Reviews

30 minutes is too short for an enjoyable mermaid story. Yang Mie Mie fits mermaid aesthetics

I was in the mood for mermaid short drama so I chose to watch this drama. Gosh I guess this must be the pre-Yu Long era. Anyway I wish this drama was longer.

What I liked:
1. Styling - Yang Mie Mie fits the mermaid aesthetics with her doll-like features. Her mermaid outfit was adorable too.
2. Fantasy - The Eye of the Sea is common tool in mermaid storytelling and it's done well.
3. FL characterisation - She was likeable. Her attempts to retrieve her item were amusing.

What I disliked:
1. Plot - With running time slightly longer than 30 minutes, the storyline was severely underdeveloped. The ending was rushed.
2. Romance - Underdeveloped. Just as the romance was about to blossom, the story had reached an end.
3. Acting - Both did the best they could with the goven script. There was lack of chemistry between Yang Mie Mie and Xi Er Li.

Favourite scene
When she tried to retrieve the Eye of the Sea

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Realism at its finest, with some minor discrepancies on some characters

This is good, story wise, if you like an ordinary working environment and realism, this is the one, ignore the harsh review or trashing about this, try it at least 3 episode, why? because the first one most of people are not gonna like it, but after that, its pretty enjoyable and keep us hooked with the story.

The bad ones are some bad character or as we can label it as (villain) here is not really getting what they deserved, it got the sudden change of character without any impactful story or explanation whatsoever, and it feels like the writer is trying too hard to justified the SML and SFL affair which is left a bad taste in my mouth, other than that, pretty enjoyable.

The acting was good it makes me feels like hearing some of my collague at works some of their life stories, relatable and each and every one of them here doin a really good job at it. And yeah, the chemistry of the main feels like just enough, almost lacking.

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Episode 7 reveals an important part of Jay's past and gives much more meaning to the title "PayBack."

As Sun learns about Jay's family history and the betrayal that destroyed his mother's company, he begins to understand that revenge isn't only his own story. Everyone around him carries emotional scars and unfinished business.

What I enjoyed most was watching Sun slowly change. The lonely young man who trusted no one is beginning to open his heart—not only to Jay, but also to Kajorn and Sky. Seeing him accept others as allies was one of the most satisfying parts of this episode.

The story is gradually shifting from a simple revenge drama into one about people who have been hurt, finding strength together.

The preview for Episode 8 suggests that Sunny and his powerful supporters are finally ready to strike back, so the conflict is about to become much more intense.

At this point, I feel that "PayBack" no longer belongs only to Sun. It has become the story of everyone's revenge—and everyone's chance to reclaim what they lost.

🇯🇵 Streaming Information (Japan)
Rakuten TV (Japanese subtitles)
Episode 1 is FREE
Full Series Pack (10 episodes): ¥3,168 (180-day rental)
iQIYI Japan (Japanese subtitles)
🌏 International Streaming
iQIYI (Available in selected countries/regions)

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Cute, slowburn bl for foodies

Although I'm not typically a big fan of Korean Bl, I really enjoyed this one. To be honest I just randomly picked this series to watch since it had been on my watchlist for a long time. I always feel like romance and representation lacks when it comes to K-BL. What I do like about K bl is that it's always short. This series is 8 episodes and around 25 minutes long per episode. The bl did have some of the typical 'Korean drama moments', which were actually really cute.

The whole aesthetic is adorable and well dressed. It's a Kdrama so this might be a bit expected but the acting felt real and not uncomfortable. I love how it's super slow burn, but if you don't like slow burn I obviously don't recommend this series.

I normally don't like series with 'reunion' because it feels very unoriginal and repetitive. But this one is really different than others that use it. The old classmate becoming neighbour is actually quite nice to the plot. However, It also didn't take ages for Do Hoon to figure it all out, which is normally the problem I have with that type of plot. I do not like the flashbacks though, they felt really unreal and fake, probably because they looked older than high school students.

I LOVE the food plot. My mother has a food business and bl's with a restaurant always have a special place in my heart. The love through food reviewing feels really original. It felt like a super cute cozy bl and kinda felt like they already lived together. I love their relationship trope so much.

The whole love triangle was just perfect, I did feel like super bad for Do Hoon, even if it wasn't the fault of Yoon soo. The whole misunderstanding added a super well done plot. I LOVE angst so if you like angst this is definitely your series but don't expect the best angst ever. I really recommend this series especially for people who like slow burn, food and K-BL. Also for new Bl watchers since it's simple and just cute, not a huge plot or plot twist. I love it super much!!

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The Heavy Cost of Saving Each Other

Had I Not Seen the Sun is a mystery romance drama centered around a young serial killer Li Jen Yao, known as the Rainstorm Killer. At twenty-five, after murdering ten people, including his own father, he turns himself in, cooperates with the police, and accepts the death penalty. The one thing he never reveals is why. Years later, two journalists decide to make a documentary about him, hoping to uncover the truth behind the murders. As they begin investigating, strange visions and dreams start haunting one of them, and little by little the past begins to surface.

Most of the drama unfolds through extended flashbacks, telling the story of Li Jen Yao’s life, first during high school in part one, then in early adulthood in part two. His life is bleak from the beginning. He is abused by his father, repeatedly let down by his mother, chased by debt collectors, and constantly targeted by bullies at school. There’s very little warmth in his world.

The only real light in his life is Chiang Hsiao Tung, a girl he meets at school. She takes an interest in him and decides they should become friends. She’s everything he isn’t: bright, talented, surrounded by loving family and supportive friends, with a future ahead of her as a ballet dancer. For a while, she becomes the one beautiful thing in his otherwise miserable existence. But once she gets pulled into his world, everything slowly starts falling apart. The love that grows between them feels like it should save Li Jen Yao, but instead it turns painful and destructive, and in the end it leaves both of them broken.

The drama explores a lot of heavy themes: family abuse, sexual assault, corruption, the way powerful people use their influence to bury their crimes, and the issues surrounding the death penalty. It mixes mystery with romance extremely well, and there are even a few scenes with a horror-like atmosphere that genuinely unsettle you. It’s intense, at times graphic, and emotionally exhausting in the best way possible. The story keeps hitting both the characters and the viewer with tragedy after tragedy, with only a few tender moments between the leads offering any relief.

It’s a very bleak and heartbreaking watch, but if you love angst and emotionally painful stories, it delivers beautifully. What makes it work so well is that it handles all of those difficult themes with real care and depth. Even when it gets heavy, it never feels empty or overly dramatic. You just can’t stop watching.

The acting is phenomenal (especially Tseng Jing Hua as Li Jen Yao, and Moon Lee as Chiang Hsiao Tung) the casting feels perfect, the cinematography is beautiful, and the soundtrack is chosen incredibly well. And by the end of part two, when the mystery from the opening finally unravels and every piece falls into place, you’re left with this overwhelming heaviness and deep pity for the characters.

It hurts from beginning to end, and somehow that’s exactly what makes it unforgettable.

In the end, the famous line, "Had I not seen the sun, I could have borne the shade," rings hauntingly true. Had Li Jen Yao never seen the sun in the form of Chiang Hsiao Tung, he might have endured the bleakness of his own miserable life. But once he glimpsed that light, returning to the shadows became impossible, and ultimately, it was that glimpse of the sun that ruined him.

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Fast paced story of business and family, full of plot twist, makjang and comedy intertwined

Finished watching ep 12/12
I just watched the drama ending and it’s perfect! It’s wholesome and funny lmao

- I think this drama is the best at fleshing out each of its character, no character in this was unimportant, they all have important roles to the plot!
- Another thing that’s good is its execution of business plot and outsmarting me-outsmarting you kind of thing. It was really done well and plot twist kept coming on each ep that I could never get bored
- No acting holes from any cast, lee junyoung, son hyunjoo, lee jumyoung, jeon hyejin, jin goo, lee seoan! I hope you all got award
- I really like how once junhyeon and chairman kang switched back, it’s really easy to tell which one is real junhyeon and fake junhyeon. Junyoung is such good actor to be able to portray this!
- best foreign speaking scene in my history of kdrama watch, they speak japanese, spanish and english and damn it was all so smooth
- and yeah you bastard got your wish, there are really romance in the end between banggeul and junhyeon, and it was so damn cute
- the ending of ep12 in particular is the best lol, I have never saw more perfect ending to a drama



IGNORE THE BOTTOM

I wasn’t going to write review, I mean it’s not finished yet, but some people hating this for bo reason makes me mad.
✅ no romance
This drama has really fast paced narrative. And the directing never really drag things out. So from writing and directing, I’m satisfied.
In ep 1, they quickly established the relationship between all major characters and what happens in the synopsis all shown. I like this since I don’t wanna watch things I already know what will happen.
In ep 2, things heightened with some unexpected plot points which I think is great. I’m still feeling the surprise from what he wrote on that cheque.
For a drama about business this keeps surprising me with the character action. And this drama has strong actor lineup which I really appreciate.
In ep3, we finally see chairman prowess in hwang body! I love how he could control everyone and maneuver office politics with ease. So excited to see what happens tonight!

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Half a life left and what if it is the most interesting?

Fifties profetionnal is the type of drama you start without expectations and yet an hour later you find yourself playing the next episode right away.

The plot, imho, sounded very interesting and fun on paper and the drama actually delivered just that. It is very interesting, fun and full of action. The ensemble of actors is great, properly delivering their lines and bringing the perfect amount of comedic relief needed. I've got to mention Lee Hakjoo characater that has stole the spotlight for me during the 3 first eps! The storyline is enticing and the balance between past / recent events but also between the three leads/police investigation is quite intelligent, it allows the scene to breathe and for us, as viewers, to pick on clues and make our own investigation.

Very nice up show, super easy to watch!

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A well-written story from the beginning to end

One thing that I didn't like about romcoms lately is the unnecessary focus on the company drama, where it is the same dynamic with predictable endings. But this drama really hit the balance and made sure not to drag all of that. The love triangle was also addressed before it got any messier. And all the things that could have gone wrong, considering all the failed recent romcoms, this drama was well-written till the end.
A good balance of romance and comedy, with a little overlook at company politics, it was a fulfilling watch. The leads had amazing chemistry, and all the characters had amazing character arcs.

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