Reviews

Toxic relationships

I really don't like the male lead.
Honestly I think their relationship is abusive and toxic. He says mean things to her, treats her like trash, and then he regrets it and is sweet to her for a couple episodes... than he is back again being abusive. It's the classical abusive relationship.

I hope girls (and guys) who watch dramas like this do not think that this kind of relationship is ok, because it's not. Also the bullying is bad. The friendships depicted in this drama are completely mercenary, people will only like or do things based on what they will be able to gain from the female lead.

This whole drama was wrong for me. I like the actors, Kris Fan is one of my favorites ("where the Lost Ones Go" is one of my favorite dramas) however the characters on this drama are terrible people and bad example for youngsters. Don't treat your friendships frivolously, be kind, don't be a bully, love your significant other, respect people around you... it's not that hard.

I was honestly hoping for a light hearted drama, but I got one full of angst, chauvinistic behavior and victim blaming.

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you have only but yourself to blame

The average of the episodes is 8.6. And I rounded down because that's what I do. In the half-day it took me to watch this show, the overall rating went from 6.8 to 6.7. I won't reflect on what that says about the show. This show met my pretty high expectations. Relatively high; it's a Thai drama; how high can they really get? I have been waiting for this show to fully come out, like I have been checking in on my plan to watch every day because I refuse to look when the episodes actually come out. I didn't even wait for it to come out on YouTube; I watched this bitch on Daily Motion. I was pretty content with this. At no point in this show did I stop watching and wait a few days because I was disappointed. Justice for my boys, Kim and Kamol; they did them wrong in this show. Day has anger management issues that he needs to work out, but he can't. Itt has panic attacks because of his man and his issues. People say the acting was bad, but I am going to be honest and say it wasn't. Of course it could have been better, but that's the case for most shows and everything. Everything can be better because we have unrealistically high expectations for everything. Itts actor, Frank, I want to say, did a killer job. Like, actually, he killed his role with the voice cracks; the changes in his voice in certain scenes ate me up. They were toxic, and I hate myself for it, but I ate them all up. Like every second of it. Jealousy is bad, and I know it because it means you don't trust your partner, but I ate it up.

The handjob scene was killer; I loved that. Also, I love awful blowjob scenes, so i ate the shower scene up. The abuse was crazy, bro. If I had a dollar for every time I flipped Day off, I would be a millionaire.

Going on to my boys, I can't even remember their names: the guy with the sexy eye brows and pouty lips, and the tall, scary mother fucker with the skinny nose. Let me look at the names. Mac and Nan. They were giving my boys Vegas and Pete a run for their money. I was reading comments on YouTube shorts before the show, and people were like, "Damn, they are more toxic than Vegas and Pete". And I was like, "No way. You can't even match their energy." I was so wrong. So very wrong. These two are crazy; they should have gotten more screen time, but at the same time, I don't think I could have handled that. Nan has Mac come to the party, and I'm like, okay, we are going to see the splashing a beverage on his face scene and them making out, and then we can just go on. Nope. You never saw edits of the scene before that. He puts the chain on him—okay, normal, not really, but okay. and when Mac goes to talk to Day and Itt, and then when he winds up for the punch, this bitch yanks him back by the chain. I had to take a 15-minute break. That was crazy. He yelled when he got pulled back and started clawing at the chain. It was crazy. Theres a difference between holding some hostage in your home and holding some hostage and bringing them outside and yanking them like they are your fucking dog bro.

My favorite scene was Night and Gear making out at Day's goofy ass party thing. It was so out of character for them to be together and so needed. This show didn't disappoint me, and I'm glad. Don't read ratings or descriptions and only go in based on three clips, and you won't be disappointed. It was good and fun. Okay, now I am watching Moonlight Chicken. Would recommend, actually. Okay bye!

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One of the best Jdrama for 2021 (at least so far)

I know that it is too early to make that kind of statement, as it is only March, but I think that this is one of the best romantic jdramas for this year.

PLOT

Just to acknowledge the elephant in the room, this is a typical shoujo drama. However, this series doesn’t focus only on the relationship between the lead couple, rather it focuses on the relationship between the female lead and the male lead’s sister. Are you confused? Let me help you with that.

Here we follow the story of Suzuki Nami (Kamishiraishi Mone), that decides to find a job in Tokyo, after her male childhood friend moves to Tokyo, due to work, to be with him. She believes that her childhood friend would be the person who she will get married to; that is why she follows him to Tokyo.

On her interview day for the equipment department in a company, Nami gets to meet Horai Junnosuke (Tamamori Yuta), under a weird interaction that took place on a bench. This meeting changed their lives and in the next few months, they would become close with each other. A small detail that neither of them knows at first, is that Horai Reiko (Nanao), is Junnosuke’s older sister and the “devil” chief editor that Nami is assistant to.

CHARACTERS

Suzuki Nami is a rural girl that all of her life wished to have an average life. That means getting married, have a family, and looking out for them. Even though she interviews at a company for the equipment department, she manages to get the job of MIYAVI’s fashion magazine chief editor assistant. Her personality is bright and she gets to make people like her due to her honesty and kindness. On the other hand, we have Junnosuke who is a handsome, kind, calm, and prince-like photographer. And rich. He is super-rich. Did I mention that he is rich? Even though he wants to continue to be a photographer he has to inherit the successful company from his father. Poor him! He doesn’t want to abandon his dream but he understands that the jobs that he has as a photographer are due to his father’s influence and network. Junnosuke doesn’t like that, he wants to prove his worth without the help of his father.

Junnosuke is in a tough spot as his mother arranges a meeting for him to meet a potential wife because soon he will inherit the company. To make his mother cancel this meeting he tells her that he has a girlfriend (but he doesn’t), and asks Nami’s help. He believes that if his older sister believes that he and Nami are in a relationship, his parents will believe them. However, one thing that they didn’t know is that the devilish chief editor that Nami is assistant to and Junnosuke’s sister is the same person.
The fourth main lead is Nakazawa Ryota (Mamiya Shotaro). He is a serious and cold-hearted (at first glance) person, who is an aspiring editor and wishes to be a chief editor in the future. In reality, he is a tsundere that in the end he would do the right thing and would help the people around him. At first, it seems that he is bothered by Nami’s incapability to fulfill her tasks, but he tends to help her with what she needs and helps her learn more about the fashion world.

ACTING

Let me start with the female leads in the series. This was my second time watching a drama that those two have a role in. As for Kamishiraishi Mone, I have to admit that her role in this drama was the same thing as in Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo. She was loud, bright, clumsy, and honest. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed her acting and I believe that she was able to present Nami in the best way; I just think that she has done that before. I am afraid that she be stigmatized and I would only see her in those types of works. On the other hand, we have Nanao whom I loved here. Previously I have watched her in Last Cinderella where she played the hurt and depressed older sister, but here I understood the great acting skills she possesses. She was great at portraying the cold-hearted and hardworking person who helps others become better.

Moving on with the boys firstly is Tamamori Yuta. Well, Yuta here was … very handsome. I am afraid that in this series his acting skills were not used at all. His role was to be a handsome adult who despises his father’s network. He has only a few scenes focusing on his inability to cut off his father’s name from his work. Usually, he is viewed as too good to be a true bachelor that any woman wants to be with him. It is a pity that he had to act as the handsome boyfriend because Yuta has proofed before that can act and show many different expressions and feelings. As for Mamiya Shotaro, I liked him. He was able to implement the sadistic senior role particularly. I was fascinated by his flow and not the top performance. I hope that he would be cast in more series as the main lead.

WHAT BOTHERED ME

Those who know me, know that I studied HRM and the first thing that bothered me in this series was how an inexperienced person (Nami) got an assistant job. NOW HOLD UP! Do you know how difficult is to get a job for that position? It usually requires work experience, working under pressure, problem-solving, and multitasking. As we get to meet Nami we do understand that she doesn’t have those types of skills but she was offered this position. I know that I shouldn’t focus on the details and just accept that she managed to get that job, but I can’t do that.

The second thing that bothered me was the lack of interaction between Nami and Junnosuke. (THIS IS A HUGE SPOILER!) By the 9th episode Junnosuke proposes to Nami and we have to believe that they are a couple that managed to get there. There was no familiarity between them. Even though I liked their interactions and acting, I have to admit that I couldn’t think of them as two lovers. I thought of them more like good friends that have platonic feelings for each other. For example, I thought of Nami and Ryota as two people that could fall in love.

The third thing that bothered me was how at the start of the series we saw Nami worrying about spending a huge amount of money on clothes as she and her family couldn’t afford them; but as the series was going on, we could see the change in her wardrobe. I do realize that as she works in a fashion magazine, she needed to change her clothes, I don’t think that it was realistic the many outfits that she was showed wearing in the series.

Whatever!!!!!!! WATCH THAT SHIT! IT’S GOOD!

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I'm going to be completely honest here; if anyone is trying to convince you that "Love Me If You Dare" is a compelling, mysterious, cat and mouse suspenseful detective drama, that will keep you guessing- they are lying. It's as simple as that.

As someone who has seen her fair share of crime/mystery/detective shows, I can testify that there was not a single unpredictable twist in LMIYD. Simon, even though he is supposed to be this genius mastermind is, frankly speaking, extremely over-hyped in the show. The clues that he finds and the mysteries that he solves could easily be the work of a rookie detective and more often than not, his discoveries would be so obvious that I'd solve the whole thing before Simon even began to work his mojo.

For being Sherlock, his intellect was not very impressive, and when the show climaxed, the real culprit was unmasked and it was supposed to be this "wow, wow super wow" moment, all I could do was yawn, because I had already made the seemingly mind blowing revelation about four episodes ago.

Let's not forget that the main heroine is literally there as a pretty face and nothing else. She's so irrelevant to the plot, that it's actually funny. She has no role in anything and is there just to showcase and shine a different light on Simon's personality. Her character has been used merely as a superficial prop to revolve around Simon and I find it a little bit offensive as a woman, that for someone who is supposedly smart and who showed a lot of promise in the beginning, she remained nothing but a cliched damsel in distress till the end. Like for goodness sake, as much as I love Asian dramas, I am really not a fan of the wholly patriarchal society they mostly seem to portray.

So all in all now, I'm going to tell you the real reason why LMIYD, is in all its entirety so freaking famous. Why people are giving it great ratings left and right. Why they would claim that it is probably the best drama ever written. The answer lies in One Name. Two Words. One Person: Wallace Huo.

First of all, nobody can deny the fact that Wallace Huo is the epitome of beauty. He's gorgeous; plain and simple. I can watch a thousand of brainless plot-less episodes, if it meant I could stare at his face for hours. And stare at his face I did. I ogled him so much that I was afraid my eyes would pop out and I would drown in my own drool. Because, not only does he have a very pretty face, he's also an excellent actor. His dialogue delivery is entrancing, his expressions are spot-on, his walk is elegance incarnated and everything he does, he does with utter grace. If Wallace was to spout complete gibberish, the onlookers would still be starstruck because he'd relay that gibberish in such a way that it would seem nothing short of Shakespearean. This is a one man show. He's the king here and he commands it with his charisma, allure and masterful acting skills.

In short, LMIYD would have been nothing but a superficial drama with outwardly beautiful people if Wallace didn't give it soul. And to be honest, there's this one scene towards the end, that makes watching all the "meh" typa episodes that led to it worth it.
*Spoiler*
It's that scene where Simon has to pretend to kill the woman he loves in order to best his enemy. I'm not going to lie, I watched that scene about 15 times and my nose bled every single time, so much so, that I thought there was an imminent danger of death by blood loss. You can't help but fangirl like a lunatic when you see Simon display so many different emotions. That scene is purely iconic and is the reason why I gave this show a solid 7.

So, if anyone tries to tell you otherwise and claims that they aren't shallow and are all like "oh but, it had so many other great things than the male lead", know that they are frontin' for Wallace is the only thing great about this show.

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Show was OK but the Grandma redemption arch killed it for me

So my rating is based on one thing only, and that is the Grandmother of the ML. They gave her redemption arch in the last episode. After her whole life of hatred and one sentence from the secretary poof we´re good now.

NO! NO! and NO!!!!!

this person abused the ML since he was a child. A CHILD!!!! of what 8-9 years??? she constantly reminded him that he is NOTHING. That he has no right to mourn or miss his parents! When he behaved as a normal 15yr old (went to meet the FL) she BURNED all his stuff that he had left of his parents!!!!!

That is abuse of unredeemable level.

And the secretary said that he endured it because he wanted her aknowledgement. WTF!!!! maybe when he was older but at the young age im sure he endure it because he had nowhere to go, noone to talk to.

The show was MID at best for me, I was expecting something different, but that´s me problem, not the show problem (I would propaby give it 7/10).

I loved the ML, he was such a cutie. I was MEH on the FL.

Most I loved the second ML. Open and straightforward manly man. And props to the atress that played the grandma because man, she made me hate her.

That said, NOTHING can exuse this part of the story. There is toxic behavior and then there is this. She did not need a redemption arch, nor she deserved one.

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1-The reason i watched this : i watched it because it's the adaptation of one of my favorite stories "Itazura na kiss", i'm a huge fan and i watched this drama right after finishing the anime, it was the first drama adaptation that i've watched before "Playfull kiss" and "It started with a kiss".

2-Storyline/plot : They even changed the original manga story and didn't follow it plus it was short that i couldn't get the time to fully focus on it.

3-Acting/Cast : the female lead was totally an unforgivable choice, she ruined Kotoko's image in my mind for a while, she's so annoying that i end up not feeling sorry for her when Naoki treats her bad. The rest of the cast wasn't bad and i believe that the lead male was good.

4-Music : Fair enough

5-Rewatch value : people who liked it will rewatch others won't: it's as simple as that.

6-The ending : It was kind of rushed; it happened so quickly but it's not a bad ending.

7-Overall: I was kind of disappointed in this drama adaptation, it doesn't suit the huge size of Itazura na kiss. I believe that out of the 3 other dramas adaptations the japanese version was the worst yet seing Itazura na kiss's story all over again totally worth watching so no regrets.

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Definitivamente uma das melhores do ano

Tá, vamos conversar sobre Khemjira, porque eu ainda tô digerindo o quanto essa série me deixou encantada e, ao mesmo tempo, revoltada com certas coisas. Antes de qualquer coisa: que produção linda. A fotografia é de cair o queixo, cada cena parece uma pintura. As locações são um absurdo de bonitas, e a trilha sonora… meu Deus, a trilha sonora. Ela entra no momento certo, envolve, arrepia, faz tudo parecer mais intenso do que já é. Khemjira é aquele tipo de série que te conquista primeiro pelos olhos e depois te prende com uma história bem contada.

Os atores, aliás, merecem todos os aplausos possíveis. Cada um deles conseguiu dar vida a personagens que, facilmente, podiam ter sido rasos e superficiais, mas não foram. O Khem, por exemplo. Na novel, ele é aquele tipo de protagonista que me irrita profundamente: passivo, dependente, cheio de “aiiin, como sou baixinhaaam”. Eu tenho alergia a isso. Mas o Namping fez mágica. Ele conseguiu dar um novo tom pro Khem, mantendo o “bom moço”, mas sem deixá-lo tão insuportável. Ficou cativante, humano, leve. É raro eu mudar de opinião sobre um personagem assim, e olha… Namping me ganhou.

Agora, o Pharan. Ai, o Pharan. Um homem delicioso, mas que também me tirou do sério. Eu sei, ele é um gostoso, tem aquele charme impossível de ignorar, mas vamos combinar que ele foi bem ridículo com o Khem em vários momentos. Tadinho do menino, eu só queria abraçar e colocar num potinho. Mesmo assim, não consigo julgar tanto quando ele se recusa a ajudar com a maldição, porque, sendo sincera, qualquer pessoa normal teria feito o mesmo. Ninguém em sã consciência se mete com uma maldição por alguém que acabou de conhecer. Mas poxa, não custava ser gentil um pouquinho, né?

E aí vem o Jet, meu amorzinho, meu tesouro, o verdadeiro raio de sol dessa história. Ele ganhou cada pedacinho do meu coração. Que personagem precioso, divertido, amoroso, aquele amigo que você agradece por existir. O Khem já teria ido de vala a muito tempo sem ele, disso eu tenho certeza. O Jet é o alívio cômico, mas também o alicerce emocional da série, e o First encaixou como uma luva nesse papel. Eu tô genuinamente encantada.

E falando em encanto: o Chan. Um neném que só quer ser notado pelo crush. As cenas dele com o Jet são uma fofura que me derrete inteira. Eles têm essa vibe de primeiro amor, de nervosismo bonitinho e olhares tímidos. É aquele tipo de casal que te faz sorrir sem perceber.

Agora, preciso falar de algo que me deixou bem irritada: os pais do Khem. Sério, que desastre de responsabilidade. O menino vive cercado por espíritos e maldições e ninguém achou uma boa ideia ensinar o garoto a se proteger? Nenhuma aula de defesa espiritual, nada de templo, nada de magia de proteção, nada! E ainda o pai some pra se ordenar monge depois da morte da mãe, deixando o filho completamente sozinho e desprotegido. Como é que isso faz sentido? Isso é negligência parental com todas as letras. Eu passei boa parte da série pensando: “como esse menino ainda tá vivo?”.

E por último, mas definitivamente não menos importante: Ramphueng. Que personagem fascinante. Ela começa como uma figura quase etérea e vai se tornando cada vez mais sombria, mais poderosa, mais intensa. A transformação dela é uma das coisas mais bem feitas da série. E a atriz… perfeita. Eu chorei com ela, senti raiva dela, e mesmo odiando, não consegui deixar de entender. Ramphueng é complexa, trágica e linda em sua própria destruição. Ela teve um final digno, porque apesar de todos os males que ela causou, ela ainda era só uma mãe destruída pela perda do filho. Depois do Jet, ela é facilmente meu personagem favorito.

No fim, Khemjira pode ser considerado uma das melhores do ano. É uma obra-prima, bonita, história redondinha e bem contada, emocionante e cheia de nuances. E se você ainda não viu… bom, prepare-se pra sofrer, rir, e se apaixonar um pouquinho por cada um deles. Eu já tô aqui, querendo rever só pra sentir tudo de novo.

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Slow road to nowhere

As others have written, a very slow pace to this one, but that was not a problem. The plot line with the eldest sister i felt was forced and uninteresting. The brother's storyline was better but I really didn't need it. The problem being, those two storylines took away from the really interesting story of Gu and the youngest sister. They had good chemistry and their scenes kept me engaged even when painfully slow. In the end, I couldn't handle the lack of closure this drama provided. I understand the reason for it, but it left me frustrated and unhappy. A good open ended drama I think gives you a good feel for how things could turn out or lets you know it doesn't really matter. At the end of this, I'm not sure if Gu is dead in a alleyway tomorrow or married with kids in 5 years...

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A very cute and funny BL drama let down by the writing

I am really torn about writing this review. Mostly when I decide to invest myself in watching a drama series, I mostly do so baised on the original source material. I love the original manga by Hare Shinta, the art is beautiful and it tells a simple tale of romance, burnout and finding support and love which is told from the viewpoint of the seme, which for BL tales still rare for myself to come across.

So when I saw the announcement of the drama version I was beyond excited. I was keen to see this manga converted into drama .

The result was not what I expected, but still I find this drama series very charming. I personally love this drama but I still see the flaws that this drama version has that annoys many other viewers.

Story: Yanase Jun is a talented and well respected CG artist that has worked in Canada in the past. Now working in Max pictures he has to tutor a new employee Kaneda Yuki. However Kaneda seems to be quite a cold and distance person that Yanase finds hard to get along with. What Yanase doesn’t know is that Kaneda is a big admirer of Yanase. One day after a welcoming drinking party Yanase sees a side of Kaneda he wasn’t expecting and from there their relationship slowly changes.

Casting/acting: The casting is basically THE BEST thing I will say about this series. I will say this a thousand times but Naito Syuichiro was BORN to play as Yanase, I don’t think the producers could have found a perfect being like him to play Yanase. Naito is the eye candy, the main feature of this drama series. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Naito as Yanase, he’s so attractive but he’s a great actor. Naito is the one that understands Yanase because Yanase is Naito, in the 1st half when you don’t know anything about Yanase. Naito can just emote feelings through his face and eyes alone. This series introduced me to Naito Syuichiro that I am thankful for this drama series existing.

I can’t ignore Seto Toshiki as well, because he is the other half of the couple and Naito wouldn’t have been able to carry this drama series alone without Seto. At first I was unsure about Seto casting of Kaneda but Seto won me over with his acting. The 1st half of the drama focuses a lot on Kaneda and Seto proves that he can be cute, emotional and shows the various sides of Kaneda that I didn’t know about. The combination of Naito and Seto is magical and I am thankful for this series to exist just for these two to meet and act alongside each other. I am going to be sad that this series might be the only one to see these two interact and act together in.

Music: Sadly I think the music and OST is very forgettable for myself. I don’t really like the opening theme as catchy as is, because it’s a very cheesy opening. The ending theme song is better and the clever use of hands to show the difference in distance. But the OST for the drama is ok at best, it works to suit the various emotions in scenes.

Directing: I really like it, unlike most Japanese dramas where they have this odd “yellow filter” applied to it. The lighting for this series feels bright and natural. The directing is very professional and slick. Some of the sharp camera turns and cuts I really like from this series.

Negatives: Whoever was in charge of the writing for this drama fire them and never let them write for another drama series ever again! The writing for this drama IS NOT GOOD. It is easily the source of why there’s so many flaws and loop holes and why manga fans like me are so torn over this drama. It’s such a mess of poor drama writing.

The original material exists for the writers to base the drama around, I’ve never seen such disrespect and disregard to source material that it makes me ANGRY as a manga fan.

I am so sad to what the writers did to Kaneda’s character. In the manga Kaneda did admire Yanase but he did it respectfully, only collecting magazines of him and silently parsing/admiring Yanase in his mind. Never did I think Kaneda as “creepy” in the manga. Yet the writers thought it would be a good idea to introduce unnecessary characterization to him such as owning a “shrine”, talking down on himself comparing himself as a mortal against his god and then introducing very weird and odd fetish daydreams he has about Yanase. All of these additional features the drama puts on Kaneda just makes the viewers see Kaneda as an odd and creepy worshipper. It doesn’t make it better that the writers convey Kaneda’s feelings as “unsure” making him seem like he’s NOT an adult and rather a high schooler who just found his 1st crush. It’s such a shame because Seto is such a good actor.

It’s even sadder that we DON’T GET TO EVEN SEE AND HEAR more of Yanase’s character until episode six which I find so funny and sad that the same time. Is he is main character of this series of is it Kaneda? The drama can’t decide honestly. I did like the slight changes the drama makes to Yanase compared to the manga, mostly being less touchy and forceful and shows a more innocent and maiden like personality to him. Which I find a bit odd, honestly. But it showed this really cute side of Naito so I can’t complain that much. I like the addition of the “10 things I want to do with Kaneda” it was hella cute and innocent development for drama Yanase. Maybe too innocent for my liking LOL.

I could go on with the errors of adding un-necessary additions from the drama like Benji and long distance separations. But honestly this review as gone on for too long.

Postives: AT LEAST the drama ended in a good way. I really liked the ending to this drama series, everything felt connected and complete. Directing and production is really good. Naito and Seto are amazing as their characters or not (their behind the scenes and making of videos are so fun to watch).

Overall: Senpai, this can’t be love is a cute office romance about the slow burn romance between a senior and junior in a CG work environment. The main leads are so attractive and act together well with great chemistry. However it is dragged out by the questionable script writing. If you are willing to put behind these questionable writing there is a cute light-hearted BL story to enjoy here.

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At first I was a little put off by Healer, simply because I am not a big action drama fan. But once I sat myself down and watched the first episode, I was hooked. Healer is not only an action drama but a story of deep emotional connections, romance, and fabulous plot twists. The writers of Healer certainly did everything right, they constantly kept me guessing until the very end. And the actors knew they're characters and portrayed them so realistically. This drama gave me so many emotions at once and constantly made me excited for the next episode. In short, Healer is a drama that will keep you on your toes, and keep captivated every second. 20 episodes of greatness.

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This drama surprised me by keeping me interested. When I first started this, I wasn't sure if I would like it. It is a mix of supernatural and mystery. There is one big overall conspiracy mystery and little mysteries along the way. I know that some people may find the ending anticlimactic, but I enjoyed it.

Like most people, I feel like Kim Jae Wook as Lee Hyun Joon stole the show. He has an important role and I think he played it well. It is hard to write a review without spoilers. So, I will just write that I thought his ending was appropriate. He did what he thought was important and that was all he needed. So Yi Hyun was good as Yang Shi On, but I don't think that she is the best actress. Some people find Taecyeon lacking because he is an idol actor. However, I thought he was witty and cute as Cha Gun Woo. If it weren't for him acting with So Yi Hyun, then I don't think I would have finished this. I actually thought he pulled her up. The other actors are good too. I liked seeing Kim Ye Won again as Jang Hee Bin. I wonder when she will get a main role?

The music isn't anything I remember.

I may rewatch this if I am looking for something light to watch.

This is not horror. I didn't find it scary at all. If you like mystery (although, I think to a certain extent most people will figure things out quickly) with the mix of supernatural, then I recommend this drama.

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Refreshing

people are saying it's a twink version of addicted, I've not watch that series so I don't know much about that but this is really interesting, refreshing and heartwarming series. I don't care if it's bl or not their chemistry is everything to me, story is interesting first I thought wubi know that suyu is the son of his stepbrother that's why he is purposely teasing him but turns out he didn't know god knows what will gonna happen when they both get know that they are actually stepbrothers. I also got to know about the govt thing I don't understand why are china govt so against to LGBTQ community, Chinese bls have so much potential if they got chance seriously

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Things to Love: The developing chemistry between the leads & Chen Mai Dong's grandma!

Ep 1 to 3: I wasn't a fan of Zhou Yu Tong, because I have only ever seen her in one drama that was Begin Again, where her acting wasn't all that great. But 3 episodes in and I like her character, this one suits her more and her acting is on point. So far, the ML is pretending to not be interested in her or even remember her from the school days. What's more, he tries to give her a wide berth. So, we don't have much in the name of romance. Right now, I feel more chemistry between the FL and his grandma, they have cool sismance going. The FL's siblings are hilarious.

Ep 4: The ML keeps insisting that he really doesn't seem to like the FL. The FL doesn't deny that she finds him attractive or liked him in the past.

Ep 5: Nothing ML's character does makes sense so far. If he is pretending to not like her or even not remember her he should have done a 180 when he wasn't in her or grandma's company but that wasn't shown properly. Instead, in this episode, we get to see him abruptly reminisce about old memories with FL, as if he never pretended that those memories didn't leave a lasting impression.

Ep 6 to Ep 8: Okay. These three episodes were so much better than the previous two, added a lot more depth to the characters. I liked the FL a little since the beginning but these episode made me really appreciate her character. It is good to see her be independent and not drop everything on the off chance that she would hit it off with a man.

Ep 9 & 10: The FL has moved backed home temporarily, which is still an obstacle between the two. Since none of them have considered moving places to make it work. So, I'm not sure what the ML has in mind when he has decided to pursue her. They'll need to reach a middle ground where that is concerned. But the slow burn between the two has been nice to watch and they did start with better chemistry than some of the dramas that I have watched. Now, as they spend more time together, it is easier to notice the sparks. (I am a bit partial to Li Xian's character, he and Yang Zi have a place in my heart since I have watched Go Go Squid) It will be nice to see how it unfolds.

ep 11 & 12: Wow the ML has some serious mood swings and the FL isn't that far behind him in that area. But they are so damn adorable. What I love the most is the kisses, the look warm and inviting to watch. I can't wait for the next episode to see how her mom reacts to catching them.

Ep 13 & 14: The mom's reaction wasn't that bad. It was pretty normal keeping up with her character. She seems to be more understanding than normal small town parents who wouldn't have accepted the current status of leads relationship. The leads are so damn adorable together, they'll make you laugh along with them.

Ep 15 & 16: I was really mad at the FL for saying what she did to the ML when he has been nothing but kind to her. Even before, he was a bit aloof but he always treated her well. But like the ML, I came to forgive her for that. It came from trauma and she even apologized for it numerous times, giving him an explanation of why she reacted the way she did. I hope they end up together and find a way to make it work.

Ep 17 & Ep 18: Nothing of import happened. Just another nice episode with the ML visiting the FL's home in ep 17. Ep 18 was mostly focused on grandma Lin so it was a bit sad to watch.

Ep 19: I couldn't help but laughs at the ending, with the way our favorite Grandma was staring at Chen Mai Dong. The rest of the episode was okay, but as of now, all of it seems like a filler and their relationship only takes the center stage for me. I like watching them be together, it makes me happy.

Ep 20: The start was so beautiful and the end was so sad. Even though there's one more episode left, I knew they had to somehow resolve their conflicts and they didn't do it. So, I thought we might have an open ending. But why did they end this episode like that? I'm worried now! On to the next episode.

Ep 21: Oh thank goodness. For a moment there, I thought that we were going to have a sad ending. Even with a sad ending, it still would have been a better drama than "Uncontrollably Fond". Both of Chen Mai Dong & Zhuang Jie made their own mistakes, including not communicating more openly. Often times, even when things were said, it felt like they both didn't understand each other. Thankfully, they were able to resolve their issues and made it.

I liked the first half of the drama better, I was more engaged with the drama. While the second half wasn't bad, I mostly loved it for the happy moments between the two. Ofcourse, if it hadn't been for the grandma, the drama wouldn't have been the same.

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Best 2023 Historical Drama. Brilliant palace politics with dark romance

This drama tells the story of a female lead who goes back in time 2 years prior to her death to change her fate. In her first life, she is a selfish and manipulative woman who uses all means necessary to achieve her goal of becoming an Empress. In her second life, she realises the many mistakes she has made and tries everything in her power to change her fate and right her wrongs.

Note, the main focus of this story is the palace politics (female lead’s redemption and male lead’s revenge). The romance is a secondary focus but definitely worth it especially in the last 8 episodes. It’s reverse harem so there are three love interests. The female lead loves them for different reasons but only one is her perfect match/true love.

POSITIVE:
- Reverse harem romance is done right! We don't see the female lead jumping from one man to another or loving them at the same time. Each love interest has his own time to shine. We are first introduced to her childhood friend that loves her, then the second man who she admires for his righteousness and goodness, and then the third man who represents the perfect enemies to lovers trope.
- No love triangles or stupid misunderstandings/miscommunications.
- Dark romance with VERY hot kiss scenes.
- Main lead chemistry is hot, hot, hot. Did I say hot!
- Brilliant palace politics talks.
- Morally grey female and male lead that are both smart, cunning and wicked in their own ways.
- Male lead who achieves his goals through his intelligence rather than muscles. It’s rare in costume dramas to see a male lead who destroys his enemies with badass strategies without lifting a weapon.
- The most satisfying happy ending. The story wrapped up well and everyone gets what they deserve.
- Top-notch performance from all the cast and especially the main leads Bai Lu and Zhang Ling He.
- Slow burn romance for the main couple that is totally worth it and all the wait pays off!
- No annoying characters, no unnecessary fillers or draggy plot lines.
- Flashbacks and parallels between the first and second life were fantastically woven into the story.
- Great character development for all characters, main and support. Everyone’s motive for what they did and why made sense!

NEGATIVE:
- Cinematography is a let down but it still does not take away my enjoyment! The director really went crazy with the camera lights which irritated many viewers including me. Especially towards the end of the drama where there are many flashbacks, the blinding lights were showing up every 5 minutes which felt very, very excessive. Also, there were weird spinning effects, pink hue filters and unflattering angles as well as random “wind” blowing the actor’s hair even when they were indoors.
- As a hopeless romantic I would have loved to see more romance between main leads (or at least in earlier episodes) as their chemistry was off the charts however with how the story is set up, it makes sense why it was a very slow burn.

OVERALL:
For me this is THE BEST historical cdrama I’ve ever watched. The political plot is executed brilliantly, the dark romance is chef’s kiss and most importantly the drama portrays beautifully the female’s lead story of redemption and the male lead’s story of revenge. You will miss out a lot if you don’t give this a chance!

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The ending??

I loved this drama even though many people are disappointed because of the story and I agree. The only negative thing about this drama is the story. The story was a bit messy and many characters died for no reason. The end was a bit confusing. I still don't know what exactly happened with the FL and Ml?

I must say that the OST is lovely! Especially all the OST's FL (Ju Jing Yi) sings and the ending theme that she sung with ML.

I loved how the FL and Ml acted. How they portrayed their different personalities. The visual was also on top! The FL and Ml look so good together.

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