Completed
Love in the Moonlight
16 people found this review helpful
Jun 25, 2020
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
Since I am still experiencing TKEM withdrawal syndrome, I found myself looking for another historical romance similar to The King: Eternal Monarch. And so I came across this Korean drama and I must say I am not disappointed at all. I easily breezed through each and every episode.

The plot. It is interesting, in fact, very interesting enough how they unfold each mysteries at a time. Not reading any spoilers about this show helps peak up my interest in this drama.

Actors. This is the first time that I have watched a Park Bo Gum drama. I am more of a Lee Min Ho person so I haven’t placed any interest in him up until now. And I ask myself, why now? I have added Park Bo Gum to my list of handsome Korean male leads and I am going to watch another of his dramas after this. The chemistry with his female lead Hong Ra On ( Kim Yoo Jung) here is very evident and I really find her acting very profound and her image is so easy in the eyes that I have began loving her and her acting in this drama. Good casting indeed!

The only downside I see here is I wish that our female lead would be a bit powerful considering what family background she came from. Instead, I see someone who needs a lot of saving. She should have equipped herself with some fighting skills so as not to appear helpless all the time. I was looking for more girl power in the sense. Nevertheless, she has other strengths like her writing prowess and with a good memory, she can be a good strategist in the sense. Good enough to help our King as she stands beside him. After all, behind every king stands people that he trusts and will back him up no matter what.

Sword fight and action scenes. I must say I love the sword fights. Our actors namely Your Highness Crown Prince Hyo, Chief of Rites Kim Yoon Sung and Kim Byung Yeon greatly placed a lot of training and efforts into the fight scenes particularly on how they handle their swords. Simply takes my breath away sometimes.

Although there were scenes that were dull, still this show managed to take us to heightened moments. I like the idealism of the king and what he hoped his ruling of the kingdom might be.

Anyway, I have decided that every time I do a review, I will have to go through my checklist. A have come up with a checklist that every Korean drama has and I must say, Love in the Moonlight almost have it all

- [x] Based on a fairy tale or there is a fairy tale reference ( Little Mermaid)
- [ ] Kissing scenes
- [x] peck on cheeks
- [x] smack or peck on lips
- [ ] forehead
- [ ] 10-15 seconds kisses
- [ ] Hugs or Holding hands
- [x] back hugs
- [ ] usual hugs
- [x] Shopping involved
- [x] Jewelry or giving of jewelry to either male or female and vice versa
- [ ] Marriage at the end
- [ ] Cooking ( apart of course if it is a drama on food or cooking show)
- [ ] Noodles or ramyeon
- [x] Drinking and lots of Soju
- [x] piggy back
- [x] Action scenes. Sword fight or gun fight
- [ ] Product endorsements and presence
- [x] Cheesy lines and dialogues
- [x] Bromance
- [x] Alcohol and jealousy
- [x] Library scene or books involved

“Destiny can never be made nor it can be avoided.” Over-all, this tv series have enough drama, romance and definitely action with its twists and turns. A feel-good series.

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Completed
Virgin Road
16 people found this review helpful
Nov 12, 2012
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
Where do I begin? This drama covers so many different bases in one: single motherhood, affairs, contract relationships, family, betrayal, lies, and so much more. The plot although it started off a bit slow just snowballed from there. The last two episodes though just really boggled my mind with how many emotions I went through: I literally cried, I lauged, I smiled, got angry, was nervous, and excited. The ending as well had to be one of the best I've ever seen in a drama.

The bad points: The fashion and wardrobe of the characters at times was pretty horrendous, but otherwise there weren't really any.

The acting was one of the best I've ever seen, and I only really didn't care for the chracter of Kiri who was Kaoru's friend. Kiri could be such a B at times, but you couldn't help feeling sorry for her lonliness.

Music was okay, but got a bit repetive hence the lower score.

Will I watch this drama again? Definitely -it has gone to classic status in my drama portfolio. I can almost completely assure you that this drama will leave you with a fuzzy happy feeling at it's end and that you won't regret watching it!

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Completed
A Dream like the True Love
16 people found this review helpful
by E_lia2
Jul 5, 2025
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

A Refreshing, No-Nonsense Mini Cdrama Gem

I’ve watched up to Episode 20 (waiting for the rest to drop), and this is one of the best mini cdramas I’ve seen. Someone compared it to The Double, and after watching, I get it.

What I Loved:
The FL’s independence – She chooses to do everything on her own, and I respect that.
Lead chemistry – Their dynamic is lovely, with calm, wordless scenes that speak volumes. You just know they’re in love.
No unnecessary misunderstandings (from what I remember). A rare gem in a sea of cdramas filled with filler episodes and miscommunication tropes.
The costumes were great for the budget—no complaints there.
The oldest princess – Her backstory about being limited by her gender ("a woman’s role is to birth children") added depth, even if it doesn’t excuse her actions. Also, the actress is gorgeous!

What I Had Issues With:
The 2ML – I feel bad for him if he actually has feelings because the FL clearly doesn’t see him that way. His care for the child and offering her money showed his kindness, but I almost wish he’d been written as a female character instead.
The father & brother – I wish them worse. Did they die?(i don't remember) Probably not.
The FL’s decision in Ep 16 – Why did she go to the ML while he was tied up? The only reason he survived was plot armor. If he had died, it would’ve been entirely her fault. The princess seemed hurt, but… she caused it, so?
The white makeup – I couldn’t stop noticing how much paler the actors’ faces were compared to their necks. I know they’re supposed to be "pale," but the contrast was too obvious, especially on the oldest princess and FL. (It made me laugh, but still.)
Who was the princess referring to when she said the ML resembled "him"? Did we ever find out?(did i miss this?")

Final Thoughts:
The FL’s choice to leave the ML (because everyone acted like they were doing her a favor) made sense, but… five years? That’s a long time. I expected the ML to at least try to change her mind. Now, with only four episodes left, I guess she’ll finally reconsider?
The communication between the leads is chef’s kiss—no stupid misunderstandings, just two people who actually talk. What more could I ask for?
The FL’s acting was impressive, especially since this is her first main role. She’s only been in about four dramas so far, but she did a great job.
One of the rare cdramas I’d actually rewatch. Highly recommended!
After watching ep 21, I feel bad for the ML! His sister revealing he’s been depressed all these years? Oof. That final scene was so cute though—give me more of these soft moments!
Okay, I forgot about the series for a bit, but I'm back! Just watched episode 22.

What really stood out to me was the female lead's realization: the male lead doesn't need anyone else's connections or status to succeed in court. He can do it entirely on his own strength.

SPOILER FROM EP.22 (fl's Monologue):
"Did I make a wrong choice five years ago?
I thought he could marry someone of equal standing, someone who could help him gain a foothold in court.
But I never expected he would be so stubborn.
I should have known this is how he is.
He doesn't need to rely on anyone to break through and establish himself.
Perhaps the true coward here is me..."

That last line? Absolutely loved it. It's such a powerful moment of self-awareness for her.

Final Thoughts on the ending and overall:
Heading into the last episode, I appreciate that the core message seems to be: love isn't just about passion; it's built on trust, loyalty... (and so on).

While I loved it, I do understand the 7.4/10 rating a bit more now. The low budget showed, especially in the ML's hair in the final episode, it just looked unnatural and weird to me.
(what i mean is don't trust ratings)
Love the messages!
I genuinely wish both lead actors the best of luck and hope to see them in bigger projects! More than anything, I wish we could get more dramas like this with mature communication instead of annoying miscommunication plots but with bigger budgets!

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Completed
Her Private Life
16 people found this review helpful
by Herman
May 31, 2019
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
Wow wow wow. Adorable.
But I think I have a cavity.

Story (6.5):
This show was pretty much perfect for quite a ways. There was a great premise and set up, plenty of romantic drama and potential sabotages, media frenzies, fan greets, drama, romance, will they won't they... And then stuff calmed down.
And then the story went bonkers. I don't want to offend anyone, because the story is actually emotional and moving and it's not stupid or like I hate it, but it did change the tone of the drama. In my eyes, it broke up with most of the realism and down to earth maturity of the drama I'd felt to that point and got a new girlfriend called all the k-drama cliches you can think of.
I'm not going to lie, we saw some of this stuff coming from miles away and there are sooo soo many coincidences riddled throughout this drama, but as that ending kept going and oh wait another secret thing and okay that's convenient now that I think about it that's super coincidental... it's great but kicked me a bit out of starry eyed love into dispassionate appreciation mode. :)
I think if it had fewer episodes it would have been great. Either that or they need to change up their drama. Some of that stuff I was okay with but eventually I stopped caring all that much.
By far my favorite part of the plot was her undercover fangirling which also suffered a hit when the end drew near. I felt that particular storyline lacked full conclusion compared to other aspects. The last two episodes were twiddle my fingers candy. :D
Okay, enough criticism, now everything else is perfect.

Acting/Cast (10.0):
Park Min Young is (and has been) one of my favorite actresses (perhaps even my #1) and Kim Jae Wook is great in this drama. I was hesitant about the pairing at first and it's still not my favorite pairing (I much prefer Ji Chang Wook), but combined with their chemistry and Jae Wook's brilliant portrayal of a perfect boyfriend, you can't hate on this lead couple.
All of the other cast is very well done (yes even crazy director), but I think one of my favorites was the actress Kim Bo Ra who played Cindy. After watching this show, I realized I've seen her in a handful of other shows, most recently Ghostderella. I would honestly love to see a spin off show of her and that potential romantic interest at the end (not gonna spoil it guys). That would be such a fun show :D

Music (9.0):
That main opening song kept getting stuck in my head! I'd be going around thinking "All I want is you, all I want is you!" lol. There wasn't a whole lot else that stuck out, but there are other good songs throughout this show even down to the background music playing in the Cafe.

Rewatch Value (9.0):
There's such an assortment of fun and cute moments in this show, it's highly rewatchable. I'll admit, I'll probably stick to the first half, but don't put down the rest so easily.

Overall (8.5):
So overall, some mixed feelings; well over halfway, this completely topped What's Wrong With Secretary Kim (WWWSK), but as it kept going so much felt thrown on to keep the show going and also made the show lose some of it's credibility that it'd done so well holding to for awhile. We could see some of it coming for awhile, and I'd groaned a bit, but expected it... and then they just kept adding on... But if I'm really bored of a show I have trouble watching it, and that was not the case here. I watched every episode the day it came out... so yeah.
Compared to WWWSK they come up about even in my recollection, though this has the lead in the first half.
Recommend to all rom-com fans especially if you're sick of people who don't communicate and stop talking over minor mis-understandings and act like teenagers when they're in their 30s. This show is for you!

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Completed
Checkered Shirt
16 people found this review helpful
Feb 8, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

good start, lackluster ending

Overall: I liked it overall but will add a half point to this review if they do a season 2 as there were several plot threads hanging. 8 episodes about 7 minutes each. Aired on Sukfilm's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYfaogVGCvwR6JKy1hl4Jq93_HjCqSLgc&si=dKNaW9aTzGwFqFUg - SUKFILM made these BLs: Seoul Blues, Blue Boys and Bad Guy

Content Warnings: dub/non con kiss, unwanted outing

What I Liked
- a character's actions show that he's romantically interested without an exposition dump or voice over
- visuals
- cheeky with the drink
- good kissing

Room For Improvement
- they needed to focus on the main leads and get rid of the queer panic if it was going to be resolved in a second
- the music with lyrics needs to be quieter when the characters are speaking
- in episode 4, one character's reactions
- in episode 4 if he had said that with the wallet privately then it would have been fine but I think in front of the line it went into mean/cruel territory
- one character gave me whiplash with hot & cold
- the dub/non con kiss (when someone is sleeping)
- episode 8 was not a good way to end a series

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Completed
Rahut Rissaya
16 people found this review helpful
Feb 4, 2021
17 of 17 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 9.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers

Refreshingly different revenge drama

I was getting so bored of the same revenge storyline dramas so I was not too optimistic when I started this one. But I’m glad I did. This was a revenge drama done right. There was nothing overly excessive about it.... it was just done right. I loved the fact that the female lead was such a strong one. I loved that they finally showed a ML who didn’t shy away from his feelings... who was portrayed as being sensitive, caring from the get go. Bank played his role beautifully...he was a natural. I’m so glad it want the usual slap/kiss revenge dramas with a lot of hate and mistrust. Even the crazy female villains were toned down. There are lots of sweet moments between the leads... again a rare thing. I highly recommend this drama ...loved it

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Completed
Coffee Prince
16 people found this review helpful
Oct 12, 2014
17 of 17 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers
There are a LOT of gender-bender/girls in pants titles in Dramaland, and I love just about all of them, but if I had to pick my favorite it is definitely Coffee Prince. Aside from the obvious awesome set up and favorite tropes this drama plays to, what cemented my love for this thing is the fact that the series wasn’t afraid to actively utilize the subject of homosexuality for the plot. Most of the time this trend makes me feel a bit uncomfortable because it’s often handled in a very badly done way, or for the purposes of comedy that falls flat. Not the case for Coffee Prince. Why? Well, the answer might be considered a spoiler, but the fact is the script writers don’t just toy with making the hero briefly question his sexuality, but that this is a huge point of conflict for the plot that resolves itself in one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever frackin’ witnessed. I also adore the fact that heroine opens the drama as a tomboy AND closes the drama as a tomboy, that she doesn’t magically get femininized just because she’s got a guy. The script handles the issue of homosexuality and gender roles in a very respectful manner. Add in the glorious sexual tension between the two characters (notice that’s becoming a recurring theme in my recommendations) and this ranks really high in my favorite dramas, no question!

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Completed
A Tale of Thousand Stars
16 people found this review helpful
Apr 2, 2021
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 10

1000 Stars: A shinning star and crown jewel all time masterpiece in BL World

1000 stars is a truly the most beautiful BL ever made. It is an old fashioned love story. A lot of stars in the series:
Soundtrack: the opening song is truly the most BL beautiful song I have heard out of others. The second one would be from Until We Meet Again
Director: the best one I have ever known. I am glad that he would direct “Bad Buddies” He knows how to make the storyline reaches audience emotion and brings the best
Storyline: so beautifully crafted and old fashion. So lovely and full of positive messages
Actors: the best of the best choice I have ever seen. All fit with the characters they played
Chemistry: shooting out through the roof seen through all actors actions and taking out audience emotion
Production: outstanding hard works, worldwide work qualities
Cinematography: well done
International viewer service: shining worldwide super star, extremely helpful by having an official channel in YouTube, timely English subs(tardiness is resolved within a few hours in 24 hours) and no geo blocking/restriction.
Overall: The best of the best BL stories ever made.

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Completed
Dali & Cocky Prince
16 people found this review helpful
by Juelin
Oct 10, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 6.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Starts off great but turns into a trashy soap opera

The drama pretends to be funny and light-hearted but inadvertently hides very dark themes that the writers fail to address. Kim Da Li and Jin Moo Hak have an incredible first encounter and form an instant connection. The show starts off as funny, cute, sexy, refreshing, and full of explosive chemistry. Da Li is a well-educated daughter of a wealthy family. Moo Hak comes from "new money" with no education or class. Her book smarts compliment his streets smarts creating a unique match. Unfortunately, after Da Li's father dies and she returns to Korea, everything falls apart.

Moo Hak is boorish and materialistic, but he is kind and sweet in the first two episodes. However, as soon as he finds out that Da Li owes him money, he becomes cruel and shortsighted just so he does not look weak. He insults, berates, and threatens Da Li while being fully aware of her bankruptcy, obnoxious family members, and creditors, then proceeds to relentlessly harass her despite witnessing her struggling to survive. Instead of bringing the two together to save the museum and build a great relationship, the writers turn him into an overbearing jerk and her into a perpetual victim.

What's worse, Da Li's intelligence and spunk completely disappear making her unable to stand up for herself. She takes abuse from everyone who berates, insults, and physically hurts her without any push-back. She allows Tae Jin to talk over her about his delusions of their non-existent relationship without getting a word in. She quietly sits still as Moo Hak's stepmother proceeds to assault and pull her hair without fighting back. And, this continues for the entirety of the show. Her character completely devolves into a doll with no agency or a personality allowing everybody to walk all over her. Moreover, she never demands that Moo Hak gives her an apology for his crappy treatment, and, neither do the writers make him apologize without being asked. The show makes no effort to correct past wrongdoings of any of the characters and force feeds us a happy ending.

Overall, the drama is somewhat entertaining, but Da Li's lack of a backbone and the characters' atrocious behavior make it very tedious to watch. For a brief moment, they address each other's shortcomings when Moo Hak demands why his mother hit Da Li, but it leads nowhere. This was a one time watch for me.

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Completed
A Restaurant with Many Problems
15 people found this review helpful
Sep 6, 2015
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.5
Before I even get into my pros and cons, I just want to say I am in love with the concept of this drama and it's story. I am extremely glad I came across this and decided to watch it before others on my list!

Story | Sexism in life is the main theme. Several women who are in the work force deal with sexism constantly and due to certain circumstances end up working together at a restaurant started up by the main heroine. Just like the title, it is a restaurant with many problems. Exactly like women in the work force. But the restaurant becomes a safe place and a place for them to work without the prejudice and discriminations that are usually used against working women. These are real life issues that real life women (and even men) deal with daily.

Cast | At first I was kind of "meh" about the cast but as the episodes went on and the characters started to develop, I had zero issues with the actors or their acting. Everyone had great chemistry together and it worked out perfectly. Though there is quite a number of serious moments, the actors were able to also give off comedic vibes to keep the drama going and I loved those moments. Maki Yoko was a strong in this drama. She gave her character the perfect amount of courage, sympathy, anger etc. Can I just add how much I loved Yasuda Ken's character. Best. Character. Ever. Anyways, I believe every character had their own unique color and the actors were able to portray that extremely well.

Music | Instrumentals during scenes and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's OST Mondai Girl was the ending theme. I scored low only because I'm not much into that type of music. The song is ok but just not my style.

Rewatch | Not too sure. I think I'll more recommend this people than actually rewatch it myself.

Overall | It's not a bad drama. I actually think it's quite an important drama because these types of issues aren't usually the main theme of a drama. These are real life issues that happen everywhere in the work place and it's disgusting. So many double standards and the following of Confucianism in the Asian culture is a big issue that I wish was talked about more. Unfortunately, I am only disappointed with this drama because 1. it was only 10 episodes long (which is normal for Japanese dramas) and 2. because it was so short, a lot of situations that should (or I thought should have) have been focused on more were only glimpsed at and a lot of big situations in this drama were opened and instead of being closed completely, they were slightly left open leaving me not feeling content.

I can't lie though, the issues and how things were dealt with and positive things that were said, made me happy. I can genuinely say I liked this drama. It's a nice short drama that you can get through in a couple of days or a weekend. Please give it a chance!

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Completed
Starry Starry Night
16 people found this review helpful
Feb 20, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
Unique perspective of a sweet story that keeps the integrity of the book. Beautiful cinematography with cute quirks (think, Amelie or Pushing Daisies) that don't feel gimmick-y. At first I thought this was just a cute film, but since watching it last year, it's resonated with me and has become a top-ten favorite. It makes you remember what it's like to be in middle school, and how vulnerable an age that is. Quite beautiful, though yes, I wish it were longer!
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Completed
Garasu no Ie
16 people found this review helpful
Nov 8, 2013
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 6.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
Since I have finished it, I figure I may as well write a review.

As you can see from the synopsis, the basis of this story revolves around a forbidden love aspect, in this case, a woman falling in love with her husband's son. Don't worry, there's no pedophilia here, all are adults. Interspersed throughout the drama is a secondary storyline about politics that I didn't really pay attention to, and I doubt anyone else watching this will, as it had no real bearing on the story in general. In fact, with the inclusion of the political story line I felt that the focus of the drama was a bit confused. Was I watching a political drama or a romance dram?

That serves to be one of the drama's biggest flaws; the lack of focus and the lack of raw emotion on the character's part. Rei and Hitoshi are supposed to be involved in a passionate, torrid love affair. I saw nothing of that. In fact, it seems that Hitoshi's main attraction to Rei is mere a physical one; the earlier in the drama we are treated to stereotypical scenes of him oggling her while doing household chores, and the obligatory scene of Rei getting a food item stuck on her lips and Hitoshi staring lustfully at the article of food. There are scenes in which an emotional connection is sparked between the two, but those are sparse. I think the political themed side story lined could have been done away with and we could have seen more of the relationship developed between to two characters.

I can describe this drama in one word: lukewarm. Given the heavy subject matter, I expected much more from the characters. Rei's husband and Hitoshi's father does very little to make Rei remain with him and to keep the couple apart Given his controlling nature at the beginning, it is all too plausible that he would go to great lengths to keep his wife; he did not. The character who we get the most out of is Hitoshi's former girlfriend Nanami. She is the character who gives the most emotion. Otherwise, for the supposedly controversial subject matter the drama doesn't really give much to keep you hanging on to your seat.

It isn't necessarily a bad drama, though it may be dull and slow moving for some. At the beginning you will be intrigued, but by the end you may just lose interest. The end was standard drama fare, so don't expect any surprises. Ultimately this drama can be use as a time passer and an opportunity to indulge in Saito Takumi eye candy.

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Completed
The Star
16 people found this review helpful
by Leiros
Apr 6, 2024
2 of 2 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

After trailer - WOW! After actual series - WTF?!

There are many independent production teams that don't have many sponsors or rely on YouTube subscribers donations. There are also many BL movies/series/mini-series worth watching despite apparent small budgets or newbies actors. Unfortunately, The Star is not one of them, and here's why.

Good cinematography is largely about money. Production team, actors, equipment, etc. all require some resources - without that, not a move. You just need money to make a series. But if you think the main problem here is a small budget - better think twice.

For me, the failure of this series is the wrong business decisions. When the trailer consisting of super hot 18+ scenes was released, I thought The Star could aspire to be the hottest series of the year (!). But then I noticed that it's not a series just a movie, which means that international viewers will have to wait several months from the day of release. Tough luck, I'll wait. Then it was change - from a movie it became a mini-series: 2x25 min, and I was like: WTF? How can a movie be edited into two short episodes?

The story itself had potential, but the creativity here was lacking. The lousy first 25 minutes do not encourage you to watch the second part, which (note!) is only 17 minutes long. Why? The remaining promised 8 minutes are "exclusive content" available only to subscribers of the company's YouTube channel at certain levels. You need to pay at least 7(?) dollars to see what they have prepared for us. And guess what? I'm all for supporting young creators and actors as much as possible. Their work is sometimes worth more than the "works" released by well-known studios. But this 8 minutes content - it's just not worth it. This is not an uncut episode as one might expect. It's 8 minutes of cut NC scenes that couldn't appear on YouTube. Yes, the notable sexy scene from the trailer is also there.

If you've already seen The Star - I'm sorry you had to watch it. If you haven't yet - let it go. The low budget stings all the way through, But even money won't help if you don't know how to make the narrative interesting. The actors give it their all, but the dull script, weird editing and general lack of sense don't help the reception of this series. There's nothing interesting here, and it's not a matter of difficult subject matter as some claim, it's more of a really bad execution.

Perhaps I had too high expectations, but this is completely not what I expected. The Star turned out to be one of those productions you look forward to, only to rub your eyes in amazement later, wondering: what am I even watching? It seems that all the potential of the series was stolen by the one-and-a-half-minute trailer, the rest is better left out of silence.

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Completed
No Gain, No Love
16 people found this review helpful
by oree
Oct 2, 2024
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.5
This review may contain spoilers

Started with a bang, ended with a fizzle

If there was ever a K-drama that could have used 16 episodes, "No Gain, No Love" might be the one. For all its hilarity and touching moments, there were quite a few plot cracks that a couple of laughs and tears couldn't quite plaster over.

This is a long one, but let me start with the positives:

- Son Hae-yeong is definitely making my list of the most memorable female K-drama leads of all time. I loved it every time she was on screen. She was funny, assertive, good at her job, and true to her character from beginning to end. There was so much depth to her, especially when it came to displaying all the hurt from her childhood. Kudos to SMA for bringing this amazing character to life, this is my first time finishing a project of hers and I was really impressed here.

- The rom rommed, and the com commed. I genuinely laughed out loud at so many moments while watching this show, and I enjoyed the chemistry between Hae-yeong and Ji-uk. The second couple was cute too and had great chemistry, but I couldn't fully get into them.

- My girl Han Ji-hyun was soooo good and adorable in this drama. Loved her in Cheer Up despite the disaster that show became, and she shone even brighter here. Can't wait to see more of her in the spin-off.

- Isn't it amazing when adults behave like adults and communicate? It was nice to see the back of the noble idiocy trope in this show and that unnecessary misunderstandings were kept to a minimum or at least quickly addressed. And a lot of interesting themes were addressed too, although not always in a satisfactory way.

- The foster sister trio. There's nothing like an amazing girl squad in a K-drama that stays amazing and uplifting until the end. It reminded me a lot of the trio from King the Land -- they have their differences and squabbles, but they support each other all through. It was heartwarming to see.

Now, onto the negatives:

- The ending was such a letdown, especially coming off the penultimate episode. I figured that it would be a bit rushed, but I was disappointed in just how much was left unresolved, most especially when it comes to emotional closure for our female lead. It was sad to see how much her feelings about her mother were cast aside when it is at the root for her character and personality, and there's simply no resolution for her. For someone who doesn't like to take a loss, she lost quite a lot in this drama. There's so much else to talk about here but that will be too much of a spoiler.

- The second couple's relationship, while cute to see, not only took too much screen time away from the first couple (especially considering that they have their own spin-off), it also seems quite unbelievable at the heart of it and hard to root for. The second male lead, Bok Gyu-hyun, who also happens to be HY's boss, becomes quite the villain, especially towards HY, but also towards the second female lead, who is HY's younger (foster) sister, Nam Ja-yeon. And so it's hard to understand how quickly NJY forgives BGH and falls in love with him despite the gravity of what he's done (and he only apologizes for what he did to her, but not what he does to HY or Ji-uk), especially with how close she is to HY. Poor writing and characterization, imo.

- Too many extraneous characters and plot points to follow, which further made the lack of resolution in the final episode more glaring. I'm not sure why K-dramas are yet to fully figure out how many episodes they need for the plot points they have. 12 episodes was not enough to fully flesh all of these out and still leave room for character development, and it really showed.

- Young-dae's character Ji-uk was seriously shafted for a main lead role, probably worse than HY. So many parts of his story felt underdeveloped, and the other characters overshadowed him.

All in all, "No Gain, No Love" was a fun time but suffered from a weaker second half. There was a lot of material for it to be truly good and iconic, but sadly a lot of it was wasted. Still, the great parts were great, with a lot of laughs and shed tears and cool performances. It will probably not make it into my list of faves, but it was a good watching experience overall. 7/10.

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Completed
71: Into the Fire
16 people found this review helpful
Jun 21, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
PLOT: A spectacular movie worthy of appraisals. Well done! I shamelessly admit that i watch this movie due to Cha Seung Won knowing his excellent acting ability. Now my praise goes to all the actor in this movie. A heart wrenching of 71 students whose inevitably dragged into war. From the very beginning of the movie till the end, the director really did an excellent job. The war scene was adrenaline and the sad part was so convincing.

ACTING/CAST:

Kim Seung Woo was no doubt can carry his part well and charismatic. This is the first time i get to see TOP acting so i dont really know his acting range, but what i can say was, his acting in this movie was tip top!

Kwon Sang Woo was really doing good job as well.

And as per usual, not being biased, but Cha Seung won really can act. From Villain to Comedian... his acting range is really wide. He oozes overflowing charisma.

Strongly recommended movie.

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