Reviews

My two cents on peoples interpretations

As with all art - films and so on, people will interpret this series in their own way. As we are humans we pull from our own closest experiences and empathy to understand the characters on screen. I feel this is why there are such hard black and white lines with the like or dislike of this series.

I feel both characters were portrayed amazingly by each actor ( I was very excited to see Jae Bum from Choco-Milk in a dark dramatic series and am really really looking forward to what else Wooyoung will do ). Many people say the story line wasn't clear, or the whole series is confusing. I don't agree, you just have to pay attention, they are telling you everything you need to know. Because I want everyone to love this series I will spell it out for you haha. Or more so..this “review” will be "what was their relationship at the beginning" and Yoondae in general, since most people seem to dislike him the most. Get ready for a whole character analysis baby.

It was clear from their "first interaction" that SooHyuks mom was marrying YoonDaes father, who is abusive (aka- for a time they were step brothers - this is why he calls Soohyuk "hyung" at the beginning. He explicitly says so in the scene. The direction of shots that portrays the abuse Yoondae goes through is beautifully done, from the scene where Soohyuk sees the bruise on his neck, to the band aid seen with the cut and soon to be black eye. I prefer and LOVE when shows don't spell everything out in complete dialogue, because that is not realistic. The scene of Yoondaes father at his school saying to just drop out, the fear that Yoondae portrays as he's backed into a corner, waiting for the other shoe to drop. The emotional and physical abuse that Yoondae experiences and still does is clearly shown- there wasn't a need to show a literal scene of the abuse.

So although he "got away" by moving out and couch hopping, abuse like that does not leave you. Like Yoondae shows, you are lost, not knowing the next step to take since it was always decided for you. Yoondaes habit of lying is clearly driven from this, since even if it's pity that is given to him, at least it is some sort of love and attention. This in turn makes him want to test his boundaries in a twisted way, pushing people to their limits somehow makes sense to him. He wants someone to care and to fight for him, but everyone just leaves. His inherent loneliness is clearly shown with his constant hang outs with his friends, not wanting to leave his friends job because he wants to wait for him. His friend even says "you know that's weird" and Yoondae agrees and clearly knows he has attachment issues. Although it is not said or portrayed, the LACK of Yoondaes mother tells us all we need to know. She is either dead or long gone from their family, this most likely is a reason for his attachment and abandonment issues. She is neither spoken of or seen in things such as photos etc. This all circles around to why, as they say in the series, Soohyuk has become Yoondaes "home".

Soohyuk out of his own free will and kindness saw Yoondae for who he was and what he was going through. Yoondae didn't need to lie or tell him anything because Soohyuk understood. Unprompted love and care when he said to sleep in his room so Yoondaes dad won't hit him. Even Yoondae is confused by his kindness, but they show how he starts to understand that they are both similar and "not like their parents' '. He finally had someone who cared, loved and wanted him to be okay. Yoondae has friends of course but they never seem to grasp the complete toll Yoondaes father had on him. Don't get me wrong they understand and have done a lot for him but they never actively tried to help him in high school ( they're kids of course ) but Soohyuk did, I think that's why the impact of it was so great to him. Never mind the obvious attraction he has for Soohyuk *cough the bandaid scene cough*.

Some people may think his advances / attraction ( in the present timeline ) was out of left field or a way to manipulate Soohyuk to let him stay since Soohyuk clearly stated he likes men. I again do not agree. I think it was clearly shown in the past timeline that Yoondae was not interested in girls. His avoidance, annoyance and sabotage of the "double dates" his friend was making him go to was your first hint. The subtle things such as choosing to wear Soohyuks shoes even though they were falling apart. His upset and anger he had when Soohyuk "ran away" in the past timeline. The shock and longing he shows when he first sees him again. It's all there. But he had a girlfriend? Yes, a girlfriend who let him live in her house "after the first date because he was handsome" as his friend stated. Obviously this was a means to the end, and not any sort of attraction or love. ( not cool but it is what it is, haven't you grasped that Yoondae has issues lmao ) Even with Yoondaes track record, I don't believe him kissing Soohyuk was a way to manipulate him into letting him stay. I think it was his love for Soohyuk and his abandonment issues. He even says he doesn't want to leave because he doesn't want to say goodbye.

Yoondaes character invokes pity and frustration, "just get a job" you think- "just stop saying bullshit and say how you feel" you think. You want him to succeed, you want him to do better because he has had a hard life. But yet, he doesn't. instead he drinks every night and sleeps all day and does it again. Why? Because he thinks he deserves it, after all the hardships he's been through, his subconscious thinks, ah I deserve a break - just for a bit. I'm sad so I'll drink, I'm lonely so I'll go out. He does not think in future tense and that is his biggest current problem. Even other people understand, that's why it's not said to him at all in the series to "get a job" . His girlfriend literally was working overtime and he was just at home playing video games. When she spoke to Soohyuk about their break up you can hear the pity and emotion in her voice, as Soohyuk pointed out, she didn't even want to talk bad about him.

Yoondae is a slow drain, because he is a good person but over time he sort of...sucks the life out of you by his stagnate state. They didn't portray how long he was living with the girlfriend ( therefore how long he has been out of his fathers house ) but it doesn't seem like it was very long so I can't really blame him. Bro needs therapy, but no one is really telling him what he needs to do, they are just placating him. Even with the emotional scene with his friend where he, with tears in his eyes, asks his friend "what do I do" his friend just sits in silence. I think that's why Yoondae starts to get more and more desperate about Soohyuk leaving him, to some peoples disbelief, I think Yoondae knows his flaws. He knows Soohyuk will soon find out he inadvertently lied about his dad being dead, he knows that the "only reason" Soohyuk asked him to live with him was because he had “no one else” ( although that doesn’t appear to be the only reason in reality ). He knows that Soohyuk will “run away” and when he does, and stops sleeping at home Yoondaes abandonment issues kick into gear in full force. The scene where he lies about inviting friends over, breaking a window and cutting his hand is such an obvious display of his issues, the fact that he knows he uses pity and emotional manipulation to get love and affection. But what really breaks your heart is that he says “just kidding” in the most heartbreaking way because Yoondae KNOWS Soohyuk knows he’s lying anyways. But then he says “but i'm not lying about the broken window” as a last ditch effort because Yoondae doesn’t know any other way..(again therapy plz) Soohyuk then hangs up because again, he knows this is how Yoondae works. Thats why it is so gut wrenching when they go out to dinner and have the “home” conversation. Because even the audience felt the hope, we felt what Yoondae felt. Then for Soohyuk to “deny” him, it hurt really bad. But, yet you are happy that Soonhyuk knows his worth and knows that Yoondae needs to get himself together before they can move forward. Soonhyuk didnt deny his feelings or his want, but finally someone is telling him that he needs more time - they both do.

Now, why would Soonhyuk put up with this? Well, that's how he is, he already deals with type of person with his parents, he’s caring and extremely empathetic, he loves too much - gives too much and it has broken him down. His dad specifically…there are a scary amount of similarities with Yoondae and Soonhyuks father, the over drinking, the borrowing money, the spinning the wheels in one place. The series shows us that explicitly. So when Soonhyuk finally sticks up for himself to his father - I think a lightbulb clicks then that even though Yoondae is not exactly like his father, the place Yoondae is in is too similar and if he keeps placating him like he is, he will never go anywhere or get better. I think this was the major decision on Soonhyuks part. Unlike his father, where he stood up for himself because he reached a breaking point - realizing how hard the dynamic was on him and that there truly was no hope of his father changing. I believe with Yoondae, he knows there's hope, like they said “they aren't their parents” he has hope that Yoondae will be better, and he will be there to love him when he’s reached that point.

I could do a whole analysis on Soonhyuk but I believe my “review” is already too long lmao. I just wanted to shine some light on Yoondaes character as I think a lot of people may have misunderstood him, just like some of the characters in the show did. Really interesting seeing that.

Overall, I think it is a beautifully shot and realistic series, watch it <3

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Women

First of all, I have to say that it was one of the best series I have watched recently. I watched it with curiosity every day. I like it a lot. While I said I liked it, I also criticized it a lot. Especially what was done in the last two episodes gave me the impression that the Chinese scriptwriters had difficulty in connecting the endings.
At first, I came to the conclusion that the author made mistakes while examining some things. But I found it very nice and appropriate that he eliminated them later, corrected them and showed us the results. I took back this criticism. However, I found the fire scene in the last episodes wrong. I found it wrong. I found the king's nonsense wrong. He played with the character a lot. So I couldn't understand what the king was. I don't know whose fault it is. I don't know if the director couldn't fit the character well or if he didn't pay attention to it while writing. A person is either good-natured. Or it is bad-natured. Either he is a despot. Or it shows a more moderate management. This king kills all the time. Afterwards, he showers praise. Not their own children. He loves someone else's child. He employs someone in the palace with a high-ranking title who has done many wrong things, killed and defrauded people, and does not hide it. I found it very ridiculous. He defends himself by saying that if he can make it rain, I will kill him. Of course it will rain one day, in fact it is raining. He gives him a reward. He finds this person wrong, insults the woman who spent all her money on a state dam, and assigns her as a servant to the person who did the dirty work. Ultimately, it turns out that this woman is a rebel who cooperates with the prince to take revenge, but she also kills the king. No matter how you look at it, it's inconsistent. Likewise, I do not want to enter the palace. The child born to the servant who says "I will live my own life" eventually becomes the king. However, the person who provides the most useful services to the kingdom barely escapes from prison. I don't understand where the idea of making someone who doesn't want it and someone who escaped from the palace, a child, a king came from. The fact that neither the beneficial nor the deserving were done was in contrast to the good things this author showed us. So, what he said didn't come true.
I thought it was a women's series. They showed what the family and the victimized women in the family can do when they come together and form a unity. I think it is well thought out. Were there any exaggerations? Could most of these be done under the conditions of that day? No, it couldn't be done. But the author also showed that this can be done. He established a cause and effect relationship. I love family warmth, unity, integrity, brotherhood, even servant behavior, their protection, being seen as one of the family, praising and rewarding success, evaluation of work, evaluation of the product, learnability of trade, that everyone can achieve something by working and persevering, and that only a male-dominated system is dominant. I saw proof that women could do something on their own, even in that period. I understand Love and affection are put in between. I felt good things. There was also hatred. There were also injustices. We saw that those who did these things were also punished. This was reflected beautifully.
If we look at the players; Neither of the two lead actors performed an outstanding performance. Hu Yi Tian especially couldn't play at all. A dull player. He opens his eyes too much. It's like he had a face lift, there are no facial expressions. A straight player. She is tall and has a beautiful face. So. Zhang Jing Yi was better than him. Even though he wasn't very good, he did his part. I liked Lu Yu Xiao. He beautifully portrayed a character who is subject to psychological factors, albeit slightly. It was very good in my opinion. He was also compatible with young actor Bian Cheng. This young man will also be a good player in the future. I think they will be the leading roles. They played well. Myolie Wu made herself felt especially among women. Good player. Well done.Grandmother and Queen Mother were fine. The servant roles were fine. So the supporting roles were played much better. The series was a very high quality series in that respect. I recommend everyone to watch it.

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awesome

- This drama was truly awesome.

Firstly i watched this mainly for the 2 mainly characters they were v well matched and complemented each other.

Secondly they love story was unique in the sense that 1 new what they wanted. Despite how that came together, each with respect for each other. Although the mom did annoy me in the beginning, she did eventually grow on me and got to understand her and enjoy her.

Thirdly I loved the dynamics of the story unfolding and how very grateful and thankful can go alone way in life. And family can get through situations in life.

Definitely a good drama and well wry written story

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Family. A Mother and Child Bond

Honestly, 95% of the time the mother in this series got into my nerves. But, the last 5% of the whole storyline became the saving grace of this show; it is not because the mother changed drastically, but because her changes were very small yet somehow highlighted her somewhat crazy yet caring way of thinking.

The micro management of the Mom about everything and to everyone is honestly grating. She’s honestly and without a doubt the true antagonist and protagonist of this show.

But, there is something gut wrenching about how that kind of suffocating love is also and is still love. Love that some people long for. Love that some people dream about. While it is too much, we can never discount that she love her kids and her family.

In essence, I think this show was able to capture the realness of love in the family. All families are not perfect. All families have feuds from within. But at the end of the day, when all is rooted in love, there is security and peace to be with the family.

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So Perfect Together... ML & FL Amazing Visuals

I reserved this drama in WeTV, been waiting for this. I love Li Xian and Zhou Yutong in their previous and respective dramas. Omg! Their team up is just so good. We are all aware that these 2 are excellent actors. Over all we can expect that this is a great drama. The story was a bit slow paced at first but when they started to meet again, everything quickly developed. I admire Li Xian, his portrayal of a cold and aloof man is always spot on (just like in Go go Squid). He always nails it! You can feel his initial resistance but when he starts to fall for the FL, there's no turning back. You can see the character development. I can't think of any other Chinese actor who can play this role effectively, only Li Xian. From his straight and serious facial expression, his manly at the same time boyish charm, Omg! He's absolutely captivating. For Zhou Yutong, she's really pretty, especially that she had grown her hair long for this drama. She's gorgeous. I liked her portrayal in "Begin Again". Her character here is a nice lady who tries to hide her insecurities bcoz of...(well you will know once you watch) but she's strong, intelligent and sweet. She's very resilient. The visuals of these 2 are so amazing, both are fashionable. They really look good together, I hope this will have more than 50 episodes. I recommend this 10/10. I can't wait to watch for the next episodes. And I am already anticipating their next drama. 😀⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Plot is about How to Bring Up a Dysfunctional Parent

While Yang Zi and Xu Kai are technically the leads, the drama appears to revolve around an unlikeable, and dysfunctional mother character. Even though the show only has 38 episodes, I stopped watching at Episode 35 - the mother character overwhelmed the whole story, even as I could not find any sympathy for this character. The moral of this story appears to be that children should forgive emotionally abusive parents, a premise I totally disagree with, since the effects of emotional abuse last a lifetime. The show was stressful to watch as it contained many scenes of emotional manipulation from the mother character, while showcasing filial children who frustratingly, forgave it all.

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Queen of Tears (2024): A Tearjerker Fueled by Stellar Performances

"Queen of Tears" is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, but in the best way possible. While the plot might not break new ground in the K-drama world, it's the exceptional acting that elevates this series. Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won deliver powerhouse performances that bring their characters' complexities to life. You'll find yourself laughing at their witty banter one moment, then reaching for the tissues the next as they navigate a tumultuous relationship.

The drama tackles relatable themes of love, loss, and the challenges of marriage, particularly within the wealthy elite. However, it avoids being overly dramatic, opting instead for a nuanced portrayal of human emotions.

Here's what truly shines:

A-List Chemistry: The sizzling on-screen chemistry between the leads is undeniable. You'll be completely invested in their journey, rooting for them to overcome their obstacles.
Beautifully Crafted World: The production value is top-notch, with stunning visuals that transport you into the luxurious world of the characters.
Compelling Side Characters: The supporting cast is equally impressive, offering heartwarming stories and moments of comic relief that perfectly complement the central romance.
Is it for you?

If you're a fan of K-dramas that blend romance with emotional depth, "Queen of Tears" is definitely worth adding to your watchlist. Be prepared to shed a few tears (or maybe a lot!), but also enjoy the witty dialogue and heartwarming moments. However, if you're looking for a fast-paced plot with constant twists and turns, this might be a slower burn.

Overall, "Queen of Tears" is a captivating drama that will stay with you long after the credits roll. Just make sure you have a box of tissues handy!

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Masterclass on BL Dramas

How will I continue to watch BL series after this?

Suddenly you realize how a BL Drama can be if :
1. You have committed, good and well prepared actors (main and secondary)
2. You have a scenario in which a 2 second scene in episode 1 solidifies a major plot choice in episode 10
3. You direct it using the minimum appropriate time for a reaction aiming for the greatest impact
5. You deal with delicate matters very carefully and with great respect, giving the appropriate time to mature
6. You use EVERY available tool (actor, timing, light, music) in the service of the scene
4. YOU KNOW YOUR JOB AS AN ARTIST.

"Unknown" reminded us the basic and most profound codes for a good drama...
and that we have tolerated and support too many poorly crafted experimental works who tried to please an insatiable for shipping audience regardless of the artistic effect.

It's almost a shame to admit it, but "Unknown" should have been the rule and not the exception.

A great applause and many thanks to the director, writers, actors and crew of this exceptional work!

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It’s very disappointing

For me and possibly many others they were most likely hyped/excited for this show. And once the scandal of one of the actors interfered with the show I was quite worried, but when they released the trailer I genuinely thought everything would be fine… (I was wrong) The show’s storyline did not deliver and honestly felt a bit sloppy. And to be completely honest the ending was not what I was expecting. I think all of the actors gave their all in the performance but they storyline just wasn’t it. I truly wouldn’t recommend this to anyone especially people who like shows like this. So just to say once again the actors/actress did amazing acting rise the plot just fell short

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Beautiful cinematography & mystical love story

This drama is about the female lead who suffers from amnesia and cannot remember anything before the last three years. She draws a painting of a mystical tree in the hopes of discovering more about her past self. Before her wedding night, a man (the male lead) finds her, claiming she has stolen a twinned branch from the tree she has drawn.

POSITIVE:
- Beautiful cinematography that captures the beauty of soft romance and the cruelty of the dark world. The stunning cinematography here elevates each scene 10x more.
- Likeable and mature main leads that have great chemistry.
- Mix of angsty and soft romance.
- Simple and easy to understand plot with some unexpected twists.
- Lovely OST.

NEGATIVE:
- Some parts of the drama have ridiculous moments which not everyone will like. But I suppose as long as it's not taken to heart and seen as entertaining it's alright.
- The story couldn’t fully hold my attention and sometimes I’ll get sleepy while watching.
- The ending… that’s all I’ll say without spoiling.

OVERALL:
If you want a mystical love story with beautiful cinematography AND you don’t have a faint heart, watch this short drama.

FUN FACT:
I’m mesmerised by the cinematography!!! The director is the same that also did the short dramas A Familiar Stranger, Provoke and Butterflied Lover (you should check them out). He has an upcoming full length drama Blossom with Li Yun Rui which I’m sure will again be a visual feast.

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