Reviews

Well written script

Luminosity Behind the Palace” (2025) was one of those dramas that slowly pulls you in until you realize you are emotionally attached to every character and every moment inside the palace walls. The storyline balanced power, loyalty, love, betrayal, and sacrifice in a way that kept the drama meaningful instead of overly exaggerated. The cinematography, costumes, and emotional acting made the palace atmosphere feel both beautiful and suffocating at the same time.

What touched me the most was the death of the emperor. That scene was done with such quiet emotion and dignity that it became one of the most heartbreaking moments in the entire drama. Even with all misunderstanding about him, seeing the end of his journey and the emotions surrounding him felt deeply human and painful. It was one of those scenes that stays with you after the episode ends.

The final episode ended just right. It did not feel rushed or overly dramatic simply for shock value. Instead, it gave closure to the characters while still leaving behind the emotional weight of everything they endured. The ending felt mature, emotional, and satisfying — the kind of finale that reminds you why historical Chinese dramas can be so unforgettable.

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Life Just Happens

I loved this show. I was so excited to see a well known actor like Ok Taec Yeon main role in a queer show that didn't focus on family drama dynamics of a coming out story, but a story that focused on how life just fucking happens and you have to deal with it, and it's all about the choices you make.

Ryu and Jo Han showed a different side of what being a soul mate can mean. Whether physical or emotional, you got to watch them build a connection that superseded time and space. But that it's the choices you make and the decisions you make on behalf of other people that shape your life and* the the lives around.

I did not anticipate this to be a BL story, because BL is a very specific fictional category (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boys'_love) and fully anticipated it to be a queer show similar to Love in the Big City, I over all felt this show had the vibe of being a cross between Love in the Big City and Mr. Plankton. I was glad it did not end up a tragedy, but it was definitely bittersweet*.

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This is a WHOLE VIBE

I absolutely loved this show. I was hesitant to watch it because it could have easily turned into a terrible take on 90's culture and the whole comic book world that grew out of the 90's, but this show was an absolute riot and left me laughing through every episode.

Sure some of the story plot points were a bit cliche, but that was kind of the point in my opinion. This show managed to carry a 90's comic book themed superhero vs supervillain story throughout each episode without losing the plot. The acting was on point pretty much through the entire show, and man do you really fall in love with those idiotic fools.

10/10 I think everyone who experienced the 90's should watch this absolute entertaining drama.

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Truly Splendid

"Splendid Match" really surprised me… in a good way, until it didn't. My main issue is that none of the love interests are true matches for the female lead; they're all flawed and doomed from the start. The romantic trope felt fresh at first, but quickly fell flat once I realized this. On top of that, the male lead's appearance and prune-like facial expressions distracted me, making it hard to stay engaged. I ended up not finishing the drama, especially since the fight scenes lost their appeal; suddenly, the male lead couldn't fight or keep himself or the female lead safe. Watching "Adventures of Zhan Zhao" right after only highlighted these problems more.

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Bonkers

I very much like the two leads in this drama, but in places the plot got so bizarre it took me right out of the story. At times, the over-the-top silliness just broke my brain. Of course not everything has to be high art, but at some point I could no longer suspend my disbelief.

There’s one scene in particular on a plane where our whack–a--doodle FL passes herself off as a doctor and volunteers to heal a rando patient who turns out to be... sorry, not going to spill the beans here. Let’s just say, it’s quite a coincidence.

And that’s just the tip of the bonkers berg. I couldn’t really get what the ML, a rich, spoiled dude, saw in someone who was obviously cuckoo for cocoa puffs–pretty enough, but spouting the language and folkways of Joseon Korea. Wouldn’t your average bro be turned off just a little? And, for that matter, what did the FL see in a guy who alternated between concern, contempt, and even bullying to get his way. I guess I’m not sure the writers did the work of making the attraction between these two believable.

This drama makes me think that we women are trading the exercise of our intelligence for romantic fantasies and mindless baloney. But maybe that’s not always such a bad thing--if you keep part of your brain in the real world.

So in spite of the foregoing, if you’re not opposed to a (sometimes unbelievable) series where an arrogant, supercilious chaebol gets kicked around by a feisty female--you’ll probably enjoy MY ROYAL NEMESIS.

And, by the way, the actress who plays Grandma is amazing and lovable. Who wouldn't want to have a grandma like her.

In my case, ngl (not gonna lie), I kinda liked it.

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"I'm still too young to give up"

Director Ichikawa Jun’s inaugural film Bu Su (1987), reminded me of Blue Spring (2001) only without the violence. Set around disillusioned high school students with no great prospects for the future it relied as much on mood as it did plot.

Morishita Mugiko travels to Tokyo by train alone to start a new life as a maiko while also attending high school. Her aunt runs the house and renames her Suzume. At school, Mugiko silently slides into her class, observing instead of interacting. She walks through the new town filled with unusual people and places. She is demoted to running after the rickshaws when her aunt finds her inability to look up frustrating. During the planning for the school’s 100th anniversary talent show, Mugiko is manipulated into presenting a geisha dance by the class queen bee who has grown jealous of the handsome boy’s attention toward the new sullen girl.

To be called Bu Su was a derogatory name meaning physically or emotionally ugly. Tomita Yasuko was definitely not ugly so it could only be a description of Mugiko’s withdrawn personality. Head down, hair over her face, Mugiko rarely interacted with anyone until one day she stood up for another bu su. Ichikawa captured the isolation a teen could feel when thrust into a room of strangers, knowing teenagers were judgmental and cliquey. Like an alien with three heads and purple skin, Mugiko, attempted to blend into the background as much as possible. We’re told she’d had a rough time in her small hometown, but never learn the source of her difficulties with her mother, school, and father’s death. She slowly made friends with students who were considered odd. What she found was that others were also scared and lonely. She didn’t have a market on insecurity. Her new friends were also seeking meaning in their lives. Was this all there was to life? Despite the social advertising for them, the teens had seen that marriage and jobs weren’t necessarily the answers to happiness.

Ichikawa relied heavily on Tomita’s expressive eyes to sell Mugiko’s emotions. There were times his extreme closeups could be disorienting. Yet this first-time film director also had a flare for beautifully framing his compositions. Tokyo was explored, the parts that tourists see and the parts people avoid. If you like Japanese pop music you might enjoy the “modern” score for the time. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Okusu Michiyo as the geisha madame/aunt. She gave a lovely performance as the woman who offered Mugiko/Suzume a chance and also watched as her own daughter chose a life outside their world.

Mugiko chose to perform a scene from the kabuki about Yaoya Oshichi who started a fire (or sounded a false alarm for one) for a chance to see the boy she loved. To master the puppet dance Mugiko had to learn from and rely on others. And she had to learn to look up. Unlike a Hollywood picture, everything didn’t end in cheers and medals for Mugiko and her friends. But even in their failures they gained insight into themselves. Sometimes the past has to be burned down in order to smile at the future. Bu Su wasn’t a perfect film and my score was around a 7.75 which I rounded up to 8.0. I found it flawed and yet also entertaining.

22 May 2026

Explanatory note: Suzume was the FLs maiko name. Much of the film took place with her school friends so to keep things simple in this review I used the name they addressed her by which was Mugiko.

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Eu gosto desse drama, gosto do personagem do Hu Jia Hao e como foi a evolução do amor silencioso dele pela FL ao longo dos anos. Sempre gosto de ver a Tan Yan Yan, apesar de ter percebido que mal tenho dramas dela assistido marcados aqui. Gostei da força da sua personagem para lidar com todos os obstáculos que foram aparecendo. Ela não é power, mas não é submissa, seus pontos fracos tornam sua personagem mais natural.
E preciso dizer, os figurinos eram bem variados, a FL sempre estava com look diferente e bem coerente com a sua personalidade, assim como o ML. Acho que foi um dos poucos dramas com atores que não sejam a Bai Yan e afins que tenham tantas roupas diferentes.


A chá verde era bem mala, confesso que fiquei irritada com o ML ao dizer que jamais deixaria ela aparecer na frente da FL novamente e quase na sequência ele estava almoçando com os amigos e ela estava presente.

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Tem um lugar especial no meu coração.

Secret of Us me pegou de um jeito que eu não esperava. Não é só um GL de romance e reencontro, é uma série que parece sentir demais. Tudo nela tem aquela sensação de amor mal resolvido, de palavras engasgadas e sentimentos que nunca foram embora de verdade.
O que mais me marcou foi como a conexão delas parece real. Os olhares, o silêncio, o desconforto, a saudade… nada soa forçado. Tem momentos que parecem tão íntimos que dá até a sensação de estar vendo algo pessoal demais. E acho que é isso que torna a série tão dolorosamente bonita.
Eu amo como Secret of Us não tenta transformar o amor em algo perfeito. Pelo contrário, mostra orgulho, mágoa, tempo perdido, medo de se machucar de novo. Mostra duas pessoas tentando fingir que seguiram em frente enquanto claramente ainda se pertencem de algum jeito.
A estética da série também me ganhou muito. A fotografia, a trilha, o clima melancólico… tudo combina com aquela sensação de nostalgia emocional que fica em quase todos os episódios. É uma série silenciosa em vários momentos, mas justamente por isso consegue dizer tanta coisa.
Pra mim, Secret of Us é sobre aquele tipo de amor que continua existindo mesmo depois do fim. E talvez seja isso que fez ela ficar comigo mesmo depois que acabou.

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The first five minutes of this drama had me gasping for breathe. The stabbing triangle scene had me laughing so hard I ended up on the floor. The rest of the drama was charming and fun but that first scene totally eclipsed the whole show. I basically never recovered—it's easily the funniest and most memorable scene from this drama.

The plot was plotting but the relationships and character progression needed a lot more, especially with the female lead Song Yimeng. I understood why Yimeng didn't trust Nanheng, especially after he tried to kill her so many times, but that plot trope dragged on for way too long. It hindered Yimeng's character development and as the main character, it dragged the whole story down. There were times she was unbearable. I wish she had been smarter or stronger or just more easily likeable.

Liu Yining's Nanheng was great in contrast. His character growth in romantic ventures and with comedy were really working for me. The rest of the characters were all generally likeable and served the plot well.

I think this really would have been a 10/10 banger if the writers had focused more on Yimeng's development.

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