This review may contain spoilers
Everything was good about this ….
Everything was good about this drama the experience she had of becoming friends with her mom in her past life, the friendship, the way Duan Xiao treated Li Jin Bu, the hilarious Wang Xiao Min and Fan Shui Shui, and the way Chen Jun He loved Li Qing Tong and protected her and her baby. Their relationship with the teacher was so touching, and I also loved Li Qing Tong’s parents.I loved the way they added Duan Xiao at the end as a new student in her real life.
But I still have a question: why didn’t they talk about Wu Zhi Xun? Where is he? And why didn’t they tell him about his child?
Well, I didn’t really like him. He wasn’t the kind of person who would sacrifice everything for his beloved like Chen Jun He did.
In the end, the show was mainly about the relationship between the mother and daughter and their friendship.
Was this review helpful to you?
A must watch!
I have already watched this drama 5 times. I loved the love Kim Dami's character showed towards the ML. I loved their chemistry so much. That OST "Close to You" damn, that song gives me butterflies. This is that drama which gave me butterflies! I loved every bit of it. Dami never disappoints! I can literally rewatch this drama infinite times.Was this review helpful to you?
My new comfort drama!
Loved the story. Loved the chemistry between Lee Sung-kyung and Chae Jong-hyeop. Even the two sisters' acting was good, and the male actors' acting was good too. The story was so healing, and I loved every bit of it. Lee Sung-kyung is one of my favorite actresses, and she aced her role; the pain she showed was brilliant. I definitely recommend watching it.Was this review helpful to you?
Yang Yang's come back strong
Dark mysterious opening, actions galore right from the start. Yang Yang has certainly change his golden boy image in this one so far. You don't often see Yang Yang getting beaten up and spitting blood. Looking forward to more episodes and actions. So far so good. Not your typical Zhan Zhou character I grew up watching years ago.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Didn't meet my expectations!
The beginning was interesting, the middle got boring, and the ending felt meh. There were no intense scenes, it was really boring for me. I was waiting for something to happen, but nothing really did. It took a long time for the story to move forward. Even though it was only 8 episodes, it still felt long to me. The friendship between Chae-ni and Ro-bin was so good, and I loved Choi Dae-hoon's acting. I loveeeeeee Eunwoo but his acting wasn't that good. I didn't feel any chemistry between Eunbin and Eunwoo.I did laugh, but ughhhh I'm disappointed!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
One word: RUSHED!!
This had the potential to be so much better than it was; especially with this casting!!! This felt rushed and all over the place. I am very disappointed in this series. I'm not really sure how to describe the way I feel about this series, but I'm going to try....First off, the only thing I liked about this series is the casting. I think the casting was great, however the execution of this series; terrible and I blame the directors. When I watched the series I was expecting more drama, more spice, really more of a lot of things that this didn't deliver.
Second, this did Neo dirty! He played a bastard in Only Friends yet he was docile in this one. I mean, they really toned down his character and I was expecting his character to be more outspoken, more dramatic, more of a lot of things really. I expected his character to be similar to how he was in the first Only Friends, but no... his character was toned down way too much and he barely had any screen time. The fact that Boston wasn't Boston in this had me highly disappointed because I was expecting more drama the minute he appeared in this show.
It also felt very rushed like the director wanted to hurry up and get this series over with or something. And don't get me wrong, the casting was great but the acting on some of them were very subpar and all of them are pretty good actors, so imagine my disappointment when I was watching this subpar acting from them and again not their fault; it's the directing. And let me just add this; with that much eye candy in this series it should have been better then the first one.
The Earth/Mix pairing wasn't doing it for me. I usually like anything those two are paired in together but this, no. Joss/Gawin pairing we're pretty good, however, the pairing that made this show even the slightest bit likable for me to continue watching was Aou/Boom pairing. To me, they made this show possible. They brought the spice and they brought most of the drama that actually made sense.
Another thing that made this okay to watch were the cameos by Sand/Ray and then Nick showing up and Boston saw him while being Boston. This one just did not tickle my fancy but I did like seeing Great at the end, so does this mean we'll possibly get a third season of Only Friends and we'll follow his story? I mean, it can't be any worse than this one was. It was so disappointing and I wish I could get all the hours I wasted on this show back but I can't. And maybe somebody out there will like and appreciate the show, but I didn't and my rating stands.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Sad and complex bromance with problems
In my opinion, no one does a sad story quite like a Japanese series. Soul Mate is a beautiful and touching story, but marketing it, even if indirectly, as a BL was a mistake.We had 10Dance a few months ago, so we know Netflix can deliver a great Japanese BL story with big names. At the same time, we’ve seen two versions of Love in the Big City recently, proving that big Korean actors are doing BL. Because of these expectations, Soul Mate will likely disappoint many viewers since it ultimately ends up being a bromance.
That said, the characters are complex and the acting is strong. I didn't always agree with their choices, though, like a friend withholding from their best friend the fact that a former “roommate” has been seriously ill in the hospital.
The only element the series truly fumbles is Arata. His confession and the incident are the catalysts for the entire show and a major driving force behind Ryu’s journey. It’s the reason Ryu is in Berlin, why he tries to give up inside the church, and why he abandoned hockey. Yet, it’s resolved so briefly and forgotten so quickly that it feels like Arata didn’t even matter. Ironically, mishandling this plotline is exactly what allows Soul Mate to exist. In my opinion, a proper resolution would have likely inspired Ryu to live without regret, prompting him to confess his true feelings to Johan much earlier.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Garbage last half
I read a few reviews and what I came away with is that people that have the same issues that I had with the show are WAY nicer than I am giving it a 7. This is a solid 4 out of 10. The first 7 episodes are great fun. It's an interesting plot, great characters, oozing with charisma. It reminds me of the best parts of Lethal Weapon in terms of characters and plot... and then the last 5 episodes happen.They ditch the entire premise of an anticorruption unit and suddenly they are homicide detectives? What? Why was the main character even on this case? The main bad guy has mesmerizing eyes that somehow controls people into doing his bidding? What the hell is going on? The last half of this show makes zero sense. They had a great setup, amazing first two arcs and then the 3rd arc just shits the bed. It's seriously horrible. It's like there were two different production teams in charge of the show which is weird because somehow it's the same writer and director throughout but you wouldn't be able to guess that with how sloppy the plot and character coherency is in the 2nd half. The characters whiplash back and forth with motivations, they drop a drug plot that was setup for the first half by having the 1st big bad just kind of... give up (Boss Yong), it's no longer about anti-corruption... I mean it's so weird.
I get that people like the main actors - and they DID do great here with what they were given, but the last half of this show is some of the worst writing that I've seen on screen. Weirdly it reminded me of Season 2 of The Uncanny Counter where season 1 was super tight and all of the themes and plots were wrapped up compared to the silly nonsense of season 2... welp, it turns out IT'S THE SAME WRITER!
Lesson learned. This person cannot write a satisfying conclusion apparently. I guess they are the JJ Abrams of the K-Drama world. I would HIGHLY recommend watching the first 7 episodes and just turning if off forever. You will love it. Don't go past that point though because you are in store for a tedious mess of incoherency. Garbage writing.
Was this review helpful to you?
1"All you see is an illusion"
Master of Zen must have been a deeply personal project for Brandy Yuen. He was the director, writer, martial arts director and producer for this film. Based on the legends of Bodhi Dharma who is believed to have brought Chan (Zen) Buddhism to China and even given the Shaolin monks the basis of their kung fu. I do not practice Buddhism and do not have much knowledge of the history of this story so my review will be based on my opinion of the artistic merit of the film.A third prince in India has a vision of himself as an old man when he’s out in the woods. Later, a Buddhist monk gives him this message, “Before my birth who was I to be? After I was born who became me?” Despite being the crown prince, he leaves the palace and goes to study Buddhism. He is renamed Bodhi Dharma. Sixty years later he makes the arduous three-year journey to south China. His message is often rejected as he travels among the populace as he is for being a foreigner. When he finds a cave at the backend of the Shaolin temple property, he begins his nine-year meditation without food or water that will change the perception about him. Elsewhere in China, a young monk is attempting to overcome his guilt over his bloody past. His journey will eventually bring him to Bodhi Dharma’s cave.
The presentation of the film was perplexing. It often came across as a documentary re-enactment, but then strayed into very magical wire-fu. The editing was painfully off-kilter. The most distracting aspect was Derek Yee’s makeup, from his early very dark brown makeup which lightened with each passing year. But most awful was his old man makeup. According to the film, he would had to have been at least in his 80’s. His aging prosthetics were abysmal. He looked much better when he hit 150 years old and lost the badly puckered brow ridge.
If you are looking for the miracles, many of them were in the film. There were also plenty of inspirational conversations and visits to temples. I just stumbled over the acting, and awkward stitching together of the stories. The scenery alternated between epic mountains and desert vistas to lower budget sets. If you are familiar with the stories and wish to see them on film, this may be a film to try. If not, the drawbacks may outweigh the more entertaining parts.
15 May 2026
Was this review helpful to you?
The Slow Violence of Terrible Timing
Finally found some time to review a few dramas I finished recently and somehow almost forgot about Sunsets Secrets Regrets.Shame on me.
Because this drama slowly turned into one of those:
“Structurally? We are negotiating. Emotionally? Unfortunately, I care.”
situations.
This is part crime thriller, part emotional slow burn romance: old cases, buried truths, unresolved history, and three people trying (rather unsuccessfully) to outrun versions of themselves they probably should have confronted years ago.
But let us be honest here.
The real plot?
Emotional avoidance.
Crime happens.
Investigations happen.
But mostly? People quietly standing one honest conversation away from peace and somehow choosing suffering instead.
Repeatedly.
And against my better judgment? I got invested.
Now, if you are here expecting perfectly engineered thriller logic, we may need to negotiate expectations together.
The timeline occasionally behaves like memory itself edited the story after an emotional breakdown. Some scenes arrive carrying promise and leave before fully unpacking. At times, atmosphere quietly starts doing overtime while crime-solving logic takes a brief personal break.
And yet.
I stayed.
Mostly because the acting absolutely understood the assignment.
Jing Boran plays Han Sheng like someone permanently standing one honest sentence away from emotional clarity and somehow never crossing the finish line.
Han Sheng is also, admittedly, not always easy to like. At times, insecurity turns possessive, longing becomes manipulative, and emotional attachment occasionally starts looking suspiciously clingy. This is very much a man capable of making emotionally questionable decisions while simultaneously looking deeply unwell about them. And yet, frustratingly enough, the drama slowly gives those flaws context rather than excuses. Beneath the mess sits fear, loneliness, and someone quietly terrified of losing the few things that still matter to him.
This is a man who repeatedly stands near peace, looks directly at it, and then emotionally takes the scenic route.
Deeply inconvenient for my objectivity.
And then there is Jiang Cheng, quietly contributing his own emotional complications to an already overcrowded situation. Lesser dramas would have turned him into decorative heartbreak. Here, however, he feels devastatingly human instead.
My biggest frustration, however, was Zhou Jin.
Not because Wen Jing Cai’s performance was weak — far from it — but because the writing occasionally feels strangely hesitant around her inner world. For someone carrying this much emotional weight, parts of her turmoil feel more implied than fully explored.
There were moments where I wanted the drama to trust her unraveling a little more instead of standing politely near it.
The pieces are there.
I just wanted the emotional fall to land harder.
The chemistry also works because it behaves like chemistry between adults who have already collected emotional scars.
Not:
destiny after eye contact
but:
history, hesitation, unfinished conversations, bad timing, and people quietly ruining their own peace because saying one honest sentence apparently felt too ambitious.
Messy?
Absolutely.
Emotionally persuasive?
Deeply annoying, actually.
A small expectation check before anyone starts this:
If you primarily watch dramas for romance, chemistry, emotional tension, and adults quietly making emotionally questionable decisions, there is a very good chance this works for you.
If you are here mainly for sharp thriller logic, expectations may need slight adjustment. The mystery side still gives you enough to chew on, but emotionally complicated people and their unfinished business are very much competing for main-character status.
8.5/10 — some narrative detours, several emotional bruises, no real regrets.
Was this review helpful to you?
Better Sorry Than Safe
First of all, this season is a standalone without the need to watch the first one. The cast is completely different and any past references don't really affect the storyline in any way.As for the series itself, it actually started on the right foot with an interesting setup. The writing was careful and the characters promising, but after a point the narrative wasn't handled well and felt inconsistent. Storylines were introduced to either not commit to them or get overlooked in favour of cute or hot moments between the established pairings, instead of exploring the inner conflicts of each character that would build the drama and flesh them out both individually and as couples, resulting to incomplete characterization and a lukewarm payoff. The sole exception was Dean, who was the most multilayered and authentic character. The show delved deep into both his good and bad traits, making him feel more human and ultimately the easiest to connect with.
Acting-wise, the series was very good. The cast was consisted of talented actors that delivered their roles as best as they could, but I will give a little more credit to Mix, who managed to shine in so many ways with his performance and delivered some really beautiful and demanding scenes throughout the series.
Musically, I generally liked the song choices, but they were either a hit or miss and that affected the vibe of some scenes in a negative way.
Overall, I recommend this series to those who weren't fans of the stressful aspect of the first season, since this one is much milder in comparison. I'd also recommend it to fans of the first season if they are interested in watching something different. This season follows a different writing logic and has its own style, but it's still enjoyable enough to be worth giving a chance.
Was this review helpful to you?
The WONDERfools
An 8-episode action comedy with Park Eun-Bin, sign me up. I had anticipated this one for a while and knew that I was going to binge all episodes upon release. I had heard mediocre things about Cha Eun-woo and had seen clips that had painted him as not too good of an actor. After seeing him in this, he's fine; his performance is nothing groundbreaking. y I feel that some of the emotional sequences lacked the required level of emotion. But the cast here has brilliant chemistry; they carry the ok script into an excellent one. I only wish the superpowers were a little more unique; it felt a little Marvel-like.The show hints at a second season, but I question whether there's enough substance to support one. The first season wraps up fully, so risking that completeness may be unnecessary. Despite these concerns, I strongly recommend watching this show. The acting holds up, the effects look good, and the comedy is excellent.
Was this review helpful to you?
A Hidden Gem from 2023/2024
Last Twilight - (A Hidden Gem drama)Featuring JimmySea
Chemistry 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Can I wrap this relationship up with pretty wrapping paper & exquisite bow & take it home with me?
Favorite Line: "Will You Be My Once Again?"
A Beautiful & Heartwarming drama. "Last Twilight." This series was not a recommendation, but a drama that just popped up while searching for something to watch... and I am grateful to have discovered this. The storyline is compelling, and I was deeply impressed by how the lead actors portrayed their characters with such sincerity and depth.
Jimmy Jitaraphol Potiwihok and Sea Tawinan Anukoolprasert are outstanding. This was my first time seeing them in any other dramas. Their ability to make the relationship between Day and Mhok feel so believable is a testament to their talent. In particular, Sea’s portrayal of Day felt effortless; his body language and expressions perfectly captured the frustrations and nuances of navigating life with a visual impairment.
I also want to commend the writers, Bee Pongsate Lucksameepong and Best Kittisak Kongka, for such a beautiful screenplay. The story handles complex themes of stereotyping, acceptance, and personal hurdles with great sensitivity. The emotional journey Day and Mhok travel together—learning to accept life’s ups and downs—is truly indelible.
Furthermore, the direction and cinematography are exceptional. The mountain locations were breathtaking and provided a perfect backdrop for the story’s more reflective moments.
"Last Twilight" is a 10-star production that I look forward to rewatching. Thank you to the entire team for creating such a meaningful work of art.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Only 8 epsiodes but ABSOLUTE CINEMA
Disclaimer : This is my opinion.I think the story is just perfect. They do an amazing job portraying the lives of the two main characters their struggles feel so real and relevant right now, and the environments are spot-on too.
The cast is stacked with great actors and actresses it’s been such a pleasure watching them.
I’m really looking forward to seeing more development in their relationship, as well as Eun-A’s relationship with her mom, and Dong-Man and Eun-A’s dynamic. I also hope they dive deeper into Dong-Man’s brother’s storyline. We got those two heavy suicide attempt scenes and then… nothing. I really hope they give that plot the attention it deserves.
So far only 8 episodes are out and I’m very satisfied, but if they properly develop Eun-A’s relationship with her mother and Dong-Man’s brother like I mentioned, this could easily become a 10/10. It’s just missing that extra touch to feel flawless.
The music is really good too.
One slightly negative note: the bracelet that Eun-A and Dong-Man wear. We know what it’s for, but I feel like they could have explored it more. Instead of just starting the series with them already wearing the bracelets, I wish they had shown the specific events and exact moments in their lives that led them to test it in the first place. The check-ups that reveal new feelings are cool, but it doesn’t feel deeply developed.
Can’t wait to see the final episodes!
Edit:
I finished this drama, i recommend it!, But I find it a shame that the story of Dong-Man's brother has not been deepened, it deserves to be more developed!
Was this review helpful to you?
He is so cute... Tonliew is so so so adorable, and the cuteness of the character feels so natural, well, bcs it IS! He's naturally adorable (and so tiny omg). I loved their chemistry, how sweet and gentle their whole relationship is.
The acting is SO amazing. But obviously, the star here is Tonliew as Typhoon. The way that he portrayed raw emotions, grief, panic. He gave in fully for the character and it was so freaking good. Like... I want him booked and busy. He's so talented.
Also how funny is that the moment that New steps back from directing, suddenly the quality is SO MUCH better. He's so fucking bad as a director, really, it amazes me...
My deducting points tho are because I think that the story should've been more... smooth. It feels abrupt, the transition from extremely angsty to suddenly cuteness and a giddy world. Ofc, it makes sense, partially, with Typhoon's personality. Even while facing the HORRORS, he's still sweet and docile, gentle and smiley. He's so strong.
But even while partially making sense, it feels a little... unrealistic? Too quick! One moment he was scared of being close to Tonfah and then suddenly he wanted him back without fearing it much. I understand that his friends encouraged him but still... some details just feel like little story holes.
Whatever, this doesn't make the experience of watching bad. Not at all, it's such a sweet and gentle story. But ofc, for people who like HEAVY DRAMA... that's not what you will get. It's gentle, healing, soft and sweet. Yeah, there is some angst but the whole series is definitely not about that.
I'm super excited to see more of BeverTonliew!
Was this review helpful to you?
