Reviews

Wasted potential

After trying to go past halfway episode nine for months I finally decide to have peace of mind and drop it.

The major good point for the series is how good looking it is.

The acting is good but no remarkable. The chemistry between the leads is good but no good enough to make me want to finish the series. On the other hand the second couple was so boring to watch, only the first interactions were kind of cute. We spend way to much with them for how uninteresting they were.

For a series that goes about being in love with your brother's girlfriend, they wasted it monumentally. The brother never represents a problem, they make you think so much about him just to be the most flat character.
The plot with nene seems interesting for two episodes, just to reveal such a boring, predictable and plain plot. Wich they were focusing on more and more and I was as proportionally zoning out in each episode watched.

The series should have been eight episodes and I'm being generous. I love slice of life series but this one was having an identity crisis.

But for each their own.

Note: they should've fired whoever casted mim as a character older than emi's, that took me out everytime they interacted on the series.

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fun to watch but

maybe i was expecting so much because last twilight was a masterpiece, but this show is not my favorite in terms of plot. it's cute, romantic and enjoyable but nothing impressed me. I like JimmySea so im excited for their future projects together.

also SEA THE ACTOR YOU ARE. omg im such a fan of this boy, he kills it every time bro. and honestly so proud of Jimmy's improvement.

i don't know too much the side couple but they were cute, are they official as a pair? i will like to see more of them. especially who plays Tor, he's so charming to me and a visual ngl.

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So so badd

I was excited for this drama because of Chae Jong-hyeop and because I had seen him in previous works. I thought it would be good, but boy, I was very wrong. Honestly, the only saving grace here is the gorgeous scenery. In the beginning, they try to set the tone of a fun, lighthearted drama, which I usually enjoy, but the opening parts are just incredibly messy. The way they speak is just so cringe and annoying, plus the acting is so bad. On top of that, new characters pop up basically every episode. The characters are completely one-dimensional with no personality traits other than just being 'fun.' It feels like the writer just copied and pasted the same personality onto all of them. I genuinely don't know why CJH would agree to a script like this. Overall messy, low-quality, and bad.

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What is this??

I’m not gonna lie, I thought this k-drama had so much potential at first. The idea was great, until it all fell apart. I couldn’t even make it past episode two on how over the top it was and the characters couldn’t even follow their personality!

The male lead is supposedly a gangster and there were a few scenes where he acted like it, but other than that it seemed like he was a lover boy that’s never had his first kiss and so nervous about romantic touch?

Don’t get me wrong, the fem lead had a reasonable personality due to her situation but it’s too much in my opinion. Her personality doesn’t really match up to me.

When the lady (old boxing coach man’s wife) showed her around the village and the three elderly ladies were at their “spiritual reading” place, the sign had a swastika?! At that point I just shut my device off because why is that there let alone in a K-drama?

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Adaptation didn't dissapoint!

So far, this live adaptation truly pictures the novel storyline so well. Li Changshou is as goofy yet a prodigy just like the him in the novel. Also I'm amazed with this story. He's not your stereotypical hero that jumps infront of danger, rather he is an anti-danger guy and ALWAYS runs away first incase of danger, all the while hiding his real body 99% of the time. His legendary paper clone spell was well-embodied alongside the fact that they even mentioned Sun Wukong (the great heavenly monkey that can clone himself). The love interest thing is gonna be a bit disappointing since in the novel, he has 2 wives (Yunxiao and Ling'e) but in the adaptation, they chose only Yunxiao to be his wife and Ling'e's heartfelt devotion is gonna be seen only as a "junior respect senior" type of interaction. Though soulmates don't have to always be lovers, I really think Ling'e is his true soulmate because she has always taken care of him for centuries, she protects his real body hidden away in an underground bunker, she cooks for him, knows everything about him including what he likes, what he fears etc etc. But I get why they chose Yunxiao, she is his only equal and the person that can see through him very easily, she's as intelligent as him. Really love these type of rare hilarious storylines, Ao Rupeng really knows how to select good scripts, also hope female lead gets more main roles after this!!

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Suffered the comparison with other titles exploiting better similar dynamic

This BL is centred around the relationship of Goto Naoya and Sato Takaaki. In a master-servant relationship in highschool (with one being on top of the school social ladder and the other at the bottom), their relationship shift and progress in their adult life as Goto is being crushed by family expectations.

If the dynamics between them really interested me at first, and that I truly appreciate the fact that the core of the story was the character growth arc of Goto, having to raise himself up after hitting rock bottom, I regret the lack of chemistry between the leads that truly prevented me to connect emotionally with the story. Maybe it is because I have seen this type of relationship done better in other series, but it really suffered the comparison.

Another factor of me not connecting with the series might have to do with the acting of Seto Toshiki (who played Sato), he felt pretty rigid to me and I had trouble with his character, which remained quite a bland canvas all along, with his role resolving solely around Goto needs but never really digging into his psyche more than at surface level.

I also found the pacing all over the place. Both for the development of the relationship and its evolution, as well as the way Goto grow, it was so fast paced at points that's again, I could not help to feel distached from what was happing on screen. Same for the ending of the series, which wrapped up (too) easily.

I would not recommend this as I feel there are better series other exploiting master-servant relationship. The pacing, the lack of chemistry did prevent me to really connect with the series, despite my initial interest.

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This show had potential but it fell flat

I'm unsure if they spent too long having her run around after her ex or they had too many plotlines but the ending of this show left me with the feeling of a slowly deflating balloon. You know, that have whine noise that it lets out as it slowly deflates and grasps to keep some of the air inside but... it can't. That was the ending of this drama. They missed the target for romance because the theme was the FL being a bada$$. I can get behind that but the point was she was trying to avenge her fallen soldiers and get her sister back. Seeing as the sixth prince died in martydom and it never confirmed a reunion with her sister both of the main triggers for her chaos/revenge fell flat.
It was a good attempt and I would like to see these 2 leads work together again as they had much potential. The writers? Not so much.

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This was everything that I wanted

First off, I really love how down bad Arthit is for Dao. His love for Dao feels all-consuming & Ngern does a great job conveying it through his eyes alone.

This special episode was 100% necessary. Phoon and Fah's episode was basically just a fluffy check-in, but this special actually gave us much-needed closure for this couple. At the end of the series, we are left with Arthit not being able to propose to Dao, & we finally get it here in one of the most touching ways. It was so sweet & I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

It was also nice to know that at least Arthit and Fah stay in touch. I'm assuming if they do, it means all of them do. It's normal not to keep in touch with friends if you take different career paths, so it was just a relief to see that they still talk to each other.

As always, I'm a sucker for good cuddles & I was well fed~

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feelings

- ban đầu khi coi mình cảm thấy phim hơi chán với không đặc sắc như những gì mình mong đợi, nhưng gần mấy tập cuối thì mình mới bắt đầu thấy được cái hay của phim, hình như là từ đoạn cãi nhau trở về sau, mình thấy phim khai thác khá hay, dù nó hơi lè nhè một chút, kiểu nhờ những chuyện hiểu lầm đó hai người mới xác nhận được tình cảm của mình , rùi biết được tình cảm mình dành cho đối phương mình thích ở chỗ này nhất

- còn về cái điều mình không thích thì chắc là chuyện mà ông top giữ trong lòng 5 năm trời, vậy mà tới cuối phim mới bắt đầu giải quyết mình thấy nó như làm cho có để không bị sượng thui, phim xử lý chưa tới với nội dung này ấy

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....

Acting: really nice
Scenery:nice
Visuals:also nice
Music: good
Plot:good

Now let's gossip
First couple
Lack NC ,I thought it wld be intense given the state of their agreement but there was no NC....but they were super cute ,their relationship gave me butterflies. Overall their romance was cute and had me wanting to see wat happens next

Sibling couple
Not me having a very dirty mind but how close is close for siblings..,..myb I'm rotten but they had me doubting that they real brothers , thought later they wld be a plot twist saying that they gonna date or xaosi loves teacher li something of some sort though I Did have some laughs BCA'z of em ,the duo is quite interesting wen it come to an outsider

Second couple

They slayed

Overall it's a nice quiet drama to watch m..nothing rushed or too intense or hectic
Just simple and cute...it's recommended to watch

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Feels like watching a Stage Play on screen......with a lot of uncomfortable silence

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

About ⅓ of the drama, a sudden thought came to me….I feel like I am watching a stage play on screen.

This might explain why I didn’t quite connect with this Director’s style. I also didn’t love “Secrets Happened on the Litchi Island” as much as many viewers.

I came in with high expectations as everyone is raving about “A Winter Sun Wakes the Wind in Springs Hill’s Dream” (this is a mouthful and I’ll just call it A Winter Sun), and you can see it from the high ratings. Not loving this drama is definitely a “me” problem and my review is very subjective and you might disagree with everything I say.

The reason why I felt I was watching a stage play is because of the large amount of silence, and the choppy and disconnected scene transition. Silence when used well, is impactful and gives viewers a chance to feel what the characters are feeling. J-dramas do a very good job with silence. But for “A Winter Sun”, I feel prolonged discomfort and a lack of action and plot. But then, once in a while, it would play some funny sound bites. The sound editing in this drama is weird to me. It really feels like I am watching a stage play. Additionally, the scene transition sometimes feels all over the place. It doesn’t flow very well, and this affected the storylines for me. But this drama has some interesting music. It feels like I am watching a wuxia drama. LOL

However, I enjoy the cinematography. I love that we explore the village, the forest, scenes of the ocean and cliffs. I love that the drama explores nature in such a realistic yet beautiful way. I also really like the lack of dubbing. You can hear the actors speaking their own lines, and often recorded live (of course I could be totally wrong). No dubbing is always better than dubbing to me. But, I do need to point out the volume is inconsistent. Some lines are spoken louder than others, and not all actors enunciate clearly.

What about the plot itself? I think the story is good. There’s enough interesting stories happening within these 16 episodes. Do I think they are all equally good? Not at all. I dislike the secondary couple very much. I don’t like their storyline, their acting and adding to my dislike of the filming style, it’s not enjoyable at all.

I do like that both male leads have love brains. One can scheme for years for a chance or planned encounter. One can drop everything at the drop of a hat and fly to his lover’s side. They are made for each other. They are obsessed with each other. It took me a while to buy into their love story, but once I am in, I am all for it. Execution may not be perfect, but I love seeing the lovebirds together. Their chemistry is great. And did you see their kisses? Best in CBLs. Both are actively participating, passionate and loving, hungry and gentle. Oh, if you love kisses, you gotta check out the other ‘theater series’ on Gagaoolala and I heard they are also behind YouTube’s paywall. There are soooo many more passionate kisses that were not included in the drama. I guess that’s how they make money.

I have another ship, but that didn’t sail. In fact, that ship gave us some of the most emotional scenes. I was hoping for a different ending, but the drama definitely gives us a very memorable one.

The acting is OK to me. The leads aren’t bad, but not excellent. The supporting cast isn’t that great. Kuma is the most experienced of the bunch. For a few of them, this is their first drama, so I wasn’t expecting much. But I do have to say, even the veteran actors aren’t that impressive.

Despite liking some elements of “A Winter Sun Wakes the Wind in Spring Hill's Dream”, I can’t say I had an excellent time watching it (it was an OK time). I do enjoy the later episodes more than the early ones. Maybe I got used to the style, or maybe there are more engaging storylines. As I said, I fully acknowledge this could be a “me” problem, as apparently, many viewers are rating this a high 9-10. I just don’t vibe with this style very much. If I try to recall how I feel about “Secrets Happened on the Litchi Island”, my gut feeling was more positive then. Therefore, I am going to rate this a 7.75 based on my enjoyable level.


Drama Completed: 8/20/2026 Review #715

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Good but felt like not everything was wrapped up at the end

This is the second pairing I have watched with these leads and I really like their chemistry. This specific drama capitalized on their playful banter as well as intense chemistry. Ehhem... apparently hot springs are not just medicinal... But overall the plot was pretty standard and the ex husbands family really didnt get what they deserved. Although, he did commit treason so nine clans would have been eradicated but that wasnt shown in the show. I'm also wondering about the neice of the Empress and how the Empress was able to hold her position if they were both relatives of a "disgraced" official. Overall, a cute light show although I do feel like it was missing something that set it apart from all the other similar plots.

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Boa história

Confesso que comecei Polaris esperando encontrar mais um dorama de ação e espionagem, e acabou me surpreendendo. A história envolve poder, política, conspirações, interesses internacionais e espionagem, tudo conectado de uma maneira que vai fazendo cada vez mais sentido conforme os episódios avançam.
O que mais gostei foi justamente essa parte política. Não é simplesmente uma história de mocinhos contra vilões: existe uma verdadeira disputa pelo poder, com personagens escondendo interesses, segredos sendo revelados e decisões que podem colocar muita coisa em risco. A trama começa com um assassinato e, a partir daí, vai crescendo até chegar a uma conspiração muito maior.
Além disso, achei a história muito boa e envolvente. Mesmo quando o roteiro entra em questões mais políticas e geopolíticas, sempre existe alguma coisa acontecendo para manter a curiosidade. Quando você acha que finalmente entendeu o que está acontecendo, aparece mais uma informação e muda completamente a perspectiva.
Eu sei que o foco do dorama não é romance, porém, os personagens principais exalaram química. Gostei muito da dinâmica dos dois. Ela é inteligente, determinada e não fica simplesmente esperando alguém salvá-la, enquanto ele tem aquele jeito misterioso de quem claramente esconde muita coisa. A relação dos dois vai sendo construída em meio a toda aquela tensão, e isso deixou a história ainda mais interessante.
Também gostei bastante das cenas de ação. O dorama consegue equilibrar ação + espionagem + suspense + política + um toque de romance, sem deixar a história completamente focada em apenas um desses elementos.
E o final??? Ainda estou tentando entender aquela cena do deserto. 😂

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So good I need to lower other 10 of 10 ratings out of respect for the perfection of this series

I do not have the words to explain to you how amazing this series is. There are countless beautiful moments. There is joy, love, sorrow, pain, and every other emotion you can imagine. The story is magnificent and magnificently told. It just flows. It's not forcing you to feel anything in particular, but at the same time it's allowing you to feel everything!

The cinematography is spectacular. The music is absolutely top notch. The acting is consistently fabulous. The chemistry between every single pairing (romantic or platonic) is absolute fire. And the mains? Dear God in heaven, how did they come up with this pairing? It is perfection.

I have rated a few other series 10 of 10. I will definitely go back and reassess after this one because it has set a new (and decidedly higher) bar for what deserves that rating. It truly is a masterpiece.

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