Kraťas především pro ty, kteří nemají problém k menšinovým skupinám se zvláštním zaměřením, korejsští kluci to zahráli fajn. Jistě, snímek na nejvyšší hodnocení u mě nedosahuje, ale bylo to pěkné včetně závěru, zpracování velmi solidní a jak je vidět, ani v Koreji nemají takovíto kluci na růžích ustláno, ale to asi téměř nikde ...
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I wish i could make a ranting video like Avenuex's.....do not waste your time!
I actually watched all 40 episodes without skipping any scene, i wish i had...What i liked:
-The main lead couple acting was great, i wish Gong Jun had choosen a better project though, he hasn't been in anything really important since WOH...i hope he gets some nice and interesting projects in the future...
- The fighting spirit of the female lead (That actually kept me watching).
What i disliked (i will just list some, because if i have to write down everything there wouldn't be enough space):
- The second female lead guyssss, like no, she is a big no! if you ever meet someone like this in real life, please get away from that person, you deserve better, and so her love story was kind of disturbing to watch. And it is the main reason why i am rating this drama this low, We are in 2023 and for god sake, this type of romance (if we can even call it romance....) shouldn't exist anymore, please writers , please!!!
- Since the main leads are very intelligent people, so many things could have been done better, like intelligent people do in real life, but of course we are watching a C-drama, it wouldn't be one whithout all those cliches, right?
This drama could have been shorter, there were so many uninteresting scenes that could have been cut out. ...
Till episode 30, i was actually going for an 8/10, but the last part really had me disgusted. I will not recommend this drama, it's nothing new, full of cliches and nonsenses (yes i can't get over the mess of the second lead couple) for me it's a 6/10.
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This review may contain spoilers
Trying to change one's destiny isn't easy.
I haven't read the novel, so I came in totally blind. I know a lot of people had trouble understanding the plot, and while it's something some people abhor, for me it was a relief. I don't like it when the writers take viewers by the hand and serve them everything on a platter.Even as someone who hasn't read the novel, I picked up the story quickly. My best advice : don't focus on what you don't know, but on what you learn.
The story is about Ning'er, a young woman with endless ambition that drives her to crush everyone in her path to reach the highest position : Empress. Including Yan Lin, her childhood friend whom she betrays after his family is massacred. Once in power, unfortunately the Emperor fell ill and die. Taking this opportunity, Xie Wei (the royal tutor) and Yan Lin rebelled ─ for a reason not immediately revealed ─ and seized power from Ning'er's hands. Ning'er in a desperate attempt to save the only man she has ever loved, Zhang Zhe (a righteous scholar and official at the Minister of Justice), who has been imprisoned, she makes a deal with Xie Wei, to follow the Emperor in his death, committing suicide in exchange for Zhang Zhe's freedom.
This is where it all begins, once she dies, she wakes up and discovers that she has traveled to the past. This time she decides to avoid making the same mistakes, to make amends and above all to renounce her thirst for power which destroyed her and those close to her before.
Unfortunately, this is where things get tricky, because she remembers past events, past relationships that haven't happened yet, and she has to change the future without herself being caught in the web of machinations of the Xue family, the royal family, the rebels, the Yan family, and above all, the terrifying Xie Wei.
The plot/story and production:
I'm rather divided. On the one hand, I think the background on which the story evolves has been really entertaining, it's an intense struggle for power and a terrible story of families being torn apart, leading to a terrible event 20 years ago that will set the revenge motivations of certain characters on a bloody path. I don't know how to describe the exact tone of this series, because there are truly terrible moments and great strategies that are however shown in a counterproductive way. I think it's more about the way it was filmed - close up, echo voice, slow-motion, bright colors, humor. I felt like I was watching a terrible scene unfold in the most light-hearted production. There was a clash. I think the drama would have benefited from a production similar to "Rise Of the Phoenixes", "The Rebel Princess" something more mature. But overall, the story is entertaining and engaging, I like following its progress and discovering the web of relationships between the characters, past and present.
Acting :
I think the standout here is inevitably Zhang Ling He, who played Xie Wei. This character is a ruthless snake whom the audience cannot help but root for. He is a complex character, who has suffered numerous traumas, but who possesses an iron determination and spirit of justice that nothing will deviate him from his trajectory. Bai Lu in the role of Ning'er did her job perfectly, and if she stands out less than Zhang Ling He, she is no less the star. I liked that she embodied a manipulative young woman in both her lives, who doesn't give in and reciprocates tenfold attacks on anyone who dared to go against her, even if her machinations are still not the best and sometimes likes to bite her in the ass, so to speak. All the secondary characters were up to the task and convincing, I wanted to slap the antagonists myself and hug the poor characters who suffered. The dynamics of several characters are amazing and touching to discover, especially I liked the interactions between Xie Wei and the Yan family, father and son.
Romance :
If romance is not in your face, it is still very present, but for someone like me who isn't into such dramas, I was not bothered. I even found myself rooting for couples. I'll try to keep it short, but in her former life, Ning'er had three men in her life. Yan Lin, her childhood friend whom she was promised to but never loved and betrayed, Zhang Zhe whose good nature she admired and ended up loving, and the Emperor (where virtually nothing of this relationship will be shown in flashbacks or in the current timeline) that she never liked and used as a stepping stone. Among all this, Xie Wei was a rather distant and abstract presence to Ning'er, she was terrified of this man in the past, and for a good part of the series in the present timeline, she continues to be as she can't understand him. It goes without saying that in the present timeline, she has the same suitors except that the emperor is replaced by Xie Wei this time. The love story between her and Xie Wei is one of the biggest slow burns I've witnessed, while they both have quite a few moments throughout the series, they are overshadowed by the fact that Ning'er is terrified of Xie Wei and she likes Zhang Zhe. It took them up until the very last episodes after the 30th to start seeing him as someone she cares about. And I can't say that the set up was ideal, Xie Wei is demanding, and often takes what he wants without tenderness. I didn't like him forcibly kissing her the first time, even though there were extenuating circumstances due to his dementia, nor all the times he was physically harsh with her. It's not romantic. But Xie Wei is a bad guy, was never portrayed in any other way, at least that. From what I know, in the novel, he and Yan Lin are much more brutal so the writers have toned down in the series even if some of it is slightly implied from the little clues if we know what to look for.
However, I was 100% sold by their chemistry from the second they interacted, but beware it's really a slow burn, who just not cute and full of rainbows.
Overall, I liked this drama, it solidified my opinion that Zhang Ling He is made for more ambiguous and complex roles than the one-dimensional do-gooder. His acting really shined here. The story was entertaining, honestly, a good series.
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Strong Family & Co
First of all I would to mention that I'm not a fan of SWDBS.I only like two types of men. One is MinHyuk and other one is ShiOh. So if you’re some moral police you can skip this review.This drama is about "save the world" trope which isn’t my type. The whole drug plot is weak and dragged out.The mom has more plot than the FL. There are so many frontal shoots of her walking in slow motion in fancy dresses. I cringe everytime she's in her "badass" look. Also it's hard to focus on her face because of the botox. It's really hard to root for her when she has more empathy for a random girl who tried to kill her daughter than her son.
The ML and FL interaction are just boring. They feel more like a honest police uncle and a lost child than a couple I want to ship.
FL was too childlike and goofy. I'm going to ignore the ML because even writers did it to him. He adds nothing to the plot.
I know It's bad when I'm more interested in the villain and hoping he would somehow end up with the FL.It's not because of the fact he's handsome.
It's because his two minutes interaction with FL is the most gripping part of the drama. Yes, this actor's beauty is out of the world but but he also stands his ground in terms of performing. I love that he can be a cruel monster to everyone but a literal gentleman with girl he like.
A red flag is used in a context of human relationships and he always treated namsoon well since the beginning. There were no "red flag moment" in the relationship he had with namsoon.
It was such a poorly written drama but it gave us a memorable character.
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Low stakes and oversaturation of characters
Before going into this, it was already pretty clear that Strong Woman DBS, which had one of the most iconic kdrama couples ever, was a difficult act to follow. I'm going to try and get all the comparisons out of the way first. While I wasn't a HUGE fan of the humor in SWDBS, it knew well enough to take serious moments seriously, and everything else was strong enough to make up for it; I loved the leads and the murder plot was thrilling and high-stakes. This drama has the same issue with its humor, but its other aspects are either weak or worse.The humor just isn't my style at all. There's a lot of physical humor and over-acting; it might be fine if it was only used in select moments, but I felt like it permeated every second of drama, even big fight scenes and what should've been tense moments with antagonists. Overall it made the entire tone of the drama seem kind of off — as if nothing actually mattered because it was all for laughs.
The drug plot felt low-stakes not just because of the tone, but also just because of the way it was written. I don't think anyone going into this drama should expect any profound commentary on drugs or class issues in South Korea. The drama seems to try every once in a while with an offhanded comment, but it really doesn't go much deeper and it's even self-contradictory sometimes. There's parts where they touch upon it, but they also make its lead a "good billionaire" because she's kind with her money and because she pulled herself up by her bootstraps. It felt contradictory to any commentary, just so viewers could get some #girlboss moments.
In terms of characters — I'm not a fan of ensembles to begin with and this drama is a good example of why. It felt like there were so many characters and so many subplots that none of them got enough screentime to be complete, and less important subplots took over more engaging ones. The drama spent SO MUCH screentime on the grandmother's romance, which felt slapstick and unserious, while Namsoon and Heeshik's screentime began to dwindle. And as the drama went on it felt like more and more antagonists were getting introduced as random side characters, and because they served no purpose other than to trigger plot points and had no backstory or personality, they began to blur into each other.
The only antagonist that really had a good story was the villain Ryu Shi-O, but my bigger issue with him plays into my low-stakes criticism. He was just...a bad villain. He has physical abilities, sure, but his plans, goals, and motivations weren't that clear, and most of all I just can't believe that he couldn't piece together anything our protagonists were planning when they were being so obvious about it. I mean...Namsoon's acting...
With so many things going on, romantic lines didn't have enough screentime for good development. I'd already mentioned not caring about the grandmother's romance, and while Namsoon/Heeshik were the best in the show, it felt like they didn't really go deeper than both of them being cute.
Honestly, I think there's an audience for this somewhere out there — maybe someone who likes quirkiness and shenanigans — but it's not me. I'm giving this a 2 (and not a 1) just because it didn't utterly infuriate me as much as me just not really caring.
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One word - masterpiece
Oh my god.. what a 1st episode. Amazing. I didn't expected anything from this series, but from the start to the end, i didn't even get bored for a second. 'Masterpiece', that's what I want to say about the starting. 1st episode have to be engaging and they have done it so well mainly by developing the characters and portraying the tension between the main leads. And by the way, their chemistry was overflowing. who made this casting deserve an award, because they were living in their role. And my precious baby kaownah , he made a guest role and gave his best.Overall I loved everything from its 1st episode itself and I'm going to watch the rest of the episodes for sure. Do not miss this series because nowadays it's rare to find a different story like this.
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This review may contain spoilers
Arguably the best
This k-drama did (almost) everything perfect. The acting/cast was phenomenal. The main four actors are all such great actors (plus they’re all so attractive). The music fits perfectly with all the scenes, adding a powerful emotional element. The OST is also just so fun to listen to regularly. I definitely cried in the last episode. My only complaint is that the ending was a bit rushed but all the other amazing parts of the show make up for it. Overall, a very family-friendly, binge worthy show that I’d definitely rewatch several times. Candidate for best k-drama of 2023, if not all-time.Was this review helpful to you?
Can’t go wrong with this
Great romance-comedy show for newbie k-drama watchers. There is a decent amount of action and violence for those seeking thrill. Plot develops relatively quickly and every episode has cliffhangers that reel you in to the next episode. Also gives a good taste of what life is like in North Korea while occasionally adding the classic South Korean business element for those who want familiarity. Music adds strong emotions to many scenes. Would rewatch maybe once a year. Overall, you can’t go wrong with this kdrama. You either love it or at the worse, think it’s mid. Hard to hate on this show.Was this review helpful to you?
hard life of high school girl
The movie is better then i though. I was expecting a B level movie made just for the message or the practice of some new talents, but i found the message of the movie very compelling and the final production was not bad at all. The actors were decent (even though the extras were funny entering and exiting the scene to try to make it more believable), the story had more dimensions with side characters and there were some very emotional moments, especially the last scene where ... oh, no spoilers.The movie is a high-school drama and a tragic death mystery. The mystery elements serve the story well, slowly revealing more information and so increasing the interest until the end. I was especially attentive since i saw it without english subtitles and had to concentrate to understand some dialogue but certainly i missed few things due to not being able to understand everything. so if you'll give this movie a try, stick with it until the end.
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This review may contain spoilers
LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS
Before watching, please lower your expectations! This is totally different if you think this is will similar with Bong Soon version.Everything is fine until ep 3, but after that the plot is mess. Idk how the writernim think, but they just wasted all potential. Main lead didn't even get the 'spotlight' that they deserved. The 'superpower' even only showed in early episode and closed to ending. So many cringe scene esp grandma and her bf (I always skipped this part ). They can use this time for better scene pls. So many important things still not explained. How they solve every problem also the worst.
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Kinda mid
First few episodes weren’t bad, I didn’t find any of the characters as engaging as the first iteration. The OTP whole cute enough had no real chemistry.Yes the SML/baddie has more substance but still left me underwhelmed. He does however fill out his suits really well.
The one point where this series trumps SWDBS is with the secondary characters, they were a lot less silly.
I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it. Unsure if I will rewatch this where as I have rewatched SWDBS multiple times.
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I WANNA GO BACK AND JUST FALL IN LOVE!
I don't know where to start. My heart is so full right now. Getting the chance to meet Zhang Lurang, Su Zaizai, Gu Ran, Jiang Jia and Guan Fang's precious high school life to college to working individuals makes me tear up. I really loved every scene and I enjoyed everything. I definitely recommend this!This became my favorite chinese drama dethroning Hidden Love. I need to give it to my main guy Rangrang. 😗
This story starts with a one sided crush from the female lead, trying to get closer with the male lead. Her persistence and her hardwork and she gives him assurance even though they're just friends. You know she likes him but he does not confess until they're old enough to take responsibility of what they have. And the male lead's confession is everything. I basically screamed when he confessed. It was the best timing. Their college scenes are one of the best.
THEY'RE MADE FOR EACH OTHER 🌻⭐️
They never made each other doubt
They always put each other first
They always find time
They are perfect for each other
I am so so happy for them
If I'd have someone like Rangrang in the end, then it's gonma be worth it 😭
I'd give everything just to have a Season 2 for Gu Ran and Jiang Jia. This would be the best since I want to see more of them. 🥰
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This review may contain spoilers
If conforming to madness is a way to achieve happiness, you can give this a try.
/ Actual Rating: 7.5/10/- I find it a long drag determining the turn of events between the chaos and the development of the characters during their lockdown. The writers probably cannot figure out where they will put the plot twists especially with the "psychopath stereotype" fiasco it had at the latter part of the show. I seemingly thought I will have the suspense of what I had with Money Heist Korea (might just be the intro similarities).
/- Nevertheless, they missed the opportunity to develop Kim Se Hoon's character. Poor guy.
/- Lastly, Lee Bo Ram had the chillest role on the rooftop.
P. S. Commendable if this was filmed at the height of the emerging CoVID-19. They did a great job with the normalcy of the setting.
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If you should one history drama only one what would you recommend? I would say My Dearest!
If you should watch only one history drama then this one! I can’t, this drama got me involved in it so much! First I wasn’t sure if I should watch it and I doubt it if it’s fits my shoe. I didn’t watch a really good history drama till now with everything involved but mostly romance and love trying to overcome all obstacles. I can’t believe I found this one! Can I ever go back watch it for the first time. The cinematography incredible, the actors omg so great and the storyline the plot it’s amazing and I still try to figure out how to overcome it! This Drama deserves more than xxxx plus and a 10 rating and I hope and wish it gets so many great things … it’s epic! This here is only my little view on things without trying to give any spoiler! The one time I felt so about a drama was as I did watch Goblin. This is the second time in my Drama life when I feel like this and I know one day I will watch it again … I need to rest now and overcome this depression to not see this two again on screen. I really wish u could do that for the first time again. <3 much love to all the involved 🥹Was this review helpful to you?
Just a silly story using Attorney Woo fame
So I'm not a fan of non-Autistic people cast in the role of an Autistic person. Imitation of gestures or manners of speech are seriously not fun to watch. Even worse is when an actor who formerly played the part of an Autistic person is using the same mannerism in another role to just createan odd personality. That's cruel.Also, the dialect is so over-acted that it hurts my ears, and Korean is just my ninth language.
I know I must sound rude , but I think this story was concocted to utilise Park Eun Bin's Attorney Woo fame.
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