Reviews

Short: This one is really slow paced, it's all about mood and feeling rather than action and drama. It's like sitting in front of a warm log fire and reading a nice book with a glass of wine. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and it's a very different role for Park Min Young. It digs into the histories of some interesting characters and we watch them go through their lives briefly. I enjoyed it but sometimes, honestly found it difficult to stay attentive.

Detail:
Did I say it was slow? Like a glacier, and some times even slower than that. But it's not slow because it can't get to the point, or wants to just spread the story super thin. It's because the story is about the characters, the way they are handling wounds that might be new or decades old, how situations change and how the characters evolve around that.

I enjoyed it a lot, there's lots of nice slow tempo music which fits the pace and the views in the scenes are often stunning as it's set in Gangwon Province - not in the tree's like "Forest" but in a small village. We'll join in with a school reunion, with various activities the village people get together for, as well as following the various characters on their journey. Honestly i think I enjoyed this as much for the small slice of life it offers, a glimpse into a different pace and something that feels more traditionally Korean than some of the ones set in the busy hustle of the city.

There are some touching moments, and there are some downright comedic ones mostly thanks to Im Hui, who was absolutely the light in the show for me - she's a force to be reckoned with and her approach to life, her little outbursts and how she is with friends and family can be hilarious.

You need to be in the mood for something slow and relaxing for this one. If you find yourself in other dramas thinking "come on get on with it" - you're not going to enjoy this.

The only down for me is that I really didn't fully grasp the ending - I do tend to need *certain* things written in big neon lights for me to grasp them properly so while I was overall happy, I am largely just basing it on some assumptions of how I *think* they're trying to say things ended rather than actually knowing for sure. But that's ok, it's close enough :)

There's no reason this couldn't be watched over and over if you find yourself in the mood for the pace and story, if you have a lot on your mind and you want something that will just play in the background while your mind races away and not worry that you're missing things, it can be a good story to put on and hopefully calm your mind.

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DEFINITELY SEEN BETTER BUT IT WAS FUNNY

Since the very first episode Backstreet Rookie has been quite the scandal, and after completing the drama I can agree with the fact that there were problems: romanticizing student/adult relationships, black cultural appropriation and the fact that the whole was tagged under 'family comedy-drama'. At first, like many, I took that first episode rather lightly, saying that since it's a webtoon adaptation the facts and events are very unrealistic and that I should not put too much thought into it. But the more I read discussions and opinions from others the more I realised that although it's all unrealistic it can have a bad impact or trigger some people, which made me further realise how unsensitive that first encounter between Saet-byul and Dae-hyun was. Although she started everything and kissed him it was still giving a wrong message to younger audiences who might confuse a fictional love story of 10 years into something romantic and to try in real life. Also, it was insensitive towards people who had similar bad and traumatic experiences. The second point is the best friend Dal-sik, whose character was just totally wrong for me. His presentation, behaviour, and style were just so offensive and are the biggest mistake the writer or PD team made in my opinion and the fact that until the very end, they didn't try to change or develop anything about him. Yeah, he was funny, but also cringey and disgusting.

From what I heard these kinds of dramas were popular in South Korea in the '90s but for audiences today, with all the talks about gender equality (do we want to talk about the father being beaten up religiously lol), cultural representation and misappropriation, a lot of things here were offensive and ignorant. Yes, SK is usually pretty insensitive in these cases, but honestly, if the writers and directors gave some points a little thought it would've saved them so many of those complaints and hate towards the actors.

Now let me mention why it was funny, despite all the issues I discussed above. It was silly, stupid, completely unrealistic and very colourful. Everything was a mess at times, but that's exactly what made it comic and at times relatable. Apart from all the bad stuff, it gives rom-com, and although kind of slow, it had all the elements and I don't regret watching it to be honest. I'm happy how so many people, me included, recognised the wrongs in the drama but still gave it a chance.

The OST was really good, and that's totally what I loved most out of all the drama. The acting was also good, it was a new kind of role for Ji Chang Wook, his character had problems but he did a decent job.

Those who want to watch it, do it with an open mind, knowing all the negative stuff about it, if you don't want to get triggered or disappointed.

I've seen better but it was okay nonetheless.

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I rarely watch, much less recommend romance dramas, but this is an exception. I think this can be enjoyed by everyone regardless what genre of drama a person prefers. It has an "old school" feel to it of something that was made in the 1960s. The story has a vintage, pure appeal to it even as it capitalizes on the cynicism of romance that is prevalent in today's society. side note: I liked Reiko the most.

I know pretty much nothing about Japanese actors. I fell in love with Kitagawa Keiko. Not only is she gorgeous, but her acting is great. Yuki is just as Mamoru describes in the last episode. Kusanagi Tsuyoshi was excellent as Mamoru. I was Mamoru before I met the person I have been with for the last 12 years. I thought I was destined to never be in a long term committed relationship and I was totally okay with it. I really identified with the character and I think that is a tribute to the acting. The other actors were good also.

The music is also great!!! Moon River is one of my favorite songs.

I will probably rewatch this at some point.

I recommend this to everyone.

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Musical like drama

It's my first time watching a K-drama that involves so many musical acts, i somehow felt like I was watching a Disney princess movie throughout this series.

This basically concentrates more on the female leads life journey, having to face harsh realities of life at an younger age, having no adults around to support her and if magic enters her life? BOOM!!! All miseries out of her life, Sounds fun right? Watching first half even I felt that the same. But NO! The second half concentrated more on the magician(ji Chang wook) and Na II deung's life's story. I some how felt a little similarity between the 2 male leads characterizations. The latter seemed younger version of former (Wound'nt go much deeper analysing it here ,may endup spoiling).

This drama did take me by surprise be it the musical acts (Damn! Focus on the lyrics ,seemed like they were talking to each other through music) or the vague ending . Because it is just 6 episodes and the actors are just amazing, I'll say it's watch worthy.

Started this just because of ji Chang wook but ended up falling for the female leads actings, Oh God!!! the look in her eyes explains her misery. Every actor in this drama truly portrayed their character's personality through acting which got me involved more into the story, absolutely loved the actors

Alert!! Zero romance and yeah the ending was quite confusing to me . Story kept jumping from one thing to the other.plot was quite plain with no wow factors involved

Personal opinion :P lol :- Do you believe in magic?
During our low times, if it is something that makes you believe in miracle even for a moment then, why not? -_<

Funny fact:- As ji chang wook is part of it I thought episodes will be released weekly and started off with the latest episode released and 50 minutes into it realised something was off .Turned out I was watching episode 6 throughout. AAAAHHHHH! Erase everything you saw and let's start afresh. EP-1 let's go!!! Was what I though to myself.
Yeah the first episode I watched was the last episode of this drama. SILLY ME!!!!!

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Fun, exciting, engaging and entertaining - just a bit diluted.

I would be lying if I said I did not have a fun time watching. So Hee was as unique as always, Ji Yeon as crazy and Ji Gu as grumpy. Their friendship was still the best and strongest part of the whole show (till one specific scene). Compared to season one, it also focused on them outside of their friendship, so we’ve got less group drinking moments, but instead could see them interact with other people more.

One thing I liked was the fact Kang Buk Gu did not really feel like the main character. I don’t think he had more scenes or importance than for example Kim Sun Jong, which I don’t complain about since he was never a character I looked for while watching the episodes even in season 1. It might be something that others dislike though.

The issue I had with this season is how disjointed it felt. First two episodes don’t fit into the timeline at all and while I understand they had to give a proper closure to the events from season 1, I am not sure they handled it in the best way storytelling wise. And the similar “individual stories not quite connecting together” feeling lasted for the whole duration of the show.

Some episodes were truly great, some were nice, some were not memorable at all. The quality fluctuated a lot. As a whole it was less funny, less moving and less entertaining. It’s still a great drama though, far above the majority of comedy shows. It just pales in comparison to season 1.

The arc this time was them as individual people learning how dependable they are on each other, and how it does not always have positive effects. I understand it on paper, but I think it was not quite well presented in the show itself.

Then, there was one side plotline that was the biggest issue for me. Without giving any spoilers of what happened, the events just made me question why these 3 girls are even friends and how did this friendship last so long. We got an unsatisfying conclusion to an extremely complex problem. The writing of this one side plot was so bad, I actually lost any interest in ever rewatching season 1 and 2. I just cannot see the friendship in the same light anymore (more about it in a comment below).

Performances were amazing - great continuation of the phenomenal deliveries from previous season. It truly feels as if the actresses were born to take these roles.

Overall, you can sense that this season is different and I think the change of the director is obvious. Personally I preferred how Kim Jung Shik handled the story. Season 1 was my first 10 in 2 years. While season 2, while I don’t regret watching, I would not exactly recommend others to check out.

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*NO SPOILERS*
EVERYBODY SHOULD WATCH THIS DRAMA!
First of all I want to start by saying I'm not a newbie in Korean dramas (I've actually completed 66 dramas).I'm saying this not to brag but the review that follows might make you think that it comes from a newcomer that's just excited from finishing their first k-drama,but that's how good this drama actually is.
I started watching Reply 1994 while it was airing and I dropped it on the first episode.After the show was finished I decided to give it a second chance and then I couldn't stop watching.
The story is actually a simple one following the lifes of a family and college students of a boarding house,who just came to Seoul.
Despite the simple plot,the work thats done with the characters is simple wonderful.
Unlike the typical dramas,that usually focus on the leads and leave the supporting roles aside Reply 1994 is all about the supporting roles.
If I analyze all of them this review will take too long, but from the lovable lead Chil Bong Yi (my personal favourite and I think every girl's dream guy) to the crazy father Sung Dong Il evry single character makes this drama what it is.
The acting is strong and allthough I'm not Korean I actually felt nostalgic during many episodes.
You can also relate to the characters at many points since there is a variety of stories and love lines through the drama.
The episodes were so smooth,they actually made you forget about the whole husband mistery and focus on the everyday life of the boarding house.
After many disappointing repetitive dramas "Reply 1994" is a beautiful story that will leave with the sweetest feeling.
That was long but there are not enough words to describe how good it is,watch it and find out on your own ;)

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Was it a perfect show? No. Did it have some flaws? Yes. But holy hell it was amazingly entertaining. So what exactly worked for me, what could have been better, and what was so bad I actually loved it?

The good

Dare I say this had one of the best set of supporting characters I have ever seen? They all were competent in their areas of expertise, but flawed in other departments, which made them more realistic and relatable. They had their own side stories that were simple enough not to overshadow the main plot, but engaging enough for me not to skip any scenes. The number of badass ladies this drama has is also amazing. I would be confident in saying this show was run by the girls.

The romance. I know a lot of people complain it was not this epic love story, but that's exactly what I loved about it. The romance felt natural and slow paced. The characters had so many important issues to deal with, the fact we didn't spend too much time on them being lovey dovey made sense. It made me appreciate the small moments between them more, as they all felt special.

The main characters and cast. I want to compliment Angela Yuen especially, seeing as it was her first main role in a drama. She made me hate Ming He so much, but also enjoy each and every scene with her. All the actors and actresses did a phenomenal job portraying their characters. A few Crystal Yuan scenes felt slightly off, but not to the point it made me annoyed or frustrated. Her performance was still quite solid.

The storytelling. Exactly my type. We had the main plot slowly unfold as we followed the main characters dealing with side plots. And these side plots were actually entertaining. With each story we were introduced to a new side character, that later on had an impact on the main plot. Nice! Not to mention the progression from revenge to justice leading to the well being of others that main characters wanted to achieve. The moral dilemmas they had to face and the choices they had to make were interesting to watch.

The fighting scenes and aesthetics. This show is simply beautiful. The fight in the rain between Yi Qing and Ah Jing was probably the most beautiful scene I have ever seen. The set design, camera angles, editing - it all contributed to this visual feast.

My boi Bi Luo.

The bad

The last episode felt... flat? Especially with how intense the few leading to it were. Quite anticlimactic. They were building up to something epic, but they did not deliver. It wasn't bad, not even that disappointing. I was just expecting something more.

Qing Lan reasoning in the last few episodes. Maybe I am dumb, but the lack of logic behind his actions was amazing. I think they have wasted a little bit of potential this character had.

Slight lack of consistency with the skill sets of few characters by the end of the show. For the sake of the plot progression, some characters that were known to be amazing fighters suddenly weren't that strong anymore. It wasn't that easily noticeable, but since I paid a lot of attention to them, it did make me sigh with a bit of frustration.

Too much poisoning, not enough death caused by it.

THE "SO BAD IT'S GOOD"

GLORIOUS UNDERWATER SCENES! The thing is, in all shows I hate bad CGI, but somehow in wuxia, I love it. The whole show is amazing and beautiful and perfect, but then the underwater scenes and CGI used there was so bad I loved it. I had the same experience with The Untamed - the bad CGI was one of the reasons I loved the show so much.

Yi Qing's coughing... slowly... I started laughing about it and appreciated it more.

Overall, if you want a show that focuses heavily on romance, this is not for you. While the romance is ever present, it's not slammed into your face every second. For me it was a perfect combination of nicely done characters, interesting plot lines, great production value and pure entertainment.

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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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we need more realistic storylines! I love this one!!!

I am truly enjoying this story. As always the main couple's chemistry and acting is on point. I like the drama's direction. The lack of communication will erode a relationship no matter what. It's not only cheating or other huge issues that will affect a relationship, little things will accumulate and eventually explode. I think Ji Woo is a very realistic character, most people are mean, distant and even cruel when they break up and have unresolved issues. I think that I am tired of queer storylines that are only dealing with "perfect, fluffy" storylines. Congrats to the writers, actors and the whole cast.

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"U-turn" is a very short drama about how a woman, who doesn't remember anything about her past, mysteriously appears in the trunk of a man's car and how he tries to help her until they both come to realize who she is. It is also a car commercial. Like the other members have mentioned, I, also, believe this would be a good story for a longer drama.

I liked it because it was entertaining, cute moments included. It also had an air of mystery since right along with them we are also wondering where this woman came from and who the heck she is. And since it was short, it went straight to the point, which is something I really like.

I don't remember any of the music played, which is not necessarily a bad thing. If I was bored and didn't feel like watching a long drama, I would re-watch this in the future.

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Not what i expected.

That was my first thought after watching this movie.

Unfortunatley it wasn't in a good way. The story line definitely had potential. I mean anyone who knows me will admit that i love the rich boy meets girl falls in love blah blah blah storyline. A LOT. But that's exactly what this movie was for me 'blah blah blah.' The acting was alright, the music was better and overall it was an alright movie, but it wasn't incredibly funny, or light and cute, or even that romantic. IT WASN"T GREAT. If you need something to do than watch it. BUT, if you've got other things to watch than save yourself some time and don't watch it.

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Nothing much here :(

It’s your typical mediocre romance cum family cum healing kind of drama. The predictable plot twists towards the last few episodes, really very kdrama.

I like the main theme of controlling your alcohol intake. I’m assuming the writers wanted to make a point here. I do find too much drinking and getting drunk in all these kdramas, it’s like a staple must for every drama. Also, the humour with the family and friends, and all the ladies - not really my thing anymore. Found it tiring and bland.

The chemistry was also dead lol nothing sizzling and won’t give you any butterflies in your stomach. I do like that the FL is a mechanical engineer(?) and she handles cars and works out their problems.

All in all a simple watch at 2.0x speed hahaha. Cdramas are dominating this first half of 2025, so go there instead ;)

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This could have easily become my favorite K-drama of all time if not for the last 3 episodes. THEY KILLED IT! Murdered, shredded, destroyed everything this drama had going for it.

From the first episode I was sucked in and curious as to what was going on. I did not understand much, I did not know what was happening or where it was going, but I was somehow captivated and hypnotized and could not stop watching. I mean, KIM NAM GIL - I had never seen him before in my life but I was instantly enthralled by him. It was love at first sight. Until this day I do not know what it is about him that I like so much. In this drama his character was mysterious, we are supposed to think he is bad and yet his actions seem contradicting. Each character makes you wonder who is really the "bad guy/gal" in the story.

The best part of this drama is that I do not think I would have been as enthralling without its OST. It is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I downloaded it right away and play it often. Even the instrumental pieces are excellent. They really add and create the atmosphere in this drama. I'm so certain that if I would have watched this muted with just the subtitles my opinion of this drama would have been different. It is that incredible.

Again, this drama had me hooked to it, but the last 3 episodes and most specifically the last 15 minutes of it had me breathing hard and chanting: "This is not real, this is not real. It's only a drama. Your husband will kill you if you break the TV"

Overall, even if the ending was not to my liking I do not regret watching this drama. It was one of the first Korean ones I ever watched and because of the music and maybe even bc of the ending I don't think I'll forget it anytime soon.

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No sword bites so fiercely as an evil tongue

A drama that surpassed my initial thoughts and let me adventure on the story a lot more than I expected. It has also been the first time I've enjoyed a wuxia drama so much after so many years, so this drama will hold a special place in my heart.

The story is more than what is shown. The difference between Li Xiangyi & Li Lianhua is also very big. Xiangyi was someone who wanted to help everyone, save them & being centered to only one thing, the martial world. He gave his all to be the best & find his senior's remaining's, only to later on to find that the senior hated him.
As for Lianhua, he is someone who learned more about the world, other than only martial, he learned how to cook, take care of his Lotus Tower, his dog, and also be free, not restricted by any laws, travel the world as he wanted. He had the ability to do everything he wanted to, he wasn't constrained anymore & not seen anymore as the first martial artist in martial world. He was just Li Lianhua, a simple human with the thought to do whatever he wants before dying by the poison. He as well made a friend, his first true friend, FDB. He was able to do everything he wanted to do.

As for the other characters in MLC, they were well written and really well portrayed by the actors & actresses. The biggest shock of the drama was that Lianhua's senior, Shan Gudao, was still alive and that he wanted to control the world. Shan Gudao hated Lianhua because he was never praised by their master & thought that Lianhua never cared about him, but that was never the case. It was really sad to see his senior go against him, but at the same time it was nice to see Lianhu'a revenge towards Gudao for killing his master and doing all those things towards him & the rest.

Also, as someone who hasn't read the novel & doesn't really know if they kept the same storyline, I really enjoyed the story a lot. It was a kind of story that wasn't dragged at all, the cases were really well analyzed which made me to anticipate the next case. Just like said above, I've enjoyed that drama a lot, the fights, the story, the emotions, the characters, the costumes, everything was well portrayed. It was a drama that I have never seen before with interesting plot, and also Cheng Yi made me enjoy the drama more and more.

If you are an enjoyer of costume dramas, resolving cases, non-romance then this one is for you.

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An ordinary UNordinary K-drama

I thought that I had to write a review about this AMAZING drama. I hope that people like me who are hesitating decide to watch this drama, because I know how hard it is to find a gem like that.

SYNOPSIS : At first, I was not really convinced by the synopsis. I was focused on True Beauty as everyone does I assume. But since the ratings were high, I decided to give it a chance.

STORY : I have to admit that the story in itself is not that interesting; it's about the ordinary life of a translator (Oh Mi Jo) who meet an handsome and rich athlete, son of a wealthy deputy (Ki Son Gyeom). It is yet not boring at all, the love stories and the chemistry between the couples is fantastic. I also have to say that this drama is really natural, and it's rare (except maybe for ep1 where there may be too many coincidences to be true, Seoul is not a small village lol...).

ACTING/CAST : AMAZING, FANTASTIC. The characters of this drama are so entertaining !!! I fell in love with Ki Son Gyeom at first view. He's a weird and rich boy, far from being the usual bad boy character we use to have in k-drama. I've never loved a nice main role character like him. Handsome, cute and perfect acting. I really love Oh Mi Jo, who is a down to earth and strong female main lead. I really like how they share Oh Mi Jo's past as she gets closer to Ki Son Gyeom. But my favorite character appeared to be CEO Seo Da Nah !!!!! She's is weird, but omg she's so strong, confident and funny and I honestly wait for her character's development and love story more than anything in this drama. I love women wearing sneakers with pretty clothes too !!

MUSIC : I love how the music isn't omnipresent like in some drama, which make usually the scene unnatural. The OST is pretty good.

REWATCH VALUE : I will rewatch this drama with pleasure; It is kind of the same genre as Because This is my First Life, one of my favorite drama ever.

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