Reviews

I'm struggling to think of things I *didn't* like about this drama.

I'm a fan of Park Min Young and that was the main reason for picking this one to watch, she always delivers an amazing performance and does a great job creating a realistic and believable character on the screen.

First drama i've seen with Kim Jae Wook and I enjoyed his performance as well, initially he came across as a bit of an arrogant twit (which is fully intended I suspect) but as his character develops it quickly becomes one you can really understand and believe.

The title of this one is "Her Private Life" and it implies focus on the dual life of the main character - as a museum curator professionally, and a fangirl for a pop idol privately. She has a separate name when fangirling and it's a completely separate part of her life. In reality, this same concept applies to other characters when you consider the hidden pasts and different lives.

I thought the overall pacing was really good, if perhaps let down in the tiniest of ways by a slightly *too* drawn out conclusion. Seeing the directors husband get out of jail was pointless, I had no real care for him (first time you'd seen him) and honestly the directors character herself was one I was happy when she wasn't on-screen anyway (though I do like the Actress in other things).

I really liked the development of the early antagonist Cindy / Kim Hyo Jin played by Kim Bo Ra (she was also in SKY Castle and I enjoyed per work there too). Starting out as a typical Ssaesang fan and see her character develop when around the right people and influences was really good to see. It was good to see her product design make it to being sold but some kind of "we sold out already!" would have been a really good reinforcement that not only did she deliver the product but it did actually sell well too, just to back up the reward for the hard work that was put in by her character.

The main leads chemistry was spot on, their relationship was believable and natural, there were never bad moments or stupid breakups. The story does get to the inevitable "throwing popcorn at the TV" moment for a while where you just want to slap them both upside the head because they're drawing stupid conclusions - but otherwise they both resolve problems easily through good communication, it's a blueprint for how all couples should be with each other in my view.

Aside from the romance storyline there was an undercurrent of sadness through a tragic past which bubbles up eventually and creates some tearful moments late in the story, as with the rest - it was all handled superbly by everyone. It's a bit convoluted and unlikely - but hey - this is kdrama, put those thoughts outside and just sit back and enjoy the story.

There was only ONE thing that didn't happen that I wished had, I won't say what it was because technically I guess that would count as a spoiler, and in the grand scheme of things it's minor.

The final episode did feel a bit like the air was now all out and we were coasting a bit. It didn't have the remarkable intensity the rest of the series had but honestly i'm exhausted from the emotional energy that this series demanded anyway :) It's not an ending to be disappointed with at all, just compared to every other episode it felt a bit loose.

Great to see Park Jin Joo in a lead role and I hope to see more dramas coming out and utilising her skills and instantly recognisable and unique face.

Should you watch it? If you want a fluffy romance, positive, no stupid breakups, tons of emotions throughout and some really great and believable characters, imo it should be on your watch list, yes.

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Quick-witted banter, intriguing mysteries and a somewhat steady stream of awkward jokes make Trick a very enjoyable and fun series to watch. As someone with the humor of a 14-year-old boy at times, it was very easy for me to laugh out loud at the running boob and penis jokes throughout the series.

Anatomical humor aside though, this series does a great job of balancing fairly low-brow humor against thought-provoking mysteries. While in one moment you may find yourself genuinely pondering how this alleged psychic’s “trick” could have been accomplished, your train of thought might be suddenly broken upon glimpsing the inappropriately shaped bento box on the table. I actually enjoyed this dichotomy, because it helped to keep the series interesting, and from taking itself (and the characters) too seriously.

Dr. Ueda, who is a bit like a handsome mad scientist, is one of the oddest characters I’ve seen in a drama. He takes himself seriously, but then again he doesn’t at all. He has confidence, and yet, maybe not. It’s hard to pin point who he is as a person, because if nothing else, he is consistent in his inconsistencies. Is he a genius or is he an idiot? I’m genuinely not sure, but for me he’s just a lot of fun to watch!

Naoko is more the “straight woman” in the series. Naoko sees the big picture in the mysteries and is usually the one to solve the case. Even so, she can’t help but get wrapped up in the awkward hi-jinks that occur all around her. But she handles it with frankness and confidence and I adored that about her character.

Be warned though that this is not a particularly exciting series. Often, the mysteries unfold slowly (over the course of two episodes, sometimes) and there is a slice-of-life quality to this drama that deflects any air of fantasy or whimsy. But I actually like it this way!

Sometimes it’s good to watch a drama that is enjoyable, but not necessarily crack addicting to where it consumes your life. Trick is a pleasant refuge from the cracky, high-intensity dramas out there.

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an energetic and relaxing sitcom

Overall, I don't think this is a bad sitcom. Yes, it has its flaws, but I think this is a great show to watch if you want to cheer up and want something easy to watch. (at least lately, Doom At Your Service and Hospital Playlist have been stressing me out so this sitcom was a breath of fresh air). Also, can we talk about the diversity in this cast? I loved the concept of international students in a Korean dorm and it brings a very nice spin to your typical school setting TV show.

While the story has some clichés and jokes that fall flat, it also has great and hilarious moments. The story touches on friendship, relationships, and family and (most of) the characters are not their initial one-dimensional stereotypes. I thought the plotlines were interesting for the most part and they definitely made me want to keep watching. A few of the plotlines were pretty predictable. However, I couldn't stop smiling pretty much throughout the entire show.

I thought the acting wasn't bad at all. I personally liked Park Sewan's acting. I was pleasantly surprised by Minnie and Youngjae's acting, and the actor who played Jamie did a pretty great job for a newcomer. Han Hyunmin was hilarious. I thought the other 3 (actors of Carson, Terris, Hans) had okay acting for the okay plotlines they were given. Overall, nothing bad enough to ruin the whole thing.

This show has its good moments and I would recommend it to anyone who wants an easy watch and lots of cheerful, positive, youthful energy. :)

And of course, I have to talk about some extremely memorable scenes in this drama that will probably live in my mind for the next year.
- the kimchi slap
- Hyunmin's rap
- Minnie and "Captain" (actually Private) Yoo
- Jamie declaring his love for Sewan to the reporters

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Melted my cold, cynical heart

When I started to watch this series, I didn't expect to love it this much. This series may not be perfect, but it definitely becomes one of my favorite series this year.

[Story]
The plot is actually very simple, you can literally summarise it in one sentence lol. This series is more on character driven rather than plot driven, so some people may find it frustrating at how slow the development was. However, I love how this series portray (almost) realistically the inner struggle of gay-teen couple in conservative country. The other strong point of this series is how lovable all the characters were, even the supporting roles, that I ended up care for all of them. It is the first time that I love both main leads equally, usually one of them will annoy me at some point. Ida and Aoki are truly the bestest boys.

[Acting]
Surprisingly, I love the acting in this series. Usually the acting in Japanese drama bother me a lot as it's kinda 'anime-ish'. Kudos for Aoki for having so many silly expression without making me cringe. I also love Ida's acting, his character is actually the one that more tricky to be portrayed. I am glad he wasn't just a stoic, one-dimensional calm character. The acting of all supporting roles are also superb. Shout out for Rumi and Hiromu, the first het cp that I truly enjoy in BL lmao.

[Music]
I love both the OSTs, and how fitting the lyrics are. Wish there were more OSTs, though

[Rewatch value]
Man, the number of rewatch that I have done is sickening lol. I am usually the type that move on so fast to another series, but this series managed to make me rewatch it so many times without skip.

[Overall]
I gave this series full score for how much serotonin it gave me. This from a person who is usually very picky and cynical about romance drama as I am easily cringe at sappy romance. I do hope there will be season 2 for this series, but for now I am satisfied with how this series end.

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Love Story between a Mortal and an Immortal

This drama starts off very good – beautiful actors, beautiful costumes, interesting story line. After the first couple of episodes, it begins to go all over the place. Poor script writing, plenty of plot holes, editing flaws (they even photoshop an actor's face onto another), confusing acting from the female lead, among others.

I was initially put off by Fu Jiuyun (Zheng Yecheng) for his flamboyance, especially towards Qing Chuan (Zhao Lusi); his hands are all over her and she doesn’t seem to care. In fact, she gives the impression of liking such attention – being teased and pinched by Fu Jiuyun. As a Princess, Yanyan is dignified, determined and worshipped by all. In her disguise as Qing Chuan, a maid servant under Fu Jiuyun, waiting for her revenge, she has a total change in character. She loses her initial charisma which I feel is a poor script writing and also poor acting. Though I like Zhao Lusi as an actor and I like her other dramas, I don’t feel she fits into this Qing Chuan character very well. Zhao Lusi is cute and can be silly, but her acting is confusing as the Qing Chuan character who is supposed to be dignified, determined and strong. Zhao Lusi doesn’t have the charisma a princess normally exudes. On top of that, Zhao Lusi tends to take a long pause before she starts talking. It really feels weird for me that she’s not spontaneous in answering even the most trivial questions. The only consolation I find is she pairs very well with Zheng Yecheng visually.

Zheng Yecheng has a layback carefree spirit to him. With his outrageously gorgeous face with soft features, acting as a celestial being with no worldly concerns, Zheng Yecheng fits perfectly as the Fu Jiuyun character. I love the scenes of him gazing at Qing Chuan with those loving eyes. One can really feel his love for her, unreserved and unconditional. He has great chemistry with Zhao Lusi.

There is a lot of illogical dialogues and scenes, even the logic itself is weird. Despite the poor storytelling, I find the costumes to be intriguing with great details. I love Fu Jiuyun’s simple white gowns. I also love those sophisticated gowns worn by Yanyan especially the gown she dances in. The sound track that plays whenever Jiuyun longs for Qing Chuan or vice versa is beautiful and heart-wrenching.

There is also a couple of scenes I love the most. The first one is the scene of Yanyan dancing to the song composed by Fu Jiuyun. The scene is so beautiful and breathtaking. The second scene is the very last scene when Qing Chuan runs towards Fu Jiuyun under the peach blossom tree. That scene is celestial and can only be found in legend.

The final episode is a lazy ending. It seems that the whole thing is just a dream by Yanyan as a little girl, or is it her reincarnation, or is it a parallel dimension thing? It’s confusing. The weirdest thing is our female lead just goes poof and reappears with her love in a different dimension.

I would watch this drama for Zheng Yecheng if you’re a fan. For me, he’s the only thing that keeps me going in completing the whole series.

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Story: When you can make the viewer think, "Maybe this is what happened in Big's god-awful finale?", you know, that as a drama about making dramas, you're doing something right. Every episode, there are all kinds of conflicts that Anthony's drama had to face, and these conflicts also parallels what occurs in the drama industry in real life: live-shooting, extensions, scandals, plagiarism, you name it. At the end of each episodes, there's these cliffhangers that makes you demand for more. As a drama about making dramas, the stakes are surprisingly high. It's addicting.

If you think what you can only take away from "King of Dramas" is the knowledge of making dramas, then you're wrong. It's so much more than that. It's quirky, and freaking hilarious, and there's also romance. Also, when you have such a cold, independent, pill-popping hero in Anthony (or Ansony? pfft.) who's so desperate in squizzing a juice advertisement in his drama's finale no matter how much it just doesn't make sense, and a money-crazed actor who values his CF's more than the drama in Hyun Min, this makes for some rich character developments. I'm still astonished by how they were in the begginning and how much they've grown. And it's not like they all changed in one finger snap and got possessed by someone else (I'm looking at you, DH2). Their growth is believable.

This drama also does a good job of making us care. You're all wrapped up about wanting them to succeed, that when the moment comes when they announce the ratings, you end up holding your breath right with them, and just smile unknowingly when they got what they wanted.

What kept me from giving the story a ten, was the sudden turn the drama went in the final stretch. It went to this melodramatic turn that did not fit the drama's tone and earlier episodes. It was out of place and given that Anthony's redemption arc was already done quite well, it was unnecessary. I find it weird that Director Oh, a character that was the main source of conflicts for most of the episodes, suddenly left the spotlight. The writers dropped the initial plots and changed the storyline in an attempt to salvage the poor ratings and fill air time to make up for the extension. What a shame since no matter how cartoonish of a villain (plotting his schemes in his office and making constipated faces) Director Oh was, it was much more enjoyable to watch rather than touch the melodramatic turn the the drama went with a ten-foot pole. It was such a shame to witness given how well this drama was avoiding standard drama tropes.

Acting: Amazing. Just as you would expect from Jung Ryeo Won and Kim Myung Min. Honestly, what made the melodramatic turn worth watching was because of their top-notch acting skills. They acted the hell out of it. Siwon actually surprised me. I never knew he was capable of such funny faces and his Hyun min character never failed to make me laugh.

Music: I thought the music is such a significant addiction to quirky tone and comedy of the drama.

Rewatch value: This is a drama that you would enjoy the second time around. There are some golden hilarious scenes and some heartfelt moments that would be worth watching the second time around.

Overall: It's a nice look at the drama industry with stakes that are high, rich character developments, and hilarious moments. Despite the melodramatic turn the drama went, the overall quality didn't suffer that much (thanks to some winning acting by the leads). This drama deserves to be right at the top of your to-watch list.

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Best ever romance story

A very subtle and charming love story. I really like the acting of the two main characters. There is no significant violence. A mother-in-law and grandmother who really love the female lead. The positive value of this drama is: that every human being has their own destiny. Past trauma and the divorce that happened to her parents made her reluctant to marry. But when she found her true love and the man treated her very well. Then the trauma slowly faded, and she was sure to have a very good married life, and protect and love him throughout his life. Wang gege and Wang Kaimu...hmmm they both did it very perfectly. Success to both of you.

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Just finished watching those Flower Grandpas, truly enjoyable.

First, the story: I gave it a ten, because this is definitely one new plot in Korean Drama Land... Just reading the initial description of this show made it immediately into my plan to watch..... Young Handsome Guys turning into Wrinkly Old Grandpas trying to solve the mystery to return Young Handsome Guys again. So we have mystery, police getting some bad guys, a little notch of romance, a huge bucket of bromance (my fav), and so many ROFLing. The ending was just heartwarming. I wouldn't mind a couple more episodes :D

Second, the acting: Seriously, old, REALLLY OLD, men acting 30's, you don't see that everyday, do you?!!
the acting was spot on, for our F4... You really gotta watch to know.. That's all I gotta say.

Finally, I am gonna wrap up by music, which was synced beautifully, and not to forget the little noises popping every once and a while (make you laugh even more)

So.... WATCH THIS DRAMA PLEASE, it's just 12 episodes... not much time wasted

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why? just why?

the first act is enjoyable, a decent story, some significant hole in the plot but I thought, "eh, whatever, its a short drama, it seems like fun". the second act sloooooooowwwwssss down and keeps you waiting for any character development and plot beyond the leads, "okay, not the best show, but it's not trying to be so hopefully the ending will wrap it up nicely and this will be a classic mid tier show". WRONG! SO F****** WRONG! the third act is where the show totally falls off. you only continue watching just to see the moms domestic abuse and criminal activity come out of the shadows, but it's only one 80 second scene, why? or maybe you were sticking around waiting for more conflict resolution with the older sister and the leads all together, wrong, there is none. instead we get a BS, 'oh, everything is resolved with our respective careers, we both love each other, neither holds blame or guilt for the accident as children, we acknowledged dead dads blessing from heaven, we have both healed, evil mom is taken care off, but oh wait, we can never be together, why?, cuz my older alcoholic sister is throwing a 30 year tantrum and neglecting her child. OH WAIT!!! JK! one year time skip, sister is magically healed of all trauma, attachment, mental instability, is a perfect mom, and a highly accomplished artist beaming with joy[all with ZERO explanation, screen time, plot, not-a]........soooooooooo, it's okay, now you two can wistfully meet again in a field of flowers and give each other blank stares.

I thought the actors, production, and editing teams did a pretty good job. the writing and directing is Trash. for once a k-drama doesnt have 16 episodes with endless drag on time, a blessing to be able to write and direct a nice, fun, emotional shorter story that is satisfying and rounds off in the end; they missed the opportunity. it's like this drama was originally written for 12-14 episodes and in the middle of filming episode 6 they got cut to 8 episodes, and said "F***, we'll wing it and force it closed".

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One of the best art/story/drama of 2020

Its been a while since I have cried buckets watching a drama. Iam a fujoshi so I was well aware of this novel getting made into a series but was really hesitant to watch it because its china and for sure, the plot would be altered to exclude anything homosexual. But then when I realised that the script writer is the same as the original writer, I felt like the characters will be given justice. And boy I was right. Iam so glad I watched this show. From production to direction to acting to storytelling....and the mesmerizing portrayal of art, war and history..everything about this show is beautiful and full of emotions. And the best part, it did not hurt my fujoshi heart as did some of the other chinese bl adapted novels.... The first thing I fell in love with is the characters. Mr Cheng and Boss Shang will forever live in my memory. Even the supporting characters hold a special place in your heart...you laugh when they laugh, you cry with their sorrows...you may hate some of the characters but still cannot dislike them. Like a relative of yours that you hate but cannot exclude them from your lives. Second, the actors......Ill flip my brains if Andrew Yin is not nominated for awards this year. He became Boss Shang!!. His dedication is amazing and I have utmost respect towards him for portraying Shangs love for opera, his work, his madness, his devotion towards Cheng and so much more. So did Huang Xiaoming . His portrayal of Cheng as a wicked in a good way, full of love but typical rich guy and maintening the emotions flowing from certain corners and his devotion towards Shang was on point. I must say every actor/actresses in this show have done a wonderful job. I really felt like they were the real characters....need I say more?. Next the production and direction, I was so happy that the production did justice to this show. Every antique, clothing, jewellery, architecture,scenary was so beautiful and did not look artificial. You feel like you are actually living in that era. The direction was clean, pacing of scenes and the storytelling was as if you are reading the novel. And yes beijing opera.....i did know a bit about it before watching it so it was easier for me but never did I thought I would love listening to opera tbh. Also the amount of knowledge they have portrayed via this medium is amazing. Yes... Opera is dying and I really wished people would pay more attention to it. And this show places this emotion/concept into the younger generation in such a subtle manner. Claps. And the music...I have always been into ballads, and traditional instruments so this was a heaven for me. I could listen to this music for ages. For me, I know that Iam really into a show, when I actually pay a lot of attention to each and every dialogue. I could not miss any.... And thats whats beaitiful about this show. Now the only issue I had with this show was the portrayal of the japanese. I know they did really really really horrible stuff and its something none of us can revert. Sadly this world is a cruel place and war makes you into a horrible beast. I can understand the emotions of the people as my own country had several attackers too but I really wished they would put some effort in bringing some emotions in the japanese cast which was probably chinese. I felt like i was watching robots sometimes(thats just a typical japanese stereotype)...and had trouble when they spoke in japanese...did they use vocaloids hah..jk.It was very plain be it fighting or their cruel actions. I could only feel emotions from kazuma at the end episodes. And let me mention that reporters wife too while iam at it who seemed to come out of a horror show featuring fox possesed humans. I also regret the ending a bit.... I wished they would provide us a ending scene with old shang and cheng after their separation..and a bit of post war insights and the opera culture impacts. I feel that would be wholesome. But yes, I knew i had to deal with such an ending in the first place before begenning so iam fine.

Now my biggest take from this show...... The light fluffy heart warming interactions between cheng and shang. So basically they are lovers in the novel but because of you know who, they made it soulmates and brought in a wife to fortify it. But it dint upset me becuase the writer gave us all the implied feelings and emotions. I personally hate the word bromance.... And frankly speaking, this story does not give you bromance nor BL.....it gives us more than that, the bonds. The bonds between soulmates...which cannot be broken be it in this life or other. Love can be in different forms and need not be just between lovers or friends. Its hard to explain what I feel but iam sure you guys will feel the same watching this. Its not empty, nor satisfying nor dirty.......its just pure beautiful in so many levels. Emotions and bonds, not just between shang and cheng but also the bonds with the shui house, cheng family, the opera circle and lives basically...is what holds this show together. Hatsoff to the writer, the creators and the actors.

I just hope in future we live in a place where the writer does not have to alter their contents to fit the society however iam just glad for now that BL novels are getting more achkowledged for their art and plots. Lets support the novel too. And Andrew Yin....I love you...you tore my heart apart during this whole show. Boss Shang and Mr. Cheng will forever remain soulmates in my heart.

PS: Everytime boss shang ran my heart skipped a beat thinking that he would trip.

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Watered down tea...

Tea that look like cocktails brighten up this otherwise bland, and I mean really bland Altdif commercial, yes I checked there is such a brand and they have a tea house you can visit and probably try all the tea you see in this show if you ever go to Seoul.

The tea house is as sterile as sterile gets feeling more like a lab than a cozy place to drink tea.

However being completely starved by lack of GL it is nice to see girls interact, and slightly awkwardly flirt in what I would not go as far as call enemies to lovers as it is more of a slightly disagreement to flirt kind of deal.

The 3 characters seem to do what they are supposed to do without much drama, as the supporting character truly is there to support the leads to get closer and does not really do much more.

There are no annoying elements here, but then again there is not much of anything here... having the highlight of the show include some foam on the lips and an indirect kiss...

It is not bad, it is not good, it truly just is a cup of water someone dipped a tea bag in for like 2 seconds leaving some colour but not much taste...

Still since it takes about 30 minutes to complete this, I will say go watch it support the little GL we get, as there is nothing wrong with it, nothing annoying and it is a pretty smooth watch. Just do not expect much of anything and all will be fine!

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So Sweet It Can Never Turn Sour!

The comment section is on point for this series - It's Crack in an oven turned to a 1000 degrees.

What ties this short series so beautifully; The Acting and definitely the Chemistry. The two leads held a 3 episode series with practically no assistance from side characters, and no actual "plot-line" to go by.

This series went all in on the concept "HaHaHa! Rolling on the Floor Laughing" type of feel;
With it's well known fourth wall breaks from the first season, the numerous parodies of romance tropes, the bonus of having us the viewer as one side of a hilariously insane love triangle, making fun of blatant product placement and using it to their advantage, and of course using current world events - In their case the I-TOW virus - as a means to a successful end.

But more than that, and under all that crack there is an absolutely heartwarming message; Be genuine, speak your truth and make sure to let the people in your life know that you undeniably love them.

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"We're moving forward albeit slowly. We're standing side by side."

When I found out I was getting a Season 2 of Utsukushi Kare S2 I was over the moon. Seriously, I literally squeeled! I missed my boys so much and it was a joy watching these 4 extra episodes although I wish we had more. But, I digress.
I love how the writers kept this realistic in both story and characters. Both Kiyoi and Hira are still pretty much the same but have also changed quite a bit. Kiyoi is more confident in himself. He's also more content & secure in showing his feelings for Hira. He's even mastered a way to get Hira to listen to him when he wants him to love himself more. It's a cute method, pretty much old "nasty" Kiyoi but with good intensions. Hira, although his character development is not as obvious it is there. He can see that he needs to get better and that he's stuck in the same place. While before, he refused to even acknowledge those problems. Let's face it the type of self-worth and mental health issues he has are not going to go away overnight. He needs help, I wish it came in a professional way, but he gets the second-best way: in a mentor that's been there and can be the light he needs to get better. With Kiyoi's love being the guiding force, I have no doubt that with hard work and hopefully therapy his issues will be able to go away. And there is where the title of my review comes in.
To be honest, I'm glad the writers didn't give Hira a magical cure because that is just not realistic, it's gonna take time. Sure, I would have liked more happiness and intimacy but that's not who Hira and Kiyoi are. Their love is strong and getting stronger every day, no matter the issues. I can't wait to see what the next chapter brings for Hira and Kiyoi in Eternal.
Hagiwara and Yagi brought their a game especially in the big confrontation scene in ep 3. They are so good at what they do. And it was obvious how happy they were to be working together again. There was this sense of happiness in all their scenes together. Made this even more of a joy to watch. Chemistry? 10+
I'm giving this a 10 because I loved everything about it. Even when the story may have seemed repetitive, it was important to be told that way. I'm gonna be rewatching this and S1 over and over until I can watch the movie. Highly recommended of course.

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