It certainly feels like a historical drama that is meant for the big screen and not necessarily a tv show where it both felt stretched out to fill up its eight episodes runtime but also not deep enough and a bit too rushed with endless number of flashbacks to explain to us how the characters had arrived at this point of the story. If it had twelve episodes with three distinct arcs (the rise to power, the fall and the fight) all told from the perspective of Queen Woo it might have worked out and felt more like a complete, fully fleshed out story.
There is enough action, and you can see that a lot of effort was put into the epic which makes it seem like a very long film and the scenes are well done, but I’m not sure if the drama works too much on the epic for the narrative itself. It’s never said anything more than that this team was brutal. Most of the nuances in the story are missing. The drama seems to let the actors, and the action and violence do a lot of the dramas heavy lifting. The narrative is too standard and nothing we haven’t necessarily seen before in historical palace politics.
The excessive sex and violence often feel quite perplexing or just straight up oddly presented within the story and really doesn’t convey much about the story, the society or the characters. Often it just seems to be forced in there just because they could and it would make the story more daring, but it just feels lazy way of telling us about the characters and some of their ruthlessness. There must be a point with the things you put in your story.
You can’t just endlessly give us characters acting unhinged and deranged if it has no value or adds any nuance to the story. It’s just there for the shock. The characters must be built up, little by little. You must work for the things that happen within the narrative for it to work properly. While it’s fun for a while, and shocking, and can be brainless mayhem that’s exciting to witness, it gets tiresome after a while if it leaves nothing more. No nuance or reason.
Queen Woo certainly was one of those interesting characters on paper, but she feels a bit too much like a puppet in this whole game at times, and I am sure that angle could be compelling as we see her slowly come into her own, but the drama spends a whole of time getting there and I am unsure if the payoff was worth it. She is clever, she is calm under pressure and has a lot of prospects as a character. But she also comes off as somewhat of a girlboss female character that was too much written for modern audience to really become more than a standard female character in a historical drama.
The drama seems aware of its own flaws, as it’s so intent on covering up its lack of proper narrative with shocking scenes, flashbacks and battles, but the story itself is something that’s been told so many times before in costume dramas like this, aside from the violence and the nudity when it comes to kdramas, so it never becomes anything grand or special. It forgets that it is supposed to tell you an interesting story. This drama certainly had an idea, but an idea is not a narrative. Impressive in scope and quite entertaining once you turn your brain off and just enjoy the cast, the battles and costumes but if you peel back any of the layers of the actually storytelling you see that there isn’t too much there.
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Awesome!!
Really enjoying this so far. The story feels engaging and easy to get into, and the emotional moments land well. Faye and Atom have great chemistry and make the scenes feel natural. It’s been a solid watch each week. It's a different plot from the norm, but if one pays attention to what is going on, it's easy to figure out some hidden things about the characters. Can't wait to see how things will unfold.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
So just as a starter: If you liked season 1 of Love Sick for it's story and music and the cute and sweet moments as well as the comedy scenes, then season 2 will definitely be a good choice to watch.Story: The story of season 2 finally resolves some of the issues and problems which came up in season 1. How exactly...that would be a spoiler ;D For me, season 2 seemed a little bit more mature and detailed than season 1. Also the producers finally decided to concentrate on the main couples and only show some scenes (for fun and entertainment) of other couples and storylines (still if you only like one couple or so, you're gonna end up skipping a lot).
Season 2, It goes a little bit away from the 'just romance' feeling and connects different elements of life with the romantic and friendship relationships between the characters. Nevertheless, season 2 is just as sweet as season 1.
Acting/Cast: The casting choice, I think, is perfect. The acting...maybe not so much. It is definitely better than season 1, especially in later half of season 2. You can see how the actors and actresses learned and became better at acting. So compliments to the cast :D
Music: I've never seen a show or real life, where the songs are sooo accurate to what someone is feeling...I love the music in Love Sick but sometimes I just have to laugh when I think about how they always seem to find a song which resembles their feelings exactly to the point o.O XD Still the music itself is great, catchy and suitable for the show.
Rewatch: Oh, I'm soooo gonna rewatch this!!! XD
So overall, if you get over a little bit of awkwardness and some annoying characters (I think there is no one who watched the show and didn't find at least one character they don't like) then I definitely recommend watching this. The story itself is definitely worth it!!!
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A Mature and Underrated Gem in the BL World
When it comes to showing off their stunning male actors’ butts, nobody does it better than Be On Cloud. From KinnPorsche to 4 Minutes and now Shine… truly the masters of cheeks on screen 🍑😂It’s so rare that I genuinely love both couples in a BL, but this series absolutely delivered. Apo and Mile already proved their magic in KinnPorsche, and now seeing Son (Krailert) for the first time was such a revelation, he’s like a stunning Thai god, beautiful and perfect in every way.
The attention to detail is incredible. From the 1960s setting, the vintage clothes, cars, and houses, the production team poured so much effort into making this drama authentic and immersive. Every episode held my attention, I was never once bored, and the story kept me captivated throughout.
The highlight for me is Krailert secretly seeing his lover. It powerfully portrays the struggles of same-sex relationships and the pain of staying closeted in the 1960s. The NC scenes are another standout. They’re not just erotic but also deeply romantic, with the hauntingly beautiful violin background music making them unforgettable.
The best episode for me is epiosde 7, it was a storm of heartbreak, truth, and sacrifice. Three moments stood out: Naran’s coming out, Victor’s tragic death, and the loss of the loyal Veera.
At the dining table, Naran finally gathered the courage to tell Dao the truth: the person he loved was not her, but a man. His words cut through the air like silence itself. Dao stood frozen, her world shattering in an instant. When he called her name, she turned, lifted her heel, and struck his face, not with her hand, but with something harsher, as if to say his truth was too vile to touch. In the 1960s, when same-sex love was invisible and forbidden, her slap was not only a wound of betrayal but a reflection of a society unable to accept love in its purest form.
Meanwhile, on the streets, blood painted the cry for freedom. As someone from Melbourne, I think of protests I have witnessed where, at worst, police use pepper spray to scatter a crowd. Yet here, in Thailand’s past, guns were raised against innocent students, their voices silenced with bullets. Among them, Victor fell. He was not just a man at a protest, he was a dreamer, on the cusp of a new life in America. His death was senseless, his future stolen. Tanwa’s silence to protect Trin now becomes Trin’s torment, for he will forever wonder: if he had known, could Victor have been saved? Little did he know, Victor had already been warned. My heart breaks for them both, bound by grief and guilt.
And then Veera. The most loyal, the most silent, the most unseen. He loved Dhevi in silence, hiding his feelings within the pages of a notebook. Those very words, his only confession, betrayed him, exposing him to blackmail and sealing his fate. He died not as a villain, not as a coward, but as a man willing to sacrifice himself for the Colonel and the woman he could never have. His death was not only tragic, it was cruelly unjust.
Episode 7 exposes a bitter truth: love can be punished, loyalty can be betrayed, and innocence can be crushed beneath corruption. Police who were meant to protect became executioners, and love that should have been celebrated became a curse. This episode is not just a story, it is a wound, one that lingers long after the screen fades to black.
This series deserves way more recognition. 10/10 highly recommended for anyone who loves BL done with depth, beauty, and heart.
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Acting/Cast: Overall, I love the four main leads. Yes, it’s a shame but this is the first drama I’ve seen Lee Jun Ki as a main lead and he did an awesome job not only on the action-scenes but as well as a mature actor portraying a father. Kim So Yeon, Park Ha Sun and Ryu Soo Young played their respective roles in a great and convincing way also. I love the daughter, cute, adorable and has a simply irresistible presence!
Music: I only remembered the song Run from Nell and I had already downloaded it for I really love it. It fits as beginning and the cliffhanger’s song. It is actually a great OST for a thriller drama because it enhances the tone of each episode.
Rewatch Value: Repetitive as I may say on every review, but I don’t rewatch as possible.
Overall: Great drama that will keep you on edge from beginning to end. If you’re currently selecting drama to marathon, this one’s for you. The drama is very enjoyable, engaging at the same time touching as our hero, once having a direction-less living overcomes everything for the sake of something significant in his life.
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This review may contain spoilers
The ending ruined the entire drama for me.
I once said that Modern Romance drama will have a better ending than Xianxia at least it will be least tragic when compared to Xianxia.After watching the ending to this drama, it really made me take back what I said about Modern Romance dramas ending being better. How wrong was I because this drama totally takes the king in terms of the stupidest direction ever.
I am sorry but not sorry for saying this, because I really need to put it out there for those people because I genuinely love the pairing Xing Zhizhi and Qin Fei. I love their flashback when they were kids and I love their love story on how they've met each other again when they're grown up and how much Xing Zhizhi loves Qin Fei. Their love is the definition of Xing Zhizhi falls in love with Qin Fei first and she falls harder in love with him as time goes by.
When the writers decided to go the direction to have Xing Zhizhi take the medicine where he lost his emotions, it already made me not like it as much because I miss the old him where he express his emotions at the beginning and not someone who feels empty without those emotions. But I still held onto the hope in this drama because I look forward to their happy ending.
To be honest, their wedding was what I look forward to seeing the most, but as soon as that happened, I was like "Wtf" at it. As soon as that wedding happened I lost all hope because I know it wasn't real! T^T
Qin Fei really shouldn't have made up that lie to have Xing Zhizhi return to Suman to speed up his recovery because this indirectly caused them that horrid ending in the end.
If doing an operation was what allowed Qin Fei to regain his emotions then so be it. Even if it takes time in China, at least it wouldn't be in a dangerous place like Suman.
The more I think about it the more I end up hating how it all turned out.
If you want to give a tragic death to the Xing Zhizhi, the ML, (NOT that i support it), having him protect the Qin Fei(FL) in an attack would have been better than that cheap direction and him being implied dead and killed OFFSCREEN!
But I seriously hated the ending, because it is totally unjustifiable imo. You don't have Xing Zhizhi recovers from his mental illness to be ready to get back together with Qin Fei (and she have been waiting for him) but then have him presumed to be killed offscreen! Yes, OFFSCREEN!!!! because viewers was not given an explanation on what happened to him after he was abducted!!
I really WANT to believe in the end, that ending was him!! All I needed was enough time for an EXPLAINATION, from Xing Zhizhi and tell her (AND US!!!) WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM, HOW HE WAS ABLE TO GET OUT, WHERE HE'S BEEN ALL THIS TIME!!! As long as the writers give us this explanation, no matter how stupid the last minute happy ending it is.... I would believe that he's really back!!
BUT we got NONE of that!! In the final episode and all the scenes that lead up to "that moment in the end", do you expect us to believe that he's real?!
I'm so sad and disappointed with this ending, and honestly this ending really did ruined the entire drama for me. Xing zhizhi and Qin Fei deserves better.... I cannot watch this drama again without being reminded of what happened at the end...
In the end, all we got was their journey was a complete waste. The FL Qin Fei ended up having the same mental illness as the ML Xing Zhizhi which he was trying his best to recover, he finally recovered but was killed offscreen, WTF. And then Qin Fei got the same mental illness as Xing Zhizhi imagining it was him and he's back... except this is the illusion she don't want to get out off because she couldn't live on in a world without him!!
Are you for real writers?!
There's two screen writers here, maybe Wu Meng Zhang wrote the first half and Shi Ruo Min wrote the second half...since Shi Ruo Min also gave a sad ending in LIP(Love is Panacea)! -_-
While I was sad that LIP have a sad ending but at least there was built up to that ending, but in TBL(The Beautiful Lie), that was SO RANDOM and SO UNNECESSARY! IT MAKES ZERO SENSE IN TERMS OF LOGICAL DIRECTION AND WRITING PERSPECTIVE. THIS IS WHY I AM SO PISSED AND DISAPPOINTED, because it defeats that whole purpose in the last half of the story where Xing Zhizhi was trying his best to recover and he did recover(able to feel those emotions again), that gave us hope and then that shit happened OFFSCREEN.
Shi Ruo Min is definitely on MY BLACKLIST. I hope SRM gets a lot of backlash from fans who was disappointed in this drama!!
This is honestly so traumatic and I absolutely hated the writing in terms of ending perspective. One for the fact that we dont get a clear explanation if Xing Zhizhi is dead or alive (hurts me to think he's actually dead, but no one in their right mind would believe he's alive at the end.....), and two, their journey went back into a full circle and left unresolved.... isn't this supposed to be a story about being able to heal your mental illness? I am not inclined to think this is anything "beautiful" at all. It's disgusting in terms of after everything they've suffered and been through, they couldn't get that happy ending they've worked so hard for, a happy ending in which both Xing Zhizhi and Qin Fei deserves!!..
Personally, I wouldn't recommend this drama if ending is something that matters to you.... I actually felt like watching My Boss again... because Xing Xu is my favourite and the fact his character was done so dirty with this ending, make me want to watch My Boss again to heal my heart from this trauma and nightmare.
I haven’t written a review in here for a long time now... but this drama and my disappointment in this drama at the end makes me wants to write this review.
It has a promising start, the main pairing deserves better but they were done so dirty and I am genuinely disappointed with this ending!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Life may not be what it looks like - Masterpiece
This is by far the best Cdrama ever. Starting from one accident and gradually everything gets out of control, the feeling of depression and hopelessness in this drama is real, not even because the plot is dark but also because there are so many things shown in this drama might've happened to many of us in childhood. And I'm thrilled how they make the children to act so on spot for these highly gloomy and creepy scenes. The eyes of both the main adult leader Zhang Dongsheng and the child lead Zhu Chaoyang speak a ton of their malice. I got constantly scared by Zhu Chaoyang's expression even if he's just 13 yo in the drama. But when you come to think about it, if you were him, would you ever stop yourself from making that expression? Rated it 10/10 not because I'm psychotic person liking creepy plots but the sympathy I felt when watching the drama.Instead of putting this drama into "thrill" or "psychology"or "crime" genre, I'm more inclined to describe it as a "family" one. Simply because every event happened in this drama resulted from tragedy inside each one's own family. Zhang Dongsheng killed his wife's parents and wife later because of their betrayal; Zhu Chaoyang's tragedy was a direct result of a divorced family and his sister's death; Yan Liang and Pupu came to this city in order to seek help for their long parted family members.
This drama depicts how the social and familial pressure could affect a child who has already developed a fracture of darkness inside his heart due to family issue, and with lack of care from parents side, it eventually turning his character to one he himself doesn't even want to be. It's heartbreaking to watch some of the scenes, especially episode 6 and 10 when Chaoyang confronting his divorced parents. It's so resonant to those who are raised by a single parent. Those kind of parents are already stressed out enough by the parental responsibility, and, what's more, every single piece of misfortune in their daily adult life converts into domestic abuse towards their child at night. But for the kids, in order to be recognized as a "good kid", they are forced to endure all the negativity their parents threw at them and behave so forth. The occasional "I'm proud of you" "you are such a good kid"phrases can be everything to children with innocent minds, but in the meantime, it's also a curse for children to shackle themselves from letting out their true childish characters only in exchange for that "praises". They think as long as they act according to the what they are told, they will get loved more; however in reality, parents did the opposite to what they told their kids, when kids realize all their parents care is themselves, the feeling of betrayal starts brewing inside them. If parents are the ones that break your illusion, how are they possibly going to repair your mind after that? The drama shows one of the possible answers to this question in the hidden storyline.
It's very mind-boggling to find out that all of the adults in this drama are extremely unreliable and selfish. Chaoyang's father's preference for his new family made him suspect his own son, and he also made Chaoyang lie to the police in order to protect his new wife, even though he's been teaching his son never should he tell lies; Chaoyang's mother is a control freak, she made his son to charge his own father in front of the police out of her personal grudge, only to be protested by Chaoyang about the truth of their divorce which his mother had lied to him over the years thinking he was too young to remember the detail. All his parents do is to blame the fault on the other; they never cared about what Chaoyang wants them to do. Yan Liang came to the city to seek help from that old guy with a fan, but was immediately reported to the police, even if he's YL's father's most reliable friend; when he wondered how severe a charge of blackmailing could be, he turned to Old Chen for help but was questioned his innocence without even letting him explain the situation. This adds to the gloomy tone of the drama, making it more reasonable of the motivation of what these children had done.
Having that Descartes's fairytale hinting here and there throughout the drama, it leaves an open ending to the audience quite resonating to the fairytale, asking yourself to decide if it's a good end or a bad end. After I watched for the first time I was about to believe in the fairytale although some of the obvious hints suggest otherwise, but still not strong enough to convince me with an alternative ending. But then after another couple of times of rewatching, sorting out all the hidden clues, I'm finally reaching the cruel truth, however, a cruel truth that makes so much sense. I really enjoyed the whole rewatching experience, but I guess mostly people stop after the first finish and proceed to find clues in other people's reviews to see the true ending. Or simply forget about it and agree with the fairytale ending. It's all up to your choice because it IS an open ending without many conclusive clues and you decide how far you want to go for the interpretation.
Music is elegant and one of a kind. A perfect match to a heavy story like this. Cinematography is so beautiful I'm capturing screen all the time.
Watched 4 times now and each time I found new details that enrich my view of the characters. Last time I focused on the leading child character Zhu Chaoyang, I was surprised to find so many underlying details even starting at episode 1 that point to his later change. Truly a masterpiece. I dare to say it's even much better than most of the crime dramas (eastern or western)I've watched so far. Please give it a check! Totally worth the time!
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Great concept, confusing storytelling.
On paper I understand what I’m supposed to get from the story, but I am not sure the director did a good enough job for me to say the idea was translated well on screen. It ended up with me feeling like everyone is unhappy, because of the choices the female lead made.While the movie had many great and poetic moments, I kept getting distracted by my own feelings which were: I felt extremely bad for the husband. Especially during the bar scene - whatever charm the scene was supposed to have, lost for me coz I kept thinking about the husband and how awful the whole situation must be for him.
The performances were great, though I was just not that into how the characters were written. Personally, I did not find Nora either likable or interesting. Not sure if I liked Hae Sung or just Yoo Teo’s pretty eyes and face, but he for sure aced the melancholic nostalgia feeling.
There was one scene that I really liked, and it was the “waiting for uber” one. I felt like it perfectly sums up the themes of the movie - connection, timing, hesitation. Would prefer if the movie actually ended there.
Overall, kind of enjoyable, but you truly need to completely ignore the husband and his side of this whole story not to feel at best awkward, at worst awful.
Side note - Polish subtitles in the cinema were awful. Maybe Korean phrases were translated in such a weird and “strong” way as if the characters were swearing left and right, when the meaning was supposed to be much lighter in tone.
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OMG I LOVE THIS SHOW
I don't usually write reviews so I'm not sure how helpful this will be but this was hands down one of the best shows I have seen. If anyone ever asked me to name a show that made me cry the most, it is this show for sure!It is heartwarming and beautiful.
The actors did a wonderful job with their roles. You could feel their emotions and getting completely absorbed into the drama was very easy.
The story was deep and meaningful and it was executed very well. It delivers a very simple message which most of us might overlook even though it's right in front of us.
And the special appearances never hurt!
I don't mind sitting down to rewatch the drama again right now!
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This review may contain spoilers
CLOSE YOUR EYES – NOW FEEL ⏯️
DISCLAIMER: I completed this a week ago and had time to collect / sit with my thoughts so please take my opinion / review with a grain of salt as I’m not here to argue with anyone.I also have not watched the Taiwanese version yet (but I will do so soon) It will be interesting to see if my opinion on the show will been alter / change. Anyways, this is just a my summary of the drama. I watched it completely blind with no preconceived notions.
The emotions you will experience while watching this drama cannot be replicated by reading a plot synopsis or watching a summary video on YouTube. I recommend that you watch it without looking at the spoilers or hating / comparing it to versions you've seen before. Just pretend it's a whole new drama.
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Romance, Fantasy
Tropes: Time travel, time loop, doppelgängers, friends to lovers, second chance romance ,found family, friendship, transmigration (body / soul switching), soulmates.
Likes:
This drama was interesting to say the least. The cinematography was beautiful and it felt very nostalgic because it takes you back to the 90s and 2000s. The time travel plot was very well done. I thought it would be confusing but it wasn't. It was easy to understand and found myself figuring out the plot half way through. I figured the scarred man was in fact Nam Si Heon and came up with reasons how this could be possible etc. My guesses were close enough lol. Every episode had me on the edge of my seat, thinking I had it all figured out, only to be surprised by unexpected twists and turns. I had to pay close attention because of the back-and-forth storytelling, but it was worth it.
Jeon Yeo Been's performance was outstanding, especially in how she portrayed the two different characters – she was convincing in showing us (the audience) that it was in fact two different people. The especially how she shifted her personality between the characters. The way she looked at Si Heon / Yeon Jun, laughed, walked, smiled and talked – all changed with the person and the timeline.
Ahn Hyo Seop gave me butterflies and made my heart skip whenever he was on screen, he really is very handsome and I think I developed a crush while watching. Si Heon / Yeon Jun was soooo boyfriend and just the greenest flag ever, across every single timeline. I mean he did such an amazing and convincing job as he portrayed the Si Heon / Yeon Jun who longed for his love (Jun Hee) across time and space. I thought the way he could immediately tell the difference between Min Ju and Jun Hee was precious and endearing. Min Ju could not fool him and unfortunately he would never be able to return her (or anyone else’s) affections becasue Jun Hee was his one true love.
Kang Hoon proved that even without a lot of lines, one's screen presence can be pretty impactful. Also, the way he emotes with his eyes is at another level altogether.
Rowoon's guest appearance was a pleasant surprise and I enjoyed seeing him on screen even thought it was short lived.
Min Jin Woong was a very compelling villain. He nailed the psychopathic murderer / serial killer role so well. I was definitely creeped out and on the edge of my seat watching and waiting to see what his character would do next.
Dislikes:
Some aspects of the time travel phenomenon weren't entirely explained, like why there were two people with the exact same face? I also found it puzzling how Chan Yeong looked exactly like his older brother. That resemblance was truly a mystery for me but I guess it made the storytelling easier from the writers perspective. It seems like that's just how the world of 'A Time Called You' works. I did not have a problem with Si Heon / Yeon Jun and Min Ju / Jun Hee existing in the same timeline like other people. It was very understandable and if you pay close attention you won’t be confused.
What triggered me was Min-Ju’s suicide. It captured a suicidal persons thoughts perfectly but reinforced the fact that no matter what you say / do to help a suicidal person, it won’t change the fact that if someone wants to die… they will kill themselves. They have to want to live for themselves and want to heal / get better and have something to live for. I’m not saying this to be cold/heartless because I just knew a girl like Min Ju. The only difference is she'd always threaten suicide for attention (unlike Min Ju) but in actuality, being her friend was exhausting. Safe to say we're not friends anymore and she still has her depressive episodes but I’m glad I’m not around for her to trauma dump on me or act like her issues are for more important / greater than anyone else's. She used to claim other's do not understand her and that she doesn’t have the mental capacity to care about anyone but herself (at least she was self aware, but imo she was also self centered and mean spirited most of all!). I don't think it was for a lack of love or attention, because it seemed she received both, but like Min Ju she was bullied a lot in her formative years and then kept attempting to transform herself indefinitely. Unfortunately she did not realize (and still hasn't to this day) that by doing all that she was killing the person she used to be, leaving her feeling empty and full of self-hatred (much like when Min Ju claimed to be Jun Hee lol!)
Anyway, it's ironic because thorough everything I was deemed selfish and told that I just don’t understand even though I always was encouraging, reassuring and supportive much like In Gyu. Seeing such a similar occurrence in this drama brought up a flood of emotions for me, which is why I think I felt overwhelmed then slightly irked while watching it. It was insane, especially when they showed inside Min Ju’s mind, Jun Hee trying to stop her, In Gyu pouring his heart out and trying to comfort her by lending caring / supportive worlds to then hearing Min Ju claim nobody cared about her. It was even more shocking to then see her catapult / launch herself off the building, thus killing herself (bleeding to death) and In Gyu taking the blame. I had so many mixed emotions but that very intense scene left me feeling sad and disheartened most of all. I could feel the same sense of hopelessness much like how Jun Hee felt, just being a mere bystander/watcher from that cave – not being able to do anything to help or convince Min Ju her life was worth living.
Moral of the story is choose your friends wisely, try your best and be kind always. If it’s not good enough (especially to the other person) and they don’t see the value in their life then know it’s not your fault / on you. Don’t blame yourself and go to prison for someone else’s choice or twisted wishes to be fulfilled like In Gyu. As Jun Hee said it was Min Ju's own expectations of people that made her miserable and she needed to take time for herself and take care of her wellbeing.
I wish the show explained the alternate ending better, I would’ve liked to find out exactly how In Gyu saves Min Ju on time. It would also have been nice for them to tell how Min Ju gets stuck in a cave where she see through the eyes of Jun Hee and vice versa plus how they escape from it and become the main host of the body.
I’m a very emotional / sentimental person so I did tear up while watching. If you’re the same (or worse) be sure to bring some tissues.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, each of their stories was beautiful as was the ending. Even though it’s an open and some what bittersweet ending I think it gives the viewer hope and promise of what is to come between the two main characters. While watching I felt warm seeing the kind of love that was portrayed throughout the drama. It made me feel the butterflies of a first love, the comfort of a mature love, the pain of separation and the overwhelming relief of their reunion.
The ending made me hopeful and happy, but it also made my heart hurt. I think it’s more so because of the realization that so many precious memories and relationships formed across various timelines would be lost forever, as if they never existed.
This was the kind of drama that stays with you long after you finish watching it. I still feel an ache in my heart when I think about it or listen to the OST (which by the way is just as amazing!) I think everyone who enjoyed this had that moment where they played "Gather My Tears" and tried to close our eyes and dissociate pretending we were going back in time like Jun Hee.
If this drama was a quote it would be: "In a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality – I'd find you and I'd always choose you."
It truly deserves an 8.5/10 and I will definitely be sure to rewatch it in the future, whenever "a time calls me."
If you read all this ILY! 🥹
Thanks for reading & happy watching!
˚ʚ♡ɞ˚
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But I learned my lesson: "Entering a cartoon is no child play!" It's not a messy writer's mission either.
Here's the problem: W aspired to be a lot of things: a mind-blowing, thought-provoking fantasy, a boundary-breaking love story, a thriller and a creeper, and perhaps a journey of finding oneself...
Unfortunately, it failed on most fronts, but I'm not surprised. First and foremost, we have to accredit the writer for tackling such fresh premise and attempting to explore the themes of creator/creation and free-will/predestination in such a creative way. However, unlike her previous works the writer failed to create clear and sound rules governing the travel between these two worlds. You might scream: "But, it's a FANTASY!" Then, I'll scream back: "Even fantasy has to have solid rules; otherwise, it's magical realism or Deus ex Machina conveniently controlling events."
It's hard to highlight this part without giving up the story. One might claim that the rules of entering/leaving the world were clear from the beginning. It's not true, though! We were never told why and how Yoon Joo was going in when the tablet wasn't involved. Then, there's the fact that the rules changed over and over again! They worked only when it was appropriate for the narrative. Many times, major dangers could've been avoided by simply using the rules. In all honesty, I have attempted to rationalize the show's plot more than once; I always ended up with a severe headache. It's either the plot is a collection of holes bridged by Deus ex Machina or I'm too stupid to get it.
But I could've still enjoyed the show, lapses of logic and all, had the writer tried to make her characters realistic. Isn't it ironic that the writer who criticized other drama writers for resorting to cliches to move their stories, didn't bother to give her own characters identities of their own?!
Take Yoon Joo for example. What is she other than the love interest? What do we know about her other than she'll do anything to be with Chul? For the love of God, the girl had cotton candy for brains and I was supposed to believe that she's a surgical intern. Yoon Joo was willing to desert her ENTIRE universe so she can play romance of the day with her fictional crush. How am I supposed to respect her? I'm a fangirl, mind you! But I still can tell the difference between fangirling and falling in love. The writer and Yoon Joo obviously couldn't. If I were to believe that Yoon Joo fell for Chul because he's her forever crush, why did he fall for her (over and over again)? There was a painful lack of buildup for that romance. The show ended and I was still wondering: Why were those two a couple? Why the hell I'm supposed to root for them?
They might've been cute together. But that was all they ever were!
Then, there was Chul. His life, his whole existence was a tragedy but he was a protagonist who had free-will in a predestined world. In his journey of finding himself, Kang Chul was supposed to prove his humanity. Curiously enough, I found his reactions to the world and to everything to be human in the first half of the story. However, the more he approaches the real world, the more he becomes robotic. Ultimately, he became so bland it was dull to watch him, much less to care for him. (again it's hard to explain without spoiling).
The most interesting and the only well-acted character was Oh Song Moon. I want to take a moment to applaud the acting. The levels of darkness and petty he fell into were very well acted. Unfortunately, the depth of this character was never fathomed. He was shoved away in favor of the stupid never-was-romance. His relationship with his daughter, his fears, his failures, his love were all thrown down the drain. He became a walking plot-device himself.
The acting in the show was uneven. Kim Eui Seong did wonders with his characters where Han Hyo Joo moves around with 3 annoying facial expressions (maybe four if you count her sleeping face :P). W certainly uncovered Lee Jong Suk's acting limitations. He fairs well in cute and playboy, but other than some particular scenes, his acting grew cumbersome to watch, even cringe-worthy at the end. Those crying scenes anyone?!
A shout out to Crazy Dog and Soo Bong: those two were my rays of the sunshine in the dark! Crazy Dog spoke my mind and Soo Bong was the only one who played bewilderment and every other shocked emotion well.
In short, visually captivating, definitely mind-boggling and occasionally a bit creepy, W might have started with a promise but ended with a letdown. Watch it if you're a fan of the actors or of twisty-twisted plots that leave you with more questions than answers, but don't expect any character to come off as human.
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Perfectly paced and focused
This is officially the best break-up, moving-on, and recovering/healing drama ever. Not just in K-drama land, but in the entire world and in history.Maybe it's too early to claim that, but 6 episodes in, and it's very evident already.
They let us see up close and personal what a person who loves someone so much, have given them everything, feels like and goes through after a nasty break-up, (specially because of cheating).
They did not rush the story. It was paced well, to bring out the emotions, the pain, the hurt. The psychological impact, and ultimately, how a person can get back on their feet.
The monologues were awesome as well. Every single one of it were felt. They showed us the process.
And as someone who have been in such a situation, Yoo In Na captured everything so well. Did she experience it herself? Because gawd, that was me. Desperate. Shaking. Hopeful. End-of-the-world. Will take all the blame, will even take the blame for killing Abel, or Julius Caesar. Will turn a blind-eye. Will even accept sharing your partner! Because at that moment, you're thinking you can not live without them.
You can not accept the new reality in front of you. You want to move on, but the new reality is unrealistic. You are not in denial anymore (otherwise you wouldn't even beg), you just do not want to embrace your new reality. You want to run away from it.
“No, that's not a reality I will accept, I can make this work, I can choose which reality I want, I can manifest it.”
It will be for a long while before this show is dethroned in my list as the #1 break-up, moving-on, recovering/healing relationship story.
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This review may contain spoilers
who proposed this drama ??
i suppose this is an unpopular opinion, but i barely tolerated this drama. it requires zero expectations or standards to be watchable, and i couldnt manage that. most people are in love with it and say this drama uses tropes and cliches “properly”, but i didn’t think so at all. they were cringey at best, toxic at worst. i believe dramas have a responsibility to portray relationships mindfully, without romanticizing abusive behaviors that will then influence young viewers. therefore my negative feelings towards this show are mainly directed towards the characterization of the ML and a few other tropes/ideas the show pushes on the audience.
to start: there are hundreds of kdramas with the same “cold rich guy is mean to innocent girl until he falls in love with her because shes so different” plot lines. business proposal is one of them.
the cold ML archetype is overdone and horrifying, and in 2022 i didnt think id have to watch this arrogant, spoiled man literally blackmailing a poor girl into fake dating him and then harassing her about it even at work. imagine if the ML was unattractive or sixty years old, it wouldnt seem so romantic then. but media romanticizes stalking, borderline harassment, pushy men, and this affects how we see relationships and set standards.
specifically, i hated how the show romanticized ML being pushy with FL. his profession of love: “it you reject me again ill ask you out again and again. i wont give up until you like me back” was appalling. first he blackmailed her into fake dating him, then he says he wont give up even if she rejects him? not only is he a powerful wealthy man, hes also her boss. this is the DEFINITION of a power imbalance. no matter her reasoning for saying no, she said no and i would’ve loved to see him respect that choice. it couldve been written that FL realizes her feelings on her own and comes to him, without making it look like he pressured her into the relationship.
and this is not a one time situation: the drama does this with youngseos cousin who keeps pushing herself onto sunghoon who clearly drew a line. notice how in this situation its weird and uncomfortable but with hari and taemu its okay, because we the audience know she secretly harbors feelings. i dont appreciate this show telling viewers that if someone says no, you dont give up.
in the past major dramas such as boys over flowers and heirs, MLs would be pushy and FLs were doormats and this ended in true love. now, we finally have characters setting boundaries and yet STILL dramas say “never give up! no means yes!” i definitely wouldve been a lot more lenient and willing to just watch this as a lighthearted fluffy drama had they not used this male lead archetype.
perhaps you think this doesnt matter. but there are impressionable viewers learning what is acceptable and romantic based on these dramas, no matter how silly or obvious the tropes may seem. even if these dramas are far from reality and are clearly meant to be taken lightly, this all couldve been omitted while still keeping the plot the same.
in terms of writing and production: they didnt spend enough time fleshing out the characters and i just didnt care about them or their romance. there was barely any build up, they saw each other a few times and suddenly he was in love with her. the scene in ep 11 everyone was so excited about felt so random to me and for the first time ever i did NOT want to watch a main couple show be affectionate.
the ML spends half the drama harassing and blackmailing the FL, and the FL spent half the drama lying to him. the characters felt very 2d and they were basically built off the cliches rather than having actual personalities. the side characters like haris old crush and his gf had a single personality trait each and i forgot they existed at all. oh, hari has a brother that shows up once in a while for no reason. all of this i didnt really mind as it was obvious from the start that this drama is not meant to be revolutionary. rather i think the worst part is i didnt feel chemistry between the main leads at all.
overall, this drama is highly predictable and lacks any real depth. i know many people enjoyed it, and thats fine. perhaps you will enjoy it too. but i hope my review tells you what the description and ratings do not.
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Shaken and stirred.
Under the Power is the best historical c-drama romantic comedy I have seen recently. The romance centers on how two hilariously different people fall for each other unexpectedly and deal with differences in their backgrounds and obstacles from past wrongs. The internal romance plot plays out within an external investigative storyline around a series of linked investigations by the formidable jinyiwei or imperial brocade-clad spies/secret police aimed at exposing years of corruption perpetrated by the powerful noble Yan family. While the basic premise of the over-arching plot is interesting, the story-writing falls short and loses momentum in the second half. This drama's success is mostly due to sizzling chemistry and side-splitting performances by both main leads.Lu Yi, a highborn jinyiwei, incenses fiery young constable Yuan Jinxia when he takes over one of her cases from the local yamen. To add insult to injury, he commandeers her trusty pistol and extorts her collaboration in a very high-handed way. I cannot lie - I initially did not like the obnoxious, noisy, and immature Jinxia and dropped this show. But desperation in times of coronavirus made me pick it up again and like Lu Yi, I inexplicably found myself falling like a ton of bricks for Tan Songyun's gauche, money-loving, gluttonous, mischievous, shamelessly obsequious, irrepressible and utterly adorable little minx of a Yuan Jinxia. This is the first time I have watched Tan Songyun and I am floored by how comical she is without at all coming across as slapstick.
Lu Yi is not a colorful character - he is rather aloof and wears a fierce, sour, still-faced expression; has no hobbies or evident vices or quirks... except for his x-rated eyes. Initially, he looks at Jinxia with ill-concealed disdain and annoyance at her crass, venal, and nosy antics. He is quite nasty to her. Ren Jialun's facial expressions were so spot on in terms of conveying how Lu Yi's feelings for Jinxia evolved over time that I was with him the whole way. As he comes to appreciate her intelligence, resourceful and unconventional methods as well as her innate loyalty and honor, there is both horrified revulsion and wry acceptance in his expression as it dawns upon him that he may be falling for her. This progresses into a very amorous, caressing gaze that is accompanied by a slow and sexy crooked smile that shouts out that under the embroidered robe, this imperial spy is both shaken and stirred. This is brilliantly written and portrayed OTP whose interactions move seamlessly between comic relief and searing, heart-stopping intimacy. This had me alternating between laughing so hard I was gasping for breath to fanning myself down frantically. Be warned that such moments can result in paranoid coronavirus self-diagnosis.
This drama is pretty much carried by the OTP - the rest of it is quite messy. There are just too many flamboyant side characters that make a grand entrance and then just fizzle out or worse, get dumbed down into a tedious unrequited love daisy chain. You would think they could have done so much with a Robin Hood of the high seas, a tough-as-nails female head gangster, a master poisoner, a trickster Taoist priest, a doctor that can almost rise the dead, a brave general's wife etc. Instead, all we got were boring couples trapped in cliche romantic tropes who were so much more interesting when they were still single.
The critical mistake that wrecked the latter half of the drama was the unnecessary angst in the romance - they threw the very tired "your family wiped out my family" obstacle at the OTP. Without serious suspension of disbelief, this is THE kiss of death - I have never seen any OTP survive this obstacle in a good and convincing way. They only barely made it work here by pretty much sacrificing the entire external plot. This is a pity because the most interesting character in the drama was actually our villain Yan Shifan, who is diabolical, despicable, vicious, humorous, and curiously likable. We know who he is from the beginning and most of the cases that Lu Yi and Jinxia expose are built toward eventually taking him down. He is in a position of strength and can afford to toy with them most wickedly (which he does) but ultimately it is a race to see who can bring the other down first. I was really looking forward to the final showdown. Which never happened. The internal (romantic) plot needed a grand gesture of atonement and reparation so no, none of his victims got the satisfaction of outmaneuvering him and taking him down in a final epic confrontation. His downfall had practically nothing to do with any of the main characters even though a well-loved character dies gratuitously for the cause! Worse, Lu Yi makes a really pointless and out-of-character sacrifice that subjects the final outcome for our lovers to the whim of a capricious emperor. The ending was so lame it should have the position of honor in the Lame Drama Ending Hall of Fame.
So is this worth watching? Absolutely, the OTP is a complete riot and their relationship is perfectly balanced between touching and uproarious moments. As for the rest of it, you just have to suspend disbelief and ignore a few plot holes and annoying characters. No one will judge you for fast-forwarding. To me, this should be an 8.0 but I gave it an 8.5 to recognize the main leads for making me laugh so hard.
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This review may contain spoilers
First of all, I really enjoyed the plot. It's not an ordinary one. In fact, I love how it treats about high technology and the way it effects society. Something that surprised me actually is that this kdrama portrayed homosexuality! South Korea is a pretty conservative country and the fact that the director had insisted on portraying it makes me realize their society is becoming more accepting :) The feeling of anxiety, always being on the lookout, embarrassment, acceptance, denial, excitement were well portrayed by the main leads. I support Kim So hyun haha, she's a very good actress. I've known her since School 2015 and I know her capability. Our rookies here Jung Ga Ram and Song Kang did an excellent job and I'm sure they'll be very successful in their acting career in the future.
Okay now the things i disliked about the character: Sun Oh.
He's very possessive, clingy, creepy and hard to like. I couldn't really stand his character. The moment he went after Jojo, I lost it. Is something wrong with him? He clearly knows that Hyeyeong, his loyal and kind childhood friend liked her and he STILL WENT AFTER HER. It was almost as if he didn't want Hyeyeong to get the girl and started to used his'' charms'' that any girl can fall for to Jojo for which she in fact did fall for. It's so disgusting to the part where Song kang says something like'' Oh you were never by my side all along''. Like *****, first of all, he did let you have the girl and didnt complain about it. Grow up.
Anyways yeah that was my rant about how unbelievably disgusting his character is.
Overally, good show that is binge worthy. We'll see what happens!
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