Reviews

The Dark Path.

Day Breaker is a chilling undercover narcotics cop thriller that is part of iQiyi's 2022 Light On Series lineup. The drama is set in the fictional Hua City in a lawless Southeast Asian nation that bears an uncanny resemblance to Thailand. In this made-up world, the country is overrun by drug cartels and the police force is under resourced and susceptible to corruption. This drama has won high praise but it is one that must be watched with eyeballs glued to the screen due to the intense and elaborate plot with myriad twists and mind benders.

Luo Xiang is an undercover narcotics cop pretending to be a mole in a local drug cartel. A planned takedown of a major drug deal goes horribly awry, apparently killing Luo Xiang. He re-emerges five years later as Chen Mo, a taxi driver who is tasked by Liao Yongjia to assume the identity Luo Xiang and reunite with the cartel. Li Yifeng really impresses in this role as someone juggling multiple identities while walking on the edge of discovery. His Luo Xiang has lived a lie as Chen Mo for so long that it is not clear he knows what his reality is, much less his former lover Su Qingzhu or his violent, jacked up cartel brother Longge. Luo Xiang's fascinating and oddly genuine bromance with Longge recalls Li Yifeng's iconic and manipulative performance as double agent Chen Shen in Sparrow. One of my biggest disappointments with Day Breaker is how this relationship was cheated of a satisfying denouement. While not a romance, the subtle longing and painful chemistry of the unspoken behind Luo Xiang's lies in his interactions with Su Qingzhu adds another layer to Li Yifeng's outstanding portrayal. Unfortunately this is another less than great role for Song Yi as Su Qingzhu is another character that is short changed at the end.

Both Feng Delun and Gong Haibin put in highly praiseworthy performances as Liao Yongjia and Yu Shenghai, Chen Mo's handlers in the undercover operation. In a cartel infested place like Hua City, everyone has a price and is forced to walk down the dark path, it is just a matter of to what degree. Thus as Chen Mo watches them wondering if either or both of them were moles that sold out Luo Xiang years ago, they are also testing Chen Mo to see if he is really Luo Xiang. The interplay between these three core characters as their stressors and motivators are revealed is the best, most intense part of the drama. While all three characters delivered riveting performances, it is Gong Haibin's Yu Shenghai that surprised and moved me the most and made me experience everything from rage to pity.

They are too many rival cartels in this drama and too many drug lords. Only two of them - Longge and Song Cai are multi-faceted and interesting. Longge is the ultimate outrageous fictional character, gruesomely and unnervingly violent and bizarrely comical at the same time. His wild affection for and trust in Luo Xiang clouds his survival instincts and innate shrewdness. There is an unpredictability in each of his outbursts that had my heart in my throat many times. Song Cai is also a complex cold blooded killer with his own code of conduct and many moments where his sentimentality and humanity pokes through. Both are too cursorily dealt with and sidelined in favour of less interesting villains.

While A-Xi is adorable and has some really funny scenes with Chen Mo, they were too few and far between. In general, humor is not well used to diffuse the tension in this overly convoluted plot. The drama could have ended at a climax at the end of Yu Shenghai's arc. Instead, the final two episodes rush through a contrived flash bang ending that relies on poorly fleshed out final villains, unnecessary twists and shocking but unworthy outcomes for good, smart characters. While it doesn't completely ruin the drama, this plot demands too much attention for it to sag like this at the end. Thus I must reduce my overall rating from 8.5 to 8.0 but I can still highly recommend it to fans of this genre.

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✨A Feast for the Eyes, a Slow Burn for the Heart✨

Rewritten review because my first one was written under the influence of HeYu’s face card😂 The bias remains, unfortunately. This was a delicious treat because I’m here for the ML, and I’m not gonna pretend I’m not.😂

That being said, this drama is definitely not without its flaws, so let’s get into it.

THE GOOD STUFF:

✨ The face cards are absolutely lethal.
This drama is serving some serious eye candy. I am FED, bruh. And HeYu? Daaaamn. Man is looking ridiculously good in this style. I absolutely ate it up. No notes. None. Zero.😂

✨ Two calculating leads who actually know what they're doing.
We have the ML pretending to be frail and weak while secretly being a full-blown puppet master behind the scenes, and the FL is cunning, calculating, fierce, and very much not interested in romance. She is here to get shit DONE.

✨ The rebirth storyline.
Our FL starts off married into a loveless marriage with one of the princes, only for her family to be annihilated in a power struggle. She then arranges her own death and, in the process, takes the rival clan down with her by framing them for her murder.

Then she gets stuck in limbo for three years, because apparently even death needs a waiting period.😂

Eventually, the Commandery Princess from the northwest is assassinated, and thanks to some celestial event, our FL ends up inhabiting her body while retaining the Princess' memories. So we basically have two-ish people - or perhaps 1.5 people - sharing one body, although let's be honest, the FL is very much holding the steering wheel. Having already experienced what it's like to lose everything and be completely at the mercy of others, she's determined this time around to climb all the way to the top and secure enough power that she will never again be in a position to suffer the same fate.

✨ Nonchalant FL x TOTAL CHALANT ML.
And this was fun. Watching this man throw dignity, subtlety, and probably several brain cells out the window in his quest to win the heart of this ice princess was genuinely entertaining.😂

✨ The chemistry.
The leads have great chemistry, especially once their feelings become mutual, and the payoff is very enjoyable. We got some really nice kisses too. First kiss in episode 27, so bro really waited until the end of civilization.😭😂

✨ Second Lead couple
We also get a very lovable second couple, including one of the most well-done crossdressing/disguised-as-a-man portrayals I’ve seen in a while, along with a genuinely lovely romance. I really enjoyed them... only for them to basically peace out in episode 26 and only return in ep.34😭, but it's a wholesome, happy ending for their love story, so there's that.

✨ The adaptation.
I also really appreciated how closely the drama stuck to the original novel. Don't get me wrong, I actually like when adaptations take creative liberties, and there are definitely cases where the adaptation ends up being even better than the source material. But in this case, the novel was already pretty damn good (albeit very long), so I was happy to see the drama stick relatively close to it and preserve most of what worked in the original story. That doesn't happen nearly as often as it should, so I definitely have to give the drama credit for that.

NOW FOR THE "BUT..."

⏳ The pacing.

The first few episodes were pretty packed and fast-paced, although some things were thrown at the audience without much explanation. Who is who? What is what? Why is this happening? Good luck, babes.😂

After things settled, though, the pacing slowed down a lot. There were plenty of shots that felt unnecessarily long, seemingly just to make the characters - especially the leads - look pretty. And listen, I am absolutely not complaining about pretty people staring lovingly at each other. I support this government. But it was used a little too often.

Since the romance is clearly the main course and everything else is garnish, the plot felt like it wasn't going anywhere for a good chunk of the drama. After a few enjoyable episodes, the story started to drag, and I definitely felt the pacing issues.
To be fair, the last five episodes definitely picked up the pace again. Things got much more intense and political, and there was basically always something happening, so the ending stretch was definitely quite engaging and eventful.

👑 The FL and everyone's collective obsession with her.

This is probably my most controversial opinion, and honestly, I’m still somewhere between love and hate. I really like many of her traits- she is smart, calculating, fierce, and capable - but her arrogance sometimes really rubbed me the wrong way. While she does experience some beautiful character growth, there were moments in the first half when I was dangerously close to despising her. 😂😭 And the sheer number of people obsessed with her was... a lot. 😂 Like, girl, what exactly are you putting in the water? The devotion she inspires borders on concerning. At some point, I was like, "Okay, we get it. Everyone is obsessed with her. Can we calm down?" 😂


FINAL THOUGHTS:

Anyways, there will never be a one-size-fits-all kind of drama because ultimately, different people watch for different reasons.

And I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed one of the most shamelessly and ridiculously obsessed MLs I’ve seen this year.😂 If you’re looking for an equally balanced romance where both leads are equally down bad from the start, though... yeah, this ain't it. We spend approximately 3/4 of this drama watching the ML be shamelessly in love, chasing this woman around, and generally making himself everyone's problem.😂 Sometimes I genuinely felt bad for him because, my brother, STAND UP.
But he does eventually succeed in melting her icy heart, and watching the FL turn into a total babygirl for her husband was honestly adorable. The character development there was very satisfying.

The SML's screentime definitely overstayed its welcome. Jeremy plays the creepy roles very well, lmfao, but by the end I was like, sir, please leave.☠️

And yes, we do get a happy ending, despite the ML's poisoning storyline constantly trying to convince us otherwise. We did, however, have to endure three whole episodes without the ML, which felt approximately 47 years long. I did not sign up for this separation. I was promised HeYu.😂 He returns at the end of ep.36 and we also got a lovely extra episode 🤗

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this drama. It has gorgeous visuals, great chemistry, clever and calculating characters, a fun rebirth setup, and one spectacularly down bad man carrying the romance on his back for most of the runtime.

It definitely has its flaws, but if you’re here for the chemistry, the eye candy, and watching a shameless man slowly dismantle the emotional walls of an ice princess, then honestly... you’re probably gonna have a pretty damn good time.

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SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK MEETS SCOOBY DOO IN JOSEON ERA !!

What a wonderful & unexpected little gem of a show! I started watching this purely out of curiosity thanks to many positive comments left by netizens on various forums about The Forbidden Marriage (TFM) and I was most definitely not disappointed. After a very long time I came across a K-Drama that was this captivating and entertaining. The story is about a King who is in grief for 7 years since the death of his first wife under mysterious circumstances. The female lead is a small-time crook who due to reasons ends up lying to the King that she can communicate with the spirit of the deceased queen, hence starting her journey to not only heal the king but also unraveling the conspiracies within the palace against him. The following are my reasons why everyone should definitely watch this show (no spoilers):

1. WELL WRITTEN STORY: These days many K-drama and C-drama lovers have complained that many shows start promisingly but lose their potential midway or a story that should’ve had lesser episodes gets dragged on unnecessarily. All these problems do not plague TFM. Twelve episodes perfectly finish the main and sub plots without rushed ending or leaving us bored. I give full credit to the script writers for succeeding to do so. Also, the story was not at all predictable even though there was nothing wildly unique about it. Not many shows succeed to do so. TMF was a refreshing story in every aspect, from start to end.

2. GREAT BLEND OF GENRES: So many genres were infused in TMF: romance, comedy, suspense, mystery etc. But the makers were able to blend them well to narrate the story. It could’ve easily been a melodramatic romantic story about the ML trying to overcome his past with the help of FL (like Silver Linings Playbook) or become a Joseon era based royal mystery solving expedition with the sprinkle of comedy (like Scooby Doo), but they blended these aspects to produce an entertaining well-rounded show. Korean shows are usually exceptional when it comes to this style of storytelling. Also, the comedy in this show was executed to the point without being corny or silly. It fit seamlessly with the main plot rather than being funny for the heck of it, the comedy served a purpose.

3. UNIQUE OST: Thank God that they avoided ballads!! I have nothing against ballads, but Korean dramas tend to overuse this genre of music especially in Sageuk shows. But TMF has a very interesting blend of traditional sounds with modern music. The upbeat music infused with traditional Korean sounds made the watching experience refreshing and entertaining. It definitely added more substance to the story.

4. MODERN LEADS IN HISTORICAL TIMES: Both the lead characters in the show were fleshed out ingeniously. The ML is a king with average fighting abilities, is adequately smart, righteous and has TONS of feelings for a man in the Joseon era. At the time when men were expected to be strong with no ounce of weakness or soft emotional traits, our lead is the poster boy of soft masculinity. This kind of masculinity is usually depicted in modern K-dramas and not in Sageuks. So, seeing a man who can cry, be emotional, open to learning, empathetic to women, has his ego in check & can handle a prank or two in Joseon era was wonderful to watch. On the other hand, at the time when women had little to no rights, freedom or agency, our FL is seen exercising all of this and much more. She is probably the boldest character out of all and had the capacity to outsmart even the brightest minds of the time due to her ability to adapt and survive even in the harshest circumstances. I absolutely adored both the leads.

5. UNPREDICTABLE CASTING: If someone would’ve told me a year back that Kim Young Dae is being casted as a king for a Sageuk I would’ve been skeptical. Young Dae has grown on me as an actor over the years and I have seen him evolve since Its okay to be sensitive. He always had my attention, but I felt he has not reached his true potential and needed more experience. But I am highly impressed with his performance in TMF. He was absolutely enchanting and enigmatic as the king with great comic sense and romantic flare. He commanded the show with his stellar performance, and I am so glad that he was given a chance to shine. Hope he continues to get good scripts. Park Ju Hyun as the FL was a very surprising casting choice. This character is unlike anything she has done in the past. But I am glad that they casted her as she brought an earnest, soft yet vivacious & joyful performance that was required for the character. I look forward to her future projects. The second ML, Noh Tae Nam was an absolute jerk and loath worthy man in Military Prosecutor Doberman. Seeing him in TMF as a poised & gentle Joseon officer was wonderfully shocking. He is what people call a natural raw acting talent. I cannot wait for him to be casted as a main lead. The supporting cast was brilliant, and they held their ground very well. They uplifted the story as much the main cast.

TMF is a must watch for drama lovers…I cannot recommend it enough. If you seek a fun time binge watching an entertaining joy ride of a short drama, then TMF is for you.

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Not your usual ghost story

When I started watching “Something in My Room” I had virtually zero expectations in a show that was airing on Channel 3 in Thailand, that wasn’t known for investing a lot of time and resources in creating a pure BL drama. Plus, Nut wasn’t exactly my first choice for lead actor as his work in “Oxygen” was quite underwhelming. And, the plot of ghost and boy meet and fall in love was already explored in “He’s Coming To Me” with Singto and Ohm, in the two episodes of “Y-Destiny” that had Pee and Au and in the Thai-Korea co-production “Peach of Time” with Jimmy and Choi Jae-hyun. However, while not perfect, “Something in My Room” became an interesting choice because of how the director managed to adapt the work of Raflael into this drama and because the acting was better than I expected. And before I dive deeper into the show, I’m acknowledging that the plot is an issue. We are all aware that ghosts can’t touch, kiss or have sex with living humans. Singto and Ohm and Jimmy and Jae-hyun managed to kiss in their series but when Singto and Ohm tried to take a picture, Singto never appeared in any picture. In this series, Phob slowly is able to gain more “self-awareness” to touch and handle things and him and Phat do take pictures together with Phob being visible (at least that’s what I think… it might be that he is only visible to Phat even in the pictures but that theory was never tested) and then have quite a lot of romantic moments, especially in episode 10 (really, they kissed so many times just in this episode). So, yes, I’m ignoring the fact that the plot is quite impossible but as this is the centerpiece of the series, I’ll let it go.

Now, let’s talk about what worked:

a) Plan and Nut: Both actors are nearly acting newbies as Nut is the older one (28 years) and with “Oxygen” as his main role in the past and a guest role in another Thai drama. Plan had been in another Channel 3 drama in a support role but at 24 years of age, he finally got his opportunity to take the lead in a series. Thankfully, the chemistry between them was quite good and that facilitated things between them as they had to navigate through difficult sets of emotions like Phat’s shock that he was able to see a ghost, Phob’s uncertainty about his past and his future, then both realizing they liked each other, to the end of the series that is simply a tear-jerker with them having sex and then having to say goodbye. Nut was able to showcase more of his personality as he felt incredibly stiff in “Oxygen” and Plan was able to showcase that he is more than capable of being a lead actor.

b) The ending: Most of the usual BL fans will be disappointed with this ending as it is a partially sad one. I say partially, because they do end up being together, but to get there, Phat has to live the rest of his life and then die of cancer in order for him to see Phob again and reunite in the afterlife. That being said, I’m ok with that… I was fearing some sort of ending with Phob suddenly coming back to life or Dream casting a spell from her book to make Phob live again or Phat thinking about dying just to follow Phob. Luckily, that was not the case and we see both characters enjoying their last moments together, Phob saying goodbye to Dream and then saying goodbye to Phat in very emotional scenes. Then, many years later, Phat returns to the house where all began and reveals he is dying of cancer and that he is ready to see Phob, which happens in the end when Phob comes to bring Phat with him. It was a somewhat sad ending but it was well crafted and without any ridiculous plot twists. Aside from the weird end scenes when we see the house again and some roaming evil spirits walk around it and one does end up getting inside the house... what was the purpose of that after the nice Phob-Phat afterlife reunion?

c) Dream: I was hoping for a strong female character that didn’t have to act like crazy, super jealous or bitchy just to earn some attention from the male character. Faii was a pleasant surprise as her character was a mystery at first because of her resentment towards her dead father and her friendship with Phat. She looked like she had a crush on Phat but it was actually the other way around but both end up being best of friends. Dream has also the ability to see dead people but struggles with that ability and wants to suppress it at first, but when Phob appears she decides to help Phat see Phob. Faii dealt with all those emotions adequately and provided a strong support to both Nut and Plan.

Now, what didn’t work…

d) The rest of the support actors: Phat’s mother was played by Took, for those who remember her, she was Frank’s crazy mother in “My Tee” who was completely against him having a boyfriend. In this case, she was a “shipper” as she tells Phat that if he decides to love a guy, she will be happy about it. Her only important moments were in episode 9 when she begs Phob not to take Phat with him and to leave him alone and in episode 10 when she tells Phat that even if Phob is not there anymore, she will be with him. The rest of her scenes came with Nuan (played by Phiao) and were mostly useless scenes about the house and Nuan’s past. Phiao also had plenty of weird moments as Nuan because she knew Phob’s family as she was the neighbor who fell in love with Phob’s father only to be rejected by him and indirectly causing Phob to die as he watched that and thought his father was cheating on his mother, began walking and got hit by a car and died. Nuan was obsessed with Phob’s father as she thought he would be over the grief of losing his wife and will take her immediately, but was rejected once again. Nuan’s father turns out to be the house guardian spirit that she is keeping there as punishment for how he treated Nuan in the past. And she had cameras installed in Phat's house and she would watch them at night from her own TV, but the purpose (aside from being a creep and a stalker) was never really revealed.
Green played Ben and had a brief appearance as Phob’s ex-love interest that ends up being a manipulative person who then supposedly changed and produced an awkward theater play to tell his story... I mean, he knows Phob died and he feels that guilty that he decided to do the play to show some remorse perhaps?... The reality is that I couldn’t trust him in the 2-3 episodes he appeared. Green’s acting is just like his nickname, super green, as he was stiff as a board in “Y-Destiny” and he hasn’t improved much for this series and for “The Tuxedo”, so that was a bit of a bummer.
But, the worst of all, was Big playing Luck. Big previously appeared in “My Mate Match” and as the bed-ridden and dying of a brain tumor P’Pha in “Gen Y 2” but this character took the cake of weirdness. He likes Dream and thinks Dream and Phat are hiding a relationship and something else so he begins by hacking Phat’s laptop. Both forgive him quite quickly but he can’t open up to Dream so they break up. He finally has a heart-to-heart with Phat and then with Dream and end up together. All of that was more or less OK, except for the part that he is obsessed with aliens as apparently his parents were abducted by them in the past. Then he sees a flashing light in episode 9 and wonders if the aliens are still kidnapping people… I mean, WHAT?? That was probably the most bizarre moment of the show as it made no sense to the main story, it provided nothing useful to the plot and it solved nothing.

e) Some of the editing: I appreciate having the chance of watching the longer version of the episodes as the shorter ones lost anywhere between 25 to 35 minutes of screen time. Some might argue that the edited scenes were probably irrelevant moments like scenes that had all the secondary actors, but I think that some Phat/Phob moments were cut a bit short as well because of that.

So, in the end, “Something in My Room” ended up being more than just a ghost and boy fall in love story. It had a lot of lessons on life and death, on forgiving others, on communicating with others to avoid misunderstandings, on second chances in life, on dealing with the loss of a loved one, on dealing with rejection, on finding new love, on realizing that nothing lasts forever, on dealing with the fact that we are all going to die one day, on moving on and letting go, etc. The show was a very decent BL proposal for those, like me, who are tired of engineer/medical students, poorly written plots, bad acting, bad directing, and the usual Thai BL clichés.

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This isn`t the best JDRAMAS have to offer ¬ Though you`ll think that because of all the top lists

The purpose of my review basically boils down to the headline: This drama is in ALL the top lists recommending Japanese dramas to viewers- and they are utterly WRONG. And this mess shouldn`t be blamed on being an adaptation - That`s too much leeway. A Story To Read When You First Fall in Love, Love Lasts Forever and Hans Yori Dango are all dramas adapted from romance drama material. Only, these cases had caring writers who fixed what was wrong(if anything) and added to people wanting to see them. That`s why it`s called an ADAPTATION, not shot-for-shot(or panel-for-panel) remake. I`m well acquainted with the original mangaka of this drama and most of her work(because she has been working for a long time) is grounded in the popular points of the past, when readers weren`t really that concerned with how creepy even the whole premise is. Most of her male leads are exasperating, arrogant and on-the-nose willful, so I wasn`t surprised by that going into it.

What I am surprised about, however, is, though I haven`t read the manga, I`m familiar with her stuff enough to know that the writers probably stuck to most of how things were in the manga. And if my hunch is right, let me ask:Why?Love Lasts Forever`s Kairi was, in the manga, very possessive, manipulative and overall overbearing. However, the drama`s version doesn`t even possess a fraction of those misgivings and that`s thanks to very talented writing team. So what happened here?A drama can retain the feelings of the manga without having to abide by every plot point and reason. In fact, if you see that the material you are supposed to ADAPT is too outdated for your audience, then fix those elements accordingly. I am really struggling with director`s vision here. Now, onto the acting, which was serviceable, but overshadowed by absolute godawful character building. I`ve seen this drama a few months ago and I just kept thinking, Why would these two end up together?Why is he such a nonce and a whole stalker?Why are we abandoning her wanting to be ambitious and forward thinking, to turn her into yet another female lead won over by constant following and borderline harassment?There is absolutely no connection or chemistry between the characters here. I finished this drama feeling both weirded out and worried for those who put this in their favorite Japanese dramas. Just...don`t.

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Not-so-overcomplIcated drama

This 6 episode drama was a great watch. The pace of the drama fit beautifully with the story as it was not overcomplicated.

I don’t think this drama is for everyone but I’d say to watch the first 2 episodes before deciding anything.

: ̗̀➛ story

I like how the story focused on how staring into the buddha statue’s eyes placed people in their most painful memory. It showed how the manipulated memory made those affected deranged and aggressive.

The eye colour change reminded me of Train to Busan

The story was not over complicated and the choice to focus on the main couple backstory & the side story of the mother & son was very wise. With the 5th character the focus was more on his behaviour and control over others + his abusive mother’s bf being the reason why.

: ̗̀➛ story closure

I felt content with the story as the issue was resolved. (I didn’t have any questions. That being said, the ending of the drama does open the path for a second season as the couple continue their research in other regions.

: ̗̀➛ acting

All cast members did a wonderful job collectively and individually. No complaints on this end. Just an appreciation for Shin Hyunbeen & Kim Ji Yeong!

: ̗̀➛ cinematography

The cinematography cleverly achieved the purpose (+premise) of the drama. At points it was too foggy & dark so it was difficult to see what was happening. This relates to the effect of seeing nothing but the most painful memory they have.

: ̗̀➛ overall
It’s a good short drama with 6 episodes, each ranging between 33-38 minutes.

I have no regrets watching this, I think it was a well produced drama which was kept short and sweet.

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Relevant and important BL

I love when BLs dive into deeper issues and I feel like the philosophical and societal undertones of this story are way too important to simply categorize this show as a romance or a niche product. I’m unaware of how well this did with the GP in Thailand, but it was truly outstanding to have felt the love the people behind this project have for their home country.

On a microscopic level, sure, I have issues with some aspects of the show: the acting wasn’t bad in the slightest but could have been way better in most instances (though call me impressed at Gun for portraying the twins) and there were some usual BL elements in Thai productions that I’m not a huge fan of (the romantic slow-mo shot, the tackiness of some dialogue, the annoying misunderstandings) BUT…

On a macroscopic level, the value here is immense. Not only did I enjoy the romantic side of things in the end, like I do believe the painting scene with Yok and Dan to be one of the most beautiful and meaningful imagery I’ve seen in any BL ever), but moreso where the story shines is with its politics exploration of power and violence. On one hand, it shows how problematic capitalistic societies are when they are based on principles of hierarchy, which usually lead to nepotism, individualism and ultimately to the corruptible illusion that money is power, and power is what you need to survive in this world. But then, power you’re either born with (= you’re born in the upper class) or, since power is not for the masses but for the few, it must be obtained by the rules of competition. But then again, fair play is only for the sports, so the way it usually goes is for people to reach a position of power either by deception, manipulation or exploitation and violence. Power DOES get you corrupt in the end. You WILL be forced to succumb to malice when you’re thrown in with the wolves that are the higher ups, who are all struggling to hold onto the privileges that they have, ‘cause why on Earth would the working class WANT to go up the social ladder if they were content where they are? They aren’t, and the powerful are obviously afraid of stepping down. It’s a whole inescapable cycle and, unfortunately, these are usually the people that rule our countries. No matter what good of a constitution you have and no matter how good your laws, there’s ALWAYS a way to bend the rules… for those in positions of power, of course. Power, hower, does not only deceive the rich, and is a danger to all, and we see that with our cast of people when they burn that house down: if you’re using violence to gain something, you’ll end up losing something. It could have been Dan, but it most certainly was Yok’s mom in that situation. So, not only the people are put in outright bad positions, but if they try to act against injustice, often that will backfire on themselves. Then there were talks about gun violence and human rights and how difficult it is for outcasts, for the disabled, and how a bunch of youngesters can’t even enjoy their education and youth ‘cause the world’s such a fucked up place and the older generations are all just either completely disenchanted, afraid or utterly enamored with corrupt ideals. And THAT’s what I love about this: the fact that they managed to stir an uprising with peaceful acts and protests. They painted a whole new form of power, that of democracy, which we seriously take for granted in most parts of the world. Even when people have it, they still don’t practice it their rights enough to have a voice and have it heard. I know I may seem naive, but we the younger generation should AT LEAST acknowledge that this is an ideal we should uphold and act by. Protests, activisism, the courage to go up against the currents. I truly felt uplifted by this show and I’m so grateful to have watched and have it inspire me to look forward and fight for the kind of society we want to live in.

9.5/10 AND IT COULD HAVE BEEN A TEN IF THEY DIDN’T BULLSHIT US WITH THAT GRAM/EUGENE PAIRING WHEN I KNOW!!! I KNOW!!! I JUST FOUND OUT!!!! That Gram was originally supposed to have it HARD for Black. Shame on y’all!!!!!!!

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First off, if you're looking for a romance, look elsewhere, this is more of an action packed-melodramatic-comedy then anything, with just a touch of romance in it.

Story:

The story is really good, and like they said it's a lot similar to the robin hood figure we know. It keeps the action going and there is really never a dull moment, you're either laughing, crying or on your toes wondering what's going to happen next.
The only problem I would have with it is that they either should of taken the romance out of it that they attempted to squeeze in, or they should of put more effort into it.
I was also a little unsure about the ending as well as it seems to just leave you to imagine what happened, but I still left this drama feeling satisfied either way!

Acting/Cast:

LOVED the cast, absolutely loved it! I started this drama strictly because of my love for Park Shi Hoo as well as historical dramas, and found myself a whole new cast of people that I would love to see in other dramas.

Music:

The music was good, nothing was too overplayed or obnoxious and it seemed to fit the drama as well as the moments just fine.

Overall:

Overall I would definitely add this to your Plan to Watch list because it's way worth it! You'll find yourself getting attached to the characters and cheering for them in the end. Watch it for the amazing cast and the great story!

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~STORY~
I have to admit, I wasn't expecting much from it but after I've watched I can't stop talking about it.

The story focused on friendship more than anything else, though I can't say I mind the occasional romance here and there.

There was apparently an issue about the movie having "too materialistic" as there concept... I honestly don't get what's there to talk about, most, if not all, people in the world are teeeny~tiny bit that ways anyways, I don't see how a movie can change that. It's very hard changing what a person already is through a movie you see..

Anyways, I love the friendship, the bickering.
I love how the friends talk to each other is soooooooooo friendly???
I can't seem to come up with a better word for it.
They can say whatever they want to each other and no one minds.
They can get physical with each other and say things to each other but they all know what it really means. L-O-V-E...

~CAST~
Couldn't be more perfect...

I can't say that all of them are the best actors out there but whatever they lack in talent they fill it with chemistry and natural witty hilarity.

~MUSIC~
In most movies/series there are music that you can remember for a lifetime, there are ones wherein you are not sure why it's there in the first place and then there are those that just fitted.

With TT the music didn't really stand out, I can't even remember the music during the ending credits but one thing is for sure it fitted and that's all that matters.

~REWATCH~
Definitely.

Overall, if you are looking for a light yet real look on friendship, it's a must watch...

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Let's be real here

I didn’t think I'd be saying this. I really enjoyed it. Pond and Phuwin and by extension Gmmtv had gotten to the stage of monotonous productions. Personally, I believe they're more liked for their real life personas and activities than their actions on screen. They're maturing but was their acting catching up. This is as close as it’s gonna get. The character of Thee fits within Pond's acting range, not perfect, but better. Phuwin felt more connected to Peach and it showed. His kissing style, we will just have to accept.

It was funny. Whitty. A bit contrived but not inundated with convulated moments. A mafia boss falling for a poor photographer through the lens of cinema. They delivered with the timely humor and Thee's unorthodox quirky methods were a treat. Peach's flat logical responses perfectly delivered. Est and William's roles, Mok and Rome, fit interestingly within their story and felt like a compliment. Why did their ending feel like a snippet of their real life interractions? Mok shooting down Rome's reach for a kiss, hmmmm. Fun.

Perth and Santa on the other hand got a raw deal. It's as though they started and forgot about Ran and Tawan, then gave the most assine resolution to a serious relevant topic. Jealous rage masked in the guise of love. The stage was already set from episode one by their interractions so why wait until episode nine to resolve with a sad face, a forgiving heart and an invitation to move in. Santa delivered the emotional and sincere. Ran begging Peach for forgiveness after offering his body to Thee to save Tawan was very expertly done. I will say, Perth can act but it's time he moves away from the angry sullen boyfriend roles and reach for more. Same for JJ.

Like every production it's not without flaws but everything else worked in it's favor. The few seconds after The End tied the series concept together as a production of Peach and Thee's love story. Perfect ending.

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Literally drama had "No tale to tell"~ But good for a binge-watch

🌸 Before Anything Else…

I loved EUN-HO and her character. Truly. 💗

The way she uses her powers from Episode 1 to Episode 12 is absolutely hilarious — it’s exactly what the audience would wonder about and want to try themselves. 😂 She doesn’t overcomplicate things. She just does them. And her take on life??

INJEONG. 👏


🦊 Now, To Business~~

It’s a very tried-and-tested genre in K-dramas — the fantasy romance with immortal beings, grim reapers, gumihos, tragic fate, and destiny-bound love.

We’ve already seen iconic, genre-defining works like:

Goblin
Tale of the Nine Tailed
A Korean Odyssey
My Roommate Is a Gumiho

K-dramas love this genre — and for good reason. It blends romance, mythology, comedy, and angst so beautifully. ✨

But over time, audiences get used to the formula. Once you’ve seen enough “immortal falls for human” arcs, the emotional beats start feeling predictable… unless the writing truly elevates it.

At this point, it’s not enough to just follow the template. The genre needs stronger world-building, deeper emotional layering, or a fresh twist to truly stand out.

And yes — current censorship limitations and editing constraints could absolutely affect storytelling. If darker backstories, historical elements, or lore-heavy explanations get trimmed down, fantasy dramas suffer the most. They rely on buildup. On history. On myth. Cut those, and pacing feels off. Depth feels missing.

Unfortunately… this piece doesn’t scratch much even on the surface for me. 😔

🍿 As a Watch?

It’s an okay binge-watch.

It doesn’t drag. It’s easy to finish quickly — I completed all 12 episodes, which says something because I’m a habitual dropper. 😭 So yes, that alone makes it worth a try.

It’s perfect when you don’t want emotional overload. Just something light. A quick snack drama to keep you entertained for a few days.

🎭 About the Leads

I don’t think I’ve ever really connected with Park Solomon as an audience member.

Maybe it’s my first impression bias. I watched him in villain roles when I was younger, and that image stuck. I even saw him play a minor killer once — so now whenever he smiles sweetly on screen, my brain goes: “Where’s the malicious intent?” 😭

It’s probably unfair, but it does affect how invested I feel.
I also wasn’t deeply into the leads’ chemistry overall. That might be partly my bias, but emotionally I just didn’t feel fully drawn in.

🎬 Execution & Editing

There were many interesting, funny, cute, heart-fluttering, mind-blowing, heart-racing scenes. 💓

But that’s exactly what they felt like — scenes.
I didn’t feel a strong emotional flow connecting everything. It felt like a collection of moments rather than a cohesive journey.

The editing sometimes felt random. The ending especially felt rushed. It genuinely feels like something happened during release — maybe scenes were cut or backstory removed. Some explanations feel incomplete. Some plot points don’t feel fully involved.

It’s like chunks of history or character depth were edited out.

And because of that… even during the big emotional moments, I couldn’t cry. 😭

💔 Missed Potential

It’s filled with clichés — repeated tangy romance lines, familiar dramatic beats.

But the villain’s revenge motive? It actually had a solid foundation. That’s what frustrates me. It feels like the production planned something grander — something more layered and powerful — but the final cut doesn’t fully deliver.

So many missed opportunities…

Like being ended by the very entity you created yourself — that poetic irony could have been explored more.

But well… who am I to ponder what could have been? 😅 I’m sure the team did their best, especially with possible challenges, politics, and constraints. It’s not easy to deliver strong fantasy content under limitations like polictics and favors tc

🌟 Things I Loved

Eun-ho. All of her. Every second. 🦊
Her confession scene — iconic, hilarious. 😂
The fact that she remains a gumiho (THANK YOU).
Them visiting her home in NK in Episode 12.
The Spongebob-esque theme song vibes and them sunbathing on her island 😭
etc.....

🌼 Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a lovely, light watch — just not a standout. Entertaining in the moment, easy to binge, fun in parts… but not something that lingers long after it ends.

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This was my ultimate guilty pleasure trash content!

*tsk* my weekly dose of dopamine has come to an end 😮‍💨

I will not be writing a long-in-detail review for this one because I really did while watching the episodes and as a whole I don't have anything much to say. There will be lots of users deconstructing and analyzing every little detail of it, so my review will only be based upon my personal entertainment value.

Other than the MLs, Sorn and Jun, everything faded into a blurry background, and they shined bright, almost blinding my senses. I loved how horny, problematic, possessive Sorn was, and I also loved Jun's sassy ass, bad mouth, self-respect and his sweet side. In total, they were bomb on screen.

If you forget about the entertainment part, they had many questionable things going on and, honestly, I did not let it ruin my watch, because if I started to nitpick, my whole watching experience would go to waste, and I'd be disappointed. So, yes, I had my heart filters in my eyes and brain, and because of that I'm highly biased.

Love me, hate me, judge me, regardless of all agreement and disagreements, cringe fests, and red flag attitudes it was and will be my peak entertainment. I can't forget how much I waited for the unhinged crazy madness every Sunday.

Will I rewatch it? ABSOLUTELY YES! (ONLY ML PARTS) 😂👍 ✨

Do I recommend it? NO.
Be your own radar, decide on your own 💀

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