HOW DO YOU DOOOOOOO
Well, not very well considering True Beauty ended today and I'm going to have to spend the whole of 2021 nursing my awful second lead syndrome.True Beauty was a really fun ride. It had it's plot in place, the right amount of funny moments and lovable high schoolers (and their families). The female lead was likable and I rooted for her throughout. Cha Eun Woo did great and could hold his own (has he been working out though? He grew biceps overnight. Damn).
But there is one person who totally breathed life into this show and yes the entire planet knows him by now and there are exactly zero surprises in this name-reveal. SEOJUN was amazing. His puppy scenes made me soft. His intense scenes made me hot. His confession scenes set the bar too high. His ultimate fate made me cry buckets (with him). He simply took over all our lives. He is definitely on that list of my all-time favorite characters and I just want to maintain a list of all his iconic dialogues and go back and watch them scene by scene (maybe that's borderline creepy. Well, I'm sorry dae sekkiya).
But there are so many more characters I want to talk about. The supporting cast was a great strength of this show. Im Semi did such a good job and I loved her pairing with teacher Han. I loved seeing them smash gender roles so royally. Teacher Han was the kind of teacher teacher I not only wanted all my life, but the kind I want to be in the future (yep, I'm a future teacher lol). Su Ah and Taehoon were adorable. Su Ah was such a good friend too. Sujin was great too, minus the minor (or MAJOR) blip where she strayed for a while. But I liked her journey enough to forgive her. I wish the writer hadn't given her that cliche second female lead script, but I guess they were sticking to the script.
Seojun Squad and Suho squad were both awesome. But yes, if I have to pick one, I'll have to pick seojun squad (I'm sorry dae saekkiya). Kim Chorong and Taehoon are the kind of friends I want to manifest into my life (where do I sign up for them?). Joo Young was goalssss. He was so funny (oh shit, my eyes hahaha). I loved all the extraordinary you cast cameos (but what about haruuuu). Chani did well in extended cameo.
Looking back, I was super excited for True Beauty when I found out Hwang In Yeop was playing the second lead. I absolutely adored him in 18 again. And even though I knew he wouldn't be getting the girl here (again), I was just so excited to see him in a role with more screen time for him. And in that sense True Beauty didn't fail to deliver.
It is easily one of the best high school romance kdramas out there I would recommend to everyone and I am sure I will go back and watch it again sometime and bug a few friends to watch it too.
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This review may contain spoilers
There are weeks where I watched this, and I get a good sense of enjoyment and then there are other weeks where I'm like why the writer wanted to include this? Started off pretty good with the whole concept of this drama, getting to know the ones who passed away and grant them their final wishes but then they added some things to this drama (like the ex-girlfriend returning arc) that I just wasn't a fan and at times ruin the flow of what this drama was about. Though the romance was somewhat lacking towards the end, the drama does wrap up loose ends and show a connection for all of the side stories. So at least I can give points to that.What I like:
* Some heartwarming stories of the ones who passed.
* Good osts playing just at the right moment
* Chemistry between the leads
* Good amount of funny scenes (a lot with the uncles).
* A bittersweet ending that makes you treasure your love ones even more
What I didn't like:
* There were 21 spirits with wishes to be granted but I felt like some spirits didn't get a full satisfying ending. Some stories ended properly while others didn't have full conclusion. I mean at least show each spirit walking to the afterlife, but they didn't even do that.
* The ex-girlfriend arc. I felt like there were too many wasted episodes on this. Nothing meaningful occurred with this arc and even the conclusion of this arc seemed very lacking, as in it didn't felt like anything was resolved.
* Turning a good friend to an evil one: Honestly, I hated the direction the writer decided to take for this character. It was a twist I didn't expect but also one I didn't like. I would've preferred the story where he had to choose who to save first and he chose his older brother instead of the ML's brother. Then followed with guilt and eventually a broken bro-ship once the truth was revealed.
* Just not enough romance scenes with the leads - After they officially get together, it just seemed like there wasn't many scenes of sweet moments together. Even towards the end seemed lacking.
Overall, not a bad drama. Despite some story arcs I wasn't a fan of, it does have a good overall message, treasure the ones you love. You never know when it's going to be their last.
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1All Warfare Is Based on Deception
The Vendetta of An (or The Twenty-Four Strategies of Chang’an/长安二十四计) is an intense, fast-paced suspense thriller with an intricate plot full of twists and reversals. Set in a fictional dynasty, feudal lord Xiao Wuyang marches into Chang’an and deposes his brother, puppet emperor Xiao Wenjing. Yet his grip on the throne remains tenuous until the tyrannical General Yan Fengshan is captured and his elite shadow army, the Huben, is disbanded. If anyone is up to this perilous task, it must be the son of the Huben’s founder. Finally, the stage is set for Xie Huai’an to return to the capital to demand an accounting for his family’s massacre fifteen years earlier.Though Huai’an is driven by revenge, as the Chinese title suggests, the plot unfolds along the lines of art of war. It is an intriguing and sophisticated conspiracy where the devil is in the details, and the chessboard is not fully visible to all players. These schemes play out amid the daily lives of ordinary people in Chang’an—an innovative take on the classic “empty fort strategy” (空城計, kōng chéng jì). Ultimately, all warfare is based on deception, and Chang’an is the battlefield where hidden protagonists and antagonists attempt to outwit each other with complex, multi-layered stratagems. This drama demands full attention; its dialogue carries literary depth and is laden with clues that hint at complex character motivations.
This is without a doubt one of the most engaging and best-written dramas I’ve watched in 2025. However, across 28 episodes, the drama packs in too many ideas and themes. There is a profound sense of foreshadowing and symmetry, of cause and effect and “an eye for an eye,” that underlies the plot arcs and character outcomes. But it succumbs to the overdose of melodrama and excessive twists that have weighed down too many 2025 dramas—often at the cost of both character and logic. Vendetta takes “falling off a cliff” to new levels in how unbelievably incompetent every character seems at stabbing someone in the guts. The breakneck pace and multiple reversals successfully distract from how certain aspects of the plot and characters don’t fully hold together. It’s high entertainment, but it pushes the limits of suspension of disbelief and doesn’t withstand close scrutiny.
Although Huai’an is widely touted as a brilliant strategist several steps ahead of everyone else, his wins are few and far between. They come at a high cost, often by adopting the “self-injury stratagem” (苦肉計, kǔ ròu jì). This is fitting—the stakes are sky-high, and Huai’an is under-resourced and outmanoeuvred by hidden foes who, like him, play the long game. In this story, characters are allowed to fail, with real consequences. While Huai’an has loyal allies, they make mistakes and, worse, need rescuing at pivotal moments. Often, the antagonists seem smarter, more competent and more ruthless. Yet they, too, are grounded in reality; miscalculate and possess flaws that can be exploited to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. With such well-matched players, the margin between victory and defeat is razor-thin, turning on a dime.
Plot-wise, the narrative builds through multiple exciting twists to a thrilling and satisfying climax about two-thirds of the way through. Lurking in the shadows are Tiemo sleeper cells, ready to “loot a burning house” (趁火打劫, chèn huǒ dǎ jié) by exploiting Chang’an’s internal strife. Huai’an is taken by surprise, routed, and trapped at a disadvantage as hidden enemies emerge from the woodwork and barbarians gather at the gates. This story arc contains so many double- and triple-crosses, schemes within schemes, and bombshells that the plot becomes slightly deformed. For me, the best subplot was Wang Pu’s short arc, a masterclass in psychological warfare. In contrast, Baiwan’s arc felt unnecessary, adding little beyond forced angst while artificially lowering the intelligence of Huai’an’s team. That time would have been better spent deepening more interesting characters and tying up loose ends.
Cheng Yi navigates Xie Huai’an’s introspective transitions well, particularly as he reins in his obsession with an unchangeable past and finds a higher cause in a changeable future. The main aspect of his portrayal that missed the mark for me was its overly maudlin tone. The frequent waterworks made it seem as though he was the only character who had ever suffered loss during chaotic times. It’s also difficult to root for a protagonist so world-weary and single-minded in purpose. Thus, for me, Li Lianhua remains Cheng Yi’s best role, even though Vendetta of An has the stronger plot.
The main characters are multifaceted, with interesting backstories anchored by an impressive roster of veterans and solid performances all around. I found Wenjing’s duality—the twists and turns of his journey and his struggle against his true nature—most compelling. Unfortunately, his character was eventually dumbed down and squandered for shock value and cheap angst. Among the younger cast, Liu Yitong's Han Ziling was memorable. While I can’t fault the acting, Wang Jinsong’s gentle aura felt mismatched to his role. Yan Fengshan emerges as a more intense and menacing villain than the primary antagonist.
The finale builds to another exciting, action-packed, high-stakes climax in which Huai’an deftly “lures the tiger down the mountain” (調虎離山, diào hǔ lí shān) with yet another self-injury stratagem, then “shuts the door to catch the thief” (關門捉賊, guān mén zhuō zéi) and “borrows a corpse to resurrect the soul” (借屍還魂, jiè shī huán hún). There’s much to unpack in the excellent finale, though it leaves several loose ends only partly tied up in the special episode. The ending was more clear on a second watch—more on that in the spoiler section below. Most importantly, Huai’an’s final epiphany brings his character journey to a fitting close.
Overall, this drama that is a feast for the eyes and a boot camp for the little gray cells would have benefited from fewer themes and narrative curveballs. A tighter plot with fewer logic holes could have earned a 9.0 from me, but as it stands, it’s a highly recommended 8.5/10.
ENDING SPOILERS & ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
(Do not scroll further if you have not finished the drama.)
On a second watch, I realized the final episode is far more definitive than I initially believed. To begin with, Huai’an’s hair did not magically turn white overnight; he dyed it again, just as he did before infiltrating Hidden Soldier Valley. According to Cen Weizong’s reading of his natal chart, Baitou's hair would not turn white again until the end of his lifespan (83 years). He was playing to the Tiemo King's superstition by suggesting he was at death’s door.
As Huai’an is stabbed and his life flashes before his eyes, he finally admits he still wants to live—if only to remember his family a little longer. He breaks free from his obsession with revenge and reclaims his identity as Liu Zhi, a Huben shadow guard sworn to protect Chang’an. When he triggers the explosion, he discards his identity as Xie Huai’an, who stays in the granary and dies in the blast. Liu Zhi, however emerges and takes a day or two to live as an ordinary person. One could argue Liu Zhi never walked out of the granary either, but what matters more is that the character’s journey comes full circle. It’s a good ending, even without the special.
The special episode ties up loose ends and is clearly a prelude to a second season. Wuyang ends up on the throne, while Wenjing remains officially dead, choosing to serve the court incognito as the former pageboy Zhang Mo. Ye Zheng leaves to court his love Zhaolu, and Xiaoqing becomes a doctor.
The mysterious figure in Yulong Ridge is quite obviously Liu Zhi. He lets his hair down and imprisons himself there among his Huben guard—much like the Tiemo King did—to manipulate events from the shadows. He owes Cen a favor (likely a quid pro quo for luring the Tiemo King to the granary), after which they are square. This sets up the next season involving a mysterious figure at Mt. Shiluoman in Tiemo. Liu Zhi's work is not done; 200,000 Tiemo troops can still be deployed at any time. Until that threat is neutralized and lasting peace is achieved, it’s convenient to let the world believe Huai’an/Liu Zhi is dead. The person at Mt. Shiluoman is likely a high priest—probably Cen’s superior. When Huai’an kidnapped the Tiemo envoy, he mentions an altar at Mt. Shiluoman where nobles undergo a ceremony to receive the token around his neck. A new king should soon be chosen in Tiemo. It is in Liu Zhi/Chang'an's interest to try to influence the process.
One of the larger open plot holes for me is what drove Liu Ziyan and Yan Fengshan to turn on Liu Zhiwei. The only explanation that makes some sense is that they blamed him for the disastrous mission to rescue a high-ranking Huben spy captured by the Tiemo King 25 years earlier. I don’t believe that spy was Liu Zhi’s mother, as the timeline doesn’t align: she couldn’t have given birth to Liu Li/Baiwan if she died 25 years ago, and it contradicts Huai’an’s statement that his mother died when he was ten. I also find it difficult to believe that two uneducated Tiemo slaves raised as wolf bait could rise to become two of the most erudite and high-ranking officials in Chang’an. I could go on but I will stop here because I did enjoy this drama quite a bit despite the logic holes.
WANG PU ARC SPOILERS
Wang Pu made a fatal mistake when he couldn't resist meeting with Huai'an. He lost the moment he went to that temple by himself. He wasn't alone of course but he didn't realize Huai'an's men would kill all of his men that were following him there.
When Wang Pu learned of that YFS murdered his parents, he didn't care at all. The problem is YFS would NEVER believe that and would never trust him the same way again. This is the brilliance of Huai'an's trap - he ruined their relationship simply by meeting alone with Wang Pu to tell him his origin story. It is his nature - YFS would never be able to trust Wang Pu again. This left poor Stockholm Syndrom Wang Pu no choice but to prove his loyalty by killing himself. But YFS is a sick son-of-a-bitch. He could have refused to confirm what Huai'an told Wang Pu. But instead he told him in bloody detail anyway and when he was finished Wang Pu started eating the poisoned dumplings.
Huai'an already said Checkmate to Wang Pu at the end, both knowing how this would play out. But Wang Pu thought he would be able to deliver YFS a final win by luring Huai'an to watch his downfall. But even in this, he was outplayed bc Huai'an never showed up. It was an eye for an eye for Bai Wan's death.
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm gonna say this straight up: this is probably the best wuxia/fantasy/adventure/epic drama I've watched. Multiple factors add to this such as cast, script, BEAUTIFUL cinematography, actually good CGI and so on. Story: The story was very fleshed out and complex, and did the novel justice. Each character, even the minor ones felt like they were placed wherever they were for a purpose and not just as a tool for the plot to move on. The plot was a little draggy in some parts but as I don't really pay attention to these things I didn't take any points off for it. One thing I can say is that I never felt like I wanted to take a break from the series (as I do with a LOT of Chinese and Korean dramas) or drop it. In fact, if I ever missed something accidentally, I would go back and rewatch it in case I missed something important. I also fast forward and speed up my other dramas, but I didn't for this one which I think expresses my devotion haha. The plot is also quite original and there are certain things that set it apart from other wuxia fantasy shows. For example, the fight scenes are very realistic. The opening scene really shocked me as you can see the work the crew and actors have done to make it look and feel real (it worked). Also, the regular tropes that other dramas used are completely changed in this drama. For example, in one of the scenes, the Emperor says (I can't remember exactly what he said oops) "A child born of royalty can live and take revenge, but the child of a doorkeeper can't? What sort of rubbish idea is this?" And this actually made me think...
Acting/Cast: Chen Feiyu, being quite young, filled the shoes of the complicated NingQue very well. He was good at expressing happiness, shamelessness, and quick-fire retaliation with his words. His smug face when he won something from someone is so endearing. I would give him personally a 9.5 for acting as just a few scenes (mostly of negative emotions) felt off. Song Yiren was absolutely amazing, and I would say she is the best main character of the show, She was perfect at expressing child-like dependence and admiration for NingQue as SangSang. She also showed off SangSang's practicality and work ethic very well, as well as her underlying love for NingQue. The romance between the two is extremely subtle in the first half, but from episode 40 or so when NingQue returns with Mo ShanShan, it begins to show as the two are forced to confront each other with what they really want from each other. I loved the endearing way NingQue treated SangSang, you could tell that even though he made fun of her and treated her as a maid sometimes, he really cared for her and would do anything for her. In one scene, he says "SangSang isn't the door to my life, she is my life." Oh God. The other side characters did very well in their roles. I found YanSe and WeiGuangMing particularly astounding, and I'm glad some veteran actors had big roles in the drama (unlike some dramas which only focus on the young actors to attract more audiences). Other characters I loved were ChenPiPi (and his bromance with NingQue and his cuteness), YeHongYu (as NingQue said: "You are THE strongest woman I've ever met."), LiYu (the princess of Tang, an ambitious woman) and every person in the Upper Story.
Music: I like most of the songs in the OST and some of them are very suited to a particular character or setting. For example back in the army they would sing the song "Take your life" and so on. However there would be a song for a particular character but then used for another character which was awkward (but it was a nice song so I didn't mind).
Rewatch value: Okay so the only reason I won't rewatch this is because it's kinda long. Also there's a second season, so I'll just wait for that. BUT the second season won't have Chen Feiyu, which is a shame as I grew used to his face and acting style. The romance and other relationships won't be the same... I've heard news that the main lead in the second season is going to be Dylan Wang, who played DaoMingSi in Meteor Garden. I found his character childish in that and kind of restricted to a few emotions (I didn't even finish, stopped at episode 30) so we'll see how it goes.
10/10 recommend!!
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this film has many problems, perhaps some viewers (mainly men) did not notice. the fact that Rei during the film says that she lost her virginity only at the age of 29 and that she had a relationship with a woman, there was probably sex in him too, as if her virginity was intact just because she hadn't had sex with men, that it is a view mostly present in men. another thing that bothered me a lot was Rei having quoted and thinking that she could only "complete" Nanae sexually if she had a penis, extremely nonsense. the obsession that Rei felt for Nanae doesn’t make sense either, killing someone who didn’t keep in touch for 10 years and who NEVER showed an affective interest in her .... in fact, during the entire film Nanae only showed romantic interest in Rei last 15 minutes of film, the most beautiful scene in the film is just one of the final scenes where Rei is in the cabin with Nanae and they talk about the past. the sex scenes in the movie are very long, I had to stop the movie several times because I couldn't stand watching it without saying that Rei spends half the movie fucking men even though she always says it is LESBIC, the scene she has with the taxi driver seems that was introduced in the film just to perform sexual fetish of the men who watched it, it does not make sense and there is no plausible explanation of the reason for the sex, at first I thought it was for money, but when the man offered money to Rei, her face makes us think the opposite. Nanae clearly uses Rei's feelings for her own benefit, it gets disgusting, and it seems that Rei's only life goal was to have sex with Nanae ... Rei knew that Nanae used her and left it just to keep her close, that it is noticeable when Nanae said that she called the police for Rei to surrender and Rei did not question whether it was a joke or not, she simply knew that Nanae was capable of doing such a thing! hitting a woman who suffered domestic violence? ..... this film is problematic in so many ways .... it is two hours of film made only for men to satisfy their fetishes, a lot of boobs, a lot of nudity, although the movie " The Handmaiden "also having sex and nudity scenes is completely different from this: the handmaiden scenes are more artistic and visibly beautiful, while in" She "it looks like porn.If you want to watch a good LGBT-themed film see "The Handmaiden" this is a true masterpiece.
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I am not rating this an 8 to balance poor reviews. I really liked it.
There are a few qualities to this show that I think are special, and I'll put it in list form to respect your time.1. There are no toxic female characters. In fact the female character is very strong. She handles getting dumped like a boss.
2. The lead is openly and unselfconsciously gay from the start.
3. There are no manufactured crises thrown in for drama. The drama is all in the interaction between the characters. Although a real life crisis in the form of COVID torpedoes the ship and they needed to patch it up as best they could.
4. While there are screeching predatory trans characters, They're only in the first two episodes then disappear forever. I assume the producer sent back the script with a note to add more screeching predatory trans characters "because that's how it's done", and the writer hoped he wouldn't read the revised version past the opening eps.
5. No fem shaming. When there are screeching trans characters, the attractive boys are polite to them, and there doesn't appear to be any opprobrium attached to femininity.
6. People actually communicate when they have problems and conflicts, and they talk things through and find a way to forgive and remain friends. There's a character that likes another, then finds out the guy was in a secret relationship with someone else. The character's reaction was "If I had known, I wouldn't have burdened anyone with unwanted attention." I almost choked to death on a cookie when he said that. Nobody ever acts like an adult in these situations. Or, two guys are dating, a third boy that one of the couple knows walks by and there's a brief and awkward conversation. The other boy in the couple can tell there's something between them so he asks, and the first one tells him the full truth that he's a guy he used to have a crush on. I almost choked to death on another cookie. The usual formula would mandate a lie which is soon discovered followed by insane jealousy, sulking, and a montage of good times spent together with a sappy ballade blaring. The new bf is happy the explanation is so harmless and that's it. The exception to the authenticity of conversations is that people don't seem terribly curious about the god that lives in their house - I might have some questions about god life, and god friends & stuff.
7. Absolutely zero seme/uke dynamic - just two guys. It's so refreshing that they don't pigeonhole the characters.
8. No tropes. (a couple of them, but limited) No accidental kisses, no "I'm not gay, I only love one single guy (forever)", no agonizing over liking a man, no parents agonizing over their son liking a man, no falling so their faces end up too close together and they stare at each until they turn gay (it does happen once, but it's subversive), no evil girlfriend, no insane jealousy over their gay bf talking to a woman. Actually, there's almost no jealousy at all.
8. There are NO ENGINEERS.
9. Plenty of cuteness.
10. The main character has a certain something. Sort of an effortless manliness while still being boyish. He's a good actor - not a huge range, but he does what he does well, and he's never cringey. He also looks unusually good with his shirt off. He's a reserved character, but when he needs affection, he's adorable. And he has a moment of romantic aggression that's very wow.
11. It's not completely predictable. There is no possible way you could predict how it ends unless you read spoilers or have superpowers. Even the beginning parts - you think it's going to go a certain way, then you realize it's not, but it makes sense how it went.
12. When he's feeling heartbroken, Tae does something that a normal person might do, and has a normal-person reaction afterwards.
13. There's some funny use of classical music, especially Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King.
The bad qualities:
1. The production is average. Better than most low-budget series, but not to the standards of the mainline shows.
2. The acting is uneven. One of the main characters is good, a few of the other characters are good, but overall pretty meh. Cupid is such a naive doofus that he's charming and cute, but not a lot going on in the acting. He's not the same actor that was in the initial promos, so something went wrong somewhere.
3. The directing is not too good. It's fine for scenery, and it's clear the Chiang Mai chamber of commerce is a sponsor of the show, and maybe the tourism board, because there is a LOT of time spent walking around and going into random stores. But they also visit temples, which are interesting. You learn how to ff through things that bore you.
4. The subtitles are OK, but maybe take more effort to read than they should. It's not a dealbreaker, and it's 10 times better than So Much In Love, where I never did come to understand why the principal wanted to destroy a volleyball team.
5. Editing is not great. There are scenes that are too long.
6. The first episode is bad. They're lucky that many people stayed with the series. Confessing my shallowness, there's a good fifteen minutes of the main character showering and walking around in a towel, or I might have dropped it.
Not exactly a bad quality, but if you watch it, it's better to be prepared, You can skip this section if you want to just be surprised:
This was filmed some time ago, and was interrupted by COVID in a major way. It was originally supposed to be 10 eps, not 12, and sure enough, the main crisis happens in Ep 8, and then "poof!" They resumed production months later, and apparently a lot of actors were unavailable, so they had to make some big adjustments. They way they resolved the problem will not be to everyone's taste. As it was airing, some people were upset, but other people thought it was much better than before.
The acting and the production are better in the last four eps. The main character's hair is a lot different, but I liked it. He also wears more flattering clothes and it's a bit of a shirtless goldmine. A new character joins the cast who is super-cute and a good actor, with a lot of charm - he won most people over. The ending is not what you were expecting when you started watching, but it does actually fit perfectly into the story. This series is about the main character finding his soulmate, and there are suspects that aren't really viable and what the production chose to do gave it a lovely human quality.
Recommendation
So do I recommend it? Definitely, with some caveats. If you don't like it by the third or fourth ep, you probably won't enjoy it, but if that's the case, you can abandon it and move on to Ep 9, because the last 4 eps will make sense as a stand-alone romance that is sweet and special. But Ep 1 is pretty bad, so you have to look past that if you want to give it a chance. The people who liked this REALLY liked it - I've bonded with some fans over it. To me, Tae is gorgeous - not just his body, his face, those beauty marks, lips, personality, everything. In the last 4 eps you'll probably see it, due to the changes in his appearance. And I'll be 100% honest - I know that 1,000 Stars is roughly 100 times better than this show, but I looked forward to this more, because it just has a unique pleasant quality and 1,000 Stars stresses me out.
There are really wonderful and unique elements in this show, and if the next production by this company can fit them together in a more expert way, they could have a top-tier series.
Explanation of Ratings
Story: The plot doesn't deserve a 7, but the avoidance of tropes and the skillful post-COVID shift were impressive.
Acting: It's heavily focused on Tae, who is good & there's a good actor in the last 4 eps. Otherwise I would have rated it lower.
Music: Generally standard, a couple of good moments here and there that stood out.
Rewatch Value: I've rewatched a lot of scenes, so I gave it a high score.
Overall: The ratings suggest a 7.5, but I gave it an 8 because I liked it so much - that it drew me in and made me happy is a good thing.
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All of the acting was good. I will just point out a few things. Love him or hate him (I happen to love him), Lee Seung Gi can kiss. I had no idea that Go Ah Ra that plays Na Jung in Reply 1994 was the same person as Eu Soo Sun. She just shot up the ranks of actress that I like. I love Cha Seung Won's dorky characters. He is just too cute. Is Jeong Dong Hwan going to play freakishly scary characters in every drama from now on? He seriously gives me the creeps when he does that smile. BBBRRR!!!
The music is appropriate and sometimes funny.
I will rewatch this at some point. I'm tempted to rewatch it right now. Seriously.
I highly recommend this drama.
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Wonderful People in a Wonderful World
"In the middle of life's journey, I got lost and wandered. No matter how much time passes,losing someone precious to you will always be lonesome. I will try to keep going. If i keep going, one day the pain will lessen. I hope all those grieving find comfort. I hope the world will be more friendly to those in pain. I hope a beautiful world will come while you overcome your pain."I never thought a story of revenge and salvation can be this satisfying.
Full on heavy drama shows are never my priority to watch. With so much content nowadays, you have to have a list of priority and this initially wasnt in my top, but i ended up eagerly waiting for each episodes. This series is anxiety-inducing but is also satisfying and inspirational.
The first episode hooks you in. The perfect perfect casting of Kin Nam Joo and Kim Kang Woo as perfect husband and wife Eun Soo Hyun and Hang Soo Ho, and parents who tragically lost their kid due to a an accident. The accident and the justice system's inability to punish the criminals made Soo Hyun take matters in to her hands - destryoing her once perfect life by killing the man responsible for the death of her son. This is the story of her (and her husband's) disappointments, healing, salvation and triumph.
The series also introduced us to Gwon Seon Yul. A man-child seeking revenge to those who have destryoed his family - with a surprise casting of Cha Eun Woo. The character needed the depth of someone who has lost everything in life - someone you are supposed to despise but is too good looking to hate. He fits the bill perfectly and I am pleasantly surprised with how well he acted in this series - i never thought Id say this but with the right direction he has finally proven something and has indeed become an Actor here.
Fanatics beware this is the part were i say some things you might hate. The story, to be quite honest, is not really unique - in fact a lot of times it verges on the typical melodrama soap opera. The overall plot is predictable and we can see from a mile away who the real culprit is. The attempt to make Seon Yul's character the fadeaway villain is also not convincing - like I said in the last pharagraph Cha Eun Woo is just too good looking to hate and you know all their efforts for a fakeout is not believable. Also, I am sorry to say but for me, the pacing too can sometimes be a little slow (I watched most of it in 1.25 speed) with a lot of emphasis on quiet, thinking scenes.
With all that said, this is still a very satisfying and inspirational series and the series finale was executed beautifully - tieing up Soo Hyun and Seon Yul's storeis perfectly and leaving viewers with a feeling of hope that no matter how dire their cumstances are, good things are still bound to happen and that no matter how hard life is, thare are still wonderful people and this is still a wonderful world to live in.
Maybe a hard sell for a rewatch, but seeing it one time is enough to send its message. Overall its a 9.5, especially for the acting and direction. A show most reccommendable to watch.
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Let's start with the main couple, handsome Hoon Nam and Jung Eum. I'm used to having mixed feelings about Hwang Jung Eum's performance, but I thought matching her in a romcom with Nam Goong Min would be awesome! I was a fan of Can You Hear My Heart , so it's nice to see these two reunited as co-leads. I will admit that Goong Min hasn't been the romantic lead in a drama that has impressed me yet, I prefer his darker side, so maybe this isn't all Jung Eum's fault. Either way, their chemistry started off great, building up to romance pretty quickly, but then their story became incredibly boring. She would get hurt and stare blankly into space. He would do his weird smile to charm her into taking him back. Then insert flashbacks, silly side characters, and obnoxious product placements, and that is literally the whole show.
There is one saving grace for this whole drama and that is Choi Tae Joon as Jun Soo. He deserved his own spin-off show, he was so good! He definitely justifies second lead syndrome. His character was the only character I really cared about at all.
The rest of the cast is mostly silly, annoying, cliché, and unnecessary. Besides Jung Eum's dad, and maybe her supervisor, I was completely uninterested in their stories. You know it's bad when seeing what the supervisor would wear with that ugly jacket started to become the highlight of the show. The couples looking for love had such superficial stories that insulted my intelligence more than it made me laugh. Maybe I don't get Korean humor sometimes, but some of the moments that were supposed to be funny felt too corny, and even sometimes mean. The coach/best friend and cousin, had way too much screen time (The Coach was also the worst friend). Susie and Jun Soo didn't have enough screentime together (I was hoping they would distract me from the boring lead couple, but their story went nowhere)
I would talk more about what went wrong with this plot, but it was so forgettable, I have a hard time remembering everything I hated.
The soundtrack is pretty cute, but every time I heard "Slowly, Slowly..." I was reminded of how much of my time was being wasted by stubbornly watching this drama until the end.
So was watching the end worth it? NO! They basically forced a bunch of the characters together for a random event, and tried to give some characters "closure", but it's hard to have a clean ending to a drama that is such a random mess. Would I watch this again? Bahahahahahaaa! No Thanks. I'll pass.
Obviously I would not recommend this one. Some of you will watch it anyway, but heed my warning. I went from not being able to wait for the next episode to not caring that it was finally over. If I skipped the last 8-10 episodes I would have missed nothing important. Yes, It's THAT boring.
But if you really like commercials, watch all the inventive product placement moments, which made me laugh the most... like that app, which I clearly need to download. Sigh... I gotta learn how to drop dramas more often!
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This review may contain spoilers
the disappointment meter is broken
7 years.... of love?the title must be a joke because i did not see much of the development of the main couple's relationship.
when i thought season 1 was bad, this was just sad to watch. after seven years of being together, one picture of their gay partner and a woman somehow set alarming signals for type's side. instead of being mature and talk to tharn about it, he takes it upon himself to sAve tHe dAy. oh don't get me started with the misogynistic remarks type made and the tiresome bl line that was rearranged but still means the same thing.
where is the trust in this relationship?
definitely not in episode 10 when tharn gets hella pissed because type supposedly kiSsEd fiat when it's so evident type pushed the guy away? again, i ask: WHERE is the TRUST in this relationship?
after seven whole years, both of these grown ass men can't sit down and talk on how to fix the flaws in their relationship.
now... you may think: this can't get any worse, right?
you're in for a surprise because it can get worse! type, a whole grown ass person literally thought it's a good idea to kidnap fiat and threaten to break his leg. am i watching a romance drama or a thriller drama?
i couldn't find myself rooting for leo and fiat because of how unlikeable fiat's character was. the writer failed to give us any proper backstory of why we should root for fiat. yes, his father left him when he was a kid and so leo took him in but what else is there? your past trauma doesn't mean you can be an A+ asshole.
leo could've been a tolerable character but it frustrated me to see him continuously forgive fiat's actions even though he knew damn well it's not right. it was so annoying to see him take fiat back in when he should've left him be. episode 11 was just sO bad with us being clowned with the whole "i aCtUaLLy loVeD yoU tHe wHole tiMe" and leo actually agreeing to type's idiotic plan from episode 10.
what's more disappointing is that this could've been a story with focus on tharn and type figuring about each other's remaining insecurities, finding ways to understand each other and also an explanation on why type refused on marrying tharn. put aside the multiple couples, filler scenes of unnecessary characters like the creepy eavesdropping guy and the failed k-idol trainee. instead, show us glimpses of the past seven years (not just from s1) and how much this relationship developed, make us believe that these two were truly together for seven years and also show us actual maturity between these two.
i was willing to watch this second season with a clean slate and no recollection of first season... the final episode looked like the perfect beginning for the drama but sadly, this drama didn't make a redeeming comeback. some scenes of tharntype and other couples being cute were nice but that's about it.
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Kiseki: Dear to Me
71 people found this review helpful
YOU STILL HAVEN’T WATCHED IT? THEN YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD!!!!
This is one of the best bl ever created not only for Taiwanese but overall bl series. The plot, the acting, the shooting, the actors, everything is ONE HUNDRED OUT OF TEN! The chemistry between the two couples /especially the main one/ is astonishing! The story isn’t moving too slow, neither is moving too fast! The last 5 episodes aren’t out yet, but I am so loving it! It’s definitely worth watching! Add it to your watchlist! For a true bl fan, this is a must watch! You better give it a try - don’t miss such a good one!Was this review helpful to you?
Are you sure you want to watch this drama? Chongmalyo?
Kure.
Then you need a few things: a mind that understands, a heart that feels and loads upon loads of tissue paper.
As any Korean drama, Scent of a Woman starts of with the cliches: an indifferent chaebol (Kang Ji Wook) falls for a poor spinster (Lee Yeon Jae--who looks like she's in desperate need of a make-over) who turns out to have a terminal illness. The supporting male lead (Dr. Cha Eun Suk) has eyes for the heroine but could not confess his feelings, and there's the secondary female lead (Im Sae Kyung) who is a b*tchy daughter of a rich businessman and is arranged to marry the chaebol.
However what makes this drama special is how it successfully weaved its exceptional story to the growth of the characters episode by episode.
Yeon Jae develops a determined outlook in life to fulfill the things she had only dreamed of as a lowly desk employee of a touring agency and starts a bucket list of 20 things she wants to accomplish before she dies of gall bladder cancer. From her meek and docile character she learns how to appreciate herself and live life in search of her happiness. She develops a romantic relationship with Ji Wook and tries to stay away to prevent him from heartache in the future, but soon realizes that his love runs deep.
Kang Ji Wook, for his part, was painted as a mature and understanding person. From the meaningless and routinary life that he led, Ji Wook learns to appreciate life and to live life diligently. For all his worth, Ji Wook became Yeon Jae's pillar of strength and the most stable source of love she is able to draw from.
Secondary contradictions and side-stories also developed well in the drama--this makes for an air-tight storyline, with each side-story supporting the main one. Best parts are Hee Joo and her mom (this convinces Yeon Jae to confess to her mom), Ji Wook and his dad (he fights for his love and the right to be with Yeon Jae), Dr. Cha Eun Suk's character development (from a cold, detached doctor to a person who feels), Yeon Jae's mom and seongsangnim Kim Dong Min (she says sorry and lets her mom re-marry).
Prepare to cry your eyes out by the latter episodes from heartaches. However these heartaches are necessary to drive at resolutions at the end. I found the heaviest part when Yeon Jae finally confesses to her mom of her condition. Her mother's wail, tears and 'Eottoke' lines delivered like she was going crazy drove ME crazy. Interestingly, I felt this was the climax, not scenes with Ji Wook as their reconciliation was resolved earlier.
I could not have asked for a better ending. Like many others I was cringing at the end because I knew from the start that it was a tragedy and death was inevitable. And yet, Scent of a Woman chose not to end with a tragic note. It provided closure to unresolved relations, uplifts us and leaves us with a strong desire to do the same with life. Fighting and living it to the fullest.
Great writing, great cast, awesome soundtrack although I can't say I'd like to watch and go through this pain all over again.
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This review may contain spoilers
Soooo boring
Honestly, I've seen slower paced shows than this one, without being this bored.Throughout the entire show, all I remember is constantly checking which episode I was on and thinking "How is it only episode 8??" or "How am I supposed to make it through another 20 of these?!"
The cast was good, the music was okay, the plot seemed interesting. All the ingredients were there. And then you start watching and you don't really care about the FL, and you get tired of all the marriage talks, and you're no longer sure whether the characters have chemistry or not, and the only interesting person ends up being the CEO.
And then that ending. That stupid ass ending. What's the point of deciding to never get married if you're going to exchange the couple rings. And then hold the ceremony where you exchange promises to each other. And proclaim your love and announce your life plans to your entire extended circle of friends and family. That's exactly what weddings are, dammit!!
Just. Skip this.
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The story contained a lot of lessons, which are realistic, and it was not only focused with the two young student, who happened to get to know each other unexpectedly. I like how the ending left a strong impact to its viewers and somehow it successfully made me feel how weary and guilty the characters are.
The theme of the story was truly melodramatic which was given justice by the cinematography, music, dialogues and even the characters. Everything just fits well, great enough to make me feel what the director and actors were trying to portrait. Probably the reason why I was deeply affected and bruised at the end, so a great kudos for that!
The story was meaningful and realistic to this generation specially to the young ones. Romance was just right, enough to make the viewers feel the connection behind the Minsik and Yejoo. I'm glad it wasn't overly done like a typical romantic movie to attract most of the viewers taste. Like I said, romance was just right for the story plot.
The acting was great! I guess I wouldn't feel as wrecked as this if the actors/actress did not give justice to their characters. Yejoo's character was on point. An isolated girl, who only wanted an acquaintance and comfort. She was only being tough to everyone but she's really a soft and kind hearted. I love to see her smiling at most parts. And, I really like the way she opened up with Minsik. I felt relieved somehow. Minsik's character was also on point. Although, it's somewhat hard for me to describe his personality, I personally think he was locked with his own self, which caused him to restraint his actions, making him like a coward. Most of the viewers will probably hate him, and I did because he just triggered my every nerve! But I honestly felt bad at him more than how I felt bad at Yejoo. The ending was impactful to the viewers and it was strongly addressed to Minsik...
I think the story wanted us to step forward and act ourselves because no one will act for us. Guilt will forever serve us if we acted too late. Also, it tells us that attending Church meetings wouldn't cleanse our souls if we do not act and think accordingly to what was being preached there.
I don't know what else I am missing but this story is too meaningful!
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Girl Who Got Loved In A Painful Way
This was a very unique, creative and well acted black comedy psychological thriller series. There are three departments where i absolutely adored the show.Firstly, the production quality is visual stunning and stellar. Starting from cinematography, background music, editing, lighting, color grading, styling, set pieces to locations. Everything was refreshing and eye pleasing.
Secondly, the acting here is award winning, amazing and heartwrenching. Each and every character be it positive or negative has left a mark of their acting chops on me. I personally loved everybody's performance. Yes it was damm amazing to watch such a star studded show.
Thirdly, the storytelling is very unique and engaging. The X factor about this show is that each character here be it positive or negative is always a protagonist of their own story. The characters are extremely complex and the narration shows that very well through giving equal screenspace to every character.
Every episode shows different kind of drama. There is office drama, school drama, prison drama, sex drama, family drama. Each episode tells a different story keeping one protagonist in constant but with 3 different faces. So i would like to applaud the webtoon writer for being so creative and Mask Girl team for being so unique with their visualization that they presented such a highly dark and gritty psychological story through elements of adult and black comedy.
Overall i simply loved and enjoyed. For me this is a sheer masterpiece. I only wish this had more episodes so i could have enjoyed it a little more.
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