Reviews

The hype was worth it

Things I liked:
*The ending. It wasn't an open ending. A lot of things made sense after season 2
*Children are also competitors there
*The CG
*How they brought back both major and minor actors
*More flashbacks and backstories
*The game masters also have a heart and are all brave enough to fight without fearing death. They are just enjoying freedom.
*The timeline (Events of both season 1 and season 2 take place around June 2021, in between their respective release dates).
*Kuina's father finally accepted her
*The wish of those who shipped arisu and usagi can sigh in relief now ( Also kento yamazaki and tao tsuchiya now officially co-starred in 5 projects)

A bit of warninng: Don't watch it with parents or probably anyone. There are rotten dead bodies and deformed bodies burnt by sulphuric acid. Naked kyuma and some other scenes.

Story: 10 The story started from right where the season 1 ended. Unlike season 1, there were fewer games that lasted longer than before. Each game has its own suspense and thrill. The CG was as good as ever and the ending was quite satisfactory. Some ppl may complain that they better remembered the days of borderland. But it is better to forget those horrible memories of near-death experience.

Acting/cast: 10 They brought back all the original cast members they needed. Even minor ones like kuina's parents, arisu's brother, the man they saved in the 4 of spades, momoka and many major characters.

Music: 10 The music was on spot and quite thrilling

Rewatch value:10 Might just rewatch tomorrow


The first 7 episodes were action-packed where the last episode was more calm than the previous episodes but the last few scenes were just all we needed after the 2 years wait.

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This was a 100% family drama and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I cried a lot, laughed a lot and watched different types of love on parade. Because of this drama I realized how important it is for us to spend time with our parents who have nothing but our best in mind.
I did not know a couple of the leads but they were really good and made me believe their characters. Their acting was so natural and so funny when they have to be, and they made me cry at the tender moments as well.
The music was so well suited to the drama.
As for rewatch value, it's a long drama, so maybe in the very far future I will go ahead and re-watch. It's worth it.

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It's the year 2019, and we still have this kind of dramas..

Content of the drama is basic, girl is sick, needs transplant and boy is a match. Boy has a sick grandma who loves him so much, and wants to see him love and marry a girl. When girls asks the boy to help her, boy says okay, but first let get married and have a contracted marriage for 2 years.

Typical contracted marriage turns real marriage plot, seemed fun on Netflix so I said just try it, I mean, everyone needs a bit of cheesiness in life time to time.

But OH BOY

WILL CONTAIN SPOILER AND ANGER AND SHOCK READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

First of all, the reveal is just too big. And it's not a reveal like "boy has been lying because of a misunderstanding" or "a simple white lie started all this". The reveal is that THE BOY IS A FREAKING STALKER, A SOCIOPATH TO THE CORE. I just can't with the sugarcoating. He is wrong. Girl is literally a victim, and still keeps sticking around him. You know just because he waited in the rain outside of her apartment doesn't justify his actions.

Him being kind of a macho at the beginning of the show is not my style, yet acceptable as there are many kind of relationships and people who can get with it. But UGH I LITERALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MORE CAN I SAY ABOUT IT THE SHOW IS JUST WRONG THE PREMISE OF IT IS WRONG EVERYTHING IS WRONG

I mean, girls friend seems clever and protective over her but when the big reveal happened, she didn't even react much? And supported their relationship? Just, why??

And last but least, as the show goes on, that big reveal didn't even matter? They had a conflict for what, like one or two episodes, than moved on to another subject like family issues or something.

Violence, both physically (second leads father beating the leading lady and the second lead, male lead literally kidnapping the female lead, holding her forcefully etc) and mentally (male lead tricking the girl to believe she had a terminal illness, than deceiving her into marriage and then making her fall in love with him etc) was like the main purposes of the show. And they didn't even resolve those issues. The guy can wait as much as he wants in the downpour and get a pneumonitis or anything but that wouldn't make it equal to the punishment he deserved.

THE SHOW IS JUST WRONG AND WISH IT DIDN'T EXISTED IN THE FIRST PLACE.

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I apologize in advance for the length of what follows.
This drama hit me like a tsunami of emotions and has left me bruised in so many places I'm in dire need of a strong tonic
I had promised myself to never say this, but rules are made to be broken: King 2 Hearts is the best drama I have ever watched. It is so because it fully responds to what I ask a work of fiction: not just to entertain me, but to make me feel. Deeply.

I suppose it's not for everyone though. It raises issues which require a level of maturity, as well as a huge dose of emotional strength. It plays on prejudices and the rotten nature of politics, sparing no one: the arrogance of the western world, the obtuseness of military regimes, the cowardice of politicians, the corruptive power of money no matter where. But it highlights the best virtues too: loyalty, friendship, courage, honesty, responsibility towards the people we love. This story is the growth of a group of people, from biased to understanding, and most of all is the birth of a king worth of this name.
It's obviously a love story too, but I'm glad this is only partly the focus of the drama. Don't expect a rom-com, or you'll be disappointed. The comedy is there, mainly in the beginning, and it is a clever sort of fun, but it's devoid of the usual comedic tropes, and it always has a black undertone - which I personally adore.
So to me this is a truly romantic drama, in the classical sense of the word, full of awe, suspense and heartbreak. There isn't even an ounce of fluff: if this is what you're looking for, King 2 Hearts is not for you.

Two words about script and direction: the first is one of the most consistent I've come across, never deviating from reality even when the setting is fictional. I am aware some of the scenarios are controversial to say the least, but if you give a look at the way international politics works, you'll see that - alas - it's a lot more plausible than we would like to admit. This said, the writers managed to create an ensemble of wonderful characters who touch the heart, and always thought-provoking dialogues. Direction is splendid, very film-like, playing on grand-angle and close-up shots, on colours, light and dark. The action scenes are believable and thrilling.

Standing ovation for the performance of the entire cast. Everyone has done such a brilliant job, I'm in awe.
Ha Ji Won is wonderful, to say the least. I've read some arguing that a north Korean soldier can't be so girly and trusting in the matters of the heart, but her multiple layers are what make Hang A the incredibly believable character I fell in love with, and Ha Ji Won the awesome actress she is. Besides her doing most of her stunts, she studied the North dialect, voice intonation and poses. The result is a charming mixture of vulnerability and strength which is profoundly feminine.
I'm glad I've really got to know Lee Seung Gi with this drama, because this young man has done an amazing step forward in terms of acting. His performance as the shallow, prejudiced playboy he's in the beginning slowly growing to be a king to be proud of, is mind-blowing. I truly felt all his suffering, doubts, uncertainties, fear… stress. He has gained a loyal fan for his professionalism and for the courage to accept a controversial part which more mature actors had refused before him.
Jo Jung Suk and Lee Yoon Ji have been an incredible revelation for me, both acted so naturally it's almost unbelievable.
Hat off to all the other actors. I was just as involved in their fates as I was in that of the main couple. They all made me laugh, weep (buckets, really), be proud or exhilarated.
Yes, even the villain. It won't be easy for the actor to shrug off the image. He embodies evil in its most horrific, unadulterated form: gratuitous cruelty, the pleasure to see others suffer, vanity and megalomania, all highlighted by a child-like behaviour which is as disquieting as it reduces him to the sub-human this character actually is.

Oh, the music!
A good soundtrack explains the scenes with the notes. When he wrote the score for the 1993 film "The Piano", Michael Nyman said he needed some piano pieces which could speak for Ada, who is mute, and work as a substitute to her voice.
That's what the music in King 2 Hearts does: if you close your eyes and listen to it (I have it all on my i-pod) the music will speak for the scene, and will keep on speaking to you when the show is over. The instrumental pieces are simply perfect and aching. "Two Hearts" begins with the pound of two hearts, hence explaining in a second a title whose meaning I had been pining over for weeks.
Simply beautiful.

I have already re-watched half of the drama and am going through a second (third?) complete marathon. If I gave this a lower re-watch value I'd be a hypocrite. And, believe it or not, it improves on second watching.
There's so much more I'd like to say about it, but I fear I've been wordy enough. I feel a last word of… warning is needed though: be prepared to feel strongly. If what you ask a drama is to entertain you or divert you, don't watch King 2 Hearts; only approach it if you're ready to grow so much attached to these characters, seeing them go will give you an almost physical pain.

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"Where Stars Land" is exactly the kind of romance I was in the mood for. I initially avoided it because of so many negative comments, but I'm so glad I decided blindly to give this drama a chance inspite of that. I have been disappointed, and honestly bored, by quite a few romance dramas recently, but with this drama I was pleasantly surprised instead. It's set in an airport, a familiar KDrama setting, but the focus is on the customer service staff in particular. I think it's best to watch this drama not knowing or expecting anything, so I will be careful not to reveal too much, but it turned out to be more than just the opposites attract romcom I expected it to be, and actually had a pretty original story that kept me interested until the very end (flaws and all).

It stars Lee Je Hoon as Lee Soo Yeon who's straight laced and by the book character is matched with Chae Soo Bin as the stubbornly impetuous Han Yeo Reum. All of the complaints I read about the drama were about Han Yeo Reum, and how much people hated her, but I didn't have a problem with her character at all. I think her character is frustratingly ambitious on purpose in order to disturb Soo Yeon's futile attempt at having a quiet and routine worklife. Of course their conflicts lead to some great chemistry and I loved the way the story between them developed. I was a fan Lee Je Hoon in "Signal", but this is my first time seeing him as a romantic lead. I also loved Chae Soo Bin in "I Am Not a Robot", so it was great to see her in another romance, and she did not disappoint me. Together they had cute and comedic moments as well as heartbreaking dramatic moments, and even when parts of the story were weak, their character development was strong.

As for the supporting cast there were characters that were favorites, some who were underutilized, and some who were boring as hell. My favorites in the supporting cast were definitely Kim Kyung Nam as Oh Dae Ki and Lee Soo Kyung as Na Yeong Joo of the security team, who's chemistry was entertaining enough to deserve their own spinoff show. I thought Lee Dong Gun was great, although almost typecast in his role, but because his storyline was compartitively weak I felt like his talent was a little bit wasted. I also wanted to know much more about Mr. Jang who I feel like never got enough screentime for being such a huge part of the story. Then there was Kim Jee Soo as Yang Seo Koon, who seemed like a character I would like in the beginning, but she turned out to be so boring that I'm still not quite sure about anything involving her character. Also, because so much of this drama revolves around work, there's a pretty good ensemble cast feel among the airport staff, which helps make the random airport stories seem less disjointed.

For me, the weakest parts of the drama was the internal airport drama between management, which was too vague to care about, and took up too much time. There are also parts of Soo Yeon's backstory that I wish were better explained, but I still think the parts they did focus on were well done as far as drivng the story and his motivation. With the short episode format there was always enough in each episode to keep me curious and make me want to keep watching. By the end, the story felt like it was definitely rushed, but all the parts of the story that I cared about were resolved (although I'm still not sure if the very end was an artistic choice or an emergency decision).

Would I rewatch this? Yes. I think the chemistry between the main couple is what carries this show, more than the general story, so I would probably still enjoy it with a second viewing.

Overall, "Where Stars Land " isn't going to make it to my favorites list, but it's much better than some of the mediocre dramas I forced myself to finish this year. I recommend giving it a chance, especially if you are a romance fan. You may find out that under it's unassuming appearance is a drama with a spark of something extroadinary.

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Honestly the second couple is what gave it a 7/10, they carried the show and I would recommend to only watch their episode if you don’t feel like watching my the whole drama (3-5).

1) The first couple was cute but I found them a bit boring and the masturbation addiction really threw me off, as I didn’t expect it to center the first 2 episodes. I liked that they openly mentioned how sex/masturbation compared to some dramas where they hide away from it especially highschool ones.

I kept watching as I didn’t know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised with the second couple.
2) This couple need to have their own drama, the actors chemistry and looks really kept me hook on their episodes. Their plot is good, the fake dating trope was really well done and their end of story really wrapped up well. Their kissing was so much better than some other couples in dramaland, it wasn’t cringy or awkward as you would expect from highschool dramas. Like I already said if you don’t want to watch the full drama episode 3-5 are the much watch and you will not regret it. If I ever rewatch the drama I would be likely to just go back to this couple as I already done twice already.

3) I was slightly disappointed with the 3rd couple, I really didn’t like how the plot surrounded the girl’s weight, (especially the fact that in my opinion she ain’t fat but more towards healthy). Additionally I couldn’t enjoy the 3rd couple to the fullest as the second couple really put the bar high and therefore it was hard for them to keep me as hooked. The ending also left me slightly dissatisfied, but overall this drama is a good watch.

The music didn’t stick out to me so I won’t talk about it as I got nothing to say.

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A satisfying end... which is rare in the kdrama world as we're all familiar.

The first thing that needs to be applauded is the actors and their masterful acting. Without the acting the plot would've withered as another project with lost potential. They literally breathe the life, the fury, the glory into this drama.

As a sequel, it is commendable that the show did not go overboard or underwhelm in any aspect. It was just enough to make you sigh a breath of satisfaction. Lives upto everything the first season built upto and the trailer predicted. No non-sensical plot points which were forced to make the story coherent. It was woven smoothly start to end. They delivered the dramatics perfectly. Their was no unnecessary romantic part which ruined the slow-burn. Despite all the first season's information, there were twists and turns and the thrill was maintained. If anything was over-done, one wouldn't really give this show much of a rewatch value. But the makers took their jobs seriously and made sure that people can come back to this and find hope in the victory of everything good.

People might argue about the amorality of the whole revenge plot itself, but we know that justice does not take place in our world very often, the world is very unfair, and people we know, people around us, and people like us may feel wronged everyday, but what we can take from this as a positive learning is that we all need to come together and help the Dong Eun's all around us by giving them support, and being a friend in their time of need. Of course is doesn't have to be an elaborate revenge plot, but even the smallest effort would go a long way. And at the end of the day what goes around comes around. So it is by each other's support that we move forward, otherwise we'll find ourselves stuck at a point in life which will sooner or later drive us crazy.

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Soulful spot on: South Korea ranks fourth in the world when it comes to the suicide rate

According to WHO data, South Korea ranks fourth in the world when it comes to the suicide rate. (Germany ranks 42nd in comparison.) Not only stars and starlets are affected, but it runs through all sections of population. And with that, it holds up a bitterly serious, socially critical mirror to turbo-capitalist South Korea, whose tradition still places more value on appearances/make-believe than authenticity/true-being.

"Tomorrow" throws the spotlight on this socially problematic aspect. It is definitely a tough topic! It is based on a webtoon that enriches people's limited view by looking at the bigger picture from the perspective of the spiritual world. By providing an emotional link between the two worlds through the protagonist Choi Joon-woong, the worlds inspire each other with their insights and impulses. (After all, a wound can even heal in the afterlife...)

In short, the approach might at times seem light-footedly playful. Yet the content is profound and serious. It´s no feel-good-series. Sometimes it's fast-paced and action-packed, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, but mostly the story wants to touch, move and make you think. And it does. Overall the narrative style once again finds the right tone and the successful mix to work through the difficult, complex emotional area of conflict. Thus it is carefully, sensitively and differentiatedly illustrating the example of very different fates.

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A drama doesn't have to have a well-written story and deep character development in order for it to be enjoyable and good. Mydramalist should really add a "enjoyment" rating alongside the story, acting, music, and rewatch value ratings because some shows such as Secretary Kim aren't the "brilliant masterpiece" drama that some people are looking for, but are still a neat cute amusement ride that casual kdrama watchers can enjoy.

As soon as the drama finished, I saw a lot of reviews here that criticized how cringy, forced, and cliche the romance story was, and how shallow the characters were. I don't necessarily disagree with that, but that doesn't take away from how enjoyable and funny the cringy, forced, and cliche romance story was. The characters were shallow, but they were still funny and likable in many aspects. The point of the show isn't to come off as masterfully written story that leaves the audience in awe at every turn, but rather just to be an easy lighthearted drama for romance-comedy lovers to enjoy during their free time.

On the other hand, I've also seen people rate the story a 10/10, and calling Secretary Kim one of the best romance-comedy dramas of all time, which I'm going to have to disagree with. The reason being that there have been other romance-comedies such as Coffee Prince and Secret Garden that simply had a better story line, had more relatable characters as well as character development, and overall were a lot more memorable and enjoyable than Secretary Kim.

The overused story in Korean drama fantasy land of rich chaebol company owner male falling in love with the innocent female who is not-so-rich and is working hard to pay her [family's] debts and bills. Ha, the classic. Nothing much to analyze but it's yer old same old same old happily-ever-after romance-comedy story in Korean lala land. Although, if there is one thing to touch on, I personally did not like the dark childhood past of Lee Yeong Joon and Kim Mi So. It was even more forced than the romance in the show, and it didn't add anything to the show as a whole. In fact, I would go as far as to say that took away from the show because it tried to be something the show wasn't (a touching, dark show) and failed miserably at it. Somebody feel free to tell me exactly what the point of that past was besides to force down the audience's throats that our two protagonists were destined to be together because they had a bizarre past experience with one another as children. Moreover, because of this useless past childhood story, I feel like the drama killed the "supposed to be second lead" character in Yeong-Joon's brother, Lee Sung Yeon. That character was annoying for most of the story, and the show tried to make us pity him towards the end, but I just couldn't see the point of his character at all. What a complete waste of Lee Tae Hwan's character. I couldn't tell if he was supposed to be an antagonist character, but he ended up just being an annoying nobody .

I see people talking about how draggy the story was, but I actually felt the story was fast-paced in comparison to other korean romance comedies I've seen. I mean seriously sometimes kdramas take numerous episodes for the main character to realize he is in love with the girl, and then another few episodes to finally tell/show the girl he likes her, and then another few episodes until they're finally in a relationship. At the very least in Secretary Kim, that draggy "I think I like you" part is completely skipped and they jump right into the meat of the romance rather than the annoying "be a dick to the girl until she realizes somehow through a fateful incident I was always there for her." Now that I think of it, I guess Lee Yeong Joon did kind of do this... But no matter, the romance didn't feel as draggy to me as other romance-comedy dramas which I appreciated.

The acting was definitely the highlight of this show, and I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the drama without Park Seo Joon and Park Min Young, along with all the side character actors such as Kang Ki Young, Hwang Bo Ra, Pyo Ye Jin, Kang Hong Suk, and literally everyone. A big thank you to all the actors in this drama for making the show what it was. They weren't charismatic or anything crazy impressive, but they sure as heck did their job in livening the cringy and cliche as heck roles.

Also, I just want to mention how amazing Park Min Young pulled off the clothing she wore in this drama. I heard she started a fashion trend in South Korea with her secretary clothing.

Music wasn't anything really impressive, and there wasn't a real soundtrack that really caught my eye, but there were a lot of okay songs so I'll just give it a 7/10.

I usually don't re-watch dramas because I don't feel the same kind of enjoyment or excitement when I already know everything that's going to happen or be said. The only dramas I re-watch are the ones with scenes/lines that really help me move forward in life when I'm feeling sad or tired. I feel like the re-watch value for Secretary Kim would be rather low, considering it's all about the heart-fluttering scenes and the childish forced comedy that after watching the drama once, you would know exactly what would happen and it's no longer as heart-fluttering or funny as the first time through when you watched it without expecting it.

Overall, I gave the show an 8 because it was highly enjoyable and I found myself smiling and having a good time which really is the point of spending hours of our lives watching dramas right? If a show is enjoyable, it has done its job. I would recommend this drama only for those who enjoy lighthearted romance-comedies and aren't picky with how "well-written" the story and characters have to be. Anyone looking for anything serious, tragic, or thought-provoking, this is not the drama to watch. Even if you want a romance drama that has a dark-side and will have you crying and dying to know what happens next, this drama is not the one to watch. This drama was purely for cute comedy relief and complete nonsense romance.

This is just my opinion on this popular show. Everyone will have differing opinions on dramas, nobody's ratings are right or wrong; all ratings are subjective. Just enjoy yourself and try not to hate too hard on other people's favorite shows~

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Most Endearing Drama of All Time

This is one of the very few dramas that explores our human nature, our interpersonal relationship and its intricacies, in great depth. It is happy and enjoyable, and yet every episode makes me cry. I cry not because of any tragic events but because of the moments, the actions, the relationships and dialogues of the characters that are so moving, and they touch every chord in my heart. Right after I cry, I’m given a candy that makes me laugh out loud. The brilliant story telling has made this one of the best dramas I’ve ever watched.

This is a story about family and what it takes to be a family – not wealth, not blood, not even just love alone. It takes, including love, patience, sharing, compassion, understanding, empathy, courage, among others, to build a truly tightly knitted family and home, going through life and living together. It is beautifully written and acted. The characters are realistic, relatable and inspiring. In the journey, the story explores compassion and indifference, self-esteem and fear, abandonment and adoption, cheerfulness and depression. It shows us the things we may have neglected in our own lives ourselves and things that we have taken for granted. It helps us see deeper into ourselves and reflect. It captures almost all human elements that we may have encountered, one way or another, in our own lives. We can definitely identify ourselves with at least one of the characters here.

Go Ahead is a story about a widower who single-handedly raises his own daughter and two other boys who are entrusted to him. All of them have one thing in common: they do not have mothers. The children grow up together; the boys become the big brothers for his daughter, pampering and protecting her. She is their sun and the center of their universe. Everything they do, they do it together, and they do it for her (with a lesser extent, for their adoptive father). Their relationship is heartwarming and enviable. Their love for each other is pure and not tainted by anything.

Li Haichao (Tu Song Yan), an owner of a small noodle shop, has a very different view in parenting. He is very open minded and compassionate. He teaches the children to critical think for themselves, and how to stand up when fallen. His love is unconditional and his favorite thing to do is to cook meals for his 3 children. Tu Song Yan’s acting is one of the best – natural, believable and lovable. He has a calm and compassionate demeanor that would attract anyone, never assuming nor judgmental. He’s one of the most loved characters in the story.

Li Jianjian (Tan Song Yun aka Seven Tan) is a tomboy who enjoys the love and pampering from her 2 adopted brothers, growing up and doing everything together with them including sleeping on the same bed. Li Jianjian, like her father Li Haichao, is kind, tactful and compassionate with a sharp wit and mouth. The period of them living together as teenagers attending high school is perhaps my fondest moments watching this drama. Tan Song Yun’s acting renders me speechless. She is so versatile that she can take on any roles and ace them. At her actual age of 30, she is so convincing, transforming into an innocent 15 year-old teenager and then growing up into a 25 year-old sculptor. Tan Song Yun’s acting simply awes the viewers.

Ling Xiao (Song Weilong) is a deeply broken and tormented boy who goes through unthinkable tragedies and sadness. The only times he beams up and smiles are when he sees Li Jianjian, that's when the sun comes out, everything seems to become normal again. Ling Xiao is a neighbor living with a divorced father above Li Jianjian’s apartment. Song Weilong always has that look of sadness with a heavy burden locked between his brows. With few words, he gives the feeling that he has thousands words that are hidden and cannot be spoken. Song Weilong fits the Ling Xiao character to perfection. Every sad gaze from him conveys those unspoken words and sadness, and digs deep into the viewers’ hearts.

He Ziqiu (Zhang Xincheng aka Steven Zhang) starts calling Li Haichao “father” when he first meets him because he (He Ziqiu) thinks his single mother is going to marry him (Li Haichao). The marriage falls through and He Ziqiu is left in the rural area with no proper education and no prospect of a better life. He’s unofficially adopted by Li Haichao with the consent of Ziqiu’s relatives. Being abandoned, He Ziqiu always has a hole in his heart, and he has always wanted a complete family. At the same time, he’s been taught by his adoptive father to maintain a positive view as everything is a blessing in disguise. This attitude has made him resilient and optimistic. Zhang Xincheng has the look of a person who would take anything that’s thrown to him and he’s the person who gets ignored all the time. Zhang Xincheng has given one of his most impressive performance in this drama, making his character well-loved and jerk tears from all viewers.

Chen Ting (Ling Xiao’s mother) is perhaps the most abhorred mother. As much as I’m tormented by her, I sympathize with her because I have seen many such characters like her in my life, carrying a dark disease that is too stigmatized for anyone to talk about. Mingyue’s mother is a typical Asian Tiger mother and many viewers may carry some or all of her traits; she can be us without us even realizing it ourselves. I see myself in many of the characters at different stages of my life; all my flaws are portrayed vividly in them. It’s disheartening to see that many parents are abusive in certain ways, physically or mentally, just like how the drama is depicting. Such abuses are unfortunately widespread, in particular, in the developed world.

Most parents love their children. But love can be enlightening (as in Li Haichao with his children) or suffocating (as in Ling Xiao with his mother, Qi Mingyue with her mother, Tan Can with her mother) or even painful (as in He Ziqiu with his mother). This is a very precious human drama and the writers have not dragged on any misunderstanding for long; everything is resolved rather quickly without giving viewers the frustration. Funny moments are injected brilliantly throughout the story to subdue the pains that some of the characters are suffering from.

All the other cast members are equally fabulous in their respective performances, especially the child actors who play the juveniles Li Jianjian, Ling Xiao and He Ziqiu. Their acting is so natural, lovable and believable. The children capture the viewers’ hearts from the start of the first episode. All the main characters are well developed and three dimensional, including some of the supporting characters who seem to be just a part of our own lives.

Many viewers begin to dislike the drama when the platonic relationship turns romantic. For me, I love the romance and have been waiting for it because the writers have hinted this (the romance) right from the beginning, expressed in many subtle actions, dialogues and moments. Some viewers even totally drop the drama when they perceive a love triangle. And for me, I was pretty clear that there's none because, again through various hints dropped by the writers that the other relationship is plain platonic. I hope new viewers are more prepared and not being influenced by some negative remarks.

The official sound tracks are some of the best, with touching lyrics speaking out the words of our hearts - for parent and for child alike. The voice which sings the sound track “Fearless” sounds like the voice of Ling Xiao, singing his despairs and agony, and the soundtrack “I Will Be Here” expresses the hidden voice of a parent. All the songs make me cry.

Time passes us quickly. We grow up, become parents, and grow old, and the circle of life continues. This drama touches our soul, for all cultures and walks of life.

This is one of my all-time favorites and is a must-watch. Two thumbs up!

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A Deeply Touching Romantic Comedy That’s a Feast for Your Eyes, Ears, Brain, and Heart

❤️ Beautiful smart leads ✔️
❤️ Beautiful acting ✔️
❤️ Beautiful touching deep story & writing ✔️
❤️ Beautiful romance ✔️
❤️ Beautiful OSTs ✔️
❤️ Beautiful locations ✔️
❤️ Beautiful cinematography ✔️
❤️ Beautiful directing ✔️
❤️ Beautiful (mostly ;) outfits, accessories, and styling ✔️

We’ve been blessed to get two amazing romantic comedies from Shin Hye Sun as the lead in a row. Hopefully many many more. Though her characters and circumstances could not be more different in ALML from 30 but 17, her amazing acting talent and skill at being able to touch your heart are the same. I didn’t think I could love a show more than 30 but 17, but I do with this show. They are 1a and 1b in my book.

If Lee Yeon Seo was played by a less talented likeable actress she could have easily been cartoonish and insufferable . Yet somehow Shin Hye Sun managed to make her a sympathetic bada**. It’s so rare to get such a strong KDrama female lead who says and does exactly what’s on her (and our) minds. Dan could have been a silly empty character yet Kim Myung Soo makes him hilarious and heroic. The main leads are amazing onscreen from their hilarious bickering to deeply touching moments. Some of their kisses in later episodes will make you blush and flutter your heart with their chemistry. My only complaints about this show are that there aren’t more episodes and the entire show can’t just be only the two of them on screen. I know the latter is unrealistic but that’s how much I love this OTP.

This show asks some touching and deep questions about God and why bad things happen to good people. The journeys the main characters take to find those answers will make you weep and touch your heart as well as tickle your funny bone. You will not regret investing your time and heart into this show.

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Proceed with caution, if that makes sense.

'The Penthouse' is an SBS drama series which has been planned to have a total of 3 seasons. The show focuses on the lives of high society people who live in a luxurious apartment named the 'Hera Palace'. They'd do anything to protect their social status-- even if it means that they have to kill someone.

3 seasons feel like a big stretch while the 1st season itself has 21 episodes. So, should you buckle up and watch 3 whole seasons of this show? Is it all worth it?

Firstly, let's talk about the plot. The first season of The Penthouse focuses on a murder mystery, a revenge plot and introduces its variety of characters to the viewers. A good revenge plot and a murder mystery is fun to watch, but does this show fall into the 'well-done' category? If you think logic and basic sense of knowledge, this show's plot lacks at that. Many conflicts made in the show would be quickly solved only if the writer had applied more common sense and logic to the story. However, the frequent plot twists and unpredictable situations definitely makes up for it. On the other hand, let's talk about the characters. Where do I even get started? The Penthouse sounds similar to the hit 2018 drama Sky Castle in many aspects. However, the characters of The Penthouse draw a big line. One moment you'd think one character in The Penthouse couldn't get worse, and then BOOM, the character turns out to be a whole lot more worse and just insane at one point. Most of The Penthouse characters don't have much sense of morality and they have very little humanity in them. One thing you need to acknowledge, is that no character in this show truly have a development or redemption. Is that a bad thing, you may think? Well, it depends on what kind of a viewer you are. Now you might also be thinking that how will you be able to watch something with 21 episodes where 9 out of 10 characters on an average are despicable? The evil characters and their insane actions make this show unpredictable, crazy and extremely addicting. You'll undoubtedly be hooked to it despite of the hatred it'll make you feel. This drama, in short, is an intense and over-exaggerated 'makjang' (soap opera), that is one of the most dramatic shows you'll get to watch. I believe anyone will finds themselves totally engrossed into the show-- as long as you don't take it too seriously.

Finally, about the acting. Many people will have issues with the acting and I have to admit, it is quite over-the-top at times. There's a whole lot of screaming, crying, throwing tantrums (or basically breaking stuff), shooting lazers from the eyes and a lot of... opera? I personally believe the acting style was pretty good and suited the plot well, and if I had to do a special mention, it'd be Kim So Yeon, who plays the role of Cheon Seo Jin. Her character is crazy, ruthless and one of the worst. And while Kim So Yeon's acting is also over-exaggerated, her overall performance was brilliant. The rest of the cast was great too, indeed.

For the music, I'd say it wasn't anything outstanding but it did the work pretty well. The scores they had suited the scenes perfectly and helped to set the dramatic mood much further. It would've done better for the show commercially if they had a memorable OST like the ones in 'Sky Castle' and 'The World of The Married'.

Overall, my rating for the first season of 'The Penthouse' is a good ol' 8 out of 10. 8 is a quite high score for me, so do I recommend this show? I do recommend. But, I personally believe it depends on what sort of viewer you are, as I mentioned earlier. You will either love and embrace the insanity of this show or you will not be able to tolerate it more than the first 3 episodes. But in the end, the question remains, is it worth for 3 seasons? That also depends on you but I personally doubt I'll be continuing. But then again, I might change my mind in the future when I'm in need of 100x stress and high blood pressure for no reason because I like pain :'). Thanks a lot for reading this excessively large and spoiler-free review, if anyone did read it and find it helpful!

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Gaksital is what happens when you put together an amazing storyline with complex characters, excellent actors, epic cliffhangers, and breathtaking music.

Gaksital’s genre is not a genre I’m usually inclined to, but I was immediately captivated when I first read about its synopsis. At that time, I knew this drama was going to be phenomenal, and I was right. I started watching it as soon as it aired, and I never looked back. Gaksital made every single week of its run memorable for me. I don’t think I could ever forget the mental and emotional memories this drama has given me. It gave me so many feelings that I don’t think I know which is which anymore.

What made this drama so intense was the conflict between the two male leads. Kangto and Shunji defined Gaksital. They were the heart of the show, and I don’t think this drama would have been that successful without those two. Joo Won and Park Ki Woong definitely deserve some awards for their outstanding portrayals of these intricate characters.

Action-packed and beautifully written, Gaksital is a once in a lifetime drama that would surely strike one’s heart.

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