Reviews

Cute and dramatic – absolute perfection

Even when I saw the intro I knew this was going to be awesome. The crossover of a popular royalty setting with the modern world is soo good. The story is so well crafted, and I even enjoyed the political part of it, which doesn't usually happen.
IU and Byeon Woo-seok showed their amazing acting once again. I freaking love them, and even more when they're together. their chemistry, the tension, UGHHH YES YES YES. The romance was so nice to watch, there was quite a natural transition into when they started actually caring for eachother. And every kiss scene had be kicking my feet omg.
AND I CAN'T FORGET ABOUT OUR CUTIE PIE SECOND LEAD COUPLE. I KNEW ITTTTT I KNEW CHOI HYEON AND DO HYEJUNG WOULD BE TOGETHERRR. i love them my pookies.
I am kine of dissapointed that Min Jeonwoo became bad, but I guess he had it coming. I really liked him at the start, but oh well.
The school setting was really interesting, too, which is why I wish we maybe had more scenes from it. I know that it probably wouldn't be necessary for the plot, but... yeah.
The last episode ended so nicely. And he seems softer while not being a royal. When she calls him Lee Wan. I realized we didn't know his real name for the entire time until now lol.
so, overall, this is an absolute banger. yum yum.

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The drama lost my respect at episode 9!

Till episode 8, I was able to see only visual elements in the story - Beauty, fashion, visual perfection. But story wise, nothing! Still, it was at least a little entertaining.

However, in episode 9, I lost respect for the main characters. They deceived the nation, the rulers, their families, and everyone with the contract agreement. Okay. I understand that initially they did it and later they developed feelings. But, they didn't dispose off the contract right? So, the evil people used it to frame the couple and chase the male lead out of the palace. Understandable. What else can you expect from a evil character, right?

However, isn't it a fact that the contract was real? Did the villains fabricate the contract?? No. Absolutely not! Then, don't the royal contract couple need to explain that to the public sincerely and apologize for it? Absolutely.

Okay, let's say that they didn't do it because they were aiming for a perfect time to settle the matter, then did they show such a remorse internally? Did they have any guilt or shame for deceiving an entire nation? Nope. Not an ounce!

Alright fine. Then, what else were they doing if not even think about their mistakes or how to ask forgiveness from the people?? Oh let me tell you the golden reactions and proceedings - First, the female character rolled her eyes because the evil queen mom called the council of royal relatives. And why did she roll her eyes? Because the queen mom stated facts and female lead couldn't accept it coming from evil queen mom with evil intentions. But was what the evil queen mom said wrong or something?? Nope. She was absolutely right to anger, to call the council, to reprimand them for making a fool of the nation. But the lead characters' priority? Oww we are butt hurt.. you evil evil queen mom.. comfort me.. comfort us..aww.. BULLSHIT!

Next, what else were they doing if not thinking about an apology?? Oh this is pure gold- they were thinking about saving their asses. Oh wait.. don't be so kind.. just give it straight, what did they do?? They were tirelessly working day and night worrying about their royal positions BUAHAHAHAHA!

I'm an adult. I know the weight of what the people of a nation expect from their ruler and leader who they look up to, who will not just lay rules upon the people, but also set an example to follow. Unfortunately, as the drama focused too much on the visual elements, I guess they forgot to put some thought into their character building. They glorified arrogance and selfishness and projected an idea that these lowly and nasty qualities are acceptable if the visuals are in place.

Drama dropped as I lost respect. Kuddos to everyone that made it. You are the people that make the world more beautiful!

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HEALTHY COUPLE ALERT!!!!

I really enjoyed watching this vertical drama. I'm rather picky with what I watch and I tend to drop most dramas after 10-20 mins if I dislike something. I watched this till the very end.

It's heartwarming and empowering

What I liked:
+++ ACTUALLY HEALTHY CP!!!!! ML respects the FL, he uplifts her and treated her like an equal and she treats him like a normal human being too

+++ Character development!!!! It's not anything crazy deep, but in my opinion it fit the story well. I don't want to spoil anything but I think I can safely say that the FL grows throughout the story.

+++ Some character depth beyond the usual clichés: We have our usual 4 characters: ML, FL, stupid cheating pathetic manipulative SML (FL ex husband) and green tea bitch SFL. But hear me out! In my opinion, they actually have PERSONALITIES. I'm able to list out some character traits of our FL, she even has hobbies and skills. The ML maybe a bit less, but he's a good guy overall. Now, SML. Compete scum, but! Actual human scum, not a cartoonish flat scum. His attitude to the people around him is consistent throughout the story, his behaviours are also consistent and you can see that there's some depth and complexity to what he feels about the FL. Now, SFL. Come at me, but I actually liked her. She's a complete green tea bitch, but she also very clearly has a brain of her own and a goal in what she's doing. She's not just blindly sticking to the SML for no reason other than "the plot needs it". Even though I only got confirmation of it at the very end of the drama.

+++ FL and ML are equals, there's no poor weak good-for-nothing, damsel-in-distress FL. And she's not at ML's mercy.

+++ No rape, misunderstandings, fuck-or-die concoctions, unexplained bullying, forced marriages

++ Coherent plot

+ Quite nice music (although i might be biased, because it's unusual for me to watch dramas on sites that actually keep the original soundtrack)

+ Good/decent cinematography. I'm not a professional, but I honestly forgot I'm watching a vertical drama on some random website instead of on Netflix



Some small dislikes (don't let this repel you):
- there was a lie (only one which is an achievement imo, considering the usual amount in these dramas) that didn't get resolved and it left me feeling a bit uncomfortable, because I wouldn't like that to happen irl. But the FL was clearly okay with keeping that lie unresolved and the intention of said lie was not harmful to anyone, so I let it slide.

Trigger Warnings:
Car accident and death + some trauma

If somebody is sensitive about these things:
there are depictions of a gaslighting, manipulative and controlling relationship, but they're shown for what they are, not glorified in any way and resolved

There is one situation when sb is trying to force the FL into a kiss but doesn't succeed

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Why always first leads are right?

I like this drama. It’s story line was very interesting and keep me engaged till the very end. I really love strong and smart female lead and in this series our female was strong and all, I mean I just don’t know I like the Princess Xiyang, I mean in starting Fu Yixiao was my fav and I didn’t like the princess but as the story goes on I really loved her character the way she portrayed the story of a lonely girl in foreign land. For Fu yixiao she really suffered so much but stills stands tall but tbh I didn’t like her acting. For Our very handsome Chen zhe yuan as First Prince. His character was same like all the stories in starting he is shown as ruthless and killing machine but as the story goes he is very kind and all I mean I get he takes his revenge and never harms the innocent it is good but It’s always the same character nothing new and I did like the scenes of Main leads in the very start but after few episodes those bickering and all fades really quickly and Male lead fell in love with her just after few episodes cause they have same trauma somehow. It is very bad of me But I really the chemistry and little story of Princess Xiyang and Emperor of Jinxiu, he was very cruel and gruesome but somehow his character still made a teeny tiny place in your heart. First of all his character was different and very cool. For my fav one, eminence omg I really loved his acting although we have seen second male leads playing these kind of psycho characters but his acting was very good and it was commendable in the last 2 episodes. Idk y but I was hoping Fu yixiao will left Feng suige for him . I mean IK he was ruthless for killing innocents and he should be punished for it and deserved fm’s hate but the way he portrayed and made his character lovable somehow. Thank you

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A Flawless Production

I am honestly still speechless after finishing this. It is extremely rare to come across a production where every single element—from the writing and acting to the directing—is executed so flawlessly. The plot is incredibly gripping, with brilliant twists that keep you thoroughly engaged throughout the entire journey.
The cast delivered phenomenal, deeply layered performances that made the characters feel so alive and relatable. On top of that, the breathtaking visuals and the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack elevate the emotional weight of every single scene, turning it into a literal visual feast.
The immersion is so intense that I completely lost track of time while watching. The sheer level of detail and production value is unmatched, making it a show that demands to be rewatched.

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Miscommunication over good plot, why can't people just talk with each other

I will divide this into two because I feel like I need to get this out. First, I found myself struggling to fully appreciate this story because it gave me such a banging headache from all that miscommunication that happens between those two. Initially when I saw this come on my viki I wanted to watch it bc it sounded interesting with the plot of fake dating turned real somewhere along the way. HOWEVER; the plot is quite standard, revolving around a typical secret crush on a best friend, but it’s marred by a level of frustration that makes you want to reach through the screen and slap people half the time due to the frustration. Despite its predictable storyline, there were certainly moments that were cute and genuinely funny, which provided some relief amidst my dying irritation.

As for the characters, the first male lead (Ba Woo) was actually quite endearing at times, and I found myself rooting for him throughout. The other main lead (Ji Hun), on the other hand, was just… there. He didn't bring much to the table and often felt overshadowed by the other characters that they tried to push.

So, overall, if you're planning on watching this one maybe don’t set your expectations too high when it comes to their storyline. Overall, while the show had its merits, the frustrations I experienced definitely dampened my enjoyment of it.

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I highly enjoyed this! It was a quick watch, which is what I wanted after watching 2 long cdramas back to back, but I'm so glad I randomly pulled this to watch. I'm currently watching Seo Ji Hoon is Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency, so seeing him pop up here was a fun surprise. There were some small moments in the story where I got confused and had to rewind a bit, but this was overall a really good watch. The OST didn't get on my nerves by playing constantly and that's a big plus. The only thing that really didn't make much sense to me was why the ML changed so much in the face over the 10 years, meanwhile everyone else looked the exact same. I know it can happen, but that's my only real gripe that pulled me out of the story sometimes. And that's not the actor's fault. Both playing Shinwoo did amazing. I would love to be able to share this with my family one day.

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Something was missing and couldn’t say what !!

The drama started off really strong with a unique storyline and great chemistry between the characters, but somewhere around episode 7, I completely lost the plot. Honestly, everything after episode 6 felt like a haphazard mess. By episode 8, I had completely lost interest. I was genuinely sitting there wondering what was even going on.

Jo Hojin kept saying he didn’t want to get involved with Muhee, yet he constantly kept getting into her problems and Mu her’s life. After a while, Jo Hojin stopped feeling like the male lead and started feeling more like Muhee’s romantic interest with no story of his own. I really wanted more depth and individuality from his character.

Muhee, on the other hand, was a very complex character. I had a love-hate relationship with her throughout the drama. There were times when I liked Do Ra Mi more simply because she didn’t come across as pathetic. Watching Muhee beg for love again and again became frustrating after a point. It felt like the same emotional cycle repeating over and over without any real character growth.

The story felt weak and inconsistent to me at times. Muhee clearly needed serious psychological help, and the drama hinted at that in the earlier episodes, but after episode 3 it was almost completely ignored. Her entire career was supposedly on the line, yet later episodes treated the situation so casually that it lost all impact.And Jo Hojin trying to “fix” her problems on his own had me wondering hello sir, are you also a medical expert now?

I also didn’t like the way poor Hiro was used and discarded!! Like do they have to make him fall for Muhee? Dumb af

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an exceptional performance and writing

this has to be one of the greatest k dramas to ever exist,the story telling is well written and makes the characters feel so relatable,GYJ has delivered a masterpiece performance along with the rest of the cast,this k drama should have the highest ratings but a lot of people don’t understand emotional intelligence and story telling,they rather have a perfect crown type of show wealthy people who are obnoxious and annoying but because there ML actor and FL actress are very pretty people and super famous they watch a shallow mindless useless story instead of this well crafted drama where it shows the real world not a fake dream,I get some people want to escape there real life but this story tells so much more and makes it a well written masterpiece.

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Good potential ruined by FL acting and last episode conclusion

Overall, it was okay. However, IU’s acting and facial expressions got annoying at times.

Spoiler:

I also didn’t like the whole “abolish the monarchy” conclusion. The entire series had the female lead obsessed with protecting the statues and the male lead obsessed with becoming king, only for the ending to suddenly become, “let’s unite and abolish the monarchy together.”

A lot of Asian dramas seem obsessed with making their leads reject royalty, power, or the throne in the end, as if choosing “freedom” automatically makes them morally superior or more enlightened. But it feels unconvincing when the entire story revolves around royal politics, succession, and characters desperately chasing the crown one way or another. It comes across less like natural character growth and more like the writers trying to force a “noble” ending

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Finalmente dei uma chance para as adaptações deste web novel, demorei muito para dar continuidade porque já esperava que o drama todo fosse sobre o bullying, baixa estima e todos os complexos que a FL sentiu e ainda refletia sobre sua vida pelo o que aconteceu na adolescência e que teríamos uma redenção do ML, mas...

São 2 horas e 30 minutos sobre o complexo de inferioridade, insegurança, rejeição, autopiedade da FL. O tema abordado era interessante, porém esse ciclo de pensamento da FL tornou o desenrolar da história cansativo, porque não vemos ela se fortalecendo ao longo do drama, mas sempre aqueles pensamentos e sentimentos sobre o bullying sofrido, seja pelo ML ou pelos colegas de sala. Sim, eu sei, eu sofri bullying na escola, isso impactou muito na minha percepção sobre mim mesma por muito tempo, mas a sensação que o final do drama me trouxe foi que a FL só conseguiu progredir em sua carreira quando descobriu que, de fato, o ML gostava dela 7 anos atrás. Como se essa constatação tivesse finalmente a libertado, mas não por si mesma, por uma possível confiança adquirida, mas pela palavra dita por ele.
Mas é claro, o drama abordou de maneira mais realista toda a dor que a FL sentiu e o quanto impactou em sua confiança para consigo mesma ao longo dos anos, e a respeito do ML, sim, ele foi imaturo demais, ambos foram errados na maneira de se relacionar. Ela, por ter forçado a aproximação inicial pela gentileza que ele demonstrava a ela, e ele pela frieza e imaturidade pelo o que os outros pensariam e até mesmo sobre entender seus sentimentos, já que foi mostrado que mesmo 7 anos depois, ele em terapia, não conseguia admitir que a amava, apesar de chamá-la de primeiro amor.
E definitivamente, para um drama tão longo, não custava nada ter nos dado um final mais coeso, não só o retorno e pá, acabou. O teste de DNA ficou abandonado porque o ML descobriu quando ela partiu..

Eu ia assistir a adaptação "Wu Se Mi Mi", que todos dizem ser boa também, mas como essas duas estavam com a mesma pontuação, decidir por esta. Mas sim, eu sei, a versão "When Love Arrives" tem 0,1 a mais que estas, mas sei que é pelo casal real, e isso não faz diferença para mim, já que me saturo facilmente quando os mesmos atores contracenam eternamente juntos só porque são reais.

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Hilarious Journey of Chaotic Superhero Group

What a chaotic-absurd superhero story. I loved how hilarious and ridiculous it was at the same time. I like the premise, the main superheroes acquired such useless skillsets. They couldn't even control when they power were going to appear by themselves, they had to stick together to make it works. Son Gyeong Un's superpower was a bit useless at the beginning, they initally let him stay in the group just to insult Kang Ro Bin. The first half of the show was a bit slow and somewhat painful, you may even question whether you are watching the correct genre. But bear a little longer, it's all going to pay off. Funny things kept coming here and there. Their thought process often involved something silly. Even the enemy collapsed after being scolded 🤣.

For everyone who were saying Cha Eun Woo is a bad actor, at least it didn't shown in this show. He did a pretty good job. Although the star of this show is of course Park Eun Bin. She always delivers when playing someone with a mentally-special condition. Choi Dae Hoon did again excellently with such annoyance to the whole show, and Im Sung Jae completed the characters to become the team of defects.

It's a shame that such a great story was executed a bit carelessly, must I say. It's like they started the story in the middle, missing out the openings and closures. I couldn't get how Son Gyeong Un kept crashing in Eun Chae Ni and Kang Ro Bin hideout, they were more like arch nemesis. They didn't tell us why the eternal heart ended up in Chae Ni's, did she have something actually "special"? Also, did Chae Ni had zero fear? It always required a caffeine to make her heart beat fast, so she never got nervous in such difficult situations? The brain control power was very strong that it could even control Wunderkinder such as Un Jeong, yet it had zero effect on Chae Ni? There weren't any closure for Ho Ran and Ju Ran too.

They hinted for second season? Yeah perhaps that will give closure for what hadn't been done. Great for rewatch too as it's very funny and lightweight.

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Started as a solid 10, but not anymore…

well, I have always loved watching Gong Jun’s drama, I really like his choice of scripts, be it Dream Garden or The Truth….he was the only reason I stuck around and finished the whole show. but ehhh…low-key disappointed with a lot of scenes.
1. it is a family court setting and a family court is no different than a normal court, but it somewhere felt that the litigants never seems to have followed the procedure, this might be too technical to judge tho
2. FL was always show barging in, meddling or eavesdropping and I really did not appreciate her attitude. next, as a lawyer she must have learnt ethics and court procedures, but she always rubbed me off the wrong way with her actions like blackmailing the ML who is a judge or always overstepping her boundaries. even with her clients she never seemed to have a sense of boundary.
3. the acting of the FL felt stiff, she unfortunately could not make me want to see her in the episodes, her character just felt tooo dry and apathetic. I have seen FL’s other dramas and I never quite liked watching her but this was the worst of all…
honestly, this must have been the most disappointing court room dramas I’ve watched until now, it could’ve been a better one…watch it for Gong Jun if you want, as always he is great..!

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