Reviews

Heartbreaking.

Bible has once again pulled out all the stops to reveal what a great actor he is! His performance was so moving, so beautifully enacted, so deliriously loaded with emotions, it really hit you right in the feels. Heartbreaking, yet so powerful; he just nailed it. Jes, whom I am less familiar with brought his A-game as well. You could see his experience and talent oozing out of every scene, and he was fantastic too. They could tell a super powerful love story, truly affecting, within 20 minutes of screen time for both.

To me, the story is all about the love between two people - one who loved too much and one who loved too little. It was a love for which Garn was ready to give everything; he poured his heart and soul into that love until his last breath. On the other hand, Tul chose to go by the expectations of society and so he went for a wife and child. He did not repent his choice, but somewhere in his heart, he felt sorry that his love for Garn was not strong enough to match Garn's feelings.

Seriously, they both did amazing! ꨄ

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STARTER OF JOONGDUNK'S ERA

GURLLLLLLLLLL. MISS GURL. I LITERALLY HAVE NO WORDS BUT ALSO HAVE TOO MANY WORDS AT THE SAME TIME. Like… AM I ACTUALLY WATCHING A GMMTV SERIES?? BECAUSE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK????? THIS SHIT IS SO GOOD. I mean, okay, sure, there’s room for improvement, but like, tiny, microscopic, almost nonexistent room. This series just completely SLAUGHTERED anything else GMMTV has put out recently. The pacing? The cinematography? The climax? The conflict??? BRO. EVERYTHING IS ON STEROIDS. AND THE CHEMISTRY??? BITCH, Y’ALL CAN TELL ME THEY’RE JUST ACTING ALL YOU WANT BUT IN MY HEAD, THEY ARE MARRIED. IN FACT, I WASN’T EVEN A JOONGDUNK GIRLIE BEFORE. I DIDN’T CARE ABOUT THEM. BUT NOW??? NOW I AM A CONVERT. I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT. I HAVE JOINED THE CHURCH OF JOONGDUNK.

And let me tell you, the fact that they finally gave them a series with a PROPER plot instead of whatever watered-down nonsense they had before??? Like, THANK FUCKING GOD. Anyway, onto the review before I combust.

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1. Plot

When I tell you this series GRABBED ME by the throat from the very first episode… Like, the way it started off strong had me thinking, “Okay, this is good, but can they actually keep up the momentum???” AND GURL. THEY DID. AND THEY DID IT SO WELL I CHOKED.

So, we have two main pairings: JoongDunk and FirstKhaotung. JoongDunk is giving enemies to lovers, and LET ME JUST SAY—THE SEXUAL TENSION??? SO SHARP IT COULD SLICE THROUGH A FUCKING DIAMOND. I WAS SWEATING. Meanwhile, FirstKhaotung is more of a “we like each other but let’s be dramatic about it” situation, and while it was cute, my brain was still looping back to JoongDunk’s tension every five seconds. SORRY NOT SORRY.

Plot-wise, we have Fadel and Bison, two hitmen working for some big boss they call ‘Mother,’ whose job is basically to kill bad people. One day, Bison meets Kant (while playing bowling of all things) and they have a one-night stand that turns into something real. BUT OF COURSE, Fadel, the king of cockblocking, is NOT HAVING IT. Enter Style, Kant’s friend, and suddenly we have a love square where everyone is either in danger or horny (or both). The conflicts just keep evolving, and honestly? That’s what keeps this series so addictive.

The pacing is chef’s kiss—not too fast, not too slow, just enough to make me DESPERATE for the next episode. ALSO, THE OUTFITS??? HELLO??? GIVE THE STYLIST A RAISE. I WAS LIVING FOR EVERY SINGLE LOOK. (STYLE, I SEE U). But let’s talk about the real elephant in the room. THE MASTURBATION SCENE. HELLO??????? UM?????????? I AM STILL SCREAMING.

A) JOONG? SEXY AS FUCK.
B) DUNK? SEXY AS FUCK.
C) VISUAL COUPLE ON MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE.

The vibes were kinda Only Friends but with better execution and a plot that actually makes sense. The only thing I wasn’t fully gagging over? Some of Joong’s action scenes were a little too… chill. Bro, YOU’RE A HITMAN. WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE YOU’RE WAITING FOR THE STUNTMAN TO GIVE YOU A SIGN??? Just a little more sharpness, a little more BAM POW, and it would’ve been perfect. ALSO. Kant’s fear of the ocean?? I NEEDED MORE. WHERE ARE THE TEARS? WHERE IS THE FULL MELTDOWN? I NEEDED BISON TO HOLD HIS HAND AND HAVE A FULL “I GOT YOU BABY” MOMENT. LIKE HELLO, MISSED OPPORTUNITY.

AND ANOTHER THING. I KNEW Ruerat WASN’T THE KILLER. I JUST KNEW IT. LILY WAS LOOKING SUS FROM THE SECOND SHE STEPPED ON SCREEN. And when she got arrested??? THAT SCENE WAS TOO RUSHED. WHERE WAS THE STRUGGLE? THE DRAMA?? HOMEGIRL JUST WENT “oh no, u got me” AND THAT WAS IT. EXCUSE ME???

BUT LISTEN. The burger scene??? Fadel and Style having their last meal together before 5 years of pain??? STYLE WIPING FADEL’S LIPS????? OH, BITCH, I WAS WEEPING. And for a hot second, I really thought they were about to go full Bonnie & Clyde and commit a crime just so they could be with their boyfriends in jail, BUT NO. Kant had to be all smart and rational and turn them into prison teachers instead. I MEAN, SLAY.

Side note: I wish Keen got more screen time. GIVE THIS MAN MORE TO WORK WITH. His whole deal with the siblings could’ve had so much more juice to it, but nope. Wasted potential.

The ending??? I LOVED IT. No spoilers, but trust me, it’s satisfying. They basically have to rebuild their lives from scratch, but these men are talented as fuck, so I have zero doubts they’ll be fine. ALSO, CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE CINEMATOGRAPHY??? That one scene of Style drinking at the pool while complaining about Fadel? LOOKED LIKE A WHOLE ASS ART PIECE. THE COLORS. THE CAMERA ANGLE. PERFECTION.

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2. Characters

- Fadel (Joong) – Okay, listen. I already knew Joong was a solid actor, but THIS??? THIS IS HIS BEST PERFORMANCE YET. I’M NOT EVEN JOKING. THE RANGE. THE DEPTH. THE SUBTLETY. Fadel is a character that could’ve easily fallen into the “broody, emotionless hitman” trope, but Joong understood the assignment. The micro-expressions? The way his voice would get slightly softer around Bison? THE POSSESSIVENESS? FUCKING INSANE. And his fighting scenes? OKAY, SOME WERE A LITTLE TOO CHILL, BUT OVERALL, HE ATE. And let’s be real… THE WAY HE LOOKED AT STYLE LIKE HE WANTED TO DEVOUR HIM. HELP. I felt the jealousy. I felt the internal struggle. Fadel looks clingy and cute as fuck when he is with Style after 5 years in prison got me like 👅. Fadel is becoming emotionally unstable because he starting to get clingy with Style LOL. AND THE AFTERGLOW SCENE????? MOTHERFUCKER WAS ON HIS ACTING GRIND. This man went from emotionally constipated to head over heels and DID IT SO SMOOTHLY. I AM BOWING. I AM KNEELING.

- Style (Dunk) – DUNK. SIR. I AM SO SORRY FOR EVER DOUBTING YOU. The way this man has EVOLVED AS AN ACTOR??? BITCH. Style is literally a menace in the best way possible. This man is the DEFINITION of power bottom energy. I MEAN, HE WORE A CROP TOP, HAD A COCKY LITTLE SMIRK, AND GIGGLED AFTER FLIRTING??? LIKE, HELLO, OFFICER??? I NEED TO REPORT A CRIME. AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT HIS CHEMISTRY WITH FADEL??? STYLE WOULD LITERALLY TEASE THIS MAN TO THE BRINK OF INSANITY AND THEN JUST SMILE ABOUT IT. I KNOW FADEL WANTED TO STRANGLE HIM (OR MAYBE SOMETHING ELSE… 👀). BUT THEN. OH, BUT THEN. When Style started actually catching feelings??? I WAS DONE. THE WAY HE BECAME SOFT FOR FADEL?? CAN WE ALSO TALK HOW HE DIDNT PULL AWAY FROM JOONG'S KISSES? THANK YOU, SIR.

- Kant (First) – OKAY. HERE'S THE THING. Kant is sweet. He’s solid. He’s the guy you wanna bring home to your parents. BUT. HE WAS MISSING SPICE. LIKE, WHERE IS THE DRAMA??? WHERE IS THE INTENSITY?? I NEEDED MORE FROM HIM. But other than that, First still did a great job. And let’s be honest, Chubby First was the best decision they ever made. HE LOOKED SO SOFT I WANTED TO HUG HIM. I think its because he works out so he need to eat more protein.

- Bison (Khaotung) – I AM EATING MY WORDS BECAUSE I REALLY THOUGHT HE WAS GONNA BE MID, BUT NOPE. HE WAS SERVING. He had this playful, unhinged energy that just worked with Kant’s more reserved personality. AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE WAY HE LOOKED AT KANT??? THIS MAN WAS IN LOVE. LITERALLY BECAUSE HS IS SO ADORABLE. IM TALKING ABOUT BISON HERE AND NOT KHAOTUNG. OKAY MAYBE I DID TALK ABOUT BOTH OF THEM. LOL. Anyway, Character development? LOVE IT. After 5 years, Bison is more stable now. He is more rational than Fadel ( WEIRD I KNOW ) and trust Kant fully as their relationship grows.

- Keen (Pepper) – NOT ME LICKING MY SCREEN EVERYTIME PEPPER ON THE SCREEN. I’M SORRY BUT THAT NEEDED TO BE SAID FIRST. His character??? FULL OF POTENTIAL. WASTED. UNDERUSED. LIKE, THIS MAN WAS DEALING WITH FAMILY DRAMA, BETRAYAL, AND HIS ENTIRE LIFE FALLING APART—WHY DIDN’T WE GET MORE OF HIS STORYLINE??? WHY WAS HE JUST THERE??? GIVE HIM MORE EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWNS. GIVE HIM A REDEMPTION ARC. GIVE HIM SOMETHING.

Babe (Ken) – Listen. I try to be nice. But I HAVE to be real. Ken’s acting was STIFF. Babe was probably the weakest link in the entire show, and it hurts because his storyline could have been interesting. But every time he spoke, I was like… “Sir… do you even believe what you’re saying???” No emotion, no conviction, just vibes. And not the good kind. NEXT.

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3. OST

OST? YAAAAASSSS OMGGGG FIT THE VIBE FR. I love the OST SO MUCH. I just know if the series have Khaotung, I just know the song is lit as fuck. AND LET ME TELL YOU. ALL THE SONGS THEY USE IN THIS SERIES ARE LIT AS FUCK. LIKE none of them actually boring ????? I AM SHOOKETH ????? I still cant move on from dancing scene cause the song is lit. AND THE INTRO is nice as fuck! Bro the concept? YESS!!! They dont even require much videos and only some pictures as the intro. Love it! THE CHOICE OF SONGS ARE GOOD LIKE UM HELLO???? NOT ME DOWNLOADING ALL SONGS TO BE ADDED INTO MY SPOTIFY PLAYLIST.

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4. Chemistry

WHEN I TELL YOU THE CHEMISTRY IN THIS SERIES IS NEXT-LEVEL, I AM NOT EXAGGERATING. THIS SHIT FELT REAL. LIKE, I WASN’T JUST WATCHING A BL—I WAS WATCHING TWO ACTUAL PEOPLE FALLING IN LOVE IN REAL TIME. THE EMOTIONS? RAW. THE CONNECTION? UNDENIABLE. THE TENSION? ELECTRIC.

And let’s be honest… JoongDunk is THE main pairing here. FirstKhaotung?? LOVE THEM TO DEATH, but they were major support characters for JoongDunk’s story. That being said… FirstKhaotung was TOO DAMN CUTE, I ALMOST DIED. LIKE, WHO ALLOWED THEM TO BE THIS ADORABLE? THE DANCE SCENE??? I HAD TO PAUSE, TAKE A DEEP BREATH, AND COME BACK BECAUSE IT WAS TOO MUCH FOR MY HEART TO HANDLE.

NOW. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE JAIL SCENE. I AM ACTUALLY FOAMING AT THE MOUTH. THE KISS. THE TOUCHING. THE HEAVY BREATHING. MY MEOW WAS MEOWING. MY SKIN FELT ELECTRIC. MY BRAIN SHORT-CIRCUITED. LIKE, THAT WASN’T JUST A KISS, THAT WAS A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE. I SWEAR I SAW FIREWORKS EXPLODE INSIDE MY HEAD.

Now, onto the sex scenes… OH, BABY. FirstKhaotung got the good stuff. The choreography, the pacing, the eye contact—it was all there. BUT. JoongDunk’s scene??? It NEEDED MORE. Like, don’t get me wrong, the kisses were PERFECT—desperate, passionate, messy, full French action. BUT THE ACTUAL STEAM SCENE? IT FELT TOO SHORT. WE HAD ALL THIS INSANE, HIGH-BUILT-UP TENSION, AND THEN BOOM. IT WAS OVER TOO FAST. WHERE WERE THE GASPS? THE MOANS? THE LINGERING TOUCHES? I NEEDED MORE. I DESERVED MORE.

That being said… was it still good? YES. YES. AND YES. But would I have sold my soul for an extra five minutes of intense, breathless, emotionally wrecking realness? ALSO YES.
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5. Overall

Alright, let’s be real. This is a SOLID 9/10. There are tiny things here and there that could be improved, but honestly? NOTHING CRUCIAL. The chemistry alone makes up for everything. The emotions? The storytelling? The visuals? CHEF’S KISS.

And let me remind y’all I DO NOT REWATCH SERIES UNLESS THEY’RE GOOD. Like, I physically cannot sit through the same thing twice unless it’s THAT level of addicting. AND THIS? OH, IT’S THAT SERIES. I WILL 100% BE REWATCHING.

Now, onto the important questions:
Would I rewatch? YES.
Would I sell my soul for a Season 2? ABSOLUTELY.
Would I commit a crime just to make JoongDunk do another series like this? No comment.

FINAL RATING: 9/10. A MASTERPIECE.

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Awful script-writing and character development

To start off with a positive, the two main actors had great chemistry and their acting carried the entire show. Intimate scenes were done well but they were often very abrupt and I had trouble understanding the characters' thoughts or intentions most of the time leading up to these scenes. In particular, the character of First (played by Folk Jakrin Sangruan). First's character showed no development throughout despite meaningful talks with the acting teacher - he continued to treat Play (played by Gameplay Garnpaphon Laolerkiat) meanly with an excuse of 'teasing him because his reactions are cute' and I'm not entirely sure how that led to them getting together, nor do I understand First's feelings towards Play.

The supporting characters added nothing to the plot and I ended up skipping all of the random side story parts as I really couldn't care less about Penelope... The love triangle was mostly unnecessary other than to give First a shove in the right direction and they should have allocated more time to focus on the two main characters and the development of feelings between them. It felt like their relationship kept going from 0 to 100 and then all the way back down to 0 again.

I only finished this since it was short, wouldn't recommend unless you have nothing else to watch.

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Another overhyped netflix drama with no substance.

It's basically a take on all annoying cliches from the kdrama world - chaebol guy with a traumatic family childhood meets a lively, poor girl who turns his whole world upside down. Plus, there's the chaebol's family going against the relationship (what a surprise). An annoying love triangle exists too.

If you're like me, an avid long time Kdrama fan who's fed up with these cliches, you really should avoid this drama if you don't want to feel annoyed. I always crave for dramas that are realistic and relatable, and sadly this isn't one of them.

A lot of people also mention the chemistry between the leads as their favorite, but honestly, I didn't feel any spark at all. The acting was also too bad. The male lead was trying too hard to replicate the main lead in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (with the countless hair touches) and it really din't work for him. (heard the webtoon really portrayed this but come one guys) I hope he gets a better roles next time cause he's actually good.

The only plus side I found was the female lead's job of being a product researcher. I often find it amusing how kdramas can romanticize jobs that often go unnoticed. This drama amazed me only in that aspect.

Really, skip it. They keep saying that this drama did all the cliches right... It honestly didn't.

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True To Love !

What after you break up ... all that fuss for nothing. Life is not all rosy and not always will the person next to you make you feel butterflies, life reaches you in various aspects some you imagine and some you dare not. And that's just what it's all about -living each day as if there's no tomorrow while planning a forever.
It's a combined package of hope and despair.

So a dating coach failing at love huh, to be honest, I did not really expect that I would love it this much but clearly, this show grows onto you. With each passing episode, you realize that this show doesn't promise an answer to how you should deal with your love life or as a matter of fact breakup it simply just promises a hope that it'll get better.

To me, there's no simple answer to whether you should watch it or not all I can say is you need to try it for yourself. To some the character of bo ra may seem shallow but it has layers to it. The ML and FL may not be the best for butterfly chemistry but they do top the charts for real stuff.

It's an achievement for a show to depict a fiction that seems real. Everyone knows things in real life don't work like they do in the show but even then it answers questions in a way that makes you feel content.

What I loved throughout the show was that it was lovable in little elements and the characters were true to themselves.

SPOILER STUFF AHEAD !!! .............
(So it's been long since I wrote a review and quite frankly I know I am writing a long one again this time. ) A LITTLE HEADS UP !

Let's begin with how ML offers rides to FL before even falling for her. Even though he doesn't agree to the ways she believes in and advertises, there's a certain respect that he offers. (manifesting friendships like these)

I love how Bo Ra even after hearing that she is suffocating to be around still hangs on to her personality of confessing first and being the hopeless romantic. At the same time I also appreciate that ML was true to his personality of being the closed one. I am the closed kind of person and know that even if we see things going wrong we just can't really admit to our emotions easily.

During the course of the show, I come to like Bo Ra because initially I just literally thought that she was a dumb kind of character for going back to someone who clearly ain't into her. But through the journey of these 14 eps, I realized that both things are okay since there's no right or wrong in matters of heart. Either you say it or you don't in the end all that matters is the feeling.
I love how she has her own journey of self-realization while writing that whole book ...

The free hugs, walk back home, listening to her blabber while drunk was all so much needed !

WHAT AFTER A BREAKUP ???

..the major and best part of the show ...get up, pick yourself up, find an identity that belongs to you, see the world with the new perspective you have found, order that special pizza, buy your birthstone jewelry and fucking live.
do whatever makes you happy if that's getting drunk on street it's absolutely okay. It's okay to have a hard time breaking up it's okay if you fall for someone who makes you feel special instead of someone who cannot provide you with the assurance you need. Everything is okay, not being able to get over that cheat or parting ways mutually, falling in love again , failing in love again ....fucking everything.

I love how the side characters try to make things work ( Bo Ra's friend and her husband) I know as a fact that marriage is not some child play and it's not that simple. The way they just exist next to each other is a treat in itself.
(But as they say too much sugar is bitter - at times they are just so annoying that I literally had to skip through)
I must admit that I liked how their marriage was an issue in itself and how they were trying to sort things through.

I also liked the trope of ML's bestie and her ex-wife they had a journey of their own. Of self-realization, blame games, hatred, longing, affection and so much more. They just made it so much better.

I liked the Farce comedy throughout the show and somehow it just makes it objectively better for me cuz afterall I need drama in a drama.

What could be avoided ....

Well the pregnancy trope was really a big turn-off for me.
The return of Bo Ra's ex clearly unnecessary.
The ceo falling (ML's bestie) for some coworker...I didn't need that

I certainly did appreciate the fact that the show covers every aspect like marriage, divorce, dating, cheating, breakups, and proposals ....like everything.

THE BEST LINES FROM THE SHOW .....

"Even if someone will die tomorrow if you kill him today, it's murder." (The context in which it is used is just love)

"I can't leave this world with a tombstone that says - She was dumped, drunk and clingy."- (so rewrite who you want to be, rewrite so you can lie peacefully in your grave.)

"And then, I felt the ground. It had felt like a bottomless pit, but then I felt the ground. It was impossible to sink deeper. I hit rock bottom and it can't get any worse. Now I can only get back up."

"I don't need reassurance from someone for the choices I make."

" Whether it's a happy ending or a sad one I have to write my own ending."

and the last lines from the drama ....
"But our love is neither a perfect happy ending nor a sad ending, it's an open ending.
There's no such thing as a strategy for love, that never fails.
Promises will be broken, Love will change in the course of time....
some may say ...after making all that fuss you guys ended up splitting...when our relationship ends at some unknown point.
still, we will not regret that.
Like we live though we know we'll die someday.
Like we buy flowers though we know they'll wilt.
Like we sadly say goodbye though we know we'll see each other tomorrow.
likewise, we make promises we can't keep sometimes
like we buy stuff that is useless
we are true to love every possible moment
....from the bottom of our heart, we are true to love. !!! "

TO WATCH OR MAYBE SAVE TIME ....???

For me I really feel like this show does have a lot to offer but I do acknowledge that It's not the show that everyone would love.
I'd still suggest you that on case you try it out be patient let the story build and grow on to you you won't regret spending time on it.
I'll probably come for a rewatch in my next life ...for this one I plan on exploring a lot other gems. !
but once was a must !

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What could be cooler than the idea of a murderer killing people in one world and dumping their bodies in the other?! This crime thriller with two parallel worlds looked like something I’d absolutely enjoy, and It did satisfy my thrill trash self a good deal!

Train is a super intriguing, intense, carefully crafted, and well-executed drama. It successfully avoids straying into side stories and gives all of its writing power to the main mystery aka finding the real serial killer, hence focused and very consistent in its storytelling. All characters and murder cases are connected, with every new ep, writers throw a new thread to catch on, every detail is purposed & noteworthy, nothing sounds irrelevant, nothing to waste screentime on. I’m sure such a thing would be even more rewarding to binge-watchers.

Also in terms of production quality, Train didn’t fail expectations!! That chilling dark vibe OCN always sends is clearly there. Cinematography is neat and somehow depressing, with a warm yellow tone for world A and a blue cold one for world B (each similar to their perspective characters!). Editors really did a brilliant job seamlessly switching from world A to B to the past to flashbacks. Music was also on point. Lyrics “I’m gonna find you”, playing at the end of each episode, make you look forward to the coming one, and another soft melody singing “I want to stay with you” makes emotional scenes a bit more felt.

On the other hand, Train is quite predictable, which is not necessarily a bad thing as I was still eager to watch and see if my theory was right or wrong, and everything was built up well with no apparent holes. But I found it cheap that certain characters had suspicion written all over their faces!! I have to admit, it made the resolution a bit underwhelming. I wished if writers would bring another twist but everything was foreseen at the end.

Another thing that bothered me was how I failed to connect with characters and their emotional scars. Although it could be only me, I think they could have chosen a better cast tbh. Most of the time, It felt like YSY was carrying the whole show on his shoulders. He totally lived his character and showed diverse emotions either playing the workaholic detective who lives to care&protect or the discontented inspector who lives with hate&shame. I rooted for him but it felt hella frustrating that no one was responding!

The FL was rather weak (in terms of performance); she had that one angry/sad expression on her face that I was absolutely numb towards. I’m not trying to undermine the actress’s effort, but in my eyes, they had little to no chemistry and it always felt one-sided. That shouldn’t be much of a problem for a thriller really but It’d have been much better if the story was more seasoned and I could feel the desperation to save someone or catch someone, yet clearly the mystery element was my only driver. That’s in part a problem with writing too; ‘cause most characters lacked personality and development, the main culprit’s character is so cliche, and many were merely running the story, I could see no problem if one of them was replaced :( If there’s anyone I loved, it’d be Jung min (the forensic doctor)& Jinwoo (junior detective).

Regardless, Train was an experience I enjoyed and anticipated every week. I recommend it and I’m pretty sure many will like it :)

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A Dream Within a Dream: Not Confusing—Just Smarter Than Average

Some viewers struggle with A Dream Within a Dream because it doesn’t follow the usual formula. But that’s not a flaw, it’s intentional. This drama asks you to engage with nuance, not just react to surface-level tropes. A Dream Within a Dream isn’t trying to fit into a neat box. If you go in expecting a straightforward love story, you’ll be confused. But if you’re open to something layered, emotionally complex, and structurally bold, you’ll find a drama that rewards attention and rewatching.

💫 Let’s Talk About the Heroine

Too many viewers get stuck feeling sorry for Nan Heng and overlook the true emotional core of the story, Song Yi Meng. She’s one of the most realistically strong females leads in Chinese drama, not because she’s cunning or hyper-competent, but because she’s deeply human. She’s smart, but not infallible. kind, but not self-sacrificing. Her strength lies in how she adapts, how she processes each new revelation, and how she makes decisions that balance survival with integrity.

From the start, Song Yi Meng is shown only the side of Nan Heng that reinforces her fear and distrust. She doesn’t get the luxury of seeing his inner turmoil the way the audience does. What she sees is threat, manipulation, and the looming shadow of a fate she’s trying to escape. And yet, she never sells out her family, friends, or even Nan Heng to protect herself. She navigates a world designed to test her, and still chooses compassion over cruelty, discernment over desperation, and love over fear.

🎭Exceptional Acting That Elevates Every Scene

Liu Yu Ning

Liu Yu Ning’s performance is powerful; he begins as a divine threat and gradually unravels into someone heartbreakingly human. His micro expressions are razor-sharp, a flicker of pain, a restrained smile, a glance that carries centuries of grief. He doesn’t overplay emotion, he lets it simmer beneath the surface, and that restraint makes every breakdown hit harder.

In action scenes, he’s magnetic. His physicality is fluid and commanding, never stiff or ornamental. Whether he’s wielding a sword or simply standing still, he looks like someone who belongs in a myth. And when he speaks? Every line is delivered with intention. He doesn’t just recite, he inhabits. His voice carries weight, his pauses are deliberate, and his emotional control makes even the quietest scenes feel charged.

Li Yi Tong

Li Yi Tong portrayal of Song Yi Meng is exceptional. The character is unpredictable, emotionally layered, and sharply funny. She had the difficult task of playing two versions of herself, one who naively falls for Nan Heng without knowing the full consequences, and another who is self-aware, burdened by knowledge of the original script, such as what happens to her, her family, and the cost of loving him. As her real feelings for Nan Heng deepen, she’s caught between foreknowledge and vulnerability, and Li Yi Tong navigates that tension with remarkable finesse.

What makes her performance even more compelling is her comedic timing. She brings a brand of humor that feels distinctly 80's 90's Hong Kong, quick, clever, and emotionally agile. Humor is notoriously hard to play, especially in a drama this emotionally charged, but she nails it. Her tonal shifts, her misdirection, her ability to pivot from satire to sincerity in a single breath, they’re masterful.

💞 A Love Story That Feels Earned

One of the most refreshing aspects of A Dream Within a Dream is how it builds its central romance, not through forced tropes or exaggerated tension, but through quiet, intentional intimacy. The love story between Nan Heng and the Song Yi Meng unfolds organically, shaped by trust, vulnerability, and emotional growth. It’s not rushed. It’s not manufactured. It’s earned.

Their chemistry is undeniable, but it’s not the kind that screams physical attraction every time they share a scene. Instead, it’s the kind of closeness that feels like two best friends slowly realizing they’ve become each other’s home. There’s a tenderness to their connection, a shared language of glances, silences, and emotional weight that makes every moment between them feel grounded and real.

And when the Song Yi Meng finally chooses to love Nan Heng, it’s a quiet resolution. Her trust in him is unwavering. No back-and-forth mistrust, no last-minute misunderstandings just to stretch the plot. Their connection doesn't lean on dramatic declarations or surface level chemistry, it grows from shared pain, mutual respect, and the quiet realization that, despite everything, they choose each other. Theirs is a relationship that feels lived-in, like two people who’ve been through the worst and still find comfort in each other. It’s subtle, satisfying, and deeply human, the kind of storytelling that respects both the characters and the audience.

🧠 Writing That Asks You to Think

Some viewers say the writing lacks emotional logic, but that’s only true if you’re expecting conventional payoffs. A Dream Within a Dream isn’t built for easy consumption. It’s a drama that questions its own structure, and in doing so, asks the audience to think more deeply about character, consequence, and emotional truth.

The dialogue is masterfully constructed. Every scene unfolds with intention, layering emotional tension, character insight, and thematic callbacks in ways that feel organic. You don’t just follow the plot, you start caring about every character, even the ones with limited screen time.

And the humor? It’s woven seamlessly into dramatic situations, never feeling out of place or forced. It’s clever, culturally resonant, and often used to highlight emotional absurdity rather than undercut it. Near the end, the writing revisit earlier themes, especially the concept of scene reset, with such precision that it brings the entire narrative full circle. It’s not just a callback; it’s a culmination. The story doesn’t just end, it resolves, emotionally and structurally, in a way that rewards viewers who’ve been paying attention.

🎬 A Finale That Actually Delivers

Unlike many dramas that leave secondary characters dangling in ambiguity, A Dream Within a Dream gives every major character a proper send-off. We see where they end up, what choices they make, and whether they find peace. It’s rare to get that kind of narrative closure, and ADWAD does it with elegance and intention.

🎶 Sound That Speaks

One of the most underrated strengths of A Dream Within a Dream is its music. The soundtrack isn’t just beautiful, it’s narratively precise. Every lyric is paired with its scene like it was written for that exact emotional beat. Whether it’s heartbreak, revelation, or quiet defiance, the music amplifies the moment without overwhelming it. It’s rare to see a drama where the OST feels like part of the script, but here, it absolutely does.

🔁 Rewatch Value That Keeps Giving

This is a show that rewards multiple viewings. On your first watch, you’re caught in the emotional whirlwind. On your second, you start noticing the patterns. By the third, you begin to understand each character’s position in the loop, what they know, what they fear, what they’re trying to change. Every rewatch offers a new perspective, a deeper understanding, and a fresh emotional angle. It’s storytelling that evolves with you.

📚 Let’s Talk Comparisons

So many reviewers on this site throw shade at and rate down A Dream Within a Dream, while praising The Prisoner of Beauty with a kind of disingenuous enthusiasm.

Let's be clear, there is obviously a bias at play, one that colors their entire viewing experience. They watch ADWAD through a lens of skepticism, picking apart characters and storylines that are simply too complex for them to understand or appreciate.

TPOB is fine. It’s an average romance story with familiar emotional beats. But it doesn’t take risks. It doesn’t challenge genre. It doesn’t ask you to think about storytelling itself. A Dream Within a Dream does all of that and more. If you rate TPOB higher, that’s a matter of taste. But let’s not pretend it’s because the writing is stronger. ADWAD is simply operating on a different level.

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The Writers Forgot...

I watched this as part of a watch party. For the most part, the first six episodes of the show, although not perfect, were fun, and the story surrounding his biological father had me intrigued. The comedy, although exaggerated, had me cackling. I enjoyed them a lot. Up till then, the show was an 8 to an 8.5. Then, episode 7 happened.

The show went on a downward spiral from there. I thought it would recover before the end, but it didn't. The female lead was annoying and childish. Her crying started grating on my nerves and the way she kept hitting the male lead's head despite knowing his condition baffled me. She was completely devoid of critical thinking. Hae Jo, the male lead, had strong douchebag tendencies. I know the way he tried to push people out of his life stemmed from the neglect he suffered while growing up, but there were times that I had to shake my head at the comments he made to the people around him. They were honestly kind of perfect for each other... There were also too many filler scenes and dubious relationships. At times, it felt like the writer(s) were suffering from the same terminal illness as the male lead. Why would you write all this tension surrounding Eo Heung and John, only to have her ask him to be her second son? What? Come again? That was not the only strange relationship dynamic, there were others. It was like they simply forgot what they had written previously. The reconciliation with the trash father was also irritating, anticlimactic, and felt like an afterthought as it was not well developed. I am not going to delve deeper into that. This show could have also been 8 episodes. It did not need 10. This story had so much potential and it could have been one of the better 2024 K-dramas.

The show features California Dreamin’ by The Mamas & the Papas which is honestly one of my favorite songs and the other OST songs are decent too. It also had beautiful cinematography. There were truly beautiful shots.

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They wish to have a different outcome.

I've been in the BL world for a long long time, and I have watched a huge amount of BL stories from many countries in many different settings. More Than Words (MTW) is a good BL series but nothing much for offering something new. Mieko is a character that is rare to see in most contemporary BLs. She is an ally, the main lead, with her fate going south. Makio is a boy, innocent young boy who gets crushed before entering adulthood. These two develop a friendship while getting to know Eiji. It takes more than 70% of the series to explore Eiji's intersection with Makio and Mieko before introducing Asato. Asato comes to enter Makio's shaky world, staying there where I, as an audience, see it too late, because I seal my faith to the first guy.

I recommend MTW to BL fans, even though I know, some maybe are disappointed with how the story goes. But, it's a very dedicated BL product with committed production outcome, set, and soundtracks.

Finally, I am with the trio of Eiji, Makio, and Mieko. They seem to wish to have a different outcome, so do I.

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Go in with low expectations and you will be pleasantly surprised. This drama is a relatively light watch that is easy on the eyes and ears.

As someone who hasn’t read the source material I can’t really comment on how this drama lines up. It did well to get so far with a limited amount of plot. At times the writing feels a little awkward but not enough to stop watching.

I liked that compared to the Japanese movie the main couple were closer in age and by the end So Rim was an adult.

The cast were very attractive and did surprisingly well with the script they were given.
I didn’t feel that there was much chemistry between the two leads, fortunately the friendships within the bands and the secondary couple make up for this.

The most enjoyable part of this drama is the music and the relationships between the characters. I found the songs would get stuck in my head for a few days after watching.

All in all a reasonably enjoyable show to watch with catchy tunes.

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But seriously, what did I just watch. I need the spark notes.

This drama is messy. "You Are My Spring" is a drama that tries to do too much. It's part thriller and part romance and although they try to link the two it never feels like one cohesive drama. The first few episodes got me hooked. I loved the suspense, the chemistry between the leads, and the cliffhanger episode endings. I didn't love the overload of internal monologues and "deep" dialogue, but I expected the story to pick up the pace and become more and more exciting as it progressed. I was wrong. I ended up becoming more bored and confused, and eventually annoyed. Maybe the dialogue feels different when you actually know Korean but instead of being moved and inspired by it, it felt forced and heavy-handed. I forced myself to finish hoping it would all make sense in the end.

It didn't.

Yoon Park gave the most interesting performance in this whole drama. I won't say much more than that but I will mention that this part of the story needed way more screentime. His part of the story falls under thriller and it honestly felt like they abandoned that part of the plot almost completely about halfway through in order to focus more on romance. The romance is pretty cute for the most part, at least in the beginning. I'm a fan of Seo Hyun Jin and her quirkiness, and Kang Da Jung is the kind of role I like to see her play. She is matched with Kim Dong Wook as awkward Joo Young Do a psychiatrist who analyzes everything at first glance. Their chemistry is ok, but their cute innocent banter got old quickly. Eventually, their romance becomes the main focus of the drama but don't confuse that with anything actually happening. It's still a lot of inner thoughts and metaphors. It was the equivalent of watching two people read their diaries aloud and hoping they will at least hug, or listening to two awkward teenagers recite repetitive poems, even though they are both grown.

The other characters had a cute friendship thing happening but most of them were not that interesting or fully developed. I loved Young Do's BFFs and thought they were great, and I loved Da Jung's mom, but the other characters were just a step above filler. I wish the other romances were either given more time or cut out completely. I wish Ji Seung Hyun wasn't gypped out of a potentially hilarious relationship just to make him pine away for someone far less interesting. Also, the celebrity scandal trope is so tired I cringed whenever that was the focus, although Nam Gyu Ri as self-centered Ahn Ga Young definitely grew on me. She reminded me a lot of a friend I have. lol.

So... would I watch this again? Maybe. I know that's surprising since I disliked it so much but It's driving me crazy that after 16 episodes I have no idea what this drama was supposed to be about. I keep wondering if I missed some major clues in the beginning. Maybe I dozed off during dialogue that actually had something to do with the plot. Maybe it will be less torturous during a second viewing because I wouldn't be waiting in vain for the story to become exciting again.

Overall, this drama was disappointing. Instead of an interesting psychological thriller or an against all odds love story, I feel like I was left with the start of a potentially good drama-filled in with "deep" conversations, metaphorical snow, too many flashbacks, and product placement overload, and characters talking for way too long to themselves. Any themes about forgiving the past, or finding the will to live and love were overshadowed by the sound of me yawning. Yes, curiosity about these character's stories kept me watching, but I had to get all the way to the end to finally admit to myself that I didn't even care about them anymore. I associate spring with growth but my feelings about "You Are My Spring" withered and died.

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I don't get all the negativity about the movie...

It reminded me so much of Lure of the Wolves with a clash of the Classic and the old school Korean movies I watched and fell in love with.
The chemistry was amazing and everyone played their part really well...

I guess people who has not seen movies of the early 2000's will not appreciate it as much as I absolutely love it.

You could compare it to Sunny, it had the same emotional pull but a little more fun in the story.

~STORY~
...was really simple. It wasn't complicated at all, no twists and turns. It made me question if what I think was going to happen was really going to happen in some parts but I'm not complaining...it's all fun parts for me.

~ACTING~
LJS needs to be a comedian... he was just hilarious but his actions were also very heartwarming.

The rest were really great too. They were so believable.
KYK was such a heart broken bad ass.
I already knew PBY was great but her cold character without being cutesy is really daebak.
LSY had very few lines but her acting as a~meek~sheep~with~all~the~crazy~inside was believable.
Everyone was amazing and their chemistry was just great.

There's a lot of comments about the cursing but I liked it because it gave the feel of the reality of the era in that area.

~MUSIC~
Brought me back all those Sundays my dad would turn up the radio...nostalgia at it's highest.

~~~~RE-WATCH~~~~
D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-L-Y!!!

Watch the movie with an open mind and I suggest not to think too much. It's not the kind of movie that requires you to think but just simply enjoy.

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What I loved:
ACTING: Every single actor, either main, secondary or guest did an excellent job. I don't need to mention that the two main leads, Park Seo Joon, and Ahn Sung Ki were mindblowing. The emotions that they portrayed through their facial expressions, the feeling showing through the eyes, the warm budding relationship of these two characters and every single time they shared the screen, it was magic. I was completely floored by the child actor, Jung Ji Hoon, too.

What I didn't love:

PLOT: Park Seo Joon's character continues to rave and hate God throughout the movie, till the bit before the end where he rushes into the church to yell at God, and yet he is selected to become this harbringer of so-called divine fury because his dad said so? Really? He shows no particular religious feeling, no actual connection with God, and seems to have taken on the role of an exorcist's disciple simply because he somehow chanced upon an exorcism. I suppose the most that you can say about it is that he doesn't like ignoring people who are in pain or who need him, but honestly that wasn't well-developed and I wish the director had pursued that more.

THE HERO: Needed more character development! Everything is rushed; his relationship with his dad and with Father Ahn. He also seems to lack a clear motive, at least in my opinion. He's pretty much lost in his life during the pre-Father Ahn years, but afterwards, what motivates him to suddenly jump into exorcism? Is there a clear reconciliation between him and God? Would he have continued on this path had Father Ahn died? I think what the movie needed was a powerful moment where he witnesses people who lose loved ones and still continue to have faith in God, or who still smile. There was just something missing in this character that I can't seem to put exactly in words.

THE VILLAIN: My biggest disappointment is the fact that the villain is just this bland evil guy who is evil for the sake of it. There's no background, no motives, no depth at all. He just worships his Snake Lord for the sake of immortality but boy, what you gonna do with your eternal life? Party away in that club of yours? Heck, Doctor Faustus had a better motive than you, though he was pretty stupid too. There was just so much potential and room here and it was a big let-down.

THE ENDING: Everybody lives happily ever after. Ew.

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Dresses in red and holding a sword in his hand, he will never lose in the rivers and lakes

But in the end he (Li xiangyi) lost and seriously injured. Leave his position as sect leader and his lover, he used a new identity as Li Lianhua ten years later. Worked as “miraculous” doctor and solved cases with detective Fang Duobing aka Li xiangyi “apprentice” along with his enemy which he fought during East Sea War. Travelling around the Jianghu world with his Lotus House and the more he travelled, the closer he is to what he has left ten years ago.

ChengYi brings Li lianhua to life. His appearance and clothing style is very lianhua I read in the novel. Simple and less stand out when he’s in crowd because lianhua gave less prominent aura compared to when he was Li xiangyi. Cunning and less ambitious because he already accepted his fate as no longer the number1 in Jianghu world but as a person who only has one year to live. Joseph Zhang the youngest among the trio irl and in this drama, the most cheerful and most ambitious and I think he played it brilliantly. Xiao Shun Yao as Di Feisheng, the enemy turn friend of Lianhua also bring justice to his character. The trio chemistry is very good and funny as the story goes on and sometimes I cannot stop smiling.

This drama handles each cases quite well and brilliantly which made you cannot stop guessing the mastermind behind each cases. But it's not bored. And how they put the twists here and there, it were brilliantly done. The most unexpected plot twist towards the ending. WOW. From smaller cases became big cases, everything revolved around lixiangyi himself.

This maybe one of few drama that villain is wicked but it's hard to hate them. The actors and actress played the villain very well and beautiful too.

One of the most good thing about this drama is the stories for each cases progressing so fast. The twist and secrets of other characters prevailed without dragging them except Lilianhua is LixiangYi.

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