Completed
Rea(L)ove
24 people found this review helpful
by Leyla
May 15, 2018
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 4.0
Music 2.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers
One word: yikes.
I decided to watch this while waiting for new episodes of Terrace House and it was a pretty wild ride tbh. I think, rather than a dating show, it's better to watch this as a social experiment where bad people try to make themselves feel superior by judging other bad people.

The entire thing takes place over 3 or so days and within that that time, the hosts and the contestants manage to slut shame pretty much every woman onscreen and they also fit in a few transphobic slurs and rape jokes while they're at it. I couldn't deal with the double standards either; one guy had a very similar secret to one of the girls (I won't go into specifics so I can avoid spoilers), but he was seen as fine while she was deemed a slut.
They were all -apart from like 2 or 3 of them- bad people, and this wasn't even because of their "dark secret" but because of how they judged the others.

Ok then, just because I don't want to leave an entirely negative review, I will say that the secrets revealed were pretty exciting. It was quite fun trying to guess what everyone was hiding.
I guess this show just wasn't my cup of tea.

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Completed
Anchor
24 people found this review helpful
Oct 7, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 6.5

Haunting psychothriller. Rather psycho-logical. Intense acting of a fantastic trio.

"Anchor" is a psychological thriller set in the competitive world of TV news anchor. A nightmare on the edge of a horror trip begins, as Jung Se-ra receives a strange phone call, followed by fatality. Se-ra sets out to investigate herself... Eventually a psychiatrist plays a dubious role, starting to increasingly influence Se-ra´s world. Her manipulative controlling mother on the other hand cannot tolerate this. Increasingly, realities become blurred. What Se-ra finds out in the end is downright shocking.

Like I said, this is a psychological thriller. On top of that, it gets mysterious, psychologically complex and a bit uncanny at times. Viewers see the world through the eyes of Jung Se-ra (impressive: Chun Woo-hee), who is getting confronted with her own blind spots. Tugging on one side is her dominant mother (spooky: Lee Hye-young), while on the other side the provocative psychiatrist In-ho (unfathomable: Shin Ha-Kyun) plays with fire confronting Se-ra's psyche with hypnosis.

"Anchor" clearly thrives on the intense acting of this fantastic trio. Haunting.




PS:
Don´t expect to get all the answers straight - the KMovie is rather psycho-logical.

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Completed
Goedam
21 people found this review helpful
Sep 7, 2020
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 5.5

An Easily Forgettable Show...


A collection of short series revolving around the mysterious and unexplained, the show had undeniable potential to be an original and chilling ensemble of horror tales. Instead, we got Goedam. A show filled with repetitive storylines, gore horror cliches and lacking characterisation. To put in more simple words, Goedam is the sort of show which you can watch in a short space of time, and easily forget about anything in the show, the day afterwards.

Yes, I’m not forgetting that the episodes did average upon less than 10 mins in length. As a consequence ,it was clear from the -get go that the episodes weren’t going to be in -depth stories about the traumas of the human soul . There is still a lot a story writer can do , however, in a short drama regardless of genre ( whilst not a personal favourite , note Bing Goo, as an example of a “short drama” with a creative and controlled flare)
without falling short upon generic cliches and story archetypes as shown as Goedam.

For a horror drama, there was nothing which delivered a particularly spine-tingling aftermath for viewers. It became apparent that the show relied lethargically upon the gore and body horror trope for virtually every ending resulting in a death or a blood bath for the character/ victim of the episode. Besides only a couple of episodes scratching the surface of Asian horror, it would have been more entertaining as a viewer, to have seen a more episodes focusing upon elements of traditional Korean horror or at least varied tales, urban legends and creatures for a reflection of a more sinister and memorable Horror show.

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Completed
Good Doctor
24 people found this review helpful
by RSara
Feb 2, 2014
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
I've just finished This Drama, and all i can say is that it's simply perfect.

The cast and the acting was awesome, especially Joo Won he will leave you speechless.

The story and the events were just going as they should, it was realistic.

I liked it because it is full of good feelings, it will make you smile and it will make you smile, it'll give you goosebumps.

Some people won't enjoy the medical part of the Drama, but i think even that part was great.

That's why i rated it 9 overall. Hope you'll enjoy it XD !
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Completed
Comrades
24 people found this review helpful
Mar 28, 2014
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 5
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
“All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers.” –Francois Fenelon

In the United States, that conflict which came to be called “The Korean War,” holds another designation besides: “The Forgotten War.” Several reasons exist for this, but chief among them is actually timing. Wedged between heroic World War II and hellish Vietnam, amassing fewer American casualties, and yielding little accomplishment, these hostilities are often overshadowed and thus rarely remembered (unless someone mentions M*A*S*H, of course). And yet for Koreans, that this war could be “forgotten” is unthinkable. Its effects are likened unto wounds that ache even today, dividing an entire people along the scar known as the DMZ.

So why stop to talk history? Because, when it comes to a powerful drama like Comrades, it just seems necessary. As many among us have come to know and love South Korea (and not just for excellent entertainment, but its culture and people also), we ought to be aware of the painful history which has molded it until now. After all, that sentiment seems to be at the heart of Comrades: the fervent wish for the viewer to understand.

What’s more, this drama helps one to do so in an entertaining and sincere manner, without the heavy-handed ideology, pointed fingers, or macho-man heroism which might muddy its message. The plot unfolds tightly, abandoning exposition and filler to allow characters and events to stand for themselves. The viewer is never spoon-fed or told what to think, and thus free to see Comrades as it is: a story of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances. That means that even soldiers from the North are portrayed humanely, whereas not everything in the South comes across as noble. A drama which pulls no punches with any aspect, and never insults the intelligence of its viewers is all too rare.

And so we see The Korean War from a uniquely Korean perspective, following various participants (from South and North Korean soldiers, to guerrilla fighters and even deserters). We learn their stories, each unique and fleshed out, and often come to feel for them no matter the “side.” Not only men are represented, either, with female combatants frequently appearing in the narrative (and well-handled, at that). Yet the best thing about Comrades might be the fabulous characters of 1st Squad, and the deep bonds which form between them. Viewers spend most time with these men, growing to adore them as they fight and survive together. The term “bromance” was invented for such touching male friendships, and I'll never use it lightly again.

Despite the fact battles often occur on screen and action plays an important part in Comrades, the involving and personal nature of the story is what will stick with viewers. Though it might make you cry from the gut, pump your fist triumphantly, or cover your mouth in disbelief, it’s a chance worth taking. For war film and history lovers, you’ll doubtlessly adore Comrades. But if you’re hesitating because this is not your usual type of show, stop! You’ll never see a drama quite like this again, as mature, well-made, and without fear. And the only regret you’ll have after? How pale it makes others seem in comparison.

Perhaps no better Korean ensemble cast yet exists than the one in Comrades. Ever-immaculate Choi Soo Jong headlines as devoted and fatherly Lee Hyun Joong, the sergeant in charge of 1st Squad. This character’s love and care for his men exceeds that of his own life. As I told a friend, Choi appears slight, yet his presence looms large and vibrant; more impressive is that he manages this with a surprising humanity and straightforwardness. I’m extremely attached to Sergeant Lee, even now: an incredible role for an incredible actor.

From Choi Soo Jong, it becomes difficult to single out anyone, but not because they flow together. On the contrary, each character is so well-defined and acted that should I stop to name everyone that stood apart, we’d be here for many more paragraphs. Instead, I’ll list some of the best: Kim Roe Ha (complicated Sergeant Park), Lee Seung Hyo (brash Private Jung), and Ryu Sang Wook (pious Medic Joo Yong). Kim Myung Soo and Jung Tae Woo are notable from the North Korean side, while Lee In Hye and Lee Tae Ran do the ladies proud.

Nothing is more delightful than finding a cinematic soundtrack in a drama. Well, being able to find every track with its title translated might be (as was possible with this one). Almost everything is memorable, with nary a false note to be heard from tense and exciting themes (“Kyrie”) to those equally quiet and painful (“Salute to the Deceased”). Many of my favored Korean dramas tend to include Insooni on the soundtrack, and here her soulful voice haunts the shattering ballad “I Will Come Back.” Among other important vocals are “Requiem for the Unknown Soldiers,” (Gloomy 30’s), and the enduring, folksy “Friends,” offered by Kim Jang Hoon—and on occasion, the boys of 1st Squad. After the final episodes, this is a song that might burrow its way into your heart forever.

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Completed
18 Again
24 people found this review helpful
by Miro
Nov 11, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5

" Hello, hello... hellooo"

Story- The story came from a western movie, 17 Again starring Zach Efron. Although it's not original, you can tell that this has more depth and focuses on family matters/issues. Just a reminder tho that you need a box of kleenex. lol. The flashbacks will make you bawl, it's heart wrenching but beautiful at the same time. I don't want to get into details 'coz I want the viewers to feels first hand all the emotions while watching.

Acting- Mad RESPECT for LDH's acting it's SIMPLY FLAWLESS!!!I love him in HDL,he was able to capture the heart of many eventhough he was just given a little screentime, but here, he's on a different level. YSH is a veteran actor but he gave LDH the spotlight. All the side characters/actors did an excellent job, it's not only the main leads that makes this drama exceptional but every single one of them. The roles fit them perfectly, so kuddos also to casting director.

Music- Don't get me started with the OST's. Whenever I hear the " Hello, hello... hellooo" bgm coming, I would grab my box of kleenex, believe me you need one.lol

Rewatch- If only I don't have tons of cdramas/kdramas lined up I would definitely rewatch this gain and again (like torturing myself)! lol.

Overall- This drama is a must watch! Give it a try and you'll never regret!!! Hands down!

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Completed
Secret
23 people found this review helpful
by palak
Feb 4, 2013
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
When I started watching this movie, 15-20 minutes later, I thought to myself "What a lame movie. It's so obvious the girl has a terminal illness and she's going to die pretty soon" Boy was I wrong. This movie blew my mind away! The acting was really good and they used great music. But overall, I think the story was what stole the show. Love it. Will watch it again for sure.
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Aug 1, 2023
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.5

Sakata Gintoki In Love?

This drama was really cute and fun and much better than I expected. The characters are likeable and not the type you usually come across in school romance. For only 9 episodes they felt pretty fleshed out and real and I think the development didn’t stray at any point. The male lead in particular really reminded me of Sakata Gintoki and the dark humor/deadpan comedy of the show was reminiscent of Gintama, so I would recommend this if you are a fan of the anime! This was my first time seeing any of the actors but it was very well acted throughout, also side note that the female lead is so pretty and has the most mesmerizing eyes.
Bonus point: there is an adorable cat 🐈‍⬛

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Completed
Sweet Home
24 people found this review helpful
Dec 21, 2020
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 6.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Sweet Home, Where The True Monsters Reside With Your Head...


In the gory dystopian Japanese classic Battle Royale (2000), the style of ‘ fighting until the last survivor’ has created a lasting legacy upon numerous western franchises ( consider movies like the Hunger Games and Saw) and video games as well, whilst series like the American graphic - novel based and Zombie show the Walking Dead (2010-) have established an interest in contemporary dystopian dramas and franchises. Yet, as dramas go, Sweet Home doesn’t entirely stand out at first amongst the multitude of ‘ race- for- survival’ - style movies and dramas out there.

Most webtoon readers will probably argue, however, that the one thing which the drama does do well in regards to divulging away from past dystopian tropes in a similar manner to the eponymous webtoon , is being able to maintain the archetype that the monsters aren’t created by some pandemic or freaky lab accident, but the human psyche’s repressed fears and desires. This is one of the main focuses of the show and one of the main obstacles for the main protagonist Hyun ( Song Kang) in order to confront ( both literally and metaphorically) his own demons over the course of the drama.

On the other hand, whilst it is important to respect both a webtoon and “ based-upon” drama as standalone productions in their own rights, it is undeniable with the great legacy of the original webtoon to notice where the drama fell short of expectations at times. ( With all due respect the drama did maintain some of the impactful themes of the original webtoon such as mental health, murder, smoking and violence).

The greatest of the show’s flaws came from character development and interaction throughout the series.

For those who don’t know, one of the critically-acclaimed features of the original webtoon ( sans the fighting scenes) was the ability to show how the numerous characters of the webtoon with different personalities, backgrounds and beliefs were able to develop bonds, alliances and friendships throughout the events of Sweet Home. That’s not to say that the drama didn’t achieve this at all. To some extent, we got to see this interaction en par with the webtoon through the first meeting of Hyun and Lee Eun Yoo ( Go Min- Si) in episode 1 and their interactions over the course of the drama, as well as the humanity of the most unlikely character, the gangster Pyeon Sang-wook ( Lee Jin Wook) through his heart-rendering backstory in later episodes. Apart from this, there seemed to be little dedication in scenes to actually focus upon other and more intimate character interactions.

Yet whilst the show arguably does not have the time to cram in 142 chapters of character interactions into 10 episodes alone, there were still endless opportunities to explore and humanise other important characters in the drama in order to make their backstories and their events such as Yoon Ji- Soo ( Park Kyu-Young) and Jung Jae Hyeon ( Kim Nah Hee) more impactful by allowing them to grown upon viewers.

This ironically moves us onto the second problem of the drama; the CGI effects of the monsters.

As it happens there was something more sinister in some regards to the effects of Hyun’s eyes turning demonically- black in scenes than the bloodshot appearance in the webtoon, and the nightmarish forms of the “ Half- Headed” and “ Protein” Monsters will certainly leave goosebumps for viewers afterwards. What is hard to understand, however, is how lazy the CGI could be at times within this show, with several scenes such as the “ Seoul Apocalypse” appearing more like a 2000s cheap horror movie than a drama released this year. It seemed only adding to this effect was the single shot style frame typically employed for romance dramas which felt oddly out of a place in a horror drama where inventive styles ( even slow-motion) or the feeling of distortion ( which have been employed to portray Hyun’s nightmares) would have been better suited for theme of Sweet Home.Additionally one of the biggest of the drama had to be the OST. Whilst hearing Imagine Dragon’s Warriors during a fight scene or the ironic energetic K-Hip Hop artist BeWhy did add a level of pacing to the ending, it soon became repetitive and lost impact to hear these songs again and again without a change of pace. For a drama which has a main character as a musician, there was so much wasted potential to not have a wider range of genres, styles and (respectfully )more Korean and international mainstream and indie artists throughout the show.

Perhaps Sweet Home’s one saving grace had to be its varied and brilliant cast. By far several of the best casting choices of the show had to be between choosing Lee Jin Wook as a gruff gangster, Go Min- Si as a foul-mouthed teenager with a surprising streak of kindness and of course casting Kim Sang Ho as Han Du- Sik , the much needed comical relief of the drama.

Yet the casting choices of our main leads were by far the most surprising. Knowing that Song Kang( who played one of the cheerful leads in the romance hit-drama Love Alarm ) would be cast to play the suicidal and angst-ridden teen Hyun, seems a strange fact to grasp with for most viewers, yet, Kang’s portrayal added a surprisingly level of humanity to the irony of playing a character fighting for that very sake. In a similar manner, Lee Do Hyun was fairly unrecognisable in a guise of glasses and a more mature role as Lee- Eun Hyuk than a certain “ Ahjussi teenager “ in the romance- comedy 18 Again , yet like his costar, Do- Hyun was fairly good in the drama.

Overall, Sweet Home has certainly been one of the better dramas of 2020 with a fairly good and original concept ( although it does fall down on several factors), difficult themes (such as murder and suicide) being tackled in an appropriate manner and a stellar and diverse cast. My only other complaint is with the ending already trying to build its way to another season ( or leave on a “ dramatic” cliffhanger) and therefore consequently trying to stray away from the original storyline. Apart from this ( as we are still yet to see if there is another season or not) , Sweet Home ( although not flawless) is definitely worth a watch.

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Completed
One Summer Night
24 people found this review helpful
Jan 17, 2021
Completed 9
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers
I chanced upon this movie while browsing through the BL list of MDL and it got me curious. This is the first time that I’ve watched a BL movie that had an explicit scene from the very beginning and it wasn’t even blurred. Get ready to be shocked. At this point, you’d have an idea that the director did not spare any details at all.

STORY: This, I think, is a rated NC-17 Adults only because of the extremely explicit sex scenes as well as a toxic ending. In the beginning, the plot was complex and a little hard to follow. First off, I didn’t understand why Yong-Joon was so mad with Jae-Sung. However, later in the movie, I found out that Jae-Sung got married. I guess that’s where the anger came from. The story is intriguing at the same time I felt that I wanted to scream at all of the characters and I’ll discuss why later on. The story talks about what Yong-Joon would do for Tae-Kyu. What extreme measures he took just to be able to take care of him. How in the middle of the movie Yong-Joon became conflicted when Jae-Sung suddenly appeared. I don’t like how the movie ended. The way Tae-Kyung blackmailed Yong-Joon by threatening him that he will end his life is something that I detest. As well as, how the half-blind student took matters into his hands resulting in an individual's death that caused another person's death. It was a succession of terrible events that stemmed from anger.

ACTING/CAST: The acting was so good. Kim Tae Hoon (Yong-Joon) was good in his portrayal. His emotions were out there. You would feel what he felt for every scene. The actor was so good that in a way I hated the character. How Yong-Joon was so inclined to do even the nastiest things just to make sure that Tae-Kyu will be okay. Shin Won-Ho (Tae-Kyu) also did a good job being the naughty, selfish kind of kid that he was. I didn’t like the character being so carefree that he didn’t even notice how troubled Yong-Joon was. That the only thing that he could think of was that he was a burden and would emotionally abuse Yong-Joon. If I were to analyze his personality, I would think that he has emotional and mental issues. Then there’s Choi Jae-Sung (Jae-Sung), the guy who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was trying so hard to make-up with Yong-Joon. I feel that he could have done a little bit more when it comes to facial expressions.

REWATCH VALUE: If you have been diagnosed with depression, I would suggest that you don’t. But if you can take the scenes, the emotional entanglement, then go ahead.

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Completed
Unexpected Heroes
21 people found this review helpful
Feb 5, 2018
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers
DON'T WATCH THIS if you hate cliffhangers! I mean HATE. The ending left me so frustrated and unsatisfied that I started googling about a Season 2 (there's no mention of it, for those who are curious).

Warning Spoilers Ahead:
The plot was fairly alright, and I had no qualms about their acting. The story starts with a man being murdered. But since it was classed as an accident and since he had signed to have his organs up for donation, three high school students were the lucky recipients. They started having dreams of his murder, which led to them investigating into it. HOWEVER, just as they found a derisive clue as well as the suspect, he disappears, ENDING. THE. WEB. DRAMA. with the camera panning across the murderer standing outside their house.

HOW. IS. THAT. AN. ENDING.

It felt more like they ran out of budget and had to cut the drama halfway. It was incomplete, with many questions left unanswered.

Why did he murder the donor? Why did he also try to kill the donor's sister? Why has he been stalking the recipients enough to take on another identity to infiltrate their school as a staff? What was his motive behind all of this?

None. Were. Answered.

Also, on the romance part of it, it's very typical high school drama type of confusion, with the girl caught between two of her closest friends. She likes the one who is oblivious, the other one likes her, the oblivious one knows his heart reacts to her but doesn't know that he actually likes her, until he starts catching her hanging out a lot with the other one and starts to get jealous....

Which simply adds to ANOTHER loose end because of how the series ended.

For the sake of your own sanity, do not watch this. Urgh, ???.

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Completed
My Secret Vampire
24 people found this review helpful
by Kate Big Brain Award1
Oct 15, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 5
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.5

Baiting a neck bite should be illegal…

Truth to be told, the whole story was only baiting a vampire plot line - it barely existed in any meaningful way. You could change the set up to rich and poor lead, mafia, soldier and civilian, undercover agents and almost nothing would change. Almost all scenes with the “we can’t be together/we can’t get closer” were not vampire specific and that’s a bummer.

I think I would enjoy the drama far more if it was not set up initially as this “forbidden romance”. Rather than staying away because it’s wrong to be together, it’s dangerous, it was just “it’s too much unnecessary drama, so I’m giving you a cold shoulder”. But it felt like the mix of two so it was neither this lighthearted supernatural romance, nor this angsty thrilling love story.

All that said, I did have fun watching. I found all the characters extremely charming with unique personalities that did not feel like AI generated prompts based on stock material. Dong Ha was adorable, but he was not a pushover. Ju Won was stoic, but not emotionless. Seon Jae was cheeky, but not cheap. Gyu Min and Eun Ho, while being this comedic duo, also brought some nice more serious moments between them. All the characters also had great chemistry - be it romance, friendship or rivalry driven.

The production value clearly keeps increasing in the Korean BL industry. I liked the set designs, I thought the styling of all the characters matched their personalities and behaviors. There were a number of pretty shots worth screenshotting too.

Overall, it was fun, but it could have been so much more…

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Completed
The Girl's Speech
24 people found this review helpful
Mar 21, 2015
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
It has been a long time for me since I have written a review but I really have to give one
for this Drama. Because it deserves it!
I have always been a great fan of high-school-dramas, especially when they have
a "hero-like" main-lead :)
(maybe my addiction to them comes from Gokusen)
But for once I didn´t even plan to watch this Drama. By accident I clicked on it on a streaming website and I must say that this is one of the Dramas which are unexpected gems!

The plot was very well-done and it served it´s purpose. I was glued to the screen each time I was watching the episodes. I even put on-hold currently airing dramas such as "Kill me, heal me" only in order to watch a new episode of this Drama. Besides being a light watch, it involves a few darker themes as well (such as disappointment, bullying, betrayal etc). In my opinion it was the perfect mix of them. My favorite part weren´t only the held speeches but the presidents encouraging of her classmates, teachers etc in the middle of each episode were really touching as well.
I didn´t feel the need to stop to watch the Drama, like I tend to do with many melodramas.
But still it was enough to evoke excitement in me. Especially in the middle of the Drama.
As for the ending it didn´t quite satisfy me (no I won´t spoil it don´t worry) but then again it made me happy as well. You will see what I mean when you have watched it :=)

The female leading role (the president) seemed sweet and sincerly in her role. Her acting portrayed her innocence and ever growing strong will well, though I wouldn´t say that it was outstanding.
It was enough for me that I felt along with her and I really enjoyed her role a lot :)

The male main lead was more like a mysterious side-character who played a major role in achieving her dreams. At first I thought he would only play a gloomy, minor role but it turned out to be different.
I wouldn´t say that I will miss his role as much as from the sweet president, but I really enjoyed the interactions between him and her.

As for the other roles I personally really liked the "platinum" group, the student rulers of the school. I would have wished for even more of their screen time. Instead they more likely became side-characters.
There was no actor/actress whose acting I found to be "bad" and therefor I gave 9 points for the cast.

This definetely isn´t a cheesy drama as you might expect from the synopsis and I am glad that I came to watch it. I can assure you that most likely won´t regret giving it a try as well. It will be worth the time!

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Completed
The Journey
24 people found this review helpful
Jul 12, 2017
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
I'll start this off by saying that this is the 1st drama I watched after a MAJOR drama-slump so my very high rating is based more off of my enjoyment watching than any rational reasons like amazing plot or award-worthy acting.

I don't know what it is about C-dramas, but I accept their corniness and over the top acting more so than any others. It's like they're in on the joke with the viewers, so its ok by me. The story overall has a lot going on! There is LITERALLY something for everyone: Romance, friendship, action, fantasy, ALL the different time periods, vampires, werewolves, magicians... just to name a few. But the overall story is about a master and his disciples who time-travel into a person's past-life to fix a problem they are having in the present. It's a nice plot that introduces all sorts of mayhem and time jumping, and every time its a different story. So if you don't like the time period and plot in episodes 4-7, then maybe the plot and historic period in episodes 8-10 will do it for you. The common thread through it all is Ye Yin's meetings with past-lives of the people she knows and one very clingy vampire she keeps running in to. The awkwardness, the cuteness and pure comedy that follows will make you stick around just to see what happens next and how Ye Yin will get out of the problems she started in the 1st place!

Even though this doesn't have a romance tag (as of right now) there is some romance. An eternal love triangle to be exact. There are hints that there is some huge history between the two main men in Ye Yin's life, but we only get flashes here and there (probably saving it for season 2!)

The acting was over the top, and corny... but it fit the tone of the show and had me LOLing the entire series.

Like I said before, I was in a certain mood to really enjoy this series. So I understand that it may not be for everyone. But for getting me out of my drama slump, making me look forward to a 2nd season, and forcing me to watch some episodes RAW (bc I just couldn't wait for subs) this was near perfection IMHO.

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Completed
Semantic Error
24 people found this review helpful
Mar 10, 2022
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.5

A silver lining on the Korean BL horizon

Semantic Error may not reinvent the wheel, but its authentic characters, convincing performances of the lead actors and charming storytelling make this one of the most entertaining BLs I've recently watched.

The strongest aspect of Semantic Error are the characters and the palpable chemistry between the lead actors. Both Jaeyoung and Sangwoo are incredibly likeable characters, which is always a good thing in a romance drama. If I don't like one of the leads, it's just hard to get invested and root for their relationship. Our lead actors seemed to have fun playing these roles, and it felt like they genuinely wanted to tell this story. There was absolutely no awkwardness or apprehension between them, instead we got sizzling chemistry and gradual attraction that convincingly builds up the tension between our main couple. It's reminiscent of last years "To My Star" in terms of quality and chemistry between the leads.

Park Jaechan plays Chu Sangwoo an intelligent but emotionally distant computer science major. Sangwoo´s stubborn nature and obsession with rules could have made him come off as cold, but he was surprisingly sweet and funny. Through Park Jae Chans excellent portrayal, Sangwoo´s robotic tendencies come off as charming and endearing instead of unnerving.

Park Seoham plays Jang Jaeyoung a confident, popular and talented design major. Seoham is a social butterfly, seemingly getting along with everyone, he's the typical handsome cool kid. What makes him different from a lot of other leads of this stereotype is that he's actually a kind soul and rather self-reflective. Something I was very thankful for since Jaeyoung´s charming, caring and fun personality made it so easy to root for him.

The supporting cast may have not been fleshed out like our leads, but we got some memorable additions to the cast. Often when side characters show up in short dramas like this, it feels like they are taking away screen time from our main couple. That was absolutely not the case for Semantic Error, since we usually got fun banter or meaningful conversations whenever one of the side characters showed up. Apart from the characters, I really enjoyed the dialogues and humor in this show. It never felt forced and enhanced the lighthearted and fun atmosphere.

The cinematography gives you a cozy feeling with its fall setting and use of vibrant colors. I also want to point out the excellent soundtrack by Coldin. "Romantic Devil" is super catchy, while "Can you stay" is a soothing track that makes you feel all warm inside.

Personally, I was entertained from the first to the last episode, so there isn't much to criticize. You could argue it's rather uninventive with its university setting, enemies to lovers trope and the school rebel falls for nerd setting. All of these valid reasons to give this a pass since it's been done so many times before. If you aren't tired of it yet or if you're the type to be won over by good storytelling and endearing characters, I would give this one a chance nonetheless.

Semantic Error was able to not only establish incredibly likable characters, but also show the gradual affection between them. We see they're falling for each other and most importantly we understand why they are falling for each other. Frankly, that's something not all romance centered dramas accomplish. Although short, this show is very well paced, perfectly utilizing the amount of time they have without focusing on unnecessary fillers or rushing anything. It's a short and sweet youth drama which is the perfect comfort watch if you need something to warm your heart and make you smile. Definitely re-watch material.

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