Reviews

The Best Detective Variety Show Ever

I am in love with this show from the second season. I started watching it for Zhang Linghe. The plot, costumes, reasoning, actors , NPC's ,EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SHOW IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT AND AMAAAZZZZZZZZINGGGGGG. I am waiting for the rest of the episodes. I totally loved the guest stars. And this season has started with a bang righttttt. The helicopter and boiler scene , the beginning cage and electric game and then you have Zhang Linghe playing obsessive possessive husband punishing a mosquito who bit his wife damnnnn I enjoyed it so so much. This show has a special place in my heart. The 2 hour episodes feel less I love it that much. Plus they give you extra contents daily. i have been watching it from previous year and will be watching it further. I hope they continue making more and more seasons.

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A Drama Where Even the Child Actors Deliver Perfection

Here’s my honest review of Perfect Crown.

This drama truly has one of the most outstanding casts ever assembled. IU and Byun Woo-seok delivered top-tier performances, bringing depth, emotion, and effortless chemistry to every scene.

What makes their relationship so special is that it proves romance doesn’t need misunderstandings or toxic conflicts to feel intense and meaningful—their love is built on trust, communication, and pure emotional connection.
Their romance feels natural yet powerful, with some of the most beautifully written and acted intimate moments, including truly unforgettable kiss scenes. The male lead is the ultimate green flag—calm, loyal, protective —while the female lead carries herself like a true diva: strong, graceful, and unshakably confident. Together, they become each other’s strength and healing.


The supporting cast is just as impressive. Every single character, including the child actors, delivers remarkably convincing performances that elevate the entire story. Not a single role feels weak or out of place.

The drama also stands out for its intense emotional scenes and its unforgettable OST, which perfectly enhances every moment and lingers long after the episode ends.

I have never rewatched a drama before, but Perfect Crown became the only exception.

Perfect Crown is a Once-in-a-Lifetime Drama with No Weak Performance!! 😭✨💕

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IGNORE THE REVIEWS (NOT MINE) AND WATCH IT ASAP

My Stand-In was a very good drama. A lot of people told me that the male lead was a red flag, that he was a bad person, and that he did terrible things. They used big statements like how he destroyed someone's career and made it sound extremely serious.

As someone who reads reviews before watching a drama, I expected something much worse. The way people described it made it seem like there were heinous actions and extreme wrongdoing. But honestly, that was not my experience at all.

I think you can only truly judge a drama after watching it yourself. You cannot reduce an entire story or character to a keyword like "red flag" and expect that to tell the whole story. Everyone has their own perception. Because of those reviews, I judged this drama heavily and decided I was not going to watch it. Now that I have watched it, I can confidently say that it was actually very good.

One thing I especially appreciated was the groveling. In many dramas, there is little to no groveling at all. Characters make mistakes, say a quick sorry, and move on. They simply kiss and make up, which is a common trope in BL dramas. It is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is rare to see genuine remorse handled well.

Here, the male lead truly suffered for his mistakes. He was sorry, he cried, and he desperately tried to make things right. Yes, he did Joe dirty, but the story never ignored that. The emotional payoff was satisfying because of how much regret and effort went into earning forgiveness.

The pacing was good, the story kept me engaged, and considering it was made by the producers behind Top Form and their company, it turned out to be a solid drama overall.

I would definitely recommend watching it for yourself instead of relying solely on online reviews. Many people dismiss it because of things they have heard about the main character, but I do not think that gives a fair picture of the drama. It has strong emotional moments, good angst, and one of the better portrayals of groveling that I have seen.

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Better than the drama adaptation when it comes to plot flow

My review is based on comparison between the drama and the movie as I've already watched half of the drama.
- Acting - I think both are good. Both give different vibes while the drama chen is more feminine and damsel is distress vibed the movie chen is more masculine
- Plot flow - i really think the movie did a good job with the flow cz in the drama there were things I'd be confused with like how the brother never tells him about the letter/message, chen hating lu for silly reason like he didn't tell me, the dad not being unnecessarily abusive, the in laws not being exes, lu stopping and not raping chen when he said he didn't love him. The plot had a flow in the movie like for an action there was a reaction and it went on which was not the case in the drama. In the drama chen just kept getting sudden episodes of "i can't be with lu". The characters were not very intense and written in moderation here which i also something i liked.

I do get people who recommended me to watch the movie cz i agree.

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The drama highlights the male lead's virtues much less, while Anong is more adorable.

In the book, the male lead has to go through many more hardships and prove his goodness far more than in the drama. To begin with, his family is not wealthy, and they do not live in a large house. He originally wanted to join the military but had to give up that dream to become a judge instead. He then works hard to support his younger siblings, redeems the inherited farmland for Choi, and even borrows money from others to buy a house for Chatchai to use as his bridal home. To make things more sacrificial, the woman Chatchai marries is Chanthon—the very woman the male lead secretly loves. Due to this heartbreak, combined with neglecting his own health, he falls severely ill.

While the series changes the story so that Khun Phra already loves Anong, the book depicts Anong being deeply impressed by Khun Phra's goodness. She volunteers to take care of his heart to match his virtue, which eventually touches him and makes him love her in return.

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How to destroy a fan favourite IP in 10 episodes or less.

I've given this enough time to marinate. Here's my review, and I'll try to be succinct. This was a mess of a show from the get-go, in the worst way possible. Notice how I use the word "mess", it is intentional: when the public thinks of the Only Friends IP, we immediately associate it with intersecting storylines about romance, betrayal, misunderstanding, broken trust, and difficult relationships involving morally colorful characters that are so raw and humanly imperfect, one can't help but adore them.
This show had none of that; in fact, this show made the effort to destroy all the interesting parts of the characters from this season and the previous one. Case in point: TopMew. Two very headstrong characters, now turned influencers, that are lovey-dovey sweet as candy off-camera. No banter, which not only ForceBook are great at but was also an identifying trait of their characters' relationship, and their ambitions completely tossed aside to become a narrative tool for Dean and Jack. Speaking of narrative tools: SandRay. Oh, dear SandRay what have they done to you? After struggling with addiction to the point where rehabilitation was FORCED onto Ray and Sand feeling the guilt of being part of the problem with his illicit alcohol business, you are telling me the couple are now fully committed to selling alcohol? Thank God they seem to forget all about it in the last episode, where we see SandRay doing what they actually wanted to do at the end of S1: dedicate themselves to music.
Enough reminiscing, let's talk about this season, and let's start with the best couple: RomeRaffy. I am not putting this up for debate; AouBoom did a phenomenal job, even though they were the result of the recast (which we all loved) way later and their characters barely had 20 minutes of screen time (I'm being hyperbolic). This storyline worked because it followed the SandRay formula: a lovesick boy, who is also proud and stubborn, falls for an emotionally unavailable boy, who hides his insecurities under a stone-cold facade. I loved Raffy. Defying expectations set by his mother, only to end up exploiting what he hated most about her: the managing. I thought it was paradoxical but also a way of breaking the cycle, as he is now a manager as well, but he knows what a GOOD manager has to do and be. Especially while managing someone he loves. Also, how does he step into the pampering role of the relationship after Rome's ultimatum, turning Rome into a Tan variant? Their relationship was what Only Friends is about, if only we weren't missing a key part. A key part that was missing from this show entirely.
Why weren't they kissing eachother?
I don't care about the "but the fans want the fixed couples" or "the fans are going to go CRAZY (/neg) if you don't give them the cps" excuses, because they are not true: if there is anything GMMTV is good at, it is giving us happy endings by all means necessary. Your cp will be fine by the end, I promise. We know this. Give us Dean and Raffy getting it on nasty style.There was no excuse to not do so; their reconciliation would have been more cathartic if they had just fucked their rivalry away: putting themselves in a battle for power, only to realize how the moment is truly vulnerable and intimate, and then laying their heart out for each other. They wouldn't fall in love, but it would have been, again, cathartic.
Sorry, I had better points to make, but let me just scream to the void: HOW ARE YOU CASTING DEAN AND ARNOLD AS MAIN LEADS TO A ROMANTIC PLAY, AND WE DON'T EVEN SEE THEM KISS??? That took me fully out of it. Joss and Mix are actors who are playing actors. Kissing your co-worker IS PART OF THE JOB; their whole arc is about this!! Completely unacceptable and disappointing. Think about it: Tua sees Dean kissing Arnold and goes ballistic, finds Jack in the crowd, and shoves his tongue down his throat. Chaos ensues. AND THIS IS WHAT ONLY FRIENDS IS ABOUT, GODDAMN IT.
I won't even go into Arnold and Tua's storyline because the lazy writing did these two talented boys no justice. Their slow burn was wasted; they should have been the friends-with-benefits couple of the season, and if I'm honest, I wanted Tua to be A FULL BITCH. I wanted him to be sarcastic and snappy, Boston-style one-liners and comebacks. Not his ex. Which. Again, fucking wasted. These writers hate Boston with PASSION. What do you mean, "I don't do hookups anymore"? What do you mean, "I want to commit"? WHAT DO YOU MEAN "I DON'T FUCK DRUNK PEOPLE"? Where is my Boston, and what have you done to him? A narrative point for ArnoldTua but with no clear objective, as he was a passive bystander, not even playing Cupid properly.
Speaking of happy endings, I was so happy when I thought Dean and Jack weren't going to end up together. The ending was rushed and badly written (which could be applied to a lot of arcs of this show, but this is getting too long), Jack's character's redemption was appallingly done, and his character lacked the depth they wanted so desperately to give him. Why, in the first season, do we make Ray's rehab moment the most poignant point of his character arc, but for Jack it is a passing comment that barely has any effect on his relationship with Dean? Sure, it is mentioned; sure, it gives Dean pause, but there's no follow-up. The most interesting part of Jack's character, and we aren't given any more explanation than a few lines and the understanding that he can drink safely now. Just such bad writing. We deserved better; they deserved better.
I'll stop here for now; this was so not worth the hype.

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A Refreshing Breath of Air

This drama has a very deep lore for people who are associated with Yaoi fandoms and have been watching asian dramas for long in general. On the surface it is a mere comedy drama but the writing is actually genius. I rarely rate anything a 10/10 actually but I think this one deserves it and let me explain why :

1. THE YAOI LORE : This drama took me back to the early japanese Yaoi where crazy good looking characters with extremely unrealistic desirable traits used to be created. This one using the classic 'F4' trope and the various Kabedon situations and the Yaoi tropes employed had me chuckling but also left me impressed. They were parodied well and were really funny but I never felt like they were mocking the genre. Although it was supposed to be caricaturish but they still treated the whole thing with respect and appreciation.

2. THE SIDE CHARACTERS : Each side character has a personality of its own and perfectly capable of existing as an Individual that does not need the main character to have a life of its own. They feel like real people and frankly if this was developed into more episodes they all will have a lot to contribute. This was the most impressive point of this drama. Be it her parents or other students they are all so well written. Although it is just a 16 episodes drama with each episode being half an hour long sp really its like an 8 episode mini-series but I feel like they really took their time to write this.

3. INTERESTING AND REFRESHING PREMISE : I did not skip a single second of this drama. I was not bored for even a moment. I don't even remember when that happened the last time while watching an asian drama. I would not say thats its a masterpiece but it is genuinely the best thing I have seen in last 2 years.

4. INSPIRATIONAL : 'The coming of Age' factor is really heavy in this one. The teacher - student relationship is genuinely heart touching and by the end of the series I felt like picking up back on Writing as a hobby that I left a long time back. This drama left me weirdly emotional on many parts and I was surprised by the depth of it because I did not delve into this expecting that.

ALL I WANNA SAY IS I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS DRAMA AND I WILL DEFINITELY REWATCH THIS MORE THAN ONCE !!!!

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Overall Ratings:

Excitement While Watching: 9/10
There were several exciting moments throughout the show where my heart was racing. I often felt nervous about what was going to happen next, and the overall sense of intrigue kept me engaged.

Overall Enjoyment: 9/10
I really enjoyed this show. It held my full attention from start to finish and made me want to binge-watch every episode.

Pacing: 8/10
The pacing was very good overall. Some parts felt a little rushed, while others moved a bit slowly, but it was generally well-balanced.

Directing: 7/10
Throughout the show, there were a few moments where I felt confused by the editing. Characters would appear in one location and then suddenly be somewhere else in the next shot. At times, a character would disappear from a scene without explanation. These moments pulled me out of the story because I had to rewind and piece together what had happened on my own.
Filler: 8/10
Some scenes felt unnecessary, but nothing significant enough that I would recommend skipping them.

Romance: 7/10
I felt very little chemistry between the two leads. My favorite part of a romance is usually watching the initial bond develop between the characters. While I liked the "love at first sight" trope, I felt that much of its potential led to disappointment. The romance often felt like the characters were telling each other how great their connection was rather than showing the audience why they were the perfect match. During some of the more intense romantic moments, I found myself distracted by the male lead's tendency to laugh or smile, which lessened the emotional impact. I actually preferred the relationship with the second love interest later in the show because it felt more like two people genuinely getting to know each other rather than instantly declaring their love.

Overall Story: 8/10
The story was very enjoyable, although it is not the best strategy-focused drama I've seen. I appreciated that the show did not spoon-feed every detail to the audience and trusted viewers to connect the dots themselves. However, there were a few plot points that felt unnecessarily convoluted, as if complexity was added for its own sake.

Characters: 8/10
Most of the characters were very likable, including many of the villains. However, I would have appreciated deeper insight into their motivations and decision-making processes.

Acting: 8/10
There were many strong performances throughout the show. However, as mentioned earlier, some scenes involving the male lead felt off to me and occasionally pulled me out of the story.

Visuals: 7/10
The visuals were solid overall and helped support the atmosphere of the show. While there were some memorable shots, nothing particularly stood out as exceptional.

Audio: 7/10
The audio team did a good job overall, but there were a few musical choices that made me laugh unintentionally. I especially noticed this during some of the comedy transitions. I remember several intense scenes that were abruptly followed by comedic music, which sometimes weakened the emotional impact of the moment.

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The show’s storytelling and visual communication are poor.

During episode 13, I understand that a soul blending (a deep spiritual intercourse) takes place, but the visual execution is confusing. When the female lead enters the male lead's spiritual realm, she touches his forehead while he is fully clothed. However, when she comes out, he is shirtless while she remains fully dressed. After that, the male lead wakes up, touches her forehead, and they both enter the spiritual realm together. Still, it remains unclear whether any physical intimacy actually occurred because the visuals fail to convey it.

The male lead’s acting falls far short of the female lead’s. His eyes are completely dead; he fails to communicate that he is looking at her with love and gratitude for saving his life. Watching a bit further into episodes 13 to 15, I understand he is supposed to play a cool, tsundere character, but if his eyes cannot convey his inner feelings, the audience simply won't buy it.

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Loveeeeeee this drama

First of all, I will start with the secretary who thinks because she likes her boss, the vice chairman, she is allowed to do whatever she likes. And I blame the vice chairman for letting it slide. she crossed the line a lot times but it was still overlooked. I loved when Joo Ah told her to watch her tone and reminded her she had no right speaking to an executive that way. Good thing she was fired. So entiled for someone who has loan shark and family problems. The way she visited Noh after ghosting him is even more annoying and he was even kind enough to her stay. To think she hated Joo Ah because she borrowed her her designer pair of shoes is just wild.

And to the vice chairman's brother Jeon threatening Joo Ah to take his side is just another case of entitlement. He should have asked nicely Joo would have considered . using her subordinates to threaten her was just low. And always bringing up his stepmother's mental health is crazy. Their father was even worse.


Buttttt I love their chemistry😩😩😩😩.
Shin Hye Sun did so well. I love how the comedy and romance those little thrillers were incorporated. Especially that scene where she asked the team members to go back because she order in their dinner only for them to catch those two having an affair at conference room😂she gave us something fresh after the art of Sarah.

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Enjoyable drama about time traveller, family dispute and ML trying hard to win FL's affections

I enjoyed the version starring Li Ke Yi & Lu Dan Dong and remember looking for other versions. This was added last year but I only got the mood to watch it today. It was different from Li Ke Yi version well I enjoyed this one too.

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - She was regal and refined. I liked that she took her time travelling as an advantage and never whined about missing her past life. She compared the pros and cons and found enlightenment.
2. ML characterisation - Unlike Lu Dan Dong's ML, Yin Yi Bo's ML had more screentime and importance in FL's life. I liked that he was observant & secretly did things that would please FL.
3. Acting - I must say Cui Xiao Xuan was fantastic in her role. She managed to portray poise and elegance of being a noble transplanted in modern era. Yin Yi Bo was charming in this role. They had good chemistry.
4. Romance - Their romance felt natural. He fell for her first and she couldn't be bothered by his crush on her but they were respectful to each other.
5. Supporting characters - I liked ML's grandma & younger sis for being nice to FL. ML's friend's observations were spot on and often time amusing. ML's assistant was doing his job - the actor's visual grabbed my attention.
6. Styling - I liked FL's wardrobe - her usual outfits and the banquet dress were pretty. I didn't understand why university students must wear school uniform though. Anyway ML's suits fitted him so well.
7. Pacing - Done well. 2.5 hours went by easily.

What I disliked:
1. Antagonists - The amount of people jealous of FL was insane. Guess rich girls are catty & insecure. I disliked FL's parents for being biased.
2. Kissing - The kissing scenes were awkward. I don't know whether it’s due to the leads' skill or preference or director's instructions (maybe no steamy kisses?).

Favourite scene
When ML taught FL about hugging

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Characters and story

There will be have a season 2 ? Absolute Value of Romance is a lighthearted Korean romantic comedy that combines school life, fantasy, and romance in a unique way. The story follows Yeo Eui-ju, a high school student who secretly enjoys writing romance and BL (Boys' Love) web novels. She has a vivid imagination and often escapes into the fictional worlds she creates. However, her ordinary school life becomes much more complicated when the events and relationships from her stories begin to influence reality. As she navigates friendships, misunderstandings, and unexpected romantic situations, Eui-ju learns important lessons about love, honesty, and growing up.
One of the drama's biggest strengths is its fresh and creative premise. The idea of a student writer seeing elements of her fiction affect real life creates many funny and entertaining moments. The series balances comedy and romance well, making it easy to watch and enjoyable for viewers who prefer lighter dramas. The school setting also adds charm, as the characters experience the typical challenges of youth, including crushes, friendships, and self-discovery.
The cast delivers energetic performances, especially the lead actress, who portrays Eui-ju's awkwardness and enthusiasm in a believable way. The chemistry among the characters helps keep the story engaging, while the fast-paced episodes prevent the plot from feeling slow. Although some situations are exaggerated and unrealistic, they fit the drama's playful tone.
Overall, Absolute Value of Romance is a fun and refreshing drama that does not take itself too seriously. It offers plenty of laughter, sweet romantic moments, and a unique storyline that sets it apart from many traditional school romances. Viewers looking for a cheerful, easy-to-watch series with comedy, romance, and youthful energy are likely to enjoy this drama. It may not be ideal for those seeking a realistic or deeply emotional story, but it succeeds as an entertaining and charming romantic comedy.

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"You must be brave. Bravery is all we have."

A Foggy Tale took place in 1953 Taiwan during the period of the White Terror. The story focused on a young girl traveling from her rural community to Taipei to retrieve her beloved brother’s body after he was executed for his ideas. The trek was harrowing as she faced numerous challenges in her desire to bring her brother home.

Huang Chih Yue has been secretly bringing food and water to her brother Yun who has been hiding in the sugar cane fields. He gives her his watch, telling her that with it she can travel forward in time and imagine better days when the going gets too rough. The young artist is chased down, arrested, and later executed. Yue is determined to bring his body home instead of letting the government dump it in a mass grave. When she arrives alone in Taipei she is overwhelmed by the sheer size of it. She’s quickly set upon by traffickers, but luckily enough rescued by a rough and ready pedicab driver. The two make an awkward pair and whether Chao Kung Tao is there as a helper or to help fleece her remains to be seen.

Caitlin Fang and Will Or gave strong performances as the odd couple scrambling to keep putting one foot in front of the other on a broken beam. This film was primarily Yue’s and Caitlin’s, following the young girl’s trials in the complete unknown of Taipei. Aside from navigating the large city under martial law populated with human traffickers and thieves, Yue’s primary obstacle was money. The fees for retrieving the body of an executed prisoner were astronomical for a poor girl from Chiayi. Yue also had no plans for how she would pay to transport Yun home. All she had was her bravery and perseverance. Chao’s interventions were at times beneficial and at others disastrous. He had an interesting skill set. Chao had been a soldier and learned to curse in several languages and dialects during his time in the military. A skill he frequently displayed. He also had a traumatic past having run afoul of the KMT merely by army associations. Terrifying agent Fan Chun dropped by on occasion to menace Chao and to try and gather information from his former prisoner on wanted men.

MDL currently has 9m88 listed as a lead, but she was in the film less than 30 minutes if you are a fan and wanted to watch this for her. She played Yue’s older and absent sister, Chiu Hsiu Hsia. Due to the family’s poverty, Hsiu Hsia had been adopted out as a child to a family in Taipei. 9m88 was given a three-minute song and dance routine on her introduction which seemed to be overkill for the supporting character, especially since she wasn’t seen again until near the end of the film. I don’t know the name of the actor who played the Robin Hood styled thief, Kao Chin Chung, Kao’s brief appearances were welcome levity in the film.

The film glanced over much of the terror that went on with the KMT despite the number of people who had been killed in the film by the secret police. Money was extorted and/or confiscated, especially by the police. Poverty was omnipresent in the rural and urban areas. Sometimes a finger was all a person could afford to pay for in regards to their deceased loved one. Chao was so broke he could only buy one cigarette at a time. Scarce jobs were lost at the whisper of an agent looking for a person. Yet food was still shared and grace offered.

If I have one complaint it’s that the flow of the story could be stilted at times with characters on the periphery distracting from Yue and Chao’s narrative trajectory and making the film unnecessarily longer.

A Foggy Tale contained moments that were tense, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and gently humorous. The unlikely alliance of Yue and Chao strengthened Yue’s resolve and brought out the bravery in Chao he believed he’d lost. Sparks of human kindness gave glimpses of light in the grim darkness all around. Friends and random strangers rendered unexpected support in a sea of people doing whatever it took to survive and get ahead. And nestled in Yue’s quest were her brother’s words of hope that in the future there would be peace. That there would be a day where people would not be killed for their ideas. Unlike Yun’s watch, time could not be sped up, Yue had to face what lie before her one minute at a time with most of that time used well.
(8.25 rounded up to an 8.5)

29 May 2026
Awards note: A Foggy Tale won the Golden Horse Award for Best Narrative Feature (2025)

Housekeeping note: This was my 100th review for 2026

Cutie Pie note: If you are a Tseng Jing Hua fan, despite being on the poster, he is primarily shown in a few flashbacks

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