Such a Thrilling Mystery Drama
From start to finish it story was brilliant. It's a well planed and very very eye catching drama. The visuals? Absolutely eye-catching. The colors, the vibes—it was all crazy. iQiyi really outdid themselves, crafting a show that’s gonna be remembered forever. The story hit that sweet spot with just the right mix of thrill and romance.Now, let’s talk about Angelababy. She really outdid herself with this one. Sure, she was “sleeping” for most of it, but when she was on screen? She delivered. Honestly, I prefer her acting here over her 2025 drama EL.
And the pacing? Wild. A new story almost every two episodes? That’s next-level. CiCi Wang—I gotta say, she turned me into a fan real quick with her role as a supporting character. She owned it. WAY, he was serving the entire time. His face card? Never declines. This drama? Unforgettable.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Just my thoughts after I finished watching...
AFTER I FINISHED WATCHING THE DRAMAI really enjoyed the romance between the adult main characters. They had great chemistry.
The drama also touched on several topics related to the problems of Korean society, such as the pressure parents put on their children to study. And that leads to the question of what eventually happened to Sua? It seemed that in the earlier episodes she had quite a lot of screen time, but eventually she was forgotten and the creators focused on explaining the mysterious plot, the solution of which was obvious anyway.
Also what about Hui Jae and his mother? They went on a trip and suddenly everything was fine? I feel it's not enough to close their story.
I really enjoyed this drama until it turned out that the stories of several characters were not properly closed. Also, the dark plot took up a bit too much screen time, because only one person could really be the culprit - especially considering that the creators wanted to direct suspicion to Hui Jae in the first place.
But most of the time I had fun watching this drama. So my rating hasn't dropped much.
------------------------------------------
AFTER I WATCHED 9 EPISODES
Rating 10/10
We knew from the beginning that there is some mystery in this drama. So we know that finally the dark subplot will be resolved. However, at the moment, most of the scenes are lighter and mostly do not refer to the dark part of the drama. This is quite a typical treatment in Korean productions, and I like it.
In the drama, we also have mothers obsessed with their children's education. Including one really annoying mother-daughter duo.
So far, I really like everything about this drama and I'm looking forward to the next episodes.
----------------------------------------
AFTER I WATCHED 1 EPISODE
Rating: 8/10
I like that it looks like we've already gotten some introduction to all or most of the threads that will be covered in the drama. The first episode gave me the feeling that it will be a bit of a cute, sometimes dark story with humour typical of Korean productions. I really like actress Roh Yoon Seo and at the moment I watched all the things she starred in. I have high hopes for her character.
I've seen comments about FL looking old. Well, the actress is almost 50 years old and is 10 years older than the actor playing the role of ML. Of course, it can be seen sometimes. But it's not so noticeable that some people make such a big deal of it. They both look great and fit their roles.
I think I'll like this drama, but we'll see. So far it looks really good.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
THE WARMTH OF BEING GLOOMY
First of all I rated it with 2.0 in rewatchable value for the reason of Drama Withdrawal. How can normal people watch it again for the 2nd time, like every episode I become a mess a sobbing jellybean watching it with tissues ready on the side. For once in my life on watching kdrama this was the only drama that I would take a break for each and every episode because i cant control my eyes from watering my cheeks damn THATS HOW SAD ITS IS. Overall the drama is very good because it talks about human penury, human guilt, longingness and everything that makes us a sponge of things around us based on our actions and interactions within the society also depicts life situation of kids with disabilities which is nice approach in giving awareness. KUDOS TO THE TEAM. but I think i can rewatch it anytime soon.Was this review helpful to you?
The cast really have given life to the characters in a unique way and makes you want to re-watch it many times!
The friendship and bond between Sherlock and Watson alternatives are very fun to watch, also at times moving for viewers.
Only complaint is that it be more better if the seasons had more episodes and took their own pace.
Makes you look forward to many more seasons.
Definitely recommended for weekend watching!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Love the vibes!
From the production to all of the film editing and atoryline. One of the best!! I love bailu acting here so much. Such in depth charactger growth for huazi from. High school to adulthood. Huazi have thrive smalll gesture and the way her tone changes as she grown older. When she was young they give her a more rebellious persona, as she grown older they give her a more calm and mature aura. She is more good at giving her own stance in her opinion.Was this review helpful to you?
The story was very interesting and I thought it was done really well; however, towards the ending I felt that it lost its charm a few episodes before the ending and became too serious and very cliche. It was able to redeem itself in the end though.
I also agree with everyone that they were a little too metaphor heavy and I found myself having to rewind some parts just to fully understand what they were trying to say.
The actors were of course brilliant and I saw no flaws whatsoever. I absolutely loved the cast and their characters.
The music.....it got annoying. It is definitely not a soundtrack I will be listening to again. The instrumental version of the songs were nice but the other songs just did not stand out to me at all and were more of a nuisance than anything.
Overall I think this makes it to the list of 2013 dramas to watch because it was a good drama and it had a cute romance which is a plus for me.
Was this review helpful to you?
Twilight in Thai Version but better then the original
Unfortunately, I have to agree with the voices comparing mgb to Twilight. I really had hopes for this bl that it would go for a less cuddly vampire portrayal than the previous vampire bl. This has largely materialised.Story: Rather mediocre until the inbuilt plot twist. I liked some of the character dynamics and would have liked more screentime from nakkan and kla for example. A second couple (especially ‘villain’ and friend and how the characters influence and develop each other) would have been good for the story. I didn't like how the plot twist was resolved at the end, it was rather clumsy.
Acting: The acting of the main characters was consistently good to very good.
I would like to emphasise the theme tune. A great song. And the harmony between JossGarwin is great, enhances everything again. Also, despite my disappointment (maybe my expectations were too high), I think this BL is worth seeing. It's a bit darker than the others in the genre, but not yet the way I like it. What is not yet can still be, I am eagerly awaiting ReVamp.
Was this review helpful to you?
1This cute romance could have had more depth
What starts as an ordinary "opposites attract" romance -- Ji Won is shy and avoids public scrutiny, while Jeong Woo thrives in it -- with inconsistent characterisations and tropey situations, turns out to be a drama that has a story to tell about homophobia in professional sports. Unfortunately that is only after it's found its stride near the end of the third episode, which is late in a drama of eight episodes.Overall, it feels as if the writers found it too challenging to adapt the original novel into an eight-episode drama, couldn't decide which kind of story they wanted to tell, and just kept it to the bare bones of the romance part.
(Disclosure: I haven't read the novel, so I can only assume that it has a much more detailed and hopefully deeper story.)
I feel more than the usual disconnect I sometimes have with the Korean acting style, and I feel it's only in part due to the actors being rookies. I think most of it is the script, which leaves large parts of the two main characters unexplored, and doesn't give the actors much to work with:
* Why does blow Jeong Woo hot and cold in the beginning? What are his emotions and his motivations at that time?
* Who is Jeong Woo, where does he come from, why does he play basketball, what does he want in life? What has influenced him so far?
* Where exactly does Ji Won's anxiety about being observed come from? Does it have to do with the (hinted at) abuse he suffered from his first coach?
* What is Ji Won's relationship with his parents like? What part did *they* play in his youth?
* Does he know he's gay before meeting Jeong Woo or not?
* How old is he, and in which year are the basketballers? (I think one of the friends said Ji Won was 22, and they are all the same age -- are Jeong Woo and his friends in fourth year then?)
* How much time passes between scenes and over the course of the drama?
* Several times there are inconsistencies or it's obvious that characters reference happenings that are never shown, or mentioned anywhere else in the drama.
With it, the most interesting parts of the story are only hinted at: How much impact the rampant homophobia in professional sports has -- and how it forces athletes to hide large parts of themselves. How public scrutiny of celebrities can affect their psyche. How abusive the system can be for minors who often are at the mercy of their trainers.
The story had the potential to be much more than another cute romance, which is a shame.
Some thoughts about the directing and editing: I wish the director had been a bit more adventurous. She shows that she is capable of making interesting decisions, like having the camera shake in one emotional scene or using background music sparingly, and letting silence speak for itself. But in more than a few scenes, dialogues are delivered while the characters are standing in front of each other, facing the other character head-on; or walking at a snail's pace -- which reminds me of the static scenes in "Light On Me". This also contributes to the feeling that the acting is seemingly not that good; which is not quite true, because as soon as the actors get to do something and their characters have a clear motivation for their actions the scenes become much more lively and approachable.
One thing that suprised me in the best way: When one character comes out to his friends, he uses the words "gay" and "bi", which is a very rare thing in BLs.
Was it good?
The drama was better than I expected, in that it didn't pretend that all is easily accepted in BL-Land, but that homophobia, especially in certain places like pro sports, exists and restricts the lives of queer people.
Did I like it?
I liked it fine, but mainly because I didn't expect much. It also wasn't the deepest of K-BLs.
Who would I recommend it to?
To those who generally get on with the style of K-BLs, like campus romance and Korean cuties.
Was this review helpful to you?
All dance lacking dialogue and story
A lot of work has gone into this,the dancing is superb and highly choreographed showing the training leading up to the big event.There is chemistry between the leads however there is very minimal dialogue and quite a flat story. The dance elements are the main focus. It is a stretch to call this a romance as those elements seem quite disjointed from the choreography. There are only a couple of decent conversations between the leads and the rest is dance with some backstory.
If you came here for the BL elements you will be disappointed, if you came for the dance then you will love this.
If the focus was more on the relationship development and romance then this would have been perfect. It's a shame some areas are just hollow.
Was this review helpful to you?
So why do I find this drama so great? The story, the acting, the music, everything.
Storyline is really interesting. The acting -- let's just say I cried oceans while watching. When the characters were sad, I was sad. When they were aggravated, I was aggravated. They made the viewers feel their pain. And the leads. THE LEADS. I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop from the beginning to the end. Their chemistry together was ELECTRIFYING. The yearning, and the expressions; I couldn't handle it. It was just captivating. To add on to the dramatizing, the selection of music for scenes jerked more tears. Although I had no idea what the words were in the songs, they just set the right mood.
Don't miss out on this drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I screamed when I saw this - one of my all-time favourite Chinese novel finally got turned into a drama and I didn't know about it until 3-4 days ago! I was super excited but at the same time nervous starting out since I didn't want to have this huge expectation and have to fall so low if it turns out bad. I have watched the movie version of Never Gone when it first became available but it fell short of my expectation. It was good but didn’t get me as excited as this drama version did lol. Once I finished the first episode, my heart soared and was overjoyed and excited that it had a strong start. I pretty much binged watch the entire drama and man, it flowed so smooth for me lol.The actors and actresses fit the YJ, CZ and the side characters in my mind to a T! The young actress and actor for the main characters during their high school times were spot on too - I'm not sure if I'm just so excited that I'm making it up in my head and seeing things but I swear Landy Li and Hu Xian Xu looks totally believable as the younger version of Yang Zi Shan and Elvis Han. It just flows so well! And their acting, I must applaud - so cute, lovable, easy on the eyes and totally, exactly like the characters they are portraying lol - the continuity of the characters' personality were amazing. Granted, the transition from high school to college over one summer showing the change over of the actors/actresses was a bit…unbelievable but that can be easily overlooked :P
***The rest of the comment MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS so please read at your own discretion!!!***
Now moving onto the drama itself vs the novel. There definitely were some changes. Some changes I appreciated yet some, I did not (hence I rated this drama 9.5/10 as opposed to 10/10). The character of SYJ was pretty much the same, frustrating but that was just who she was as a character so that was well portrayed. I love how persistent and one-track mind CZ is for SYJ. The character of CZ was more likeable in the drama though. That’s not to say I didn’t like him in the novel (which obviously I did but he had major flaws which made him even more human if that makes sense...). CZ in the drama was more like a….straight "pure" character - yes he had his immature side and acted like a big (albeit lovable) kid, but in the novel, the character of CZ made more mistakes and did certain actions that were more “dark” and inexcusable than the drama portrayed. I suppose I already sort of expected them not to show certain actions in the drama as it was described in the book but still, some significant scenes and events did not happen as well (i.e. in the book, they got together sooner - after the SARS event since she felt touched that CZ was there when she felt all scared and alone or that she had an abortion alone and it was during that time she bonded with Xu Zhi Heng and got closer to him). Of course, there were changes that I liked too. I liked how we got to know more about Shen Jun An and Zhang Yue. I also liked the addition of Jing Zi though as much as I wanted Mo Yu Hua to have a happy ending that she did not get from the novel, I didn’t like how she ended up with Zhou Zi Yi the way they did. I wish it was done differently or not at all. I may be the only one who feels that lol.
I have read the author’s other novel 許我向你看 (translates to "Let Me Look At You"?) and loved it as well and the whole time I watched Never Gone, I kept thinking how perfect Yang Zi Shan would be for the main female character and Elvis Han as the main male character if they ever make a drama for her other novel - but one novel at a time! What really got me excited was the inclusion of Chen Jie Jie and a tiny peek of her side story through Zhou Zi Yi in their mini trip arch as CJJ was a second female lead in 許我向你看 so it gave me hope that there would be a drama for that novel soon too in the future. I have read that there will be a movie version in 2020 but we’ll see!
One last thing I want to point out: the music. What great choices of music. Absolutely loved the background music and how a male re-sang Fish Leong's "Courage". Super fitting!
As much as I’ve discussed about this drama, I must admit it’s not for everyone as the female lead can make you want to bang your head against the wall and want to scream at her like CZ did regarding her inability to voice and express herself. However, if you can come to understand that, that was just how her character was written (that her personality is just this stoic, internalize everything kind of character), it would make sense. They can’t all be those happy bright character or outspoken female lead right? One of the reasons I loved the novel were the flaws in all the characters so I wasn’t as bothered by the portrayal of SYJ. I would recommend reading the novel first before watching the drama to avoid some of the frustrations lol - it may help or not but just a recommendation!
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
A Historical Marvel Fueled by Explosive Chemistry
Knight Flower isn't just a drama; it's a mesmerizing journey that has left an indelible mark on my heart. Each character, no matter how fleeting their appearance, was a revelation, adding layers of depth and nuance to an already rich tapestry.From the passing poor citizen who graced the screen for mere moments to the seemingly insignificant characters who proved to be pivotal to the plot, every individual was a masterstroke of storytelling. The gray characters, neither wholly good nor evil, added a complexity that kept me enthralled, while the villain's cunning schemes held me in awe of their sheer malevolence.
What truly astounds me is the unexpected success Knight Flower has achieved. Surpassing even the most esteemed dramas of its time slot, this drama has defied expectations and set a new standard for excellence. Its rise to the top is a testament to its quality and the fervor of its audience. The scriptwriting was a stroke of genius, seamlessly weaving together intricate plotlines and witty dialogue that kept me on the edge of my seat. And the direction and choice of OSTs added an extra layer of depth and emotion that elevated the drama to new heights.
And then there are the performances. The lead actor, in his first major role as the sole male lead, delivered a tour de force performance that was both powerful and nuanced. His magnetic presence kept me glued to the screen, hanging on his every word and gesture. And the leading lady, a modern-day incarnation of the multitalented Honey Lee, brought a strength and charisma to her role that was truly awe-inspiring. With every scene, she commanded the screen, effortlessly capturing the essence of her character and leaving me breathless in her wake. What truly set Knight Flower ablaze was the explosive chemistry between the leads. The screen practically crackled with electricity every time they shared a scene, leaving me breathless with anticipation for their next encounter. And how tender and understanding they were towards each other... And it wasn't just the main couple; even the side couples were a perfect match, their relationships unexpected yet utterly captivating.
Knight Flower has cemented its place as a true masterpiece of a genre that can't be just put into a box for being either a historical, political, romance, or comedy per se but a bit of it all and the best of it all. It's a testament to the talent and dedication of everyone involved and a shining example of what can be achieved when passion and creativity collide.
I don't think I can ever be satisfied with finishing this review because I don't know if words can encapsulate how good this drama has been from the first minute to the last. And also how hilarious the drama is! it's the kind of show that brightens your day or week, leaving you unable to wipe the smile off your face due to the sheer cuteness and perfection of the deliveries.
Was this review helpful to you?
