And i need season 2!! the actress is so young but when i watched this i thought she was at least 2 years older she is but shes a 98 liner and she was soo cute she is a good actress and the actor was soo good looking, i have watched some of his dramas before, they make such a good couple overall their chemistry was soooo cute!! hoping for season 2!!!!
Will there be one a second season???
:)
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1A Fast-paced Mix of Politics, Humour, Love, Friendship, Doubt and Growth
Just finished watching and honestly it was beautiful. Maybe because it’s an original script, Key to the Phoenix Heart has a sense of completeness to it rarely found in C-dramas. While the drama wasn’t flawless as the flow and pacing did have its ups and downs, considering it had only 28 episodes, the story was still executed and wrapped up rather remarkably in my opinion.I really liked how all the characters are written with so many layers and depth despite its short length and the entire cast did a really fine job executing them.
Xiao Wuyi is such a conventionally unconventional character – not quite original but somehow refreshing and is undoubtedly one of Hou Minghao’s best portrayals. Wuyi seems single-mindedly focused on his goals at the cost of anything but is also endlessly selfless. Usually, I’m rather miffed when a supposed ‘wicked and ruthless’ male lead is toned down for the sake of the story but with Wuyi, it just seems natural. His anger, his determination, his love, his friendship and kindness, everything felt like it was justified. Xiao Wuyi is someone with the world on his shoulders, burdened with inherited responsibilities and his own enormous dreams – and you can see the tiredness in his eyes; being in love with his best friend’s girl, you can feel that restraint inside him, you can see his pain, just like you can see his joy when he finds that love reciprocated. Minghao captured Xiao Wuyi's kind heart, strategic mind, incredible strength and the formidable aura of a seasoned military general so well that every aspect of him felt convincing and earned.
Xie Jiayu is a remarkable start to Aimi’s female lead career. I wouldn’t call myself her fan per se, but when I first heard about this, I was honestly so proud of her despite the controversy because she absolutely deserved this role and now, I can say that she totally owned it too. Jiayu is a sixteen-year-old who acts like a sixteen-year-old. She is inexperienced, naïve, playful yet strong and resolute. There is an untainted sincerity in everything she does – in her crush, love, friendship, trust and hatred which makes it very difficult to fault her or be annoyed at her antics and personally, I think Aimi’s age played a significant role to make Jiayu feel so real. Jiayu's growth throughout the drama is gradual but deliberate as she chooses her purpose and creates her own path, growing into a confident woman who knows what she wants and what she stands for.
Their slow-burn romance was just perfect. Considering everything, I think it was executed impeccably. I was a little worried at first but the handling of Wuyi’s feelings as well as Jiayu’s emotional transition from Li Mao to Xiao Wuyi was done so well that it felt incredibly natural. The romance was clean and age-appropriate but never felt incomplete. Their natural chemistry, the dialogues, their acts of service, their body language and the hugs never made me doubt for one second that these people loved each other.
The supporting cast were also written well and weren’t just divided into black and white. They had depth with personal motives, distinct personalities and character development and honestly, there wasn’t any character that I hated. I liked how the writer didn’t sacrifice secondary characters to uplift the main leads and let them make their own mistakes and redemptions. Personally, I really liked Li Mao and Lejun. The casting helped as I do like Wang Yilun quite a lot, but I could mostly get behind their reasoning and loved how dynamic they were. Their mistakes and flaws were real but so were their motives and reparations and despite all the back and forth, I think Li Mao needed to experience all that to reach his own fulfillment.
The plot was intricate and rather ambitious with many elements packed in just twenty-eight episodes but it was still surprisingly solid without any glaring plot holes and had some genuinely interesting plot twists even if the story felt a little too dramatic, a bit rushed and unnecessarily complicated at times. But my frustrations were generally overpowered by my interest, and I really did enjoy this drama from start to finish. The blend of politics, romance and humour was also done exceptionally well, and I found it really engaging to watch. The cinematography was beautiful, the visuals and the styling were stunning, the action scenes were well-choregraphed and the soundtrack really elevated the story without overpowering it.
Overall, I genuinely loved this drama. The combination of intriguing plot, well written and brilliantly executed characters, heartfelt relationships, impeccable comedy, beautiful visuals and osts packed in a fast-paced story makes Key to the Pheonix Heart a drama totally worth watching and is absolutely recommended.
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The thing is: a good drama for me doesn't need to be filled with moments that will make you suffer with the characters and it can't be that foreseeable. And You're Beautiful it's just this. You can fully understand the depth of the characters within some episodes, and if you try to take a guess on what they will do next, probably you'll be right.
There's no need to keep hammering a single point in the story, and still, they do this all the time. At one point, I got tired of gritting my teeth and screaming to the screen, cause I had already seen what was happening another billion times. It's repetitive, and even though I've kept rooting for one specific character, I knew since the beginning he wasn't going to get the ending I wanted, because, once again, the story is foreseeable.
The plot was a good one to work with - it never was supposed to be a deep story, but it could be better than what we had. The drama could be finished with only ten episodes, excluding unnecessary and dull interactions between the characters and mysteries that aren't really that mysterious. The music is ok, the few tracks we have are good, but I find myself really annoyed by the fact that, one, it seems like we only have five songs along the whole drama (and three of them are different versions of the same track), and two, why do they put such a tense instrumental in moments that doesn't have the need to it?
The best point for me is the acting - all the actors besides Park Shin Hye did a fairly good job. I kept wondering, why does she represents like this in this drama? I mean, Heartstrings was ok, Heirs too, and Pinocchio is her best drama without doubts, but her acting in You Are Beautiful annoys me so much. I don't find it cute, neither funny, nor girly. It's just annoying and the scenes I liked the most were the ones she wasn't trying so hard (episode 12, the greenhouse part, is one of my very few examples). Maybe she matured since then, and for me this one is her worst drama.
I can't say the drama isn't funny. It was one of the few things that saved it for me. I laughed so hard in some parts that it wasn't all lost. And if I ignored the existence of two of the three main male characters while Go Minam was interacting with one of them, I could go through the scene without any unneeded anger. It was silly, and sometimes fun, but not my piece of cake.
All in all, I would never rewatch it, but if you like silly thingies (and amorous triangles), if you're bored and want something to entertain yourself a little bit (only until the very first cringeworthy moment), you may want to give You Are Beautiful a try.
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Rollercoaster of Emotions!
No drama before has ever made me feel such conflicting emotions before, I feel upset with the ML for the most part probably as FL is in a foreign land and being a female it's easier to relate to her. I feel she should not end up with him. But, at the end of each episode, I again end up back at square one conflicted that maybe they belong together. Because they are not bad people, just humans at the end of the day making decisions that are probably best in their perspectives. Both seyoung and Sakaguchi are portraying their characters brilliantly, you feel their angst and depression and that they moving with the flow rather than living according to their own wishes. Sadly, very close depiction of how people really are.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
My loyal soul shall live and die with you.
What a masterpiece. I love everything about this. Like, EVERYTHING! (Except Situ Ling — I hate you so much, I hope you go bald.)The storyline was neatly written, and the purpose behind every action and curse made perfect sense. I love the execution of the fight scenes, and of course, not to mention the HOT kissing scenes ( ๑‾̀◡‾́)✨
I also love that both the ML and FL are strong. It’s rare to see a storyline where they do things together and not individually, as that reflects their love for each other even more. No sacrifices — just the two of them saving the world together. Ugh, that’s so powerful huhu (˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )づ♡
I highly recommend this drama and have been wishing for more episodes (with more of the lovey-dovey moments from my parents, MingZai), but I guess that would only drag the story. Still, I’m satisfied with the number of episodes.
Praying for another main role project for Lu Yu Xiao and Hou Ming Hao! Also, their OSTs are so good — too bad they didn’t have a duet.
MINGZAI, I LOVE YOU FOREVER!!! ♡〜٩( ˃▿˂ )۶〜♡
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1It showed what is easy, tells the obvious and avoided what could have been great!
The genre listed for this drama is Romance, Wuxia, Drama, and War, which sounds very legendary on paper, except that it managed to dip its toes in all four without actually excelling in any. This is just a guilty pleasure romcom.I came here for some sweeping war chess and tactics, and of course a razor-edged female general we were promised in the trailer and the poster. I kept searching for the "larger than life" hype that I created in my head but sadly I was disappointed.
He Yan, on paper, is everything I expect from a strong female lead. Brave, witty, with a moral backbone and we get to see glimpses of it in the flashbacks. But somehow the balance between "female general" and "romantic lead" was off almost all the time. Here is where the drama falters the most for me.
We were told she fought her way up the ranks disguised as a man, surviving in a brutal, male-dominated world of war and yet in present, that struggle barely showed. She kept acting too cute.
Yes, women are allowed to be warriors and be happy and thriving in love but for it to feel real, the transition needs to carry that weight. I missed the awkwardness, the hesitation or even the tension. I wanted to see push and pull, the conflict between her desires and the hardened exterior that she might have built over the years of disguise. That would have felt earned.
But it looked like the writers got the amnesia trope themselves and forgot all about her past when it came to romance. The aegyo (lack of a better word) like behaviour undermined the whole dark and serious vibe of the drama I was expecting.
Also that whole arc where the FL pretends to be her brother really demands a huge suspension of disbelief. But I feel they did a good job with keeping her makeup to minimal to atleast make it look believable.
Coming to romance, the sparks existed, but again, it was too mild and easy. The angst, the longing, the courtship lacked passion. I wasn't excited for them to get together. I knew they were the leads and things just kept happening. Even the key moments felt dull. It wasn't bad but nothing to run home about.
The drama also wanted to scream women's empowerment, but like everything else, it just tells and does not show for it to actually make an impact. It was just all about the grand speeches. There was one scene where she was supposed to fight to show her talent in front of the army, and I was excited to finally see that fire but they cut it away and came back when it was over. If you want to sell me a hard-earned battle warrior, show her that way. There were other fight scenes too, but none of them left any impression on me.
Also, the focus on side characters who made minimal impact on the overall story was a baffling choice. I feel there was a lot more to explore about the lead characters especially the male lead. But instead I feel I know SML better than him. The SML in my opinion got the most fleshed story. It was unpredictable and he was given so much depth as a character compared to the leads. And the whole princess and master storyline was just not needed. Some deaths felt completely pointless, added neither the shock value or the story value. I was just confused.
And can we please take a second to talk about last 4 episodes. What in the world kept happening. The character arcs were already weak but somehow they manged to destroy that as well. I am still confused about a few things as why we needed that. This includes all fronts from comedy to romance.
Production-wise, this was below average. The overall set design lacked a certain richness. The poster had better colour grading, and the overall colour palette of the drama felt muted. And whoever is in charge of the blood effects should retire immediately. I mean, what were those ruby red lipstick swatches. Nothing disappoints me more than when a tragic moment is happening and fake blood on the actor's cheeks kept distracting me. Also, the dialogues were as lacklustre as the production.
Acting-wise, this is my first time seeing the leads, and I feel this shouldn't be the story I should be judging their acting on. Ryan Cheng served with his visuals, and Zhou Ye was bubbly ( a little too much) but did show us the few glimpses of a strong warrior when the script allowed but I was expecting more. Zhang Kangle, as Chu Zhao, impressed me the most. I liked his portrayal of the antagonist part. He carried that whole cold and cruel aura with justice. The rest of the supporting cast also did fine, but I wasn't too immersed in the story to comment here.
Overall, this was a huge miss in my books. It's wasn't just about one or two incidents that can be overlooked for overall enjoyment, but it's the constant repeated choices to chip away at the integrity and heart of the story, i.e. the journey of the female general. There was nothing legendary or "general" about it. It's frustrating not because it is unwatchable but it constantly kept reminding me what it could have been.
Will I recommend this? No.
Thank you for reading my review! <3 I hope you like the drama more than me. Please take my opinion as one of many if we don't seem to agree :))
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a masculine sensitivity.
It was Hashiguchi Ryosuke's birthday recently and it reminded me I hadn't seen one of his films before. Given he's a noteworthy filmmaker in modern Japanese queer cinema, I thought I would fix that.Hisaguchi’s preference for long arduous shots often leaves his characters bare naked in scenes—their every motion captured raw for potentially masochistic viewers. It’s awkward, but so is being a teenager, and it’s in this way that the movie really goes for the jugular. These characters are incapable of truly being themselves—they either don’t know how to or are afraid to or both—and after a painful two-thirds of skirting around feelings, everything comes to head in the film’s stunning final act. It’s potentially some of the most captivating 30 minutes ever committed to screen, considering how hard it was to look away. Each shot finds ways to imprint itself more & more into the brain, until it's all taken away.
As an intimate exploration of sexuality—not in the physical, but in the emotional—Hisaguchi has crafted an almost surreal piece of escapism via self-actualization that still manages to resonate some 25 years later. It’s tender, brutal and honest, and kindly asks its audience to be the same. It's not for everybody, but it certainly was for me.
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For the most part this is an historical drama, but don't let that throw you off. It makes valuable history enjoyable to watch. I have seen multiple shows with similar plot revolving around Japan entering the Meiji era, but none as detailed as this show was, "as expected of 50 episodes."
If you are interested in a great drama that will entertain you with historical Japanese stories this is the show for you.
Sorry for not being able to express my thoughts of the drama properly. But what I suggest is watching a few episodes and if you don't like it, then you can drop it.
I encourage more people writing a better review than mine, please.
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This review may contain spoilers
A weak manga improved but it could not reach "the proper way"
The story starts as revenge story, but even half way through the series we all know it's not about revenge anymore. It's about the struggles and misunderstandings of Hiro who has to come to terms of his feelings. It's more a coming of age story then anything else. In contrast Natsou always was clear in his feelings but he did most things wrong to the person he already loved in school. Not only by peer pressure but he could not express his feelings at all.The original manga was just a side story and a very short one at that. It did not really explain a lot or had a big scope to go on. So this series struggles a bit to fill in the gaps. It seems that Hiros only changed his appearance to be another person, but he also changed to be more outgoing and to be able to talk to people. That's why I think he choose to be a hairstylist/hairdresser because he has to interact with people. He emanates confidence in his job but he is still struggeling outside of it.
While we got two episodes per week for 1 through 6, we had to wait a week for the finale. At least the finale did boost this show in the end and the NC scene was more than unexpected from a JBL. No dead fish kisses was refreshing after some shows lately, which failed to go "the extra mile". A special bonus for me is that the height difference and characters impressions were reversed for the top/bottom expectation. That was a nice touch.
Production was well done, acting was very good even when I thought Natsou looked a bit old compared to his partner even when they are the same age in real life (The story plays out 4 years after graduation, so they should be around 22). Or the other way around, Hiro was the more believeable character in looks and acting. The story struggeled a bit doing a good job, because Natsou seems a bit too dumb not to catch on early and also the pacing is sometimes choppy in some episodes. The struggles for Hiro were very well expressed. Overall an enjoyable show which did not do the stereotypical BL things and even when you could count it as "enemies to lovers" tropé. It tried very hard not to go in any clichés. For me it feels more realistic compared to other shows and that's why it's worth a watch.
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I enjoyed hating parts of this drama more than I enjoyed loving them. How ironic, I know! It had me pulling out my hair, screaming and cursing with frustration. I almost wanted to give up watching, and for some reason I couldn't. I was addicted badly to it. The characters were all crazy and nobody is normal in this drama. All their lives suck and every character suffers from deep guilt, abandonment issues, mommy issues, daddy issues and what-not. Plus, it being a melodrama had the tragic makjang also. All this craziness is what makes this drama complete. Perhaps all this seems a bit too much for me since I am not a melodrama loving person. For those who do watch melodramas, I can guess it won't be a big deal at all.
The acting done in this drama is way above than normal ones. The main leads are perfect at playing their roles. This drama does have a lot of crying in it, but some scenes have been done beautifully. Especially Ko Hyun Jung- who I've seen for the first time here was outstanding. She really knows how to pull off emotional scenes with perfection. In fact, I've not been so impressed with an actress in a Korean drama before. Jo In Sung went way overboard at times when he was crying or yelling, but at least his emotions came through to me as a viewer. Plus he's so good to look at. :D I liked the other actors too especially Han Go Eun who always plays her characters well.
As for the overall story- I thought it was good. It does have flaws and boring parts in it but it manages to be decent enough. I suppose I loved the characters most. This one is an entirely character-driven drama. I loved the fact that the characters were messed up and there was no good guy here. All characters were flawed- especially Jung Eun and Eun Sub.
Jung Eun is at first a female who has been closed off and living in a shell for years due to her sad past. Then she meets Eun Ho who helps her open up and they fall in love. She also meets his younger brother- the hot, self-centered and childish Eun Sub who also falls for her. Then you have a complicated story with brothers in love with the same woman. The only question here is who she will go to in the end.
I thought Eun Ho was perfect in the beginning but later on he sort of became redundant to me. I couldn't root for him as much as I did for Eun Sub. I didn't even love Eun Sub entirely. He was too flawed. But I have to say that Jo In Sung suited the role. Eun Sub makes for an interesting literary character who has an unhealthy, all-consuming love for the woman. Not just that, he needy and desperate for love and he shows it time and again. He was unlike other Kdrama guys that I have seen till now who usually remain closed off. Here you have a guy who shows that it isn't easy to close off once you have opened up. Apart from these characters I LOATHED their mother. She drove me crazy. She was beyond INSANE, I tell you! I didn't get why she kept beating up whichever female got close to her son. Crazy, crazy woman!
I think every person would want to root for the brother that I rooted for. He's the one who suffers like hell and also gets his deserved happy ending. In fact the ending is happy for almost every one. Sort of. That is why this is one of the best melodramas according to me. :)
This drama has an outstanding background score. I also loved the main song which they kept playing in every episode. It was simply perfect.
Since it was so tiring to watch, I will never rewatch it. Ever.
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Overall, it's not really a horror movie. It starts like one, with all the suspense, dark corners and those special asian girls crawling on the floor, all wet hair and moving strangely. At some point I thought it was something like 'A Tale of Two Sisters', but it's not.
But the turn in the middle of the story was quite a surprise and left me less anxious. I was more relaxed while watching but it was nevertheless still exciting. In fact I enjoyed it even more. The beginning was a bit too calm and maybe a bit boring. I guess the producers were trying to create a really oppressive atmosphere but that didn't work out that well. Therefore the second half of the movie was more interesting (although a little more suspense couldn't have hurt).
Focusing on the little details... The scenery/setting was quite nice. I enjoyed looking at the places and the school. Also the make-up. It didn't show much but it was effective, well placed and did add to the atmosphere.
The acting of the girls was also a plus (not the principal though - too hollow). I'm starting to recognize Park Bo Young's skills. I already saw her in 'Oh My Ghostess' and 'Don't Click' and I liked her acting so far. And since I didn't watch 'A Werewolf Boy' yet, I guess I have to continue with that one.
Don't mind my rewatch value. It was a good movie but I don't think I will watch it again.
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Club Friday Season 8: True Love…or Hope
18 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
this was one of the worst dramas i've ever had the misfortune of watching.cee being controlling and insecure whenever kate so much as interacts with a man because she's a controlling/abusive lesbian tm and of course, kate is 100% going to cheat on her because kate is a promiscuous bisexual tm. the glaring biphobia that the show didn't bother to address, let alone correct, in the form of cee not being sure if kate wants to have a relationship with a woman because she used to date a man.
cee knew that kate wanted to have kids early on in their friendship. cee knew that kate broke up with her ex-boyfriend because he didn't want kids and she did. but for some reason (internalized homophobia that is, again, never addressed), cee thought that kate wouldn't want kids if she were dating a woman. lol. (also, cee thinking that same-gender couples can't have/raise kids because, "who would be the mom and who would be the dad??" that's a direct quote!!!)
and then came the worst plotline in the form of them both deciding that they want what the other wants!! (cee suddenly wants kids because she doesn't want to lose kate, and kate suddenly doesn't want kids because she doesn't want to lose cee.) since kate wants to get pregnant and she doesn't want to adopt because she wants the kids to be "theirs" (yet another issue but let's keep this review short), they decide that kate should have sex with a guy to get pregnant. makes total sense, right?? i wanted death at this point.
as if that wasn't bad enough, kate ends up marrying the dude and cee is her maid of honour, while clearly still being in love with her. no thanks.
tl;dr do yourself a favour and don't bother watching this.
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Chemistry adds a lot to any script and in this Full House, the chemistry is off the charts.
Superb acting and new locals for shooting added to this lakorn’s (drama) appeal and interest. Once again I marathoned it and I can highly recommend watching it.
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Okay first off, huge thanks and Shout Out goes towards YoshihiroStepper for uploading the entire movie. It was a cinematic in theaters and we had to wait months for the DVD release plus a month or so more for the translations. So, extreme thanks YoshihiroStepper for uploading this and having it translated for us to watch. You can view the parts separately on his channel: https://www.dailymotion.com/rjgman56, and i have sent a message to hopefully give him the merged videos so that you guys can watch it with out interruptions. Please go through his channel, he has so much content to offer that I'm still going through so definitely check it out.
Story~
Alright so lets get into the story. I knew from the beginning what this movie was going to be all about, or vaguely did, and it was exactly what it was from the trailers. An archery club, romance, and some conflict here and there. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, it was captivating from start to finish and even though i could watch the movie raw and still understand whats going on it was still good. The jist of the story is archery, romance, conflict, done, but there was so much more going in especially learning about Youta's mom and dad, the love between Youta and An and how it unfolded. The story is very simplistic yet captivating. It also had an incredible anime/manga feel to it. You could tell it was from a manga. I also can understand why it got 7.6 by most people that already watched the movie, because somethings just were not answered. Yuki is a big example. How did he get the illness, more about Yuki and Youta previously. More information about how everything happened with Youta and his parents like a flashback scene possibly. I would have like to have seen a love triangle between Youta, An and Kuwabara. He, to me, was attractive, I didn't get extreme SLS like I would with some Second Leads but he fit the bill and progressing through the movie you could tell that there was an opening for a love triangle or rather a rivalry to form and would have gave it a little more edge. I also wanted to know the place that Youta was at, i wanted to know more about the connection between the two. So there were a lot of pieces missing from this story that could have been filled. Maybe the main focal point of the movie was to revolve around Youta and An but it doesn't hurt to add a little more background story. Plus, how their love progressed was interesting to me, at first i thought it was going to be a slight controlling/toxic, then I thought it was really sweet and cute. He seemed to control the love between them until she was decided on her own whether she wanted this or not.
Acting/Actors~
The acting was really good. I could not find fault with the acting to be honest. One scene I did question (and laughed) but I wont spoil it for you guys its just later on in the movie. The acting was really good, the actors were spot on. I don't really have any disapproval's.
Music~
This was one of my most favorite things out of this entire movie. That music was channeling John Williams "Memoirs of a Geisha" vibe. One sound in particular you would think that it was from Memoirs of a Geisha. The music was good, it was not weird or out of place. It fit the subtly of the story.
Re-watch~
Would I re-watch it, definitely. Maybe not 10 or 15 times but yes i would re-watch it. Would i recommend it, yes. Its not actiony, so for some it maybe a little boring, but for something subtle definitely.
Overall~
Overall, it was good. It wasn't actiony, so it maybe boring to some. It wasn't mushy, even though i love a good mushy gushy romance, it was subtle and it was love. I really enjoyed that aspect. There were some things missing that could have been fixed and somethings that could have been added but through it all it was a complete romance and I liked it and encourage other people to watch it and give their thoughts.
-Goyangi
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If you can read novel then please do so.
Not everyone can read novels, drama and webtoons are much easier to watch/read and they are also more discriptive than novel, this is the whole point of an adaptation, to increase the range of viewers but the now a days there's a trend of adding unnecessary and sometimes unfavourable and unpleasant plot twists just so to keep the people who have already read the novel hooked.In the drama, their are many small deviations from the novel and a major one too. I personally would have preferred if the drama went the same as novel, small deviations would have been appreciated but the last one was just too much.
Please read the novel if you can, because many will ultimately want read the novel because of drama being deviated from the original novel, specially at one specific point and then the drama will act as nothing more than a spoiler not letting you enjoy the novel as you could have.
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