Reviews

Started Strong but Lost Its Direction

Another drama where we get to the halfway point and it completely shifts into something else. I really liked the beginning because it had an intense mystery element that kept me engaged and wanting to know what would happen next. The early episodes balanced suspense, emotion, and time travel in a way that actually felt exciting. There was tension, there were stakes, and it felt like the story was building toward something meaningful.

But somewhere along the way, the drama lost focus. Instead of developing the plot and its themes further, it became almost entirely centered around Ryu Seon Jae and Im Sol being in love with each other. The problem is that both characters seem to have no identity outside of that relationship. If you remove the romance from their personalities, there's barely anything left. They don't really feel like fully realized individuals with their own ambitions, struggles, or inner worlds. Both characters seem to exist solely for the purpose of loving and protecting each other, and after a while that became repetitive and emotionally shallow to me.

I understand that the drama was trying to sell this grand, destined love story, and to be fair, both actors did a good job portraying longing, devotion, and emotional attachment. Their chemistry carried a lot of scenes, and I can see why many viewers became emotionally invested in them as a couple. Maybe that's ultimately what people connected with the most. But strong chemistry alone isn't enough for me to call something a great drama.

For people saying this is one of the best dramas out there, I honestly don't get it. The story goes in all sorts of directions and feels increasingly inconsistent as it progresses. The tone shifts constantly, plot points get dragged out or repeated, and some developments feel more convenient than well written. What started as a compelling mystery with emotional depth slowly turned into a repetitive cycle of sacrifice, separation, and reunion. Instead of building momentum, it felt like the drama kept resetting itself emotionally and narratively.

I wanted more from the characters individually and more coherence from the story overall. The drama had a strong premise and a genuinely engaging start, but for me it couldn't maintain that same level of quality all the way through. In the end, it felt like the romance overshadowed everything else, and once the mystery and tension faded, there wasn't enough substance left to keep me fully invested.

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only watched this because of my glorious king Jaewon

i didn't know it would be this good honestly because i did only watch it because i saw that Jaewon was in it. i have a big fat crush on him <⁠(⁠￣⁠︶⁠￣⁠)⁠>

i'm glad i planned to watch this and didn't let it rot in my list ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

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"Even if a hundred criminals go free, we must not wrongfully convict a single innocent person"

That line from the Lawyer in EP. 10 is very true btw "Even if a hundred criminals go free, we must not wrongfully convict a single innocent person" but unfortunately they couldn't save Im Seok-Man from going jail...i think along with the victims, he & Lee Gi-Beom suffered most in this drama after being wrongfully accused. Poor Im Seok-Man, they make him confessed after torturing him so badly. his life was already hard enough with that disability but whatever little he had, he lost all. Not only he got life sentence for the crimes he didn't even commit even his parents turned their back on him when he needed them the most & most of all, listening to all those hurtful things about his disability from his own sister...that's really sad. he couldn't even revel his alibi because of his sister, thinking it could hurt her married life... it was really heartbreaking.

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Leads couldn't keep me

Kim You Jung and Song Kang had really great chemistry that felt very natural throughout the drama. Their interactions were easily the strongest part of the series, and they carried many of the emotional scenes well.

Kim You Jung as Do Do Hee portrayed the character extremely well. She perfectly embodied a confident and powerful career woman while still showing elegance and vulnerability when needed. Her screen presence was strong, and she made Do Do Hee feel mature and believable without overdoing the cold CEO personality.

Song Kang as Jung Gu Won definitely portrayed the mysterious aura of the character really well in the beginning. He had the charm, coldness, and supernatural presence expected from a demon character, especially during the earlier episodes when the drama focused more on the darker fantasy and thriller elements.

I never read the webtoon and so I don't know how it was for that, but I felt the comedy aspect didn’t work well with this drama. The humor often felt out of place and didn’t blend naturally with the darker and more serious tone of the story. Whenever the drama focused on the suspense, romance, or supernatural elements, it was much more engaging. The tonal shifts between comedy and seriousness sometimes made the pacing feel inconsistent.

One of my biggest issues was Jung Gu Won’s character development. He was introduced as this cold blooded and intimidating demon, but then suddenly became overly soft and completely blinded by love. The problem wasn’t necessarily the romance itself, but how fast the transition happened. It didn’t feel gradual or naturally developed, which made the character shift feel unbelievable. It almost felt like the writers changed his personality overnight rather than slowly building emotional growth over time.

I also felt the drama started taking a different direction around the halfway point. The earlier episodes had a stronger balance of mystery, fantasy, and tension, but later on the story leaned much more heavily into romance and melodrama. Because of that, some of the intrigue and excitement from the beginning started fading away for me. I ended up dropping the drama after episode 11 because the later direction just wasn’t as engaging as the earlier episodes.

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The Most Unserious Superheroes Team You’ll Ever Watch

This is a series I was really looking forward to because it stars two of my favorite actors, and I had very high expectations. The unique plot also caught my attention—I was so curious to see how it would turn out. After finishing it, oh my god… this series truly has everything. For me, it’s the best Korean drama of 2026.

The series starts off funny right from the beginning. Eun Chae-ni is such an adorable character—everything she does feels hilarious. When you add in the other two, Kang Robin and Son Gyeong-un, it’s absolutely perfect. The three of them constantly doing stupid things makes it so entertaining. Then you throw in Lee Un-jeong, who’s always trying to keep them in line, and it becomes flawless. It’s literally like 3 Minions with Gru. What makes it so much fun and different from other shows is that these characters are genuinely dumb and innocent. Their imperfections and flaws are what make it great—especially when they suddenly get supernatural powers but have no idea how to use them. I also loved the warm and touching relationship between Eun Chae-ni and her grandmother. The backstory of Un-jeong and the origin of the supernatural powers were really well done. The action scenes and CGI were excellent too.

Park Eun-bin is incredibly lovable in this. Her acting is outstanding as always—no need to even say it. She’s undeniably one of the best actresses in Korea. Cha Eun-woo looks incredibly handsome here (though he always does). His performance in this series is further proof for me that he can really act. He’s been doing well since Island and has continued to improve. At first, I wasn’t expecting much from their chemistry, but it turned out to be fantastic. Whether they’re playfully teasing each other or fighting side by side, it’s so good. Im Seong-jae and Choi Dae-hoon also delivered great and hilarious performances. Both have iconic scenes too. The villain team was well executed, and I have to say the chemistry between Cha Eun-woo and Choi Yun-ji was surprisingly good as well.

Overall, this is an excellent series that has it all. It makes you feel a whole range of emotions at the same time. Some scenes that should be sad end up being funny instead. The chemistry among the four leads is perfect—they’ll make you laugh in every single episode. This is the best Korean drama of 2026 for me. 10/10. I highly recommend it, and I’m already begging for Season 2.

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Strong Mystery, Weak Performances

The Price of Greed had a really strong and intriguing story. The mystery and case solving kept things interesting throughout the series, especially with how each clue slowly connected together over time. The drama did a good job building suspense and making viewers question the motives of different characters. Some of the investigations and twists were genuinely engaging, and the pacing of the mystery made it easy to stay invested from episode to episode. Even when certain parts of the drama felt weak, the mystery element was strong enough to keep the show entertaining.

Bosco Wong did a great job. His portrayal of Lui Sau as a police officer was nicely executed, although it didn’t really show anything new that we haven’t already seen from his acting before. Even so, he still managed to carry many of the stronger moments in the drama alongside Kingdom Yuen, who also delivered a standout performance.

On the other hand, Kate Tsui and Sammul Chan gave pretty terrible performances. Their acting felt weak and unconvincing, which made some scenes harder to take seriously.

Shirley Yeung’s acting was also quite annoying at times. Her expressions while singing felt awkward and unnatural, which made those scenes uncomfortable to watch.

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What if you changed every day

First of all, if you are familiar with this story from the kdrama -- these are different stories that merely share the underlying premise of what the "magic" is. BOTH ARE WORTH WATCHING!! <3

This one is the movie, and it is very good. I love the underlying premise because it really does ask fundamentally, "Who are you separate from your body?" and "How much of how you are seen, is based on your body?"

These are such important questions, and exploring them in the context of romance is extra interesting.

The vibe of this movie is pretty thoughtful and a bit melancholy; the film style is maybe reminiscent of French film?

One of the only challenges, for me, is that this movie's specific approach to this plot never has the main character have a "baseline" appearance. This makes is a bit harder to invest in the character, but also makes it that much more impressive when the movie *gets you to anyway*

Also the whole furniture maker angle is very cute and charming. Really got me wanting to learn to make furniture!

Which also serves the metaphor very well, as we shape our lives to fit who we are... a person whose identity is less "stable" faces many challenges that a more stable person will not understand. And their loved ones also face their own challenges trying to love someone who is always changing. And this movie takes the time to actually engage these ideas. <3

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Must watch K-Drama!

If you haven't watched this rom-com, what are you waiting for? Go watch it now!

I cannot talk of romance and comedy together and not bring this drama up. Because it's among the og ones. A narcissistic CEO, overdramatic and low EQ 😂 and his very much capable and mentally stable secretary.

Park Seojoon is indeed a rom-com king. He really does this genre well. His face, body language, deserves a good applause. Park Minyoung is amazing as well. Every scene we can see her being done with her boss 😁 the side characters were great too. The office staff, the bodyguard, main lead's friend, they are all exactly were they need to be, doing exactly what they need to do.

The chemistry is realllyyy good. Ya, that is a big plus point. Especially when the overdramatic scenes calm into something more tense, the spark definitely wouldn't go unnoticed. Intimate scenes - good job hehe 😏😏

Yes! There you are. A good family drama to watch. I'd say one episode a day is the best way to watch 👍🏻

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Binge watch worthy

It's worth the time you spend on it. This 12 episodic series, you could finish it in a day. It definitely deserves 8/10.

The biggest pro of this drama is the cast and its acting.
Starting with the main leads, IU and Byeon Wooseok, to the side characters, everyone is such a fabulous actor/actress. Every emotion, every nuance, every little look and tone - they come straight at your heart. This drama didn't have too many ups and downs. But the little it did, one could feel the tension, the happiness, the pain.

It had been a long time since I saw a drama where I could clearly see the actors falling in love. This drama fulfilled that wish of mine. One could clearly see Ian fall for Huiju...so beautiful, tugged my heart strings 🥹 There are very few who can do a crazy character better than IU. The laugh, the gait, the facial expressions, ahhh!! Love her! I found myself whipped so many times! And she's sooo pretty! Byeon Wooseok as Ian, God! He looked really good 🤭 And his acting? Goodness, emotions were pouring out of the screen.
Their chemistry? Good! Loved when their eyes met ❤️ Also, I'm a fan of height differences and this surely feeds me that.

The second couple, Choi Hyun and Do Hyejeong, were really cute. I really love the actor Yoo Soobin. Him as Aide Choi was a very good casting. Same with Lee Yeon as Do Hyejeong. But the best ones would be Gong Seungyeon as the Queen Mother and Noh Sanghyun as the Prime Minister. Man! The queen mother was definitely a very potent character. Her acting deserves a standing ovation. I'd even say she might be the best of all in this drama. If not, her character development would definitely be the best. But it could have been more deep. Irrespective, hats off to the acting. As for the Prime minister, well I'd say it was a character degeneration, but it was good too. I mean petty things, but the show must go on so. They didn't give a worthy ending though. Like what happened? He just disappeared. The brother and sister in law, unexpectedly became my favs just purely because they weren't villainous. Initially, it did feel like a typical chaebol setup, but eventually, it was watered down and family bonds were highlighted. Didn't like the father being glorified. Bro he wasn't all that a great person, whatever. The child actor Kim Eunho as the king. How cute!!! He did his part very well.

The biggest problem of this show would be the predictability. I mean, from the get go, you know the story and how it'll end. Considering how big of a cast it is, they could have had a story with more substance. It's because of the cast and their acting skills this drama gets it's points. It's basically a really cliche trope. I lowkey feel bad because IU and Byeon Wooseok are a good pair. They should have been given a better tale to play. Not just them, the whole lot. I saw it somewhere that this drama wasted potential and I have to agree. I mean the idea was good - monarchy in modern times and all. But it ends up becoming just another story. The script could have been better. Had it been 16 episodes with elaboration where needed, we would have felt more connected to the world and people.

Music wise, honestly, I did feel it lacked a lot of background music, especially in episodes 1. But it got better; still not fine but yah. Also, grateful it is just 12 episodes. Had it been 16, mm, I feel like it would lag considering how they ran through the last part. If it was indeed 16, like I mentioned, they better develop a lot more. Since it was only 12, one after the other, stuff was happening. And it did feel rushed at end, if you zoom out, you do feel it's a bit too much to happen in a few days or months, isn't it? But ya, grateful they chose 12 with this pace. Wonder what they'd have done with the remaining 4 if it was 16.

As for the controversy. I feel entirely boycotting or banning the show is just nonsense. Yes, historical errors happened and it disturbed cultural concepts. But considering the quality of production and mind-blowing acting, it would be a waste. And true, maybe the actors should have kept an eye out for the mistakes. But to hold them completely accountable, as if it were their faults entirely, is just unreasonable. How could you possibly expect them to proof check each and every little thing of each and every line? No. Holding them responsible is not right. I would really be sad if this drama is to be taken down.

In a nutshell, grateful this drama exists but wish there was more to it. Hope I can see this pair in a more deeper story. Binge watch worthy 👍🏻

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An interesting peek into those affected

Interesting peek into a women's prison, and the way lives are affected by it. This is a slightly gritty look at actual lives. Not gritty in the sense that there is anything particularly shocking in the content, but more that it does not add any "kdrama polish" to anything. Just real people, living in the real world, despite often not having many options, still working toward figuring out their place in the world based on the options in front of them.

The writers really put in some extra thought into a few metaphors and symbolism used, which adds a nice touch as the overall story and message settle in.

When you are passing a bus with the same number, give them a wave.

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Mixed Memories and Emotions

I tried to finish this drama to see if there is a happy ending and also wondering what the Lee Jeong Hoon experienced is true. I even checked if hyperthymesia is real and it is! The drama had repeatedly emphasized the hurt of the past, the trauma of his girlfriend's death, and his mother's death. Such deaths shown were truly traumatizing.

There were several disturbing characters and scenes:
1. the repetitive episodes of his girlfriend's death - I skipped this as if it is a filler only for me.
2. Jeong Hoon visiting the stalker of his past girlfriend. That is really disturbing. Why would you even go there? Why relive the past? Why talk to an insane man?
3. The older doctor - his obsession to publish his discovery without a care for the patient to be revealed is unethical. And even visiting the insane convict in the hospital knowing he isn't stable - my gosh, are there doctors like him? I would be wary of such.
4. The public in general as portrayed - who easily believe what is published and condemn Jeong Hoon. They judged him for having his past and present girlfriends as best friends. Are people that gullible already? Are people that judgmental already without knowing the facts? I guess there are still many who use the social media as legitimate news.

What would be the positives?
1. I like that Jeong Hoon tried to overcome his illness. We see his maturity and resilience even in the face of being replaced.
2. Yeo Ha Jin able to bounce back despite of the scandal and later on get back with Jeong Hoon, though it took some time. It is true that people have short memories and will forget the past scandals.
3. Jeong Hoon was able to go back to his late-night news and with Ha Jin.
4. Jeong Hoon's boss who tried to help him knowing of his illness.
5. I love the outfits of Ha Jin, though her rival actress tried to put her down, her spirit does not seem to wane.

Will I rewatch this? I don't think so. Though I didn't retain much of the story in my mind, I would not go back to those disturbing characters and scenes.

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A Historical Account presented mastefully in an engaging drama.

The initial 5 episodes were chaotic and confusing, needing to be revisited time and again.

There is the bigger story of a period when China was going through a chaotic period of 5 dynasties in rapid succession in the North and 10 kingdoms in the South. The fall of the Tang Dynasty, plunged the era and especially the Central Plains of the North with a dominant power with the ruling Emperor seated in Kaifeng, into a turbulent period of wars and power struggles between opposing states and military regimes. The Tang dynasty was ended by Zhu Wen, a rebel warlord who founded the Later Liang dynasty. He was in turn overthrown and replaced by Li Cunxu, son of his main military rival, Li Keyong, foundiing the Later Tang dynasty, the second dynasty after Tang. Li was in turn usurped by a trusted general, Shi Jintang, son of another Comander in Li Keyong's army, with the help of the Khitans, setting up the Later Jin Dynasty, the 3rd Dynasty after Tang.

This CDrama starts with the compromised Emperor Shi, beholden to the Khitans being the Central Plains dominant power.

Within this background was the Kingdom of Wuyue, a small but extremely prosperous Kingdom, who lived by the mantra of "serving the central plains". They were a vassal state within the Central Plains paying homage and tributes to the Central Plains Emperor. The King at the start of the series was Qian YuanGuang, who has 2 adopted sons, the 1st and 2nd Princes. This is the story of the 9th Prince, Qian HongChu.

Wuyue borders with the Southern Tang and they are both adversaries, often in armed conflicts. Within this corner of the world, there operates a strong independent sea borne merchant fleet headed by a strong willed woman, the Lady Yu who was once the wife of King YuanGuang. She left the King after he married another as part of a power alliance.. She is the biological mother of the 3rd Prince, Qian HongZuo, and also the mother of Sun Taizhen, her only daughter and another younger son ChengZuo. Lady Yu and her brother, Yu Wenxiu, runs the HuangLong Society fleet out of HuangLong Island.

Within this mix of royals, there is a powerful ensemble of nobles, generals and merchants, each with their own interests. A prominent merchant from Wuyue, Cheng Zhaoyue is plotting with Li YuanQing, a Commander of an elite Southern Tang military unit.

QHC, who seems to have a predilection to get into spots is captured aboard a HuangLong Society ship and brought to HuangLong Island, where he was attended to by STZ.

*will be updated*

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if you switch off your brain enjoyable

After watching all 8 episodes, honestly, the series should have only been 6 episodes long, because after episode 6, nothing particularly interesting really happens.

The series is entertaining… if you switch your brain off. Because the moment you actually start thinking about it, there are so many things that just don’t make sense.

Klao and Si seriously lack depth. Nothing about their characters was developed with strong writing; it all felt rushed to me. Even the death of the kid… I don’t even remember his name, which says a lot about how little emotional attachment the show managed to create. In my opinion, they did absolutely nothing to make viewers care about that character.

Klao and Si’s relationship works on screen mainly because Lookmhee and Sonya have great chemistry. But that’s where it stops, because underneath that, the dynamic feels very predatory, with a clear lack of boundaries.

Si’s relationship with her family was also handled really poorly, especially with her sister. One day they’re in conflict, and the next everything is suddenly fine, with no real explanation or apology. I hate when shows treat viewers like they’re stupid by resolving things that way.

And finally, the humor just wasn’t for me at all. I found it way too much, forced, and honestly pretty cringe.

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