Did We All Watch the Same Drama?
After reading the MDL reviews for Siren’s Kiss, I prepared myself for disappointment. Instead, I found myself completely hooked. At this point, I’m convinced I accidentally watched a different version of the drama—one with a compelling storyline, engaging characters, and an OST that emotionally manipulated me in the best way possible.
The drama kept me invested from start to finish, and the music? Let’s just say my playlist has never recovered. Every time an OST played, my emotions packed their bags and went on a journey.
Sure, it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was definitely mine. And honestly, isn’t that what matters most?
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (9/10) – One point deducted only because the OST set unrealistically high emotional standards.
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POSITIVITY
In my opinion , I really like this drama , I didn't see any racism or any kind of problem. The story is pretty good , and while watching it I couldn't stop smiling , it made my heart flutter. The main lead guy , he is just ideal type of guy, who every girl would want to have. I understand everyone has different opinion but it doesn't mean to show case in such a harsh way, every drama is not perfect , all the drama have some kind of spoiler in it. If you hate the drama then keep it with yourself , why to spread hatred through your own opinion. NOT EVERY PERSON HAS THE ABILITY LIKE YOURS TO THINK NEGATIVELY!!!Please don't behave as if you haven't heard the word called humanity.
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Story: The story was really well-written! It had a lot of suspense and some really heartfelt moments. The bromance between these four men was great and I loved how each person had his own story. The thrill and action was gripping. I have never liked fighting scenes but the ones in this drama were intense and I found myself immersed in them. The mystery of Lee Jung Moon and Oh Goo Tak was very interesting and I loved how it all played out. All in all this drama was extremely well-written and well executed.
Actors/Characters: The cast in this drama was amazing! Everyone, even the side and not-so-important characters, did a great job! All characters were written really well and the actors fit into their roles perfectly. These characters were very real, each had his back story, each had feelings and emotions and it was easy to get attached to these characters and feel the pain they were feeling and be happy for them when they were happy.
Kim Sang Joon played Oh Goo Tak so well! I've only seen him in City Hunter and I loved him there! He didn't disappoint here either. Oh Goo Tak was a complicated character, like most characters in this drama, and most of the time I didn't know if I liked him or not. I did feel sorry for him. He was a very interesting character and always kept me guessing what was on his mind.
Lee Jung Moon was my favorite character! Not only because of Park Hae Jin's gorgeous looks but also because I love mysterious, psycho characters. I was blown away by Park Hae Jin's acting! I have seen him in You Who Came From The Stars and he was good in that but here he was amazing! He played mysterious and creepy so well! You can't help but be drawn to him. It was frustrating and also intriguing how I could never read Lee Jung Moon's mind. I never knew what he was thinking, what he was going to do next. I loved that Lee Jung Moon was more than what meets the eye and I felt sorry for the poor guy who got dragged into the whole mess.
Jo Dong Hyuk's voice is beautiful! I could listen to him speak all day and not get tired! On top of that he is really good looking and a great actor! I loved his character, Jung Tae Soo. Tae Soo had such style and charm but he was also such a romantic and that made me love him so much! His story was sad and more than once I wanted to give him a hug.
Park Woong Cheol reminds me of a teddy bear. He is like that. He is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Ma Dong Seok played him really well. I've seen him before in Shut Up Flower Boy Band but he was completely different here. I liked him here more, this character really suited him well.
Yoo Mi Young was so annoying I can't even! I tolerated her because the rest of the characters were amazing. I'm not sure if she was supposed to be this arrogant and proud or if Kang Ye Won played her that way but this was a character I did not like very much. Did she redeem herself by the end? Maybe. But not all the way.
Overall: The drama was mind-blowingly amazing and I had a lot of fun watching it! It was a thrilling ride and I would highly recommend it to fans of thrillers and crime dramas.
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I don't recommend this AT ALL.While it may be an erotic movie (which is really obvious), the 'plot' they tried to put in was really bad, and didn't work at all. Honestly, I spend 2 hours watching this movie, and I still have no idea what was actually going on, besides some people almost being murdered and constant sex between multiple of the characters. Fighting one second, but having sex only a minute after that, was a really weird transition and I couldn't get a hold of whatever was going on.
I don't want to waste anymore of my time on writing this, since it really was that bad.
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Laws of Attraction!!
'Laws of Attraction' is an interesting drama that gets you invested right from the very start. It has action, attractions, an interesting plot and to add up a great cast. I admit JamFilm were the sole reason I started this series in the first place for I loved them in 'To sir with love' and trust me I don't love them any less here, but along the way I fell in love with the other characters too starting from Tonkhao to Grandmother to Rose to Maya to Thee and Thaethai to Nawin. I loved each one of them and the series just kept getting more interesting.Talking about Charn, I won't lie I couldn't trust him fully even until half of the series. I loved him, his sassy attitude, the way he didn't leave any chance when it came to flirting with Tinn, the way he used his brain in a smart yet cunning way. I loved everything about him but I still just couldn't trust him. However, that didn't lessen my love for him. Then we have Tinn, his struggles felt so real. He is righteous and he wants justice for his niece but he doesn't bend to unruly ways. He stands his ground even in front of Charn. And may I add the chemistry between Tinn and Charn was cute. It was so freaking crystal clear how they both wanted each other ever since they laid their eyes on each other. The tension felt so real and watching them not so subtly flirt was an absolute delight to see.
Moving on to Thaethai, damn I can't believe I went from hating Thaethai to loving him so much. He is a vulnerable kid with a trash dad. He deserves nothing but happiness. He looked like an absolute spoiled kid in the starting but as I watched more of him, he grew on me. And Thee this guys world revolved around Thaethai ever since the starting. He was the only one who saw Thaethai for who he is. Thee and Thaethai I was really cheering for them. They are so cute mahn.
Then we have Rose and Maya, oh lord this girls have my heart. They were badass and it was so enjoyable to see them tease Charn. Also, Tin's grandmother she is the most understanding character. Damn I wish I had a grandma like her.
Overall a really good series with a good plot. The suspense and romance element is well balanced and the plot is well executed. I won't say it's perfect, it had it's own share of plot holes but it was enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this series!!
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Offensive in some areas, good in others but pretty enjoyable for me
Backstreet Rookie is a tough one because it created so many controversies that I can't even count them lol. lSome were unfounded like the ones against the protagonist couple. Problematic scenes? where? They barely had any romance scenes at all so ??? Ok to some the first kiss may have been offensive to some but there's much worse in other Korean Dramas it felt like some of the audience was way too harsh on this one. The one controversy I did agree with was the Daeksil one. His character was offensive for many reasons and I admit his scenes were pretty hard to get thru esp in the beginning. I learned to ffwed thru him and enjoy the show without him in it.Now that I've gotten that out of the way I think it's easier to rate this show better on the acting, the plot and the story and the parts that I enjoyed,
The emotional parts in the drama were surprising. They were exceptionally done when they wanted to go deep into it like the differences of class in Korea(Rich vs. Poor) the bullying, the emotional strains some situations can cause on people and when people feel inferior to others. For this show being rather silly I liked how that was shown those moments touched me.
The character arcs were good too especially Saetbyul's I think her character growth was the best on this show. KYJ did a good job wiht this character too. JCW was soo good too. Loved how he portrayed that innocence, romance and sweetness of his character. Choi DaeHyun showed that he can do more than the strong, action heroes all the time. I know some of his fans didn't like this role for him but I did. Just like I liked SB for KJY. I see why they chose to do this show and IA with their choice.
The romance was pretty enjoyable, it was a slooowburn without any physical affection and although I was disappointed at first, I was satisfied with it at the end. Like I mentioned somewhere else what mattered to me in the end was if I believed the love between the characters and I did.
The OST was okay I only liked the main love song which was Something. Not much of the OST was memorable.
My Overall Rating( 9.0). I'm just gonna go with my gut, the reason I'm giving it a high rating while others may not is because I liked it. Despite it's flaws and the controversies I enjoyed watching it every weekend. I looked forward to it & it's one of my favorites of the years. I'm gonna miss it but I can always go rewatch when I feel like it XD.
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This is just my personal opinion.I felt CLOY was very unrealistic but that’s a given in most kdramas and I will admit I loved the first few episodes they really sucked me into the story and had me laughing but as the story progressed I found myself bored out of my mind and honesty I didn’t care much for the main couple,the only reason I continued was for Seo Dan and Gu Seung-Jung and we all know how that turned out... I will admit another thing, though I wasn’t a fan of the show the OST was amazing so was the cinematography and casting. Was this review helpful to you?
The first four-six episodes were some of the best things I’ve seen since Save Me. they were flashy, dynamic, and unique, and I absolutely loved them. Unfortunately, the drama loses its initial charm and uniqueness after that. Witch’s Court is a perfect example of a drama that had great potential and an excellent start, but failed to keep that momentum going throughout the entire drama. I love the characters and the original premise, so that’s why I’m settling on a 7.0.
The plot hits off with a bang, but quickly fizzles away into a standard law drama. When they start digging up the past, the drama gives me makjang vibes. Like everything and anything can be a secret. ugh, the reason I loved Witch’s Court was because of the amazing and unique first eps, but the plot made a negative turn in the middle. There is romance, but I feel like this drama would’ve been better without it. If the writers wanted to add romance, they should’ve developed it more. The romance starts at the beginning, goes MIA in the middle, and then suddenly appears at the end again. It’s uneven. Plus, I think ‘no-romance’ would’ve fit the concept of a strong female lead who doesn’t need a man. Nevertheless, I can’t deny the fact that prosecutor Ma and Yeo gwam look hella cute together xD i do think it would’ve been better if they were just friends tho…
Ma Yi Deum is arguably one of the best female drama leads I’ve ever seen. She isn’t afraid to put her own reputation on the line just to win a court case and is willing to do anything in order to get what she wants. heck, prosecutor Ma is one awesome character. She isn’t black or white--she’s gray. I wish we had more female characters like her in dramas. Throughout the drama, we see prosecutor Ma grow and develop into a more righteous prosecutor and I respect her so much. I also love how the gender roles were reversed in this drama. Usually in dramas, the guy is the arrogant and sly one, but Yeo gwam is a fair and honest prosecutor (quite the opposite from prosecutor Ma :P). I love Yoon Hyun Min; this is my second time watching him and his acting is great. the teamwork we see from the CAGU is awesome. It would’ve been great if there was more development from these side characters. side note: Cho Gap Soo is one of the evillest villains I have ever set my eyeballs on after Spiritual Father from Save Me. he felt very real and it’s scary to know that there are people like him in the real world.
Overall, an okay law drama. I kinda felt like it was a waste of great characters since the plot was weak, but I still enjoyed it. Not a must watch, but if you’re craving an amazing female lead, give it a go! it was a fun ride and I’m going to miss our Witch’s Court squad :’)
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When the story of finding your body parts gets old...
Story: I will start my review by saying that I love the novel "Heart Protection" of which this drama claims to be adapted from. Keyword - "claim". The drama started of well with around 70% similarity to the novel. But somewhere from Ep 5-6 onwards, things start to skew and the drama ended up being an entirely different product. I do not mind changes from novel to drama - provided they are done well. In this drama's case, the changes actually weaken the story and slowed down its pace, because they mostly ended up being fillers to drag the drama into 40 eps. And after so much fillers to keep the timer rolling, we are then treated to a rushed and brief ending in the last 3 mins of Ep 40.Although the introduction of a new character played by Riley in this drama was a nice touch, the dilution of the FL's character reduced the enjoyment somewhat for me. It is rare that we get a xuanhuan novel with a woman as the main character. Yan Hui in the novel is one such character. The dragon is merely her love interest. The story is about her. She's the main character with genius abilities and OP powers from start to end. She's the one who rescued and helped the dragon and others. Basically, the novel's hero. But in the drama, Yan Hui needed rescuing. She's slow with cultivation. In the drama, the dragon becomes the main character and she becomes his love interest. With a male-focused main character, this story has turned into one that is similar with 90% of the xuanhuan novels out there. Why they decided NOT to portray Yan Hui as a strong and independent character who is the main protagonist of the story? Your guess is as good as mine. But the main weakness of the drama is not the weakening of Yan Hui's character per se - it's the use of fillers upon fillers which ended abruptly with a short ending that left viewers feeling cheated and wanting their money (and time) back. Many have defended the changes by saying the author herself is part of the screenwriting team, but I would argue that there are limits to what a novel author can do when she has already sold her rights to the novel plus a good novel author does not equate to a good screenwriter because book to screen adaptations is a whole different ballgame altogether. So, at the end of the day, the novel author being part of the screenwriting team has more marketing value than actual practical value.
Acting/Cast: Casting is done mostly well; from a visual point of view. Both the ML and FL have good looks and this drama has definitely garnered them a stronger fanbase. However, acting of the leads left much to be desired. They started out quite stiff, though they do slowly warm up towards the end, but it is still obvious that they lacked acting experience. The second male lead, Riley, actually acted better - mostly because Riley is a more seasoned actor. Chemistry between ML and FL is so-so. They gave off a "little girl and her best friend dragon" feeling. Minimal skinship and kissing. The "kisses" are polite pecks. Even the hugs are pretty stiff. Very chaste. So if you are after more deeper kissing, more skinship and off-the-charts type chemistry, this is not the drama for you.
Music: Nice OSTs that reflect the mood of the story. No complains in this department.
Rewatch value: Despite the butchering of the story with unwarranted fillers and unsatisfying ending, this drama has a pretty good rewatch value. Why? Because of the "magic" fast-forward button. There are episodes and scenes in this drama that are worth rewatching. If we can cut and paste them together, they probably form around half the length of this entire drama, but they are scenes that are the essence of the story without any fillers.
Overall: It's a pretty decent drama with eye candies to keep you going. The story-telling is a let down due to the many fillers but if you are after a drama that does not require much brain cells and only require your eye cells to ogle at good looking people, then this is the drama for you. But if you are after a more solid product with excellent story and acting, turn around; this is not the drama for you. You are better off reading the novel - which by the way, I highly recommend. Therefore, I rate this drama an overall of 7.5/10.
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it is better than most drama
the story start is good and fun.mystery journey discover something new, great adventure and also romantic.
it is good drama.
plotting is nice.
fighting is also good.
acting and performance's quite good.
this is nice drama.
balance between action and magic.
there is nothing wrong about story and performance.
each characters performance is really good.
however characters's age but it's still great.
Event in the drama
Day and night
countries
War in action
it perform quite good.
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Unnecessary Sad Ending!
After building each character beautifully the writer shits on the very last episode of the show. The character build was amazing and the relationship between all 5 were beautifully written, with focusing majorly on Na-Hee Do and Back-Ye Jin relationship from the start and the series was going great, but I don’t know what went up with the writer that he thought an unpolished, unexplained unnecessary sad ending with major plot holes will make this series rank highest in the list of every k-drama fan, like you got to be kidding me LOL. It completely ruined the mood and I'm sure it disappointed many viewers on so many levels. Both the characters: Na-Hee Do & Back-Ye jin were shown to have great understanding nature, but at the end they were completely out of character and showed no understanding to each others situation whatsoever, fighting over a small bump they had because Ye Jin temporarily moved to NY to cover 911, which could have been easily resolved as he hid no feelings from her but explained everything which caused him depression. Also, she lost some diary of hers on the bus and from nowhere some guy/girl got it and posted it to Back-Ye Jin without any mistake, I mean where did they get the address EXPLAIN?????!!!!, and he after writing some message for Na-Hee Do chose to send it through the "library guy" she used buy comics from, before 2000, instead of sending via post, BOY SERIOUSLY?????!!!!! Well, whatever, the series is not a must watch for sure and you can happily skip if you want. I will not be recommending this to anyone further. It’s a total waste of time!Was this review helpful to you?
Another korean queerbait
Fans of the manhwa will be disappointed. Honestly, i watched this pretending i never saw the manhwa because i knew how i would feel. Don't get me wrong, this drama is good in a lot of things. It has a nice vibe, it have a nice pace (in the beginning, at least) and the actors have a good chemistry. BUT after watching it for complete, you realize it was a 7 episode long queerbait. The show writers had NO intention in making a romance, there's NO ROMANCE. They saw the word "gay" and said "we don't do this in here". It made me frustrated and SHOULDN'T BE NORMALIZED. You won't find a straight korean romantic drama or a romcom without the romance. So why the gays can't have it too? They keep using us for views and popularity and they don't even give us what we want to watch. Can't we have a nice romance too?Was this review helpful to you?
This was a struggle to watch...
Despite all the rave reviews, I REALLY struggled to watch this drama. The meet cute of love at first sight is not my favorite trope, but it can be good if done right (DOTS, Strong Woman, Go Go Squid. Etc…). Here it seemed unreasonable and forced. There is absolutely no build up of why the ML falls in love with her.I was not fond of the FL either. She lacked depth, and her expression remained the same throughout which makes it hard to become engaged. Also, I just would have liked to have seen the ML paired with someone who could have matched his intensity, at least a little bit. I think Leo Wu’s infatuated stare works best with FLs with a little more energy and reciprocation.
Let’s face it, with his longing looks, Leo Wu could make a tree fall in love with him. I might have preferred a tree opposite him in this. At least it wouldn’t have kept dodging him every time he tried to get close. I just felt the ML was dragging the FL through most of the scenes.
The slow pace is also an issue for me. While I do appreciate these types of dramas, and I do like them sometimes, I have to be in the right mood and patience to watch them.
I do think if you're looking for something that is very low angst, a lot of eating, sleeping and minimal dialogue or Hallmark Channel-isk (skin deep love vs bone deep love), then you might really like this.
For the record, because of the hype, I tried to watch this several times, but after numerous attempts, I had to let it go. Summed up: This series is like hating tomatoes (LAFS trope, FL, slow pacing), knowing you hate tomatoes, but having everyone tell you to just try it, you’re going to love it, but in the end, you not only still hate tomatoes, you’re mad.
2 Stars. 1 for Effort. 1 for Leo Wu.
Note: The above review is based solely on my opinion which I feel is important to express. It is not meant to offend anyone who is infatuated with this series.
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A bit of magical impetus needed to effectively counter autocratic networking and corruption
"Again my Life" is about a personal revenge campaign and at the same time a fight for the rule of law. David is once again up against Goliath. In his first life, the young prosecutor fails - and dies. But miraculously he gets a second chance. Eventually, in this second attempt he sophisticatedly works on a supportive network. ´David´ no longer fights alone."Again My Life" is part of a kind of law-and-order series invasion that swept over the KDrama world in 2022. The country seems to be crying out for justice. There is obviously a growing urge for real justice and effective punishment for the backroom masterminds, who are holding the true strings of power. A yearning for an end to eternal corruption. At the same time, there is great frustration that it seems so extremely difficult, almost impossible, to truly say goodbye to the old autocratic structures. There are laws, but they still don't seem to equally apply to everyone. For some time already, KDrama creatives (and their sources like webtoons etc.) have been fervently exploring the possibilities for a new horizon. In 2022, however, we see an unprecedented abundance, almost a climax, on a desperate path of effectively and/or morally defying the machinations of the powerful and the injustices and loopholes within the practiced legal/societal system. E. g. "Military Prosecutor Doberman", "Juvenile Justice", "Why Her", "Insider", "Doctor Lawyer", "Law Cafe", "The Empire", "May it Please the Court", "One Dollar Layer" and even "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" mercilessly bombard the audience with the same basic structural problems over and over again. In doing so, in their own individual way they juggle with the possibilities, opportunities and limitations that the legal system and the rule of law have to offer. And so does "Again my Life".
"Again my Life" is one of those productions that, bottom-line, choose a rather sobering, almost pessimistic perspective. A pessimistic tone might come from the fact that the protagonist actually needs a magical impetus to even get a minimum chance to clean up the ailing, corrupt and mendacious system: with a second life. Time is practically turned back and he gets the opportunity to live once more - to make it better with the advantage of his knowledge about connections and context.
Pessimistic might also be the fact that in the end the outlook is a questionable one. The audience may be satisfied in many respects, yet the basic problem can´t be thoroughly resolved - which I would think is pretty close to reality. The audience is mercilessly confronted with the question: is real democracy an illusion? Is democracy just a modern marketing gimmick that secretly hides the old concept of autocracy that has been tried and tested on the peninsula for centuries? A new, beautified skin for the old wine?
Is the message therefore a pessimistic one? Almost, but then no. Because even if it feels (and really) requires rather superhuman efforts (or circumstances) to counter the old autocratic domination effectively, it can individually still succeed. The evil resides in each individual human being - in our seductibility and venality. Everyone has to face that. Again and again. It's not something that's rooted in the system, but in people. People fill community with life. Everyone contributes to it. This is partake and participation. However, this is only possible with mature, responsible, self-responsible, upright citizens who cannot be bought - and thus degraded to bowed lackeys.
Autocrats (= powerful private individuals within the given democratic framework conditions) need appropriate lackeys who give them power by supporting them in undermining the existing legal system. Therefore: what may come across as a pessimistic message at second glance turns out to be a rousing warning finger: Be vigilant! Stay alert! Do not give up! Take your chance, every day! Prove to yourself that you are a sincere citizen: Self-determined. Independent. Responsible. This is the only way, democracy and the rule of law can actually work. Otherwise, we agree with those self-proclaimed autocrats - and then we don't have a right to grumble and complain... Against this background, "Again my Life" offers a compelling, exciting story and at the same time a vivid lesson in 'responsible citizens versus corrupt lackeys'.
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Powerful first half, unsatisfying second half.
I hopped on the hype train when I saw all those 10/10 reviews, but this certainly did not live up to the expectations for me. Here are my thoughts after watching the drama, as a dissenting opinion to all the 10s in the reviews. I would recommend watching Flower of Evil, but don't expect too much like I did.The first few episodes set the stage for the story, leaving you wondering what each characters' motivations are. However, as the drama progressed, new characters were introduced and they start to become plot devices just to push the story forward. Without spoiling too much of the plot, I felt like the damsel in distress sister and the comatose guy had highly convenient relationships with the main cast that would just be ridiculous in reality. Also, the whole human trafficking side plot was unnecessary...
There is some suspense of belief required here, as this is absolutely NOT a realistic drama. Of the several crime/police dramas I have watched before, this does not rank high. If you're watching this merely for Lee Joon ki, Lawless Lawyer has a much better and believable drama structure. I understand the need in Dramaland for some coincidences, but this drama has one too many. After a few near-death experiences, trapping Lee Joon ki in a burning building doesn't make my heart race anymore because you know that he is effectively immortal in Dramaland anyway. Skip 20 seconds of burning building footage and his wife will magically appear and save him. Towards the end, I also found myself skipping the romantic scenes to get to the end of the story. I just wanted to know how the good guys and bad guys stories end, and everything else was filler to me. Blame the writer for writing it this way, but there has to be a better way to cause conflict.
Overall, I agree with the consensus that the cinematography and directing was superb. However, the writing was a bit questionable, as it got pretty repetitive later on. If you're new to police dramas, there are much better ones than this. If you're looking for a melo disguised as a thriller, there are also better ones out there. Once you've watched those, come back for this one - it's not bad, but definitely not worth a 10.
*SPOILER*
Throughout the entire drama, I felt like the idea that Do Hyun su is not a bad guy is forced down our throats. Everyone's actions are very one-dimensional - all the police were always against the homicidal monster, while Hyun su's side was continuously trying to drive the narrative that serial killing does not run in the family. While the premise was interesting pre-watch, I think it got tiring towards the end when it was the exact same Good vs. Evil trope.
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