Reviews

This show is the first show that made it absolutely an obligation for me to leave a review. 4 years watching korean dramas and having watched a crazy amount of them, this is the first review.
IT WAS AN HONOR TO WATCH THIS SHOW.

For those who are wondering and debating whether this show is worth it, it took me months to convince myself to watch this considering it's about middle aged men and i'm in my 20's and had no romance, sci fi, thriller tags. but how glad i am i finally did! So please watch this. This is a must watch. There is NO korean drama like this. It's the first of it's kind and i wish with all my heart this becomes the standard of korean dramas from now onwards. this is a therapeutic show in my eyes.

This show is all sorts of beautiful. This show is not about solutions, not about how life should be, not about closure or happy endings or sad endings or a directed story told in a few episodes. This show is a chunk of life shown of people at different stages of their life. This show is the most realest show i have ever watched. It made me laugh and cry. The storyline, the direction, cinematography, the music, everything was just perfect.
This show not once glorified life. It showed it how it is. That's the beauty of this show.

The emotions in this show are so overwhelming it's crazy. I felt so attached to the characters it's so sad this show ended but what an ending it was. It makes me believe. Makes me hope. It taught me so many life lessons. Seldom is a show this beautiful made that encapsulates life so beautifully by keeping it 100% real.

The love in this show is the most deepest i have ever seen in any. It is a show with the most meaningful love and it didn't even have to be a romantic drama. Everyone can interpret love differently for this show. I choose to interpret it as love between a man and a woman who felt their souls being attracted to each other. Without any skinship, any cheesy romantic words, this show was able to show the love that if one finds it in life, they have it all. The most purest of all loves. The two souls who met each other in their most broken states, healed, filled each other despite. Souls that helped each other grow. The love in this drama is unlike any other. Most deepest, most heartfelt, most relatable.

The cast was beautiful! absolutely perfect. the best acting i've seen. IU's role was so different than her previous ones and she proved how good of an actor she is. she was FANTASTIC. Lee Sun Gyun was a treat to watch. This was the first i saw of him ever since Coffee Prince and i knew instantly why back then i had a second lead syndrome. He was INCREDIBLE. His every nerve expressed emotions. His eyes spoke millions, his walk, his talk. He was a show stealer. Plus, he has the best voice ever. Calms your soul and his character with that voice just melted me. (considering i'm in my early 20's, Ahjussi, saranghae :P ) .

VERDICT: WATCH THIS SHOW. LEAVE EVERYTHING AND WATCH THIS SHOW. this show is LIFE!

Thankyou screenwriters, producers, directors, the entire cast, the entire team behind this show for making one of the best shows ever and thankyou for giving us this masterpiece that is full of life lessons. I repeat, it was an absolute HONOR to watch this show.

Leggi di Più

It had the potential to be great but it was just mid:(

I like the start of the series. The kids are amazing actors, really so talented. They could really awoke some feelings within viewers. The plot was great at the beginning. I like the concept of family by choice and not the blood.

Both father figures were great, you could really feel the love they had for the kids. But both mother were infuriating, i was so mad while watching so yeah great choice of actors on both sides.

I like the cast overall and didn’t mind the time jumpes, but what irks me the most is this - when i read about what this series was about its says that juwon was mad at them for leaving her (as she should be). And then all of this to just resolve in a couple of minutes?! They left her behind for 10 years! And withing (I think an episode) they come back, she stops being angry with them, and starts daring San-ha? Like what?

I get that they could not prolong the plot but still they should film maybe 20episodes not just 16. Everything seemed rushed. It would be way better for them to take it slow i mean we all know san-ha liked her before but it would be way better for junwo to realise her feelings on her own as the time passed. I was kinda disappointed.
I mean she was mad at her oppas and then the next moment she was dating one of them?? Also the description kinda implied rivalry for her love? I was really disappointed.

Also San-ha was traumatized, suffering with ptsd, it was a great opportunity to talk more about mental health but it was just brusher under the carpet. This was another great example of rushing through.

I think it maybe is my fault for expecting too much of it, but after watching love next door and hearing all the praise it got of course i had higher expectations because family by choice also got a lot of praise over social media.

Don’t get me wrong it’s not the worst kdrama i watched but it is definitely overrated and overhyped. But maybe if you don’t have any expectations it could be okay. I dont know.

So to conclude - great actor choice, lovely meaning about family, but rushed plot. Its kinda sad it really had all the potential:(

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A school BL which is not stupid or superficial...

This is a sensible series about self discovery and jumping over each others shadow, with a lot a emotional baggage and finding together in the end.

What makes this series special is we have a clear gay guy from the start and one with a dark past, but also someone who does have a sexual relationsship with the friend of his brother. Of course that's not an ideal solution, they have been "forced" together not because of love but to cope with their their world. The older one loves his brother without a chance of having a relationsship and the younger boy was bullied because of this feelings for another boy. Both compensate with sex to overcome their loneliness.

Kanata enters Akiras world in an unexpected way and that begins to heal Akiras broken heart but also induces the fear his past will repeat itself. Akira has a to overcome his baggage and Kanata has to face his unexpected feelings. After many struggles both decided in the end to stop running away and face each other.

While not perfect the direction was a very sensible one, showing the struggles of both characters. But the end could have been better with a bit more punch and as so often we don't get a real kiss. Both ML struggled a bit with their performances but it was not really a deal-breaker. Production quality was also nothing I can complain about. Everything was put into frame with a deliberate focus. Overall I enjoyed this mature approach compared to all the thai crap (Duang with You for example) so much more. So yes, I would recommand all of you to watch this!

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Subtitles Are SO Bad

The subtitles are ridiculously bad. I mean, really REALLY bad. The acting is also pretty flat all around. I had zero buy-in with the MLs because they have no chemistry at all. Not even a redeemable hint of chemistry from the first meeting to the present. Also, there are inconsistencies throughout that should have been caught in the scriptwriting. For example, blood where blood shouldn’t be and absent where it should be; bruising absent when there should be; a 7-year flashback that doesn’t add up, etc…

Really, the whole first episode was a mess. Dropped.

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Just Routine, Avoid unless have a urge to finish S2

1. There are too many characters, no one receives enough depth to make us care. The villains are written like caricatures instead of serious threats. Their exaggerated performances and cheesy dialogue become unintentionally funny. Furthermore, the portrayal of the Japanese characters feels stereotypical and borderline mocking.

2. Absolutely not required to kill the characters for any reason. (The boy in the island, J, Pasin, Other team members)

****** Despite these major narrative flaws, the acting was commendable. ****

3. Mainly, the actors were weighed down by an extremely depressive and relentlessly gloomy tone throughout.
Pasin is gradually reduced to a pathetic and weak figure, making his betrayal feel forced rather than earned, while his death lacks the impact it deserved.
The FL choosing to live alone under constant surveillance is also difficult to understand—it is obviously never a life of peace, and at times she behaves almost like she has a split personality.
Q’s character initially looks interesting, but it is hard to comprehend how she could fall for Jin’s extremely obvious lies.
The ML, meanwhile, has many choices and opportunities to protect his niece, yet repeatedly makes questionable decisions. When all of this is combined with the relentless gloom surrounding the main characters, the character dynamics become exhausting rather than engaging.

4. The plotting and technical elements also falter. Most of the twists are predictable, and several interesting plot developments go nowhere. The action sequences lack excitement, while inconsistent abilities muddy the stakes. Additionally, the subpar CGI and visual choices occasionally make the show feel like a parody rather than a gritty thriller.

Overall, the season is just average, unless you have a desire to complete the Season 2.

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This drama is worth to watch! It has a very high rating in Japan but not well known internationally I guess? It has around 20% rating in Japan which VERY HIGH. This drama has everything from lovely characters, comedy, character growth and beautiful life messages to deliver. I watched this drama 5 times already. Sometimes I find myself crying and laughing through all the show. It has around 150 episodes which are unusual for a Japanese drama (it tends to be short). However you wont find it as a problem as each episode is 15 minutes length. This drama cover about living a life to pursue your dream and the true value of family.

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Dark, toxic love with obsessive & abusive male lead

What the hell did I just finish watching, was my first thought as the end credits rolled. This is the darkest and most disturbing cdrama I’ve ever seen. You are not only getting an angsty, toxic love story but a full on psychological thriller.

The drama is about the female lead who pretends to be a Princess to avenge her family and the male lead, a Prince who is mysteriously scheming behind the scenes.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
- Love-hate relationship. In fact it’s more of a lovers to enemies trope.
- Beautiful aesthetics and cinematography.
- Strong-willed female lead.
- The epitome of red flag, toxic, obsessive, abusive and pretty much psychotic male lead.
- 1000% angst. Check the trigger warnings below. Nothing is sugar coated here and not many can stomach it.
- Republican era cdrama vibes but in historical style.
- Fantastic acting from the main leads. I watched this for He Xuan Lin and she didn’t disappoint with her fantastic aura on screen.
- Hot kisses (only those that were consensual). The male actor looks like a great kisser.
- Sped up politics/revenge. The focus is on the love story so the actual plot stuff is kind of glossed over.
- A very fitting ending that brought me to tears.
- A big contrast between the first and second half of the drama. After ep 12 the plot turns 180.

OVERALL:
Horrible things happen in this drama and yet it’s written well for the most part. Only the last few episodes felt quite draggy. I loved the aesthetics and the female lead as a character. My big complaint is that I didn’t truly understand why the male lead became so deeply obsessed and toxic with her but who knows, I might have missed that detail. Anyway, to be honest if I knew how dark the story would get, I probably wouldn’t have even started it.

TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Disturbing scenes of abuse, r*pe and forced kisses.

FAVOURITE QUOTE:
“I hope you never meet someone like me again” by the male lead.

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(temporary review by bokami)

whats in it?

1. best tragidramedy japanese movie that seen by bokami
2. this isnt a romcom but it looks like it
3. musical? (yes, but the musical scene is just for the

protagonist psychological POV)..hmm metaphor?

5. its long but very fast pacing...and no scene was boring from

5mins onward to end
6. it have a yum yum puzzling story and once you combine

it...you will get an emotinal overflow

7. only ironman will not like this

8. the storytelling is nonlinear so confusion will rise if your a

fan of clche and straightforward spoonfeed kind of plots

9. Eyecandy cinematoraphy,,,,,is uber in this

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Should’ve been shorter.

If you’re not going to give us character development and more depth to the plot, then keep the drama short. It was fun and entertaining at the start, but the conflict everything revolves around of is not really that great. I think it would have been better if it had like 12 episodes. I eventually stopped caring about the main leads because of how little they change, they slowly stopped being likable, they just kept doing the same mistakes, the drama reused the same memories to justify their love story. We get it, they’re gonna end up together no matter what, but give us at least real situations that they can learn something from. In the last episodes I just kept watching because I founded Ji Woong’s story interesting.
Visually speaking it was really beautiful, those visuals deserved a better story.

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One of the Must-Watch dramas of 2023.

*chefs kiss *

What a drama. What a cast. Easily one of the best dramas of 2023.

This drama didn't waste anytime in establishing who or why a Vigilante became a Vigilante in the first place. It started off with a bang and never allowed room for distraction or time to relax. It was fast paced with well written storyline and direction.

Nam Joo Hyuk was amazing as the dark hero. I always thought he was a romantic hero, but in this drama he shined as an anti hero. And I can't stop raving about Lee Joon Hyuk. I absolutely loved loved every single scene he was in. I have loved his character in Stranger, so in this drama I knew I would I totally dig him and I did. He really excels with characters like these.

What I adored about this drama was that there was no unnecessary fillers or screen time. Every single character is there for a reason and a purpose. Also, it's amazing how the drama didn't waste one single frame. With a tight script, brilliant actors and a perfect storyline, this drama got it all.

9.5/10

Now all this drama needs is a Season 2!!!!!! And easily I would be rating it as a perfect 10.

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I would have given this drama a higher score, but I got bored. I read the history of Prince Sado and the writer did a good job mixing the historical truths and rumors. I enjoyed the first 14 episodes the most, then they traded Kim Yoo Jung with Yoon So Hee and the story line also changed. It became more political and boring. I don't understand why they changed actresses when they basically dropped Ji Dam's story line. I get it if there had been more of a mature story line, because Kim Yoo Jung is only 15, but I didn't see anything that she couldn't have done believably. It was disappointing. The best part of the story line is that the king and prince are consistent through out. The ending was good, considering.

Han Seok Kyu is an excellent actor who made me hate and love King Yeong Jo equally. Above the boring politics story line is a father/son relationship that was volatile. The conflicted thoughts and emotions Seok Kyu portrayed was palpable. Lee Je Hoon is unexpectedly good as Prince Sado. He was strong, conflicted, sad and did what he needed to do to realize a world for the citizens to the very end. I wonder if he was happy even once in his entire life. I believed him and that is a tribute to his acting. I love Kim Yoo Jung. She is a wonderful actress that only seems to get better as time goes on. They shouldn't have replaced her. The other actors are good too, but for me it was all about the father/son relationship.

The music is appropriate.

I will never rewatch this.

If you favorite genre is Seaguk, then you will certainly love this drama

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A great drama with a wonderful storyline! Just when you think you can predict the ending, the story twists again. Simple yet powerful storyline, one doesn't have to be a fan of basketball to watch.



Yamapi (Naoki) is a great actor here but sometimes he falls a bit flat, making his character feel a bit two-dimensional, though it's mostly due to his lines (not his fault - he's a great actor).



The chemistry between Naoki and Riko was wonderful, though it's true when Natsuki said their relationship is just to "lick each other's wounds" I felt that it was true, in a sense that they played more on the "dream" part than the "love" part.



I love the way they portray characters and each and every single one of the character, be it minor or major brought an interesting part to the show.



Props goes to Shuji, Mai-chan and Utsu - they were supporting actors but they were FANTASTIC. Love the way they bring out their characters!



A light hearted drama without being too pointless or too serious - great watch. You can't help but to fall head over heels with Yamapi here!

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I think that people are to critical when it comes to this drama. I have to say I really enyojed watching it and have a hard time understanding why a lot of people call it slow and boring.

I'm a big fan of Yamapi, so it was obvious that I would give this a try. And I wasn't disappointed. The plot was a bit different from other dramas, or maybe I should say it was less drama than in other dramas. And believe it or not, I found that to be really nice.

It's a story about love and friendship and about finding your way in life. But, it was realistic and a story that could happen to anyone and that's why I found it to be different from other dramas. It's nice to once in a while watch a drama that could happen in real life and somehow I found myself recognizing so much that happened to my daily life.

Overall, a goodfeel drama with good cast. Watch it!

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OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG.
I need a moment. I need to get my mind together because this drama just blew me away! This is the 1st time I wrote a drama review because this drama is just the best thing ever! So please go easy on me! ^^

Anyways.. I did not just finish the drama now! I watched the last episode on the day it came out but I needed time to write the review..

First things first, why I like this drama:
1. It is so original. It's different all the typical dramas of rich guy, poor girl and all that not-so-sad sadness. When you watch this drama, the emotions all seem real. There's a reason for fear, for sadness, for pain, and for happiness. There are great losses in this drama, which is why there's sadness among the characters. It's not like the characters are sad because their "love" forgot about them (as seen in typical dramas, which I don't dislike at all).
2. Most things are unexpected. This goes back to the originality of the drama. The scenes don't have a similarity or parallel to another popular drama, which is why you get all excited for every moment. :D

So all those categories that I rated....

Story- The story is essential! It's what made things interesting! Usually historical dramas have boring parts but this historical drama is modern enough that you could relate to it. It also teaches a lot about history and gives an insight on how cruel the Japanese were towards Koreans and other Asians. The plot shows great development. There's many rising and falling points so the drama doesnt excite you all at once or bore you all at once. Makes you want to watch more. Really, I did not get bored in any episode because every episode had an exciting and somewhat calm moment. This drama is meant for wide range of people. There's action, history, and romance. What else do you want?

Acting/Cast- Truthfully, I did not know who Joo Won was before watching Bridal Mask. I didn't know any of the actors except for the guys who played the count and Kimura Taro. As I watched this drama, I was sooo impressed with Joo Won and Park Ki Woong's acting! Both of them showed so much character change and development! In fact, all the main actors and actresses and supporting roles were great! They didn't just act as the character. They were the character. The characters all brought out their best acting that you feel love, sympathy, or hatred towards the characters.

Music- The music is very dramatic and emotional. Whenever there's a heartbreaking scene, I hear the song Goodbye Day and I become even more sad that I could cry. When I hear Judgement Day, I know something dramatic and action-packed is coming up. That's how much the music influenced a scene and pretty much the entire drama.

Rewatch Value- Really I don't rewatch dramas entire (I havent yet). But when I get a break from school, I'm gonna totally rewatch the drama while I force my friends to watch it for the 1st time! Like I said, I never got bored in any of the episodes in Bridal Mask! I finished the first 20 episodes in 2 days and I was thirsty for more of this drama!

Overall- YOU MUST WATCH THIS DRAMA! IT IS TOO GOOD TO PUT ASIDE FOR SOME OTHER DRAMA! THIS IS THE BEST DRAMA EVER!

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