This review may contain spoilers
what... a MASTERPIECE... just BRAVO!
“There’s a saying, ‘A mother can replace anything in this world. But nothing can replace a mother.'” – Mr. SonIn general, you know that a drama will be one of your all-time favorites as soon as you watch the first episode. I had this feeling with this drama. The pace is exactly what I love. In two episodes only, we already had a grasp of the situation. There wasn't one episode that was boring, and it's really hard to make an episode as thrilling as possible especially when it exceeds 1 hour.
First and foremost, let's talk about the story itself. It's mainly revolving around the utterly complicated relationship between a mother and her son. What I liked about this drama is that as the episodes go by, we felt like we grew up with them. We see Kangho's birth, his first steps, his traumas, his love-life, his true passion (drawing), his coldness, his cuteness, his kindness. It's really rare to have such a complete character. We basically know everything about him and it helps us understand him more and be more invested in the story. We also have a grasp of Youngsoon's story and her reasons behind her abusive behavior towards her son (I do not condone this type of behavior whatsoever and whatever the reasons may be) . Besides her bad acts, I still like her as a human being. She suffered way too much in her life. From losing her parents and brother, her husband, her pig farm, and almost losing her son, I'm really wondering how she was able to maintain a kind soul. She is a bad mother indeed, but she isn't the type to do it willingly and without any emotions. Kangho's accident was a way for her to redeem herself. "Please let me be a bad mother once again, Kangho", she said while teaching him how to eat after his accident. She is fully aware of her doings and isn't proud of it. When she hit Kangho's calves, she healed it while he was sleeping, when she ripped his drawing, she sticked it back. Kangho is fully aware of this and this is why he doesn't hate her this much.
“What I really wanted to avenge was your life they utterly destroyed, and the pain you felt living as a bad mother to your most beloved son.” – KangHo
However, what gives life to this drama are the supporting characters, especially the Jouri village. I really got a "Reply 1988" vibe from this, and funny thing is that the trio "Kangho-Mijoo-Samshik" is born in 1988! We had different families reunited in a tiny village growing together, bickering, laughing, crying, they truly rely on each other and love each other. Each character had its time to shine, even Tiger the dog and Lion the pig had their time to shine! I really like the fact that they put up the tiny-village-family-looking trope in this drama, it lower our heart rate and makes us laugh for a tiny while. I'm personally a big fan of dramas with a variety of genres, I don't remember liking many dramas sticking to a single genre. Hence, if you're like me, you will absolutely love this show. Thriller, mystery, family, life, romance, comedy, law, and i'm sure that I forgot other genres.
Let's get into the acting. Wow... just wow. Ra Miran, Lee Dohyun, Ahn Eunjin, Choi Moosung, Jung Woongin, Yoo Insoo... and the list goes on and on. The cast was perfectly chosen. Every single actor nailed their role, every single actor was able to depict the role and give life to it. A little thing I want to add, THE TWINS ARE SO CUTE. I wish them the best in their upcoming endeavours and hope they will become amazing actors in the far future! I hope this drama will get a lot of Baeksang nominations!
A good bad mother may not be perfect, but she does her best and sacrifices everything that she has just to see her child succeed in life. Taking a step back, Youngsoon loved Kangho to death and could do everything for him, her approach to show her love was wrong. I'm just glad that during that dark time for both Youngsoon and Kangho, Mijoo was able to be his ray of sunshine that made him believe that life wasn't that bad. Love can do wonders.
“One day, when everything ends and I can return to your side, I wish to lie in your arms and eat mung bean pancakes just as I did when I was a little boy.” – KangHo
"I wanted to become the best mom for you, but you only get one life and it was my first time being a mom, so I'm sorry that I wasnt good enough. I prayed that I'd become your mom once again, and if that ever happens I promised I'll do better" - Youngsoon
I hope that Kangho and Youngsoon will reunite one day and do as Kangho and Youngsoon wished, to eat his mom's pancakes and be pampered by her. After all, we will all always be little children to our parents.
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Enemies to lovers! Best drama in this trope for 2025 so far
Enemies to lovers genre is my favourite, this is how I stumbled upon this best new drama 2025. The moment I watched the first episode I was hooked and binged watched till 20th episode.I'm enthralled by this drama's undeniable captivating, engaging and intriguing story line. I'm thoroughly impressed by main actors' flawless and impeccable acting. I have always loved SZE's dramas, but in this drama my respect for her has sky rocketed. She has portrayed her character perfectly. Furthermore, I have watched some amazing dramas of LYN, but in this drama his acting has gotten better phenomenally. It's like this role was especially made for him. I adore their love and hate relationship.
I'm particularly impressed that the fl, QM is not at all a beauty in distress but instead an incredibly smart, wise, quick witted, sharp tongued, courageous, refined, elegant, poised and well educated diplomat who knows how to wade smoothly through political and personal trials and challenges while always keeping the safety, happiness and prosperity of the general people at the top of her priorities. She is prudent and resourceful, only plots and plans when required to protect her husband, family or country and for the people she cares about but knows when to give way and listen to advice. I'm surprised at her resilience even when she is treated unfairly she thinks logically not always emotionally to counter the challenges. She never takes any injustice lying down even when in disadvantageous position. Putting political life aside, she never slacks off in her duties to her family, her husband and her in laws. When realising where her heart lies, she is not afraid to wear it on her sleeves and even bravely pursue a person who she knows is wary of her for fair reasons and reluctant to accept her heart.
The ml is playing his role incredibly well too. WS is undefeated charming hero with years of expertise, wisdom and knowledge of how to run a country and conquer territories. He is smart, clever, brave, patriarchal, responsible leader and has flail piety yet he lacks emotional intelligence and deeper understanding of people's heart. He is plagued by revenge and blood thirst is embedded in him due to events that took in past. However, he is principled enough to learn to become more open minded, forgiving and soft hearted. He tries to learn to let go of grudges for greater good's sake and for his grand mother's sake. He wins every territory with his smart wits and courage but in contrast its super cute when he is unable to win against his wife's arguments, antics and runs away everytime. Its very satisfying how this tsundere man starts off completely rejecting her and insulting her due to his grudges and prejudice against the fl and her clan but slowly he sees and acknowledges all the great things about her. He learns to acknowledge her righteous heart and meticulous care for him and starts to give her benefit of a doubt in most perilous situations caused by outsiders or insiders intentionally or unintentionally. Understandably, he struggled to accept her heart and admit his own due to many personal and political reasons. His originally cold and hard heart melted in to warm, benevolent and magnanimous one influenced by fl who always flows like water.
The story is working very closely around "enemies to lovers" genre, both main leads were antagonistic initially due to significant conflicts imposed on them from past generations' problems and then developed a romantic relationship as they navigated their differences, insecurities and misconceptions. They found their shared goal, sometimes they were forced to cooperate with each other which led them to interact with each other then form trust and as they interacted, eventually they learned to overcome internal and external obstacles, which in turn led them to form deeper emotional connections and romantic feelings. I particularly love this trope because its known for its tension and attraction, we can see that the ml and fl are constantly battling their feelings and the external pressures against their relationship.
Unique to this story, every time the couple faced challenge/misunderstandings/unexpected trials they grew closer. Fortunately, both main leads had the decency to reflect on their mistakes, apologize wholeheartedly and mend their old ways to become a devoted, honest and sincere couple. Through arduous journey together, both learned that they have to act as one, be transparent to each other and be each others' confidant and protector to defeat the odds.
Side characters are doing excellent work in performing their roles to the highest of standards. They are very dynamic and have smooth chemistry with each other and the main characters. My personal favourites are the generals and the advisor. Its incredibly hilarious how ml casually decides to visit advisor's wife whenever he is trying to avoid his wife. Then comes the WLx XT couple who played vital part in bringing the main couple together. They are very cute and funny, there is never a dull moment with them around. WY's character development is beautifully executed, his character is very intriguing and amusing too. He starts off with very bad reputation and scheming behaviour and makes many mistakes. However, unlike the villains who arrogantly continued making wicked and selfish decisions, WY turned the tide by having remorse, correcting himself, valuing his family's love, sincerity and care for him then returning it ten fold with his talent, loyalty, courageous and selfless acts.
Overall I'm absolutely in love with this master piece. The OSTs, cinematography, settings and historical clothes are magnificent. I highly recommend this drama, every second of it is worth the watch. It has become one of my all time favourite dramas. I'm glad the main leads have got the ending they hard-earned. ☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆
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Most Beautiful Drama of All Time
I’ve done a review for the full version of this drama Chenqing Ling (The Untamed) - it’s long with details (my review). In this review, I don’t want to reiterate what I’ve written before. I just want to do a "short" one for the new viewers.Many viewers who have not watched the drama wonder if they should watch the special version or the full version. Many viewers are also uncertain why this drama has such high rating and if they are missing out anything, and if they should start watching it themselves. Some viewers also say they are disappointed and the drama doesn’t live up to their expectation.
I have read both extreme ends of the comments. Some viewers have watched this drama for umpteen times, read the novel, watched the donghua (anime), read the manhua (manga), watched all the BTS’s, read all the fanfics, fanvids, etc. (I must admit I’ve done likewise.) On the other extreme, many viewers cannot even get passed the first few episodes and cannot understand what the hype is all about. When they come to this platform (MyDramaList) to question, instead of getting answers, they get clobbered.
This drama is based on a very popular BL novel. To pass censorship in China, the BL part is suppressed if not totally eliminated. But, the production team has cleverly disguised the BL elements into thousands of little moments inserted throughout the series, including within the music, and these little moments are open to interpretation: BL fans see romance right away whereas others see only platonic friendship (that was my first impression in my first viewing). Either way, the story portrays chivalry, selflessness, and magnanimity. It provides many life lessons for all viewers.
This special edition is basically a shorter version of the drama. The original series has a slow start. Many viewers who have not read the novel get pretty confused, myself included. Many even drop the series because of it. In this special edition, the beginning 2 episodes of the original version are cut off; it goes straight to the very beginning of the timeline – 16 years ago. It also includes some scenes (very few) that are not in the original version. It cuts off many peripheral characters and scenes, and focuses more on the two main leads and their relationship. Like it or not, it is this relationship (among others) that has created the largest deluge for viewers who have watched and love this drama. It is also one of the main reasons that propels Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo, the two main leads, into stardom. Currently the duo are the most popular actors in China, receiving countless awards.
For viewers who just want to test the water, the special edition may be a good start. However, the original full version provides better explanation and overall plot of the story. A lot of the questions of this drama have been addressed here: https://mydramalist.com/discussions/the-untamed.
This drama means very different things to different people. For many fans, this is the best drama of ALL TIME. For me, this is true also because it touches certain parts of my heart. It stirs up all kinds of emotions in me which I’ve never experienced before in other dramas – happiness, sadness, light-heartedness, agony, hopefulness, hopelessness, among others. It brings me through a lot of painful experiences, and yet gives me a lot of sweetness in between and in the end.
Yes, I’d say this is a MUST-WATCH drama. It really doesn’t matter which gender and what sexual orientation you are. It doesn’t matter which culture you’ve come from. After all, we all live on the same planet, go through similar injustices in life, and most of all, can relate to the characters one way or another.
Two thumbs up!
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Unfortunately, like an emotion, it has to be felt to be understood. Just like words frequently falter at expressing our feelings so they also falter at describing this beautiful drama.
With dismal ratings in Korea, the show even ended up being cut to 12 episodes. But even though the loss of those four is a tragedy and the show was forced to speed up its storytelling to compensate, it is still an almost-perfect study of grief, loss and how we grapple with the hole people leave in the world when they pass.
Jung Hae-in always gives lovely understated performances and his portrayal of the inventor Moon Ha-won is no exception. Ha-won has loved and lost but always from afar as he observes life but fails to live it. He is an inventor in the world of artificial intelligence working on recreating the personalities of lost loved ones for therapeutic purposes. He is driven by the need to understand both the sudden death of his mother when he was 18 and the loss of his childhood friend, Kim Ji-soo (Park Joo-hyun), whose husband insisted she break ties with him after their marriage.
While working on the project he acquires a recording studio to lay down voices and meets orphaned sound engineer, Han Seo-woo. Chae Soo-bin is wonderful here as the warm but still grief-stricken Seo-woo. These two embark on a healing relationship of mutuality and reciprocity. This couple's ability to understand and accept the other's losses and to each give and take to an equal extent is heartwarming to watch unfold.
At one point in the drama, Ha-won suggests Banbogi: a meeting between two people who love each other at a midway point between the two. Bangobi encapsulates the reciprocity and mutuality between the two. One does not go to the other, whether physically or emotionally. They always meet in the middle.
Our core couple orbit the black hole that is the loss of Ji-soo. But around them swirl a host of other damaged characters. Ha-won's niece , Moon Soon-ho (Lee Ha Na) who has taken nine years to get over a bad breakup. Jis-oo's controlling and almost-abusive husband, Gang In-wook (Kim Sung-gyu). And the found family of guests living in the boarding house that Seo-woo took shelter in after the death of her family.
While the show examines grief in all its iterations - whether through the death of a loved one, a relationship, or even the person you used to be - it's also about the way in which we grapple with the hole a person leaves in the world when they're gone. How we want just a piece of them to hold onto and how we struggle with the realisation that we will never know what they were thinking because we can never speak to them again.
The Ji-soo AI that Ha-won creates becomes that piece. But it's through Ha-won and In-wook's reactions to that piece that we see most clearly what this drama is trying to say. People are not pieces or object to possess, control or dominate. We will never own them, just as we will never know truly what they think and feel. But that isn't necessary to gain comfort and strength from them and to give that comfort and strength in return.
Grief is overcome by connection and community but most of all through true mutuality. And that's the most heartwarming message of all.
I can only hope that now it's over, people can finally realise what a gem this show was. And maybe, just maybe, next time Korea produces something as finely-written and beautiful as this, people will watch it.
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The premises is simple - an intellectually disabled father is found guilty for a murder that he didn't commit and throughout it all his daughter, Ye Seung stuck by him. He is sentence to prison and placed in Cell no. 7 with inmates. He is treated badly at first because of the fact that he was charged with the murder and rape of a child. Though as the story progresses people begin to realise that a guy like this couldn't have possibly done something atrocious as that!
What I see and feel in this movies is just love in the purest kind. Their father and daughter bond was for me the driving force of the story.
There were times when I felt so much anger for the injustice.
Times when I laughed my ass off because it was so damn hilarious!
Times when I cried my heart out because of the beauty of the story, the characters and the unbelievably heart warming relationship.
My sister and I watched it together and we literally used up the entire box of tissue! I recommend everyone to watch it because it is just such an amazing story and the feels are OVER THE ROOF!
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Let me tell you why you shouldn't shelf this drama aside as 'yet another time traveling drama'
- The series focuses on our main leads, who have been married for 14 years and are getting divorced. It stresses on the fact that marriage is not simply the happy ending, as it's normally shown in dramas. Throughout the whole show, little by little, we get to see what it was that went wrong with our OTP in the first place. The drama portrays the painful reality of marriage.
- Going back in time to change one's past mistake might not appear to be a fresh idea for a drama. But believe me when I say this, that the execution is simply top-notch. This drama hits all the right notes for the viewers. This drama explores the question of If you could go back, back to the time before it all started, what would you do? Would you make the same decisions you made before? Or would you do something you didn't get to do before?
- This drama is just so beautifully realistic in it's approach. Whether it's the flashback scenes or back to the time 1999 scenes, every struggle, every problem, every situation that our leads face is handled in such a realistic way, that it's hard not to appreciate that.
- This drama is going to play with your emotions. And I mean this in the best way. One second, it'll make you laugh out loud. And the next, it'll have you tearing up. Specially the scenes of Seo Jin and Jin Joo with her mom will have you crying out loud. So better prepare some tissues, 'cause you're going to bawl your eyes out in every episode.
- The second lead syndrome is really strong in this one, there's no denying this. The first few episodes, (or in some cases, maybe throughout the whole drama) you're going to ship the leads with the second leads. Specially Nam Gil sunbae. He's simply...perfect. He's cute, kind, funny and well, always there for our lead girl. It's impossible not to fall for this guy.
- One of the best things about this drama, and one that I really loved is the narration by Ban Do & Jin Joo at the opening and ending scenes of every episode. I love how they start with something painfully honest, and end with something hopeful.
- Instead of asking yourself what does this drama has to offer you, question what doesn't it has to offer you. My answer- Nothing! Yup. Might sound unbelievable, but it's true. And you'll realize it too. This drama has everything from comedy, romance, friendship to slice-of-life and nostalgia. Every genre is balanced enough to give viewers an unforgettable watch.
- The OST is just beautiful and melodious. I have had plenty of dramas where I liked or even loved the OST, but this is one of the few rare dramas where I was moved by the songs. They are just so good and so fitting. My personal favorites being 'Dream' by Lucia & 'Wind Song' by Sohyang.
After reading my review, you might think I overused the word 'beautiful', but honestly, that's the only word I can describe this drama with. It's beautiful. It's heartwarminlgly and hearwrenchingly beautiful. So I sincerely hope that you give this drama a chance.Happy Watching!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Slowburn to a Turtle Race but we arrived
Overall: Finally finished this and while I think it would have been better as a 24ep drama because they would have had less unnecessarily focus on irrelevant subplots and side characters, I enjoyed the ending when we finally arrived. The writing felt like it had to keep causing obstacles for our main leads and it got redundant. I always prefer it when our leads overcome obstacles vs. being separated by them, and once they got together, that didn't break them up at least. But the obstacles began to feel like filler, and it diluted the overall story.First Impression from Ep 1 - 23.
Ep 1 - 6 were so good, I literally couldn't stop. I was kicking my feet!! I love Miles Wei so bad, I love him as a green flag & I was excited that this is the first GREAT pure romance of 2026. I had been in POJ haze with it ending this week and this is exactly what I had been missing from my drama palate!!! I was cracking up and covering my face from second hand embarrassment all through these first episodes.
Ep 7 - 10 I remained invested but I am I craving some progress, even if it is small.
Ep 10 - 13 we had some flirting that resulted in NO PROGRESS.
Ep 14 By now I am more invested in the best friend's story than our leading couple, and I am bored with our leads.
Ep 15 -21 I am so tired of the second main lead getting all this screen time, especially when his feelings are clearly one sided and he feels more like a nuisance than an obstacle. It is just delaying the progress of our leads who are doing a good enough job on their own at turning a slow burn into a turtle race. I am disappointed, at this rate this drama definitely should have been 24 eps vs 30. Because they wouldn't be butchering the pacing this much if they had less time to drag this out. I am at a point that I am ready to put it down so I can watch the ending later because I don't have the patience for this pacing.
EP 22: PROGRESS FINALLY but of course it is the babiest of baby steps. At least by the end of ep 22 we are on the heels of a reveal for his sister writing the other story.
The plot continued to get diluted by misunderstandings and miscommunications from here and it took way too long to overcome them. It felt like they were trying to fill space to allow our second lead couple room to bloom when they could have just moved that storyline up sooner.
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The plot is a hot mess. Very hot on the eyes and the heart and very much a mess for the intellect. But, frankly, I was more than willing to overlook every plot-hole, every unrealistic twist, every narrative ingenuity while watching, because the emotions portrayed were so strong, so moving and beautiful, it was like swimming in self-inflicted, desired pain. This is a story of friendship, and this aspect is wonderful. I rejoiced in every scene which would bring the friends/rivals together on screen and not surprisingly those scenes are the best shot ones too, with some stunning choreography and mesmerizing music. I could have watched 29 hours of sword fights or friends silently sitting next to each other without complain. This is what the story is about and as I said it's incredibly beautiful.
On the other hand, the plot, or, if you prefer, the writing, goes everywhere and nowhere. Aliens could have landed in Joseon and killed them all with laser beams and it would have gone almost unnoticed in the circus. I'm not saying the politics didn't count, but I simply didn't care. What I cared about were the characters and their bond.
First, the kids: they enchanted me. Because this drama is totally devoid of mother figures – the only living one having refused to be such for 20 years – I suppose my very latent mother instinct came to the surface with a vengeance. The acting by both Yeo Jin Goo and Park Gun Tae was amazing and I'm kind of indignant they are listed as "guest roles" here. In less than 4 episodes they managed to make me love the characters and die to see how they'd connect to one another. The young Wun in particular must be the most harrowing character I've come across in a long while. My desire to kill that father of his with my own hands reached unexpected and disquieting heights.
Then, there's the older generation of friends/foes, mainly Chun the Sky Lord and Gwan Taek, who share a weird bond based on rivalry and grumpy respect shown with swords. I won't spend too many words on the two actors, they are simply brilliant and the director seemed to share my opinion since the best camera works are dedicated to them. I mostly appreciated Choi Min Soo's rendition of his character, which could have easily come out of a Sergio Leone's film.
This drama is based on a manwha and this is particularly obvious in all the main characters who are clear cut and distinctive like drawings.
Not so the adult Dong Soo And Yeo Wun, who mature and change, making this into a coming-of-age drama. As single individuals they are very different, one light the other dark, one goofy the other somber, one stubborn the other easy to manipulate, but together they shine. I loved the acting of both Ji Chang Wook and Yo Seung Ho; the first because he enters the character in a way that makes you instantly forget whatever role you may have seen him in before: here, he's Dong Soo. There's a lot of physicality in his acting, which makes his performance totally believable. Seung Ho has such expressive eyes he steals the screen by a single, all-telling glance. His character is all played on subtlety, which makes it extremely powerful. As I said, separately they do great, but together they are unforgettable. It helps that they are both so smouldering handsome; in a drama based so much upon visuals, this isn't a secondary aspect at all.
Also, I must be the only living creature who liked Shin Hyun Bin here. What everybody described as a wooden performance I found to be delicate and very fitting to her role. What that role was, is another story entirely: the romance is so secondary it's almost non-existent here. This in the most common sense of the word, since the drama is profoundly romantic in the classical definition of sentimental and tumultuous.
I invested a lot of feeling in this drama, this is why the very last minutes infuriated me. I can condone many faults of this script, but I will never, ever forgive the writer for not honouring a particular character the way he deserved, for cutting short on a farewell I had been kind of expecting (and dreading) since the beginning. Many tears welled in my eyes but never had the time to come out, leaving me frustrated and empty. I suppose I should thank the production for hastening my healing process this way, for reminding me life goes on, or I'd be still suffering now. I'm not sure it's fair to lower the overall score of a drama due to the last 10 minutes, but for a show that expects you to leave the brain aside and only watch with the heart it feels like cheating.
The music is a different story. To put it short, this is the best drama Ost I've heard so far. It contributes so much to the feeling I believe it is mainly responsible for my loving the drama and overlooking its faults. Honorable mention to BMK's powerful "Yanoy", to its harrowing acoustic version by Eun Tae Park and to the haunting "Stagnant" by Shin Sung Woo. If you have the chance, give a look at the lyrics too, as they are beautifully poetic.
I don't think I'll watch the entire drama again. I will definitely re-watch single scenes though, just for the wonderful aesthetic of them. On the other hand though, I've watched a disgustingly high number of MVs and fan videos only for the sake of Dong Soo and Yeo Wun. Given how many are to be found, it seems I'm not the only one.
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the biggest WHAT IF
I'm editing this to add: if something is wrong it's better to fix it and show the right thing instead of burying it and everyone involved in criticism. make them be a lesson for the rest. past bullying? let them do community work or a movement against school bullying. "inaccurate" history? force them to show a documentary at the end explaining how things really were. you don't fight a problem by cancelling everyone.... the only thing people will learn from this? don't waste your money and time at making historicals..I'll just use this space to vent a little more. as a fan of JDY I've been waiting for this since last year. and as a historical fan who's bored of the repetitive palace politics, this was going to be one of the most unique stories. Kingdom explored zombies but this was bigger and had more characters. this combined vampires, zombies and demons. it sounds overboard but the combination was so fitting. they bit people in the neck and they were as brainless and lost as zombies, but they were evil spirits controlled by the biggest demon
this was going to be so much fun!
JDY was Sejong the Great ! I did not know that TT_TT no wonder why he was such a sweetie, honestly if they wanted great representation of the past they had the bestest boy to play their bestest beloved king TT_TT
the biggest mistake on this was the timing and the fact that historicals don't seem to check facts beforehand.. every historical right now is under some sort of fire but this got the biggest blow...
and even if they let the dramas air, they turn their pitchforks onto the actors.. the issue seems so easily avoidable, there needs to be a big historic association so people can check their facts
like we all knew this would be about king Taejong from the start, so like they (whoever they are) could've showed their stance before. if they didn't want a historical figure to be showed as a person who kills possessed people then they shouldn't have let them film it!
it'd have been easily avoided by naming them differently. and they didn't even let them change that. they just attacked this until the canceled 14eps worth of hard work. the actors got injured... we'll never know how they'd have dealt with the process, but the promise of the plot was unique and it will forever be the biggest WHAT IF TT__TT
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A Good Reflection of Society
This is my first ever review, and there's definitely so much to love about this series.The female lead (Shen Ruo Xin) is older, intelligent and independent. She knows exactly what she wants and needs, and she doesn't conform to societal's norms and fixed set of beliefs. She pushes her own boundaries and fights towards what she wants and should achieve. In other words, as the title of it suggests, she's rational - up until she meets the male lead (Qi Xiao). She's such a child with him around but definitely not in the oblivious and clueless way. Just really adorable.
When she decided to take the leap of faith and be with him, she goes into it wholeheartedly. Unlike many other scripts we see where the older woman doubts the relationship, and shuns away from friends/family and public eye about being in a may-december relationship, Ruo Xin went into it and believed in it.
Although the age gap in the show is 12 years, here was no awkwardness between the cast and the built up was credible. It wasn't hard to believe that they're in love, and that they needed each other. No "baby fights", unreasonable arguments. They both trusted the process and was always there, breaking so many stereotypes and norms people usually have of such wide age gap relationships, especially when the female is older.
The other cast were great too. Honestly, it was a little tough to watch Ruo Xin's mother's nonsense antics and overreaction to her relationships (She does get on my nerves!!). But it's undeniable that the way she reacts/thinks is possibly what the general sentiment of older generation is, and even what some younger folks may also think. The show provided a good balance showing the many sides of reality — the pressure from family on a woman to get married and have children, having to match with someone of the same "calibre", accepting a wide age gap relationship, having to find a job to feed themselves over being in a relationship, and challenges in the workforce etc.
Putting aside the cuteness and lovey-dovey, the series is such a thought provoking one showing the many aspects of life. Definitely there're areas to improve — I thought the ending felt a lil rushed, I'm not quite a fan of shows that skip timeline with a "6-month later" but overall, I'll still give this a big thumbs up!
UPDATE: ok there were 3 additional short episodes after the main episodes aired and it was an adorable finishing touch to this! please don't skip the 3 extras!
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Bromance
The first time ever I write a review about a series.So the plot is kinda common, about a cop who hate drugs and try to clean the city from drugs dealer. Then he met a doctor in an incident and both become friends to deal with the master of the drugs dealer. The thing that attract me the most is the bromance between the two main leads. You can say its almost like BL, just got censored. Even so, I still like their bromance as they trust each other so much even when they just met.
So far the story is good enough, lot of things that makes you want to watch more and more. The only problem for now is the subs. From what I read, I think the subs just copy paste from google translate. Even the name sometimes translated. I think this series will have lot of international fans if they could advertise it well and also put proper english subs ASAP.
Two thumbs up. This is one of the drama that i really love and will rewatch it later.
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want to know about the couples? you've got:
secretly very sweet ceo + charming employee who started the company together and have been together for so long any kind of attraction they could have had is destroyed by habit
the single mom with the cutest little kid ever + boyfriend with opposing mother (who has lots of character development)
And the cutest playboy who's world turns upside down when he falls for his bestfriend (who's watched him and his playing-the-field BS for years)
NOW TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU ARE ASKING IN YOUR BRAIN:
Yes, there are a number of kiss scenes. Yes, the girl actually responds to them. yes, the ceo is still swoonworthy without being a jerk. No, their colleauges are not bitchy and jerks, they're very cute and like a family. No, the parents are not seceretly satan: ready to bitch-slap or money-envelope-slap the FL. No, the ML doesn't have a very cliche tragic backstory, but it's still a backstory to make him look very lonesome-heroesque, don't worry (because is a swoonworthy ceo really a swoonworthy ceo without the #darkpast? i. think. not.)
well, it's also short to binge in a day if you really try hard (24 eps, baby, the best number to see on a cdrama profile) . just trust me, you'll love it if you're looking for this kind of cute love story.
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Don't corrupt your mind without giving it a try
I'm really glad that I watched this drama without reading stupid reviews because this was hell of a fun ride.Let me tell you something about what's special about this drama
The best part about this drama is that all the characters, character development and the decision they make felt realistic which not many dramas have and after a long time watching a show doing this was so refreshing.
the casting and acting was flawless and while people are saying that JCW's character was boring then I don't know which character is interesting because if you just want every character in the drama to jump around, fight and shout without any reason then yeah JCW's character is boring. but man how good he plays this role. just from his expression you can feel how the situation is. he played as the most pure character ever and he nailed it which is not easy. and same goes for KYJ. she did a fantastic job playing the cheerful character. and if both the characters are cheerful then they don't match well.
I didn't got bored for even a sec and an hour long episode felt like 10 min.
and on top of all
You don't watch a drama because it will help you in your work or exams. You watch it to enjoy and if a show is entertaining then it doesn't matter even if the story, characters or acting is trash. if you enjoy it then that's all you need. I know so many dramas, movies and animes I know are trash but I still enjoy them and that's what I think matters the most.
just give it a try and if you don't like it then that's fine too. just go with the flow.
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It's comedic, suspenseful, romantic (wonderfully), full of action (and awesome fight scenes), character development, and deep/heavy/intricate plot lines.
I usually write a review by covering each of the topics I am to rate (e.g. Story, Acting/Cast, Music, etc.), but I feel this drama deserves something more unique. A list of the first things that come to mind when I think of Healer or recommending it to others.
1. Whatever you do don't let this be your first drama.
It can be your second or forty fifth, but don't ruin every other drama by making it your first. It would be like listening to your favorite song for the first time and then only being allowed to listen to "It's a small world" for the rest of your life. (Okay thats a bit of an exaggeration but think of it this way): You won't be able to truly appreciate how wonderful this drama unless you have something to compare it to, and any drama you watch afterwards will fall short of expectations.
2. Whatever you do watch it.
If you have to wait, wait. It's completely worth it. It's ratings are proof of its beauty. I mean its the first drama to break the 9.0, "1 liter of tears" since probably 2006, and the only drama currently in the top 5 (while being surrounded by movies).
3. Relationship goals.
It will become a desire, envy, need, and dream to find a love as wonderful as theirs.
Every time I find a relationship I fall in love with or adore I find certain aspects of that relationship that I want or aspire to, it's kinda like piecing together your dream significant other, but the relationship part instead of the person and what color eyes they'll have.
Healer's aspects: The way they subconsciously recognized each other. The way they looked at each other. How they craved the others' touch. The way they acted like a real couple when they hugged, kissed, and touched each other. The way they spoke to each other. The way you could see how they felt and treasured each other. The reassurance and peace they had when they were together. These are the aspects I personally dream of in a relationship. ( I apologize for gushing, but you'll understand after you watch it).
AKA: the chemistry and acting are A+
4. Plot.
Besides extremely lovable characters, the interconnected relationship and plot lines made me obsess over watching the next episode. I woke up early to get an episode in before school... it was too good to watch while sleep deprived, which brings up point 5..
5. Don't marathon it over night.
The story is basically a drug, it will infest your mind and make you want to marathon the show in 24 hours. Don't let it. Take your time, savor every episode, because it will be over way too quickly.
Imagine your on a diet and your not allowed to eat your favorite food of all time. Now imagine your allowed to eat that food only once (for the last time), don't ruin it by shoveling huge bites into your mouth. Relish every spoonful, forkful, (heck, chopstick-ful) while watching your favorite show, or looking out at a beautiful (your favorite) view. Eat at a leisurely pace: not finishing it in seconds and not putting half into the fridge to save it while slowly letting it go old.
Start, don't rush, savor, enjoy, (possibly cry here or there), finish, and then cry (probably again) because there's nothing left to watch, (then pray your hardest that a drama just as wonderful will air soon), and then (probably) watch it again.
6. There are flaws.
There are probably a ton of flaws in this show, but they are so insignificant that you can't pinpoint them, or they just don't matter to you, because you love even Healer's flaws.
One thing to note: I take rating and reviewing very seriously, because I rely on ratings very heavily as an avid drama fan/watcher. Please don't see my 10/10 rating and just think, "oh it's one of those people who just rate anything they like a 10/10", because that is not the case. My 10 just shows how high I treasure and enjoyed this drama, and I hope you will too.
P.S. sorry for the length, I hope it was helpful :)
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This review may contain spoilers
In Love With Mr. Queen!
This drama really exceeded my expectations. As a person of being choosy regarding comedy genre who would have thought this drama had so much potential! Surprisingly I enjoyed It throughout. But the results are soaring with high ratings making it the 5th highest rated TVN drama and 7th highest rated cable drama. Can't be happier!South Korean chef Jung Bong Hwan finds himself transported into Kim So Yong, the queen of Joseon era. While Joseon is beset with corruption Cheol Jong is a king for namesake. Queen Dowager Sun Won and brother Kim Jwa Geon are the main power holders and the root of corruption. But things are not as they seem. King Cheol Jong is a capable king but in disguise.
After the soul transfer, the antics of the queen will surely entertain you. The twist and turns are so satisfying. The intriguing struggle to gain power gives another dash of emotion. The plot itself is interesting.
The cast did a brilliant job. The King and Queen were adorable. I loved how they portrayed the friendship between the queen, courtlady Choi, Hong Yeon & another trio Prince Yeongpeong, Hong Byul Gam, Kim Hwan. Courtlady and Royal Chef Man Bok's romance was another thing. The ending was good. At least it did not have a sad ending like the parent story "Go Princess Go!". Although I felt sad for Kim Beong In, he loved & protected the queen till his last breath.
The OST's deserve separate appreciation. I personally loved Xiumin's "To My One & Only". It was so soothing. Others including Kim Jong Hyun's tracks were also good. They captured the essence.
I can't get enough of this drama. The lines of Jang Bong Hwan "You can make a change in the world by changing yourself" was adept. I'm gonna now keep myself busy in the spinoff. Hope 2021 gives us more dramas to binge.
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