Reviews

Solid show, but predictable and little to no tension.

I really like the main character, very easy to root for, simple redemption arc but nice that he attempts to achieve justice whilst taking care of those around him. However, does he really need to be a judge? Most of the time he acts as a prosecutor, why not just make him one? Him being a judge isn't really a focal point, bar him losing his life for a sentence, however being a prosecutor or investigator can achieve the same effect whilst being able to make more sense. Pro Bono presents this concept in a really nice fashion, a former judge to pro bono lawyer, allowing him to utilise his judge's knowledge whilst struggling as a pro-bono lawyer due to his lack of expertise, I believe Judge Returns could've done a similar concept given the lack of overall struggle within this show.

Throughout the show, the tension and struggle is near non-existent. If you enjoy revenge drama where the protagonist simply gets his revenge, then this is stellar. However, the MC has far too much of an upperhand with his knowledge of the future, and the main antagonists simply sit and watch, at most attempt to attack him but he is able to fight back now and at most leaves with a slice on the neck, which of course he will survive.

The actions of the MC felt kinda pointless when they just re-organised the group after he took down the main antagonist, with the justice friend he made now joining the group. I get they were trying to set up a sequel, but to leave this many things open is not needed, and just leaves season one as kinda pointless. You could've explored other avenues of justice, the group as a whole kinda of had their time already and should've been done. He already knows all the members too, what's stopping him from taking them down with ease? Just odd sequel bait, especially for an industry that is known for rarely doing season 2s.

The romance in this show is pointless to even get invested in. The MC's romance is unclear, does he like the prosecutor or the daughter of the law firm? The daughter of the law firm literally testified against him in the original timeline, and was barely actually interested in him bar for his power, so why do they pretend like it was different now? Her character as a whole is kinda just useless, she just comes and goes as she pleases and is too hesitant towards everything. As for the Prosecutor, they allude to them having ties together since the past, but nothing ever is even close to materialising. Even with her prosecutor buddy, its tame at best, why even bother with trying to develop romance if it won't happen, just use that time to further the story. Even the given layup, with the Angel and Reporter was barely done until the very end, and wasn't even confirmed confirmed or given any solid scenes together, very dissappointing overall.

The characters are nice though, not that multi-faceted but still very nice acting and easy to like characters, but nothing crazy.

Being reborn, especially as a judge, to enact revenge or justice, is a commonly done concept in dramas, and this one is just a solid getting revenge show, but doesn't really go deep into anything. It is a bit too tame and scared of action tension and loss, so if you want a feel good revenge show, this is the perfect show. However there is definitely better reborn/reincarnation/time travel shows present.

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Life is a Bumpy Road

This series offers a lot of character development for everyone but Jiang Mu who pretty much stays consistent throughout. And I don't mean that as a bad thing, she knows who she is, who she loves, and what she wants her future to look like. And while Jin Zhao has the same heart for Mu Mu all along, we see him really learn who he is and accept who he is in her eyes. There were definitely some over the top script areas, but for the most part the storyline is good and keeps things moving. I was very happy to see a 29 episode CDrama rather than another long drawn out slow burn 40 episode drama. This one was had me laughing and crying pretty much throughout.

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A Beautiful, Chaotic Mess You Just Can't Stop Watching

Let’s be honest: Unforgotten Night is a drama with a lot of flaws. It had the potential to be a gripping, intense BL, and the writers could have done so much more with the main couple, Kamol and Kim. Instead, it frequently misses the mark, leaving viewers with a treasure trove of missed opportunities.

Logic Has Left the Chat. If you are looking for a masterpiece of storytelling, you won't find it here.
The series suffers from several major issues. The writing is riddled with plot holes. Major events that should have been clarified, explained, or at least mentioned are completely forgotten. Worse, whenever the show tries to answer a question, it just leaves you with five more questions. It really doesn't do justice to the core plot.

The dialogue is frequently nonsensical, leaving you scratching your head at what the characters are actually trying to achieve.
For a show that markets itself as a passionate, high-stakes romance, the lead couple lacks any real spark.

The "Mafia" Problem: In the very first episode, the show builds Kamol up to be this ultra-dominant, BDSM-loving, Christian Grey-type figure. spoiler alert: it goes absolutely nowhere. Frankly, calling him a mafia boss is an insult to mafia bosses everywhere; his presence lacks any real danger or authority.

The Highs: The Ultimate Guilty Pleasure
And yet... despite all these glaring issues, I found myself eagerly waiting for the next episode every single week.

Whether it was genuine curiosity about where the story was heading, or simply the desperate hope that the next episode would finally get better, the show has a weirdly addictive quality. There are good things scattered throughout the series, even if they get buried under the chaos.

I expected much more from this series, and it definitely fell short of its potential. However, if you are planning to watch it, my biggest advice is: don't take it too seriously.

Turn your brain off, lower your expectations, relax, and just enjoy the ride. It might not be a masterpiece, but it’s certainly an unforgettable night.

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Solid show, lots of drawbacks.

Decent story, but doesn't tap into anything serious in terms of world building or depth, just a simple royalty woes and Queen/King being an angry power hungry person, as it deviates from the romance towards the royalty/politics side it loses its original charm and early selling points.

Doesn't delve that far into royalty, just the King's family, the Crown Prince and that one irrelevant evil dude who is the Queen's father. Makes me question if the royalty part was even necessary to the story, especially when it just becomes dissolved in the end.

The plotline of the fire is kinda iffy, they make it too vague on what really happened for far too long, you can guess what happens but they don't make it clear enough on time. Her motivations for doing so aren't fully revealed till way later as well, and even then I'm not convinced given her character development. They didn't really get into the daughter-father relationship of the Queen too and didn't let us digest it, alongside the Queen and future King. The Queen doesn't face any reparations for what she did, which makes the whole set up kind of pointless. They try to lean into the empathetic side after having her appear as angry and power driven the whole time, and kind of making her one-dimensional in terms of that. Seungyeon does an amazing job portraying this one dimension, but they could've done way more to develop her character, instead of just making her an opposition to the Crown Prince for the sake of it.

The relationship between IU and The Crown Prince is solid, classic contract marriage trope, nothing out of the ordinary. Their chemistry isn't that crazy, especially with the sudden "let's break up" trope appearing, despite less than an episode later reversing it, then what was the point? Why not just tell him your plan? Kind of an annoying trope with kdramas but nonetheless something you have to accept. IU truly proves herself as one of the greatest actresses with her subtle actions selling you more and more upon her character, to where you are convinced they are two separate people altogether. This further highlights BWS's shortcomings, where he remains far too stoic and unfased alongside lackluster acting and facial expressions throughout. A combination of weak direction and acting make all these characters far too simple or one-dimensional, lacking that true depth and mutli-facetedness to create memorable characters. The other characters are forgettable, such as the Prime Minister, where they just spam the Queen and PM yelling over things and being angry, and not getting further into their inspirations and motivations really besides "love" and "power/sacrifice".

For the PM, they take far too long to properly reveal his intentions, when it is so easily predictable since early on. Late villains will always be poor as they do not have time to marinate, and his demise is decent. He teeters between trying to be good and bad too much and it makes his evilness convoluted, and it is far too obvious that he will lose.

The royalty/monarchy in modern times is very underutilised, for such an intriguing concept its barely delved into, once again making me question if it was even necessary, or if it was to just draw in audiences through a novel concept.

The final four episode stretch firmly deviates from the original ambience of the show, of a more light hearted romance brewing from an originally contract marriage, and their relationship is poorly done throughout the final episodes. This kdrama utilises a lot of common tropes and doesn't really add anything new towards them, or present them within the unique setting well enough to properly overlook them.

The music isn't really prevalent bar the main OST, which is amazing, but is used far too often with leads to a lack of additional immersion and emotional investment towards the drama. This is a simple drama for beginners or people looking for feel-good romances without too much melancholy, but there is definitely other romances I would recommend.

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to be continued?

I was very excited to see this film as I am very keen on Lee Jong Won and Kim Jun Han and folklore based horrors.
Unfortunately, I left the screening quite disappointed. The actors delivered solid performances ,no complaints whatsoever. Especially, Kim Jun Han character was creepy and had this unsettling vibe surrounding him. I'm not going into much detail but the film was marred with red herrings, unimpressive water ghosts and chaotic and inconsistent writing-basically,lazy storytelling.
There were no rules,rituals or folklore based survival tactics. The film's world building was inconsistent, everything appeared to be an illusion after the sunset (and even before -another fallacy),just being in the close proximity guarantee your death. Having Gyo-sik's body already sitting in a real-world morgue in the hospital while his clone roamed the lake completely shattered the movie's timeline and violated the idea of the soul exchange according to the Korean folklore (escape from the lake is Mulgwishin Jakjeon (Water Ghost Tactic): they must actively lure, trick, or drag a living human down into the water to take their place).It was also very puzzling that the crew knew that the senior DP was missing after visiting the place, choose to ignore the reservoir bad lore and refused to implement any safety measures.
To think this film generated so much noise and hype doesn't inspire confidence, and it was commercialised more effectively than it was crafted.It was done well enough to make a stir and make so many people go to the theatre yet quality of film does not support it. My expectations were shattered.
There are some good jumpscares though,clever use of diegetic ambient noise and the atmospehere was thick and unsettling.I felt their terror, their ability to escape was non negotiable. Classic B-rated flick I would say,nothing novel ,no solutions or set rules to escape,no coherent narrative .They were simply doomed the moment they stepped into the lake/reservoir area and stayed after the sunset.
I am rating it 6.5/10 as the director abandoned consistent folklore logic for a generic, mindless "kill-them-all" doom and gloom ending. I think Exhuma deserves all the accolades as all events ,rituals,folklore and mythology behind it were very well researched and implemented. I understand that not everything should be logically explained in the horror genre but in the case of Salmokji it was kind of a let down.
'To be continued' gives me some hope that another film will explain the idea behind everything and gives some reason to the inconsistencies. It can be salvaged pretty well.

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This is Queer ART!!

This Director, writers and actors responsible for East Palace, West Palace (1996) perfectly dramatise what it means to be queer, what it means to not just confront but to understand masculinity as a gay man, and its also a treatise on exactly how much joy, authenticity and humanity masculinity strips from men.

Beautiful, artistic, violent, poignant and hopeful all describe this pathbreaking film, said to be the first mainstream Chinese production that is explicit about same-sex struggles - both within and against society and family, but also the most painful and bitter struggle that takes place within oneself.

One of the most striking scenes is A’Lan’s recounting to Officer Xiao Shi of his first time with another man, when he discovered masculinity and what it was like to be ‘the girl having sex with the boy’. This cognitive distortion that is gender performance of masculinity, far more than his sexuality, is what defines and distorts his relationship with sexual desire and his desperate pursuit of love with other men on these blighted terms.

One thing East Palace, West Palace is *not* about is “authoritarian Chinese” state repression or some kind of uniquely Chinese way of doing down the gays or any of the knee jerk McCarthyist insufferable western review points that infest this space 🙄. We know this, because we can picture the same exact scenes of cruising, police harassment and entrapment, as well as the internalisation of harmful, high risk community practices in every single country on the planet even today - including in countries with legal provision for same-sex marriage and other formal rights-based policies.

I also highly recommend this LetterBox review that delves into the film’s main gender politics of how being sexually desired but having to access sexual pleasure through that gendered prism corrupts our understanding of intimacy and ‘love’: https://letterboxd.com/kariso/film/east-palace-west-palace/

The tenderness, the brutality, the honesty with which he confesses to how much he wants - no, needs to give himself to masculine power has shaped A’Lan’s whole life, frustrated his happiness and cemented his constant loneliness. His collision with Police Officer Xiao Shi is therefore no chance meeting for *either man* and that coming together of one closeted and in-denial, and the other fatalistic but resigned in acceptance of a future of thrilling self-abnegation, is ultimately a potentially life changing event for both men.

Bravo to this queer team of artists!

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Wuxia Investigations

The drama feels a little slower than others but the plot it progressing at a good pace. There's no filler here. Each scene is important for the plot. Each moment you get more information about the cases or the characters. It's very well done.

Are there big flash bangs and scenes where everything is blowing up and the actors pretty cry with dramatic lighting to show hope pretty they are? Nope and that's honestly why I like it. It's a good old fashioned investigation in the wuxia drama. It's not all about visuals with no substance.

For those picking on Zhan Zhao as a character or the actor- that's how he's supposed to be. Zhan Zhao is guarded in his emotions but also open to other people. Just like any human in a position of responsibility, you have to maintain face. Zhan Zhao is an official. Unlike his counterparts, he can't openly express or go off on people. I find that Yang Yang acts this very well. You can see the outrage or pain in his eyes. But because he's an official with duties and is prioritizing the outcome in a court of law- he's tied down by both himself and the court.

I would suggest this drama to anyone that can handle a mystery that isn't just flashy plot devices. The team fails and fails a lot. But that's more human than a mystery where they've always been ahead of the villain. They go through pain and heartache. If you want a human story, give this one a shot and remember that the show is going to take some thought to really understand.

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dr.romantic ?

i watched first 5 eps what did they show mostly

surgery,again surgery another surgery start till end
they barely talk other thing than hospital
ml and fl interaction were 1-5min maximum in 1hr ep
except from being in contact few times in university
there's nothing for 5 eps both seem totally uninterested in eachother don't care

story focus is completely hospital and doctors specially the one who FML and ml work with

there shouldn't be any romance in this I think how it would be ?
I did see few medical drama before but they weren't like this

fooling us by genre romance and title dr. romantic
i did like it but I choose this only because of romance not because it's medical

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Shrill and noisy is not "healing"

Kudos to AzureSpring for managing to be the shortest kDrama I've ever dropped.

Halfway through episode 4/6 its relentless NOISE got too much. For me, the one dominant adjective of any "healing" Drama would be "quiet". A shrill shouty 2FL to whom the FL replies in like tone? Make.It.Stop

kDrama CAN do healing Dramas, One Day Off remains my benchmark, but this one felt like a compressed romcom given a healing tag because of being set on a remote island. Tsundere/omniscient ML schooling homecoming FL, with endlessly shrill 2FL was anything but healing for me.

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Tragic overload series, but could have been much better

I don't have an issue with the non-physical relationship of the two main charterers. In fact I can see and appreciate the lack of a sexual aspect to the relationship. Seems like the creators took a page out of a USA LGBTQ+ series were there is tragedy always associated with and seemingly loving and successful alternative relationships.
My issues with Soul Mate are:
1.) The script especially in early episodes seems choppy and inconsistent.
2.) Too graphic in the beginning episodes.
3.) Too many tragic events. Really count them up. There are more tragic events than episodes. Therefore this series for me does get a Trigger alert!
The good aspect of Soul Mate is that the actors all become characters I became engaged with and liked them. The actors ability to present themselves was far superior than the script and tangentially tragic story-line. To the makers of this story...too much drama/tragic events can spoil a series. This is the case here for sure.
Finally, this wonderful cast of actors that could have made a 10 star series. I rate this as a 6.5 out of 10.

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Bitter heroism built on righteousness and sincerity

Honestly, I started watching this drama because I missed seeing Yang Yang on screen again after his previous drama, The Immortal Ascension, left such a strong impression on me. But the moment I entered episode 1, I forgot about Yang Yang entirely. I became completely absorbed in a character named Zhan Zhao. Apparently, he is an important figure in the legend of Bao Zheng. I did not know much about this legend beforehand. Still, at heart, I have always been drawn to dramas that explore serious themes, such as truth and justice, investigation and law enforcement, which form the very core of this drama. This drama is truly a remarkable accomplishment compared to other dramas with similar themes, such as The Imperial Coroner (2021), Coroner's Diary (2025), and Detective Dee's series.

1# A multidimensional heroic character

I have always loved heroic characters—people who courageously fight for truth even at the cost of themselves, enduring hardship and suffering along the way. Zhan Zhao embodies this archetype powerfully. The most important strength of the story is that the very first episodes immediately touched my emotional core. The story opens at the lowest point in Zhan Zhao’s career as an imperial guard. He is wounded, cornered, and in need of help. Yet despite his condition, he is never weak and continues to think strategically while allowing himself to accept assistance. This is how the other main characters, Huo Linglong and Bai Yutang, successfully enter the story as supporters, comrades, and his close companions throughout his journey.

It is true that the story may feel uninteresting to some people. The wuxia aspect of the drama may feel unsatisfying at first because Zhan Zhao never truly kills his opponents. This is a fair criticism, and I myself felt the same at the beginning. However, after understanding the historical context—that the story takes place during the Song dynasty, an era deeply committed to law and civil order—everything began to make sense. “Upholding truth and justice without killing” becomes Zhan Zhao’s core principle and the source of his inner conflict, because it stands in opposition to the jianghu mentality, where “a life is repaid with a life,” rather than crimes being judged through the court of law.

For me, Zhan Zhao represents a transitional era that once sharply divided the jianghu and the imperial court—two worlds with entirely different rules and values—into a new order where the state seeks to enforce law across all its territories and regulate the use of weapons in order to suppress vigilantism, which had long been a source of chaos and suffering for the people. He is a swordsman born from the jianghu, yet he chooses to devote himself to the government. He possesses the skills of a supreme martial artist, but also a heart that desires justice and goodness for the people through constitutional and lawful means. He is an anomaly within the jianghu, a world that values power and the reputation of martial arts sects and clans above all else, and also within a government filled with corrupt officials obsessed with authority and political gain. Zhan Zhao is ultimately a lonely hero, struggling to uphold his ideals largely on his own.

So, even though Zhan Zhao is fundamentally a classic heroic figure, something prevents him from becoming one-dimensional. There is a deeper context that the audience must understand in order to fully interpret his seemingly “unusual” principles and actions as well as his conflicts. For me, this is the drama’s greatest strength: Zhan Zhao himself is an exceptionally strong character, written with remarkable depth and care.

2# Leaning toward realism

I love the way this drama is produced and how it presents things with a sense of realism. Wuxia stories often rely heavily on supernatural powers as plot devices, filled with endless martial techniques and mystical elements we've seen before. Enemies die too easily, blood flies everywhere, while the heroes survive again and again through transferred inner energy, miracle doctors, magical pills, and various forms of invincibility that make characters almost immune to death. This drama still contains some of those elements, but at some point, their effects are restrained and moderated by human weakness and limitations. To achieve extraordinary results, the characters must struggle intensely and push themselves beyond their own limits. For me, this is what makes the story compelling. There is no guarantee that the protagonists will win. We never truly know how things will end, because even when the variables are visible, the outcome of events remains unpredictable.

When it comes to martial arts combat, this drama is simply unmatched. The fights feel genuinely physical, with highly creative choreography. Many wuxia dramas rely heavily on visual effects to create flashy battle scenes, but this drama is truly old-school in spirit. Sword fights, weapon clashes, and hand-to-hand combat are carried out through real physical performance rather than spectacle-driven effects. Each fight sequence feels like a short drama of its own, complete with a beginning, rising tension, climax, resolution, and conclusion. The scenes are allowed to unfold fully rather than being abruptly cut. In many other dramas, fights are edited so heavily that the audience is suddenly shown only the outcome without the emotional or tactical progression. This drama really gives viewers the satisfaction of witnessing the battles in their entirety.

Another fascinating aspect of this drama is how thoroughly it portrays the workings of crime and corruption. We are brought directly into courtrooms and investigations, shown how evidence is gathered and how facts are connected in order to reach a conclusion. Of course, the cases themselves are dramatized to some extent, but they are presented with enough clarity and structure that attentive viewers can follow the logic step by step. The drama carefully explains where the flaws and gaps lie, and how the scattered pieces of the puzzle are gradually reassembled until the full picture emerges. The crimes and murders themselves are not complicated in execution, but what becomes truly interesting is the concealment of traces and evidence afterward. This is precisely the area where our trio of musketeers does most of their work.

3# Deep theme and social commentary

The third aspect that makes this drama so valuable is its thematic depth and social commentary. The story begins with struggles for power among the elite, but the consequences gradually trickle downward, affecting ordinary people and innocent lives. The logic is simple: someone desires power, and in order to obtain it, they must gather financial resources and political allies both inside and outside the state. From there, the web expands into illegal businesses and corrupt agreements. In reality, this is often how corruption works and how it creates suffering among the people. What makes it even more tragic is that the legal and judicial institutions that are supposed to stand at the forefront against corruption are themselves drawn into the same corrupt vortex.

People like Zhan Zhao, who choose the difficult path instead of the easy one, become a breath of fresh air—a source of hope amid darkness. Yet ironically, they are often the first to be sacrificed in the struggle against corruption. Their convictions are misunderstood, and their sacrifices go unappreciated. In this sense, the drama becomes not only a reminder of the cost of justice, but also a form of appreciation for those who dedicate their lives to upholding the law.

The quality and depth of this drama may not be understood by many people. Honestly, I sometimes wonder how easily some viewers become haters, giving low ratings without truly watching or reflecting on the message the drama is trying to convey. Their perspective often seems limited to whether they like the actors or actresses, whether there is romance or bromance, whether the ending is happy, and things like that. My hope for future viewers is simple: watch this drama carefully and sincerely receive the goodness it offers. If you do, I believe you will come away feeling satisfied and genuinely appreciative of what this story has achieved.

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Why the low rating

I'm surprised that this is rated so low while some other BLs are not half as good and rated higher, then i noticed the duration and no. Of eps.
I guess i watched the full version while others didn't, and that's why they judged only half of the show.

Anyway, the whole things wasn't perfect, but it was enjoyable enough, if you have a couple of hours to spare on a light healing love story then give it a go.

I like the chemistry and the two leads, they looks so comfortable and good together, story is simple and repetitive but still done well.
Generally, it was good so... recommended ~

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