Reviews

A Breath of Fresh Air

Finally writing my review!
At first I was not particularly into the drama, but I found it very funny and light, and it ended up being a pleasant surprise.

A rare and healthy romance

I am not a fan of friends-to-lovers romance developments, but here I really loved it. Because I like intense romance, I was not especially obsessed with the couple at the beginning, but when they started showing softness and attraction toward each other it was so cute. And it feels really good to see a healthy relationship like theirs, I think this is so RARE and it feels quite refreshing. Especially in cdramas, where we often see misunderstandings come out of nowhere (like characters are perfectly rational all along, and then out of nowhere they fail to grasp something that would obviously make sense to them), so it was nice that there were none of that here.

The beauty of diverse relationships

What I loved the most is the diversity of relationships shown in this drama: friendship, romantic love, an almost filial bond between Mr. Bei and the little girl, fellowship, respect for an enemy, caring for the people and their opposites. All the characters have a precise role, either as individuals or as a group (like the concubines), and I enjoyed most of them.

Light but not shallow

I liked the fact that it gets heavier at times and then lightens back up. Overall, this is still more of a comedy than anything else. Unlike Yu Wanyin, I also kept in mind throughout that this was all a story and did not get too attached, but I think the fact that the drama shows us this is even more of a testament to what a great story it is, especially when we know the original plot and see how everything ultimately unfolds with the two main characters and Xie Yonger's actions.

A plot that serves its purpose

The plot may be the least interesting element here, I had no particular expectations and was only moderately captivated by the overall story and schemes. But I think this is precisely the intention of the producers, or at least the effect they would naturally provoke in viewers. This is well illustrated through the character of Yu Wanyin, who at first just wants to save the emperor and herself, but whose heart gradually softens through the wonderful people she meets. I also liked the fact that when it comes to her father from the book, she always refuses to see him so that he can remain just a character in a story. I was already a little protective of him because he was so sweet and was being targeted by the court.

Props to the on-screen team

The costumes and makeup, especially Yu Wanyin's and the concubines', were SO beautiful! The acting is very nice too.

Conclusion

Most of all, there was not really anything that upset me. I think most of the drama was smooth and well done. A drama that does not make you absolutely passionate can feel refreshing in its own way, and this one managed to be exactly that.
There is one thing I have been thinking about that I don't think we ever got an answer for: which period of time was Xie Yonger from? Is it an alternative future? I did some research and Beijing has always been fairly well known, so I'm not sure what to make of it.

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Good story + horrible directing = mediocre series

I honestly don't understand what most reviewers are praising the series for. I haven't read the book, but from what I see the story is good and since it's the only thing that is good, the book must have been great.

Acting is subpar at best. Overwhelming majority of actors in this drama don't know how actual people behave, cry or laugh, expressions are wooden. Even looking at a wall would have been a more emotional experience. Don't get me wrong, some actors in this drama do know how to act, but they are clearly in the minority. This was my first c-drama and if I hadn't watched Joy of Life series right after, I would have concluded Chinese dramas are just not worth the time.

The decorations and CG look as fake as my old neighbor eyelashes, they could have just skipped them altogether, but this at least can be explained by low budget. Although some parts of it looked cringey, then don't really detract from the show.

Direction. AWFUL. He allowed lousy acting pass. Didn't manage pacing well. Introduced characters that have zero influence on the story and serve no purpose whatsoever. Director should probably look for another job.

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So how did you all manage to get back to your normal daily lives?

It is not just the good looking actors.
But they are good looking.

It's not just good acting.
But they were all really good.

It's not just the music.
But the OST is fantastic.

The scenery, the outfits, the sets, directing,... Everything has been woven together into one of the best dramas to come out in the last couple of years (and it's been quite a slump). This is coming from someone who has never been too big a fan of cdramas, mostly because they are too long for my attention span.

If there is one flaw I could name, it's that the background story gets explained a little too late in the show, so at times it got difficult to follow who is who, and who did what, if you haven't read the book before that. Not too big of a flaw though because the story itself flows pretty naturally, there aren't any time jumps, traveling back and forth etc.

Just sit back and enjoy. And after it's all done, watch it again.

Seriously though, how does one get away from nostalgia for a show you just finished a few hours ago and already miss?

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I know This drama is really v.good one because I keep watching it without feeling bored although I wasn't in a drama mood at all

This drama to whom who loves slow burn pure love
I found it amazing with solid story and great plot with many conspiracies
I liked many things about it
Between the three sisters I loved the middle and the little one so much
I found the Ml servant was so funny
The Fl's brother was amazing I loved his character soooooo
The relationship between both leads was really cute
The romance was smooth and funny

What I dislike was
The Fl's mother in-law was a real Scorpion to be alone at the end wasn't fair punishment for me but to be in jail till the end of her life was v.fair one
I dislike that the youngest sister story was too short I wish they give it more space
I dislike that the FL suggested to be in an open Afair instead of marriage although this wasn't acceptable at this era and sounds weird at the same time after what they got through to be together
her act annoys me as hell
I dislike also the elder sister story
And what bothers me soooo also that the Fl's sister in law and her husband said they are going to stay to help the Fl but they suddenly vanished leaving her to her mother in-law

And I didn't get much the scene the FL should suicide in

But really this drama didn't take a fair evaluation it should be more than 8.5

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Predictable

It was very predictable.
Seola was kind of a shallow character. They made her look almost cartoonishly evil in the first few episodes and then showed us her traumatic backstory only to end episodes in cliffhangers where she looks evil again (this got boring real quick). It does not feel like she has anything to her other than her trauma. They didn't give her past relationships a solid story too, did she love her last fiancé? Why was he this cheater if he was concerned for her?
The investigation part of this could have been interesting but the police were incompetent and biased for no reason. Why is an outsider giving you all the evidence you need? It was like they had an hatred for Seola way before they met her.
Guessing the killer was so easy. Make our victim a person who has like 3 people close to her and make 2 of them the bad guys in her life, are we surprised?
Kind of expected more but meh

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Stuck on Repeat

Promising at first for the plot, but you need to bear with the repetitiveness and editing.

Repetitiveness of the plot

The plot keeps repeating itself in every aspect, and the pacing feels quite off. There are no major events that truly shift the direction of the story, instead, it's a series of small problems that feel artificially inserted just to keep the viewer going until the finale, which itself turns out to be not particularly thrilling. A bad guy appears, there's a forced kiss, the FL accuses the ML of deception and tries to kill him. Then they reconcile, a new bad guy appears, a new forced kiss or hug, and the FL accuses the ML again. The intrigue doesn't help either, since they need to find three different objects to cultivate the Ziwei Method, which creates the same cycle of plot twists over and over.
Another issue: Cai Zhao seems to be living out the same storyline as her aunt. First, it becomes tedious to watch a Cai Zhao scene only for it to be immediately followed by a flashback of her aunt doing essentially the same thing. Second, I would have appreciated more diversity in their respective developments and experiences.
In their defense, I think the writers focused less on making the overall plot compelling and more on showing how the characters were growing, which would make sense given the title of the drama. I liked the idea of an elder generation that faced many of the same challenges the younger generation is now encountering, and how the younger generation tries to avoid repeating the same mistakes. It's a genuinely nice concept, and I enjoyed all the flashbacks to the previous generation, which made for interesting comparisons. Overall, though, I think this is a case of wasted potential. It's like having a great idea for a book but being unable to write it well, or envisioning a beautiful drawing that ends up looking terrible in execution.

Production Issues

Setting aside the repetitive plot, the production itself is quite questionable. On the positive side, the costumes and some of the sets are nice. However, the editing is poorly done, the makeup on Cai Zhao is baffling (why is she so pale?), and the acting sometimes feels excessive, though that may partly be due to the strange editing choices (e.g., shots of Mu Qingyan making odd faces). Some scenes don't flow well together, and certain shots feel out of place. At times, we hear Mu Qingyan shouting something to Cai Zhao while the camera shows a wide shot of a mansion and garden filled with fighting characters. I found this very disorienting, as your eyes instinctively search for the people involved in the dialogue.

Romance and relationships

The romance, though, was completely wasted by Mu Qingyan's repeated unsettling behavior and Cai Zhao's constant rejection. Frustrating at first, then simply boring. I was hoping he would let go sooner, and that she would start chasing him a little. Their dynamic at the beginning was actually quite good: she was flirty and he showed nothing more than simple affection. Then came several awkward kiss attempts. Why not let her fall so deeply in love that she's the one trying to kiss him? Instead, they kept the obsessed-pursuer-and-rejecting dynamic all the way through, what a waste. I would have preferred the introduction of a woman he could have grown close to, to shake things up. As for Yuzhi, he should have either been simply her friend or someone she had some romantic interest in. What did his unrequited love actually bring to the plot?
That question, honestly, could be asked about many elements of this drama.
For example, I think they could have done something really compelling with Mu Qingyan's mother. He has so many repeated creepy scenes and moments of coughing up blood, they could have used that screen time to explore his mother issues, showing her trying to manipulate him and him resisting. That would have been far more interesting. His mother brought nothing to the plot tbh.

Good points

On the other hand, I particularly enjoyed the scenes between Lingbo and her mother, especially the one where Lingbo pushes back against her mother's advice, pointing out that her guidance didn't exactly lead to the best outcome given how her mother's own story ended. I also really liked Cai Zhao and Mu Qingyan's first meeting when she encounters him as himself. The enemies-to-lovers energy there was genuinely great. It was so promising and I actually loved the few episodes after this moment.

Conclusion

The repetitive plot combined with the production flaws makes the drama genuinely uninteresting at a certain point. They could have ended it after 20 episodes and it would have been tighter. I think it gets better toward the end, but I honestly couldn't watch at normal playback speed. It feels like the producers had a clear vision of the broad strokes and the ending, but didn't really know what to fill in between, which, for me, is the most important part.

Also, Rebirth has been in my watchlist for a while, but now that I've found out it's from the same director, I'm seriously reconsidering.

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"Do you know what the rich want?...To get richer"

If you watched the first three Roundup films then you know what to expect from The Roundup: Punishment. Our wrecking ball ahjussi hitter takes on cyber crime this time around with his team and comic relief criminal sidekick.

Detective Ma makes a promise to a grieving mother that he will find the criminals responsible for her son’s death. The investigation takes him and his team into the world of cyber gambling and sundry crimes. What he’s not initially aware of is he’s dealing with The I.T. Genius and his vicious, knife-wielding enforcer. Ma will have to call in help from the police department’s own I. T. crowd and also the shady Jang I Su.

There is something about Ma Dong Seok I find compelling to watch, even if he’s just throwing hands at bad guys and little else. I thought Ma “no cartilage” Dong Seok moved smoother in this film which was probably due to better choreography and shorter scenes. His punches and ducking were swifter and of course with a little movie magic, always highly effective. The bad guys, led by Kim Mu Yeol’s Baek Chang Gi used knives which I’m not a huge fan of and didn’t think the knife fight choreography was particularly creative. I was only invested when Ma and his meaty fists entered the room.

The film which bounced between the Philippines and RoK lost focus a few times, which may have been more to translation issues. Ultimately, when the big hearted, pounding hitter wasn’t on screen, the story’s momentum faltered. I enjoyed Roundup Punishment for what it was, and in that I wasn’t disappointed. If you’ve watched the other entries in this franchise this is one to give a try. The Big Guy with No Cartilage rarely disappoints.

10 April 2026

Ma has quipped that he has “no cartilage” in interviews before. Glad he’s still able to make the movies he wants for now!

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OMG ! Not a single dull moment.

These series has surely raise the bar for chinese dramas.
All the characters in these series are woven intricately. They all have background story. And the execution of the show is done so well that it doesn’t bore us to know the story of each and every character. Character development is very important part of this show. First half was very well developed.
And what to say about main leads, they are already top notch actors. Their chemistry is breathtaking. I love them. Zhang Linghe never disappoints with his acting. But I must say FL is amazing in every episode. It is true women empowering show. I loved it. It has become one of my favourite cdramas.

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A Seemingly Light Story That Earns Its Ending

My Page in the 90s is one of those rare dramas that doesn’t aim for depth—and yet still manages to land emotional impact where it counts.

At its core, this is a light, high-concept story: a modern influencer is pulled into a novel and must complete a “system” mission—win the male lead’s love and secure a proposal—to return to her own world. It sounds gimmicky on paper, but what makes it work is the execution. The female lead doesn’t “perform” the role; she inhabits it. Her reactions feel grounded, her choices feel real, and over time it becomes easy to forget how absurd the premise actually is.

The male lead complements this perfectly. He brings a natural, lived-in quality to the relationship—small gestures, subtle emotional shifts, and a steady presence that makes the romance believable even within a constructed world. Together, they build something that feels authentic rather than manufactured.

The drama also maintains strong pacing for most of its run. Each episode moves forward with new situations, challenges, or character moments. It never feels like nothing is happening—until it briefly does.

Around the late middle (roughly Episodes 14–17), the story falls into a familiar trap. The main couple becomes stuck in a cycle of avoidance and misunderstanding, repeating the same emotional beat multiple times. At the same time, the second couple—who are otherwise charming—are also caught in their own loop of hesitation and self-doubt. With both storylines stalling at once, the momentum noticeably dips. It feels less like intentional tension and more like the narrative marking time.

Fortunately, the drama recovers.

From Episode 18 onward, the story pivots in a meaningful way. Instead of continuing the same conflict, it raises the stakes and reframes the central question. The emotional weight deepens, the pacing tightens, and the characters are forced into choices that carry real consequence. What follows is a final stretch that is both moving and satisfying, culminating in an ending that feels earned rather than rushed.

The second couple also finds resolution here, and their storyline adds an important thematic layer about fate—what can be changed, and what cannot.

The finale, in particular, is handled well. Rather than relying on a last-minute coincidence, it allows time for separation, longing, and active searching before reunion. It doesn’t over-explain its mechanics, but it understands that emotional closure matters more than technical detail.

This isn’t a drama that belongs among the most intense or tightly constructed stories. The mid-section drag is real, and it does rely on familiar tropes at times. But it also knows how to deliver where it counts. The ending recontextualizes the journey and gives the story a sense of completion that many similar dramas fail to achieve.

In the end, My Page in the 90s succeeds not because it’s deep, but because it’s sincere. It’s a light story that understands its limits—and still manages to make you feel something real.

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CRINGE

This drama isn’t just misguided—it’s intellectually dishonest in the way it frames power, hierarchy, and identity. It borrows the aesthetic of a modern democracy while quietly reintroducing a system built on birth-based privilege, and then expects the audience to find that romantic.

Let’s be clear about the setup: modern-day South Korea is one of the most advanced democracies in Asia, built after decades of struggle against authoritarian rule—especially after events like the June Democratic Struggle, which pushed the country toward free elections and civil liberties. Against that backdrop, creating a fantasy where royal blood still defines status isn’t just creative liberty—it’s a reversal of hard-fought political progress.

And the comparison the show unintentionally invites is uncomfortable. When you build a system where identity, privilege, and even personal worth are dictated by birth, you’re not far removed from rigid authoritarian structures. The difference between calling someone “royal” versus “supreme leader” becomes largely cosmetic when both rely on inherited or unquestioned authority. Figures like Kim Jong Un don’t wear crowns, but the system around them functions on a similarly unchallengeable hierarchy—one where status is absolute and socially enforced.

Of course, the show will argue it’s a “constitutional monarchy,” like United Kingdom or Japan. But even in those real-world examples, royal families are largely symbolic, stripped of actual governing power. Here, however, the narrative treats royal status as socially superior, emotionally desirable, and personally transformative—which completely undermines the idea of equality in a democratic society.

Seong Hui Ju’s obsession with becoming “more than a commoner” is where the writing collapses entirely. She is already part of a chaebol family—a structure often criticized in South Korea for concentrating wealth and influence in the hands of a few conglomerates. Yet even that isn’t enough for the story. It insists that true fulfillment lies in bloodline, not achievement. That’s not social commentary—it’s glorified elitism.

And then there’s Yi An, portrayed as a tragic royal who “has nothing.” But what does he actually lack? Not status. Not public adoration. Not systemic protection. The drama wants sympathy for someone insulated by the very hierarchy it refuses to critique, while simultaneously elevating that hierarchy as something worth aspiring to.

What makes this especially problematic is how it mirrors real-world systems of discrimination. Whether it’s class stratification or caste-like thinking, the core idea is the same: people are ranked at birth, and no amount of merit can truly change that. Instead of challenging this mindset, the show indulges in it—wrapping it in romance, wealth, and visual appeal so it feels less like oppression and more like fantasy.

What makes this drama particularly disturbing isn’t just its premise—it’s the values it quietly promotes.

In the real world, elitism and discrimination still exist, but they are widely recognized as flaws in society—problems to be challenged, reduced, and ultimately eliminated. Entire democratic movements, like South Korea’s push toward equality after the June Democratic Struggle, were built on rejecting rigid hierarchies and inherited privilege. That’s the direction modern societies strive toward.

This drama does the exact opposite.

Instead of questioning elitism, it normalizes it. Worse—it romanticizes it. The idea that people would *aspire* to become part of a hereditary elite, not through achievement but by birth or marriage, is presented as understandable, even desirable. That’s where it stops being harmless fiction and starts feeling ideologically regressive.

The central relationship makes this even more uncomfortable. A contract marriage—something that should carry emotional, social, and ethical weight—is reduced to a transactional tool for status climbing. And what is the “necessity” driving it? Not survival. Not safety. Not even power in any meaningful democratic sense. It’s simply the desire to become “royal.”

That raises a fundamental question the show never answers: what is the actual value of this title?

In a true constitutional monarchy—like United Kingdom or Japan—royalty is largely symbolic. They do not govern. They do not hold real democratic power. Their status is ceremonial, not functional. So why is this drama treating royal identity as the ultimate prize, something worth sacrificing autonomy, love, and dignity for?

Seong Hui Ju’s decision is especially troubling in this context. She is already wealthy, influential, and independent—yet the story suggests that none of it matters unless she acquires a title tied to bloodline. It reduces her agency to a bargain: trade your personal life, your emotional freedom, even your sense of self, in exchange for a socially constructed label that holds little real-world value.

That’s not ambition—it’s submission to a broken value system.

And the show never seriously challenges that system. It doesn’t ask whether this hierarchy is valid. It doesn’t show meaningful resistance from society. Instead, it presents a world where people accept these divisions and even strive for them. That’s what makes it feel so disconnected from reality—because in reality, such systems are increasingly criticized, not admired.

At its core, the drama sends a troubling message: that identity by birth is more important than identity by choice, and that social elevation—even if meaningless in practical terms—is worth personal sacrifice.

In a modern democratic context, that isn’t just outdated—it’s deeply unsettling.


In the end, this isn’t clever world-building—it’s regression with better lighting. It takes a society that fought to escape rigid, top-down control and imagines a version where people willingly chase it again. That’s not just unrealistic—it’s deeply uncomfortable.

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They Really Ended It With a Video Game Scene. I'm Fine (I'm Not Fine)

If you're here for the romance, buckle up- this drama delivers. The chemistry between the leads is the kind that makes you forget to check the episode progress bar, and the kiss scenes and skinship are consistent once the leads figure things out, not just saved for the finale as a reward for your patience. The OSTs are genuinely beautiful and do a great job of carrying the emotional weight of the quieter scenes. For a romance-focused viewer, this is a very satisfying watch.
That said, it's not without its frustrations. The middle episodes drag in places, and the pacing stumbles when the story loses focus on the leads. But the bigger issue and honestly the one that stings the most is the ending. After everything these two went through, the FL's reluctance to commit to marriage felt like a punch to the gut. A proper proposal scene would have been the natural, earned payoff this story deserved, and the fact that we didn't get that left a bittersweet taste at the finish line. The murder-game ending was a warm touch, but it couldn't fully fill that gap.
Bottom line: watch it for the chemistry, the kisses, and the OSTs , they're genuinely top tier. Just temper your expectations for the ending, especially if you're someone who needs that full romantic closure to feel satisfied. Recommended for romance lovers, with that one caveat in mind.

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School of Violence

Uh. These high schoolers sure are violent. I never read the comic book, and I was intrigued and invested in the story for the first half of the season. But when everything switched, the show felt off-balance. There were no more good guys left — just pure madness.

Maybe the production overexaggerated, but every time they fight, it feels like the students literally want to kill each other. And then, miraculously, everyone recovers quickly with only a bruise or two.

And Si-eun, our main hero... He seems intelligent in the first episodes, but his reasoning becomes more and more sinister as the story develops. Some may argue that he didn’t do anything wrong, but I’d say he did many wrong things. Unfortunately, by the end, I stopped caring about him. In fact, I lost interest in watching Season 2.

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