Reviews

A Good Story With A Lot of Lost Potentials

One of the rare dramas where it solely focus on a female's strength and power -- the type of drama where the female lead is mostly got away from troubles or death situations by her own will power and capabilities.

Zhao Liying did amazing in this role. Her zero regards to all the males around her was astounding as you can see from early one that her family has always been the priority for her and nothing else matters. I personally think Lin Gengxin is under used here considering his character could do so much more than what being given by the script. And Shawn Dou as Yun Xun is a treat to the eyes! From his dazzling smiles and personality to his broken and damaged self after the tragedy was a great transition and he did it believably.

I personally think Yan Xun is stupid despite how intelligent he is as an individual. The one he needs to take revenge on is the Wei Emperor and not the people. But his war affects the people more rather than the Emperor. He should have just kill the Emperor (and his whole family if he needs to see more blood :() and his revenge is over SMH. But his war killed more innocent people than the King did to his family back then. So overall, his revenge is just dumb and unnecessary.

Despite all the positive reviews that the drama got, as someone who is a bit picky, I found that many of the plots were never being explored to its full potential. The great premise was there, but the writer obviously lacked the capabilities to expand the script to be even greater. This mostly masked by the great portrayal of the characters but there are many instances on they just glared through the matter with no justification and explanation. The great offender would be the Kung Fu of Ice that Xing-er possessed which were never explored. To the mention of Leader of the Afterlife Camp which seemed to have no problem when Yuwen Yue destroying his agency and took away his spies (lol) to the Moustache Man who doesn’t seemed to have purpose but just love to create trouble and influencing the politic in Wei, Yan & Liang states. Not to mention the useless Liang spies that despite their great potential and capabilities -- never actually achieve anything despite being the real mastermind of the conflict between Yan & Wei. But despite that I'm was adamant to give the drama 6.5/10 for being entertaining but in the end, it deserved 7/10 because of the great ending and how heartbroken it made me feels.

THE ENDING

I think the great thing about the last episode is that how we finally understand the inner thoughts of Xing-er's mind and the position of Yuwen You & Yan Xun in her heart. Her character was consistent throughout the drama that she never put love an emphasis in her heart no matter how many guys were interested in her. Family has always been her priority and later the people of Yan.

And Yan Xun is exactly like that to her -- someone she cares deeply and share dreams with like a family -- the reason why she lives -- a broken child that she needs to protect. That’s why no matter what, she always chose him over Yuwen Yu over and over again. And Yan Xun finally get it at the end that despite the fact that she always chose him, someone else has her heart.

So on why the dying scene of Yuwen Yue was so heart wrenching is the fact is that when Xing'er finally understand her heart, it was already too late. It was already too late when she apologised and promised not to leave him ever again -- everything is just too late at that time. Then when she said to him to 'Hold on' and he nodded slowly, it was even more heart breaking -- as we all know, and he knew it as well that he's not gonna make it but he did anyway for her. But that whole dying scene was really amazing though. I lose count how many times I watch it. Definitely the best dying scene in my book -- the acting was A++ since Yuwen Yue literally looks like he was dying at that time. ;_;

What I find very interesting is that mostly Yuwen Yue's great love are done just for the fact that he loves Xing-er. He knew Xing-er will never reciprocate his feelings but it was just enough if he can see her and knew that she is alive and safe. That’s why, he never told her the countless of times he saves her without she her knowledge because his love was selfless where he didn’t expect anything in return. He could hold her back and ask her to stay, but to him, what makes her happier is much more important rather than her staying by his side. That is why his love, despite being great is very sad as well. And the fact that he only knew that she actually loves him too as well at that time just make everything just even sadder.

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This was my second Taiwanese drama and the reason that made me discover and watch Tw-Dramas ever since. I found it by chance and what a great coincidence indeed.
The story is like a big WOW just incredible without anything wrong. The cast is just beautiful especially when the litte man joined in; he's so cute. Then the music is one of nicest chinese music that I've ever heard. I am not even into chinese language or music but I completely forgot about as I watched this dramas.
I finished it in three days non stop then I felt a blank when it ended because this drama was one of the fewest that kept me hooked up from the start until the end.
If you're looking for an outstanding story with great cast this is definitely what you've been looking for.

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Friendship. Friendship comes to mind when I think of age of youth. Friends, possibly the most important community we are part of after family, and yet it so overlooked. We place it second to family, second to romantic relationships, after career/academic goals, and we end up with acquaintances rather than actual friends. The fact that friends are so ignored nowadays because of other personal struggles has minimized their importance in society but the truth is such values can’t lose their significance. The drama depicts exactly what true friendship can give you, what friends are there for, why are they so important. Friends are the family we choose for ourselves, and youth (either that is college, school or part-time jobs) is the best time to find them!

STORY
The drama centers on five girls living together. It is comparable to other dramas that center on women and their problems. Here we talk about young adult problems (20s). Five girls, five different personalities, five different stories, one house. Each girl has a story; every girl has different fears, goals, problems that hold them back. The drama presents not only how they work through them but how they need each other to do that. This is why friends are important; they are there when the whole world is against you.

Each girl’s story is brilliant, touching, relatable and yet what makes this drama really a small hidden gem is that in all its simple nature all the stories feel so real, so natural, so unforced that make you not only invested in all the girls but make you feel like you are there with them sharing your life and troubles. Truly magical

Want to get to know them a little better already?

Meet Eun Jae, the youngest, maknae of the group. She is warm-hearted, (overly) polite completely shy and she believes the whole world is against her. Lesson learnt: Nobody wants to harm you, you just have to be a little stronger.

Ye Eun, she’s girly, bright, a little obnoxious and very self-conscious. Her low self-esteem doesn’t let her to properly recognize and appreciate herself which leads to boyfriend problems. Lesson learnt: Nobody will love you, if you don’t love yourself first.

Yi Na, she’s sexy, seemingly strong and hot headed but she’s remorseful and ashamed deep inside. Her questionable way of living is actually a way to punish herself for things that she had no control over. Lesson learnt: Punishing yourself won’t get you anywhere, forgive and move forward, you deserve it.

Ji Won is funny, pushy, a little over the top and quit desperate. Ji Won was mostly used as a comedic relief. I like to think of her as the magical friend who is always there when you have a difficult time, ready to drop their life and problems for you because she/he cares!

Jin Myung, the oldest and wisest of the quintet. She’s a fighter, and you’ll love her more than you expect. She’s living a hard life and she’s the borderline melodramatic plot of the story. Lesson learnt: Being happy is a choice, being happy is in our mind and we can choose that every day!

Believe me when I say you will feel very close to all of them, curse and hug your screen while watching. The first 4 episodes center on one character each while the other stories develop in the background. Starting from episode 5 all the stories develop simultaneously and all the girls get equal screen time.

The drama does a great job addressing problems of young adults in every aspect of their lives, family, romantic relationships, academic and/or job goals, friend and co-worker relationships, work ethics, personal issues ect. They all seem real, presented in a very genuine way without being boring, overdramatic or superficial. You will still get to have a good laugh and an even greater lesson from every story.

Romance is present here but it is not the main focus of the drama. You won’t miss your boys and ships but they’ll probably don’t get the screen time you expect and probably want.

ACTING
Acting was overall pretty solid. Each actress fits perfectly in their roles, from the girly Yeeun to the sad Jin Myung, the casting is brilliant. Honorable mention to Ryu Hwayoung who totally delivered in every section of her role, being sexy, being strong yet vulnerable, being a bitch and yet caring and special mention to Han Ye Ri for being absolutely impeccable in delivering every beautiful aspect of her wonderfully complicated character. Definitely an actress to have an eye out for!

RECOMMEND/REWATCH
I don’t rewatch dramas and yet I’ve rewatched the first 4 episodes. This is really so beautiful that it becomes rewatch-worthy. I’d recommend this everyone. Rom com lovers, melodrama lovers, slice of life lovers, this is a gem that is not to be missed. I doubt anyone could hate this, how can you hate real life itself?

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This was my first Lakorn and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was on Netflix so I decided to make it my daily drama watch - however it was so good and interesting I marathoned it over 4 days. First, the story - It was initially confusing since characters were introduced en mass without names or relationships. l I had to go to Wiki again to make a chart of all the actors. Even that was not enough -- I then had to do a FAMILY TREE to follow with substance. I think many dramas forget that viewers may not be familiar with actors when the story is entwined and contains complicated family relationships. However, the story is excellent - once you can follow each character. The story is always moving forward and that is the greatest benefit for the viewer -- you can't stop watching - sometimes until 2 A.M. in the morning because of the progression and quality of storytelling and editing. What is the most enduring and alluring aspect of this story is its name - In Family We Trust"? " That is what I kept asking myself throughout- what an oxymoron. All I will add is it is worthy of your time. The ending is - well - I reduced my rating because of the need of the writer to skew the facts of the previous episodes to appease the viewers. What human nature would do in response to all of the events of this story and how a "family" would respond is the true gold winning challenge of this drama. I recommend watching.

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A drama ruined (again) by its ending (no spoilers)

I'll just be honest here. I hated this drama. The more I watched, the more I hated it. Then I started to despise it with some serious fire.
And here's why:
1) I hated the rich, spoiled, entitled, and bitchy main character(s) - (one, mostly) - who were often bratty dicks to people they supposedly loved, but got all the props because they didn't have jobs or any responsibilities of any sort and could just show up everywhere at a moment's notice (unlike other characters who actually had to work and couldn't just ghost whenever they wanted to.)
2) The FL was stupid at times, and I wasn't expecting that. Like she would do really dumb stuff (like stupidly get into a stalker's car) and I found myself starting to dislike her. But it was her choice at the very freaking end that really made her dead to me. Like done.
3) THAT was one of the worst endings of any dramas I've seen in years. All that build-up, all that relationship work, all that fooling us that this wouldn't end up being a stupid drama with a shitty, cliched ending, but one that could actually make sense. But no. The writernims ruined it with the ultimate reward going to a wholly undeserving character in the end.

What I did like:
1) The music! The music was first-rate, all the way around.
2) The acting was generally good - a little overacted, but not the worst I've seen.

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Enjoyed it way more than I should

So there is nothing new in this drama... same tropes and troubles.
BUT I really liked it!

The ML is really cold to everyone but the FL, which is actually really nice, because he just shutdowns the competition like a pro!

The FL is so good! She has this fussy bossy vibe, but she stands her ground, doesn't let people walk all over, but at the same time she is a really nice person.

The secondary couple was bad, I mean the girl has just so much baggage and inferiority complex that you just end up disliking her. The SLM could do so much better, but its a drama right?!

I absolutely, freaking LOVED the OST!! It was really nice, and the instrumental versions were also good! (The songs she plays on the piano are also nice).

It was a worth watch (but right now the subtitles are machine done, so expect frustration while reading them...)

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Um. Wow.
That is pretty much the only thing I can say after finishing this drama. This is a 'try to figure out who the culprit is' kind of drama and I can promise you (unless you're a genius) that you wont figure it out too easily or too early in the drama. That is one of the things that make this series so good and so worth watching; the suspense of not really knowing how it is going to end.

The music was good, the acting as well. I set the rewatch value low only because of the fact that once you have watched it, you will already know who the culprit is, which kills the suspense and joy of rewatching it.

Characters were interesting (though I feel as if they left one out, but my memory might be going bad). The ending leaves quite a few loose threads but is exciting enough to (somewhat) pull it off.

Overall, a must watch for those of you who enjoy crime/suspense/mystery shows that have you guessing for the cuprit.

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Is peace an excuse to hold on to imperial power?

If you want well-paced, fully realized world-building, well-written characters and relationships, intriguing political plotlines, and good action scenes, then this is the drama for you. It is the best chinese drama I have seen yet that fits my criteria neatly. It toes the line between classic chinese wuxia and the fantasy elements perfectly. The characters are all multi-dimensional and the plot is carried along through a fun-loving main character who doesn't lack any depth himself. Xu Fengnian is the most interesting main character I've seen in a long time. He tries to embrace both the meticulous scheming as well as the martial foolhardiness and the writers and ZRY are good enough to pull it off

The biggest plus point of this drama is the use of a rather slow plot advancement to build on intercharacter relationships. No character in this series is black and white, complete good or evil and it wrestles with the debate about what peace means in an exploitative imperialist state.

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Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth

It fell short as an adaptation of a BL manhwa, and even its attempt at being a straight K-drama became nonsensical after the first five episodes.

Great writing where? Chan Young's tennis storyline and the unresolved issues with his dad were never properly explored or explained, leaving viewers confused about his father's resentment. There was no closure.

Chan Young was so self-centered and annoying that he made the series unbearable. The straight couple were cute in the first few episodes till we realized they forgot the title of the series.

The dynamic between Heesu sisters and their lovers was explored but felt lackluster, mostly because it was hard to even understand what was going on.

Seungwon having two moms was brushed off far too easily, there was so much potential that just went down the drain. Too many open ended dynamics in the series.

Making Seungwon seem like a rebound was diabolical and insane. The queer storyline was dragged out unnecessarily.

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Enjoyable watch throughout with a strong cast. I guess wouldn't expect less when you have Kikuchi Rinko, Odagiri Joe, and Kaho among the cast. Even the foreign cast did pretty well.

About the topic, it really made me feel that Yuuko was being treated no more than a product. By everyone one even her mother. Specially her mother. Maybe the only one that always had Yuuko's well being in mind was hee father, but he didn't have enough strong of a resolve to go through with it. A part of me cannot blame him since being a foreigner there already puts him at a disadvantage.

The story mostly revolves around Mikiko who had big dreams but somehow settled for less in life when things didn't go well. However she couldn't find peace with it, and the moment a chance appeared, she decided to live her dream through her daughter. The drama shows effectively Yuuko's growth throughout the years. She started a pretty much happy-go-lucky girl but then the small problems that were growing deeper, the loneliness was burying her deeper, and the loss of innocence that made her darker. She was desperate for someone to confind into, but no one gave her the chance. "Act professional" is what they say. It's what her mother would say.

The direction here was great. I love the switch between showing the set vs showing what TV viewers were seeing. And the ending had a great effect as well.

Short watch, great performances, definitely worth to check out.

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Why did they even use this title and why did they claim this is a “BL” when it’s not

Honestly, you will not catch me writing reviews or giving my opinions on these type of platforms however, I feel the need to do so for this. The audacity to classify this as a BL is absolutely mind blowing. It’s obvious that they used this name to get people to watch it, Like I don’t even know how this is a adaptation of the Manhwa If it literally has no similarities to it it’s just the characters have the same names that’s it. They changed everything about it. Anyways, all I have to say is this is terrible. I don’t like it and I’m actually more mad that they said this was a BL,literally bl where? I’ve never witnessed so much screen time of a straight couple in any Bl this is the first time. Why is it that a straight couple is having more screen time than the Suppose it “gay couple” Like this is a BL for God sake! Honestly, the first two episodes I was so excited and I believe they should’ve just stopped at episode two Because everything after that is just us watching the love story of a straight couple, even though this is supposed to be a BL. And with the cast, I don’t know if I’m the only one but everyone keeps talking about like oh my gosh, the BL couple is so cute but I don’t feel any chemistry between them. I don’t know if that’s just me. The acting was awkward to me and yeah I didn’t feel any chemistry between them probably because hey, I didn’t get any moments between them. I don’t feel like this “Bl” is deserving of a rating higher than two out of ten because it’s not what it says it was supposed to be.

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Amazing

I can't believe I'm so in love with this reality show. One should definitely watch this if you love watching dating show. This one was unique because I've never seen gay dating show so at first i started because I thought it look interesting but never thought I will love this sooo much. (And damnn all of them are so good looking n I've got a huge crush on jeonghyeon)
I've watched episode 1 six times and that is something I never do I rarely re-watch dramas. But for this show I don't know but I can't stop myself from watching again and again.
Right now only 3 episodes are out. I can see chemistry btw few of them I don't know what's gonna happen after this but I'm excited for the further episodes.


Episode 4 & 5

While watching episode 4 and 5 i was quite disappointed by the length of the episode. But still the episodes were great. The phone call part is best. I was literally screaming from the excitement while watching it. And now I can't wait for the next episode.


Episode 6 & 7

Best part was both episode got released on same day. The room relocation was actually a good thing in my opinion. At this point I have no idea who's gonna end up with whom but yeah I have my guesses. But the pair i liked together didn't even exist i think. ಥ‿ಥ


Completed the whole show and now I badly miss the whole show. I remember when I had watched first episode how happy I was. And at that time, I didn't wanted the end to come. I wanna go back and watch this whole show again like it's my first time.
In last episode few where happy that they end up with someone they really wanted, and few where heartbroken. But yes they took this in a positive way coz they do know outside the show they'll find someone as well.

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Breathtaking Love Story About Letting Go of the Past

Ever since I began really getting into K-Dramas, the one series that has eluded me is this one. It wasn’t in the US region, and I’d heard so many things about it that I kept trying to figure out a way to watch it. Fortunately, moving to Taiwan put me in a different Netflix region, and I almost missed it again, because it’s under the title, “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.”

My expectations for this series were surpassed in every way. I was slightly worried that the reputation of the series would somehow come up short. It didn’t. This is one of the most charming and transcendent love stories I have ever seen. It’s light, beautiful, and full of laughter and tears. In short, it’s full of Life. And perhaps that is why it has touched the hearts of so many.

The four leads of this series are all captivating and you scarcely want to blink for fear of missing something whenever any of them are on screen. Gong Yoo (Kim Shin) has the smoothest, most soft-spoken, and calming voice I think I have ever heard. He reminded me of Cary Grant, one of history's most romantic and effortless actors. He has such charm that he doesn’t have to do much to be in awe of his performance.

I haven’t seen Kim Go Eun in many things, but this is easily the most vivacious and endearing role that I have seen her in. She plays Ji Eun Tak to perfection. She has such a lovely smile and bubbly personality that you can easily see why Kim Shin is so taken with her. Despite her hardships, she simply oozes Life itself.

Lee Dong Wook, the grim reaper with a past, plays the very heartbroken and wounded soul who somehow senses that he’s done something terrible in his past. I’ve seen this talented actor in several series now. As good as Gong Yoo is at acting with his eyes, Lee Dong Wook shows us every ounce of pain that his character is going through. We feel it. We eventually know of the horrendous things he’s done, but in the end, all we want is for him to let go of the pain.

Finally, we have Yoo In Na, an actress I have only seen one other time in “Touch Your Heart.” She is such a charmer with that incredible smile of hers and her very youthful expressions. Only Yoo In Na can take a somewhat conceited character and make her likable and pleasing. She did the same in “Touch Your Heart” and it’s obviously something she’s a master at doing. In many ways, she’s a character who’s torn between the Goblin and the Reaper, and we somehow sense that she knows this. Perhaps that it also why, despite the pain of the past, she’s the strongest of the three because she’s actually able to let go.

While this is an absolutely endearing love story, the series’ power is its message of forgiveness. Everyone carries baggage around, holding on to the painful experiences of the past with the weights of guilt and shame for the things we’ve done. For the Goblin, this is represented by the sword. For Sunny, it’s the ring. And for the Grim Reaper, it’s his hat. And the glue that binds them, with the wisdom of living a free and carefree life, is Ji Eun Tak.

How long must people continue to suffer before we let ourselves and others off the hook? Punishment does not come from anyone or anything except for ourselves. So, how long will you continue to carry the burden? Release lies in the wisdom and power of forgiveness, which is the process of letting go. Leave all of your burdens behind.

The music of this series mirrors the series itself with light piano pieces and soft songs that always seem to mirror the story, the characters, and even the environment. I loved how part of the series was filmed in Quebec, obviously during the fall season when the scenery is at its most captivating.

The series doesn’t miss a beat with some outrageously hilarious moments. One of my favorites was when the Goblin and the Reaper are trying to figure out how to use a cell phone and the camera that goes with it. Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook had me laughing so hard during that scene! It was priceless.

Korean performers are masters of emotion. The tears that were shed were so powerful and convincing by all four actors, that it had you really feeling those moments of sadness and pain. That is what separates Korean actors from so many others: they make you FEEL it! When Ji Eun Tak loses the Goblin, and she begins to wail uncontrollably on the rooftop, you can’t help but feel her pain and despair. The same happens for the Goblin in the last episode. But alas, all is not lost. No one goes away forever, and that is another aspect of the story that is truly beautiful and what made that final scene so epic.

Goblin is easily one of the best series I’ve ever seen, and at some point, I will certainly wish to sit down and watch it again. Goblin is like sitting at home under a warm blanket, drinking a cup of hot coffee in front of a fireplace while the autumn leaves fall outside in the crisp air with the reminder to enjoy Life and each moment.

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I was in a Japanese drama slump for a really long time. But I'm really glad that I ended up watching this drama. This is most realistic Japanese drama I have seen. I came in for Narimiya Hiroki(Gokusen, Bloody Monday 1-2), Fujiki Naohito(Cinderella Story), & Hayami Mokomichi(From 5 to 9). But the story line and Misako as Momoko was amazing.

Story: 9/10 because we don't get a sick kids daycare type of stories very often. It had so much heart to this drama. But it was also surprising dark regarding a character's past. I get into the life of Momoko as she works hard to be a real caregiver. It's a story about family, working hard & trying to find happiness in what you are doing.

Acting: 10/10 because Misako as Momoko took me by surprise. I haven't seen her in anything, but she was great as Momoko. I could relate to her in some aspects of her life. Hiroki as Asahina was amazing. He is amazing as a father. Trying to interact with his enstranged daughter no matter how much she ignores him. Momoko's family. . . let me just say. . . is evil! That's all I can say without spoiling it. The other characters were good. The children were cute to watch. Some of the children get character development & there were moments where I was crying my eyes out. Misako & Hiroki have great chemistry. There is a lot of character development.

Music: It fitted the scenes, but not as memorable. I was too invested in the story to listen to the music.

Re-watch value: 8/10 because I watched it twice & still liked it. Some of the scenes in the drama were too sad to re-watch.

Overall, if you like child actors/actress, comedy, romance, slice-of-life, the actors/actresses, dramas that have lot of heart & life lessons, then this drama is for you.

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