Reviews

How can i even review this marvelous story!

I had watched this drama with the title "THE ROSE IS POISONOUS" and totally got blowed away by the fantastic story and the two mainleads that totally put it on fire with their EXPLOSIVE chemistry! Its about redemption, survival and recovery. A quite cruel and heartbreaking story actually, what the poor heroine had to do to survive the hell she had endured for 10 years. Even the badass Male hero cried his heart out for her misery. Both of them had some Anti and villain characteristics that could be conisdered redflags-but they matched even more for that! The beautiful Male hero never wavered in his commitment and love for his heroine, every step of the freaking way!

Leia Mais

I get teary-eyed and always have a stupid grin plastered on my face every time I think about how perfect Tiger & Dragon is.

Where to even begin? The feels! The freaking feels I get from this drama. Not only is it funny (seriously, it's impossible not to kneel over from laughter every episode), but it's so touching and heartfelt. The bonds each character has with one another is not easily forgotten, and it's hard to choose which interactions I enjoy the most. Honestly, I love all of them! That is probably a prime example why I prefer jdramas over all the other asian dramas. There is so much heart in this drama, it makes my own heart want to explode.

And can I just say again how funny this drama is. Honestly, it's one of the funniest dramas I've ever seen. Kotora, the main character, is yakuza but wants to do rakugo (a form of classical Japanese storytelling), and each episode he learns a different story and incorporates it into reality (whatever situation the characters happen to find themselves in that day) and performs it. It's really so funny, I seriously can't stress that enough. If you're going to watch this, be prepared to bust a gut.

Omg please watch this. Please? If you love jdramas and you've never seen this, you need to get on it. If you're new to the genre, WATCH IT. Just everyone should watch it. You really won't regret it.

Btw, Tiger & Dragon has THE PERFECT ENDING. Honestly, I was just so happy and giddy, and I was grinning from ear to ear. Just, everything comes together so nicely at the end. Outstanding drama!

Leia Mais

Let's start off by saying that this dramas strengths lie not with its story, but with its other areas. The basic story trope has been done before. Rich and selfish boy gets enchanted by poor and humble girl. We've seen it before. This drama attempts something fresh though, namely body swapping. Now, body swapping as a plot device isn't anything new in itself, but it has in this drama a condition for occurring.

The story's biggest weakness is its characters. Characters make or break a story, and Kim Joo Won just isn't as romantic as he is made out to be. Repeatedly seeking out a girl that has made it clear that there is no mutual interest isn't the way to go. Invading personal space and not laying off her when she is obviously extremely uncomfortable isn't the way to go, either. I do dig his sparkly tracksuit, though. Not only aesthetically, but as a recurring gag. I'm not saying that all characters are 100% trash, because that's not it. There are several good characters, like Ah Young, Han Tae Sung and Oska, to name a few. The acting and the cast, on the other hand, is great. No complaints. Hyun Bin especially did a great job with the body swapping, and Ha Ji Won's emotional performance was up there, but there's only so much you can do with shallow characters.

The story did drag on for half an eternity during the middle episodes 8-12. I would have dropped it if it had dragged on for one more episode. After that, the pace is quickly picked up again and sustained throughout the rest of the series, though. So be warned. There are a few snooze-episodes that are about as fun as watching paint dry. Or something.

The comedy during the body swapping is great. There are several scenes that had me laughing out loud.

The music wasn't anything special. It wasn't bad, it definitively wasn't, it just wasn't great either. It did its job well, and that's what's important. I just won't add it to my iPod, is all.

I personally won't watch it again, because I suspect I might become so frustrated that I'll do something I regret, like eating 15 tangerines, again. I shall avoid that if possible. But if I were stranded on a deserted island, or snowed in or something, and could watch only this to pass the time, of course I would. Just not as a first choice. And who knows, maybe it would enchant me on a second go? Like Kim Joo Won? I won't take the risk.

Did I just completely waste 20+ hours? No. I'd say this drama is worth a watch, even if it's just to be able to say you've seen it.

Final score: 6.5 / 10

Leia Mais

Beautiful love story!
The film relies on a careful exchange of romanticism with that of the supernatural elements that, plausibly, promote the growth of its two main characters and their love relationship. It does not fit into the overly tempted notion of the tragic and common loss in novels, especially considering how many other films usually have one of the characters with some deteriorating disease or terminal illness to defend ideas of forced separation. His uniqueness in the narrative structure separates it from similar films that maintains the genre and, along with an excellent cast and direction, produces an emotionally touching, unconventional, and ultimately quite memorable viewing experience.
"Tomorrow I Will Date With Yesterday's You" makes you think more about the situation in which the two main characters were and the consequences that this would mean to them.
By Japanese standards it may have been some movie, but it is not, the story is well written, it has a coherent logic, it seems to be difficult to understand at first, but they have a transition of interest that makes you understand it perfectly. It's worth it!

Leia Mais

The queerbaiting issue aside, I'm conflicted

Was the show enjoyable? sure, until a certain point. However, the last episodes were way too rushed and too many things were going on, as if the writers tried to wrap up every single plot line they presented throughout the series, but the end result is bad and almost unwatchable. The ending itself is just completely ridiculous. I won't add spoilers, I'll just say I almost immediately snorted with contempt when I watched it.

And then there is the queerbaiting issue. While realistically a gay couple would never live happily ever after in the Joseon era, the show is full of events and characters that just wouldn't happen at that age. So anachronism definitely wasn't the issue. Why did the writers halfway through the show decided to take a step back and turn the romance into a bromance? Who knows. I just hoped queerbaiting was a thing of the past. I guess I was wrong.

The acting itself was decent, again, considering the unbelievable plot line.

The music was annoying, but I guess that's a personal thing.

Wouldn't watch again, 6/10.

Leia Mais

Modern Movie With A Classic Touch!

From the first scene, you can tell it's a promising film with a sweet-bitter ending.

All characters are likable and adorable or even unobtrusive. I laughed so much, I felt touched, excited, and cried... everything was really good. From the story to the characters, the direction, and the music. 10/10 overwhelming!

On the other hand, the story is not for everyone. If you don't enjoy stories like "A Little Thing Called Love" I say don't watch it! It's not your cup of tea.

At the last, I liked how they make the characters kind of mature, logical, and have self-awareness. it's not all about feelings and following whims. it's about good and bad things and how it affects your personality and your beliefs as a person and on others too.

Leia Mais

"Don't give up-it's a galactic message!"

If you're looking for a taut suspenseful thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, Burn the House Down may not fulfill your desire. More family mystery than vengeful thriller, two sisters determine to clear their mother's name regarding a fire from thirteen years ago by taking on their greedy stepmother. Think Scooby Gang rather than The Quiet Family.

Very minor spoilers:
Anzu and her sister Yuzu are convinced that Makiko, their mother's ex-friend and father's new wife burned down their childhood home thirteen years ago and destroyed their family in the process. Their mother who admitted to causing the fire is currently hospitalized with a case of amnesia and they are desperate to find evidence proving she is innocent hoping it will help her to heal. Anzu uses her best friend's name to get hired on as maid at Makiko's house. She's forbidden from going upstairs, exactly where she's hoping to search for evidence the hoarder might still have. Anzu is shocked to find Makiko's eldest son from a previous marriage is secluded in his room upstairs as he is thought to be working at a prestigious job out of the country. Kiichi suffers from agoraphobia and a really bad wig. The younger son, Shiji, is a med student and clueless and naïve Yuzu works on getting close to him. Their friend, Claire, is a computer geek who can breech any cyber security. The sisters' spineless and absent father hasn't contacted them in 13 years so Anzu's secret identity isn't hard to keep.

Burn the House Down had all sorts of plot devices to keep the story moving along: Revenge, amnesia, surprise allies, setbacks, character growth, red herrings, a little romance, and a couple of good slaps. Anzu's relationship with Kiichi was complicated and at first I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a Flowers in the Attic complication or Hannibal Lector wanting to eat her liver situation. As it turned out, Kiichi had his own guilt and burdens from the past that had crippled him. When they were children, Kiichi had given Anzu a compass and told her that the stars were always watching and they were telling her "Don't give up. It's a galactic message." Resilience and redemption were leading themes in this drama, right behind finding out who was behind the grotesque mask or in this case ugly sweater.

The sisters found out the hard way if you had to trust a shaggy looking guy who believed the stars were cheering us on or their father who hadn't sent so much as a birthday card in thirteen years, you'd better take your chances with the intergalactic messenger. As awful as Makiko was, and she was thoroughly unlikeable-a thief, egomaniacal, a homewrecker, liar extraordinaire, and completely lacking in compassion-their spineless father was even more repulsive. With the exception of Makiko and the father, the rest of the characters came in shades of gray and were mostly good people trying to find their way in the world, over and around the obstacles thrown in their paths.

As much as the drama was about discovering the truth regarding the fire, it also dealt with how people use social media to manipulate public opinion and how devastating doxxing can be. It also showed the addictive nature of having fans and needing positive affirmation from strangers. Both sides used the social media and netizens to their advantage. Makiko enjoyed having a reputation as the perfect wife, mother, cook, and housekeeper though none of those things were true. The Scooby Gang used the internet to help close in on their investigation and bait their quarry.

Despite the complex relationships and subterfuge, the drama managed to avoid falling into heavy melodrama or over the top makjang. It was a mostly light and easy thriller with a few surprises along the way. Anzu was able to put together a Scooby Gang made up of friends and family who became quite formidable. The guilty party might have gotten away with the fire if it hadn't been for those meddling kids who took the galactic message seriously and never gave up.

7/13/23

Leia Mais

Tales of Friendship, Resilience and Hope for a Better World

Zhan Zhao Adventures is truly a fitting name for this drama. It starts with a journey and ends in one. The drama does not attempt to overexplain his past or make assumptions about his future but quietly acknowledges that it’s a small part of Zhan Zhao’s long adventures.

ZZA has a classical old school wuxia setting with a blend of historical elements. The storytelling is linear and feels grounded and realistic with lots and lots of intense and brilliantly choreographed action scenes. The story follows the journey of three strangers who accidentally met in the jianghu and through many hardships and trials became each other’s closest confidants. The best part? We can see their stories unfold in front of our eyes and feel their bond deepen in real time. Their bond is not told through stories and flashbacks but seen through arguments, bickering, understanding and constantly having each other’s backs.

The lack of romance might be a dealbreaker for some but personally, it’s one of the best parts of this drama. I think the lack of romantic entanglements enabled the story to properly explore the depth of the bonds between the leads and fully portray the beauty of platonic relationships. And the cast really did an amazing job portraying the nuances of their characters and relationships.

Honestly, Zhan Zhao has my heart. Unlike many people, Yang Yang’s portrayal of Zhan Zhao is my first introduction to this character and I’m already in love. Zhan Zhao carries so much depth and is so incredibly strong —not just in martial arts skills but also, there is an incredible strength in his resilience, in his kindness, in his maturity, restraint and belief. His decision to not kill is not rooted in superficial principles but in the hope for a world where justice is equal for everyone and isn’t reserved only for those who can take it themself with their sword. It’s a decision he is forced to question again and again but still chooses it every time because no singular person’s morals can be above the law.

Zhan Zhao is not just a typical good guy with idealistic principles, he’s exceptionally layered and feels so real. And I cannot praise Yang Yang enough for bringing Zhan Zhao to life. Zhan Zhao is good but not naïve — he understands the difficulties, he faces loss, he griefs, he gets hurt, he gets tired and yet, he endures, he gets back up and moves forward. His every action, small or big, is a testament to his strength, resilience and kindness. Stretched between the free-spirited jianghu and the suffocatingly bureaucratic court of law, Zhan Zhao represents the best of both worlds.

Bai Yutang’s headstrong and impulsive nature is a refreshing contrast to Zhan Zhao, and it was really fun to watch them bicker and try to navigate their different personalities. Their relationship dynamic has to be my most favourite part of this drama. Their characters are written really well and is one of the rare instances when developing the second male lead didn’t take away from the male lead but quietly elevated their character. It was fun to see Bai Yutang wreaking havoc and throwing tantrums, but it was also incredibly moving to see Zhan Zhao dealing with him with so much patience, maturity and kindness.

I also love how Huo Linglong’s personality matched both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang so well. She was always understanding of Zhan Zhao’s actions but also had a rebellious streak which complemented Bai Yutang’s impulsive nature. She is strong, perceptive and curious, and I think not having a love interest really allowed Linglong to be her own person and pave her own path; it gave her a chance to truly see the world like she always wanted and develop authentic relationships.

The pacing was more or less good even if I watched the first few eps in a somewhat lukewarm state but once I got hooked, it just got better. The plot takes a little time to fully be grasped but is aptly tightly woven without any fillers. The writing is done well, and the drama did a good job of balancing the development of plot and characters so that it doesn't feel very plot heavy despite having many elements. The supporting characters are also written well and makes the story more fun and interesting.

Overall, this drama is definitely worth watching but may not be for everyone. If you love action with realistic fight scenes, mystery and investigation dramas with character-driven stories of friendship and growth and are willing to take your time to understand and appreciate the theme and depth of the characters and plot, Zhan Zhao Adventures offers a refreshing and grounded take to our regular wuxia dramas and is really a great watch.

Leia Mais

Started well but...

The beginning 16 episodes are somewhat solid. Decent storyline, decent acting, beautiful costumes and set, and decent fighting scenes. However, as the story goes on, it felt like the Male lead lost his place. They tried to keep the love story between the two leads solid (I.e no one can really come in between them in term of how they feel for one another), however, with the lack of maybe strong acting, strong chemistry between the two leads, you end up not really feeling for the leads. You don’t feel happy when they realise they still love each other, and you don’t feel heartbroken when they break up again. I just don’t feel sad or heart breaking for this couple, which is strange, because I do enjoy the drama, yet somehow I don’t feel it 0.o

And as the story goes on, somehow my heart is ache for the second male lead. He’s selfish, he doesn’t know how to love her, but at the same time, how can you fault him when every time he tries, the female lead would just coldly shut him out. When you see her heart is slightly moved by his actions, she turned away, and again pour cold water all over him. And knowing the general’s story background makes you feel for him even more. When telling the story, the prince might have witness his mother being murder by his dad, and because of that, develop a woman phobia. But his dad loves him, and adores him, and the girl he loves, love him back, and he’s always on time to save her (of course, because he’s main lead lol). Compare to the general, who dad also killed mom, his dad did not acknowledge him. The girl who he loves, rather bear the bad mouths of the world just to be with her (sure there are other scheming reasons, but time and times he stood by her), always wants to save her but always a step late (typical second lead lol). Seeing the prince gets pardoned for any wrong things he did, and he gets punished for just one time being wrong. Anyone would turn psychopath. And you really feel his pains.

Long story short: the love story runs out of steam for me by 16, the will they won’t they is a bit old (this part takes place from 16-32), also not much of it when it seems pretty solid that the prince only has heart for the princess and vice versus. Is it bad? Not necessarily but need to be done well, and require great chemistry between the two leads, which as I mentioned before, totally lacking. And so in this case, it’s boring. I started watching and continue for the female lead mainly, she’s literally carrying the show. But as the show goes on after 16, it’s the second male lead that carry the show. It’s just because his character is the only one that has layers, that is complex, and you just don’t know how his heart acts, he has to follow his revenge plan, yet his heart couldn’t be ruthless, though sometimes he tried (he failed because he’s second lead, and he can’t win lol). And the actor who portrayed the General did a really good job, I think I will continue to watch for the general, and even if he turns out to be very terrible, it’s understandable. And this brings another minus for this show. My impression of the drama title is that the female lead was so heart broken that her hair turn white (yup, a rip off of the famous white hair maiden story), however, so far, I felt like her pains aren’t great enough (and with 23 eps to go, I’m not sure we have room to develop that great pain either). Considering the background and literally 9 mo of emotional turmoils the General has to face (the various events happen in that 9 mo), he is the only person so far qualifying to go white hair lol.

And because of this reason, the rewatch value for this series is like almost zero. The music is ok, suitable but not memorisable. Oh last and not least, this series has zero kissing scene that is passionate. We finally get 1 kissing scene but it was a rush one and virtually no emotion =_=

Change my score to be 1 lower than the original score I gave because of the ending. While the ending was not rush, it was lacklustre! And they follow the usual cliche cdrama style where everyone but the main leads die! And 1 other insignificant couple. When you have the old emperor, who caused all these tragedies, who has been poisoned and has no strength to stand up, managed to hold 2 babies (total weight let say 12kg), then about 10mins later, die conveniently as the ML got to him, just to say BS stuff like: remember don’t follow my mistake =_= I rolled my eyes so hard when this last episode is trying to be all high and mighty and try to give moral lessons -.- the ML’s face when his dad die resembles of a smile rather than being sad and devastated -.- the FL’s cry scene when she remembered her first love was also not convincing, and follow the usual trope of cry loudly, holding on tight to the memory object, then finally hitting the floor >_> At least one thing could feel her pain....the floor >_>

Do I recommend this series? Yes for the general’s acting, and for Leo’s fans. I don’t feel much for leo’s Character because the chemistry between Leo and the FL, while better than with the ML, was not enough, and it is mainly the FL’s fault. She couldn’t do certain scenes right, and so you don’t feel connected with this couple, and they didn’t tie that end right either. Didn’t show she’s that heartbroken for RQ, so what she has not been living with her husband for a few years to be with RQ’s grave? But you don’t see it, you don’t feel it, it likes trying to show off screen. Leo’s best acting to me was the pose he did as he die on the throne. It is heartbreaking scene, a lifeless king, the epitome of his life, always the puppet, even in death. So watch the series, but be prepared to feel annoyed at the 2 leads, and FF their scenes. If you enjoy the 2 leads and their storyline, bonus :)

Leia Mais

While most people claimed they lost interest in the second half of the series, I found the first half very plain and the second half better – which led me to give it an 8/10 overall when it could've been as low as a 6/10 up until episode 7.

Now, don't get me wrong. Each episode from 1 to 7 wasn't bad; they just didn't add up into a good 7-hour experience for me. They were good one-by-one. If you have seen American series (police or crime series in particular), you'll know how they start an episode with one case and ends it within that episode, and nothing from that episode will affect the next episode at all. As soon as our main detective Park Kwang Ho arrives in 2016, Tunnel plays that card.

For character introduction purposes, not touching on the main plot for a short while is totally okay. However, the length of 7 episodes of doing that is painfully long – 44% in and there's still no progress whatsoever. That point kept bugging me all the way. Apart from that, the main characters are good at their job, so the one-case-one-episode is averagely fun on its own.

I believe that the story picks up around episode 8. From then on until episode 12, the pace of the drama suddenly changes in a good way. These are the most exciting and suspenseful 4 episodes in my opinion. There is a surprising amount of improvements from character development to story revelations. The last phase of the drama, episode 13-16, cools down a lot, but it still keeps playing with the main story. For me, it was fine. By the end of the series, I was more satisfied than I thought when I went through the first half.

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It's still too bad that after all those satisfying second half, I still don't see the point of making this a time-traveling drama. Of course, the "tunnel" and the time-traveling play a part in this story. I just think that they could've made use of this theme much more – or dropped that idea completely.

The main character who time-travels lacks a lot of "oldies" qualities I expected to see from its premise. By this I mean that he could've possessed old-school yet surprisingly useful methods that help with the modern crime-solving process, or rather appear really countrified that he looks funny. Instead, he adapts to the modern world so well. If this wasn't a time-travel drama and this character was a detective from the present time, it'll still work just fine. It feels almost as if the writers are using this "time-traveling" trigger word just to call for attention.

At the same time, Tunnel cannot escape a lot of clichés in making their characters and criminals, and even situations. A lot of things were revealed by words rather than actions. Many mysteries are solved in a blink of an eye after dragging them for so long. It's like when things build up to a certain degree and you're almost excited, the next moment it becomes "Oh... That's it?"

The cast and their acting really save the entire show. They're extremely great in every given situation, although again, you'll have to get to the second half of the show to see so. I rated their acting a 10/10 although some small side characters are so-so because they don't have much impact anyway.

The background music and sound effect cues aren't awkward, so I gave it a 7/10, but they mostly just went through my ears instead lingering around for more impact. This is the genre that doesn't need emotional OSTs to play at heartbreaking moments anyway. I still wished I ended it with one or two songs to keep listening to. I ended up with none.

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Final thoughts: I wouldn't suggest my friends to watch this for the time-traveling. I would suggest them to watch simply because it's a good crime drama with good acting. I liked it – don't get me wrong after I point out all those cons. I didn't regret watching this show. Also, I barely rewatch dramas, and a crime drama can be either too predictable or too gruesome to rewatch, so I gave that part a low score.

Overall, it's a 8/10 for me because it does only 75~80% of what it initially promised to do. This score is not to be compared with other dramas, especially the ones that are not from this genre.

Leia Mais

This drama is made to give you butterflies! The romance is just beautiful...

Two calm and young humans fall in love amidst a snowstorm in a snowy country! This sentence sums the whole drama up.

From the beginning, we get to see lovers who fall in love in a pure way, just like snow. It's just serene and sweet, and nothing more.

There are obstacles. There are past issues. There are some grains of mystery involved, but their romance development is on-point and flowing like the wind.

The scenery is marvelous! we get to see European cities covered in snow, trees, and cute cafes. It's one of those Aesthetic dramas that satisfy your craving for beauty.

The OSTs and main songs are sooo beautiful. The lyrics match the whole story and it's mesmerizing.

Also, there is no love triangle or exes from the past.
The leads have the healthiest relationship ever and their communication is so sweet.

Also, it's notable to mention that this drama has the most beautiful romantic scenes. The leads get to kiss and hold hands whenever they are given the chance! it's just pure ROMANCE.

Overall, a very sweet and romantic modern Cdrama. It's a must-watch imo :)

Leia Mais

So why was Jae Pil here? - An entertaining failure...

The drama that initially presents itself as a story of female friendship, that's how it sets up the plot, that's who they introduce as main characters, that's how the synopsis is written… and yet the way they went about it and told the story got people hating either female leads and fighting who is worse of a friend. There is no real message, there is no clear vision. There are just things happening and a lot of frustration. It was fun, but at the end felt cheap. Like eating fast food - you might enjoy the taste as you eat, but later you suffer from indigestion.

Personally I think there are 3 major flaws in the show that truly could ruin a viewing experience and almost ruined it for me.

First of all - the hard cut that happened with the time jump. By all means you will basically watch 2 completely different shows. All the character development happens behind the scenes and we never witness it, hence who you saw in the first half is not who you follow in the second half. The transition was poorly planned and delivered. They needed to reintroduce all the characters since they are in a completely different point of their lives which, with how many plotlines the drama had anyway, feels like a waste of time. Even though I prefer linear storytelling, I do believe in this case mixing the two timelines throughout the show would be a better way to present the story and make it feel more balanced.

The time jump leads me to the second issue - Yeong Rae and Jae Pil’s relationship. First of all, no it’s not like I disliked them because I wanted him with Jong Hui (I was full on Jong Hui and Yeong Sik shipper). I disliked them, because the way their story was directed and presented was just trash planning that took away all the things that should make me feel something. Sadly they literally skipped all the butterflies inducing moments, all the build up, falling in love, the moments that made them appreciate each other more. We got none of that - just a short one minute flashback. This is NOT how you write romance. Romance is all about feelings. You cannot just tell me he fell in love with her, because she supported him. You need to show me that journey, I need to experience it with the characters. Otherwise I won’t give a shit. And so I did not give a shit about them. Were they cute when they started to date? Sure. Did I care? No really. I guess I didn’t even dislike them, I just did not care at all.

There was literally zero set up for their romance, at least on Jae Pil’s side. He was completely not interested in her in the first half. There were zero romantic feelings. No attraction. So for that love line the whole first half was useless. Young Rae’s story of falling in love was “love from first sight” that could be done in just one episode. And then after the time jump we are told by all the characters around Jae Pil that there is more between them. Everyone is convinced they will date. Everyone tells him to look into his feelings. And I’m sitting in front of the laptop and think: how the fuck did this happen? When? What exactly made him fall for her? Was it gradual? Was it a specific moment that made him see her in a different light? Why aren’t they showing us THAT? And the way they just wanted to cover it all up with a short flashback montage was a pathetic circus of writing.

Going back to the topic of lack of balance - what was the writer thinking when they decided to put all the pain and misfortune on Jong Hui while surrounding Young Rae with all the love and happiness? What kind of sick trauma porn was it? When yet another bad thing happened to Jong Hui, at some point I just started to laugh, because it was purely ridiculous. While for Young Rae the bad things that happened led to better outcomes long term, even if Jong Hui received something good, it then led to more pain. For example - Yeong Rae got fired from work in an unjust way? Right away she got a new better job with far more opportunities. Jong Hui saved someone from attempted suicide and thought she found a new family and home? The mother turns out to be abusive and manipulative. It was just exhausting to see her get slapped in the face by life over and over again, when by all means she did nothing wrong.

I’m just struggling to grasp and understand what this drama is about. What is the message? Because the last minute happy ending cannot erase all that happened for the remaining 11… Personally life lessons I’ve got from it were:

Life is not fair, deal with it no one cares.
Don’t help people, you get screwed in the process - whenever intentionally or not.
Be selfish - at the end of the day your needs should matter the most.
You cannot escape abuse, life be like: out of the frying pan into the fire.
Also abusers are not really bad people, they are good REALLY DEEP INSIDE and you just have to apologize to them.
Even if you find someone that cares for you, they most likely care for someone else more.
There is no real female friendship if a guy is involved as a third party - only more trauma can bring you back together, communication is overrated.
Being ignorant about other people’s suffering will make your life easier.

And here’s a thing that made me the most annoyed, frustrated and uncomfortable - I started to dislike Yeong Rae as we got closer to the end of the show. She was in fact a great character - smart, dedicated, brave, driven, caring, adorable, bubbly. She did shine bright. But with how sad and tragic Jong Hui’s life was, I sadly could not enjoy her character. When I knew she was able to lead that life, because Jong Hui protected her in the past. When I knew how bad the aftermath of it was for Jong Hui. How she ended up with no support system, thinking of dying, struggling to survive every day, just to end up in a fake doll house with an abusive adoptive mother… It was hard to be happy for Yeong Rae, when her happiness was unintentionally built on someone else’s suffering. And no, it was not Yeong Rae’s fault at all. It’s not like Jong Hui took the blame for something Yeong Rae did. It’s not like Yeong Rae asked Jong Hui to stab the manager. It was Jong Hui’s choice, but with where it led… There were moments where I wished she did not protect Yeong Rae. And for that feeling I blame the writer. Instead of making me root for both female leads, the writer made me resent one, when she did nothing wrong.

No matter what happened, the story always had to go back and focus on Yeong Rae - she was the forefront of the drama, every main plotline led to her and concluded on her. She was the main character and all the rest were just support. And this is not what I wanted to watch. I wanted to see her and Jong Hui together, as partners, and equals, as individuals with their own stories, that are connected by a close bond.

For the minor issues: unreasonable double standard in terms of abuse. Jong Hui’s mother was justifiably pained in bad light for hitting Jong Hui “and loving her when it fits her, and hitting her when things don’t go her way”, but Jae Pil’s dad was “misunderstood soul that actually cares deeply for Jae Pil and deserves apology from Jae Pil for misunderstanding him for years” - excuse me, but what the fuck? No. He was just abusive and trash. He did not deserve the ridiculous redemption and the scene of Jae Pil crying and apologizing made me feel sick.

On the redemption arc - Jong Hui’s brother gets one too. Why? He literally beat her so bad she almost died and was living in fear for years. And now he is not that bad, because he wants to save her? Nope.

What was the point of wasting screentime on Kim Jeong Sik [Bus driver] in the second half? He served his purpose as a dick and created the set-up for romance between Sang Cheol and Jeong Bu with the adorable little family they created. There was literally no real reason for him to show up in the second half - ZERO.

Go Young Sik not having more presence. We truly needed his brain and maturity more amongst that brainless land of lack of communication and stupid decision making.

I do not understand why Noh Sang Sik decided to only get revenge on Jong Hui. Yeong Rae was the one to screw him over first, Jong Hui got involved to help Yeong Rae, Yeong Rae then was the one to blackmail him with what she knew, so he could not step forward and his life got screwed. Don’t get me wrong, if we go by facts his life got screwed because of his own choices only, but from his messed up head perspective, I just do not understand how he did not blame Yeong Rae at all for any of it.

Ko Yeong Rye in the Miss Korea competition made no sense. There was nothing wrong with Ko Yeong Rye, but the girl is not a Miss Korea type. She does not have to be. Her being part of it made no sense in terms of realism.

Moving on to things I actually enjoyed. First of all, the show was somehow both predictable and unpredictable. I feel like the overall big picture was rather obvious. From episode 2 I knew what the end game was, but what the drama delivered was enough ambiguous content that made it possible to dive deep into delulu land with just enough hope for different ships to happen. They were baiting different relationships so skillfully, creating such a good chemistry between different pairings, I believe there is a fun ship for everyone, even if most of them are Titanics.

The friendship between the female leads in the first half was literally the best part of the whole show. Honestly - they were the best ship at first. The level of care and support they had for each other. The fact they both were willing to give up the guy for the other (adorable, but also dumb. Why not have a proper conversation instead of "sacrificing your feelings” when no one asked for that?). There were nice messages about standing up for yourself and your friend, amazing vibes of found family trope.

The acting was great. Kim Da Mi did a phenomenal job presenting first the truly innocent and shy young version of her character, and then more mature and confident, but just as bubbly as an adult. Shin Ye Eun aced presenting how hurt Jong Hui was, while hiding her feelings and pretending to be strong. I feel bad for Heo Nam Jun, because Jae Pil was rather a mess. The least cohesive and constant character. That said, Nam Jun did what he could with what he was given. His scene where he confronted his father in front of the mother’s grave? Amazing. All the other actors and actresses did as much of a great job as the main three. Acting wise there was honestly no real weak link.

Then we have the styling - perfection. While I loved the wardrobe of Jong Hui in the second half, I want to focus on how all the characters had their own style that fitted their personalities and their lifestyle.

Any and all drinking scenes of Jae Pil, Jeong Hyeon and Yeong Sik. You know what I need? I need them to go back in time and reshoot the show so they can add the aftercredit scenes that last for like 5 minutes of these three chilling and drinking after every episode. Or better, give me a spin off focused on their growing friendship.

Just Ko Yeong Sik. God bless him.

Overall… What a ride. Props for evoking so many feelings in me and making me care so much. Too bad they were mostly negative feelings and they made me care about the wrong things that just made the show more frustrating.

PS. Justice for Jeong Hyeon.

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"No Regret" was my first adventure in this genre. A love between a poor and a rich is zzzz... Besides, the theme homossexuality is still a tabu in some countries. When you add those explicit scenes... So I thought it had to be boring, reason why I avoided yaoi-themed movies since then.

I was wrong. Those things are on the story, but we can't deny that it has its own way to develop it. Su-min is a poor man who goes to the big city trying to be someone; blind by his proud, he tries to succeed without no one helping. Jae-min is a playboy who has everything he ever wanted, but it seems he never experienced love before. The way they interact the whole time is so sutile, and at the same time is so intense... Su-min, Jae-min and the rest of the characters are people living their own lives, without that "protagonist-personality" and way of thinking so present on romantic movies. There's not heroes and villains. All we see is just people.

Like Juniko ?? said here, "each one (line) is used wisely". That's a story conveying extra-real feelings, bringing us the real emotions in our own real lives. More than romantic dialogues, the movie talks in the action, the gesture, the finest expression of emotion, at the point the story flows by that aspect. The whole thing goes naturally. It's not like a boring scenario that had a good make-up.

Has been a while since I watched a movie like this one, so I watched again a lot. Not only because of the sex scenes, I'm not a pervert! I just love seeing their love being build in such a rich way.

If any of you have such a good recommendation, please tell me. Thanks in advance. ^^

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