Reviews

The biggest plot twist ever in history...continue reading to find out!!!!!!

Story: (SPOILER)
It starts out with the physician and his assistant visiting the King's chamber. The next day, news broke out that the King is gravely ill, upon hearing the news CP Lee Chang decides to visit to see his father. Upon getting there, the Queen forbids him from seeing him and tells him that if he catches the flu who would be the nation's next King. He later sneaks into the chamber and discovered something gruesome; a shadow-like a beast follows by a foul stench and the smell of blood that could not be described. The thin paper bamboo door suddenly slides open with the guards outside questioning him why he is there. He follows with that there is a beast in the chamber and proceeds to persuade everyone. The head guard tells him there is no such thing and that it must be the tiredness. CP heads on to see his father, but again failed to meet as he was stopped by an official. CP tells about the sighting of the beast and to his amused the official replied back with saying he's seen it too, a son who pretends to be concern about his father but really he wants to see his father dead so he can guarantee his safety to the throne was the monster he has seen (referring to the prince). CP is escorted back and finds out that the last physician to see his father lives in Dongnae and so the journey to see the physician embarks. The next morning, all the official gets together to plot a scheme to kill the CP, and so he was going to be arrested for treason. Meanwhile at Jiyulheon, as the physician returns with the dead body of his assistant, those who was close to the boy was confused and lost about how he had died. Seo Bi, a woman who's also a physician returns from her daily findings of herbs to see all the sick patients happily eating. Confused as there is shortage on food and nothing to eat she rushes to the kitchen and sees this guy (honestly I can't remember his name or did he even have a name, can someone confirm with me cause I really can't remember/ gonna call him GUY1) Seo Bi asked him where he got the food from and he tells her that he hunted a deer. Pleased that everyone gets to eat meat, she was asked to refill another bowl of delicious meat soup and so she proceeds to do so to find out it wasn't a deer. The soup was made from a dead body. Shooketh, not shocked but shooketh, because I was shooketh too, she confronts GUY1 about it, meanwhile, the start of the epidemic starts to happen. CP and his trusted body guard arrives to see the place locked up from the inside and looking like a mess. They get inside and discover the bodies of the dead and sends them to the magistrate. When all hope was lost guys, GUY1 & Seo Bi did not die, yes they did not die and is friggen alive. CP and body guard finds Seo Bi in the mountain looking for a herb that can cure the dead, she finds out that the body has been moved to the magistrate and tells them that the bodies are not dead. They were literally like girl what you on about, but she keeps insisting them that the body will start to rise at night. CP slowing believing her asked her if the creature has a foul stench and blood smells and she said yes, and with this, it proves the theory CP has. CP sends his bodyguard and seo bi to the magistrate to check out what's happening. Seo Bi and GUY1 starts explaining about what the bodies do but no one believed them and they both end up in the jail. As night fall, the bodies starts to become alive and the village becomes the walking dead. The epidemic starts to spread and at this point in time, everyone finds out about the CP. This is basically the story, the CP ends up helping the people and everyone ends up at this city call Sangju, there with the help of his former teacher and his people, they start to build forts and trenches and traps to kill the zombies. As this was unfolding Seo Bi discovers the herb that can cure the epidemic. Back to the traps, they waited all night and nothing showed up, relieved they killed off the fire and everyone was ready to go and rest...and then...as the CP looked into the distance, a disturbance in the wood had set off the bird and the ground was trembling and trees was literally shaking!!!!! Seo Bi hears something and turns around to see that there are the zombies standing behind them,- you can see it in the reflection of the water...BIGGEST FRIGGEN PLOT TWIST she realises that they do not rise during the night but to the temperature, yes temperature. THE END. Another plot twist, the Queen is not pregnant, repeat she is not pregnant. & now the wait for season 2. I literally watched this when I found out it was on netflix via IG and I literally stopped watching my current drama because I was that excited to see it. I can't even explain it lmao, but like each episodes had it's own feels like my siblings and I we were so into it that like we commentate the whole series cause we didn't want bad things to happen t the good people and we were rooting for the bads to get eaten by the zombies. haha. But check it out.

Acting/Cast:
It was soooooo good, like props to everyone who has to run like that like yalls MVP of the year already.

Rewatch:
I would definitely rewatch this and rewatch it when season 2 comes out.

Overall:
Everyone has to watch it like its sooo good, like I could not find any fault with it. Like its amazing. Shoutout to NETFLIX for being MVP and subbing this.

Leggi di Più

Overrated

I feel compelled to write a review for Goblin because I'm finding all the perfect 10s to be misleading and, if I can be honest, completely confounding. Let me first say the best thing about Goblin is the acting. The cast is fantastic. The worst is the age gap. I know most people talk about the age of the actors; however, the issue to those of us that have a problem with the age isn't the actors, it's the characters. The lead female character is a 19 year old girl. The lead male (taking out the fantasy of his living 938 years) is a grown man who appears almost 40. Personally, I find that the Korean's have been dancing too close to the line in the young girls with adult men in dramas for at least a year now and I'm not a fan. They're more daddy issue characters.

There are many times when the relationship between the 2 leads are most like Father & daughter. She speaks to him like a father figure. And he speaks to her as a child. It's off putting when it becomes clear that he has fallen for this high school girl. Part of me believes the part of Kim Shin (the Goblin) was written for a younger man. Considering the life expectancy of the period and his postion, in his late 30s he should have had a wife (and concubines I would guess) and children. I think the character should have been at least 10 years younger (again the 900 years undead aside). The romance of the leads just did not work for me on any level. Conversely, the romance between the supports is a completely different story. It was endearing and very moving. I rooted for them.

The writing was inconsistent. It was great in some parts and just passable in others. Toward the end it almost turned into melodramatic schlock. Goblin works best as a bromance. The scenes between Goblin, Reaper(s), and the male humans were precious golden nuggets to hold onto until the next time 2 or 3 of them were in a scene together. Had the writers held on to that chemistry and nourished it, Goblin would have been much better.

Leggi di Più

When karma slaps back.

Blossom (九重紫) stands out in a year where too many highly anticipated period costume dramas implode and self destruct pass the mid-point. This is short drama director Zheng Jingjie's debut long form drama where he once again compels with his brand of immersive storytelling. This drama avoids naming the dynasty as the narrative takes liberties with history and is quite critical of the emperor but it should be loosely set in mid-Ming dynasty, during the reign of the Chenghua emperor. The rebirth premise is straightforward and the business and palace conspiracy plot arcs while often done, are transformed by innovative takes on tired themes, a masterful build up in tension, suspense and relief and brisk pacing overall. There is nothing really that special about the plot or the acting, it is once again mostly about this director's captivating camera language and narrative panache that turned multiple low budget short dramas into memorable mini hits that punch above their production values. His foray into long form dramas should hopefully shake up the complacent and lazy storytelling characteristic of the well established long form directors.

Dou Zhao is the capable, long suffering wife of Wei Tingyu, the profligate Marquis of Jining. She chooses the cold and snowy night that vengeful butcher general Song Mo helps Prince Qing depose the crown prince and seize the throne, to dump her husband's sloppy ass. As she flees the capital, she is rescued by an injured Song Mo and they take refuge at the temple of a mysterious monk Yuantong. Cornered and betrayed, they fall into an abyss through time and space, inextricably bound through Yuantong's cryptic book of divination. Dou Zhao wakes up as if from a dream, as a young girl again, clutching the prophetic book like a lifeline. She is immediately thrust into one of the turning points in her life, where she painfully learns that forewarned is not necessarily forearmed. Nonetheless, she determinedly sets out to get it right this time around; to make herself financially independent and to avoid her past disastrous marriage. One of the story's strengths is that when karma slaps back, jeopardy is at play and Dou Zhao's book of riddles is far from a roadmap of the future. As the ripple effects of the changes she makes snowball, her world increasingly deviates from the past and the path ahead is murky and no less treacherous.

As for Song Mo, he has the hero halo and is the total package as far as physical appearances go but that is about it. As it turns out, his impressive muscles extend all the way up between his ears. This is an all bravado, all heart, kind of character that allows his rage and impulses to dictate his actions. As Ji Yong mockingly points out over and over again, he is a mantis with little insight or awareness even of who is moving the chess pieces around him and is easily manipulated into being someone else's pawn. His reckless, selfish and misguided quest for justice for one person, puts the wrong person on the throne and upsets the order of the universe, resulting in injustice for many people. So much so that 閻王/Yanwang the King of Hell himself must have rejected him and sent him back for a reboot. He does not get smarter, he is simply Dou Zhao's pawn the second time around and not the chess player. She is the inner voice of caution he does not possess that saves him time and again from his worst instincts. Dou Zhao's mature styling gives her gravitas as a business woman but it also makes her look visibly older than Song Mo. Leaving a few grey streaks in his hair may have negated this impression somewhat. Needless to say, even though I enjoyed the plot, I am lukewarm about this kind of CP and was not bowled over by their romance or chemistry. In fact, I find Dou Zhao has better chemistry with Ji Yong, who is her intellectual equal and her soul mate and confidante. But yeah, I get it, I'd probably also pick the hot general over the chess grandmaster. Being shallow is so much more fun!

The cast in this drama are all up and coming actors whose acting skills are still works in progress. Nonetheless, this director is accustomed to working with C-grade actors and adroitly papers over all their flaws with his brilliant visual narrative style. The best decision this production made was to invest in good voice actors that were able to give definition to all the roles that mattered. This is a case study for how in some cases, it is better not to rely on original voice. While I always like the storytelling approach of making certain supporting roles main characters of their own arcs, this was hit or miss in terms of execution. I enjoyed Wei Tingyu and Dou Ming's sub-plot best, but both characters did not get an ending they deserved. This was so that a tropey villain like Wei Xingyue got her own super unoriginal and overly melodramatic arc. It was a race to the bottom with the completely ridiculous and boring Song Han and Miao Ansu arc, which highlights the two most atrociously bad actors in the cast. There are more interesting character stories played by more charismatic actors including Chen Jia and Zhao Zhangru, Gu Yu and Wu Shan that they could be better explored. I really enjoyed Gu Yu and hope to see more of this very humorous and charming young actor Fu Weilun. Unlike Dou Zhao who has Ji Yong, Song Mo doesn't have a really good sidekick and Gu Yu could have been better utilised in this capacity. While there is no shortage of petty and not so original villain archetypes, this story lacks a really good villain with a compelling motive. The only ones that had real mastermind potential got whitewashed in the finale to deliver one twist too many.

Despite a few arcs that could have been better, a few missed opportunities, some sloppy logic and messy edits, the story finishes strongly at the plot climax and ends in a satisfying way. It is a very solid production that made the best of its limited resources. It got noticed and won well deserved praises not only because it is truly quite good but because so many other dramas with superior resources ended up bombing out so badly in 2024. As someone who was long ago bored with the romance genre, I enjoyed this enough to rate it 8.5/10.0

Leggi di Più

Brilliant drama, absolutely a gold medal winning series of 2017! It captured my heart right from the beginning and held the strong feelings inside right until the very last episode!

It's one of those dramas that is filled with emotion. Showing the real and quite awful education system in South Korea, the realness factor was why I became interested in watching. Of course, I have to mention the other "School" series but unfortunately, I can't compare any them to this drama, since this is my first "School" series that I've watched. Nevertheless, the actors really put on a great show! As far as I know, the majority of them are amateurs in acting, I just have to give them cool points. Furthermore, the characters were relatable, totally "best friend" and "best couple" goals! After each and every episode, I had to tell my friends what kind of a great drama this is. Not only does it make you feel kinda cool, brave and happy after watching it, but also concerned and shocked about some of the school related things. To add, the music made a hugely positive impact. The OST is very fitting and there are a couple songs that piqued my interest.

A wonderful drama for back to school or to reminisce the good old high school days. This drama will take you on a diverse emotion trip and leave you feeling chilled! Definitely re-watching it after I complete the other "School" series!

Leggi di Più

Yangyang Shines in The Immortal Ascension

okay, well, i'm sorry before-hand, but i only know and here for YANGYANG in this drama, so this review is gonna be me simping over him throughout cause he is just fantastic in the drama. Firstly, Yangyang delivers a captivating performance in the ongoing C-drama *The Immortal Ascension*, effortlessly embodying the complex duality of strength and vulnerability in his character. His on-screen presence is magnetic, blending stoic elegance with emotional depth, making every scene he’s in unforgettable. I am especially praising his intense fight sequences and the nuanced way he portrays his character’s internal struggle with destiny and morality. With each episode, Yangyang proves he’s not just a visual standout but a truly versatile actor carrying the emotional weight of this xianxia epic.
Overall, As The Immortal Ascension continues to unfold, Yangyang's performance remains a highlight, drawing me and everyone watching or gonna watch deeper into the mystical world of cultivation and sacrifice. With his compelling portrayal and undeniable charisma, he’s not just winning battles on screen—he’s winning hearts off screen too. I can’t wait to see where his journey takes him next. I LOVE YOU YANGYANG

Leggi di Più

The Beauty Trap: She Came, He Saw, and She Conquered

Prisoner of Beauty is an enemies-to-lovers romance set in a fictional world loosely inspired by the Three Kingdoms period. Despite a misleadingly serious start, this is best enjoyed as a romantic comedy—and a playful parody of both the era and The Beauty Trap (Měirén Jì 美人计) from the Thirty-Six Stratagems.

Yanzhou is in crisis. Fourteen years ago, to save themselves the Qiaos betrayed their alliance with the Weis with devastating losses for the Wei clan. Now the fierce young warlord Wei Shou has come of age —and he’s out for blood. Facing certain annihilation, the cunning (and cowardly) Qiaos do what anyone would do: they sacrificed a virgin. But not just any virgin—a jaw-droppingly beautiful one! Which couldn't work better when the male lead is Liu Yuning, who is a natural at jaw dropping. In short, she came, he saw and she conquered.

Jokes aside, romance fans will find plenty to gush about. Song Zu'er inhabits her character Manman; wrapping Wei Shao around her fingers while she quietly manipulates events in her clan's favor. Liu Yuning and Song Zu'er share a magnetic chemistry and their slow burn romance builds their tension into swoon-worthy passionate moments. Wei Shao is smitten at first sight and poses no real threat yet Manman treads carefully, speaking softly while wielding a hidden stick . Her presence divides his household: the women resent her and a close brother covets her. Wei Shao is quickly reduced to a love-struck fool.

Unfortunately, this is where the story stumbles. Wei Shao’s guard drops too fast, leaving him out of sync with Manman, who remains focused on her political mission. Their relationship is tested by petty domestic squabbles rather than high-stakes conflicts, and the political intrigue promised early on fizzles into comedic detours. The narrative meanders through farcical subplots—some amusing, some recycled (Deng Ke outright plagiarizes himself with a routine from My Heroic Husband)—before abruptly rushing toward a bloody, uneven finale.

Still, the drama shines in its character arcs. Manman and Daqiao are opposite characters in terms of world views. Their confrontation is one of the most thought-provoking scenes in the series. Wei Yan (Liu Duanduan’s best role to date) is a fascinating, tormented wildcard, impossible to predict. He compelled to me to root for him and I was repeatedly gripped with dread that he would do the wrong thing. While Liu Yuning delivers a charismatic performance, I wish like Wei Yan, Wei Shao had been written with more skepticism and depth especially with respect to the evolution of his feelings for Manman. The excellent supporting cast elevates the material, particularly Wu Haochen’s hilariously nuanced Wei Qu and Wei Zixin’s dryly witty Gongsun Yang.

The biggest flaw? There’s no real plot. After a strong start, the story devolves into comedy and one increasingly absurd sub-plot after another. There are powerful villains but none of them are cunning enough to pose a credible threat in this story (the best one dies by slow slicing in Episode 1). After that, all we get are repetitive scheming by uninteresting, cartoonish villains who seek power for the sake of being powerful. Our "brilliant" lead repeatedly allows the main antagonist, a vain and shallow creature to escape to force the completely unnecessary ending bloodbath. The ending, while packed with smoking hot romantic fan service, feels rushed and littered with plot holes.

Yet, thanks to its stellar cast and addictive romance, Prisoner of Beauty earns a 8.0/10. It’s a flawed but entertaining parody of Three Kingdoms tropes—perfect for viewers who enjoy romance and comedy over complex political plots. Just expect more Romance than Three Kingdoms with few stratagems beyond The Beauty Trap.

Leggi di Più

Highly overrated

I have to preface this by saying one thing - I like both Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan and I’ve watched several of their shows. This is the show I couldn’t like either of them in.

I didn’t intend to watch this show at all- the premise and trailer didn’t interest me, but I thought I would give it a shot anyway. Even though there was an uncomfortable age difference between the characters (not generally, but just because she’s a minor at the beginning), I thought the first 9 episodes were handled pretty well. There were some sweet moments and the episodic nature of the show made it look a bit like a story about growing up.

Till about ep 14, the show was still kind of sweet and funny. It’s after ep 15 that I found this absolutely juvenile and boring. I know most of the comments here will praise the “love story” and so on and how great these characters are, but I actually couldn’t root for the couple at all. From ep 15 to the end I was hoping it would get better but it never did. It was like the writer put some effort into assuaging fears of the story seeming creepy in the beginning when Sang Zhi was young, but once she was “older” all of those efforts went out the window.

My main issues:

When did Jiaxu fall in love? For someone who had been through a bunch of trauma and had a difficult family situation, he has no hesitation or thought about getting into a relationship with Sang Zhi. I didn’t like how CZY played Jiaxu as a cocky, overconfident guy (I’m guessing that’s what the script required him to do). It seemed like such a bizarre decision. We are told that he somehow blames himself for what his family got into (the accident and all that)- at least that’s what we hear Sang Zhi saying- but we never see it from Jiaxu. He has no trauma that we can grasp - his father gets shown only twice in the drama. Once when he’s about to pass away. This is where we learn that Jiaxu doesn’t drink because of the accident his dad caused. None of these traumatic events are even touched upon until the story demands them to be there. Without them it would make no difference. Instead this trauma should have been a big reason for Jiaxu to hesitate or to believe that he’s worthy of being loved.

The other issue- Zhao Lusi playing a 19 year old like she’s 13. Initially when ZLS was playing a 17 year old like a kid, I accepted it. I thought it was cute and endearing in a way. But when she’s a supposed adult, she continues talking in a baby voice. I don’t see the difference between this version and the younger one. It became rather annoying after a while.

I also don’t understand why they cast a 10 year old kid to play 14 year old SZ. With all the comments about grooming and all that going on, you think the makers of this drama would’ve been extra careful. Instead, this didn’t help the case.

The love story did absolutely nothing for me. We are somehow supposed to believe that these two have an amazing love shared between them. They never have deep conversations about things like a real couple would. Instead there are just lots of kissing scenes inserted randomly. Where are the long and deep conversations? Where is the friendship and banter in a relationship? For two supposedly smart people, they surely don’t have any smart, intelligent conversations.

I think all of these are easy fixes. Firstly, SZ and DJX could’ve met once again probably 8 years after she gives up her crush on him. At this time having both of them as working adults, having meaningful lives outside each other would have been interesting. From a slow friendship it could’ve eventually grown into love. This would’ve been much better as currently there’s no friendship stage on this show. They go from “you’re my brother/sister” to “I want to woo you” within one episode.

The supporting characters could’ve been interesting and could’ve had their own stories but their lives mostly revolve around the leads. I liked SZ’s brother the most but even he doesn’t get as much to do outside the leads.

This show is just so disappointing. It’s not a horrible show by any means- the beginning was rather nice- but it is so superficial and lacks any depth. I’m rather shocked at the immensely high ratings for a show that has nothing to say or contribute.

I’m really stumped that the rating on MDL is this high, beating out masterpieces such as Nirvana in Fire, the Untamed, etc. Actually even ZLS’s other dramas like Love Like the Galaxy and Who Rules the World are so much better. To put it into perspective, a show with a simple story - such as Reply 1988 - is so brilliant that it could do so much with the time it had. It built multiple storylines with multiple characters and everyone had their own story to tell. HL missed so many of the important elements that makes for good storytelling, so yeah, I am indeed shocked by the ratings.

EDIT:
I forgot to mention how unrealistic it is that by 24, Jiaxu has paid his father's debts and medical bills, etc, owns a really fancy car, gets a house soon after, quits his job to move to SZ's city, all in just 2 years of working. Is he a millionaire or what? Another example of the writer not having had any experience of adult life.

I also completely dislike how this drama pushes the idea of a perfect romance to very young people. SZ is only 19 when she gets into a relationship and I guess she gets married 3 years later? That’s a really terrible idea when an individual’s brain doesn’t fully develop until they’re 25. I wouldn’t have had any problems if these two were actually above 27 (ideally late 20s), but this feels like it’s telling youngsters to find “the one”’ immediately after they become legal adults.

All that said, I’m happy that Chinese dramas are getting some popularity through this show, even though in my opinion this is an average Chinese show and far from the best. However, I guess it has made some people happy and I can appreciate that.

Leggi di Più

Entertaining Plot, Annoying Leads

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I decided to watch this because people seemed to really like it and it stars Woo Do Hwan (우도환). I want to like him, but I haven’t liked him in anything I’ve seen him in so far. Maybe this drama will be the one that changes my mind.

Acting/Cast: Many familiar faces in this drama. That was nice. I can say Woo Do Hwan’s acting was better in this drama, but unfortunately his character wasn’t likable. The female lead started off alright, but she became increasingly annoying over the course of the drama. The second male lead was a decent character though. 4.5/10

Writing: I’m just not into the red flag male leads at this age. I want more green flags and healthy relationships. The constant fighting between the leads, the constant psychological abuse (the female lead is an orphan and, knowing this, the male lead repeatedly abandons her)…it was just…not cute at all. And after all the torment the male lead puts her through, she is the one that needs to repeatedly prove her love for him. By the end of the drama, I was thoroughly irritated by the whole thing and I was completely okay with the idea of the male lead dying. I wasn’t buying their chemistry as a couple. I actually thought her chemistry with the second male lead was better, although I couldn’t support their relationship either. There are also questionable things in this drama that was difficult for me to even want to watch…relationships with large age gaps…even grooming?? The humor is also very cringey to me. Instead of laughing, I’d be saying ‘wtf??’ or ‘ew…’ (for instance, the second male lead had a habit of exposing himself in public as an act of protest, as well as having scenes that insinuated that he might whip it out randomly and sexually assault someone.) The male lead’s character didn’t feel realistic. He would be a broody asshole one moment and then suddenly be super goofy and happy the next. The female lead’s character also didn’t feel authentic. After all the psychological abuse she’s endured, there’s no way she would be that cheerful. The message of the drama was lame as hell. There’s two storylines happening and both are all about the importance of bloodlines. By the end, the two leads and the second lead and his mom (all with their own issues regarding their own bloodlines) finally realize that blood isn’t what makes people family or makes people happy. Well yeah, no shit...welcome to the 21st century. So, nothing revolutionary here at all. The basic plot of the drama is actually entertaining – a guy kidnaps his ex from her wedding to have her go on a quest with him to find his biological dad before he dies, while getting chased by gangs and falling in love again – but this bloodline obsession stuff is just weak. This drama was fun when it wasn’t taking itself too seriously. 1.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: I didn’t have much complaints in this area. It’s definitely a well-produced drama, which is a big reason why it held my attention despite all the issues I had with the writing. The music is ok, but there's something that bothers me about it. They used an American song called California Dreamin'...maybe that's why? It doesn't fit? 6/10

Entertainment Value: The plot is pretty exciting, especially for the first half. The characters weren’t likeable enough for me to really care about them by the end of the drama though. Their toxic behavior becomes repetitive and annoying. The overall message was too basic to have any lasting impact on me. The toxic relationships left me feeling weird about the whole thing (especially the grooming…wtf?). 4.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 4/10. This was tough to rate. It was entertaining, well-produced, and well-acted. But there were so many things in the writing that just didn’t work for me personally and I felt like it was a waste. I can’t recommend this drama, especially to those who have been in abusive relationships (I feel this drama normalizes psychological abuse in relationships and even romanticizes it). However, it is a quick watch (only 10 episodes) and easy to binge.

Leggi di Più

I wish I could give it a higher rating, but I just can't. It started off promising, but then the story turned into a complete mess of bad story arc choices and pacing, with irrelevant side characters given way too much screen time at the expense of main characters. Also, the end makes you feel completely cheated.



The romance was... messy. It was as if the production team couldn't decide what they were trying to film-- an historical political drama, or a romance drama, and kept flip-flopping between the two. I felt like I was watching an half-arsed political drama half the time with irrelevant characters who don't contribute to Chu Qiao's storyline at all, and an underdeveloped love triangle between Chu Xiao, Yan Xun, and Yuwen Yue the other time.



The title "Legend of Chu Qiao" is pretty much a lie. There's hints at CQ having an incredibly interesting backstory, but that's shoehorned in at random times and isn't revealed until way too late, and never utilised to make an interesting story. CQ has very little agency, and the story isn't even about her bringing down the institution of slavery. It's first about her under the command of YWY, then her under the command of YX, and trying to outsmart a bunch of YWY/YX-related people want to kill her.



Her relationship with YX could've been one of the strongest emotional arcs, and while to some extent I did think it worked, it could have been much stronger. I found CQ's romance with YWY very underdeveloped and flat for the majority of the drama, although it started off okay, and got better near the end.



In terms of acting and characters, Dou Xiao (Yan Xun), Li Qin (Chun'er), and Niu Junfeng (Yuan Song) stood out to me the most. It probably helped that their characters had complete arcs, and had significantly changed from the start to the end. DX completely stole the show for me, and his portrayal of YX from a happy-go-lucky princeling to a person filled with hate was amazing. I wouldn't say CQ didn't have a character arc, but her storyline felt like one befitting a supporting character rather than the main character-- as such, I found ZLY's performance adequate, with a few great emotional scenes, but didn't wow me in the same way as DX or LQ. In the same way, I thought Lin Gengxin was watchable, but there were no real 'wow' moments for me.



Another highlight would be Deng Lun (Xiao Ce) whose foxy prince was amazing, but unfortunately, under-utilised.



The music was great, but I don't think I'll be rewatching this drama again. There's just way too much I'll have to fast-forward through.

Leggi di Più

I’ll start by saying, to some extent I almost wish I’d never found this drama. I’m at the end and it’s genuinely a painful experience. As if I will be parting with a friend and there may not be an experience like this again.

This drama was found randomly. Bored on a Saturday, haven’t touched a drama in a year, I decided to go back to my masochistic ways of torturing myself with plots I never finish. My dropped list speaks volumes. Signed on to viki, laughed at the corny name and thought this would be a parody but boy was I wrong!

This drama has wrecked everything. I have never watched a drama like this. I am the fickle and picky type who even if there’s a drama I like, interest wanes at around the ten episode mark as dramas recede to known formulas as they run out of ideas. This drama I reached episode 30 in feverish captivation, 5 AM, episode 15, forcing myself awake and splashing water on my face. At work it was blood shot eyes, yawns and excuses of not sleeping well. Not of course that a Chinese drama has taken over my life that I don’t answer phone calls.

Now that I’ve rambled, here’s the review.

This is just so expletively interesting and catered to my tastes that this drama is at this point is probably the best drama I’ve ever watched. The story at the surface is a battle for the throne but it is layered with well complemented sub plots and revelations that shook me.

The story is of a political nature and so well-crafted it’s almost disgusting. I tell you, two guys talking politics has never been so interesting. The central character of this storyline is Mei Chang Su. A brilliant and ailing strategist with a hidden agenda that unfolds throughout the story. He is the most realistic hero we’re possibly ever going to get. He’s caring but also a realist. Ready and willing to recognize that sacrifices have to be made in order to fulfill his goal. He’s adorable, arrogant, and brilliant yet also such a devastating character. He’s main goal is to make one of the prince’s the emperor, his reasons, you’ll have to watch to know.

The antagonists in this story truly elevate this plot. There will be different antagonists as this is a fight for the throne. However, each antagonist is different and just as well done as the main hero. The villains in this tale also have their own stories, their own agendas and ambitions which at times captivates you. They’re not in this story solely to antagonize the hero for some mundane reasons. There are also these emotional moments where we are forced into sympathy for some of these villains, forced to understand them and it’s frighteningly delightful.

Other than the antagonists, the supporting characters definitely brighten and add to this drama. In a lot of dramas, a lot of the supporting characters are fodder, but in this, they induce humor or simple bitter sweet moments that make you remember them. Female characters are also a bonus that is done well.

I swear if all political dramas were this well crafted, I would be a happy gal. It's the perfect blend of well thought out strategies and my gosh, when was the last time you watched a drama with a well thought out strategy? I'll start by saying none even match up to this.

To end this, I confess, I know nothing of the actors and don't really ever venture into Chinese dramas (I've held the opinion they are pretty terrible...) yet weirdly, two of my favorite historical dramas (This and Scarlet heart) have come from China.

As my name suggests, here is a picky musing that doesn't really change anything about this drama.

Passage of time – I swear winter lasted about thirty episodes even though about only half a year had passed. It’s not particularly jarring but at times, I do wonder how much time has passed as it’s somewhat ambiguous but the drama cleverly lets you know when characters interact. It’s actually brilliantly done. Simple lines like “It’s been half a year since you came to the capital.” Nonetheless, I feel like this whole drama passed in the winter, with a splice of summer but my strongest memories are the puffs of air from the characters.

I'm definitely giving this a masterpiece rating because this marks the first time I have ever watched this many episodes of any drama period. Plus, I can't think of anything significant that stopped me from enjoying this plot.

Leggi di Più

The multiverse that never was!

The drama was disappointing dive into unfinished realities. It had all the right ideas but honestly, it missed the mark in a big way. The whole concept of parallel universes and shifting timelines sounded interesting at first, but instead of exploring those alternate reality possibilities, the show spends way too much time on the love story part which didn't land well for me either.

The writing felt all over the place and by the last episode I wondered if this could just have been a university BL and worked better instead of this mess of an over-ambitious multiverse project.

The pacing of the drama was another issue for me. The first half drags with too much focus on romance, while forgetting that they introduced a subplot of parallel timelines. We barely get to see them explore that side. When the drama finally decided to dive deep , it was too late. The final episode didn't tie any lose ends for me leaving too many whys unanswered.

The chemistry between the leads doesn't save this sinking ship for me either. They had good chemistry in another project I have seen of them but here it felt sort of forced and flat. The NC scenes were good and spicy , but not enough to convince me they were lovers in each and every world if it exists.

Second couple was sweet but not enough attention and screen time was given to them to make their relationship feel genuine. The pace was way too fast leaving questions in my head as to when did they actually fall in love or started liking each other. Very random but I liked their chemistry between than the mains.

Overall, pretty disappointing because this could have been so much more. The potential was there, but it ended up feeling like a bit of a letdown, never quite figuring out what it wanted to be.

Leggi di Più

TL;DR? If time machines existed, I'd go back and stop myself from wasting 20 hours on this.

In the early weeks of this drama, this drama had so many positive comments and episode reviews, and so many of my friends kept telling me how awesome it was. It got to the point where I was dying to watch it, but I refuse to watch airing shows, so I waited. The wait brought on quite a bit of negative comments about the show, and I was really not sure what to expect when I went into watching this drama. After having watched 20 episodes, I can safely say I wasted my time with this and I want that time back!

Potential would be the word I'd use to describe this show. This show had so much potential and it squandered it horribly. I think the problem is, the writers only knew one thing - comedy. I'm not saying they knew it well, since it wasn't all that funny, but they certainly didn't know anything else well either. Not women, not spy work, not friendship, not family. All of the elements that these ambitious writers tried to bring together failed on a spectacular level.

There was ZERO chemistry between the two leads. I wanted so much to like this drama just because I loved the lead girl in Protect The Boss. But she was so wooden, so poorly written that I never once found myself caring about her. Or about the lead male. Or the second lead male. Or the parents. Or the friends. Or their coworkers. The two shining bright spots in this show would be the two trainers, Young Soon and Won Suk. They had more chemistry (as in friendship, not romantic) than any of the other characters combined, and I found that their scenes were the only ones I truly enjoyed.

Do Ha was such a laughably ridiculous character, as was Sun Mi. Why spend time making either of them characters if you are just going to change their personalities with each episode? The first several episodes was devoted to showing how hard you have to work to become a civil servant, are we then supposed to believe that that hard work to become educated enough suddenly flew out the window, leaving all of the spies with the IQ of fourth graders? This show just kept coming to an impasse, and then repeatedly took the wrong turn trying to dig itself out of the mess it had made for itself. Nothing about this show made sense. The spy work was so ridiculously bad, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the actual Korean spy network was suing them for how dumb they made spies look. Or giving them an award for it, for making anyone who watched this believe their spies couldn't find their way out of a paper bag, much less into covert operations.

I'm at the point where if a review has been overly positive or negative, I try to bring it back around and point out some things that were good or bad, depending on the tone of the review. I'd love to say something here that would illustrate some redeeming qualities this show had. There are so many good reviews up here for it already, I am sure I am going to get so many not helpful votes for this. But there isn't anything I can say that would make these 20 hours worth it. If you don't have the patience of a saint, and you can't stand story lines that make zero sense in terms of characterization, don't watch this drama. I want my 20 hours back!

Leggi di Più

Twenty Five Twenty One Alternate Ending

5 years later:
Back in New York, Yi Jin is sitting at his desk with a view of Manhattan. He stares at a beautiful rainbow and smiles thinking of Hee Do. The rainbow is a good sign. Every time a rainbow appears, he knows that Hee Do is wishing him well and erasing whatever gloom that is hanging over him. Due to his detailed reporting of the aftermath of 9/11, he was able to help locate and reunite many Korean citizens with their family. He is now a critically acclaimed news reporter. He’s excited about returning to Korea because he just accepted an offer as the anchor of a Korean news station.

Hee Do’s mom is planning to retire and asked the news station to give her position to Yi Jin. She nonchalantly delivers this news to Hee Do while stating that Yi Jin is arriving today at the airport…probably about - now. Hee Do in shock drops everything, fumbles around for her keys and rushes to the airport. She frantically scours the airport for a glimpse of Yi Jin. She spots him in a distance and raises her hand to wave and yell his name…but she sees…

Being the hot shot reporter that he is, Yi Jin brings back Samantha, his assistant. He hands her some paperwork and tells her to wait for him at the hotel. He has someone very important to see. Knowing exactly who Yi Jin meant, Samantha leans up to fix his collar to make sure he is the most presentable he can be when he reunites with the love of his life.

Hee Do sees an attractive blond woman lean up and kiss Yi Jin! Shocked, disappointed, and upset with herself for being so excited to see him after all these years, she slowly lowers her hand and leaves the airport fighting tears.

Yi Jin hails a cab and tells the cab driver to rush to an address. He sees Hee Do’s house from a distance and he sees Hee Do! He smiles and is about to run to her when a child yells, “Oma.” Hee Do wipes the tears from her own face and puts on a brave face, “Kim MinChae, how was your day?”

Sadness seeps into every part of his body. Hee Do is married and has a child! He stumbles backwards and walks away aimlessly.

It is nighttime and Hee Do puts MinChae down to sleep. MinChae asks Hee Do to tell her more stories about her dad. Hee Do tells a love story of a heroic fencer and a beautiful ballerina.

With MinChae asleep HeeDo reflects on MinChae’s parents. MinChae’s parents both passed in a tragic accident. When Yi Jin and Hee Do broke up, Hee Do almost couldn’t move on. It was Kim Eunsu and his girlfriend at the time that helped Hee Do refocus on fencing. Because they were a huge support for Hee Do, when they perished in a tragic train accident, Hee Do stepped up and adopted MinChae.

Months pass and Yi Jin has thrown himself into his work. In these months, he’s discovered that the father of MinChae is also a fencer.

“Of course. Of course she would go ahead and marry another fencer,” he thinks to himself. Jealousy made him to dig deeper into his work. He’s digging up missing files of the tragic train crash. In it he see’s the name Kim Eunsu. Yi Jin reads that Eunsu was survived by a 3 year old daughter. The timeline didn’t make sense. This puts MinChae’s birthdate to be before Yi Jin even left for New York. Everything falls into to place and Yi Jin takes off. He runs out of his office, not noticing the rain. Half way through he notices a rainbow beyond the tunnel and runs into the tunnel for shelter from the rain.

Hee Do receives a package in the mail. She carefully opens it and it’s her diary. Outside, rain pours down and hits the window panes. Not wanting to remember Yi Jin anymore, she sets her diary aside but it drops and she realizes that it’s not her handwriting. In it Yi Jin wrote about how he thought of her everyday when he was in New York and that no matter how far he falls in life, she’s always able to bring him back to a better and higher place. Hee Do tears up and grabs her umbrella to go for a walk. Halfway through her walk, the rain stops.

Yi Jin enters the tunnel soaking wet. He looks up to see Hee Do at the other end of the tunnel. They stare at each other motionless and Yi Jin makes the first move. He slowly walks to her, stopping about 2 feet away. They look into each other’s eyes and he says, “You’ve always been my rainbow.” Hee Do smiles and they stand looking at each other with the rainbow in the background.

The End.

Hope you guys like this ending.

Leggi di Più