This review may contain spoilers
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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This review may contain spoilers
From Fascination to Disappointment
I want to leave my comment here and move on because I keep coming back to this drama in my thoughts.At first, it had the potential to become my favorite drama, but it lost that potential. Up to a certain point, I didn't consider it bad—I liked that the characters were flawed, making it possible to analyze their actions. Even the scientific aspect, though unrealistic, seemed interesting for contemplation. The supporting characters were endearing, but their storylines were simply erased and forgotten, which disappointed me.
The ending completely ruined everything. If, at the beginning, I saw this story as thought-provoking, by the end, it became clear that it carried a strong propaganda message that made me feel awful. I never expected that someone might die here, let alone Eve—my favorite character. She didn’t deserve this. Ryong treated her cruelly when he yelled at her and pushed her over that morula. Now I regret that my emotional side supported this experiment. It would have been better if Eve had destroyed all the morulas on the station so none of this would have happened.
The last episodes felt extremely forced. I don’t believe astronauts are examined so poorly that no one noticed her pregnancy. And there were many other contrived moments. If I enjoyed the drama at first, as it progressed, I liked it less and less. My critical thinking took over.
Ultimately, instead of developing the characters and logically concluding the story, the writers turned it into blatant pro-natal propaganda. The main heroine was forced to give birth in space and died, yet no one even properly mourned her. Her death was presented as a "scientific breakthrough," while more attention was given to mice and flies than to Eve herself. I feel sad about such an ending for her. Her existence was reduced to being an "incubator," and the entire plot pushed the idea that women "must" give birth under any circumstances. If Korea wants to increase its birth rate, they should start by improving people's quality of life.
This drama left me with a disgusting feeling. For most of it, I was praising it, but now I regret watching it at all.
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Hidden Gem
I am so sad to see that this drama not getting any support.I am often very picky with dramas and have dropped countless dramas in the first few episodes.
When I picked this one, I really wasn't hopeful that I would like it but right from episode 1, I was hooked. In fact I binged watch this in three days!
Although I don't know any of the actors, I am very satisfied with their work esp the dreamy like Master who puts me in a trance!
The story is good enough to make you want to keep moving to the next episode and the filming and production is of good standard.
I very much enjoyed it and now I need to search for the movie version to catch the better ending.
So please give this drama some support.👍😀👍
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1
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1Cute, adorable romance with few question marks included!
This drama was low-key a catfish. Hear me out... I went in fully expecting a light, sweet, fluffy romance with cute bickering, unresolved tension doing the absolute most, and nonstop soft vibes. And yes it is all of that, but then it randomly hits you with grief, regret and an existential crisis you did not see coming. It tries to unpack all of that through a fantasy lens and that’s where things start getting a little shaky.At its heart, it is cute, romantic in a fluffy sense but it's not just that. It's also about timing being terrible and fear absolutely ruining the party. The whole idea of romance is constantly competing with "what ifs", which gave a little emotional bite to the story.
The story runs in two tracks- The present or the fluff where the feelings are finally being named out loud, and another shaped by fragmented, anxiety-induced visions. The rules of how the second world works aren't exactly clear though.
At the centre of the drama is the relationship between Jerome aka "J" and Jinn, our classic rivals-to-lovers trope. Their relationship has been marked by years of unresolved tension from childhood.
J is the definition of realising things too late and then spiralling about it. While his heart was in the right place, sometimes the lack of commutation trope was stretched too thin considering how understanding and accommodating his partner was. I understand the decisions were driven by fear and it took a while for him to figure it himself but the writing could have cut it short.
Jinn, on the other hand, was not here for instantly rewarding apologies. And I was glad because years of emotions being side-lined don't magically disappear because J got self-aware. He was genuine, funny and cute as a button. I enjoyed their bickering, affection and chemistry between them. Cute, comforting but not boring.
Coming to the second couple, Van and Farm. This is also the opposites attract trope (more on the friends-to-lovers side). While I sympathise and sort of understand Van's emotional distance stemming from unresolved grief and fear of attachment, the way he treated Farm at times pissed me off. I was glad Farm took a stand for himself. But I did like their story too and was glad as the second couple, they had their own storyline with themes of troubled love different from mains but still cohesive to the overall storytelling and were not there just for decoration or filler scenes.
The drama's strength lies in romance and emotions but where it stumbles and fumbles is in its final stretch. The pacing becomes uneven in the later episodes, with certain conflicts lingering longer than necessary while key explanations never arrive. The supernatural element, though thematically effective at the start, felt like a gimmick rather than a logical subplot. These choices don't derail the whole story but they definitely softened its impact on me.
Visually, the production is polished. They managed to portray the difference in timelines well, considering I wasn't confused between them. Though it was hard to believe they were 31, at least they tried.
Acting also elevated the material when plot holes tried tanking it. Sea and Keen continue to impress me. I know they are cute and everything, but they can definitely act and deliver when asked. There were a few emotional scenes where I felt Sea was a bit stiff, but nothing too distracting. Surf and Java were adorable too. I will definitely look up to their new projects.
Overall, even if my thoughts above makes it sound like I didn’t enjoy it, I really did. It’s one of those dramas you watch to destress, even though it might low-key stress you out but it’s wrapped in the cutest fluff, which somehow balances it out... I digress, but yeah, I liked it. I would recommend it just with the expectation that the fantasy element isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. You will likely be left with a few questions, but also be fed with cute romance.
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A highly personal review.
First of all I started watching this because I am a Lusi fan. Second of all I knew this would be a patriotic drama aimed at a specific audience containing political views and opinions. The political theme is not subtle, so if you are not a fan of something like this I do not recommend you watch this. As someone who did not learn anything about this particular time in Asia in school I took this as a history lesson written from one point of views.The story: The first episode is probably my favorite. It starts in the year of 1950 in Beijing with our 18 year old female lead Tian Zao, an orphan, wanting to avenge her father. This particular plot point is finished quite quickly, as there is only 14 episodes to complete the story. Her childhood sweetheart Tie Dan, our male lead, is a wrestling teacher who studied under Tian Zaos father.
The new government is formed and Tian Zao is impressed with the way they want to help the common people in Beijing and therefor wants to join her local government. This will as the story goes on lead her to help catch spies, gather support from her neighborhood to support the war effort and more. She is often too enthusiastic in her efforts, and causes problems at times, but she is well liked by her area and by her chosen older sister who works in the local government.
Acting: I have no complaints about the acting whatsoever in this. Zhao Lusi and Hou Ming Hao made me believe they had known each other basically all their lives and they were very cute as a couple.
Tian Zao is an orphan and grew up in a hutong area in Beijing, where she has a very big support group amongst both adults and the other children in the area, which helps her throughout the story.
She is a very headstrong girl and acts before she thinks at times. She was described as a person who dares to love and hate. I also find her very passionate about wanting to improve the lives of the people in her community.
Tie Dan is not your usual male lead with a stone face, he is actually a guy who is well liked and smiles a lot. He is also one of my favorite personalities in mls since he is not just kind to his one true love but an overall good guy. He is also willing to communicate with his love when there is a problem, which is definitively a skill more leads need.
I found most of the side characters quite interesting as well, but my focus is mostly on the leads.
Music: There is not really a lot of music in here but I do enjoy the instrumental music.
Rewatch: Would I rewatch this a whole? No. If I do rewatch something it will be the parts that I enjoyed together with the main leads.
Again, this is my point of view so you may not agree with me and that's alright.
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1Everyday life of the hubby and wifey who have secret identities
This drama is about the love story between a smart and beautiful woman and a royal, morally grey but secretly softie man. The female lead suffers from amnesia and has a secret identity while the male lead pretends to be her loser husband for his schemes to catch a bandit.I loved the first half of the drama that focused on the everyday life of the main leads. We could slowly see the male lead from constantly deceiving and manipulating the female lead, to subtly falling madly in love with her. Even though there wasn’t much going on aside from watching the daily interactions, somehow the two joking and teasing each other but also caring and nurturing each other, really warmed my heart. I love that sometimes it felt like a cat a mouse game or Mr. and Mrs. Smith vibes due to the double identity of both leads. To the outside public they are known to be ruthless and cold, while at home they are both cute softballs. The comedy was fantastic, with the male lead being a capable and high ranked leader but having to pretend to be a complete loser in front of his fake wife. A big part of this fantastic dynamic I have to give it to the main actors Zhang Wanyi and Wang Churan who did a fabulous job portraying their roles.
However, the drama felt short for me in the second half where it becomes unnecessary draggy. I felt the political plot was cliche and the main leads not being together took away from my enjoyment of the couple to the point I stopped caring about them. I feel like the charm of the drama was the main leads and their secret identities, which should have continued to be the focal point of the drama instead of the court stuff.
POSITIVE:
- Hot chemistry between the leads.
- Morally grey leads.
- Secret identity (both leads).
- Great comedy and light-hearted scenes. The jokes revolved around the characters and their actions/personality rather than some random jokes. And despite all the laughter, the drama balances well, the maturity of the characters.
- Mystery backstory plot.
- Truman Show vibes in the first half.
- Smart, mature, composed female lead.
- Fake marriage trope that’s written well.
- Business scenes that provided the female lead’s character to shine with her intelligence.
NEGATIVE:
- Second half of the drama was a snooze fest. The amnesia plot in the first half felt well written but once the female lead regains her memories, she feels too much of a different character. Even though I liked her cold-hearted nature, I wanted to see more of her inner thoughts to connect with her more. The drama felt very draggy (ep 24-30) because for many episodes she was cold towards the male lead while he was grovelling and trying to win her back. By the time the main leads got back together, the drama had already lost me and I started skipping lots in order to finish it. From absolutely loving the main leads, in the end I simply didn’t care about them.
OVERALL:
The plot of the drama starts off great and the first half delivers in terms of romance, comedy, character development and everyday hubby/wifey vibes. But the second half being draggy and boring, took away all my enjoyment and care for this drama and characters. So, I don’t really know if I would recommend this. It’s all about personal choice I guess. For me, this drama is very forgettable.
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Again, it annoys me when the "bad guys" don't even understand what they did wrong. Also, the ending left a lot to be desired. There is plenty of crazy for every character though.
I'm totally in to Lee Yoo Ri. Even that I'm not going to feel anything stare she had to have for part of the drama made me feel something. She played both Lee Na Yeon and Baek Do Hee really well. I could definitely tell them apart regardless of hair because they had different personalities. The transformation Na Yeon goes through after the tragedy is palpable.
All of the other actors are good too, but Kim Hye Ri stole the show as Park Yoo Kyung. I love to hate her.
The music is good.
I probably won't rewatch this. Once is enough.
If you like revenge dramas, then this is one of the best. I recommend this to everyone. Just ignore the absurdity of the plot. LOL :-)
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This is your trigger warning.
This "review" is really just for those who need a warning.Because I tend to stay away from the comment section because of spoilers, I wish I had somewhat peaked at them this time. Because they're right. It's not for the light hearted.
This movie made me physically sick.
Zombie lovers; feel free to pass this movie. It's pretty much just rape gore on steroids under the guise of zombies.
I get this movie isn't for everyone. it sure in hell wasn't it for me.
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Great concept!!!
My Stand-In has multiple layers, making it a highly textured and emotionally complex BL series.The show has a highly refreshing concept, which brings up some interesting questions on the relationship between love and personhood. If the person you loved died and revived as someone else in a different body, how does that alter the nature of the relationship?
The series should be lauded for not shying away from complex, and deeply flawed characters. It explores fairly mature themes, given the show’s sexual relationships and the characters’ manipulative nature. Perhaps it can be criticised for romanticising toxicity, but I don’t think it is any series’ job to be an ad for civics and moral education. Characters like Ming are everywhere in real life.
Ming’s mercurial tendencies and obsessiveness makes him challenging to like and root for as a character. But for Joe, who has been collateral damage from getting caught in the crosshairs of power struggles – he finally gets his turn to understand what it means to have somebody to fight for you.
And it was superbly satisfying to watch.
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2024/07/20/my-stand-in-2024-bl-review/
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The story sounds like a solid drama. Sadly Rooftop Prince is a drama that couldn't handle being 20 episodes. I'd like to think if the writers had to get it all done in 16 the story would have been cleaner. The first 9 or so episodes do a good job with jokes about the past characters adjusting to the present. The emphasis elevator scene and so on. But if you took out the time travel and such it's not that big of a key element to the drama. Besides some jokes, and then the first and last episodes.
The writers were so focused on putting standard drama tropes and plots in Rooftop Prince that it killed the parts that made the concept so unique.
The characters ended up feeling very hallow. Villains that did things for the sake of being villains. Other dramas at least try to make you see the other side. These villains were despicable because that's what they do. The leads spend so much time getting kicked by them that it's hard to cheer them on, or care. The prince is the standard jerk who can't decide on his feelings, though he is aware that he is leading, and playing with Park Ha. Park Ha is the lead who never truly learns and gets stuck behind the trope of never standing up for herself. She just keeps smiling.
Though I will give credit that Park Ha realizes the kind of man she's fallen for in the prince. He's selfish and will eventually put himself first. As a prince I understand thinking of others is hard for him, and as the drama comes to a close he realizes his mistakes. So points for that.
The side characters are interesting, and the ducklings/stop light boys are so much fun. In fact, if they were more developed I would have gone for one of them as the love interest for Park Ha. Alas, the writers decided that side characters should remain as window trappings only. What a waste.
The music did nothing for me and I don't think it enhanced the drama. I've already forgotten it. And boy I won't be rewatching this one ever.
In the end I understand Rooftop Prince's appeal. Why fans love it. However, I can only see it as a missed opportunity to create a unique drama. Instead all I viewed was a boring show with the same hijinks that other dramas have. The writers were to revved up to put a unique cast, and concept, into a stereotypical roles to keep fans happy. It bums me out that I couldn’t really enjoy this one. But to each their own.
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What a mess
Let's start with what I didn't like:1) Editing. From the voice over to the flow of the scenes to the episode duration, someone just either never got paid to do it, or just pressed the AI button and let 01 bits take their course.
2)Lack of chemistry. Two exceptionally beautiful people who fell in love bc it was in the script. Especially the FL, with the atrocious voice over, came out as emotionless.
3) The plot. The relationship btw the leads was more of a second thought than the main focus. Also, so many secondary characters that dominated so much screen time I had to speed watch half of the drama. Also, what's with the songs???Not everything has to be an in drama video clip, reminiscing of past scenes. Especially when the romance is lacking.
4) The fight scenes. Most of them incomplete, you only get the end result and that as an afterthought.
5) The villain(s). At first it's the ML, then you hate Shi Zu, then it's Sen Luo(who just dies more easily than expected), then it's the Evil Sect, then it's the Sword Sect Master to end with the Premier, what a mess, every 5 episodes you get a new villain introduced.
6) Why for the love of all chinese drama gurus out there the FL's paternity was never questioned? Is it such a taboo to ask "Who is your father?" Maybe he's the problem here and not every other Tom, Dick and Harry?
7) The ending. Inconsistent, unexplained just HE for the sake of it.
What I liked
1) The Dragon Lord
2) FL's mother's plot
3) Zhang Linghe. But I've yet to see him with a FL he's got chemistry with.
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Cooking drama with military setting and strong comedy
For me it started really strong, the comedy is really good and food scenes are superb. Military is very good setting for this as i could believe most shenanigans which happens there and characters are very relatable. Lead actor Park Ji Hoon is strong as ever and Lee Hong Nae is superb at supporting them. I feel like all the other characters were bit on the background noise levels and i couldn't say much about them, other than maybe Lee Sang Yi who does seem to excel in comedies.I'd have to admit that throughout the serious plot line was super underwhelming and i think it failed to connect me at any level, i get what it tried to do but every time i almost started to care about it comedy overwhelmed it and it just lost its flow with me. Thus latter part where it tried to do turn more serious, it fell kinda flat and i just didn't care for the latter half as much as the start.
Ending was another underwhelming part, it seems like they've already sold the 2nd season and didn't really care to do too much of a big bang for the season 1 ending, if someone told me this would've continued next week i could believe you. Villain so bad, i don't really have anything say about him, kinda non-character. Secondary villain was better by a wide margin but he got dealt earlier already.
Conclusion
Top tier comedy but falls flat at its serious message, strong lead and second lead while side characters kinda fell flat. Villain was bad and didn't really offer any ''scares'' during the drama, so i didn't have any delusions that main character wouldn't win.
I'd give it 8/10, it was 9/10 but the obvious season 2 launch soft ending brought it down.
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Summary: Evil lost sister + innocent sister + rich naive man + lots of B-slapping, killing, cons and lies + lots of snarky evil grins& tears + some cheesy acting =perfect lakorn petri dish.
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Story about friendship and growing up, plot falls flat.
I haven't read the manhua or anything else so this story was completely new to me. I searched some background information about the characters etc. so based on that I was really looking forward to this drama.The story is mostly about comradery between the characters. How they hone their skills, level up, fight together and form a team. There's some love but it's more like affection. If you are planning to watch this because of Xiao Zhan then go ahead but it doesn't necessarily carry through. He has the main role but the side characters with their backstories take a lot of space. That's why I stress the words "friendship" and "teamwork".
The main plot and side plots all fall flat. It was dragging until episode 26 then it kind of picked up. They have these mysteries going on, antagonists.. But nothing really happens. It's very predictable. I felt like everything only began in the last episode. Fighting scenes were kind of nicely executed compared to everything else.
The cast was okay. I think they did a good job with what they got. The characters all stay kind of.. superficial so the team's friendships seem also kind of so-so. Ou Si Ke was my favorite.
Music is just horrible. In some scenes it doesn't fit at all and then when it occurs all the time it starts to bother.
Overall I gave 6 out of 10. I watched it through but at times it was like pulling teeth. I just didn't want to give up. I was waiting for something to happen, the chemistry between them to deepen, to get a better idea of this supposedly magnificent original story but no. But I stayed for the fighting scenes.
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