Reviews

Hubungan harus saling berkembang

Ngeliat ini ada nyesek yg gabisa dijelasin. Beberapa spoiler ada yg bilang kalo film ini ngajarin kita kalo beneran ada yg namanya cinta di waktu yg salah, tapi.. pas liat film ini langsung, pandanganku malah engga ke arah itu, engga sependapat. Ini bukan cinta di waktu yg salah, tapi emang orangnya aja yg salah/blm tepat. Bayanginn ajaa, si Jeongwon mati2an hidup apa adanya, usaha iya, pekerja keras iya. Tapi pasangannya? nihil. Iya, tau, cowonya juga usaha, tapi menurutku engga berkembang, hanya berfokus pada satu hal. Sedangkan arah hidup dan perjalanan hidup itu panjang dan berliku banget, engga selalu yg di gebu2kan harus bgt tercapai, namun bisa dg hal lai atau dg jalan yg lain utk sampai di tujuan tsb. Toh, utk mencapai 10 engga harus dengan 5+5, namu bisa dg 7+3. Khalayaknya rezeki, mau diusahain kek manapunn, kalo udah rezeki pasti dateng juga, yg nentunya juga dg ada usaha ikhtiarnya, ya!

Oiya, disini btw Eunho menurutku terlalu egois sih, krn terlalu fokus pada diri sendiri dan berputar problematikanya sendiri. Sedangkan hidup terus berjalan, orang akan tinggal dan pergi, musim akan silih berganti. Namun Eunho tetep berdiam sendiri, padahal saat itu udah didepan mata ada Jeongwon. huft, sayang sekali. Tapi namanya juga penyesalan sih yaa. Pas udah nyesel, baru deh ada pergerakannya.

Dan teruntuk Jeongwon, menurutku dia wanita yg gigih sih, bahkan sampe sebesar dan sesukses ini dia keren udah mau bertahan sejauh ini. Padahal dia tumbuh mandiri (tanpa orang tua dari kecil).

Kalo sama2 ngeliat flashback sih gaada akhirnya, tp kan semua orang udah punya cerita dan perjalanan masing2. Jadi cukup jadi pengalaman pernah jadi 'rumah' yg menyenangkan, yg engga selalu berporos utk waktu yg lama aja~ Diluar sana kayaknya ada yg relate gini, siapapun itu semoga mereka let it flow dan terus melanjutkan perjalanan mereka masing2, menemukan kebahagiaannya masing2.

Intinya, mau dipaksain bagaimanapun memang orangnya aja yg blm tepat, mau mengubah alurpun.. emang blm jodoh aja.. mau dipaksain kayak gimanapun juga susah dan gabisa, khalayak sifatnya manusia aja sih.. nanti bisa balik lagi ke stelan awal. jadii mending masing2 aja~

Read More

Addicting!

I will always love a crime kdrama, and this is no exception. I was especially looking forward to this one since I loved Ji Sung's performance in the Devil Judge, and he did not disappoint! Connection told such a compelling story of interwoven unsolved cases, and I was HOOKED! If you like crime dramas at all, you have to give this one a shot.

Jang Jaegyeong works in the (very successful) narcotics unit. Him, along with reporter Oh Yoonjin, begin investigating a new drug that has been spreading called lemon mulberry, which gives the user great focus and concentration at the cost of live-threatening withdrawals and quick-building tolerance. Basically, it's the perfect recipe for maximum addiction. At the same time, an old friend of Jaegyong's named Junseo tries to reconcile with him over events from high school that ruined their friendship. After another pleading attempt, Junseo continues to get nowhere with Jaegyeong. One night, Jaegyeong is kidnapped and drugged with lemon mulberry with no memory of what happened; around the same time, Junseo's body is found at a construction site and is tentatively considered suicide. Jaegyeong begins simultaneously investigating the potential murder of Junseo and the rise and spread of lemon mulberry, and starts connecting the cases together.

This show was genuinely so much fun to watch, especially if you pay close attention. While there are a lot of characters you need to know, all of them play such interesting roles in these murder and drug cases. Plus, as a viewer, you can try to start piecing together everything yourself alongside the detectives, which I always love. I find I have a hard time getting into shows when the viewer knows a lot more than the characters, but this was the perfect balance of trying to lead the viewer to make conclusions with small pieces of evidence while also making sure the detectives are competent and are putting things together. I also felt like the twists in the plot were built in perfectly - no twists that didn't make any sense just for shock value, but the way things came together was still unexpected. Truly, this was a really well thought out crime drama that keeps you wanting more episodes!

Read More

IT WAS PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!

First of all, I have note watched the movie and directly watched this version so I won't compare the two and now to actual review
BECAUSE MY GOD HOW MUCH DID I CRY??????
It was soo emotional and caring in it's approach to the subject of love and how I wished that I can watched with fresh mind again.....Because everything was perfect from music to cinematography and especially CAST!!!!!
And now to the ending....From my POV it was PERFECT and I don't want it change in any way ( Aside from one little thing which you know what I am talking about but we can't get everything right????)
Overall it was perfect from the start to finish!!!!!!!

Read More

.

This was a slightly different kind of BL, but I really liked it.
It had a unique feeling compared to what I usually watch, and that made it stand out in a good way. Sometimes it’s nice to watch something a bit different — and this one worked for me. 😊

.. ... ... .... .... .... .... .. .. ... ... .... .... .... .... .. .. ... ..

🌸✨🌈 Hiii~ Welcome to my kawaii corner~ ♡(≧▽≦)ﾉ✨🌸

You can find more of my reviews on Instagram~ 🌟💖

Check my homepage for my account~ (｡♥‿♥｡) 🌷

Some reviews are under 500 words, so I can’t post them here~ (≧ω≦)ﾉ💫

Thank you sooo much~ ☆:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:☆ 💕🌸

Read More

a química ta salvando o dorama

isso aqui ta acabando com a minha sanidade mental, eles ficam 2 eps felizes e 2 brigados, nunca se resolvem direito e são sempre brigas bobas. os dois primeiros eps foi tudo, tão fofo, mas era óbvio que iam estragar tudo ne, beleza o plot ser eles se encontarem dps de 10 anos, mas o drama p eles ficarem juntos e terminarem dps mds
pelo menos o jinyoung é gostoso e sabe atuar, alem da química entre eles dois serem incrivel, pq mds que desgraça de dorama e história

Read More

Super Strong First Half but Disappointing Second half

I don't know how to write a very serious review analyzing plot and pacing and I'm probably just gonna say a lot of what everyone else has been saying but I still wanted to write one. I didn't quite finish this drama because Netflix is a bit slow but I'm already disappointed and I feel like the last half of the drama has really fallen off compared to the first.
Initially, I thought this was gonna be the greatest drama I have ever watched. I went in with high expectations and I wasn't disappointed. The beginning half in the village was the most magical experience I've ever had with a C-drama. Just by watching short clips of the wedding scene and the scene where Changyu thought Xie Zheng had left, I knew this drama was worth getting a Netflix subscription for.

The visuals were stunning. In historical dramas, we mostly get the palace life because that life is supposedly more interesting and more pleasing to the eye. However, this drama did a great job at making the village life super interesting and visually appealing. The production crew? truly demonstrates that you don't need fancy clothes and jewelry in order to live a happy, meaningful life. The camera work in the village was excellent and truly gorgeous. I wouldn't say the excellent visuals disappeared after the war began, but the visuals in the later episodes aren't as appealing as they were in the village.
The chemistry between the main leads was so incredibly strong in the village arc I was literally screaming whenever they had cute moments. I've never done this ever for any couple and when I see other people discuss how they do this for other couples, I just never understood how anyone could have such a strong reaction to good chemistry until this drama. The tangerine candy kiss is one of the most romantic first kiss scenes I have ever seen in a drama and was the scene that got me to start watching the drama. However after the whole thing where they separated, their chemistry was no longer the same. For me, they took a bit too long to truly get back together with Xie Zheng revealing his identity to Changyu and Changyu finally getting used to the fact that she's dating the Marquis of Wu'an. After they got back together, there just wasn't that spark anymore. They were still cute though.
But one of the things that this drama did well in was that I was never bored watching it. Usually when watching dramas, I feel a strong urge to skip certain scenes or have to force myself to sit through them. But it wasn't the case for this one, I was thoroughly entertained even in the village life where not that much was happening. In fact, the village life was more interesting than when they went to war. They also had a lot of interesting characters that I actually grew to care about such as Yu Qianqian and her son Bao'er, Sui Yuanqing, the gossiping grandma, and her gang of men. But at around episode 27, this drama took a bit of a toll on my mental health because I was realizing how badly this drama was going to mess everything up. It was so bad that I became angry every time I thought about it, but eventually I got over it. I think I became too attached to the drama. First they had Changyu kill that one general with 2 blows and received an internal injury. I was questioning how because she has no battle experience but I just reasoned that she had trained with her father in martial arts her whole life and she has been doing missions in freeing kids for months which probably allowed her to improve her skills. However, it would've been more believable if Changyu came out of it with a lot more serious injuries. But this drama affected my mental health when she killed Prince Changxin and only received some deep scratches. That's when I realized that the quality of this drama has truly decreased because they set up Prince Changxin to be this main villain in the show but he ended up looking like a minor problem. It also would've made more sense for Marquis Wu'an kill him instead because he was literally there and is canonically a better fighter than Changyu with more battle experience. Instead the drama had him going after Sui Yuanqing once again which is lame because we have already seen them fight before and Xie Zheng easily beat him. Sui Yuanqing should've been dead or at least a hostage there if Marquis Wu'an wasn't just sitting there and mocking him, giving an enemy troop enough time to come and grab him. Last time they were super quick to put spears around him but I wonder what happened this time. I also wish we got to see more of the full fighting potential of Marquis Wu'an instead of a ton of screentime for an abusive relationship. The only real fight scenes we got of him were when he was injured and when he won super easily against Sui Yuanqing. But after this, there's something wrong that I can't quite put my finger on. I genuinely don't know why I care less about the story now. It's probably because they tried to fit too much into such a small number of episodes but I can't find a way to directly link it to my growing apathy for the show.
As for the politics? I don't know. Honestly I never pay attention the political aspect of dramas but I did this time and I still don't understand the whole picture. I saw a lot of people saying that the politics of this drama are confusing so it might not just be a me problem.
The acting? I genuinely can't tell good acting from bad acting but I believe that Tian XiWei is a good actress. As for Zhang Linghe, his acting did the job. In the last few episodes I watched, I wasn't as moved by the acting as I was before.
I loved the music paired with the village scenes because it brought the village to life and it made the scenes between Changyu and Xie Zheng incredibly romantic and moving. The music is so good that sometimes it started playing in my head whenever I was outside experiencing life. My favorite music that played is probably the time where Changyu though Xie Zheng left her but came back and when they were talking beside the fireplace with fish.
I haven't finished this drama and I don't think I'm going to drop it entirely yet but I may just end up skipping through parts in order to get to the ones I care about because unfortunately I don't care anymore.
If I were to ever rewatch this drama, I would only rewatch the village arc.

Read More

Fun watch, looks excellent, may have Girl-bossed a little too close to the sun?

I have watched a lot of historical romantic dramas that I dropped, skipped through or just found generally unsatisfying. So even though I don’t think this is a masterpiece, the fact that I was mostly satisfied throughout, enjoyed myself, and think I will probably rewatch it speaks to its overall quality. Despite the areas where I think the writing (and at times, acting) is lacking, I think that this is overall a worthwhile watch.

I think that the single greatest strength of the drama is the warmth and beauty of the world that they have created through sets, cinematography, costuming and styling. It is aesthetically so pleasing to look at and has a richness that I think is sorely lacking in many Chinese dramas with cardboard sets and flat lighting. The leads look absolutely beautiful, and I found myself just absorbed in the splendour of the drama (even if the budget wasn’t huge, it feels like it is).

Saying that the best thing about the drama is the aesthetics doesn’t explain my high rating. I think that the main leads have good chemistry and an endearing dynamic, with genuine moments of emotion. Although there are times when the acting and character-writing is lacking, I think that they make up for it with earnestness. I also am a sucker for the general premise (commoner girl who is tough and kind, skilled warrior guy who no one thought would ever fall in love, fake marriage, etc.) which I think the show pulls off very successfully.

For me, when it comes to historical romances, if the setting feels good and the leads are enjoyable to watch with decent writing, I’m going to have a pretty good time. Hence my rating. However, I do think there are a few areas where the drama is weaker and which keeps me from crowning this as a masterpiece as some other reviewers have done:

(1) I think that as the show progresses the pacing and plotting gets more and more rushed and shallow. I felt like the female lead’s rise to being a general and defeating major bad guys in combat was not earned. Granted, I never felt like this show was trying to be a realistic and gritty historical drama, but I felt like this cheapened her arc and made me less invested in her as a character. The seeds of this issue were planted early, when she is very proficient in martial arts to a degree that I didn’t feel was warranted (yes, I know she was trained by her dad who was very skilled, but it never showed her practicing or training or really talking about those skills, which made them feel tacked on and random).

(2) Character motivations became less and less clear as the show went on, and characters felt more like they were just being moved around for plot purposes, rather than being driven by actual character development

(3) I found the gray-haired villain pretty repetitive and annoying. It was a slog to get through his plot, which was a shame because that is a lot of the drama. Because of that, It made the drama’s second half feel like it was dragging.

Read More

Cringy but cute

I like indulging in stories where different personalities and backgrounds converge. I also really enjoy shows that involve intelligent and just magistrates who helps commoners solve problems. While the series had both of the above, there are also shortfalls that stained its potential.

Foremost, I almost dropped this series after a few episodes. While the female lead's personality was meant to be over-the-top for emphasis and humor, her violent streak was a big turn off. They could have portrayed her character with the same sass and ruggedness without resorting to such direct abusiveness towards men. Her character also proves how a "spoiled brat" isn't correlated with wealth but with how she was raised. The combination created an uncomfortable and distasteful cringe. However, the rest of the cast did build up enough intrigue for me to continue to give it a try. Thankfully, while she didn't end up becoming as evolved as she could have, there was character growth and she did have plenty of charismatic moments.

The characteristics of the ML and FL didn't feel consistent. The strength of the ML was supposed to be intellect and the strength of the FL was supposed to be brawn. Instead, there were times where the ML was intellectual capable but then completely ignorant and they tried to get the FL to help fill in for him. The characters would have done better if they really focused more on how to blend their individual strengths instead of them just taking turns on who was smarter. For the FL to suddenly be capable of strategizing, making medicine, doing business, and being knowledge of herbs when she grew up as a butcher... is farfetched without any backstory. If she was this capable, then why did they almost lose their store and why wasn't she able to grow her own family business for all those years?

The overall plot itself wasn't actually bad and I quite enjoyed the magnification of certain aspects that other shows don't usually touch on, such as having the little prince join a school of commoners and teaching him a life lesson. There are also plenty of chuckles along the way and some heartwarming comradery. But it also felt as if there were two very different people taking turns at directing the series, so the plot flow was a mixed bag and felt a bit forced. Similarly, the actors were also a mixed bag of those who really emoted and those who were monotone but they all still had decent chemistry with one another.

It is a good casual watch if you need a break from overly somber series. I was hoping for more episodic cases of the magistrate resolving issues but it was mostly around one or two major cases that all end up tying into each other. It also does conclude with a well-rounded ending and won't cause you to overly binge.

Read More

A Slow-Burn Romance Entwined with Death, Fate, and Mystery!

After watching the first thirteen episodes of Love Beyond the Grave, I’m already completely hooked and honestly, it’s sitting at a strong 9.5/10 for me right now.

What immediately stands out is the atmosphere. The drama balances an eerie, almost haunting tone with deeply emotional storytelling. It doesn’t rely on cheap thrills, instead it slowly builds a sense of mystery that keeps pulling you in. Every episode reveals just enough to keep you guessing without ever feeling dragged out.

The chemistry between the leads is another major highlight. Their connection feels intense yet fragile, especially given the supernatural elements surrounding their relationship. There’s a lingering sense of longing in almost every interaction, which makes even the quieter scenes feel meaningful. You can really feel the emotional weight behind their choices.

The pacing so far has been surprisingly solid. Nothing feels rushed, but it also doesn’t waste time. Each episode adds layers to the story whether it’s uncovering bits of the past, hinting at hidden motives, or deepening the emotional stakes. By episode thirteen, I feel invested not just in the romance, but in the mystery as well.

Visually, the drama is stunning. The cinematography enhances the haunting vibe perfectly, using lighting and color to reflect the emotional tone of each scene. The soundtrack deserves a mention too it complements the story beautifully and makes key moments hit even harder.

If I had to point out why it’s not a full 10 (yet), it’s only because there are still some unanswered questions and character motivations that I hope will be explored more deeply as the story progresses. But honestly, that’s also part of what makes it so compelling.

Overall, Love Beyond the Grave is shaping up to be a beautifully crafted mix of romance, mystery, and the supernatural. If the next episodes maintain this level of storytelling, it could easily become one of my favorites.

Read More

"It's a mawashi, not a jock strap"

Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t was a funny, lighthearted story of young college men finding something they were missing through a failing sumo club. “The players are pink giants,” with lots of skin showing and a determination to win and maintain age old traditions, well, at least some of them. And none of these boys were giants.

Yamamoto Shuhei is called into Professor Anayama’s office. Due to his absences, Shuhei is going to fail and not graduate unless he joins the sumo club, just until the first tournament to keep the club open. Shuhei and the club leader, Aoki, search for new recruits. They manage to field a team with a guy wanting to impress a girl, another who can’t pay his rent and needs a place to live, and finally someone who just desperately desires friends. Unimpressed with the ancient art of sumo, Anayama’s losers may not be able to do enough to keep the club open.

Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t was the Bad News Bears of sumo. No one was really invested in sumo, but the more they competed the harder they worked at training. I did feel like Masayuki left out crucial moments that led to the boys’ decisions to dedicate themselves to the discipline of the sport and the respect for the ancient traditions. Most of their hardcore training was off-screen.

The film was funny, but not usually in a slapstick manner, more born out of the conditions the wrestlers found themselves in. I actually laughed out loud numerous times, a rarity for me with films. There were also deliciously heartwarming moments.

Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t was an entertaining, at times even rousing, sports film. Given that it was made for less than $1 million (USD), writer/director Suo Masayuki got a lot of bang for his buck. It was impossible for me to not root for this group of likeable underachievers. Each member of the team discovered something in himself through the rigors of sumo and the gift of friendship. Definitely worth a try if you enjoy sports or unexpected friendship films.

28 March 2026
Trigger warnings: I’ve seen other sumo fare and maybe the mawashi were ill fitting, but there was a lot of unkempt pubic hair exposed. Also, diarrhea gags.

Surprising note: I’m not sure how prevalent it was in the 1990s but this school had an American style football team complete with cheerleaders.

Read More

A True Masterpiece

This drama is an absolute masterpiece.

First of all, let’s talk about ZLH and TXW’s visuals—oh my lord. The cinematography is on another level. The camera captures every side of them flawlessly: their softness, their loveliness, their fierceness, and even their most intimidating moments. It’s pure professionalism. I genuinely don’t think there’s a single unflattering shot of either of them in the entire drama.

And their chemistry? Completely off the charts. They are on fire. Every scene they share feels alive, intense, and natural. The way they embody their characters is almost surreal—you can tell they are 100% immersed. It doesn’t feel like acting; it feels real.

Now, I’ve seen people say that while the romance is perfectly executed, the political plot can be confusing—and I 100% agree. At the beginning, it’s honestly overwhelming. Keeping track of names, factions, relationships… and then add the multiple names per character (given name, surname, courtesy name)—I was constantly pausing like, “Wait, who is this again?” 😅

I actually had to rewatch the whole drama to fully grasp all the details I missed, especially the political intrigue. But here’s the thing: that rewatch made me appreciate the drama even more. Everything started to click, and the complexity turned into one of its strengths.

Which brings me to its rewatch value—this drama has it in abundance. After a second watch, I can confidently say it’s not just hype. The storytelling, the production, the performances—everything is genuinely outstanding. And surprisingly, it still gave me the same sense of awe as the first time.

Honestly, I wouldn’t even mind a third rewatch.

This is one of those dramas that’s hard to move on from—and even harder to top. After watching something this good, it’s difficult to enjoy anything that doesn’t reach the same level.

Let's add how catchy and perfect the music choices are lol

Highly, highly recommended.

Read More