Reviews

Story: Many would have you believe that this is the Korean adaptation of the highly successful Chinese drama Bu Bu Jing Xing (BBJX). It is not! More accurately, there are only a few similarities (can be counted in one hand) of circumstances but other than that, this is an entirely different story. In a nutshell, it's a story about a woman from the current time accidentally ended up in the ancient times where she became a part of a royal household and became friends with the princes of that era. She was caught in the middle of the political rivalry between the brothers for the throne.

I would like to reiterate that this Korean version was not written by the original Bu Bu Jing Xing writer. This is entirely a Korean written drama. The biggest difference are the characters. The main male lead in this drama is a bit of a ruffian and pariah with tendencies towards brutality. The female lead of this drama is a weak character who is always the victim and never a success of her own (which is so unlike the female lead in BBJX!). Maybe the idea of a strong, arrogant, cold male with tendencies towards brutality and a weak, simpering, without backbone and a blur-bordering-on-being-stupid heroine appeals to the Korean audience as per the rich, arrogant, powerful, abusive chaebol guy and the poor, happy, innocent woman formula. In any case, the lack of strong lead characters (including that of the second male lead) totally spoiled this drama for me.

The charm and success of BBJX relied heavily on its unforgettable characters. The storyline of time-traveling and involvement in palace politics itself is not new and pretty 'standard' in the Chinese drama scene. Popular examples include Palace: Lock Heart, The Myth and the recent web-drama comedic hit Go Princess Go. The Chinese have been making such time-traveling dramas for decades now. What made BBJX achieved such a big success was mainly because of its unforgettable characters and not necessarily the storyline itself. The Koreans went and adapt the main idea of the story and the open ended ending but pretty much made a mess of all of its characters.

Do not get me wrong here. I am not comparing the Korean version with the Chinese version. To do so, will be like comparing chicken to duck. Both are two very different products although from the same story idea! I am merely stating that if the Koreans had decided to do a drama based on time-traveling, palace politics and romance - they could learn much from their Chinese counterparts about writing characters that create lasting and strong impacts instead of following the usual mold of what constitutes a successful Korean romance pairing (rich abusive guy with poor weak woman). I believe if they had dared to break away from this mold and give the audience a strong female character with a strong, upright and strategist of a male character against a kind but ambitious second male lead, the drama would have been a much bigger hit. The only characters that this drama did well are the characters of the 10th prince and his wife. To this day, I cannot decide if I like BBJX's 10th prince and wife better or this Korean version's 10th prince and wife. In both versions, the characters of the 10th prince and wife were given good justice although both had different stories and endings for the 10th prince and wife.

Acting/Cast: Most of the male casts did well, as did the supporting actresses. The female lead, however, was a total let down. She only had three expressions: shy smile, expressionless and shocked. Her body language was a bit stiff too - making it hard for me to be convinced that there's even chemistry between her and the male leads; hence making this so-called 'great romance that caused brothers to fight against each other for the throne' less convincing. Even the shocked look looked rather unconvincing. In cases like these, there are 3 possibilities: 1- This was how the character was depicted in the script, or 2- The actress is bad in acting and shouldn't be acting, or 3- Both 1 and 2. I do not know much about the female lead as I do not follow news of Korean young idols and since this is the first drama of hers that I'd watched, I cannot make a concrete judgment of her acting skills. The jury is out on this matter. What I can say for absolute certain was the lead female character was the reason why I dropped this drama after 6 episodes and only caught up after it has finished airing (with fingers firmly on the fast forward button!).

Music: Nothing that stuck in my head.

Rewatch value: I will not be re-watching this.

Overall: Enough said. I recommend that you go watch Bu Bu Jing Xing instead if you haven't watch it.

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Phenomenal! Zhao Lusi & Wu Lei Rock!

月升沧海 (Love Like the Galaxy Part 2) is the continuation of 星汉灿烂 (Love Like the Galaxy Part 1). Therefore, viewers must watch Part 1 first before watching this Part 2. Adapted from a novel, the background is set in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 AD) during the reign of Emperor Guangwu (r. 25–57 AD) (this is not explicitly stated, and the names have been altered). Like Emperor Guangwu, the Emperor in this story is also a founding emperor who does not kill and is benevolent to his subjects. Some of the events taken place in the royal palace are written based on the actual historical events, and many of the characters are based on actual historical figures.

My review here combines Part 1 and Part 2, giving my verdict for the overall drama.

In the novel, a girl time-travels back to ancient time and into Cheng Shaoshang’s body. After 23 chapters later, then only Ling Buyi appears. In the drama version, Ling Buyi aka Ling Zhisheng (Wu Lei) appears in the opening scene of the first episode. According to readers, the story is beautiful but extremely slow burning. I can see that in the drama: for the first 25 episodes of Part 1, the main couple is still at odds with each other though Ling Buyi has already fallen head over heels in love with Cheng Shaoshang aka Niao Niao (Zhao Lusi) because she is so different from all the girls he knows.

Ling Buyi, a dark character with a secretive background and few words, is cold and expressionless. Inside, he is full of anger and vengeance, seeking justice against those who had caused the death of the entire population, including his family, of a city he used to live in. He was adopted by the Emperor and treated like a prince. As a fearsome warrior and a powerful general that everyone respects and fears, he is the most eligible bachelor every girl in town covets, but his eyes on none as he despises those pretentious, bitchy, bratty, and unlikable girls, until he meets Cheng Shaoshang.

Wu Lei grows rapidly from the adolescent in Nirvana in Fire to a man with chiseled good look. His acting skills have also improved markedly by the years and in dramas he acts. Here as the 21 years old Ling Buyi, Wu Lei fits into the description of the character near perfection. Though at times he looks a bit stiff trying to walk like a commanding general, his subtle facial expressions are done very convincingly especially when he transforms from a cold character to a soft and caring character while gazing into his love. He looks emotionless but when he turns to look at her, his face softens, his eyes exude love and care. Despite being a military man, he’s gentle, caring and attends to details. It’s really hilarious to see how a formidable general who would find excuses so that he could stay close to the one he loves in secret. Wu Lei is spot on. I have thoroughly enjoyed all his scenes and wanted more.

Cheng Shaoshang is an unconventional girl. Left to fend for herself since she was born, she becomes very strong and fearless. She has a sharp tongue and is quick witted. She would hit back whenever she is being hit. Her motto is “an eye for an eye”. I love this character to bits, probably because deep inside me, I wish I could live as such a character, punching back whenever being punched, with no regrets nor fears; I have always taken such characters as my role model, to the horrors of many.

For me, this is probably Zhao Lusi’s best acting thus far as the 15-year-old Cheng Shaoshang. Her mischievous behavior to take revenge against whoever wrongs her is fun to watch and satisfying. Her rebuttals and unforgiving tongue make the viewers love her and so does Ling Buyi. I love Zhao Lusi’s innocent look, the huffs and puffs she makes when she clumsily climbs onto the horse or up the ladder over the wall, and her sweet smile beams like a blooming flower. Zhao Lusi is simply amazing, and her acting skills have improved leaps and bounds since the first time I watched her.

The writers have brilliantly brought out the personalities of the Empress and the Consort through their conversations with the Emperor, contrasting their characters, setting the stage for eventual development. Consort Yue is upstanding and badass, and denounces even her own children if they don’t get in line, whereas the Empress is soft-hearted and forgiving, even to those undeserving ones, which are depicted vividly in the actions of her own son, the Crown Prince, who is said to take after her.

My Verdict

Not having read the novel when I first watched the trailer, I thought this was a slapstick comedy and another Zhao Lusi’s rom-com. But as I watch the drama, these outrageously funny scenes appropriately fit into the overall story; they are genuinely hilarious and intriguing. I have re-watched those scenes multiple times and each time, I still laugh out loud and relish every moment. Though very comedic and funny, the plot is dark and bloody.

This is a very slow burning story. Despite so, it is not boring as it captures all the details of the events with lighthearted dialogues (most very funny, cute and unexpected), in-depth development of each character, and an appropriate pace in unfolding of the plot. Every action taken by the characters has a purpose that leads to the final consequences. So, nothing is redundant.

The writer has a great sense of humor in telling the story and resolving the conflicts. Insanely exaggerated, all the characters are realistically written. This is perhaps the first drama I watch with so many shameless characters. Grannies and young girls alike, simply throw themselves on the ground to demand their wants like some bratty kids. Greed, selfishness, hatred, indifference, cowardice and evil versus generosity, selflessness, love, compassion, valor and good are all vividly depicted in every character, and their ultimate outcome. With the bad ones being horribly bad, it is satisfying to see their eventual endings and lessons learned.

This drama gives us some of the greatest official sound tracks. The tune, Sigh of the Galaxy (星河叹) (Cheng Shaoshang character song), played by Cheng Shaoshang on the flute is one of the most beautiful tunes I've ever heard. It sounds melancholy when she is sad, and it sounds serene when she is out in the beautiful countryside. The other orchestral pieces and songs are equally well composed and performed to greatly enhance the mood of the story.

With Zhao Lusi around, the fun never ends! For romance buffs, this is a must-watch. The chemistry between Zhao Lusi and Wu Lei is simply the best of all the romantic couples I've seen. Unlike most lazy writing with endings where everyone dies, this drama let the bad characters die a slow death, and reward the good guys. Having said that, many of the details have not been properly explained, and towards the later part, many scenes are choppy. This is most likely due to the later editing, trying to fit in the approved length (some say about 10 episodes have been taken out). All in all, the first part (ie. Part 1) is full of details and super slow moving, and the second part (ie. Part 2) is action packed and faster pace. Though it has its flaws, this is still a better drama than many. As of the writing of this review and the drama still airing, it has garnered over 5 billions views already. Everyone seems to be talking about the drama because it is so absorbing.

Brilliant storytelling, great acting, excellent camera work and directing. This is a worthwhile watch, definitely a TWO THUMBS UP!

BRAVO!

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A Recipe for Gastronomic JBLs

Or: How to trap a man in 9 easy episodes.

Ingredients:

For the series:
10-15 year age-gap
6-10 inch height gap
2-4 side characters with no depth or individuality
1 astonishingly small kitchen
1 knife and 1 pair of ryouribashi (cooking chopsticks)
1 serving (at least) of onigiri
1 serving (at least) of a Western dessert (preferably cake, preferably for a birthday)
2-4 instances (at least) of misunderstanding & miscommunication
1 episode of illness or indisposition
1 wet white towel, to tend to that indisposition
(Story or plot optional)

For each episode:
10 mins. of food porn, of which:
2 mins. for broth-based dishes
2 mins. for rice-based dishes
2 mins. for curry
2 min. for lingering shots of chopping
1 min. for serving
1 min. for presentation
2 min. (at most) of interaction with the side characters
1 exclamation (at least) of "oishii" or "umai"
(Plot and character development optional)

For serving:
2-4 shots of chopstick choreography per episode
3-5 near-kisses per series
1 fish-eye or camera-angle non-kiss per series (optional)
(Payoff optional)

Preparation:
1. Toss the ingredients together in a medium-sized show
2. Be careful to keep the right proportions for each episode
3. Simmer slowly to break down all chemistry and tension
4. Gently stir the camera around the top of the pans and apply suitable filters
5. Decant the bland broth into clean 25-minute containers
6. Garnish with the non-kiss
7. Serve lukewarm immediately, or tomorrow, or five years from now. It doesn’t matter.

Special Notes for Sugar Dog Life:
1. I-su-mi-kun! I-su-mi-kun!
2. Do people really check for fever by huddling their heads together?
3. Kyosuke is coded as the husband and Isumi as the wife, right? Look at the poster.
4. What on earth is a sugar dog life? Is it a Japanese idiom? Can someone enlighten me?

Note: This review also appears under Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke, but with a different set of notes.

Reader's Digest:
DO SAY: Itadakimasu.
DON’T SAY: Ittakimasu.

See Also: Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke, Bokura no Shokutaku, Kinou Nani Tabeta, Perfect Propose.

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Amazing

What an amazing drama. Honestly, what can I say that's bad about it? Nothing. It was completely new and like nothing I've seen before. It was really different and fantastastical. It had romance, humour, fight scenes, and fantasy elements. All in all, it was just a really great drama. I loved it a lot and the ending was perfect and made sure everyone got their happy ending. I would for sure rewatch it and recommend it to anyone. Don't let the bad reviews get to you and stop you from watching because we all have different tastes and to those who are up for trying it out, I would definitely back you up! Good luck and enjoy.

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FRIENDS TO LOVERS TROUPE DONE RIGHT!!!

"You're My Lover Friend" is a refreshing take on the friends-to-lovers trope, bringing depth and authenticity to a story that often misses the mark. This drama beautifully captures the essence of a long-term friendship, where the bond between the two main characters feels both special and heartwarming. The writers have done a commendable job of portraying their relationship as something that goes beyond mere friendship, yet remains just shy of crossing into more intimate territory.

What I particularly appreciate about this series is how it highlights the characters' internal conflicts as they begin to realize their feelings for each other. The slow burn of their relationship makes perfect sense; it allows viewers to witness each step of their journey—from deep friendship to the complexities of newfound feelings. While some might find the pacing slow, I believe it adds to the realism of their transition. The fear of losing what they already have is palpable, making their eventual acceptance of their feelings all the more rewarding.

Overall, "You're My Lover Friend" successfully showcases the nuanced journey from friends to lovers, emphasizing the importance of communication and taking things at a comfortable pace. It's a heartfelt exploration of love that resonates with anyone who has navigated the tricky waters of evolving relationships. This drama does justice to the friends-to-lovers trope in a way that feels genuine and relatable.

What I found particularly thoughtful about "You're My Lover Friend" is how the writer dedicated time and importance to the characters and their relationship. It’s refreshing to see a series that centers more on the emotional journey of the main characters, especially amidst the various subplots. The casting choices were spot on; having two real-life childhood friends, Steven Zhang and Wang Yuwen, added an undeniable charm to the series. Their chemistry was palpable, and their interactions felt so natural and fun to watch. You could genuinely sense the familiarity and comfort they shared, which made their connection all the more believable.

The acting was impressive, as expected from such talented leads. The side characters also contributed positively to the overall charm of the series, adding depth without overshadowing the main storyline.

I loved the laid-back vibe that permeated the show; it felt heartwarming, relatable, and beautifully crafted. While some might perceive the pacing as slow or draggy, I appreciated the intentionality behind it. The series did a fantastic job of portraying the complexities and challenges of transitioning from friends to lovers, showcasing the emotional turmoil that often accompanies such a change.

Overall, "You're My Lover Friend" was an amazing watch, and I had a great time going through this journey with the characters. I applaud the series for doing justice to the friends-to-lovers trope in a way that feels genuine and true to life. It’s a beautiful exploration of love that resonates deeply, making it a standout in its genre.

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Went from one of the best 2025 dramas to an average drama

The drama started out great and it was interesting to watch an absolutely irredeemable character who was evil and selfish to the core. I know some people think a lot of what she did can be justified but I don't believe that harming good and kind hearted people who cared for you and driving those people to death just so that you can get more famous is justifiable. It's not. No matter what anyone says, Ahjin was always written to be a selfish character. And in the original manhwa she was even worse. I still prefer the manhwa over the drama because not only does the drama deviate from the original story and make a lot of plot points and characters inconsistent, it also absolutely DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE in the end. The ending in the manhwa was also darker but sort of satisfying too since Ahjin gets her kamra but the ending in the drama makes no sense in any way. Ahjin also suddenly stops using her brains in the last 2 episodes which is so out of character for her. Overall, it was a good start but a bad finish

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“It hurts because you seem so comfortable leaning back into sadness.”

Butterfly instead of white rabbit, magician instead of Mad Hatter, magical world and a lot of unresolved emotional trauma - get ready for it all. The Sound of Magic delivers both the enticing fantasy and the harsh reality.

A lot of the things I liked about it, the details in the created world, were the result of the hard work of the webtoon writer Ha Il Kwon. The best examples are the names of the main characters - 아이 (child), 일등 (first; if we add his surname to the mix, it would literally mean I am first) that represent the internal conflicts the characters were facing. Seems on the nose? Maybe, but it fits the story and the approach they took with presenting it.

Ai was forced to grow up fast because of her family situation. Her dreams, hopes, wishes were all focusing on gaining money, as she believed being poor was the reason for her misery. She viewed every situation in her life from the perspective of her financial situation. She did not want to believe in magic, since for her, magic symbolizes hope for better life. All the good things end, like waking up from a beautiful dream, so why even start when you are deemed to be disappointed at the end, when you are back to unfair reality?

Ildeung follows the path his parents picked, doing his best to stay at the top. This takes a toll on his mind and his body. He realizes how trapped he was, yet he wasn’t sure if he is brave enough to stop chasing after the future his parents chose, and try to find his own path. His whole arc was built on small things that might seem like non existing issues, but in reality can take away your sense of individuality and self-worth: things like his dad not calling him by his name, but “Na Jin Man’s boy” - first he is his parents’ son, then he is himself.

Both main characters do not know how to be happy, feel free, make personal choices, act like children their age. And this is the story of them slowly freeing themselves from the cages they were locked in.

It’s hard to talk about Ji Chang Wook’s character without diving into spoilers, since we are mostly kept in the dark about who he is and his past till the end. That adds to the thrills though, creating that mystical and magical aura around him, making the viewers question if the magic is real till the last moment. I was invested in the simple question: who is this magician?

What I also liked about the show is how it spoke about the faults in adults while also not truly making the adults into villains (mostly). Some of them were annoying, sometimes acted unfair or selfish, but most of them were not evil, they were just humans.

The performance from the cast was great. Yes, some movements and facial expressions during the musical numbers were rather cringe and awkward, but it happened only a few times. I was quite surprised by all the emotional scenes, since they all hit me hard (yes, I cried), especially any scene with Ji Chang Wook in the second half - been a while since I enjoyed his performance so much.

Visually they did more than I ever expected. A few times the special effects, especially in terms of the motion, were slightly off, but nothing that would take away from the stunning pictures created.

A lot of the songs had stage-like performances that just sucked me in and I could not take my eyes off it. The A Curse of Asphalt scene was especially breathtaking, even though compared to some other songs, it had a more simple approach. Yet, with how instrumental, lyrics, vocals, visuals, set design, arrangement, all fitted perfectly like puzzle pieces, this song became my favorite performance.

Were the musical aspects all that perfect? No. Some songs just felt awkward with how they were placed in the story, at times feeling unnecessary. I understand why it became a musical-like drama, some lyrics had a really strong message and the performance features added to it - which would not be possible to achieve with simple dialogue. That said, at times I would skip a song or two as they felt redundant at that specific moment.

Speaking of music - all the instrumentals are to die for. Some melodies reminded me of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland movie (2010) - which fitted the theme perfectly. Even the sound design at times surprised me - taking into consideration the place the songs were sung in and mixing the vocals according to it.

Overall, I truly enjoyed it a lot. Had some questionable choices, acting and directing wise, but I still believe it’s a solid drama. While at first I was not sure about making it into a semi-musical, after seeing all the episodes, I understand the value that was added with some numbers and I appreciate the rather bold move they took with it (let’s get real, musicals are not exactly a mainstream genre loved by all). Ending review with a quote that I loved:

“Flowers don’t bloom on smooth asphalt, but on bumpy dirt”.

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Unbearable to watch!!!

Situations on the plot on the business and romance department are way too forced... Awful.

Don't get me wrong I do enjoy fantasy/romance/comedy and teen stuff ... geez I had lots of fun watching 'Good morning call' but this drama tempers with one's patience.

The main actress (Dilraba Dilmurat) got my full attention therefore from now on I will stir far away of any work she does. Also, this drama even spoiled Deng Lun a bit ... Totally lost my interest in him, Ashes of Love was the luck shot!

The only good thing was seeing Chen Yi Long for the first time... really liked his performance and charisma.

Unfortunately when I start a drama I never drop it so it was painful!

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It starts big, it remains strong and it ends big! Consistently perfect!

From the very first episode, the scene is set. We meet characters and we know who's gonna be nice, who's gonna cause trouble and who we are to dislike forever. There are twists and turns obviously and there are surprises and shocks. But no one acts out of character, no one does things just for the plot going against their characterization.

An exceedingly well-written drama, beautifully shot and excellently well acted. There are no flaws, there are no lulls, there is no weak arc or filler episodes. I didn't like all the storylines, unfortunately, but this is where the lead couple shine. Even in the most frustrating moments the lead couple keep the viewers engaged in their personal and marital journey. I could not have loved this drama had I not fallen in love with the Lord and Lady of Wei.

I just wish there was one more episode, the last one seemed a bit rushed and a bit incomplete. We need reunions, we need funerals, we need celebrations, we need apologies and reconciliations. There are plenty of conversations that I needed to see.

Alas this is the issue with writing and directing an amazing story- the readers are often left wanting for more.

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I have probably written only two review this year, and both of them were for shows were I deemed that one fanbase simply ruin the drama experience. I truly feel that it is sad when fanbase undermine the hard work that goes into putting a drama or movie together. That being said let me try to objectively review All Out Of Love.

All out of love for me was not a romance drama, yes it was a drama about love but not necessarily romantic love. It was more to me a drama about the different type of love out there, familial ( blood relations), the family we make for ourselves ( non blood relations) and friendships. And the importance we give all those relationship throughout one life.

This drama truth strength got buried beyond unnecessary censorship, meaning lost in translation and unruly fanbase.
Before writing my thoughts on the drama I did a lot of googling to understand the drama backstory and familiarized myself with plot points that when I was watching made no sense to me. And of course to understand the all controversy in regard to the character played by MTY.

So from the get go I want to say that it has been clarify by the author of the book that the character of TY is the main the lead, although when she started writing her books LS was the main, hence why the book title had his name in, and that by the time her novels change gear well her fan base already knew the book by that title and there was no point changing it. So to me the all hate MTY fans were throwing at Wallace just seems quite displaced. Especially when you truly dig into both their respective characters. While Wallace character YT got a lot of character washing by pretty being turned into a one dimensional perfect good guy instead of the multifaceted guy that he supposedly his in a book. After all in the book he is a driven ceo, loyal to a fault to his family while still being a feared and respected underworld boss who cuts LS two fingers out of jealousy. But that is clearly not who we get in the drama, in the drama we get this perfectly saintly guy with a patience and resilience that puts all human to shame, with his only flaw being a out of this world trust for his brother when everyone else can tell his brother it clearly a closeted psychopath. Yet it would be a disservice to Wallace to say that he did not own his character, although one dimensional Wallace's acting gave the character depth, even the choppy editing was not enough to dampen the depth of YT character, it was truly as if we were watching another drama within the drama.
And sadly that is not the same case with LS character, his character got the less cleanup but MTY was not able to bring depth to his character, if you are not a fangirl it was actually hard to be pull into feeling sorry for LS. I'm saying this because I watched the drama with my husband and mother-in-law. And the three of us had pretty opposing views, my husband and I have seen MYT in other dramas , and his acting his usually on par with some and sometimes like this time very underwhelming. This was my mil first encounter with him in such a prominent role and she was not impress. When you watched the drama the most that comes to mind when going through the character of LS is the overwhelming sense of depression. Throughout the drama MTY has this I'm super depressed look on his face even when the emotions he was supposed to convey was one of anger. I do get that there is a lot of grief going around in this drama but there is so many ways to express grief without looking depress the most starling difference is probably seen in the scene where JS tells YT about her abortion, with just his eyes since he has no dialogue you can see YT go from Joy to despair to simply undiluted anger. VS that scene were LS learns that JS and him are not related MTY fell to bring in people to feel is pain right there, when he is going to the most painful realisation of hs life that he can now without restraint go after the woman he love. No what come out at that moment his pretty much a robotic renditions of his line and once that dead in your soul emotion that his been sorting all along. And that is carried through the end where instead of seeing a guys that sacrifice his own happiness for his sister, all we see his a controlling man that choose to isolate himself from his friends and family and live in the past when he realize that he could not control any of them.

And that truly is the feel that we get at the end of this drama that was truly big at sending the vibe that if you decide to let go then you can be happy in life. When you don't learn to let go then life get pathetic for you.

The biggest contrast of love for me was truly between the way LS and YT loved JS. LS wanted to control her and seems quite content to have JS be is emotional sounding board. And he seemed to be content that she was totally and utterly co-dependent on him. While YT approach to loving JS was to let her go. He allowed if not pushed a little hard sometimes for her to make her own decision over the place she should have in his life, She was in control even when it seemed he was making the decision for her.

There is so many examples throughout the drama of the danger of not letting go of your obsession Bei's wife and mistress loose's their minds waiting for him to return to them and both died being insane. Even BWX obsession with JX , even if they try to give it a positive spin at the end with them ended together and waiting for the arrival of their child, we still see that in their desire not to let go he loses arm. And we can pretty much say that his life is quite in shambles while he was holding to his obsession. Then we also see it with Tianen because of hate he not only appears as the psycho, only once he decide to let go does he character actually take a turn were viewers somewhat get interested in his backstory.


I have so many thing to say but I feel like I should turn into an article. So what I'm going to say is that this is a really good drama if you go in focusing on the story and not the fan base. Because yes there is a story being told here, and it's a story of love, growth and forgiveness. My biggest regret is that the story truly suffered from censorship, and the negative connotations it send people with disabilities. There seemed to be an underlying tone that somewhat suggested that people with disability were not capable of love or making others around happy. And that irked me a little. And wow in watching this be ready to see a lot of hospital scene. I'm pretty sure this drama had been sponsor by hospital and apples selling merchant.

I kinda of went on quite a rant here , what I'm saying go watch the drama it 's good don't get swept into the controversies ad make your own opinion.

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Law is a social construction

"You're not handling a case, but someone's life"

I thought Justifiable Defense would be another investigation drama, mainly focusing on who is the real culprit and how the crime was committed.

In the end, it seems like it was never about finding the big bad wolf, but about how complicated people can be, how experiences shape their personalities and their actions and how there is truly no black and white when it comes to law and justice.

The series manages to make the audience think about what constitutes justifiable defense and whether the law is almighty.
What this drama hints at is that the final verdicts and conclusions will always be affected by personal beliefs and biases and that in itself is the vulnerability of the law, which, after all, is a human fabrication.

It's a well written series, with good directing, interesting plot and characters. Without it being overly complicated or shocking, it portrays masterfully multi-faceted characters focusing on their psyche.
I do think the music was overused and the acting could be better in some parts, but that is negligible for a series that is undeniably a gem and a must watch for people enjoying character-driven stories.

Lastly, I firmly believe that there would be differences in some parts of the plot, if the drama didn't have to pass the censorship board. Some things felt a bit too idealistic, and forced to follow a specific route. However, it wasn't something that ruined the final result and it wasn't as evident compared to other series of the same genre. Nevertheless, I do think that people having a bit more freedom in these types of series would create not just good dramas like this one, but unforgettable stories that will linger in one's mind for a long time.

"Absolute justice exists only in concept"

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love, for love's sake.

*the review does NOT contain major spoilers and is in my opinion fine to read before starting the show*

im so at loss for words its hard to even start writing this review (literally finished the show like 5 minutes ago) but regardless, ill try my best.

1. first of, the plot for this show is incredible. i was really afraid they wouldnt have enough budget or runtime to execute this story well, but i worried for nothing. the moment i watched episode 1 i knew that this show wouldnt disappoint me, and it didnt. the story was amazing, start to finish, and it was better than i could have ever imagined. the video game concept was so well done it almost made me feel like i was playing the game myself. continuing, due to the concept being done so well, every time something happened with the game it had me feeling a lot of emotions myself. especially in the scenes where we can see myungha in the black void, or the ones with the time running out or him having to make important decisions, those gave me the chills. really a surreal experience. another thing i loved is the lack of toxicity in this show. not a single time did i think "oh, this seems a bit wrong" or "there could have been a better way to resolve this" because even though secrets were kept, communication was also present, and all the main characters were absolute sweethearts. no unnecessary misunderstandings and all that. also a thing i want to mention is how i love how homophobia was dealt with in this show! usually i just prefer if they dont touch that topic at all, since most of the time in these shows it just ends up being "oh haha ur gay f**k u" and they do nothing to stop it, but i love how they approached it here with the characters defending themselves, snapping back at them and going "so what? whats wrong with it?". theres one scene that was super iconic but i wont spoil anything else. honestly i could say a lot about this show but this review is already getting long and ive only covered the story/plot part, so ill leave it at this.

tldr: they couldnt have done this plot better and i wouldnt change a thing about it.

2. the cinematography and overall quality of the show here was incredible!! no clue what kind of budget they had but whatever it was they did an amazing job with it. every single shot was stunning and the scenes were so pretty i couldnt stop myself from screenshotting every single episode, seriously its beautiful. i saw someone say this felt like watching a kdrama that just so happens to be a bl (since the quality of it is so good) and i definitely agree, this is in my opinion the best shot kbl yet. hoping the quality just goes up and up from here, although i doubt any kbl will be able to top lfls' cinematography, at least for the time being. a few of the shots also reminded me of the eighth sense (aka what used to be my no.1 kbl before lfls came to dethrone it) which is one of my favorite shows ever in terms of cinematography.

3. this is going to be very short but the acting was great. not a single character/actor was lacking. just incredible acting!

to sum it up, this show is absolutely beautiful, heartwarming, heartbreaking, fluffy, sad, bright yet dark all at once in the best way possible. theres not a single thing to complain about and this is hands down the best kbl i have ever watched (and i have watched almost every single one of them as of the time im writing this review). loved everything about it, the acting, the characters, the story, the quality, the cinematography, everything was incredible. all i can say is that this show is an absolute masterpiece that EVERYONE should watch. words simply cannot describe how good this show was.

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CHAIN YOURSELF TO THIS LOVE

This is the first time I’ve written a review for an incomplete series, but it’s a MUST WATCH. So far, it’s kept me on the edge of my seat. You get a wonderful balance of romance, political turmoil in the court, battles of wit and did I mention the romance? The cinematography is stunning and the costumes are phenomenal.

Dylan and Yukee shined in their roles. As a couple, they’re definitely a force to be reckoned with. Dylan’s portrayal of the cold, cunning and ruthless high chief “eunuch” is outstanding . The way he speaks, the small gestures, the intensity of his eyes, they command your attention and his powerful aura dominates the screen. When he’s in love, he gives everything to his lover and that’s how a real man should be.

Yukee’s portrayal of the late emperor’s consort is breathtaking. She’s a breath of fresh air. She’s smart, quick witted and I love that our girl takes initiative! She’s not afraid to love who she loves despite the obstacles. I adore her.

What you get so far is a fantastic storyline with a beautiful couple who communicates, don’t have dumb misunderstandings and are courageous in their actions. I’m looking forward to seeing their story unfold and I don’t want this to end!

Edit: I finished it… and I got excited too quick. The first part of the series, led us in one particular direction, but the latter part of the series for some reason diverted from the original theme into something else. What we thought we were going to get was a serious drama with a dark tone about revenge, blood and gore. But towards the middle, it turned into a romcom that was unexpected. I’d prefer the original intent of Dylan’s character to be this brooding character filled with hatred and the thirst for revenge. However, he turned into more of this lovable, playful, goofy guy in love, which took a different direction from what I wanted. The ending itself felt very rush. Like a very typical Chinese drama. Overall I give this a solid 8/10.

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I'm going to be critical and vent omg

Okay, so this review will contain SPOILERS so if you're looking to avoid them, don't read beyond the spoiler warning!
Also, these are my OWN views and can wildly differ from everyone else's. Please keep that in mind when reading the review :)

It's a fairly typical lakorn filled with all kinds of tropes... Guilty FL, identity confusion (?), love to hate etc. But I had come to love the subtle slow burn chemistry between the FL and ML. They're cute together. But with the FL all but running away to avoid the ML whose only being fueled in his determination to catch her, it descends into something typical and oh so familiar.

Why, omg why do all FL's have to be such Mary Sue's. Like shit. This is early episode 1, so technically not a spoiler. But the sister was clearly jaywalking. It was plain as day. Like there's no crosswalk, she didn't check both ways, she literally just walked into oncoming traffic and the car was equipped with a dash cam too apparently, so why, just WHY did the FL face prosecution. Also, it was NOT hit and run cauz she stopped, got out and checked on the girl. She didn't just drive away. She even went to the hospital with the girls family and apologized to them there repeatedly. In which sense does this look like a hit and run. Roads are meant for driving, NOT walking like you're in a park. So why did everyone villainise the FL. She had to face threats over the phone from the so called angry brother, went into debt just to pay off the family, which was mind you, already very well off. The FL literally had to change her name and move. Her dad's health deteriorated, the mental pressure, the stress, and I could go on and on. But like WHY ALL OF THIS WHEN IT'S NOT HER FAULT OMG...

So enters the ML, who takes over the company when his grandmom falls sick. Obvio the FL is there, working as an assistant. He's drawn to her like a moth to a flame, I kid you not. He's literally buzzing around her, 24x7. But thankfully, it's not I'm invading your personal space, forcing myself on you in hopes you'll like me buzzing. But a more teasing, subtle version which was cute to watch cauz clearly the FL feels something but her guilt is holding her back. It helped his case that he had Lee, his so called girlfriend, who was clearly someone that was more of a best friend than anything, so she helped him clear a path to the FL and occasionally even gave him advice on how to win her over. I liked the girl. She's one of my fav characters in the series. Okay, so now that you've gotten the gist, let's move on to the more frustrating part.

SPOILERS START, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

SO now, despite the FL trying to resign multiple times, the ML has managed to win her over. She's confessed to him, they're going strong, a ring is mixed into the equation. I think you know what's coming next. That's right. The big reveal. I'm the one that hit your sister with a car and caused her to be paralyzed. The scene, while the setting was good, lacked impact. It was over too soon. I wanted them to have a proper confrontation. It just felt a bit lackluster in a way, especially since he was about to propose and all. Don't get me wrong, they did get their confrontation like it was shown in the opening, but of course he didn't hit her and drove around her and moved away. Then came the I hate your existence cauz I love you so much, but you lied, so here's some torture to make up for it. No better way to phrase it honestly. The ML did apologize, directly at that, for his actions to the FL and her family. So that does work in his favor. But not enough, I guess.

I'll admit, I did like the FL telling the ML that he's already taken everything from her, so what else can make up for it. But that's it. That was all the range of complaints she had. It mostly went from stay away from my family to kill me to satisfy your bloodlust. I was honestly very annoyed cauz everyone, including the FL and her family just assumed that it was their fault when it wasn't. Last I checked, jaywalking is a crime. There's a reason why there are traffic rules in place. Ugh, moving on.

The sister. What a trainwreck, I tell you. Half the time she was either in denial, being spiteful, crying or just doing everything she can to make the ML and FL's lives miserable. She literally fueled her brother's anger against the so called perpetrator of the accident and then pretended like she just wanted to move on with her life. Like, just move on then. Why are you riling up your brother by egging him on. I can accept that it was not totally her fault, the parents where partly responsible for her behavior too, but really? She sold out her own brother, who was always running around trying to get revenge for her, at the words of someone who got her pregnant and then actively threatened her to get his hands on her family's company. Messed up doesn't even cover it. To top it off, she accused her brother of raping her and told her parents that the kid was his. Like WTF. Apparently she was supposed to be adopted but wasn't really. That's when shit hit the fan for me.

Then, true lakorn styles, comes another revelation. And another. And another. Honestly, I'm not even going to write it down here cauz it makes my blood boil just thinking about it.

Idk how the FL and fam just forgave the ML and fam for literally dragging them through hell and back when it wasn't even their fault. Like, just no girl. Go sue them or something and enjoy your life away from these people. But of course she doesn't. It is all wrapped up in a rush in the last episode cauz that's all that they're for. To tie up lose ends. Ya'll had 16 episodes and yet you chose the last one for an information overload and then they drive off into the sunset like nothing happened. When will you learn, lakorn world :/

In conclusion, I'm pissed. And annoyed. And there weren't even any decent kisses to make up for it. So watch at your own risk. If you want more spoilers, drop a comment or a message and I'll be more than happy to spare you the pain from watching this.

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