Reviews

Honestly shocked by the bad reviews, this show is amazing

I watched this a long time ago and have rewatched it three times since, but I hadn't gotten around to writing a review until now. This was one of my very first Korean dramas, and it opened up a whole new world for me to explore. I am really shocked by the number of bad reviews this show has on MyDramaList because I loved everything about it. Even after watching many other K-dramas now, this is still my absolute favorite.

Song Kang (as Jung Gu-won) plays a demon who despises humans—though you find out the reason for this later on—and has been making deals with people for their souls for a very long time. He meets Do Do-hee, played by Kim Yoo-jung, the successor of the Mirae Group. Because of her position in that family, she is mostly met with envy, hatred, manipulation, and scheming plots by the other members to prevent her from taking any real power. Her relationship with Joo Cheon-sook, the leader of the Mirae Group (played by Kim Hae-sook), is the only warm connection she has.

As events unfold, Jung Gu-won and Do Do-hee become deeply entangled with each other. The story itself is refreshing; even though there are other shows about demons or the devil, like the American series Lucifer, the plot and lore behind My Demon feel brand new and well thought out. There are no senseless or wasted moments in this drama; the story makes perfect sense all the way through its 16 episodes. It is also unpredictable, unlike some other dramas where you can see the twists and plot points coming from a mile away.

The acting is brilliant. Song Kang plays a very convincing demon and brings so much emotional depth to the role. The cold, arrogant demon we meet at the start changes a little more with every episode. As a viewer, the more you learn about his past, the more you start to understand him. The fact that Song Kang can take the viewer along on this emotional journey proves he has brilliant acting skills. I have seen him in other K-dramas, and I think he is amazing.

Kim Yoo-jung also plays her role as the Mirae Group successor perfectly. She makes for a very convincing hardened, strong-minded, and battle-ready Do Do-hee. Her emotions are perfectly executed in every scene, allowing you to fully understand how she became this person and how she changes as the story unfolds.

The chemistry between Jung Gu-won and Do Do-hee is amazing, and we definitely have the lead actors to thank for that. Many actors fail to deliver this level of connection even when the scripts are well-written, but Song Kang and Kim Yoo-jung truly make it work. As a viewer, you end up rooting so hard for this couple. Lastly, the rest of the cast did a great job, the visuals are beautiful, and the music was incredibly well-chosen.

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Apesar de eu ter gostado muito dessa versão, é impossível não comparar do início ao fim com "Love & Revenge", com Yao Guan Yu e a Yuan Yu Han. Apesar de já ter feito quase um ano de seu lançamento, percebi que o drama está bem vivo na minha memória em cada cena principal quando dei play aqui hahahaha

Mas eu gostei muito de ambas as versões e de ambos MLs, os atores fizeram um ótimo trabalho em demonstrar as emoções de seus personagens. O olhar do Xu Yue realmente era marcante nas cenas mais densas de seu personagem. Ele conseguia transmitir toda a sua insegurança, seu medo e amor sem dizer uma só palavra, então isso faz com que eu sentisse cada vírgula do seu amor pela FL e o fato dele se ferir para sentir dor quando o relacionamento deles começou a se desenvolver calmamente mostra todo o seu pânico de que aquilo não fosse real.

Gostei da atuação da Wang Zi Jia nesta FL mais vingativa em sua segunda chance, mas ela poderia ter colaborado um pouquinho mais nas cenas de beijo. Seu figurino era muito bonito e valorizava seu corpo e transmitia uma postura mais assertiva.

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Beautiful OST, Great Acting, and Sweet Justice for ML

The acting is very good. The OST is beautiful and makes me want to hear it again and again. The actors are also handsome and beautiful, especially knowing Zhao Lusi is playing in it. The story is actually good too, though some parts are not really my cup of tea.

There was a part when the ML’s indecisiveness led to the FL suffer. But because of that, somehow, a sense of satisfaction built up in me knowing the ML will regret it like : yeah, serve you right, that’s what you get, ML, because of your actions, just regret it for life.

But overall, the story has a happy ending, so it’s okay, and later the FL becomes powerful again because she returned to her own identity.

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Your Dear Tea Farm that went off the tracks episode 5 (watch suggestions)

Overall: from the trailer I thought this would be spicy, from episodes 1-4 I thought this was a slice of life but then in episodes 5 and 6 it became a soap opera. Based on a book which I haven't read and I reviewed the series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/your-dear-daddy-episode-1-v94mtn7i5g?lang=en_us

Content Warning: non con picture taking/sharing, past (intimate partner abuse, suicide), mental health struggles, attempted murder, blood, beaten up, manipulation, emotional abuse

Watch Suggestions (to focus more on the m/m couple and less on tea farm life, also takes out several content warnings)
- watch episode 1
- episode 2 skip 20:20-24, skip 40:10-46
- episode 3 watch 18:15 to 20:40 and 40:15-45
- episode 4 watch beginning-1:25, 11:30-17:50, 22-35, 37:15-45
- skip episodes 5 and 6
- episode 7 watch 8-28 and 37:45-end
- episode 8 watch 8:10-11:45 and 32:10-end

What I Liked
- Saitharn knew what he liked in the first episode (though with information we learned later, I wonder if it was more of a trauma response thing...)
- easy to understand premise
- get to see Fluke & Gap again!

Room For Improvement
- comedy sound effects did not make things funny
- this was sold as a romance but the leads didn't talk until 18 minutes in of episode 3 and only had a few minutes together for the entire episode, suddenly it veered into lakorn territory in episode 5
- there was zero steamy time in the finale?!!! wtf?! the cutie young guys had barely any screen time and a whole bunch of trauma just magically healed?

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What it says on the tin

I came late to the whole Wooju Bakery hype so I only had to wait like a month for this to come out. I understand how people could feel disappointed with the show given the amount of delays, hype and time it had surrounding it.

Saying that, I think the hate this show is receiving is unnecessary.
Is it high budget? No
Is the story line all over the place? Yes
Are there cuts and missing scenes everywhere? Also yes

BUT! Having seen the trailer many times before the show aired, it never came across as a show to be taken seriously. It's camp, silly and just fun to watch. There's not really any drama, no difficult plot line to follow and plenty of moments to cringe and facepalm at. Jeff and Barcode's chemistry, like always, is phenomenal. The casual playfullness and softness that they bring to Raon and Wooju is a breath of fresh air after the heartbreak that is KimChay.

I am so glad that Studio on Saturn fought for compensation for the cast and crew, and that this show was finally able to air. It's going to be something I rewatch when I need some happiness. I'm also glad that Jeff and Barcode were able to work together again, and I cannot wait to see what happens with Happy Ending!

TL;DR - Is it the best executed show out there? No. But it's fun to watch and brings a happiness that we all need, especially with how the world is right now.

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Chaotic in it's own pace

The most common comment I see while watching OFDO is that everyone’s looking for the chaotic “mix and match” vibe from S1. And yes, a lot of them ended up disappointed because OFDO decided to take a different path this season. At first, that was my reaction too. Like, what do you mean it’s already Episode 5 and Boston still hasn’t kissed anyone yet? 😭
But the longer I stayed with this series, the more I realized that the chaos they wanted to show isn’t the same kind of chaos from S1. It has its own identity, and honestly, it works well on its own.
If you ask me, my favorite parts are Dean and Raffy’s constant “puksaan,” the cameos from the original S1 cast, and the bittersweet relationship of JackDean.
Another thing I really love is the filming locations, especially the apartments of the characters. You can actually see their personalities through the way their spaces are designed. And I know some of you noticed those photo-style scene transitions too, that was such a cool touch.
But yeah, if you’re expecting the same kind of chaos as S1… you’re probably in the wrong room.

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exceeded expectations

with a plot much deeper than the usual college romance it was refreshing to see serious subjects touched upon. This could have been a much longer drama with more said about abuse of youngsters in sport and the impact it can have. Although the fear of a gay relationship affecting career prospects was dealt with better. That said the acting drew me in and then the plot. I watched all 8 episodes in one sitting as I sat waiting anxiously for the relationship to work out. All of the 4 main actors did an excellent job and I would watch other work based on that. I hope we get a follow up for the second couple, they would be so adorable.

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The Loneliness of the Queen Behind the Crown

The Queen Who Crowns was one of the most emotionally powerful historical dramas I have watched in a long time.

What makes this story so compelling is that Queen Wongyeong is not portrayed as a passive figure standing behind the throne. She actively helps her husband rise to become the third King of Joseon, sacrificing, enduring, and fighting beside him through political struggles and dangerous court dynamics. Watching her intelligence, ambition, and emotional strength throughout the drama was genuinely captivating.

The series does an excellent job portraying the tension surrounding the concubines, the ministers, and the gradual emotional distance that develops within the royal family despite everything the Queen sacrificed to build. The political atmosphere constantly feels heavy, layered, and emotionally charged.

What stayed with me most, however, was the sadness running underneath the entire story. Even moments of victory often carried pain with them, and the ending felt deeply tragic and emotional. Knowing how much she gave, only to face loneliness and heartbreak in the end, made the final episodes incredibly impactful.

The acting, cinematography, costumes, and emotional intensity were all exceptional. This is not a light watch, but for viewers who enjoy emotionally rich historical dramas with strong political and personal storytelling, this drama delivers beautifully.

10/10

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Ridiculous Title, Surprisingly Addictive

I genuinely did not expect much going into this drama, especially with a title like The Night I Got Pregnant by the CEO, but surprisingly… I am actually really enjoying it so far.

Currently on episode 5 out of 10, and it has turned into a very easy and entertaining binge-watch. Like many Japanese dramas, it moves quickly, does not drag unnecessarily, and knows exactly what kind of story it wants to tell. It leans fully into the romance-drama setup without taking itself too seriously, which honestly makes it more enjoyable.

The chemistry between the leads has been good so far, and the pacing keeps the episodes engaging enough that I kept clicking “next episode” without much effort. While the premise sounds completely over-the-top, the drama itself has enough charm to make it work.

It is definitely not a masterpiece, but sometimes you just want something entertaining, slightly chaotic, romantic, and easy to watch after heavier dramas.

So far: 7.5–8/10

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A Fun Palate Cleanser After Heavy Dramas

After watching numerous heavier C- dramas lately, this was exactly the kind of easy and entertaining watch I needed.

The Princess’s Bodyguard’s Love does not try to be overly deep or emotionally intense, and honestly that worked perfectly for me. It has a lighter, more playful vibe that made it very easy to relax and binge-watch.

The chemistry between the leads was enjoyable, the pacing stayed comfortable, and overall it was simply a fun watch when you want something less serious and more entertaining. While the male lead may not be the strongest actor, his performance still suited the lighter tone of the drama well enough.

That said, despite the lighter overall atmosphere, the drama does include darker themes and scenes involving suicide, child abuse within an orphanage setting, shootings, and attempted murder, so it may be worth checking trigger warnings beforehand if you are sensitive to those topics.

Not groundbreaking, but still a pleasant and entertaining watch overall.

7/10

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Disappointed, but already expected it.

I'd always heard great things about this drama, but I always avoided it because I don't really like family-centered stories. I decided to give it a chance as soon as I found out there was romance, but there was so little of it that I ended up disappointed. The drama focused way more on family conflicts and things I just wasn't interested in. Honestly, it even felt like the side characters had more screentime than one of the male protagonists at some points. A lot of things were also badly developed, especially Ling Xiao's trauma and his relationship with his mom. She suddenly changed and accepted everything out of nowhere, which felt rushed and unrealistic. The ending for Jianjian and Ling Xiao was disappointing too. Their romance was the main reason I started watching, yet we barely got to see them together. It had some great moments, and I cried and laughed, but the feeling that stays is the disappointment of finishing a drama that could've been exceptional.

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Tears of Fortune

At one point, we shifted from a lot of action to a lot of crying, but still a better story than “Pursuit of Jade”.

My algorithm is messed up from Pursuit of Jade OST marathons, and when fan edits say “Fangs of Fortune” is a must-watch—I listened. This review includes details of the show, so spoiler alert! Though I hope anyone reading this is here because he/she’s seen the show.

Pros:
- Why the show isn’t called “Mr. Zhou’s Journey” is beyond me. Mr. Zhou isn’t just the glue that holds the group together; he’s the first to act when danger arises. Zhou Yichen is one of the most lovable characters I’ve seen in a minute, from his softness to his intelligence. He’s naturally a gentle and kind human, so his dynamic and relationship with every character is heartwarming. If Mr. Zhou were a female, he’d be chosen as the Goddess because he’s the purest soul the show saw.
- Ying Lei. Our moodmaker, half god, half demon, joined the group last and left first. His death wrecked me. He was always so fearless, yet his last words were “I’m scared”. It’s been a while since I bawled my eyes out for a character. And Pei Siheng. In my opinion, Heng (Pei Sijing’s younger brother) had the saddest story yet. From being ill since childhood, ignored by his family, killed by his own sister, and used by demons to no end—Heng had it worst. Every time he showed up to protect Sijing, I’d be so happy. Then I’d get mad when Sijing watches him get beaten up. For some reason, whenever Heng shows up, Sijing takes a backseat.
- Bai Jiu’s admiration, loyalty, and relationship with Mr. Zhou and Ying Lei were the best thing about this show. Every time this trio is together, I rewatch their moments at least thrice. They’re never not funny, chaotic, and sweet.
- If you’re a sucker for bromance and strong friendship stories, then Fang of Fortune delivered to the max. The bantering, bickering, and roasting each other were super funny and cute.
- The music. 100/10. There was not one bad song. I now have a playlist just for FOF’s OSTs. First show ever with all good OSTs.
- The ending credits. Whoever had the idea to make the cast dance needs a raise.
- The CGI was satisfactory. Wasn’t impressive but wasn’t ridiculous either.
- Storywise, since it's fantasy and based on folklore, it's hard to tell what's going to happen. A lot of the plot twists (though not all original or very interesting) kept the show moving at an enjoyable pace. The callbacks to certain words and/or moments were nice. The show is easily watchable. I binged it in 3 days.

Cons (in no particular order):
- The action was great in the first half, then it became sloppy, and there were a lot of errors and hiccups in the details. Like characters suddenly standing too close together after jumping and flying around. Certain moves defy gravity. Some cuts ruin the realness and smoothness of the fights. I noticed the show can’t or won’t handle more than two characters fighting the enemy; when a character or characters are inhibited, other characters capable of fighting stand around rather than interfering. The show had the opportunity to showcase Yichen, Yuanzhou, and Lilun working together to take down the bad guy in an epic fight, but it didn’t.
- There’s a lot of standing around, glaring at the enemy, and talking during later fight scenes.
- The last big fight was a huge letdown. Except for Lilun showing up to redeem himself, it was draggy and boring. Since Zhou Yichen is a water dragon demon and Wen Zongyu a phoenix, I thought we’d get some water dragon on phoenix action, but we didn’t. For two episodes, Wen Zongyu was just launching fireballs at Yichen, Yuanzhou, and Lilun. I’m surprised Zongyu never tried to attack them from behind, especially when Lilun made his ultimate sacrifice. Since Lilun is a tree demon and a small amount of Zongyu’s fire can burn him to ashes, I’m both surprised and not surprised that Zongyu wasted a lot of his demonic energy to burn Lilun quicker. Zongyu is obviously a desperate and impatient guy, so he didn’t make a fun last boss fight.
- The romance is nonexistent and never should have been a thing in the first place. Yuanzhou and Wen Xiao had little to no romantic chemistry. Most of the time, Wen Xiao treats Yuanzhou as a pet or something she talks to. The characters are only in love because their roles require them to be. Yichen and Yuanzhou had more meaningful moments.
- Wen Xiao was not the female lead that the show deserved. From manipulation to hollering names, she didn’t possess the pure soul and abilities to protect the wilderness and mortal world. Wen Xiao was poorly designed, written, and executed. She’s completely useless in battles, and the worst part is she wants to be part of these battles. Instead of staying behind to help someone or ensure their safety, she’d run off to face bigger challenges that she cannot win against. In the opening episode, Wen Xiao expressed disappointment in herself for being too weak to protect a demon. She also got angry and sad that she wasn’t strong enough to help Yichen at Bingyi’s Cave, yet she never worked on improving herself and simply relied on her goddess power, which she also doesn’t use a lot. They had a chance to highlight Wen Xiao’s selflessness when she spent 300 boring years in the sundial, but it was fast-forwarded, and we didn’t see her do much. Would have been nice if she had also had to defend the divine tree from other creatures, but nah, the worst thing in the sundial is solitude.
- As stated before, the music was 100/10. However, the show started relying on music towards the latter half to do most of the emotional weight-lifting. At times, the music didn’t work for the scene (Ying Lei’s death, especially), and/or was spammed. Otherwise, the audio work worked for the most part.
- Ying Lei and Bai Jiu’s deaths were sped through. Both times, only Yichen mourned AND cared. Wen Xiao asked Sijing if she was sad about Ying Lei’s death, instead of expressing any. It was odd. The whole group didn’t deserve Ying Lei’s sacrifices.
- Thousands-of-years-old demons are dropping like flies. Also, age doesn’t determine strength. Hundred-year-old demons can easily defeat thousand-year-old demons. It’s hard to gauge how strong anyone really is.
- Yuanzhou was called “evil” a few times, but his actions and words weren’t malicious, so I don’t see how he’s evil. They’re usually hard truths, but I guess it was a good way to showcase how sensitive and emotional humans can be.
- Acting was great, but sometimes Xu Zhenxuan, who played Ying Lei, is seriously trying to hold back laughter. Lester Lin, who played Bai Jiu, did an amazing job! He also did Lilun justice.
- Whenever something sad happens, Yichen has a habit of making it about himself.
- The characters were practicing social distancing at times. Why couldn’t someone catch Heng? Or Yuanzhou? Why did Yichen have to take Jiu from Ying Lei?
- There are very few people except the cast. We saw people at the Demon Hunting Bureau and at Chongwu Camp, but they all vanished later. Towns are pretty empty.
- The idea of demonized humans was very interesting. Sadly, it wasn't explored more, though we did get a taste of it, and it was delish!
- Here are other glaring issues and plot holes:
1. Yuanzhou said Lilun wouldn’t do anything to Ying Lei because of his friendship with Ying Lei’s grandfather. Fun fact: Lilun kills Ying Lei without an explanation.
2. Lilun knows that Yichen, or someone with Bingyi’s blood and chosen by the sword, can slay Yuanzhou. Instead of killing Yichen and letting someone else kill Yuanzhou, why did Liliu break the sword?
3. Sijing said she burned her demon-turned brother because that’s protocol, but so far, all demons and gods have turned to ashes after death.
4. The Baize Token was split in half and jointly managed by a Baize Goddess and Great Demon, but which Great Demon managed it with Wen Xiao’s master? If the Goddess or Great Demon dies, what happens?
5. In episode 7, Yuanzhou wanted to use Ying Lei’s Shanhai Portal and said it needed a Mountain God to cast the spell, but throughout the show, other characters used it without Ying Lei.
6. Demons' ages are a constant contradiction. They’re said to be immortals but also have a lifespan, and the older they get, the weaker they become?

Still, I’d recommend this show to anyone and everyone. If I were to rewatch it, it wouldn’t be the whole thing but parts of it.

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Whyyy????

why why why? why did they ruin the ending like that? I agree with the commenters before me. The basic idea starts well. the lead actor (Siwat) is very good. He is very handsome and very talented at such a young age. But the actor's partner doesn't suit him. The chemistry isn't real or the romantic scenes were poorly written. Otherwise, it's exciting, but the ending is annoying. Siwat is dying throughout the episode but her love shows practically no sympathy. When he dies, he doesn't even cry, but when a guy who looks like him shows up 3 months later, I immediately like him... no comment. I enjoyed it basically but the ending is disappointing. I hope I can see the main actor in another role.

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