Reviews

Overrated drama for such high rating.

I dont know why the drama got so high rating maybe purely because of Xiao Zhan. I like him since Untamed but this drama is the epitome of pure bad writing.
I though after 10 years of training the MC would be intelligent, calculative and patient. But even on first dozen of episode, so may scene that purely carried by his plot armor.
1st scene: He points out suspicious people to the unknown person (presumably the heroin), is stupid enough, you need to hide your claw as it is even the person you meet for the first time.
2nd scene: His weapon was luckily taken by benefactor if not he would already be killed by the Marquis
3rd scene: The enemy Qu something, attendant of Marquis was killed of screen as simple as that? Revenge not satisfied for the audience.
4th scene: He thought others are stupid, so carelessly shows his scar to the Marquis son? Please help me with the dumbness.

These are the 4 scenes that i recalled at the top of my head, i dont know whether i can perservere to watch until the end, the dumbness and pure plot armor is gripping me. Actually the rating might be 4/12, but i give low to balace all the nonsence high rating, as if never watch any drama with intelligent character!

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Superb love story

Absolutely loved this drama from beginning to end. Never a dull moment and loved every character. Chen Lei is phenomenal and brings it in every way. He is soft and sweet and yet still brings the amazing hard core side as well. He has an amazing range. The FL I didn’t start off loving but she grew on me as it went on. By the end I totally loved her. The whole story came along nicely and had some great plot moments that had me gasping and screaming at the screen. Gotta love that! It hit all the great emotions. It didn’t have any ridiculous plot holes or frustrations that make you overly mad. This was definitely a great watch.

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A surprisingly good horror

I don't really watch horror as I get scared easily and prefer thriller.i actually got to know about it from tiktok through a movie narration.just when I heard about them having extra people than when they arrived at that place I was sold.it specifically kind of reminded me of another which i really like.
I had my doubts on the guy who supposedly cleaned cropses before.i couldn't really remember them properly except for lieutenant choi.
The poster itself gives away the story of the movie
"He who sheds others blood will not return
Not even his soul"
And the only one who survived the whole massacre was jang.though he got blinded and heavily traumatized,his fate seems way nicer than the previous survivor whose body is seemingly burned
Unlike the others jang also hadn't committed any killing and at the end he was blind,so he couldn't even see the ghost for her to use him and since choi died he was the only one left,so maybe he is spared.
The island itself is a trap,when a troop arrives didn't timelines merge all at once,the French, American army men and even the previous batch of Korean soldiers appointed at r-point.tge woman is probably the source of all the hallucinations and the violence, craziness that emerges in the soldiers out of the blue.when all things are done i.e most of the troops are killed and the rescuers arrive they find no body, nothing anywhere in r-point.showcasing the end of the trap for this batch of soldiers but surely this loop will continue as choi's voice is seen sending distress signals.and just like with the previous survivor jang would ask them not to go and they would still send soldiers and those soldiers would go through the same thing.

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Typical detective drama

Twenty four episodes were too long and I kind of just forced myself to finish it for the sake of wanting to know how it ends. Some of the cases are related to the main case but not all of them and I wish they could've just gotten rid of those extra cases which were irrelevant. As in any police drama, the policemen are incompetent except for the main lead. There are some little details that are pretty annoying like Luo Fei's bangs. I wish they could've given him a better hairdo. And why does he always carry an umbrella like a cane? He's not handicapped nor is it any kind of secret weapon, which would be better if it is. Detective Ye who is supposed to be a veteran acts more like a rookie who makes a lot of beginner mistakes. Xiao Man keeps shouting "Stop, don't run!" whenever she's chasing someone. as if the villain is dumb enough to stop running just because she says so. In summary, everyone is a dumbass except for the main lead and the villains.

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Past Sins

First of all, I don't like the English title "My Friend Is a Murderer" because the movie is shown from the murderer’s perspective, with all the other characters in the background. The Korean title is much better as it uses clever wordplay, mixing 꽝 (slang for "failure") with 공소시효 (statute of limitations).

The main character, Seong-cheol, hides in a remote village for 30 days until his statute of limitations expires. However, instead of lying low, every encounter with the villagers turns into loud yelling and arguing. There were some genuinely funny moments, but mostly it was just noisy chaos that wasn’t very enjoyable for me to watch. I felt that all the characters exaggerated their performances too much in an attempt to be funny.

That said, the story was still interesting, and the movie kept my attention from start to finish. The filmmakers added many layers to the story and made the village feel believable with its ensemble of characters. I must admit, this movie actually has solid production — not on the level of big blockbusters or theatrical releases, but very well done for a streaming film.

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Plot was more refined and comedy aspect are too strong

Although i hated some of popular adaptation of this drama, sometimes i never realized if i am masochist or someone who looks for perfect version. Actually this version was not bad compared to the popular one. The plot is rich and the pacing is tight. The first 40 episodes are excellent, packed with laughs and incredibly sweet. ML speaks earliest from all the version and has the most dialogue, and his character development is the most natural, with the most detailed transformation. It's not a melodramatic story where he suddenly becomes talkative after a couple of jealous moments or when saving FL. The little skits between ML and his mother, Wang, even have a sequel, which is quite entertaining (Huang Shuaishuai actually got wit skill even not like Sun Yue but i quite like his antics).

Another duanju problem they got good pacing and somehow in the middle the plot is disjointed not sure if the scriptwriter have changed or its a norm. The pacing of the last 40 episodes slows down a bit, and the plot feels somewhat disjointed. Although the story is the most complete, resolving the conflict between the two younger brothers, the resolution feels simplistic and childish, leaving "huh?" feeling. ML's character is as perfect as ever—gentle, considerate, and easily appeased. FL, however, starts strong but declines a bit. She's intelligent and understanding in the beginning, but suddenly becomes less intelligent and lacks boundaries in the middle FL character transformation was quite unnatural.. She's completely oblivious to and ignores ML's obvious jealousy. If ML and FL were in the same position, this would be a major flaw. It seems that female-oriented content is more forgiving of FL. The lead actors' performances are solid, especially FL. SFL, who also rose to prominence, delivers a very good performance, bringing her character to life. She comes across as genuinely cute and talkative, not just noisy. ML has a good physique and is generous. Even the younger brother's eyebrow acting is superb (laughs).

The good things the villains screentime is minimal so its quite full comedy, recommended to watch.

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Loved the twists but full of loopholes

✓✓What I Liked

Mind-Bending Plot Twists: The macro-storytelling is brilliant. The narrative shifts and identity reveals are genuinely shocking and keep you guessing.

Deep Psychological Themes: Turning a sci-fi premise (the psychopath gene) into a tragic character study of a monster cursed with a conscience is phenomenal.

Elite Acting Masterclass: Lee Seung-gi and the rest of the cast deliver flawless, emotionally raw performances that carry the heavy script.

✓✓What I Disliked (The Loop Holes & Weak Screenwriting)

Forced Character Logic: Characters make highly unrealistic decisions just to move the plot forward (e.g., the grandmother deeply snooping through a stranger's private drawers and basement for a basic cleaning job).

The "Open Door" Absurdity: Despite a horrific serial killer being on the loose, nobody locks their front gates or doors. Characters constantly walk into homes uninvited just to manufacture easy suspense.

Frustrating Horror Tropes ("Solo-itis"): People constantly wander down dark alleys alone at 2 AM. Even a heavily traumatized character like Bong-yi lacks basic hyper-vigilance.

Convenient Communication Drops: Characters regularly refuse to call for backup, fail to text clues to their partners, or conveniently lose phone signal the exact second they find the killer.

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Just watch episodes 1-9.

Overall I enjoyed the drama. The pacing was great, the acting was very good, the characters were engaging and likeable. the plot while convoluted, was easy enough to follow.

In my opinion, the first nine episodes provide a complete and satisfying story with solid beginning, a well developed middle and a happy ending.

The last three episodes that followed was just a tacked-on unnecessary unpleasantness for the viewer to sit through. I didn’t enjoy watching it and was disappointed that the the whole story that was wonderfully told was just undone. Why?

Them having a ‘fated’ meeting again in the last minute was unsatisfying as a ‘happy ending.’ it’s just not enough.

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A gentle romance that truly sparkles

Dazzling was one of those dramas that had me intrigued long before I pressed play. The premise sounded promising, and with Li Yun Rui leading the cast, expectations were naturally high. Thankfully, unlike some of his more recent projects, this drama delivers exactly the kind of heartfelt storytelling that reminds you why you fell in love with the genre in the first place.

What makes Dazzling so appealing is its sincerity. At its core, it is a tender coming-of-age romance about first love, ambition, and two young people navigating the uncertainties of adulthood without losing sight of their dreams or their capacity to love. The story unfolds with warmth and patience, allowing its characters to grow naturally rather than forcing dramatic twists for the sake of spectacle.

The performances across the board are wonderfully understated and believable. The FL, in particular, was a revelation. This was my first time watching the actress, yet she completely won me over with a remarkably layered and emotionally rich performance. Even more impressive was her chemistry with Li Yun Rui, which was absolutely off the charts and made every stage of their relationship feel authentic and deeply engaging. In addition, Xing Wu’s relationship with his family, especially his mother and grandmother, adds emotional depth to the narrative, while his kindness, loyalty, and remarkable patience make him one of the most endearing MLs I have encountered this year.

Visually, the drama is equally enchanting. The coastal town setting, thoughtful costume design, and meticulous attention to detail create a lived-in world that feels both comforting and beautiful. The lavender fields, in particular, provide some truly memorable imagery and enhance the drama’s gentle, dreamlike atmosphere.

By the time the final episode ended, I was left with something increasingly rare: complete satisfaction. Dazzling is the kind of series that leaves you smiling, and in many ways that is the highest compliment I can give it. We watch dramas for entertainment, comfort, and a brief escape from reality, and Dazzling offers all three in abundance. Without question, it ranks among the very best dramas I have watched this year, and it is one I can easily see myself revisiting in the future.

Highly recommended.

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Boring as Hell!

I just watched the first 4 short 17 min. episodes of this series. Episodes that felt like 60 minutes each. I don't know who directed this series but the actors were dreadful, robot-like, uninteresting. The stories were like in Tang Dynasty, a lot of characters implicated in a series of murders, too many characters for my taste, and after two or three episodes, you just don't remember what had happened in the first place.

Music, horrendous and loud, too loud. Sometimes I couldn't hear what the actors were saying. I really had the intention of finishing the series, but after 4 episodes, I felt like staring at the ceiling was more interesting

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