Messed up characters in a messed up story
I've mixed feelings about this show, but I have to admit the most perplexed shows I've ever seen were Taiwanese ones, something about their storytelling makes me feel intrigued and appalled at the same time.Story: a total mess up, you can't predict anything because it doesn't end the way it started, and weirdly enough the couple who you think will end up with are just on good terms, and the other couple with the most complicated start, ends up with an even more messed up end, you don't know what is going on and you can't just focus on characters with this much happening, for example: the Second Main FL, she started as this poor unlucky woman, and ends up the second hand for the "president"... like, you can't simply expect the story to turn that way, it's explained in the show but I mean you don't see anything coming.
Characters: I don't really agree that all characters are messed up, the only character I don't understand is the ML (the psychiatrist) I mean, how did he even become one? A lot of questions surrounding him in a way that makes it harder to come up with a personality for him!! What is he like? You don't really know, you can't expect his actions because you can't even predict them, he acts in a way that is completely random and messed up.
The main FL, is a normal woman with a traumatic past, the second FL is just too unlucky, the second ML is just a dreamer with mommy issues.
All can be understood despite the weird things happening to them throughout the story.
Music is insignificant and direction was ok, the only thing that bothered me was the unexpected everything, and I end up not knowing if I actually liked it or not, I'm just glad managed to finish it and I don't even feel good after finishing it, hence a barely acceptable rating ~~
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I'm glad it wasn't among my first dramas, because I don't think I would have watched any of them and I would have missed other wonderful stories.
I really liked the connection of the second couple. their relationship is more meaningful than main leads had.
I liked the bromance and comedy between doctors/comrades.
I really liked ML, the actor and the character that he played.
But I continued with a lump in my throat because I couldn't stand the FL character. This actress, apart from being beautiful, didn't convey anything to me, she's dull, she doesn't have expressions, it's quite rigid, stiff. For me she is playing the same in any dramas. Is not at all my cup of tea. Her character is mean, she's acting like she owns and knows everything. I did not like at all how she treats ML, she disempower him, she plays with him, like she is in high school. She is emotionally immature, a bitch.
The OST is great.
I just continue watching for Song Joong Ki and the second couple. But It was my first when I fast foreword the moment with the FL. ups.
I cant feel to recommend this one. Sorry.
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Very good first half, then it kind of falls apart
I absolutely loved this initially, I really liked the dynamic between characters, and it felt like most of the main leads were all pretty smart. However, later on, TY makes a mistake and the fl and him separate, that’s where everything started to fall apart for me, the plot started to not make the most sense anymore, it wasn’t that interesting, and imo BXS falling for the fl was uncalled for and unnecessary. I do think that it’s still good I just personally wasn’t able to finish it. I also do think that TTEOTM set the bar high for dramas with similar plot.Was this review helpful to you?
Peak
First Season is the best one.I love love love the story! They did change little things from the webtoon but I would say it was SPOT ON. Before watching this I absolutely didn’t like thrillers or horror, but, after watching I’ve come to enjoy thrillers. Not so much horror because I ain’t doing all of that. Anywho, I just really like how all the main monster all had different personality’s, even the main characters in the show having their own little story time! Season two was kinda iffy for me because I lowkey thought it was boring in some way but it did have so comedic relief and I LOOOVVEEE that! season 3 has a lot happening but it honestly so cool.
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ABSOLUTELY STUNNING.
When I first noticed the drama I was sure that I would not like it, but, oh boy, I truly loved it that I savored it in two days.It was absolutely stunning.
It's not a common thing to find a Chinese drama that has such a strong plotline — the themes that the show presented are deep and happens every day to a lot of girls. Sexual harrasing at work, at home, by family and friends and, yet, only a few times justice found its target. Luckily, that show did not disappoint.
The ML was such a green flag that I could not help but feel giddy throughout the show and the chemistry between these two was unbelievable. Hands up to the actress presenting the FL for showing the despair and the agony of her past.
It is absolutely worth watching, yet, I would not re-watch it a second time. That kind of drama is best when watching for the first time.
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Utopia of Love
Can love last forever, or is that just an illusion or a utopia? This beautiful movie is an ode to love, presented in an artistic and rich way, offering plenty of details that each enrich the topic of love. In our time, it has become almost a rule that marriages don’t last or don’t work as intended, and each failed relationship seems to influence others to fail as well. In that environment, is it still realistic to believe in love?I really liked the topic of the movie and how it was explored — with no definitive message, but instead open to personal reflection and conclusion. I also appreciate the style of the movie, which is a little unusual yet very artistic, while still remaining mainstream and entertaining. The filmmakers made the movie special without making it too weird. But most of all, I liked the characters. They had a special aura about them, especially the female lead, Mi-jeong. She is so naturally beautiful, without any need for makeup — something that has sadly become the standard for women today.
This movie is slow and graceful, just like a pavane (a piece of music and a dance), and it feels like a ray of light, inspiring viewers to take a leap of love — honestly and naturally. There is eternal Love above us all.
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Great Start but Fell Flat
I went into this drama not knowing what the plot was but quickly found myself binging episode after episode. However, at some point (and as with many Chinese dramas), I started to feel it drag - unfortunately, I didn't really pay attention to which episode I really started feeling this, but I mostly had it playing on in the background while I did other things.By the latter part of the drama, I was jumping around in the episodes, mostly skipping the parts related to their work. I'm certain there was a reason for all of this to be part of the plot, but it didn't catch my attention at all and I thought it could have been condensed significantly.
Aside from the main characters (+ FL extended family and coworkers), most of the side characters were pretty unlikeable and, by the end, pretty much irrelevant. Also, I do love a time-skip but it was a bit wild that they suddenly had multiple time-skips in the last episode. I thought things could have been cut out in earlier parts to perhaps spread this out a bit into two episodes. Anyway, by then, I was already watching the drama at 3x speed and just trying to complete it.
I'd be curious how the storyline compares to the book it is based off of. Song Weilong is always nice to look at on the screen, but in the end, the drama felt somewhat disappointing / lackluster.
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A Slow Pois0n You Can’t Resist
After watching Episode 8: first word- brilliant. This is the kind of drama where the research and authenticity are top-level; you can clearly feel the realism and the characters’ intellect, and it naturally grabs your attention. It’s a slow-burn poison, where things move carefully and deliberately. I’m loving the direction and performances, they’re truly fantastic.The music is also very uniquely scored; it has its own identity compared to others. It deals with a wide range of emotions. Till now, for the most part, we’ve gone through struggles, harshness, and hardships, but even within that, there’s humor that prevents the drama from tipping into depression. That’s the genius of the maker.
I love how they don’t want it to be just sad and heavy, but rather about growth and resilience. So I’m enjoying it to the fullest and really loving the dynamics that have been established. I can’t wait to see how Ji Feng begins his work, the steps he takes to make it impactful and real, and how Xi Mi Yu will play a larger role in this.
Just one complaint, why only two episodes a day? It’s killing me. Joker’s part, I’ll write my other thoughts later. Till then, happy watching.
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So this is my review after watching this. So many people might say, " DON'T WATCH IT, IT IS SOOOOOO BAD But it really isn't. I love the story as a whole, and I also love how Uea and King seemed like a mother and father to Jade. They also kept checking in on him when they noticed he was feeling sad and distant. At the start of the series, I thought of how loud Jade is. Then I realised that he is so loud to cover up his insecurities, it's like a perfect mask that he has made himself because he has seen how no one really loves him more than a platonic way, and also from when he got rejected and "hurt" by his EX. I also didn't really like Gus, as he really made it seem that he liked Mai, which almost ruined his relationship and Mai's. Maybe he did it to make Tong jealous. I don't really know, but overall, the story is really good; it makes you laugh, and it also makes you feel sad. It might be cringy for some, but it is a sweet kind of cringy, not one that makes you wonder what the actors are really doing, one that makes you have a warm heart if you get what I mean. Was this review helpful to you?
Sweet dreams are made of cringe
This drama has a lot to offer to the rom com lover, with a whole palette of male leads, friendships, work life blance, comics and what not. But there was just to much cringe, secound hand emberresment and bad acting/directing from the all but the male lead that I just could not rate this higher. Even though the Seos (Kang Joon and In Guk) s presence and characters could easiely be rated with a 10, they were just not enough to save this cringefest.Jisoo, Love, sorry to say this she can not cry on screen, the way they let a top singer IRL sing badly in karaoke was just mean and so were about 90% of her mimics.
Other than that it was a fun watch, just mind the bad acting, embarrassment and cringe and you will be fine.
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Manual to Greatness used as toilet paper #LameWriting (though everything else worked perfectly)
Yet again, another Korean writer who did not fail to disappoint me with painfully weak writing. The overall sketch of the story was so captivating that it could have been an easy 10/10 banger. Instead, like many promising plots before it, this one got sacrificed to the writers’ strange obsession with a two-cents-worth stalker who somehow gets treated like a national-level threat yet arrested after 10 attempts.Honestly, it was tiring to watch the characters waste hours chasing this bargain-bin villain as if he were some multiverse mastermind.
And then comes the female lead. Possibly one of the most clueless heroines to grace the screen. She keeps walking straight into this stalker again and again. At some point you start wondering whether she secretly enjoys these encounters. If she is that fascinated with the stalker, maybe the writers should have just paired them together and saved everyone the trouble. And What makes it more frustrating is that she literally possesses a manual to greatness 'the-holy-book-of-spells' , yet.. still.. ends up getting slapped around by the vamp cause apparantly love and beauty spells are useless in this situation. She didn't use a single useful spell out that book .. oh sorry she did i think the one that saved the ML ..but no he had to die to over come his curse so that one attempt also goes to bin.
Thank goodness she was never entrusted with something like a death note. She might have turned it into a gratitude journal and ll writing daily affirmations for the villain. Damn it !
Now, credit where it is due. The cast was genuinely one of the best parts of this drama. Rowoon and Bo-ah did a solid job, and their chemistry carried many scenes that the script itself struggled to support. Even with an annoying role, Bo-ah’s charm managed to shine through. The side cast also added depth and personality, making the world feel more alive than the plot deserved. So, Majority stars in my rating goes to this lovely effort put together by the great cast of this drama.
The background music and OST were absolute bangers. The kind that linger in your head long after the episode ends.
The ending was satisfying as well. Not perfect, but decent enough to close the curtain without throwing tomatoes at the screen.
So yes, it was a good drama…
if you can simply fast-forward through the endless “catch-me-if-you-can” circus starring the stalker. This one is absolutely a must-watch for you.
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It was soo good!
Because of this drama I can't watch other dramas anymore. My standards have been raised so high that I am finding other dramas boring 😭😭God I miss Chang yue and Xie zheng so much !!
I wish I can erase my memories and re-watch it again. I have watched so many dramas but pursuit of jade and love in the clouds were the best dramas I've ever watched.
So everyone please watch it or you are missing out on masterpiece.
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It aged nicely
Trust your own judgment when it comes to early 2000s Korean melodramas. I’m in love with early 2000s Korean melodramas. i just finished this drama and im very intrigued by the ending. I don’t know if I liked it or not but I feel like melodramas are supposed to leave you with a little of pain and nostalgia and mixed feelings. It was a unique ending. You have to enjoy each episode rather than rush and get impatient. Every drama leaves its own impression. The usage of nature was a great essence. I rated it a 9 because it’s unique and refreshing in its own way.Was this review helpful to you?
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AMAZING CHEMISTRY
They are by far one of my fav pairings. they have sm chemistry it's insane and they NEED another main role that isn't only 8 eps. If y'all want to see a veteran pair at work watch them because ive never seen so much chemistry from a couple EVER. I dont usually write reviews unless a show is really good. If y'all liked Johan norths story I think y'all will like them. I think the only part that's kinda cringe for me is the English from the dad because im just like why cant they cast someone who speaks English? like I get why ngernoat (arthitdao) would still be cast even if their English isn't the best because they're the main lead, but for the dad, there were a lot of parts I couldn't understand which I was very confused about. I just think it doesn't make sense to have a storyline based entirely on being able to speak English because one of the dads is American but not being able to speak it. This is not hate it's just confusing for me especially because I feel like there are a lot of actors who can speak English that can play the role of a dad.Was this review helpful to you?
A match I wish never made...
A drama with potential buried under confusion and repetition. ( Line taken from a very interesting review i just read ) 🤫Well !! I finished it out of habit, not enjoyment, and walked away remembering the frustration more than the story. Like literally ~~~it was one hell of a struggle to understand the way this drama was written. For me, it felt like a failed attempt on several fronts.
1. The plot is packed with errors, making it hard to follow the events. The biggest confusion revolves around the people supposedly killed eight years ago. The list keeps growing with every few episodes. By the end, I was still unsure who actually died and what exactly happened. No .. this is not suspense. It's a good damn narrative fog.
2. The casting was a serious problem. Too many characters looked alike, and the production made almost no effort to distinguish them. Similar faces, similar styling, similar presence. At times it felt like watching different versions of the same person walking in and out of scenes. Keeping track of identities became an unnecessary side quest.
3. The Kardashian sisters' storyline dragged far longer than it should have. I expected more matchmaking cases and more inventive scenarios. Instead, their marriage troubles dominated the screen time. The repetition made the plot feel stuck in one place, circling the same issue without moving forward.
4. The lead characters came across as superficial. Their personalities lacked emotional weight, and their struggles failed to leave a lasting impact at least on me don't know about others . More importantly, the chemistry between them felt weak. Their interactions looked forced rather than natural, which made it difficult to invest in their relationship.
5. The male lead, in particular, became increasingly irritating. I understand the intention behind portraying him as emotionally restrained and socially awkward. But his constant nagging tone continued until the very end, turning what could have been a character trait into a persistent annoyance.
6. The music barely registered. Nothing stood out, nothing lingered, and nothing added energy to the scenes. For a drama that already felt exhausting, the absence of memorable sound only made the experience feel flatter.
Overall, the drama had a promising premise, but weak execution, confusing storytelling, and uneven pacing made it more frustrating than engaging.
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