Excessive graphics and plot twists saved by a trio of engaging demon hunters
The East Palace features ride or die dynamics between its main cast involving Saeng Gang, the "court lady" who hears ghosts, Gu Cheon, the demon hunter who sees ghosts, and their dearest Ggeomeoksali (adopted adorable demon pet), that alone gives enough reason to watch this show. In fact, any genre you place these three in, is worth watching, just that in this particular scenario they had to deal with backstabbing demons and vengeful spirits in a palace full of secrets.I think I was unfair to this drama heading in with the mindset that it would be like Kingdom. Kingdom is a masterpiece and I will forever compare every historical horror with it, but The East Palace is a great watch in its own right and deserves to be seen for its interesting worldbuilding and cast.
The main negatives from my pov with this show is its heavy reliance on gamey CGI/VFX scenes which aren't really my cup of tea and the shots themselves losing pacing due to too much slo-mo. I think the plot twists in the screenplay could've also been limited to one or two because this too drags down the main conflict and overall pace of a 8 episode drama.
Regardless, like I said before, the lead duo (and the cutest labubu demon in kdrama land, Ggeomeoksali) carry this show and keep it engaging whenever they're on screen. Nam Joo Hyuk and Roh Yoon Seo have great chemistry, very devoted kindred spirits vibes, and give Gu Cheon and Saeng Gang a dynamic that feels far deeper than simple attraction but genuine love and care for the well being and safety of one another. Their love language is literally going through hell to save each other even at the cost of their own lives and their confessions are not corny "I love you"s but "I'll save you over and over in every lifetime if I had to" which is a recurring theme in so many romance dynamics this year with kdramas that i'm LOVING all this reciprocal love being showered by the kdrama gods after a looong drought filled with one-sided sacrifices mostly from male leads 🥹
I would be totally down for a s2 with this same trio, a tighter screenplay and fewer heavy graphics...
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Please go watch NOW
Just finished all 28 episodes. This drama completely wrecked me in the best way possible, honestly, I can't stop thinking about it. 100% on my rewatch list.The story hits you right in the chest with raw, heartbreaking choices and brilliant political mind games. Plot is soooo good, among the best I've watched in awhile. No doubt this is going to be one of my top favorite dramas of all time. Really wish it was longer than 28 episodes!
Hou Minghao is absolute perfection; this might be his BEST role to date. His insane acting, microexpressions, and everything else made Xiao Wuyi not just a character, but an unforgettable figure.
Ai Mi really SHINES in this drama. She's such a talented young actress—it's really rare. There could NOT possibly be a better fit for the female lead than her.
If you have not checked this out, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!!!!!
And yes OSTs are top notch!!!
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SO ANNOYING
This show was oddly addictive, but I gave a low rating due to the sheer absurdity I was forced to withstand.1. The annoying dad/shufu/husband misogynistic and shallow look on life:
I would say this man irritated me so much, constantly belittling his son and making him feel small, then having the audacity to ask him why he feels small. This man is the sole cause of the problems in this drama, from lying to a patient in the name of hope and will to live to lying to his son and wife about having extramarital affairs and having a love child, love child being his son's girlfriend, which granted he didn't know then but he found out not much after AND STILL REFUSED TO TELL THE TRUTH. And then accusing his wife of not trusting him, to him literally forcing his wife to bend to his every need whilst he has a big issue with pride waving around his head like a fucking dandelion.
2. the ml:
This dude was truly annoying, BUT honestly, when they were together, bro was the biggest simp, but before, how can u leave a girl that u brought out side shit faced drunk when y'all live in the same house and let her take the blame cuz u too chicken to stand up to ur dad.
3. the mom/holier than thou:
this bitcch was fr hating on tou2 no matter what. Literally, the girl could save a dying child, and bro had a problem cuz she didn't give the child water like fuck off bruh.
Besides this, most of their "issues" could have been avoided, but it was apparent the writers were tryna reach that 40-episode mark and pulling shit from their asses.
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One of the best comforting drama ever!!!!
Everything about this drama is just wonderful. From the main couple to the supporting actors up to the whole story. Mo Qingcheng's (Tan Jianci) and Gu Sheng's (Zhou Ye) character are beyond perfection—both considerate, thoughtful, rational, reasonable, and devoted to each other— they also treasure their friends and treat them like family.And oh, the best thing ever is that there's no unnecessary misunderstanding, you can literally enjoy this drama with no worries at all, like it can cleanse your negative mood/vibes.
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Perfect
Very nice series. Love acting of Yang Yang.By the time you reach the finale, you’re left with that rare mix of satisfaction and longing — satisfied because the journey was perfect, and longing because you wish you could experience it for the first time again. It’s a series that stays with you, in the best possible way.
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Don't waste your time watching Suddenly Seventeen.
The movie started on a good note, but as the story progressed, it became boring. The ending was completely senseless. The constant switching between the younger and older versions of the heroine, along with her repeatedly playing with the emotions of the two male characters, didn't make sense.I thought she turned into her younger self to get back her first love on track. That did happen, but what about the second male lead? I don't think there was any need for his character. His sincere love was included in the story only to be ignored, which ruined the mood and made the audience sympathize with him unnecessarily.
So, don't even waste a second thinking about watching this movie.
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The Greatest Evil Spirit Is The Human Heart
The visuals were absolutely gorgeous. The entire production team has done a great job in creating those creepy-looking sets. The CGI was top-notch. The direction was fabulous, and the use of different colors was a brilliant idea. The choreography of the action scenes deserves a special mention. The story was not that special, honestly, but the execution was great. The entire team has done a great job. The cast, especially Nam Joo Hyuk was phenomenal. He looked absolutely lethal as the spirit slayer. The entire cast has done a great job. I was confused about who killed whom and who was the biggest villain here. That Queen Dowager and the king had thoroughly confused me. Overall, if you are not a horror lover, you might not like it. But for horror lovers, it could be a great one-time watch. I absolutely loved this drama.PS. That little always hungry gwimae "Kkeomeoksari" was such a cutie.
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We deserved better.
For a moment, let’s ignore the trash writing and the poor acting, and be angry that this was even made. I’m going to be filing a lawsuit for the 6 hours of my life I lost watching this series.The random high school president subplot was entirely unnecessary. The constant bullying dynamics is getting so old.
Thank the gods that there was lesbian representation, even though they could have had a more significant part of the story other than being the friends of the MC. Those lesbians were the only good part of the show. Much like the actual lesbians in my life, they carried.
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Practically Perfect
Okay, I’m actually mad at myself for putting this off for so long. BounPrem have been my favorite ship since watching UWMA back in 2020 (the only redeeming thing about that show). When this came out I was on somewhat of a BL hiatus, and when I started watching them again and saw some of the negative reviews for this I couldn’t bring myself to watch it.I was so afraid that:
1. based on some reviews it was going to be depressing like UWMA, and that
2. because of that I might love BP a little less.
But turns out I had nothing to worry about! The negative reviews are grossly over exaggerated, especially the one’s comparing Team’s trauma to the depressing af reincarnation plot of UWMA. This was so so much better than that. I forgot how good BP are together, their chemistry is amazing and this really reminded me why I love them so much.
My only reason for the lower rating are for some of the inconsistencies in the story. For instance, the reincarnation plot flashbacks for Dean and Pharm in ep. 1 - while i’m sooo glad we didn’t actually dive back into that, it is never explained and for a viewer that hasn’t seen UMWA it wouldn’t make sense. There were a couple other instances like this throughout the show that could’ve just been left out. The only other thing I didn’t enjoy was the Bee/Prince plot line. It was unnecessary and not relevant to the rest of the story. If/when I rewatch I would skip over these scenes.
Overall, a solid BL with a wonderful cast. If you’re like me and questioning whether or not to give this a try, please do! It really is worth the watch, especially if you found and loved WinTeam in UWMA and want more of their story.
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This cdrama is getting more interesting as more episodes releases
people dropping this drama because of ai and bad directing are losing gem, i feel bad for people not watching, this drama is blessing. people are taking things too seriously, after more episodes releases the more it gets to better drama, linghe's fans are too toxic, it's my first time feeling toxicity of the fandom, i feel bad for linghe and churan for the forced hate coming from poj's fans... i can't say overdo is year of drama but it's interesting to watch it like it feels so hurt to see how qingyi is getting treated fighting overdo! fighting linghe! fighting churan!love you churan đź’—
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Formulaic execution of one of my favorite dynamics, with a tacked on happy end
I appreciate the sexual chemistry, humor, fight scenes, and opening song as well as the general vibes, but the storyline and crime aspects are weak. No, I don't expect 16 hours of build-up to a cataclysmic revelation that shakes the very foundation of who Chaeha and Taeseon are. In a different story, I wouldn't mind Chaeha jumping in front of a knife for Taeseon at the halfway mark already, and I guess it makes sense on paper why he does it here. I would have enjoyed myself more, though, had the threats been mounting for longer.As it is, it feels like the writers thought, "Okay, we're at this point in the episode count, so it's time for XYZ sex scene," and "Oh, now this much time has passed, so we need to insert dramatic scene number 5." Like, what? The leads do quite well to very well during these big moments, but... I live for the tension. And for the love of God, let me sit with my emotions and wallow in the pain! I need to be able to kid myself that bad things will actually happen and that the issues will be resolved in the next 5 episodes, not in the next 5 minutes!
This show is off to a strong start but doesn't deliver and honestly lacks creativity (of course, Chaeha gets knifed more than once). It is unfortunate, but having watched Beyond Evil, The Devil Judge, and Hannibal's much more thrilling portrayals of this kind of dynamic, I'm not sold on The Prosecutor's Proposal's version. I read a comment calling this story half-baked, and I regrettably must concur. There's a BL in my future that will do the morally gray-but-also-fighting-for-what's-right-and-definitely-BDSM-flavored "I will die and kill for you"-duo justice, no doubt.
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A Story I Enjoyed, But a Drama I Didn't
I dropped this drama multiple times before finally pushing through my usual stop points. I don't often give a show this many chances, but I really like the author whose work it was adapted from, and the premise sounded like exactly the kind of story I'd enjoy. I wasn't sure if I'd been watching it at the wrong times or if I just needed to get through the setup. Neither ended up being the case. This is simply a drama that didn't work for me, even though it had all the ingredients to become one I loved.I loved the central narrative, found the side arcs interesting and often tragic, and enjoyed most of the cast and their roles. Conceptually, this is exactly the kind of xianxia I gravitate toward. Unfortunately, the execution and pacing never landed for me. The storytelling often felt disjointed, and it wasn't until the end that I understood how all the different threads connected. Looking back, the structure makes sense, but the journey itself didn't feel fluid, making many of the arcs feel awkward rather than naturally woven together.
However, what ultimately ruined most of the drama for me was Yanhui. While I believe the series was intentionally aiming for an offbeat style, her characterization never sold me. The portrayal of her free-spirited, eccentric personality came across more as a baby voice than as endearing eccentricity. A similar approach worked for me in "Love Between Fairy and Devil," but it didn't here. Instead of feeling like a natural part of the story, her performance felt too mannered and stilted, to the point where I found myself speeding up her dialogue just to keep from dropping the drama yet again.
Overall, this drama simply didn't work for me. It had all the elements of something I should have loved, but the uneven pacing, disjointed execution, and my inability to connect with Yanhui ultimately kept me from enjoying it.
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Better than initially expected
I was skeptical when I completed the 1st episode, but it picked up and got better. I definitely enjoyed the storyline between Xu Mu and Xie Shi. They did a great job with their acting. As always there were some annoying characters, but overall, I definitely enjoyed this show. I don't know if it falls into the category of me wanting to rewatch it later, but I'm definitely happy that I didn't give up on it after the 1st episode. One of the most impactful aspects of Xie Shi's character for me, was his view on having kids. After 19 years of marriage, his perspective resonated so much with me, because I appreciate the depth of his perspective.Was this review helpful to you?
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Not bad but typically Japanese unrealistic
I kinda enjoyed the show up to a point. It is so... Japanese !The conclusion is that it's impossible for the girls to "find happiness" but not for they own faults, but because the script writer artificially complicates the story ad infinitum. As he is probably paid to do. The irony is that even Rinko is portrayed as a script writer for love dramas, and her boss at some point says "nobody will cry over your script - I don't like it". So they make sure WE WILL cry over this one!
For instance, Kaori: at first, all she wants from Ryo is to drop his girlfriend Rina so she can become his "main girlfriend". When this happens at last, and he says he only loves her, she STILL is not happy, because now she finds Ryo too "womanizer" for her taste. And she dumps him a second time a year later, for no clear reason, although he is shown to still love her. Clearly, she is portrayed as a girl who doesn't know what she wants. Either he is the love of her life, or he is not. Nobody knows.
Next, Rinko: her break-up with Hayasaka is also greatly exaggerated. In fact, he lets her go MUCH too easily, and she says nothing, she just picks up her stuff and goes away. But there is nothing in her actions to suggest to him that Key is "her big love" - letting him sleep at her home at the death anniversary (just sleep on the couch, no sex) when he was clearly broken is no big deal! And then, Hayasaka makes up his mind to dump her when he just sees them talking, without any physical contact, on the street. This is not at all serious. Neither Hayasaka nor Rinko seem to have the smallest will to fight for their love. Probably because there is no love. This is not how a relationship is built.
And 3 years later, in season 2 episode 1, Hayasaka has the nerve to tell Rinko that she is the one who dumped him, which is the a total lie (he was the one who refused to sign and who asked to return to their "business partner" status when she was signing the papers to move together in the same house , and then he saw all too well that KEY left the country and had nothing to do with Rinko) .
All 3 girls would easily end up married much quicker in a real setting based on the original show premises. Creating artificial barriers and obstacles was obviously the writer's intent, so that marriage becomes all but impossible. The show seriously lacks consistency between the first episode and the last.
As for KEY, he is an asshole. And it really makes no sense that they say to each other "I like you" reciprocally at some point, and then he is shown to revert to being an asshole to her, for no reason at all.
In fact, all girls seem to easily find relationships, even Koyuki finds men to sleep with. Only she knows why "the next morning she feels lonelier than before" (no real reason for somebody who initially said how cute, how kind the man was).
However, this seems to be the general style of most Japanese love dramas. Even the ones with happy ending take a long time to get to that ending. So basically I can say I LIKED the show. I saw many J-dramas so I know this is their recipe. Period. Just don't make the mistake of rooting for the characters too much. We the viewers are wishing more for a happy ending than they are wishing themselves!
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Manga poorly adapted
I enjoyed the manga and wanted to give this a chance but they stayed too close to the book, the over-reactions work in a manga but needed toning down for the realism of a live action, it was very over the top and detracted from the story. This is not a fault of the actors, it was the direction that was taken for the production as far as i can see. I also think the main actors were poorly cast as didn't fit the characters, again they weren't bad actors, it was just a bad role.My opinion only, if you want a bit of over the top comedy you might like this, i just felt a bit disappointed, although i did like the scenes with the older brother
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