Only Friends Dream On is pure emotional chaos and I loved every second of it
I went into Only Friends: Dream On expecting chaos, drama, and emotional damage… and somehow it still exceeded my expectations. This series really feels like a beautiful disaster in the best possible way. GMMTV took everything fans loved about the original Only Friends universe — messy relationships, toxic attraction, heartbreak, jealousy, and intense chemistry — and turned the emotional tension all the way up. What makes Dream On so addictive is that nobody is completely innocent. Every character is flawed, emotional, selfish, vulnerable, and painfully human. One moment you’re screaming at them for making terrible decisions, and the next moment you completely understand why they did it. The writing keeps you emotionally trapped because every relationship feels unpredictable. The chemistry between the cast is INSANE. EarthMix brought so much emotional weight to Jack and Dean — every scene between them feels loaded with unresolved feelings and history. Meanwhile, AouBoom and JossGawin added their own flavor of tension, longing, and heartbreak that made the entire friend group dynamic feel explosive. Nobody is safe in this show emotionally. I also loved the theater setting because it mirrors the characters perfectly: everyone is acting, hiding feelings, performing for others, and slowly falling apart behind the scenes. The “Romeo & Romeo” storyline was such a smart metaphor for doomed love and obsession. It made the emotional scenes hit even harder. And honestly? This series understands BL fans who enjoy emotionally messy stories. It’s dramatic, spicy, chaotic, frustrating, heartbreaking, and impossible to stop watching. Every episode leaves you stressed but desperate for the next one. That’s the magic of Only Friends: Dream On — it doesn’t try to give you perfect love; it gives you complicated love that feels dangerously real.For me, this is one of those BLs that stays in your head long after the episode ends. A total emotional rollercoaster — toxic, tender, and unforgettable. 🔥
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the second season - disapointmet
I was excited for the second season because I loved the first one. Finally, we got our team back, and the new team lead, Joo Hye-ra, is a nice addition. I liked the vibe between her and Jin I-soo —their friction and gradual understanding worked well, and it was fun watching them slowly learn to work together. The new cases were interesting, though some were predictable.I had a great time at first, but it started to drag, and I began losing interest. It would have been better with only 10 episodes. The addition of the Yoo Sung-won case just dragged the whole drama down. What could have been a tight, suspenseful arc became a repetitive slog.
At first I was surprised by the rating, but now I understand. To be honest, I didn't even watch the last three episodes properly—I was more on my phone than paying attention. It's a shame the drama didn't live up to my expectations. The last episode is airing today, and I don't even have the urge to watch it.
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Will the REAL Hero Please Stand Up!
This was the first real wuxia drama (not a romance) I have ever seen and I've always been very interested in what a traditional wuxia would be like. Because every drama is marketed as one but really isn't. Other than that, I was watching primarily for Liu Yu Ning and secondarily for Meng Zi Yi as they're two people that I follow. I also knew of Joseph Zeng from previous works. As I'm not a novel reader, I can only review from a viewer's prospective.Pros: My favorite character was Su Meng Zhen, followed closely by DFJ because both were complex albeit totally different characters. One was righteous from the moment he appeared on screen to the last breath he took while the other was very morally grey but fiercely loyal to his loved ones and went out like a champ on his own terms. I loved the brotherhood when it was formed and all those at Sunset House that surrounded them. Just about every character was complex and evolved in their own way; some took longer then others.
The story was more dark though they definitely had their happy moments. The fight scenes that were shown were pretty good though I wish there were more of them. Another fantastic point that many dramas fail to do is gradually introduce characters so the audience can understand what their purpose is. More often then not, characters are thrown in and no one remembers their names or why they're there, but here it was a very nice and even keeled introduction of each.
LC played by MZY was done fantastically; she went from sheltered flower to losing just about everything and everyone she had ever known overnight. She had to grow up fast and figure out how to survive without losing every part of her soul. She never gave up on SMZ until the end and left with him in a sense. Their love was just that strong. XY was another terrific female character; the woman wore many faces but she had a strong iron will and loyalty. Plus a much more realistic connection/chemistry with the ML than the FL. Other favorite characters were SMZ's advisor Wu Xie and other members of Sunset House, WXS' Master, the guys from the North like Big Beard, official Liu, and Martial Uncle Zhang.
The lead of the drama was a younger version of SMZ but it took him a while to grow into his own. Still, WXS did end up being one of the heroes of the series as the writers wanted him to be. For me, personally though, though he was a hero he wasn't THE hero, that title would have to go to both SMZ and DFJ as together they made the perfect hero. But that's just my personal opinion.
Now, to the man for whom I was watching this series; BCF was a great character in the beginning. He never hid his ambitions nor his true intentions. The problem was that everyone around him chose to ignore them or thought they could change him. When he whiplashed into a complete maniacal nutcase (that I'll talk about below), LYN was still very convincing as one so I cannot stick him into the cons, though I do wish it was done totally differently.
I really loved the OSTs, they were incredibly powerful especially the hard rock one and the one sung by LYN and Joseph. Costumes, sets, all of that was very detailed and beautiful. The ending was a complete surprise from what I had expected and for once I actually didn't look at spoilers before watching. But even though it wasn't a blood bath or a copout like many different sides theorized, I actually do like the way it ended; I'm glad every evildoer got their comeuppance even though some took it upon themselves to finish the job. But the flashback to all characters come and gone as the group of travelers ride through mountains and waterways was a very nice touch to the end. And even the person coming to run Sunset House, made the right kind of sense.
Cons: Let's start by saying that hair department was smoking something heavy because most of the leads and some of the support ended up looking like animal control K9s; it was a hot mess and looked absolutely horrible. Truly wish they had just kept things typical costume drama simple and didn't need to over complicate things with some avant-garde Westminster applicant do. If they wanted to show that a character had matured or changed, a simple edition of an extra braid down the back or something like that would have sufficed. It just made the person look comical and it threw the entire look off.
Whatever the hair department was smoking rubbed off on the screenwriter because she turned a great potential villain into a nut job. Now while LYN did a great job playing the nut job, he could have just as well been given an actual villain to play. That's why I solely blame the screenwriter for this unmitigated debacle that took the majority of the score away from this drama. Furthermore, instead of gradually developing him, the switch was flipped and he just lost all of his humanity. There was no rhyme or reason for how or why it happened so quickly and this was done within the last 8-10 episodes; the excuse was flimsy and didn't hold much water. Afterwards, when he was on screen be it for his bizarre as hell wedding or killing innocent people out of spite while he would cackle maniacally (that evil cackle belongs only in witches in Halloween shops, not dramas), felt like a completely different series. How can an antagonist with so much potential be so epically screwed up?
If that wasn't bad enough, we had an FL that spent more than half of the series pouting, crying, whining like a self-entitled spoiled brat. Most of her scenes up until the time she and WXS got married I had to ffw. I questioned the necessity of even having her in the series because it was about a sworn brotherhood after all. Every other woman was there as needed and powerful and this character was almost like an afterthought. Even when she was helping save WXS' life, it was like if she just kept quiet, things were a zillion times better. If she wasn't in the scene or episode, she wasn't missed in the slightest. Even in the last episode when SMZ got his wish and died, everyone was crying and it was such a raw, powerful moment and yet as soon as she opened her mouth to pitifully cry, it made one cringe because it sounded like one of those windup old dolls. Why couldn't she just cry silently like XY was doing? WXS was howling with grief as was Wu Xie and they deserved to do so. By letting us hear that baby-cry in such an overwhelming moment was a real shame.
Slimy playboy dude was a real psychopathic villain; the trouble with him was that he spent too much time talking and bragging though his depravity was evident until his dying breath just like Hannibal Lecter and his brother. It was also obvious that he was the rapist from the moment it happened. I stick him in the cons because though he ended up being the most disgusting villain that everyone hated, he still didn't have enough proper screen time to showcase who he was. It was like he had multiple personality disorder but even he didn't understand it. Also really wish the battle between him and DFJ was shown. That was a real miss by production. I understand their whole thing was to make WXS be the "hero" to kill slimy playboy dude in order to get the paper, but the majority of the damage done to him was by DFJ and we, as the audience, deserved to see it. A lot of fight scenes were either copouts or just not shown. I'm going to guess that it's because production didn't have a large budget but they could have definitely figured out a way around that since this was a wuxia after all.
Would I recommend it? For novel readers, probably not because there's a heavy diversion and not a lot of cohesion between the two. But for people who like wuxias, have never seen one, like a story of brotherhood that goes wrong, I would. This was my most anticipated drama of the year and though it had a lot of pitfalls and massive shortcomings, I still enjoyed it very much and therefore have no regrets.
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Since i am a big fan of Sports in series i had to give it a shot!.
Let me start about the cast which is totally build of new actors from which it is the first drama they made.The acting was So-So and you could clearly see that some of them are still lacking.
The story is about a player Kang-San who is struggling his ways trough the bad era to become a successful basketball player.In the very first episode its starting of pretty good and tempt you to watch more episodes.Right after the first episode its becoming insanely slow and very dramatic,so much that its clearly not only about basketball anymore but about powers of the japanese goverment.Finally after the first 4-5 episodes the ball starts rolling and you get some basketball action which where i was waiting for.It was a very short happy time i can tell you and it went back into the pace of Govermental powers and betrayal.In that part i was very dissapointed and this series lacks allot of sport action!
However it still became kinda interesting at some point and was worth to follow trough with it and also became kinda fun to watch from episode 5 on till the end i would say.I enjoyed it atleast.
The romance in this series isn't as bad as in the comments i read but WAYYYY TOO DRAMATIC! The people cry way to much and at some point you get really sick of the over dramatic reactions and that is then exxactly the point where the acting was not so good.Its really irritating when someone Talk-Stop-talk,wait3sec and talk again!.The first few times you wont notice this but at the end of the series you will get irritated a bit and just wanna skip that part.As end-result i would say its a bearable romance but i wouldn't wanna see more of it.
I'm not going to spoil any of the series and i wont but the ending! OMFG!
i dunnow whether you would call it an ending xD.So i would highly suggest you watch it yourself and decide upon it haha.
I know the series was cut-down to 18 episodes and would leave out some after-part,but they could have atleast putted some effort in finishing it of which they clearly didn't i am not sure whether they ever will continue this series or just leave it as it is.
Conclusion: For the people who cant decide to watch it yes or no? i would say just watch it because it ain't as bad as the people say and for sure have some enjoyable time in the series however if you are looking for hardcore basketball action just stay away from the series and try to watch a good sports-anime!.
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one of the few positive responses. i loved this drama A LOT!
Honestly, this drama DIDN'T disappoint. I have decently high expectations for dramas, and this drama was absolutely amazing for me. I found very little complaints, but I really enjoyed watching this drama. Never have I been SO obsessed with a drama before. I'm sure everyone has their own expectations and opinions though. I watched this drama because of my brother, he recommended it to me. I was supposed to watch it when it was done airing, but seems not. I never regret waiting for it to air or watching it before I was supposed to. I was instead, grateful that I decided to watch it.The acting was absolutely amazing. Seo In Guk portrayed emptiness in Myul Mang before he met Tak Dong Kyung, and it just seemed like his world lit up when they started dating. He did it perfectly, from beginning to end. Park Bo Young also did a brilliant job, portraying a character with limited days left before she dies, who ends up making one of the biggest risk of her life. While Shin Do Hyun, Kang Tae Oh, and Lee Soo Hyuk didn't have as much screen time, they did a decent job. I liked Cha Joo Ik and Lee Hyun Gyu's brotherhood and Na Ji Na's relationship with Tak Dong Kyung's family.
The OSTs were out of this world. I liked every single one, from Part 1 to Part 7. They reached top tracks on my Spotify, and I guess that shows something. The music and sound effects were really nice. I liked how each song kind of showed a certain part of the drama. Breaking Down by Ailee showed when there was tension. Love Sight by TXT showed happiness and it played on their dates and sweet moments. U by Baekhyun played the more sad, sweet scenes. I Wanna Be With You by Gummy plays like U, sad and sweet scenes. All of My Love by Davichi is more towards happy scenes, where the couples are just together, enjoying their time. This is Love by Sondia plays during the 2nd lead scenes. Distant Fate by Seo In Guk has that really sad sound and I guess plays during the emotional scenes. But anyway, I really love the OSTs for this drama!
One complaint, yes I only have one. It is that the 2nd lead storyline is kind of poorly developed. Yes, Na Ji Na ends up with Cha Joo Ik in the end, but it was a little confusing. Maybe not confusing, but it could get boring at times. In the beginning, Na Ji Na really needed to get her feelings sorted out. The kind of jump with the love triangle between ep 1-14 and ep 15-16 was kind of like a "wait wtf happened." But anyways, this was a minor complaint of mine.
I would recommend this drama to anyone who asks me, as I personally LOVED it. I've read others reviews and majority of it are a 6.0 or lower, but it's okay. I don't mind ratings or other reviews, because I understand everyone has personal preferences. I just know very well I love this drama a lot, and yeap, I think that's all iIhave to say.
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On the other hand, Jang Hyeondo, his friend is the opposite, a not so perfect human being who comes from a rich household, and is the son of the president of a large company.
The story mainly revolves around these two households and the complex and hidden past history between them.
While the story is rather stereotypical, and is played out mainly for the shock factor as with most morning dramas, it is executed rather well, and this is testament to a very strong main cast. In fact, it was this main cast by which I first decided to watch this drama.
Lee Joon Hyuk, probably most well known for his appearance in Stranger, plays the protagonist, and while he doesn't have much wiggle room here as he plays a rather boring, dense, yet perfect human being, he has some noteworthy highlights in the drama.
Lee Sang Yeob, I only really remembered from Running Man, plays the typical spoilt rich kid, and acts as a great comedic relief in all situations. His character development throughout the story is a focus throughout, and is probably the highlight of the entire drama. His acting, while sometimes over the top, may just be a result of the role and genre he's been put in.
Kyung Soo Jin, who I briefly remembered from Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, plays the role of almost a support role, as her story barely has anything to do with the overarching plot. That said, her story, romance aside, was probably the most relatable and had the most tear jerking moments for me personally.
Chae Soo Bin, who I saw on I'm not a Robot and Where Stars Land was probably my biggest reason for starting this drama. She plays the role of a very cheerful and strong sort of character, who bottles up most of her sad feelings. She is probably the biggest victim and most affected character of the plot.
The best moments in my opinion were not in the main story, rather it was the cute interactions between these characters, and the funny moments unravelled as a result. Each character each has a loveable trait about them, despite how frustated I was at them as part of the overarching plot. I was especially surprised by how much I liked the character of Jeong Soo Kyung, Hyeondo's mother.
The story does suffer from a lot of pacing issues, and some plot holes, but this is what I expected from a morning drama. It didn't get too complex in my opinion, and I thought it was rather well executed throughout. What it was though was a nice, relaxing watch, with some enjoyable and funny scenes stacked throughout the middle of it to keep me interested enough to finish the series.
The music was great in my opinion, with some recycled one hit wonders, and a memorable main opening track (probably because I listened to it 50 times.) I found myself laughing out loud at the overexaggerated dramatical music on some scenes, but I didn't really think that was a bad thing. The OST in general is superb.
All in all, this drama is probably not for someone who's expecting the next amazing concept or script. It is a generally light hearted, feel good, funny, over the top, and relaxing watch for people who need a break from the usual intense, or typical rom-com genre. Coupled with an amazing cast, I would definitely recommend this for people who want an intro to the morning drama genre.
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First of all, I absolutely loved the plot and the characters. Oh God the characters...
It's actually my first time seeing Ji Chang Wook on screen so to say the least, the first impression he made on me will surely last. He just captivated me with his role as Healer. And he can be supper adorable when he's acting all weak and innocent!!
This is also my first time seeing the lead actress and I must say, I like her. She suited her role and nailed it. At the first 2 episodes I wasn't sure what to think of her character, but just soon after she easily won me over completely. Her character is just adorable and simply lovable, especially how she's not bitter about having a rough childhood. I personally don't see a reason for not liking her character.
I also loved the mother. I loved Yoo Ji Tae's character. He's a perfect representation of a human's conflict with morals and feelings. He's also warm, helping and just too cute when he grins :D I absolutely loooooved Ahjummaa hahaha she just kept cracking me up. The characters' role was very suiting, long side all the other secondary characters that were helpful to the leads. They all take a little space in your heart. Just seeing the leads around these nice secondary characters will put you at ease. I also found the post office and all who worked in it very home-y and awesome.
Yeong Shin's father and her father's helper also cracked me up, especially when acting overprotective and all XD
I also liked how the characters handled the situations they were in. There were no stupid fights over frustrating misunderstandings. There were no secondary characters butting in on the lead's love. I seriously can't stand those misunderstanding that happen because of another character who loves one of the leads. I mean a love triangle can be fun sometimes, but other times it just drives one crazy.
Even the bad characters, although irritating and infuriating, they weirdly enough aren't so annoying. They make you want to kill them, yes. But you'll simply feel hate, not annoyance.
Another thing that made me fall in love was the fact that this was basically the first love for both the lead characters. It made it feel so sincere and innocent. I mean, who wouldn't like a guy who never dated before or had much interest in girls before and a girl who also didn't date and has been saving herself to be their fist love? It just instant;y screams LOYALTY to your face. It's a kind of love we would innocently dream of as kids. So to see it displayed is a dream come true.
It didn't focus much on comedy as much as it focused on thriller, drama, action and romance.Still, the few moments that were funny can sure drive you to laugh. And even without those funny moments, a lot of other parts can easily put a smile on your face (My biggest weakness was when Jung hoo ((Healer)) smiled around Yeong shin).
To be honest, at parts, I felt bad for moon ho's brother, but I suppose he chose this fate.
Over all, this drama will do things to your heart.Trust me. Some parts will drive you to tears. Some will make you laugh. Some will make you smile. Some will just move a feeling inside that you cannot explain. Also the soundtracks are soft, sweet and relevant.
It will make you long for it once you finish it. You won't feel too comfortable seeing the characters who played it act in other dramas because the character you have for them in your head will stay these characters of Healer for a while. Or at least, that's how it goes for me.
Memorable drama. It will make you happy. Watch now! NOW! Go what are you waiting for!
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Atypical Journey with 'Atypical Family
"Atypical Family" is a paradox in itself - it presents a family that seems ordinary on the surface, yet the drama is anything but typical. It brims with unique concepts, shifts paradigms, and consistently breaks the mold. The heroes deviate from the standard hero archetype, the female lead is not your usual damsel, and her family, too, is far from ordinary. The male lead possesses one of the most unique, and indeed, atypical powers that I've ever seen in the realm of Kdramas!This drama weaves a therapeutic narrative, laden with suspense. It keeps you on tenterhooks till the last moments, maintaining its unpredictable charm even in the last seconds of the final episode. It’s the kind of drama that you don't just watch but experience.
What began as a time-pass during a meal, turned into a captivating, then heartwarming, and finally an incredibly rewarding journey! The brilliance of the writing is evident in the flawless time-travel sequences, a concept that is notoriously difficult to handle well.
The direction is commendable! The melancholic vibe, reminiscent of the "My Mister" color palette, and the stunning OST – I'm obsessing over it! "Atypical Family" is so refreshingly different that it has set a new standard in my over two decades of Kdrama viewing. It's a travesty that it's not drawing the attention it deserves. Perhaps it appeals more to a mature audience?
Each episode outdoes the last, and the female lead! She's a revelation! Every time she sheds a tear, it tugs at my heartstrings. Her acting prowess is commendable, and she's a vision of beauty. Overall, "Atypical Family" is a must-watch! It’s a beautifully atypical gem that breaks stereotypes and sets its own rules.
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Character Settings of Strong Male and Female Leads !
When I heard this novel would be adapted to drama and the casts are Yang Yang and Zhao LuSi, I knew it would be a good drama.I read the novel many years ago and quite like the character settings of the strong male lead and female lead. Since the novel was very famous in those years, many novels after that imitated this setting. The author wrote this novel in her early stage, so it's not her mature work. The storylines and plots in the novel are fragmentary. That's why the drama has to add a lot of political plots in it to make it rich and complex. If the director and screenwriter didn't leave halfway, this drama would be on another higher level. Anyway, it is still a good drama worth to watch.
Yang Yang is very picky in choosing drama, so the next costume drama would be 5 years later...... ? His looking is spotless, the 'Ceiling of Chinese Costume Drama'. And Zhao LuSi finally collaborated with an actor matching her looking. This combination is my dream of costume drama!
I love the strong female character in a drama! The strong is not only in spirits but also in physical strength. She can protect herself and her surrounding people. There are two best strong female leads in my heart. One is Bai Fengxi/Feng Xiyun. The other is Zhao Jian (in 'Young Blood'). They are both strong, smart and interesting from beginning to end. The male lead is not everything in her life, with him, is just like 'a strawberry on the top of a cake'. Without him, she still has the ability to feed herself and survive in the world.
I think the purpose of the drama is to deliver the idea that throne is less important than people and peace. And you have the right to choose the life you like, instead of others expect you to be. Everyone cares about different things in life. BFX and HFX think each other is the most important thing in life. That's why they made the choice in the end. Although the end is not perfect enough, I believe they will find solutions and live in happiness.
Overall, after this drama, I'm afraid all the costume dramas in the future would rarely have this perfect male and female settings, healthy and equal relationship plus the dream actor & actress. If there are, that would be a treasure! ❤❤❤
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PROS:
-Hilarious mix of different genres: you have romance, comedy, drama, thriller, horror, historical/mythological etc. There are so many different elements of everything you love from various genres that its a treat to watch them all come together and create a mess (in a good way, for the most part...)
-Strong performances and diverse characters. You have your sanctimonious prick mothers, your 'screw authority' mothers, your 'we're not in Kansas anymore' confused as hell mothers and so much more, all played wonderfully by their respective actors. I'm dying to know how they fare!
-Relationship building: I loved how they portrayed relationships (both romantic and platonic) in this TV show in a realistic way. I especially love how they handled the 'will they, wont they' romance side plot of one of the mothers in the centre and dealt with it keeping in mind her personality and life. I hate it when dramas pull a 360 on a character's personality just to ensure a happy ending, but I think her ending turned out happy in her own way.
-Ending for the mothers- all ended very nicely and some, honestly, even abnormally. By the end, our main character got a happy ending that SHE wanted to get as a woman and didn't endlessly sacrifice herself for her child.
-And that is my final pro: the message that mothers dont have to endlessly sacrifice for their child to be a good mother.
Now...CONS (oh boy):
- Every mother shown in this drama has a significant other raising their child with them which is far from realistic. I was quite annoyed, to be honest, because this drama wanted to show "different kinds of mothers" but eventually ditched that in favor of cutesy romance (which is... fine, but done all the time).
-(I cant believe I'm writing this) Too much time spent on breastfeeding: uhh, okay, I'm not a mom (I'm in my early twenties y'all I need to graduate college) but I do understanding that the decision between breastfeeding or formula is super important. Totes, I get it. But to spend 3 episodes...oohing and ahhing over it...yeah, excessive as hell. Especially when there are other equally barely talked about topics that are addressed towards the end of the drama like post partum depression that need more screentime. Which brings me to...
-I really, REALLY wish they spent more time on post partum depression. If breastfeeding is the golden eldest child of this show, post partum depression is the neglected and pitiful stepchild that no one pays attention to. They relegated discourse about the problem to literally the last 15 minutes of one episode and then poof, almost nothing in the next.
- There was such a mish mash of genres that it was everything and nothing at the same time. It didn't know what it wanted to be and after a point became annoying.
- They barely did anything to redeem sanctimonious prick mother. She may be actually a very nice person, but I think the writer forgot that this is a very low-stakes drama about a bunch of mothers set in a birthcare centre: way she talks down and demeans any mother who doesn't go above and beyond for her child like she does, she can almost be considered an antagonist because of the direct opposition she poses to the main character. You have to actively try to get the viewers to understand her motives and see where she is coming from- you have to create a complex character without providing convenient outs and excuses like "husband bad".
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1Watch it for ML (Chen Zhe Yuan). Light-hearted, goofy, a bit of beauty and the beast vibes.
The plot is Chen Zhe Yuan. Not really but he is phenomenal in this role and the drama is worth the watch for him. If you want to see the most loving, patient, protective, kind, loyal and unconditional loving ML, this drama is for you.PLOT:
Most of the plot is how the ML tries to win over the FL so he can receive her true love kiss and get his pearl back meanwhile the FL keeps making elaborate schemes and crazy plans to escape from him. The backstory is that ML is the King of a hidden place called the Beast City. Every character in that clan has animal characteristics. ML is searching for the Holy Pearl which will help him regain his powers and continue to protect his clan. While escaping his enemies with the newly obtained Holy Pearl he opens a portal to the FL’s world. He accidentally clashes into FL and she absorbs his Holy Pearl. 5 years later, he finds the FL and kidnaps her. And this is where the first episode really starts.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
- ML is playing two roles. A day (handsome version) of Li Xiong that pretends to be a palace guard and protects the FL and a night (beast version) of Kui Mulang that is the King and FL’s kidnapper. His day version is his real look but his night version is his real identity. His character is loyal, endearing and protective. He is a wolf and only loves one person in his life. For the majority of the episodes the FL believes there are two different people. She first falls for his day version and towards the end of the drama for his night version.
- FL is a Princess from a mortal kingdom. Smart and well-spoken, her background also makes her a quirky character. The prequel tells us that her mother was a man that was transported from the modern times to historical. His soul (as a man) went into her mother’s female body, fell in love with a man and had the FL. So FL has a modern outlook on life, speaks english and uses modern terminology. She definitely brings in the comedy aspect in the drama.
POSITIVE:
- Chen Zhe Yuan - honestly, he is the highlight of the drama, his character is so endearing and loving. I’m repeating myself but he is worth the watch.
- Acting is 10/10 for everyone and especially ML as he fantastically plays two different characters and I’m guilty for falling in love with his beast look more.
- Goofy and very light-hearted drama, it doesn't take itself too seriously and I like that. The humour is done well.
- A bit of beauty and the beast retelling vibes which I love.
- Romance is slow burn, playful and cute.
- 4 side couples (which is the most I’ve ever seen in a cdrama) but they are all really cute and don’t take too much screen time.
- The drama has a happy ending for the main leads and a nice conclusion to the story (almost the whole final episode is the epilogue of them being together).
NEGATIVE:
- FL’s plans to escape are hilarious and the highlight of the drama however there is not much plot beyond that. Her trying to escape takes more than half of the drama which makes it a little draggy.
- The reveal of ML being the same person happens towards the end of the drama so I feel the leads don’t get enough opportunities to spend time together as their true selves. I loved his beast look more and I wished FL had more romantic moments with him.
- Villains are very weak and they add nothing to the story. However their screen time is also very short so they don’t really annoy you.
OVERALL:
Watch it if you want to see more of Chen Zhe Yuan as he is a heart candy and if you need a drama to lift up your spirits after a long and stressful day as it will definitely make you laugh and keep you entertained.
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You really have to turn your brain off before watching. Is the chemistry between Jae Hyun and Jimmy good? Sure. They are cute. Yoon Oh and Peach as characters have good dynamics with contrasting personalities. But is this enough to watch the show?
I feel like the show tried to portray the subjects of loss, regret, miscommunication/lack of communication. How some people can be so focused on their own feelings, they can’t see other people and the truth that is there. It all felt extremely flat though. Having not much screen time, it’s not wise to add many plot lines and side characters. Pick one main and one side plot and develop them as well as you can - that’s the way to go.
Quite a number of things make no sense. Peach staying at his dead friend's house, and no one questions it. The investigation of the police was a joke itself. Yoon Oh can manipulate objects in real life, since his mom heard him playing the guitar, but it’s not really brought back for them to communicate with each other in any way? Give him a laptop, making him type! Peach flirting with the air with the people around him. These are just a few things that happened without proper explanation, and were there just for the sake of the plot progression, even though they made little sense.
The biggest let down was Yoon Oh’s relationship with his mom. It would be an amazing plot for his character development and driving force of the show, but they decided to just… resolve it in the first half of the show and bring it back at the end. This should be the focus!
The quality of the acting depends on the actor. Jae Hyun for sure does well in his role, while Jimmy struggles quite a bit. He has improved a lot since his Why R U days, but I don’t think he has yet reached the level worth compliments. Got to love them dry crying scenes.
The drama is for sure pretty. Saved quite a few screenshots. The cafe scenes were just aesthetic heaven for me. The soundtrack was also one of the better aspects of the show. All songs were fitting the scenes they were used for.
Overall, it was all just misdelivery. Not once have I felt sad, even with such an emotional topic. Yoon Oh vanishing Thanos style made me laugh my ass off at the end, especially with how they robbed fans of that kiss.
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Uma História de Amor: Você é a Maior Alegria da Minha Vida
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Nothing special here...
I really don't get it, with what mindset it was written. Damn, we live in 2021 and this drama is using concepts of a decade ago. I'm still shocked how did I bring myself to watch 45 episodes without dropping coz it wasn't definitely worth it. The story and its execution were poorly done. In the end, we get nothing more than a typical Cinderella story.CEO ML, naive/innocent FL, bitchy SFL, irritating SML plus unsupportive parents, silly misunderstandings and unnecessary jealousy, plotting against FL, childhood connection, betrayals well WOW I mean how can we have all cliches together in one drama. Okay yeah, I liked FLs character a bit she's talented, hardworking, kind, and lovely still there's something missing. To be honest not a big fan of MLs character here... and not big fan of some of his actions also. Well as I said SML was kinda irritating so there's no chance of getting SLS. None of the characters here realistic. So in the end I found nothing special or admirable here. Though there are some sweet and cute moments still not worthy of 45 episodes
Well if you like the Cinderella trope... a big fan of leads here that you can ignore all these messy things you can watch it still there's a big NO from me.
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not worth the watch even as a standalone movie.
From the beginning we knew that they would screw up the adaptation and won't be faithful to the original novel. But they didn't even try to make it look or sound good.The script? Terrible.
The graphics? Cheap.
The plot/story? It's all over the place.
The acting? Awkward.
Even as a standalone movie they didn't bother to even try to explain the story's universe/setting. It will be so damn confusing to anyone who watches it.
If you wanted a cool action movie, atleast do it properly. This is just a poorly executed nonsense. Wouldn't recommend at all. If you are actually interested maybe give the original novel a try cause this story is one of the best fiction ever.
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The Hong Sisters Are Back…
The Hong Sisters have produced wide scope of dramas over the years with respectfully mixed results . Enter ‘Alchemy Of Souls’: The Hong Sisters’ latest fantasy creation and arguably one of their most ambitious works yet.
In the series, main heroine Naksu (Go Yoon-jung-‘ Sweet Home’, ‘ Law School’ and ‘ Moving’) is a fearless and sword-wielding assassin. She lives in Daeho; a magical land where sorcerers have extraordinary abilities and powers. Yet despite the beauty of different types of magic, there is still one major taboo in Daeho: soul transfiguration. ( The act of displacing one soul into another body.) Caught between a rock and a hard place, the ruthless and instinct-driven female lead is forced to partake in this soul shifting process in order to save her own skin. She finds herself in the body of peasant girl Mu-Deok (Jung So-min- Playful Kiss’, ‘ Because This Is My First Life’ and ‘ Monthly Magazine’).
Meanwhile unbeknownst to the female lead , her destiny is about to change even more when she winds up striking an unconventional alliance with Jang Uk ( Lee Jae Wok- ‘ Search: WWW’, ‘ Extraordinary You’ and ‘ Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’), the notorious son of the prestigious and magical Jang family. Jang Uk has his own personal reasons for striking an unusual contract with Naksu. However, thanks to their new relations, they will soon discover that their bond will greatly alter their own destinies for better or for worse.
As mentioned previously, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is arguably one of the Hong Sisters’ most ambitious works yet. While the series has admittedly received mixed-reception by some for its format, it is filled to the brim with the duo’s creative and imaginative world-building in a manner that will likely remind some of their previous hit-drama ‘ Hotel Del Luna’. However while ‘ Hotel Del Luna’ seemed to heavily lean into the genres of dark fantasy and melodrama, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is predominantly focused on its action fight scenes and the conflicts surrounding its setting and the lives of its characters. The series certainly does lean into heavier scenes ( especially with regards to the magical lore of Daeho ) but a lot of these more “morbid” or “disturbing” moments often came through the ambivalent moral choices and decisions of the drama’s characters. ( At the end of the day, the jarring decisions made by humans.)
However on a slightly lighter note, it is fair to say that ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is fuelled on pure fantasy. The world-building of the series is detailed at times and filled with a lot of fascinating beauty also. On the other hand despite the creativity evidently present in the Hong Sisters’ drama, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ does admittedly hit a few ruts when it came to execution.
Some of the forms of magic tackled in the Hong Sisters’ drama are certainly impressive. However while the presence of magic in ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ was often detailed, there were moments in the narrative where viewers were expected to “ just know” things without a lot of further clarification or information provided. In addition to this, there is also the prominent issue with the patchy lore of ‘ Alchemy of Souls’ in different parts of the narrative. ( Such as the hierarchies of magical families, the out-rankings of certain magical abilities and exactly why certain noble families are able to get away with literal murder while others accused of killing individuals are subjected to literal witch hunts.)
The Hong Sisters’ drama is what many would probably define as an eclectic mixing pot of genres. There are noticeable elements of action-fantasy but surprisingly romance and comedy at times also. This variety of genres will likely offer viewers with a wide range of different moods and tones in different episodes. However despite the continuous strain of creativity in ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’, it is hard to not bring up one of the drama’s more tiresome issues; the tropes. Of course, the induction of cliches into K-dramas isn’t always a bad thing per say.
However, it did seem slightly surprising that even for well-established writers such as the Hong Sisters, there wasn’t a lot of originality or creativity put into these tropes. Instead enforced cliches such as the love triangle, the strong and cold heroine, the snarky male lead, a troubled past lover and some questionable comic relief wormed its way noticeably into ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ with some varying and mixed results.
Lore and genres aside, there is also the crucial discussion surrounding the characters of ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’. The Hong Sisters seemed to have attempted a ‘Game of Thrones’-style approach with introducing a consortium of different characters (often with dubious morality) in a short space of time. This approach is not always terrible from a writing perspective and certainly did allow viewers to be introduced to some intriguing players in the narrative such as Yoo Jun Sang ( Park Jin), head of the mysterious group Songnim, Go Won ( Shin Seung Ho), the crown prince and potential future king of Daeho and Jin Cho Yeon ( Arin) , the youngest daughter of the Jin Family. However while some of these characters were well-tackled and intriguing in their own right, the lack of opportunities to flesh-out some of these characters did become noticeable as the season progressed.
Main heroine Naksu ( alternatively known as Mu-Deok in the body of the peasant girl) is played by two different actresses; Go Yoon Jung and Jung So-Min. Both actresses delivered fairly consistent dual performances as the main female lead. Admittedly main actress Jung So Min could feel a little flat with her line deliverances at times but this wasn’t entirely the fault of the actress per say.
As a written character, Naksu is a bit of a tough nut for viewers to crack. The Hong Sisters establish early on to viewers that she is a strong, fearless and powerful female assassin. Even in her newfound predicament in the weakened body of Mu-Deok, she takes advantage of her situation by allowing others to underestimate her abilities and seek revenge on those who have wronged her. ( For reasons which are roughly outlined in later episodes.)However in terms of being a likeable heroine who viewers can actually root for, Naksu will likely either be loved or hated by viewers of equal measure .
Of course, the Hong Sisters have attempted to offer sympathy for Naksu to viewers. As the season progresses into later episodes, the writing duo present the fact that Naksu is motivated for particular reasons and motives as well as her unconventional relationship with Jang-Uk.However, writing a strong character(especially a heroine) can often lead to writers falling into the trap of making their characters feel somewhat overly “invincible” or “overpowered” rather than human with actual flaws and issues. Of course, the Hong Sisters have arguably attempted to show this by certain vulnerabilities for Naksu but often this was approached in a way of a “ challenge” for the female lead in order to overcome. Rarely was this shown as an actual problem or flaw that truly allowed her to flourish and grow as a main character.
Costarring alongside the main female leads, there is also the actor of main male lead Jang Uk, Lee Jae Wook. Jae Wook is likely familiar for most viewers for his stoic potential love interest roles in romance dramas. Similarly in ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’, the actor is typecast somewhat again in the series as Jang Uk ; a brooding and deadpan character that viewers will ( similar to Naksu) either love or hate. Of course it is wrong to make out that Jang Uk is a purely despicable character. Similar to the show’s heroine, Naksu, the male lead has his own motives, his own complex backstory and is shown to be an intellectual than allowed him to be fairly interesting in his own right.
In addition to this , there were certainly moments regarding the main male lead’s backstory that were given a dedicated amount of coverage by the drama’s writers also. However, it could sometimes feel as though that Jang Uk’s dominating traits of arrogance and haughtiness were often mistakingly justified by the Hong Sisters as a “result of his situation” rather than simply being explained and used as a stage of further character development. (Often this resulted in some of Jang Uk’s actions feeling frustratingly repetitive or justified even when there was a necessity for them to be called out otherwise.)
Naturally, it is hard not to discuss the main leads without bringing up their oddball relationship over the course of the season. The Hong Sisters play upon the old trope of the cohabitation drama with the “ master and servant” roles being unconventionally swapped throughout between Jang Uk and Naksu ( in the body of Mu-Deok). This unusual relationship dynamic was certainly compelling for viewers and did allow for the slow-burn romance to satisfyingly thrive in this written relationship setup.
Although often entertaining and certainly generating a few laughs with their comical antics, it could grow a little repetitive at times to see their relationship going from one or two extremes without a lot of middle ground between either being serious or overly jokey . This became especially noticeable when it was placed against the somewhat convoluted induction of the “ love triangle”; a trope that while not overly dominant in the major storyline events of ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’, did play a role beyond its necessary requirements.
As for the narrative structure, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is approached in different layers by the Hong Sisters. In early episodes of the series, the writing duo used their time wisely to establish some of the main narrative events, while later episodes heavily dived into further execution and progression. On the other hand while this is certainly not an unusual writing decision in K-dramas, it did often make the series feel somewhat somewhat slow-paced in parts. As a result of this writing decision, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ often felt as though parts of the events surrounding subplot and even some moments of the major storyline weren’t as well-rounded as they should’ve been. However, the Hong Sisters did deliver a thrilling season finale that will likely surprise and intrigue viewers with its ending note .
The stylistic approach of ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is admittedly where things become a little more rocky. Under director Park Joon Hwa ( ‘ Bring It On, Ghost’, ‘ What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?’ and ‘ Touch Your Heart’), the series did present a gorgeous array of sleek and gorgeous scenes and palette schemes. However, it is likely that the opinions of viewers will remain somewhat divided by the heavy reliance on CGI over the course of the series. ( Especially with regards to the quality of green screen scenes not always matching up with the desired intentions of the Hong Sisters’ vision.)
In addition to this, there is also the slight nuanced issue surrounding the more stark modern presentations of certain characters with dyed hair and modern-takes on historical outfit designs. Although this is a fictional work and can maybe be excused on some grounds with an artistic licence, it was sometimes hard as a viewer to really immerse yourself in a historical fantasy world when certain actors had their hair dyed in an obviously modern manner.
Nevertheless despite some liberties being taken with the outfit designs, they were certainly impressive outfit decisions taken by the costume department onscreen. The shades of silk and materials used were often vividly bright in the show’s lighting ; often seeming ethereal on the frames of the actors as they were adorned in bright shades of peacock blue, marigold and deep vermillion and certainly helping to embody the magical element of the show.
Aside from the stylistic approach of ‘ Alchemy of Souls’, the OST was mainly composed of schmaltzy ballads. Certainly some of these songs were more memorable than others such as “ Scars Leave Beautiful Trace” ( 상처는 아름다운 흔적이 되어) by Car, the Garden and "Breath" (숨결) by Kim Na Young.
‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is an ambitious fantasy epic by the Hong Sisters. It is imaginative and filled with some intriguing world-building, characters and a fairly enthralling plot objective that will keep viewers intrigued. In addition to the writing of the show, Director Hwa’s varied palette schemes and lighting choices help to truly bring the series to life in a magical manner. On the other hand, the writing duo’s project is not flawless. The CGI is varied from scene to scene while the characters of the series and the events of the narrative felt somewhat overly niche and rushed at times. Nevertheless with a potential sequel in the works and a certain possibility to fix some of these weaker writing moments, season one of ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is certainly a satisfying appetiser for any fantasy lover.
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