Completed
Don't Disturb My Study
21 people found this review helpful
by advil
Apr 25, 2021
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.0

A Must Watch Hidden Gem

To be honest with you, I came to watch this for Lai Edward and Wang Run Ze because I've seen them together with the same roles in a different drama (A Little Thing Called First Love). I didn't expect much thinking it would be a typical school romance drama. I was surprised by how complex the plot is being only the first episode. But if you're looking for a romantic-based school drama, I don't think this one is for you. It surrounds the plot of growing up and facing dilemmas, romance lingers as well but isn't as developed. The plot twist, in the end, is worth it. It answers everything!

The plot is a little bit cliche with time travelling and I was looking forward to its uniqueness and it didn't disappoint. The story is complex and was driven by both the characters and the plot itself. I personally can't think of any characters that are unlikeable or had underdeveloped stories. Everyone was equally important—Mr. Wang was just as important to the plot as Lin Xiaoran or Nan Xiangwan. Their friendship with each other is strong and healthy, and so are the love tensions between the characters which is rare in most dramas but I'm glad we're straying away from romanticized toxic relationships :)

The female lead, Nan Xiangwan's development surprised me the most. In the first few episodes, she comes off as arrogant and self-centred who only wanted to achieve her goal, to get back to Class 2 because of that, I understand why people are discouraged to continue—no one wants to watch an unlikeable lead. But as time went on, she becomes more 'human' who is shown empathy, she helped her classmates find a way out of dilemmas and problems. She still stayed to her true nature with her goal in mind yet helped her classmates as they face dilemmas. She's one of the strongest female leads and if you were to take out the male lead, she'd still complete the drama. The male lead, Lin Xiaoran started off as an alpha who makes a lot of impulsive decisions. He later grew into this person who thinks about what he's doing because of the female lead's presence.

The music is beautiful, especially Xiangli Xiangli! This is definitely a much watch. It is everything a cliche drama is not. There are no heavy misunderstandings and every single problem is solved, there are no plot-triggering characters and both the leads realized their love over time.

Overall, as much as I'm not a rewatch-er, you'd definitely catch me watching this again (and yes, I was teary-eyed).

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Completed
I'm Taking the Day Off
21 people found this review helpful
by meighy
Dec 22, 2014
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 7.5
I finished this drama this morning. I watched it raw and my Japanese is still rough, so I might have missed some things. On the whole I have to say it was an interesting story, with an interesting heroine. Even though this is a romance, the focus seems to be more on the main character's development.

I don't really like stories where you can't figure out why the guy likes the girl, so when I read the synopsis of this drama I was worried this would just be weird wish fulfillment and there would be no reason for the guys to like her. I was pleasantly surprised in that respect. First of all, even really dressed down, the actress is very pretty. I think it's realistic that people might notice that. Secondly, even if she's not very friendly, we as the viewers get to see inside her thoughts which are frankly hilarious. I like it when she is insightful and sarcastic (only inside her head) and the things she imagines make me laugh every time. I think the two guys are attracted to her in part because she has an introverted, guarded personality, and they like the moments where she lets her guard down.

I just wish the leading men were better developed, especially the younger man. I think there is substance behind the character, but you're left to just guess at it instead of seeing it.

Naka Riisa is worth mentioning here because this character, while still comic relief at times, was a more mature character than I've seen her play in a while. She handled it well.

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Completed
The Red Envelope
21 people found this review helpful
Apr 5, 2025
Completed 1
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.5

Good comedy

I was so lucky this movie came out in theaters while I was on vacation in Thailand! I had a great time.

The story is funny, the actors perform well, and the scenes are well-paced. The plot isn’t too complicated, and there are nice messages of tolerance throughout, which is a plus.

I recommend it!
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Completed
Oh My Ghost
21 people found this review helpful
Sep 10, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 3.5
Story 3.5
Acting/Cast 4.0
Music 3.5
Rewatch Value 2.0
Where to begin with this mess of a drama? It wasn't good. And that's putting it mildly. Oh My Ghostess' biggest pitfall is in its plot. At first the plot seems rather straightforward; a shy girl gets possessed by an outgoing virgin ghost who is trying to get laid. Easy, simple, straightforward. So where did it go wrong?

By making the ghost, Shin Sun Ae, the second female lead instead of the female lead the show immediately opened itself up to a storm of problems. Our main male lead, Kang Seon Woo, falls in love with the ghost-possessed version of the female lead first and because of that fact the viewer is left wondering throughout every subsequent interaction between the two leads whether he actually loves Na Bong Sun for her own qualities or loves the version of her that is actually Sun Ae. This confusion both on the part of Seon Woo and the audience completely destroys the validity of the romance between the two leads. What's more the writer did little to engender Bong Sun to either Seon Woo or the audience based on her own merits. Sun Ae is clearly the more fun, kind, and lively of the two women and Bong Sun is so painfully shy for the first half of the show that she is almost entirely devoid of personality. The show's choice to stop clearly showing the audience when Bong Sun is being possessed versus when she isn't was also executed poorly. Bong Sun's personality, as she becomes less shy, starts to resemble Sun Ae's too much. There were times when I could not tell which version of Bong Sun I was watching in a scene. Was she possessed? Not possessed? Is Seon Woo in love with Bong Sun? With Sun Ae? I certainly didn't know and still don't.

Another issue was with the virgin ghost character in general. Shin Sun Ae's motivations at the beginning of the show boil down to just one thing: sleep with someone. When she attempts to seduce Seon Woo he rejects her advances and yet she just keeps going. It made me so uncomfortable to watch as she pretty much sexually harassed him after he very clearly told her no. It was creepy and should not have been included in the drama. If the tables were turned and he was harassing her no one would have found this plot point funny. It would have been seen as downright villainous.

The acting wasn't terrible but it also wasn't Park Bo Young or Jo Jong Suk's best work. Overall this drama was a failure. It made me uncomfortable and I regret watching it.

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Completed
You Are My Destiny
19 people found this review helpful
by Aya
Apr 8, 2020
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

Are we getting a 2nd season?

I am only talking about this remake, and there's no comparison between this and other versions because I haven't watched them, but this felt incomplete and needs a second season for sure!

- Story wise, it is not an original story and I've read many books with the same story-line.
Did I predict this ending? DEFINITELY NO. NOT AT ALL. It didn't even cross my mind because that's the worst case scenario in a romance story. Bro who wrote this?!!! We need to talk. Seriously, if that's it and there is no season 2, it is the worst end to ever happen to such story!

*I dislike the miscommunication trope the most, this drama relied heavily on it, and it was left unsolved which angered me a lot. I understand the female lead feelings and how hurt she was, but the male lead kinda did his best (he wasn't the most amazing husband but he tried) and he deserved to have a proper closure with her at least.

- Acting wise, I think the cast was decent and really had potential.. I know because I have watched other works for most of these actors/actresses and they were great, specially the male lead and the female lead. I guess the short episodes were unfair to them. And most of the side characters were kinda pointless.
*Tokito Yuki for example, I don't understand what his role is in the drama, his scenes were actually good but he needed more time for his character to develop!
*Nakabayashi Taiki is probably my fave here. Watching him was so much fun and this role fit him really well!

- I don't talk about the music usually, but this one had great soundtracks. Yes I am obsessed with them since I started watching this drama! These are by a boy band called "One N' Only" and I highly recommend checking them out!

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Completed
A Man's Story
21 people found this review helpful
Oct 6, 2012
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 5.0
Story::

Wow. Just wow. It starts off kind of slow, but when it picks up..good golly does it pick up. The story revolves around revenge, then moves from that to just standing up for whats right. Pretty much from revenge to Good Vs. Evil. Really really well written, I loved it. End was good aswell. Not a major love store here guys, if you're looking for that move on along. I, myself, usually watch only romcoms, but this...this is really good.

Characters/Actors::

Actors performed really well. Hats off to Kim Kang Woo though, really well played psychopath. Right till the end. Every role he played was played really well.

Music::
I have the OST on my playlist, its freaking amazing.

Rewatch::

I dont.

OVerall 10/10 Awesome!

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Completed
In a Class of Her Own
21 people found this review helpful
Aug 15, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

Inspiring & Heart-Warming

This story reminds me of the story of Malala Yousafzai, a 15 year old Pakistani girl who was shot in the head by the Talibans in 2012 because she was advocating education for all girls. Not that Malala has disguised herself as a boy and gone to school as in this drama, but the stories are similar whereby girls are deprived of the equal opportunity to learn and to work since ancient times to today's world. This drama also reminisces the legendary Butterfly Lovers but without its tragic ending.

Wen Xi (played by Ju Jing Yi), a very intelligent girl from an impoverished family, disguises as a boy by adopting her brother’s name Wen Bin and works as a commissioned writer to make a living for her family. Not out of her choice, she’s accidentally enrolled into the most prestigious academy of the land where such graduates would generally enter the palace and work as high-ranking officials for the Emperor. In the academy, she has to navigate precariously so that her feminine identity would not be discovered as girls are banned from attending school especially when such prestigious academy is only meant for aristocrats’ sons. Breaking the law is punishable by death. The drama revolves mainly around school life, not unlike modern day dramas about youth and school, but with ancient wisdom and philosophies.

Wen Bin is upstanding, kind, chivalrous, determined and courageous. For that, she’s very popular and becomes best friends with 2 roommates from renown aristocratic families. Together with another boy, they form the gang of four which is the pride of the academy. One of the boys is Feng Cheng Jun (played by Song Wei Long) whom she’s very fond of and later he falls in love with her as well. As Wen Bin is petite and seemingly weakly, the boys, unconsciously, rush to her assistance in the first instant.

Ju Jing Yi’s performance as Wen Bin is fabulous. Despite her petiteness, she commands an air of authority which the boys obey to without questions, at the same time, she can be girly to get their compassion, hence her way. I really enjoy watching how the boys love her as a comrade and her determination to do just as good, if not better, as the boys. Ju Jing Yi’s portrayal is so believable. The Feng Cheng Jun character is a studious and uncompromising person. Song Wei Long’s portrayal is amazing as the actor has a natural bookwormish face and a slow-in-realization expression. Such characteristics make Song Wei Long a perfect Feng Cheng Jun. Wen Bin is always the bridge between Feng Cheng Jun and Lei Ze Xin whereas Yu Le Xuan the conduit for all of them. The dynamics between the four friends are precious. Though constantly arguing, they’re inseparable from each other. To show her small size, the production team has even chosen 3 exceptionally tall actors to play the roles of her 3 best friends and I find their choices perfect.

The plot seems to be rather trivial in today’s standard – changing the policies so that all deserving scholars including girls and the poor receive education and serve the Emperor’s court. But it's a taboo in those days as the aristocrats fear losing power and wealth, and in the drama, there are indeed deaths for advocating such ideology and for preventing it.

Though their relationship is cordial and natural from the beginning, Feng Cheng Jun doesn’t find out about Wen Bin being a girl until episode 31. Therefore, before this when he begins to have feelings for her, he’s thinking himself a gay and his reactions are hilarious. Despite there’s not much romance per se, I find all the scenes they have together very romantic and heart-warming.

There’re some minor plot holes here and there and I find the story slightly off script towards the end. I'd have loved to see that Wen Bin fights for her right and equality for all, which has been her father's legacy, but unfortunately she seems to be weak on this and loses her appeal towards the end; all she wants is to live happily ever after with her man. I'm also not very impressed that she transfers her credentials to her brother who becomes a high ranking government official eventually. To me, this is like hiring someone to take your SAT (you know what I mean, wink, wink). As with most Chinese dramas' ending, the brilliant female character becomes common/weak. Nonetheless, I have enjoyed this drama, not so much on the plot but on the comradeship in a learning environment and the humors that come with it. The characters are lovable and their dynamics are adorable. The underlying message is inspiring -- creating oneself in the image for the eyes of others is not being strong, but facing oneself of what one is, is.

A rather enjoyable drama.

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Completed
Divorce Attorney Shin
21 people found this review helpful
Mar 19, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

A Refreshing Side of Cho Seung Woo - Divorce - Class Difference and Social Issues

I love Cho Seung Woo as the corky Hwang Shi Mok in the Stranger series. It is the best he has ever done as an actor. Still, I would be remiss not to enunciate how much I enjoy him as Shin Sung Han, a great pianist turned divorce lawyer. I've never seen Cho Seung Woo like this, which could be why I greatly appreciate the character. His approach to the role of an uncle, friend, lawyer, and brother is brilliant. It suits him so much that it's hard to separate the actor from the character. I love how each episode addresses or tries to shed light on different divorce scenarios, and even though it's viewed as evil, sometimes it's a necessary evil. More importantly, I love SSH's approach to it.

I commend the writer for Shin Sung Han, but all the credit goes to Cho Seung Woo for embodying such an intelligently funny, creative, caring, simple yet complicated man driven by love, grief, and the need for justice. It's not just Cho Seung Woo that shines in this drama. I love his tight-knit friendship with Jeong Moon Seong and Kim Seong Kyoon, how they feed off each other while at the same time always being acutely aware of each other's weaknesses, strengths, and pains, no words needed, knowing when to give each other the space they need and when to be each other's comfort. Truly each other's extensions. They are an accurate depiction of what and how friendship should be. I love it.

Many people try to hold on to a union for the wrong reasons. Some people do it solely for their children. Some do it because they think divorce will make them a failure and their family and society will ostracize them. Some even do it because they don't believe they can survive financially. The easiest thing to do to solve a problem is absolutely nothing. But, when one does nothing to appease family or society, that doesn't make the problem disappear. No one goes into a marriage thinking they will divorce. However, certain things in a marriage, be it gaslighting, cheating, or abuse (physical, mental, emotional), are unforgivable and require a divorce for the mental health of all involved. Getting a divorce, especially in a society such as South Korea and others like it, where it is considered taboo, has to be one of the most complex, if not the most frightening, decisions; I admire Divorce Attorney Shin for trying to convey in their special way that these are all pitfalls and misconceptions that stand in the form of progress.

I loved this drama's journey, but most importantly, I loved the ending. Yes, it was very K-drama-like, but I still liked it a lot. As much as Divorce Attorney Shin is about the social issues and suffering that arise from a hierarchical institution that, without thought or consequences, openly accepts social discrimination regarding different class marriages, divorce, custody issues, broken family relationships, parenting rights, and gender stereotypes, it is also an inspirational, dramatic story about adults and children struggling to live their mundane lives with these inherited issues. But rather than give in, they fight to be the change they want to see happen, to find their own way to a happy and fair life with the support of friendships and family ties that transcend blood relations.

The drama touches on many social issues, but none more important than the inequality perpetuated by the influence of historically structured social class differences that drive inequality and remain a hindrance to change. But the core of the story for me is the friendship between three friends who have a stronger bond than blood, which is the charm of this drama. I like that Shin Sung Han's final battle was not just about winning but about righting the wrongs adults made, yet a child was paying the price, one that was very personal to him. I will admit I thought the drama should have taken a much stronger stance towards the Vietnamese wife and the stepmom rather than backtrack on its strong message with the different cases it portrayed early on. I hope the message this drama tries to convey gets across, regardless. Yes, it's a work of fiction, but as far as I am concerned, there is always some truth in every fictional story.

Kudos to all the actors -- the adults but especially the child actors, the little men of this drama Kang Hyeon-U and Seo Gi-Yeong, who are mature far beyond their little ages, suffering in silence to protect those they love. They put the adults to share. Lastly, I would be remiss not to praise Noh Susanna, who was brilliant as Jin Yeong-Ju, the materialistically socially obsessed evil stepmom and wife who couldn't escape the influence and, worse, the trap of class hierarchy. I will miss Cho Seung Woo, but I hope to see him in Stranger 3, where he shines the most if the K-drama gods allow it.

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The Witch's Diner
21 people found this review helpful
Aug 17, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

Is There Enough “ Bewitching” Charisma In ‘ The Witch’s Diner’ To Keep You Watching ?


Wish-granting storylines aren’t anything new to fiction, and certainly not to K-dramas. However, screenwriter Lee Young Sook’s adaptation of the eponymous novel (by writer Go Sang Hee )attempts to whisk away the audience to the magical diner of wish-granting witch Jo Hee -Ra ( Song Ji -Hyo) and her human business co-owner Jeong Jin ( Nam Ji -Hyun), as they deliver a dish of revenge best served cold…

There’s a lot to say and critique about ‘ The Witch’s Diner’. Appraisingly actress Song Ji Hyo was really good here. Starting off on a note which was hard to take seriously with her patchy red hair-dye job, Ji-Hyo undeniably has a charisma which allows you to easily become attached to her as the drama unfolds. This performance was equally rivalled by Chae Jong Hyeop’s sweet ambience onscreen as side character and teen high-schooler Gil-yong. Whilst the drama seemed to sometimes struggle with “ sticking out” in comparison to fantasy predecessors, it did have some surprisingly profundity scenarios in weekly episodes ( as well as tasty-looking food)- Gil Young painfully finds himself unable to help a classmate who is being mercilessly bullied , a customer at the diner makes a shocking sacrifice in order to escape his status of being a “ cowardly loser”, a young woman suffers heartbreak and throws away her own talent in order to be with him again

On a more critical note ‘ The Witch’s Diner’ doesn’t quite have the same charm in order to make it as memorable from previous fantasy drama predecessors due to the poor build-up of screenwriting at times. Ji Hyo’s onscreen persona Hee-Ra is a case and point of this problem; a character who the screenwriters want to keep you in the dark about for as long as possible, but rarely arising strong emotions for viewers with her recondite past, as there was little dramatic buildup or unseen twists which haven’t been “seen and done before” here.

Costar Nam Ji Hyun wasn’t bad per say here as Jeong Jin, but her performance didn’t quite resonate as much as it should’ve done either. Admittedly this isn’t entirely the actress’ fault. It was evident to see the goal here with her character ; a relatable and normal female lead with a mysterious past, but the ideology behind this type of FL is usually built upon emotional investment and sentimentality . Jin instead was nearly always unfazed and apathetic. Whilst it didn’t seem to be intentional, Ji Hyun’s facial expressions just seemed to radiated stoic expressions half the time , as though seeing a magical wish come to life is just another daily occurrence in the life of a mundane heroine.

If this matter couldn’t be worse, there was also Jin’s complicated co-partnership with Hee-Ra. It should’ve been interesting, but the gradual development was just poorly-tackled. Hee-Ra initially acts upon Jin’s wish for revenge in a more lethal form. Jin was seemingly disgusted to the core by the actions of the witch only to happily sign a a better business deal with Hee-Ra( who Jin now considers to effectively be a contract killer). It is understandable how the drama wanted to build this relationship up from “ resentment to solidarity” but the quick excuse that Jin was seemingly “ too emotionally inflicted by her own troubles ” only to happily going along with someone she deemed as merciless felt an odd and unsatisfactory leap in development.

Then there’s the “ potentially romantic “setup between Jin and Gil-Young onscreen. Whilst respectfully in real-life we shouldn’t forget these actors are nearly the same age and do have really good onscreen chemistry , the age gap between their onscreen personas was fairly significant . The result being that Gil-yong's obvious crush on Jin feels like it should be a more plausible romance than it really should. This might or might not relate to his “ secretive” wish, but then most of the problems of this drama seemed to manifest by tense build-ups, and then unsatisfactory results.

“ The Witch’s Diner” is a fairly mediocre fantasy drama-not bad with solid performances by most of the cast and intriguing subplots, but just lacking the grandeur and originality of its fantasy predecessors. The series could’ve easily done with more division even in this short space of time to build upon the characters ( who often felt one-dimensional), or at least have commissioned more episodes in order to divide time between storyline and character development more interchangeably.

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Completed
Good Bye, My Princess
21 people found this review helpful
Jan 10, 2022
52 of 52 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

The misunderstood prince

Just finished watching this drama today. I must say I'm quite surprised to see all the hate directed towards the prince by the viewers. I expected a wicked man after reading all the reviews but all I saw was a young man of twenty whose mother had been killed when he was born, who was brought up by the empress to be used as a pawn in her power games, who was used by his brother in the war against the empire's arch enemy so that he became the villain/hero of the piece depending on which way one viewed the episode, who had the misfortune to fall in love with the beloved granddaughter of the said enemy, who was hated by the girl he loved because he had killed her grandfather, who fell into the river of oblivion trying to save her, who lost his memory and had people he trusted lie to him and keep him in the dark, and above all, who fell in love with the same girl all over again having no memory of having loved her before.
Though the general tendency of the viewer is to love and sympathise with the princess, it is the prince's life that is truly tragic. She slowly recovers her memory - that is her tragedy. But he doesn't recover his - that is his tragedy. He succeeds so well in concealing his love for the princess and covertly protecting her from the machinations of the court and the threats from the inner court, that viewers are tempted to think of him as an arrogant and vile man.
I would have loved this story to have ended with some well-deserved happiness for the two of them, but it was not to be. But it was heartwarming that he kept his love for her alive in his heart, never married again, lived to be a good emperor and abdicated his throne to his nephew when the time came. The writer of this drama had never meant to show the prince in a poor light ; I wonder why the viewers did.

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Completed
The Promise of the Soul
21 people found this review helpful
Sep 5, 2025
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

Underrated

I understand the reason why some might dislike this drama. Yes, the soul swapping with a grandfather is a bit iffy but if you can get passed that in a similar way to a 1000 year vampire, a 3000 year goblin, then this might be enjoyable for you. Although you might still be a bit disappointed. The drama certainly kept me guessing.

I enjoy these types of genres so it was quite a fun ride. The writers did have me worried though. I wasn't sure if they would be able to give a reasonably good finale but it was quite heart-warming with lots of sweet moments. I found myself tearing up at times and smiling at other moments.

Looking back Martin Wong delivered a really good performance. I liked the two distinct versions that he played and he pulled it off quite well. The other cast members were great as well. I might even do a rewatch now that the show has finally concluded.

The OST is also quite enjoyable!

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Rising with the Wind
21 people found this review helpful
Nov 19, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Best 2023 Modern Drama. Realistic, non-cliche story, slow burn romance & fantastic cinematography

This drama tells the story of a female lead who is a spoiled princess until her father dies and she loses everything, and a male lead who is a ruthless investor but despite all odds, decides to help her revive her father’s old shoe company. The drama shows the realistic side of life and starting a business, with morally grey and flawed characters who make mistakes but learn from them. Both male and female leads go through a major character development, from a spoiled princess the female lead becomes a hard-working business woman and from a ruthless investor the male lead opens up emotionally and becomes more caring and loving towards others, realising that money and making the most profitable deals is not the most important thing in life.

The drama executed fantastically many important life lessons such as never giving up, no matter how much challenges life throws at you, that money is not everything, about selfless love and sticking to your morals and promises no matter what.

POSITIVE:
- Realistic drama about the struggles of life and starting a new business
- Morally grey characters that feel like real human beings (make mistakes and are not perfect).
- Non-cliche/predictable storylines.
- Hot chemistry between the main leads.
- Platonic relationships between men and women are done well (which is very rare to see in cdramas).
- Breathtaking cinematography - the aesthetics from colours to buildings and people’s wardrobe is on point.
- Exceptionally well done directing - when characters are experiencing internal struggles, it's visually represented very well.
- Stella cast with brilliant acting (especially the female lead).
- Slow burn romance.
- Cute dog scenes.
- Great pacing, engaging plot, no filler episodes or boring parts.
- Business talks are part of the plot and meaningful compared to other dramas that feel more like filler scenes.
- Male and female lead that are both strong willed and determined.
- Happy ending for both couples.

NEGATIVE:
- The first 8-10 episodes of the drama are quite heavy on business talks. If you don’t know anything about business you might find it hard to follow. But the talks are done really well and easy to digest. I especially learned a lot from this drama so it's not a hard negative but personal preference.

OVERALL:
This is one of the best modern cdramas that I’ve watched with fantastic cast, meaningful storyline and beautiful cinematography and OST. If you want to watch a realistic drama that feels like a biography, with an engaging and non-cliche/predictable story about reviving a business and a slow burn romance with characters that are human and real, this drama is for you.

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Completed
Later, I Laughed
21 people found this review helpful
Nov 27, 2024
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Worth a tear but worth more Laughs

Finally, a SOLID non copy paste plot drama. Title is much better in Chinese! 不讨好的勇气 "Courage not to please others"
Drama is much more enjoyable than all the other dramas currently out there right now.
Are there draggy episodes? Yes, and there are definite character scenes that I didn't care for, but it was within 80/20 (good/bad) ratio, so it remained enjoyable all the way through for me. And if you dropped it before the end, you'll miss the best growth story of the EX, whom to my surprise ended to be my favorite character.

Not quite a slice of life drama but there are surface level adulting problems in need of some comedy relief.
I've been anticipating actor Wei Da Xun in more ML roles ever since "Fireworks in my Heart" (Let's face it, he was the highlight of that drama). Of course, if you are just into popular dramas with pretty faces with giant white light shining on their skin smoothing faces then this is not it for you.
As for Teresa Li, she's been a hit or miss for me in her prior works, but this role fits her and she's doing a great job.

The show isn't all about standup comedy so don't expect all jokes no story. Rather it's about self-discovery through their love for standup comedy. As the drama develops, 16 ep on, there are more memorable longer skits, humorous and well written.

Worth complimenting:
1. Not having any one-dimensional bad characters. Yes, there were annoying characters, but almost all of them had "redemption" moments.
2. No silly women cat fights. Wow so civilized!
3. The Ex. How he changed little by little was so loveable. It was hard to decide who to ship w/ the FL. Favorite scene, Ep 22, 15 min in the ex and her confronting each other.
4. Hint of romance with no cringy drama tropes.
5. Open ended ending. As this is about self-discovery, the journey continues. So not ending up in a ... standard finale is very fitting.

Great script! Well done writers!

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Boy Meets Boy
21 people found this review helpful
Aug 9, 2011
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
I normally avoid short films because I like things that can keep me entertained for at least forty-five minutes. However, stumbling across this was a pleasant surprise. For a film where the actors don't say a word, not a second of filming was wasted, obviously. I caught every look, every emotion that flitted through. The music captured every mood perfectly. It's a sweet, short little film that just makes you smile the entire time.
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Completed
Born to be a Flower
21 people found this review helpful
Oct 29, 2018
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 10
I've literally never been compelled to write a review before, but this drama called me to do so. Takane no Hana is brilliant—brilliantly shot, brilliantly acted, brilliantly paced, and, with admittedly some stumbles, beautifully written. Never has a drama pulled me in so deeply—and everything about TNH is deep. The development of its characters (particularly its female lead) over the course of a few months is the focus of the plot. And not only the development of fictional characters, but the exploration of human emotions and the way they are expressed, from person to person. The raw moments of humanity, often chillingly acted by much of the cast, but Satomi especially, are astounding. This is a drama that will stay with you after you've finished watching it.

I watched it out of sheer love for the characters (Momo in particular) and the journeys they all go on, but viewers who watch for romance will find it here. If you're looking for couple with lots of sweetness, Momo and Pooh (our leads) will give that to you. The give-and-take of the actors is tremendous, and they play their roles exceedingly well. I'm generally not one who gets attached to couples, but these two are so playful and thoughtful. You will find yourself loving every minute they spend onscreen together.

I cannot stress how much of an impact this drama left on me. Yes, there are some odd plot twists and unrealistic behavior that result from them, but the magnitude and quality of this drama make me overlook it all. I could say so much more to praise it, but there's little point: just know that this drama is absolutely fantastic. My specific favorite things TNH tackled: 1) the growth within people when they discover how to love themselves, 2) the representation of the intense love between sisters, 3) the bravery it takes to admit you love someone, and the understanding that it does not make you weak.

In all, I cannot recommend this drama enough.

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