A Mixed Bag of Emotions: Ji Chang Wook Shines, but Empowerment and Chemistry Fall Short
I recently immersed myself in Welcome to Samdal-ri, eager to witness the brilliance of Ji Chang Wook's acting prowess after watching him in Healer. While he undoubtedly delivered a stellar performance that left me in awe, I couldn't help but feel a void in terms of female empowerment and on-screen chemistry.Ji Chang Wook's portrayal was nothing short of captivating. His nuanced expressions, impeccable delivery, and undeniable charisma added depth to the character, making it difficult to look away. His acting prowess alone almost carried the entire show for me, and I applaud his dedication to his craft.
However, the storyline left me yearning for more when it came to female empowerment. Despite the potential for a strong, empowering female lead, the narrative fell short of delivering a character who could stand on equal footing with Ji Chang Wook's. It felt like a missed opportunity to showcase a more balanced dynamic between the male and female characters. I guess her wanting to lean on him was literal.
The chemistry, unfortunately, failed to ignite the screen. While both actors individually gave commendable performances, their on-screen connection lacked the spark that could have elevated the romantic aspects of the plot. This absence of palpable chemistry and incomplete storylines (like what happened to Sazal Kim's character Man-Su) left me somewhat detached and wanting more.
While the show had its moments, the missed opportunities in character development and resolution left me with mixed feelings about the overall viewing experience.
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Another plus point was it's music. It's been over a year since I watched this drama and I'm still in love with the entire OST. 'Because I miss You' is like my favorite Korean dram OST of all time. These things kept me going and that's actually the reason I'm giving this drama a 7 instead of a 6 or a 5. Because of it's awesome star value and music. Those who look for nice content and intriguing storyline should skip this one.
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Misunderstanding that amount to nothingness
Intro of this series was amazing, plot line seemed like something fantastic, i mean who does not want to be sucked into the world of immortals and their crazy power tussle and upside down romances but this drama is a whole bunch of that, that ended to nothingness. Don't get me wrong the storyline was making sense and each episode would keep you waiting for how it all began a 1000 years ago but the moment you arrive a 1,000 years ago the entire misunderstanding the show was built on amounts to nothing!!!You now begin to wonder why you stuck to the drama till the end!!!
With characters that could not be tied exactly to the main characters and it makes you wonder what the writer was trying to achieve.
My honest advice,skip this drama it is not worth your time!!!
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This thing is just absolutely garbage
This story is clearly an inspiration and an insult to the actual Novel and Webtoon. It says that its a "live action" version of the actual orv, but it's just a "inspiration", cause the "live action" version is a version which they did what they think are right to them, just because she's a woman doesn't mean she's just a healer. Not just that, wdym that one of the MAIN character is a SIDE character? He's the main character in TWSA and should be the main character in this story too. Bihyung/Dokkaebi also looks like a ugly ass fucked up gumball filled labubu. I rather buy a labubu then buy whatever that thing is. No hate to the actors and actresses, but YJH is taller than KDJ. KDJ isn't a bully, he's the one who gets bullied, also wdym he SAVES the world? Isn't he supposed to sacrifice? I might not finish the novel or webtoon, but I know better than to make fans upset. Fuck this movie. I hope the next webtoon, novel or both adaptation you do is better than this. I hate YJH and LJH shipper just because of the cast, their family, so please, and don't just go giving 5 stars just because of the cast. A movie isn't just about its cast, but about the work that had been put in by the directors/team. But I would rate this a -1/10. This surely isn't orv but its sure something that came out of your mouth when you forgot about the plot. how did you think of him as a bully? I just found out that he(KDJ) hates TWSA, ok what... HE READ IT FOR YEARS, WDYM HE HATES IT? HE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO KEPT READING IT TILL THE END. IT'S ALWAYS THERE THROUGH HIS UPS AND DOWNS I MEAN. Sorry if my grammar is bad , English is my second language or im being mean, but im just tryna be brutally honest. Everything that is written is all imo and everyone has a chance to give their own thoughts in this movie!(edit)Was this review helpful to you?
Anywho back to the movie. It is a great mash up of east meets west. A great cast, with everyone acting superbly. It's a cute movie about a girl and her friend being separated for greed. I won't go in to too much detail or else it spoils it. There were some tears and there were some chuckles. Definitely a rewatch just to see the girls relationship with Okja. Don't think there was a soundtrack and the movie seems shorter than it is, it is over 2hrs long. It is a Netflix production, which seems to be more of a thing nowadays. Great production with clear and lovely graphics.
Nice to see Choi woo shik, brought some comedy. Oooo and watch till the credits finish rolling for some more of him lol
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A love to be jealous of
Two enemies that could only be together bc of amnesia, and yes it's the first time I come across the amnesia trope almost 3 times and I loved it!JinAn/Annan/Man in black:
Cheng Lei ate all three roles with Jin An being my favourite. He is a dream boyfriend, his love is shown, not just articulated and, even when he was ruthless Annan, the writer made sure we know that Jin An is Annan and his principles are the same, it was never an act. He showed his prowess as a general, his etiquette as a prince, his affection as a brother even when he was Jin An with lost memories. And the Man in black is the alter ego, justice fighter that protects the world. All the personas merged into one at the end and you wouldn't wish for anything else
Li Shuang:
Song Yi is an underrated actress. She personified a role that had a job: she works as a general but she is also a woman, a lover, a human, a sister and a daughter, an adopted orphan thoughout the story(and not some long lost princess).She is amazing and her tears, her pain, her cries ripped my heart in the last 10 episodes. I mean I was literally crying for the duration of almost 8 hours, her acting is that good. And gosh how moist her eyes are, I'm jealous. Her relationship with Jin An was a revelation to witness bc she is us, every woman in the throes of love, flirting and being happy. And she didn't turn into a puddle when she found out he's her enemy. Captured, she delivered acid and sparred with him as equals, and you could see her heart breaking. It was so real you could almost hear the sound of it.
Chemistry:
100% achieved. The actors are familiar with each other and at times I got the feeling sth's underfoot. Lots of hugs, Cheng Lei's sculpted torso, lots of kisses and heart eyes. There wasn't any real skinship but we were delivered the BEST ending in cdrama so far so I won't whine, there's still hope in the industry
Friendship, family, death:
The fist ever drama where the ML forms a FRIENDSHIP with two of FL's friends, loses one and MOURNS her! We got a mourning scene of both the ML and the FL, her death wasn't brushed off with a nod, they cried for her! Also we witnessed the ritual of her father's funeral, so touching and real, I didn't know I needed to see it till I did!
Now her father is the best father in all cdrama land and he is not her read father. She is adopted and here we see a man RESPECTING his daughter! Have you ever heard of that before?
Her brother starts as a brat who grows into an adult and with him our FL grows too into a better sister.
Secondary characters:
Yes, and they move the plot forward each in their own way and have their own merit, they are very important and there wouldn't be a story or plot without them. Watch it and you'll see
Ending:
The last 10 episodes achieved what nth so far in cdramas has been achieved: an escalated interest, a gradual peak in the plot that kept you glued to your seat, waiting anxiously for the next episodes to drop and a constant ache in the heart. I couldn't stop crying, it was so painful till the all inclusive happy ending(and what a happy ending!) that I knew right there and then why all the previous episodes were so sweet and romantic:To FEEL their love, not just witness it. To BE Li Shuang, to experience it ourselves, to get in her shoes so it's us that are BETRAYED by fate, it's us who lose the love of their lives. Bravo writer!You have my tears and my heart. And 10 stars.
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Bloody Flower — A Drama That Never Bloomed
If you’re looking for a tightly written, emotionally gripping short K-drama, Bloody Flower may disappoint you. Despite having only eight episodes, it feels stretched rather than sharp. The premise shows promise and the cast delivers decent performances, but the writing lacks depth and momentum.There’s little sense of urgency or anticipation between episodes — it’s not the kind of drama that keeps you counting down to the next release. Much of the storyline feels underdeveloped, making the overall experience feel thinner than it should for an eight-episode series.
Watch it if: you’re a fan of the cast or prefer lighter, easy-to-finish dramas.
Skip it if: you’re expecting strong storytelling, tight pacing, or high emotional payoff.
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ACTING/CAST: There were only three main characters but all were good actors and the two boys were not afraid to show some skin or kiss.
MUSIC: I liked it, some good beats.
REWATCH VALUE: I'll watch it again later when I go on a Strongberry/Matchbox binge again.
OVERALL: I love K-dramas and add gay to the mix and it's a hit! Please support these guys!
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A bit cringe, a bit drama and much fluff...
The most amazing thing about this series is, that it's a japanese/thai co-production, even when filmed in Thailand, everyone except "Junji" is thai.The start is rough with the subtitles, but it got better with ep 5... The first episodes are easy to follow even when you don't know exactly what they say, but everyone should get the gist of it. This story is similar to "Our Dating Sim" but with major differences. First the company is much bigger, second the couple did not meet in school, but through a game, even when that is not obvious for some time.
While a japanese production it follows the thai forumla, which means a bit of cringe and funny scenes which are not that funny in my eyes. But overall they did have a good story (not a stellar one), good character progression and even the "side couple" had ample of screentime and did not feel like an afterthought. The only sad point was, that Fluke resembled his acting in UWMA but his character was much stronger and focused. He did a good job and of course he did not need to cry every episode.
Interesting the main couple did not have any BL experience before this series and for their first outing they did exceptionally well. Hill (March Chutavuth Pattarakhumphol) is an inspired game designer who finally lands his dream job and Junji (Mukai Koji) is the CEO of the thai branch of a japanese gaming company and the only japanese working there. The writing of their characters was well done and they gradually show other sides of themselves and reveal that they are not as stereotypical as I have expected them to be from the first two episodes. They grow together in a mature slow way and both overcome their past trauma through trust.
The side couple has the veterans Judo (as Bay) & Fluke (as Phat) and both seem to have fun with their roles. While Bay is a game designer with a big ego and portraited as womanizer, Phat is reserved but a focused chef. Both couples find together due to the research there are doing for their new game which is a dating game but the main characters of said game are only boys. While Junji & Phat are obvioously gay, the other two characters seemed not to be, but this is not the typical hetero to gay trope. Bay sees/feels something in Phat he never felt before and Hill recognizes whom he loved all along (I will not spoil that to you). The only negative is the forced drama in the end, which is imho too much thai influence. They could have solved that in a better way in a less dramatic way.
We will see the side-couple hopefully again, because they announced a second season of "Make a Wish". Koji (Junji) will be back in a BL movie "Love Song" (https://mydramalist.com/782204-love-song) this year which is also a japanese/thai co-production playing in Thailand and Japan but sadly with another actor but who look very similar to March (Hill) imho.
The production was good, the actors were good and the vibe was good. I don't know why, but I felt happy watching this. So I see no reason why you should not to watch this series imho.
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Like chewing gum...
It started out kind of fun, an easy watch with a pretty cool female lead and good looking cast. There was a slight stiff awkward yet playful vibe to the story and most of the characters as well. Entertaining as long as you don´t care about logic, because well there is none. While most of the story and quality is inconsistent there is one thing that never fails and that is the lack of logic in the plot.There are of course some well loved drama cliches, and an abundance of umbrellas but as the episodes passed by I realised that the awkwardness that worked so well in the beginning was actually just lack of direction and/or talent from the leads. Add to that the plot just goes meeh, the slight build up of the first episodes just goes flat there is nothing really interesting to see there and while there are a few cute lines and smiles here and there it all just went bland... like the drama got covid and kept trying all kinds of flavours but had lost all sense of taste... Just like chewing gum bursting with flavour the first 2 minutes untill it slowley turs in turns to this tasteless mass you may be able to make bubbles out of but the falvour is gone...
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Now the series itself: I love how this series actually is different from what I've been watching its so cute. A pet shop owner falling in love with an author and how their love transpires over the course of the series, it has a little fluffy tone to itself and it is a more fluff based series. The characters were very entertaining, the friendship inside all of it was really nice. Most BL series are high school, a little dark, and little weird and normally just end sad or have an overly gripping story line that yeah you can relate to but seems to become the same staple for a series/movies like how car accidents or getting ran over is the staple in most k-dramas, that doesn't mean that I'm dismissing those staples because many of great works have those. This story line is still relatable, the conflicts are what people have gone through, still go through, and is still alive with others today it. I love the rising actions that take place, I got irritated with Liang Ze of course because most bottoms bother me in BL stuff but his character is a little different than most bottoms. I love the dialogue it's lighthearted and fun, the music was well placed for certain scenes, flat out i would recommend this as a nice beak away from a very serious show that you may have watched.
Now I don't give it praise, but i cant bash it either. Definitely, I love the fact that it's lighthearted and that it ends on a sweet note : (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywqp4Ve7qX8) (I do apologize that this has no subs but it's the ending part where someone mentioned that this is one of the BL series that ends happy) but truthfully the reason why i wouldn't give it all 10's is because the story line was simplistic the scenes weren't edgy and it didnt have as many transitions that reopened some foreshadowing in the series to uncover tension or a surprise for the viewers but honestly you don't need that all the time; a simply, delightful story structure goes a long way people. The series is really sweet but not like Moon Lovers, it's not like Diary of Tootsies, it's a short collection of episodes that you can watch when you cant decide on what to watch. It's really cute but then again everyone this is just an overall outlook from my perspective, my opinions. Some from a collective selections of other reviews and my knowledge gained from watching the series.
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I fell for each and every character presented. This is how everyone should write interesting, fresh, original and flawed ones. I hated so many of the choices they made and actions they took, but I could understand why they did them. All the bad behaviors were never excused, but always explained. And I found it extremely refreshing.
The story slowly presents to you that whatever happens is almost never just one person's fault. At the end of the day, it is your choice to stay in a bad situation and turn a blind eye to what happens in your surroundings.
The drama has a lot of really meaningful and deep messages, including: consent in a relationship, understanding your worth, impact the past struggles have on your current self, fear of happiness and losing it. You learn as you watch it. More than once I read a line a character has said and just simply nodded my head in agreement.
Any flaws? The ending was too good. I was quite honestly hoping for some twist by the end. I was sad with how Maru and Soo Kyung's story was dealt with. There clearly were hints left, but they never followed with any conclusion. It's worth mentioning the painfully unnecessary Dong Goo's story line. From the beginning till the end, I was not even slightly interested in his character and the romantic subplot he's got.
Overall, I believe it's an extremely underrated drama and I wish more people would give it a shot. The first two episodes might leave you speechless and it's hard to understand the characters and their motivation, but as we get to know them better, they start to feel like old friends. The familiar feeling just calls you in.
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WHY didn't I drop this sooner?
I was so excited to watch this show back when it was announced because of the cast, because Seo Hyun Jin and Hwang In Yeop are brilliant, so the show must be great as well! Well, turns out I was wrong. This was sooo boring and cringeworth, it felt like a telenovela that came straight out from Kwai.The cast is good, and they acted good, I won't deny it. the reason I didn't drop this kdrama was mainly because I'm a huge fan of HIY, and I like Seo Hyun Jin too. She acted well as Oh Soo Jae, but poor HIY couldn't shine as much as he deserved, this is the first kdrama where he finally got to act as the main lead, it's a pity that things ended up like this. He is an awesome actor, I watched pretty much all of his kdramas except for Tale of Nokdu, and I can guarantee that he slayed on all the dramas he acted until now. His facial expressions are incredible, that's how he managed to shine even on his support roles like in 18 Again, and managed to steal everyone's hearts in True Beauty even tho he wasn't the main lead. But here, he was just... Plain. Boring. Blank. It didn't feel like Gong Chan was a main character, instead it felt more like he was Oh Soo Jae's loyal dog or whatever, everything he did was about Soo Jae, it was like he had no life of his own to care about. They mentioned his story with his half sister every now and then, but his focus was mainly on Soo Jae, it was kinda disappointing actually. It felt like the only reason for him to be on the show was to show up and save Soo Jae every now and then, run after her, and maybe, sometimes, think about his sister. While she was worried about her daughter stuff, her past, her present, her future, TK Law firm, the contracts, Choi Tae Guk, Ju Wan, and her other thousand problems that she had, Gong Chan was solely focused on her problems, and her. He was shallow, that's how I felt about his character. He could've been so much more. They could've had their development together on the story, but it seems like the only developments were given all to Soo Jae. That way, HIY didn't even have opportunities to show people his amazing acting skills, which is such a pity, what a loss. Some people met HIY for the first time on this kdrama, and I've seen people saying that he is a bad actor, that he is boring and etc, but that's just the character's fault, too bad that this is staining the actor's image.
About the romance. Gong Chan was solely focused on Soo Jae the entire series, but she seemed so distant from him tho. While she was on her own world, he seemed to be fully in love with her, in an obssessive way even, I'd say. But she didn't give that much attention to him, she kissed him once, they went out together a couple of times, and that was it. No chemistry at all. I could almost say that there was no romance at all there. The second male lead sucked as well, if he wasn't present on the kdrama it wouldn't even make a difference, honestly. Choi Yoon Sang tried to ruin things between Gong Chan and Soo Jae, and it didn't even bother me, he was such a weak character. Besides, why did he try to ruin things between Soo Jae and Gong Chan when there wasn't even anything to ruin from the start? Their love was cold as ice, idk what Yoon Sang tried to finish ruining there. Then he tried joining his father, which made no sense, then he betrayed his father, which was weird as well. Anyways, he was the most boring character there. He and Soo Jae barely had any interactions, I could even say that he didn't feel like a second male lead.
The rest of the characters were boring as well. Everybody's lives revolved around Soo Jae, it was like nobody had anything else to care about. The whole team of students were like Soo Jae servants. She was the perfect definition of a Mary Sue for me.
Some of the other things that bothered me on the story:
-Jae Yi's death. She barely had any screen time, we barely got to know her, and barely had time to find out that she was Soo Jae's daughter, then she suddenly died in a dramatic scene with flowers flying everywhere, and Soo Jae hugging her corpse later. We didn't have enough time to feel connected to Jae Yi and her story, so, I'm sorry but I couldn't feel so sad about her death. Not as sad as they wanted me to be at least.
-Soo Jae's heart disease. Why was it even mentioned there? It didn't make much of a difference in the story, except for some hurt/comfort scenes, which weren't even necessary. Her fever scene didn't make sense as well, and I'm a fan of whump scenes.
-Choi Tae Guk saying to Soo Jae on his last minutes that she didn't win the game, that something more was about to come, that this wasn't the end, and actually YES, this was the end because everybody had an happy ever after when he died. I was expecting something more when he said that. A final trap, maybe? Something vile, like his character was on the entire series? Idk. I was just disappointed.
-The rise and fall of Choi Tae Guk. He made hell out of Soo Jae's life in the entire show, right? The bigger they come, the harder they fall, I was expecting something UGLY on his defeat. But it was also... disappointing. He just heard everything everybody had to say and killed himself. That's all folks. Gone. He didn't even try to kill someone along with him, just, killed himself. Boring.
-Everybody decided to become good guys on the last episode. The guy who killed Na Jung apologized to Chan, turned himself in, the corrupt guys were caught, everybody decided to follow the laws, to live life happily later, and suddenly everything was good again. What the eff. I know this is a work of fiction, and it isn't supposed to be like in real life, but honestly, it was cringe to see everybody suddenly being good and lawful.
-Choi Ju Wan judging his father. He raped that girl, he thought he had killed Na Jung, he did a lot of atrocities throughout the show, but when he found out that his father killed the girl he was like NO WAYYY. That made no sense.
-Baek Jin Ki's planned revenge failed. After planning it for years and years. That was just.. disappointing. Then they solved everything in a whole other way, which made his former plannings pointless.
Anyways, I had my hopes that the show would get better maybe. It didn't happen. Before anyone says "maybe you just don't like melodramas", I DO like melodramas, I like mexican soap operas, the thing is that THIS ONE was so poorly written I can't stand it.
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If your favorite character is Ayan, do not watch this
The scriptwriters of The Eclipse are consistent in their efforts to bend characters until they fit into clichéd tropes. They did it in the last four or five episodes of the series, and they are doing it here again.In just two episodes, they managed to completely destroy Ayan's character, presenting him as extremely self-centered. What? Ayan, who spent all of The Eclipse trying to protect people from the curse, who understood Akk and did everything he could to help him, who supported Thua like a great friend, is self-centered? Give me a break.
Furthermore, Akk is now a person who cares too much about others. Really, scriptwriters? Akk, who almost killed his schoolmates to prove that he is a good student prefect and get a scholarship, cares too much about others? I think you are a little confused. Did you forget which one of your characters is Ayan and which one is Akk?
The destruction of the main characters aside, these two episodes were not bad. The great acting and FirstKhao's amazing chemistry made them an enjoyable watch. Khan, Thua, their friends, and Teacher Sani are all here to make fans of The Eclipse happy.
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