
I also honestly hated how both characters lacked growth and personal development - both as individuals and as a couple. They both loved to set rules for the other, but did not want to follow them themselves. Qi Luo can hide facts and lie, but Xuan Lie has to be truthful on every occasion. Xuan Lie can break premises coz of the “greater good”, but Qi Luo has to keep her word no matter the circumstances. They lacked communication skills and it feels like they never learned from any of their mistakes.
Qi Luo's conviction was protecting her family, but not really, because no one was as good at finding excuses for their questionable choices as she was. Xuan Lie was basically an amoral character. He had no individual moral opinions. He just did what was asked of him - no thought in that brain. The only times when he stood up to dumb ideas was when they concerned Qi Luo, but even then it was never a full defiance.
Qi Min and Qing Kou was a full on clownery that led to nowhere, but at least they were entertaining. To be honest, Qi Min was easily my favorite character. If he was the main lead,the drama would end on episode 2-3 - he was the man of action and convictions and no bullshit (well, there was some bullshit, still he felt like the most decisive character of them all, one that actually made some plans and put work into investigation).
Acting wise it was all over the place. Angelababy delivered one of the most underwhelming performances. There was barely any muscle moving on her face. Song Wei Long tried, but since the writing was not the greatest, him trying was not enough to save the drama.
Production was fine. I like the different styling for the characters that set this drama apart from other costume shows. Wanted to see a bit more desert setting scenes and less palace shenanigans.
Overall, I would not recommend it. It’s not actually good for an enjoyable watch, and not bad/trashy enough for a fun entertainment. It’s just painfully mediocre with a lack of smarts and wits.
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So like... nothing really happened.
Or rather, a lot happened, but no one truly reacted to it in any way. It's not like this show has been free of the usual over the top tropes. It's just the characters had little to no reaction to them compared to other series.When I started watching, I was ready for the cute, sweet, unproblematic slower romance, and at the beginning it was more or less just that. Then, they added so many random plot lines to make it more "entertaining/dramatic", but everyone just reacted to them in such an unnatural way, I could not connect to it at all.
That said, Solo is my baby boy. I truly love this kid. He was adorable and, as far as I know, Nut did the best job acting wise. The rest of the cast was meh. I skipped all the doctor and Kim’s scenes. That whole plot line was a true mess. I know many people loved Kao and Phuri, but again... I didn't care that much. They just felt awkward most of the time.
I don't even want to talk about that Disney ending, that made the whole second half of the show a joke. All the characters did 180 as if they were different people, because resolving conflicts in a well written manner apparently is not the writer's thing.
The music was nice though. But this ain't Spotify, I need me some good plot behind that soundtrack.
Overall... the show was so meh and boring I have barely any thoughts about it. The last episode was tragically bad, and even though it gave us a cute ending, logically speaking it made no sense. Solo and Gui were cute and I truly suffered throughout this just for them.
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We were running a marathon, but the end became a sprint.
What it felt like was watching well paced 1st and 2nd act, and then teleporting on the last line of the 3rd act - as if we skipped a whole bunch of scenes and plot line developments to only get a semi-satisfying conclusion.When you want a love triangle to become a square ⇢ Dynamics so good you don’t mind any mixes.
Probably one of the best love triangles (squares?) I have seen in kdramas for ages. No matter how I look at it, I believe in that aspect there was nothing to fix nor improve. Seong A with Gyeon U? Seong A with Ji Ho? Gyeon U with Ji Ho? However you mix it, they always delivered fun, heartwarming and entertaining scenes. And if we add one not so bad baddie to the mix, it becomes even more interesting.
You all could be heroes ⇢ Characters with individual charms and great presence.
As I said, all the dynamics worked perfectly, but that’s because these characters were actually well crafted individuals with distinctive personalities. Seong A might have seemed like a shallow cutesy teen, but under that bubbly persona there was so much emotional maturity and patience. Gyeon U might seem like your typical cold male lead with white wall personality, but there was actually so much warmth and determination behind it. And you might fear Ji Ho will be your typical jealous best friend, but this man had more heart in him than a lot of second male leads combined.
Turning casual jogging into race ⇢ When pacing escalates to ridiculous speed.
Up till episode 9 the pacing was amazing - balancing well the different plotline, building relationships, comedic bits and the thrills involving ghost and separate cases. You could clearly see it’s building to something bigger - the grand finale. And that’s where the disappointment lies - the ending. Honestly speaking the last act felt like watching a drama with a 9 years old child with zero attention span fast forwarding the plot to oblivion.
Maybe not everyone deserves a second chance? ⇢ Ending that leave a bad taste in my mouth
There were a few characters that had a bit too good of an ending if you ask me. Some got their “redemption” before the show ended and it all was just too… sweet and disney. I feel like the level of their bad decisions, acts and attitudes did not match the consequences they faced. Some characters had rather overwhelming stories that were concluded in an unsatisfying way. I understand the drama wanted to have a positive message and even the female lead was the pure ray of sunshine and hope, but maybe then they should have toned down the bad guys a little bit.
I actually really appreciated Yeom Hwa as a character. Her story was well built, explanations for her behavior hidden long enough to almost give me a heart attack from all the frustration, but not dragged too long I would drop the drama. Was the conclusion of her story satisfying? No. But then the only thing I truly found satisfying in the last 3 episodes was the comedy.
Fairytale land aesthetics - sometimes Disney, sometimes Grimm. ⇢ Production value fitting the story
I have to appreciate the aesthetics of the show. They knew exactly when to make it all pastel Disney to give us the cute and butterfly inducing moments. But they also knew how to make it more dark, but still well balanced and fitting the overall mood of the show. I must say, I liked the styling of the ghosts a lot and the way shamanism moments were filmed was just CINEMA.
Are you sure you are acting? ⇢ Performances that seemed natural
If I were to pick my favorite performances I’d go with Choo Young Woo (my guy was busy in the drama, delivered in all area, all type of emotions), Choo Ja Hyun (to make me hate a character so bad, and yet still feel pity for them, but yet still wanting them dead is a challenge) and Yoon Byung Hee (while Do Ryeong was mostly there for comedy, there were still many serious scenes, at times with more emotional impact that he was able to deliver perfectly). Cho Yi Hyun did a fantastic job too, don’t get me wrong, but somehow I was more excited for scenes of other characters than hers.
Overall, the ride was exciting and smooth until it wasn’t. The ending feels extremely rushed as if they cut 2 episodes from it. Technically we’ve got all the conclusions, but they mostly felt flat. Still - in terms of the rom-com vibes, it’s a solid A. Not even being a big fan of comedy, it was so good here, it became one of my favorite elements.
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