Reviews

A true love story

One of my favorite dramas from the last five years has been Queen of Tears. This drama is based on a true love story. It tells the emotional love story of Baek Hyun-woo, a man from a small village who works for the powerful Queens Group as a lawyer, and Hong Hae-in, the heiress to a luxury department store empire. Their relationship is filled with love, heartbreak, misunderstandings, and sacrifices, but no matter what challenges they face, they continue to fight for each other.

At the beginning of the drama, we see a couple whose marriage appears completely broken. They sleep in separate beds, rarely talk, and when they do, it usually ends in an argument or is about the business and money. Yet through flashbacks, we see how deeply Baek Hyun-woo once loved Hae-in. He would do anything for her, and although Hae-in often appeared cold and distant, she showed a softer and gentler side whenever she was with him. Their was a cute scene while she is sitting in back of a car and asking her driver to follow up to admire Baek from a distance. Their wedding felt like a fairy tale, and Baek even promised that he would never make Hae-in cry. Everything seemed perfect until we slowly discover what drove them apart.

The turning point in their marriage was the loss of their baby. Hae-in shut herself off emotionally, while both of them buried their grief instead of communicating. Now Baek decides he wants a divorce, even though he fears the reaction of Hae-in’s powerful family. Just as he finally works up the courage to tell her, she reveals that she has a brain tumor and needs surgery. Baek is shocked, and although his initial reaction is relief that he won’t have to divorce her if she dies, he quickly begins treating her with more kindness and care.

As the story progresses, Hae-in’s former classmate enters the picture, creating tension and jealousy. Baek’s feelings for Hae-in become impossible to ignore, and moments like him saving her from a wild boar attack show just how much he still loves her. Hae-in was taken back that he would risk his life for her. Slowly, the feelings they buried begin to resurface, she even catches him researching places to help with her cancer treatments.

The most emotional part of the drama is Hae-in’s illness. Her health deteriorates, she suffers memory problems, and she sometimes collapses unexpectedly. We had an emotional moment where she forgets she is sick and that Baek and her aren’t on good terms and she’s happy, but it breaks Baek. During this time, she also discovers that Baek had planned to divorce her, which causes even more pain and distance between them. Despite this, the story beautifully portrays two people falling in love with each other all over again.

There are so many unforgettable moments: their passionate kisses, emotional embraces, and the devastating car crash scene where Baek believes Hae-in has died. That moment perfectly captures the depth of his love. Another powerful scene is when Hae-in says she no longer wants to live because of her suffering, followed later by her decision that she wants to keep living and experience life with Baek by her side. “All I ever wanted you was by my side”



The drama was already emotional because of the promises they made to each other and the admiration they shared. However, once Hae-in’s condition worsened, the emotions became overwhelming. Whenever they cried together, it felt impossible not to cry along with them.

My favorite moment comes after Hae-in’s surgery when she can no longer remember Baek. Watching her read the journal she had written and slowly regain her memories of him was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. The amount of crying, longing, and love throughout this drama made every emotional scene hit even harder. The ending was perfect of them having a kid and showing many tears later when they are old of baek at Hae-in grave. A memorable moment in the drama is when he said ""If you die before I do, I'm going to live one more day and then follow you. How will I ever live without you?"Hae-in responds with an equally touching promise: "Let's say a lot of time passed, and you died. Then I'll become an angel to pick you up. If I show up, it'll be less scary for you."

While I loved most of the drama, the murder and villain storyline wasn’t my favorite part and I do wish we had 1 or 2 episodes of them 10-20 years later in life. I was much more invested in the romance and emotional healing between the main couple, even though all characters brought something to this drama. What stood out most to me was how deeply Baek loved Hae-in. He consistently sacrificed everything for her, and I have rarely seen a male lead portrayed with that level of devotion. His emotional breakdowns, drunken scenes, and moments of vulnerability were heartbreaking but also provided some of the show’s funniest moments.


Overall, Queen of Tears is one of the most emotional romance dramas I have ever watched. It is a story about grief, forgiveness, healing, and finding your way back to the person you love. Despite a few plot elements that didn’t work for me, the love story between Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in is one that I will not forget anytime soon

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don’t care about the plot other then Zhang linghe

what was that ending….

started watching this mainly bc of the 4 main actors both female and male and cause im on a Zhang linghe binge. i was expecting a lot since people have hyped this up… but it took me a long time to watch… over a month tbh. cause when sitting down i always found something more exciting to watch and i finished it only cause i don’t like leaving things unfinished. thank god iQIYI has the speed x2 option cause so many scenes im just like.. why is this so slow?? also i get that its for character building but some of the side characters i didnt need to know their entire storyline of life if it wasnt relevant to the story…

the open somewhat ending had me kinda angry… i had hoped we would get to see them defeat wofeng, instead we get a open ending and suddenly a twin?? definitely feels like they just went “okay im done let’s just end it here”…. idk how the novel goes or what happens there but when the last episode was over i just thought… oh well now i can finally say i finished it yey….

the acting was so good tho, and some scenes with the guys sister? cousin? i can’t even remember her name, but she was really funny with the way she kept flirting with the guard. had a feeling they would end up together in the end and was happy i was right.

i watched this after pursuit of Jade hoping it would be living up to that but it truly was a downer compared. im giving it a 7/10 cause i did enjoy some of it and the acting was good but the plot and some of the fight scenes was just boring i ended up speeding on x2 so much towards the end just to get over with it.

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Please sell me my time back

God... where do I even start....
The script wasn't great. The conversations felt very "high school student who's writing a conversation for the first time".
The so called banter didn’t make sense a lot of the time. He's supposed to be a fan, yet it constantly shows him being distasteful towards his idol. It would make sense if they tried to make it so that he's trying to hide that he's a fan but that never seemed to be the case. He also kept getting disappointed that Gang Jae wasn't the person he showed himself to be, which could have been a good plot line of Ji U shifting to see him from an idol to an actual person but no. If literally was there for no reason. Because no matter how many times he seemed almost disgusted with Gang Jae, they would randomly show him back at being his 100% fan online.
I should have know the show was bad on the first episode, when the main couple meet, and the show tells us three freaking times in the next 5 minutes about "the tension" they had. The tension in question was them shaking hands and telling each other they're fans of one another, which somehow no one including them heard saying???
The plot, none sensical from the beginning. A professional soccer team with half players that can't play. They don't even train them, apart from training the relationship between in each other😭
Even if you ignore the premise of the show, the plot does not get better. They put in random storylines that never really lead anywhere. It almost seems like they cut scenes in between as well. Like the dream thing. We suddenly see a flashback of a dream Gang Jae had. Except, there was never a scene where he had that dream before??
And oh😩 The acting. Especially the one playing Gang Jae. It's literally high school amateur level. I will give him the benefit of the doubt that maybe he was trying to overreact and have cliché, non-realistic expressions for, I don't even know, comedy reasons?? And not to sh*t on him, he's not ugly in any way, but he does look his age. And that age does not look the same as the others so making him and Ji U the same age was just an added inconsistency to the mix.

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The Untamed — A Story That Never Leaves Your Heart

Some dramas entertain you for a while. The Untamed stays with you forever.
It is a story that found its way into my heart and never left. Every smile, every sacrifice, every unspoken word carried a depth of emotion that is impossible to forget. Wei Wuxian taught me courage in the face of loneliness, while Lan Wangji showed me what unwavering love and loyalty truly look like.
This drama made me laugh, cry, and feel emotions I didn't know a story could awaken. It reminded me that even when the whole world misunderstands you, there can still be someone who believes in you without hesitation.
What makes The Untamed beautiful is not only its plot, but the feelings it leaves behind. The music still echoes in my heart, the characters still feel like old friends, and the memories remain as vivid as the first time I watched it.
Years may pass, new dramas may come and go, but The Untamed will always be the story I return to when I need comfort. It is not just a drama—it is a piece of my heart, a cherished memory, and a home I can revisit whenever I miss it.
Some stories end with the final episode. The Untamed begins there, living on in the hearts of those who loved it. :::
Featuring unforgettable performances by Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo in The Untamed

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Is being adored by millions actually worth the cost?

It's not a typical celebrity meets fan story.

What happens when the image people worship and the actual human being underneath are two completely different things.

Maeng Se-Na's successful, intelligent, terrifyingly competent in court, yet she's an entirely different person when Do Ra-Ik enters the conversation.

Ra-Ik initially appears to be the stereotypical difficult celebrity.

But the more time you spend with them, the more you realise everyone is carrying wounds they're desperately trying to hide.

Se-Na
Ra-Ik
Chung Jae
Hong Hye-Joo

Even people like Geum Bo-Sang, Prosecutor Kwak Byung-gyun, Reporter Baek, Kang Woo-Seong, Choi Jae-Hee and Lee Young-bin are introduced with layers that keep making you reassess them.

Sometimes I'd be convinced I understood a character's motivations and five scenes later I'd be sitting there like "Hold on... what are you actually hiding?"

One of my favourite things is how the drama explores celebrity culture without glamorising it. The story repeatedly pulls back the curtain on idol life and asks whether being adored by millions is actually worth the cost.
The fans.
The pressure.
The expectations.
The inability to simply exist as a normal human being.

The balance between emotional weight and humour is surprisingly good.

The relationship dynamics are great too.
Not just romantically but emotionally.

The story spends a lot of time exploring trust.
Who deserves it.
Who breaks it.
Who earns it.
And whether believing in someone is the same thing as actually knowing them.

Se-Na spends much of the story confronting the gap between the idol she created in her mind and the real person standing in front of her.
Because sometimes the hardest thing isn't loving someone. It's accepting who they really are.

The acting deserves praise too. Particularly the performances behind Se-Na and Ra-Ik. Their emotional scenes work because neither character feels emotionally invincible.
They cry.
They panic.
They make mistakes.
They get angry.
They retreat into themselves.
They're messy in ways that feel human.

The soundtrack also deserves a shoutout.

Overall, Idol I feels less like a celebrity romance and more like a story about loneliness, grief, trust, healing, and the dangerous gap between public image and reality.

It has mystery.
It has legal drama.
It has emotional trauma.
It has fandom commentary.

It has enough suspicious behaviour to make you side-eye almost every character at least once.

Watching this was a surprisingly heartfelt experience.

If you enjoy stories where characters slowly peel back their emotional armour and reveal the person underneath, there's a lot here to love.

What I Loved ❤️

Maeng Se-Na: One of the strongest parts of the drama. She's brilliant, stubborn, emotionally scarred, and surprisingly funny. Her journey feels personal and believable.

Do Ra-Ik's character depth: The story constantly challenges assumptions about him and refuses to reduce him to a celebrity stereotype.

The exploration of idol culture: The drama repeatedly questions fan obsession, celebrity worship, and the loss of personal freedom.

The emotional vulnerability: The characters are broken, scared, angry, and imperfect.

Se-Na and Ra-Ik's evolving relationship: It was built more on trust, understanding, and emotional healing than surface-level attraction.

Chung Jae: He constantly had me feeling bad for him while simultaneously appreciating how much he cared.

The mystery element: The fact that I was questioning everyone's motives.

The soundtrack

The commentary on loneliness: Especially the loneliness that exists even when someone is surrounded by people.


What I Didn't Love

There were some frustratingly stubborn characters.

The toxic side of fandom culture is uncomfortable to watch. It is of course intentional, but still frustrating.

The emotional suffering pile-up gets intense. Every time I thought Ra-Ik was finally catching a break, the drama would show up with another emotional brick.

Favourite Characters
1. Maeng Se-Na
2. Do Ra-Ik
3. Chung Jae
4. Kang Woo-Seong
5. Lee Young-bin


Most Frustrating Characters
1. Kwak Byung-gyun
2. Reporter Baek
3. Hong Hye-Joo (because girl... please stand up and make healthier decisions)
4. Ra-Ik's mother
5. Geum Bo-Sang: A perfect reflection of how some entertainment industry execs view these idols as products rather than humans.

Final Rating: 9/10

Not because it's perfect, but because it made me care. And once a drama gets me emotionally invested enough to argue with fictional characters through my screen, it's already doing something right.

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More than I ever expected

This drama left a lasting impression on me... I was hesitant to start it at first because the synopsis didn’t sound particularly appealing to me, despite the countless recommendations. I’m so glad I decided to give it a chance. So if you're anything like me and have been putting this drama off, I hope this review gives you that little push to finally watch it.

I enjoyed every second of this show. Even during the quieter moments when not much was happening, I was completely invested. The main storyline was captivating, and the characters made every scene worthwhile. I LOVED THEM ALL.

I went through a full range of emotions while watching which is something that doesn't happen often for me. I felt happy, sad, angry, frustrated, and even embarrassed at times.

SPOILER!!

My only complaint is, I would have loved to see more reactions from the supporting characters when Ji Eun Tak died. We didn't get to see that at all. The ending felt a little anticlimactic also. After everything the characters went through I wanted a more emotional payoff. I was hoping to see them run into each other's arms, overwhelmed with relief and excitement. Those moments felt like missed opportunities and would have made the finale even more satisfying.

Despite that, this is still a drama that will stay with me for a very long time, and one that I would happily recommend to others.

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Came for the Mystery, Stayed for the Slow Burn Connection

Siren’s Kiss is a mature, character-driven thriller. It won't have you at the edge of your seat, but the character arcs made it very watchable for me.

What I Enjoyed:

Trust & Evolution: The highlight of this drama is the chemistry between the leads and how they grow to trust each other. Watching Cha Woo-seok (Wi Ha-joon) transition from a place of deep distrust, cynicism, and accusation to becoming Han Seol-ah’s (Park Min-young) biggest advocate and protector was beautifully executed.

A Soft Place to Land: In a world filled with high-stakes danger and suspicion, the emotional vulnerability between the leads is everything. Woo-seok truly becomes a safe, soft harbor for Seol-ah to drop her defenses, and their mutual emotional maturity is incredibly satisfying.

The Atmospheric Soundtrack: The OST sets the perfect, haunting mood for a dark psychological thriller, perfectly underscoring the quiet tension between the leads.

The Pacing: It isn't a heart-pounding, action-packed thriller. The pacing is on the slower side at times, but I appreciated that because it built some tension.

What Didn't Work as Well:

The Subplots: Not every narrative thread lands perfectly. I found the police to be narrow minded and steps behind. The second ML's sister's storyline became annoying.

Final Verdict:
Come for the mystery, but stay for the slow-burn partnership. Highly recommended if you prefer mature, equal, and protective romantic dynamics over generic tropes!

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Frustrating watch due bad writing

If you want to turn off your brain and watch this without a single critical thought in your head, then this drama is for you!

Gave this at least until episode 2 but I just can't bring myself to watch more cause if I did, I would be voluntarily torturing myself with the absolute emotional SLOP that is being force fed to the viewers. There were so many inconsistencies in basic human behavior on A LOT of moments that were written out just for the sake of forcefully "tugging on your heartstrings" like come on. I don't usually write reviews but I had to make an exception for this sorry piece of turd, and even calling it a turd would be disingenuous towards turds., at least with turds I can actually appreciate it coming out.

So far it seems like every character besides the wife and sister, are all missing a couple of chromosomes in their head. It's like playing a RPG game and you're given 4 choices of action to take and somehow they all take the most dumbest possible selection. Watching these characters make these choices is this kdrama's way of rage baiting you. Ts can't be serious.

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A good J-Drama turning into a bad K-Drama

This drama started well: lonely, disillusioned ML meets heart-broken FL. Love at first sight, straightforward communication, benevolant entourage. Plus, both are talented.
The story writes itself from here, one would think. But, for whatever reason, the writers decided to complicate things.

Midway through the drama, this cute little jdrama turns into your typical annoying kdrama, where the story jettisons half of itself and its characters, gives up on plausibility, and soaks itself into the unimaginative whim of the writers.

Miscommunication, noble idiocy,...
If you get annoyed at some point, please be aware that it will not get better. I was hoping for a white truck appearance late in the drama.

For those learning Japanese: FL uses a dialect from Kyushu. At my level, I found it hard to understand sometimes. Good practice in that regard. Japanes Subs are on Viki.

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thank god it’s over

this got to be one of the worst BL shows ever. i loved the actors. i loved most of the ost. i loved the scenery.
that’s it.
the story was awful. the story telling also awful. a mixture of hiatory, dreams, reality, wishful thinking and god knows what. all shaken into this.
then in the last two episodes throw in a girl couple that wasn’t really a couple. the story would have been interesting but unfortunately we will never know.
the entire time everyone feels bad for Ba woo and how he suffered. when in reality Jee Hoon was in love with him a lot longer, just as scared and just as much in pain. the only difference was that he wasn’t an ass about it. he protected his feelings just like ba woo has done for much longer without the cruelty. first I thought he was the one oblivious but watching the last 5 minutes of the show it all made sense. finally. all the frienda knew about it. just not ba woo because he was just as ignorant as the other one. they are basically the same just one of them kept it friendly.
would I watch it again. nope. the actors yes but not this drama. it was torture to get through it.

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Wish I Could Erase the Plot

Title: The Only Soul I Couldn't Erase
Genre/Year: Romance drama
ML: He Jian Qi
FL:
2ML: Wang Yilei
Rating: 6

⚠️ Review:
I never understand why people force others into marriages they dont want to be in. Is it a dominant/control problem? Possibly. How else would she last 7 years of being treated this way? I dont agree with the 2ML giving her information away at the end. She worked so hard to get away from him and he just sent her back without even asking her (assuming he didn't.)
I thinknthe most powerful scene here is when he finally sees the bathroom He Jian Qi has a way of breaking your heart through the screen that is incomparable to most acting professionals.
I would love to have ranked this higher but the plot had too many holes and honestly wasnt that interesting. Also, whoever dressed the 2FL needs a job change asap.ASAP.

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Well, I guess it was entertaining... for a bit

So, whats to say about it? The FL carried the show. Oh, and the scenes with the topless ML. And maybe the 2nd FL a little. And the cameos helped too. But surely there's more.

Visuals. It looks good enough. Normal colour palette. The cinematography is good I guess. Some interesting shots and angles. Lots of good shots when its about emotions going on. I don't know if it was added in post or not, and though it was not a close-up, I even noticed a person sweating, its not something easily notable, but because of the angle and the lighting etc. Yes, I pick on the stupidest of details (like I saw about the portraits in the art class)... So, most of the times: good stuff.

**Personal point. I hate the scenes where the Sun is involved. Episode 6 (?). sunset, they are walking, she sees something, she runs, he "hey, where are you going?", runs after her, next second full dark. Thats like 3 hours in the span of 2 seconds. From the cinematography standpoint, it looks better this way, sure, but that means the writing is at fault. Same for the sunrise scene in episode 8(?). Thats not how the sunrise works! Two hours timeline crammed in 2 minutes of screen time. I'm saying 2 minutes to be nice. More exactly, she is walking, the sky looks like at least 1h (I'm being generous) before sunrise, she stops, she turns around, the sky looks like 30 min before sunrise, in the next second we get a wide-shot and the Sun is already up, it looks like 30 min after sunrise... I know why it was needed and done like that, but it was bad. Another one is about a couple of portraits in the art class having the wrong orientation (one even smiling). And a few other scenes (like an elevator, or football game) where some characters move faster than possible, on or off screen, to catch up to someone. Nitpicks, not problems, I know, but I had to say it. Also also, the thing with her first day of work. I wont spoil it. Knowing what we know later, how the fk did it all happened? Does it involve teleportation? If not, thats a plot hole. And a major one... But I digress.**

Audio. The sound design is ok. Meh OP and ED, nothing special, but on par with the theme, I guess. The rest is better, nice selection for tracks. Also, nice balance mixing, no track will blow your ears off with some loud volume right after a quiet dialogue, or something.
High production value. World building? No, not really. The usual pacing. You wont get a sense of how much time is passing, coupled with a lot of boring (slice-of-life like) scenes. No, really. Horrible pacing and horrible editing, some scenes just keep dragging on.

Now, the good parts. The story is meh. I get that it must have drama, but it kinda goes over the top. Everyone cheating on everyone, all the time, all around and they gotta deal with it. Something usual irl Korea. Ok, fine, sure. Lets pretend its an interesting concept. The execution of that idea on paper is bad. Ok, maybe not bad, just boring. It is all saved by the acting. Good casting. The main FL stole the show. Apart from some scenes, where she is supposed to be sad/desperate/whatever but she can't really do it, everything else is done great. Body language, mannerism, speech, even her face. Any other actress wouldn't have been this geat for this specific role. There are a few other good actors here, sure, but its like having Anthony Hopkins and some random, normal people around. Especially in the first episodes. Her sarcasm, body language, the way she changes her demeanor in one second, all of that will make you love her and want to keep watching the show. That and the other eye candies. Plus, as I've mentioned earlier, the cameos. Talented actors that bring their own fans. But like I said, the script is meh. A couple of plot contrivances here and there. Stuff like that. You'll enjoy it for the actors and for the feeling of "they got what they deserved" payoff in regards of some of the cheaters. Oh, also, expect lots of red herring. Not a bad thing per se, but it gets predictable.
Character development. There are a few of decent ones. Also, a lot of really lousy ones. One-dimension kind of bad. The best of it is the fact that you shouldn't think you know how someone is. There were a few surprises. Both good and bad. And as the story progresses, it changes to worse... A lot of character assassination, one of them culminating in dumb stuff, even saying something cringe like "I realised I wasn't as bad a person as I thought". Like I said, sometimes the writing is horrible, with lots of exposition dump, pathetic dialogue and forced events occurring.
Comedy. Anything decent mostly involves the FL. The other bits are the typical cringy kdrama stuff. Honorable mention, his sisters. Really funny.
Romance. Well, the chemistry is there. Some nice dialogue at key moments, nice acting and it feels like it has a natural progression. Also, even the stuff thats less than romance, involving other cast, is nicely done.

To sum it all up. Uninteresting premise, ok-ish execution, with some plot contrivances and plot holes. All supported mainly by the FL, a few other cast and the cameo ones. Thats it. Apart from episode 8. That was pure nonsense, as writing, pacing, execution. Time has no meaning, stuff happens or it is shown without explaining what that was. Nothing works. Plot holes, manipulative editing, who knows? And it leaks over to the next episode (for example, I checked for two scenes.38 seconds for: ending the call, going back inside or not, paying up or not, convincing the colleagues to leave, getting their coats on, going outside all the way up to the street to find a cab. 38 seconds... Then 33 more until leaving the last 2 people. Exactly what we're to infer how long it takes in a different setting for a person to go from answering the door, inviting some one in, taking his shoes off, walking inside living room. Then, 103 seconds for: leaving the group (already happening), arriving before the building, going up stairs/elevator (because 2508-2509 it usually means 25 floor, right? Also seeing that she is an executive something in a respectable company, something we see in other kdramas, they all try to live somewhere high up. Also also, the view from her window), entering... How tf is that possible? But hey, "drama is needed, lets force it", right? Right). And the next episode, and the next. *sigh* Basically, the second half its not the same drama. The same teleportation plot devices, character assassination, a lot more contrivances and plot holes. But at least its not the kind of drama that has the "fake marriage contract comes to light & creates problems" trope, right? * wink wink* A better writing would've been if the plot was that he had a colder personality and a more "data" approach in his investigations, learning from her how to "understand" people more. And maybe the 2nd FL to have a better role/dialogue, because from the few scenes where she was playful, it looked like she could do it. Anyway....

It gets a rating of 6. Barely. It should be even lower thanks to its progression. Enjoyable for the first half, cringe and full of tropes in the second one. Maybe you'll rewatch it once more, mostly for the FL. Maybe.
I should mention that there's a difference between enjoyment and quality when talking about media. You can also enjoy bad media (my guilty pleasure), and there's nothing wrong with that. This review is about its quality (as all reviews should be), so keep that in mind.

Have a lovely day.

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