Reviews

Great spin on a time travel story

This one is a real mind bender. Plot-wise this show was consistently excellent. The story was creative, well paced, and expertly balanced its substantive existential concerns with the borderline soapy family drama. I liked how the writers handled the logistics of time travel. Even with the limited screen time afforded to it I was able to buy into into the romance. I read the ending as ambiguous enough to support multiple possible interpretations, which suits the vibe of the show well. The one downside was the acting was a bit patchy at times. Lee Jin Wook was generally good in this but there were also times when he was too stiff and expressionless. Jung Dong Hwan's performance as the villain was fine initially but got so bad in the later episodes of the show it was hard to watch. His constant slack jawed/bug eyed mugging was embarrassing. I can enjoy hammy overwrought acting under the right circumstances but his clownish performance just annoyed me and was out of sync with the rest of the show.

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I made a MyDramaList account just for this incredible drama

Simply amazing, right from the start the story is getting better and better. Perfect cast i would say too, will be watching the dramas of the casts after this. Lots of moral in the story that we can learn and take notes. Just learned that the author of the original manga is Inagaki-sensei who wrote some of my favorite manga named Dr. Stone and Eyeshield 21 and yes both of the series revolves around the same kind of selfish people in the world which makes me hooked on this work of him. Hope we can see season 2 if any, such an incredible journey of 10 episode, BRILLIANT!!!

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Excellent show

A delight. The build up to the romance is subtle and slow burn, it's not the kind of show that got my heart fluttering right away, but here slow and steady wins the race because the leads are such lovable characters and watching their chemistry build was fun. Their dynamic is so wholesome, sweet, and funny. No dumb tropes to deal with either. No noble idiocy break ups, no sudden trips abroad, no contrived miscommunications, just lots of cuteness and mutual growth and supportiveness.

Thankfully the plot is accessible even if you don't know know anything about Korean politics. The practical and emotional stakes of the various issues that come before the district council are clear, and the show does a good job depicting the small victories and petty corruption of life in local politics with a lot of heart. The only thing I wish the show had dove deeper on was the relationship between the ML and his father.

The heavy use of fish eyes lenses and extreme wide angle shots were bold creative choices that paid off well. The director did a good job of visually emphasizing to the audience the offbeat nature Goo Se Ra's personality and the distorted perspective made comedic scenes funnier and office scenes more intense. I also love the super vivid color palette and how many close ups we get of the main actors' faces, allowing them to really shine as performers. Watching this makes me lament Nana hasn't done more rom coms because she's obviously extremely well suited to the genre. She's such a force of nature here.

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So much squandered potential

I wish this had just been a straight up House style diagnostic procedural where the doctors solve a case per episode and that's it. The patient stories and the debates about euthanasia and end of life care were good, the rest of the show was lacking. I hated the relationship between the two leads. Even apart from their DOA romance, I found the leads to be shallow and underwritten characters. This was especially true for the FL. So much staring into space as crappy ballads drone on in the background. The antagonists are potentially interesting but the show doesn't know how to utilize them effectively and they were ultimately just frustratingly inconsistent and two dimensional. The last few episodes are particularly frustrating, sloppily plotted and emotionally unsatisfying.

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Flawed but worthwhile watch

This show has its flaws for sure: the first few episodes have so many flashbacks the narrative feels choppy, the pace is too slow from episodes 4-14 or so (this would have been great at 16 episodes), the actress playing the FL stays a bit too placid and quietly weepy to sell the desperation and longing and pathos of her character in the final third of the drama. Yet for all these issues when this show is in the groove, it works really well, well enough to justify the 24+ hour time commitment. There are a lot of poignant moments in this drama that will stick with me. The best thing this drama has going for it is Lee Dong Wook's incredible performance as Joon Soo. This character, and his performance, are the highlight of the drama and the glue holding everything together. Joon Soo is so complex and volatile that LDW needs to switch on a dime from the ardent lover to the menacing sleazebag to the suicidal depressive to almost child like innocence and vulnerability and he nails it every single time.

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Watch this

Great show, Jang Hyuk delivers again. I loved his performance and I was so invested in the struggles and triumphs of his incredibly compelling character. His power and range as a performer is just mesmerizing. This works really well as an intense sports story, a beautiful and heart wrenching family drama, and a gruesome medical thriller. Really liked the characterizations of the second ML and the villains. Once I started watching this I couldn't stop. The only thing that didn't fully work for me was the characterization of the wife in the second half of the drama. She became placid and bland and faded into the background too much as the story progressed. I would have also enjoyed more scenes between husband and wife fleshing out their dynamic more.

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A good Thai highschool romance bl

Honestly this is coming from someone who typically don’t like Thai bl but I enjoyed the series so much. This isn’t a show with amazing new plot but a typical cliche highschool romcom that is done well. I love the humor in this, the exaggerated acting with a bit of cringe that romcoms have but not enough to deter you away. There is a simple plot and they sticked through it. I loved the beginning through the end which I felt alot of Thai bl failed to deliver as some would start of strong and end in a mess or there were no plot. There’s actual romance in the show , not bromance which is another plus.


My only criticism is having a second couple . They bore me and felt like they were a filler which made the show felt a little dragged on

Overall,
If you want a light hearted Thai bl, this is a show for you!

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You definitely don't want to miss this heartwarming family drama. It's a must-watch!

This drama is definitely food-oriented and family and friends are the ingredients. It might be a tad too long, but it allowed me to develop a strong emotional bond with the characters. The plot revolves around a food chef prodigy who, with her kindness and talent, brings people closer to her. While we do see characters falling in love, getting married, and getting pregnant, the drama is more about life, love, struggles, jealousy, and the highs and lows of life.

I couldn't help but draw comparisons between this drama and "Life Begins." Both are focused on family and friends and use food as a way to bring people together.

The plot isn't particularly dramatic, but it's filled with day-to-day struggles and joys that make it relatable. However, I would have appreciated more chemistry from the female lead. The scriptwriters tried to add some, but the actress failed to portray it. I understand that showing affection might not be appropriate in certain cultures, but this is a drama, and scriptwriters and directors have creative freedom. The actress seemed a bit one-dimensional to me, but it wasn't a dealbreaker.

Overall, I'd classify this drama as a comfort food drama. It's sweet and heartwarming, and the ending is guaranteed to leave you feeling happy.

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Funny, hilarious… short drama

Just finished watching Moon Lovers: Scarlet Letter Ryeo… and had a terrible hanfover because of the ending…. And read somewhere good reviews about this one.

And loved it!
FL is naturally sparky, funny…. ML starts seriously but pretty soon moves on to be also hilarious and funny.

Makes you think about those times when knowledge was feared… it took courage to start and implement the changes that made us the society we are today… without those visionaries, we will still be kn the dark ages.

Even though there are only 2 episodes.. it was well done… did not feel rushed and evolved very naturally.

Most important… it has ghe right ending…
Actually this is how Moon Lovers should have ended.

It helped me get over the disappointment i had.

Do I recommend it? Yes
Will I watch it again? Yes… especially if I need a good laugh

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It's also not clear to me how it was with that girl... Kraťas looks very simple, but appearances are deceiving, it's a painful story straight from life, it's not a fairy tale. There is an immeasurable variety of relationships between human beings. From camaraderie, friendship, love, infatuation to hate and hundreds of varieties in between. Very solid.
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Také mi není jasné, jak to bylo s tou dívkou ... Kraťas vypadá, jako velmi jednoduchý, ale zdání klame, je to tíživý příběh rovnou ze života, není to žádná pohádka. Vztahů mezi lidskými bytostmi je nezměrné různorodé množství. Od kamarádství, přátelství, lásky, zamilovanosti až po nenávist a stovky druhů mezi tím. Velmi solidní.

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Even with the tough reviews online… it is worth watching

I did not check the reviews before starting… trying to avoid being biased and all that.. just read them afterwards… and a lot of what has been said is true.

Let me clarify that I have not watch the original Chinese version… only this one.

It is true… I was very frustrated with this “love story” between Hae Soo and Wang So…. It did not happen until mid season. It came to a point that I actually thought I read it wrong..l that she would end up with The brother Wook… but no… finally after more than 10 hrs, it happened.

The best in this drama comes from Wang So… he is amazing.
I was rooting for him since ep1….

But Hae Soo… well… it took me very long to like her. She is supposed to be modern-contemporary woman… and in the beginning she was… but also very naive and clueless to the actions of others. Very self centered.

She meets 7 princes.. and after 3 episodes, almost all of them started to like her. Like she would just smile to them and they would be immediately smitten. For princes that had any woman in the kingdom at their disposal… it was hard to believe.

The actors playing the brothers were also very good. You will immediately like/hate them .

Having said that… this story has the most iconic scene I had scene ever…
Wang So covering Hae Soo from the rain, while she is on her knees in front of the palace.. beginning for the life of her friend.
No words were needed…. His action spoke of his courage and his love for her.

This scene made it worth watching…

I admit, I cried at the end… Wang So’s karma came back to bite him in the ass…

And yes.. the ending could have been different.. it is obvious they made it in mind of a season 2 that will never happen… leaving us with unanswered questions.

Do I recommend it? Yes…. Wang Wook and Wang So make it worth it.
Will I watch it again? No

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Loved it......

Ok so if we talk about this series the story plot is very typical and unique and I saw many negative comments about this series but for me Middleman's love is an adorable cute rom-com.

Well about the acting and cast most of them from bed friend and I was so happy to see many familiar faces and the office atmosphere. Everyone did a great job and did their roles perfectly specially tutorYim their chemistry is amazing. When we talk about TutorYim I must say that I've seen many people telling that their lacking chemistry. About that it's absolutely wrong because Yim's character is a person who is weird and sulking and easily getting shy and he did his role perfectly because in Cutiepie he did a total oppsite character than this one so P'Jade is someone who is shy so there is many awakward situations between them until he get used to Mai and Mai is a person who is very extrovert and perfect man so he's doing everything to impress P'Jade. Well about the NC scense damn that was on fire. I was blushing like an idiot while watching them.

Anyways overall I really enjoyed the whole series and I loved it and for me it's not a waste of time. So I'm reccomending this series to those who prefer watching comedy and romance.
A cute sweet story. I loved it.

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Flowers will blossom but one cannot be young again. Seek not eternal wealth, only need to be content

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The Plot:
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The setting is in Martial Arts World...

Ten years ago.. Li Xiang Yi, the top martial artist or prodigy of Martial Arts World, who founded Sigu Sect at a very young age... suddenly disappeared without a trace after the battle in East Sea, along with his arch rival and enemy Di Fei Sheng, the leader of Jinyuan Alliance... Everyone believed that they both died in the battle....but fate is a really unpredictable thing...

Ten years later.. Li Xiang Yi reappeared but with a changed identity as "Li Lian Hua", a countryside doctor, who accidentally became famous for being "A Miraculous Doctor" who was able to bring dead to life, but actually a quack who treats patients with his cunningness and mediocre medical skills... He was living in a mobile house called "Lotus Tower" for 10 years...but didn't want to have any more connection with the martial arts world and leading a very simple life, so always kept a low profile and was roaming around in search of his senior brother's dead body...

Lian Hua came across Fang Duo Bing, a young lad, who claims to be "Li Xiang Yi's only disciple".. although even Xiang Yi himself didn't know when he had taken a disciple in...haha! Duo Bing wanted to be a hero and was suspicious of Lian Hua's identity as a doctor, so he wanted to find out the truth to publicly expose Lian Hua as a quack...

Like Xiang Yi, ten years later, Di Fei Sheng also re-emerged and unlike Xiang Yi's comrades, he was the only one who recognized Li Lian Hua as Li Xiang Yi at first glance when they met again...To be clear, both of them recognized each other in their first meeting after a decade of that deadly battle...

After a series of incidents, the trio developed a great bond and joined hands to solve some mysterious cases to uphold justice, and to ultimately find out the ones who actually betrayed Li Xiang Yi and Di Fei Sheng ten years ago, bringing them to the brink of death...

The story has successfully kept me captivated with its series of mysteries and the revelation of Li Lian Hua's true identity...

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Introduction to Main Characters:
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Li Xiang Yi/ Li Lian Hua (Cheng Yi): Li Xiang Yi, a prodigy in Martial arts World, an upright and arrogant young man, with a sharp tongue and strategic mind, who plans a step ahead of his enemies and always kept high profile... He wanted to be a hero and didn't care much about the feelings and opinions of the ones who cared for him.. It's not that, he doesn't care about them at all, but the thing is, his ambition was his priority...

Li Lian Hua, a lonely and sickly doctor, keeps a low profile, cunning but kind, and detached from the worldly desires. He was poisoned with a deadly poison which has no cure and extremely painful death is the ultimate end, so Lian Hua just wanted to be carefree for his remaining life and die a silent death... Lian Hua is a type of person, who can lie without blinking while looking straight into your eyes, he never felt remorse for his lies, to be honest...

After experiencing death once, Xiang Yi acknowledged his own flaws and Li Xiang Yi transformed into Li Lian Hua, who is a liar but mature person, had guilts from past and later on developed a personality of letting go and forgiveness, and be content... He no longer cares about his glory and ambition, just a peaceful life...
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Fang Duo Bing (Zeng Shun Xi): The young master of a prestigious family, who aspired to become a hero in Martial Arts World to uphold justice. Very kind, warm-hearted, courageous and emotional but a naive young man, skilled in martial arts... He can be said shadow of Xiang Yi when it comes to his ambition... Regards Xiang Yi as his master and idol, and claims to be his disciple... After going through many incidents and experiencing enough, he matured gradually...
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Di Fei Sheng (Xiao Shun Yao): Another prodigy of Martial Arts World, and the only person who is worthy to be rival of Xiang Yi... He founded Jinyuan Alliance on his own... Has cold and aloof personality, and a aura of darkness. A straight-minded but cleaver person aspired to stand on top by defeating Xiang Yi, fair and square in competition... The experience of his childhood can not be considered as great which led to his ambition but he is not a type of person who believes in stabbing in back to get his way...

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Acting:
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Actually, the cast is not new to me.. I have seen their few works before but have not followed them... I saw Cheng Yi in L&R, but that drama was just not my cup of tea, Zeng Shun Xi in MJTY, where he was in guest role, Xiao Shun Yao and Chen Du Ling in TTEOTM...
Here, I am impressed with the acting of main leads and other actors were also good. While watching the drama, I wanted to stand up and applaud in honor of their fantastic acting abilities... Cheng Yi successfully made me his fan from now on... He portrayed Xiang Yi and Lian Hua beautifully with his tremendous acting... And portrayal by Zeng Shun Xi and Xiao Shun Yao is also worth appreciating...

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My Verdict:
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The story is quite impressive and engaging...The main theme of "The art of letting go and be content with what you have" left an impression on my heart... The mysterious cases and their link to the main conspiracy.. the enmity and friendship.. the conspiracies and regrets.. the guilt and wait.. the hilarity and sadness.. the hidden pain behind the beautiful smile.. the love and obsession.. and the ultimate goal of their lives... all are so well depicted...

But I don't have a little bit of sympathy for the main antagonists. To be honest, in halfway, I already guessed the main antagonist, perhaps I have watched so many dramas so it was pretty obvious to me...the so-called most noble and good person on the surface will turn out to be the biggest villain in the end... It's actually a very common troup... The fighting scenes are also fantastically done...

Honestly, I strongly believe, Sigu Sect can do without someone, but not without Xiang Yi... Though he did some mistakes but once he died the sect fell apart instantly... They are all so stupid, just call themselves righteous and smart detectives but never took a convincing decision to prove their intelligence... They re-established the sect but it has already lost its core ideology long ago and the remaining is just a bunch of so-called nobles who don't know where to step in and where to take backseat, also what to believe and what not...

For me, the best part of the drama is when Lian Hua, Duo Bing and Fei Sheng worked together to solve cases... The trio has one of best chemistry, I have seen so far... The way, Lian Hua and Fei Sheng kept Duo Bing in dark for so long was made me feel pity for him everytime...but their bickerings made me laugh like a fool..hahaha! Their friendship developed gradually and slowly but strongly... It took time to resolve the misunderstandings between them because as I mentioned above Lian Hua is a damn liar but considering his health condition, I can't get myself to blame him even a bit... He learned to forgive everyone but not to himself... This kinda heartbreaking everytime I see him suffering from agony of the poison... also, the guilt he had for 10 years, that brought him to brink of death and was majorly responsible for his grief and sufferings, was not entirely his fault...

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OSTs and Costumes:
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OSTs are good...

Costumes are so well done for all the characters... From Xiang Yi's beautiful and impressive red robe which has a aura of power and ambition of a young man to Lian Hua's plain and decent robes depicting his calmness and maturity are done so nicely..

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Ending and Recommendation:
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Regarding ending, I have mixed feelings about it... Is it the open ending or a sad one??? The drama left the audience to conclude the ending for themselves. It would be great if there is a second season for this...
So would I recommend it? Surely yes! There is actually no reason for me to not recommending it.... If you are missing this then you are missing a masterpiece...

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