Reviews

this drama starts off very promising for me, I was looking forward on how their relationship would progress, from the main characters to the supporting ones as well, the political part was also very interesting. I was curious on how the whole storyline will unfold. Well, sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations. After around the 6th or 7th episode, I lost my interest, the whole storyline became so slow, I feel like nothing happen in some episodes to the point that I wasn't focusing at least 60% of the time. the main leads relationship was cute, i like them, but not like superrrr simping over them. the whole political things gets boring, nothing big was happening to make me excited for the next episode. also, i don't get why this drama have 20 episodes yet the writings at the end wasn't well written. The ending was kinda idk missing some umph. but the acting was amazingggg and the osts were good too. well, it was a mediocre saeguk drama for me, nothing too good or too bad, i honestly can't remember the storyline :')

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~LONG REVIEW AHEAD~WARNING~
There are two different responses which came about after this drama aired and that is this (1) It's terrible. Way too melodramatic and the directing and writing was a mess and (2) It's unique, crazy, and fun. It doesn't follow the guidelines of your typical Romance drama.

Because of this, I feel it is very hard to review this drama. but I thought I would give it a try anyway.

So here I go....
As I said above, most people who have seen this drama either LOVE it or HATE it. It's one of the things which comes with the territory of completing a very unusual drama. You're either going to think "What is this?!" or "Wow, interesting!"

So I decided for this review I would give two different standpoints. (1) The negative aspects and (2) The positive aspects. Both will contradict each other at points siince it depends on the person themselves viewing the show. Some people may see a scene from this drama as not being well put together, while others might applaud how it fit well with the crazy story itself.

Story-
(1) (Negatives)
-The main couple is stressful to watch a times. You could even call them a "Bi-polar" type of couple.
-The stories pacing is always up in the air. At times everything is going really fast and at other times everything is going very slooooow.
-Some scenes don't always work well together. The directing isn't always there.
-At times you could consider the story melodramatic when it doesn't need to be.

(2) (Positives)
-The main couple doesn't live by your usual Korean drama couple. They shout at each other, and they fight each other You can always see them as real.
-The pacing is all over the place because the people themselves in this drama are all over the place.
-You won't expect what will happen next in a scene because you can't always expect how someone with "mental issues" will react.
-The story can be sad at times because we are following the daily lives of people with "mental issues"and life isn't always happy when you don't fit societies "normal person".

Acting/Cast-
This may be my own biased view on things, but I don't see any reason to dislike the cast. All of them played each role to the best of their ability.
The only reason why you may not like an actor or actress in this drama is if you went in not being a big fan of them already.

Music-
I didn't hear or feel any complaints about the OST. Personally, I loved it! One thing they definitely did well was the music.

Overall-
This drama is really all about your perception on thing and how you see things in your life. It can either be relatable or out of this world crazy!
It's not your usual Korean drama. So I suggest giving it a try. If you aren't really enjoying the drama midway then you probably won't enjoy the rest of drama.

Views on this drama definitely vary and I would say your view will vary too if you complete it. My rating mainly is how I felt about the drama.

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This drama is like candy: sweet and addictive, but nothing beyond that.  

The plot is rather simple and dare I say cliché in some aspects (boy meets girl, insta-love, CEO and employee, cold emotionless guy vs sweet shy girl). However, it adds original and rather fun things like the virtual world battles and interactions. Also, kudos for adding such a contemporary theme like games and gamers. It was really refreshing to see not only boys but also girls playing virtual games.

However, even if the plot is somewhat decent, I don't think the characters or even characterization was well done. I mean, let's admit it, the main couple was a bit...too perfect for my taste. Nothing wrong with having capable main leads, but the two seem more like Mary Sues than actual capable, independent characters. I would've liked it a lot more if their flaws and problems were highlighted more (or even there to begin with, I didn't see ANY major flaws from each character), because they didn't feel realistic to me. But I kind of liked the way they trusted and confided in each other, but still felt a tad bit unrealistic (really, every couple has problems).

Also, the acting was stiff to say the least. I didn't feel anything at all from both parts. Yang Yang is drop dead gorgeous and a hella of a kisser but nothing more than that. I know his character is supposed to be this distant, somewhat emotionless guy, but he could've given much more than just the same cool, cold guy that we are tired to see in dramas (at least I am tired).

Zheng Shuang has the same flaws: a pretty face (also justified since her character is supposed to be pretty) but nothing much more than that. She lacked emotions and expression, what was supposed to be quirky turned out to be just plainly awkward. I know that because I've read the novel this drama was based on, and let me say the novel's Wei Wei was a lot quickier/ funnier than ZS portrayal, which made me like her more than when I watched the drama (even if she was still a Mary Sue).

Side characters were well played, and actually more developed than the main ones. I liked the subtle bromance between two of Nai's life long partners, but it's so subtle and undeveloped that it made me wish to see more, luckily I read the novel and got what I wanted.

All in all it was addictive but turned out to be underdevoloped, which is sad given it's 30 episode lenght. Honestly, I've seen dramas with a lot less episodes but much more fulfilling in terms of acting/plot/development. Also, the episodes seemed draggy sometimes and pointless. I think it would be better if it was 16 episode kind of drama, since the lack of depth and not much to do with the plot could allow this one to be a sweet, funny journey. But what's done is already done anyway.

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This drama is very light-hearted, unlike most Chinese dramas. The romance takes until episode 15 until it actually starts to progress, but the first 15 episodes are with Bu Meng and her friends.

I recommend watching this drama if you are looking for something light-hearted. The bad news is that there are only a few episodes that have been subbed, so for those who don't understand Mandarin, you won't be able to understand; however, I still encourage people to watch it for fun and I hope that more subs will be out soon so everyone can give this drama a try.

** EDIT: The ending was kind of disappointing. It was a HAPPY ending though so I'm not completely dissatisfied with it but it was very underwhelming.

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I really need a Season 2 for this!!

Firstly, I'd totally recommend this show if people out there want a soft romance with Fantasy, Action and Comedy elements mixed into it.

The main reason I began the series was the description. As a person who always reads the description first, I have this tendency to drop japanese series without much thought to it, but this time I assure you this series was so much better than what I thought.

As the title of this review says, I think with the limited japanese series I've watched, this one had the best fight scenes. I got hooked up for them from the start.
Then came the comedy. Laughed throughout the show. And the Fantasy, with the whole Youkai, it was a new type of fantasy I'd watched.

Finally, the cute romance. It was so cute that I have a whole list of cute romance shows like this. I loved how Izzy kept protecting Hachi and how Hachi kept on going about how she shouldn't kill anyone anymore. It was cute.

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A Whiff of Beer and Bubblegum

Sometimes a drama lands in the middle ground—not bad enough to rant about, not good enough to rave about. This particular romcom feels like white noise, a pleasant enough background hum that neither surprises nor offends. It’s just there.

The story, ostensibly about beer (and maybe a covert PSA for liver transplant hospitals), checks every box for its genre. It’s bubbly, light, and packed with characters whose childlike antics make you feel like you’re watching a cartoon version of adulthood. While the premise is quirky, the execution doesn’t quite pop.

The second couple, though, steals the spotlight with their adorably sweet interactions. They’re a joy to watch and, honestly, more compelling than the main storyline at times. Thankfully, the drama avoids some of the genre’s most tired tropes—no love triangles, no catastrophic miscommunications, and (hallelujah!) no noble idiocy. Instead, we get two couples who actually talk to each other and work through their issues like emotionally intelligent adults. A rare win for healthy relationship portrayals in romcoms!

However, the narrative feels so light it’s almost forgettable. The pacing meanders, and there are plenty of moments where you might find yourself zoning out. The “special forces” subplot? Let’s just say it’s absurd enough to make you question its inclusion. And while the music is cute and inoffensive, it doesn’t leave much of an impression either.

If you’re looking for depth or a strong emotional arc, this isn’t the drama for you. But if you’re in the mood for something breezy and low-stakes—complete with a classic Kopiko ad cameo—it might scratch that itch.

Ultimately, this drama is like a glass of beer on a lazy afternoon. It’s light, frothy, and gone before you know it. Not every sip is memorable, but at least it doesn’t leave a bad taste.

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An absolute banger of a drama.

An amazingly well written comedy that transcends the tired time-leap trope. The combination of an unreal cast and well-written, realistic dialogue brings the characters to life, so much that you can't help but miss them by the end of the show.

The screenwriting is brilliant, the story is well paced with rising stakes, great plot twists, foreshadowing, callbacks and solid character development. The show alternates between observational and situational comedy while the underlying story has darker undertones.

The cast is absolutely awesome with a great alchemy overall. Still, Andou Sakura's performance deserves a special mention with her full-body acting style, constantly matching her posture and motion to the emotional state of her character. This alone adds to the rewatchability of the show.

The soundtrack as well as numerous references to older television drama and anime not only help ground the timeline but are sometimes part of the plot.

Overall, this show is a must-watch, easily the best drama I've seen.

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I’ll start by saying that if you enjoy the original you will enjoy this one. I have now officially seen them both. I was a little hesitant to watch this one as I feel somewhat strange about the first one but I decided to give it a shot hoping that it would take a different approach however it did not. The positives; the cast did an amazing job portraying the characters who they were intended to be. Their emotions were evolved very well and it was very convincing. The supporting cast were good as well. I have nothing negative to say about the acting, the wardrobe or the quality of film however the plot itself was a bit disturbing. I felt the same about the first one. To summarize they have essentially turned a victim into a spouse.

I have watched a similar series but for some reason I didn’t get the same vibes like I got with this one. This one was a little eerie. Please don’t read below if you don’t want this boiler. What we have is our female lead who went away for a while and came back to discover that her boyfriend had not only cheated on her but had also gotten married. He was very apologetic and continue to make attempts to get her back. Once the wife’s brother finds out about it he then lies to the girls parents that he defiled her and that he loved her and wanted to marry her just so he could make sure she was unavailable so his sisters husband wouldn’t go back to work. This twisted part is that the parents dumped her (her being unaware) off in the middle of nowhere with this guy and left her there. He essentially harassed her and bothered her to the point that he started to like her. As a viewers I assume that we were supposed to empathize with him and hope that they would end up well. As a female I was again, Disgusted by the fact that the writers thought it was sweet for her to fall in love with somebody that lied on her, harassed, stalked her and caused her family to look down on her for his own reasons. To make matters worse she had no idea that he was her ex boyfriends brother-in-law. Other events take place and he pretty much kidnapped her and tortures her. Long story short they love each other again and live happily ever after.

This is the most twisted crap I’ve ever seen. Not only was the male leads behaviors equivalent to that of a psycho, her parents willingness to hand her over was even more disgusting. I did not find this romantic but I did find it creepy and somewhat disturbing. I don’t care how many fields of flowers you walk in the whole plot and was sick and unromantic. I gave it a 6 for the acting.

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Mediocrity with so much potential

I just want to start this review by saying, i think i completed this drama wholly for what it could've been, instead what it actually was. So many of the plot points had good groundwork but they just executed everything in the most uninspiring way. The story had potential, pairing had potential, second leads were okay to a point and SML was wholly unnecessary inclusion with love triangle. I hope writers would actually do some thinking why some tropes work and try and make them work instead of just putting them in the stories without thought.

Inclusion of love triangle in first episodes and it lasted for almost full drama was so unnecessary, it really didn't bring anything to the drama and made SML so one dimensional that the actor was fully wasted. I don't know why kdrama writers need to include it just seemingly cause it has to have one instead of thinking does it actually need one.

Leads relationship started good, not counting the mentioned love triangle ruining it from the start, it moved kinda fast but that was okay, but at some point it started to feel like FL started to use ML for emotional support and latter part vice versa, it is kinda sad to make half of the drama kinda trauma train and it didn't really fit the sold image of the drama at all.

Secondary couple was so much better than leads but i think writers just didn't know what do with the couple latter episodes and made them go through every cliche known to man. Disappointing on that front too.

Acting was great from everyone, i loved how infuriating the villagers were. No complaints here at all.

Conclusion
Very mediocre drama which had potential if rightly done, but writers showed from the start that they just want to use tropes instead of actually thinking what would work. Acting was great and everyone really worked well together. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone, it was lower end mediocre and i gave it 6/10. If you really like the actors, maybe for those i could recommend, everyone acted great, just the story left lot to be desired.

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Boring as hell ...

How can such a short series be so boring? Strongberry is not back with a solid BL. The finale was split in two parts, just a cash grab because it added only 7 Minutes more to episode 12/1... What a waste of money. They even did not complete the story of the side couple. So this series has only 12 episodes where the second one is extended to around 23 minutes.

So overall, while the actors are cute to handsome, they were as good as the script let them. The story started with a nice premise but it got boring fast, because there was not much character development for a long time. The also added the kinda "bad" woman for too long imho. I don't like people medling in other peoples affair. Especially bad for the side couple, they are "floating" in the air and we don't know if they did get together or not. At a positive note, they did really kiss :)

So this is a medicore show which did not kept me interested past the 6th episode. For a KBL it's quite disappointing, but after "The Idol" it's an slight improvment.

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The best thing I can say: I'm happy it ended...

The biggest problem with this show it the main cast called "Win". He has the charisma of a wallpaper. He speaks more robotic then most and his facical expression was mostly not existent. Of course nobody told him, that his orangeblonde hair does not fit his type, but that's only my opinion. 🤣

As usual this series has a ridicilous story, but it can't reach Khemjira or Goddess Bless You from Death. It has nothing interesting in it. The ordinary BL stuff is there, yes, but it makes this series not interesting. Also the naked ghost with his rabbit mask was an eyesore, because when he took of his mask we know how handsome he really is. But at least he got an nonsense happy end.

The only interesting character of the show was Tong imho. He had emotional scenes and he was the best written. The rest of the script is trash, the direction was weak and overall this show is mostly boring af. The other characters did not make me feel anything, I couldn't have cared less. The finale did not resolve anything, because the writers had no clue what they wrote about. There is something positive: I don't hate it like others in this rating bracket. It's just bad, but it does not get my riled up of it's stupidity. So, if you have not watched yet, skip it, it's not worth your time.

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Problematic But Brave

As other reviews attest, it is far too easy to "punch down" in reviewing this series: its flaws are many and criticism is warranted. And yet, I didn't give up and actually looked forward to each week's episode release.

The script chose to tackle and address issues that many stories (BL or not) pretend don't exist: mental health, therapy, institutional/authority figure predation (and the willful ignorance around these predators), and forced prostitution and victim-shaming. I think art, even flawed art, that chooses to speak to power should be praised for what it gets right as well as criticized when part of the execution falls short.

The early episodes did a tremendously deft job in taking us on Ice's journey as he continued to heal. Some of the most outstanding scenes during the characters' workshop sessions were understated and they let the subtext speak volumes that the script did not. Their workshop scenes were heartbreaking and hopeful, and watching two fractured people attempt to create connection (while one is still reeling from the trauma of sexual exploitation) was masterfully done. In fact, I might go out on a ledge and say those scenes in particular are some of my most memorable from the 2025 season and the best acting executed by the leads.

Yes, the second and third acts piled trauma on top of trauma, trope on top of trope, to the detriment of the story that was offered in act one. To me, it felt like the production team had tremendous courage to tell a unique story as they started, but got scared and retreated into genre semantics and syntax as the story progressed. If they had had the courage to keep the story smaller, the plot contrivances fewer, they had a chance to tell a very aching redemption story for our two leads.

And the reviews citing Ice's toxic boyfriend as an unnecessary element, in my opinion, miss the point of that subplot. Ice still feels unworthy and "tainted" when he chooses that relationship- there is a part of him that wants to wallow there as those feelings are at least familiar. He specifically chose a partner that would create the feelings in him he felt he deserved. Moving past Warm was a sign of growth and healing for Ice. Too often, survivors feel unworthy of real, sustained happiness and will continue in relationships that keep them in their "normal" state of stress, self-loathing, and self-doubt. Did the writers take that arc too far? Absolutely. This is just one example of courage in act one that retreated into trope by the end of the series.

Overall, this definitely is not a "seek it out" kind of show. But if you're in a generous mood and looking to watch a flawed but brave series, indulge your curiosity.

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Wow. They took exaggeration to a whole new level with Best Wedding. I love the writer is bringing to light an issue that is prevalent in some countries. I think in the US most judges tend to give custody to the mother, but it is a case by case basis in most states. Plus, in the US there are all kinds of family dynamics. If this drama (even exaggerated) is a depiction of Korean reality when it comes to single motherhood and what makes people family, then it is just sad. Honestly, this drama had me on an emotional roller coaster. I almost gave it a 10 for that alone. However, some of the characters could have been better developed. For example Park Tae Yong was all over the place. Even until the end I was uncertain of his character. I had the same feeling about Hyeon Myeong Yi. I also thought the side stories were unnecessary and boring. Regardless, the ending was OK.

Park Shi Yen and the writer did an excellent job balancing the strength and vulnerability of Hyeon Myeong Yi. Bae Su Bin was also good as the strange and unusual Jo Eun Cha. Their characters were the most consistent and had the best growth. The other actors were fine also. Little Dan is just too cute.

Side note: Although I don't find No Min Woo to be that great of an actor, he does strip a few times in this. Worth watching those parts. Keke

The music was appropriate.

I will never rewatch this.

This is a good drama. I recommend it.

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