enchanting
I started watching A Splendid Match expecting a typical historical romance drama, but it turned out to be much more layered and engaging than I anticipated. What immediately stood out to me was how refreshing the main characters are. The female lead is intelligent, composed, and emotionally mature. Instead of relying on clichés or making irrational decisions just to push the plot forward, she consistently thinks carefully and handles situations with grace and wit. It’s rare to find a female lead who is both strong and elegant without the drama trying too hard to prove it.The male lead is equally impressive. He’s calm, mature, and respectful, which makes the romance feel believable and satisfying. Rather than dominating every situation, he treats the female lead as an equal, and that balance is what makes their relationship so enjoyable to watch. Their chemistry feels natural and effortless. Every interaction between them carries emotional depth, whether they are working together, flirting with each other, or facing difficult situations side by side. The romance develops steadily instead of feeling rushed, which makes every emotional moment more rewarding.
Another aspect I really enjoyed was the political intrigue woven throughout the story. The drama doesn’t rely solely on romance to keep viewers interested. There are layered conflicts, strategic alliances, family tensions, and court politics that constantly add suspense and complexity to the plot. The political storyline is engaging without becoming overwhelming, and it complements the romance rather than overshadowing it. I found myself invested not only in the relationship between the leads but also in the larger conflicts surrounding them.
The family drama is also handled well. The relationships between family members feel realistic and emotionally grounded, with moments of loyalty, betrayal, sacrifice, and misunderstanding that add depth to the story. These conflicts help shape the characters and make their emotional journeys feel more meaningful. Instead of existing purely for shock value, the family dynamics contribute to the overall development of the narrative.
Visually, the drama is beautiful. The costumes, cinematography, and overall atmosphere create an elegant viewing experience that perfectly matches the tone of the story. Every scene feels polished and carefully crafted, adding to the immersive quality of the drama. The soundtrack also deserves praise because it enhances the emotional moments without overpowering them.
What makes this drama especially memorable for me is the balance it maintains between romance, politics, and emotional storytelling. Many dramas excel in one area but struggle to keep the others equally compelling. this drama manages to combine all these elements successfully, creating a story that feels emotionally rich and consistently engaging.
Overall, this is a drama I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys smart characters, mature romance, political intrigue, and strong emotional storytelling. It’s elegant, captivating, and addictive in the best way possible. The leads have incredible chemistry, the writing keeps the story engaging, and the emotional depth makes it easy to become fully invested in the characters and their journey.
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Should've appreciated season 1 more
I feel like when everyone heard there was going to have Only friends dream on, we were expecting messy SPICY drama, similar to or even better than season 1. I fear they did not live up to my expectations. At first I didn't mind when things werent getting messy but then when boston appeared i knew fs the drama was going to begin and it did not... I thought they were bringing boston in to stir up things.. Only friends dream on had sm potential i felt like they did not want pairings kissing outside of their pair so that also made the series boring sometimes.Enough with the negatives, there were some good aspects that i liked.
1. Earthmix acting was SPECTACULAR. I was obsessed with Mix's acting. He made me feel all the emotions he was feeling, sometimes i couldnt even watch his crying scenes because it was just that good! My favourite scene of his would forever be when he had an argument with jack in the bathroom and immediately had to get dress to go out on stage. CHILLS ran down my spine. Earth's acting as well as wonderful. His character range is insane, he was able to pull off a completely different character than what he's used to, so im very proud of them both. They delivered and carried the series.
Also Ive got to give credit to timmy for keeping that friend group together. He has sm patience.
All the other actors acted okay with what they were given. Would forever love Rome's iconic part of punching Jack too.
The OST is 10/10 gawin DELIVERED.
In essence, i think this season definitely fell short but the acting carried. I still would miss waiting every friday to watch it but im glad it is over tho.
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Delightful *masterpiece*
This drama is so DELIGHTFUL!!!! FL actress is one of my favs. She is a master actor for sure. R * E * S * P * E * C * T!!!! I totally hated ML in 100 Memories and I was convinced back then that he cannot act.... but here - omg he is such a great actor. A very great handsome lunatic lmao Such talent for comedy lmaoI am so much enjoying this show!!!!!!
FL actress is a chameleon, she is always THE character she is acting..... every time.... here it is so funny to see her all meek and subservient.. lmao And I love her street smarts :) XXX OOO XXX
She was the most amazing villain in The Glory.... Great in Nice to Not Meet you but her ML was acting too cheesy and kinda killed it. Here, the ML/FL pair is ***perfect**.
and ML actor and his eyes moving around, e.g. start of ep 3 holding her ... that was soooo hilarious. I am so glad I got to see him in a real role. He is great!
THIS DRAMA IS A MASTERPIECE CLASSIC
and the rating should be a lot higher
i am so grateful we get to watch this. Bravo to the MRN team!!!!
As for rewatch: I think it would be great to rewatch as there are so many nuances in acting
That scene on the roof top at the start of ep 3 was so hilarious and so showing their acting skillZ
and then all the other scenes ... too many to mention... it is totally totally HILARIOUS and deep ... such great acting... and is getting scary as we get to meet the SML/King more and more.. bc he is ... a PSYCHO SOCIOPATHIC MONSTER and seems like harmed FL/ML in the past and now is the chance for them to self defend. I am sure they can, FL can certainly take care of anything lmao Fighting!!!!!
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A Rare Adaptation That Outshines Its Origin!!!!!
Word of Honor is genuinely exceptional—one of those rare adaptations that manages to surpass its original novel. The drama amplifies the emotional depth, especially the bond between the leads, making their relationship feel even more intense, layered, and alive on screen.What truly elevates the series is the chemistry. It’s not forced or exaggerated—it flows naturally, breathing life into the characters and making every interaction meaningful. You don’t just watch them; you feel them.
Visually, the show is stunning. From the costumes to the cinematography, every frame feels carefully crafted, adding to the overall immersive experience. And the performances deserve special praise—each actor embodies their role with sincerity and nuance, making even the side characters memorable.
It’s the kind of series that takes you through a full spectrum of emotions—joy, heartbreak, longing, and everything in between.
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What happened to the mess?
Watching a sequel series, even with totally new characters, always means it will get compared to the first season and I gotta say, this season did not live up to the messiness of season one. Still, the show was very fun to watch, but given how wild season one was, I expected them to up the stakes of the drama, not dial it back. The actors did a great job, but it just felt like it was missing something.Jack (Earth) is writing the play for the senior theatre majors, and everyone expects his boyfriend Dean (Mix) to get the main role; however, now that they're actually ex-boyfriends, Raffy (Boom) plans to take Dean's spot as both the lead in the play and as Jack's boyfriend. Tua (Gawin), the costume designer, convinces his crush Arnold (Joss) to audition too, not thinking of how he'll feel watch his crush kiss someone else. Meanwhile, Raffy can't seem to stop running into his one-night stand Rome (Aou), who ends up working sound for the play. This group of friends (or more than friends) try to put on a play while tensions run high between them.
If this were a show that was not supposed to be a sequel to only friends, I would have rated it higher. The level of drama and mess that this show had didn't feel much higher than a typical friend group college BL. Considering in season one we had cheating, hookups and kisses outside of typical pairings, drugs, etc., this season felt so low stakes in comparison! Also you're telling me that with all of those actors we couldn't get a SINGLE kiss between two non-pairings?? Come on. Even Boston didn't make this show much messier, and he's BOSTON! If they end up doing more seasons, they better up the drama to be on par with season one again, because I felt like I was constantly waiting for the big drama-filled moment to come and it simply never did. I do think the show is still worth watching, and the actors do a great job with these characters, but don't expect the level of drama there was in season one because it's truly not there.
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Public Interest
Razor-sharp dialogue, brilliant character growth, and a deeply satisfying David-vs-Goliath dynamic.However The compressed 12-episode format leaves the final corporate conspiracy arc feeling slightly rushed, and a few early episodes lean heavily into melodrama.The writing treats the audience with intelligence. It avoids easy, magical legal victories, choosing instead to showcase the grueling, bureaucratic reality of fighting for the marginalized.
A few of the episodes were absolute tearjerkers for me. I definitely recommend to watch not sure why they say it the genre is comedy
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It's a MASTERPIECE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Untamed is, without a doubt, a masterpiece. Even after more than six years and over 100 rewatches, it never feels old—it still hits with the same intensity, the same emotion, every single time. That kind of staying power is rare.What truly sets it apart is how perfectly everything comes together. The storytelling is rich and layered, blending fantasy, politics, and deep emotional bonds without ever losing its core. The performances are incredibly compelling—subtle where they need to be, powerful where it counts. And the chemistry? Effortless, natural, and unforgettable.
It’s not just a show you watch once and move on from—it’s something you return to, each time discovering new details, new meanings. That’s what makes it special.
It’s almost funny that some people still hesitate to start it because of its 50 episodes. If anything, fans will tell you the opposite—it feels too short for the world it builds and the story it tells.
Honestly, it sets such a high standard that it’s hard to imagine another show surpassing it. It’s not just good—it’s one of those rare series that stays with you long after it ends.
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Shunki Hashizume's mission
First chapter: an ice hockey player attempts suicide because he is gay. The minimum age to watch the series here in Denmark is 13 yo; poor teenager who is just discovering he/she is homossexual. As the series, which was primarily marketed to the LGBTQ+ audience (which constitutes total queerbaiting), is a succession of dramatic events, this same teenager will have as a benchmark that gay people don't deserve to be happy. Now it's understandable why the premiere of Soul Mate didn't happen in December, as planned. That month the LGBTQ+ community was intoxicated with the "queer joy" of Heated Rivalry. But director Shunki Hashizume is a defender of "queer misery," as he had already demonstrated in More than Words, the most homophobic series in history. For the creator, that teenager who is discovering him/herself deserves to suffer until his/her last drop of blood. This is Shunki Hashizume's mission in the world of entertainment. This is Shunki Hasizume´s agenda in the real world.Was this review helpful to you?
this is what a kdrama should look like
okay so i went in a little nervous. a superhero comedy set in 1999 with apocalypse vibes is a lot to balance and kdramas don't always pull off this kind of tonal mashup. but wonderfools mostly nails it and when it wobbles the cast just picks it up and carries it.the premise feels fresh without trying too hard. director yoo insik is so good at making absurd stuff feel grounded and the writing actually gives every misfit a real emotional arc instead of just leaning on the powers as the gimmick. the 1999 setting isn't just for the aesthetic either. the whole millennium dread thing bleeds into the characters in a way i didn't expect. production-wise it looks great too. the action is clean, the comedy lands and when it goes for the emotional beats they actually hit.
the cast is what makes this special. park eunbin is doing what she does best. chaeni is loud and chaotic but also clearly hurting and eunbin makes that switch look effortless. choi daehoon and im seongjae are SO funny and the four of them have that ensemble chemistry where you can tell they actually like each other. supporting cast is stacked too.
cha eunwoo though??? i've watched basically everything he's done since true beauty and this is the most disciplined i've ever seen him. unjeong is a hard role. mysterious, fairy-tale boy, carrying trauma he can barely talk about and instead of playing it big eunwoo plays it SO restrained. it's all in his eyes, his breathing, these tiny shifts. and then when unjeong finally cracks (you'll know the scene) it lands so much harder because he didn't tip his hand earlier. this is lead actor work, full stop. people who only know him for his face are about to eat their words.
i have no negatives but the villain arc wraps up a bit neater than the buildup deserved. nothing dealbreaking but it's just a note.
tl;dr: genuinely one of the best dramas i've watched recently. great ensemble, real heart, actually funny and eunwoo is so good. if this is the last thing we get from him before he's back from enlistment in 2027, what a way to leave us. already planning a rewatch.
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the Devil wears EYELINER
PLOT🗯️🗯️
The peaceful world of human and immortals is suddenly disrupted by the arrival of the demon god.
He intends to bring terror and pain to the earth. Everything seems lost until li su su travels back in time to track down the evil spirit and subvert his evil destiny.
Will she succeed?
FIRST CONSIDERATIONS:
let me start by giving a shout out to @charleymiamore.
I was about to drop this drama on the second episode, but this user reassured me about the show improving later on... And it absolutely did!
I am so glad I didn't drop this cause it's probably one of the best dramas I've watched.
THE DRAMA🗯️🗯️
The reason why i was about to drop the drama is the main female lead.
She travels back in time to stop the devil god who is still an innocent man at this point in time.
I understand her hatred towards him but girl, you are on a mission and are about to fail before even starting.
When she first sees this man she is basically leaving him to die in the snow and says all the possible things to make him dislike her.
Girl please😭😭 you have to avoid he turning evil, not giving him more reasons to hate this world.
This kind of wishy washy mentally in the female lead is present in the majority of the drama. Though understandable is it highly counterproductive.
In one scene she is literally punishing him with a whip! Stoppp please turn your brain on!!!!
Once we establish her mission the drama really kicks in and becomes highly entertaining.
I kid you not, except for the ending part, I wasn't bored.
I am usually scared by such lenghty dramas because I get bored so easily it is really hard to stay involved for 40 episodes. If you are like me, don't worry at all. Sure, some scenes might be boring from time to time but nothing worrysome.
THE CHARACTERS 🗯️🗯️
Where to start? I think I never felt so bad for a character as I did for tantai jin. He is one of the most tragic antiheros I've ever seen.
The world beated him up, then chewed him, then spit on him, then burned him up.
His destiny is so tragic and full of pain, betrayal I cried even thinking about it.
At first the actor wasn't really to my liking but he grew on me so much. He did a MAJESTIC job. I'm sure It wasn't easy because in many scenes he is basically talking to a different version of himself but he was wonderful.
Bai lu was great! Her character wasn't always my cup of tea but she was phenomenal and together they have a great chemistry in my opinion.
The other actors are also top notch. There is really nothing to add. Awesome.
THE BEST PART:🗯️🗯️
In these kind of drama we usually explore the 3 lives route: mortal, immortal, gods.
I tend to be pretty uninterested in secondary routes because they usually don't add that much to the story but this time it was so good I kinda stopped caring about the main plot and just wanted everything to end with the second part (the god story).
The battle between the gods and the evil god was so so so good. Guys it was a trip. I was so invested!
The fighting scenes especially were spectacular!!
I literally forgot this was supposed to be just a deviation from the main story.
THE ROMANCE:🗯️🗯️
I want to preface that if skin ship and lot of kisses are among your musts, this drama might not be your best choice.
The romance is an excellent enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers.😆
Two people fighting their love and hate for each other. Sacrificing, deceiving... Chef's kiss.
Visually though, even though we have kisses and intimate scenes I can't wholeheartedly say they are "hot".
This drama is more about meaning and deep feelings than superficial "two hot people making out".
I also really liked the other couples.
The Fox demon and the general were lovely and of course tragic 😭 I really cared for them unlike the third couple which I couldn't care less.
COMPLAINTS🗯️🗯️
I love this drama but of course I have to also criticize it ok?
🔪The cgi was mostly good but also goofy sometimes.
🔪the makeup was bad. It got a bit better towards the end but I'm definitely not a fan.
The ml has gray eyebrows for a good chunk of the drama. The eyeliner was a must for basically every character.
The foundation...oh my the foundation.. in many scenes you could clearly see the difference in skin tones between the actors' faces and their neck.
🔪the magical props looked so cheap
🔪How many times did the ml have different eye colors? The answer is ...yes!
In the span of seconds he switched so many times and some contacts lenses were so bad.
🔪There a lot of inconsistencies in many fields.
The protagonists are in a field and 2 seconds later the FL has a mortar , a pestle and is crushing herbs. Where did you get that girl?
Even when on the run they keep changing outfits. How? Just how?🤣
🔪Magic powers: when the FL arrives in the past she clearly states she CANT use use her powers because they are really weak.
This rule gets quickly forgotten and she uses her power more and more as time goes by.
🔪Sometimes they say something is diffilcult to do and 2 seconds later it gets done. (Like leaving the abyss)
🔪When tantai jin leaves the Sheng state he immediately becomes a loving king. Pretty weird considering the fact that he is unable to feel emphaty for anyone in this moment.
🔪The ending dragged a bit too much the whole being good/evil. It was an exausting back and forth.
🔪 Su Su biological father being evil wasn't really a plot twist. I don't know if the script intended it that way, because as the audience , we know what he did during the gods war.
🔪Li su su decisione making: I am gonna be honest. Sometimes I didn't understand her.
When she killed tantai jin in the mortal world, I don't know why she didn't tell him that she loved him.
You clearly love him, you have to kill him, you know you are the only person in this world he loves. You could have said at least something nice to this guy who only got hate in his life.
With hindsight this was probably done to push the third act of him pursuing her but I was too heartbroken to be rational🤣
She also hated him in many instances when it was actually her fault. She did something to him, he reacted , and she was butthurt.
Tantai jin always took shit for everyone for something THEY DID.
Poor guy😭😭😭
🔪🔪the dubbing is really bad in some parts.
🔪🔪 if you dislike seeing people spitting blood, that's definitely not the drama for you. that's the only injury they all experience 😅😅
BEST QUOTE 🗯️🗯️
"Since you don't want my love , you can taste my hate "
Man ...what a banger
CONCLUSIONS 🗯️🗯️
I could rant forever over this drama but I know nobody cares .🤣
Should you watch it?
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
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Force for Good °8.3° °Excellent°
“I'm going to play along with it. You can criticize me for not being a good detective, but you can't criticize me for being human.”It's raining, it's pouring. The lightning and thunder are roiling up above and the radio is playing a jaunty tune.
TGD is a 2020 release that is rated 92 on AWiki. It is 2 seasons consisting of 16 relentless 70-minute episodes each. It's an excellent cop drama. Is this the best K’op drama I've seen? I won't say that it beats out Flower of Evil 8.9, The Man from Nowhere 8.9, & Tunnel 8.5, but it doesn't owe them anything, either. We're always at the precinct, always fighting between underlings and irrational supervisors, always dealing with public perception and paperwork, and the boys are always working together as a unit trying to do the right thing in a very wrong world. The detective team pushes through to investigate a matter even though they are being pressured in many ways to not do so. It's the most coppie K”op-drama I've seen. Screenwriter Choi Jin Won (Untouchable) & director, Jo Nam Gook (Captivating the King), outdid themselves - the palette is bright at times, but it's overwhelmingly an umber tone: Earthy and slightly dark. It's a perfect match with the writing. I'll watch anything of theirs.
Jang Seung Jo is “I've-never-heard-of-crefit-card-limits” O “Ji” Hyeok. He's from a rich (but quite dysfunctional) family. I've seen him in Chocolate-6.5, Death's Game-7.8, and Familiar Wife-8.5 (which was a surprise treasure - It's wonderful). In TGD he's the /new/ guy. He's been a detective for 9 years, but he took a year off (😬❓) and now he's transferred into their unit (😬❓). Let's get this out of the way. This is a beautiful man. This actor is a 10. It's impossible to be much better looking than this guy, objectively. It just comes down to personal taste. This is the best character he's played out of what I've seen. Cool on the outside, but fiery determination underneath. They've actually mussed him up for the part, so he's not looking his best, here, but he is acting his best.
The new guy looks like trouble to Kang. Kang don't NEED trouble! Son Hyun Joo (Signal-8.6, Spring Day) is “Kang” Do Chang, our truly GOOD Detective. That means he doesn't fit in anywhere. His credits date back to 1993; He's been around. Here, he's a senior detective awaiting the results of his exam and possible promotion. This guy is an Eeyore type. He looks depressed… even when he's smiling. (Did he smile? Now, I don't recall! ). Kang's life hasn't been all strawberries and cream, either. His divorced, alcoholic sister is living with him, which means there's no peace at home. He's been passed by for promotion after promotion because he can't play the politics game. He's a serious cop and he'll do his job, whether he's told to or not. All too often, he's told not to. His juniors are now his seniors. He has no wife or kids, though there's reference made to a past heartbreak. He was dumped practically at the wedding altar, His live-in sister (Baek Eun Hye from Family by Choice & The First Responders is Kang Eun Hee) is a former judo champion, but she's losing her battle with marriage, motherhood, life in general, and sobriety: She's in a nasty divorce, she doesn't have custody of her son which is a constant, relentless source of pain. She's going for custody, but it is an uphill battle. Her closest relationship is with Soju. She takes her anger at herself out on her brother by way of sarcasm, mocking, and bitter complaining. {People do this to family because they can get away with it. I've taken to calling this practice emotional cannibalism. It is disgusting. Most of us don't realize we're doing it, being stuck in a junkie cycle where we're slaves to our emotions. Check yo-self. Really. Tearing apart family is tearing apart oneself! Refuse to get hurt or offended. Don't engage. Separate from toxicity; don't be a part of it. Break the cycle.}
Lee Elijah (The Last Empress, Children of a Lesser God) is reporter “Jin” Seo Kyung. She and Kang get along, but she and Ji did not hit it off. He called her greedy while she called him lazy and self-serving. Ouch. They warm up to eachother eventually. I hadn't seen this actress before. She's beautiful, and she does a nice job, but I got weary of the director's habit of taking long shots of her concerned face.
Oh Jung Se is a fabulous actor. Here he plays Oh Jong Tae, Ji's cousin. My first exposure to him was as a special needs character in It's Okay to Not Be Okay-9 - He's perfect. In Revenant he's a professor of folklore. (Dang, I wish I had majored in that.) He's also in the popular shows Hot Stove League & Mr. Plankton, which I intend to get to eventually. Ji Seung Hyun (Search: WWW, Team Bulldog: Off-Duty Investigation) is Yoo Jung Seok. I've seen him in Why Her?-8 & The Worst of Evil-7.7. He's totally solid.
Shin Dong Mi plays investigator Yoon Sang Mi. She's a wonderful actress. She was fabulous in both Hi Bye, Mama!-6.5 and Record of Youth-5.8, two shows that could have been better. In these roles which skew comedic, she's practically the best thing about those shows. Here she's in a more serious role. Her character kept me uneasy. She discusses how she perjured herself in court once and hasn't been able to sleep since. BUT she would do the same thing again, because that's who she is, “Suffering is optional. Once you admit how selfish you are, you will suffer alot less,” she poses. Well, that's some rarified honesty, but I don't like this woman. Trust a person like that at your peril.
The women are central to this story and they are strong, at least. Lee Ha Eun (School 2021) is drug dealer Lee Eun Hye. She's well casted - super creepy giving off an air of half-rotted + wholly-ruthless. Lee Hyun Wook plays bad guy Park Geon Ho in eps 1-4. He's a nice looking guy and he does a good job. I've seen him in Mine-8 & She Would Never Know-7.3 as a less than respectable citizen. It looks like he's recently been cast into leading roles. I'm looking forward to seeing what else he can do.
Jo Jae Yoon is Lee Dae Cheol, who may have been wrongfully accused of murder, and his execution date is nearing. He has a tearful scene with his daughter and then wirh the guards escorting him back to his cell. He's magnificent. Usually playing support roles in hits like Defendant, SKY Castle-9, Descendants of the Sun-8.3, and Mouse, he is one of the leads in The Escape of the Seven shows. Lee Ha Eun (School 2021) plays his daughter, Lee Eun Hye. She's has a challenging role. Her father was locked up for years and she ignored him. With his execution date imminent, she reconnects with him. She's been scraping by and is connected to the dark side of the streets, but her soul longs for something better. Her performance is excellent.
The entire police team is great. They each have their own ideas, but they work as a team. One reason is due to pressure from the chief, played by Son Jong Hak. His arc in the show is refreshing. This guy is everywhere with 95 movie/drama credits. I've seen him in The King's Affection-8.3, Flower of Evil-8.9, Familiar Wife-8.5, & Misaeng: Incomplete Life-9.1 ~ masterpieces, ALL ~ He's always in a supporting role, but he's the lead in Jinx, an upcoming film. He often plays a somewhat slimy authority figure. Here, that's what he looks like at first, but it isn't that simple. We got a couple pleasant surprises. The team does lots of group jogging. The running comedy bit is the entire team running from or after something or someone. We see it in the first and last episodes and many in between.
TD shows more of the reason that 🇰🇷 has the 3rd or 4th highest suicide rate in the world. The people are under constant pressure. Everyone must act worshipful to their superiors while corruption is rampant. Perhaps it's partially a cumulative effect, but I feel the weight of 🇰🇷 society in this show. “In the end, people only care about themselves.” Self-interest is what keeps the corrupt house of cards standing. We are all complicit, sadly.
“Yes, it's true that my life's important. But sometimes, other people's lives end up determining my life.” None of us act or fail to act alone. There's something I've learned that I was never taught while growing up about evil: Evil people know how to make the problems and then offer us their self-serving solutions. That's exactly what's going on in TGD. Yes, there's a psychopathic villain, but there are even worse villains at work in the shadows.
TD does have good natured laughs. As the pressure from the corrupt leadership weighed on the unit they go full rage-room in the office one day. It's glorious. The root word of corruption just means something rotten; something that's no longer in useful shape. It's the act of turning oneself into a piece of exceement. TGD shows the slow creep of corruption. People make compromises for selfish reasons. Some of the reasons are understandable, but they are still self-motivated. We want our jobs, our security, our comfort, our rewards. Looking the other way once in awhile doesn't seem like such a bad thing, but in the end, people who make these compromises start to change. They become less compassionate. They become more edgy and less understanding. They become more selfish. They start to despise those who try to do good. They don't want to feel icky about themselves, so they try to turn the good deeds and good intentions of others into something else. TDG is excellent in calling this out.
QUOTES🗣
Do you know the best way to cover up the truth? Make the victim disappear.
You do know what makes people happy or sad, do you?
You can't do this job with a sane mind.
It's going to be harder for me to trust people from now on.
IMHO〰🖍
📣8.5 📝8.4 🎭8.5 💓5 🦋4 🎨7 🎵/🔊6.8 🔚8.5 🤗6.8 ▪ 🌞4.5 ⚡6 😅2.5 😭4 😱3 😯3 🤢5.5 🤔5.5 💤0
Age 16+ Language: R-rated w/ f 💣💣 violence
Re-📺? Possible
⛔Spoiler⛔
⛔
⛔
We watch most characters, many of whom we want to like, pursue self-interest and let a man die. An innocent man. Pursuing self-interest is a form of weakness. It's a moral and emotional weakness. Weakness is just as bad as evil because weakness always enables evil. It stands back and lets wicked people prevail. How is it any better then?
We want to give people a pass if they're weak. They stoke pity in us. We want to scry the motives of people and give allowances to those whom we identify with more, but that's our moral turpitude. Midway through S1, the show becomes heartbreaking. I want to take three of the main female characters and smash their heads into the wall, frankly. (I guess that's my moral turpitude.) Every decision we make changes us for the better or the worse. When we choose self-interest over what is decent, we don't only change ourselves, but we pile on weight that we have to carry for the rest of our lives. These decisions are so hard in the moment that if we haven't already decided to do right, we will probably choose wrongly. The right thing to do it's almost never the easy thing to do. For me, it all comes back to the spiritual. We are physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual beings, yet it seems our society thinks the spiritual side of the square isn't crucial. It is.
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⚖Spies, ©🅾🅿§ & Robbers (some w/ a fantasy✨️element)
Mad For Each Other-7.7 ~ silly fun,
Crash-7.5,
Vincenzo-8.2,
Flex X Cop-8.5,
Man to Man-6.7,
Bad and Crazy-8.4,
The King: Eternal Monarch-8.3,
Oh My Ghost-10,
Big Mouth-7.4,
Han River Police-7.1,
Bad and Crazy-8.4,
Inspector Koo-8.4,
Missing: The Other Side-8.3,
A Beautiful Life-7.4,
That Winter, The Wind Blows-7,
Vagabond-8,
Prison Playbook-8.4,
Private Lives-8.1,
The First 1st Responders-7.8,
K2-8,
Tunnel 8.5,
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Parasyte the Grey-6.9,
Signal-8.6,
The Worst of Evil-7.7
Revenge of Others-8.1,
The Good Detective-8.3,
Sisyphus 8 (give it 2 episodes, ep1 is confusing), The Defected-8.2,
Iris-8,
Awaken-8.7,
D.P.-8.4,
The Man from Nowhere-8.9,
Moving-8.5,
Beyond Evil-7.4,
The Defected-8.2,
Gangnam Bs-Side-7.2,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
Oldboy-9,
A Shop for Killers-8.7,
Black 9,
The Cursed 8.3,
The Wailing-8.8,
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Were you hoping for Only Friends 2? Dream On..
It pains me to say that this was so bland that calling it a watered down version of Only Friends would be overly generous. Only Friends was not exactly a masterpiece in storytelling but its appeal was that it was fun and messy and wasn't afraid to make the characters incredibly flawed and unlikable, to the point of being almost irredeemable. Every character in this was almost messing up but not really, almost cheating but not really, almost blackmailing but not really.Where I am from we have a saying that goes "too much oil and no pancakes at all" and I feel it summarises this series perfectly.
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Here to watch one last JeffBarcode drama? Don't bother.
I was excited to see one last JeffBarcode drama as there won't be any more but this was so weird id advise everyone not to waste their time watching. The drama is in 3 languages (Thai, Korean & English). Everyone speaks in Korean and it's set in Korea. Except Jeff and Barcode speak only in Thai. One character only speaks in English. The subtitles are rage inducing. The plot makes almost no sense at all. The ending is abrupt and leaves a lot out. To be honest it was like watching a too long didn't read version of a story. It was honestly the weirdest drama I've ever seen.Was this review helpful to you?
The Unexpectedly Dangerous Power of Mystery and Good Chemistry
Parallel World is one of those dramas that sounds suspiciously chaotic when summarized: mysterious disappearances, hidden worlds, strange creatures, desert folklore, survival, unresolved grief, and a group of emotionally exhausted people wandering through enough sand to personally challenge their hydration levels.And yet, unlike many dramas with fantasy elements that immediately throw twelve systems of magical politics at you and hope confusion somehow transforms into emotional investment, Parallel World earns your trust slowly.
The fantasy element never feels pasted onto reality.
It feels buried inside it.
A large part of that comes down to the setting — an actual desert. A real one. With real wind, real dust, real sunlight, and people who look appropriately inconvenienced by survival. Turns out physical environments still matter. Nobody mysteriously survives danger looking softly moisturized and emotionally untouched. The exhaustion feels real because much of it probably was.
Apparently actual locations still work. Revolutionary concept.
Because once the physical world feels believable, the impossible becomes easier to accept.
A hidden realm beyond Yumen Pass? Supernatural rules? Desert mythology operating like forgotten folklore no one fully understands?
Under normal circumstances, I would have questions. Several — including why a rooster named ‘Valley Guardian’ somehow carried himself like local management during a supernatural desert crisis.
Instead, Parallel World quietly hands you atmosphere and says:
“Trust me for a minute.”
And you do.
Not because the mythology is perfectly explained — it definitely is not — but because the mood stays stronger than the confusion. There were moments where I understood every sentence individually while remaining only moderately informed about the overall situation. Some explanations arrive suspiciously late, the pacing occasionally wanders into scenic contemplation, and yes, there were moments where I quietly suspected the plot itself had briefly wandered into the desert to think about things.
A few subplots wobble a little, if you inspect every mechanism too closely, there are moments where the storytelling feels slightly more confident than coherent.
Fortunately, the emotional core keeps things grounded.
Ni Ni carries Ye Liuxi with the kind of effortless confidence that makes overexplaining unnecessary. The character could have easily turned into another market-tested “strong female lead,” but instead she feels human: sharp, capable, emotionally guarded, occasionally reckless, and charismatic enough that the script never has to repeatedly remind you she matters.
You simply believe her.
Bai Yu spends most of the drama looking like grief accidentally learned how to drive. Chang Dong’s sadness never feels performative. He carries it quietly, heavily, like someone emotionally running on fumes and unresolved grief.
The chemistry between them also benefits from restraint. Not dramatic soulmate intensity after three emotionally charged glances, but trust built through survival, emotional hesitation, and two damaged adults slowly realizing they no longer want to walk through difficult things alone.
Messy.
Quietly moving.
Unexpectedly persuasive.
Which, unfortunately for my emotional boundaries, worked rather well.
Now, is the drama flawless? No. But if you enjoy mystery, atmosphere, restrained romance, emotionally wounded people, and stories willing to linger in silence rather than constantly explaining themselves, Parallel World has a strange way of pulling you in.
Unlike technically cleaner dramas that disappear from memory two weeks later, this one leaves behind texture.
The wind.
The loneliness.
The feeling that impossible things almost make sense if the desert is large enough.
8.5/10 — uneven in places, a few subplots wobble, but atmospheric enough that I stopped questioning the mythology and simply followed it into the sand.
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