Reviews

A complete mess in mini drama form

I know mini dramas usually move fast, but this one genuinely felt like a complete mess. The premise actually had potential, hidden marriage, memory and personality changes, rediscovering each other, but everything happens so quickly and randomly that it’s hard to feel anything. Scenes barely have time to start before they’re already over, and with episodes being around 7 minutes long, the story never gets the chance to properly develop. The emotional progression makes little sense, character reactions feel disconnected, and overall it just feels rushed from beginning to end.
There are a few cute moments, but not enough to save the drama from feeling chaotic and underdeveloped.

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Goose Bumps Galore!!!

ThamePo: Heart That Skips a Beat (2024)
​Highly Recommend it!!!
Neverending smiles from ear to ear!

The storyline is fantastic, and the chemistry between Thame and Po is incredible—it genuinely provides that "butterfly" feeling that is so rare to find, even for someone like me who has been watching dramas since 2004.

Beyond the romance, the show features a wonderful group of friends. Each member of the group, MARS, has such special qualities that it is difficult to pick a "bias." Nano, in particular, is adorable. What I appreciate most about these characters is their willingness to stand up for what is right, a quality that feels very grounded and authentic.

This drama also raises a profound question about the idol industry and fan culture: 🤔
Do you believe that an idol loving a partner takes away from their love for their fans?
Personally, I think this drama beautifully illustrates that there are different shades of love. Just as loving a partner doesn't make us love our favorite artists any less, and an idol’s personal relationship doesn't or shouldn't diminish their appreciation for their fans. 💜💙🩵❤️🩷💛🧡🤍💚
Did I cry because of this type of treatment by the industry & fan culture? Of course, because it's so unfair & heartbreaking.

It is heartbreaking to consider the restrictive contracts and the loneliness many idols endure. As Po mentions in the show, fans are a part of an idol's dreams and future, and dating doesn't change that. This series really opened my eyes to the unfair emotional pressure these young adults face due to gossip and industry expectations.

If you haven’t seen ThamePo yet, please give it a watch. It is a great opportunity to connect with these issues and see a truly moving story.

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They were just teens, yet they portrayed love, life, friendship, and family in such a touching way

bro im on ep 16 and i love this show so much
Lita ia the one i remeber the most. She was so kind and beautiful. her character was supposed to mirror Gorya, so she was truly lovely and kind but also raw . She let go of her love for her friends MJ- best man loved him. He was so dedicated to his friends. without him f4 woulde been gone to waste lonnggg time ago
Kaning- the love she had for Gorya was so craxy. She made me cry bro
Kavin- Hes real, reminded me of me. Dont wanna share and be vurnerable always closed off but at the same time very very caring
Gorya and Thyme- omg they LITERALLY fought thoruhg thick and thin for each other. I admir their commitment for each other. I dont think i woudl ever do that. They were so cute <3
Rennnnn- this guy is the BIGGEST green flag i have EVER seen. He cared and loved Gorya so much that he didnt want her. He constantly pursued her happiness. Like hes the definition of love is not enough. Gorya love Thyme so much and vice versa but Ren loved Gorya AND did it and risked it all for her. That man was like the perfect example of what love is trully meant to be. a true man, Ren <3 He's "risk it all by Bruno Mars"
"have you ever thought about how ordinary teens like us can make a difference? But i do believe that is you fight with all your heart, If we fight with all our hearts, miracles will happen"- GOrya

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peak Thai comedy

Overall: this was a wild ride and I enjoyed myself immensely. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired internationally on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6712/wooju-bakery-2026-e01 (not in Japan, Thailand or S. Korea which has it on Wavve streaming platform)

Content Warning: held against will, past murders, attempted murder

What I Liked
- unique premise
- visuals
- styling (especially the sequins, iridescence, deep v necks, semi see thru shirts and large earrings)
- some touching moments between the leads
- adored Princess

Room For Improvement
- the comedy did not work all of the time
- AI in episode 1
- choppy at times though it kind of fed into its chaotic charm
- unanswered questions

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honestly .. t was such a good surprise
the suspense was built so well from the start... every ep keeps making you question who is hiding the truth and what is actually going on.. even with the short runtime it manages to keep the mystery interesting the whole time
but the best part was definitely the emotional side of the story. the friendship and bond between the characters felt genuine and once the truth is revealed everything hits so much harder emotionally... the reunion scene especially was done beautifully and felt both comforting and heartbreaking
the plot twist was actually worth the buildup which is rare sometimes with mystery dramas.. when everything connected in the end it made so many earlier scenes feel meaningful
also the acting deserves more appreciation because the cast really sold both the fun friendship moments and the emotional intensity... the balance between mystery emotion and school drama was honestly done really well
this is more than just a simple mystery web drama... emotional suspenseful and surprisingly memorable for such a short watch

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panic ..sarcasm.. comedy and next lev actingg

honestly this was way more entertaining than i expected
the story itself is not something completely new since it is still based around doctors and emergency cases but the way it was presented made it feel fresh and intense... every episode keeps moving fast so it never gets boring and the short length actually works well for it
the biggest reason this drama works so much is the acting... the cast carried every emotional and chaotic scene perfectly especially the confidence and energy of the main lead. the chemistry between the team members also made the hospital feel alive instead of just another medical setting
what i liked most is that it balances serious moments with fun moments really naturally. one second it feels stressful and emotional then suddenly funny without ruining the mood... it is not trying too hard to be overly deep or dramatic but still keeps you in the patients and the characters...a very enjoyable watch with strong performances and a different vibe compared to typical medical dramas

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Not as great as it is rated for!

Absolute trash. The guys are all jerks in this series no respect for women. They are all fine using the women who like them and then casting them away when there is no need for them. The ex of the main FL is trash... just a skirt chaser to get women in bed and then when they fall in love with him he discards them or gets his friend to help him break up. The women needs some self respect and should not keep chasing such losesr who have no interest in them this goes for the FL and the women who pines for the ML but knows she will not get him. Hate this kind of relationship in Kdramas. The male lead is also a piece of s****. He is fine using her then discarding her when it is convient for him. The second FL is gorgeous she should move on from the loser. why waste your time and life. This must be a cutural dating thing in Korea for it to be shown in drama's allthe time I dont get it.
Could not get past the 4th episode. We all know what happens the ML+FL get together in the end otherwise this drama would not exist. In fact this garbage should not have ever been produced.

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Scandalously Bad

Arguably, the first K-GL to make it to a mainstream platform, this came out of the woodwork!

And how did it fare compared to K-BL's first popular offering of Where Your Eyes Linger in 2020, which gradually led to a K-BL wave and even real irl representation on the screen in the form of the reality dating show His Man, which has run for multiple seasons?

*grimaces*

Yeah, unfortunately, I believe the K-GL wave is going to be set back because of this trash.

I went in with hope. And again, with this being a milestone drama, I tried to give it grace.

They did try.

But did they really?

Because much as I wish I could say there are redeeming aspects to Scandal Love, I can't think of anything positive to say other than the two FLs had a couple of legitimately good moments together and it was an effort to produce/put out a mainstream K-GL.

I even find myself questioning whether this was "subtle" product placement, given how on-the-nose the writing was and how many times the two girl groups in this universe were name-dropped, and promotion/marketing was treated like character growth.

The sound design was poor, AI/stock footage shots were very obviously AI/stock footage, the dancing was laughably bad, the music sounded like it was royalty-free, and never have I ever seen actors/characters SO uncomfortable existing on the screen! Their faces were always twisted in pain/they looked like they were cringing with every line, begging the ground to swallow them whole.

Seemingly, no one wanted to be here except Mr. Creepy Ceo (who, I might add, switched from supportive mentor to voyer villain on a dime), funnily enough. Which go-figure it was the dude licking his lips, trying to mog the camera, eyeing the FLs/their potential romance like a steak he couldn't wait to devour, because this shit felt like cheap porn without plot except there was no porn AND no plot!

And to top all this off, of course, there were constant character inconsistencies from episode to episode and even scene to scene! One moment, one of the FLs is sad, and the other is bitter, and the next one's supportive and adoring, and the other is cold and distant, and then both are suddenly super duper happy and optimistic and besties and/or in love, with NOTHING in between to justify the sudden shift. You're just supposed to go along with the drama's mood swings, I guess! The only theory I can come up with for this nonsense is that the editor fell asleep in the middle of editing, and their vindictive black cat took over the keyboard!

Don't even get me started on the plot because tell me how they managed to drag such a lame, bare-bones story about a K-Pop girl group who gains a new member out of nowhere, has millions of followers, and is also about to be forced to disband, across ten episodes with an average runtime of 40 minutes each? That's not a compliment!

Low budget, few actors/sets, and not much time to rehearse/shoot can be understandable reasons as to why a piece of media doesn't live up to expectations.

But this is just inexcusable!

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DO NOT LET THOSE BAD COMMENTS SWAY YOU! WATCH IT FOR URSELF! IT IS VERY GOOD!

Honestly, IDK why this is getting so much hate. If you approach it without comparing it to PA, you'll definitely enjoy it. And the criticisms to the actors are so unfounded, i believe they delivered pretty well (especially Li Yunrui). And even if you would complain about the age gap of the actors, that still is not a valid reason to pull this drama down, bc the age gap thing wasn't even a hindrance. And a piece of advice: If you can't understand the plot, and whine that the story is so unfocused and complex, then you weren't paying attention when watching it. Again, watch it urself, don't believe those bad reviews (bc most of them plainly compared it to PA).

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Interesting sort-of addictive short drama

I really liked this short drama, it's well-done considering the length & production budget. Scenes are framed nicely by the female director. The drama was shot 2 years ago but has a tighter story than other more-recent productions. Main cast is not well-known but have done well / okay. It hasn't had that many views, so I'm leaving a review for all those curious:

STORY: 20 years ago King got himself a second wife (daughter of Right Chancellor) to have political leverage & had a son Prince Rui from her. His first wife, whom he claimed to love, got pregnant later and gave birth to twins: Yin Ci & Yin Zhou. Her carriage is attacked, she dies, the twins end up in different places:

Yin Zhou (ML) is designated as crown prince (over Prince Rui, first-born) & sent by king to be raised by a martial artist to keep him safe.

Yin Ci is raised as Zhaoxi by 'Master Gu', head of a secretive government body, an investigative/law enforcement agency called Xuanji Pavilion. Master is in a wheelchair. Master never tells him the truth of his lineage/parentage & that he is son of king & co-crown prince. Zhaoxi has weak health & is home-bound but is good natured & helps poor people a lot.

Master also raises another child, a girl, Luo Yuo (FL), who is actually the daughter of Left Chancellor who had killed his entire family over jealousy - he doesn't tell her of her lineage / parentage either. He raises her as an assassin / information gatherer.

Master has 3 kids of his own too: all are good-for-nothing, corrupt, extremely cruel, opportunistic & dumb. One is a successful merchant, the other is owner of a dance/prostitute den & expert in poisons, third is a martial artist who loves / is obsessed with Luo Yuo. Master is not close to any of them & they all hate him & want to succeed Xuanji Pavilion's leadership.

Master wants Luo Yuo to be next Master of Xuanji Pavilion & arranges her to be married off to Zhaoxi - he tells Luo Yuo he will only give her leadership if she marries him. Luo Yuo and Zhaoxi meet just once (for chess in garden). She agrees because he appears simple & harmless, & she wants to become Master to know the truth of her parentage. Poor Zhaoxi is happy.

I don't have the heart to tell what happens / is done to Zhaoxi & why he is presumed dead.

Luo Yuo needs a look-alike. Crown Prince Yin Zhou / ML who has just survived an assassination attempt has reason to believe Gu family (of Xuanji Pavilion) has something to do with it so he needs to infiltrate it and finds the perfect opportunity to do so when he finds out that 'wife' of dead Zhaoxi is looking for a look-alike.

Luo Yuo wants him to play husband's role till the official wedding when she will get leadership or till Zhaoxi is confirmed dead.

That's how their interaction, romance, sizzle, etc. starts. FL is most definitely attracted to him early on, while he comes to think of her as a fascinating creature who trusts no one and wants a different life. I don't know when they 'fell' in love but there are 3 kiss scenes, all well picturized. Ep. 13 has a risqué makeout scene that I don't usually see in C-dramas (C-dramas are more prudish usually). Amazingly, both feel rejected later on for the simple reason that ML creates distance since he has just found out her betrothed was his long-lost brother & he mourns the loss of him & her in a poem, which FL understands correctly as separation & longing. In Ep. 16, he's depressed. In Ep.17-18, she lays her heart, loneliness & disappointment in front of him. In Ep.20, ML says to her "For you, I'd die a thousand deaths" while all she says is "hurry back" & hugs him. FL's thoughts & emotions are internalized & seen in flashbacks only (especially in Ep.23, when she isn't sure that ML is hurt or alive & misses him). Nobody says I love you. It's not that kind of story.

Interestingly, FL comes to trust ML even though she doesn't know the truth about him (who he is, etc.) because he keeps helping her, risking his life, when she's in a fix. And ML clearly holds her in high regard: In Ep.20, he asks Master's son what the family's plan is, but keeps glancing at FL because he knows she's the brains & she will provide a solution what to do next.

I liked scenes in Ep.8-9, when FL risks her life to get a ledger, she has to paint 'plum blossoms' for a troubled murderous Prince consort who has it & does it successfully but then when she is drugged, she's rescued by ML & even though ML wanted the ledger too, he tells his guard to let her have it (of course he has a plan to root out corrupt officers once she goes through the ledger) but it showed development in their feelings. The attraction is obvious in the scene in Ep. 10, when ML is having the 'ritual bath' in her room & she is seated where she can see him, & he can see her.

I especially liked the proposal in the end by ML /Yin Zhou (crown prince) who calls Luo Yuo his beloved & tells her "I'm truly blessed to have found someone as clever as you in this life" & asks her to be a partner / adviser to him, not just a wife/lover. "There are thorny issues within my household. Will you lend a hand?" And she confirms her yes by a simple passionate kiss.

I also liked what he told his disapproving caddish father / king about FL, "I want to protect her all her life but she's not someone I need to protect but someone strong enough to stand side by side with me."

The fight scenes (between them & with others) are well-choreographed for a small-budget production. There's wire action too.

The main villain and his motivation is expected & predictable - but the one who killed Zhaoxi is a surprise revelation - even though it makes sense why that person did it.

The story is more about FL realizing her purpose in life & her own path, her own choice than any mystery & the way she makes her choice in Ep.24 is amazing.

Ep. 23, second-to-last episode, is slow & in my view, useless filler (except for the scene where FL misses ML).

Ep. 24 is flawless.

CAST:

FL is good in her role - her character is supposed to have a poker face (she never gave away how she felt or thought except in front of ML), her character is very graceful, mysterious, intelligent, seductive, & in command of her emotions & is a great fighter. She rescues ML & even the caddish king.

ML is also good. His role was more difficult because he likes FL but is jealous of this look-alike 'husband' / brother that she says she was deeply in love with. He also can see FL struggle with her wants & needs, her trust issues & the fact that she always works alone, never with a partner.

Zhaoxi is the most pitiful character in the drama, a sacrificial lamb caught between a power struggle & obsessive love.

There is no redeeming quality about Master Gu who selfishly endangered both Zhaoxi (son of king / co-crown prince of sorts) & Luo Yuo. He thought of everyone as a guinea pig. In fact I feel Zhaoxi & Luo Yuo would have been different people & protected themselves better if they had known the truth about their parentage.

Master Gu's adult children performed okay.

There is nothing nice about the coward / caddish king.

None of these actors is a thespian or great actor / actress, but they did okay & I liked the drama.

MUSIC:

Songs & lyrics are mostly melancholic, pleasant, & fit the scenes.

TITLE:

I don't understand why the title of the drama is 'In the Grip' / 'In the Palm.'

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