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"Promising series completely, got butchered in the editing room"
The plot, cast, and production team clearly put a lot of effort into recreating the 1999 setting, and that was one of my favorite aspects of the series. The nostalgic atmosphere felt authentic and immersive. The cast also delivered strong performances throughout, especially the trio whose comedic timing and quirky humor were genuinely entertaining. It has been a long time since I enjoyed a drama that incorporated comedy so naturally into its storyline.However, this series had the potential to be something truly brilliant but ultimately fell short because of its inconsistent screenplay and editing. While the director stated that Cha Eun Woo's scenes were not intentionally cut, Episodes 7 and 8 made it feel as though a significant portion of his storyline was removed. His character gradually faded into the background, almost becoming a supporting character rather than one of the leads.
As a result, the doctor storyline and several villain-related developments also felt sidelined. By Episodes 7 and 8, the drama focused heavily on the trio, and I found myself almost forgetting Cha Eun Woo's character altogether. The narrative became increasingly messy after Episode 6, and many scenes appeared rushed or disconnected, likely due to the limitation of fitting everything into only eight episodes.
At several points, it felt as though the focus shifted entirely to Mr. Son, Eun Bin, and Ro Bin, while other storylines lost their momentum. The transitions between scenes often lacked proper continuity, making the final episodes feel like I was watching a completely different series rather than a continuation of the same story.
Overall, Wonder Fools is still a one-time watch. The comedy works well, the cast is talented, and the 1999 setting is charming. However, the plot felt heavily familiar to me, combining elements that reminded me of Stranger Things and Blind. While the series had all the ingredients for greatness, the screenplay and editing prevented it from reaching its full potential.
My biggest disappointment was not the cast or the performances, but the way the story was ultimately executed.
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Too good!
I was contemplating for a while whether to watch this. I’m glad I did, the first episode was a bit weird, there’s a fair bit of explaining going on and setting the stage. Though once it gets going the drama is definitely one to watch. I ended up watching it all in one go - that’s how good it is!Loved all the actors and their characters they were perfect for their roles! I’m glad they didn’t portray the superhero’s as experts instead they are completely clueless and all over the place. This made them more interesting and intriguing. For Eun-Woo I think this drama was a good career development choice. It’s so good to see Choi Dae-hoon doing different characters since watching him first in Crash landing on you, he fits every role really well.
Loved this and I’m hoping they’ll do a season 2!
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UNWILLINGLY FUNNY.
This is drama that takes itself to seriously and by doing that achieves the exact opposite. this was unwilling funny. I laughed my ass off at the absolute ridiculousness.🤣
PLOT:
A girl meets a man and falls in love with him just by listening to his voice. She then traced him down and start courting him. Will they end up together?
THE ROMANCE:
The ridiculousness starts right from the very beginning.
This girl meets a man in a hair salon. He is washing her hair and chit chatting with her.
She is suddenly so mesmerized by this 2 minutes long interaction that she literally stalks him, finds out where he lives and keeps showing at this unknown man's place.
He isn't any better though. this little girl shows up constantly and instead of sending her her way, he basically "tolerates" her presence for no reason.
She even keeps showering at his place many many many times.
She is thirsting over this man constantly and the drama emphasises this by showing little gestures, like he drinkinkin a beer, with exaggerated appeal.
I kid you not , he drinking a beer looks like a fricking commercial.🤣
Moving forward it is clear that these 2 like each other but there is actually no reason.
She tells us he is a mysterious man which he is not. He is just a quiet dude and pretty boring to be honest.
She on the other hand wants to be taken seriously by this guy but dresses and behaves like a 5 years old.
In my opinion he is kind of a creep. In the drama many AGE APPROPRIATE women show their interest in this man but he chooses the most childish, barely adult one... Kind of sus if you ask me , especially because he emphasises he wants someone "willing to stay and not date him out of a wimp". Sure. I am positive this 5 years old looking 19 years old is absolutely adamant and has her life all figured out.😬
THE DRAMA:
As said before , the drama takes itself too seriously. Never ending shots of these 2 longing, crying.
Some "artistic choices" made me laugh. In one scene the main guy is looking at fish in an aquarium and by the way the camera moves, it looks like he is making out with said fish. I couldn't hold it🤣🤣
Later on we see a painting she made of him and it was so cringe I laughed once again.
THE CHARACTERS:
What to say. He main lead is boring as hell and the main girl is basically an unlikable brat. She has guys falling for her left and right, but she treats everyone like shit. I bet if she was ugly noone would talk to her because she is very rude to everyone. Her mom, her nanny. Her CHILDHOOD FRIEND. everyone.
The actors:
I didn't like the characters but the actors were fine. At first I had the feeling I already knew the main guy and later I figured out he was the guy from the first METEOR GARDEN. what a throwback guys.
Conclusions:
I am dropping this drama mid way because there is nothing that interesting to keep me watching. Sure, I might find other hilarious stuff, but 11 more episodes of this might be the end of my already thin patience.
Should you watch it?
Give it a try. You might find the story compelling or surprisingly hilarious like I did. You never know
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Wonderfools: Quirky Powers, 1999 Doomsday Vibes, and Flawed Heroes 7.5/10
Wonderfools drops us into 1999 Haeseong City, where doomsday panic meets an unlikely trio of neighborhood heroes suddenly gifted with unstable, imperfect supernatural abilities. When Eun Chae Ni, her neighbors Son Gyeong Un and Kang Ro Bin get tangled in a mysterious incident, they're thrust into a race against unexplained disappearances and a rising threat that tests both the city and their limits.Park Eun Bin is electric as Eun Chae Ni—spirited, chaotic, and endearingly human, she anchors the show's heart and humor. Kim Hae Sook shines as her grandmother Kim Jeon Bok, bringing warmth and grit that ground the story. Cha Eun Woo stands out as Lee Un Jeong, the principled, socially distant civil servant whose calm rationality slowly cracks under pressure, adding quiet depth. Choi Dae Hoon and Im Sung Jae round out the trio as bumbling-but-brave neighbors whose friendship feels real and funny.
The mystery hooks early, and the 1990s setting adds nostalgic flavor, but the show stumbles with uneven pacing and powers that often feel more frustrating than fun. Tensions rise against Ha Un Do's hidden agenda, yet some plot threads fade before landing hard.
Still, Wonderfools is a charming, character-driven ride with genuine heart and a fresh take on superhero chaos—just not quite polished enough to be great.
A 7.5/10 for fans of quirky, ensemble-driven K‑dramas who want humor, heart, and a little supernatural mess.
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One Bad Choice after Another
I never expected a drama starring Xu Kai to make me actively dislike the character he was playing, and I mean that as one of the biggest compliments I can give this show.We're so used to seeing big stars in idol dramas playing perfect green-flag male leads with endless plot armor. No matter what happens, they're usually written to stay likable and justified. Eight Hundred does the complete opposite. It gives Xu Kai a deeply flawed character who keeps making one terrible decision after another, and I found that far more interesting than watching another perfect hero.
I've always thought Xu Kai was a good actor, but most of his previous roles never really gave him the opportunity to show his full range. He often plays the same serious, reserved type of character. Here, however, he gets to portray someone far more complicated. Chen Hui is desperate, selfish, loving, reckless, sympathetic, and frustrating all at the same time. This is easily one of the strongest performances I've seen from him because it finally showcases just how versatile he can be.
What I found fascinating is that I felt bad for Chen Hui, but I never truly sympathized with him. Those are two different things. I understood why he was desperate. I understood his fear and his love for Song Ge. But understanding him didn't make me agree with him.
At first, I could see how someone might end up trapped in a situation like his. But there were multiple moments where he could have stopped. The biggest turning point for me was after the cough syrup incident. If he had gone to his father and confessed everything then, his life might have taken a completely different path. Instead, he kept digging himself deeper and deeper until there was no way back. Once he crossed the line into deliberately planning violence and involving other people in his crimes, I could no longer defend him. By the time people were dying, whatever sympathy I had left was gone.
That's why I never viewed Chen Hui as a tragic hero. He was a tragic character, but those aren't the same thing.
Interestingly, I cared far more about the father-son relationship than I did about the romance. The romance is the catalyst for the story, but it never felt like the heart of the story to me. What kept me invested was the cat-and-mouse game between Chen Hui and his father. Every confrontation carried more weight than any romantic scene.
I also found myself disagreeing with many viewers who blamed Hong Bin entirely. Was he a perfect father? No. But I couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Imagine dedicating your life to protecting people, only to discover that your own son is responsible for harming countless others. The disappointment, guilt, and conflict he carried throughout the story were heartbreaking.
I do think there were moments when Hong Bin's obsession with catching criminals overshadowed his role as a father. Part of me wonders whether a genuine heart-to-heart conversation much earlier could have changed Chen Hui's path. At times, it felt as though Hong Bin trusted his instincts as a police officer more than he trusted his son. Yet even with those flaws, I never saw him as the villain. He was simply a man trapped between his duty and his family, and there was no outcome where he could truly win.
The people I felt the most sorry for were actually the parents, especially the mother. She lost everything despite doing nothing wrong. Watching both parents suffer the consequences of choices they never made was devastating.
As for Chen Hui and Song Ge, I honestly didn't find them romantic. I found them tragic. Their relationship wasn't something I was rooting for as much as I was watching in horror. They loved each other, but they also destroyed each other's lives. Everything they sacrificed was supposedly for a future together, yet in the end neither of them got that future. He was executed, she received a life sentence despite finally getting the kidney she needed, and all the suffering ended up being for nothing.
The ending hit me harder than I expected. Not because I thought Chen Hui deserved a happy ending, but because of how young he was. Twenty-three years old, and his entire life was gone because of a chain of choices that kept escalating. It felt like watching someone repeatedly choose the wrong path until there were no paths left.
My biggest criticism is that the investigation sometimes becomes repetitive. There were moments when it felt like Chen Hui was always one step ahead and the story kept circling the same conflict. The pacing occasionally dragged because of this. However, the emotional payoff was strong enough that I stayed invested until the end.
In the end, Eight Hundred isn't really a romance or even a crime thriller. It's a tragedy about consequences. Every bad decision creates another one, every compromise leads to a bigger compromise, and eventually there comes a point where there is no way back.
It's frustrating, heartbreaking, and sometimes difficult to watch, but it also gave me one of my favorite Xu Kai performances to date.
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First impression
YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI7uWKLBqfRqXvmH3uACl2iwEpisode 1:
So far, I like it a lot, and I'm excited to see more. But unfortunately I am one of those people who were wishing for a happy ending (because I believe that while realistically in real life this situation would've not ended necessarily well, people who have a religious background or religious trauma deserve to get their happy ending despite what their "God" wants), but from the way it started, I could sort of tell that it would either have a sad or a bittersweet ending.
Of course it's all just my theories, and it might end up with a happy ending regardless, but I am still a bit sad because I don't really believe it.
Still though, I can tell for sure that I will love this series regardless of the ending it will have because already I'm obsessed. It has a good acting, great cinematography and of course GeminiFourth chemistry is as always of charts. So yeah, I'm excited for more. I'm sure they won't disappoint.
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Seriously well produced
Surprisingly this is the first teen drama I’ve seen that really portrayed teen feelings, emotions, reactions and decisions in the best true way. It hits on point. You wonder how could other dramas miss these points. It’s refreshing, super sweet and genuine. One drama you want to watch at least once. Was it only me - but watching most of this drama my heart smiled.The actors are perfect for the roles. All their interactions and reactions are genuine and really well acted. Very mature in their acting. I could sense by watching Soo-bin turned out she is a child actress. I loved the homeschool teacher’s character and journey; stuck in all the mess with the students and parents, and how he navigates this space.
The director did very well in the storytelling so it told a new and heartfelt story that still feels different from other drama storylines that might overlap/ be similar. The drama gives the sense of unique, warmth, comfort and courage.
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Four distinct teachers, one chaotic writer and a whole lot of self-improvement
I went into this expecting the usual high school clichés, but it completely caught me off guard with how brilliantly self-aware and hilarious it is. Despite a few slower, slightly boring moments in the middle stretch, the overall plot remains surprisingly solid and well-constructed. A huge part of that is thanks to the teachers, who are genuinely interesting characters, each distinct with their own unique personality. What I appreciated most was how the student-teacher relationship was handled perfectly; it never romanticizes the dynamic, going straight to self-improvement, mutual respect, and genuine personal growth instead.Of course, the absolute highlight for me—and what literally had me dying of laughter—was how the show brings the web novel scenes to life. Cha Hak-yeon completely stole the spotlight; watching him switch from a stiff, robotic math teacher to dramatically impersonating the hyper-romantic fictional character "Si-on" was absolutely lethal comedy. The sheer second-hand embarrassment of seeing him act out those over-the-top, slow-motion fanfiction fantasies with a straight face is pure gold. Kim Hyang-gi is equally amazing, making her character's internal panic so wonderfully messy and relatable. The laugh-out-loud absurdity of those novel-vs-reality sequences made this an incredibly fun ride.
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didn't expected it to be this good
i really didn't expected it will be this good both the main plot and romance , I have to say this is the rare type where story is really good feels realistic and true love, I got hooked from first epi choose this drama because of ml I have already watched his few which I like all equally and FML was first time both characters in this drama are really good
i recently dropped a medical drama before I liked nothing the characters,plot or the main leads interaction and story focus completely on surgery
this one they do show patients alot but there's also enough interactions of ml and FML ,and proper slow burn romance
i came for romance but stayed because of plot and the 2 characters ml and FML are so good in this that I didn't care about romance at all I was ready to watch till end even if romance wasn't there because it was too good a type I can't find in actual romance focused stories,I actually rate the one mentioned as romance low because they're not shown the way it should be, all side characters are also good
romance - first half is focused on both interactions and they interact alot this is how it should be , 2nd half mid is where confession happens but as this is medical genre it's not lovey dovey or totally romance focused, the slow burn is actually shown right away and chemistry is really good , they get together then a little time skip happens and at the end got back together I'm totally satisfied but I wanted to watch more I'm sad it ended already ಥ_ಥ😭😭😭😭😭 I'm definitely going to re-watch it
their love also feels really realistic
what I dislike - first i didn't like the villians didn't make sense you should target real killer not ml,it wasn't too annoying because later it made sense why they do that the prosecutor and nurse both lost child and disliked what ml did( I think it was both right and wrong) ,but I'm shocked they forgive eachother and get along with eachother, didn't expected I liked how it ended
this is not highly romance focused, but definitely a good slow burn ,does have I should say slight romance and enough interactions together
some people don't like time skip and no contact I think that was better I don't want to see the main character die suffer, good that his suffering and sick part wasn't shown, a breakup shown is better than main character sickness to me
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Dumpster Fire
Absolute garbage. a dumspter fire of a series. Unrealistic, illgoical, and honestly the melodramatic acting only made it more so. the chemistry rang both forced and false, the emasculating of the men smacks of pandering to modern viewer perceptions of love and empowerment but without the character substance to warrant it (the plot equivalent of a man letting a woman win because he’s so enamored with her, not because she earned it or because he grew as a person through knowing her - insulting). the inspirational monologues were anything but, the kissing scenes were cringe-level atrocities, and watching her vascillate between snot-crying in the face of adversity one minute, then haughtily condescending to her adversary the next gave me nausea-inducing emotional whiplash. the writing showcased the characters’ glaring immaturity and refusal to develop and grow. dont even get me started on the misunderstandings; these are rarely if ever executed gracefully as part of a plot. im usually pretty forgiving about dramas, but there wasnt a single nice thing to say about this drama. not one. and im a fan of both of these leads from previous series. we’ll just add this one to the list of weekends ill never get back.Was this review helpful to you?
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So please watch this guys. You’ll never regret!
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Dear Inn 2026: A Beautiful Journey Overshadowed by an Unnecessary Ending!
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to think about Dear Inn 2026 as just a variety show.I initially came for Shen Yue. Of course, the DyShen nostalgia was part of the excitement too, but somewhere along the way I genuinely moved beyond just the ship and became attached to the show itself.
The entire cast slowly grew on me. The friendships, the chaos, the laughter, the little moments that weren’t even meant to be highlights, all of it made Dear Inn feel strangely real and thus DEAR❤️. It became part of my weekly routine and eventually a comfort space.
Which is why this ending feels so bittersweet.😔
Not only because the season is ending, but because it’s ending amidst so many emotions. The finale gave us a cast-written and cast-sung song/rap filled with memories from the journey, making everyone emotional. At the same time, the controversy surrounding the finale, that "uncomfortable joke", the public statements, the apology, the fan wars, and the endless discussions completely changed the atmosphere around the show in its final stretch.
And honestly, I really feel that unnecessary 3am post could have been avoided. It ended up ruining the warmth people were holding onto and made the ending feel far more upsetting than it needed to be, which is why I can’t help but feel disappointed in Wang Hedi!
What hurts the most is that the show that gave us so many genuine moments is now being remembered alongside all this noise. I feel sad watching everything unfold, I think most of us can agree that nobody expected Dear Inn 2026 to end on such an emotional and complicated note.
And maybe that’s why this final song hit me so hard.
Because for a few minutes, none of the discourse mattered. It was just memories. The laughter. The bond everyone built. The feeling of watching people slowly become important to you without realizing it.
I came for Shen Yue, but somewhere along the way Dear Inn itself became the reason I stayed.
Some shows entertain you for a season.
This one became a sentiment and maybe that’s why letting go feels so difficult. ❤️🥹
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The kind of love which you won't forget even if the whole universe wants you to forget!
painful yet beautiful like damn I really felt sad but like the kind of sad that makes your heart actually ache. And then when she said it- "if the world's forgetting him little by little, she'll try to remember him little by little". So simple but so deep you know? Those words hit me right in the chest and I was straight up crying because it's just so real. It's about this love that keeps going even when memory fades and it hurts so much because it feels true you feel it in your bones and when it's over you're just sitting there with your heart broken but also somehow full but mostly with the pain. WHAT A STORY but plsss I'm out of tissues!!Was this review helpful to you?
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Hopeless romantics, this one’s yours!
This is the kind of series you watch with your brain switched off. Unrealistically good, yet absolutely perfect for hopeless romantics like me. It’s the type of drama that doesn’t need heavy thinking, just pure enjoyment, and it delivers that butterfly-in-your-stomach factor in spades.At first, I wasn’t too fond of the female lead. Her character felt off, and I found myself slightly turned away. But her character does improve! Also, as the story progressed, she grew on me. BUT, Karlina Zhang’s portrayal is what really won me over. She strikes the right balance between playful cuteness and a strong, won’t‑back‑down attitude. That mix makes her character compelling, and I ended up loving her performance. On top of that, her outfits are a delight!! Really, really love them! You can tell they were carefully designed to fit her personality.
The OST is another highlight. They're both good and memorable!
I also appreciated the secondary couples. The writers clearly tried to showcase different relationship dynamics, which gave the drama a bit more depth. I especially liked how they wrapped up the best friend’s love story.: bittersweet but fitting, and it added another layer to the narrative.
And before I wrap this up, I need to gush about Miles Wei. His deep voice is just… WOW. I don’t know if it was dubbed or slightly modified, but it’s mesmerizing :')
Overall, this drama is far from perfect (again), but it’s the kind of series that makes you smile, swoon, and stay hooked. Unrealistic? Definitely. But for hopeless romantics, it’s a treat worth watching.
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