Reviews

STORY:
Okay i really love these kind of dramas with such amazing cast! I for YEARS tried to find some drama with action/spy AND powerful romance! The romance is very innocent, passionate and deep so if u want to see very deep emotional moments go for it! The action scenes were done also very good and kept the drama in a good flow. For me i did marathon and i NEVER found any moment boring. I know everyone has different opinion but this was....really wonderful. After year and half i finally watched drama guys and i enjoyed it so so much! The plot is very interesting and i never saw such plot so this was something very new and fresh! Keeps ur mind busy and trust me...you will lose your sleep XD

ACTING:
Okay I watched dramas with JCHW before and i knew he had talent but this like...smacked me straight in head and woke me up! I can tell he is a top actor and i don't care what others say. He seemed like he was really the character he was playing. From the first ep his face started to change with emotions..Nothing was too much and nothing was missing. It was perfect! Main lead girl is also great actor and i know her and i can tell this is her best role. I love that in this drama she is also the brave girl who will stand in front and fight for justice ^^

MUSIC:
Honestly the main song '' Eternal Love'' is downloaded on my phone and i listen to it all over again. It's too good. And did u read the lyrics? No? Okay than go and do it! It's so sweet and so real and it fits the main couple!

REWATCH VALUE :
To tell you the truth i started to watch it all over again right now XD It's too good to just watch it once...So right now i'm going at it once again! ^^

This drama is filled with emotions so enjoy it and give it a try i can tell u..that you WON'T regret it :)

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Big Applaud to Female Lead and the Fascinating Plots!

Haven't been watching Korean historical drama for quite a while, or maybe I would say even if I watch, there isn't any that keeps me fascinated throughout the series; but this one, YES YES! One of the best historical drama I've watched over the past few years!

In the past, K-dramas are pretty successful in pushing out long series drama such as Queen SeonDeok, Jumong, Dae Jang Geum etc., however I realised these days, some people (Not All) tend to lose interest when the historical drama became intense and dark; short comedy historical drama on the other hand attracts people more, like 100 Days My Prince, The Tale of Nokdu etc. Not complaining because I love it!

I enjoyed how this drama has an equivalent amount on the intense and hilarious scenes. Just when things gotten serious, they insert plots that make you giggle, have the main story going on while keeping you entertained from time to time! But what's special about this drama was probably the interesting characteristic of two main leads; the King looks like a baddie from the outside but inside being allured by the bold Queen despite her wild and inappropriate actions, how he always thought the Queen was playing "hard to get" when she is actually dealing with her "hormone dilemma" XD!!! The plots were always so random but their chemistry had made the series even greater! So fun to watch!

I was also impressed by how Shin Hye Sun pulled off this role again and again in every episode, how she tweaked between acting as a male and female. Just when I thought her acting has achieved to a certain level, she then exceeded my expectation again, just no limit to how good she could be. TBH, among all the actresses who I've seen trying to act as guy, she got the best portrayal! The way she sits, she walks, even the detailed expression on how she reacts, just so natural that I never had a second to not believe it's really a male trapped in a woman's body! (Plus point on her height too)

Mr Queen has a pretty solid story for a 20-episode drama, and I really enjoy drama that has a good plot arrangement, not just good in the start and boring in the second half. For the ending, I would say the team did a pretty good job in creating a perfect ending for it, you know for time travel genre, you can never expect a perfect ending as there were always two voices; which one would prefer the main leads to stay together in the same era and the other voice will be siding towards having them to go back to their own world. It might be pretty sensitive for this drama too, especially the female lead is actually a male, if they were to touch based on the excessive bromance, it might be an issue for them too. So more like treating this as an interesting journey where both of them grown from the experience and wishing the best for each other in their own world. Shouldn't be complaining.

Overall, worth being given a high rating and great production with well-chosen casts!

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Let's just say I was one of those people who actually wanted to root for this drama. I have never seen Ahn Jae Hyun in anything else but I liked him in the beginning. Playing a vampire does not require a huge acting range. You can act broody and intense without needing to have 10 years' worth of acting experience. The beginning too was good. Finally a take on vampirism where it is an actual medical condition instead of a myth. That was quite interesting, writer-nim. Brownie points to you for that. Ji Sang's youthful looks were because he stopped ageing at some point. And as for the villain, he wanted the whole world to benefit from a condition like vampirism instead of it being treated as some medical evil. I loved your use of rationale in certain cases. I even loved all the information on biochemistry that is relentlessly hurled at the viewer.

But seriously what happened to you after the first 5 episodes? The moment Ji Sang stopped performing surgeries all I saw was him taking leisurely strolls all around the damned hospital and meeting either the Director or Yoo Ri Ta or Min Ga Yeon or Dr Joo, talking about all kinds of useless stuff and nothing else. Hello PD-nim, instead of overloading my brain with information, just show me through actual action. Too much exposition ruins any narrative.
And the romance? Uh why did they fall in love again? I'm sorry I just don't understand. Am I supposed to swoon at them mouthing lines swearing undying love for each other with not an ounce of emotion in them? It seemed like Ri Ta kept throwing herself at Ji Sang who was not even interested. And then all of a sudden, he is interested for lord knows what reason. (Oh wait it's because of their cosmic connection..he saved her from all those bad CG, Twilight-rip-off wolves....oooooh shooo romantic!)
I did not even think their scenes cute.

And somewhere around episodes 8-9 it all went downhill. The same things kept happening on infinite loop. Let me list them -
1)Ji Sang and Director having some kind of confrontational conversation in which sometimes they attack and snarl at each other and sometimes they don't. YAWN!
2)Token romantic scenes between Yoo Ri Ta and Ji Sang which were anything but romantic (who the hell calls their girlfriend/boyfriend 'Doctor Yoo' and 'Chief'?)
3)Walking around the hospital
4)Conversation between Ji Sang and VTH-16 researcher doctor
5)Ji Sang fighting off vampires and mostly getting beaten
6)Chairman and Associate Director having boring passive-aggressive conversations
7)More walking around the hospital
8)Min Ga Yeon and Ji Sang scenes which were too few
9)Patients in ward 21A going bonkers
10)More walking

The only portions I looked forward to where the parts featuring Sister Sylvia, Hyun Woo and Min Ga Yeon and Ji Sang's interactions which were actually genuine and made me feel something for them. They did not come off as forced and contrived unlike the Yoo Ri Ta and Ji Sang scenes. Even Ji Jin Hee couldn't save this trainwreck and he tried his best to make Jae Wook memorable!

And don't even get me started on the ending. What the hell happened? It was like the writer picked out every nonsensical, irrational cliche from the dramaverse and crammed all of them into an hour's worth of time.

Dear writer-nim, do us a favour and DO NOT EVER WRITE A DRAMA AGAIN. I feel like jumping off a bridge after watching that atrocious finale. I want those 20 hours of my life back! And this is coming from a busy person who no longer has sufficient time to watch all the K dramas she wants to watch.

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Temptation is a strange story. It isn't necessarily about an affair. It is the story of a couple in a desperate situation that make desperate decisions which changes their lives forever. One woman turns from sweet to bitter while the other turns from cold to caring. The men's characters pretty much stay the same. I'm confused as to why I watched this and found it interesting. I found that my opinion on the characters of this drama is very different from the opinions of other people.

I have read countless comments of symathy for Na Hong Joo played by Park Ha Sun. I'm probably the only person that finds her character to be at first fake, then bitter and hateful. I don't for a minute buy into the thought that she was ever sweet and innocent. She forgets that she started the chain of events with her desperate action. What did she think her husband would do knowing that he caused her to take that desperate act over money? She made Cha Seok Hoon played by Kwon Sang Woo do something that he would have never thought of doing except that he knew it would save his family monitarily. Then when he tried to make it up to her and prove his love, she turned away from him. To top it off she goes on to blame him for the misery she creates herself and becomes a bitter bitch that I just can't stand. Now, I don't for one minute believe that Yoo Se Young played by Choi Ji Woo is blameless. However, I don't think she is the evil crazy bitch that everyone seems to think that she is. I think she was lonely and bored. She says she was testing them, but I believe she just wanted what they had for even a minute. However, the writer turning her into a victim is stupid and doesn't fit her character as a strong successful woman. Now, for Kang Min Woo played by Lee Jung Jin. I find no redeaming characteristics in this narcissistic jerk who treats women like objects and has no respect for people in general. I can't stand him. The other actors are fine. If you like C.N.Blue, then you will enjoy Lee Jong Shin's part as Hong Joo's brother.

The music is excellent.

I probably won't rewatch this.

I'm not sure if I recommend this drama. Watch it at your own discression.

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So, honestly speaking, I had a really good feeling towards this drama. I was almost excited to start watching it. I was looking for something soft, to watch when I had a little bit of free time and wanted to distract myself.
I really had high expectations.
Unfortunately I couldn't avoid to notice that something was wrong...

The plot. It didn't exist.
I really mean it. There's literally nothing.
Around ep. 18 I started questioning myself: "Why am I watching this?" or "What is the purpose of all this?".
It's not a good sign. It means that the story leads nowhere. It's really pointless.

Anyway, if you're really looking for something that doesn't require too much commitment, all the monologue that I wrote above will be meaningless for you.

Oh, there's also another thing: Useless scenes.
Tons of useless scenes, as much as you want.

And this is all... It wasn't that bad but not even THAT GOOD.

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We can start with the story. Already from the start, the story plot had me twisting in anticipation. At the most time when I thought I knew what was going to happen, it was the opposite. It is a very beautiful story, at the same time, it is kinda scary as it shows the darker side of the human nature.

I like the cast very much. I feel like the main characters had a excellent chemistry. Both of the male leaders portrayed their characters very well. And Xin Yue was also great.

I also enjoyed the music. At first, I didn't like the Bai Tou Yin by Della Ding as the music was a bit odd. But you grow to like the two songs by her as they play throughout the whole drama. Also, the opening song is also very nice and has really meaningful lyrics. Definitely a 10 from me!

Actually, I have rewatched this drama two times, and every single time I just couldn't stop watching. Even though I already seen it before. It is just so good.

Overall, I think they have made an excellent drama! I feel like the clothing and scenery was quite nice. I definitely recommend this one to everyone that loves for example Prince of Lan Ling, which is also one of my favorite drama.

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Nostalgic and Humorous

I gotta say, the humor is spot-on. It’s a perfect combination of witty remarks, dry humor, and dramatic irony. There’s also a good amount of S1 nostalgia without trying to recreate the original show. Best part of all is the chemistry between the actors that makes these fictional relationships feel so real and unique. I’m also loving the historic setting!

On a more controversial note, I’m glad Ji-ah doesn’t make an appearance in this so far, even though all the other main characters have. To me, Ji-ah and Lee Yeon’s relationship felt lacking. Perhaps it was the writing, the direction, or just the lack of chemistry between actors, which is hard to say, since the rest of the actors seem to have such great chemistry maybe it’s the character of Ji-ah that just felt flat…

Anyway, highly recommend!

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This show started off pretty nicely but if it were not for my "Drama OCD" I would've never finished watching it though.

The story was pretty decent until about the mid-way point and then it just went completely off the rails into unbelievable land. As an avid drama watcher, I know that I go into a drama suspending belief because if you've been watching a long time, you know that's how it is. Most dramas have a lull about mid-way even the best dramas, but this... yikes. It just lost its way and never came back for me. The end was highly anti-climatic for me, it wasn't satisfying at all because I felt the characters' problems were really only due to their own stupidity rather than any real outside threat.

The acting didn't really help much. Aaron Yan is adorable, especially as Xiao Luo, but I feel that contrasted with Tia Li's stiff and rather emotionless face almost made it seem like he was overacting. As great as Aaron Yan is, it didn't save the drama or the couple for me. I actually was far more interested in the supporting couples than I ever was in the odd love triangle/square. In other circumstances where the character's actions make sense, the acting probably would've come off a lot better, but when characters begin to act like 2 year olds and common sense goes straight out the window, it's hard to feel anything other than annoyance. I try to not skip through episodes, but in all honesty I did it quite a lot and still was perfectly able to understand what was going on and save myself from the urge to cringe with not my palm to my face but the keyboard.

The music was pretty good, nothing stellar or what would have me running to iTunes, but it wasn't bad. Had some catchy upbeat music.

Having said all of that, I will not be re-watching this or even recommending it too anyone. I really hope that Aaron Yan's next drama doesn't involve the noble idiot trope and that Tia Li loosens up and shows some real emotion (crying profusely and looking blankly down or into the distance does not a good actor make) :P

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Soft, but heavy

A beautiful and moving series. Perhaps it generates a little too much frustration. The story is beautiful, the acting even more so. It has a soft atmosphere, but at the same time it is heavy and at times painful. It shows various aspects of life, in particular how we can change, succeed, fail, feel lonely and inadequate in a world that demands so much, when in the end the problem is that WE don't accept ourselves.
It shows the importance of presence, both in family life and in friendships and relationships. I was disappointed that the relationship with the protagonist's family was not explored in more depth at the end, given that it played a fundamental role in the first half of the series.

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FINALLY after 3 years and it did not disappoint

my favourite medical drama is back!! i didnt think i could wait 3 years for this season to come out but i waited and its finally here and it definitely didnt lower my expectations.

this cast is one of my favourite casting, ever i think. also the new additions to the cast, Lee Shin Young and Lee Hong Nae is the best thing ever.

i might change my rating depending on the ending but right now its amazing, the plottwists and storyline is amazing. (i have changed it and the added info is below)

this is the second drama ive watched with Lee Hong Nae in it but hes such an amazing actor must i say, i couldnt get over his acting in 'the uncanny counter' that i honestly thought he would be evil in this drama as well because of the impact he made in that drama.

and now i have finally finished the drama and can i say that it did not disappoint ONE BIT. kang dong ju coming back was so unexpected but definitely not random. it helped the storyline go from a 9 to 10 in my opinion. i loved the fact that there was plot twists and other surprising things like seo woojin knowing kang dong ju and the history behind that.

i also saw someone say that yoon a reum and park eun tak breaking up was unnecessary but i thought the total opposite, it helped their relationship grow and taught them a lot.

ALSO THE LITTLE ENDING SCENE, hopefully its hinting at a season 4??? i really hope to see season 4 with both season 1 and 3 casts combining to make doldam a great hospital. 100% the best medical drama ive ever watched

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Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies.

Mysterious Lotus Casebook is a dark 江湖/jiānghú story about the ultimately futile aspirations and obsessions of the martial world. In an epic battle for supremacy, Di Feisheng of the dark Jinyuan Alliance challenges Li Xiangyi, the leader of the righteous Sigu sect. Both men disappear from the martial world afterwards, leaving a vacuum at the top and their sects in disarray.

Ten years later, aspiring young detective Fang Duobing comes across Li Lianhua, a famous itinerant doctor whom he is convinced is a quack. Determined to expose him, he attaches himself to Li Lianhua as inextricably as a wad of chewing gum in his hair. They run into Di Feisheng, who immediately recognises in him his old nemesis Li Xiangyi. The two old rivals remorselessly keep Fang Duobing in the dark as they try to figure out who sabotaged their fight and search for Li Xiangyi's deceased sect brother Shan Gudao's corpse. An unlikely friendship develops as they work together to solve a series of strangely connected jiānghú cases.

Plot wise, this drama is solid but dry and unremarkable. The cases all unfold at a fast pace and are easy to follow, but do not engage audience participation. They are simply plants for clues to a treasure hunt for artefacts that unlock the main conspiracy. Despite a hint of the supernatural, the cases fall short of chilling or suspenseful. The hidden mastermind behind the main conspiracy is pretty obvious and revealed fairly early on, and even the ironic twist at the end is not much of a surprise. Both villains are one-dimensional jiānghú archetypes driven by vanity and delusions of grandeur. Wang Herun's scarily convincing portrayal of the Saintess of the insane cackle elevated the role beyond its one-dimensional character blueprint.

\What makes this drama a success are fascinating main character designs, strong rapport among the three leads, the scintillating dialogues, and well-choreographed and exciting action sequences. The real mystery is about who Li Xiangyi was and why he was killed. The answers are at surface trivial. Li Xiangyi was perched at the top of the martial arts world as the world's best swordsman and leader of the righteous sects. This made him the envy and natural target of virtually everyone. However, Li Xiangyi was far from the perfect hero of Fang Doubing's idealistic imagination. In fact, he was a self-absorbed, pompous ass who believed the universe revolved around him and his worldview. His swordsmanship is matched by a brilliant, cynical mind and a razor-sharp tongue that, according to poor Ai'man, can slay a person with a few words. If there is one thing lacking in Cheng Yi's otherwise stellar performance, it is that his Xiangyi is too empathetic. This masks his many flaws and hides how insufferable and difficult he was as a person. It took me awhile to realise that his sect had some inkling who Li Lianhua really was but they refused to recognise him because they just did not want Li Xiangyi to come back.

As for Li Lianhua, he is just a shard, a detached, sickly, disillusioned and world-weary remnant of the glorious Li Xiangyi. Cheng Yi really compels with his heart rending expression of this facet of the character singing his swan song without a shred of self pity. I lived for the sudden bursts of energy or sheer willpower that momentarily revives the breathtaking, dazzling and dizzying swordsmanship that propelled Li Xiangyi to dominate wuling. Only to all too rapidly diminish back into Li Lianhua again, a wickedly unapolagetic compulsive liar whose mantra is clearly, "Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies." This is how he keeps everyone, and especially the hapless Fang Doubing, at arm's length; to avoid new personal entanglements. Fang Doubing (which literally means "sickly") is a parody character, the typical naive, high-minded, young adventurer raring to make a difference in the martial world. The dialogue is well written and humorously illustrates how grudgingly Li Lianhua is moved by this pesty young detective and tacitly accepts him as his successor. However, this kind of clichéd relationship dynamic of the clueless sidekick that elevates the brilliant sleuth is too common and quickly becomes boring. Li Lianhua's lies to Fang Doubing went on for too long to the point it became cruel and unnecessary. Their relationship is over explored and shortchanges the more interesting relationship in the drama.

What disappoints me most is that the writers opted to very cursorily explore the more complex and interesting relationship between Di Feisheng and Li Lianhua. Di Feisheng is the most layered villain in this story; that rare antagonist who transforms into a protagonist. Like Li Xiangyi, he rises to the top of his sect through sheer martial prowess rather than by winning hearts and minds. They are enemies who become friends, both betrayed and searching for answers. But his story is sidelined for much of the drama, his backstory is rushed, and his relationship with Li Lianhua does not really get a chance to develop and grow. Yet the best moments of this drama, are when all three of them are together, like a found family.

I like that this ends with an action-packed finale and satisfying final confrontations with the antagonists. But as for the plot, the best reveal is when Fang Doubing figures out who Li Lianhua is, which isn't really a revelation to the viewer. And I can't really pinpoint when the plot reaches its climax, as none of the high points make a strong impression. As for the ending, it is fitting but not as definitive as I would have liked. Most of Li Lianhua's journey is about putting his affairs in order and offering closure to those he cared for; to help them move on from Li Xiangyi who in all the ways that mattered died ten years ago. Yet Li Lianhua continues to string poor Fang Doubing (and us) along, which is too cruel and inconsistent with the drama's core message about letting go of past attachments and moving on. These kinds of endings that try to please all audiences really annoy me. I still enjoyed this superbly well written drama, immensely even though I think it had the potential to be much better. For me, this is an excellent 8.5/10.0 and a highly recommended watch.

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Another series ruined by Netflix's greed

The season 2 finale was conclusive and satisfying. It tied everything together perfectly imo but of course Netflix had to bring it back for the cash grab. And it's still not enough as they're trying to stretch this even further into season 4... oh lord. And let me preface this by saying, I love this series, Alice In Borderland (Seasons 1-2) is one of my favorite drama's of all time. However Season 3 was a disappointment as the plot felt forced and so many things did not make sense to me.

Let's start with the plot. The premise for this whole season is Arisu must return to the Borderlands to save Usagi, who was lured there by Banda ("Joker"). And Banda's reason for this was that he was lonely? He said he missed having players who were good at games so he wanted Arisu to become a citizen. But citizens don't even play the games so...? Anyway, one of the new characters Ryuji (professor who has this weird kink for death) is used as a tool to get Usagi back to the Borderlands. I did not understand their relationship at all lol. They said Usagi wanted to go back to the Borderland because she misses her dad? But her dad was dead a long time ago and wouldn't be there. Ryuji also has this weird obsession with Usagi, I couldn't tell if it was romantic or like it reminded him of his dead student he got killed (though I don't really see the correlation). On the other hand Usagi also seemed to keep protecting him even though he literally kidnapped and drugged her. Anyway that whole dynamic was just weird. Usagi in season 1 and 2 is a loyal and badass, but in this season she just becomes selfish and her sudden extreme depression didn't make sense to me. Like it didn't bother her for the past five years but now suddenly she has to take some extreme measures to deal with it. I hated this relationship between Usagi and Ryuji. Ann returns which was cool but her role was kinda lame and didn't make sense. Some of the other new characters were well written and interesting to me like Tetsu, but some were just horrible and not really fleshed out. The games are decent I suppose but not as emotional or intense as last time, since we didn't have two seasons to develop understanding and connection with the characters.

I apologize this ended up being more of a rant than a review.

TLDR: Poorly written plot that did not make sense, some games were fun and interesting, new characters were hit or miss, ruined Usagi's character. Alice In Borderland is a top 5 drama for me but only because I will pretend this season doesn't exist. Wasn't as bad as Squid Game season 3 though :D

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the acting, the actors were INCREDIBLE. have always loved nam ji hyun and lee joon hyuk, and it was incredible to see them together in this. the story may not have been the most mysterious and mind blowing, but it was definitely enough to keep you on your toes and make you want to watch more. Lee joon hyuk really did it for me this drama, i loved his character and he did such a good job playing. the last episode broke my heart though! poor hyeong ju deserved better, but i love the drama still. very refreshing, definitely worth rewatching despite the mystery being known. the characters and their chemistry was lovely. i loved it.

lastly, GIVE NAM JI HYUN AND LEE JOON HYUK A ROMCOM, PLS. they were so cute! need more content. loved them sooo much together and the ending really left me itching for more. yikes. they deserve a romcom for all the heartbreak this drama gave me :p but the good kind!

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