Reviews

So Much Potential, But That Ending…

Overall, I enjoyed this drama. It was entertaining, but IU completely carried the entire show. Her performance was outstanding, and without her, I don’t think it would have been nearly as memorable. I understand it was only twelve episodes, so I have no complaints about the pacing. My biggest issue is the ending. The entire story was about her fighting to earn her title, only for the monarchy to suddenly be abolished the moment she finally achieved it. That completely ruined the main plot for me.
The male lead Woo-seok was handsome and had good chemistry with IU, but his character felt underdeveloped. His sudden change of heart about becoming king came out of nowhere and didn’t fit the story they had been building.

More than anything, this drama made me miss Lee Min Ho in The King: Eternal Monarch. I couldn’t help but think how well he would have played this role. IU was amazing, but unfortunately, the ending made the whole story feel disappointing

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They just needed to talk

I spent a fair amount of time watching this. The early episodes were really good. The concept was great, the flashbacks were fun and heartwarming, and I liked how the characters worked together to solve so many problems, which made it engaging.

However, some parts felt drawn out. The FL sometimes made strange decisions, and many problems could have been solved simply by talking, but they often avoided direct communication. This repeated miscommunication became quite frustrating. After they got back together and the business plots were added, the show became rather bland and boring for me. The heroine’s revenge also wasn’t very satisfying after such a long buildup. But the chemistry between the lead actors was excellent, and the soundtrack was nice.

Overall, the series started strong with a warm and engaging beginning, but the dragging pace, repetitive miscommunication, and underwhelming later half held it back. Still worth watching for the great lead chemistry and soundtrack if you can tolerate the flaws.

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Best Drama of 2026 so far

The drama got the casting right. The young actors were amazing and Song Weilong and Zhang Jing Yi took over for an even more amazing performance!

This is not your usual romance. Their love was fodged from years of abandonment, pain, abuse, violence. The story unfolds beautifully from how they constantly choose each other. I knew Miao Jing had feelings for Chen Yi when she left her classroom and helped Bo find him. She considered Chen Yi home because he was the one person who didnt abandon her rather he was always there for her.

I feel China uses the term brother losely. This is not a step sibling romance. Their parents never married and Chen Yi almost never lived at home when Miao Jing and her mum lived there.

Lets not forget the amazing OSTs, cinematography, locations, settings, phones, computers that all perfectilly caltured the 1990s to early 2000s the producers thought of everything down to costume and make up. Also the friendships, sacrifices and all were so beautiful.
Kudos to Love for you team! I hope this drama gives Song Weilong the kind of international recognition ZLH got after Pursuit of Jade. He deserves it for giving such an amazing performance as Chen Yi!

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Too Much of a Downer

Won Miho forced herself to train so she could awaken Wonjeong’s powers and stop people around her from dropping dead, but her progress is interrupted when Guntang used a demon to make her feel guilty for the deaths of people she cherished, up to the point of being suicidal. Van managed to come to the rescue just in time but sustained severe injuries. As they bide their time to recuperate by hiding from Guntang and his demon army, more people are getting hurt as Guntang becomes out of control.

Honestly, the vibe as i watched this is similar to Alice in Borderland sequels. The plot doesnt make sense due to considerable plotholes, the pacing is too damn slow and the storyline became more boring with each episode. The FL character also went downhill so passionately. 😒 i get that she’s griefstricken that the people she loves got hurt because of her, and that she’s distraught aboit the possibility of losing her current identity once Wonjeong fully awakens. But come on, all the crying is just too excessive and over the top. I took such a long time to finish each episode, I had to keep pausing it and distract myself with something else just to keep myself from dropping it altogether due to lost of interest. It was truly a pain for me to finish this one despite being only 6 episodes. With other shows I normally finish within 8-10hours 🙊 while this one took 2 days 😵‍💫

The SML maintained his streak of uselessness throughout the show up until the final episode. Only in the final one did he eventually became a teenie wee bit helpful for the showdown between humans and demons, after somehow being bestowed with divine power. Ironically it was the short clip of this Father Johan wielding the jedi-like sword that led me to the series, only to find this character a mere feast to eye and nothing more. I get that he cant be compared to ML the half demon, of course theyre not in the same league since he’s just a human, but come on, he’s so useless that even when he just needed keep an eye on FL so she doesnt fall for Gungtan’s tricks again, he still fails the task. Tsk tsk. Cant even keep an eye on 1 most important person of the whole story when that’s the sole reason why he travelled thousands of miles from Italy.

They maintain their impressive performance on the makeup and CGI though.

Anyway, i just realized I may not be fond of Korean ghost-busting demon-hunting fantasy stories. Almost all received low rating from me. The only show that got above 9 rating had been Alchemy of Souls, the rest falls below 7. 🤷🏻‍♀️ maybe this genre for kdrama is just not my cup of tea.

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Best of this storyline

Of the versions of this storyline, this one sets itself apart by not just a good cast but closing off their stories well. Even after everything she did the 2FL made me feel so bad for her. She just wanted a loving family but couldn't get it because her mother was a mistress. I'm glad the 2ML matured and eventually got a happy ending. You shouldn't have to live with mistakes your entire life. The FL will make a wise empress one day. Do I think the dad deserved forgiveness? No. but forgiveness is not for the sinner but for the person who was affected to let go. She let go and moved on. Jin Ze. How you are missed.

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poor guy who is fighting everyone!

I feel like this is might be crazy but i really love this series. The story indeed is really same with the title, Bittersweet... Cause gurl, this is aint sweet at all. Every walks, every talks is really meaningful, about family, about love, or about lust, its really all over the place. Especially Xiaofan, he live in his little life yet people still take advantage on him, so innoncent yet he cant do anything cause its his family...

This series is so messed up but i really love it. It make me crazy, vomit, feeling dizzy, anger... or the worst is i wanna smack people cause so stressfull the story is. But every inch, every second, i really want more, especially want to watch Xiao Fan, the little boy and the innoncent can fight and protect for himself🐰

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One of the Best K-BLs Ever! Insane Chemistry, Just Wish It Had More Episodes

The Prosecutor's Proposal easily solidifies itself as one of the standout K-BLs of the year and a top-tier entry in the entire genre. The director’s execution is stellar, and the actors are flawlessly cast with an off-the-charts onscreen chemistry that leaves you wanting more.

However, my personal grievance is that the 10-episode format forced a somewhat rushed pacing toward the end. It left things feeling slightly lacking for me, which was a minor disappointment for a story with this much depth. That being said, this flaw doesn’t take away from how fantastic the drama is as a whole. It’s an absolute must-watch, and I'm highly anticipating the leads reuniting for a second project in the future.

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Seeing some of the Reviews of this Drama, I wanted to say some things...

I think this drama was actually quite interesting. It was a bit overdramatic.
People were complaining a bit abt the character's seemingly not having a much of a personality outside of their relationship. I think this drama is only 12 episodes and is primarily focused on their relationship over the years. I like that it doesn't get too distracted from this and that the main storyline is them and their relationship, which I think provides enough material for this show because its quite complex.
People were bit shocked by the toxic ML - I'll get to this later.
I like that this drama carries themes of homosexual relationships, which are relevant to millions of people like homophobia within families. I like that we're shown the perspective of Cheng Yi Chen who tries to maintain a relationship through just avoiding the topic or lying because he loves his Mother regardless and just tries to make her happy, the perspective of his Brother who also just pretends and avoids the topic, the perspective of Qin Lang who tries to stall and also avoid and then the perspective of Lu Feng who wants to be out and proud and is so combative in his life.
So we already arrived at a toxic trait of Lu Feng's - his combatitiveness and lack of impulse control. He gets emotional so quickly and then blows everything out of proportion when things seem to be not going the way he wants them to. I think part of this also comes from the way he was brought up - his Father always beating him means he was taught he can achieve anything through a fight as long as he is the stronger one, rather than seeing the Value in Discussion. It also made him think that physical aggression between family members is acceptable behaviour. Obviously his lack of impulse control made his Father beat him more often, so it's not just physical abuse in itself, but also the amount of times he was experiencing it.

However, I don't think this drama is necessarily a story of a "victim falling in love with his abuser" as one review put it. I don't want to come accross as excusing any of Lu Feng's action's, obviously a lot of them are not ok. But I think this is a story of two character's who are deeply flawed constantly clashing. On top of that in a world which isn't the most gay-friendly which puts several external pressures onto their relationship. I think almost all of their issues throughout the drama could have been avoided with communication - and Lu Feng calming down lol, but maybe he would have if they would have communicated more.
- I mean their relationship also started when they were teenagers, so I understand why they were not perfectly communicating then and then a lot of extreme things happen, which make it more awkward.

But I think Cheng Yi Chen has issues as well. His issues are that he bottles things up, has low self-esteem, a people-pleaser and conflict avoidant. I think this is the reason he failed to communicate with Lu Feng properly, which is what increasingly burdened Lu Feng to the point where he felt that he couldn't believe anything Cheng Yichen said. At which point their communication completely failed and the worst things between them happened.
As for those things - I mean it was very intrusive (I think in general Lu Feng was very intrusive, which for me comes from his lack of impulse control - like in that scene in his office when he sleeps with Cheng Yi Chen and Yi Chen tries to stop him at first because its inappropriate in the office - because of his lack of impulse control Lu Feng doesn't care whether it is appropriate at the office), but for nothing I saw I am sure I would classify it as rape, because before sex you could always see Cheng Yi Chen initiating as well. Sexual Abuse was there for sure.
I am not trying to shift the blame for Cheng Yi Chen being sexually abused or "held hostage" - again, about this I am not a hundred percent sure, but from what Lu Feng said he could have called the police at any point, meaning he had access to a home line or something... but he didn't, because he actually did wan't to stay with Lu Feng, he just assumed Lu Feng couldn't forgive him, so he bottled it up and accepted what was happening, with this it's like yes, Lu Feng was psychologically terrorising Cheng Yi Chen, but idk if he was legally "kidnapping" him -, I'm just saying they both triggered the worst aspects of their personalities, which resulted in these situations.
Because the story takes place over years, they grow to understand their personalities - somewhat. At least they came to grow more patience for each other.
Lu Feng's overbearing and abusive actions also - somewhat understandably - drive Cheng Yi Chen to bottle more things up and basically become a shell of himself. As a conflict-avoidant person myself I understand that if I am in a situation which is very upsetting to me, rather than standing my ground I try to either run away (as Cheng Yi Chen does frequently, which deeply hurts Lu Feng because he is obsessed with Yi Chen - I'll get to that later), or I shut down (as Cheng Yi Chen does when he is kept by Lu Feng).

Another toxic trait of Lu Feng's is his lack of empathy. He really struggles to understand other's. Here I want to circle back to the families. When Lu Feng's (abusive) Father died, he seemed almost relieved. Contrast that with Cheng Yi Chen, who genuinely loved his parents and was destroyed when his parents died. Lu Feng could not understand this at all and therefore wasn't a very good support. This happened throughout the drama. I mean his lack of empathy also brought him to say those things to the Mum, I mean he couldn't understand how she might be upset by the things he is saying.

The lack of empathy and the lack of a proper family also brought about another toxic trait of Lu Feng's: His possessiveness of Cheng Yi Chen. For him, Cheng Yi Chen was the only person who mattered in his life. Yi Chen had more people he cared about. Because of his own lack of a caring family, Lu Feng's feels almost threatened by those people. Which he expresses through his combativeness with the little Brother.
This is connected to Lu Feng's central fear (which intensifies as years go on because it keeps happening, also because of Cheng Yi Chen's conflict avoidance): Losing Cheng Yi Chen.

I don't want to call the Bipolar Disorder a toxic trait of Lu Feng's - because its an disorder. All I am going to say is that I actually know quite a few people struggling with this. When you go through Manic episodes, you're behavior can sometimes scare other people/drive them away. I'm not saying this always leads to criminal actions, but I am saying that people who do commit criminal actions, cannot be seen as fully in charge of those actions. Sometimes they don't even remember they're actions in these episodes. Anyways its good he got medicated. And I like how Cheng Yi Chen helped him to make that decision.
The feeling of "I can't be crazy" and therefore refusing treatment is also something I have often come across.
And yeah, the Disorder properly worked together with the toxic traits of Lu Feng and the general issues in their relationship to make everything a lot more intense and therefore worse.

Anyways, besides the deep clashes in their personalities which led to bad conflicts, I did see their chemistry and obsession and understood why they always went back to each other.
Cheng Yi Chen was always obsessed with Lu Feng while they were apart. After his divorce, he initially wen't to seek Lu Feng out, but got cold feet. I felt this dynamic so often. He wanted to get with Lu Feng, but then held himself back because he was scared of something, which made Lu Feng angry and act extreme (lack of impulse control + empathy), which would scare Cheng Yi Chen more. Being conflict avoidant he then shut down and/or try to leave but then still only think about Lu Feng.
But it got better when they spent more together and gained patience for each other (like the second time they properly dated and the end - the first time was just a simpler time in general and they were teenagers).

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Hidden Gem!

If you like slice of life with strong female character, you have to watch A Better Life. I had low expectation for this drama, but I saw this was on Netflix, so it's at least a popular drama if Netflix picked it up. But through all of the episodes, there is no fast forward, increased speed or have this drama in the background. For me, this is an excellent drama. The story maybe cliche, some girl's life turned upside down after the husband had an affair, but the acting is superb. I really like the chemistry between FL and ML. And this is an inspiring story of the struggle that Hu Man Li experienced in her life and how she continue being a kind person despite experiencing and being treated badly by people in her life. A really good drama, I really enjoyed watching this.

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Another Zombie Thriller - Nothing New, Nothing Bad

Colony is a standard zombie thriller, with the twist of a bio-weapon outbreak. The familiar character types are all present: the brave-ones who lead the group, the scared ones who you know will make a mistake and harm others, another pair related as family and bringing in the emotional angle, the selfish ones who will do anything to survive

The main draw is the cast. Gianna Jun provides presence, Ji Chang Wook leans into his action persona, and Koo Kyo-hwan delivers a strong antagonist performance.

Technically, the film is competent—suspenseful pacing, solid acting, effective makeup, and visual effects. However, it offers little that feels new or distinctive.

Overall, Colony is a well-made but conventional entry in the genre. It works as a one-time watch for fans of outbreak thrillers, but it is not especially memorable.

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The show refuses to punish any villain

30 episodes approximately 10 minutes each and it is not some fluffy comedy but a piece of state propaganda on how the status quo should be maintained and as a citizen you should constantly eat bitterness.
I wanted a little bit of light relief after some pretty grotesque propaganda dramas I’ve watched recently but the CCP have just decided to double down on subjugating their citizens even with supposed fluffy romcoms.
We’ve got the two male leads looking to get married to a prominent family of two women and through a (sarcastically) hilarious mixup they end up marrying the wrong bride but it turns out they were the ones they were meant to marry anyway.

Blah blah blah, the end.

The problem is all the villains never seem to get punished and when they do, it is off screen but whenever the heroes get punished, we have to see them getting beaten.

There was one particularly jarring scene where they eventually brought down the corrupt cousin and he was wheeled through town in a box and the citizens were throwing some lettuce at him. His hair was a little messy, you know the odd strand out of place and his prison clothes were immaculate and even looked ironed. In the exact next scene we see are two male leads getting held down and beaten with heavy paddles.
Why? Who knows?
Well, I know, it is the message that even in victory you still have to suffer.
Truly, this is utterly grotesque and putrid having to grow up in this kind of regime that pumps out this consent to continually condition you into having your neck stood on. Sheesh!

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Worth your time on all levels!

If you’re into this genre like me, it would be hard to not love this drama!

It has a slightly different vibe - I think this comes directly from the ML character, who is extremely other-worldly and that never really shifts too much. He doesn’t turn into a relatable, warm n’ gooey human type no matter what the situation. Which is pretty great in terms of giving this a really cool angle. The guy is different than any other being on the planet, and they went with it.

Shen Li herself is a fantastic character. Strong, funny, stubborn, talented, she’s easy to like and cheer for. Loved her for her strength, and her ability to be a fully formed character, not arm candy, scheming, or fake strong. The character kicks butt on her own!

Visuals are good, and the music, ohhhhh man, it’s one of those ear worms that won’t shut up and plays in your head when you’re trying to go to sleep. You’ll know which one I’m talking about (you first hear it played on a leaf)

Side characters are numerous and memorable - actor He Yu’s bimbo playboy airhead (with a good heart) Furong is funny and a standout. There are many things to love about this, from the strong, unique, mature characters to the good effects and epic gods n’ demons storyline, it’s a must-see.

Just for comparison, other dramas Ive loved this much (or nearly) include Love Between Fairy and Devil and Love in the Clouds.

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