Reviews

An exceptionally heartwarming teen drama!

Plot mostly focuses on the characters’ school years, so viewers should not expect major developments in their relationships. Instead, simply enjoy their friendship, meaningful glances and charming conversations. After ep 20, the story shifts to their adult lives, although the most intriguing developments are naturally reserved for the finale eps

I found the storyline highly engaging. Although it may seem that nothing particularly significant was happening, the characters’ friendly gatherings felt so warm, comforting, and peaceful that it was impossible to stop watching.
Lin Zhi Xia impressed me greatly. Although she didn’t always understand the social norms established by society, she continued to remain true to herself, supported by her friends - especially Jiang Yu Bai. He believed in her from the very beginning and recognized her exceptional brilliance, while never making her feel like an outsider. Tian Xi Wei and Hu Yi Tian had remarkably natural chemistry and looked wonderfully harmonious together.
Yu Bai’s proposal to Zhi Xia was truly beautiful!

The soundtrack beautifully enhances the drama’s most important moments. During the scenes involving Zhi Xia and Yu Bai, it genuinely felt as though butterflies were fluttering in my stomach.

I highly recommend this drama. The storyline is light and easy to follow, while still addressing important issues relevant to teenagers lives and worries. Overall, the drama progresses so smoothly that it seems to fly by!

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First off, I would like to clear some misconceptions I read here about this drama. Hopefully this might help some future watchers contemplating on whether to watch this. This drama isn't low budget at all. Its budget is similar to "Moonlight Mystique". The cinematography, cgi and sets are beautiful. Especially the whale boat island. There are no whiny characters either. Now coming to the storyline, it's really good in the first half, the episodes were engaging and no-nonsense, keeping me hooked. Even up to ep28 or something it was still good.

For the last 10 episodes, the editing became choppy and many main scenes were cut out. The storyline started going downhill, still the twists kept me going. But the FL does turn stubborn and annoying for a while. About the ending, I am not happy, neither did I like the way it was presented. Again, heavy editing and removal of some important scenes was frustrating.

All in all, you can watch it once and enjoy the first 2/3rds of the drama. I personally didn't like the ending, but that's just a personal opinion. I am not a fan of one lead killing the other for "the greater good". The only drama which managed to pull off that trope well was possibly "Love between fairy and devil". Here they could've found a way to prevent that from happening, but I feel it was lazy writing in the end.

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SPOILED THEIR RELATIONSHIP A BIT

Didn't understand any mathematical terms used here. I aspire to be like Lin Zhixia nonetheless. Studytok is gonna eat up her study scenes. Her brother, Lin Zeqiu, my god, so handsome. Last saw him on Stand By Me. There his character was unbearable. This kinda feels like a redemption arc for the past choice of character. Saw Hu Yitian after so long, the OG red flag guy showed light right flagmess in initial episodes, however, that didn't last long when he finally realized he can't beat the mighty Zhixia. So he wifed her up instead. The doctor guy with the patient felt so forced ngl. Felt good seeing TingTing find her passion in her job. The restaurant owner was just a catalyst in their relationship. However she served looks. And the food looked so good ugh. Disliked Bai's parents.

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a great premise, a good pairing, a slightly disappointing execution.

my review contains four sections —
[1] singing the series’ praises.
[2] episodes seven and eight.
[3] the couples and the love triangle.
[4] my conclusion.
(please be aware the whole review contains minor spoilers about the story and ending.)


[1] singing the series’ praises.

i liked the overall story; it was simple but engaging. having Siyeol start off with his own ulterior motives was interesting, and i think the premise of getting revenge on behalf of a friend (and unrequited love) is great because it jump-starts the main romance in a way that feels character-motivated instead of coincidental or artificial. this has the opportunity to give the characters more agency, more life, and more depth.

the dialogue and acting felt natural most of the time. despite Aejun (Aejoon) being a massive fanboy and having a huge crush on Siyeol, his lines/reactions never felt too cheesy, dramatized, or unrealistic, which i think is a feat. he could’ve easily been a frustratingly exaggerated stereotype, but he remained fairly level-headed and rational during a lot of his interactions with Siyeol, which i think helped balance out the fanboy moments. Aejun’s timid/shy looks and behaviors also felt normal/natural, and often sold a scene for me. overall, the dialogue and acting for both Aejun and Siyeol in particular were major positives, but the whole casts’ acting was good.

i also really loved the way we got to see/hear some of the internal monologue of both the main leads in the first several episodes. not only does this obviously help us get the full story, and not only does it help build up the romance between the two characters, but it’s great to see/hear how Siyeol feels as he gets to know Aejun more and more.


[2] episodes seven and eight.

all of the above being said, though, the seventh and eighth episodes felt anti-climatic to me.

firstly, though i thought the premise and reveal of Siyeol’s ulterior motives was presented well, the resulting consequences once he was found out were lackluster and Aejun’s reaction seemed very mild. his idol crush appeared out of nowhere, started a relationship with him based on lies, and he found out about those lies while also finding out that his crush liked someone else the whole time. i felt like he should’ve been angry and insulted and heartbroken, and i’m assuming he was, but we barely got to see any of that.

secondly, Siyeol’s feelings started off so interesting, with depth and motive, but by this point i found myself displeased with the way his feelings were written. Siyeol’s reaction to being found out didn’t seem strong enough, plus his feelings for Aejun at that point hadn’t been developed enough. i realize that Siyeol thought Aejun had a boyfriend, but even so: having Siyeol earnestly say, in episode seven of a ten-episode series, that he still felt feelings for someone else was… disappointing, to say the least. this made the main pair’s romance fall rather flat for me. i had to agree with what Gyuseong (Kyusung) said to him: “you’re the one who needs to commit to one person.” and i also had to agree with what Juha (Jooha) later said to him: “think about what you did. you deserve to suffer a little.”

thirdly, the (mostly off-screen and mostly unexplained) revelation of Gyuseong’s reason for breaking up with Juha was lacking. while i understand that Gyuseong was trying to protect Juha’s career and public reputation, it seems like they were together for YEARS before the break-up. so, it made little sense that Gyuseong would cut Juha off so suddenly, without telling Juha about what happened at all. maybe if there had been a bigger threat/scandal, then it would’ve made more sense for him to hide it, but the actual threat didn’t seem like an end-of-career time-to-break-up issue to me — especially since the two of them just end up (openly?) together anyway.

all in all, i can’t say the ending was outright bad, because the last two episodes were much better than these two, but the direction this second half went in still left me feeling less than satisfied.


[3] the couples and the love triangle.

main couple: Choi Siyeol and Na Aejun were super fun to watch on screen. despite Siyeol’s ulterior motives and his feelings for Juha existing alongside his feelings for Aejun for most of the series, the main pair still managed to have a lovely chemistry with each other throughout the story. their scenes were also so cute and well-acted that it was often easy to forget Siyeol had any ulterior motives at all. this is partially why it was disappointing that Siyeol spent so much of the series thinking that he loved Juha more than Aejun, but at least the last two episodes helped make up for part of that. unfortunately, though, i found it kind of hard to believe Siyeol’s declarations about Aejun being the only person he’s actually loved — not because i think he was being insincere in that moment, but because this wasn’t really what we were shown in the series. (i’ll talk about this more in the love triangle paragraph.) still, it was nice to see the main pair get their happy ending.

side couple: Ji Gyuseong and Yeon Juha worked well as a side couple, despite the poor break-up reasoning. considering the limited time we had with them, and considering their exes-to-lovers storyline, i think their reconciliation developed at a decent pace. i also really enjoyed that you could easily tell what their dynamic as a couple used to be (especially in the last episode, when Juha confronts Gyuseong), and it was nice to see them get their happy ending too. when they’re actually happy together, their chemistry is good.

the love triangle: Siyeol’s feelings for Juha are present for most of this ten-episode romance drama, which is frustrating. the show tries to dismiss this by making it seem like Siyeol’s emotions were rooted in some sort of obsessive guilt rather than real love, but i just don’t buy that. there were a few times when Siyeol genuinely showed care and affection for Juha, and the fact that they have a long history and close relationship is brought up too. plus, the whole premise of the story is that Siyeol cared so much about Juha’s happiness that he wanted to get revenge on Juha’s behalf. AND it’s even revealed that Siyeol bought and now lives in Juha’s old apartment! so yeah, Siyeol’s feelings seemed like love to me, not guilt. you could also say it was infatuation mixed with guilt, maybe, but the point is that i don’t believe it was just guilt alone.


[4] my conclusion.

this was a cute, funny, and well-made series with a really interesting premise. the couples had good chemistry, and even the friendships had good chemistry. if the love triangle issue had been resolved a bit better and/or a bit sooner, i think it would’ve made the happy ending feel like it was truly earned and it would’ve made this series even more enjoyable. even so, the last two episodes really made up for a lot of the disappointment i felt, and i was especially happy to see that Aejun and Juha became friends.

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A fluffy ball of happiness wrapped in rose petals!

Our Sticky Love was such a sweet, warm and refreshing drama. It had a little bit of everything, romance, comedy, action, fights, mystery and, above all, a wonderful group of supporting characters who made the whole village feel alive.

Jung Hae In and Ha Young were both wonderful, and I especially enjoyed seeing a more playful and expressive side of Jung Hae In. His facial expressions, comic timing and physicality, the boxing and action scenes, were also fantastic. He truly made the character his own.

The people also around them were just as important. Hospital people, doctors and he villagers, the characters connected to the traditional sweets 🍡village and young couple, brought so much warmth, humor and personality to the story. I genuinely enjoyed spending time with them. Despite a few surprisingly intense action and fighting scenes, the overall tone remained warm, comforting and uplifting for me

Visually, the drama was beautiful. The cinematography, lighting, colors and sound created a bright, almost dreamlike atmosphere. And I loved the music, sometimes innocent and sweet, like the feeling of a first love, and at other times almost classical and elegant!🎶

There were a few moments when I wished the writing had developed certain parts of the story more carefully, but honestly, I didn't mind much. The overall experience was simply too charming.

I finished one episode wanting to watch the next, and by the end I was left with that rare feeling of having spent time somewhere that made me genuinely happier.


A comforting, beautiful, feel-good drama that feels like a warm hug. 10/10. 🌸

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Great watch....light and hilarious

This drama is seriously underrated. I don't remember the last time I laughed out loud this much—it was such a fun watch. I loved the dynamic between Lim Hyun-joon (Lee Jung-jae) and Wi Jeong-sin (Lim Ji-yeon), and their enemies-to-lovers journey was so entertaining that I was genuinely excited for every next episode. All 16 episodes just flew by.

His friendship with his manager and director was great too—the supporting cast added so much heart to the show.

The only negative? The investigation subplot. It's not even the main focus, just a sidekick, and honestly, it didn't add anything to the storyline. If anything, the last few episodes became quite boring because of it. But apart from that, I had a great time with this team. The acting is excellent, and the pairing works beautifully—even with the age gap, the way they presented the relationship felt natural and well-handled.

This drama has the best humor I've seen in a while. Definitely worth a watch if you're in the mood for something light and hilarious.

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CAPEK

Beres 33 eps beneran nangis soalnya capekkk banget secapek itu ngikutin perjalanan hidup mereka berdua ini anjirrr kekk abwjebfiebdifb tlongggggg

btw buat eksekusinya, diawal jujur aja emang jelek banget. Kayak sinetron, cgi jelek musik kayak drama mainan lah padahal ceritanya sebagus itu sekompleks itu anjirrr. CAPEK pokonya capek. Mulai better di tengah tengah like eps 10 lah, editannya udh gak se lebay yang awal awal, cuma kadang masih ada editan yang miss atau kek keliatan banget ai nya gituu.

churan sm linghe gausah diraguin sih mereka all out banget disini, pemain pemain lainnya juga oke banget. OH paling yang agak disayangkan lagi dubbingnya ya kerasa banget bedanya, gak pas wkwkwk.

okelah 8/10 tapi untuk rewatch its a BIG NO

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OG acting and action scenes but MEHH story

Yea it's very addictive story but illogical at times so i wanted to drop it but like i said...... it's addictive so yea i finished it.
But the only two reasons why i am giving this series a rating of 8 is because of ACTING & ACTION SCENES.
And these two are the ONLY REASONS why i kept watching the series.
As for the story, it isn't that bad but it wasn't good either. The story was good but still it wasn't that well written. Many scenes felt forced for the sake of plot. Sometimes the characters were smart and suddenly dumb so some scenes felt very frustrating to watch. Overall, i loved the bromance and in between light comedy. The ending was good but didn't tie up some of the loose ends.
I suggest to only watch it when free, otherwise it's pretty addictive so u will end up wasting a lot of time.

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The discovery of friendship & romance of a genius girl

An averagely good watch. Really liked Tian Xi Wei performance in this show, we get to see another side of her acting, really. She tends to play bubbly/outgoing characters but not this time. She's much more of an introvert yet we got to see her go through all type of emotion. She did a good job bringing Lin Zhi Xia to life.
However, the main plot didn't move me all that much. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice story, I found it quite touching yet feels like something is missing and I can't tell what it is... :(
I like the supporting characters too, on top of the list Lin Zhi Xia big brother. I really like their bond, I enjoyed how she came from an average unproblematic household. I also enjoyed how they turned her rival who had the potential to be the villain into another friend instead. Also how the 2nd lead did not end up acting like a jerk because he didn't get the girl who never felt the same feelings as his, it was nice to have a change. I was surprised by how they handle the male lead storyline, I liked it too.
I'll say, it's a chill drama. Not a must-watch but if you're going through a drama slump and do not know what to watch, check this out. It's not fluffy but it's not too deep either, a nice midpoint between those. ^_^

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Rule the fallen world

After a devastating earthquake the likes of which the world had never seen, we first got Concrete Utopia (2023), a film about a world in the midst of catastrophe with interesting moral questions. Then we set out to explore the collapsed world in Badland Hunters (2024) with a bit more action, and now we have Concrete Market (2025), which takes a step back and returns us to the building that provides an oasis in the middle of the apocalypse, where a plan to take over the top position is taking place.

The only problem is that the film doesn’t really consider the fact that supplies are dwindling and that a market in this form has no long-term sustainability. While watching it, I kept being bothered by the question: what is the point of seizing power over the building when the entire society has no hope or future? We saw too little of the outside world for the setting to feel convincing.

I also missed a bit more action in the film, though at least we got some tension in the mind games between the protagonists, who form fake deals with hidden motives. Still, that wasn’t enough for me because the characters’ motivations aren’t sufficiently developed (perhaps the series version offers better character portrayals), so the film felt occasionally boring.

Nevertheless, I hope for more sequels in this cinematic universe so we can see whether humanity will disappear because of the earthquake or find some kind of new beginning.

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Lord Wu An Completely Stole My Heart

I started this drama purely out of curiosity because of all the hype surrounding it, and now I completely understand why it became so popular. 😭❤️

I’m officially one of the biggest Xie Zheng / Lord Wu An fans now. Seriously… **what a character.** He was so strong, protective, composed and dependable, but at the same time there was so much warmth behind the way he cared for the people he loved.

And Feng Chang Yu… I honestly don’t even know where to start with her. If I tried to list everything I loved about her character, this review would probably never end. 😂💕 She was easily one of my favorite parts of the whole story.

The drama itself is definitely slow-paced, but for me that was part of its charm. Nothing felt rushed or thrown in just for the sake of moving the plot forward. Everything developed naturally, and I ended up completely falling in love with the story.

The romance was another huge highlight. It was never overly cheesy or exaggerated — instead, it felt incredibly sweet, warm and comforting. I could honestly watch Wu An and Chang Yu together all day without getting tired of them.

I also loved how the ending was handled. There was no rushed five-minute conclusion where everything suddenly gets wrapped up. Every character and every storyline was given enough time to properly close, which made the finale feel so satisfying. ✨

And those post-credit scenes in the final episode!! I only wish we had gotten even more of that timeline, especially an extended version of Wu An and Chang Yu’s first encounter. I enjoyed that part so much and would have happily watched an entire extra episode about it. 😭❤️

I still can’t believe I finished the entire series in only **two days**. That alone probably says everything about how addicted I became. 😂🔥

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vrai bon drama bien dosé sans longueur

un bon vrai drama sans longueur sans chichi bien interprété ni niaiseu, ni mélancolique. j étais septique sur l actrice mais elle est forte de proposition sur l ensemble du drama et m à ému surtout avec son ex. l acteur principale aurait gagné en caractère un peu trop lisse pour moi dommage car j ai regardé ce drama pour lui après doom at service ou il était mieux. mais il reste un de mes chouchous. la seconde lead est vraiment aussi belle que la principale. bref ce drama parle d amour surtout comment accepter de tourner la page après une rupture et c est vraiment intéressant on a les deux qui veulent sauver leur histoire mais qui toutes les deux finissent par lâcher prise et se recentrer sur elle même sur ce qu elles veulent réellement en tant que femme. une belle fin bien travaillé.

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A must watch

NOTE: This review is full of spoilers, because it's me rambling about this movie since I have no one to talk about it.

I kept Forgotten on hold for a long time and I kind of regret that now. This masterpiece perfectly hits my taste. A psychological thriller which will occupy your brain and leave you questioning.

As the movie began, I was pleased by the adoration JinSeok had for his brother. From the synopsis, it was clear or can be guessed that elder brother was kidnapped and replaced by an evil lookalike. But the series of revelation had me questioning my choices back-to-back. There were lies, deception, a mental trauma coping mechanism and not to forget— A manipulative timeline. I had not saw that 20 years of leap coming.

After the revelation of truth, when JinSeok said with full confidence that he didn't kill the mother and daughter. I really believed him and doubted that SeongUk might have got the wrong person. And I was wrong. AGAIN. They showed his POV, all that misery and sufferings and still I didn't get disgusted by him. Because it wasn't his fault. All the murders that happened wasn't his fault, it happened by accident and all of that was because he wanted to save his brother, his only family left. But in all that, he created another orphan like him. No matter what, I couldn't ever bring myself to hate JinSeok. He wasn't a monster, situation made him.

Another major twist was fake YoonSeok (SeongUk) being the victim's family. An orphan. How hard it must've been for that poor soul to live in this cruel world all by himself. My heart ached for both of them equally. Both of them were victims of disturbing fate and both decided the worst possible, yet most relieving decision to end all the misery— suicide.

About HaNeul and MuYeol's acting, it was good and admirable. All their emotions of pain, betrayal, fear were on point. Especially, HaNeul's acting when he was scared or being tortured or was sitting isolated in his room. I could feel his anxiety out of the screen.

Initially I was going to rate this drama a 7.5 overall. But directors pull out that scene in end where they both met each other 20 years ago before all of this happened, which made me cry for them more and gaining a point more. So, I'll give it 8.5.

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