Chemistry? As artificial as plastic.
The plot? A classic case of Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V.Our ML’s family member gets killed, and he’s back for revenge. Out of a quarter billion women around his age, who does he fall for? The enemy’s daughter, of course(here they are childhood sweethearts so one more clichè comes free) And—because fate has a wicked sense of humor—she’s conveniently average-looking. Chinese writers, I feel for you; creativity has officially hit saturation.
It follows the same age-old pattern: ML hides his identity, regrets it later, and oscillates between holding and leaving the FL—all in the name of "protecting" her. No new tricks, no fresh twists, just déjà vu in HD.
Now, onto the cast.
Dai Gao? The man can do no wrong—except here. I’ve seen him as a king, a bodyguard, an army general, a boxer, a model, a gangster (kind of), and now, a company chairman. And let’s be real—he absolutely devours that rectangular-framed, clear-glass, three-piece suit aesthetic. YUMMY. But his acting? Surprisingly... mid. Why? We’ll get to that.
Jin Zi Yuan is a solid actress, but she just didn’t bring her A-game. She thrives in period dramas, where she fits like a glove, but in modern settings, she sticks out like a misplaced extra. In this role, her expressions were rigid, and her dialogue delivery felt about as natural as a scripted reality show.
Now, their chemistry—oh boy. If childhood friends are supposed to have an unbreakable bond, these two must’ve had severe amnesia. Lovers? Barely. Their dynamic felt like an arranged marriage where intimacy exists, but it’s as thrilling as watching paint dry. This is precisely why Dai Gao’s performance didn’t shine—there was just nothing to work with.
As for the rest of the cast... well, they exist. Overacting galore, as if none of them attended even a single acting workshop.
And the background music? Or should I say, the complete lack of an impressionable soundtrack? A final nail in the coffin.
So, should you skip this drama?
No, no—watch it. But only if your expectations are lying comfortably six feet under.
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Started off great but...
This started off great but ended very stupidly.Story:
A woman trained as a doctor. Gave it up mid-way to raise her kids and become a housewife. Gets sick during her middle age. Once recovered, decides to resume her medical training and pursue her own dreams.
The FL was disrespected greatly and very much used by her husband and mother-in-law.
Her two children take her for granted at the start of the show.
There's a lot of pushback to her resuming her medical training. Her husband works as department chief and her son is also a first-year resident and none of them are happy to have her join their hospital. The daughter, a high school senior, is used to having all of mommy's attention and devotion and is unhappy at the prospect of having to heat her own dinner while mommy does something for herself for a change.
Despite the challenges in having been gone from the medical field for so long, having just recovered from a liver transplant, and having to deal with her family's disapproval, our FL sets forth to become a fully licensed doctor.
She has struggles, but she overcomes them. That's the medical side of things.
Then there's the family side.
We discover that the ML, the husband, is having an affair with a woman who used to be his girlfriend in medical school.
(Back then they'd broken up because the ML and FL had had a one-night-stand which resulted in the FL getting pregnant with their son so they had to marry. )
This "other woman" is also a doctor at the same hospital.
And the cherry on top? The ML and other woman have a daughter who's the same age as the daughter of the ML and FL (conceived when the ML and other woman meet during a medical conference in the USA several years after the ML and FL had gotten married).
To round off our cast we have a dashing, handsome, and rich professor doctor who performed the FL's liver surgery. He takes a liking to her, and helps her out in small ways while she's his patient. And when she returns to the hospital as a resident he does his best to be kind and encouraging- the only person around the FL who gives her that. It's obvious to see that he "likes her" likes her, but he's always respectful since he knows she's married.
The series focuses on:
1) The FL's growth as a doctor: slow but steady, with its share of challenges and setbacks, which she overcomes.
2) The FL's son and daughter growing up a bit, eventually coming to see their mom in a new light, and ending up being very supportive and loving.
3) The FL, the MIL, the son and the daughter finding out about the affair.
Spoiler & Ending: The kids take mom's side. The couple gets divorced. The FL ends up opening her own medical clinic and being a happy single doctor. The ML ends up pining after the FL, having broken up with the other woman.
While this may seem like a "happy ending", I'm angry that the romance we were teased with (between the FL and the dashing professor) never materialized. Why put it in there at all? If the goal was to showcase a strong woman living alone, fine. Focus on that without introducing the romantic aspect of the second ML. It's rude to the viewers. And also, not in keeping with the FL's character. She definitely responded to the SML on multiple occasions. She liked him and connected with him. I can accept her wanting to become settled as a doctor first, before pursuing a relationship. To come into her own and recover from her divorce. But to turn him down, and say she wants to be alone forever? Zero sense. She's a warm person. A good mom. She likes people. And her friends would have pushed her to meet someone new. She'd been living in a sexless marriage for 10-15 years, with no emotional support either. The entire situation, and its resolution, was so completely stupid and implausible. They ruined the ending for me.
Not worth a re-watch (except for some funny scenes in ep 1-2 that always make me laugh-basically the only comedy in the show).
PS: The daughter of the other woman and the ML also got a raw ending. She deserved better. And the other woman? A total idiot. Her character makes no sense to me. She basically gave up her family and their financial support just for the sake of having this baby and being a single mom. But instead of moving on and creating a stable home for her child, her obsession with a med school boyfriend (who cheated on her!!!!!) caused her daughter decades of pain and potentially cost her a stepdad and solid family life had her mom made better choices. Dumb and stupid of the other woman. I expected more from her. And the daughter deserved better.
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When I heard about this movie, I thought "Tssss, another movie with a poor plot standing as an excuse to say it's not porn". Then I red international critics praising it, so it got me curious. I saw the trailer, and I knew I had to watch it.
There is a plot. It's the tense fight between a rich that seems to have everything since his birth, and a poor that desperatly want to survive without anyone's help. One who fall in love at first sight, and the other who wants to avoid feelings. Who will give up first?
This movie uses silences as a real way of speaking. Since you won't have one useless line, each one is used wisely. Same thing goes for the shots. I really, really liked the way this movie was directed.
I can understand though that this movie isn't for everyone. Personnally, I'm not fond of Yaoi, so I even skipped some scenes
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Nothing Cute About It
I was very intrigued by the synopsis of this drama and having liked Zee's acting in Why R U?, I decided to give it a shot. It was, quite frankly, a hot mess. I honestly don't even know where to begin. There was so little good about it and so much bad. It all felt very forced and unnatural and much of the story made little to no sense.I was not impressed by the overly preachy beginning and ending dialogue. Do not get me wrong, I think same sex marriage should be legalized in all countries. That being said it felt out of place and unnecessary. I feel like there were more subtle ways of getting the point across that would have been more tasteful and again, less preachy.
The story was a complete and total mess. More than a romance, I felt like it was a drama about toxic relationships and how not to communicate. It is very and I do mean very, kiss scene heavy. I think those scenes were put in the drama to try to draw attention away from all the problems both in the story and in the relationships. Both Hias are depicted as being very controlling and possessive, to the point of wanting to know what their SO is doing at all times. While they try to portray this as them just being worried and caring, it came across as extremely unhealthy to me. For example, Hia Yi sets a curfew of 9pm for Khondiao who has to leave his friends in order to make said curfew in one scene. Hia Lian has had someone monitoring Kuea for who knows how long and is fully aware of the secret life he is living. Both men also seem quite unconcerned about the fact the men they love are afraid of them. The level of control the Hias have is just disturbing especially considering their SOs are grown men. At least with Yi and Khondiao's relationship, there is a moment where Khondiao stands up to Yi and their relationship seems to achieve some level of balance though still very much skewed in Yi's favor. Lian and Kuea's relationship, however, is stagnant for the entirety of the drama. Though Kuea has a few moments of defiance, in the end he always gives in to Lian. After the scene at Lian's father's birthday party, I was really hopeful to see a change, but it was basically everything back to normal with no real growth or resolution. Overall there was such a complete lack of character development.
On top of the toxicity of the relationships, there's the lack of explanation for why characters acted the way they did or why things are the way that they are. When and why did Kuea suddenly feel the need to act like a perfect person to suit Lian? When did Lian turn into the cold, emotionless jerk and why exactly did he tell Kuea he didn't love him? I felt like his reasoning and his initial behaviour was glossed over and dismissed far too easily for all the damage it did. Also, what was with the arranged marriage? Why was that in any way necessary? And how did their families even know each other since they were from such different backgrounds? The background was so completely lacking and nonsensical that there was no way anything else could make sense. On top of all that you have Yi and Khondiao's story which was incredibly vague and disjointed. I was actually semi-interested in it because of the mystery of what Yi did to Khondiao. The "mystery" was that Yi didn't actually do anything, it was an accident. And the flashback regarding that incident made it seem like they had a similar relationship to that of Lian and Kuea which was out of the blue as I never got that impression previously.
The plot positively drags. Scenes are drawn out that don't need to be drawn out or are just repeated multiple times. The couples keep lying to each other and failing to communicate. There's this constant theme of maybe telling the truth would be the best thing and then in the next scene they're lying to each other again. Its honestly so frustrating to watch because they never learn and even at the end, it doesn't feel like anything has really changed.
While the story was terrible, the acting was not. Zee and NuNew in particular had good chemistry and while there were a few moments where I felt like NuNew's acting was a bit forced or awkward, I thought he did really well for his first role. I also have to give a shout out to Poppy as Foie for bringing some much needed comedic relief. He was absolutely hilarious and I laughed every time he was onscreen.
The characterization, though, was lacking. I have rarely seen a drama with such stagnant characters. Very few had any real growth and most of them seemed to be in the same place at the end as they were at the beginning with nothing or very little learned from their experiences. That was very disappointing for me. I can generally forgive or at least mostly forgive a bad storyline/plot if the character development is good, but it just wasn't there.
-Kuea really does come across as a doll, maybe not an Annabelle doll, but a doll nonetheless. He acts the way he assumes others want him to and even when Lian tells him he loves him no matter what, he refuses to trust him. On the one hand, I can understand that lack of trust based on how Lian is at the beginning, but after a while it just seemed like an excuse. His roundabout way of trying to get information was also frustrating, adding to the whole lack of communication theme. His constant assumptions made things worse for himself and others. In the end, I didn't really feel like he had learned how to communicate to prevent the same issues from recurring.
-Lian's cold then hot attitude was confusing and, again, never clearly explained. It also felt overdone and too abrupt going from his cold boss persona to adoring partner. I feel like that could have been pulled back to make it somewhat more believable. Based on his personality, I have trouble imagining someone like him making out in public. And although his attitude changed to lovey-dovey, he still came across as controlling.
-Khondiao came across as more of a kid than an adult so taking his relationship with Yi seriously was a bit of a stretch. I did appreciate him standing up for himself though and I felt like he had more character development than others. He seemed more able to stand on his own and stand against Yi if necessary at the end.
-Yi seemed like a sadist who enjoyed the control he had over Khondiao and the fear he could incite. He supposedly feels guilty towards him for something that happened during their childhood, and so takes care of him, allowing him to live in his house. But, he does control much of his life, wanting to know where Khondiao is at all times and even setting a curfew for him. The communication between the two is just nonexistent. They get together without discussing any of their issues really and it just feels so forced. While he does soften, he doesn't ever seem to trust that Khondiao can take care of himself and remains overbearing.
-I can't say that I had much of an opinion about the other side characters. Foie was an amusing diversion when he was onscreen and added some much needed comedic relief. Kuea's university friends were also amusing. Of them, I did enjoy Nuer and Syn's love story. As a side couple, their story was not really elaborated on, but they made a cute couple and were by far the healthiest relationship.
There were two moments that I particularly appreciated, though one promptly got thrown out the window shortly thereafter. The first is just before Lian and Kuea have sex for the first time, Lian asks for Kuea's consent, making sure that he's not drunk and knows what he's doing. It was nice to see since most dramas just imply that both parties are consenting. To actually have it verbally given was refreshing. That was promptly thrown out the window multiple times afterward when Kuea clearly says no or to stop and Lian keeps kissing him. Apparently you only need to ask the first time and its fair game after that. The second moment was when Kuea is with his university friends and one of them asks the sole woman in their group if she's on her period because she's cranky. She gives him a proper verbal beatdown that was kind of awesome to see.
As a side note, I always have an issue with the way most pets are treated in Asian dramas and this one was no exception. Aside from the Golden Retriever who, unsurprisingly, seemed to be content being on set and getting pets, the Chihuahua really bothered me. The poor thing's body language screamed that he was stressed and did not want to be there. I felt so bad watching. And also, having Yi give him as a gift, just no. It is never a good idea to give an animal as a gift, there are too many things that could go wrong. And I will now step off my soapbox.
The music was overall good. I did like NuNew's voice and I think he's frankly a stronger singer than actor. I didn't love the song that Lian and Kuea sing to each other though so having to hear it twice was a bit painful. Actually both those scenes in general were just awkward to watch.
I will also comment that the whole engineering/university setting is massively overused and this was no exception. While the automotive engineering aspect was different and more interesting with the students working on their project, it still felt repetitive.
This is not a drama that I would ever recommend anyone to watch. It has no substance and instead promotes toxic relationships as being hot. It uses steamy scenes to make up for the fact it is lacking in anything remotely genuine. At times it felt like an infomercial about gender equality, but I couldn't take it seriously because none of the couples, aside from Nuer and Syn, portrayed anything resembling a healthy and normal relationship. I highly recommend NOT wasting your time with this one.
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Certainly Overrated For What CLOY Actually Gives Us As Viewers...
Whilst this comment will most likely be lost amongst others, I must admit that I was fairly amazed just looking through the top comments as to how many people gave this show 10/10 upon all categories , with few being able to critically and respectfully note some of the more glossed over issues of the drama as well ( particularly towards life in North Korea).Do not get me wrong. Crash Landing On You was actually quite a good show, however, would I actually say that it was “ good” enough to be seen as the “ “ BEST SHOW EVER WRITTEN” , worth 10/10 on here and raving reviews on other websites ? Probably not .In all honesty, I can already think of numerous K- Dramas out there which have tackled the theme of relationships and even issues over North Korea more in depth and realistically than this drama as well as better pacing . ( Korean Peninsula , Spy, Iris and even The King 2 Hearts .)
However, let’s not bring this drama down entirely. Crash Landing On You was an entertaining rom-com and this was particularly seen through the comical gold and actual intrigue between the cultural differences of the group of our North- Korean soldiers and our female lead Yoon Se- Ri played by Son Ye- Jin. ( Language choices, gestures, popular culture etc. ) Additionally, praise must also be given for renowned scriptwriter Park Ji- Eun ( Legend Of The Blue Sea, My Love From The Star) daring to tackle the trickier concept of an international and humanising taboo relationship between a North- Korean solider ( Hyun Bin) and a South- Korean chabeol heiress ( Son Ye-Jin).
Although it makes for good script material, most of the show’s centralisation in North Korea did bring one flaw to the show, where the premise “ write what you know” wasn’t always the best solution for Ji- Eun. Whilst the show did share some evident cultural differences and dangers of life in North Korea ( especially surrounding our second Male lead played by Kim Jung- Hyun), it was never exactly going to be from the get-go a fly on the wall documentary of what life is actually like in one of the most isolated countries in the world. Yet even by Crash Landing On You’s standards , it was fairly eye brow raising to try and gloss over the oppression , lack of freedom of speech and even the fact that North- Korea is a communist dictatorship with the classic and beyond comical element of having a department store ( a very consumerist South-Korean element) and “ Rich Ahjummas” in a country where money restrictions are so severe.
Whilst I do appreciate that the show was try to humanise our characters ( and did this successfully to some extent) by showing North- Koreans to be actually human beings rather than the “ enemy” and “ threats”, it still felt poorly tackled how the show decided to gloss over a lot of these more predominant issues over actual circumstances for many North-Koreans in order to add to the angst and humanity of our characters. This also moves on to a strange plot point over our two main characters as well as Se- Ri’s debates over suicide only being mentioned when it was necessary to earlier or later storyline. ( There was little explanation over this element of Se- Ri’s decisions which would have given her depth apart from just Ji-Eun just wanting to add angst before the big plot twist in the finale).
So, what are my final words to you upon this drama? Is it worth watching, or is it a waste of time? Probably the biggest thing I should say that is Crash Landing On You isn’t a terrible drama and has a lot of fun playing with the renowned tropes of rom-coms. The ending is bittersweet, the concept is quite interesting, the characters and cast will grow on you and the cinematography and filming locations ( particularly in Switzerland and Mongolia) are gorgeous . On the other hand, the pacing simply falls after the halfway point to a slump, the glossing over and the attempts to write a mini- Seoul in Pyongyang were ridiculous in addition to the portrayal of North Korea and certain characters.
It can probably be concluded that whilst good, the show is just a little too overrated . If you’re looking for a binge-watch and something to easily watch and throw aside, it’s a perfect watch, however, it’s fair to say that if you’re looking for actual depth, characterisation and sensical storyline, then there are so many other dramas out there to consider.
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It’s been a long time since I watched anything that’s not a K-drama…
Note: I will be constantly updating this review as more episode comes out. For right now, I am enjoying this show. I am not familiar with the cast yet, but they seem to be great actors/actresses. I have judged cdrama actors/actresses acting for a long time (or maybe those were from the short dramas I watched?), so this was a complete surprise to me. Most of the time I watch K-dramas because of their acting, but this one did just as well in my opinion. Both leads are also very good-looking, so it’s a plus.Update: Already done!
Acting: 10/10
The acting in this drama feels incredibly refreshing and unlike anything I've watched before, especially Xiao Wuyi's performance. I absolutely love it. As someone who's mostly watched K-dramas, I'm used to highly expressive emotional scenes where characters cry loudly, shout, and break down dramatically. This drama took a completely different approach, and I found it far more captivating. Wuyi’s emotions felt restrained yet deeply powerful and more realistic for a man like him. It was remarkable. His facial expressions and, especially, his eyes do so much of the storytelling. Whether it's intentional "eye acting" or simply exceptional acting, it's one of the strongest male performances I've seen in a long time.
Some of my favorite emotional moments include: *Crying while forcing a smile, with heartbreak visible only through his eyes.
*Holding back tears in anger, trying to remain composed while the tears fall anyway.
*Expressing sadness without saying a single word.
*Looking genuinely terrifying and murderous one moment, then soft, vulnerable, and innocent the next.
*Seamlessly switching between the aura of a calculating villain and a harmless deer within seconds.
The way his eyes change with every emotion is magical. It's subtle, nuanced, and incredibly immersive.
Story / Script: 10/10
This is one of the best-written dramas I've watched in a long time. The script constantly kept me at the edge of my seat with its suspense, emotional conflicts, political intrigue, and unexpected character dynamics. Every episode ended on a cliffhanger that made it almost impossible not to immediately watch the next one.
One of my favorite trope was the relationship between the male lead (ML), female lead (FL), and second male lead (SML). Instead of the usual love triangle, the ML was actually helping the FL run away with the SML. That alone made the story feel fresh and unpredictable. It almost felt like the ML is placed in the "second male lead" position, but because the story was told from his perspective, I ended up rooting for him. With Limao, I never experienced second lead syndrome because the main character Wuyi himself already gave me that bittersweet second lead feeling (in a good way). It was such an interesting dynamic that I haven't really seen before.
I'm also a huge fan of morally gray characters and villains with compelling backstories. So having a protagonist who carries a villain-like aura while occasionally revealing flashes of innocence is exactly the kind of character I enjoy watching. The story also balances multiple genres extremely well. It combines historical drama, warfare, political strategy, friendship, family, romance, suspense, comedy, and emotional character development without making any of them feel neglected.
Xie Jiayu underwent the most significant character development here, and it was a beautiful thing to witness. From a young girl who couldn't even tell the difference between being a couple and being close friends to a mature woman who endured life's ups and downs without ever wavering. She was the light in Xiao Wuyi’s life, and I loved that about her.
Why some viewers may find it confusing:
I can understand why some people might struggle with the first few episodes. The pacing is quite fast, and the story immediately throws viewers into a complex historical setting involving princes, regents, nobles, warlords, military strategies, and multiple factions competing for power. This isn't the type of drama you can casually play in the background. You really have to pay attention to the dialogue and subtitles, especially because there is a twist almost in every episode. No matter, I think the political intrigue was executed very well because even when I occasionally had to rewind (a me problem because I read subtitles slow and my eyes are just not that good, iqiyi subs also not as good as viki), I was never bored. If anything, I became even more curious.
Action
The battle scenes were epic, exciting, well choreographed, and contribute meaningfully to the story instead of existing purely for spectacle. However, I do wish there were more.
Comedy
The comedy in the first half provided the perfect balance to the heavier political and emotional moments. I especially enjoyed the female lead's humor. Her comedic timing lightened the atmosphere without making the story feel less serious.
Makeup, Cinematography & Visual Style
One thing that surprised me was the natural visuals. From the Chinese historical drama clips I've seen on TikTok and Facebook, I expected heavy beauty filters and thick skin smoothening makeup. For the most part, this drama looked surprisingly natural with no filter on. I actually prefer this style because it suits the historical war setting much better and gives the drama a more classic, immersive atmosphere.
Overall
I loved the action, suspense, soundtrack, comedy, acting, storyline, political intrigue, the female lead's humor, and the male lead's villainous aura mixed with unexpected moments of innocence. Everything came together in a way that kept me emotionally invested from beginning to end. Kudos to the writers, actors, actresses, and director!
My reaction on the finale: I’m speechless. Instead of losing momentum, the plot somehow kept getting better with every episode. They really kept the suspense until the end. The writing became even stronger, and so did the performances: especially Xiao Wuyi, Xie Jiayu, Empress Dowager, the Grand Tutor, Eagle King and Li Lejun. Their acting elevated every emotional and political scene.
This drama genuinely exceeded my expectations. Going into it, I thought only K-dramas consistently delivered this combination of excellent writing, compelling characters, emotional depth, and outstanding performances. I'm so glad this drama proved me wrong. It deserves far more recognition than it's receiving, and so does the cast.
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What makes Goblin good is it's featuring. It stars longing looks, teary-eyed longing looks, bromance, ignoring that he is 800 years old, trying to pretend you are not watching this because of the bromance and good looking leads and KES's obligatory three good episodes towards the end that makes you think this is so good. It also stars a very good performance by Lee Dong Wook. I'd like to say the rest of the cast were just as good, but I'd be lying. Gong Yoo is someone, I watch because he is in good movies (The Crucible/Silenced, etc) but not because he gives an actual good performance. He's like a Brad Pitt type in that regard. I was quite surprised by LDW as I find him heavily attractive and have for a long time but I've admitted he's a terrible actor. Suddenly he is Matthew McConaughaying me. The female lead is literally a copy paste of all rom-coms. Especially from this writer.
The intro of this drama is unique and creates what has the potential to be a very good plot, but ultimately this is a meandering slow stream of a journey that I heavily recommend you skip some episodes. Yes, skip from ep 5 to 13 and you'll miss very little. The juicy parts of the plot are thrown aside for a slew of teary-eyed longing looks and cliché romantic scenes that at ep 4, I started to wonder when they were actually going to focus on the juicy premise.
Character wise, the bromance sells this stale plot as personally, the romance between the male and female lead just looks awkward. I should be gushing at romantic scenes but they look as uncomfortable as I do and when Gong Yoo pats her head, he at times feels like her father. The drama has a lot of potential but the writer didn't seem to know what to do with it and I feel like a traitor who deserves to be hanged for saying this, but as a huge lover of bromance, dare I say it, I actually got bored of the bromance. I started tuning in to cast longing looks at Lee Dong Wook. My obsession made me run out into the street and jump in front of a car, but I heavily recommend you don't do that as the Grim Reaper never appeared and now I'm writing this in the afterlife.
The writer here also inserts her I suckered you into thinking this was good by having her obligatory three good episodes that make me think, Oh this has potential. It's always towards the end too. Melancholic episodes with good editing that make me wonder where was this for the previous ten episodes? I feel the drama is a seven at best as in, I would be very generous to give it a 7. It has its good melancholic and humorous scenes but it ultimately never quite gets its pacing right and never seems to know what to focus on making this really not as good as it could be.
PS. I also urge you to cast aside any logical questions you might have especially towards the end. They will not be answered.
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This had a lot of potential, but the execution didn't come through here.Apparently, serial killer guy is in love with the MC. But I don't see how. She's beautiful, intelligent and straight-forward -- sure, but they only met once before he falls in love with her. Their communication is super short - only a few lines of dialogue. They needed to spend some more time making his love believable. Like him being interested in the person who made this app he uses to find his victims, learns about her and then finally meets and falls in love with her. But nope. No build-up whatsoever.
There's nothing deep here. Sometimes it doesn't make sense who he chooses to kill and who he chooses to let go. Why some of the women would meet up with some random person they only talked to once online in some SUPER secluded place, out in the boonies or a building at night.
Almost every woman in this story happens to be a horndog, including the MC. Nothing wrong with that but ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM throwing caution to the wind for it? Makes absolutely no sense.
The shaman is also random, and I feel is out of left field for the story. Nice having a LGBT character and all, but the shaman thing is still random.
I'm generally a fan of Netflix Kdramas, but I didn't vibe with this one at all.
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I’m really so sad to see so many good reviews ignoring the fact that this drama left many questions unanswered. I’ll talk about the two main ones that bothered me. First, the whole issue with her father was just empty. Not to mention that their relationship makes you wonder if the writer knows about how interpersonal relationships work. Second, Do Min Joo was just the perfect (robotic) being and this drama, sadly, portrayed him like an object, for the drama ends and we know nothing about him except that he is an alien and has some powers. I could write a book about all the questions I had about him, THE main lead. How can we permit this!!!!
Love is portrayed like something so dreamy and flawless once you are finally with that person. Their attachment to life and their love makes me conclude that at the end they won’t accept that nothing is forever. Of course we want a happy ending, but what we mean by this (at least I) are happy, fulfilled characters…not poorly unrealistic endings (even if it was a fantasy drama).
About the special effects I have to say I liked them very much, they were very good. The acting was just good, nothing special really I did wished for some real tears. The main leads are impossible not to love, she is so cute and he is adorable. I didn’t see that much chemistry between them but I won’t touch the subject or else I’ll unleash the fury of some. There are some unforgettable moments too ;) (kisskiss) Anyways, the first half of the drama was entertaining but if you are like me, a drama fan that is hard to please and likes to ask questions, just keep in mind what I just said.
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Frustrating....
There were times while I was watching this drama I was wondering why I was still watching it, that is how frustrating it made me feel.I think the main problem was with the writing. I know Jae Won and Eun Oh were the main characters, but they went around in circles with their story, (I was really getting tired of hearing about those damn cameras) and a bit more of that time could have been spent on the other two couples stories, especially that of Rin Yi and Gyung Joon. I felt like I never fully understood the two of them, and while their story was the most realistic - there were things about Rin Yi's personality and past I wished they had discussed instead of throwing it out towards the end of the drama.
The second problem came with the characters. They drove me crazy. Jae Won spent most the drama as a complete mess (at least they addressed his alcoholism), and while I understood Eun Oh's insecurities she kept refusing to admit to her mistakes and hurt others in the process. Rin Yi was not developed enough. She could be seen as carefree, but there a few moments were I felt like she was using her lifestyle as a excuse to ignore things she didn't want to address in her life and they never really went past the surface with her. And Gyung Joon was so blindly in love her he didn't want rock the boat. Sun Young came off as cool in the beginning but her behavior towards the guys she dated was not okay at all. Gun is the only character I have nothing bad to say about, he was mostly just chill the whole time, and I think he got lost in everyone else's chaos.
The acting was one of the few positives, especially from Ji Chang Wook, who was in top form here (along with the OST). I enjoyed the "introduction" to Dong Shik, if they do make a second season I might tune in to find out more about them, but I won't be rewatching this mess again.
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1Watching this was an absolute joy! It will make you cry, laugh, and grin! When you're in high school you get serious about studying, so you'll get accepted in the university/collage you aim for. However, it's also the time when you want to have fun and enjoy life with your friends. So the balance between these two is what this drama is all about.
I might be too generous with my rating but the show was that good. The plot line wasn't draggy and very interesting to the very end. The acting was perfect from main and support characters. The music was lovely and spot on. So obviously you would want to watch this drama again because it's so charming.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Story of Nut Sack
The title says it all, doesn't it? I can't say this was a highly anticipated drama for me, but I did add it to my watchlist because of ZLH. At the time, I hadn't yet seen ZJM in anything but was familiar with the SML or CHY and several others in the supporting cast from previous things. I however didn't expect to see so much of the series essentially taken over by SRQ and away from the ML and leads altogether. It was sad and everyone was sick of it. Instead of The Princess Royal, this should have been renamed "The Story of Nut Sack." That's what I dubbed him; even funnier just how many people started using that nickname after I put it out there. I knew we were all in the same boat.Pros: Everyone's acting. The leads really embodied their characters especially ZJM or LR; I'd only seen her in a modern drama at the beginning of this year. For a 21 year old, she sure knows how to act. Very impressive. ZLH or PWX, though relegated to a virtual supporting character, he was infinitely patient and loved with all of his heart. I don't know how he was written in the novel as I never read those but he did the best with what he was given. Little prince was too cute and I really liked him with QZZ. It was actually funny that he in real life is older than ZJM who plays his older sister. The other characters I liked were SY, SRH, QL, LFB, the eunuch, and the rest of the folks on team LC. None of these characters were cookie cutter good. They were all complicated with problems that they had to overcome and evolve into. That was the part of it that was really good. The sword fights were good; loved when PWX told nut sack off at the end for being so damn delusional and how he had every choice in life number two to change everything but still didn't. I also really loved the OSTs.
Neutral: Before I start on the cons, I just want to make sure people understand that I have no hate towards any of the actors. Though this story of nut sack was played by CHY, the actor did the best he could with what he was given. He himself is still very new in the industry and green. I do hope for better work for him. I think he was miscast here. If you want him in a good drama; check out "Warm on a Cold Night."
Cons: The people responsible for turning this story into the mess it became, was production. The script was absolutely horrendous (we had a second lifetime of do overs to get things right but instead what we got was a convoluted mess); it turned the story away from the leads and to the SML who wasn't even given a billing lead role but as a supporting character. How could they do that to him given how much screen time they gave him? Really unfair to the actor. At every turn, nut sack took most of full episodes of screen time and became essentially an obsessed lunatic with forced second lead syndrome plus producers really wanted to give him a redemption arc, though they still killed him; but his constant glorification was pretty ridiculous. He was vile and stupid; he killed her in their first life, yes with two others but he was probably the first forgiven. If the reason it took her longer to forgive her little brother and SY was because she cared about both more, why the hell did she waste so much time yelling for nut sack to turn back to the right path? Right up until his fiery death, both leads still were trying to get this POS to see reason and become good. It just didn't make any logical sense. Reason and what we were seeing were two different things and this was constant. Say one thing, mean another. Just constant contradictions until you got a damn headache! I can't begin to even really explain what happened to the story but it went from in-fighting palace politics over a throne in two lives that would have still happened to absolute chaos with the SML. A lot of the time, you were wondering; what was even happening and why? Many scenes had you cracking up because they were so absurd.
Nut sack was both Superman and somehow escaped flames for a long time after being stabbed plus he was able to play a song. What in the what? Way too many loopholes and continuity issues; arrow that killed consort Ru came from where? How did her daughter scream without opening her mouth? Cheng 2.0 came from where; was he created from clay? How did nut sack catch up to LR when they went diving off the cliff? When did this turn into a Xianxia? And many others. Suspension of disbelief was a constant must. Wasn't this an S+++ drama? Why the hell was everything so cheap looking? Where did all of the money go?
The ending was rushed obviously because over half an hour was spent on nut sack's last time on earth, though the sword fight with PWX wasn't bad. It was an HE for our 3 couples but very rushed and a lot of the characters didn't even get proper closure as they were just left on the sidelines or disappeared altogether. So now we're getting an extra episode at some point because our leads barely got their 3rd wedding in and the kids weren't shown. My question to producers is, was it worth it? To screw up a great story for one character that should have been kept as is. Only reason this got the score it got was because of the really awesome acting of the actors.
Would I recommend it? Even though the actors were awesome, this story was a mess and I can't with good conscience recommend something so completely out of left field. Even if you didn't read the book (like me), as just a viewer, you'll know very quickly something is very off about the story. All of these actors deserve a better script, so I'd recommend you watch all of them in other things.
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One of the Best Dramas I have Watched
The drama is an emotional rollercoaster. Every episode is a thrilling ride full of twists and turns which keeps you on the edge wanting more.The romance is sweet and just enough given the setting.
It has a lot of interesting characters each having a story to tell and everyone's story arc is carved out with perfection.
This drama make you smile, cry, excited. It also talks about a lots of issues during that period.
It an amazing drama that you would definitely wanna rewatch.
There are no filler minutes forget filler episodes in the entire drama.
I feel every characters storyline is made meaningful.
The actors do a great job in making you fall in love with their characters.
The OST is good. I initially started the drama because of Lim Ji Yeon as I don't usually watch historical dramas but I am glad I did
100% Recommended
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1Wasted Potential At Its Finest.
I don't even know from where to begin. The writers tried to bite off more than they could chew and it's laughable.As a casual watcher, if you want to watch seemingly captivating characters with plenty of potential get half baked storylines and an immaculate wardrobe and decor, this one is for you.
First and foremost, believe me when I tell you that the writing and pacing for the main characters is very akin to trekking on a jeep. The *main characters*, who have more than enough screentime. Not the supporting roles. And this is one of those rare times I felt that the side characters were much more well written and had succinct storylines with the very limited amount of screentime. Scratch that-- by the end of the drama, their scenes were the only ones I didn't fast-forward.
Now that the biggest issue I have with this one is out of the way, let's get down to business.
• When Charan, an art Professor with a double identity as a guard who protects the ruling King's family, the Assavadevathins, is sent for a secret mission to retrieve their hidden heir, Khanin, back to Emmaly, he does not know that whom he is about to bring back is going to set forth a series of events that might just change his life forever. Meanwhile Khanin, who is still bitter after being harshly uprooted from everything and everyone he knew, decides to agree to enter a Royal competition to secure the throne for the Assavadevathins in exchange for information about his supposedly dead adopted father.
☆ The Good:
• I think the actors did a wonderful job portraying what was given to them. Even challenging characters.
Shout out to JJ in particular, because for a character that was air dropped, he managed to evoke emotions with his performance, particularly during his final appearance. And NuNew during the first 3 episodes, where he really had to express and face difficult circumstances.
Ava's actress was no joke too. She was very expressive, particularly in EP9.
Then there is Jimmy and Ohm for Ramil and Paytai. They tried their very best till the end, considering the 'half baked' situation, and most of the conjectures about their past and personalities were made solely based on their minute performances; something which is no easy feat as characters like Ramil tend to get easily dumbed down as evil. Both the characters of Ramil and Paytai are emotionally taxing and they managed to steal the thunder and overshadow what was supposed to be the main story.
Also, I adored Chakri. Particularly during his solo shenanigans.
• Everyone had convincing chemistries, which might be one of the reasons this drama managed to stay afloat. Particular note on Khanin and his adopted father's scenes -- they were natural and reminded me why I stuck on till the end.
• The costumes, sets, even the music at times all blended in well.
(I do think the that frilly outfits worn by Khanin were overboard as it looked like his clothes either matched his hair or the decor of the palace half the time. It's a good thing that NuNew could pull off the princely air, otherwise I would have never been able to take Khanin seriously. Ava's, Calvin, Paytai and Ramil's outfits were beautiful, though, without being flashy. )
• I even forgive the writers for the absolutely cartoonish representation of a fictional nation, but with an actual Royal family still alive and kicking, they'd be playing with fire if something even close to reality gets portrayed on screen.
(I took it as one of those fictional Young Adult novels with similar settings. )
☆ The Cold Pricklies:
What I genuinely cannot wrap my mind around is the fact that the scriptwriter is the same one behind "I Feel You Linger In The Air".
• The villains. Writers should learn to write good ones, or choose to not include anyone if they can't pull it off well. This was the last straw for me.
There is another 'villain', but you know that something is terribly wrong when viewers support him.
How in the world am I supposed to root for a character when his entire family were depicted as shady, ignorant and selfish? I frankly did not want the Assavadevathins to win ---- major issues were swept under the rug in favour of poorly written redemption arcs that not only downplayed the seriousness of a situation, but also portrayed the other characters in an unsatisfactory light.
I hated Prince Tharin till the end. They writers made him act like a rabbit when he should've been the one in the frontline. I find it impossible to believe that he was selectively blind to all the ongoings until Khanin arrived.
• There was a certain way the scriptwriter chose to introduce the various royal families and the places where they stay--- Khanin would somehow simply go off to visit that place under some excuse whenever it happened . Which was futile as it did nothing to his character.
It took 8 or 9 episodes before there was some movement relevant to the story because Khanin seemed to have forgotten all about his adopted father.
• As for the main character.... Khanin might be one of the most under-utilized ones I've seen. He had the most screentime, yet his plotline was stuck in a monotonous cycle for half of the show. Yes, him clinging to the one person he could trust was natural. But, they overfrosted their cake.
Which is sad because NuNew is a multi-talented and fantastic performer. *knock on wood*
Very sure that he could've pulled a much more challenging role than this spongecake of a story. The other kids got that part, though. (Ramil, Paytai, Ava, Jay.)
They spent episodes on him doing nothing substantial, choosing to stuff all his development within the first and last part of the drama. By then, all the time we needed to connect with him had become cold.
Which might be why so many people are pissed off.
He seemed to be the most relaxed at times even, considering that he should be the one throwing pots and pans instead of meekly accepting his role as a dress-up- doll. What happened to the Khanin from the first 3 or 4 episodes? Where was his desire to know more about his adopted father and all the shady shenanigans that were going on?
Even he gets forgotten during the final episodes.
• Charan -- How they managed to mess up one of the main characters, out of all, I do not know.
I liked his character much more when he wasn't being viewed through Khanin's eyes. Once he became involved with him, all his enigma was erased and he was reduced to a mere love interest.
And after EP13, I'm convinced that his family was brainwashed/he has some form of Stockholm Syndrome --- the Charan from the early episodes wouldn't simply let things go the way he did. (This is indirectly related to my first Cold Prickly.)
Initially, we could see him bend himself to the rules and even get tired of being tossed back and forth like a bargaining chip. Something he himself says. He almost feels relieved that Khanin simply didn't see him as a disposable person.
It's evident that he knows a lot and has even seen a lot. He could get information and dig through things for Khanin; yet all that gets swept under the rug in favour of his 'love story'. Which I didn't root for as much I thought I would. It just didn't feel natural.
He had the most secrets to keep and his association with a shady character was interesting. Yet, it didn't get fleshed out. All of that was stuffed behind dialogues and you expect me to buy that?
Zee Pruk can act, but I'm starting to doubt that he is getting typecasted in such roles.
• Khanin and Charan's romance needed natural progress - it was new or never established prior to the story, which doubles the writer's and director's task for making it appear convincing to the viewer. Instead, I felt suffocated by the amount of sugar they were attempting to insert into what could've been an excellent portrayal of power dynamics -- the story is supposed to be between a royal guard and a Prince.
What I got was insta-love, which I dislike. Charan seemed to be okay with being tossed about as long as Khanin was involved and Khanin's character lost all purpose for several episodes to fit in their romance.
Never thought I would say this, but watch Cutie Pie if you need a convincing relationship portrayed by the same actors.
Charan and Khanin's relationship literally had no challenges or hardships to get through. It's okay if they didn't have any, but it shouldn't come off as insipid. I liked their rapport much more when they were out of their uniforms.
• This is also one of the reasons why I find the other Royal kids' storyline much more rivetting... and enraging. Both Ava and Ramil had something challenging to get through, regardless of how their characters are written. (Ava being sweet and Ramil being arrogant to everyone outside of his home.)
Then there is Khanin, whom we see, spents most of his time touring or attempting to romance Charan. What was the point of all that? Other than shedding more light on the supporting characters, it brought no development for Khanin. Who learns and seems to promptly forget about his connection to the Snake family; goes for drinks and fun at the Phoenix family and enjoys some pearls before meeting someone at the end of EP8, where the story begins to give him the leverage he needed to get through the competition. But, even then, he doesn't seek the answers for himself.
• Ramil might not have the same amount of screentime as Khanin, but every scene of his kept me intrigued.
There was 'something' to know. His upbringing was clearly convoluted, considering that he was the sole heir for many years and his father's draconian methods to keep him in line put him under a constant state of pressure.
[There is a speech from his side in EP11 which perfectly describes his actions, so I understand where he is coming from and why he is the way he is.]
It's also evident that Paytai, a selected 'companion' was the only other real 'friend' he had. That too, one who was approved by his father.
• Jimmy described his character and couple as the bitter palate cleanser which is exactly what it was.
I wondered why he seemed to say that his character was a balance for the 'sweet' parts, since it looked like he had more potential than to just become a background character. Turns out that he was 100% right.
Don't expect any progress in Ramil × Paytai storyline, which I deem is one of the absolute worst, since they had a very interesting one to build up on and the writer decided to throw it away hastily. I'm calling it half baked because EP14 just nails in the fact that I, as a viewer, don't know anything about their relationship or how it works out.
Where was all the seemimgly established relationship dynamics among the three?
We are introduced to Paytai as a 'companion', who is supposed to get hit in Ramil's stead; then we have Paytai's dream in EP4, which explains his reaction ... yet, I don't know where their relationship stands.
Did Prince Rachata know about it? Did Ramil even know that Paytai cherished him? Because the first few episodes gave no hints about it.
I don't see any steady writing that could bring a neat denouement to these two. Their past remains a mystery. But, atleast Paytai seems elated by the way things went down for them.
• Same with Ava, who is much less restrained, yet has to live with the fact that the misogynistic rules of Emmaly will forever paint her in an unsatisfactory light for her father, however hard she tried. She was the token female character for women empowerment; she clearly displayed defiance and endured endless training... for what?
Her friendship with Ramil is very interesting since Ramil seems to loosen up around her and she gets his nature to an extent. Where was all that?
• Calvin existed just so he could go back and tell his family that Emmaly sucks. Jay is like the only character who seems to know what he wants right from the get go, and where did all that go?
Net is a really good actor, but he needed a stable backstory for it to shine through. His expressions matched mine half the time he was on screen -- wanting to disappear from the spotlight/pure confusion.
• What happened to everyone's mothers? Particularly Ava and Ramil's, since it's not told what had happened to them.
There are women, who played pivotal roles in shaping the events that occurred to the characters'. There are like three of them, even in the main poster and it's even hinted that something major that had taken place in the past was linked to one of the main characters. Yet, everything got stuffed into an episode. Which was purposeless as they had tons of time for an actual build-up instead of a deus ex machina.
• The good thing that this drama brought? It helped me discover excellent actors.
I am now genuinely curious about Love Upon A Time. Also, somehow Ohm's unhinged tweets (which might be his method of actively engaging with fans, considering that he seems to know fandom behaviour well) made their way to my twitter timeline -- it made me explore the fandom of Thai BL pairings (which seems to be companies' attempts to save time and money for conducting additional screentests and workshops/acting classes; a quite logical option), their fandoms in extension; and control of fanservice in general.
It also makes me stress that a few casual viewers like me, who don't follow pairings or fandoms would prefer a good story to elicit the right emotions. Chemistry alone can't save a drama, and The Next Prince, for all it's opulence, relied solely on the actors' strengths to power through.
☆ Final Thoughts:
It's not a terrible drama if you have it on double the speed, and choose which part to watch as you won't miss much even if you skip. But, if you prefer strong scripts and storylines, I suggest you run away from this one.
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The plot is mediocre. Best friends get drunk and sleep together. One of them has a girlfriend which makes things more complicated. Surprise, surprise the girlfriend is a bitch.
First of all, I would like to mention how much I hate Knock. Even when Korn and Knock slept together, Knock kept acting like Korn raped him or something, dude it was consensual sex, you are to be blamed as much as him, why the fuck are you acting this way? You dumb sorry excuse of a grown ass man. And later on, he doesn't do anything to redeem himself. He remains indecisive, keeps playing with Korn's feelings, and is forever a big of a slut. One would imagine him being nicer to Korn after hearing about how Korn's ex-boyfriend cheated on Korn but noooooooo, he two times and gives him false hope and once even goes as far as to say that he chose his bitch girlfriend but would like their relationship to be the same. Lol fuck off, Knock does not deserve this piece of shit and I stand by my opinion.
The only complain I have with Korn's character is that instead of showing him as a person, we see him more as a person in love. Idk what his personality is.
Yihwa, my girl is the star of this shitty show and the reason why I watched the entire damn thing. Fai is a cutie too.
The doctor is fucking disgusting and Farm is really dumb oh lord.
My head hurt watching this. Proceed with caution.
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