Reviews

Full of Betrayals

I waited until this drama finished airing before starting it, and I'd say it was definitely worth the wait. It was fun, entertaining, and kept me engaged from beginning to end.

I'm the type of viewer who relies heavily on the first episode. If Episode 1 doesn't hook me, it's usually hard for me to continue the rest of the series. Thankfully, this drama gave me exactly what I was looking for right from the start.

First of all, I have to commend the Yulivia team and Director Lee for their excellent teamwork. I really enjoyed their dynamics, and they worked so well together that it became one of my favorite aspects of the show.

I also felt sorry for the twins. I honestly thought the drama wouldn't give Jae Gyeong a redemption arc, but after watching the finale, I think she genuinely regretted everything she had done. As for Jae Seong, I found it difficult to trust him for most of the series, but I'm glad he eventually made the right choices for himself.

This drama was filled with betrayals, bribery, and constant twists, I don't think I've watched another series with this many people double-crossing each other.

The only thing that didn't really work for me was Na Eun Se as the main villain. She didn't leave much of an impact, and honestly, the final five minutes of the finale surprised me more than the reveal of who killed the chairman. That twist felt more memorable than the actual murder mystery, but that's just my opinion.

I also couldn't help but laugh at the way Kang Bang Geul liked Hwang Jun Hyeon. Despite knowing HJH is the chairman and is KBG's father, their chemistry was surprisingly hard to ignore. I had to keep reminding myself that they weren't meant to be a couple because some of their scenes unintentionally made me think otherwise.

Overall, I really enjoyed this drama. It had plenty of funny moments that balanced out the suspense, although I have to admit that all the business terms and corporate politics were sometimes difficult to follow. Still, they didn't stop me from enjoying the story.

In the end, this was a very entertaining watch with a strong opening, a lovable team, and enough twists to keep me guessing until the end. It may not be perfect, but it's one of those dramas that's easy to binge once you get into it. If you enjoy mystery, crime, and corporate power struggles mixed with humor, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a try.

Leia Mais

Sensitive and fun. A whole mix of emotions!

It's a very interesting story, and differently from most GMMTV series, it's about an already established couple and also, a couple of adults.

This series is not exactly about their development as a couple (though they do have some development), but more as individuals. How they can grow together, heal their traumas (and ofc, this does affect the growth of their relationship).

It's very well made OMG THE COSTUMES 🤏🏻 it's sooo cute, their clothes were like adorable. Every set was so cutely decorated.

And everyone delivered SUCH good acting. Seriously, ofc it has to be Santa doing Sun/Solar bcs who else has this boyish-ness like him? I wouldn't buy it if it were anyone else. This character was MADE for him. Perth is such a good actor too.

It's a beautiful storyline, but it does have some… holes? In the narrative. Some things are left without proper development. It's still enjoyable but I can't ignore it.

But definitely very well made and the struggles with mental health were addressed properly and with care. I do wish that they would have had more of the psychiatrist and therapists, though.

Leia Mais

SWL

What a drama!! First few episodes were like a fever dream. Finally, Song Wei Long gets a good chance to show his acting prowess and Zhang Jing Yi fit right into this angsty fast moving plot. Solid acting . Dark 90s hood atmosphere appreciated. If the intensity keeps up, this could be an unforgettable romance.
Initial episodes had shadows of Speed and Love but i must say by the end of it, the editing team did a great job of doing away with anything that might have reminded us of SAL again.

Update episode 23-
Great music!
It has fizzled out as fast as it heated up. First half of this drama was brilliant. Should have kept the tone but they didn't, reeled us in and then left us out to dry! Well, the ride up was really fun .

Update episodes 27-32-
Excellent end to the story, a complete plot with the whole smuggling arc coming to a closure. CP finally leaning in with complete trust and disclosure and embracing each other fully. Our inspector ml getting justice for his fiancee was emotional as well. I liked that everybody ml, his friends, tu chi, everyone got to get together.
Hints of feelings from those initial episodes return momentarily reminding us of the great start this drama had. Congratulations to the team for this beautiful execution and music.

Why i didn't raise the rating is because humans are emotional fools and we don't like peaceful resolutions, we need passion and fire till the very end in all aspects of life, a bowl of noodles needs to have the same intensity as the new pool room setup, something the drama did not offer in full. A minor personal quirk.

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Novel - Reading the novel was not a good experience, their relationship is shown to be dysfunctional, toxic and violent, not just dark and sad. Agression, codependent survival and PTSD like behavior is a big motif throughout. These kids developed unhealthy coping mechanisms continuing cycles of rejection and resentment to detached surviving and disconnection, they never witnessed loving relationships, and lacked adult guidance. The male protagonist is filled with hate resentment while the female lead is in Survival mode, developing a Stockholm like complex being the younger more vulnerable one. Their situation is horrifying. Moreover, author has a strong desire to focus on their sibling type of relationship, instead of moving away from it. I am glad the drama has steered away from these core problems in the novel, and chosen not to fetishize their situation like the author did.

Leia Mais

such a fun and unique dating show!!

firstly i really like the set up of the dating show. Normally all other dating shows are the same 1 island with 8 people on it that 'fall in love' and while that is fun it gets boring. I like the new fun concepts like blind date in bed. While the isolated cabin videos can be compared to normal dating shows I do still think they are different and engaging enough for you to watch without getting bored. Not to mention the supppeerrr funny hosts, i can't get enough of their jokes they are actually so real and make the best jokes. I'm so excited to see the next eps (i'm writing this while wiating for the new ep) >.<

Leia Mais

THIS WAS SO GOOD! MAJESTIC SERIES!

I love this series it was very good and GeminiFourth always so good. The story, plot, characters, ost especially sooo good, etc. 💯/10

I predicted that Kongdech would be the one to became priest of not Tanrak 😭😔 it turned out to ne true 😢💔

I could have liked a sad ending where Tanrak chose to be a priest and forgets about Barth but they always like good ending that bitter sad ending ones...

Special mention I really loved the ost so catchy specially the intro or opening song sooo goood the choir versio chills and the duo of Tanrak and Barth singing omgosh heaven sent like HEAVENLY 😇

Leia Mais

This was beautiful

I didn't plan to write a review for this serie bcz i felt i wouldn't find best words the express my thoughts and feelings, so this might be messy
I loved the show, every minute of it, the storytelling, cinematography, symbolism, the songs,, dialogues acting, everything was perfect, this is gemini fourth best acting performance, bcz i felt its tanrak and barth bought to live,

We watched the journey of both, the struggle between, love, life, and religion

Barth who was angry at god bcz of what he went through from his family, he couldn't let that anger go till he met his mom, one of best scene in serie btw, asking her of she loved him as she love god and she said the words he needed the most

Tanrak, who imo never wanted to be a priest even before barth coming into picture, to me he was seeking love, the family he lost, he found that in god, father and his friend, he lived his life on one goal and its to die and go to paradise, he didn't have any other dream or purpose in life, barth was the love he tried to fight, his battle against himself, his guilt and fear, we lived that with him throughout the serie, the scene when father hugged him after years to let go was heartbreaking, bcz it took him years and he never forgave himself but he never regretted his decision.

I want to praise acting once again, and everything about this show

Leia Mais

Started well, took some weird turns then became very mediocre

My Rating: 7.5/10

Review

I went into I Wanna Hear Your Song excited for the unique orchestra setting and the underdog story of a timpanist fighting for her place in a professional ensemble. The early episodes hooked me hard with that premise — the passion, the training bits, the classical music woven throughout, and the intriguing mystery layered on top. Kim Se-jeong brings a lot of heart to the role, and the OST and orchestral performances are definite highlights.

However, the show quickly shifts priorities. What starts as a compelling musical journey with thriller elements becomes a mystery-heavy drama where the orchestra setting fades into more of a backdrop. The romance and investigation take center stage, but they come with some frustrating character choices and pacing issues that many viewers seem to notice. I’ve watched over 450 dramas, so I can roll with tropes — but it doesn’t quite deliver on the emotional payoff I was hoping for from the musical arc. Solid performances and an interesting concept, but execution is uneven.

I would not recommend this one with so many better options. I got bored with it. There were a lot of things that were just annoying and frustrating in terms of things characters did. So, I would not watch it again.

Spoilers

The biggest letdown for me was how the underdog musician story got sidelined. We open with her determination to become a permanent part of the orchestra, some fun and quirky training moments, and real stakes around her belonging there. Then it almost immediately pivots hard into the murder mystery, and we barely see her musical growth or integration afterward. She ends up mostly on the sidelines, which means the later orchestra performances lack the satisfying emotional punch they could have had. I wanted her journey to stay central; instead, it feels like the writers used the orchestra world mainly as atmosphere. 

On the mystery side, it’s a decent whodunnit, but it has some logic gaps that became annoying. The stabbing incident felt obviously chaotic/self-defense/accidental from early on, so the prolonged guilt and suspicion around it dragged. The female lead’s excessive guilt complex (even over the death of a clearly nefarious character she only indirectly influenced) gets repetitive and frustrating. She also has important flashbacks revealing key details (including what looked like a kidnapping situation), but she only shares tiny fragments with others and doesn’t seem to piece things together proactively on her own. It makes her feel less smart and capable than the story needs her to be in a thriller.

Both leads also repeatedly throw personal safety out the window. Confronting suspects head-on, handing over weapons while accusing people of murder, and continuing risky behavior after already getting hurt — it’s classic “plot needs tension” decision-making that took me out of the story multiple times. We find out how the stabbing happened and that the conductor handed her the knife after attempting to rescue them. But, seriously, who runs down a slippery road in the rain with a knife pointed in front of you? Didn't we learn as children not to run with knives. I mean, I get it, she has some unknown person after her but pull the knife out when you can actually use it. Better yet give it to the guy who seems to be doing a lot better job of staying calm in chaos.

The male lead’s investigation style especially felt like throwing accusations at the wall hoping something sticks, which made the sleuthing less compelling. He was quite the thug. He just got of jail on suspicion of murder and is already holding conductor guy over a stairwell to get information.

Are they all stupid? They know CCTV is basically everywhere but they have confrontations even beat people up on camera and then try to lie to the police that they don't even know them. Like come on. I don't live in a country with cameras everywhere but I know better than to lie about things like that. They even offer to cover things up and lie for others to get what they want. So you are covering a crime and directly lying. That ought to end well for you.

The romance was another tricky element. It’s hard to fully buy his growing feelings while he still (at least partially) believed she viciously stabbed his brother. Even with the explanations given, the trust flip and emotional connection didn’t land as strongly as it needed to for me. She fell for him a bit too quickly after her ex cheated on her. It felt like she moved on from that lightening speed. And she liked this guy that was mostly stand offish and aloof with her. Did not seem to bother her a whole lot he, after knowing her a bit more, still thought she might just stab someone.

Overall, I get what the show was going for — trauma, guilt, hidden truths, and romance amid chaos — and it has some strong individual scenes thanks to the cast and music. But the imbalance between the promised musical underdog arc and the mystery, combined with character frustrations, kept it from being a standout. Many other viewers have noted the same issues with the sidelined orchestra elements, the reckless confrontations, the guilt trope, and the uneven mystery pacing.

Leia Mais

All the benefits with none of the downsides!

This was a colorful, snappy, office rom-com with enough steam to fog up your chic, librarian glasses!

I knew the leads had chemistry, but even I could not have predicted just how palpable the tension would be, nor how sultry the FLs could get. The looks they gave each other were downright devious and screamed: "Come hither, lover."

Lal and Wine were also intriguing on their own, both being capable, powerhouse career women, bearing the weight of their respective teams on their shoulders while struggling to value themselves.

While Wine was both intimidating and demanding, at the end of the day, she was just trying to do her job as best she could, and even got a little self-conscious about her reputation in the office. She wanted to express herself more and open up, but was afraid of changing/making herself a target again.

And Lal, while confident and quick-thinking, too easily put her health and happiness last on her list of priorities.

It was great to see them both grow and learn from/lean on each other.

And beyond that, the office politics and projects weren't just there for show. They contributed to and even pushed the plot forward.

I would also be remiss not to mention how they dared to go further, utilizing their office setting to highlight the real, underdiscussed struggles of women in the working world. How women have to perfectly conform to their boxes, dress just nice enough but not too nice, wear enough makeup to not look "tired" but not too much, and act polite enough but not too friendly, for the chance of maybe making it and maybe, just maybe, avoiding unwanted attention from their male colleagues. It's a delicate balancing act that shouldn't have to be attempted. And, related to this topic, it was so refreshing to see so many women supporting other women and making choices that were best for themselves rather than "going along to get along."

Really, a very relevant and thoughtful drama.

Leia Mais

Not as good as I expected from previous reviews

The plot/story was the weakest part of Love in the Clouds.

The secondary characters in this show were not interesting to me. I was not invested in the secondary plot lines at all.

I realize it is difficult to create an interesting villain, but the final villain was just simply a stalker, which isn’t very interesting. Also why didn’t they kill him when they had the chance in the last few episodes? Why wait until the tournament when they had a chance before?

The fact that the female leads adopted parents treated her so poorly was odd to me.

The back and forth “sacrifice myself for you” was the only main plot point between the two main leads. This was drawn out for too long.

Leia Mais

Li Shan Academy to the rescue in the 2nd half.....but still a Disappointment

“The First Jasmine” started out with a bang, and I really like the first half of the drama. I was captivated and the plot was moving at a pretty good pace. The first half focuses on setting the stage, introducing all the characters, development of romance and the revenge plot. The second half becomes more political and that’s where the drama falters. If it’s not for the Li Shan Academy arc in the second half, I might have dropped the drama, despite liking both Bai Lu and Cheng Lei as actors.


What I Like:
1. Smart leads - it’s always fun to watch smart main leads trying to outsmart each other, and guess the meaning behind each move. The first half of the drama was fun because Ye Li (FL) and Mo Xiu Yao (ML) are both introduced. Before they got together, it was interesting to see their interaction.

2. Revenge - Although Ye Li seems way too smart, it is without a doubt fun to see her try to take down all those who wronged her and her family. One by one, she seeks revenge, almost happening stealthily behind the scenes, while ML is trying to do the same.

3. Li Shan Academy arc - Without this arc in about ep 30, the second half of the drama would be a total bust. Everything about those few episodes was amazing - the story, the emotions, the acting and the romance. I cried during those few scenes, for ML, for FL and for everyone involved in Li Shan Academy.

4. Action scenes - this is a total surprise. I was not expecting fight scenes in a political revenge drama, but the few scenes they have are quite well-done. Ryan Cheng has a few fights that I was especially excited about.


What I have mixed feelings and don’t like:
1. Main romance - I know I am supposed to be in love with them. Their story is interesting, and their experiences together are supposed to make me fall in love with them individually and as a couple. Unfortunately, I was having a hard time connecting with them. It’s disappointing, because I am a romance lover. Aside from the angst and revelation/confession before the Lin Shan academy arc, I was lukewarm about the romance. I found Bai Lu and Ryan have decent chemistry, but not amazing enough to wow me.

2. Secondary romance - Can I even call it a secondary romance? The Prince Li and Ye Ying relationship is so blah. I would rather see Prince Li more as an obsessive ex-fiance and Ye Ying supposedly in love with this man, and wanting to be the wife to support him.

3. Acting - The acting is not bad, but it’s not amazing either. Bai Lu and Ryan performed to my expectations, and I have seen them done better in other dramas. Usually in dramas as such, I would be praising the veterans. But here, the veterans are also just OK, and no one really wows me. Is it the fault of the writing?

4. Court Politics - Unfortunately, this is the weakest theme and plot of the drama which took up most of the second half of the drama. The politics, though not complicated to understand, are not written in a way that excites me. There aren't any unique plot twists. The Prince Li revenge plot isn’t written well, and him as a character is rather boring. He was more interested as an obsessed ex-fiance than a political mastermind.

5. Characters - I think the biggest reason I am somewhat lukewarm about this drama is that I couldn’t quite connect with each character, especially the supporting characters. A drama can’t just rely on the male and female leads. You need compelling supporting characters (like beautiful green leaves to blossoming flowers). None of the supporting characters and backstories are interesting. I don’t feel happy or sad for them, because I don’t feel like their stories are written well. This is especially true with the 3 villains. Compared to other political dramas, villains fighting for power/throne have to be interesting, smart, and cunning enough for me to be invested in the whole political plot. But unfortunately, they are not shown this way.


I understand many viewers love “The First Jasmine” and it has a current high MDL rating of 8.4 right now. I think maybe not connecting to the characters is a “me” problem. However, the boring writing in the second half is a more objective criticism. It’s not a horrible drama, but a disappointing one when I quite enjoy the first half and the second half bores me. There are flashes of brilliance, but not enough to get a high rating. Because I enjoy the first half and the Li Shan academy arc, I am giving “The First Jasmine” a generous solid 8.0.


Drama Completed: 7/5/2026 Review #702

Leia Mais