Reviews

Watch this show!

My first k-drama, and one I revisit periodically. The storyline is original - a man destined to continue living to atone for crimes in his past. I'd like to address the age difference - I can see why some people really had a problem with it, especially since she spent so much time in a high school uniform. However, the chemistry between Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun was amazing. When watching Gong Yoo - his loneliness was almost palpable and was heartbreaking to see. Kim Go Eun was able to vacillate back and forth between her pitiful life and her vivacity as she gets to know Kim Shin (Yoo) better. The secondary love story between Lee Dong Wook and Eu In Na was lovely as well. There was a lot of humor (like when he told her his name was Kim Woo Bin!), but such sadness as well. The scenery is just beautiful when they are in Canada. The music is absolutely perfect. Each song fit perfectly where it was used and there was a haunting quality about a number of the songs. These songs are easily recognizable when you hear them outside of the show. But I think the thing that I love best about this show is the friendships between the characters, especially between Goblin and Reaper. If you look up the word Bromance in the dictionary, you should find their pictures there - what started out as hate, moved to grudging respect, and then finally brotherly love. Their scenes never failed to make me laugh. This is one of the few shows that I have watched multiple times, and have enjoyed it just as much each time.

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Ok so i loved the story it was interested near the last two episode i was somewhat shock... i made a hypothesis in the beginning that all three boys know they were dating her but just pretended they didn’t and they choose to share so they don’t lose her but it turns out... Ya’ll know if you already watched it okay so here’s where the SPOILER is going to come! if this doesn’t make sense that means you didn’t watch it yet, come back and read this after you watch it! So at the end when she said “Why? You think you’ll be different?” Is actually dark to me because she wasn’t talking to gunwoo when she was saying that! She was talking to us viewer! That somewhat creeped me out lol but i still can’t be disgusted or angry with her! Cause knowing me i would’ve done that too... but i felt like i would’ve feel guilty from the beginning.. Anyways the ending and the whole story surprised me, more than feeling weird out or any negative emotions i actually felt amazed. Yeah that’s it i thought it was a great drama with beautiful casts.

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Trash

I have no words left. Worst adaptation ever wait, no it’s not even close to an adaptation. It’s just a trash ugh. When the live action first was announced, I was so happy but the moment I saw the cast I lost the spark in my eyes it was DISASTER worse than my life tbh. I hoped atleast the plot would stay same but they changed everything. It just keep getting worse and worse. It’s completely different movie not our ORV.
Please don’t waste your time watching it. Read the novel and manhwa. I genuinely hope this movie flops and disappears into the thin air. If you watch this movie this will be the worst experience ever in your life. Sorry my English is not good. Thank you!!

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Spoilers ahead about the Manhwa and the adaptation

After finishing Heesu in class 2 I think it was clear that the creators of this adaptation wanted to have the BL audience that were fans of the Manhwa without saying that they only took inspiration and without really wanting to commit to display the relationship between them until 5 min till the end feel like we were in the early KBL days with censorship.

Clear example of this Chanyoung bisexuality was erased in the show and he was such a supportive friend to Hessu helping them getting together with Jiyu there was nothing romantic between them.

They completely changed the narrative and even changed the relationships between the characters my main grip with this is that they decided to adapt a BL manhwa where the romance was the focus of the story and decided to add a lot of unnecessary storylines to make things more complicated for the couple to get together because if they was not obstacles they would have to show them early being a couple and showing affection and I think they wanted to avoid this so the couple only got together in ep 10 last minute showing really minimal affection and I feel the same with the fact that Seungwon moms exists but we did not see them as a couple in the adaption same for their classmate who has a girlfriend they exist as a queer characters but the show do not want to make them visible.
If they wanted to make a serie that concentrate on coming out and the pain of being in the closet they could have done this as an orignal story but they decided to capitalized on this Manhwa because it was popular and made a completely lackluster serie even if they wanted to make this like an ensemble work the screen time for both couple was certainly not equal if they do this and people defend it they are going to keep picking BLs Manhwa and do this making it palatable for the GP which is really unfortunate when KBL come so far Lost in The Big City being the latest example of the evolution of the genre.

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Choppy Editing, Multitude of Inaccuracies, Too Much Propaganda (Even During the Leads Wedding)!

I first added this to my watchlist when it was first announced, 4 or 5 some odd years ago. I had seen both leads in at that point one drama each (PA for him & CQL for her); since then I've seen him in one other (Parallel World) and her in a few others. While he is good as both the protagonist and antagonist roles, it's better if she stuck to the former. While I don't know the SML or most of the support, I have seen SFL in one drama as an antagonist and I've seen the TML in several dramas where he was just very good. Everyone else is come and go. Unfortunately, though this drama had potential, I'm sure it fell prey to choppy editing, multitude of inaccuracies, and too much propaganda even during the leads wedding in the very last episode.

Pros: Favorite characters were ML, SML, CY, little head navy guy, third couple, all parents; thankfully no toxicity; Brigadier and his family. I would have to say that the pros of this drama, other than the music and the overall obvious camaraderie of the soldiers and friendships. It also had a lot of people that were funny like the parents of FL and in small moments, you had a lot of little learning curves and teachable moments for everyone combined. I like the fact that they had these clubs in groups and what not for soldiers families and wives clubs and I'm guessing also husband's clubs if they so chose to join because that was real. I do appreciate the fact that they did show sad moments like toward the end, when two of their trusted captains had to either discharge completely or get reassigned to another unit due to pretty bad injuries. Those were honest. I personally like all the gadgetry like helicopters and ships and drills and all that other stuff. The villains a.k.a. big bad dad and his son and the international guy William or whatever were OK but I really wouldn't call them anything to cry home about in the villain category. However, the majority fell into the cons.

Cons: The first thing I noticed that was completely off kilter, was the choppy editing and the scenes just didn't flow naturally be it the drill, soldier scenes or the civilian scenes. They jumped from one to another without giving the viewer time to adjust. The other thing would be that a lot of the times you could blatantly tell that they were using either news footage or documentary footage from other locations other than what was being actually filmed, also, a lot was edited out and not shown in the actual series that was shown in trailers like the leads going to Disney World or spending time together or vacations together or even that supposedly the SFL became pregnant again. They never showed any time jumps until the very last episode where we found out that the entire show basically took place within a little over two years.

The thing that I complained about the most had to be the complete and utter lack of research be it when it came to things like miscarriages (somehow SFL, who actually had the miscarriage got over it in 10 days or less both emotionally and in every other sense of the word while the SML was the one who looked like he was going to pass out and felt guilty about it. Now everyone grieves differently, but this was just completely off kilter and the fact that absolutely no one except the ML asked him how he was doing just felt wrong because in real life that's not how it works either) to my absolute worst annoyance being their scuba drills. It was like production never researched a single thing about what it meant to be a master diver or in this case since these guys were special ops and they made rookie mistake after rookie mistake or things that were literally impossible if you take into account the laws of physics underwater that just had someone like me who's a certified scuba diver cringing. Now I'm not in the military, but anyone who is a dive master or anyone who's even further advanced in scuba than I am would be cringing at this let alone anybody in special ops or who are military divers regardless of country. Some of the tests that they conducted where scuba was involved were downright illegal internationally. For people who have never gone scuba diving, if you choose to try that, my biggest piece of advice is to go with a dive master and not alone or because of what you saw on TV.

The other thing that was they brought in a 3rd wheel to be kind of a in between of the villains I mentioned up top. His whole worst thing was that he could not take no for an answer from the FL, who herself had a lot of serious lack of judgment calls, but this dude was just ridiculous & on top of that he got physical with her toward the end and that was a big no. Then he felt like he had the need to call out the ML not once but twice, even though the ML and his team saved his life like it was any of his business. 3rd wheels like that I think are completely unnecessary and just make things worse for the storyline. On top of that they never closed him out so we don't know what happened to him. They made the SFL a princess or lazy goat as the FL called her for the majority of it until the miscarriage somehow matured her, but you still didn't quite say anything. Plus, you didn't really feel the chemistry of the second leads at all. As for the chemistry of the main leads, it was kind of felt, but not really until the end either. Meanwhile, the FL sort of lost her EQ a few times and blamed him for basically telling her what she did was wrong in that hostage negotiation and her playing prima donna which just kind of made me feel all iffy about her character until she understood things a little better. It seemed to me that only ML and SML, the third couple notwithstanding and CY were the only mature dudes and when it came to being in a relationship people out of the entire situation. I called ML a lump of clay when it came to romance, but even though he himself admitted that he wasn't great at it he was certainly honest about it.

Lastly, the propaganda factor was way too much. Yes I understand this had to be with soldiers and this also had the romance thing but you do not preach Motherland, flag, military, and all that other junk when your daughter just had a miscarriage. You do not preach that junk at a wedding when it's supposed to be emotional and a romance. It got so out of hand that even the SFL's mother would talk about it in the weirdest of times. I get it when it comes to certain situations and I understood that this was part of the series, but there were many situations when it was completely unnecessary and just reduced a more powerful scene to not so much.

Would I recommend it? Honestly, this is one of those dramas where if you turn your brain off and just watch while you're waiting for something sure. And if you could get past all of the inconsistencies and everything else mentioned in the cons, you'll be just fine. I do hope to see the ML in more series in the future because I think he plays protagonist roles pretty well and we've already seen him and antagonist ones.

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second leads that are incapable of accepting rejection

Rainkissed Fate starts off quickly by thrusting you into the messy relationship of Yuchen and Bu Yan as the pair sign a marriage contract for three months. From the start this drama is chaotic and passionate. Bu Yan approaches Yuchen and practically forces him into the marriage contract and it is revealed very early that Bu Yan's insistence is because Yuchen is the unknowing father of her 5 year old twins and she needs to conceive another child in order to save her son who has cancer. Yuchen agrees to the marriage for money and because his sick mother wants him to settle down.

From the premise I already had a bad taste in my mouth with the idea that she was conceiving another child only to save her first. While I liked that Bu Yan is strong, independent, and fiercely protective of her children I also did not understand the point in keeping the parentage a secret for 5 years and still so after going back to Yuchen. Yuchen was another strong character with a chip on his shoulder but soft innards and a sense of loyalty. He comes off as mean and avoidant but not for very long.

To be honest any enjoyment you can get out of this series is from the chemistry of the main pair. This is their third porject together and do very well. But the characters that are crafted in this drama make it incredibly painful to try and get through. Both main characters may be strong and sure of themselves but are so easily manipulated repeatedly that by the end of the series you are just as annoyed with their stupidity as the plot that kept using the same devices. The second female and male lead are insufferable from the first episode all the way to the last. There is nothing redeeming about either one and at no point did I enjoy seeing them on screen. The SFL is the typical obsessed woman in a small town that laid a claim on a man that has had absolutely no interest in her and yet she continues to try and force him to want her over and over again. The SML is the returned ex that realized he made a mistake and wants her back but she no longer wants him so he tries to force her to need him/

The drama is messy and driven only through the main pair being constantly manipulated by every insufferable person around them. I think I only managed to get all the way through this drama because it was a mini and each episode was 10 minutes but the further I got the more I skipped just to see how much worse the plot could get. Do yourself a favor and skip this one. The chemistry and visuals will not save this one. There are so many other mini dramas that your time would be better spent on.

I am giving this a 5 purely because the show is styled very well, the acting is good even though the characters are poorly written, and the music is nice. So kudos to the crew. However the plot is a total miss for me.

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"Let Me Introduce Her" had a very suspenseful start but soon became my least favorite style of melodrama. The story tried so hard to be shocking that characters became cartoonish, and hard to continue to take seriously. Sometimes campy melodramas can be fun for me to watch, but this soon became boring and hard to finish. I expected more of a thriller, based on the first few episodes, but instead got an overdramatic family drama, with unhinged characters and an underwhelming plot. Maybe some of this has to do with cultural differences, so some of the character's choices made absolutely no sense to me but may resonate better with an actual Korean audience.

The cast was pretty good, but I felt like a lot of talent was wasted. Nam Sang Mi and Kim Jae Won had decent chemistry, but the romance story became subdued and even dull once the story focused more on the melodrama. Jae Won played up the smiley nice guy role so much that his portrayal of Dr. Han Gang Woo seemed very one-note and even at times uninteresting to me. However, it's the character of Ji Eun Han that'supposed to drive this story, and Nam Sang Mi's performance wasn't strong enough for me to do that. Lee Shi Ah's performance felt much more exciting so the shift to a more subdued Nam Sang Mi was a dramatic change. It was almost as if Sang Mi was just too chill to play such an emotionally complicated role. Especially a role where the character has and makes such drastic and contradictory reactions and choices. Also, despite them trying to imply that they were similar, these two actresses were just too drastically different to be considered the same person at all. No plastic surgery in the world is that magical.

One talent in particular that felt wasted was Lee Mi Sook, who knows how to make the most out of a melodramatic character, especially this kind of mother role, but her performance felt more interesting than her character was written to be. Detective Kim was similarly underutilized, and the story was less interesting when he was less involved. Jo Hyun Jae was good as well, even when his actions were written in a way that made him more laughable than emotional. Also, Han Eun Jung did her best to play up the drama of her character, as written, but that made her character seem laughingly ridiculous by the end, and hard to take seriously. I also think the cute banter between Jung Jin Woon and Lee Ho Jung is worth mentioning as cute but wasted filler. Many of the minor characters, including the kids, were good even if their character wasn't written well.

That takes me to my main issue with this drama, which is the writing. It's not that the story doesn't make sense, but it's sensationalizes everything so much that I couldn't take anything too seriously, or emotionally connect at all. The drama surrounding a cell phone and a song lasted for so many episodes, which made the story drag. The music was often sinister giving even mundane conversations an extra dramatic feel. It made it seem like they were trying to force a suspenseful feeling at all times, which backfired on me. I did think the "Save Me" song was pretty, and although it also felt extra dramatic during certain scenes, was fitting.

I'm doubtful I would watch this again, but maybe I would be more forgiving with a second viewing since I now know what the story is really about. My high expectations at the beginning made me more disappointed at what it turned out to be. Lower expectations during a second viewing may make me see this drama differently, and see earlier scenes differently. Maybe it would be less likely to bore me if I binge watched instead of waiting each week for new episodes, which I lost interest in keeping up with.

Overall, if you are interested in this drama based on the romantic mystery sounding synopsis, know that this is actually a wealthy family secrets centered melodrama that takes on a serious theme in a very senationalized way. Romance may drive the story, but it isn't the focus, so don't expect that part of the story to be very exciting, especially with two calm and repressed characters. The action feel during the early episodes doesn't last either, and that slowed down the pace for me too. Every question that arises in the story is eventually answered, and there's is a satisfying ending, but I still had a hard time with the pace of the drama, and with the story continuously holding my interest. Don't expect clever twists, even though many parts of the story aren't what they seem to be initially. If you have patience with the story everything pays off, but I'm just not certain that it was worth the price of watching. For a drama about amnesia, it is pretty forgettable.

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“But the eyes are blind. One must look with the heart.” (The Little Prince)

I must confess, my love for this series was not love at first sight. The first episode made me rather skeptical. Too slow, too overdramatic, the intro seemed to be taken directly from the 90s and then also the talking furniture.....
Nevertheless, I gave this series a chance and experienced an unexpected masterpiece and a journey full of joy and tears because layer by layer the story as well as characters became deeper and more complex, showing this drama incredibly many facets and faces, be it a beautiful miracle, a deeply sad potrait about a dysfunctional family or a mystery story about an accident and deeply hidden secrets.
But most of all, it is the story of Nut, a struggling gay man in his late twenties. Punished with a homophobic and aggressive father, as well as a mentally ill mother who means well but doesn't have the strength in the past to support her son, it is his story that moves you deep inside like rarely before.
I have never been so close to a character, laughed with him, cried with him, been disgusted by him and then again wished him all the happiness in the world.
The story is not always nice and sweet and I can understand everyone who finds this drama too heavy and also the ending is more bitter sweet than happy.
But who finds the access to this story, will recognize behind all this suffering and pain true joy and beauty that makes you smile and believe in the good in humans.
All in all, Miracle of the Teddy bear is a milestone of an LGBT drama and shows without regret the heights and depths of a human life, with a power and an intimacy that I have never seen before and that will probably accompany me even longer

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The target of the age group I think would be into 20's and above I mean it would be more relatable to that age bracket this is not a drama that filled with sweet candies. No.
24 episodes seems a lot for a romcom right? But no this drama is special. Yes a special kind of romcom. The plot is about love, relationship, choosing, complicated situation, life and the one that I appreciate the most is the career how they attack that field really strikes into me that I could totally relate. This drama is very hilarious! Believe me. Out of the dramas I've seen this is the funniest Lol...XD it would even make you confuse like am I supposed to laugh or not?lol

Acting: The characters were all played well beyond everything that is good. Jo Jung Suk is such a great actor, awesome and there's a bonus... his swag!!! so far this is the best drama of him. Gong Hyo Jin is always been awesome as usual. Supporting cast were all lovable too!

Let's talk about characters:
Lee Hwa Shin? Ofc in a dramaland it's given that male lead must be jerk. Yes he is. Out of the male lead jerk characters I've seen he's the best among them all, words are not enough to describe why. Hahanahha. XD No one can beat the overflowing confidence he have for himself. lol

Jeung Won? Yes the typical 2nd lead kind of guy that every girl would fall for.

Male lead and 2nd lead characters of it seems so typical in dramaland right? But what will happen if there's a twist? A change of situation like how it feels like for the second lead to get a taste of being male lead and vise versa. Are you curious now and interested? Now you'll get to know more of it and understand once you watch this drama.^^

Pyo Na Ri: a lovable female lead that is very persistent in everything I meant it in a positive way.
Aside from the main role I'll give shout out to Chi Yeol and Beom character they are my favorite^^

This drama is filled with triangles. Yes. With an "s" lots of triangle relationship that you have to look forward. All the characters are lovable and likeable, every kind of relationship.. wait... umm. some could be annoying at times but at the end of the day that annoyance will turn into like as always :)

Ost:
The ost perfectly suits to the situation like it could be hilarious, serious, sincere, love and sexy!!! XD

Rewatch: definitely!

Totally deserves a rating of 10.
You know what makes it special? Usually a genre that is filled with laughter or romance (yah romcom. lol) could give butterflies into our tummies, random feels but let's admit it most romcom, the foundation of the story of is kinda weak, lacking but Jealousy Incarnate manage to overcome that kind of struggle and relay a wonderful and genuine kind of message .
Best drama of 2016. Great way to watch it before the year ends^^

This is a kind of drama that you would not want to let go once you're close to the ending. I'll miss everything about it.

Ps: being jealous could not be bad you know. Wink

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This drama is bad, really bad. Craptastically bad. It starts off making fun of having to poop when stressed, which gives you an idea of the quality of storytelling we are dealing with. I know this drama isn't meant to be taken so seriously, but I think it just tries way too hard to be funny and fails. A lot of that has to do with the terrible story, but I also blame the cast.

Oh Yeon Seo as Joo Seo Yeon is ok. Yes, just ok. There are some likable things about her character, but most of the time she looks shocked, mad, or embarrassed with her eyes bulging through most scenes. My favorite moments of hers were with Kim Seul Gi as her bff Kim Mi Kyung. Kim Seul Gi is definitely a scene-stealer, and her commentary and instigating is probably the best part of the whole show. I kinda wish she was the romantic lead with Heo Jung Min, but instead Yeon Seo is matched with Ahn Jae Hyun as Lee Kang Woo who is this drama's biggest flaw. I admit that I have disliked him in every single drama I've seen him in, and this is the best of the worst. At least in this drama, he almost has a personality... a goofy one, an awkward one, but it's better than his usual lackluster roles. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt but I am just not a fan of his at all. It doesn't help that he always plays arrogant characters who are supposed to be so "good looking" but to me, he looks average at best. I honestly don't get his appeal.

Then add to that the forced romance between Seo Yeon and Kang Woo, which is underwhelming. I just don't think they had any believable chemistry. This is definitely a case where I liked the 2nd lead much more. I loved his sweets obsession. I also liked the cousin rivalry at times, but as a love triangle, it was played more for laughs than anything else. It's hard to like a romcom if you don't like the main couple, but it's impossible if the story is crap too.

I initially liked the idea of a girl who likes "less attractive" guys but it didn't take long for that plot point to not be relevant anymore. This drama is full of random plot points... Kang Woo's IBS, a weird homeless girl, a fraudulent therapist... that feel like filler with no substance or meaning. They did try to tackle a gay plot, which was decent, but again lacking any chemistry to make me really care. Something about it just seemed lacking. They also added a little bit of family melodrama but it honestly just felt out of place.

Would I watch this again? I'm surprised I didn't drop it this time, so no. This drama is so silly and over the top, and I think the short episodes were the only reason I could keep watching. I also kept waiting for a payoff that never came. They actually try to wrap everything up in the last 30-minute episode with everything resolving way too easily, but at that point, I didn't really care I just wanted it to finally be over.

Overall, this drama is one you can skip. It's mostly a comedy but I don't remember laughing even once. It's a romance but peripheral characters' relationships were way more interesting than the main couple. They had good intentions with the gay acceptance subplot but it wasn't done well. I should have known from the moment that doves flew from the toilet seat that this drama was a mess. Fans of this type of humor may feel differently, or fans of Ahn Jae Hyun, but to me, this was a forgettable drama that I watched just to pass the time. If you love awkward moments, silly misunderstandings, and poop jokes, then this drama delivers! Sadly, that's about all it delivers. I think Drama with Flaws would've been a much more accurate title.

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Sometimes, the sea brings more than just waves it brings healing, love, and a whole new beginning.

Why I loved this drama:
This drama isn’t just about love it’s about life. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha gave me so much comfort, laughter, and peace.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha tells the story of Yoon Hye-jin, a confident and stylish dentist from Seoul, who ends up in the peaceful seaside village of Gongjin after a professional setback. There, she meets the charming and mysterious ""Hong Du-sik""also known as Chief Hong who is always helping others with a smile, though he carries pain from his past.
Their worlds are totally different but somehow, perfectly meant for each other.
This drama gently explores their love story, surrounded by the warmth of village life and colorful local characters. It’s slow-paced in a good way giving space to enjoy each moment, feel each emotion, and grow with the characters. 💫

Main Leads' Chemistry:
Uff, so natural and soft! Their small glances, silly fights, and quiet support for each other made me fall in love with them. It wasn't flashy, but it felt real. Like the kind of love that grows slowly but stays forever. 🥰

Things that made this drama special:
🌊 The ocean view. It’s like therapy!
🏘️ Gongjin villagers every one of them felt like family.
💖 No dramatic evil characters—just real-life feelings and healing.
☕ That little coffee cart by the sea? My dream spot.
💫 It made me believe in fresh starts and kind hearts.

OST
The soundtrack is magical. Especially Romantic Sunday it’s like a hug in a song. Every time I hear it, I feel like I’m back in Gongjin. So soft, so healing. 🎶💕

Watching this drama feels like lying on a hammock with sea breeze, a warm blanket, and your favorite book. It’s cozy, healing, and makes you believe everything will be okay. 😌

Re-watch Value:
Very high! It’s a perfect drama to re-watch when you’re feeling low, tired, or just want something gentle and happy. There’s always something new to notice in the characters and their small, heartwarming stories It heals you—again and again. 🌙

If your soul needs something sweet, soft, and hopeful watch Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. It’s more than a K-drama. It’s a warm little world that teaches you how love, kindness, and community can heal even the deepest wounds.
This drama is so comforting, touching, sweet, inspiring, and full of soft beauty. A story that stays with you long after it ends🌸

Favorite Quote:
"Don’t try to endure everything on your own. Lean on others. It's okay to do that." Hong Du-sik
(This line hugged my heart.) 💕

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I'm worried my review below won't encompass everything I love about this lakorn, so I'll just let you know right now that I'd definitely recommend you watch this and I'm currently re-watching it right now, even though I finished it not too long ago.

The story is really good. You start with the ML, Seua Pha, and how he became a bandit. There is a magic element to this lakorn that confused me at first, but luckily it's not the main focus and it's not some OP power. Pha was forced to become a bandit due to the hatred the bandit leader, Phan, had against his father and we see how Pha tries his best to do good despite his upbringing (eg. robbing the rich to give to poor, killing only the bad, protecting women). This is in contrast to his adopted brother, Pajong, who is a truly wicked bandit at heart (robs and kills whoever, r*pes women) but is also insecure because he knows that Pha is better than him. It's really interesting to watch both the external (bandits vs police) and internal conflicts (Pha vs Pajong, Pha vs Phan, Phan vs other bandit leaders) which keeps the lakorn engaging and entertaining. One thing that did bother me was in the finale when Phan was dying; I felt like Phan won even though he died, because he was able to see Pha's father hurt Pha and he was able to be buried with all his treasure. I felt that that could've been avoided and that whole scene in general was weak and not thought out well.

I love all the characters here. I didn't see a single character that I thought was useless or served no purpose. Pha is just a dreamboat on shoes; he's charismatic, confident, unbelievably strong and someone with a heart of gold. He's also incredibly clever and it boggles me how he was able to outsmart his enemies. Nampeung is also great in that she's headstrong, brave (although sometimes too brave for her own good) and takes matters into her own hands instead of waiting on others. She's also confident and clever, although Pha is just a bit more clever than her (which makes for some fun scenes where she thinks she's outsmarting him but he's one step ahead of her lol).

Some fav 2ndry characters were Mae'Lamjiak, Reung and surprisingly Grachao. I love how Mae'Lamjiak was someone with a tough exterior but actually cared a lot, and saw value in our FL despite her initial prejudice. Reung was just hilarious. Grachao was someone I ended up feeling sorry for, because despite her arrogance, she was heavily manipulated and used like a pawn by Pajong. I'm glad that Pajong died by her hands and she ended up redeeming herself in the end.

The best thing about this lakorn is hands down the romance. The chemistry between them was insane. And so many kisses LOL! I lost count after the 5th kiss (not that I'm complaining hehe). I love that our leads were awesome people on their own, but together they were even better. Pha purposefully does not comfort NP when she's upset, so she can be stronger and survive; likewise NP believes in Pha's goodness which propels him to be able to trust the police in taking down the bandit village. Both make each other a better person, and I love the devotion they both have for each other. I love how Pha is willing to do anything for NP and how NP unconditionally loves him even though he's a bandit. Their bickering is also super cute. I wish we'd been able to see their wedding but they got their HEA and I'm here for it.

The one weak thing here was the music; in a lot of instances, it was played inappropriately. Some scenes had music when it didn't need it. It was also weird how they would play a sad song but then suddenly play some comedic sounds to try and make the scene funny. It was jarring and made me confused on what I was supposed to be feeling. The music itself is not terrible, but it was definitely overplayed and I wish they had more songs.

If this hasn't convinced you to watch this I don't know what will. This was honestly an amazing watch for me and will stay in my heart for years to come.

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Messy writing for Ja and First again

I really wished that for once Ja and First would get a good script for a show, but sadly it wasn't the case. This show violated the most basic rules of writing: Show, don't tell; Delete any unnecessary crap that doesn't serve the plot or the characterisation; don't leave or start random threads that lead nowhere or have no starting point. Achi remained characterless without any backstory, there were so many unnecessary scenes, stuff was brought up out of nowhere and lead nowhere and the issues created and resolved were confusing as hell. The story between the doc and Mueang was making the most sense and 90% of their scenes were NC scenes.
The story between Achi and Punn could have been good, if they had leaned more into Punn waking up from his idol worship and realise who Achi really is and if he liked that person just the same (or more) because of his flaws. This was all they needed to set up a good plot. Instead, we still know nothing about Achi and who he is- aside from being famous, Punn is still a weird fanboy and they created this weird "he took notes" issue that made zero sense.
Writing wise, as well as directing wise (where did this weird overacting scene from First come from in ep 12? Achi barely showed any emotions for 11 episodes and then he acts like this out of nowhere? Wth?!) this show is a mess.
The only thing they didn't do wrong is paint abuse as romance, so they get a star for missing that trap.

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Before I "officially" start this review, I'd like to just throw this piece of appreciation out right in the beginning, lest I forget later on: I love that Misty kept the atmosphere of the drama consistent throughout all 16 years episodes. I have seen absolutely wonderful dramas suddenly change tones in the middle of the run and become horrible, something I was SURE Misty was also going to do considering how delicate and dark the show is (and hence, hard to keep a firm grip on.) I really commend the writer on this part.

Now...onto the actual review.

Plenty of other reviews all the amazing things about this drama (atmosphere, acting, relationships etc.) I won't really touch on that, not when other great reviews have already pointed them out better than I can. What I WILL touch on is the parts other reviews skim over most of the time: the not-so-amazing parts.

Let's start with Go Hye Ran's relationship with our main guy, Kang Tae Wook. Maybe I'm too basic for this stuff, but their romance made no sense, especially with that ending. 80% of the drama is spent with the two ignoring each other and barely talking. Then, all of a sudden, you want me to believe they're in...love? Lust? Because neither of them have gotten any in a long time? It's really disappointing considering all the other great relationships in the drama, with Go Hye Ran and her entire Newsroom team, Kang Tae Wook with his fellow public defender, Go Hye Ran and her reporter friend etc. It shows that the writer is capable of building credible relationships, but somehow, somewhere, fell flat on the romantic ones.

This point wouldn't have annoyed me as much if it hadn't been THE MAIN POINT OF THE DRAMA. The basic story is so fresh and new, of a love-less couple falling in love with one another while the husband defends the wife from being charged as a murderer, of eternal loyalty and blood trumping all others etc. Gosh, was it too much to expect a little more relationship development for what is essentially supposed to be a love story? I hope not.

Some side characters weren't always very likeable, in the sense that I couldn't, for the life of me, understand why they did what they did- Ha Myung Woo (...a guy with a 19 year old "crush" on Go Hye Ran?) and Go Hye Ran's boss (sorry, too lazy to search for his name on MDL). Ha Myung Woo because the way he was written was so sloppy and strange, like really, you expect me to believe he does everything he's doing because he loves Go Hye Ran? What? It logically doesn't make sense and the writer doesn't try to make it sound logical either. Maybe that's the intention. Whatever. Go Hye Ran's boss was also someone who was very inconsistently written, with his being Pro-Go Hye Ran at times and Anti-Go Hye Ran in the other. He seemed like more a minor catalyst for future events than a fully-fledged supporting character.

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