Reviews

“And further longing offered no respite…”

With these words uttered during the opening scene of the first episode, the wuxia seemed set to weave a heart wrenching tale. After the various twists and turns, the last episode ended with the same melancholic tone pulling me towards Part 2 in hopes of finding a happily every after ending.

After having been blown away by Ten Miles of Peach Blossom, I can’t help but compare and wonder if I was overly generous with that drama’s rating because I was a newbie to wuxia back then.

Although this story had the usual jealousy and misunderstandings, it also had some unique elements and this drama was pretty decent overall. I loved the imagination of how the different realms looked along with the gorgeous costumes and headpieces. What it fell short of was logic (when someone is falling down, the clothes should flow upwards) and some messy wire work with landings and lift offs of the respective characters.

Kudos to the actress who played one of the villains. It is to her credit that I despised her and constantly wished she would get killed off. While the FL’s chirpy character reminded me of her other work in Ashes of Love, I am glad she showed better depth of love and sadness here. The ML as a deity was very similar to his other cool and serious self in Love and Redemption so it was good to see him be more expressive when he was a human in the Mortal Realm.

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I definitely gave this drama 10/10. You should’t hesitate to watch this drama. To be honest I seldom give drama that I watched a review unless it really gave a deep impression to me & this drama is superb.

The story was inspiring & the characters were really funny and developing. Be patient if you watch episode 1 because the story will definitely get interesting. I couldn’t say more but I just want to say. you Must Watch This Drama??

Storyline: from sad, funny, suspense, romance... all are blended well in da drama.

Characters: every actors played important role not just the main role. I still love the additional Ji Ho, I think she played really important role as well. The rest of the actors were amazing & really funny ???? 

You won’t regret it.

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Sweet like sugar

I would say that this drama is like the embodiment of youth. It's so bright and heartwarming, really makes you want to go back to high school. It's fun, romantic and just chill, you mostly get to see the daily lives of four students. I think that their school days are what I always wanted and thought high school would be like (it's not), so it makes the audience really happy. Overall it's pretty light and there aren't any big obstacles, but I still think there are some important messages in this drama that will stay in your heart. This is probably the most heart-fluttering drama I've ever seen, just because it's so fresh and they're so young and naive. I also loved the cute qoutes they put at the end of every episode.

If you think this drama sounds interesting, definitely give it a try, I'm sure you'll like it a lot too! <3

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I really don't want to seem overly excited, but this drama is really fucking good!

First things first: the storyline is really sweet! If you want to see hot-heated grinding and dirty sex, this isn't the right series for you. It is rather sweetly built up, a bit of a slow-built drama, but it develops reasonably, and every touch is so sweet and careful - I love it.
What strikes me the most about this drama is that I learned many new things about the culture and their traditions, which cannot be expected automatically in an asian drama (as the main audience probably knows about all this stuff). It also helpes me to understand other dramas a bit better because here in Europe - it's very different.

Secondly, the characters. Where should I begin? The actors are just perfectly chosen for their respective roles. Their expression of feeling is fucking on point!

All in all, this drama is very cute, has funny elements in it and is very touching. I can only recommend it, if you're searching for cuteness, softness and slow-built romance!

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I haven't seen the original drama. This is my first take on the story, and honestly, this movie is one big trailer as you watch you get bits and pieces of the larger storyline. As a viewer, you see the different branches of the storyline being told. But you don't get the full story behind each. It's not a disappointment of a film. It has to some small degree a plot. It has some music that is used both to help the story along or to show the different moods. But it is not a standout soundtrack. Its just something added as another layer of the story. I would say that it is just a too long trailer for the drama. In that respect, it did as it was supposed to. It makes me want to watch the original show and see just exactly what is happening. To me, it did a great job summarizing what exactly is going to happen in a concise snapshot of the drama. My interest in the drama has now made me watch that, but I was hesitant about its length. This movie provided an excellent overview and basic what to look out for a while watching it.

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One of my very favorites, out of hundreds of good Kdramas watched.

I was unsure of this one at first, because I'd never heard of anyone in the cast except Kim Woo Bin. And I didn't think the lead men were particularly handsome, either. But, because it was written by the brilliant writer of Descendants of the Sun and many other great and popular dramas, I decided to give it a shot. Honestly, I thought it was brilliant. Witty, engrossing, screamingly funny, romantic, well acted, and very moving. Can't really think of many I liked better than this, and will definitely watch it again with my bestie in a month or two. By the end of this drama, I was in love with this whole very talented cast, and grew to think all of the lead males were adorable. I just can't gush enough, really, but I will spare you and stop now. Except to say that if you're on the fence, WATCH IT. Bet you'll binge it all in a few days. It took me less than four, and I lost some sleep over it.

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Exceeds my expectations

During a lull period in my life, I decided to pick this up from my watchlist due to its esports genre. Honestly, I did not have high hopes for it due to the comments on Lu Han's acting in other shows. But this show really BLEW ME AWAY. The slight fantasy part and the romance was secondary, what I really loved was the team spirit and love between the members of both teams. Both male leads were fighting for their dreams, backed by a great team. Even small nobodies can also make it big. Although there was a sudden plot twist with Lu Han's character and his best friend, I still found the entire story overall to be superb. Lu Han exceeded my expectations while Wu Lei performed well as expected. OST was also great, esp this song 梦寐之地 by Lu Han. I suggest everyone to give this a try.

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Nuanced characterisation and amazing acting. Strong female characters. Great storytelling.

It's hard to find a women-centred series that isn't ultimately about the aftermath of a man's infidelity and the modern day take of harem infighting that goes on between wives, mistresses and empires. It's harder to find a female revenge story that's really satisfying. 'Burn the House Down' or 'Mitaraike, Enjou Suru' ticks both boxes. To say that I was blown away by this story was an understatement. The female characters are really strong and nuanced and the plot twists keep you guessing till the end. Ultimately, it was hard to draw the line between wrong and right and most of things were left in the grey areas.

What I loved about this story was how fleshed out and realistic it was. It's usual to have one character shoulder the burden, and hog the limelight, for the plotting and revenge work but to share the work between the two sisters was really unique writing. I really liked how the sibling relationships were explored in BtHD both between the Murata sisters and the Mitarai brothers as well. It's refreshing to see supportive, functional sibling relationships as well, having been so used to competitive and backstabbing ones from western shows. All the psychology behind the characters were also realistic. The ineffectual father, the only son from a family of dominant women, was on point. The fact that Makiko could handle the sisters' bullying better and the fact that Yuzu would be too young to fully understand the father's character and the dynamics at play.

Mitarai Makiko was portrayed as the villainess from the start but in the end, the audience is left wondering "what the hell?!" when we discover that her only crime had been envy and being a protective mother. Is she still someone we should hate? Does she still deserve all that bile buildup from the onset? Or was she also a victim of circumstance and only acting out of self preservation? It's all still up in the air. What's not up in the air was Suzuki Kyoka's acting though. From the moment she appears on screen she really captures the attention. Her micro-expressions when witnessing the fire was also excellently acted to portray both possibilities of what the audience was first led to believe was schadenfreude and also the immense relief at being able to start her slate anew that we later discover was the actual case. Kyoka really inhabits each scene she has with the confidence that comes from being a battler single mom Makiko, something that Satsuki desperately seeks. Makiko is a tremendous survivor of the odds and despite her major setback we see her endeavour to make a comeback again in the end. She is not a pure white character but a real one and though her methods were questionable one can't really judge the means by which she employs her resources to survive in a society and culture that is not kind to single, poor mothers. Makiko's juxtaposition against Satsuki was fantastic in that she brings out the "life" in the latter.

As the show developed there was a suspicion that Satsuki was an unhappily married woman. Satsuki's character was interesting in that she was only unhappy because she felt she could not be enough to help her husband in life and career, not because of problems with the husband. All her thoughts were for her husband and family. This was a character who wanted nothing more than to be an effective and competent homemaker, a stark contrast to most portrayals of stay-at-home mums being sapped of life because of their choice to be SAHMs. Despite being bullied by her sister-in-laws Satsuki wanted to develop confidence, not to defend herself, but to help her husband in the family more. She wanted to learn how to communicate what she wanted and felt, and to even know what she wanted to begin with. We see that her blog posts are described as lifeless and mundane. What a great little piece of information to show a facet of her character. In the end, Makiko's family's acts sets her on this path to self deconstruction and reconstruction. We hear harsh words from her that we'd never imagine could come from a selfless, kind, compassionate Satsuki. Words like "I've hated you from the beginning" directed at Makiko, "I will never forgive you" to Shinji, words that would be more fitting coming from villainess Makiko than pure Satsuki yet when she utters those words and feelings there is a life in the woman, for once. It dawns on the audience and now, with the flaws and the dark thoughts, Satsuki has found that confidence and life that she lacked and so desperately sought in the past. Having this contrast made it seem like Makiko and Satsuki were the perfect yin and yang, bringing out the little light and little darkness that balanced everything out to be more harmonious people. Both were not perfect yet both are real. And because of the diametrically opposite dynamic of their characters it was fitting for Satsuki to have been the one who brought down Makiko by doing something slightly Makiko-ish ie underhanded. By doing so, Satsuki became a less passive character and ended up being the one who saved herself.

Anzu is an incredibly strong female character that is so rare on the screen. Nowadays we are used to badass women who are badass on the male level ie they are warrior like amazons or compete well on a male dominated corporate level or similar. Anzu is none of those but still a badass because she is focused, disciplined, and resolute. She was scared of Kiichi but still plowed through those fears because her mind was made up from years ago. She was scared of other things going wrong, of being found out, of this, of that, but she still did it. She didn't meekly take the push from Kiichi but also pushed back. Courage is having fears but still doing it and Anzu is the embodiment of that. When she stood up to her father and b!tchslapped his phone out of his hands Anzu was really showing the strong feminine energy that's rarely, rarely celebrated. Being the firstborn, she's seen the father's role in the Mitarai family, acutely appraised his character from his behaviour during the 13 absent years and know where she stands in what she's doing and his place in it. Unlike Anzu, she has no illusions that he can be relied on to be even a chance of an ally to her plight to clear her mother's name. Where it is usual to portray daughters as being easily fooled by the excuses of errant fathers Anzu has long ago decided she has no place for his BS. The phone smack would be considered utterly rude and unfilial, in the cultural context, but morally correct in the universal justice context. Anzu showed that she was a bigger person in defying culture and her patriarch. The real badassery from that act was the fact that she did it as she was championing her family, which included her mother and her sister. Because, as Anzu so rightly contextualises everything to Shinji at his confession, it is all about protecting one's family, just as he did.

The reveal was a bit of a rollercoaster which hovered on comical in that it was too "Come on! What?! How 'bout the cat? Did the cat do it too?!" However, the flashbacks interspersed in between and the way the characters have behaved throughout (Makiko always refers to protecting Kiichi, Makiko discovers she still had the cardigan but it was in a box whereas the cardigan on the CCTV shows it being worn) supports it. Because the careful editing supported the conclusion the plot twists did not feel like a gimmicky add-on, which made the story even more masterful.

The ending, imho, was very satisfying. It wasn't linear but it was right. Everything that should happen did happen and the characters all found their own peace. Only let down was the odd soundtrack but it sounded like some 80s video games which I thought was an allusion to Kiichi's fondness for video games maybe. It's not a dealbreaker by any means.

I highly recommend this series for ppl who love great stories about strong women and aren't looking for neat, linear endings but real ones. It's refreshing to see a predominantly female cast in the testosterone filled film & tv industry, even more so that the characters aren't cliche and shallow stereotypes.

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As soon as I started this drama I couldn't stop watching. The story was something else and always kept me on edge; with the male lead's suspicious and mysterious personality and the female lead's very relatable character. By the end of it I started getting really scared as of how it's gonna end because I read a lot of disappointed reviews. Thankfully though, the ending was good, in my opinion ofcourse. The cast was amazing and the acting was so so good!! I fell in love with baek in ha's crazy personality and weird facial expressions. The actress really took the role to a new level! :D
I pretty much liked how realistic the story was from beginning to end. It's safe to say that I haven't watched a korean drama that was similar in anyway to this before. I highly recommend it. It is not a waste of time, and you'll enjoy every second of it.

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So, so beautifully understated.

The story and the pace isn't exactly for everyone; people are naturally drawn to the flashiest love stories, extreme revenge plots, or the action-packed fight scenes - the extreme of the extremes. In the midst of all the chaos, there was a little drama that passed by like a cold winter breeze - When the Weather is Fine. Its beauty lies within the quiet moments, the slight shift of emotions, the insights, and the unspoken love of the characters. Every episode is a layer of healing, like a page in a beautifully written book. The ambience and the heart of the drama was exactly what I needed. It was serendipity; like a warm hug to my unknowingly shattered spirit. It is your comfort zone, an embrace from your loved one after a long day; it's your security blanket. That is what it made me feel.

The ending felt lackluster - I was expecting a more solid flow of stories, instead of a rushed, fast-paced yet ambiguous tone it had. I wanted the ending as a time to bid farewell to the drama, the characters, and the book club. But it didn't gave me that satisfaction and instead left me feeling confused with its open ended-ness. That will probably the only critique and disappointment I have with the drama.

It might take a long time for me to forget this drama. It truly is a drama where you will remember it during the coldest of the nights where you feel lost and broken, and also when the sunlight hits you warmly, when the weather becomes fine, in your heart.

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Needs more character development.

Seheon is the youngest son of a Music Professor and his older Brother is gifted when it comes to music. His Father is prejudiced about music. He feels that only Classical Music is worth playing. Seheon plate the Piano and he loves Jazz Music. His Father has him practicing playing Classical almost every waking hour. With the exception of School Work, eating and sleep. He transfers to a special High School, in his Sophomore year, after being home schooled. There he eventually meets Seyi, who also loves Jazz. Things between the two of them don't start off well. Seyi tells Seheon that if he ever finds Seheon playing the Piano in that room again he will kill him.
A little while later we meet Juha. He is 1-2 years ahead of Seheon and Seyi in School. He has an axe to grind with Seyi. After noticing Seyi seems to care about Seheon he decides he will get "friendly" with Seheon to get even with Seyi. As time goes on Seyi stops being antagonistic towards Seheon. Seheon starts to develop feelings for Seyi due to his kindness. One day after Seyi takes care of a cut on Seheon's hand, Seheon leans over and kisses Seyi. Seyi wipes off his mouth and walks out. After sometime and introspection Seyi comes to realize he does like Seheon.
Personally, while I feel this a good Drama and definitely worth watching, I feel it was too short and they need to spend some more time on character development. After Seheon returns home after running away from home, his Father is furious with him and starts a fight. You can see that his Father does love him and was worried about him but can't express it properly. I would like to have seen what made him that way. Seheon's older cares about him and tries to always act as a go between with Dad and Seheon. I would also like to have seen why his Father lets him practice Jazz and enter the Festival. I would also liked to it if they showed a little of Juha 's background and why originally a bully. I feel that they should have added about 2 more episodes. To flesh out the characters. It felt a little rushed towards the end. It is worth rewatching and hopefully they will make a season 2 to give us a little more backstory for the characters and maybe give us more time with the 2nd Couple, Doyoon and Juha.

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