Reviews

Frustating watch but still okay!

I actually binged this entire show, which is unusual for me with C-dramas, but I just couldn’t help myself!

Their dynamic was really fun to watch at first, but then it took a turn. While I liked the male lead, the female lead did all the heavy lifting in the relationship, which didn’t feel fair. It became so frustrating to watch, and I hate being frustrated. I also wasn't a fan of the production. I like it when a show looks high-quality, and this one didn't. That was actually the reason I dropped it during the first episode the first time I tried to watch it!

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proof that clichés can spice up your life—if you know what you're doing.

2026 is apparently my year of walking down memory lane, and i have to say that it's incredibly rewarding to revisit a drama that still feels just as buzzy as i remember. 'business proposal' shall always be that girl.

much like four years ago, when i used to look forward to mondays and tuesdays just to catch the newest episode, i found myself experiencing that same giddy, warm feeling every time i hovered over the play button. iam not even exaggerating when i say my face hurt from smiling before the episode had properly started; just the intro got me going. that has to be what comfort feels like, right??

what stands out the most is how effortlessly this drama proves that clichés are not the problem—bad execution is. because yes, you've seen these tropes before. probably multiple times. and yet here, nothing feels forced or embarrassing. instead it's all incredibly distinctive in the best way, like a romcom that understands exactly what it is and commits to it fully.

and then there's the characters.

our leading lady, shin ha-ri, isn't trying to be a strong, independent woman—she just is one. the female friendship between her and young-seo has an actual depth and narrative importance, which already puts this kdrama above half the genre. and the men? oh, the men. the best kind, actually—down bad, devoted, and just the right amount of endearingly pathetic. spectacular. give me fourteen of them immediately.

structure-wise, the series knows exactly what to do. conflicts and plot twists are resolved within an episode or two, never overstaying their welcome or dragging the pacing down. is the narrative in itself undeniably unrealistic? yes, but everything moves with such confidence that it's hard to hold that against it. could some details have been handled better? sure. and i do think the romance could've been more prominent, especially toward the final episodes. but don't you love it when we get a drama portraying such a healthy, functional relationship between a chaebol and an "ordinary" woman without it descending to toxic masculinity and a saviour complex?

exactly.

sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is put on a silly little romcom, embrace the cheesiness, and let it make you stupidly happy for a few hours.

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This is fine, but…

Having loved the Donghua S1 counterpart when I first watched it, I, by and large, enjoyed the live-action adaptation, which follows most of the iconic scenes faithfully. However, the humor and pacing of this adaptation somehow didn’t translate quite as well for me.

Look, I get it.

The live-action series and the Donghua can—and should—be viewed separately, and we shouldn’t compare them. So with that in mind, I’m setting those comparisons aside to focus purely on how this live-action adaptation stands up on its own.

First, the positives:

Wang Churan’s visuals. In terms of personality, I don’t think she carries the female lead’s bubbly energy all that well. But boy, is she easy on the eyes. I can accept this version of Yu Wan Yin / Wang Cui Hua, though—she’s a bit more reserved, but still very much an action-oriented lead who takes matters into her own hands.

The casting of Xie Yong Er. I quite like her character in this. A number of her scenes really captured my attention, whether it was due to the actress’s performance or the way the scenes were written in this live adaptation. I have a personal bias toward the characterization of Yu Wan Yin / Wang Cui Hua, so the fact that Xie Yong Er managed to steal my focus—at times even more than the female lead—is quite telling.

The changes for Bei Shu. It was a bit surprising to see their deviation and creativity here, but I have no major complaints; the humor they injected works for me.

Now comes the not so positives part and why I dropped it:

The lack of chemistry for the main couple. While they follow the key scenes and script faithfully, I just don’t feel engaged in the romance between Xia Hou Dun and Yu Wan Yin. I think Ryan did a good enough job—especially compared to his work in other series— but chemistry is either there or it isn’t, and I’m just not feeling it here. In a romance idol period drama, that lack of chemistry is a major sticking point.

There’s a specific key scene they changed (right before I ultimately dropped the show) that was clearly intended to highlight Yu Wan Yin’s "virtue." In doing so, they completely bypassed her agency —the very trait that actually makes her interesting —in favor of making her look saintly.

Even setting aside any comparison to the Donghua counterpart, I’ve never been a fan of main characters written to be overly virtuous. It feels forced, and more importantly, it strips away the nuance of their actual personality. When you choose "saintliness" over a character’s own calculated actions, the story loses the exact thing that makes a lead worth watching.

They also added unnecessary humor scenes for the side characters that didn’t land well. It feels like a cheap writing trick to rely on making other characters the butt of a joke just to prop up the lead. This doesn't make me like the protagonist more, it just makes the character dynamics feel unbalanced. Ultimately, these filler scenes only served to highlight the pacing issues.

I went into this hoping to see the story stand on its own, but the pacing issues and the neutered character development made it hard to stick with. To me, it doesn’t actually matter whether a series chooses to adapt the source material faithfully or strike out in a new direction. What matters is whether the result works. Unfortunately, in this case, the lack of chemistry and a lead who lacks some agency made it impossible for me to stay invested. It’s a visual treat, sure, but it just isn't the show for me.

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Turn Your Brain Off

HUMINT is a Korean spy film… that ends up being just another generic action movie.

The story revolves around human trafficking, crime networks, and the Russian mafia.
Heavy subject… completely generic execution.

Same formula again: many vs one…
but always attacking one at a time.
Like they’re waiting in line.

The “good guys” are perfect at everything:
taekwondo, flawless aim, insane reflexes.
They can even land shots by bouncing bullets off the ground.

The “bad guys”… can’t hit anything.
Not even at close range.
Except for the main villain, of course. He actually feels dangerous.

The body count is exactly what you’d expect:
enemies piling up like props during endless shootouts.

The movie tries to say something about corruption —
that everyone, even the police, takes advantage of others.
But in the end, it falls back on the usual cliché:
the unstoppable hero
and the “girl in danger” as motivation.

And then comes the most forced part:
characters who should behave like spies…
suddenly act like elite agents,
while everyone else conveniently becomes incompetent so they can shine.

And yes… you can almost hear the director saying:
“run straight into the bullets.”

Final verdict

If you like turning your brain off…
5 out of 5.

If you want tension, logic, and a well-written story…
this isn’t it.

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The baddie and the hottie

The drama started off much calmer than I expected. The early village arc was interesting, but it felt like the focus leaned more toward the female lead than the male lead. While many people loved this part, I personally found it quite slow. Spending almost 20 episodes there was too much—around 10–12 episodes would’ve been enough before moving the story to the capital.

That said, the second half picked up significantly. Once the story shifted into political intrigue, war, and action, it became much more engaging. I really enjoyed the battle scenes and court dynamics—they added tension and made the plot feel more alive.

However, I didn’t find the plot very smooth. At times, it was hard to follow, especially when it came to identifying the real antagonist. It’s not the easiest drama to keep up with, though it’s still manageable.

There’s been a lot of hype around this show, and I think whether it lives up to it depends on the viewer. If you’re new to historical dramas, it will probably feel very impressive. But if you’ve watched many in this genre, like I have, you’ll likely notice its flaws. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s still enjoyable—you laugh, you feel emotional, and overall it’s time well spent.

My biggest issue with the drama is the male lead. His character was clearly meant to feel powerful, ruthless, and intimidating, but that aura never fully came through. I’m a fan of Zhang Linghe, but here it felt like the direction focused more on his visuals than his character. Many of his scenes were shot in a slow, almost romanticized way that highlighted his appearance rather than his presence.

As the story progressed, he also seemed overshadowed by other characters and lacked strong screen impact. It’s not necessarily about his acting—it felt more like the character wasn’t properly established. Even emotionally, his expressions leaned softer and more innocent, rather than conveying the ruthless edge the role needed.

That said, visually, he looked incredible. His styling—costumes and hair—was easily one of the best parts of the show.

On the other hand, the true standout was the female lead. She absolutely carried the drama. This felt like her story more than his. She was strong, charismatic, and balanced—capable in combat but still kind and human. One of my favorite female generals in recent dramas.

My only issue with her writing is that toward the later part of the story, she was occasionally portrayed as less perceptive than she should’ve been. It felt like the drama reduced her intelligence at times, limiting her to just being strong physically, which didn’t match how capable she was earlier.

The romance was well shot and emotionally effective, though not particularly memorable for me. I can definitely see why others would love the couple—it just didn’t stand out personally.

Performance-wise, Deng Kai was phenomenal. He delivered one of the most compelling performances in the drama. His ability to switch expressions—especially through his eyes—was incredible. He portrayed a villain that was hard to hate, which made his character even more interesting. His chemistry with the second female lead was intense and engaging, even if her transmigration subplot felt a bit out of place in a historical setting.

Also worth mentioning is Lin Muran, who really impressed me. This was my first time watching him, and he showed a lot of potential. His portrayal was sharp and impactful—I can definitely see him becoming a standout actor in future roles.

The drama’s production quality is one of its strongest points. The cinematography was beautiful and detailed, the costumes were well done, and the OST—especially during war scenes—was very impactful. Some scenes were visually stunning, like the pheasant feather crown moment and the later flower crown sequence.

I also loved the side characters and group dynamics, especially the “pig slaughtering squad”—they added a lot of fun and charm to the show. Lord Li was another enjoyable character that I’d love to see more of in future dramas.

Overall, Pursuit of Jade is a good drama, but not a standout one. It didn’t fully meet my expectations, mainly because it lacked a strong climax and sometimes prioritized visuals over storytelling depth.

If you go in with high expectations, you might feel underwhelmed. But if you watch it casually, without expecting something groundbreaking, it’s definitely enjoyable.

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I enjoyed this one a lot! It wasn’t perfect, but it was great nonetheless. What I loved most was the casting. After reading the webtoon (which I actually dropped, lol), I thought the actors wouldn't fit at all, thank god I’m not a casting director because I was totally wrong! They were the best part of the show, hands down. The story was okay, bit depressing, but the chemistry and their love story kept me watching. The male lead’s devotion felt like every girl's dream, pure and incredibly strong. Sure, if you think too deeply, he’s basically a romanticized stalker, but it’s fiction! We forgive, we forget, and we enjoy the vibes. Lmao!

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Been there and done that!

I started this show only because of the female lead; I loved When I Fly Towards You and thought she was so cute, so I figured I’d give this one a chance. Honestly, I wasn’t feeling it from the very first episode. Social media edits made me force myself to sit through two more, until I finally had to put myself out of my misery! I don’t think the show was necessarily "bad," but it felt like something I’ve seen a million times before. Usually, a predictable plot isn't enough to make me drop a show, but pair that with a bad mood and it’s the perfect recipe for an immediate "no" from me.

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I'd recommend it!

This one was really enjoyable! The leads were super cute, and I loved the female lead, she was truly a breath of fresh air. She was fearless and straightforward, which made for an interesting watch. I had a hard time focusing at the beginning because I thought it was boring (and I don’t have much patience!), but I’m glad I stuck around because it kept getting better.

I do think the show could’ve been shorter. C-dramas often go overboard with length when the plot isn't strong enough to sustain it. Since this is a slice-of-life show, you stay because you’re attached to the characters, but in my opinion, those types of stories don't need more than 16 episodes!

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I love FortPeat so so much but…

ts was actually so boring 😭why’d it take me 16 days to watch a 11 episode bl series?!? (counting the special ep) MIND YOU I HAD TO PUT THIS IN 2X SPEED 60% OF THE TIME CUZ I COULDNT ENDURE IT NO MORE BUT I DIDNT WANNA DROP CUZ I WANTED TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED AND CUZ I LOVE FORT AND PEAT

Idk what it was about it, maybe it was the scenes that dragged on forever or the unbearable side couple or the boring ass family drama scenes but yeah I think I hated so much about this series 💔

So I love my GL and all but Vie and Mook were SOOOOO annoying and boring asf like there was no point of their story and this would’ve been better if they just didn’t end up together cuz genuinely how tf did they even end up together bruh Mook was dead set on fricken idek yall and then boom all of a sudden they’re together ? like how does that make sense like maybe spend less time having Vie boss Mook around and instead spend more time actually giving them a fucking story PMO PMO PMO PMO PMO their stories could’ve been done 10x better I blame whoever wrote ts for that

The whole Raks sister/dad/family drama was boring but sad and I get that it’s important but yeah I watched that in 1.5X speed unfortunately cuz I couldn’t stand that dumbass sister and that fuckass dad 🙄🙄🙄 I did enjoy all the scenes with the niece and Rak and Mut tho, that was cute

Or maybe it’s because I’ve never been one to like beach scenes or beaches in general but like it’s literally in the title so I knew there’d be 90% beach scenes so that cant be it, because I quite enjoyed the beach scenes too tbh, the series was lowkey beautiful in that sense. So that’s a good thing

I do really like Rak and Mut as characters tho, theyre both amazing characters and I love them together, MUT IS LITERALLY THE BEST AND I LOVED RAKS SASSY ATTITUDE HE LOWKEY RUDE ASF THO BUT I GET IT I GET IT

MIT SWEET ASF PROTECT HIM AT ALL COSTS

The fricken nc scenes though oml FortPeat sis asf cuz those were too good also FortPeat kiss the best in the whole Thai bl industry, they’re practically eating each other fr

so yeah UPS and DOWNS to this series and if I were to watch it again, I’d prob skip half of it, but I’m glad I watched it cuz it was lowkey good in some parts not so much in others

I enjoyed the experience and just love FortPeat so much so yeah

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How Did This Come from the Director of Love for Love’s Sake?

I really wanted to like this drama, mostly because it’s from the same director as one of my absolute favorite K-BL series, Love for Love’s Sake. But alas, it was so disappointing. I still can’t believe it’s the same director who made LFLS.

The screenwriter(s) did a terrible job. Three countries (Korea, Thailand, and China) were involved, and the result was still terrible. The storytelling was really bad. Honestly, WeTV should have just given the production to a Korean team instead of a Thai team. I really wonder what they were thinking.

I hope WeTV reads the comments and improves in the future. For their first original K-BL, they did a really poor job. It was so boring that I almost gave up and just wanted to rewatch Love for Love’s Sake again and again.

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Masterpiece in the making!

wow this is amazing, ep 1 shows a new kdrama masterpiece in the making!!!

It is a family drama involving a city family moved to a small village .... so there are tons of fun scenes and actors

The music is sooo fun LOL spaghetti western with the ML village scenes LOL

This is a great comedy. Yeah there are all kinds of real life scenes, but everything is permeated with gentle or raucous comedy

the topics of the drama are not light :) We get to see a corporate-failed dad, school-failed older son, america-failed mom and 2 younger sons, and then ... various mysterious village personas and shady corporate personas....

The drama is really comical yet it is very deep and heavy, actually. That sense of lightness and VIBRANT LIFE PUSHING FORWARD is accomplished by being present in the moment....

Moment-to-moment, we get to see the depth and the lightness and humor in each moment, and the LIFE AND LIGHT that permeates everything and pushes towards healing.

kdramas are masters in that and this is definitely one of those pedigreed masterful kdramas .
It is MASTERFUL STORYTELLING. Showing the muck, the process out, the healing, and the transformation.

I love acting of the ML actor, he is one of my favorites.

I am not sure why it is only 1 episode per week, that is the only bummer.

Overall, this looks like a masterpiece in the making! A really fun drama, deep complex yet fun! The classic kdrama style, talking about super deep and heavy subject with a sense of lightness and humor.

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Excessive and forced

I really wanted to like this series particularly because the male lead does have a good look for the roles that he plays. Unfortunately, I also dropped his other series (Fangs of Fortune) and now I'm also dropping this one. And after this, he seems pretty one-note or maybe he just isn't being cast well.

The pacing is really slow and the ML/FL interactions are just ridiculously overdone. The whole staring at each other closely in the eyes and excessive seduction scenes this early on are likely for fans who like these actors for their looks. The main plot hints towards something more interesting but definitely not enough to bypass the over-dramatizations. Too bad as the rest of the cast have been decent but it plunders if the ML/FL aren't impressive.

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