A Wuxia-ish Xianxia or A Xianxia-ish Wuxia?
The original Chinese title for this drama is "Wǔlín Yǒu Jiāoqì" (武林有娇气), which more or less means "The Feminine of Wulin". This suggests that the story is about the female character, Ye Xi (Huang Riying) who is a ginseng spirit that turns human with no heart. This is a xianxia story with wuxia elements of chivalry and upholding of social and moral codes. All the characters are mortal except Ye Xi who is immortal. The fighting scenes are typical that of wuxia sword fighting with the exception of Ye Xi who has superpowers.Ye Xi is kind, chivalrous, trusting and sees only the good in people. She enters “Jianghu” to seek out a man with whom she can love and be loved and hold hand in their adventure of the world. Due to the lack of a heart, Ye Xi doesn’t understand what love is. She repeatedly falls prey to despicable men who just want to make use of her for their ulterior motives. Again and again, she is betrayed, her reputation ruined, and is killed. Each time she resurrects, she loses memories of her previous life, repeats her mistake and dies again.
This is my first drama of Huang Riying. I find her very beautiful and her acting convincing. Despite some poor logic of the writing of the character, viewers can empathize with Ye Xi for her bad fate without criticizing her for her naivety as Huang Riying gives us a very lovely portrayal of the character especially with her fighting movements which are graceful and believable.
Bai Yue (Li Hongyi) is a genius doctor and the master of Fenghua Valley where all the medicinal herbs are grown. He has an unforgiving tongue but deep down, he has a kind heart. He lives a secluded life and has had poor health since childhood and needs ginseng to sustain life. Ye Xi cures him by giving him some of her ginseng roots. Since then, Bai Yue has been guarding Ye Xi secretly and silently. He has been there during all Ye Xi's encounters including her deaths and resurrections. Gradually he falls in love with her but has to suppress his feelings due to a curse passed down from his predecessor.
Li Hongyi plays the genius doctor so convincingly with his indifferent demeanor and ethereal good look cladding in white robe. He is so funny whenever he gets angry or jealous and Li Hongyi nails the role.
Other cast members are very convincing too playing their respective roles. The villains are despicable, and their demise hails exhilaration from the viewers. The second couple is very cute and enjoyable to watch. There is also a love triangle which no one roots for the second male lead, the Cang Qi (Zhu Zanjin) character. Zhu Zanjin’s portrayal is so good that even I feel suffocated with his relentless obsession of Ye Xi.
My Verdict
This is a very enjoyable and interesting story with a mixture of xianxia, wuxia and palace politics. The acting is good, and the dark and funny plot is compelling. The writing, logic and overall production are acceptable though some parts of the editing are messy, and some dialogs are disjointed.
Perhaps because of Li Hongyi’s success in The Blood of Youth, this drama is being promoted more leaning towards the actor including with a rather misleading English title Wulin Heroes, instead of towards Huang Liying whose character Ye Xi is what the story about. This is rather unfortunate and unfair for Huang Liying who has done a remarkable job here.
Great romance, interesting story, lovely characters. Don’t miss it!
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Going down the hill
It started very promising. The first few episodes up to like the sixth episode were truly entertaining. I especially enjoyed that playful bond between team players and Sam and Tom's friendship—absolutely the cutest thing ever and a reminder for the BL industry that two people can be very close and touchy while staying friends and not developing any romantic feelings. Honorable mention for characters having consistent personalities, which is rare in Thai industry. Now the couples, during those six episodes, we've got to see a very original story of Sprite and Zee. I absolutely loved the acting of these two. It's actually admirable to play two people at the same time and still make them very recognizable and visibly different. About Jack and Mike: great chemistry, finally we're starting a relationship from a mutual attraction instead of hate or random mutual love at first sight. Sam and Tan—overall, they were pretty cute.I know many people thought they were awkward, but personally, I think it just added to their charm. New relationships tend to be awkward and imperfect sometimes.Then we got past the sixth episode, and the downfall had begun. Truly random, unnecessary problems; chaotic scenes that didn't really make sense chronologically. I feel like I've watched them, but I didn't—the director just poured whatever to fill up the space between the 6th and 12th episode. I could let this go if the 12th episode was really worth all the bs, but I'm afraid it wasn't. I mean, I like how they mentioned some issues and resolved them, but bro, they had 6 random episodes that gave nothing just to overfill the 12th episode with every possible plot point they found. They could've further developed Tan and Sam's storyline, shown us more about Jack's family, and, in general, more about Mike and Jack's dynamics (during those 6 episodes they appeared maybe like 4 times are you fr). They could've shown us more about the relationship between Zee and Sprite getting better, it seemed like they suddenly just let all the bitter feelings that we've learned about in the summary go. There were many, many possibilities, all wasted now. I set the rewatch value as 5, because I'm definitely watching those six episodes again, but I'll act like whatever comes next never happened. I suggest y'all just come up with your own ending; I bet it'll be more interesting.
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This review may contain spoilers
Thrilling & Addictive
THE LEGEND OF HAO LAN (Hao Lan Zhuan) was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, a powerful story of one woman's rise from the ashes to the Empress seat and beyond. First of all, even though the ending felt somewhat uncertain and unsatisfying, I truly loved this show, though it certainly had its shortcomings. It is a historical reimagining full of unpredictable twists and turns, fatalistic characters and a high tension plot. Be in mind, however, this drama is more political than it is romantic and at times this series builds false hopes in that department.Many people compare this series to Story of Yanxi Palace, mainly because of the similar casting lineup and high quality. These stories should not be compared otherwise, as they are drastically different entities featuring completely different eras, storylines and motives.
Taking place in the Warring States era not long before the gradual unification of war-torn China, this series opens up to a grand political stage in which the rising conflicts between the Qin and Zhou states become increasingly heated. The political storyline is brimming with tension and packs a hard punch, though the pacing is occasionally hindered by some pointless strife and redundancy, as well as some far fetched scenarios.
The character of Hao Lan, as played by Wu Jinyan, was such a relatable, powerful, yet deeply flawed heroine. There is so much complexity there. Li Hao Lan is a deeply tortured character who overcomes many horrible obstacles in her path, growing in strength and cunning as she climbs the political ladder. It's hard not to immediately empathize with her from the beginning as she pledges never to be used and disrespected again. Her character is full of vulnerability and boldness.
It's often tragic what Hao Lan has to face and how it inevitably changes her, for both better and for worse. I love how this series showcases her strengths and weaknesses, and never tries to convince the viewer that she is a saint, as some dramas tend to do with their leads. Wu Jin Yan is really an amazing actress, whose versatility causes her to be so compelling in her roles. She is so believably witty, bold and has such an emotional range as an actress. Brilliant to watch.
Another exceptionally brilliant aspect was the highly (overly) ambitious character of the cunning merchant-businessman Lü Buwei, acted by Yuan Nie. Lü Buwei is a very amazing character with such an overbearing ruthless personality and intense political ambition, while at the same time very charming and pitiful. Yuan Nie is awing in this role where his character is so believably complicated and conflicted. He has an amazing stage presence as well, and that is easily seen in every physical gesture, confident declaration, temperamental outburst, passionate confession, and down to his subtle calculating expressions and mannerisms. He plays an unforgettable character here.
Lü Buwei is an unwavering force of nature in this series and his character story provides a strange mixture of tragic satisfaction to see him strive, achieve and suffer loss- a character whose strengths are also his weakness. Almost self defeating. I found myself constantly rooting for him despite his almost deplorable villainous tendencies. He is an excellent depiction of an antihero in my opinion and I found him insanely compelling and charismatic, and his lifelong entanglement with Hao Lan was endlessly mesmerizing.
The relationships (partners, friendships, romances) aspect of this series is often very tragic, toxic and twisted, with many one-sided loves, vengeful partners, back stabbing, misunderstandings, betrayals, losses etc. Hao Lan and her love choices are no different, sadly. Add to that there were quite a few characters (villains) that were driven by unrealistic motives and over the top emotions, far too many to name honestly, but thankfully some had last minute epiphanies or redemptive motives revealed. At times this show felt very bleak and stressful feeling. One thing I truly loved was the unshakable friendship between Li Hao Lan and Physician Yin Xiaochun. Beautiful. I also really liked the "three musketeers vibes" between Hao Lan, Lü Buwei and Yi Ren.
Although this is a pretty dark series, there was so much to love. With an amazing memorable cast, cracking character chemistry, tense storyline, political intrigue, beautiful music scores (opening credits included), great sets, locations, costumes, and artistic design. Overall, this was a very great series and had me hooked. There are many great underlying themes as well, such as women's equality, ambition, freedom etc. In some ways this is an ode of feminism as well. And even though I still feel ambiguous about the ending, it's given me so much to think about. Loved it.
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Terrible script, amazing acting
I’m going to start with the positive. Beautiful OST and amazing casting - because this group of actors, including the younger supporting cast that have heavy chunk of the dialogue were absolutely hands down incredible. This is the saving grace foe this show, the only saving grace.Of course I’ll give a shout out to the stunning location they set this, and the cute doggy that low key rolls through this drama like a boss.
However, what a gigantic mess this script is. FL starts out a timid doormat of a mess, with everything going wrong for her in her life. I was hoping amidst all of that nonsense this was setting a stage for a great rediscovery of herself and a massive character arc. Half way thru, I’m thinking, nope we are no further forward in that regard. In fact what we got in small town Korea was the most toxic behavior possible. We have enabling of addiction, we have enablers of violence, enabling cover ups of potential murder, we have emotional manipulation of people perceived as weak, and lets why not just for fun pad all of that out with violent bullying (with victim blaming by the resposible adults), drunks up the wahzoo and psychological trauma that has been left untreated. Shoddy police work and lets just say, I hope when people claim Korea os nothing like these dramas, that they are correct. Because that is surely no advertisement for Korea or its people, and I certainly don’t think their cultural issues are going away when that kind of behavior is promoted as acceptable in their media.
This contiues and just when you hope it might have been an annoying one time only deal-you have another and then another toxic scenario. Perhaps the writers delight in all of that stuff. The result was that it overwhelmed the sweet and wholesome slow-burn romance (that will frustrate you if you need more from your romance) and the bonding of the friendships that develop here. It ends satisfactorily-for the most part. But I feel like the ratings are far too high for this considering the content. Hometown Cha Cha Cha did this better, similar feel, but better script. The actors deserved better than that, because they truly pulled out all the stops.
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A dark, symbolic look at the harm of social ostracizing
I wrote a full analysis of the short, because I found it very fascinating. It was initially jarring, but I felt like everything was very intentional.As far as non-spoilers, the acting was great for the brief amount of time that the actors had. It felt very gritty and authentic, and the setting was intentionally and successfully disturbing. I think the concept was interesting and heartbreaking, but highly effective. As for the music, I don't recall if there even was any, so I can't say much there. It's heavy and not exactly a light watch, so I can't say the rewatch value is high. But it did inspire a lot of thought in me, hence the veritable essay.
I only wish it could be longer, because there was a lot to unpack here. For what it was, and for such a short length, it was impressive. I'm just sad I couldn't see the theme explored more thoroughly, with time for us to love the characters.
It's worth a watch and is very short, so don't read the spoilers below until you've seen it!
SPOILERS:
The entire short is an allegory for the way society rejects gay youth, which leads to them ending up in dangerous situations because they're unable to find love in healthy, safe places. Elijah is a protected, middle class boy with parents who worry about him, entering a dank, dirty area to have sex with a stranger because he's not in a position to court and date the boys at his school, etc. He has to hide who he is, which leads him down a deadly path.
Kokoy plays two roles in this short, which is very significant to the story's climax. Elijah sees four prostitutes, the REAL Kokoy among them. They all die in highly symbolic ways throughout the evening, and the killer is very likely the final, fake Kokoy that Elijah sees in the last shot. Although the killer himself may be more of a metaphor for the way the streets (bad people included) are what kill a lot of these young men, as far as a narrative device, this is a wolf in sheep's clothing scenario for Elijah's character.
In the beginning, it's clear Elijah has only ever spoken to this person online and on the phone, so he has no way of verifying that he is who he says he is. This is reflected again in the bathroom scene, when Elijah hears the phone ring but can't be sure where it's coming from. He's being catfished, but he doesn't know it yet.
All of the boys Elijah sees are already dead, victims of the man who is now using Kokoy's phone and photos to lure Elijah out. This is why in the end there's an exchange where Kokoy clearly doesn't know who Elijah is, and when he turns back to him, Kokoy is also dying.
The final shot is Elijah nervously approaching a person wearing Kokoy's face. The audience still sees the catfish identity, but Elijah is seeing the actual man, the killer. This is why he hesitantly walks toward him before the screen fades to white, as if overpowering the viewer. Elijah's own uncertainty and naivete are his undoing. We can assume he meets the same fate as the other boys this man has trapped.
The fact that the bodies of each victim are out in plain sight is reflective of the same society that cast them out now expressing indifference at their loss. These young people are treated like trash rotting in the street, undesirables, purely because they're males who love other males. The purpose of bringing Elijah in was to show how even sheltered children are exposed to these risks because of how society treats LGBT people.
I can see why people didn't like this, but honestly, I really enjoyed it. I think it's initially confusing, but when you stop and think about it, the pieces are all there. It had a clear and powerful message once you decipher all of the hints and implications.
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Doctor Prisoner is a great cat and mouse, revenge drama. The pacing of the story is spot on, I rarely felt that a scene or arc, for that matter, was dragging on for to long. The story stays true to the original premise throughout the show. It is sometimes quite predictable. But, more often then not the they story stays one step ahead to keep the suspense and intrigue.
Acting/Cast: 8.5
I thoroughly enjoyed the acting in Doctor Prisoner and found the cast to amazing fits for their respective characters. I would have loved to see more emotional range from Nam Goong Min who plays the main role as Na Yi Je. His character often feels a bit one dimensional, as 99% of the time he is a mysterious, stoic character that shows little to no emotion. My rating might be lower if not for Kim Byung Chul as Sun Min Shik and Choi Won Young as Lee Jae Joon. Their acting was spot on and often had me at the edge of my seat.
Music: 8.0
I am not to picky about the music in the dramas I watch; all I ask is that it not be over the top or over used. Thankfully Doctor Prisoner mainly uses music too enhance scenes and often it is in the background. It is never over the top and never finds itself out staying its welcome. Nothing blew me away, but at the same time nothing bothered me about it.
Rewatch Value: 6.0
I don't see myself ever re-watching this show. Not that its a bad show, but their are much better shows I would watch if I wanted to re-watch something.
Overall: 7.0
I would recommended this show if you are looking for a interesting revenge story that is not crazy dark or you just want to watch something that is not a romance drama for a change of pace.
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Story: I extremely love how the concept, storytelling, writing and characterization were full of creativity and uniqueness. You’ll never miss a single smile per episode, the opening scenes were like appetizers, it sets the mood in a fun way, every flashback has a story, it’s great to see how they formed and maintain their brotherhood through the years. The story mainly dealt on the 4 main casts friendship, romance and careers.For me, they offer the ultimate story of real friendship; through thick and thin they’re solid, when caught in several mischiefs, they cover up for one another and if they happen to hurt the other, though it’s hard, they forgive. When the four unites, whether they drink, play or have some issues to take care of, the way they handle their talks will make you laugh at some point. Another good point of this drama was the balanced use of limelight for all of the characters, it stays strong that the 4 gentlemen were really the center of the story. Every individual shines on their own, each of the gentleman had their conflict to resolve, no one overshadowed the other though it’s clear from the beginning that the main romance will revolve on Kim Do Jin and Seo Yi Soo . Each one has a romance to follow, they were engaging and it’s mostly on a mature tone which is expected; we were dealing with middle-aged man in the first place, however if I may pick on the best love story of the four , I would choose the one who has the story of first love, their love was simply wonderful . The chemistry of all the couples were greatly seen, I’m always betting for all of them to have their own happy endings, they looked attractive couples on screen. The ending was unexpected and fun! What an outrageous yet very sweet proposal, who wouldn’t say yes to it? Honestly, the ending made this show a 10 for me.
Acting/ cast: Well, the utilization of the 40 year old gentlemen as main casts were already daebak for me, it’s original and interesting already and that made me watch this show . How they blend perfectly as to how the story unfolded made the story even better. In my opinion, no other casts would have done their roles better than them. To make it simply, the characters they portray fit them with every emotion they show was credible, no complaints at all.
Music: The songs were melancholic, sometimes fun, sometimes sweet. Well there’s distinctive song here which was a first for me to hear. I don’t know if it’s the OST because it’s mostly played but it’s a first to hear a song in a Korean drama having an English lyrics. It’s good and another good deviation from the usual Korean music scores.
Rewatch Value: I rarely rewatch, but this deserves a high rewatch value for me.
Overall: A great unique drama. Different in a lot ways but share a deep bond within themselves, having same passion of loving their women – these gentlemen , who wouldn’t love them? :)
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This review may contain spoilers
Intriguing drama with its own FF button <3
I stumbled upon this drama and decided to plunge right in without much research or thought. Wow, it turned out to be a fun and entertaining ride.What I liked about this drama:
- The plot was intriguing as many things were going on. There was a lot of action. The plot was fast-paced. Things happened. Things were revealed.
- The ML was "da bomb"-- handsome! He could be cute. He could be suave. He could be manly. I enjoyed watching him!
- The FL was not a damsel in distress which was nice.
- Everything was explained and well-linked. Everything was tied up nicely despite the fact that this drama was a mini-series. I liked the sense of completion and closure.
- The fighting scenes were quite nicely choreographed.
- There was plenty of "skinship" between ML and FL which was, to me, very lovely. I liked how they sort of could not keep their hands off each other. I liked their hot kisses and their interactions which were full of (sexual) tension.
- I was entertained and intrigued. It was a fun short ride!
What I didn't like:
- This mini-series was a little too rushed in my opinion. Everything seemed to be at 1.25 or even 1.5 speed.
- The jumps from one part to another seemed very "touch and go" -- "here's the explanation, take it and off we go to the next" was how I felt.
Overall, this is an exciting and entertaining mini-series with cute ML! I watched him in "Royal Rumors" but he is finer in this series. I'd say watch it! It's very good! :o)
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it started off good but plummeted
I started this drama because my friend said it came from a webtoon and it was good. I'm a fan of the main leads as well. They casted them well I must say. The first episode was good, I am hooked. I was looking forward to this every week even though the it only released one episode. This schedule made people not tune it but that did not stop me. I was watching holding back other kdramas because of this and thought of the one episode per week as a blessing (to catch up with school works). The episodes went well until it went downhill. I'm disappointed.Was this review helpful to you?
The story was about a girl that has been secretly in love with a boy that's like boy wonder to her. He's smart, handsome, the whole package and she's smart, quiet and pretty and they are just a good combo. She's really strong, not ditzy in anyway, she holds her own and I love that about her, WE LOVE A STRONG FEMALE LEAD. Lol. But this is the nostalgic part for me that I can relate to so much that I instantly could not help myself from tearing up a little bit is that feeling of having your first crush/first love that has no idea who you are. Like I think everyone has had that ONCE in their life where this person has no idea you even exist but you admire them from so far because they're the next best thing to sliced bread, I kid you not dudeee. That feeling just hit me, made me laugh, cry and reminiscence on that time where I was just young, dumb and carefree. Like "what is love?" ya know what I mean, but that's what I love about this show because it takes the chances of being a nobody, to a somebody, going through ups and downs like your average relationship and just...living. Man, what a feeling. Lol.
I loved the acting. I definitely get what everyone is saying though because the ML played, I wouldn't say a jerk but he was naive and young. Lol. He was a clueless boy that really was just a boy in my opinion and what I mean from that is he doesn't think of this love and just doesn't think too deep. He's smart and living his life and just living brightly. I LOVE THE FEMALE LEAD. SHE PLAYED SO WELL AT THIS CHARACTER. NOT A PANSY BUT NOT TOO BAD, SHE WAS SO FITTINGGGGG. I also liked the friends, I hated the secondary characters, the acting was just fitting for this kind of storyline.
The music is cool, I didn't mind it.
When I'm feeling blue and down or I just need a stretch, I think this is definitely a rewatch. I think this is honestly just an extremely good show. I dig it. 10/10. For sure.
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A beautiful and Inspiring story
When I stumbled upon the trailer of this new movie on Netflix ,I absolutely expected a sad movie where one of them ends up dying or worse both ends up dying.But never have I been so happy to be wrong .This movie is abt 2 amazing people with such vibrant and infectious personalities. The actors have done such an incredible job breathing life into these characters .
Their story is inspiring .Both the main charcters have been dealt a bad card in life .While one of them is ready to give everything to fight this disease ,one of them have already given up.
How they both deal with their disease and their love for each other is the premise of the story .
Truly one of the best movies I've seen this year
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This review may contain spoilers
To preface I'm not sure what it was about touch that kept me coming back but objectively I know that the drama was a solid So-So. The Good
Whilst many complained about the lack of romance within the series, this is what endeared me the most about it. The
"romantic couple" were not wrapped up in each other in the obsessively aggressive way which is norm that is usually portrayed by other dramas. I liked that they had their own lives and problems and being together was not the magic cure that fixed everything. It was a quiet love that they came together to support each other when needed and even give the other a gentle push when needed. During the episodes you can see how they cared for each other. It wasn't a bells and whistle kind of romance but I liked it just the same.
The So-So
The casting was a major problem for me. I tried not to be but I was often bothered by the age difference and I think it largely had to do with watching Kim Bo Ra as a high school student last year in Sky Castle and then switch it up to this. Although they kept saying she was 25 she came across as a 20 year old which I think is why I enjoyed their luke warm romance.
The side stories really didn't help the drama along and it was at these moments where I loudly questioned why I was watching this drama to begin with.
The show also touched on a lot of controversial topics but didn't quite accomplish it the way they had expected. The age gap, domestic abuse, chaebol power struggles where the daughters of the family are mostly considered inferior and the pressure of fame with balancing your personal life with your public image.
I was also not a fan of Lee Tae Hwan character as he didn't seem genuine in the least. His feelings were all but superficial except in the part of the friendship.
My Feelings
As I said in the preface I was weirdly drawn to this drama. In my heart I gave it a solid 7 but my brain was ranting 'why why why?' Being a Joo Sang Wook fan probably had a lot to do with it and maybe he mesmerized me for a time. I'm not even sure I would recommend but I guess I kinda liked it.
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It has a good balance of mystery, humor, romance, and other themes common to these kinds of dramas. It's great for people who like detective shows, but without it being too dark or too serious. "The Memorandum of Kyoko Okitegami" is a quick, but endlessly amusing watch. Simple, but sweet.
I thought the acting was very good, and basically all of the characters are very lovable, each in their own ways. Admittedly, Kyoko and Yakusuke's chemistry is kind of average, they still make the romance aspect of this drama enjoyable to watch. Okada Masaki does an especially great job at conveying Yakusuke's obvious infatuation with Kyoko in the most endearing way.
Honestly, my only complaint is regarding the ending. It wasn't bad per se, just.. lackluster. It felt rushed, IMO. The last bit was nice enough, but everything leading up to it just left me feeling kind of disappointed.
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Jang Hyuk first won me over in Fated to Love but this role is completely different. There's no infectious laughter, in fact he rarely cracks a smile, but as Pil Joo he shows so much emotion behind what on the surface seems like a permanent poker face. From the beginning I was fascinated with, and rooting for, Pil Joo. Seeing the constant torment on his face at each betrayal, then watching him always be a step ahead, was an addictive combination. Even though he is insanely manipulative, he's also extremely sympathetic, and it's impressive watching this master strategist implement his ultimate plan for revenge. Whatever praise he gets for this role is well deserved.
The majority of the rest of the cast is just as praise worthy, and help create the perfect atmosphere. With a character like Pil Joo, you need characters just as compelling to make the story work, and although everyone was really good, Jang Seung Jo, Lee Mi Sook, and Lee Soon Jae were perfection. I loved Lee Soon Jae's matter of fact callousness as the head of the Jang family, Jang Gook Hwan (aka Grandpa from HELL). He was so nonchalant about being so unbelievably evil that I almost had to laugh at times. I adored Seung Jo's manic charm as Boo Cheon (the ultimate frenemy). Boo Cheon was so complicated that he's the kind of character you sympathize with and want to see destroyed. I loved him, and loved to hate him. He was also really good at saying more with his expression than words could. He had one scene where just him closing the hotel door was one of the most gripping episode endings.
Then there is Mi Sook's Jung Mal Ran (aka Psycho Mommy Dearest). Mal Ran is the kind of villain that I love. She somehow made being completely unmerciful attractive. Without giving away too much, she is the main target for Pil Joo's revenge, and their scenes together are many of my favorite moments in the show. It seems weird to call what they had chemistry, but that's what it felt like... intense rivalry, constant suspicion for sure, but also a little sexual tension. Even her outfits were amazing. I already liked her as one of the dueling mom's in Jealousy Incarnate, but I had no idea she was capable of this kind of performance. She is the worst mother possible, but in the best way!
The only character who was good but not as great as the others in my opinion is Park Se Young. As Na Mo Hyun she did a good enough job, but with such an epic cast it's easy for her to look mediocre in comparison. It could also be the way her character was written, being the least duplicitous of the bunch. She does hold her own in many scenes, but always in a way that still seems to leave her out-shined by her costar. I guess being the only goodie two shoes among the vicious can have that effect.
Betrayal, greed, and revenge is what drives this drama from start to finish, so don't get fooled by the genre tags or the synopsis. This is about THE WORST family you could ever imagine, and the fight to see who will be the next to lead the company once grandpa dies. Even though I've seen way too many dramas with this kind of plot, I don't ever remember one doing ruthless so well. Don't expect laughs, or anything even slightly resembling comic relief. Expect lots of people not trusting each other, and for good reason. Still it doesn't go overboard with melodramatic sadness, so its more engrossing than depressing. Instead of romance, I would say there is intense longing and deception. Instead of law, I would say that these characters take extreme liberties with the law in ways that are very entertaining. This is a drama where you wonder how far each character will go for their goal, and then stand back and watch them probably go way beyond what you would imagine they would do... at least that was the case with me. I had many jaw dropping moments at their actions.
Another thing worth mentioning is the music. It's less about songs and more about how much music is used to drive the intensity in the story. I especially loved the cliff hanger music at the end of each episode. Once I heard that music play I knew something unbelievable was about to happen. Even in the last episode, when I thought they couldn't possibly fit in another twist, that music always told me otherwise.
Would I watch this again? Absolutely, but I couldn't give it a perfect rewatch score, because knowing what will happen does lessen the intensity. The performances themselves are mesmerizing enough to keep me watching, but cliff hangers lose some of their charm when you know what will come next.
Overall I highly recommend this drama. The writing, directing, and acting were all too good to miss. If you want something light to watch, this is definitely not for you, but I'd still say add it to your queue for when you may be more in the mood. If you start watching and feel like it's too slow, this is one of those dramas that just gets more and more exciting as it goes on. If the idea of a makjang scares you away, think of it more as a revenge drama, and if revenge dramas aren't your thing, maybe think of it as a character driven melodrama. I say this because Money Flower is missing some of the elements I normally love in a drama, but I didn't really miss anything at all. I started watching with no expectations, and an open mind, and I knew early on that this would end up on my favorites list. It was so fun being shocked every week, and wanting to curse at my screen. I was satisfied with the end, and liked that it still left me wanting more, but with enough closure to not feel cheated. After 24 episodes I am sad that it's over. I'm not sure there's another drama that can fill the intensity void this one will leave.
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