Pretty decent, nothing superb but very lovely all the same
I'll keep it pretty short for this one.It's a pretty decent drama and the cast worked really well. Personally, there were a lot of laugh out loud moments for me. While it did have some over the top, ridiculous moments, you just have to remind yourself that this isn't a documentary but a tv show made for fun. Therefore due to that aspect, it did feel like a proper manwha adaptation and I really enjoyed seeing the FL come out of her shell.
I also liked the romantic progression between the leads, it captured the awkward and clumsy feelings of love at that age. It was just a good time for me, it didn't tackle any major issues or heavier subjects but focused on the growing pains of teenagers, pressure from parents and the feeling of not really knowing who you are. A solid watch if you're in the mood for what it's serving.
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MUST WATCH!!!
This series is so good especially about their cinematography, culture and traditions. I love the acting, the actors give justice to their characters. I appreciate the effort of the cast, the staff,the actors, the directors in this series despite of having so many obstacles such as rain, winds and the looking for appropriate filming locations to give justice to the era where the series happened. Additionally their efforts giving justice about the ancient era and mots importantly the novel. I LOVE IT... MUST WATCH!!!Was this review helpful to you?
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Slowly catching feelings
I loved the dynamics and chemistry between the mains. The kiss after the end credits was good!It had good visuals and subtle but good music.
The story was good. I loved how Moon Do Ha went from an arrogant actor to a lovesick puppy.
It's a great drama, i already rewatched it once and will definatly rewatch it more times.
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All time favorite!
I haven't watched anything so beautifully written. Reply 1988 is a mix of laughter and tears, joy and misery, happiness and sadness. It's a pretty representation of how bittersweet life is. This kdrama is an example that not every story needs a villain and how every character can be well written.I haven't watched anything this refreshing for ages.
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WEIRD
I went into First Man expecting a story about justice, truth, and emotional depth, but what I got instead was a confusing mix of weak writing, forced romance, and completely inconsistent characters.
The biggest issue is that the show doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. At one point, it tries to present a serious story involving murder, betrayal, and revenge. But at the same time, it keeps shifting into light rom-com moments that feel completely out of place. When the situation is this serious, the characters acting playful or romantic just feels wrong.
The character of Baek Ho especially feels poorly written. He comes across as someone who has no real loyalty — not to his brother, not to his family, and not even to basic morality. Instead of acting like a strong or conflicted lead, he often feels selfish and driven by impulse. His relationship decisions, particularly with Seo Rin (while Jang Mi is in a coma), make him look insensitive and emotionally careless.
Jang Mi isn’t much better. Her entire approach to revenge is frustrating to watch. Instead of using logic or going to the police, she chooses emotional confrontation with people who clearly can’t do anything. It makes her look reactive rather than smart. Even worse, her actions as Seo Rin create unnecessary chaos, especially by interfering in Seo Rin’s relationship with Jun Ho.
Jun Ho is probably the most unfairly treated character. He doesn’t deserve the way he’s pushed aside and emotionally ignored. What makes it more confusing is that Jang Mi once admired him, yet later treats him coldly for no clear reason.
The relationships in this show are messy in a way that doesn’t feel intentional or meaningful — just poorly handled. Characters fall in love, break up, and reconnect without proper development, making it hard to care about any of them.
Overall, First Man feels like a story where drama is forced over logic, and emotions are prioritized over consistency. Instead of a satisfying narrative about justice or revenge, it turns into a frustrating experience where characters behave in ways that don’t make sense.
Final verdict: A confusing and inconsistent drama that had potential but lost its direction due to weak writing and poorly handled characters.
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How love can be unexpected ❤️
I've watched it at least 10 times. it's the only age gap romance I like. nothing feels forced. it's sweet, it's funny.I would definitly recommend it ❤️❤️
as always Park Shin-hye killed it !
The story starts with the MC in high school. She's not serious about her studies, family and trust issues. Her grandma takes her in and showers her with both love and discipline. One of her teacher leaves close, a surgeon who will give her the désire to study after he saves a woman's life. Both will grow, and years after they find each other again as collegues b
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This review may contain spoilers
Believe me.
Just watch till she plays the piano on the 16th ep. Believe me the best ending. I really liked the tragedy of this show. So everyone just watch it till RaRa plays her piano.Go A Ra and Lee Jae wook's chemustry was really good despite their age gap. You can watch BTS on Netflix channel and some promotional stuff.
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WHAT REALLY WERE THEY TRYING TO DO WITH ARIRANG?
What were they really trying to do with *Arirang*?I’ve been an ARMY for seven years. I love BTS, and I was extremely excited for their new album and documentary—unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy either.
*Arirang* felt very different from what I’m used to. I understand they were aiming for a more mature sound, but it ended up feeling more like a product than BTS. They’ve done mellow songs before—“House of Cards,” “Black Swan,” and “Life Goes On”—but “Swim,” the lead single, felt like the wrong choice. It was too low-energy and lacked impact.
Since the album is called *Arirang*, I expected more Korean-inspired sounds. Instead, it felt geared toward a global—especially Western—audience. Even in the documentary, BTS seemed to want to focus on Korea, while HYBE pushed for a more global direction. As a non-Korean fan, I was drawn to BTS because of their Korean music. I didn’t know their names or personalities at first—I just loved songs like “Boyz with Fun” and “Attack on Bangtan.” The “K” in K-pop matters, and it feels like companies are starting to forget that.
The documentary constantly emphasized “going global,” but at what cost? Why frame something like “Arirang” for Western validation when it’s a deeply Korean cultural piece? It made me question what the project was really about. Some people may call me a hater or a fake fan, but I believe criticism is part of being a real fan. Chart numbers and views don’t necessarily reflect genuine appreciation—BTS are musicians, and their music should come first.
It also felt like the documentary tried to make *Arirang* appeal to everyone except Koreans themselves, which came across as distasteful. For example, when they mentioned the story of seven Korean boys who went to Washington, D.C. in the 1800s, they left out the fact that most institutions rejected them—except Howard University. That context matters. The lack of acknowledgment felt disappointing, especially given the historical significance.
Even visually, there seems to be a pattern of appealing more to Western audiences. For an album like *Arirang*, I expected stronger Korean representation, but that wasn’t always the case. It raises the question: were they celebrating their culture, or trying to reshape it for Western approval?
I’m still a fan, and I’ll always support BTS, but these are important conversations to have. *Arirang* isn’t a bad album—it’s just not their best. You can disagree, because music is subjective, but we shouldn’t place artists above criticism. Critiquing them is part of appreciating them—it shows we understand the difference between loving BTS and loving their music.
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1This review may contain spoilers
Not without flaws but still very enjoyable and highly addictive
'Pursuit of Jade' lived up to the hype imo (mind you it's not always the case) and I'm glad I managed to complete this one without feeling bored or for 'the sake of finishing it because I invested too much time to drop it'First I want to apologize in advance for the review that will probably sound more like a mix between ranting, vent out feelings, comparisons yada yada and less like a proper review solely centered around POJ...still bear with me🙏
I'll rather talk about director's past work 'Blossom' (how it compares to it and a bit of ranting) but also recent releases or older titles dealing with the same theme or why I didn't feel as much frustrated or betrayed as some people by the shift and the 'unrealistic growth'/character development of Fan Chang Yu.
Why? The main reason is that I'm used to it. Most C-dramas and novels are female centric (mostly romance genre and idol shows) and tend to overpower/glorify/give all the credit to the FL while male actors have to be simps/green flags, take a backseat and serve as a tool to prop up the heroines even if it lacks common sense or is borderline unrealistic (they will make up to the audience *mostly ♀️* in casting visually attractive actors totally devoted to the FL and it works!)
That's why I recommend people who wants male characters to shine to watch Male Centric Dramas (Mysterious Lotus Casebook comes to mind *masterpiece* or 'The Blood of Youth' trilogy)
Those points below are the strength of this drama (it kinda helped me overlooked some minor flaws)
¤ The undeniably strong and sizzling chemistry between the leads (but also the cast)
Unlike 'Blossom' whose leads' chemistry fizzled out over time (post marriage to be exact), Zhu Yu successfully kept the sparks alive till the end and also gave the rest of the cast a chance to shine. Pig butcher Squad, Grand Tutor Tao Yi, Mr and Mrs Zhao, Changning, Grand Princess, Gongsun Yin, Xie Wu are all memorable characters (I even shed a tear for Mrs Kang's death😢)
Some people were even questionning and wondering if our heroine Fan Chang Yu really loved Xie Zheng as much as he loved her? I'm baffled tbh because she has proved countless times he was one she couldn't live without and even drugged him to replace him on the battlefield (it was indeed clumsy writing but also proof of her love in the end)...and when she found out he was the Marquis, how devastated she was because not only he lied to her but she also felt very unworthy of him due to the difference in their status. Tian Xi Wei 💯 nailed her role. Love her smile, her crying scenes, her feisty personality and fighting spirit. She did justice to Fan Changyu.
Want a FL not caring much about his love interest/even trampling on his dignity/handling his affairs or stealing his spotlight??? Watch any Yu Zheng's productions *with the exception of 'The Double'* ( 'Glory' with Gulnazar and Hou Ming Hao or 'Perfect Match' with LYX and WXY *hated the unbalanced dynamics in both works* ) or 'The Glory' with Chen Du Ling and Xin Yun Lai (Ok,main genre wasn't romance but the ML was just there, sticking out like a sore thumb and taking FL's anger out on him whenever she loses it..)
I like for my main CP to have an equal and balanced relationship. I also appreciate when the supporting cast nicely complement the leads like a huge warm family (examples: 'The Prisoner of Beauty' and 'Coroner's Diary' that I tremendously enjoyed last year)
Some also regretted the violent nature of Fan Chang Yu (slaps, shouting), her portrayal didn't sit well with many...but I see plenty of those same people giving sky high scores to shows where FL or female character act this way or even worse.
Did you watch for example 'New Life Begins'? (another Tian Xi Wei's work) Do you perhaps remember Yin Qi/5th Prince and Shang Guan Jing? That pairing was used mostly as comic relief but I felt uncomfortable watching them. Domestic violence is a no no in my book...there's nothing funny or empowering about it. Imagine the genre reversal!
¤Villains here were compelling, charismatic and most of all well-acted compared to 'Blossom'
Side-eyeing Song Mo's little bro here (waste of time and the actor didn't have the chops to portray such a role imo)
Can't believe they gave more screentime to that two-faced brat instead of Ji Yong who was a much better and interesting character (+ Xia Zhi Guang has the acting chops at least)
Others were unremarkable and didn't leave a deep/lasting impression. I know if I feel pity or sad for the character despite their evilness/vileness, that's a good sign they nailed their role (that's how good and impressive Lin Mu Ran's performance was to me *so young yet so talented*)
Deng Kai, Lin Mu Ran, Yan Yi Kuan did an amazing job portraying their characters. Showcasing nuance, charisma and perfect body language.
They all got their due comeuppance in the end (except for Grand Tutor Li who basically got away scot free with just 'the exile' of his entire clan *they didn't deviate from the novel for that* Me naively thinking at first he died from a heart attack...
¤OST is superior to Blossom imho
Memorable, catchy and beautiful.
¤ Acting-wise, the ensemble cast was weaker in Blossom imo (except for Li Yun Rui, Li Xin Ze and underutilized Quan Yi Lun, Ye Zu Xin and lastly Xia Zhi Guang (despite being tagged as second lead)
To be fair Ren Hao was supposed to be second lead but his screentime decreased with each episode (just like XZG in Blossom). Though I love Deng Kai and only have good things to say about his performance, I still feel that production made a mistake in giving his character this 'fool in love' personality. It was fun, sexy and captivating at first but it got very old in the end. Chemistry with Kong Xue Er was pretty good but her acting is lacking compared to him (she was the weakest link imo)
Another regret is that they didn't give much spotlight to Qi Shu and Gongsun Yin's romance. I really liked their characters and hoped for more tbh (kinda disappointed on that front)
l also deplore the lack of screentime and how underutilized Zhang Ling He's character was in the final product but like I said earlier in my review, I'm not surprised...that's the fate of most male leads in female centric shows. Still he did his best with what he was given (love how he conveys his feelings through his eyes and I tell you no one is as intense, sensual, sexy during love scenes than him)
¤ Pacing Issues and Underdog VS Most anticipated drama
It's a bit hypocritical to accuse/blame 'Pursuit if Jade' for its weak second half when Blossom had basically the same problem (post marriage, the drama lost its steam and inconsistencies started to show *Song Han's arc anyone?* or Dou Shao's 'know it all' personality was also unlikeable at times)
Truth is BOTH suffered from pacing issues and weak second half imo. But great acting, compelling villains and top tier chemistry between the leads (and the whole cast) give an extra edge to 'Pursuit of Jade' imho.
Why the stark difference of treatment between the two though?
The only explanation I could come up with is➡️ one was one of the most anticipated drama of 2026 while the other was a surprise hit and blackhorse of 2024. POJ's leads already had successful works under their belt and got their breakthrough roles before the release of this drama while the others were stuck in supporting roles for years. Blossom's popularity literally changed the trajectory of their career (both enjoyed a boost thanks to this drama and are now leading their own dramas)
Stakes were different. POJ is a high budget drama (S+ tier) with popular leads while Blossom was mid-budget (A tier) with relatively new/fresh faces ( no experience in lead roles)
That's probably the reason why people were more lenient with Blossom (low expectations)and harsher with POJ (high expectations). Plus, Zhang Linghe has a lot more antis and his fandom can also be very vocal...if they judge there's assassination of his character (minimizing his scenes or reducing his screentime), they will call out the production and bombard sites with negative reviews.
I'm a casual ZLH fan (almost watched all his shows) and while I'm not entirely satisfied with how they handled his character, I can agreeably say that they didn't do him dirty as much as in 'Our Generation' for example imo (I was genuinely disappointed and upset there)+ his off-charts chemistry with Tian Xi Wei kinda made up for it and made me more forgiving in the end (TXW is up there with Xu Ruo Han and Bai Lu chemistry-wise)
For further understanding of what I really feel about 'Blossom', this user is perfectly mirroring my thoughts⬇️
https://mydramalist.com/profile/caramelspillzz/reviews
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This review may contain spoilers
The first variety show I watched from start to end, many times.
I really liked this variety show.Although, I dont watch varieties, this one felt so familiar, comforting and fun. It really gave the vibe of family gatherings, like I am with my closest people.
Lim Ji yeon and Lee Jae wooks sibling-like interactions were the to die for))) Also, I was quite surprised and pleased by Lee Jae wooks cooking, housework abilities. Not gonna lie he looked pretty cool.
Yum jung ah and Park jung myun how can I not mention them, they were the loveliest and funniest unnies ever))
Also some episodes made me teary eyed, especially Jung myun unnie's and Lee jae wook's birthday celebrations. These episodes really showed how they became close overtime.
I still am rewatching when I want to have fun.
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Straight out of Novel°•
"A Sun from Another Star"I read the novel and imagined the characters and everything. The series is straight out of novel. I am not disappointed even a bit. Worth rewatching.
The Casting team really done a good job. Ngern and Oat are really impressive with their acting skills. Their duality and their strong presence are really amazing. All the supporting roles nailed it. The director and screenwriter deserves a raise
~Please excuse any English mistakes
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Ep1: Cast and Story
I waited for this story for years. The expectations is really high. From the pilot we can analyse a story. After seeing first episode I feel good because I get a hope that the series is going to be really well in cases. The story is amazing no doubt. The feature very important for the story to be get well and stay in the actual plot is The screenplay. It works out well. The sequence of Scenes are good. The Cinematography is really done well. The art Director had one job and he nailed. The set seems more realistic. Coming to the Actors, Man!!! The cast team knows who to act and where to put them. JJ slayed his role. He improves a lot. I mean may be in a very few places, like when he got to do more expressive reactions, it doesn't seem so realistic but honestly in whole episode he stood out a lot in best way. Many scenes his reactions amazed me a lot. Latte is really handsome and Kim is so gorgeous. They elevates their characters. I am excited to see them more in upcoming episodes. My man, Net, he is more than I expected. He is hot, handsome and feels like a calm and organized person who carries unknown pain. He nailed it.Overall my opinion about the series is " DMD never failed to create Masterpiece". I admire the cast and crew works and how well they executed. I am waiting for upcoming episodes : )
~Please excuse any English mistakes
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Good production and Acting by both male leads, interesting story so far...
So good dilraba dilmurat my favorite actress, she never goes wrong with the costume drama..Full of mystery fun and excitement...
All the 4 episodes were excellent
Can't wait for tomorrow..
Since the launch of the trailer i had goosebumps..
Even the OST has a very bold vibe...
Storyline is good
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// Old takeaway but it's alright.
/ Could've used the normal 16-episode to deliver more direction towards every scene attached to the characters./ I am always fascinated by the 2010-2019s Dramas, People should give it more than bandwagon on recent ones. It's a relaxing habit, I'd say.
/ Overall, it is a matured drama as not a lot of people address the fragility of romance and family stigma.
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