Reviews

the imperfect crown

The (Im)Perfect Crown.

Nothing is worse than a great storyline being overshadowed by the perfectly sculpted faces of Byeon Woo-seok and IU. It’s the same issue I had with The Pursuit of Jade. Modern Asian dramas are becoming clichés where appearances matter more than acting, storytelling, or emotional depth. The industry seems obsessed with cookie-cutter beauty rather than compelling characters and meaningful narratives.

Yes, there were plenty of “Kodak moments” filled with sweetness and giddiness, but the lack of depth and proper character development turned this series into something painfully two-dimensional.

The premise itself already asks to stretch reality: a functioning monarchy in modern South Korea, but for the sake of art, fine, let’s go with it. What pulled me out completely, however, was the palace fire tragedy where apparently no fire trucks existed in this universe. And this fire happened twice. Details matter. Instead, the writers relied almost entirely on the fame and beauty of the leads to carry the drama. And commercially, it worked but at what cost?

The series feels like a Disney-esque fantasy monarchy straight out of Cinderella: polished, utopian, and engineered for a happily-ever-after ending. But what about the rest of the world around them? Where were the supporting characters, the emotional consequences, the complexity? The story desperately needed 16 episodes to flesh out its universe and relationships.

In the end, the drama felt like the perfect date leading into an exciting night, only to end in complete disappointment.

If Disney and Netflix continue Americanizing Korean dramas, we already know where this leads. What once made K-dramas special was their innocence, curiosity, emotional sincerity, and sense of wonder. Once that authenticity is lost, it may never truly come back.

Read More

The Quiet Realism

Sa Hye Joon and Ahn Jung Ha grow a friendship through their perseverance and love for their craft, both being in the infancy of their careers. Sa Hye Joon is doing random modeling and acting gigs, something small, nothing really warranting the public's attention. Ahn Jung Ha is just one of many makeup artists at a makeup company. The drama spends a lot of time showing how hard both of them work to chase careers that don't guarantee success. Their struggles feel realistic, especially when they constantly have to deal with rejection, financial pressure, and people looking down on their dreams.

The beginning of the drama focuses on their friendship soon turning romantic. Prior to Sa Hye Joon's career taking off, the two had great communication, but once his career starts taking off, their communication slowly falls apart because of his busy schedule. Then the two learn to navigate their relationship while dealing with fame, busy schedules, and growing emotional distance. I actually liked how grounded their relationship felt. Ahn Jung Ha was extremely understanding, and despite the hurt she felt, she remained a positive light in Sa Hye Joon's world.

In the beginning, Ahn Jung Ha lets us know that the things she dislikes most are people who don't keep their promises or make her anxious, and we eventually see her experience exactly that with Sa Hye Joon, qualities he didn't really have until his career took off. It made their relationship feel more realistic because neither of them were necessarily wrong. They were just slowly growing apart because of the changes happening in their lives.

The drama doesn't try to make everything overly dramatic all the time. Instead, it focuses more on how success can slowly change people and the relationships around them, even when both people still care for each other. Despite the two genuinely loving each other, Sa Hye Joon eventually accepted Ahn Jung Ha's decision to break up. It felt mature and realistic for both characters. Honestly, it was one of the most beautiful breakups I've seen in dramas. The ending was also quite open ended, and I really liked that. It leaves room for interpretation while still feeling emotionally satisfying.

I found Won Hae Hyo's character rather interesting. In the beginning, he basically had everything, but then we learn he only reached his level of success because of his mother's influence, and he begins questioning himself as an actor and his craft. I thought his insecurity and jealousy were handled pretty well because it never felt completely malicious. Won Hae Hyo finally understood how Sa Hye Joon felt when he was at the height of his career while his best friend watched from the sidelines. In some ways, his storyline ended up being one of the more emotionally interesting parts of the drama because a lot of his growth came from mending the relationship with his mother and learning to separate his own worth from the success she tried to create for him.

Overall, I think the drama shines most when it focuses on youth, ambition, and the pressure of trying to build a life for yourself while everyone around you has different expectations. It has a calm and realistic tone compared to a lot of other dramas, which might not work for everyone, but I appreciated that about it. Even when the pacing slows down, the characters and their personal struggles kept me invested.

Read More

From a legal professional perspective

I loved this show.... from a legal professional perspective. Other legal shows tend to be detective-like, centering on solving mysteries and crimes, as thrillers are more spectacular.

However, Hold a Court Now gives a taste of the bustling life inside a Family Court. Starting with the functioning of the courtroom itself: from the different number of judges on different cases, the necessity or lack thereof of attorneys for the defendants, to the different stages of the process when you can provide evidence. Outside of the courtroom, we can learn that before going to court it is necessary to go through alternative dispute resolution, that the government requires fulfilling a certain number of ADR solved cases, that judges who helped in mediation can be the judges on the trial, and that there is no summary process to demand attorney's fees.

When analysing the legal framework, one starts seeing some contradictions in the plot: alimony is sometimes mandatory and sometimes non-existent, there is a lack of parental responsibilities in some cases (visitation is both a responsibility and a right), and the necessity — or lack thereof — for grounds for divorce, among others. But one can still learn that divorce is not (¿always?) automatic, that the best interests of children or minors are interpreted entirely at the judges' discretion (without a separate institution to represent and guarantee them), and that the rules of recusal do not account for emotional attachment or previous relationships.

I truly believe this show is not a truthful portrayal of the norms and processes of a Family Court in Mainland China, but it is still a very interesting watch.

If I wasn't able to appreciate these legal particularities, the show would still be very warm, delicate and tender, though not without its flaws.
For example, the overly restrained performances of the main leads. When crying, they do it so silently and briefly. When confessing their love, there is no celebration. When heartbroken, they go quiet. They don't even brush elbows! They only touch when an accident or similar situation forces them to — while every other character feels so much more expressive.
What's more, there are some plot inconsistencies: some characters push the "refusing to communicate" trope so far it becomes ludicrous, and Qin is never once introduced to Shen's family or friends, which is weird, considering how the much the mother wanted to meet her, how the got to know eachother before-hand, and the development of the relationship between Shen and his family.

Read More

The feeling of love not just through romance, but through friends, family, and your hometown.

This drama has made me go through so many emotions whilst watching it, and I think it conveys the lots of different types of love that people seem to forget that exists within the world today, myself included. The portrayal of Samdal going back to her hometown to reconnect with her family and ultimately Cho Yong-pil I think was executed very well, ultimately showing that sometimes love simply doesn't fade that easily, no matter how much we want it to. I really like how they made it so Yong-Pil never backed down, and just went face first into everything he did, but still showed so much emotion through his actions and beliefs. Both Shin Hye Sun and Ji Changwook are extremely good actors, and I could really feel them learning through their emotions in real time whilst watching.

THE BIGGEST THING I ENJOYED ABOUT THIS DRAMA IS THE FAMILY. Yong-pil's dad portray anguish so well, and it really hit home when he finally forgave Mi-ja for her actions 30 years ago. The parent's played such an important role into the story line, and they depicted it so perfectly, with Mi-ja being stoic about her punishment until something more important took over and Yong-pil's Dad just being unforgiving until the thought of their kids really put me through the feels.

On the more sad note, I feel for Bu Sang-Do. I do really like that they never made him a villian, for he became so much more relatable that sometimes it just isn't meant to be. I love how as the drama went on, the focus of the drama became Samdal discovering herself once again rather than her focusing on fixing her career, and just the wave of emotion that came through all the characters whilst watching this drama is the biggest reason why I'm giving this a 10/10. This is my version of a drama to get you into your emotions, and I think the ability to let your own pent-up emotions while watching is why I enjoyed it so much.

I suggest everyone give this one a try, it's truly one that touches the heart.

Read More

A Big Budget Production Korean Fantasy Drama follows the Consistent Standard of Romance.

Personally, the production quality of this drama definitely was one of the highlights throughout the series, especially since it involves a fantasy monarchy. The plot was a pretty average romance drama, but I did feel like the ending fell flat a little, most likely due to be constrained to only 12 episodes. I did really enjoy Gong Seung-Yeon performance throughout this drama, it really conveyed well as royalty. I also felt that Min Jeong U's arc got way too convoluted and didn't really make sense, but they needed another villian when they realized they needed a plot twist. It's as expected of a big budget drama with big names, a solid drama with standard foundation.

Read More

Major Celebrities Interacting outside of Their Profession ❤️

What a wonderful series!❤️❤️❤️😊😊😊 I sincerely hope they prepare for a Season 2 with a new group of celebrities. To see them participate outside of their comfort zone and outside of their actual profession is quite refreshing and entertaining to see them hilariously uncomfortable, shy and excited outside their comfort zone of their profession. Their emotions and their enthusiasm present a different personality and perception of what you see when they are in work mode. After seeing Jennie perform at the Coachella venue was quite the contrast in this series ! To see all of them in giving mode was very heartwarming of the celebrities and the reactions giving to them by the chosen recipients tugs at your emotions 😊 All of them expressed enthusiasm and excitement as a Club member! Only ONE nitpicking comment- The method used to reveal their manito by the first group was inefficient- it seems the producers learned a better process after that…..

Read More

Here is My Unpopular Opinion

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

Yes, I know this is going to be a very unpopular opinion. I started watching this fully understanding it was going to have some heavy topics. It had some strong ideas, but I wish the script was better. I understand they were trying to set the overall tone, but something was just lacking with the main storyline development. Although they could have done a better job introducing it, the watch aspect was interesting. However, this felt more like a gimmick instead of an integral part of the script. The romantic storyline was ok. It just had some aspects that were awkward and a little weird. The dialoged often directed towards Hwang Dong Man did not help. Although many of the characters were somewhat interesting and likable at times, this gave me very little to keep me invested in them or their storylines. The main positive aspect was the excellent cast. They actually did an outstanding job making what they had work. The other positive aspect was the amazing cinematography.

Random Note:

I almost dropped this after the first episode but there were two separate scenes towards the very end that gave me some hope. I gave it my usual 3-episode chance after sleeping on it and decided to give it a shot. I end up dropping this because the script was just not working for me.

******Potential Spoiler Alert******

Unfortunately, the watch aspect gets forgotten until they connivingly need it.

The various lines directed towards Hwang Dong Man about how he needs to get a girlfriend or fine a woman really annoyed me. This was basically saying you will be fixed if you’re in a relationship.

Read More

Disappointing

Promised everything delivered nothing. The pilot was amazing, the show itself is predictable and basically has no plot. It’s the same thing happening every episode. The idea was there but they didn’t deliver. The actresses are amazing tho.
Gorya is either suffering or being a bitch for no reason.
Shasha no complaints, good character.
Bambi is fun, she’s a interesting character, but predictable.
Prim is meh.
Praew is so annoying, why do you keep pressuring the girl you like to come out when she’s not ready? My god this girl annoys me.
Min is a good character, good storyline but has a bad romantic interest

Read More

I just could not with this

I was so looking forward to this, the trailers make it look like a 10/10, but I'm outtie 5000 after 3 1/2 episodes. This is literally one of the most frustrating shows I've ever watched in my entire life. How is it that every time people try to go get help, it takes them like HOURS just to get 10 feet from the house, lol. Medical student bro admitted he knows nothing about medicine/healthcare and he's only taken Bio I, yet as time goes on he somehow gains medical expertise? STOP letting super annoying whiny complaining kid drive the bikes cuz he is 1000% incompetent!
Dropping shows is something I really try to avoid because rough starts are a thing and I would have missed out on some of my faves if I would have dropped them after just a couple of eps (Black, Love in the Clouds). This one was just beyond saving for me though.

Read More

A tame version of Only Friends

This can be watched as a standalone series, but I will be comparing them!

Compared to OF, this series had very little kissing, almost no sex (and it didn't show nearly as much as OF), and basically no drug use. It had alcohol and half the amount of drama. It was like they were afraid to push the limits as they did in OF. The toxicity levels in OF broke the meter, while here it barely reached halfway. Everything was too safe.

That being said, I enjoyed OFDO more. Maybe it was the school setting that made the world feel bigger. Maybe it was that the overall chemistry between the actors was better. In OF, I only really liked FirstKhaotung & I really liked Mark as Nick, whereas in this series, even though I only liked the couple of RomeRaffy, I loved EarthMix's chemistry. Whatever it was, I got invested in the story faster than in OF.

I wasn't stressed at any point in the series(unlike in OF, where episodes 7 & 8 gave me SO much stress I couldn't be around people), and I honestly didn't care about Arnold & Tua (hate his name, it sounds like you're spitting) and cared very little about Jack & Dean. In episodes 7-8 & 11-12, I didn't even give Arnold & Tua half my attention because it was simply uninteresting. Jack and Dean (like Top and Mew) were the main focal point, but I found myself not caring if they got together or not, not because of what Dean did, but because Jack is a hothead who escalates situations using violence, and uses Raffy's feelings for him to hurt Dean, which hurts Raffy in the process. Jack, overall, was the most toxic character with nothing likable about him.

Dean rubbed me the wrong way with his interactions with Raffy. I'm assuming the reason they hate each other is because of Raffy's crush on Jack, which, okay, fair enough, but there were several times when Dean crossed the line and was straight up being nasty or rage baiting Raffy for no reason. So I didn't really like Dean either, but I don't think he deserves to end up with Jack.

I was 100% invested in Rome and Raffy's story. They honestly didn't get enough screen time, which left the scenes that would have caused me the most emotional pain to fall flat because as soon as the hurtful thing happened, they would jump to another couple. Their kiss scenes, though? I will admit to rewatching multiple times, especially the one in episode 2.

The main point of drama in this series was easily avoidable. If Dean and Arnold felt like they did nothing wrong, and they were single at the time, then they should have told the people they were pursuing the morning after. If it meant nothing, they wouldn't have felt guilty. Honestly, I don't even know how Dean remembered it, considering how much he drank that night. Dean didn't help matters any by going to Gameplay for a place to stay because he "had nowhere else to go". Excuse me, does Timmy not count as a friend? You can't tell me he would refuse to help if you had nowhere else to go. The only real drama that I felt was unavoidable was Raffy's feelings for Jack and Raffy & Dean being double cast as Romeo, which led to Dean and Arnold making couples content together. There were already massive amounts of jealousy going on there, and it naturally progressed with the story.

In Only Friends, Boston was the main reason behind the drama, and everything kind of spiraled out of control and became a chaotic mess because of how the characters reacted and retaliated. In this series, the drama felt more controlled and, in some cases, easily avoidable. Don't make the drama avoidable; it's not what we are here for. We are here for a toxic mess, and instead, we got characters toeing the line but never crossing it, while in Only Friends, Top and Boston didn't just cross the line, they obliterated it.

As for Tua's reaction, you know it's bad when Boston is the voice of reason. Like honey, sit down, you're not ready to handle the big leagues.

Like in OF, this series focused on the drama and didn't really care about building up character backstories or just dropping characters completely. This made it hard to care about the characters and what they are going through, and in some cases, even like them (like for me, Jack). Some things, like with Pete, just kind of resolved themselves in a lackluster way, and then we heard nothing about him after, and in both series, there are issues with at least one character's parent that are just never resolved; In OF, it was Ray, and in this one, it's Raffy. Honestly, for a character like Pete to be doing so much that SHOULD have caused drama, he felt more like a wall decoration with how involved he actually was.

Boston has changed a lot from the first series to this one. I expected him to be here to start drama, and his entrance made it feel that way, but he actually helped fix things this time around. I'm really glad that Nick found someone new, but I also can't help wanting him to have actually changed, and Nick sees that and gives him another chance. If anyone doesn't deserve one, though, it is Boston.

I like that we get a one-year time skip at the end to see how our characters are doing.

Was the guy at the end a hint at a possible season 3? We saw Mix at the end of OF, and he became the main character of OFDO, so I would like to think it's possible.

Read More

I coughed up a lung laughing

I haven't laughed so hard from a kdrama in a long while. They did so well with lovable characters, a strong story, and poignant resolution. And, of course, comedy that hits every time.
The only things I wish they had done better, to really elevate the drama to a 10, would be the romance and the twist. It's not a romance drama, but even the idea that there is some interest or attraction between certain characters beyond platonic feelings could have been hinted at way better. There were several scenes where a lingering glance, or a touch, or a phrases would have better communicated a budding interest. With the twist, I was kind of disappointed because it felt so out of character. It did kind of make sense, but also felt like a last-minute decision to move the plot along. To fix it, even without giving away the twist, some more minor details leading up to the fateful decision would have helped integrate that choice into the plot. With these kinds of changes, this would be a 10/10 story.
That said, I still give this drama a high rating. Why? Well, especially given the episode constraint, they did impressively well putting together the plot, background, supporting characters, motivations, etc., all culminating in a strong, moving ending in which everything comes full circle where most if not all plot threads are tied. The characters are wacky but well constructed and play off of each other's energy incredibly well. Most information revelations make sense to the story and arrive in a well integrated and well paced manner. The acting is very well done, and heartthrob Cha Eun Woo really impressed me. And genuinely, I can't get over the dynamic of what is effectively The Three Stooges and an initially innocent bystander caught up in their antics. With the hero powers, they did so incredibly well capturing what it could genuinely be like if a few lovable idiots became powerful and processed internally who they are and what they can do with their newfound abilities; I think that's especially what made this show feel refreshing and unique while also being deep and emotionally impactful.
In other words, totally worth the watch. I coughed up a lung laughing so hard, and felt a fire in my gut with the emotional weight of particularly well crafted moments. Love this show.

Read More