Reviews

A not-so-cozy mystery/thriller!

More on the light-hearted end but perfect for fans of Beyond Evil, Sell Your Haunted House and He Is Psychometric.

This series is a fabulous blend of romance and mystery. Right from the first episode, you see the actual mystery (and I mean MURDER mystery) unfold in no time! This drama is fast-paced and speculative. The opening scene is indeed very gripping. However, the main characters' encounters seem too cliche, abrupt and convenient—basically, there's too much plot convenience!
But if you are here for the thrill, the guessing game and can pull through a few cliches, STAY! It seems like we have an exciting mystery brewing. The past and the present follow two separate suspicious disappearances, so let's see if they tie together at the end. I like the alternating timelines, the flashbacks add multiple layers to the story. There is an equal degree of suspense surrounding the other people living in the neighbourhood whose past connects them all to each other. With so many characters to account for, the possibilities are endless. You can't help but keep speculating and theorizing.

The actors have such great on-screen chemistry and the acting is like—chef's kiss (get the reference?) Their relationship has the ideal amount of pushing and pulling, ideal amount of pining and ideal amount of jealousy and love.

The music also seems quite promising for this one, so look forward to the OST's!

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I'M GLAD I FOUND THIS GEM

I started watching this without any expectations, just out of curiosity and interest after seeing the trailer but this drama has truly captivated me and made me addicted to watching every episode.

This drama has a GREAT STORYLINE, BEAUTIFUL CINEMATOGRAPHY, the calmness and elegant storytelling, soft color grading, aesthetically pleasing camera angles, good choice of music, and even the strength of each character is very satisfying. What stands out the most is the smart female character who doesn't just wait to be protected by the male lead but can also protect him in return, a truly well-written character.

The male lead is absolutely captivating. The expressions he shows make you both want to protect him and be protected by him at the same time. And the couple in this drama is so adorable, their chemistry is sizzling! His jealousy and His wide smile when he's proud of Dou Zhou is damn cute, He not only respects her choice but even expands her capacity to choose, He is the greenest green frorest. They’ve already given me butterflies, their relationship before and after fujin furen era. And I can't wait to see what actions they'll take to solve the problems in the future.

The story gets crazier and crazier, with a plot that keeps getting better and not a single scene wasted. The way the director showcases each character's development is excellent. DZ's coolness when she's angry is truly mesmerizing; her brilliance in handling problems never disappointed.

Surprisingly, this drama was directed by someone who usually works on mini-dramas, and this is his first full-length series. Hopefully, none of the characters will experience a downgrade. Please continue to develop their characters even further, making them grow stronger and more compelling as the story progresses and hope the drama will continue to maintain this excellent editing quality too.

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Why Are U Gay? Who Says I'm Gay?... You Are Gay.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooo. Dafug you mean this isn't a BL? All that tension is wasted on a bromance? Look, being friends is nice, best-friends? even nicer, but these two talks/look at each other like they tryna book a honeymoon suite. Respectfully, I think they should kiss each others faces and get marry... cuz aint no way that tension/chemistry/dialogue is of the friendship/bromance nature! Also, half of this cast should have died halfway through episode 1, in a coma or hospitalised from all that beatings and fighting.

What's more surprising about this show isn't that it's tag 'bromance' but screams bl. No, it's how we had 16 episodes, and no one died from all that violence. And who even showed this children how to fight and start gangs? Whenever there's a fight scene, I'm always like, 'Ooooh, is you dead?' only for them to show up the next day at school like 'who, me? nah, I should be dead but like...it's Tuesday, we have Thai language classes so...' People, how did these children survive for this long?? Especially when none of them knew how to call the damn police?

Anyway, Listen, I think the word 'Friend' should be permanently ban from Saint and Shin's dictionary, cuz these two would do/say the most questionable, inlove-ness-ness thing ever then go:
Shin: I would have forgiven you for every bad thing you ever did, if you'd have stayed. You left me behind.
Saint: I'm sorry, I thought leaving was the best thing for you. The best way for you to live your dreams and be happy.
Shin: Without you in my life, I won't be happy. Apart from soccer, you are the only thing I care about.
Saint: You are the only person I care about too. Let's take a couple picture.
Shin: Waking up to see your face is what I've wanted my whole life. I don't like you, I love you.
Saint: I love you too, Shin.
Me: awwwwwwwww *heart doing jumping jacks*
Shin: You are my friend.
Saint: You are my friend.
Me: Dishonour. Dishonour on you, dishonour on your cow, dishonour on your ancestors goat!

I can't do this anymore. And no, it's not that I want every thing to be a BL, but like the writers and director are purposely trying to drive me insane with how they are executing this friendship. Legit, every episode I'm just waiting for one of them to confess, or just lean in a little bit and kiss, so I can go... 'I KNEW IT!' cuz, friends don't look at each other's lips like that. I was legit going 'kiss, kiss, kiss' in episode 12, instead of going 'how dafug is yous still alive right now Saint, you should be in a morgue.' And when they hugged, I cheered and cried a bit. Imma need GMMTV to cast these two in a BL so my soul can rest, cuz I aint finna chill with his whole bromance thing.

GMMTV were messing with us throughout this show. In the finale, with all the longing looks, playful touches and promises of staying together forever, and the 'I love yous' in the rain with faces so close, I was screaming, yaay, finally, only for them to go 'bish you thought'. Why are they playing us like that? Never before had a bromance tug hurt so much. Well, there's The Untamed, but we don't talk about that. Cuz really, is the bromance in the room with us? Huh, you call that bromance?

Not gonna lie though, I do love their friendship. To have someone who is there for you and cares for you it’s beautiful. I love seeing them goof already and tease each other of having 'feelings' and 'blushing'. Their roughhousing is all I'm living for at this point. Seeing how close they were in the past made me sad they had a fallen out. And with the little sister, they seem like a family. Still, I won’t say no to friends to lovers XD

This show is a BL, disguised as a bad bromance, cuz we can all see the BL in neon colours. Literally every episode Saint's like 'I want you back, I love you, please be with me forever' then Shin will look at him with those longing eyes and they'd stare real hard into each other's eyes. Why is this a bromance? In what world is all that tension bromance? Nothing about Saint and Shin screams bromance. Those two are in love. Literally these was them, word for word:

Saint: The most important thing that I'm giving up is not school, it's you, Shin. I'm giving up on the chance to be with you.
Me: OMG, this a BL.
Director: No, it's a bromance.
Shin: You say, you're giving up what's important, and that means you're giving up on me. But you know what? You gave up on me a long time ago. Three years ago when you broke my leg. So, you don't get to leave me behind again.
Me: *in tears* Seeee, it talks like a bl, acts like a bl, it's a bl. They are in love.
Director: No, it's a bromance.
Me: No one asked you, Sharon. Damn!

First off, for half of the series I kept asking myself, 'are those teachers at that school even qualified to take care of the children?' It seems like no one knows what they were doing. The students just walked all over them, disrespecting them, hitting them, straight up treating them like trash. Literally, why were these children still in school? In the real world they'd have long been suspended, right? But, in the last half, the teachers pulled through. I did like how they were there for the children, and did their best for them. With how horrible those children were, they could have given up, but they didn't, and fought for them, which is all a good teacher can do.

Anyway, I enjoyed this show, a lot. The whole mystery regarding what Saint did to Shin to make him hate him so much, kept my interest. But oh boy, I was ready to pull my hair, because 6 episodes in and Shin is still going on and on, and on about how dirty Saint did him. 'You ruined my life. I will never forgive you. I will beat you up'. And I'm like sure, he's the scum of the earth, now tell me what he DID. Damn! Boy was so vague about what happened it got annoying. Cuz, my arse is nosy and I wanted to know what he did so I could judge and hate him too, but they kept dragging it. Literally, that plot device was like that one friend who always have sh!t to share but never does like:

That One Friend: You won't believe what happened to me today. I'm telling you, when the Pope finally left, the police had to fly the rest of us home on a helicopter. In the end, the president and his details had to sleepover at my house.
ME: OMG??? What the hell happened??
That One Friend: It's nothing really. I don't wanna talk about it.
ME: *Inwardly* I am stabbing you in my head.

No, but, I am so glad they finally told us what he did. And when I heard how Saint ruined Shin's dream by beaten him the hell up, broken his leg and ruining his soccer dreams, then disappearing on him after, I was like... Never forgive him. As a matter of fact, beat him some more, cuz... what?? And knowing Saint did that because he probably didn't want his 'friend' to leave him is even worse! Nah, but Saint did Shin sooo bad. Learning that and seeing how Shin still didn't seem to truly hate him made me feel even more bad for him. Yes, Saint deserved all the hate he got got from Shin. Hell, he deserved more than that, but I was so happy when he finally earned his forgiveness and they became 'friends' again, or whatever the hell they are with those longing looks.

I was all giggles in episode 11, that roof top and bike scene was everything. I won't even mention the jump on your chest hug, the lip stares or nothing. Cuz apparently those are things friends do and say, so imma shut up, and consider for the millionth time if I should open ao3 and write my own damn fanfic about these two characters with tags #notabromance #nobromancehere #saintandshinnotfriendsbutboyfriends

Anyway, my main issue with this drama is the violence. Like, what school would allow all that to happen and not expel those students? They are so violent and mean, then, they return to school the next day like nothing happened. Some of these people should be in a coma, have major injury or like dead dead. Literally, after all the beaten Shin got, he showed up to school like it was nothing. That boy should have been in a coma or in an obituary page.

PLOT: the story is interesting, though there's so many gang stuff and nonsense fighting violence going on it drags. The bad guys are so generic it hurts. Ken and the twins were so bleh and uninteresting in the beginning, but glad they got a redemption arc, an emotional one at that. That being said, it took be a while to notice they were twins and not the same person doing both part. My bad.

CHARACTERS: My fav was Chatjen, Mark really outdid himself in this role. I knew Mark was a good actor since Last Twilight, even when Boston was wrecking his heart, I loved him. And here I just loved how well he played his character. The leads, Saint and Shin are a close second, cuz I like the tension between them, the push and pull and how each makes me understand the characters they are playing. They were perfect for the role, and they managed to make it a very enjoyable show.

Secondary characters: I'd thought the supporting cast were gonna be background noise, but most of them had depth. Cable, Peeta, Chatjen. Everyone seems to have their own problems, even Ken and his friends. I can't believe this show managed to make me emotional about Ken. This character was unlikable for like 12 episodes, then bam emotions. I legit don't know if I should respect the redemption/depth arc or boo at it for being so damn emotional. The twins really pulled through for their friend, I thought they were just gonna be airheads.

Also who the heck was cutting onions during that classroom scene in episode 15?? When they all decided to be friends and sharing food... awwwwww like, I was going through it. Love how they came together in the finale as well to help Ken. See how beautiful friendship can be instead of them fighting all the time. And don't even get me started on Saint and Shin confronting the mother that they were friends and the little sister coming to hold their hands and calling Saint brother. My tears were everywhere. I aint saying it looked like one of those forbidden love story scenes, but it did. I really do love how they are ride or die for their friendship.

That shady teacher, being a bully was a surprise to no one, and that one female teacher is trying, but the poor woman is just sad. Her hitting her self had me going 'what even are we doing here?' I understand her wanting to quit, but damn woman, give yourself a break, nobody is perfect. And was I the only one who went 'My sister, enough already, just go back to teaching like we all know you will.' when they kept baby-ing her? Yes, I understood her, but it was getting to a point when I was over that whole arc. And also who the heck was her father? In the finale, she kept doing 'dad I did it, I'm a good teacher, bla bla voice over' and i'm just sitting there like, whomst?

I also like how the Eve and Airy developed from being enemies to friends. I'm satisfied with the finale we got. Was so emotional when Chatjen left. Poor dude was so happy with his friends. I'm glad the students came around, and Class 2 became friends. Loved how closer Shin and Saint seemed in the end, and how the mother had accepted Saint into the family. It seems their future is gonna be tangled together forever, cuz Saint's whole purpose in life right now is... 'Shin. I'll follow Shin everywhere. If it's not Shin related I aint want it.'

All in all, I went into this show thinking it was a bl, and was surprised when it wasn't, but the story and characters kept me watching. Plot-wise, the story has been done before. The violence was very savage and I didn't buy it that it didn't have more dire outcomes. The teachers and violence part got a bit boring, but all of them adds together, and we got a beautiful story of friendship, redemption and forgiveness, which was told with a good cast and team. I enjoyed coming back to it every week, so I'll recommend this to all drama lovers, trust me, it's as bl as it gets, so don't let the bromance tag keep you away. Trust me. This is going on my list of fav dramas this year.

ALSO. We are getting WU with Sky and Nani as leads next year!! Ahhhhhhh. I'm hearing it's another bromance. At first I was like. 'No, curses!' but knowing the chemistry of these two, that show is gonna be more intense and gayer than any bl next year. So, GMMTV, go ahead keep playing with us, make them 'friends' again, I don't care, as far as these two are in the same series together, we've won. Damn, it's gonna be a long arse wait for WU.

Aanyway, imina SkyNani.

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When I watched the first two episodes of this drama, I fell in love. I believed it would end up being one of my favorites and I was really impressed with the characters. The first eight episodes were amazing, I dare say perfect. But after those episodes, I didn't like it as much as I liked it before. The first episodes made my expectations waayy too high and so that's why I must've felt disappointed. The plot became less engaging but it still continued as a good drama.

Story - Overall, it was pretty interesting. There were things that kept you wanting to know what happened even though the romance element was predictable at times. It wasn't draggy at all and that was a great thing for this drama. The pace wasn't too slow but not too fast either. Most of the twists in the drama were also well done, the fantasy was what wasn't predictable at all, I didn't see those twists coming. There were definitely some parts that felt out of place in the drama, like the beginning of the last episode was a little too surprising for me... can't spoil it though. ;D

Acting/Cast - When I first started this drama, I wasn't expecting much out of Lee Hong Ki. I thought it was odd he was playing a 29 year old man when he looked so young that I couldn't believe he was even 24! But I'm glad to say, it played out pretty well. A haircut and a change of makeup can do wonders to enhance your age! His acting was impressive and it exceeded my expectations by far. Yang Jin Sung was great too, before this drama, I had never heard of her before. I was surprised that this was her first leading role. The difference in personality was so clearly shown with Yi Kyung and Doo Rim. Not once (except maybe the ending) did I confuse them even though they were being played by the same actress. Lee Hong Ki and her had tons of chemistry, they did good kiss scenes LOL. Everyone else played their role well as well, I didn't see any flaws in the acting. (:

Characters - Kang Ju, who seemed cold and rude in the beginning naturally became softer and more understandable. I loved Doo Rim so much at first, I adore strong female leads. I like how at first she disliked Kang Ju but naturally began understanding him and liking him rather than clinging onto him annoyingly from the start without considering how he treated her. Doo Rim remained true to her character until she fell head over heels for Kang Ju... honestly, this is like the one of the things I really disliked about this drama and it bothered me a lot. Like, all of a sudden she was crazy about him and wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. The development felt unnatural to me. How the relationship started wasn't that realistic but after a while you forget about it and just enjoy the cute moments. After she admitted to her feelings, her tough character didn't show as much as the previous episodes which kind of disappointed me. At first I really hated how horrible the antagonists were. The very people she trusted were lying and deceiving her for their own gain and she was completely oblivious to it all. When she finally did find out, she hardly even cared. It was a good thing that the antagonists end up becoming better people and admitting their wrongs. Another thing that bothered me was Yi Hyun. It's weird how he falls for Doo Rim, who looks exactly like his half sister, Yi Kyung. I don't remember this ever being explained though... Roo Mi, who was initially the usual evil second lead actress, became so much better naturally. It wasn't at the very end where they go on about how they reflected on their actions but it was pretty early in the drama when she changed for the better. My favorite characters were the ghost and Doo Rim's grandmother. The ghost was a important part of the story and added mystery to the drama. I loved Doo Rim's grandmother because she was so adorable and so funny xD

Music - I loved the music in this drama. I never got tired of it and there was a nice variety. Lee Hong Ki has a really nice voice, I really liked the OST he sang for the drama ~

While there were some flaws in this drama, I liked it overall. I'm glad they didn't try to extend the drama because the fact that it's not draggy is really enjoyable. There are so many cute moments that will make you laugh too. A good length for this drama and if you want to watch it, I'd definitely recommend it.

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Dude...

How is an 18-minute short supposed to excuse the emotional abuse and Lhong paying a man to rape Tar? And here Lhong used to be my favorite character alongside Techno lmao, nah the man needs therapy...

I just... I don't see how this is supposed to excuse anything. Sure we got context, but that context doesn't really amount to much. Him being ignored by family and friends doesn't mean he gets to go around breaking people up just because he wants Tharn so badly. And yeah Tar isn't my favorite character but... you tried to sell him... to a man who attempted to rape him...

Dude.

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Within a male dominated spectacularly exclusive golden Jaebeol-Cage women stand up for their rights

The (fictional) Hyowon Group's extended family is among the richest one percent in the country. This clan is analyzed in detail with their personal stories and their dynamics among themselves. It quickly becomes clear that despite all the wealth, nobody is happy here. They are prisoners in a golden cage of their own greed. The peacock cage in the park of the estate is a beautiful allegory for this.

If they were just satisfied with what is, they might be better off. But it always has to be more. "Mine... Mine... I want it... I want more... I don't want to give it away..." Communication is replaced by competition, love and comfort by money and luxury. The price has to be payed by suffering souls. Having lost their grounding in trust, sympathy and kindness, they somehow blindly fight for a substitute. "Mine" thus illustrates their sandbox games including mud fight. Maybe with designer sand - the architecture and furnishings are spectacularly exclusive down to the last detail. You don't have to like that, but it is supposed to impress - and it does.

Still, mud is just mud... And it is disgusting to deal with.

The Jaebeol orbit traditionally is a man´s world. In this respect the KDrama "Mine" choses a unique and inspiring approach: Here concentrated, intelligent and courageous women's power is fighting for liberation from the golden cage. This is possible in South Korea in 2021. Also that one of the female protagonists is in love with a woman. Can women set themselves free from male dominated power structures and constraints? There are some truly beautiful, touching, powerful moments of sisterhood and women's power. Sometimes offensive, sometimes subtle.

If you like, "Mine" is also a contemporary social criticism, quietly hidden behind the curtain of an exclusive and alien world of feudal arrogance. The orbit of the Jaebeol may be far far away from the rest of the world, but with all the interpersonal and inner-psychic dynamics (actually quite ordinary and human) that are in focus here, it comes very close to the themes of 'normal' (South Korean) society - with its social constraints, its strict hierarchical structures and their prejudices that put chains on people of almost every social class. The audience is thus free to choose who from the Hyowon clan household they want to identify with. And whether they want to dare to break free, too, and take a different path (together with one or the other protagonist).


--------------------- SIDE NOTE: --- Jaebeol and their different topics among second and third generation heirs ---

The rise of the founding Jaebeol, like the growth of their companies, was shaped by strong patriarchal hands. Hardworking hands, too. However, this first generation patriarchs are slowly dying out... this being accompanied by creeping processes of change. The founding fathers knew where they came from. Plus, from the very first hour, they had long-standing, loyal relationships with their assistants, secretaries, drivers, foremen that had grown over time (even if they were characterized by dependency)... and over time they have built up a systematic network that takes care of their interests wherever they wish.

Their offspring however is already born "with the golden spoon in their mouth", spoiled by wealth and far away from the ordinary people who work for them and their living environment. These Jaebeol are increasingly preoccupied with their ego, family dynamics, scandals and inheritance disputes. They lack ´brothers in arms´, who shed their blood, sweat and tears - thus they lack someone they can trust. The principle of bribery may still work, yet the reins are now in several, increasingly fractious hands. By now many Jaebeol-Clans have already begun to dismantle their power structures by themselves. And if not, their past machinations are increasingly catching up.

"Mine" documents quite vividly how the Jaebeol families dismantle themselves... how the heirs identify with their (still young!) identity as Jaebeol as if they were feudal old noble blue blood... They haven't really had to prove themselves yet and by their arrogance are already failing in the second and third generation. Additionally, the youngest generation increasingly is no longer interested in the corporate empire, let alone their management...

In this respect "Mine" also represents a new variety of topics within the Jaebeol-Genre in KDramas for the 2020s. ´Competition´, ´cabal´ and ´revenge´ as leading subjects have already been processed back and forth since the early hour of KDrama. ´Justice´ was an increasing topic during the last decade. ´Breaking free´ as a Jaebeol-topic however so far is rather new and rare, yet it might increase in the future...
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Very dark, very painful but exceptional acting from the whole cast!

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS MOVIE CAN BE TRIGGERING AS IT DEALS WITH VERY DARK TOPICS SO WATCH WITH CAUTION SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO!

I really don't know how to critique or review a story/plot that was so deeply disturbing and uncomfortable for me. Was it good? I don't know. Was it bad? I don't know. All I know is my heart ached for these characters (specifically the twins and their friend) and loathed everyone else. I suppose in a way that makes it a great story because I was soooo immersed in it; every dark turn made me physically sick.

And that was kind of the problem. There were many parts of the story I hated but did I hate it because of the triggering nature of those scenes? Or is there something to critique about the plot itself? It's hard to distinguish for me. I do think the story flows well. The way they showed the present with the flashbacks of Wolwoo is done really, really well. There wasn't ever a point in the movie where I thought "huh this is jarring". Like I said, I was genuinely, intensely immersed.

I went to watch for Jinyoung. As a fan of his since Got7, I've followed his career pretty much from the beginning, and this was truly something special. He was phenomenal as both Ilwoo and Wolwoo. I forgot he was Jinyoung. I forgot everything and just wanted to jump into the screen and protect these boys. His heartbreak, pain and trauma were more than just believable, like I said, it made me really uncomfortable (due to the nature of the topics).

The whole cast was phenomenal.

So that's why I'm giving it a 10 solely for the acting.

I really can't say more about the plot than this because... there's a reason why the synopsis is so vague. Let's just say that.

Would I recommend it? Yes, if you are a fan of Jinyoung or any of these young actors. Or if you're a fan of dark, intense movies about vengeance.

Would I rewatch it? Absolutely not. I'm so sorry, Jinyoung, but once is enough. My heart can't take more.

Anyway, I don't know... Good luck if you do watch haha.

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So this is my second time writing a review and I'm pretty bad at this..
I watched it because I was curious when all my friends were talking about how good it was.
It's a really cute rom-com movie. I find myself fan-girling over the Male MC whenever he smirks.

Lots of laughs throughout but there were really sad moments near the end of the movie. It's a fun watch!
I'd recommend this to everyone. xD

Story - A few clichés here and there, but overall it was good. It was a typical plot of how they wanted to break the relationship of their crush by working together.
Character development was well done and I liked how they slowly naturally became friends.

Acting - There was no awkward acting. I thought their heartbroken expressions was well executed.
Poor Vivian Sung had to fall multiple times in the movie since her character was a clumsy one, but all the falls was very natural I believe.

Music - Suitable inserts for scenes and the theme song by Hebe Tian is just awesome!

I'm definitely watching this again!

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A wonderful "slice of life" drama that isn't for everyone's taste

I rarely write reviews for dramas since I consider that everyone's taste is different and we don't have to and can't like the same things.

However, this drama made me write my first review here.

I'll start by saying that this (as I've seen in the comments) is a "love it" or "hate it" drama, with no in-between.

I, for one, adored it.

It's rare to see such true depiction of real relationships and real human emotions with all their pettiness, frustration, sadness, joy and all that comes when loving another.

It's such a fresh drama that shows the viewer what happens in all stages of a relationship and isn't stopping just at "they lived happily ever after" or "they broke up and that's it".

In my opinion, the viewer has to be in a proper state of mind to watch this drama. Also, a certain amount of life experience might be of help in order to understand it, maybe.

A well made "slice is life" drama with good, bad, funny and sad moments that was really well acted and made me admire Seo Kang Joon even more (his portrayal of Junyoung was amazing) and love and understand Esom's Youngjae and all the other characters.

Life doesn't have a liniar flow. There's always something that will shake us to our core and either make us or breake us and this drama shows this in a very human way.

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It's hell on Earth to keep driving, knowing it's really just a wrong turn.

^Summary of Harumichi's life so far, JK.

STORY - 9 ⭐️
This drama has artfully weaved some historical events (including this COVID pandemic era), cultural references, even social and political issues within this story. About the love story, I wouldn't say that it is something new; there are some cliches; but what I like most are the scenes that made me curious and then find more about it scenes later. Every character was well written, making them real people and have their own depth. I am not sure very sold with the 'love story' between Tsuzuru and Uta but maybe I'm just invested with the main couple's story.

Although presented as a love story in the trailers, it also showed youth's goals and dreams and how some get to fulfill it, some not making it or just taking detours. Some scenes can get preachy about it but over-all, the story's execution is actually good.

ACTING/CAST - 10 ⭐️
There's no denying that the main couple are veteran actors. Don't want to spoil anything but there's this scene that really made me tear up. The young actors did well too and their chemistry suits the theme of first love. Despite not looking like alike, (at least we get the moles right) I can definitely see the young characters maturing into the adult counterparts. Even the supporting characters too had delivered a good performance.

MUSIC - 10 ⭐️
Aside from Utada Hikaru's songs, I find Tsuzuru's music and the drama's sound design and transition faultless. I am no sound or music aficionado but as I watch this with my headphones, I find everything seamless and cinematic. There were a couple of mellow English songs too and it fit well in the atmosphere of the whole drama.

REWATCH VALUE - 8.5 ⭐️
I am not someone who rewatches dramas but the cinematography and the cast's performance alone could easily make me watch it again if I have the time.

OVERALL - 9⭐️

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The chemistry between the leads is really good, there are a lot of sweet moments between them and several funny moments provided by the female lead.

It is hard to pick only one thing that I like about this. I liked almost everything.

If you enjoy a good amount of romance and comedy, adding to it time travel, a "dont you dare mess with me" female lead, a hot/sweet male lead plus beautiful scenarios and clothes; then there is a high chance you will like this. There is also fantasy, specially in the second half.

I kept checking everyday for new episodes. Usually I dont start a drama till it finishes airing, but I did the "mistake" of watching the first episode and then couldn’t help but watch the new episodes as soon as they came out.

Although I liked it, I felt the ending was a little rushed and the fantasy part made me cringe a little since I am not a big fan of the genre.

For me it’s a 9/10. The only other drama that I gave such a high rating was Empress Ki.

I will definitely rewatch this. Actually I watched some of the episodes 2 times already since I watched first alone and then with my sister.

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Disclaimer: Spoilers for the drama and novel ahead but I will try to minimise them as much as possible. I watched the cut version of the drama (56 episodes in total btw) but did watch some scenes from the DVD version that were cut; I also read the Chinese novel and I will be comparing both in one of the major points below.

I felt so strongly about this drama that I specially created an account to review it. It had the potential to become one of my favourite dramas ever but ended up being an incredibly flawed drama even if Lu Zhao Yao and Li Chen Lan are one of my favourite couples ever. They honestly deserved better. Let me point out what is so flawed about this drama while listing a few good points:

1. The editing of the scenes and the transitions between scenes

This was really just a mess, where random important scenes were cut here and there [I am looking at you ep 19 and 21] and for the last 6 episodes it just felt like random scenes were tacked together (not in chronological order). Nevertheless, I did enjoy the prologue at the start of each episode as it felt like a foreshadowing of what was to come. Also, the rampant use of '5 years later' felt out of place and over-used. Honestly, it didn't seem realistic at all that Lu Zhao Yao established Wan Lu Men and sealed Jin Xian in only 5 years.

2. Random plot holes/bad CGI/random mistakes

The CGI was bad but was quite typical for a Chinese drama. However, I did notice various mistakes in the Chinese subtitles, as well as some mistakes in some of the lines delivered by the characters e.g. they referred to other characters by the wrong names. Some of the scenes didn't make sense too, for example in some scenes it felt like simply using teleporting will have resolved a major conflict in the drama, but the character in question chose not to do so for some unknown reason. The props moved about randomly as well probably due to poor editing.

3. Changes from the novel [major major spoilers in this section]

The drama decided to change the whole 'possession' aspect of the novel, which is acceptable if they had explained properly why Zhao Yao had the same face as Qin Zhi Yan and how she got her face back later. I don't see how cleansing herself in the pool to purge herself of everything she ate in Qi Zhi Di would have helped to get her face back.

They added a lot of scenes for other characters to lengthen the drama as the novel was not very long. This was done well sometimes, when some side couples were covered more and their relationships explored in greater depth. However, this felt rather pointless as none of the side couples ended up with each other; they even killed off one of the side characters when the guy totally survived in the novel. Sigh, why will you make us care about the couple and then kill that character off unexpectedly?

As for the antagonists, I immensely disliked how they got a lot more scenes. No one cares about the nth scene of Liu Su Ruo moping about Jin Xian or the nth scene of Lin Zhi Yu moping about Li Chen Lan or the nth scene of some random antagonistic character plotting. Although Jiang Wu was portrayed a lot more sympathetically towards the end, I didn't like how he was essentially just a gigantic lightbulb in the OTP's relationship.

Honestly, if you wanted to make the drama longer, you should have included some of the scenes that were cut from the novel of the OTP or just included the long epilogue from the novel. I did however like the proposal and wedding scenes for the OTP that were not inside the novel.

They also made the OTP much weaker both in personality and powers. Li Chen Lan was practically invincible in the novel and Zhao Yao was always a strong badass female character. In the last 20 episodes, they became so weak that it almost felt as though they were not the same characters anymore.

4. The ending [also major spoilers]

Like I mentioned earlier, the last 6 episodes were just a mess and totally not in chronological order. It was kind of a happy ending, but I was really confused about how they resolved the whole conflict and whether the scene where Zhao Yao 'killed' Li Chen Lan was a cop out or not. Also, I thought it was weird that they used the same actor and actress to portray their children because I had to imagine them as siblings instead of a couple??? It would have been much sweeter using child actors with the couple...

So then, you all may be wondering why this drama is rated a 7.0 despite all my criticisms above. It's basically because of Li Chen Lan and Zhao Yao in episodes 5-41, as well as the general good acting across the board. This couple was the best with such good chemistry that I really felt as though they were in love. They really deserved the ending in the novel instead. The comedy was also pretty good and was one of the few things consistent about this drama.

Sigh this was such a major disappointment in the end...

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" I'll like you alot from here on, I'll be good to you for real..." Moon Chae Won

IN SHORT:
It's an amazing humane drama with an incredibly beautiful narrative. The dialogues are so well versed they hit right into the heart! The quiet heartwarming background piano (sometimes violin mixed too) makes the past flashbacks scenes very alluring and majestic. Those first scenes (the flashbacks) are one of my top favorite bits of each episode!

The production was the definition of perfection till the drama's last breath! Kudos to Directors, Screenwriters, Composers and Actors, especially our beloved Moon Chae Won and LEE JOON GI. They did an outstanding job bringing the characters to life, Do Hyun Su's character was an especially hard one to pull, he truly deserves much love!

IN LENGTH:
The story takes it's time to develop the characters in the first few episodes, and the situation quickly escalates! You'll be surprised how much you're invested by the time the tragic strings of events begin!

The plot is about one man who wants to find the meaning of happiness for once, after dress rehearsing tragedy, in his entire life before! And a woman who wants such happiness for the man she is head over heels in love with!

After turning over his life, 18 years later in the present, he is pretty much what a perfect husband is expected to be! Doing too well to say! Everything is about to get ruined by a sudden turn of event that leads to uncovering his past! which seems to be filled up with misfortunes in more than one way!

The drama takes it's time to develop the main characters in present, while hinting about what could have happened in the past without giving too much spoiler early to fuel our adrenaline secretion, then suddenly we are thrown back to the past to only realize what actually is important is not what we were looking forward to the most! It's a whole different disheartening story that takes a creative take on self-inflicted misery, taking blame, and finding a middle ground for one's well being and happiness!

Acting is top notch! Lee Joon Gi as Baek Hee Seong is top notch! He looks totally dependable, manly and more than anything, a lovely dad! Whereas portraying Do Hyun Su couldn't be better executed! He looks so much younger now, and has a gaze that says the world about him, adorable and painfully cool in his yellow hair style!

Moon Chae Won is doing wonder with her acting! She has the kind of shaky, mellow voice that has emotions breathing out while she talks! She is an amazing actress who wonderfully fills the role of a very caring strong woman, Cha Ji Won, seeking happiness above all else for her family! She looks beautiful and mature, it's always great to see her again in a new drama!

I'm just gonna say! the music is just too perfect! From the incredibly suspenseful tracks "Flower of Evil" and "Switched Destiny" to the melo tracks "Upcoming Shadow" "Hard Relationship" to my most favorite track in this album "Cherry Blossom Kiss" which starts weird, mysterious and full of anxiety and emptiness, then it paces up to a sweeter tone then a more joyful and bright tone, which goes perfectly with Do Hyun Soo's character journey within the drama

We also have the feel nostalgic poetic piano track "Someone to Be Remembered" by Jung Se Rin (I noticed he has also composed the unbelievably beautiful track "When Mind Wants to Rest" from Naui Ahjussi)

There are only three songs on the entire album. (One of them "Psycho" by DOKO, being used only as an ending theme for the episodes and it's very catchy and goes well with the epic clifhangers.)

I have to say the remaining two are the most beautiful songs released in a drama this year! They aren't ever overused and it only plays when you really start to crave a song! They have that kinda impact!

"Feel You" by Shin Yong Jae is one of those two songs and it really deserves all the awards! Mark my words! An unexpressed love confession with lyrics beautifully wording out the feelings he has no idea sorting out for himself!
The melody is especially sad yet thrilling and makes our heart skipping beats! You can't tell what it exactly makes you feel, probably to reflect how Hyun Su can't distinguish between his own emotions, even in those moments his heart races like he is in pain!

"In My Heart" by LIM YEON is also a wonderful love poem, describing what Ji Won is feeling towards Hyun Su, and how even if her heart comes crashing down, she will face it, as long as it's love, she will be there, for her love!

I would probably re-watch this drama many times! It's that good. Tho the mystery element will be gone, it still has lots of suspense and drama to enjoy.

Highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers and those who enjoy subtle romance plot-lines! A Must Watch Definitely.

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Head 2 Head? More Like Living Rent-Free in My Head

This series honestly sneaks up on you. What starts off feeling like sharp banter, rivalry, and chaos slowly turns into something way heavier and endearing. I didn't even realize when it happened- one moment I was entertained, the next I was deeply and emotionally invested. My only complaint is how short the episodes are and the occasional abrupt scene cuts which actually did not bother me as much, because JeromeJinn, they make it completely worth it.

Jerome and Jinn are pure chaos in the best way. They started off as rivals who were constantly at each other's throats- insults, glares, nonstop competition but let's be real, that was just them flirting in denial. Every argument, every petty moment, every attempt to one-up the other was just unresolved feelings screaming for attention. Their chemistry is insane. The trailer calls them each other's nightmare, but all I see is them being each other's world. These two walk into a room and the gravity literally shifts. Their entire world just... orbits around each other. Unintentionally, intentionally- doesn't matter. Whether they are racing, arguing, or simply existing in the same space, it's always them against each other and them with each other, basically always them together.

Spoilers Alert!!

What really elevates the story is how it handles the darker elements. The dreams, visions, and accidents don't exist just for shock value, they slowly change the tone of everything. There's this constant sense that something bad is coming, and J's decision to not tell Jinn becomes its own source of tension. I understand why he does it, but watching him carry that weight alone is painful. The fear is quiet, personal, and suffocating, which makes it hit harder than any dramatic twist. Also, I get why some people feel the dreams are repetitive but isn't that the entire point of the series? Every dream sequence builds on the last. They're not just repeating for the sake of it; they're accumulating. Each one adds a new layer, getting heavier, more serious, and disturbingly real.

I have a lot of favorite moments- like a lot, every episode it just adds up. If I had to mention one of my absolute top favorite then one is Jerome's realization. J admitting he never hated Jinn and that he does not want to forget about the diary- oh my god, that whole scene. The way it played out, the atmosphere, the tension, the way they looked at each other, every word he spoke... and especially the vision of the future that followed, where they softly held each other's hand in the air as they looked at each other- that felt like a promise, like something they didn't have to say out loud because it was already written between them and to top it all off, "Not a Crush?" playing in the background blended so perfectly with the moment- it was perfect. My heart genuinely could not handle it. It was raw, it was beautiful, it was them. Every single second of that moment just cemented why I am completely, hopelessly obsessed with this series.

Also, I cannot not mention the hospital scene after Jinn's head injury. It's painfully beautiful. J is drowning in guilt, convinced the accident is his fault, while Jinn sees it as life being unpredictable and refuses to let J carry the weight of fate itself. What breaks me is realizing Jinn’s biggest fear isn't death- it's J slowly destroying himself with guilt. Even the suggestion of breaking up isn't cruelty; it's desperation. And that kiss? Not romantic... pure panic. A wordless don't say that. Then the line, "But if something happens to me one day, I'll believe you did your best."
This... this has my heart. Jinn isn't asking J to stop caring- he's asking him to stop hurting himself. I have so many more favorite moments and scenes that if I start listing them, I might actually fill every single page of that diary- you know the one that was first Jinn’s and now belongs to Jerome >_<

And then there's FarmVan- a whole different flavor of emotional chaos. Van hijacks Farm's space, steals his snacks, takes his bed like it's his own. And Farm, my sweet, soft, painfully in love Farm. He lets him. Every. Single. Time. Their chemistry is explosive and so is the tension between them. Every glance, every touch, every little flirt makes my heart do somersaults. But here's the thing- Van's insecurity is real, and he's constantly sabotaging himself. He tries, at least with Farm but it's never enough to stop him from hurting Farm in the process. And Farm... my sweet, soft, endlessly patient Farm. He loves Van so fully it hurts.

Also, I never could hate Van. He made me furious, but he also made me care, and that balance is hard to pull off. I understood what he was doing and why he was doing it, even when I couldn't agree with his choices. And honestly, that's what makes this series so strong- it's incredibly consistent with its characters. No one suddenly acts a certain way just to push the plot forward. Every messy decision, every bad call, still feels rooted in who they are. Nothing feels out of character, and that's what makes all the emotional beats hit so much harder.

Also, shout out to Mai who has been third wheeling, actually no fifth wheeling so hard I am convinced he deserves financial compensation and also a partner at this point. He has really suffered enough. I adore his friendship with them. And while we're at it, I absolutely love the mums and their friendship too- warm, grounding, and quietly perfect.

And I am in love with the OST, especially "Turns Out It's You". I have had it on loop for months. The lines- "I told myself no, but turns out it's you. I told myself don't, but you are the one." that is literally J and Jinn in TWO LINES. It screams them. In fact the song bleeds them. I don't think this is ever getting out of my playlist. Also, "Secret Crush" is just as good and this is J's POV. And "Not a Crush?" is Jinn's POV. I love all the osts including Friend Next Door and all those unknown background music which I still don't know the names of.

This series might not be perfect, and I am sure it has it's flaws, but for me, it's nothing short of perfect. It has a way of pulling me in and making every moment feel unforgettable. I'm so damn in love with this series. This series made me a fan of SeaKeen and now I am absolutely smitten by them. Highly Recommended!!!

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