Reviews

When the story of finding your body parts gets old...

Story: I will start my review by saying that I love the novel "Heart Protection" of which this drama claims to be adapted from. Keyword - "claim". The drama started of well with around 70% similarity to the novel. But somewhere from Ep 5-6 onwards, things start to skew and the drama ended up being an entirely different product. I do not mind changes from novel to drama - provided they are done well. In this drama's case, the changes actually weaken the story and slowed down its pace, because they mostly ended up being fillers to drag the drama into 40 eps. And after so much fillers to keep the timer rolling, we are then treated to a rushed and brief ending in the last 3 mins of Ep 40.

Although the introduction of a new character played by Riley in this drama was a nice touch, the dilution of the FL's character reduced the enjoyment somewhat for me. It is rare that we get a xuanhuan novel with a woman as the main character. Yan Hui in the novel is one such character. The dragon is merely her love interest. The story is about her. She's the main character with genius abilities and OP powers from start to end. She's the one who rescued and helped the dragon and others. Basically, the novel's hero. But in the drama, Yan Hui needed rescuing. She's slow with cultivation. In the drama, the dragon becomes the main character and she becomes his love interest. With a male-focused main character, this story has turned into one that is similar with 90% of the xuanhuan novels out there. Why they decided NOT to portray Yan Hui as a strong and independent character who is the main protagonist of the story? Your guess is as good as mine. But the main weakness of the drama is not the weakening of Yan Hui's character per se - it's the use of fillers upon fillers which ended abruptly with a short ending that left viewers feeling cheated and wanting their money (and time) back. Many have defended the changes by saying the author herself is part of the screenwriting team, but I would argue that there are limits to what a novel author can do when she has already sold her rights to the novel plus a good novel author does not equate to a good screenwriter because book to screen adaptations is a whole different ballgame altogether. So, at the end of the day, the novel author being part of the screenwriting team has more marketing value than actual practical value.

Acting/Cast: Casting is done mostly well; from a visual point of view. Both the ML and FL have good looks and this drama has definitely garnered them a stronger fanbase. However, acting of the leads left much to be desired. They started out quite stiff, though they do slowly warm up towards the end, but it is still obvious that they lacked acting experience. The second male lead, Riley, actually acted better - mostly because Riley is a more seasoned actor. Chemistry between ML and FL is so-so. They gave off a "little girl and her best friend dragon" feeling. Minimal skinship and kissing. The "kisses" are polite pecks. Even the hugs are pretty stiff. Very chaste. So if you are after more deeper kissing, more skinship and off-the-charts type chemistry, this is not the drama for you.

Music: Nice OSTs that reflect the mood of the story. No complains in this department.

Rewatch value: Despite the butchering of the story with unwarranted fillers and unsatisfying ending, this drama has a pretty good rewatch value. Why? Because of the "magic" fast-forward button. There are episodes and scenes in this drama that are worth rewatching. If we can cut and paste them together, they probably form around half the length of this entire drama, but they are scenes that are the essence of the story without any fillers.

Overall: It's a pretty decent drama with eye candies to keep you going. The story-telling is a let down due to the many fillers but if you are after a drama that does not require much brain cells and only require your eye cells to ogle at good looking people, then this is the drama for you. But if you are after a more solid product with excellent story and acting, turn around; this is not the drama for you. You are better off reading the novel - which by the way, I highly recommend. Therefore, I rate this drama an overall of 7.5/10.

Leia Mais

Kill Me, Heal Me lives up to the hype. I went into this drama expecting something and came out getting something very different. However what it delivers was SO good that I can't really complain.

I think this story was simply genius. It was flawed but the way it was executed and the way they tied up everything made perfect sense. This is why the story gets a full 10. I love the broken and complex characters and the leads really put the screen on fire while playing their roles. I think Ji Sung especially outdid himself and now I'm really hoping he does similar projects in the future as well. Hwang Jung Eum is a good actress but for me she was kind of annoying in the beginning. Both her character and acting didn't really kick in till the very end.

I was surprised by how the story managed to get me hooked after its initial episodes. The story seemed to go nowhere for a while and I had my doubts but the writer- wow. Slowly everything was thrown in the basement! Like, literally lol. I liked the thrill of watching this drama the first time. It's like your very first Kdrama- the thrill to know what happens next is omnipresent.

The music of the drama wasn't my most favourite. I liked only one song and the rest were meh to me.

What sets this drama apart is its continuous twists and turns. Something happens in every episode. Usually dramas run out by the end but even the last episode was as important and eventful as the rest. The ending and the premise was all tied up together really well.

Watch this drama if you're in for something different and if you are bored of the usual cliched dramas. I think one should not pass this up.

Leia Mais

I am well aware my numbers for this show are all over the place. That's because I'm trying to be fair and at the same time true to myself. I'm not sure I am succeeding.



In order to be fair, I have to give this drama what is its due. Script, acting, direction, music are VERY good. The script is downright brilliant, with many lines worth of being quoted. Kim Sun Ah is fantastic: self-ironic, convincing, funny and determined. Hyun Bin has to portray a distasteful character, and does so with a seemingly effortless performance. All the side characters are wonderfully characterized and likable.

The music is perfectly chosen too, with just the right mixture of irony and pathos-building required by the story.



But I also have to be honest. And to do so I have to admit I didn't like this drama. I spent more time cringing and shivering in embarrassment than laughing or falling in love.

Each character is unique and wonderfully portrayed, but for the duration of 16 episodes I kept on asking myself: why? Why should these two like each other?

When I watch a drama and instead of rooting for the main couple I concentrate on the scenery, the cake, the old mother or the child it means something is wrong, at least for me. And when the first kiss doesn't make me smile in delight, something is even more wrong.

I could never feel sympathy for Sam Soon & Jin Heon. Not as a couple. By the middle I was terribly annoyed by both: by him because he couldn't be a man and decide; by her because she slowly morphed from the anti-conventional woman she used to be into a sort of human ivy, spying on her "man", shouting too much, crying too much, asking for rings, declarations and all the most conventional paraphernalia attached to your usual relationship. Had I been the man in the situation, I would have flown to Mars in order to escape the torture.



Possibly, the acting is too good: had the characters been more wooden or less expressive, I would have felt nothing for them and had had no reason to cringe. How ironic is this?



To summarize: I believe a review has to be fair. When confronted with a good show/movie/book/painting one has to be objective and recognize its value. This is why I gave it an overall 8 when, on a mere emotional and personal level, I would barely have given it a 6.

Leia Mais

Addictive hot mess but a disservice to mental health

Did I enjoy this drama all the way? YES.
Was this a good fictional story in general? YES.
Was Kim Yoo Jung’s performance brilliant? YES.

BUT and here comes,
For a show that introduces the FL as someone with antisocial personality disorder, did this do a good job? NO. Yes Ah Jin has traits present in people with ASPD but is it not a disservice to paint people wjth this disorder as a monster and as evil? Shouldn’t the drama actually delved into her psychology and into understanding how her traumas, her experiences made it difficult for her to connect with others and empathise with others? Having the FL repeat her trauma and act like a victim who has been wronged is mere surface-level characterisation and understanding of ASPD.
If the drama did not want to talk about mental health, why label her as someone with this disorder? What a freaking disservice this was to people who deserve treatment rather than merely being labelled as diabolical / evil / monstrous. Who is Ah Jin beyond the person that is always trying to survive? What are basic likes and dislikes? Who are the people she loves? People with ASPD are capable of loving.. just that they don’t love the same way “normal” humans do.

The documentary framing Ah Jin as a criminal while everyone else became a victim was unfair. What about Ah Jin’s perspective? Again I’m not defending or justifying her actions, but the black and white perspective and one-note characterisations the show re-iterated time and time again was really baffling.

What was the point of the CEO’s character? Was it to merely add some thrill to the show? Till the end I did not understand the purpose he served to the story and to our understanding of Ah Jin’s journey.

Ah Jin used all these men, yes. But she did not put a gun to their heads. If we talk about Ah Jin’s choice in making the horrible decisions she did, we need to talk about Jae Oh and Joon Seo’s choices. Ah Jin never promised them love or flowers. She was clear that she needed them and they willingly stepped in.

Jae Oh’s death made absolute sense. But what about Joon Seo? For someone who “loved” Ah Jin, he never tried to understand her. He always assumed the worst of her, saw her as someone making use of others but never saw her the human. He never saw her as someone who needed support or help. He saw her as someone he wanted to control, someone he hoped would change for him and in the end when she pushed him away, he exposed her to tie her down. His death was no act of martyr. He brought it upon himself. But my question is - why? The writer had the choice to either (1) have Joon Seo walk away as he did 2 episodes prior to the finale or (2) have Joon Seo expose Ah Jin and get her treated. I did not understand his let’s-go-to-hell-together like the writer was trying to spin this into some epic Romeo / Juliet romance. Also what was Jun Seo’s motive in exposing Ah Jin?

And the ending- I am a fan of open endings but this was one of the worst endings the writer could come up with after this journey. Yes she’s alive somewhere and she’ll probably continue to manipulate her way through but humans can’t live their lives on this repeat cycle all the way till the end. There has to be a stop or a change in pattern. In Ah Jin’s case it could have been death, treatment or insanity - either of the three could have been used to conclude her journey but the writer did so in the laziest way.

Also what kind of message does this writer want to give out with Ah Jin surviving while everybody is dead? Again this would have worked as a work of fiction but adding that tag of ASPD did this a huge disservice.

Do I recommend this? Yes. It wasn’t a bad drama per se. The performances were top notch, the score was haunting, the vibe and the dark relationships were different from the usual South Korean dramas. But having said that, this clearly fell shot of being a stellar drama because the complexity of the characters were not fleshed out well enough. In the end, I left this drama not understanding what the CEO, Ah Jin, Jun Seo and Jun Seo’s mum even wanted because they were all just so one-note and didnt feel like actual human beings with a gamut of emotions and a life beyond Ah Jin.

Leia Mais

Sae Bom & Yi Hyun's fight for Happiness

or should I say — "watching them together is our Happiness"

This drama brings out many versions of humans. It shows how layered this society is… I met a mix variety of people here, those who will help others selflessly, those who may save themselves first selfishly, those who think money is God & everything can be bought even in case of emergency… There are those few confused characters too who are in a great dilemma that if they should help or not…

The drama also depicts that Class discrimination between people from upper & lower class can survive even in such chaos… so the more I started to love the leads, the more HATE I had in my mind for those extra mean characters… by hate I mean I wanted them to just die... If you want to watch this, you need enough patience for annoying side characters.

Han Hyo Joo (as ~ Yoon Sae Bom) is an anti-terrorism trainer & someone who is selfless & fearless. She is kinda reckless at times but she is straightforward. I loved the way she kicks, I was like "Oh my God, that was so smooth!" Definitely a very good Strong female lead. But she doesn't falls under the category of Smart female leads for me cause her decisions were all hasty, without consideration.

Park Hyung Sik (as ~ Jung Yi Hyun) is a detective & a former baseball player who has courage and knows when to use his cop & sportsman skills. He is righteous & strong. PHS has definitely got good action skills. That car slide scene is something I saw repeatedly again and again. He is good at no matter what role he plays. Happiness as Hyung Sik's comeback drama is perfect.

The chemistry of the leads is like so pure. They understand & support each other. They are like one team. No forced romantic moments considering a total action-thriller drama. So, No exaggeration of romance. Just a simple couple who pretended to be a couple but actually love each other a lot deep in heart. Their bond is just precious. I wish these two get more chances of cooperation cause look at them, they look so good together…!! And I'll stop fangirling now haha.

Jo Woo Jim (as ~ Han Tae Seok) is a military informant who wants to help everyone. He plays the hard cold guy role in front of everyone but is actually very caring at heart. There has to be someone who takes the tough decisions & be bad, he chose himself for that. There's one scene when I just screamed that "Oh God, HE IS SO COOL"…… well, there's PHS Oppa in this drama so shouldn't I just cheer up for him more but No, Character-wise, I loved Han Tae Seok more…

Keeping us hooked up… This isn't draggy at all… just a simple zombie drama that goes "little" in-depth with the characters but from the enjoyment point of view, I was personally enjoying watching it. It wasn't very scary in terms of visuals but it did make me nervous about what is going to happen next.

I think I am gonna miss the rooftop of this drama, I just feel very attached to it, I wonder what's so special about that place… then, my only complain here was that I wish they gave more background story for the characters first so that we can connect to them…

Overall, I loved this drama and just that it's thriller and I basically know all the facts now, so I won't rewatch this but what a nice ride this was… Give it a try if it suits your drama taste…

Leia Mais

The Title is What the Story is About

Like the title, this show is pretty much a record of a youth story.
Why would I say that? Because it is really like a video clip that records some ordinary life story that tells a person who had hardships while pursuing his dream, how he overcome it, how he fall in love, maintain friendships, deal with family conflicts. Even the love story between two main leads are very very realistic. It isn't the normal "love drama" where two people have to go through a lot of misunderstanding, realising they fall in love and go through tragic fates. NO, this show doesn't have any of these, they meet, feel great towards each other and just eventually get together. The way they are dating is so realistic like what a normal dating couple will do. Even to the end, the story between the couple is quite realistic too.

Hence, to be objective, this story is quite boring. The whole series has no climax and I was actually going to drop it but I wasn't watching much show so I decided to go on. So you shouldn't be having high expectation on this, but if you just enjoy watching Park Bo Gum or Park So Dam, then go ahead and watch it. Basically it is like a documentary of someone's life, but a very ordinary one.

Well, not to mention, Park Bo Gum's acting is as good as always:) Even a small detailed expression or action, he portrays it real good, I'm impressed! Good luck for PBG's enlistment and hope he stay safe and get good drama when he's out! :)

Leia Mais

Smile Code had a fresh take on romance as it paired a standup comedian with a man who has alexithymia.. Which means he struggles to express or even feel emotions.. It’s refreshing and honestly that’s what made me start the drama.. It’s not your typical romance and I was curious to see how these two completely different people would connect..

The storyline does a great job of mixing comedy with drama.. I really liked the friendship and their chemistry with each other.. While the story does get a bit melodramatic at times the actors and the story keeps you interested or atleast in the first half..

Shen Yue was genuinely and effortlessly funny.. Lin Yi as a person with alexithymia was really good.. Their chemistry is what really drives the show and it evolves so naturally.. But he really had some psychological issues.. Kudos to the FL for holding on to him for so long as it was not easy..

The first half of the series was really strong but the second half felt pretty poorly executed.. It dragged on way too much and just felt stretched.. One thing that really bothered me was how they made her look in that breakup scene.. Seriously did they need to make it so over the top?? The missing tooth made it feel more awkward than emotional..

About halfway through the drama just lost its spark.. It became a bit of a snoozefest for me.. Honestly the second half really dragged the whole show down and kind of ruined the experience..

I really didn’t like the scene where the SML proposes to her only for it to be abruptly cut off by the ML before she even had a chance to respond.. She didn’t reject him so the SML still didn’t get a clear answer and that was just a really poor way to handle the scene.. It felt unfair to his character.. Even after that she led him on.. Not giving him a firm rejection or any kind of clear answer.. It took another two episodes and yet another proposal for her to finally give him an answer and I don’t know, it just didn’t sit well with me..

When the ML came back for her the way she treated him was honestly pretty harsh.. I get why she acted that way but it still felt awful.. The guy really deserved another chance after everything he had been through..

What made it worse was the final few episodes.. After everything, she rejected his proposal in front of everyone.. That was like a slap in the face.. When she proposed to him in the last episode I honestly kind of hoped he would reject her.. Just for the sake of it..

Overall Smile Code is definitely just a one time watch.. But it’s worth it for its unique premise and the excellent performances by the main leads..

P.S. I was so confused when I saw the reviews for this drama in MDL.. Everyone was rating it a 10.. But if you check their profiles it's just accounts that were created to rate this one drama.. There are so many such accounts in the review section and it's honestly kind of sad to see how far people are willing to go..

Leia Mais

(For a spoilerful review, I wrote a separate, much more in-depth version here: https://dramavixen.tumblr.com/post/177526794854/)

Was I expecting a trainwreck when I first started watching? Perhaps. Actually, yes; unquestionably so. Thus, even if I call this show a trainwreck, it wouldn’t be accurate to say that Meteor Garden was "below expectations."

Meteor Garden was possibly one of the most anticipated Chinese dramas of the season, rousing the nostalgic instincts of those of us who have long been attached to this story. Of course, that’s a great burden on the cast and crew. This is especially true in China, where viewers tend to prefer the “original” version of everything—novels, dramas, movies; you name it. Any kind of remake or adaptation is asking for trouble; and Meteor Garden fared the worst that I've seen, with a whopping rating of 2.8/10 when the first episode aired.

We can say that viewers in China are being overly judgmental, but the one thing they’re right about is that choosing to remake this was a shaky decision to begin with. At its core, Meteor Garden overflows with cliche after cliche; all the ones that make us roll our eyes whenever we see them: the poor girl-rich guy combo, the trash male lead/nice second male lead dynamic, the meddling mother-in-law; the list just writes itself. This isn’t to say that cliche usage equates to a bad drama, but historically, Meteor Garden has never elevated these elements to anything past mediocrity.

This adaptation still uses all of these tropes: without improvement. We can argue all day about how the writers toned down the bullying that existed in the previous versions; how Dao Ming Si isn’t as bad of a guy as he used to be. That doesn’t change the fact that this story is incredibly weak.

The conflicts between the main couple start off making sense because they have a lot of moral disagreements. Meteor Garden intends to show the evolution of a relationship as it progresses between two enemies to two people in love. However, with 48 episodes worth of problem after problem solely for the sake of dramatics, the instability of their relationship quickly becomes less heartbreaking and more obnoxious. All the side plots involving the other characters are also either boring or mindnumblingly frustrating—or (if your goddess of luck has abandoned you) both!

How do the characters play into the plot? In a word, badly. The sheer level of bullcrapery that is injected into the script makes it impossible for anyone to truly develop or interact with each other like normal human beings. Each character does have their good and bad points, which I appreciate. But more often than not, we don’t get to see them act as people; they’re just used as paper dolls for the sake of toddling through whatever conflict the writers feel like putting into the episode. It’s a real shame, especially since the actors all have so much potential to do better.

In all honesty, I’m surprised that I finished this show. Well, I guess I could be more surprised; from the very beginning, I wanted to see this ordeal to the end so that I could be as thorough in my roasting as possible without any false pretenses. So here, I have to say that Meteor Garden is but a pile of burnt potatoes. And just like there're a lot of better things to eat than burnt potatoes, there’re a lot of better things to watch than this.

Leia Mais

Lovestruck in the City is simply not for everybody who only loves watching KDRAMA.

You have to be open-minded on how the writers wrote those (flawed) characters and scenarios because if you’re not, it’ll much harder for you to understand how the story built. And if you know Park Shin Woo as a director, he is not someone to please viewers.

It’s actually weird to see that half of the internet world(twitter), people hyping this up but on the other side(mydramalist & tumblr), dropping this. Ha!

If you review this drama based on the storyline and characters, please state your age and who resonates with you most. If you review this based on mockumentary type and how it delivers the story, please watch until episode 8.

Let me say this again, THIS DRAMA IS NOT FOR EVERYBODY, it’s for the people out there who know what love can do on and for them.

Leia Mais

LA that sit on same table as AOT LA and Drangon Ball LA

I’m SCREAMING. WTF is this?! It'd like the director read half the source material, said “nah,” and decided to yeet the soul of sNs masterpiece into the void. They changed SO MUCH, and I’m not okay! Kim Dokja deserves better, and this mess is sitting at the same cursed table as the Attack on Titan and Dragon Ball Evolution LA!! Let’s talk about how they fumbled this bag and why it’s giving the same vibes as those other disasters.First off, WHY THE HELL are they giving everyone GUNS?! Like, are you kidding me? They’re out here handing Hee Won daggers like she’s in an Avengers flick and giving Lee Hyeon-seong some high-tech gauntlet nonsense. And don’t get me started on Yoo Joonghyuk’s sword looking like it was forged in a sci-fi lab. This ain’t the apocalyptic struggle we signed up for! It’s like they saw the Attack on Titan live-action films and thought Let’s copy their homework and make it flashy but soulless. This is not My ORV!!!!!

Leia Mais

Well written romance with questionable friendships.

One of the most wholesome friends to enemies to friends to lovers scenario I have seen. I believed in everything that happened between Pran and Pat. The chemistry might not have been sizzling from the start, but it was undeniable and extremely natural as the plot progressed. Both Nanon and Ohm did an amazing job portraying actual emotions and love, instead of simple attraction.

That said, almost everything that surrounded the romance was mediocre at best, and bad at worst. The friend groups were ridiculous. It was not just teens disliking each other - we had harassment and abuse that could not be explained by them being young. The parents were just as immature and selfish, which led to a number of problems for the main duo.

Luckily, a lot of scenes were saved thanks to the female characters Pa and Ink, who seemed to be the only people with some brain cells and willing to use them.

Bad Buddy was carried on Nanon and Ohm’s backs, and if it was not for their stellar performance, it would not get half of the love from the audience. Me, and many others were willing to ignore quite a number of flaws, because what these two actors did not screen was worth it.

Another great aspect of the show was the OST. Not only were all the songs perfectly fitted for the scenes, but also… they are simply great songs that I wanted to listen to even outside of the drama.

The production value was definitely good. I loved the set design, the filming and editing. Sadly, I feel like all the focus and hard work directing and writing wise were put into making the romance storyline, forgetting that all the supporting characters are also what make the show. The pacing of all the side plots was not great and some conflicts had a Disney type of resolution.

Overall, worth the watch for the main couple. Truly amazed by the skills of Nanon and Ohm. Even with at times questionable writing, they made me enjoy the show and giggle more than once from both the comedy and the romance.

Bad Buddy was a bit like taking a walk in a beautiful mountain, but then seeing trash here and there, that’s just slightly ruining the view. Then you get to the top, but it's a restricted area… that sums up how I feel about the ending.

Leia Mais

A Breathtaking Fantasy Romance Where Allure Turns Deadly and Betrayal Cuts Deep

The premiere of Flower Boy is a stunning visual experience from ONE31, blending fantasy romance with a modern corporate world in a way that feels both fresh and cinematic.

Pearl and Peak reunite here, and their chemistry feels stronger than ever. There is an ease and intensity between them that immediately pulls you in.

The story begins in modern Bangkok, where a vice president is struggling to save his failing perfume empire. His search for something rare and extraordinary leads him to the legend of a mysterious flower tribe whose people carry a natural fragrance unlike anything else. That journey takes Scent (Pearl) deep into the mountains, and from that moment on, everything changes.

Once inside the Mudan tribe, the atmosphere completely shifts. The series becomes immersive in a way that feels thoughtful and detailed. From the traditional clothing to the wooden homes and the untouched rhythm of life, every element is beautifully crafted. The scenery is especially breathtaking, moving from dense forest to cascading waterfalls, making each scene feel almost dreamlike.

At the center of it all is Gaysorn, portrayed by Pearl, who is fragile, captivating, and impossible to look away from. His presence alone carries so much emotion.

The connection between Gaysorn and Scent is immediate and magnetic, creating a strong emotional pull from their very first meeting. The contrast between a man from the modern world and someone who has never experienced it adds an extra layer of depth to their relationship.

Even the names feel intentional. In Thai, Gaysorn means pollen or the pistil of a flower, symbolizing beauty and new life, which fits his character perfectly. Scent complements that meaning, tying directly into the way he is drawn to Gaysorn.

What makes this series work so well is how it blends corporate ambition, nature driven mystery, and a sense of forbidden romance, all wrapped in a rich fantasy setting that feels both intimate and expansive.

Leia Mais

Addictive, Great Chemistry, Great Actors & A Good Second Chance Drama (but watch only until ep 30)

We all love second-chance romance dramas, but we hardly find any good second-chance romance dramas. This drama had the potential to be one the best in this genre. But, somehow it made a disaster in the last part of the drama and especially in the last 6 episodes. If you consider this drama with only 30 episodes, this is still pretty good. There are a lot of positives to this drama i.e. very good chemistry of the main couple, excellent casts with top-notch acting, good visuals, and good OST's.

Why only till episode 30:
This drama is an adaptation of a Chinese novel. The screenwriters changed the story to some extent to write the script. Still, the drama followed the novel closely. But, they followed the novel only until episode 30. After that, they wrote the script totally by themselves which has absolutely no relation to the novel. So, After episode 30, the drama feels like a completely different drama. We got a realistic feel in the first 30 episodes. But, suddenly it became a melodramatic drama. It became so melodramatic that it could beat top melodramas with its melodrama plots. We the viewers got hugely disappointed by this. It was painful to watch those episodes. I hardly could believe how the drama turned out like that. I would suggest the new viewers, don't watch the drama after episode 30. We got somewhat of an ending at episode 30. Though it was not complete we can imagine the rest. No need to take the pain to watch the rest of the episodes.

Pros:
-Actress: Wang Churan was just impressive. This is the first time I saw her in any drama, and I instantly became a fan of hers. I just want to see her in another drama. She looked stunning in this drama. Her smile was the best thing in this drama for me. She is still new and there is a bright acting career ahead of her.
-Actor: Peng Guan Ying was great in his role. PGY acted as a cold doctor who doesn't show much emotion. He is a good guy but sometimes you feel mad about his actions, but still, he has his charm. You can't stop but root for him.
-Chemistry: Chemistry was good. There were a lot of problems in their relationship. Sometimes they feel distant but the chemistry was always there for them.
-Hospital Settings: We see a lot of medical dramas. Most of those dramas somehow feel unrealistic and sometimes cringe. This drama somehow portrayed a good hospital setting. It was not perfect but I would say It was very good, a lot better than some other top medical dramas
-OST's: I liked the opening song a lot. Overall music and OST's were good

Cons:
-Africa Arcs: Africa arcs were a complete disaster. We got to see the first 2 episodes were shoot in Africa. That 2 episodes were still ok. Then the last 5 episodes were shoot in Africa too. I just have no words for those last 5 episodes. Completely unnecessary with no story.
-Questionable actions by ML: In the past flashbacks, ML did some things that deeply hurt FL. There might have been some reasons behind those, but still, some viewers did not like those.
-Some medical plots/decisions: There were some medical plots/decisions used/taken in this drama, that were questioned by the viewers. There could be some arguments about whether those decisions were right or wrong. While watching those, we could still give some consideration as this is a drama after all. It's not perfect and actually, no drama is perfect. Some other medical dramas have more issues than this.

Ending: (Spoilers)
It got somewhat of a happy ending (episode 36). But it's not the kind of happy ending we wanted from this drama. There was an amnesia plot in the ending. Although the drama has somehow a happy ending, the ML and FL deserved a much better ending than this. We the viewers also deserve to see a much better ending.

Ratings:
8.5 from me. I could give this 9 easily if the drama had only 30 episodes and ended properly. But, I can't forget those last 6 episodes. I was disappointed and I can't just ignore that. I wanted to give this a 7.5 or 8. But, the drama was very good until episode 30. So considering everything I gave it 8.5

Recommendation:
The first 30 episodes of this drama were really good. The drama was very addictive. You dislike some parts, but you just can't stop watching. It was that good. So, I recommend this drama, but only until episode 30. If you want to watch the rest just watch that fast-forwarded.

Leia Mais

I want to start by saying that My Youth isn’t a bad drama, just an unsuccessful one.. My issue with it is that it feels more like a collection of parts than a cohesive whole.. The pieces seem disjointed, out of rhythm with one another, never quite coming together into a story that feels complete or purposeful.. To me, it lacked those small connective moments that turn a sequence of scenes into something that truly moves as a narrative..

I was honestly reluctant to watch it because of the low ratings.. I am not someone who avoids Song Joong Ki’s dramas, not because I am a fan but because I appreciate his work.. The ratings did influence me, but I decided to ignore them and give it a try and I would say I did the right thing.. Is it a stunning piece of drama?? No, its not.. Is its storytelling style for everyone?? Probably not.. I can understand why some viewers might struggle to connect with the tone and pacing, especially in the early episodes.. Even I agree it’s slow, but that alone isn’t enough reason to justify such low ratings..

Personally, I didn’t like the first few episodes except for the parts with their younger versions.. The characters felt a bit weak, they didn’t have much impact.. It’s a narrative driven story, so I should have felt ' I don’t fully know where this is going yet, but these characters feel real. ' But it took a while for that to happen.. I agree with the most common concern, the pacing is indeed the real issue here.. 12 episodes felt like 20.. It’s too slow and the story itself isn’t anything new.. We just see that old, overused trope told from a different perspective with a new set of actors.. The acting was definitely the highlight of the drama..

Now, my biggest issue with this drama is how they underplayed the illness part of the story.. I mean it’s a melodrama, that’s supposed to be your main weapon.. But it didn’t make me feel anything, not the way lets say a drama like Our Movie did.. There's an illness that could kill the ML, but that’s it, it’s just there.. He is struggling, things happen around it and then it’s over.. It never reaches that emotional intensity you would expect from a story built around something so serious..

The romance, well I liked their chemistry, but I think the writer let down the actors in that aspect.. Their interactions were good but the writing felt weak.. It never really gave Song Joong Ki and Chun Woo Hee the space to show what they are truly capable of.. I sort of understand why people liked the second couple’s romance.. It was simpler and less complicated.. But to me, their story felt incomplete.. For a drama that felt too lengthy, we didnt' get enough of their story and that was a disappointment..

For me, the last 3 episodes were the best, well written, well executed part of the show.. The realization of what's happening and what's about to happen and what the first 9 episodes had been setting up for.. The emotions of each characters, even the supporting characters.. That final part, was just pure performative excellence.. But they did really dropped the ball on that ending.. It felt abrupt.. It should have been about everyone.. It almost felt like the others didn't matter.. For me a final scene bringing the whole family and friends together would have been the perfect closure..

I wanted to mention a few other things..

Saw a lot of people saying they rated the drama less because they weren’t satisfied with the romance.. But this is a melodrama, not a rom com.. The genre defines the story.. You knew what you were getting into.. If you can’t handle that, then no offense but maybe this just isn’t the kind of drama for you..

Song Joong Ki’s costumes were an absolute mess.. They could have gone with a simpler, more casual look but instead they ended up choosing some of the worst outfits for him..

Every time I read comments like, Ji Hoon is a much better actor than his peers, I can’t quite agree, at least not in the context of this drama.. His character simply wasn’t the kind of role that allows an actor to truly stand out.. His role could have been performed by many of his peers and achieved the same level of recognition.. I am not saying he isn’t talented, he is but this just wasn’t a challenging role.. His chemistry with the SFL was the only standout factor in this drama for him, not his acting..

I really hated how easily the parents were forgiven in the drama, especially Nu Ri’s mother.. She abandoned a young girl in the hands of her boyfriend, someone she herself didn’t trust enough to stay with.. And then she had the audacity to come back after all those years as if nothing had happened..

I really hope Song Joong Ki comes back with something like Vincenzo again.. Dramas like My Youth which rely heavily on story and performance are often unfairly overlooked.. He is one of the best actors in the KDrama industry and he doesn’t deserve the kind of hate he is been getting..

Overall, My Youth is definitely not for everyone, some might find the story too slow or bland.. But with a wonderful cast of characters and some strong performances from the leads, I would say My Youth is a good one time watch..

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it's rare when the sequel is better but here we are

production: just what you would expect on a bl production from korea... nothing too expensive but not looking cheap either... fits the story they are going for. editing could be improved but i don't mind it that much.

story: well, well. i didn't expect to be so invested in the story. i saw some people saying that it's too fast but i disagree... making it any slower will make this show boring like other kbl out there because we don't have the benefit of longer running time so this is just perfect.

acting/cast: omg i love the new guy, he is handsome and he acts well... both the leads complement each other... i hope we sehyun on season 3 again... i think the acting definitely improved. it would've been perfect if the kiss is not a dead fish but whatever straight kdramas do it too...

ost: love the ost! will add it on my bl playlist soon.. i believe there's at least 3 songs and i love them all

rewatch value: i don't really like rewatching even with shows that i love but i'll be for sure rewatching scenes that i enjoyed.

overall: an improvement from the first! it helped that it was all released on the same day so i get to binge it... i think the problem with kbl nowadays is they separate a movie into episodes and the quality suffers... i'm glad that they released it all so i get to enjoy it more... can't wait for season 3!

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