Reviews

The story although not great it was really intriguing. The characters are well built and the cast was well put. The plot was confusing and that's what i liked about it. The comedy was exceptional, especially the main character, when you see him (the actor) at first you think that he looks cool and all but when he goes into executing the role you see a whole new persona, he puts his all into perfecting his character and he managed it well and i think he was well chosen for the role cause sometimes he looks and acts dumb and some other times when the role requires it he acts cool and manly. For the other characters, in truth i didn't like the lead female at first (the first episode gives you the wrong impression of what that character's personality will be) but later on when you get to know her characteristics more you can't help but sympathize with her and i personally grew to like her more. The romance now, it's basically love triangles linked between the main characters (there are some short lasted occasions when they stray out of that circle but they mostly go around it) this kind of romance is really confusing to the watcher, that makes it harder for him (watcher) to identify with the character and to choose which one to support seeing that the writer made all this group of friends into protagonists so that you can't help but sympathize with all of them and that in itself makes it impossible to choose which one to support in his/her romance and that also makes you eager for the ending even you get a little bored in the early episodes you can't help but keep watching to know the ending and who will end up with whom and that helped the plot and with that keep the story alive.
If you want to relieve your stress and forget all your worries you should really watch this drama as it is entertaining and fun.

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“I can’t find a single way to say to her.”
“ ‘I love you’.  Wouldn’t that be enough?”
“That’s for flattery. That’s just to calm her down.”
“Why do you always interpret that phrase like that?”
“That phrase just doesn’t fit this situation.”
“The phrase ‘I love you’ is always the right thing to say.”

I wasn’t sure if I would get this drama. The slow story telling, the basket of crazy but boring characters. And then by Episode 7 I GOT IT. There’s something really different about this show. I like how they make you tired of the constant OHY mix ups and then they make fun of the premise with their own clueless characters.
I never get bored with the “you treat us so bad and we hate you most of the time, but when you’re hurting we’ve got your back” cliché.
I really loved how they looked at step-sibling relationships. They are so harsh with each other, but fiercely loyal and there’s that dynamic of adult siblings house-sharing.

“I was going to fabulously have a go at you and leave.”
 “Just come at me. Then leave.”

One of the things that stood out to me is that dramas often portray the concept of, “we don’t really know why we like each other we just do”. And this show consistently shows that it’s strange and stupid, but I can see that they like each other to the extent that they really make each other happy. I kept asking these characters, “Why on earth are you attracted to each other?!”  But the point is they are convincingly in love despite all the “buts”. Seriously, so many times I’m like, “You guys are so dumb...but I’m glad you’re all smiley”
With the start of this show, the logic of everyone is really weird relationally. The pacing of the show is much slower especially after I just finished a university drama.
I didn’t have much love for the characters in the show. They don’t have very appealing personalities. Our heroine gets drunk, glares at people and is generally out of control. The hero is just quiet and isolated. It took till episode 3 before I could see the potential of the couple.
And this drama commits the great crime of way too repetitive and lengthy flashbacks.

Do Kyung

“You shouldn’t control people with fear, Do Kyung.”

I’ve never found Eric Mun attractive. Usually, if I don’t like a hero’s face at the start, I’ll like it at the end, but this is my second drama with this actor, and I still think he’s ugly. Sorry! To top it off, the drama takes a long while for us to get to know him. Usually even if a hero is gruff to his heroine, we’ll get some good scenes when he interacts with others. But not Do Kyung. Showing affection to no one – not his friend, his brother or his mother or sister. That being said, sometimes his personality comes out when Hae Young is around and I started to see the beauty that is his character. I really appreciated how his character sometimes really embarrasses himself or does silly things and it’s just gold.
The idea of being a sound director is really interesting. I like that Do Kyung is so aware of his auditory environment.

“Insert the sound of sunlight coming in.”

Hae Young – female lead
I kind of like Hae Young’s glasses look. Hae Young is chatty, which is obviously necessary to fill in the fact that Do Kyung doesn’t say anything half the time. But she also points out her observations of Do Kyung’s nature and personality, which surprised both Do Kyung and me.  

I like that despite her being one of the worst heroines ever, when she decides to be hard-assed she goes all the way and stops with the crying.

“If you like me 89 on the scale, not 100 then tell me so. I will like for the same amount.”

The actress for the female lead is actually really good. Despite me disliking her character I really came to appreciate the actress ability to make her lines come alive, and be full of emotion. The way she talked drew me in, her acting made me care about a stupid and idiotic character.

Parents
Hae Young’s mother is fierce and loyal to her daughter. Actually Hae Young’s parents probably gave me the most laughs and I loved how they were so sensitive and thoughtful. They really seemed very in tune with Hae Young.

“Of course. My daughter is wonderful.”

I really like the way Hae Young is also wanting to tell them everything and allow them to comfort her. I also like how Hae Young’s dad looks to his wife so he can be in sync with her or be prepared to stop her.

Soo Kyung
This actress gets some weird roles. And I didn’t want to like her, but as it went on, I kind of did. I like that her love interest is ridiculous but also really quite weighty. I really love what a cold and miserable character they make her. I actually really felt for her. And I love how multi-faceted she was and how you think she’s going to be a stereotype but she becomes an interesting and well-rounded character with a good amount of warmth for family.

Other Hae Young
I really appreciate that we got to know the other Hae Young. I like the way they explain her. The drama makes a good show of showing how the “pretty Hae Young” is jealous of plenty of things about Hae Young’s life. And how the pretty Hae Young lacks the things she wants.

Jin Sang
“You used to beat the crap out of me for petty things.”
Kim Ji Seok is a really decent actor. I’ve seen so many transformations of him and he always delivers his character so on point, it’s impressive.

Somehow I came to love the side characters when I didn’t think I’d ever pick up a pom pom and cheer for any of them. I became interested in what they were up to and their stories. I even really liked OHY’s office friends.

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Honestly, season one was better for me. Not that it bothered me that much the fact that they changed the atress for one of the main characters. She was okay with her performance and she had more "spirit" in her than the previous one, so I enjoyed her more. But, this season was more about love and the mystery of the letter than the friendship and the struggles that young poeple go through. Still, it was a nice drama. The mystery was interesting, though it got a bit of tiring in the middle of the drama, but it picked up quickly towards the end. The new girl was interesting as well and she had an entertaining story herself. Finally, the performances were really good and some characters really kept the interest high more than others because of that. So, 8 out of 10.

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- a rough little review -
Upon watching this short film I didn’t really know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised! The story line is one you rarely see upon korean dramas in which they highlight the harsh reality of the struggles young adults face when entering the work force. This story emotionally made me feel pity and sadness for the characters and overall sympathise with their situations as it truly is what others are experiencing around the world. For a short film to do this and make me interested the whole way through gets a good mark in my book. The ending made me have mixed feelings as it wasn’t necessarily good or bad, but in reality you cannot expect a completely happy ending - so I commend the writers that they did this.
As for the cast I think they did a wonderful job at portraying their roles and will definitely watch more of their future work!
Overall, this is a short film I’d recommend to those who like realistic plot lines and if your into a very lovey dovey type short film this probably isn’t for you, but there are some sweet scenes in here so watch it anyway! (NGL i teared a little)

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As soon as I finished the first Let's Eat I immediately started watching Let's Eat 2. I was craving more of what I loved from the 1st season. In some ways my expectations were not met, and in other ways they were exceeded. Although the story continues from where the last one left off, it is like it's own stand alone drama. There are new characters, a new setting, and a much darker mood, but the food theme is still there, and the eating scenes are just as obnoxiously foodporntastic.

Yoon Doo Joon is the only returning cast member, which I had mixed emotions about at first, but since Dae Yeong's food appreciation is still what drives the show, I didn't miss the old cast for long. He's just as weird and quirky as he was in the original, with his signature food rants, and charming knowing smile. This time he is matched with Seo Hyun Jin, who immediately made me forget about the previous leading lady (sorry Soo Kyung but it was time to move on lol). My bias may come from how much I loved her in Another Miss Oh, but with her own stand out quirkiness, her portrayal of Soo Ji is the ideal match for Dae Yeong. So with these two leads, I felt like the romance in this version was much stronger. Of course they also share a true love of food... duh, but their chemistry, even away from a plate of food, was super strong. I was a fan of their food banter, and their friendship.

Like the first one, there is also a new strong ensemble cast, including a new dog. The major difference is that the theme of loneliness and depression in this town is much darker, so the characters aren't as fun. There are still a lot of funny moments, and this is still mainly a comedy, it just has less of a feeling of optimism and discovery than the first one did. These ensemble characters are also much messier. They are petty, they curse, they're self destructive, they're manipulative, they drink too much, they lash out... this also makes them a little more realistic. Watching them bond and create friendship is also similar to the original, but don't expect the same light heartedness.

The only character that I didn't like very much was Kwon Yool as Lee Sang Woo. It's not that he's bad in the role, just... well... kinda boring. I know kdrama romance usually thrives on a love triangle, and in theory this one brings up some interesting dilemmas and dynamics, but he's such a bland choice that it was too easy to not care about or root for him. Even his friendship with Dae Yeong seemed a bit forced, but his social awkwardness also added to the character so I'm torn.  I did like that the love triangle seemed less about who would get the girl, and more about each character's self discovery. There's a lot of self reflection in this drama that I appreciated.

Another formula that the show sticks to is an unnecessary thriller element.  The mystery in this version worked better than in the first version, but that's not saying much. It still felt very contrived, and like just an excuse to add drama to the characters' lives.  Don't even get me started on the older woman neighbor... who had me yelling "mind your own damn business" at the screen multiple times. I don't want to mention any of the details at all, to avoid any spoilers, but it's definitely a weak point for the drama, with a lazy resolution.

Let's eat 2 still absolutely lives up to the title, with gluttonous food scenes, expanding beyond Korean food more often, and inspiring food appreciation.
I think I started to get used to the extreme eating close ups, because they started to feel normal, and it felt like there were less food scenes, but those waiting for these moments won't be disappointed.

Overall,  the formula may not be perfect, but it kept me interested enough to binge watch 2 seasons back to back. That says a lot! Would I watch this again? Maybe. In some ways I enjoyed this one more, but I don't feel compelled to watch it again. I would probably only watch this again as part of a set with Season 1, to get my Dae Yeong fix.

While I still can't claim to be a fan of food-centered shows, I would recommend this one, and will definitely be one of the first people at the table to check out Let's Eat season 3.

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It's an okay drama. Something to watch to pass the time, like finding one of those random shows on Netflix, because you have a coupla hours to spare. Draws you in the first handful of episodes then, drops you in a mildly entertaining barrel of suck...and you'll still watch.
Would recommend for those in between dramas or want to take a break from the regular fare.
I would not recommend to those new to kdramas.
Not worth rewatching, unless you want to see our elf prince in regular clothes. Great ensemble cast. Just wish those who were meant to be badass actually got to show more than once.

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I'm not going to lie, I dropped this drama somwhere in the last 10 ep, when I realized I was watching a wash and repeat of the same self-inflicted angst caused by our pouty king.
 If you're a fan of this genre and are immune or enjoy endings that are meant to piss you off, this is the one.
 If you are new to this kinda stuff, don't feel guilty ff through second lead jerk-face's scenes. You'll still get the idea of what's going on Ff bith hs scenes and what I call "The bad people plotting/doing/discussing the bad things'. I swear the second leads story arc despite the head-scratching simple conflict of the OTP, is the weakest and somewhat unnecessary part of the show.
I found it evtertaing until a certain point, then I just wanted to know how it ended, which as you either know or will find , a lot of stuff is given in the open/ending credits.
I wouldn't watch it again and would only recommend to the male lead's an without reservations. He did look good in this.
Other than this, I wouldn't recommend this drama to those new to historical Chinese shows, under any circumstance. 

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One of the best kdramas out there, hands down. It made me FEEL things from the very beginning, my heart just ached. This actress takes you on a journey, you absolutely feel like you're walking with her through everything.

The male lead complemented her well, quiet to her dramatic, which made his more emotive scenes all the more powerful.

The side characters all had me invested in their stories as well, fully fleshed out-- I laughed and I cried with her mother and father. It was awesome to see something different from kdrama parents (though the trend seems to be improving on this note). Lots of complicated relationships and plot twists you can't really predict, but at the center of it, this is a show with HEART.

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To all the loyal fans of Age of Youth, this was a good ride.
To all the people who are wondering if this is a good watch, go watch Age of youth first.

I have been in love with Yoon Eun Jae and her character (may be because it reminded us of our awkward days) and that was the only part that disappointed me completely.

Genre : Slice of life, Sisterhood, rom-com, mystery

Story : Although i have had a negative impression till now, i will try to give out a non-biased review.

Our girls are back. Hurt, experienced, doubtful, stressed out and tired. The characters stayed the same except Kang Yi Na's. The story is framed a year later with a single mystery related to Song Ji Won as hinted in the last episode of Age of Youth. Jo Eun moves into the house as a new room mate and her story is beautiful. Choi Ah Ra is the latest addition to the house and the main theme is continued and the characters play their parts well. A lot of stereotypes are destroyed and a lot of taboos are touched just like the original story. What keeps you hooked to this show is the ingenuity in the stories and the emotional upheaval that everyone goes through at some point of their lives.

But the OTPs are missed desperately and you start feeling miserable trying to fish something out of it. (Yoon Jin Myung and Park Jae wan, Yoon Eun Jae and Yoon Jong Yeol forever) Song Ji Won and Im Sung Min are the only OTP left.

Acting : Before i start my rant, all i want to say is sometimes, its the fault of the actors.

Ji Woo : The only drama i have seen her in other than this was Star of the Universe, i was honestly upset by her acting. Yoon eun Jae was one of my favourite characters and she wrecked it beyond repair. I am pretty sure they might have tried really hard to cast someone as similar to Park Hye Soo but there were some points when she just got really annoying. To the point that there were times when i was seriously thinking if ii should give up on the show. From her laughter to her style of talking, you could clearly see the awkward way she was inexperienced in portraying an introvert. There were times she tried really hard but the character was completely destroyed all thanks to her.

Lee Yoo Jin : While Han Seung Yeon perfectly showed how a patient of anxiety, depression and self-denial acts, Lee Yoo Jin's acting was pathetic to the point you cannot taking him seriously. There is an inexperienced actor and the seriousness to his character and story that needs to be expressed is lost. I don't think the story or direction had any fault, only the actors were strangely inexperienced. What upset me was in both the cases, the bad portrayal of charcaters made them show normal things as mental extremities.

Park Eun Bin's character goes through a lot of changes and i think she was the only actress in the whole series who knew exactly how to bring out the different charms of her character. Song Ji Won does not dissappoint you. I haven't seen Choi Ah Ra's work before and i think this is her debut into acting and she is a delight to watch. I don't know if she was being herself or she really is a great actress but compared to others, she was absolutely flawless.


Will i Watch it again? I don't think so. I downloaded the first series but i dont think i will download this.
Will i recommend it to anyone? To everyone who wants a closure on the first series (though i would advice the fans of Yoon Eun Jae to stay away). First timers might feel a little clueless watching it.        
       

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Ep. 12 - it is beginning to drag...  this show you can watch with one eye close, it means you don't really have to pay  attention to what they are saying because the plot is so simple, some scenes are beginning to be corni and him being good two shoes and having a solution all the time.  It is not the type of drama that will keep you on your toes.  Side note: I cannot stand his curly hair in the first few episodes and i cannot stand the nose of the 2 leading ladies - CSB & GWH  it is both too fake (reminds me of Michael Jackson).  It is now beginning to be a chore to watch.

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I bet 70% of us stayed for Song Ji Won x Im Sung Min or Jo Eun x Jang Hoon. Actually, make that 80% of us...

I have very mixed feelings about this drama. I absolutely adored the first season because of the realistic characters and excellent plot development, but this second season just felt so… bland?

*evil laugh* Let’s start with the ‘negative’ stuff. Firstly, I didn’t like how Chef didn’t return as part of the main cast. He and Yoon sunbae were my fav couple from the first season, so I was really disappointed :’( Secondly, the actress for Eun Jae changed. I get how they were trying to make it work, but the new actress was trying too hard to act like the original actress. It would have been a lot more natural (and interesting) if they had just written a new character for the actress (also, I don’t get why writer-nim made Eun Jae chase after her ex-boyfriend for more than half of this drama). Thirdly, Heimdall. Need I say more? This character was a complete waste of my time. Every time he appeared on the screen, I would start skipping. I think his storyline was meant to be emotional, but I didn’t feel a thing. Because of him, I felt Yoon sunbae’s storyline was boring.

Now onto the better things. My OTP (Ji Won and Sung Min) had amazing chemistry. Their scenes made me laugh and cry, but I was expecting.… more from them. If there is a third season, it better focus on the relationship between Song sunbae and Sung Min (or else I’m gonna riot). I also liked the character development we saw in Ye Eun; at the start of this season, she was timid and weak, but she grew stronger and more confident.

Overall, this is a nice slice of life drama that focuses on realistic problems, but it has a couple unnecessary side storylines and plot holes. From my perspective, although this drama started strong, the second half was weak, so the positives and negatives are balanced, making this an average drama. Song Ji Won and Im Sung Min made me stick with it, but if you enjoyed the first season, don’t expect much development from this second season.

The final verdict: nice slice of life kdrama, but didn’t live up to the hype (in my opinion). Still worth a try!

For more slice of life, check out:
- Reply 1988
- Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
- Sassy Go Go

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It’s not every day that the Kdrama gets a season two - which is actually one of the things I like most about kdramas - so I was so I was thrilled, yet cautious about how the Age of Youth 2 would turn out. It’s hard to meet all those expectations, if the previous series was really good, as Age of Youth was.

And while Age of Youth 2 certainly didn’t beat Age of Youth in terms of quality, or how good it was, I can’t say that this was a bad drama. This was still the story of five girls and all the ups and downs in their lives. Even if it did not feel as fresh or new, but then again, to me, it was never going to since it was coming after the first season. It was a lovely continuation in my opinion, was what it was supposed to be.  A continuation. And I think I have to judge it based on that.

At first people were concerned about how many changes were made (and some people it was just too much) but these changed didn’t affect the story itself too much, though it did a little. Even if they added more male roles, they did not take any (or not much) time from the girls and their story. It was still all about the girls.
When it comes to both seasons of Age of Youth, they are mainly about the girls in Belle Epoque, their lives and their friendships.

The boys are just on the sidelines, featuring in the stories of the girls and it wasn’t super heavy on the romance. And while there are some people who find the focus of the series have shifted a little more from the story of the girls, and into the story of the girls and all these ships, I personally never saw it that way.

A good part of the first series was dedicated to these ‘ships’. Ether those who were there from day one (Yeun and her boyfriend) or the ones that slowly formed during course of the drama. (Jinmyung and Eun Jae and their men). The fandom might have shifted its focus more on these ‘ships’ in a second series, but the story itself didn’t.

I think this focus on these couples within the fandoms has more to do with the fact that the underlying story of Age of Youth 2 was not as captivating or compelling as in the previous season. Or it didn’t feel as tight. I like the stories that were featured in this season, but at the same time I did not feel like these stories had too much to do with each other, as they did in season two. This season didn’t have any ghosts in the shoe-closet to connect all these story-lines and make it all more symbolic.

There were many interesting stories going in this series, but they didn’t have too much to do with each other, and we did not quite get these individual episodes that we got into the previous series, which added so much to these characters. The connection that these stories had with each other was mainly that the girls all lived in the same house. 

To me, Song Ji Won, one of my favorite last season, got the biggest, heaviest and probably the best storyline, compared to the previous season where she was mostly on the side-lines. Which is great since Park Eun Bin is a great actress, one of the strongest in this drama and Song Ji Won deserved her own spotlight.
Her story had the greatest weight and depth in this season, and we got to see more of her and Im Sung Min, which I appreciated (cuz I ship them). I was over the moon over it and though that story took us to some rather dark place at times, it was handled quite well.

It took her character to another level and made her into such a complex characters. To me she is the star of Age of Youth 2. To me she was the main character of this season.

Drama was still only in trying to make the story darker, or more dangerous, than she had to be (in order to be edgy) in my opinion. But those items did not appear to be dry, or out of nothing, and just being there to make us feel uncomfortable.

Yeun and Jinmyung both got to continue on with their stories from the first season, as Jinmyung lays his first step into the adult, working-world, and Yeun is struggling with the follow-up of the violent relationship she had with her former boyfriend. And I thought that was very done, how Yeun and the drama managed to handle that problem and how she slowly began to become more confident. I was very happy with that progress.

Jo Eun, the new girl, who moves (after Yi Na moves away in episode 1) and although I found her friendship with the girls, how she opened herself up bit by bit, and her relationship and Jang Hoon was very sweet. But I didn’t feel like story stood out a lot.

But Eun Jun, my favorite character in the first series (with Song Ji Won), got another actress who did very little for that character - though I blame it mostly on how she was written. Eun Jun really pulled the shortest straw when it came to plot in AOY2. All she did was break up with her boyfriend, for god knows what reason, and then she moaned over that the whole season. I never really understood what the scriptwriter was trying to go fir. All her parts just seemed to act as a filler, and she didn’t really act like herself. For me it was by far the biggest minus about Age of Youth 2.

If Age of Youth was four and a half star then Age of Youth 2 was a solid three star drama. It had some really good moments; I was very excited about watching each episode, and overall had a pretty good time watching it. But it did not reach the same height as the Age of Youth did. I did not cry over t.  The story was, in my opinion, a little disjointed  at times and could have been tight. There was something missing in that department. We needed something to keep going back to, and added a bit of depth to the underlining story, like the ghost in the shoe-closet.

I thought t was a good follow-up, I loved visiting Belle Epoque again, as well as the characters. Not all the stores left as much behind as the stories in the first season. But it is hard to re-create that magic. I just wish I could have gotten a bigger closure to some of these stories. Because we have been sitting through 14 episodes of these stories, so I think it is better to not leave things too open ended. It doesn’t leave as much behind.

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I find it distasteful to base a story on an actual issue. SOTUS is an incorrigible act of violation of a person's personal rights. Many have died going through it. I just feel sad that many young thais or even university students anywhere have to go through hazing. On that fact, I just do not understand why there are so many viewers who are not voicing this out.

However, to be subjective, the storyline is strong and the acting is on par. I am just worried that the romance that blooms out of SOTUS will make SOTUS an applicable and allowable act. Maybe they should think of changing the name for the second season and not make SOTUS as the frontal point of the series anymore. It would be good if they have a stronger anti-SOTUS storyline for the second series.

Let's remember those who fell by the act of SOTUS everywhere and May Karma return to all that have caused and still doing it.
#antisotus #goodseries #changethename

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One of the best Thai drama, I ever watched till date. Have been more into Korean ,Chinese, Indian and Japanese. I did try few Thai dramas before but either I found them too cheesy or too shallow. But this one changed my view. Thai drama seem to love rape twist to make a drama an  ideal slap kiss genre . But here this twist was more sanely handled. The lead pair did a great job in acting in spite of being so young . Yaya was the best but then Mark equally improved  .Beautiful Yaya proved that she is ready for versatile roles and cute boy Mark proved that he can be real meany and still manage to garner love from audience. Their chemistry is invincible. Their is something between these two that sizzles .Yaya looked tall mighty and strong  while Mark excelled being handsome meany . The love hate between leads is quit realistically portrayed.
As a male lead Sathhit had firm reasons and prejudices against female lead Jeerawat .It is  hard to forgive your girl friends killer. But when that killer was no killer but itself a victim ,then what?What if that killer repents and is ready to die but could not do so. Satthit is all torn between repenting beautiful  killer  and evidences and circumstances that are always against her. He wants from Jeerawat her officail confession rather then all those saviour attempts she did to atone herself from guilt .
Jeerawat on other hand did her best to redeem herself from the guilt of causing someone's death. She has that whole aura of 'Yes I am a bad. Don't mess with me'. Vulnerable only to her friend Dao  and manager P'Suki. But then comes Satthit , the man hell bent to get her confession for the crime she accidently caused.Something she cannot do all thanks to her mother and people who earn from her fame. To me this was enough reason for that cat and mouse relation  between leads. 
Other pairs are okey. Sorry to say but I  just skipped their scenes .

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I started off really enjoying The King's Woman. It's beautiful to look at. Zhang Vin carried the first part of this drama for me just by sheer charisma alone. I like watching him even though the character he plays is so bad. For the the first third of the drama or so I was into the plot setup and the martial arts characters and their "quests". I like that sort of thing. There are several passionate love scenes in the first part too. It was pretty easy to watch from episodes 1-24. But somewhere around this point I lost enthusiasm. An actor's charisma can only take me so far.

The King's Woman aims to portray a ruthless tyrant as a complicated character that we can sympathize with in telling the story of his true love for a beautiful and talented woman. It's kind of difficult to do well and basically I don't think this drama did a great job at it. It relies too much on the actors' charisma and good looks, slow mo flashbacks, and pretty cinematography rather than thoughtful story writing and good character development.

By episode 40 or so I had a lot of built up frustration and dislike for the main characters so I didn't really care about them anymore. The side characters were uninspiring, but at least Jing Ke and Han Shen were more consistently written and had some good fight scenes. The main characters behave inconsistently and don't feel like real people. The most problematic character is the heroine, Gong Sun Li. She is supposed to be wise, upstanding and tough. As the story progressed I felt more and more repulsed by the idea of her falling in love with the King and being such a martyr for him. He is murderous one scene and then suddenly cute and seductive in the next. The drama jumps into a romantic comedy tone whenever the king does something terrible and they need you to feel sympathy for him and buy into the love story again. It bugged me that an intelligent woman would become submissive to such a man. The main failing in the storytelling is that there was not a compelling reason for her to be won over by him. They didn't portray much of her internal struggle to be with him. It goes against her character to fall in love with him, so give us an explanation. There were hints that she might have done it for political reasons or to protect others. But mostly the romance is portrayed as just fate - that Li was fated to always protect, love and serve the King no matter what his actions and he would always love her because of it. But why? This wasn't enough for me to buy into the romance.

I watched the last part of the drama mostly out of curiosity to see how the events played out. I knew I was supposed to feel the tragedy of it all as a result of the king's fatal character flaws and feel the heroine's selflessness and integrity, but the feelings just weren't there for me. Still, there were ample slow motion flashback scenes to inform me that something dramatic was happening. And every time they played a certain childhood flashback scene (which was  A LOT) I knew I was supposed to be feeling how poignant it all was.

Then again after all my complaints about this drama again, I never once thought of dropping it. On a basic level it is watchable and entertaining enough to see the good looking costumes, actors, cinematography and martial arts scenes and find out what happens in the end.

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