Reviews

Disappointing

I watched this to see if it would get better. Even paid for express. Nothing got resolved. No one was made accountable. The female lead and male lead allowed themselves to be trampled and used by others throughout the whole show. They deserved each other. Their son deserved a lot better. There was no climax in this show at all. It ended on the same sour note as it started. What a shame. If there was any backbone from either of the 2 leads it may have had some potential. FL spoke in whisper like voice entire program.

This is the only show I’ve ever written a bad review. Don’t waste your time starting it only thinking it will get better. It doesn’t.

What a shame. I actually paid for express to watch the last few episodes hoping it would get better. I fast forwarded the bulk of it.

Leia Mais

I began watching this drama for two reasons; I read on a blog that this was actually written quite well and I had just watched Prosecutor Princess and wanted to see more of Park Shi Hoo. At the time it was the first drama I attempted with episodes over 16 to 24. I wasn't disappointed in the least!

Queen of Reversals is one of the best melodramas I've watched. It tells the mature story of a marriage between two people who are struggling to make it work or having to decide to let go. The cast of actors all do a wonderful job. Kim Nam Joo and Park Shi Hoo are stand outs. Kim Nam Joo is wonderful as Hwang Tae Hee. The evolution of her character is a lot fun to watch. Park Shi Hoo is such a scene stealer. He has a great quality and screen presence.

The supporting cast was also well chosen. This was a melodrama but I loved that there were no birth secrets, no one had a deadly disease, no one loved someone they thought might be their sister. It was actually a pretty nice and refreshing change to watch something more real. The plot unfolded very nicely for 31 episodes and there were some real surprises along the way. This also has the funniest bromance between Goo Yong Shik and his secretary...Hilarious.

I ended up loving this show and giving it a 9. A few months later I stand by that rating. If you are looking for a great story about a woman really finding her strength you'll love Queen of Reversals.

Leia Mais

Positive Family dynamics portrayed well

The suggested score MDL gives me for this is 9. But I choose to give it 10. I do that because the show has the beautiful element of NO TOXIC CHARACTERS.
If you enjoy drama brought on by crazy exes and horrible mothers-in-law and power hungry individuals…you would hate this one.
This is a simple story about enjoying life in the moment.
About how family is not only through bloodlines.
About how parents are not always right and children are not always right either
A story about familial forgiveness and acceptance but also responsibilities. But we still get enough romance and a ML who is just wonderful. There are many other characters to love though.
The cast has a lot of experienced actors and that shows In the quality of their delivery.
The ended as they started. A chaotic family that loves each other but always has some drama going in their life.

Leia Mais

The ending ruined it.

All in all the production is very simple. I have watched many very thrilling bl's this year so I appreciated the change of pace. It was slow and progressed meaningfully. I was able to understand the characters, not necessarily their backstories, but their motivations.

I don't write long reviews but what I will say is that I am disappointed. After completing all the episodes I can say that the story is incomplete in many ways.

There is an aggressive scene in the last episode that, is slightly problematic and I did not like it. More importantly, they abandoned the stories of other characters in the end. Yes, the main characters are the focus but they introduced and developed stories of other characters and just left them in the end. I was not sure if it was the actually ending or perhaps setting up for a season two, but it definitely doesn't seem complete.

The acting was acceptable, no complaints there. Music and SFX was a bit off at times but not enough to ruin the viewing experience.

Ultimately, is it worth the watch? This may seem contradictory but yes. I enjoyed it, all but the last episode. The story is actually good.
Would I watch it again? Absolutely not. Once is more than enough.

Leia Mais

Visiting this page seeing such a low overall score you'll probably gonna be put off by it from the very beginning. Then you'll look at the cast and think how bad can it actually be with such a talented cast. Well, let me assure you, it's not bad at all, it is just different and not for everyone.

Entourage isn't your average kdrama, it has none of the usual tropes, love triangles, crazy 2nd leads, misunderstandings, absurd coinsidences, scheming, melodrama ect. It actually feels a lot like a western tv show -which shouldn't come as a surprise since it is a remake of an american tv show, and i am happy they didn't try to korean-ize it too much. For all these reasons entourage is a breath of fresh air in the dramaland for me, but it is not a drama for everyone for the exact same reasons.

Story
Welcome to the entertainment industry. The main lead of the drama is an up and coming fictional actor who just had his first movie breakthrough, got mixed reviews but also got immensely popular and we watch him as he tries to find his next project, balancing his personal life and work life in the best (or worst) way he can. At the same time we see his 3 best friends as well as his agency's CEO. All of his friends have something to do with the entertainment industry; the drama's exploring different sides of it through them.

The show focuses on the hardships of the industry, putting it in the spotlight in a rather realistic and even negative -if i may say- way. It targets issues about the entertainment industry like: how difficult it is to find a potential hit movie/drama project, how actors are placed in the public eye and have little to no privacy, the way the agencies try to control them work-wise and personal life-wise, how difficult it is to actually get casted and breakthrough in this industry, the severe importance of appearance ect. Simultaneously, the relationships between actors, actor-manager, actor-agency, actor-significant other ect. Moreover, it puts the actors and agencies on the spot as well, showing both negative and positive aspects of their life and the way they act, as well as very realistic repercussions of their actions (this was probably the most interesting thing this drama had to offer for me).

All that being said, i think it is very obvious that this drama is not the average rom-com one would expect. There is no romance here. There is a love-line plot, but there is no actual romance, this plot line serves a purpose to explain how difficult it is to maintain a relationship being a celebrity and nothing else. The comedy is present, but i would safely dub it as elitist. It's not your usual slapstip kdrama comedy, it is heavily based on sexual comments, and a lot of the jokes involve other idols or actors and i am not sure if they can get across to an average kdrama watcher. What's more, there is no melodrama at all, or overdramatic situations evolving emotional conversations, stares ect.

Lastly, i would like to stress how i totally understand why someone would find this boring. If you're looking for a sweet romance story with comedy, you won't like this. If you're into heavy melodramatic situations this isn't your cup of it either. The drama is a light comedy about the entertainment industry, everything revolves around that. Concluding, the drama is told completely from a male perspective, so there will be a lot of pants dropping, creepy sex jokes, men desperate to have sex, clubs, silly, immature situations ect. If the drama lacked something was a proper female touch, but then again, this is why this drama was fresh and different.

Acting
The acting left a lot to be desired, but it wasn't a problem.
Seo Kang Joon was great, but not really memorable; Lee Dong Hwi, the same. Lee Kwang Soo was adorable and hilarious and performed impeccably as expected, however none of those 3 characters were well-enough written to leave a strong impression.

On the contrary, the most memorable actors were Jo Jin Woong, who portrayed a caring ceo -almost a father figure- with anger management and attitude issues immaculately and also my personal favourite Park Jung Min who might not have been the best acting wise, but the role was a perfect fit and was completely relateable and absolutely delightful!

I would like to emphasise how i wouldn't -not in any way- stick with this drama because of the good cast or because of the countless guests.

As for the supporting cast, amber had the most promiment role of the females, and i loved her. The role was a perfect fit. Ahn So hee needs to work on her acting more and i would like to see Kim Hye In more in the future. However, none of the supporting actresses had the time to build up as characters or show something of substance.

The guests were there for a split second, said a line, waved and that was it. Don't expect much.

Rewatch/Recommend
This drama is an elitist drama, but it's not bad; it's just different. If you are into classic kdramas, ignore this one, you aren't missing out. If you want to watch something different, and have an interest in the korean acting industry, then do try it. I also believe this drama is adressed to male viewers because of the nature of the comments and issues it depicts. I wouldn't rewatch this though.

Leia Mais

A wasted premise

[UPDATED] As a Jang Seung-jo fan, I was desperate for "Strangers Again" to work. I ignored all the misfires and the lapses in logic and stayed with it until the 12th episode. But when the ending rolled in, I realized that there was a basic flaw in the character development of the leads.

I don't mind flawed characters. I especially love flawed characters who grow stronger in the broken places. The male lead started out well enough as a divorced divorce lawyer whose life is a mess. His ex-wife is also a divorce lawyer who seems to have come out feistier and richer. All the ironies were in place.

But no, after laying a solid foundation for what could have been a smart commentary on life, love and career, "Strangers Again" proceeds to self-destruct.

Jang Seung-jo's Eun-beom is so badly drawn, I suspect he was written as a plot device for Ha-ra's journey. His characterization is utterly illogical: a formidable intellect in court, he doesn't make sense in everyday life. He loves Ha-ra but concocts a hare-brained scheme to break-up his marriage, sets up his ex with his best friend so he stops paying alimony, never told her about his childhood traumas while she was his wife, and turns out to be a serial relationship killer. His redemption is a short footnote in the last episode via a Google search and a trip to the therapist's office. The writer was not interested in his evolution – only the havoc he creates.

Kang So-ra's character Ha-ra is better fleshed-out and is obviously the real center of the series: she may be cut-throat in court but she's not unscrupulous, she genuinely wants to help her clients, and in turn learns life's valuable lessons from them. She not only gets the best lines in terms of self-discovery, she also gets the best meltdowns.

The second leads' story trajectory is hands down the better romance in this series. From irritating characters, the liberated noona and the political conservative blossom into relatable characters as they learn to own up to their mistakes, communicate, and compromise.

Hyperrealism is no excuse for bad storytelling. I want characters with depth whose motivations are well-established. I want a plot that makes sense, even if it is imitating life.

Law practice, love, and divorce are potent ingredients that could've given us an unforgettable series – that's the wasted premise. I was expecting a Matryoshka doll with layers of meanings. Instead I got Barbie and Ken in power suits who are trapped in their own drama.

Leia Mais

What a disappointment....

Can a good actor save a bad script? NO.

But can a good actor make the drama bearable to watch? YES.

But does this drama have good actors? HELL NO.

Before starting the review, I just wanna say it’s more like a rant than a review.

Let’s start with the title first. It’s “Now, We Are Breaking Up,” but more like “Fate”? I’ve been watching K-dramas for a long time now—literally, every drama has the fate/destiny aspect in it, which is not exactly my problem. But for this drama, the plot is built on fate/destiny/coincidences. Everything is so connected, which feels like nothing but forced.

This is supposedly a “Melodrama” (Melodrama: A genre that focuses on a dramatic plot, which is typically sensational and designed to appeal strongly to emotions). Is the plot dramatic? YES. But can I feel the emotions of the main characters (HYE & JK)? Freaking NO. They have no expressions throughout the whole drama. They just had cold, wooden faces and robotic dialogue deliveries. It felt so boring to even look at them that I genuinely fell asleep.

They are the main characters, so they have the largest screen time, but imagine their story being the most boring of all? Can you possibly sit through it? At least I couldn’t. I’m gonna be really honest—I watched this at 2x speed because the pace of the show is as slow as a snail. As I said, the plot was dramatic but also somewhat problematic. The writer screwed up the main leads’ story, and their bland expressions made it even worse.

Since this was Song Hye Kyo’s comeback and Jang Ki Yong’s last drama before his military enlistment, I gave it a shot. But I’m utterly disappointed with both of them. There was literally no heart-fluttering chemistry between them; they just endlessly kept staring at each other.

I mainly watched this for the SL couple, and yeah, they could act, so they had more chemistry than the lead couple. Some supporting characters are unreasonably crazy and wicked. My only favorite supporting character was Jeon Mi Seok.

As a fashion-based drama, neither the FL’s clothes nor the ones she designed impressed me. Hotel Del Luna or It’s Okay to Not Be Okay had way better-styled clothes, and those dramas aren’t even about fashion. :/

The OST doesn’t suit the vibe of the drama. It’s something sophisticated, which the drama is definitely not.

Re-watch: Never in my whole life am I gonna re-watch this show. I had to give a rating of 1 because there’s no option for 0.

The drama is basically a dud—no chemistry, bad acting, and problematic af main leads. I personally recommend skipping this one. The premise of the story was interesting, but the execution and main characters failed to portray emotions badly, which made this show really shallow.

END
Thank you for reading my review ^^

Leia Mais

Ding Yu Xi to the rescue

I will start off by saying this.. The FL would have ended up dead in a ditch somewhere in the name of investigation if she hadn't been married to the ML.. The characters in the drama are not well developed.. The ML literally carried the entire show.. Should have been a 30 ep drama at the max.. The cases and investigations in the second half were just plain stupid.. And she was getting promoted in every few episodes while all she managed to do was almost getting herself killed or her husband.. Lu Chui Chui was miserable.. Apart from Jing Lin every other side characters were just meh.. And as always there is a pathetic pervert hitting on a married woman in this one as well.. I dont understand why such characters are glorified..

The first half of the drama was good.. It had a good pace and made me wanna watch.. But the second half just went downhill.. Losing its momentum and falling flat compared to the beginning.. The pacing in the second half dragged and it felt like the drama was stretching beyond its limit.. There were no plot twists in the last few episodes.. Just some stupid power moves which actually was pretty stupid.. It was just a poorly thought out conclusion..

Still you cant expect every drama to be Blossoms in Adversity or Who Rules the World.. The biggest disappointment for me was how the ML's character completely failed to do himself justice.. He started off as this badass intimidating figure feared by everyone.. But by the end he was reduced to someone who was being taunted by the FL’s friends and even a random kid.. It felt like all his strength and presence just disappeared.. Overall its just a one time watch.. It’s not something I’d rewatch..

Leia Mais

*Spoilers are only in the last paragraph, regarding the ending*

I enjoyed I Hear You up until episode 17, as a lighthearted drama without any elements that made me angry or annoyed (which feels pretty rare with Chinese modern dramas). I personally enjoy the 'pretend couple becomes real' trope. From episode 17 onward, I felt like the plot lost momentum and then finally, several elements of the final two episodes really bothered me.

Ye Shu Wei (Riley Wang) is a successful and talented violin maker who doesn't like other people, and he grows a lot throughout the show as he begins to care about Bei Er Duo (Zhao Lusi). Bei Er Duo is kind and determined; she has a dream of becoming a voice actress and her goal is to study abroad in Japan. I loved that she was always studying, working hard to improve herself, and wanted to rely on her talent not connections. Ye Shu Wei and Bei Er Duo slowly grow to care for each other, and since they are both inexperienced in love, they feel like an even-leveled match despite him being rich and successful. But to be honest, their relationship is pretty boring. There were some cute moments and some cringey moments but nothing memorable. I actually felt like Shu Wei put much more effort and heart into their relationship, in trying to understand her, encourage her, and prepare surprises for her. (But Riley Wang's stony-faced acting bored me.)

Shu Wei and Er Duo agreeing to be on a couples competition show seemed like a far-fetched premise but the characters Yu Sheng and Tang Li help make it a little believable since they are the producers(?) for the show. Tang Li's character arc is fantastic and is the one great thing in this show. I loved that she faced her feelings head on, stuck to her principles, and worked hard to find her own happiness. Her storyline wasn't what I expected, but she articulated it well when she explained her decisions to Er Duo. The maturity of her character was such a sharp contrast to Er Duo's childish behavior.

*SPOILERS BELOW*
As for the last two episodes... I hated the two phone calls that Er Duo receives. Why did other people feel like they had the right to blame Er Duo for Shu Wei's choices? I liked that Er Duo sat down with him at the beach and talked about it honestly but why did Shu Wei not respond? Even though Er Duo returned the ring, it felt so inconclusive. (Also, if he really wanted to give up violin making/didn't care about that major violin order, I can respect his choice.) The last straw for me was how Er Duo chose to separate from Shu Wei. They had checked in their luggage and he was being paged for the flight so it just made no sense on so many levels. At the very least she could have sent him a text message after clearing security. The last scene was so strange and inconclusive. I wish that instead she had said at the beach, hey don't come to Japan with me, don't give up your work and let's date long distance for now and see how it goes...

Leia Mais

Must Watch Series

The bromance is strong in this one and I have no complaints! The friendship between these people are always my favorite part of these series.

If you have been an avid viewer of the series, then you will really like this adaptation. Even if you haven't watched the other series, you will still understand the overall idea of what they are talking about. So, this storyline is supposedly set after lost tomb 2, however due to differing production companies and other logistical stuff, the story plots don't flow smoothly from one series to another and has a bit of a time gap. Despite that, if you watched the other series, you will get hints of events here and there and can connect some dots.

In this series, the story plot thickens and more secrets are unravelled for Wu Xie and his team to find, mostly revolving around the Nine Families and Xiao Ge. It gets pretty confusing at times due to so many unanswered questions, however it does get my brain moving coming up with possible theories. The acting by the actors are phenomenal, I especially liked the actors that portrayed Wu Xie and Xiao Ge. I think this is my favorite Xiao Ge portrayal. But man am I glad to see so much xiao ge and wu xie interactions, I was a bit sad that there wasn't much interaction between the two in previous series. Also, xiao hua and hei yan interaction was not something I expected but loved.

Overall, this is a solid storyline where a group of friends set out to seek the missing memories of a friend and along the way happen to unravel hidden (not so hidden) secrets. It was an enjoyable watch and I really loved it as an avid Dao Mu Bi Ji fan.

So, I most definitely recommend this series to people if you like this genre and/or the actors that portray these characters!

***Ending Spoiler ***

The ending is a cliffhanger, however, I kind of expected that already because the author of the book is notorious for that and the previous series are also like that. The end leaves me with more questions than answers, like did the team leave the mountain unscathed, what is Wu Xie planning to do with the mask, and is this all set up by the elders? However based on what I read from the book I do have a small idea of what happens. However, after watching Reunion (set 12+ years later) and tomb of the sea (7-8 years later), I can already tell what happens to them.

* * * * * *
Happy Watching!

Leia Mais

This is a great drama with very strong characters.

To be honest I only started watching it because I read that the story would revolve a lot around the eldest son, who is in a gay relationship. I found this fascinating, seeing as it's a korean drama. The writers did a great job on that part, depicting the family's perspective and the couples perspective and how they each deal with this issue.

It was also interesting to see the interactions between the different generations of this huge family who all live together in one house.

What kept me watching was the great acting (especially song chang ui who plays the eldest son and kim hae sook who plays his stepmom)the amazing story, and also the amazing surroundings (jeju island).
Because it's quite a long drama you get to know each of the family members very well and you really feel the amazing bond that's between them.

I cried a lot, but I laughed too and watching it was an overall heartwarming experience!

Leia Mais

Antis are jealous fr..

I was literallty waiting for this movie to air, after watching bit of its scenes from its trailor .. also recently i fell in love with Chen feiyu and his acting in Lighter and princess which is definitely a must watch and can be the best drama of the year, not only because of its story but its acting too was a chef's kiss. When this movie aired, i decided to watch it but got disappointed after seeing this much low rating here * is 6.9 when i am writing the review * and I usually skips those dramas and movies that have rating less than an 8 even if it got the amazing cast. but then i read some comments that this rating is fake and antis have done it , then thought to try a shot and watched the movie and was quite surprised that story was quite interesting and acting was amazing too as both the leads are amazing actors .. so all the watchers who are planning to watch it but got scammed with the rating here should definitely watch it because its worth it.

Leia Mais

The drama that felt like the most beautiful poem!

Was it the plot that caught my eye? was it the acting? was it the ost? Well none of these. While browsing through reels I found a reel of this drama of the first episode when Sou and Tsumugi meet again. Without even knowing the context, I cried. Later, I searched for the synopsis of this drama and boy, did my heart wrench! I decided to wait for more episodes but after sometime this drama still found itself in my reels. I binge watched the available 7episodes and those 7 hours I cried 14 times. But honestly, it was not the tragic element that moved me but how beautifully the drama was written. Sometimes, when you find something beautiful that makes you think so much and calms you down, you cry.
There was not any stress element but I liked the conversations between every character. I felt myself to be in the pov of every character. Every small detail of the drama holds a beautiful meaning and when you will reach the last episode you will see a loop of beautiful and brightening elements. However, to bind such a precious creation needs comprehension from the actors' part and indeed every character justified their roles, its emotions and every part of it.
A memorable drama that taught me so much and maybe when I will watch it again, I will learn more.

Leia Mais