Reviews

A ride that lost its spark halfway in

This is purely my personal take after following this drama from start to finish.

If I had to sum it up in one word? Ambitious. That’s the strongest impression the drama left on me. With a massive budget, a star-studded Chungmuro lineup and even some international cast members, this drama feels like it wanted to bite off more than it could chew.

To be fair, the beginning was quite promising. The pacing worked, the intrigue kept me curious, even if things were already starting to feel a bit tangled. But the further it went, the harder it was to keep up. The political plot grew unnecessarily convoluted, conflicts felt rushed and half-resolved, characters lacked proper development, and the editing often came off choppy. There were scenes that jumped so abruptly from one to another that I literally found myself thinking, “Wait, how did we get here?”

As someone who genuinely enjoys the spy/espionage genre, my expectations were sky-high the moment Kang Dong won and Jun Ji hyun were confirmed as leads. His long awaited small screen comeback paired with her star power? That alone could’ve sold the show. And honestly, it did, for the first few episodes. But beyond that… not so much.

The drama repeatedly lost momentum. Tension would build nicely, only to fizzle out because of clumsy execution. Storylines were dangled like they’d pay off, but then they just dissolved into thin air. Throwing in the US and other international politics only muddied the waters further. Personally, I think the show would’ve worked better had it stayed focused on the North–South conflict.

By the time it reached the endgame, everything was a blur, plot holes left gaping, resolutions that never landed, and twists that were far from memorable. The writers seemed overly confident in trying to compress such a complex political narrative into 9 episodes. The result? Half-baked. Maybe if they’d gone the traditional 16–20 episode route, the story could’ve actually breathed.

Even the romance between Munju and Sanho suffered a downgrade. At first, I really liked their dynamic-mature, grounded, no unnecessary fluff. But as the story spiraled, their chemistry started to feel out of place. Politics were a mess, yet they still found time to act lovey dovey in high-stakes situations. Honestly, it felt awkward and tone-deaf.

On the acting front? No complaints whatsoever. The entire cast delivered solid performances, even the supporting actors. I particularly respect the senior actors who gave a genuine effort with their English lines and accents. But no matter how strong the performances, weak writing will always drag the whole thing down.

I get that the writer might’ve been going for “realism” and sure, politics in real life are messy, complicated, and rarely tied up neatly. But at the end of the day, this is still fiction. It doesn’t have to be dumbed down, but it does need to be watchable. This drama leaned so hard into being “realistic” that it forgot to be engaging.

Overall? Nothing remarkable, outside of that train scene in episode 3, there’s barely anything that stuck with me, Definitely not a drama I’d ever rewatch.

And Kang Dong won? Please, for your next project...just give us a rom-com with Kim Taeri.

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The biggest disappointment in BL history....

While this show was not only overhyped and we all expected greatness, the script of this show was worse than I could ever have imagined. As usual this series started strong in the first two episodes to declined at a steady pace *till episode 12, where the jumped of the cliff and landed on the belly.

Everyone reading the novel can agree, that the novel did not need to be spiced up with the SM part for example. If the book is already good, you should not change it into something it never was. The pacing is all over the place and the side couples are mostly just extras where their stories are wasted and not explored in depth. But we see scene after scene of the ML which did nothing for the story.

Episode 12 culminates in the trash script this was, with one cliché after the next. Nobody can fault the actors who all did a very good job with what there were given. And of course costumes, most of the staging and cinematography was impeccable, The music with an real orchestra was great - if they had used it everywhere and not used some music from a library which again was completely unnecessary. The few minutes in every episode could have been handled by the composer as well. Of course I could nitpick about the "english" natives and the "London underground station" and so on. And don't forget all the ads slapped directly into our faces. And don't forget the miraculous healing power of Chakri, who was serving again after being shot (which was not a stray shot in the arm or so).

All in all, this was overhyped and did not deliver. Aof said, he did the best he could. If that's the best, I don't see a future for Domundi. But of course the fangirls will overrate this show again, will not understand how weak that story was and that the drama was forced. And they will write glowing reviews (hello CRPH & thanks for blocking) not having a shroud of integrity to write about the flaws this show has. Normally this show would rate even lower, but I can't deny the acting performance (oh daddy Ramil you were the perfect asshole through out the series), the cinematography, costums and most of the staging and most of the music. But the script was trash. As I have written all of that - the conclusion is: This show is a waste of your time.

Oh, I forgot: The cut version should not exist, because they even cut STORY elements. Which makes no sense at all, especially in the first episode.

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Watch it for ML (Chen Zhe Yuan). Light-hearted, goofy, a bit of beauty and the beast vibes.

The plot is Chen Zhe Yuan. Not really but he is phenomenal in this role and the drama is worth the watch for him. If you want to see the most loving, patient, protective, kind, loyal and unconditional loving ML, this drama is for you.

PLOT:
Most of the plot is how the ML tries to win over the FL so he can receive her true love kiss and get his pearl back meanwhile the FL keeps making elaborate schemes and crazy plans to escape from him. The backstory is that ML is the King of a hidden place called the Beast City. Every character in that clan has animal characteristics. ML is searching for the Holy Pearl which will help him regain his powers and continue to protect his clan. While escaping his enemies with the newly obtained Holy Pearl he opens a portal to the FL’s world. He accidentally clashes into FL and she absorbs his Holy Pearl. 5 years later, he finds the FL and kidnaps her. And this is where the first episode really starts.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
- ML is playing two roles. A day (handsome version) of Li Xiong that pretends to be a palace guard and protects the FL and a night (beast version) of Kui Mulang that is the King and FL’s kidnapper. His day version is his real look but his night version is his real identity. His character is loyal, endearing and protective. He is a wolf and only loves one person in his life. For the majority of the episodes the FL believes there are two different people. She first falls for his day version and towards the end of the drama for his night version.
- FL is a Princess from a mortal kingdom. Smart and well-spoken, her background also makes her a quirky character. The prequel tells us that her mother was a man that was transported from the modern times to historical. His soul (as a man) went into her mother’s female body, fell in love with a man and had the FL. So FL has a modern outlook on life, speaks english and uses modern terminology. She definitely brings in the comedy aspect in the drama.


POSITIVE:
- Chen Zhe Yuan - honestly, he is the highlight of the drama, his character is so endearing and loving. I’m repeating myself but he is worth the watch.
- Acting is 10/10 for everyone and especially ML as he fantastically plays two different characters and I’m guilty for falling in love with his beast look more.
- Goofy and very light-hearted drama, it doesn't take itself too seriously and I like that. The humour is done well.
- A bit of beauty and the beast retelling vibes which I love.
- Romance is slow burn, playful and cute.
- 4 side couples (which is the most I’ve ever seen in a cdrama) but they are all really cute and don’t take too much screen time.
- The drama has a happy ending for the main leads and a nice conclusion to the story (almost the whole final episode is the epilogue of them being together).

NEGATIVE:
- FL’s plans to escape are hilarious and the highlight of the drama however there is not much plot beyond that. Her trying to escape takes more than half of the drama which makes it a little draggy.
- The reveal of ML being the same person happens towards the end of the drama so I feel the leads don’t get enough opportunities to spend time together as their true selves. I loved his beast look more and I wished FL had more romantic moments with him.
- Villains are very weak and they add nothing to the story. However their screen time is also very short so they don’t really annoy you.

OVERALL:
Watch it if you want to see more of Chen Zhe Yuan as he is a heart candy and if you need a drama to lift up your spirits after a long and stressful day as it will definitely make you laugh and keep you entertained.

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I am just going to cut straight to the chase with this one, HINSTS II was absolutely incredible not just a stellar story on its own but a sequel that delivers on almost everything the first part set up.. The drama feels so much sharper and heavier in the second part, which is exactly what you want from a Part 2.. Since the first part already laid a solid foundation for the story, the characters and the direction this will go, this sequel dives deep into that darkness.. We get a clearer view of how everything actually went down and most importantly we finally see the pain those monsters went through..

This story like the first part is all centered around the horrific incident and the aftermath of that trauma.. This time they did a brilliant job showing the lasting damage this event left on the main characters..

I think I should get this out first.. From a storytelling perspective, the 10 episodes make sense.. They cover all the questions, tick all the boxes, explain the whys and hows and show what pushed Li Yen Yao to that level of desperation.. It ties everything together neatly.. That said, this could easily have been 4 episodes shorter and still been just as good if not better.. For people who were waiting just to watch the guys who ruined her life suffer, it might feel a bit long.. Personally, it was totally worth it.. I just wish their pain had lasted longer.. They died too quickly and they didn’t even feel half of what she had to go through..

There is nothing more satisfying than watching bad people get what they deserve in the most brutal way possible.. But at what point does revenge turn into something darker than cold blooded murder itself?? You will know exactly what I am talking about if you have watched the drama.. We could argue about morality, humanity, conscience, ethics, whatever you want to call it.. But the truth is, something started that day and that ' something ' only had one possible end.. That’s what we saw here.. If this wasn’t the ending, then it would have been those scumbags walking away with a smile on their faces again just like last time.. Because in this journey, no matter which path they took, everything was always going to diverge into the same destination eventually..

It’s not a very clever drama with a cunning hero.. Most of the emotional nuance can get lost among the horrible things happening, the bloodshed, the brutality and the sexual aspects of the drama.. This is where the longer storytelling I mentioned earlier really comes into play.. The story gets the respect it deserves because it doesn’t rush anything and it lets us see that there are other extremely compelling elements to this sequel besides people being killed for revenge.. As the story moves forward, we see how the barriers she built to protect herself from those memories slowly break down, inching her closer and closer to the moment when everything collapses.. We watch her reach her breaking point and we see how because of that Li Yen Yao is pushed into a psychological spiral.. His inner and physical conflict only intensifies as he reaches that tipping point where he realises there is no other way left except revenge and justice for the pain that practically ended their life.. So that at least she can have a life or whatever is left of it..

Watch out for episode 5, that’s where things get confusing for some and everything makes sense for others.. And the way Chou Pin Yu's real face is revealed?? Honestly, that was ' peak cinema ' as they say.. And that scene with the plant she watered.. That was so well done.. That one moment showed exactly what she was going through, a glimpse of what is actually happening to her.. And again just like in the previous season, the transition from past to present was slick.. The bar scene in episode 5?? Perfect..

The casting for this drama was crucial to making the story work and this is definitely one of those cases where the cast truly shines.. Tseng Ching Hua carries that quality that defines both the teen and adult versions of Li Yen Yao.. He feels like a soul forced into the harsh truth of existence.. It puts him in this strange place between who he was and who pain turned him into.. I really like LYY's character arc, someone becoming desperate and hungry not just for revenge but also to protect the only person he loves.. The rest of the cast was really good too.. Alice Ko basically did for this part what Moon Lee did in the first, she carried the emotional weight of the story and pushed it forward with her performance..

There is a real ' why the f**k would he do that?? ' moment toward the end that honestly bothered me, his second last kill.. There was absolutely no need for it.. It suddenly paints LYY in a different shade, but then the show weirdly downplays it afterward as if it doesn’t really matter.. So what was the point of that?? Was it just to make his death feel inevitable?? But wasn't that already the case??

Now, the ending might seem vague or open, like what actually happened to her?? But it really isn’t.. She fulfilled her promise to him about following her passion for ballet.. Then she rereads his letter, walks toward the ocean and drowns herself.. The mid credit scene makes it clearer.. She meets him again in the afterlife or whatever you interpret it as and together they finally complete their last unfinished wish, preparing the Christmas tree.. And that’s it.. That’s the real ending..

There was never going to be a happy ending in this one, not for a single moment did the story suggest otherwise.. What we got was the best possible outcome for these characters.. And honestly I am glad they didn’t soften it or exaggerate it.. It was the perfect ending for a beautifully written, directed and performed story about two people and the agony that shaped their lives..

Overall, just like Part 1, this is a well made drama that delivers the best possible conclusion to the story.. I can’t say I enjoyed it, that’s not the right word, but I was completely riveted by it.. This story had one of the best portrayals of a character’s mental breaking point and it wants us to feel it, to understand it.. It’s not a pleasant watch and it’s not meant to be.. And honestly, seeing those trash people whose humanity was long gone, the soulless monsters finally face their comeuppance made this worth it..

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I started this drama with the expectation of a fun drama. If that is your reason for watching, don't bother. While I watched all episodes, it was more for seeing Mike He's beautiful self. When he wasn't on the screen, I was playing solitaire on my phone.

I half suspect that the writers have serious issues, as the drama was extremely slow until the end, when suddenly everything exploded and left you dumbfounded. I had to watch the end a second time just to make sure that I didn't miss something, the change was so drastic.

If you are thinking about watching this, it may be more entertaining to watch grass grow... it will certainly by more comprehensible.

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The gem among the online content.

I don’t think it’s possible to find a more real, fun and natural show than this. Never seen actors, idols or other celebrities act more like themselves than here - no censoring of behavior, no fake politeness. Jessi knew how to bring the best out of people and make it amazingly entertaining, while staying true to herself.

She made every segment of the show so fun to watch. Her bold and open attitude left no room for boredom. Yes, she is loud and might seem intimidating at first, but the girl has a pure and loving heart. Even if I was not exactly a fan of the person whom she interviewed, the episodes were still extremely funny to watch - she has that talent.

Script? Don’t know her and neither does Jessi. You can see how she flips through the pages and at the end says whatever she seems fitting for the occasion. The lack of formality and more “chatting with a friend” and less “being interviewed by MC” vibe created a good space for celebrities to be more themselves without feeling judged.

I truly have nothing bad to say. I rewatched so many episodes it’s scary. Some of my favorite episode include ones with (in chronological order):
Haha (07), Eric Nam (10), Lee Sang Yeob (25), Sung Hoon (36), Highlight (49), TXT (63), Ateez (68), ITZY (69), Haha (79), A Pink (85).
As you can see, for many of them idols were the guests. We know how careful of their image they are, so it was refreshing to see them just have fun, joke around and be influenced by Jessi’s “I don’t care” attitude.

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It's a nice movie and I learned something from this. It's a hilarious movie too how the husband let the wife be seduced. I laughed so much everytime the hired seducer fail. What a cute couple!

Yes it is hilarious but at the end it is moving, how the two realize each others feelings, how the husband realize why his wife is like that and all. You will learn something about this movie. It is absurd that the husband did it, but you may understand why he is desperate to divorce her, well still he is a nice man.

If you like to have a light mood and want to laughed your ass, then watch this movie and get touch at the end!

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Growth in youth is often painful, and while love makes it bearable, sometimes it isn't enough

I took one look at the cover photo and synopsis for this show and knew I would love it. I went in pretty much blind and rewatched it twice as it was airing, solely because I couldn't get enough of what I would describe as an immaculately done piece of art. This show carried so much potential and executed it at every point possible.

First, I want to emphasize how much of my heart and soul this drama took. From beginning to end, I could not truly predict anything regarding Minase and Hirukawa's relationship, even down to if they were going to be together at the end of the show. On so many different levels this show represented pure craftsmanship to me. From the cinematography to the storyline, everything I would personally say was done with so much intention, detail, and care that I truly hope it is appreciated by others for the beautiful tale it walks its audience through.

Secondly, the only honest criticism I have is that there were a couple of scenes (literally only twice) where I struggled to believe the "sad" vibe due to the acting appearing a little too strong or inauthentic. Please note that it was very minimal and did not change my view of the show at all because, in the grand scheme of the plotline, I still think it was written with great skill and purpose.

Similar to the series "My Beautiful Man", we get to view both the pureness of a first love and the uncertainty that is often felt by those trying to identify if who they love is "right" because it's "different." Yet, in an important difference to the aforementioned show, this series takes the depth of this love and shoves it into a container carrying much more serious trauma, and then proceeds to shake it up with a whole lot of "I have no way to know how to express love because I've never seen a proper example." There are scenes in here that may be triggering for some. It's not dark like "Happy of the End" dark, but any audience member should be aware this series is not here to waltz you through a peaceful and easy-on-the-stomach love story. It's real, imperfect, and at times, depressing to witness.

On a lighter note, if you're into the trope of "He fell first, but he fell harder," you'll get just as much of a sucker punch to the gut as I did, because my God, the yearning will just yank on your heartstrings. Bonus points too if you get to see episode 11 that I had no clue was coming. The tension in that was WILD and some scenes threw me for a serious loop because of how unprepared I was to see grown Haruki and Jin who were fully aware of their feelings now acting on them impulsively and without reservation. It was more spicy than I was expecting lol.

Overall, a show I'd highly recommend, and a series that I think even the more experienced watcher will appreciate.

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Fun Watch, Bad Writing

Was this series easy to watch and have great chemistry? Yes. Was the writing good and did I like the characters? No.

This series was really entertaining if you just turn off your brain and watch without thinking much but the second you sit down with it, you realize how toxic many parts of this was.

I hate most of the time when people say stuff like this, but if Pat was a man she would have been the villain of the story because she was SOOO TOXIC and OBSESSIVE to an unhealthy level. Her character was one of the main flaws of this series but somehow I still rooted for her? So maybe that's an issue on my part lmao.

Pat was also horrible with boundaries and some of her advances came off very creepy and bordered on SA. I also don't understand why GL series still have characters kissing the other when the other is almost black-out drunk, it's 2025, we can do better.

You also couldn't pay me to care about any of the side characters, especially Nam. I was so close to dropping this series at one point because Nam wouldn't leave Pat & Prem alone and it was just getting repetitive and annoying.

However, I would recommend watching this series to most GL watchers just because of how entertaining it was. Despite my complaints, I was sat every week for this mess and I feel like this would be a very easy binge. Also the leads had great chemistry and I hope to see them in a future series with better writing.

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The charm lies in the unique characters.

How I would describe the show: an unusual take on a typical romantic comedy. For starters, this show does not really have any leading plot line - there is no mystery to solve, as it often happens in rom-coms. It’s all about the characters, their relationships and them dealing with their current situation.

I do believe the characters are the best part of the show. They all have unique personalities with individual outlooks in life, personal dreams, motivations and values. Each and every one of them reacts differently to the given situations. That said, while watching their current self is fun, by the end of the show... I didn't really know that much about some of the main ones. All of the main characters have a really complex and deep set up, with many struggles happening in the past. Even the majority of the supporting roles are written in that way - they are supposed to convey some kind of serious issues and dilemmas. And while said setups, as the concepts, are as deep as the Mariana Trench, practically speaking, they were never fully explored and I didn't even get my head underwater while watching.

The show shines with the cast and their interactions. We've got a whole set of puppy-like male characters that are nice, polite, cute and understanding. On the other hand, we have strong, driven and outspoken female characters. The synergy was pure perfection. This led to many unexpected and extremely hilarious scenes. I just could not predict how the characters would react and behave. The comedy in this show has been just so fresh and fun, I could not stop laughing while watching some scenes.

While I honestly thought the main couple was amazingly adorable and enjoyed basically everything they presented, I didn't get as excited for the second one. Mostly I just felt bad for Young Hwa while watching his interactions with Dan Ah (especially at the beginning). Later, the lines delivered for their scenes became painfully corny and cliche...

The acting was on the top level. Im Shi Wan did an outstanding job portraying Seon Gyeom. The socially awkward and at times distant characters that mostly keep to themselves are extremely hard to present well - bad acting leads to the character looking robotic, boring and empty. Shi Wan, though, delivered the best performance I could imagine for this role. I cannot think of any actor or actress that was awkward or unpolished in their roles and portrayals. Top notch casting for sure.

The production value was good. The scenes were shot in an amazing way, as I would say: aesthetics on point. The unexpected turns in how the scenes were written were perfectly reflected by how they were filmed. I just felt a harmony between what the writer wanted to tell and the director wanted to show.

The OST was fine, fitting the show and scenes, but not that memorable? Only two songs truly caught my attention - “I Wish It Was You” and “Sorry”, taking the crowns as the best songs from the drama for me.

Overall, I enjoyed the show for its entertainment value, unique characters, funny twists and fresh, out of the box directing of certain scenes and plot lines. I wish they introduced less serious and complex backgrounds for the characters, focused on just a few and truly dive deeper into them. For me, having just 4 or 5 scenes in the whole show to address something is not enough.

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It was overall a cute drama, but I can't say neither I loved it or I hated it, and I think this is worse, because it's ought to be forgotten (by me at least). I'm not an exo fan (please don't kill me xD) so it was a little more difficult to watch, because I didn't have the fangirl motivation here xD
Someone said is a shopping king Louis in joseon and...well that's where the problem lies. Everything, like every trope of this drama it's already seen and already done. The similarities with skl are many, but also with like every period drama I have seen. (Speaking of which: there is a saeguk not focused on the royal family? Or at least not only, like there's nothing else to write about that period??) There's no suspance, no really twists in the story or mysteries - we all knew that the assassin brother was the father of the queen's baby. Even the death of the evil vice minister was unsatisfying...well the whole plotting against the crown was too bland and boring.
Also! There was the "solution agency" which was an interesting thing, but they drop it pretty soon only to bring it back at the end just to feign ignorance about the fact they forgot about it lol

Ps. My extremely unpopular opinion: I had the second lead syndrome... I felt much more chemistry between Hong Shim and the magistrate...maybe because I liked more his characterization or to me he has better acting skills (not saying the ml sucked...I just preferred the sm) when he almost proposed at the end I hoped they would've take the "realism" route and have the prince marry a noblewoman (ugh bitter isn't it?) and let them become a couple.

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Mixed emotions on this one

I had high expectations but the length (at least 1/3 too much) and the biological/physical nonsense heavily damaged watching this series.
I liked the idea of discussing the future of water, which covers most of the world today, makes up most of the human body, and was even understood as a principle in the formation of the universe in early Greek philosophy, and is threatened by human activities. I liked the experiment on the goldfish. I liked the clashes of interests regarding the mission on the Moon.
In my eyes, showing how lunar water had been identified, then mined, leading to the establishment of the base, would have improved the production.
The problems now.
The plot is meaningless as - even accepting the biological impossibilities presented - the company interested in putting its paws on the resources in the base could have just sent its own craft and crew. There was no need to infiltrate the space agency mission.
The plot is - separately - meaningless because of the many impossibilities presented:
1. One can't see a virus using the microscope used,
2. and can't even see a bacterium unless one prepares the bacterium by first staining it.
3. Genetic modifications in one biosystem cannot become antibodies in another one.
4. The girl would have died of starvation,
5. and if she had exited the base, would have immediately frozen to death and be without breath.
6. Water cannot replicate as reported.
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
The writer(s) should have consulted KAIST and/or some other group/institute to mitigate the nonsense in the series. Bae Doona could have done chromatography on the water, investigated the plants, worked under hoods, irradiated/autoclaved stuff, and she would have realized if liquid water exists inside the base, parts thereof would exist as water vapor and thus cause the same effects as the liquid, ...
Now "The Silent Sea" will negatively affect me watching "Stranger 3" (if it comes out), since Bae Doona would have the leading female role (like in "Stranger" and "Stranger 2").

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Not the best, not the worst

The setting was what drew me in, i'll always love the seaside small village stories and this one was no different. Story was okayish, MLs story was bit over dramatic probably to play up the tension in the short episode count, FLs story was pretty much the same as every other story like this, ie. need to get away from everything. Nothing groundbreaking and it doesn't have to be, it works just fine and i enjoyed the story for what it was.

Visually this surprised me the most, this has great visuals which are usually absent in short dramas due to lower budgets. You could've told me that it was full drama on this aspect and i would've believed you.

Acting all over the board was kinda meh, but that's expected in short dramas at this point. Sometimes it feels like actors are just here for pay check and here is no different expect the village singer girl was the worst actor i've seen, she was pretty jarring. So acting left a lot to be desired.

Whole skin tone speak left me kinda disappointed how it is still a thing in 2026, FL is kinda racist, lol

Ending was meh, good conclusion for our characters but bit silly how we got to it. The ''villain'' of this drama was bit laughable.

Conclusion
Decent short drama, if you like the setting this isn't the worst 3 hours of your life but you aren't missing anything by skipping this though acting might be bit tough if you aren't use to short dramas, visually great. I'll give it 5/10.

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