Reviews

It started good but went downhill - contain spoilers

First of all i don´t usually write reviews, but this one i was so disappoited that i wanted to share what i think of this show.
I'm going to say this in the beginning already. Don't expect much romance. The only thing we see is the main leads fighting all the time. I could only watch this skipping, because there is a lot of annoying scenes. Cute scenes is almost zero.

The main leads actually have good chemistry. and i really like the enemies to lovers kind of relatioship.. But in this case i can´t see how the female lead could fall for the male lead, because he doesn't respect her, doesn´t believe her, he only listens to his ex girlfriend.
Another thing it was wrong that the male´s lead mother made 2 people that hated each other to get married, mainly because her son already had a girlfriend. And yeah, i agree that the girlfriend is annoying and not really a good person, but anyway she shouldn´t have done that.
Also the female´s lead sister. Come on, her character are so pathetic. She only cries, and doesn´t even defend herself from those that makes so much injustice to her.
And the most horrible thing. The ML had forced sex with FL So to me she could never develop feelings for him.
So, to me watch this was a waste of time. Not worth it at all.

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I don’t care what people think. It was a 10/10 for me.

The plot, dialogues, backstory, everything was perfect.

Both of them, especially Zhang Ruonan, carried this drama till the end. I’m still amazed by how talented she is at portraying Wen Yifan as both vulnerable and strong at the same time.

The sleepwalking scene was hard to watch, especially knowing what she went through behind closed door.

Her mother was cruel and selfish. After everything, she still expected WYF to accept her like nothing happened.

I also fell in love with BJT’s talent and his chemistry with the female lead. Sangyan is loyal and caring. He never forces her to open up until she’s ready.

However,
The grandpa subplot felt unnecessarily long and a bit annoying. I’m okay with the second couple though, they were cute.

I will definitely visit this drama again in the future.

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Lo más divertido que he visto en mi vida

Es el K-Drama con el que más me he reído hasta ahora. Me lo vi en dos noches simplemente porque tenía que dormir (cosa súper molesta la verdad). Estuvo súper adictiva, me encantó que utilizaran el tema de las sectas que fingen ser iglesias radicales, pero que su verdadero objetivo es sacar el dinero a la gente para sus propósitos malvados. Muy basado en la realidad 😂 (cero sarcasmo). Además, tengo que decir que a Choi Dae-hoon ya le había visto un poco sus puntos para la comedia en "Aterrizaje de Empergencia en tu Corazón", pero PARA NADA me imaginé que fuera capaz de algo como esto. Me cagué de la risa con su actuación, me pareció exageradamente divertido, de verdad que me sorprendió un montón. Ya me había acostumbrado a verlo como malo y de repente me viene con esta maravilla. Increíble.

Aquí la cosa es que necesito una segunda temporada y aún no la tengo, muy mal eso.

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Tedioso de ver

Me obligué a acabarlo solo para ver qué sucedía con algunos de los personajes secundarios.
La protagonista me resultó desesperante. Actuaba de forma muy infantil y sin carácter (lo tenía solo con las personas equivocadas). El protagonista masculino no me gusta físicamente así que no pude disfrutar de su relación, aparte de que se me hizo una relación muy dolorosa e insana. No tiene sentido la cantidad de cosas que le aguantaron al papá del protagonista, no lo puedo entender. Hay un límite para cualquier tipo de comportamiento o situación.
La escena de las fotografías de todos los personajes estuvo muy bonita, pero aparte de eso no puedo rescatar nada, ni siquiera las parejas secundarias valieron la pena, prácticamente no les dieron desarrollo.
Al menos voy a celebrar la increíble actuación de la mayor parte del cast.

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OK but hear me out

I know I am one to hate on BL series with no or poorly written plots, but this one is a guilty pleasure for me. And the reason is that I watched our leads Kim Chang Min and Kim Chan Gyu in the Korean reality dating series His Man back in 2022. The fact that they got a series together, however basic or short it may be, makes me giggle and fangirl out a little. They are so cute and to see actual gay actors in a BL makes me feel like something right happened here. Is it a little cheesy? Yes. Is it PURE fan service for us fujashi? YES! But at least you expect it to be <3

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Bastante entretenido y adictivo

Me gustó mucho el concepto, me recordó demasiado a Danganronpa.
Siento que, aunque fue un concepto que sentí bastante único, como que se me quedaron algunas cosas a medias. Siento que hubieron cosas que no se llegaron a explicar, otras que yo no entendí (una es medio lenta).
Me hubiera gustado que los personajes (o al menos uno de ellos) fueran más inteligentes. Todo el tiempo discutían, daban vueltas, perdían tiempo y actuaban de forma errática. Entiendo que es lo más realista, pero aunque sea UNO podría tener un poco de cerebro y actuar con lógica. No entiendo por qué si tienen a un claro sospechoso, se dejarían llevar de la primera tontería con la que saltaba otro, me tenían un tanto bastante harta.

Quitando ese mísero detalle, la serie como tal me gustó mucho. Era justo lo que estaba buscando ver. Algo adictivo, rápido de ver, con buenos personajes, trama y plot. Porque no hay que dejar de lado los giros que dio la historia. Hubieron algunas cosas que me las vi venir, otras las fui intuyendo según avanzaba todo, pero hubieron otras que ni de chiste las hubiese adivinado. Así que quedo satisfecha.

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And it just keeps getting worse

Ep 5 Addition: This series was really just thrown out there. Watching the latest episode started out much the same as the previous 4, but then about 13minutes in things just got weird. The song choice during In and Ernge's date was a Christian Vacation Bible School song based on Romans 8:28. I'm just really having a hard time at this point not finding every single ridiculous thing that went into this series irritating. I hate that I hate so much about this because I really wanted to love it for the sake of the author and the cast.

Ep 1-4 Review: I have seen people attempt to defend this series as "art". Well sure, I have a camera and am myself capable of creating "art". But this is a far cry from GOOD art. And it's really unfortunate because, much like Ai Long Nai, the novel by Nattakorn is fantastic while the screenwriting totally bombs. I've even had a soft spot for TutorYim since Cutie Pie and have been waiting for them to get a good series. Am I going to finish this series? Absolutely because the novel and the actors are great and if you have read it you can still follow along, but you may not be thrilled with it.

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Dramatic with Dark Comedy undertones

Review Date 6/8/2026

I truly enjoyed watching Doctor Stranger. 8/10

While the story felt heavy at times, a number of scenes and plot twists were so over-the-top that, viewed as a whole, they gave the drama unexpected and enjoyable dark-comedy undertones. For example:
1. Wait… what? She’s alive after being shot, dangling from a ledge for what feels like forever, somehow managing to pry which should by now be Park Hun’s slippery hand off hers so she can fall to her death, right? into the river below? never mind the bridge’s side wall was too high to begin with.
2. This is Episode 14+…, is she or isn’t she Song Jae Hee?
3. How does Song Jae Hee end up with no gunshot scar on her right shoulder, and why does she suddenly have two kidneys when she’s supposed to have only one?
4. The Prime Minister’s (comedic style) expressions of disgust at being “Number Two.” Every time he had to bow, show respect, or answer to the President, his facial expressions were priceless, or how he laughed or snickered at his stupidity.
5. The scene where the Prime Minister convinces himself the President is in a coma, confidently unleashes his pent-up resentment, and then watches in horror as the President’s eyes suddenly open.
6. Cha Jin Soo somehow manages to spy on PH and SJH everywhere. He’s disguised as a hospital employee, part of the Prime Minister’s security detail, or lurking nearby—and no one ever notices him.
7. Cha Jin Soo’s resurrection from the dead in Episode 18, and shoots PH and the both fall of over the edge into, wait for it, the river - and a year later there were still no bodies.
8. The endless back-and-forth from different angles over who would operate on the Prime Minister - who wasn’t even sick.
9. Dr. Oh (“Quack”) and Han Seung Hee lovingly debating which woman Park Hun should end up with.

There were more moments like these that cracked me up, but I’ll stop there.

Park Hun’s emotional scene describing what he was forced to do as a doctor in NK was gripping. I could feel his absolute feelings of shame, anger, and horror at what he did, mixed with inescapable grief. The story shows us how much he valued life at any cost he could give.

The story’s crazy momentum kept me fully engaged, and I found myself rooting for Park Hun to reunite with his first love. Dr. Han Jae Joon wasn’t truly evil, and one of the drama’s strongest moments was when he realized that revenge did not bring the satisfaction or closure he had expected.

There was no look-alike after all—it was Song Jae Hee the entire time. While the mystery surrounding her identity created effective suspense early on, I think the drama would have benefited from revealing sooner that Han Seung Hee was, in fact, Song Jae Hee. Some of the many flashback scenes could have been used to tell her story: what happened after she was taken away, how she became a North Korean operative, and how she convinced North Korea that she was not Song Jae Hee. That would have added much-needed depth to her character. As presented, it was often difficult to understand her true agenda and motivations. As it was it was difficult trusting her; whoever she was, was she there as a spy to destroy Park Hun or was she his true love whom she came to protect?

I liked Cha Jin Soo as Jae Hee’s North Korean partner. he just had the look of a comedic villain. However, as mentioned earlier, bringing him back during the final episodes stretched credibility too far for me. For a true drama, I think it would have been more convincing to introduce a new North Korean operative to take his place. The Prime Minister’s “lollipop” bodyguard certainly should have known better than to leave a body unrecovered after shooting someone and dumping them into a river. But then again, it’s a K-drama.

I liked the bodyguard.

I didn’t mind the various political and personal agendas surrounding whether Park Hun or Han Jae Joon should operate on the Prime Minister, but the decision changed so many times that it became exhausting (a dark comedy effect).

I also liked Dr. Oh. She was a sensitive soul and quite sweet. Park Hun sent her so many mixed signals that it was no surprise she began developing feelings for him. Han Jae Joon, on the other hand, provided mature stability, who was honest with her about himself and his mistakes with her. He knew her, and could see what was happening with PH. Although he didn’t like their banter, (and it was refreshing to see this) he gave her space to sort out her feelings without pressuring or dismissing her. He genuinely loved her. As she finally realized, he was a better match for her than Park Hun.

As for her father and brother, they deserved a good Korean slap several times throughout the series.

At times, it felt as though the writers threw absolutely everything at Park Hun except the kitchen sink—another source of the drama’s accidental dark-comedy vibe.

Park Hun endured an extraordinary amount of trauma throughout his life, yet he remained fundamentally optimistic. That resilience was essential to his survival. His father was a remarkable man who taught him how to live despite his circumstances rather than be defined by them.

I feel most everyone did a great job in this drama. The three standout performances for me were from Lee Jong-suk (Park Hun), Cheon Ho-jin (Prime Minister - dark comedy villain), and Kim Sang-joong (Park Cheol).

The soundtrack was good, though not great. At times the music was mixed so loudly that it became distracting during emotional scenes.

Overall, Doctor Stranger was an entertaining watch. if I hadn’t pick up the dark comedy vibe from the occasional descents into outright absurdity, I wouldn’t have enjoyed it so much. It truly kept me invested from beginning to end. I can see myself revisiting some episodes in the future.

8/10

Leia Mais

Censored Corn

It wasn't "naughty" or scandalous at all. More like clumsy and trashy! Both regarding the story, pacing, and NC scenes. They had me questioning if anyone on set knew how sex works!!! Because most of the positions they were doing were not remotely believable at all (the camera angles didn't help matters either)! And for a friends with benefits situation that turns into more, quality NC scenes really do matter! The overexaggerated moaning only made me feel like I was watching a censored porno.

Really, the only mildly redeeming thing here was the main ML, Kaji, being amusing to watch puff his chest out like a proud peacock and strut as though he had everything going for him and no one was on his level and then later whine like a child when things didn't go his way.

Needless to say, this wasn't a good time. Even for a so-bad-it's-good watch, I'm not sure I can say it fits the brief.

Thank goodness this was short so my suffering ended sooner!

Leia Mais

(TW: incest, grooming, gaslighting)
It goes so deep in what it exposes. And it does it so well. The manipulator manages to be both charming and insidious. He seems so sincere. His emotions are genuine. We find ourselves wanting to believe in him. Even though we understand right away what's going on, the series makes absolutely no secret of it, and yet… we doubt for a moment.

The real issue is this : anyone can be manipulated. We think we're too smart for that, or that it only happens to other people, but the reality is that we already accept a lot of unacceptable things by convincing ourselves they're no big deal. We're easily gaslighted, and also quick to judge the victims...

The fact that this guy, Dr Luo, is a psychiatrist seems spot on to me. The thought and behaviour police. The worst scum I've come up against from childhood to adulthood ; they turn what we tell them against us and pathologise us, not to help us but to serve the capital and the State.
This man meddles in the life of this single mother without being invited. And what's brilliantly written here is how he's not the central character ; after all, the story is primarily about a system. He's just there, this snake slithering in on the coattails of his well-educated status, playing out his little drama in the lives of Yan Ling and her son.

Besides, those pickup artist courses are painful to sit through. And embarrassing. The way they reduce women to a single stereotype, a target to identified. Their dehumanizing logic is spine-chilling. "Broke her self-esteem"… The same tactics as managers,really. I don't want to live in that kind of world.

Yan Ling's mother, what a horrible person… Never a kind word for her daughter. Verbal and physical abuse. She idolizes her deceased husband and fully participates in upholding the patriarchal system that allows pedocriminality, incest and grooming. (All of which are interconnected) The series clearly shows how victims are ignored and how they have nothing to gain by speaking out, everything to lose.
Should we blame marginalized people who choose to step on others to keep their (precarious) place in this system ? I'm tempted to say yes, but there's no right answer. So it's good that the series shows both female and male examples : everyone participates in this system. The mother's redemption… why not ? It comes from the person most directly involved, so let's say it works. In any case, the series is smart enough not to limit itself to portraying men as bad and women as good by nature, because that kind of oversimplification would erase a great deal of power dynamics and reality. It takes an entire family to silence a victim of incest.

The way Yan Ling is manipulated just when she's at her lowest and most miserable is just sickening. It makes you furious to watch it happen, feeling powerless to do anything. And the parallel with the other women Luo Liang has destroyed before adds even more rage, if that were even possible. The "hot-and-cold" treatment, the love bombing, all these horrors work. As horrible as it is : it works. As long as we don't change the foundations of this society, it will continue. The predator isolates you, creates a comfortable cocoon that becomes a suffocating cage, then a source of comfort, then hell all over again ; you can't get out of there without losing absolutely everything, including a part of yourself. Confronting the perpetrator will inevitably lead to a tragedy. He says "If you want to leave, you can, at any time" knowing full well that it’s not possible. Power over others is all that interests this kind of person.

I don't like the term "narcissistic pervert". (which isn't used in the series) Firstly, because it comes from psychoanalysis, so it's off to a bad start. (Paul Racamier created the term in 1986. "Pervers narcissique" in french) Secondly, because it individualises the problem. These are traits inherent to the hetero-patriarchy that allow men to behave in this way, rather than an individual problem or a wholly personal choice. Though it is that too, a personnal choice... But that does not allow us to grasp the tangible reality of emotional and practical manipulation thanks to the whole system that supports it !

With someone like that, who says one thing and then another depending on what suits them and always has an answer for everything, there's no point trying to make them admit their lies. You need to cut all contact with them immediately ! They'll destroy you. And you won't be able to change them.

"Watching the women who love and trust you crumble in front of you, thinking you're clever and smart. You're wrong. You being able to hurt us doesn't mean you're smart. It's because you have no bottom line. You have no heart. [...] You're just a clown who bullies the weak and fears the strong."

Anyway. It's nice not to see the cops too often. But the way they uncover clues and their personalities make them likeable. (acab nonetheless) The investigation winds its way through its dark twists and turns, with a few surprises in store as it unfolds. In the end, it's not the right people who drive the story forward, and that's precisely what lends it a sense of realism. With the production quality on a usual C-drama level, it's all the more impactful because it's so well made and performed. The occasionally non-linear narrative helps us better understand the logic at play, rather than leaving us lost as is so often the case.
The series morbid atmosphere fits its theme perfectly. That scene with the bathtub frozen in blood…

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I saw the original version back in the ’90s while following Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s filmography and it was my first encounter with Wong Kar-wai. I didn’t know who he was at the time nor the fact that this was an insane cast, and although I forgot much of the movie, the lingering feeling it left me with after it ended has stayed with me to this day.

This past month I’ve had the opportunity to revisit WKW’s work, and I came across this 2008 Redux version (edited to correct year), in which the director rearranged certain elements. While watching it, I realized that all the scenes had remained fresh in some dark chamber of my mind, because as they appeared on screen, the memories came flooding back — yet I still couldn’t predict the following scenes. Quite an experience!

Now, with more knowledge of Chinese and Eastern culture in general, I realize this is WKW’s version of how Eastern Heretic, Western Venom, and Northern Beggar came to be, and I have even less doubt than before that Xu Bing is a great admirer of Wong Kar-wai. Having seen the trailer for his upcoming Remnants of Gold, I can clearly see the homage to Ashes of Time.

Another director who, I can tell, has liked Wong Kar-Wai filmography is Yu Xiaochen, the director of Back to the Origin, who must also admire Christopher Doyle’s cinematography, as he worked as a cinematographer himself before making his directorial debut.

And it also turned out that I did know Jacky Cheung from his glorious days — I just didn’t realize it lol.

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