Reviews

tried something different

Overall: though it was cool how they tried something different, the tonal shifts and writing didn't work for me. 12 episodes about 1 hour each. Aired uncut on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/jack-joker-u-steal-my-heart-episode-1-l2dlqwi91c?lang=en_us (I watched the uncut version which originally was the only MDL listing, if there is a cut version released at a later date that I can watch, I'll try to update this with the differences)

Content Warnings: past suicide, suicide, attempted suicide, theft, violence/beaten up, blood, bullying, attempted kidnapping, coercion, manipulation, punch, kidnapping, blood

Watch Suggestions starting at ep 5 (uncut timings) (to take out nonsense plot, brutality and focus on the leads' relationship, I might go back thru earlier episodes for suggested timings later)
- episode 5 watch 5:30-9:30 and 16-50:50 if you want to see a caper, otherwise watch 9:30-12:40 and 50:50-56:55 for 2 hurt care scenes
- episode 6 watch the beginning to 9:10, 16-21:40, 24:45-29:30 and 38-1hr2m30s
- skip episode 7
- episode 8 watch 1hr10m45s to the end
- episode 9 watch 1hr4min to the end
- episode 10 watch beginning to 5 and then 12-12:45
- skip episode 11
- episode 12 watch 53:30-54:20 and 1hr 24 to the end

What I Liked
- best grandma ever
- unique premise
- sweet/flirty/caring moments
- fight/action sequences
- grey protagonists
- how Jack called out his coach and then the coach apologized and got his karma
- non cliche female character

Room For Improvement
- tonal shifts between inept comedy caper and brutality/action
- the romance took a backseat to the nonsense plot
- characters were stupid and inept
- because 2 characters relished in violence at the beginning of episode 5, it made me uninterested in any romantic pairings with them involved
- ep 1 started with a flash forward
- I didn't laugh at most of the jokes including the food poisoning/farting
- there were a ton of nonsense things, one example being it didn't make any sense why a character was so angry at another character when the result would have been exactly the same
- failed redemption arcs
- the character acting like someone with less money and then having fake dirt on him was in bad taste and the knock off Squid Game video game thing was completely uninteresting
- a character's insistence on something in the NC scene in ep 10 felt dated
- characters just stood around while a character was hauled off by very shifty looking dudes
- lack of trust between romantic partners
- lack of consequences for several characters

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I shouldn't love this, NEVERTHELESS...

Whew, I am most likely going to be in the minority on this one, but I LOVED THIS SHOW FROM START TO FINISH. It was well-paced, cozy, and suspenseful. This is peak romance.

I think a lot of the webtoon readers are upset because they came in expecting one thing and got something different. They were expecting certain subversions of tropes and two dimensional characters instead of ones that are morally grey. To be honest, Song Kang's Jae-On is NOT a complete fboi—he's a poor communicator above all. He was haunted by a bad reputation and neglectful upbringing; Nabi became suspicious of him before he really gave her reason to. He feebly attempted to go back to his old ways when she ran away and continuously pushed him away, and it didn't successfully distract him. I don't want to excuse all his behaviour though; he pushes boundaries and the whole Seola dynamic was sketchy. He never truly said no to Seola, even though it was clear EVEN TO HER that Jae-On's attention was no longer hers to hold captive. This is a story of setting people free to let them make their own decisions, and Seola's decision to set Jae-On free allowed him to finally set his own butterflies free. If there's one thing I didn't like, it was how the Seola storyline got tied up without ever clearing up the ambiguity of their relationship. Somehow, I can't even hate her though — she clearly stood up for herself when she realized it wasn't working for her. As for Nabi, she is frustrating with her mixed signals, and yet her behaviour is so clearly expected of a young person who's suffered with abusive relationships and astonishingly low self-esteem. She's too afraid to define the relationship early in fear of losing it, but lashes out when she doesn't receive the validation she so desperately needs. Throw in the confusion of another hardcore suitor in Potato Boy, and I understand how she was so confused.

I think that's the best part of this series: I loved allllll the characters. Normally, some side characters (or worse, the main characters) get on my nerves or I simply don't care about them. In this case, I was gripped by the suspense of the will-they-won't-they between Nabi and Jae-On, I was invested in Potato Boy's success, and I LIVED for Bitna/Gyu Hyun, the sunbaes, and ESPECIALLY Sol/Jiwan. Can we talk about how refreshing and progressive this drama felt?!

This show is best if you don't spoil the ending for yourself. Knowing that there's the "expected kdrama path" vs. the "subversive webtoon path" brings so much suspense to the last few episodes as long as you don't know which direction the story will go. So if you're reading this review to decide whether to watch the show, please do not read the next paragraph. :)

Ultimately, I was satisfied with the ending. I am sure this opinion is controversial. The only other ending I would've been happy with is if Nabi went off to Paris alone and thriving, and WHO IS TO SAY THAT WON'T HAPPEN STILL? But I would not have been happy with the webtoon ending because the chemistry and timing was all wrong between Nabi and Potato Boy. He pushed her because he liked her so much, and she accepted his affection for a while because she was so vulnerable. You can argue that chemistry isn't everything; that having a good, dependable relationship is better than a passionate one. But they are so young, and it's so not fair to him. Potato Boy doesn't deserve to be with someone who pines over someone else. And between Nabi and Jae-On, the best part to me is that they finally COMMUNICATED. They made their choices without any disillusions. Nabi doesn't expect things to last forever between them, but she owes it to herself to see things through — perhaps to get him out of her system, or perhaps to give him a chance to surprise her. I truly believe the drama version of Jae-On has done enough to deserve that chance. As the side characters underscored in their closing scene, what's the point of a relationship if you don't love the other more? The truly romantic point of view is that both sides should feel lucky. They are too young to settle — arguably, we should all come to the same conclusion in our lives.

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Dull

Nunew does his best to carry the show, he’s geuinely the only one with a personality. The three couples featured have zero chemistry together. Charan has the personality of a rock and cares entirely too much about his duty to the king. He refuses to stick up for Khanin & is just incredibly subservient. Plus he’s hiding a massive lie from him about his dad that he 100% should’ve told him about before they ever got intimate. I would never forgive
someone for lying about that. I appreciate the political aspect with Khanin wanting to step up for his people regarding the pollution but overall the plot is just dull and I might drop it.
The bdsm was the only wow factor of this show.

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.

Heeju is such an unlikable character. The fact that we don't know much about her dilutes whatever story they are telling.
At first I was so mad at her for making all this dumb decisions and following her bf so blindly. The next episodes do give us some backstory and context on why she did all of that but still it was frustrating to watch.

Heeju only survived all this due luck. Somehow she had Woogi's deep loyalty and her father finds her at the correct time and sacrifices his life for her. Woogi's initial loyalty can be chalked up to him having some brains and realizing the only way he could get some money is by being on her side but him trying to save her multiple times even after she made it clear that she didn't trust him...foolish af.
Her parents story was emotional though.

They tried to do a theme of how people get greedy and everything and it worked for a while with Heeju's mentality being no gold no life but then they kinda throw it away with Heeju going around saving everyone she doesn't trust and then crying that she just wants to live a normal life.
Maybe they were trying to do a nuanced take on greed and stuff but it just didn't work

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Such Wonderful Characters

The Story:

The Long Ballad follows the journey of Li Chang Ge, the daughter of the previous Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. After her beloved uncle massacres her family and takes the throne, Chang Ge finds herself fleeing for her life. During these events, she encounters and befriends Ashile Sun while both are using different identities. Ashile Sun is a general and foster son of the Khan of the Ashile Tribe who also happens to be one of Tang’s fierce enemies. After defeating Chang Ge in battle, Sun takes her back to his camp to save her life and eventually makes her his military advisor. After a series of unfortunate events involving shattering losses to both, Chang Ge and Sun are separated with Chang Ge lost to how she should move forward. After discovering her new path and finding their way back to each other, Sun and Chang Ge begin to fight for their life together and for peace for their kingdoms.

The Cast:

Wu Lei as Ashile Sun was quite a wonderful casting choice. I haven’t seen him in anything since Nirvana In Fire so I didn’t know what to expect or hope for. His styling as Tegin Sun was beautifully done and complimented him so much. I was so happy every time he was in his grassland outfits instead of the bland Tang outfits. His acting was very impressive, especially for someone so young. My heart broke with him at his losses and I felt his pain and frustrations whenever Chang Ge would turn away from him after he continuously sacrificed so much to keep her safe. I now have high expectations for Wu Lei and wish him luck in his future projects.

Dilraba is someone I’ve followed since Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and I think The Long Ballad was a personal best for her. Dilraba is no doubt gorgeous and I think that hurts her sometimes as an actress. I’ve never felt enraptured by her acting, compelled by her crying scenes in the past, nor have I ever related to any of her characters. However, her portrayal of Chang Ge was just so well done. You can tell she put care into her portrayal and she brought life to Li Chang Ge as she transformed from the privileged princess to exiled outlaw to Eagle Division’s military advisor to just being whoever she wanted to be. Her journey encompassed heart break, disappointment, loss, self-reflection, and discovery and Dilraba played it all perfectly.

Special shoutout to Zhao Lusi as Li Leyan as well. Like Dilraba, I’ve followed Zhao Lusi for a while and The Long Ballad was also a personal best for her. It was quite a different path from the usual comedies she usually does and I’m so happy she got a chance to flex her acting skills. Leyan was perhaps the only other character who truly went through life-altering changes throughout her journey. Zhao Lusi did a wonderful job portraying the meek, naive princess who was forced to wake up from her privilege and work for something in her life. Her struggles pushed her into realizing being a princess was more than a name and because of it, she came out so much stronger and more resilient. I look forward to more projects that challenge her acting in the future.

What I love:

The cinematography was so well done!! I loved how scenes were captured from every angle. It added so much depth to the drama. The styling was very pleasing overall as well. I do think I preferred the Ashile Tribe stylings to the Tang one just because the Tang styling was quite bland and no one really stood out in those outfits. The fight scenes were spectacular! Starting from the Cuju game in episode 1 to all the fight scenes afterwards, I send lots of praise to the choreographer. Their hard work truly paid off!

The soundtrack is beautiful! Zhou Shen’s “Cocoon” is still on repeat for me. Each song perfectly reflects the characters’ mindsets and convictions and are played strategically throughout the drama for when they are the most poignant.

The Relationships:

The selling point of this drama were the relationships present (excuse the long post):

My 3 favorite relationships in this drama:
1. Chang Ge-Ah Sun:
I really loved the relationship between Chang Ge and Ah Sun. The drama itself wasn’t romance-focused but I think that was one of the reasons I loved the romantic parts. It was a slow-burn romance with Sun falling first but their journey together and all the trials they faced made it so their love wasn’t just based off of meaningless encounters. Sun fell for Chang Ge because of her resilience, intelligence, and stubbornness. Unfortunately, those are the same reasons why they had to separate for a period of time.
Normally, I feel like separation between leads is just unnecessary filler..but that wasn’t the case for these leads. Chang Ge was brought to Eagle Division against her will and although she eventually came to see them as her own and tried her best to protect them, she never thought of it as her home. Because of this, she was constantly trying to leave while Sun was tethering her to him. This caused a lot of tension between them and as a result, they both paid the price over their stubbornness. I felt they were suffocating each other too much and although I hated Chang Ge for just leaving him, I knew it was necessary if I had hopes of them coming back together later. Because she left, she was able to discover herself and when they were reunited, they were of the same mind and heart.
It was obvious when the shift happened because it was no longer him fighting to keep her beside him, it was also her telling him that they will face every thing together as a united front.
The main reason I love this coupling so much is also because of their convictions. While they love and would die for each other, they won’t compromise their loyalties and beliefs for the other. Despite standing by Sun, Chang Ge makes it clear she will not betray Tang. Likewise, when Sun leaves his position of Tegin of Eagle Division for her, he states constantly that he will not do anything that’ll cause harm to Ashile Tribe. It’s beautiful because they are aware of their different roots and are conscious to the fact that their decisions will impact many other lives.

2: Chang Ge-Le Yan:
The perfect example of sisterly-love. If any drama wants to portray a good sister-sister bond, then this drama should be used as a template. Chang Ge and Le Yan’s relationship is so beautiful and heart-warming. Growing up together, Chang Ge was always Le Yan’s champion and protector and when everything went downhill, it was so painful to see Chang Ge so defensive against Le Yan due to Le Yan being guilty-by-association. Despite all this, Le Yan and Chang Ge still sought each other out when they heard news of the other. Once misunderstandings were cleared and each found their own paths, it brought tears to my eyes to hear Le Yan proclaim her intent to protect Chang Ge from that moment forth. Le Yan continuously warning Chang Ge of potential dangers then Chang Ge volunteering Sun to fight for Le Yan’s hand so she can avoid a marriage to Sh’er showed just how much they loved each other and I appreciated their bond so much.

3. Ah Sun-Sh’er:
Ah…the exact opposite to Chang Ge-Le Yan. What could’ve been but wasn’t. Unlike the previous two, Ah Sun and Sh’er, despite also growing up together, were not taught to love and protect each other. Rather, they were forced to compete and hate each other because they knew well that one of them would become leader to Ashile Tribe. There’s so much to dig into their relationship that 1 page wouldn’t be enough lol
While Sun is intelligent, far-sighted, and cautious, Sh’er is the exact opposite. Impulsive, foolish, and only living in the moment, Sh’er causes a lot of grief for Sun, the Khan, and Sh’er’s own mother. His only goal being to surpass Sun, Sh’er’s inferiority complex causes him to make an irreparable mistake which causes him to lose whatever was salvageable between himself and Sun. Sh’er is by no means, an evil person. Unfortunately for him, he reacts too slowly to events that transpire around him. Their brotherhood could’ve been epic and at the very least, Sh’er does redeem himself and he and Sun are able to part ways with closure.

Overall, I enjoyed this drama very much. It was not perfect and there were times when I felt the chemistry between Wu Lei and Dilraba wasn't there (many of the physical scenes between them, whether it be hand holding or hugging, didn't make me feel that romantic pull). I loved Wu Lei as Ashile Sun and I loved Dilraba as Li Changge. I even loved Ashile Sun and Changge together...but I didn't care for Wu Lei with Dilraba. The romantic chemistry was just nonexistent.
I did give it an 7.5 rating instead of a higher number because the ending made me feel . . . empty. I was neither happy nor unhappy. It just felt like it ended ... there was no lasting impression and no desire to rewatch except for a handful of scenes I thoroughly enjoyed.
If you like a drama that's not overly dark/heavy and pretty much provides closure to every character, then check this one out.

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This drama reminded me why I watch dramas. It was so amazing and I thnk I will remember this show for a long time and watch the ost to replay the feels. Storywise I was really surprised at how they handled the body switch and the show let me experience such a warmth that I felt like I was being healed and became a better person by just sitting and watching. Overall, it is a drama worth watching AND the ending is quite well thought out. The epilogues at the end of the episodes were also hilarious and felt like a breath of fresh air because they kinda told a diffrent story which still had connection to the drama.
That said, I have also felt that the actors were so commited to their roles that they left an deep impression on me and I would not be lying if I say that this drama conveyed to me how importand the actors are in order for you to feel the situation.
The music played also an essential part in creating an interesting vibe and the choices vary much. I would say that the reason for that is the stroy. The show is partly a comedy and melodrama but both genres are fitting and it doesn't seem out of place (for the most part).
Hope I got you motivated to give it a try :) haha. Thx for reading

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good plot, meh ending

the biggest struggle with 2020s kdramas is delivering a satisfying ending—and friendly rivalry falls into that category. it might be based on a webtoon, but that's not a good enough excuse for the writing errors, especially in the second half. the cast was hit or miss in terms of acting. some actors made the show feel like a web series, while others gave it the quality of a netflix drama. however, the acting highlight was without a doubt lee hyeri. she shined throughout the series. hopefully, she takes on more mystery dramas because this genre suits her. as for the chemistry between the leads, it was okay. I don’t really understand the complaints about the lack of kisses. they did the best they could considering their environment (korea).
overall, i would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys high school dramas with a touch of mystery.

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A great historical drama for watch

For me this is the Best drama of 2023 so far .
Although Xu kai s last few dramas are quite bad scripted but this drama shows his full potential . As his fan I am quite happy for him.

If we talk about a story it starts with the Emperor grandson who has no desire for throne, but because of external situations and piece of nation he has to fight for it .

The chemistry between main lead at the best part of this drama you will feel never boring with this couple. This is my one of the favorite 2023 couple.

This drama has a great rewatch value, because you will never feel bore even though you are watching it second time . .

I wish that Xu kai next Dramas are as great as this is . ......

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Story so addicting you can't help binge-watching it in one day!

This review is long overdue. I finished this one almost 2 weeks ago but only now I feel calm enough to sit still writing this review. This drama was not even on my PTW list but I was curious about that rating and all the rave about it so I started this one on whim. Wow by the end of ep 1 I was sold! Hence I binge-watched this in less than a day.

What I liked :-

✅️ Addicting ,angsty and no draggy storyline. The plot remind me of makjang drama I used to watch 10 years back. 12 episodes is just perfect. No filler scenes that will make you abuse your FF button.
✅️ Good acting from all cast. This was my first Jung Yoo Min drama and I enjoyed her acting. Her acting reminds me much of the actress Lee Min Jung. So pretty like her too.
✅️ Contract marriage.
✅️ FL getting revenge on people who did her dirty in satisfying way.
✅️ Main couple who most of the time does communicate with each other.
✅️ Great chemistry between leads.
✅️ Green flag male lead .
✅️ A mother-in-law that is not evil for once. When most of family dramas potrayed an evil MIL , it was refreshing to see this drama broke that trope.
✅️ HEA.
✅️ Pleasant to listen to OSTs. My favourite is Halo by Sohn Yerim.

What I liked the least:-

☑️ Cinematography could have been better.
❌️ ML's wardrobe style. His stylist need to be fired. Some of his clothing were hideous fortunately Sung Hoon's good look made it hurting my eyes less. While all the females in this drama got the best wardrobe why they did not do the same for the males...

Overall, PMR is one of the best K-drama I've watched this year. If you like what I liked, watch it & you might enjoy it like I did.

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A Wasted Potential

This review is a personal opinion of mine. Theory of Love is a hit or miss kind of show. It’s one of the most popular and most talked BLs in 2019 and people love this show a lot. So of course, I have to watch and see why. While I’m glad people love this show a lot, sadly for me, it’s missed by a margin.

Before I start, let me talk about what I like in the show first before we get down to the downside of this. Firstly, the cinematography is great! I like the editing and I like the movie names being the title of each episode portrayed. It’s creative and it’s nice to see filmology major students instead of the same old engineering, science/medicine or economics major students in Thai BLs. I also enjoy that they split two POV for the two main leads, Third and Khai. Acting-wise I say is quite decent. I usually don’t judge acting much so I won’t comment much. Gun’s acting is great and does a good job playing as Third, the lead character of this show. The train scene is also great, it’s shot really nicely and for me is the saddest scene in the show itself.

Now the downside of this show. Let’s start with the main plot which for me, was the biggest let down of the show. I got hooked from the first episode not gonna lie. I saw 2 flawed and realistic characters and I was excited to see some good character development here since I’m a person who loved to see that and this was one of the reasons why I continued watching it. As I continued, I got disappointed.

Khai’s character development was not good enough. While I never liked him for the entire 12 episodes, him falling in love with Third was so rushed and for me, it didn’t make sense. I was questioning the show while watching it and I never got my answers in the end. How and why Third did fall in love with Khai? (I know that Third fell in love with him at first sight but that can’t be the only reason right) What were Khai's good qualities and traits? Why couldn't they show some actual good traits of Khai to the viewers so that I could understand as well instead of wasting so much time on the subplots? Instead of Third writing 10 things I hate about you, why not 10 things I love about you? If Khai never saw the video in the first place, would he still be in love with Third? Did he force himself to fall in love with Third because he felt bad or was it for his personal gain or did he really fell in love with Third? I wanted to know WHY. This part made me angry and I probably screamed on the inside when I saw that part. It happened so suddenly which made me not trust Khai at all. The amount of time for the subplots in that show could have been used in the main plot. The show could at least show some good parts of Khai. I couldn’t judge Khai as I only knew him for 12 episodes compared to Third who basically knew him for 3 years, but based on those 12 episodes, I was just frustrated. While I appreciate that he’s trying his best to improve within the last 3-4 episodes, I'm still not impressed with it.

Thus, leading to romance. I couldn’t bring myself to like the main couple. I was sick of Khai just taking advantage of Third and being a bad friend in general based on the first 6 episodes. I rather watch the other side couple, Two and Aun. Bone’s story with the teacher wasn’t that interesting I say but I did like Bone as a character.

Was it a bad drama? No. But it’s not good either. For me, this drama could have been better. This was a wasted potential for me. Do I recommend people to try this show? Watch it and judge it yourself. You might have a different opinion from me. That's all I could say for this show.

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Disappointed

I actually didn't even want to write a review for this, but I do have some thoughts...

- the good -

> the bromance: I really liked the relationship between Woo Jin (WJ) and Geon Woo (GW), they didn't need much to become closer than brothers, their relationship was ride or die and I loved to see their bromance. Together, they were invincible and I loved their bond. Geon Woo was such a sweety and softie, meanwhile Woo Jin was a himbo, I just loved them both a lot.

> the action: man, those fight scenes left me speechless, they were NERVE wrecking and insane. I quite liked the choreography for the action scenes, and I don't care how realistic or unrealistic (re: Woo Jin getting stabbed several times and nearly dying in ep. 6/7) they were. I also loved Hyeon Joo's fighting scenes, it's a bummer Kim Sae Ron got involved in a DUI.... I also loved Da Min and her archery, that was cool even if we only got to see a little bit since she was brought in at the very end of the show


- the bad -

> Geon Woo's mom: this woman has no survival instinct whatsoever. The fact that she just took out that loan (knowing full well that her son has been working his butt off since middle school to help pay off their debts) without researching the people who offered it to her in the first place, just annoyed me. It got worse when the bad guys broke into her apartment and she thought it was GW. She really went to close her bedroom door, sensing that something was wrong, without a weapon. She could have taken the lamp on her bed stand or anything, but no. It's like she was asking them to abduct her.

> the tone of episode 7/8 and Hyeon Joo's departure: Since Kim Sae Ron (KSR) got into the DUI, she was written out of the show and as compensation we got Da Min (I think). It's understandable that the writers didn't have much time to change the script since most of the show had been filmed already. Hyeon Joo leaving the boys after President Choi's death just simply doesn't make sense. Her character was cool, stubborn and unafraid to fight. Despite the heartbreak of losing her only family, I believe she would have taken her revenge together with the boys if it wasn't for KSR scandal. The departure just feels out of character, but the writers did what they could. I also thought the tone of ep. 7/8 was very different from the previous episodes. For instance, I did not like nor understand the apparent time jump. Suddenly the boys are training and hiding in the countryside and I'm just wondering how much time has passed since Woo Jin's surgery and recovery for him to be exercising like that.... But okay. Also, GW suddenly had a different hairstyle that did not match his personality, the different styling was just a little surprising, is all.

> the DEATHS...: I was so PISSED off after episode 6 because all my good guys got killed. President Choi, my sushi restaurant guy and the knifer who was about to be a dad (and his pregnant wife as it seems). It all happened in the span of 10-15 minutes and by the end of the episode, I was so mad. It did not get better once WJ and GW collaborated with Min Beom and Kang Yong since Kang Yong and his team were almost killed as well. He and his male colleague survived, but the hacker lady was in a coma and we don't get any closure at the end of the show.... does she wake up or does she die or....??? When these three got attacked, I just got mad because none of the bad guys got any serious injury beside punches and stuff. I wanted to see Myung Gil (MG) and In Beom 12 feet under for what they did but... they just got a massive beating and will serve jail time... that's it??? Like, none of the bad guys died, but my boys lost almost all of their mates?????

> the villains and their.... research??: I thought it weird how MG and his minions didn't do a proper background check. You mean to tell me you backstabbed your former boss (President Choi) and let your bestie In Beom throw him out a building, only for said boss to disappear, which would insinuate he survived or got saved by somebody, and you DIDN'T keep tabs on him after all these years? They find out that the bookstore is President Choi's but they don't bother to look into his personal business, like his assets, or people he's linked to (even if the bookstore or any property wasn't under his name)???? What kind of villains are you? Not even staying up to date with your enemies lmao.

Overall, the show was a bit of a disappointment, I would have like for the bad guys to kick the bucket instead of rotting in a prison cell, and the last scene just left me ????. It felt underwhelming to me I don't know. The actors were great though!

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Chaotic, angsty & hilarious satire of the cdrama industry. Enemies to lovers + slow burn.

Hands down one of the best 2025 cdramas! This drama is about the female lead, who is an actress hired to star in a new drama as the female lead. Unexpectedly, she gets transported into the script of the drama, and becomes the actual female lead of that world. Forced to re-enach iconic scenes (that would ultimately lead to her death), she sets on a path to change the script, avoid the villainous male lead, and stay alive until the end.

POSITIVE:
- Handsome, strong and tragic male lead (scripts words, not mine haha). Liu Yu Ning does a perfect job at playing three different versions of his character. We get to see the male lead as a red flag villain, morally grey prince and soft-hearted martial artists.

- Brilliant satire of the cdrama industry. The best thing about the drama is that it uses the cliche tropes and scenes we are all painfully familiar with, but spins them into hilarious parodies. The drama totally makes fun of itself and mocks things like no-death during cliff falls, plot armour, save and beauty moments etc. I love that we get to see re-creation of some iconic scenes from popular dramas such as Till the End of the Moon, Love Like the Galaxy, A Journey to Love, One and Only, Story of Kunning Palace.

- Top-notch comedy. There is not a single episode where I wasn’t cracking up like crazy.

- Mix of comedy, politics, romance and sad/angsty moments. The drama blends to perfection the emotional highs and lows. One minute I would be crying buckets of tears or be extremely stressed, and then the next, cracking up like crazy.

- Enemies to lovers + slow burn romance + male chases female. The burn is slow, alright. It takes the female lead around 30 episodes to accept and reveal her feelings for the male lead. The romance is more angsty than fluffy.

- Complex script. The plot has so many layers I don’t even know where to begin with. Yes, the focus is the satire/parody, but at the same time, the drama delves into political intrigue, angsty family dynamics, as well as more abstract concepts like the butterfly dream (real vs fake world) and scriptwriting. The script is so well written that it’s amazing how it told us beforehand all the iconic scenes that were coming, and yet managed to create such unpredictable twists, it surprised us all. The most brilliant thing is that so many things didn’t make sense but at the same time, made perfect sense.

- Stunning production. From the setting designs, to costumes, action/fight scenes, cinematography. I especially love Li Shi Liu unique martial arts costumes.

- Great chemistry between the cast, especially the main leads. Everyone’s performance was brilliant. Liu Yu Ning shined the brightest in this role, his crying scenes were beautifully raw and he slayed the comedy timing too. His co-star, Li Yi Tong, did a phenomenal job too, it was my first time seeing her and I’m impressed. Noteworthy to mention is the Emperor’s scenes, that literally had me ready to throw rocks at my screen, fantastic performance.

- Great OST + BGM. Plus, the insert of A Journey to Love song was chef’s kiss.

- Ending. Brilliantly crafted. All character's arcs were wrapped up well and the transmigration portion was satisfying (considering the tight censorship).

NEGATIVE:
- I have to admit that in the middle of the drama there were a few things that annoyed me. First was the female lead’s prejudice. She kept rejecting the male lead and believing him to be the villain. She never wanted to hear him out or understand his pov. She had pre-conceive notions of how the script would play out, what he would do, and all this lasted for 30 episodes. She was stubborn and stuck in her ways. Also, she felt a bit undeveloped compared to the male lead, who was more fleshed out as a character. Second, the 18th Prince was slightly more irritating than funny. Third, the second couple felt like an odd pair, and I couldn’t ship them as much as I wanted to. HOWEVER, the last 8 episodes made all of these things better. The female lead shined bright when she finally trusted the male lead and started fighting alongside him. The 18th Prince development was fantastic and I even began to enjoy the second couple after their angsty scenes. So, although I was irritated in the middle, the final episodes made up for it!

OVERALL:
This IS the cdrama to watch if you are a cdrama lover. The satire of the whole cdrama industry is top notch and I feel like cdrama watchers will greatly appreciate it. A perfect blend of comedy, politics, angst and romance. The twists are too good to miss out on. This stunning production is extremely unique and brilliantly crafted. Best 2025 cdrama for me, I highly recommend it.

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I don't know why I decided to watch this but I did anyways. Oh... wait! It was a video on youtube of cute compilation scenes that got my attention!

I must say, I absolutely enjoyed this drama. I guess it's biased to say it's great and I love it although some may not like it cos the story isn't really life-like, It's all cliched and is somewhat of a fairy tale. I don't care about that. This story was a bit different from others. It felt real to me. I don't know how to explain it but the cuteness from this will melt you! When I began watching, I wasn't sure if I should continue but I'm glad I did and once I decided to, I couldn't stop watching.

I didn't really dislike anything about this drama. I loved it in fact. I'll give a few reasons why. About the girl, Shan Shan. She's like a small town girl who didn't grow up in riches and all that. When she moved to the big city, that all changed when she met "Big Boss" Feng Teng. I loved her. She was adorably cute, simple and wasn't like other typical females in other dramas. She had her own principles when it was about certain things, she was tough and brave. (Although she had her vulnerable moments) She didn't let people walk all over her, didn't let people's opinions about her changed who she was, didn't let the fact she was dating a rich president of a company changed her into a greedy sly fox or anything like that. She was still the same old simple Shan Shan who loves to eat. Haha~ and I mean this girl LOVES TO EAT!!!!
Still, what I loved the most about this drama was that it felt real to me. It wasn't too complicated and full of drama like most, yet it wasn't easy and simple either. In between maybe~ This was the type of drama I was looking for. It was fluffy, cute and just perfect. This drama melted my heart, mind and body all together into nothing. I swear... every time Feng Teng touched Shan Shan, caressed her face, pinched her cheeks, and kissed her, I died. I was screaming in almost every freaking episode!!!!!
It wasn't just them. The other couples too, but mostly the main couple~
Cuteness overload!!!!!

The cast was awesome! I didn't hate any of the characters to be honest. They were all great. Apart from one of the characters, I never liked her in the beginning, but she changed a lot. I didn't hate her, it's just that she let her emotions get the best of her. I liked her later on though. You'll know who I am talking about when you watch this. It was my first time seeing these actors in a drama before so I can't really say they sucked or anything like that. It was a damn good drama and they were great. Zhang Han was so damn hot and Huang Ming was cute. The female actresses were looking great and Zhao Zanilia was the most adorable of them all~ Hehe ;)


The music was good. I even heard a song from the City Hunter OST. Haha~ It was good. :D

Overall, it was a great drama (for me) and I definitely will watch it again soon! I recommend this. If you like adorable, fluffy romantic dramas with a bit of drama and will make you laugh, cry, but mostly squeal cos of all the cuteness, then this is the drama to watch. I was never bored. It was so good that I finished this in 24 hrs. It didn't drag nor was it fast paced. It was just right.

That's all I have to say~ GIVE IT A SHOT. It won't hurt. You may even like it ~ (^_^)/

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Simple and Refreshing

I just don't understand why people are hating on this drama for being smooth and not having any kind on twists..... This is a smooth sailing drama.... and I perfectly love it.... if you want twists so badly then I guess this drama is not for you.... try watching some thriller...... This is the perfect blend on Romance and Comedy..... I just love the chemistry of both the leads and everything is going soo perfectly.... I don't want any kind of heart breaks.... breakups etc etc like any other drama.... even if they are included in the upcoming episodes.... I will be okay.... bt seriously..... what kind of twists do you want in this drama.... The storyline is just going straight.... and it is the best for the ones who just finished watching some serious thriller or dark dramas or with many heartbreaks.... I guess then they need something refreshing and this drama serves that....

I personally loved it and will recommend it to the ones who loves RomCom with simple story lines..... The actors did a great job.

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