This review may contain spoilers
Trigger Warning
**Trigger Warning:** If you can't handle gore, horror, or survival movies with graphic scenes, do not watch this film. It starts immediately with someone head busting, a class full of dead body and loads of blood and extremily graphic scenes, and is definitely gore from the first second to the last.This movie is heavily influenced by "Battle Royale," but it is much more graphic, especially considering it was made in 2014 using CGI and advanced technology compared toBattle Royale . The scenes are incredibly detailed. While I wouldn't have minded if they'd left some details out, it's definitely a film meant for a certain type of viewer. If you’ve watched "Battle Royale" or "Signal 100," this movie falls in the same category (arguably even more graphic). Additionally, the games played in this movie appear to have inspired "Squid Game," as "As God's Will" was filmed in 2014.
Spoilers ahead ***
Let me provide a bit of background to give you some context if you plan to watch this movie.
First game :The students in the movie must play several games in order to survive. The first game is called "Daruma-san ga Koronda," which is similar to the traditional "Red Light, Green Light." In Japan, one person (the "oni" literally demon) says, “Da-ru-ma-san-ga-ko-ron-da,” while the other players move closer to them. In this movie, the oni is represented by a Daruma doll. (A Daruma doll is a traditional Japanese round doll modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, acting as a talisman for good luck, perseverance, and goal-setting.)
The Daruma doll turns slowly while chanting “Daruma-san ga…”. When it says “Koronda!”, it turns around to face the entire classroom. If anyone moves within its sight, it opens its mouth and causes that person's head to explode.
The second game: "Maneki Neko," which features a popular figurine believed to bring good luck. In this game, the students wear mouse costumes and must fit a basketball-sized bell through the hoop on the cat's collar to win.
The third game is "Kagome Kagome," a popular children's game. One player is chosen as the oni and sits blindfolded. The other children join hands and walk in circles around the oni while chanting a song. When the song stops, the oni tries to name the person standing directly behind them.
The fourth game is "Shirou Kuma," where students must answer the white bear's questions politely. If they lie, they get killed.
The final game is "Matryoshka," which forces the remaining students to play a lethal version of "Kick the Can." One player is chosen as the "oni" and must capture the others by seeing their faces and calling their names.
The story was a bit confusing at the beginning since I hadn’t read the manga, but the film clarifies things as it progresses. It also made changes to the original games in the manga, so if you're interested, you should check that out as well. The movie plays heavily on surprise elements, starting with extremely graphic scenes, which certainly grabs your interest. While the film itself is great, it ends in a cryptic way, almost suggesting a continuation, and f you have not read the manga i felt like i missed lot of clarity, and felt like there were lot of plot holes. However this might also be due to how the movie tried to include as many game as possible. Overall it was great movie if you like supernatural horror gore movies.
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Not epic… just eye candy
I couldn’t get past episode 1—and not because it’s complex. The story is confusing and barely engaging. What stands out the most are the constant close-ups: same faces, same expressions, over and over, as if the show is more interested in reminding you how attractive the cast is than actually telling a story.At this point, it feels less like a narrative and more like a template: handsome, nearly invincible characters, vague conflicts, and style over substance.
It’s eye candy disguised as epic storytelling.
And honestly, it’s funny how fast things move—In Search of Jade was the “phenomenon” just days ago… now it’s already forgotten. This will probably follow the same path: big hype, big “records”… and no lasting impact.
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Despite being a thoughtful slow-burn, the series is completely addictive; it hooks you with its atmosphere and refuses to let go. Lee Sung-kyung delivers a career-defining, mature performance, but it’s the chemistry with Chae Jong-hyeop that anchors the show. He brings such a tender, grounded energy to his role that it perfectly balances her more guarded, melancholic performance.
Watching them navigate the "seasons" of their shared trauma and eventual healing is an experience that actually respects the viewer's intelligence. It’s not about grand gestures; it’s about the small, radiant moments that make life worth living again. The 2026 production standards have peaked with this one. A beautiful, atmospheric study on how we find our way back to ourselves through others.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Medium is a visually intriguing but ultimately uneven horror film. I enjoyed the documentary style of it as it seemed realistic and about Shamanism which is quite intriguing, the casting for me was also on point since their appearance and acting fits the role perfectly. However, the story could use some improvement because the story progression is kinda slow.
Though the main story itself seemed interesting enough, it still doesn't justify the long introduction. Not only is the story progression slow the ending also doesn’t justify the film’s length because, for a 2-hour movie, I expected a more proper ending, like in "Exhuma", or even a better resolution that fits a documentary style, perhaps with a text block of some sort, because it felt hanging and incomplete.
The ending was quite confusing and anticlimactic. Although I find some movies and series where the main character dies interesting, this ending left me questioning some things rather than enjoying it.
It didn’t give me chills, only a few jump scares. It also had more explicit scenes than it needed, which took me by surprise, so I skipped some parts because they felt excessive.
However, despite all of this, I still enjoyed the film, maybe because I like documentaries. Was it worth the 2 hours? No. Is it enjoyable? To some extent, yes, if you like exploring Asian shamanism and folk horror.
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Great acting but story is predictable
The Movie starts off with very high hopes as we step into the lives of characters but midway story shows lack of writing and giving clear idea of what is happening to the viewers. The backstory of one of the main characters that is the shaman is missing and we do not see his motives to help our main couple .Overall its a mid if you really like horror movies revolving around haunted objects and rituals.
The acting was great but story was quite predictable and this movie did not offer anything new or different.
I still feel the concept of the story had so much potential but did not get churned out very well.
If you are a horror lover this might not exite you but it is surely its a one time watch.
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Growth, Grief, and the Weight of Family
I loved this drama so much. Reborn really pulls you in emotionally, especially through its characters and the way it handles growth, trauma, and family.Qiao Qingyu’s character development was one of my favorite parts. Watching her slowly gain confidence and come into her own felt so rewarding. It wasn’t rushed or unrealistic; you could really feel everything she went through, shaping who she became.
At the same time, justice for Qiao Beiyu. Her story was heartbreaking, and it’s hard not to feel anger at everything she endured. She deserved so much better.
Ming Sheng, on the other hand, was such a standout. He’s honestly a whole “green forest”, just genuinely loving, supportive, and consistent. The way he cared for Qingyu made their relationship feel sincere and comforting, especially in such a heavy story.
The family dynamics, though, were incredibly difficult to watch. Qingyu’s mother is a complicated character; you can see that she suffered too, and by the end, it’s hard not to feel some sympathy for her. But at the same time, there’s still resentment for what she put her children through. That’s what makes it feel so real: with parents, you can recognize the harm, but still feel obligated to love them.
The father was just frustrating. Not even in a complex way, he was simply a coward. His inability to step up and protect his family made everything worse, and it’s hard not to wish he had done better.
Overall, the adults in this show were honestly infuriating, and that highlights how much the younger characters had to endure.
My only real complaint is the ending. After everything, I really wish we got at least one more episode of Qingyu and Ming Sheng just being happy and in love. That would have been the emotional closure I needed.
Still, Reborn is a powerful and emotional drama that stays with you.
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Beautiful drama but....
I think it was a beautiful drama. I liked the first few episodes because it had me thinking he was the BF and he disappeared on her after the accident and then another time, made me think because he lost his memory, he was trying to find her.I did like that mystery part of it. It did keep things interesting.
Both leads were in a dark place at some point in their lives and they pulled each other out. He understood the struggle she was going through and did his best to make her feel joy again.
Thank you for letting everyone have a positive ending in the drama!!!! Because you got me worried for a bit with some of the characters.
Why I didn't rate this higher? There was nothing significant about the plot, same type of misunderstandings close to the end and then its cleared up by hearing the truth and then trying to find back the person and then the "happy ending".
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Not bad
I've finally finished it, I struggled through the last 5 episodes but I did it.First of all, I've not seen the OG, so I had nothing to compare this version to, and I think that's why I rated it higher despite the negative comments here I found it entertaining.
Secondly, I like to point out that I don't watch many lakorns, but I understand they have their unique pattern, like too stretched unnecessarily, and many side characters can be killed easily, also they look like they are low on the budget with funny makeup and effects, not to mention the weak acting/editing/directing and so, however that doesn't affect how entertaining they are if you can stomach these stuff.
1- I liked the two leads and their dynamic relationship, the beginning was more funny tbh, cause the fake beard and overactive Khun Yai made me laugh so I couldn't take anything seriously and I couldn't see him scary at all also I love Toey so I enjoyed watching him in a quirky silly role.
2- nice chemistry between the leads, I don't know why some complains about the chemistry, they fit together enough to enjoy the show, one thing I didn't like was the fake kisses, I can't believe they still rely on camera angles and hair to made them look like they are kissing, but I understand that they do that in most lakorns and we still got some real light kisses too so it doesn't matter much.
3- as I said before, lakorns tend to have too many drama unnecessary making them too stretched and have too many skippable episodes which is why I struggled in the last 5 episodes, I wanted it to end at ep20 max, and it'd have too much drama already.
4- they killed many side characters, but not the ones I wanted dead lol but I can't say that's a negative thing tbh, it just bothered me a little.
5- too evil characters that tend to be unbeatable, the madam was too much, I'm thankful the overacting here wasn't too much, actually I can stomach that much, I've seen worse, but she is so powerful in a very unrealistic way.
6- too many characters in general, I don't understand why they have to cast that much side characters they added nothing to the story tbh.
Overall, entertaining lakorn, not bad but not great either, if you, like me, is intrigued by the story and like the lead then you will enjoy it ~
Final thing, I understand some people compares this version to the OG calling it worse, I wouldn't know, I couldn't find the OG anywhere to give it a try, so I respect that opinion, to each his own, but I believe this version deserves to be considered too and I think the leads did great so,... recommend show ~
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In the meantime, this drama can be found in YouTube under the caption:“Entering the Trap, Falling in Love”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s-erq4KNso)
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My comfort drama
This is one of my comfort dramas. It's more slice-of-life, all fluff and no major conflict.I love the chemistry between the main couple, they're so cute. And then the height difference, the male lead is so tall. To the point when she's mad, she has to stand on a chair just to nag him properly.
I love how they don't villainize the male lead's senior when she found out about male lead and female lead. She's actually pretty cool about it.
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This review may contain spoilers
loved you in the past. love you in the present
oh man, it was really good .i wasn't expecting much from it plus the awful subtitles everywhere where i try to watch it. made me question my eyes, cause i can't understand Chinese but i know she was clearly saying a name but the subtitles tend to differ. the only place where i found a better subtitle quality was you tube but then the sound quality there wasn't good. I'm glad that i watched it cause at one hand i got something really nice to watch and on the other hand it cured my drama slump. though i wish the website would've worked for at least the final episode cause it was wonderful but i watched it on you tube but i couldn't emotionally resonate with it cause of the sound.and also we didn't really see xiaoxiao's friend who came with her to the class reunion in the past .and do the classmates also have a distinct memory of xiaoxiao now compared to before? and what happened to xie lan? i guess we'll never know .tbh i'm only thinking about it now .Was this review helpful to you?
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Romance drama that gives you the warm feeling but inflated ratings?
The romance is sweet and is slow burn. Both leads acted well and were absolute eye candies to look at. However while this is a good romance drama I felt its ratings is kinda inflated?I also felt that too much emphasis was placed on the eventual breakup of the second FL’s marriage. When they’ve finally broken up, there were some hints of love blossoming between SFL and Gong Huai Cong but the drama decided on an open ending for them on the last episode while giving us lots of sweet cuddling scenes for the main leads. Nothing wrong and I get many would love these scenes but I just wished some time was given to the SFL’s relationship.
Also cannot get over how annoying the FL’s parents are to attempt to try to make the FL give up her own happiness for the death (the dad’s dead friend). Bro gotta move on.
Overall it was quite a good sweet romance drama but had some flaws which I believe could be easily overlooked with how much sweet scenes they’ve included for the main leads.
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So Good at First, Then a Bit Messy
The cinematography, chemistry, pacing, story (up to episode 20-ish), everything is top-notch. Watching this drama really made me excited for what comes next, and I was always eagerly waiting for new episodes. The female and male leads are also really good-looking. The CGI is just okay.But in the later episodes, the story kinda goes downhill. There are a lot of plot holes, and many things are left unexplained. I even ended up reading the novel because I wanted answers, and it turns out they changed a lot of things in the drama. Maybe it’s because they had to fit everything into 40 episodes, but it ends up feeling incomplete.
In the novel, the main “traitor” is actually Fan Changyu’s maternal grandfather. Her father marries into her mother’s family and is also involved in the grandfather’s betrayal. But her mother still stays with him despite that, which makes Fan Changyu believe her father is innocent.
Meanwhile, in the drama, her father is the main “traitor”, and she believes he’s innocent because of how her parents act toward each other. Like??? Love can be blind, and maybe her mother is just a lovesick fool. The novel makes a lot more sense.
When Xie Zheng finds out that Fan Changyu is the traitor’s daughter, he just accepts it. In the novel, you can really feel his inner turmoil, and he even tries to stay away from her.
Another thing I didn’t like in the drama is the lashing scene. It was carried out by Wen Yan. He even had the audacity to point fingers at Fan Changyu’s father, while knowing he’s the real reason why everything happened. In the novel the punishment was carried out by a retainer of the Xie family under Xie Zheng’s orders. He punished himself first before getting back together with Fan Changyu.
And the final battle… that’s it?? It only lasts like 10 minutes. They also did Fan Changyu dirty. She actually fights in the novel, unlike in the drama.
Fan Changyu was adopted by Grand Tutor Tao to elevate her background, and they even have a fight because of this. But after they return to the capital, somehow it’s never mentioned?
After the final battle, General Meng was given a title. But who is he? Why is he relevant? If I didn’t read the novel, I wouldn’t know why.
There are a lot more plot holes and things I dislike, but I’m too lazy to list them all. It’s such a pity they didn’t cut down Fan Changyu’s gang or the second couple’s screen time to fix these issues.
Despite all that, it’s still a good drama, and I’d recommend it.
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realistically bittersweet love
This drama is clearly not everyone's cup of tea based on the reviews, but it's a 10/10 for me. If you want a bittersweet realistic drama and a good cry (if you're a crier), then I highly recommend it.I feel like most of the viewers who disliked this are just not the target audience. The story was really realistic for me as it explored all the struggles and conflicts life can give you. It was full of wrong timings and misunderstandings that I feel like could've been avoided if they, or mostly Eun-a, just actually talked to Tae-seo clearly and honestly before making all the decisions they did. However, I could honestly understand why they made all the decisions they did because hey, that's just how life happens sometimes.
Eun-a might've been self-centered but I understand where she is coming. It wasn't explored well but she went through so much and had to make decisions that negatively affected the relationship. Tae-seo on another hand was pitiful, I would say. He loved Eun-a for all those years and understood her every time. But, their own lives ultimately made it hard for them to be together.
I understand the other's sentiment that A-sol should've ended up together with Tae-seo, but it was fitting that they didn't. Tae-seo loved someone so deeply and him being together with A-sol would be a cheat to how he actually felt and it would've been just a forced connection due to A-sol's feelings for him. As for Seong-chan, in a way, he really just took advantage of Eun-a's vulnerability into having the kind of relationship that they had.
All in all, they were both right. Eun-a's place was right for her and Tae-seo's place was right for him. They were just not made to live in the same place.
Props to the writers for the rather realistic story. I personally think the actors did well in bringing me to tears every time, so props to them as well! It was a heartbreaking good watch. <3
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BEST CHINESE DRAMA EVER
i love it! su zai zai is so cute!!! rang rang is a GREEN FLAG. they are so cute together!!!! and jiang jia with gu ran, are meant to be together. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. Its my first C-drama and my all time favorite. I dont understand how some people dont like it. wifty is a MASTERPIECE NOTHING can beat wifty. ABSOLUTELY RECOMMENDED IT CHANGED ME.Was this review helpful to you?
