Reviews

I Didn't Expect Much, But This Drama Ruined Me

I was interested in xianxia dramas from the very beginning, and I often saw people talking about *Till the End of the Moon*, so I decided to give it a try. At first, I didn't have very high expectations for this drama, but it turned out to be absolutely amazing—seriously, very lit. From Episode 1 all the way to Episode 33, I didn't find a single boring episode. It was so engaging that I even watched it slowly so I wouldn't finish it too quickly.

Going back to the story itself, all of the characters have clear reasons behind their personalities and actions. What I really regret is that the main couple had such a heartbreaking story across all three lifetimes: Tantai Jin and Ye Xiwu, Mingye and Sangjiu, and Cang Jiumin and Li Susu. I feel that Tantai Jin put in an incredible amount of effort. Ye Xiwu loved him deeply as well, but she also had many people to save and responsibilities to fulfill, while Tantai Jin only had Ye Xiwu in his life. Every misunderstanding seemed to drag them into a living hell, yet there was always a resolution to their conflicts, which kept their bond and relationship strong.

I even feel that the biggest villain in the drama, Bingchang, didn't play as significant a role in the overall story as I expected, simply because the struggles and conflicts between the main couple themselves were already so overwhelming. I haven't finished the drama yet, but I already know that one of them will die in the end.

I’ll probably watch one of Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu's modern dramas afterward to help myself move on from this emotional roller coaster. I can honestly say that *Till the End of the Moon* is the best drama I have ever watched so far, and I will never stop recommending it to other people. The chemistry between the leads and the CGI are outstanding and nearly perfect. There aren't too many side characters slowing down the plot, and the efforts they make for each other in their love story are so moving that viewers can truly feel their pain.

Overall, this drama is incredible, but it's also one of the most emotionally traumatic dramas I've ever watched. It's the kind of show that leaves a deep impression on you, but perhaps not one you'd want to rewatch. Tantai Jin fought so hard from beginning to end, and in my opinion, he is the most tragic character in the entire story, having to accept the fate of becoming the Devil God. 😭❤️

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Strong start that fades away into a lack of character work and plot

Hoo... what to say? I really loved the beginning of this show. After episode one I truly believed this was going to be one of my favorite series this year. Unfortunately, since then, it's spun it's wheels into nothing. Though the characters aren't necessarily static, they never gain much more emotional depth and seem to make decisions because the script tells them to. While fun, colorful, and pretty watch, there's nothing to sink your teeth into story-wise. I found myself dispassionately watching "life or death" battles because the struggles never seemed grounded. It's a shame. The actors seem talented and the concept is interesting it just... isn't willing to go there.

-The Full Review-

STORY:
Truly the biggest let down of this show is the storytelling. I remember watching the first pilot trailer and thinking "Wow, how mysterious and magical! I can't wait to learn the details!" Well, it's episode 6 and the details never came. It seems to be an entirely vibes-based plot with a evil politician who has done.... something and a few WU who were expelled from the order (their relationships with their former brothers and sisters are barely explored) and a regular guy possessed by a monkey god--a plot that will cease to have stakes Remarkably fast. The character conflict is paper thin and never explored or scattered across brief flashbacks and unearned dramatic vows. Boring.

Truthfully, this is an ongoing problem with GMMTV works. They have a tendency to rely on the chemistry and history of the couples to fill in the details on the plot. And, well, I haven't seen High School Frenemy. I enjoy Sky and Nani but I would not describe myself as a stan. As a viewer with very little experience with these people and their "lore" the plot doesn't evoke anything. They're just fated because they're fated. I'm sure if these are your guys it feels super special and real... but I don't know them and I don't know why they care. Niran and Pete don't have any reason to be doing all that, or at least not one I've been made privy to as a viewer.

ACTING:
For what they are working with, I am generally impressed. The characters are believable and unique and interesting in their interactions together. I don't think any performance particularly stands in a negative way. I am already a fan of Godji, Krist, Nani, Great and Phuwin, so it was an easy sell for me. Sky is a new face, but I enjoyed his work. I found he has great ability to handle stillness and silence while still being compelling, which is not always easy to do. I would have liked it if he had... a bit more to do.

That said, it comes across a bit kitchsy and overdone sometimes. Nani (Pete) in particularly gives a couple of speeches about always being there for each other that feel off in part because of the cheesy dialogue, in part because of the unearned moment, and in part because Nani just fails to believe in what he's saying. It's not all hate though-- his monkey acting is very fun and lively, and the moments of conflict between Pete and Niran are electric.

PRODUCTION:
It's amazing how one single production can have you see "Wow, a real budget!" and "Oh dear..." sometimes in the same episode! I think the creators could have been a bit smarter in how they used their money, not always relying on hit-or-miss effects. Color, light, angles, and (real) fog could do a lot to bridge the gap between glowing CGI orbs. It's better than most, do not get me wrong--it's not incompetent by any means. But it is still somehow lacking a visual identity in many scenes--especially with the Monkey or in the Fog, there's a lot of blank space that makes it look mismatched to the colorful and maximalist main plot.

I do think the team is super successful and creating an atmosphere, especially for the rituals. I would actually like much more of that busy, eclectic, colorful, street life/night market feeling to surround even more of the show.

INTIMACY:
Not romance genre, but I'd like to take the space in my review format to comment on the SkyNani of it all. I don't actually care about queerbaiting, in fact, I'd prefer they queerbait a little harder. If you're going to sell me a soul binding, I better see those souls Bound. Instead, it is mostly cliches without character incidents to support development. Honestly, having not seen HSF, I don't really get it. The chemistry is a bit lacking in comparison to some other bromance and censored works. But, I suppose, even PangWave took most of S1 to get crazy, so perhaps I am just jumping ship too early. I don't know. The fandom hyped the relationship-whatever it's capacity-so high and I'm just not seeing it myself.

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A Brilliantly crafted drama.

CORONOR'S DIARY was absolutely splendid.
I mean, it's a bit plot heavy. But the cases they took up were so innovative, were so henious.... it shook me, at the same time amazed me.

Each and every case was so well written, and perfectly excecuted.

The Imperial family tree is difficult to understand so I referred mdl for that. (Thanks to mdl)
The internla affairs in the royal family was also soo well designed. I was mindblown.

The plot twists....the charcters..... damn. It was super interesting.

I like how tight the entire story was, that the main cause remained persistent throughtout 38 epiosdes.
This drama is more on mystery-thriller side than on romance.
There was barely any romance.... but whatever was presented was satisfying enough.
Yan Chi and Wan'er's love was pure and sosososo based on mutual trust. I loved it.

Ao Rui Peng and Landi Li carried the entire drama. They were absolutely magnificent.

I wauld like to watch more of these types of dramas.
Thanks to the team of Coronor's diary and Iqiyi for making such a gem of a drama.

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Great story, the acting however...

I'll start this off by saying that I really did enjoy watching this series, it was never boring for me. Typically, with shows from gmmtv, towards the last 3 or so episodes there's always such a huge conflict that breaks everybody up for no reason. With this show, however, at no point did any of the conflict feel forced. It felt real, in a sense. I liked the way the show progressed and I am glad I watched it.

However, there were some things that I absolutely did not like. First, I honestly didn't really like Eugene and Gram's story, but that's really no one's problem but mine. Maybe I'm just a hater. Their story wasn't bad, it just didn't interest me. I love Eugene and I'm glad she got her happy ending.

Now, the acting... This was another thing I absolutely did not like. Most of the cast did fine, First especially. Maybe I'm just biased, but I think he did an amazing job in the last two episodes, his heartbreak and betrayal was so beautifully portrayed. It makes me really sad that I can't say the same about his co-star, Gawin. He never looked sad, he just looked like he was in pain. I couldn't take his scenes seriously. I had no idea what emotions he was trying to portray throughout the entire show. It made me really dislike his character. Maybe he's improved since this show aired, but I wouldn't know.

Overall, it's a really great show with an interesting, well-written plot. There are some things that could have, and should have, been different, but I still had a great time watching it which is all that matters.

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What Did I Just Watch?

This show was a disappointment for a J-Drama.

Nothing about this show gave J-Drama and I hate that for me. We know what Japan is known for when it comes to their dramas and we typically know what to expect. Japan isn’t afraid to push the envelope and truly GO for it but this drama doesn’t reflect any of that. This is gonna sound shady but it is what it is – this felt more like a K-Drama than a J-Drama. More sanitized, more polished, more tame, more bland.

I expected so much more from this drama. When you read the summary, you’re expecting something more gritty, more raw, more spicy. None of those adjectives can be used to describe this drama in any way, and that’s sad. Mainly because I feel that Japan would be the only country to do a series like this justice. Japan is the only one capable of doing it. Alas, it fell short.

The main issue is the female lead. Wow! I’ve watched a ton of dramas where the female lead is weak and purely ornamental. I’ve seen my fair share of dramas where the female lead falls into that category but I expected her to grow over time. Sure, the drama is merely 10 episodes but I still expected to see some growth. That didn’t happen. Risa had no backbone. None. It’s kind of like she was just … there. She was a plot device; nothing more, nothing less.

She often got lost on the canvas. She had no presence. She has no personality. You often forget that she was there even when she was on your screen. She completely disappeared in these scenes and not in a good way. She disappeared in the sense that anyone could have been swapped out for her and nothing would change. You wouldn’t notice anything differently. She left little to no impact on me. I’m not sure who to blame for that – the actress, the director, the writers. I simply don’t know who to point the finger at. It was just bad all around.

The male lead was … okay, I guess? He wasn’t that great either, if I’m being honest. He had more of a presence than her but he was still pretty bad too. Now that I’m writing this, I’d say that the blame is mostly on the writers and the director. They weren’t necessarily miscast but their characters still gave nothing. Their characters were flat, one-dimensional, and underdeveloped. The beginning would make you think that you were gonna get something but that didn't happen. It didn't take long for this drama to fall apart. Some people said around 3 episodes and I won't disagree. It definitely happened early on.

All in all, I would NOT recommend this drama. Unless you have a morbid curiosity that you want to satisfy, then go ahead. Unless you're bored and just want to watch something short and mindless, then have at it! However, don't watch this if you're truly looking for a good story, good characterization, an even and balanced plot, or good acting. You're not getting any of that. Also, no. This isn't a case of me being a prude who clutches her pearls over everything. This just didn't do it for me. It was so bad and it could have been so much better.

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Too much angst

What I like:
Superb acting, good-looking casts, great CGI, good music, story of romantic love, friendship, forgiveness, self-reflection and family.

What I don't like:
Too much suffering and self-sacrifice on the part of the ML. It made him so pathetic and annoying. Even towards the end, it's heavily emotional. It was hard to watch most of the time that I had to skip several episodes.

Rewatch value: You have to be masochistic if you want to rewatch the series again.

But then again, each one of us has different taste, so go watch and judge it yourself.

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Skip this unless you like tragic weak characters

This whole series is about how to be a weak man hiding under a mask of noble sacrifice.

One and only showed how to be a weakling when everyone needs you. The saying goes "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing". Well, the ML was such a coward about not taking responsibility when he knew the king was a tyrant. He will let the people of his nation suffer and his love die as long as he keeps his silly promise. Watch that if you like tragic moron characters.

Then another lifetime swings around and ML and FL are tied by karmic tragedy again. This time ML is a passive mute person with no redeeming qualities and the FL pretty much carries the relationship by being a doormat for the ML. He constantly bends to will of his family, forcing the female lead to accept every type of abuse from them. Letting his crazy stepmother abuse his wife verbally without ever speaking up for her. Cancelling their wdding engagement party/wedding over and over. Letting his stepbrother physically harm his wife in Bremen, kill his stepsister, and eventually drive his wife off a balcony. All the while constantly having a sad scowl on his face.

I was hoping this lifetime the ML would step up and have growth but he shows the exact same attitude of never showing expressions of love and being a coward again. Let's hope fate never ties them to be husband and wife a third lifetime.

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teach you a lesson is basically taxi driver set in schools, and honestly, it was ridiculously entertaining. the case-of-the-week format kept things fast-paced, tackling everything from bullying and cybercrime to toxic parents and academic pressure, while still tying it back to the tragedy that started it all. it's definitely unrealistic and leans heavily into wish-fulfillment justice, but watching the erpb give bullies a taste of their own medicine was undeniably satisfying. the cast had great chemistry, making this a fun, cathartic watch even when its message occasionally became a little too heavy-handed.

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First Impression: Fix the Error

Overall: unique premise but with several characters and a short runtime I'm unsure how this is going to go. 6 episodes about 9 minutes each. Airing on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/7808/fix-the-error-2026-e01 and the Shortime app. My referral link is https://playground.shortime.en/invite/NKNIWI (all letters) and it should get you a bonus.

Content Warnings (keeping it spoiler free for now)

What I Liked
- visuals
- unique premise

Room For Improvement
- I'm confused who is the main couple which should have been apparent since we are already through 1/3 of the series
- they have too many characters for a short run time

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