Reviews

Liu Yuning is on the roll!!!

First of all, huge shout out to all the supporting actors. They are absolute gems when it comes to showcasing their prowess of acting in a comedy genre. This show is undeniably hilarious (that laughter of 18th Prince is my favourite) and it is even better when the show itself knows about it and doesn't take itself seriously from the get go. From the first episode you will be glued to the screen and binge watch all the episodes.
Li Yitong is simply made for this genre and Liu Yu Ning is in his best. (It is basically his yr.) I just like that guy whatever he does, whatever roles he chooses or whatever song he sings. (Yes, I am totally biased!)
The first ep. explains what the story is all about - a sword triangle *cough* a love triangle that literally raises the storm and the struggle of ML to seize the throne (literally quite a bloody one) and they definitely have a chemistry in this one... literally 'cough'.
Now the best part of it is the music and the lyrics that made me laugh so much which is very unique especially in historical/wuxia dramas. The scenes of FL trying to change the story and repeating the same things over and over again in 2x and 3x speed was really funny (that is some final destination stuff going on with her). I love it how it gets serious when it is required with a perfect blend of comedy that is central to the plot and the production what to say...they have got some big BUDGET. Nothing looks cheap everything is top notch and the fact that they used famous scenes of other popular dramas and reused them in a comedic way is cherry on top. Another commendable thing is the character development of side characters, no matter how small but they tried to evolve all the characters and gave them screentime which I haven't seen in many dramas.
If you are a fan of 'Romance of tiger and rose' and Love game in Eastern Fantasy' and another kdrama 'Extraordinary You' then this show will definitely exceed your expectations because it incorporates everything which the others lacked. Overall it is now one of my favourites of 2025 dramas with a well thought out transmigration plot that I have watched in a while. (Believe me you won't be able to guess the twists and yes it is remarkably done from start to finish so throw your worries of 'rushed ending' out of the window.)
Highly recommended.

Leggi di Più

Have You Ever Thought of Going Against The Flow? Have you Ever Thought of Making The World Better?

"Joy of Life" Season 2 picked up from where season 1 left off. It continued with the life of Fan Xian, and how he climbs higher as an official and gained a strong foothold in court. Fairness, Justice, Principles, those are the things I like about Fan Xian. While Fan Xian is an official with high ambitions, he's different. Why? Other officials are willing. No, Many Officials will willingly step on hundreds, even thousands of innocent lives and common people so they could climb higher, to wield more power. Fan Xian on the other hand, wants power so he can protect his family, loved ones, and innocent lives. I love his character because he's both righteous and humane. He's someone who wants to put an end to evil and corruption, and right the wrongs that has become the norms in the imperial court.


Can Fan Xian achieve fairness without offending many powerful officials, and even the power hungry Imperial Princes? Or can he go against the flow, set a change, making the world a better place, with less evil without facing dangers? Of course not. But that's what makes the story more interesting. In this path Fan Xian has chosen, it's a path full of perils and dangers. A path where his enemies outweigh his allies. Many people will plot and scheme against him, some will even try to kill him, that's certain. However, Fan Xian is someone who's tactical, intelligent, and scheming, so even though his path is full of adversities, he's bound to overcome them with his intelligence. After all, though his enemies outweigh his allies, he's not without support.


To be honest, I don't know how Fan Xian was portrayed in the novel, but I would say I loved his character in the drama more. He does not only care for all human lives, he's also a faithful man. He's faithful to his feelings for Lin Wan'er. What do I love about "Joy of Life"? What I love about this "masterpiece" is not just because the ML is strong and intelligent, it's far from that. I love this drama because aside from the excellent portrayal of scheming in the imperial court (politics), all the characters acting were top notch. It also has strong character development, plus, the stunning cinematography that mustn't go unmentioned. It's wuxia genre is also a great bonus to the show.


Is this a drama that's to everyone's liking? Most definitely! Is this a drama worth the try for potential watchers who are not familiar with the plot? Of course, trying a new genre through Joy of Life will definitely make you love the genre, even if you're unfamiliar with it.
In short, "Joy of Life" Season 2 is a must watch for everyone and anyone who wants a drama with substance! As 'Joy of Life" season 2 has concluded with another cliffhanger, I hope Season 3, which will also be it's last season, the final conclusion of this wonderful drama, a drama that explores both good and evil, will be as tentative as the second and first season.
Can't wait to see how Fan Xian cleanse the imperial court in the last season, season 3, which their aren't much information about. But I'm hopeful it won't keep us waiting for too long.
Note; I have edited my review upon rewatching this drama, so for people who have read my review before, this is a new review that I wrote after rewatching this drama. After much thinking, I think this one suits this drama better.

Leggi di Più

It was good? but mostly just annoying.

Just gonna do pros and cons so that I don't ramble TOO much.

PROS:
+Yo Han
+Yo Han's mansion
+Yo Han's right hand man ("K")
+acting was top tier from the whole cast
+40% of Sun Ah's outfits
+Sun Ah shooting Heo Jung Se ( a.k.a K-Trump)
+the chemistry between Yo Han and Ga On
+the actress for Sun Ah played tf out her role
+the plot twist about the fire
+the shows general concept and the way they showed how interwoven the corruption was

CONS:
+ Ga On's naivety

+ Ga On being a self-righteous idiot until the very end

+ Soo Hyun being the WORST detective I've seen in a K-drama (not aware of her surroundings AT ALL, never calls for back up EVEN WHEN SHE BROUGHT A CHILD INTO A SITUATION WHERE A WHOLE GANG WAS BEATING PEOPLE UP......WITH PIPES, very biased towards one suspect even when given clues about others, indifferent to all the corrupt people in power because all her focus is on Yo Han)

+ SUN AH (every time I saw her face, it irked me; like, physical repulsion)

+ writers trying to give Sun Ah an incomplete redemption arc (it wasn't set up well)

+ people not having a brain of their own unless it's to blame Yo Han

+ GA OOOOOOON

+ the Ga On x Soo Hyun romance(very cliché and like ZERO chemistry)

+ again Soo Hyun being an idiot( how she gon' blame her tampering with a crime scene on Ga On? it was unnecessary for her to do it anyways??? they told you it was a suicide? you are also in control of your own actions?)

+how writers portray main female leads in a way that makes them extremely disliked by a lot of the audience; in this case, it would be Soo Hyun.

Leggi di Più

What a waste!

I'm so amused at how I finished this trash, but I did well. And I'm so frustrated at this point. How is this even tagged as romance... there were just bits of pieces of it, which left a bitter taste in my mouth.

This tested my patience level every bit... I was waiting for the moment that it would get better. With the character arcs, their decisions, and most ridiculous not needed twists, it almost had nothing good to offer. The main leads were the worst... specially ml, he doesn't have a thing called the backbone, bro can't you just take a stand for once? rather than crying wailing... acting like ahh, I have to do these things for the sake of the greater good, I'm so done with these types of tropes, and the never-ending cycle of amnesias.

The only good thing about it was the side characters... some of them were good and way more interesting than the leads... but no, they were just thrown out of the plot and killed for convenience or I'd say to keep the story going as I don't think they had anything more to offer.

Ju Ying Yi... I'm so tired of seeing her in the same attire, the same makeup in literally everything and the thing is she's not that good of an actor too, to make the matter worst.

The chemistry between leads felt flat, so even with the little sprinkling of some sweet moments, romance was unsatisfying. The flow of the story was inconsistent. They had all the bad cliches of all xianxias I've seen till together I hated what they did with the ending... so in the end everything was for nothing?

Never thought my review after ages would be a rant but here you go... I guess all I needed to relieve my frustration towards it! And you better not watch it for your own good.

Leggi di Più

And Yet, We Loved..

Love’s Ambition works so well as a story about love, loss and second chances.. I think, because it feels like two love stories in one.. The first is about how Xu Yan and Shen Hao Ming meet, get to know each other, fall in love and self destruct.. The second is about how they find their way back to each other after that and also find their true selves.. The business aspect of the drama, well I would call it the most weakly written part of the show.. Anyway, I loved how the drama showed what both of them lost after they separated and why it mattered that they found each other again..

The main leads of the drama aren’t your usual 'green' characters.. Both are grey, shady even and the ML in the first half leans a bit more toward the darker side as we saw when the big reveal takes place.. They both have their flaws, but his are a bit too much at times.. He is one sneaky, manipulative man.. The FL isn’t exactly a saint either, the first 10 minutes of the drama give us a glimpse into the roots of her problems and the lengths she will go to protect her new identity, life and future.. Whatever her reasons, she is building her life on lies and sooner or later, it has to fall apart for her to truly start over and find real happiness.. The same goes for the ML, his beliefs, image and cunning nature all needs to break down for him to find himself and become worthy of her..

“A life built on lies..
I tried my best to make it a fortress..
But how can there ever be a castle on sand??”

Before I say anything else, I have to mention this, Zhao Lusi’s acting is on another level.. She nails the emotional and crying scenes every single time.. It’s so convincing that you can almost feel her pain.. It’s not really the writing that makes you empathize with her, it’s her raw, agonizing performance that draws it out of you.. It truly was a showcase of great acting.. Her character was better crafted than the ML’s.. She was clear about who she was from the very beginning and we never once doubted her love for him or the reasons behind what she did.. And Zhao Lusi carried the character with such effortless perfection..

And William Chan truly deserves credit for portraying a character who is unlikeable, sympathetic, pathetic and pitiful, all at the same time in the first half, yet somehow still manages to win our love and support in the second..

I think this is something the drama actually got right.. They first showed the ML as a good guy, a green flag, absolutely in love with the FL, for a good 10 to 12 episodes.. Then out of nowhere, he turns into a manipulative man.. And guess what?? The writer changes his mind again, suddenly, he truly loves her but just doesn’t know how to express it.. So this cold, brooding, cunning man becomes a jealous, insecure mess in the second half of the drama.. But the reason it worked for me was because his character didn’t feel inconsistent.. Even as he became that jealous man, he still stayed true to his earlier personality.. Cunning, shrewd and composed, but this time, he showed his love more openly, even through all the whining and interference in her life..

I honestly think the ML could have salvaged everything if he had just handled it better.. When she found out about his child, if he truly loved her, they could have talked it out, found a solution and saved their marriage.. And I genuinely believe she would have forgiven him, because she really did love him.. Instead, he goes on a rant and acts like an absolute jerk, even though he is the one who did and hid things that were far worse.. I mean, he literally had two chances, the girl herself went to him, apologized and told him she loved him and he still couldn’t climb down from his high horse.. What a waste..

The supporting cast was good, but there were no standout performances.. Honestly, apart from the two leads, there wasn’t much for anyone else to work with.. What’s up with all these other characters?? They have almost zero personality, not even Wan Peng.. No wonder the performances ended up feeling shallow..

After seeing her past scenes, I honestly wished she wouldn’t forgive her parents.. Even revenge would have felt justified.. But at the very least, she shouldn’t have forgiven them.. Not even in the last ten minutes of the drama just to wrap things up neatly.. But well, they got their happy ending anyway..

There’s been some talk about how she completely forgets her dream of becoming a news anchor.. But the way I see it, she wanted that job not because it was her true passion but because it represented everything she thought she needed to feel whole.. Respect, control and a version of herself untethered from her painful past.. For someone whose early life was marked by helplessness, becoming a news anchor was her way of taking back control of her own narrative.. But after the breakup, she no longer needs that kind of validation.. She has already been exposed, hurt and stripped of her perfect image.. In other words, she stops chasing recognition and starts building something real.. She is no longer running from her past.. She is building a future with full awareness of who she is and what she has been through.. So while it may seem like she forgets her dream, it’s more like she outgrows it..

Overall, it’s a stunning drama with a great, great soundtrack and despite my issues with the pacing, it never drags on too long.. No matter how uneven the writing gets, Zhao Lusi’s acting remains superb, with William Chan doing his best to keep up.. Not that it’s his fault, she is just that good.. My favorite part of the drama comes after their separation, the angst, the workplace dramas, the role playing.. Basically everything this " almost divorced " couple does.. I only wish they had cut down the business subplot a bit, because the comedy in the middle phase was so good and deserved more time and honestly I could have done with less of the business stuff.. I am giving it a nine.. I love myself a happy ending and Love’s Ambition gave me one..

Leggi di Più

As much as I hate to say this, I'm really disappointed with this KBS BIG. It's a really cute/nice drama, yes. It started off really strong (which most kdramas are naturally good at imo), but as it progressed I lost more and more interest in it. For several reasons actually.

One, they don't provide enough background for the main cast of the drama. Instead they provide way too many fillers with useless information and subplots such as the romance between Teacher Ae Kyung and Na Hyo Sang's little romance. Or even more unbelievably pointless, Teacher Kim Young Ok and Kang Kyung Joon's Uncle's relationship to Gil Da Ran's parents. While their comedic relief is undeniable the time used up on these people could be used to focus on more interesting and informative things like Kyung Joon and Mari's past. Or Yoon Jae's dad and Kyung Joon's mom. Or more importantly Yoon Jae himself, cause honestly after the guy got knocked the hell out we really lost the chance to see any sort of character development. What little flashbacks that were provided simply werent enough because they centered around Gil Da Ran and Yoon Jae as a couple, not him as an individual.

Furthermore, how did Ma Ri and Kyung Joon become acquainted!? How'd she grow to be so in love (obsessed) with him? Besides a few flashback clips of him patting her on the head and her asking him to stop his mom from going to her dad, I really don't know much about this pairing's past.

Also, another thing the writers could have shed a little more light on is the truth behind Yoon Jae and Lee Se Young's relationship. Was it really one sided? And if it was why the fuck would he take and KEEP the key she gave to him if he wasn't wavering in the least bit? Is he really as pure in thought and mind as the writers have tried to convince us after discovering Lee Se Young's lies.

Speaking of the devil, Lee Se Young was a total waste of a potential character if you ask me. I mean really here you have two female antagonist, Seyoung and Mari, yet you give more screen time to the one who is mostly just an annoying fly on the wall with weak purpose. Other than being an manipulative and obnoxious little liar exactly what is she there for lmfao. It'd be something different if Kyung Joon actually had feelings for Mari which would create more tension and drama with a real love triangle. Or maybe a love square? I'm not sure? Can you really count Yoon Jae anymore since he's pretty much had no say in the matter for the last uh...15 episodes.

But anyway, we can't really speak for Mari and Kyung Joon's past because like many other important things it's vague as fuck.

As far as the casting goes, I think it's safe to say that Gong Yoo (((oppa))) saved this drama. As always his performance reeled me in like a fish. I swear when he cries angels grab the tissues and start dabbing away at their tears, lbr. Every emotion is so believable.

LEE MIN JUNG. Love the girl i really do but i hate the character lmfao. She just seems so useless half the time? And only plays a game of tug of war with her feelings. Like really I can just picture her sitting on a park bench, plucking the petals off a sunflower and saying "I love him....I love him not...I love him...I love him not". Cause that's all her character did this entire time besides act like she older than Kyung Joon by 15 years and scold him restlessly even though he has more courage, patience, consistency, commitment, and sincerity in the tip of his finger than she possess in her entire fucking body. Honestly, she just proved to me that an age gap has little to do with maturity and readiness in terms of love. BUT I'M SORRY, i can't blame Lee Min Jung for having an "eh" role. I mean she didn't write it ykwim? Lmfao i really like her acting so I won't continue to complain.

OK. BUT LASTLY.

WHAT'S EVEN MORE UPSETTING

IS HOW THIS DRAMA DRAGS ON AND ON AND ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN AND ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN and ONNNNNNNNNNNNNN AND ONNNNNNNNN-....see what i did there. Yea.

The writers spend most of the time making the main cast look like indecisive dumbasses instead of worrying about how to settle the "after come".

Here's a timeline of what they do:

exposition --> rising action --> CLIMAX? --> K nope rising action --> rising action --> CLIMAX NOW?..anybody? idk --> falling action? --> nope havent reached the climax i don't think --> a bunch of plot twists --> ok wtf are we even doing anymore --> finale resolution (lol hi)

Lmfao. Kyung Joon hasn't returned to his own body and there's only 1 episode left to take care of that. Naturally, this will lead me to believe that everything will be jam packed into the finale. I'm praying that it won't be sloppy. I'm praying that it won't be a cop out ending in which they pull a "5 years later" type of thing. There's literally so many things to cover after they switch bodies back that it just leaves...to many doubts and little hopes for a clean end.

If you ask me they could have spent less screen time on useless things like standing around crying while dramatic OST music plays in the background; or, knixed one of the supporting cast subplots on creating more time for the finale, in which all questions can be answered. All loose knots can be tied.

Anyway, overall this drama just seems to be yet another predictable and shallow romance that can be used to pass time. It gets kudos for some of the exceptional pieces of eye candy though.

But again, Gong Yoo was terrific and gives a heart trembling performance as always! So, if you're a huge fan of him you can give this drama a shot.

(might edit after watching the last ep)

Leggi di Più

This is going to be angsty as hell! I'm hooked!

Ep 1 to Ep 10:
-----------------
This is doing amazingly well! I expected it to be good because of Zhang Wan Yi but I didn't expect much from Wang Chu Ran. I have only seen her in 1 drama so far and didn't think much of her acting in that one. But she is doing a great job in this role. I like listening to Zhang Wan Yi's voice, there's this desperation to it. (I'm weird) At least I hope that it is his voice and not being dubbed by someone else. It sounds exactly the same as his character in Cang Xuan in Lost You Forever. Okay enough drooling over the guy, back to the drama at hand.

Cui Xing Zhou is cunning and ruthless, I kinda want to be mad at him but I cannot, because I think the Liu Mian Tang who has her memory is just as bad. (The creators made is so obvious that she is the Liu Wen they are looking for) She is gonna come at him hard once she figures out he has been lying to her. (At least, I hope that happens. I hope that she isn't one of the characters, that falls in love and is like, Oh okay, I understand. He is in a tough position and couldn't' have done anything else. ) I want to feel the betrayal from her.

When I started the episode from the first scene I was thinking this is what I was talking about, they had my attention. (I was comparing it to another drama I was looking forward to but missed a lot of marks: Love’s Rebellion) I like the visuals, but a lot of the places remind me of few other dramas. For example, the corner of their shop is very similar to the shop in Lost You Forever 2 where Xiao Yao drops some herbs or something and then Tushan Jing helps her out. There's one another one that reminds me of stage where Xu Fang Fie played the Guqin that made everyone cry in The Double. (I don't know if they are same or similar, even if they are the same it is even better in my books)

My current issue with Liu Mian Tang and how easily she seems to swallow his lies. His explanations are so weird, I wonder why she doesn't question them more. (Had it not been for that, I would have rated it higher)

Cui Xing Zhou is so hilarious, the efforts he has to put in to play house with Mian Tang make it fun to watch. At the same time, you want to call him an ass because poor Mian Tang is hooked. You have got to give it to her, she has been so damn understanding of everything he does.

I do wonder what he is going to do about his betrothed or fiancée! Dammit, it doesn't seem like he is going to cancel the engagement. I'm really not into the whole suffering that the wife and concubine dynamics bring. The only people who benefit in that one is the poor excuse for a husband and manipulative wives. (Not into it, sure hope the guy wizens up)

Ep 11 to Ep 20:
-------------------
I paused the drama at episode 10 and then went to find the book. I didn't much care for CXZ in the books in the beginning and only started liking him after they got married. CXZ complex character made it a much interesting read and it wouldn't have been the same otherwise. By the end of the book, you are glad that they end up together because they are good for each other.

Fortunately for all of us, the drama has a bit more of humorous tone and has found the perfect way to balance CXZ's ruthlessness and his love for LMT. I have liked the drama CXZ since the beginning, there's one or two instances where he was ruthless as well, one of them is very clear, the scene in the first few episodes where CXZ schemed to have her carriage broken up and she fell out of it, that was bad no matter how you look at it. Later on, when he continues to hide his real identity when there are so many chances to fess up.

I feel sad for LMT who has lost her memory and is harmless puppy who only cares about her husband's wellbeing. In contrast, CXZ life is bigger & doesn't simply involve her. He has too much to think about & LMT adds to that burden. And while I understand where he is coming from, he doesn't even know LMT is Lu Wen at this point. To him she is someone who has fallen on hard times and had to become Lu Wen's concubine. If not for his growing feelings, he would have let her go. And he did with that divorce letter, but he didn't dare fess up. The only reason he doesn't is that he isn't ready to handle the repercussions.

He is warmer in the drama, his visit to LMT before he left for Jinjia pass was a welcoming change. He even apologized to her sleeping form, he never did that in the books.

I have liked and admired Shi Xue Ji since I first saw her. I wish to meet more women like her and LMT in real life, people who aren't driven by jealousy. They have bigger things to worry about. They make a decision and stick to it.

I like the development between Zhao Quan and He Zhen. Although jealousy and envy gets to her from time to time, He Zhen still comes to her senses and makes wise decisions. Her entire 1 sided thing for CXZ was pitiful to watch. I'm also glad that Zhao Quan doesn't seem to covet LMT anymore. These two are more suited for each other. I'm a bit surprised with Zhao Quan's character transformation here.

Coming to Sun Yun Er, had she only loved Zi Yu and not been so envious of LMT, it would have been fine. She kept going out of her way to ensure that LMT died even when she had forgotten everything. One of the most satisfying things in the books was when LMT catches Sun Yun Er red-handed at the time Sun Yun Er hires a guy to pretend to be Cui Jui. They let her off easy in the drama, she got beaten by LMT's maids, one of the things that she would never forget about.

Ep 21 to Ep 30:
-------------------
Things are going to tough between them for a while now. I want to see them face off, knowing each other's identities. So, he finally figured out that she is Lu Wen. He did it quite early in their relationship and he seemed rational about it. Ep 22 was more focused on Zi Yu's part of it and his play for the throne. He is more like Cang Xuan in Lost You Forever. Zi Yu has been on his own journey since the get go, which is one of the reason he decided to push away LMT. He thought that he could win her back, but that's not going to work in his favour. I'm not even worried about the preview episode 24, LMT might need some time to organize her thoughts and CXZ will win her back soon enough.

Having binged the first half of the drama, the one episodes day go painfully slow. All I know is that drama CXZ is gold! I don't know why people expect LMT to just forgive and forget easily. It doesn't happen overnight, they need time apart to sort things out. It will be better for both of them.

Yes, the drama did change quite a few things and some were for the better. I have completed the novel and I liked it. So far, I have liked the drama regardless of the changes they have made. One thing they got right was what CXZ felt for LMT. Although their relationship began as a lie, once he fell for her he was all in. Just as it is shown in the drama. The only difference is that he is a more considerate of her in drama. We might see him being more domineering in the future but he isn't a guy who would treat his partner poorly. Right now (ep 26 to 28), the drama has slowed down a bit and it seems like a waiting game for something drastic. It gives me the same vibes as the beginning of the drama. Looking forward to the last leg of the drama things are gonna be rollercoaster from now onwards.

Ep 31 to Ep 40:
-------------------
Ep 31 and 32 went as expected. There's one part in the book that absolutely love (it involves some morons getting slapped), I hope that we get to see in the coming episodes. I liked how CXZ and LMT handle his mother. I love her mind. That ending looked promising for Shi Xue Ji but I would have liked to see more of good moments between the two. One of the scenes that I liked the best was CXZ's prison break where he and LMT fought together that was the most interesting scene in this last arc.

Comparison with the novel (If you haven't read the book, feel free to ignore the following):
They have cast the right people for all the roles, especially Zhang Wan Yi & Wang Chu Ran. I'll be seeking out all of Wang Chu Ran's dramas from now on.
I feel that they left out a lot of scenes and pivotal moments from the book that could have made this drama a lot more interesting and less linear. (By lot, I do mean lot!) I'll just go re-read the book again someday.
I was looking forward to Cui Xing Di's role but he turned out to be just a very underutilized supporting character.
It would have been fun to see Li Guang Cai & Cui Fu get together, but she is sticking with her fickle husband.
Although I liked the CXZ in drama a lot better, there were times when it became too comical for me and I wanted to see more of a composed CXZ.

Leggi di Più

It ended. That's all folks! (eps 1-13)

Review ep 1-5:
So much anticipation. So much disappointment. I'm NOT dropping this since I keep hoping for redemption, BUT it better come.
As many, I got so hyped up by ep. 0. But the only thing left standing is the acting. Honestly, I commend the actors for portraying these people so well. They are making stupid decisions, act irrationally and the story is both boring and weird.
Some scenes make me vear up with excitement because I hope this is the moment it gets better, but alas.
The fact that the comic relief character has the best part, is shocking.
Wish me luck for the remainder!

Review ep 6-7:
We seem to be getting more story and real drama between our leads. Ep. 7 is the best one so far. The last scene is heart breaking, even though Praew is totally unlikable. Poor Nine is finally making some real choices and Daonuea is being his dramatic self. On the very edge of annoying and cute. For the first time i'm actually excited for the next ep.

Review ep. 8-9:
It keeps overpromising and underdelivering. The love scenes feel insincere at this point, they come from nowhere, there is no build-up. A few scenes later a new (or old) drama ensues and were back to the start. It could be so much better!

Review ep. 10:
Finally!! This was sooo so cute!! I loved the way they are getting shy now that they are officially together. The rings exchange made me swoon. The soft looks Nine gives Daonuea are everything. Lets keep this vibe up y'all!!

Review ep 11:
Well the dreaded 11th episode served us Drama!
Poor Daonuea. Always drawing conclusions and not checking. So much insecurity. I hope he'll be able to overcome this self doubt and trust he is worth all of nines love. Tee and Ice are having moments! There's something brewing there for sure. Candy and Boat are adorable. Although this is a BL, I want more of them. I adjusted my overall rating from 6,5 to 7,5.

Well I did it. I finished without dropping. And ended with a 7.5 rating. With the remark that 7.5 in my way of always generously rating is just about average. It could have been so much better, so much more than average!

What I liked:
- DaoNine chemistry. Especially coming from Nine. I get butterflies level 1000 when he only even glances at Daonuea.
- Scenery. Especially @The Air. I want to book my next vacation there...

What I disliked:
- Daonuea when he throws a fit over nothing. I would love to see him get help for his dramatically low self-esteem and paranoia.
- Rough story telling. Not really bad writing, it just feels like the writing was not really completed when filming started. Still needed much work.
- Too many unfinished character stories. Candy & Boat just bled out, IceTee is just getting started, who and where are all those other boys with Nine...
- unfunny comedy attempts
- horrible pacing

And... It seems like 1 or 2 scenes from the trailers did not make it into the final version. Why??

Review Ep. 13:
Surprise! We get more of IceTee (love this ship name :) ). How or why Ice comes in for an interview? Who knows. But he's here. and he's not going anywhere apparently because before we know it him and Tee are all over eachother. It says a lot that their office make out scene is much hotter than NineDao's was. But that is about the only difference. and this scene is most likely why the episode was made. Not that we are complaining, because whew! But not a lot else is worth mentioning here. But you should definitely watch it.

Leggi di Più

I have a few unpopular opinions

For what I expected to be my favourite drama of the year, I've concluded it with lukewarm feelings. As much as I know a lot of people really loved this show, I have a lot of issues with it from morals to general plot progression and characterization. I don't think it was all bad and the premise really showed a lot of promise, but for me, it failed to reach the potential that I thought it deserved.

Let's start from the beginning. My hype for Mouse was at its peak before I ever started watching it, back when the description was just a vague blurb about a world where psychopaths could be determined before birth and the societal response to that. That right there is interesting to me, extremely. Just that short, nondescript idea was enough to get me really invested in what this show would become. So I was already past the point of no return when I realized that the writer for this drama was the same writer as Black. For anyone who has actually watched Black, you may understand why this set off alarm bells for me. But whatever, I was already set on watching it. I was even more excited than I was for Beyond Evil, which has so far been my favourite mystery/thriller this year.

From the very first episode, something did not sit well with me, and that was the portrayal of psychopaths. You know, the entire focal point of the drama. I knew going in that it wasn't going to be realistic because of the introduction of the psychopath gene and the prenatal test for it. Okay, fine. But the drama heavily referenced psychopaths being serial killers. Actually, all of their arguments centred around the idea that every psychopath was a serial killer when, really, most aren't. And the fact that the show was demonizing unborn children? It bothered me. But well, that's what I signed up for! I knew going into it that it would do that, and my hopes were that the drama would challenge the biased opinions it set out at the beginning throughout the drama. And well... it didn't. Not even a little bit. It just reaffirmed them throughout. Hm. Well okay. Maybe I won't agree with the morals, but I can still enjoy the story, right? Well...

I found the start of the drama a little fun. The moments of suspense reminded me of a b-horror movie which could be both cringy and fun, so I was okay with that. But the further I watched, the more I realized that it wasn't very enjoyable. To be enjoyable, a drama doesn't necessarily need to be funny and charming. Dark, gritty shows that make you think can be entertaining, too. But as I watched, I realized I didn't like any of the characters. They were all characters who had been deeply scarred by past events and losses in their lives so I didn't expect them to be happy, good, fun people, but their flaws didn't seem to justify their actions and, honestly, they felt a bit like caricatures. Those singular events in their past defined who they were as people.

Take Moo Chi - he's an off-the-walls alcoholic detective with anger issues. Why is he that way? Well, his parents were murdered and beheaded by a serial killer and his brother was seriously injured in the same event and had to go through many operations just to keep his life. His brother never recovered. That night still lives with him and he can't escape it. Okay, makes sense. So, what does he like? Well... alcohol, I guess. His brother? His team, maybe? Half the time he's fighting with them, so I can't be sure. What are his interests? Hm. Drinking? Chasing criminals? Being depressed in his room? Depression makes a lot of sense for his character, especially after his brother's death, but he has no interests. There's nothing in his room that indicates that he's cared about anything but catching criminals his entire life and that just isn't a character. You can say that he's obsessed, but even people who are will have things they've picked up over the decades of their lives that they care about. And it isn't even like he's a good detective - he's very slow to piece things together. While watching Mouse, I never really cared for the moments he was on screen. And I don't think it's at all the actor's fault. He's doing his best with what he's been given. He's a good actor. But there wasn't much to work with there.

Okay. Bong Yi. Where to start? Well, she was a victim of sexual assault when she was younger and is scarred ever since. Same deal as with Moo Chi. She's traumatized and that's entirely valid. She loves her grandmother, but also somewhat blames her grandmother for what happened to her. That comes out when she's angry. She has a temper, like Moo Chi. She knows how to fight - I can assume maybe self-defence classes in her past. She... boxes? I guess? Great, a hobby! And she has a crush on Ba Reum. Okay, so she has interests! Right? Well... not really. The strange thing about this writer is that she's actually not great at writing women. You can see it in Black, too - the badly written female characters. She tries to follow the 'strong female character' trope that's become popular over the years but doesn't go far beyond the trope. The girl can fight, great, but whenever there comes a time where she actually needs to fight, she's useless. She'll almost catch a criminal here and there, but mostly her confrontations will end in her being a victim that needs to be saved. Throughout the series, she was just a magnet for every serial killer and rapist. They all gravitated to her house like there was a big red sign out front that read 'TARGET'. As for her crush on Ba Reum, that was her entire role. She was meant to be the love interest and victim of the serial killer in order to add more angst, drama and tragedy to the script.

Ba Reum. Well, personality-wise, he was a bit likeable. He was meant to be. In fact, his kind act was so caked on that most of the viewers realized in episode 2 that he was going to turn out to be the serial killer while the show was trying to act like it was some big twist to be revealed at the 3/4 mark. It was predictable. But what bothers me with that is that him being a genuinely nice guy who likes to take care of animals would have been the better twist. Everyone also figured out early on that he was the Head Hunter's biological son, too. It would have been a good chance for the show to challenge the earlier morals that it established but, well, it decided that no, psychopaths are determined at birth and they all need to be aborted because the only route they'll take in life is murder! I won't go into that rant. That aside, his character was... okay. He still didn't really have many interests, but they at least established more of his history through his friends. We got more info through the backstory of his family and their murders... but I really don't want to touch on what a mess the family history is in this show. 'Serial killer turned nice guy' was his entire personality and we can just leave him at that.

This goes for most of the other side characters, too. They're very one-dimensional and when you look back on it, it makes them hard to like. This isn't a Mouse exclusive problem and actually tends to be a big issue I have with a lot of thrillers, but the writing of the focal points matters a lot in whether these simple characters bother me or not. Unfortunately, the story wasn't enough to detract from that. What a mess. It bothers me that this drama isn't tagged as sci-fi because of the brain-transplant element later on in the show. And the psychopath test. Of course. The plot was really inconsistent from thereon. Looking back, it feels like the entire middle of the show could have been cut out and we would have still ended up in the same place. Ba Reum's amnesia only succeeded in dragging out the show. It could have been 16 hour-long episodes or less and I feel that the takeaway would have been the same. Actually, how interesting would it have been to have Ba Reum wake up remembering that he is a serial killer, but now also being able to feel the guilt that he never could have before? Following that character would have been very interesting. That's not the show we have, though.

There was too much going on at once I think. The story was vast, but it didn't amount to much. The OZ conspiracy was honestly unnecessary. The government being involved felt a bit silly. If this show had stayed solely about the serial killer and was shorter in accordance with that, I think it would have had more of an impact on me. That was the part that was interesting. That was what I hung onto. But by the time we reached the end, it felt like the spark just sort of... fizzled out. The last episode was focused on wrapping up loose ends but by the time Ba Reum was arrested, I realized I didn't care about what was happening to any of the characters. I didn't like Bong Yi, Hong Ju or Moo Chi. They, like I said, didn't feel like real characters. Then the law was passed to abort fetuses with the psychopath gene, and I was wondering whether that was supposed to be considered a victory or if it was supposed to be seen in a negative light. I wasn't sure how I felt. Especially after the show essentially showing Ba Reum's mother starting everything. She misinterpreted Ba Reum's intent to kill his brother and told his adoptive mother to kill him. Ba Reum's family was murdered before him, and his first murder was of the man who killed them. That was the trigger. It does make me wonder how he would have turned out had it not been for the actions of the people around him. I assume that was the writer's goal, so props for that.

There are some bright sides to this experience. In concept, it was interesting. I'm glad it went the route of Ba Reum being the original killer instead of Yo Han. And hey, the ending wasn't half as bad as Black's. But unfortunately, the whole journey felt a bit meaningless to me and that last episode especially left a lot to be desired. Episodes were focused on ending with big cliffhangers and shocking the audience rather than telling a well-written story and the characters were stereotypes that failed to break the mould. I can't say that I regret watching it though. It was nice to see Seunggi acting again and I had fun in some of the earlier episodes. There were moments I got excited, too. So I can't say it's not worth watching, but I also can't say that it is, either. I do get why so many people loved it, and I feel with some changes maybe I would have been one of them.

For me, Mouse will remain a terribly long journey and a cautionary tale not to get too excited by a drama's premise.

Leggi di Più

Goodby Lonely Heart...

first of all, yes it's definitely a romance!
While up to episode 20 you can still speak of a very intimate friendship/brotherhood (with many subtle), this line is crossed at the latest from episode 21.
Because what happens then can no longer be other than a love affirmation, because you have kisses, cuddling, dirty jokes and even a confession on the beach and thereby the series goes very tame but still further than some KBLs I've seen recently.
And the relationship itself is probably one of the most romantic things I've seen lately, as you really see two soul mates who would give anything for each other.
But just in the middle are a few lengths and a few plots that are not bad in themselves, but could not fully convince me, such as the story of Wu Bis's birth mother or the girlfriend of Wu Bi's brother.
Apart from that, family has a special place in this drama and especially the scenes with the chosen family of the two with little Dua are always very heartwarming.
All in all, "Stay with me" is a more than positive surprise and I personally like it better than the other version "Addicted" but I don't know if it lives up to the current hype.
Apart from that, I'm not that happy with the ending, even if it is the technical end of book one, especially because a second season is not guaranteed.
And also that at the end of another more explicit version with extra scenes should come out, I'm happy of course but I hope the whole project does not fall victim to censorship before.

Leggi di Più

This has got to be the one of the most interesting and fascinating medical drama that I've seen in a long time. It sucks you in within 15 mins and you’ll be begging for more.

The main reason for this is the character of Daimon Michiko played by Yonekura Ryoko. She makes the wide-eyed, constantly calm, mysterious and confident character (she goes dancing every night!!) so captivating that u just want to know more about her. The story seems extremely realistic but different at the same time.

The other actors too have done a pretty good job in playing their parts. This drama mainly shows us how Daimon Michiko does her job as a doctor without being hindered by the bureaucratic nature of the hospital.

This drama is a MUST watch because trust me it will always keep you interested. (She is kinda like a super hero :P)

I'm eagerly waiting for the next episodes!!

Leggi di Più

The chemistry between Chae jong hyeop and park ju hyun

It's worth watching, I kept watching it over and over again and I'll still watch it again. You've got to watch it guys. It's just so interesting 🥰. They both got through their problem together and when it comes to their match, they have a team work and they understand each other. Chae jong hyeop shows us that no matter what happens, we should let love lead, we shouldn't be selfish, we should put ourselves in others shoe. And the chemistry between those two, I mean the park twins, it's just so muah........... Like I said before, I'll still watch it again, I'm keeping it till I see a movie that's far more interesting than this but I don't think there'll be any because I'm just so obsessed with the park twins. They are my new celebrity idol 😘. I'm a fan and I'm rooting for you guys. Fighting 💪 and keep up the good work. More projects with good ratings is coming your way very soon.

Leggi di Più

This drama is for the one who are patient. If you don't get nervous and angry quickly this drama is perfect for you, because it really tests your patience.

Rome plays the playboy Kongkai let me tell you haven't see yet such a horny male lead in any of the dramas I have watched,

He is on duty for.. you know what. He jumps from his mistress's bed to his wife's bed.

He's stupid enough not to see the true colours of his mistress Na Prungchat portrayed by Songkhla Pornchita let me tell you she does such a great job that you end up hating the girl.

Prungchat is the daughter of a rich family, she's a model, her makeup is always bright, I believe they chose bright colours on her lips as her lips looks bigger with bright colours. She has never been loved, so clings on men.

Arunprapai potrayed by Hargate Araya Alberta, she's bright, beautiful have a successful career, she marries Kongkai out of love, as her bf impregnated a girl and for him to do the right thing she marries Kongkai, at first there was no love, but they eventually fall in love.

Though it took Kongkai such a long time to understand that he loves Aru, but it didn't stopped him seeing that ugly mistress.

Mistress has done everything in the book to trap Kongai, each time she got him back, and when he finally said he loves his wife, she used the pregnancy lie, to get him and she was nearly successful, whereas his wife is actually pregnant and kept it secret

We do have an annoying maid, a messenger of the mistress, her inside info about Kongai, and she also learns her lesson from her.

We have such a loving & caring mother in law, the other maid, she was loving and caring, she's the mother of the annoying maid...

We have a family lawyer, he helped Kongai w/o all the time for him to give the right decision

Things go pretty slow in this drama, we don't get to see romance in each episode.

But the ones who are patient enough get to see the happy ending.

If I were the wife in the lakorn, most possibly I'd have already kicked his unfaithful ass..

Oh but she's so caring, loving, giving, that she did not do anything to hubby and that cheap mistress.

If not I'd have asked him to get tested for STD / STI .. I mean it doesn't even happen in western dramas, let alone expecting to see it in an Asian Drama is a bit nonsense but I'm only expressing my opinions

You can call me mad, mental but I cried so much when Prungchat became a nun and when Kongkai, Arunprapai and the gay friend visited her after she became a nun

PUNGCHAT becomes a nun after her husband got killed by his own mother.

The temple scene was intense & emotional

Leggi di Più

Unique plot for a historical drama about getting the throne

Acting:
I LOVED this drama, Park Ji Hoon's acting was amazing, I thought I wouldn't like Hong Ye Ji's acting because I've only heard bad stuff about it, but her acting was good. Her character is an assassin, it makes sense why she wouldn't really be very expressive. The ML is either possessed or has another personality (I am not sure, but I think historically they'd say a person is possessed if they had another personality), he went through a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the drama and expressed them amazingly well, I especially loved his portrayal of Ak Hee.

Plot:
The plot was really unique for a historical drama focusing on 2 'brothers' trying to get the throne. A lot of historical dramas about Kings/Prince's have this type of plot, but this one was unique mostly because it had a very soft ML.

Sajo Hyun did not like violence at all and hated how horrible of a King his father was, and I don't think he ever changed, he just stopped being meek. He also did not want the throne, neither of his personalities did, one wanted to make clothes and the other just hated politics (though he was very good at it). Honestly, there wouldn't have even been a fight for the throne had the Grand Prince (the brother) just been a decent person.

I loved Ak Hee, I had SLS for Ak Hee, but Sajo Hyun grew on me later on in the drama when he started to develop a lot of the attributes I like about Ak Hee. Ak Hee was such a hilarious (and adorable) character. I loved his sarcasm and his attitude, he was a mood. He truly did not care about anyone but Kyera/ Yeon Wol, I hated that she never saw his feelings as sincere. Ak Hee is treated as though he is the human embodiment of greed, and nothing else despite the fact that he is able to feel love and pain. He was only treated like a human at the begining of the drama, but later on he is treated as though he is just an evil spirit, and not part of Sajo Hyun.

There were a lot of plot twists in this drama, you don't really know whether Ak Hee is good or bad , if anything he was just greedy, which made him anxious, which made him do stupid things.

I also did not hate the Princess Consort, I didn't like her at all at the start, but then you get to see that even though she is selfish, she is not a bad person and she is also not really the MLs love interest. She had a lot of character development despite not having much on screen time.

I think the only thing I did not like about this drama was how Sajo Hyun and Ak Hee did not even try to understand Yeon Wol's hate of Sajo Hyun's father. Her hate and revenge were completely justified, though the vengeance itself was not very satisfying.

SPOILER - Ending:
I loved the ending of this drama. I never expected a satisfying happy ending for this type of drama, but this one had one.
Though Ak Hee is sort of killed of (I interpreted it as Sajo Hyun becoming mentally strong enough to no longer need Ak Hee), by the end of the drama Sajo Hyun becomes a lot like Ak Hee, and the pathological lying and greed aside, Ak Hee also becomes somewhat like Sajo Hyun.

Leggi di Più