Reviews

I will add Road to Success to the list of stories that don't have to be perfect, original or free of cliches to work.. The story itself follows a predictable path and the path itself is not very imaginative but the journey is still heartfelt and enjoyable thanks to the passionate cast.. I absolutely enjoyed the scenes with the kids and also the ML's Family..

The praise goes where it's deserved.. The kids in the little savage tribe, their antics and growth are the reason this drama worked for me.. Along with our dear ML and FL, Esther Yu and Chen Jing Ke.. Let's be honest, the script itself feels like it took pieces from several different stories and stitched them together.. We have seen it all before..

The FL, Lin Wan Xing carries a lot of the emotional weight but we still get the usual Esther Yu, I am sad, I am exhausted, but I am still cute.. Chen Jing Ke was alright but he still felt flat in certain scenes.. His voice also felt a bit artificial at times.. It was like he was trying too hard to sound strong or stoic and it just felt out of place.. Their chemistry was good though.. Their partnership and the way they helped each other pull themselves out of their mental mess deserve credit..

Some things in the story just felt illogical.. Like they only mattered when the plot needed them to.. Once they served their purpose, everyone just seemed to forget about them.. Someone wrote an Email ID and password on the classroom board for her to find which actually contained some useful information but nobody bothered to find out who wrote it.. They also never seemed interested in who left behind the puzzles that led them to her grandparent's classroom.. These are pretty important things yet everyone just moves on.. I mean who left the photos and the keys?? Shouldn't they at least try to find out?? But no, they just forget about it until something else happens and the script suddenly decides it matters again..

Then there's the whole part with the FL's senior, our antagonist and the reason behind both the FL and ML's downfall.. That entire arc felt rushed and was handled without a drop of care.. And then there's the conversation between the ML and that psychologist.. I mean what you discuss during counselling is supposed to be confidential, right?? But here the FL is sitting outside listening to everything they are saying.. How does that even make sense?? Where is the privacy?? I get that the writers wanted the ML to confess his thoughts to the FL, but this was such a stupid way to do it..

The football aspect of the drama was well crafted, at least on the field.. But just to be picky, it lacked realism at times.. You could often tell they were just running around without a ball.. It felt like the scenes could have used a bit more effort.. And the ML, bro was supposed to be one of the top international youth football coaches and his advice before the match against the strongest team in the group was 'Eat well, sleep well and step onto the field with a calm mind..' Meanwhile the other team came in with two actual game plans to beat them.. Seriously?? Let's be honest, In that first match against the top team he literally did nothing to help..

Then as expected from a youth sports drama, we get some really annoying parents.. But the worst parents in this drama aren't exactly the student's parents, they are the FL's.. Not trusting her is one thing but not letting her see her grandfather one last time?? That was just evil.. Thankfully we also had one family that was absolute gold, the ML's.. Especially his dad.. He was such a fun character..

Overall, it's a pretty decent drama.. You will definitely love the kids.. My rating is honestly for them.. I have ignored all the other flaws.. It's the kind of feel good drama that gives you a sense of comfort..

P.S. Two things..

First, It still feels a bit weird calling them 'Kids..' They are in the story, but in real life most of them are like 20-24 years old..

Second, It's honestly kind of sad that it's been so long and I am still waiting for an Esther Yu character that can match, if not top Yun Wei Shan from My Journey to You..

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This drama is like a game ad, looking amazing just for it to be a different when you download it.

I have this issue with a lot of dramas lately, why are they like game ads? Showing a great game that looks fun to play, only for it to be completely different and boring when you actually download it.

This is what actually happened with this drama. The first 10ish episodes were so good i was completely stunned! We got a twist in the drama that made it boring.. it got dragged wayyy too much. 20ish episodes would be perfect.

I really don’t know how to feel about this drama. It really didn’t need 32 episodes. At some point we got 1 eps a day and i was just hoping it would end ASAP😭It got better at the end but its still not making up.

The couple was really great and had an amazing chemistry, but that’s not making up for the boring episodes where you don’t even know that the freak is going on. I know that great chemistry is enough for a lot of people, but i personally need a good storyline to enjoy great chemistry.

It was great to see a bit of a different setting, a bit more dark and mysterious. That made it standing out from the other dramas lately.

It’s definitely not a bad drama, but i feel like they could do better with this potential. I’m still stuck on the first 10 ish episodes 🙏

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Worth a watch?

Some did not like this because of the ending but it ended the way it did for a reason. A slow drama but slow for a reason. If a drama is judged by the actors ability to have the viewer feel the emotions required to understand what is being presented without a lot of dialog this drama scores a 100. The chemistry between the main leads felt real and the conflicts between them could be felt. The meeting and separations of the two was sometimes frustrating because of the sometime lack of communications, things left unsaid, yet there seemed to be an understanding between them.

Yes the ending could have been different, but it did not leave me empty.

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Masterpiece

Forgotten starts off as a seemingly simple psychological thriller: we follow Jin-seok, a young man who moves into a new home with his family and watches his older brother get mysteriously kidnapped. When his brother returns weeks later with no memory of the trauma and acting strangely, paranoia and mistrust quickly take over.
​However, the greatest triumph of director Jang Hang-jun is the film’s brilliant buildup. It relies on small, subtle details—a pill, a sound from the locked room, an anomaly on the calendar—to systematically erode the protagonist’s sanity and the viewer’s trust in what they are seeing. The atmosphere is suffocating, and just when you think you’ve figured out where the story is heading, the script hits you with a perfect plot twist.

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What Did I Just Watch??

We've waited so long for this series, it's hard to believe it sucks as much as it does. But, I guess, it does make sense that the people involved in this abomination would prefer that it never saw the light of day. Alas...
The story is not only confusing, it is entirely non-sensical. It has no logic or cohesion, it's just a random string of events that, honestly, feels A.I generated.
The acting is not bad but the script is so cringe the actors cannot save this. Not even JeffBarcode, who, by the way, even though they've managed to have one of the most heartbreaking love stories ever before without ever kissing, couldn't get a single ounce of chemistry on screen for this mess. Obviously not their fault.
My favourite character ends up being The Princess but only bc everything else sucks so much she turns out as the most enjoyable.
Idk who I have to sue to get the time I spent watching this back, but I will certainly be looking into it bc I do require compensation.

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First half was great ! Then it went downhill...

Honestly, everything is in my title...
The first half was very good : a smart, calculating, scheming female lead who knows what she wants and how far she's willing to go to get it. I'm not especially a fan of Hong Xiao but I have to admit she nailed the part of the femme fatale. Yan Zi Xian, her male lead, is great as usual, although I would have liked a bit of development on his part, especially about how he fell for the female lead (though I did love the scene where he was crying in front of his father's memorial tablet : great acting by YZX). The whole thing was overall predictable from the beginning (who was the real culprit, how the second female lead was gonna end up...) but we could pass since the process was interesting, especially when the female lead was obiously really falling for the male lead.
And then, in the second part, we fall into the awful cliche : the leads having misunderstandings, suspecting each other non stop and having a toxic relationship where the male lead imprisons the female lead (come on...) instead of talking honestly and trusting each other (come on, I couldn't believe that the female lead started to doubt the male lead so easily).
What's even sadder is that there was a huge potential about what could have been done because there were also good ideas in that second part : for example, to get the male lead victim of drugs and going through a period of withdrawal with the female lead by his side was an original and interesting move. But after all the suspicions, conflicts and dramas there was before, it kinda fell flat.
I also think there could have been a better of the second female lead, played by Luo Yutian : she wasn't a saint, but I hated that her punishment was going through domestic abuse by the hands of her husband as it felt stereotypical and kinda excessive, almost chauvinistic. When it started, I almost expected a power move from the female lead to help another woman in need but my expectations weren't met, sadly.
Anyway, it's still watchable but like I said, I felt a great disappointment towards the second half for a drama that had done so well on its first half

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One of my favorite & most rewatched dramas!

This is one of my all time favorite dramas. The story is compelling, all of the actors are perfectly cast and each one has absolutely nailed their character, the soundtrack is amazing, the costumes/character design are gorgeous, not to mention the stunning visuals & cinematography. I've probably watched this one all the way through 5-6 times now. There's so many layers and details woven throughout the story that I pick up on something new each time I watch it, so it never gets old. It's also a good first drama for someone who is new to Chinese historical dramas, as I feel that they explain nuances well and the story is very easy to follow.

The two leads have undeniable chemistry, especially if you view their scenes through the lens of "these are two old souls who know each other better than anyone else." There is no pretense between them. There's no shy flirtation or butterflies. Instead, they bicker and jab at each other like old married folks. Because really, that's what they are. There's romance, for sure, including a *particular* scene I was surprised was allowed to make the final cut due to being kind of spicy.

I also want to take a minute to defend the 2nd ML. I truly don't understand why he gets so much hate, in fact, the more I have watched this drama, the more I like and empathize with his character. He is well written and his story arc -- his actions, his motives -- makes sense to me and the actor portrayed him very believably. He's flawed and complex. Not truly a villain but not the hero; he's somewhere in between. I think he's one of the most interesting characters in any drama I've seen.

If you want a good palace intrigue story with lots of lovable characters, shocking plot twists, and a hint of time travel -- look no further!

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The Beach has Eyes

Borrowing stock and trade from gnarly American slashers of the time yet never losing the unique qualities of a Hong Kong horror, The Island begins as a leisurely excursion before steadily mutating into a relentless fight for survival as it plays out a pointed class conflict of its educated urbanites against the violent members of an isolated rural community. Beneath its surface lies an implicit clash between modern urban society and isolated, almost prehistoric violence. The humour in this is very much of its time and place, while the violence is way less visceral than the genre films it aspires to. It's well-shot thanks to director Po-Chih Leong, but it's the island itself that becomes the film's greatest asset. Its rocky coastline, dense vegetation and isolated coves create a convincing natural prison where escape feels impossible. The landscape isn't simply a backdrop; it actively contributes to the mounting sense of dread. It's certainly effective, if a little simplistic, and it manages to feel exhausting even after only 90 minutes. All the acting is solid throughout, but it's the score by Lew Dik that is the true highlight, a synth fan's dream. It really gets the pulse racing, enhancing so many of the more memorable sequences, whilst some of the tense moments get the classic horror treatment. Though overshadowed by more famous Hong Kong horror films, The Island is an otherwise solid little feature with plenty to savour, tense, atmospheric and surprisingly uncompromising, proving that Hong Kong filmmakers could adapt Western horror conventions without losing their own cinematic voice.

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Ellie My Love

Genuinely wasn't aware this was a thing until it was seemingly dumped on Netflix last week. An extremely ambitious Japanese–South Korean co-production, Human Vapor does everything a remake should aspire to, utilising Honda's original film as a jumping-off point before going in its own direction to do something radically different with the material. It hits all the right beats, modernising the premise with a darker, more grounded tone that leads into a compelling supernatural murder mystery, gradually evolving into an exploration of revenge and the human cost of scientific ambition. It's just kind of a shame that the whole thing eventually runs out of steam by the end of its lengthy eight-episode run. Visually, however, there's little to complain about; Shinzo Katayama directs his socks off, the performances are superb across the board, while the music by Takashi Ohmama is simply outstanding. The visual effects deserve their own special mention; done by the same team behind Godzilla Minus One, they are outstanding; every transformation is thoroughly unsettling, inventive and seamlessly integrated. Although the momentum slows to an absolute crawl after an opening sequence that literally blows you away, the series never loses you, as you buy into the horror of what the Human Vapor truly is, remaining a hugely entertaining romp that sublimates the atomic-age paranoia and kitschy monster mayhem of the 60s into a thrilling cautionary tale for the modern era, replete with bountiful action, romance, peril and enough renditions of the Southern All Stars Ellie My Love to last a lifetime.

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Mutual pining so thick you could spread it on toast

Starting a drama with dubious consent in the first five minutes is still a clunky way to set the tone. It’s not assault, but it’s messy enough that you pause and wonder if the show knows what it’s doing. I’ve read and written dark romance, so I wasn’t shocked—just mildly wary. Luckily, it drops that energy fast. The ML’s assistant/driver ends up being the unexpected comic relief, tossing in comments that keep things from feeling too heavy. And the FL, who initially looks like she’ll be pushed around, quietly proves she’s sharper and more capable than her introduction suggests.

The mutual pining is the real engine here. They circle each other with obvious longing, constantly tripped up by miscommunication and a few people who seem dedicated to keeping them apart. It’s a familiar trope, but it works well enough because their emotional blind spots feel natural, not forced. And once they finally get together, the shift is simple and cute—awkward, soft, and a little clumsy in a way that feels honest rather than overly dramatized.

It’s not a perfect drama, but it settles into something easy to watch. A rough start, some light humor, and a straightforward romance that lands without trying too hard.

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