Reviews

Actually, first episodes had me hooked. I liked that the heroine was more like an "anti-hero", selfish and a bit rude, the contrast between thriller and comedy was interesting at first, but then...I don't know, I got confused. There was too much stuff in there, and none of that was developed the right way.
The comedy was horrible. The gang (the poop liquor and the beatings. UGH just NOPE), the monk (I mean what's the point of introducing a new irrelevant character at almost the end of the show??), the abused father...what's funny in that? I can save the gay misunderstanding only because both male leads had great chemistry LOL
DBS's mother was the worst mom I've ever seen so far, mine included. She abused the poor husband and told her daughter to force herself on the male lead :/
Also it bothered me a lot that DBS never took her job seriously (well it's HS in the first place who hired her just to have a children-sized desk in his office -.-''') or seriously get a thought about her powers and responsabilities.
The thriller part was the one that got me disappointed the most. Basically the culprit is a random psycho dude and he has really nothing to do with DBS except for they live in the same area...
I think this show could have been something but it just tried to be so much things and failed everyone, except maybe the fluffy romance

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Overbearing CEO Trope With a Twist

OK, I may be biased here with my rating since I love the chemistry between Bailu and Dylan, and their visuals. I will gladly watch them stare at each other with background music playing any time...lol. Also, the journey to love for Shu Yue and Yu Yao added a lot of good flavor to the show.

Eps 31 - 36 plus the bonus clip of 36.5 were satisfying and romantic. There were lots of kisses and skinship; the leads did not disappoint in that aspect. That made the 4-5 previous episodes of prolonged misunderstandings/miscommunication forgettable for me. The starting episodes until ep 26 were also very entertaining.

I watched with the full expectation and anticipation that it would be about the "domineering CEO trope," and Dylan did so well with that character. Love how overbearing and arrogant Shi Yan was even when he showed love and affection to the FL.

Luckily, the show did not make the FL character naive, overly enthusiastic, bubbly, and kind of dumb like the usual ones in such CEO shows. I did have a love-hate feeling for Bailu's FL character, though. Shu Yi was smart, sharp, and sassy in her professional life but totally clueless about her personal life. It didn't help that she kept listening to her friend, Shan Shan, who was the worst relationship guru ever! Still, most of the FL's actions and thought processes were relatable and quite realistic. Many of us often back away and assume the worst immediately, but unfortunately, in her case, the show dragged on too long for most viewers. Also, the show did not make the FL grovel enough, the ML should have gotten many more apologies and more appreciation from the FL.

The second couple's path to their relationship was so fun to watch, and honestly, the ML's niece, Shi Yue, was the MVP. She was the youngest, but her approach and pursuit of her man were well done, and she was often the catalyst that helped Shi Yan and Shu Yi move forward with their relationship. Shen Yu Jie shone as Shi Yue, and she was gorgeous throughout the show. Miles Wei was awesome as the dorky professor who ultimately could not resist the lovely Shi Yue.

We could have done away with the third couple - their push-pull dynamic became annoying to watch, and it was the same friend of the FL that was just so wishy-washy. I think that the female character was not written well. There's only so much Jiang Pei Yao could do, and she looked beautiful playing this disastrous character, which I did not like much throughout the show.

Love the outfits in this show - especially the leads and Shu Yue. Very branded, though, so I can only dream - haha!

Overall, I did enjoy this drama, and I had fun reading and commenting along with others. There was a lot of venting and frustration, but somehow, many of us continued on. I was addicted because of the cast and the fact that I do actually like the domineering CEO trope when it is done with a twist.

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Never-Ending Summer, Never-Ending Misunderstanding

I finally finished Never-Ending Summer, and after reading so many comments, I honestly feel like a lot of people completely misunderstood the story.

Everyone keeps asking, "Why did Zhou Wan leave?" "Why didn't she chase after Lu Xixiao?" "The plot doesn't make sense."

But I don't think the problem is the writing.

I think people expect every romance to have simple answers and happy endings. This drama was never trying to be that. It was about trauma, guilt, impossible choices, and how love alone can't magically fix everything.

Let's start with Zhou Wan.

People judge her for the choices she made, but very few people stop to think about why she made them.

When she was only ten years old, her father died after his business failed. Then her own mother abandoned her and even took the insurance money that should have gone to Zhou Wan and her grandmother. Her grandmother became the only family she had left, and a few years later, she became seriously ill.

Imagine being fifteen or sixteen years old and realising the only person who has ever truly loved you might die because you can't afford surgery.

No teenager should have to carry that responsibility.

Zhou Wan was one of the smartest students in school. She always ranked near the top of her class, but she never really got to be a child. Her childhood ended the day her father died, and her mother walked away.

So yes, she became desperate.

When she discovered the connection between her mother and Lu Xixiao's father, she didn't immediately think, "Great, I'll use this."

She resisted it.

She kept telling herself she didn't want to become a bad person. She felt guilty before she even approached Lu Xixiao. She knew what she was considering wasn't right, but she also believed it was the only chance she had to save her grandmother.

Was it morally right?

No.

Was it understandable?

Absolutely.

Now let's talk about Lu Xixiao because people act like Zhou Wan ruined his life, when the drama itself tells us that isn't true.

His trauma didn't begin with Zhou Wan.

It began the day he watched his mother die by suicide right in front of him.

No child should ever witness something like that.

On top of that, the adults around him failed him completely. His father cheated on his mother, and instead of protecting her, the family cared more about maintaining appearances than her happiness. Their household never really felt like a family. It felt like a business empire where emotions always came second.

Of course, that would leave scars.

Then Zhou Wan entered his life.

For the first time since losing his mother, he slowly started smiling again. He trusted someone. He allowed himself to love someone. She became a place where he finally felt safe.

She didn't create his healing overnight, but she became a huge part of it.

Then came the stabbing incident.

People forget how much guilt Zhou Wan was already carrying before that happened. She blamed herself for approaching Lu Xixiao under false pretences, even if her reasons came from desperation rather than malice.

The stabbing only made that guilt worse.

Then his grandfather threatened her and made it very clear that she should leave Lu Xixiao alone.

At that point, Zhou Wan genuinely believed everyone's life would be better without her.

She looked at Lu Xixiao and saw someone who had money, status, opportunities, and a powerful family. She couldn't see that emotionally, he was just as broken as she was.

So she left.

Not because she stopped loving him.

Because she loved him enough to believe he'd be happier without her.

Was she wrong?

Yes.

But she didn't know she was wrong.

That's what makes the story tragic.

Then people ask why she didn't chase him after the 10-year reunion?
Honestly...why would she?

She was the one who walked away because she believed she was protecting him. If she suddenly came back acting as if nothing had happened, it would completely contradict everything her character believed.

One of my favourite moments in the drama is when Lu Xixiao finally tells Zhou Wan the truth.

He tells her that she was never the reason for his nightmares, his insomnia, or his emotional struggles.

Those began the day his mother died.

If anything, she was the one person who made those nightmares quieter. She wasn't the cause of his pain.

She was his healing.

When she disappeared, those old wounds simply reopened.

That's a huge difference, and I think a lot of viewers overlook it.

I also don't understand why some people insist on comparing this drama to other romances where the female lead spends years chasing the male lead. These are completely different characters in completely different situations. Zhou Wan leaving because of guilt and then refusing to come back because she still believed it was better for him is perfectly consistent with who she is.

Not every love story needs grand gestures.

Sometimes the biggest act of love is letting someone go because you truly believe they'll have a better life without you, even if you're completely wrong.

That's why the ending worked for me.

Love didn't magically erase ten years of pain.

It gave them the chance to finally understand each other.

Lu Xixiao understood why Zhou Wan left.

Zhou Wan finally understood that she had never been his burden.

She had always been his comfort.

Neither of them was perfect.

Both of them made mistakes.

Both of them hurt each other.

But that's exactly why they felt real.

This drama never asked me to agree with every decision the characters made.

It asked me to understand them.

And to me, that's what made Never-Ending Summer so unforgettable.

⭐ Rating: 10/10.

Sometimes the best stories aren't the ones where everyone makes the right choices.

They're the ones where every choice, even the wrong ones, makes perfect sense once you understand the people making them.

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Love-Hate/Hate-Love Relationships; a Really Cunning(&Hot) Villain; Reincarnation; and Found Family

Summary:
- ANGST AND PAIN ㅠ_ㅠ
- Resentments and desire for revenge spanning a VERY LONG time.
- Hateful grievances and many misunderstandings
- Really amazing cinematography and backgrounds
- Phenomenal acting
- Really good chemistry. Also, NO KISS SCENES but there exist an overwhelming TENSION between them ♡
- Music filled with deep desire, yearning, and sad feels
- A truly beautiful found family trope story
- Highly recommended for supernatural and mystery lovers
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OVERALL: A must watch.
Bulgasal pull on your heart strings, its heart-wrenching from start to finish yet also beautiful and heartwarming at the same time. If you’re still contemplating to watch because of the mix reviews, you’ll miss a chance to watch this compelling and unique storyline. This may inevitably become one of my most favorite Kdrama, this really kept me on my toes every week. The Mystery propels the storyline onwards and it’s done well- atleast for me. Racked my brains for theories but 'the truth' still surpassed my expectations very well. If you can withstand crying and if you also don’t mind being a mad theorist while watching this drama, you’re in the right place. ♡

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The drama FOR REAL gives more questions than answers in its episodes yet strangely, I find myself enjoying every minute of this. It was slow-paced but all in all, I was never bothered by how the story moved forward towards the climax. Maybe you’ll also see romance in the scenes if you’ll expect it like me. This drama is also certainly not for the weak heart. There are a lot of painful moments, blood, murders, triggers and trauma too so be warned. Yet, many also have loved and investigated every details within each scenes in the drama- find them in discussions and on twitter and maybe you’ll be pulled in too. I love you all my fellow Bulgasal theorists! :**. The drama also centres around cherishing Bonds, a strong feeling of shared beliefs and experiences that unites the characters instead of pure romance only. Base on the interactions between the leads, there is definitely GREAT chemistry and romance blooming each episode. It is to my great relief that I found this drama on Netflix. I was searching for something to watch next after “The Silent Sea” due to the emptiness I felt and I never thought I would be pulled in for another lot of sadness.
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STORY: ♡
With the "Legend of Bulgasari" background alone, It is clear this drama might have a chance to be either definitely unique, thought-provoking and interesting or just end up being tagged as a wasted potential. And for me, this drama ends up within the former choice. First, the cinematography is astounding and second, the story- irresistible (yes irresistible, like the coffee you crave every morning).
There are misunderstandings, there’s a genius manipulator and also, hard to break grudges from the past. Be prepared for the 'racking your brain for answers part' while watching though lol. A lot have said this is only a romance with an enemies to lovers trope. But. It’s much more than that. There is familial love, friendship, and a valuable bond that connects each and every characters. I love every part of this drama. But the most memorable was that one scene where Hwal and Bulgalady met again as adults on EP1 on a hilltop and that other scene on EP11 where everyone started to feel like they lost a valuable treasure as they leave the house when in fact they only stayed there for less than a month.
As for the main lead’s relationship in the present lifetime, “… two deeply wounded people finding solace and warmth in each other”. I definitely agree with this beautiful comment of “Swan Song1” that Hwal and Sang Un’s relationship is NOT forced. Their relationship may have started with full of hate for each other but that didn't stop them from realizing the truth that their hate was only a misunderstanding- a result of the lies and manipulation fed to them by someone evil. After their reconciliation, they didn’t even notice that they became closer immediately. There’s already care and love for each other even from the start. So in my eyes, there’s sizzling chemistry between the leads. It all starts from a past-life revenge type and is slowly leading towards the healthy shared purpose type of relationship. All the relationships and characters in the drama were built upon solid storylines and past. Even the revelations are revealed to us slowly, PLAIN AS DAY and everything will MAKE SENSE in the end.

Soon, as you continue to watch, you’ll also realise that their future fate may inevitably have a painful end. Despite that, you may still end up loving everything.
I LOVE:: ♡ ♡ ♡
* EVERYTHING most especially EPISODE 11&12&14
* How Aunt Hye Sook went from an annoying shaman to a caring mother figure for the four orphans and how she’s always smiling and stays bright faced infront of Hwal because she thinks of him as a son. ㅠ_ㅠ
* How Hwal struggles with himself while being with Sang Woon-someone completely different from his expectations. Most importantly, I love how his heart greatly softened due to Sang Woon’s honest & compassionate personality, and love for him. :))
*How Sang Woon and Si Ho cares deeply about each other and how they act as a mother figure for each other.
*How Do Yoon loves his brothers in the orphanage and can do anything for them ;and also how he slowly but effectively warmed up and cared for the others in their Home.
* And how Sang Woon definitely isn’t perfect and doesn’t let her fear stop her from finding answers. She is dauntless but also jittery, she is constantly kind to those who help her even when she doesn’t have much. But it is her imperfections that make her amazing as a person. Kwon Nara (Uri Sang Woon) will make you cry a lot in here but you’d also see her smile a lot especially when she’s with her sister, Si Ho. Oh and she's GORGEOUS when she smiles.
* I also love how Dark Hole is always suffering -from his own inflicted actions. The writer did his character with much thought. The actor too, is for real prefect for a villain.

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ACTING/CAST: ♡
First, I want to compliment all the child actors/actress’. They deserve a lot of hugs and awards! They were really astounding in their acting!
*Actor Lee Jin Wook’s portrayal of Hwal - The mix of hate and doubt is visible in his actions, words and eyes. And when he’s with Sang Un, he will make you speechless. It’s not new to find a cold character in a drama but he is undoubtedly amazing as Hwal. I can’t imagine another Hwal other than him.
*Actress Kwon Nara(Sang Woon) is amazing. I only saw her on “Suspicious partner” but She portrayed Bulgasal and bubbly Sang Woon so well! I can clearly see the difference in the two characters she portrayed. Her eyes and facial expressions as BulgasaLady full of hate & hurt, as Hwa Yeon filled with anxiety and the bubbly Sang Yeon were spectacular for me. Most importantly, she looks REALLY stunning!
*Actor Lee Joon(Ok Eul Tae/Dark Hole). Just Wow. I didn’t even notice he was the Lieutenant in “The Silent Sea”! His acting will give you goosebumps. For real.
*Actor Kim Woo Seok (Do Yoon/A’Chan) He did REALLY well. I did not even know that this was his first role despite being an idol! You’ll really love and care for Do Yoon a lot with his amazing portrayal of the character. <3
*And our Gong Seung Yeon(Si Ho)! I was shocked to see her as a mother! She portrayed it very well, I rooted for her happiness, I cried when she cried and I even started shipping her with Hwal too. *ahem*
When all of them gather in their house ( except Dark Hole HAHA) , I promise that you won’t be able to avoid the feeling of warmth and comfort in you heart.

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If I were to describe the main character's lives in one quote, I'd choose Gena Showalker's: “They gave each other what no one else had ever been able to give. A past to cherish. A present to enjoy. A future to anticipate.”

I will really miss this drama and everyone who discussed with me here AND ON TWITTER. I love you all and I hope we’ll meet again in another drama.


EDIT (6/29/2023):
I remember I was very emotional when I made this review while watching the drama. It was a fun ride discussing about the theories with fellow MDLers and the people on Twitter. I now reread my review after almost two years, and I realized giving this that kind of rating was indeed too subjective of me. However, I did ponder a lot for days before I did this review and I still think this deserves a 10. I really enjoyed the drama a lot (especially the phenomenal acting from Ok Eul Tae) first time. It's fine if you do not agree with me and my bad if this was not a satisfying review for you. But if you made it to the end of this review, thank you and have a great day. ♡

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P. S. After seeing this review got more attention than expected, I knew I should take responsibility and make my rating more accurate. I didn't want to put a big expectation to this drama from new watchers. So I ended up rewatching and finally edited my ratings. I only hope old readers won't get dissapointed in me after this fickle move. Much love to those who liked/still like this review!

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A drama I came to watch with zero expectations

I love drama plots with zombies and aliens. But after reading the synopsis and seeing the cast I didn’t expected a lot from this drama. I thought that maybe this is another drama trying to ride the big wave of zombie drama success.

Maybe it is because I came with zero expectations but this drama is just too good. It didn’t had that amount of hype like All of us are dead but according to me this is better than All of us are dead . It is a bit different as it is an Alien invasion sort of a drama than to a zombie drama.

This drama felt more realistic to me than most of the other zombie/alien apocalypse dramas out there. It has quite a good amount of characters in it. Which could have gone wrong. But each character is unique and is given quite a fair screen time. This drama shows us all emotions of greed, fear, happy, grateful,sad, hopeful, kindness. The cast did an amazing job in portraying their characters well. And left us with an amazing first half of the drama. I binge watched the whole part in a single sitting. And will do so for the second part too.

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A chill drama for you to enjoy!

I got hooked watching the trailer because Gushengnan sang “Big bowl noodles” by Kris Wu and ya girlie is an EXO-L so i started watching it, i watched all 10 episodes in just 1 day, yes i binge watched it and its really worth it! The story flows really smoothly. Every scene gives me joy and their great chemistry was beyond expectations even with the age gap (21 and 36) being portrayed. Their OST really shocked me because a lot of it is sang in english which is weird since its a chinese drama. Addition to that There’s always humor in every episode!! So i really recommend it if you like story without big problems or just want a smooth going story about how the two got together. Its still on going and I’m every excited to watch the rest !

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This drama is so poignant and beautiful. It shows how to appreciate life and celebrate it. This drama is all about dying to live and living to die. We all die someday but learning how to live is what's important. That's what this drama stresses about. I don't know how many times I cried watching this. Till the end this made me cry not because it's sad but beautiful.

Started as a comedy it turned into pure melo. This is slow-paced yet beautifully done. Son Mu Han really grew on me.

Coming to the acting this is my first drama of Kam Woo Sung. He did exceptionally well. I'm going to check out his other works. Kim Sun Ah as always she nailed it. (I'm a fan of her.) Their chemistry is no joke. All portrayed their roles well.

Music is so good. No matter how good the drama is if there's no good music it won't be remembered well. This drama has many beautiful tracks. Totally loved the music.

Whenever I feel down will re-watch this for sure. It made me feel optimistic about life.

Beautiful story, beautiful acting, beautiful music and beautiful cinematography. That's what Should We Kiss First? is.

P. S: Loved the 'City Hall' references. The city hall station and the beauty pageant.

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Soulful and at the same time ruthless KMovie at its finest

Wonderful actors are showing us their full range in "My 11th Mother" / "11th Mom." It's a shame that we haven't seen much from the young talent Kim Young-chan since then... Together with Kim Hye-soo, he offers chamber theater at its finest, going under the skin for long stretches. Here, action takes place inside sort of. So even though without much (seemingly) happening on the outside, time flies by just like that.

In this KMovie with deliberate realistic appeal, South Korea shows one of its rather bleak living environments at the lower end of the social pyramid. "11th Mom" offers space for a twisted, basic, yet truthful love amidst a fundamentally desolate setting in this rundown neighborhood of Seoul, where there seems to be no place for the sun to shine. Thus, eventually the faces of the hopeless nevertheless start to shine, too. All of a sudden, their everyday life is no longer just dull, as there is actually some happiness for the protagonists coming along their path. True enough, there is still plenty of sad stuff going on, however there is this joy all around the awareness of being loved, too.

The bonding between the eleven-year-old Jae-su and his 11th stepmother-against-her-will is giving both their lives direction, is offering warmth, and is even healing their wounded hearts. Actually that much so that the tormented Jae-su can somehow forgive his blustering, abusive, gambling-addicted, screwed and irresponsible father in the end.

Soulful and at the same time ruthless KMovie at its finest! Despite plenty of makeup, we are presented with unadorned, bruised, yet amazingly still intact human hearts. Fantastic: the finely nuanced, rough, and at the same time frail rapprochement between Jae-su and his stepmother against expectation.

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Heartwarming Family Drama

The drama with the highest rating of the season. And it deserved it. Not only because Ayase Haruka is and will be forever Japan's favorite girl, but because this was funny and sweet and with zero drama and a real representative of a Japanese Slice of Life Drama.

The story is divided in two parts, so it was like Season 1 and Season 2 together. From ep01 to ep05 is one timeline, and from ep06 to 10 is another, 9 years later (that was a total surprise for me!). I adored "Season 1" and it was my favorite. Akiko-san trying, first, to be accepted as a stepmom to Miyuki, and then, her first duties as a mother. I love the little girl who played Miyuki (Yokomizo Naho), awesome actress! She behaved like a little girl behaves, not like a smart-ass girl who talks like an adult. My favorite episodes were 2 and 3: ep2 because I loved the little "game" Akiko-san and Miyuki played at the supermarket, and ep3, because of the "battle" of Akiko against the Parents Association.

Ep 06 was a total shock to me because of the time-slip and because of... well, change of actors. Still, the actress who played older Miyuki was really good and likeable (Hiroki-kun too. Both boy and older boy are so cute!), and some of her expressions resembled her younger-self (both girls have big eyes). I liked how Akiko-san starts working again; her role in the bakery was amazing, totally plausible. I love how everything she does, it is because she is thinking in her daughter. And everything Miyuki does, she always has her stepmom in mind. They may not be blood-related, but their love for each other was as strong as a blood-related mother and daughter have.

If there has to be a minus it would be that Akiko-san looks the same after the time-slip. Same as Shimoyama-san (even the highlights in her hair...)

In spite of the many comedic scenes, there were also some touching scenes :( I am still not sure of the ending, only because I did not fully understand it. I know that it was a "miracle" too, but why? What does the train ticket mean??

All actors were excellent, except for Takeru Sato. I think goofy roles don't suit him. I noticed that some "cool" actors, like him, do wonderfully in action and cool roles, but when it comes to goofy roles... nah. And too bad he had to go and fall in love. I mean, it provided many funny scenes XD but Akiko-san and Ryuchi forever <3 And I was disappointed since I truly thought he was going to be some kind of angel, the one who was going to bring a miracle into Akiko-san's and Miyuki's lives. I guess he sort of did, but not the way I wanted. And at the end, it was really Akiko who was like a miracle to him.

The little touches, like the miracles (I thought it was going to have a bigger role, like **coughcoughthefathercoughcough**), and minor characters, like Taguchi-kun, were very nice. I actually laughed out loud several times with Taguchi-kun, he was a silly sweetheart :)

The OST was excellent, I want it. And the funny one made the scene even funnier XD I did not pay attention to the ED song tbh.

So overall, first part is a 10 and second part is a 9 for me. I love this kind of "non-drama" drama :D

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Why were they even friends?

There was exactly one normal person in this whole show and I hope no one is surprised it was a woman - Chueam. It was a mess, everyone needs individual therapy and couple therapy to barely exist, but damn it was also extremely entertaining. On paper none of the characters was exaggerated or unrealistic, but to put them all together is just a circus no one would survive long term.

Starting from the most boring pairing - Top and Mew. Playboy tamed by a virgin is such a cliche story I don’t even think it’s possible to make it refreshing. No matter how you tweak it, it has been done, and probably done better. Top was basically an idiot and Mew was painfully immature. His confidence backed up by zero experience was at times fun to watch, but more often than not just frustrating. The acting was also not it. Force truly needs to stop using smirk as a comma.

Then we have Boston and Nick - the ship that opens the hell gates. Filled with pain and annoyance, but also a surprisingly good conclusion. Personally I believe Boston needs therapy the most, because he does not even truly know there is something wrong with him. I do not believe he is just this playboy who would have sex with a wall if he could. Dude is self-sabotaging without knowing while obviously craving actual connection. Nick was just a pure child who got himself into a mess, but came out of it so much wiser and stronger. Good for him.

And then we have fans favorites - Sand and Ray. Sand pretended to be normal and almost fooled me - that did make it a bit more fun. Ray though, as cute as he was, he also had the most serious internal issues that led him to more bad choices in one show than I did in my whole life. The guilt, abandonment issues, constant need for acceptance. Amazing performance from Khaotung, which should not surprise anyone, but I actually liked First’s performance more. Whichever someone preferred, they were both great.

Except for the “established” BL couples we had some mixes and mashups here and there, that felt like unsatisfying tease. Now I want drama with First and Force, which will never happen. Why show me the possibility when you will never deliver?

Truth to be told, I think I expected something even more crazy? I think the lack of any consequences washed down the story a lot. There was a lot of “what you did could lead to that”, but then it never did. I mean, the way they were literally doing crack (or some other hard drug), but no one was actually shown to be addicted. How lucky they must be?

Overall, it was fun and brainless entertainment. All the characters were awful, I would never want any of them as my friend, and I’m surprised they stayed as friends after all that happened. They don’t even have that much in common. Will I watch season 2? Definitely not lol

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I simply started this drama because it seemed like a rom-com with a perfect twist of fantasy. And fantasy dramas have a way of pulling me towards them like no other genre.
When it comes to J-dramas, I would fall into the 'beginner' category. So while I won't be able to tell you how good or bad it was as compared to other typical J-dramas, I'll try my best to tell you what I enjoyed in this drama.


THE STORY:
The plot-line of the drama is certainly a unique one. It's not everyday you see a drama where God Himself appears to help two people fall in love.
The drama follows Makoto who seemingly has the worst luck when it comes to women. It's not until a person claiming to be God appears before him that he finds out why. According to God, Makoto's bad luck in women is because he hasn't met his 'soul-mate' yet. Imagine his surprise when he finds out that his destined person works in the same office building as him, and they have met several times before, even without both of them knowing. Now, when it comes to making her fall in love with him, well, that's no easy feat, giving the fact that she cringes at the word 'destiny' alone.


THE CHARACTERS:
There are 3 main characters for this- Makoto (male lead), Haruko (female lead) and God.
-Makoto's character was a dedicated one. He was ready to do just about anything to make Haruko fall in love. And not just with her, his efforts to win over Haruko's dad as well as her best friend, were really commendable.

-Haruko's character may seem a bit annoying, at first, given that she pushes away our main lead repeatedly, when we know that he's such a good person. But try to imagine the situations from her perspective. A stranger comes along, and says stuff about them being 'destiny', her reaction was completely logical. Ofcourse, the circumstances in which her previous relationship ended, sure didn't help the situation, either. Despite of it all, she came to know him as a person and finally

-God's character was....awesome. He was my favorite character in the drama. And that's all I can say without spoiling anything.

-The supporting characters like Sadaoka, Sekihara, Mitsue etc, were also really interesting to watch. Specially their comedy parts.


THE PACING:
-The drama consisted of only 10 episodes. And the pacing was good.
-The twist they pulled out in the last few ep...Did not see it coming. It was perfect.
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THE CON(s):
- Even though I understood the decisions the female lead male, her character was still somewhat frustrating. It just felt like her indecisive phase stretched for a bit too long.
-Unfortunately, for me, the bromance eclipsed the romance part of the drama. Although, that's not to say that the romance part was not interesting. But more like, I loved the bromance way more than the romance.
-This one is not really a con, but I wish they'd shown more of Ichirou in the last ep.


All in all, this was an enjoyable watch. I hope you give this a try.
Happy Watching!

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This drama was interesting, and I liked it, but I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. The first episode was utterly adorable and cute. While the rest of the story had its cute and interesting moments, I felt that it didn’t quite live up to the promise of the first episode.

I understand that the drama is special because it is collaboration between Japan and Korea, and it shows that the relationship between these two countries is complicated, which makes the relationship between the two main characters complicated as well. That’s why I felt that I learned a few things from it, but I wish the conflict had been explored more; that the story had been deeper. I won’t go as far as calling it plot holes, but near enough…

The basic plot is good – two young people from different countries meet and fall in love, only to discover that being in a relationship isn’t always easy. Especially not a long distance relationship, since that is another complication in and of itself. However, I feel that the story was too rushed. Sometimes, the characters did and said things that didn’t quite make sense, and many of the expected misunderstandings and conflicts seemed stupid and plain ridiculous, because it was hard to understand the character’s motivations. If the characters had talked more with each other, and explained their ways of thinking (and not to mention the differences in their respective cultures) it would have been easier to relate to them and that would in turn have made the drama more interesting to watch. I feel that we are expected to understand everything without any explanations, but just like Tomoko, I found myself confused a lot of the time.

I liked the acting, though. The actors did a good job, and this was the first time I watched anything Korean (MDL has labelled this as “Japanese”, but they do speak Korean about half the time) so it was interesting because of that, too.

So, to sum it up: the drama had its good points, the ending was satisfactory and the first episode was excellent. Overall, though, I found it to be a bit disappointing, and I wouldn't want to re-watch it because I would only be annoyed by the same things all over again.

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SADLY DISAPPOINTED

Ok don't get me wrong...geminifourth is always a reason to watch a series...but im disappointed...the episode was very blah....same old lines just diffrent universe...I knew this could have been better...winnysatang and markford were adorable as always but still could have been better...I liked the mv thought...it was nice...
You know to be honest I wish they just showed us them being boyfriends...in this episodes they weren't even together...the crew got lazy and decided...why not promote the merchandise instead of giving a new story...I get the boys are popular and all but seriously am disappointed...

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