Reviews

A drama for the Gong Bros to shine

The team that did the casting knew their job and they definitely deserved a raise. The two brothers Gong Shangjue and Gong Yuanzhi just had a natural flow. Unfortunately the drama had more interesting characters than the main characters. I'm not a big fan of Esther Yu but she did well especially her fighting scenes. I just kept watching for the jealous Gong Yuanzhi and silent romance of Shanguan Qian and Gong Shangjue. The love story was unique because no one was crazy in love to forget their goals. It was quiet and sweet which made it stand out. Gong Zishang brought the comedy but I liked how they showed that she was hurt by Jin Fan's rejection. The backfill was also interesting especially the young Xue Chongzi. Merits to the casting again for getting Joseph Zeng who just fit to be thr older Xue Chongzi. I liked the mysterious Wufeng and how they kinda maintained it to the end. At the end many people died including the relatable Hua father and son. The cliffhanger was also good but it's sad that season 2 might never come. The drama was My journey to Cheng Lei and Tian Jiarui and that's it.

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Imaginative Sets and Wonderful Actors

I wanted to watch something short, funny, and fluffy. This had some very cute moments, especially with Cho Jun Young's portrayal of Nam Gi Jeong—a young man experiencing his first love. He was adorable. Amidst the fluff were life lessons, some of them uncomfortable but relatable.

The Good:
• The found family of people who enjoyed drawing together was a highlight. Their supportive, encouraging camaraderie brought out the best in each of them.
• I loved the set of their art studio/cafe. That was worth the watch in and of itself.
• Kim Seul Ki always nails her part, but she was especially charismatic as Black Finger.
• It was fun to see Noh Min Woo guest star as the cafe owner. I liked the dog, Bigfoot, too.

The Bad:
• I found it stressful when the FL was unkind to ML unnecessarily. He was nothing but thoughtful and loving towards her, but her insecurities caused her to treat him the worst. The harder he tried, the colder she treated him.
• I realize this is just a drama, and a comedy at that, but abusive parents don't change overnight and become a happy family. I've never seen an abusive family heal itself. Generally, the only option for children is escape.

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The Beauty of Found Family

I initially watched this because I’m a big fan of Jung Kyung Ho, but I fell in love with the whole story and cast. It touches on important themes of what it means to care and love someone, whether that’s your parent, child, friends, or other family. It highlights what seems to be a very important issue with academic culture in Korea and how that can affect students. While many may not approve of some of the methods parents were using to help their children succeed, I found sympathy for every character. Everyone is trying their best, in their own way.

I was super appreciative of how the relationships in the show were handled, both familial and romantic. The dynamics felt very realistic, and most issues were resolved in mature ways. Most of the characters had considerable growth over the series. Many parts, especially the plot points centered around family, made me cry. I wish the last few episodes dedicated more time to Chi Yeol & Haeng Seon’s relationship, and the family dynamic, more than the murder plot. Those are what made this show strong.

Only a couple things felt wrapped up too quickly. The murder plot was very suspenseful, and I felt genuine surprise at some of the reveals, but it was just over. The main characters having a past connection felt a bit cliche, but I did find the reasoning touching. It’s not absolutely perfect, but I did find comfort in this show and its characters. Jung Kyung Ho and Jeon Do Yeon are both fantastic actors and had surprisingly good chemistry. The young actors, especially Roh Yoon Seo and Lee Chae Min, were also fantastic. I would definitely put this show on again to feel good.

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Two Unappealing Characters in One

I suppose I went into this expecting more. The FL was a modern professional woman who knew about C-dramas and wuxias; she should have handled palace intrigues with more intelligence, but she turned out to be an idiotic, petulant child (which really isn't fair to children, some of whom are much more mature). She was supposedly the Queen of Real Estate, a job that requires savvy, tact, and diplomacy. She had none of that. She did have outbursts, inappropriate behavior, and contemptuous faces that would have ruined her real estate career and should have caused her to lose her head in the palace. Actually the FL was two people. Her other personality was boring and morose. Ah, it's hard for me to enjoy a drama when I don't like the main character, and this one had two unappealing characters rolled into one.

Good:
• Nice chemistry between the leads.
• Wang Rui Chang looked magnificent in white hair. He has cheekbones that could cut diamonds.

Bad:
• The OST was obtrusive, awkward, and incohesive. Often, it was so loud, it drowned out the dialogue. I begrudgingly allow there was a good song.
• The FL was inconsistent in portrayal. She stated she was a modern woman, but then she said she wasn't accustomed to taking care of things without a servant. She said she was a successful professional, but she acted like a spoiled kindergartener.
• Those atrocious wigs! Horses butts have better hair.
• The editing and camera work needed help. And the sound effects were hilariously bad. The actress walked: clomp, clomp, clomp... She stopped, but the sound of her steps continued, clomp, clomp, clomp!

I added an extra star because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It maintained my interest even while irritating me.

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Wayu and the host club made this show shine ✨

What really made this show shine for me was our MC, Wayu. Boy is such an earnest, motivated person who is both way too naive for this sh*t and also genuinely good at being a host at Moonlit club. The host club premise made for incredibly sexy and also deeply touching moments. I couldn't help but care about the club hosts' odd little family and for sure cried! The story petered out a little for me towards the end and i felt like it wrapped things up a little too neatly, but omg was the host club stuff good.

If you're looking for a very sex positive show tho, this is definitely it! There are some dark themes surrounding human trafficking and the violence sex workers face, which i felt were handled with nuance and appropriate gravity. Here's a breakdown of my own specific ratings:
Angst: 8/10
Whump: 8/10
Sweetness: 7/10
Spiciness: 10/10
Realism: 7/10
Ending: 7/10

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What is the message of this drama?

I was watching out of curiosity since it has many good actors and bc the topic is real - things that happen in this drama are REAL, e.g. everything that Lizard said about financial and other frauds, everything we have seen - is real!!! -
but the content and message of this drama is Kwood, not kdrama

The villain is made funny to soften the harsh reality of apartment building frauds
and the ML is a convinced gangster. The drama kinda promotes bad guys

So the drama is about a convinced gangster who keeps on gangstering with his crew
runs into a "good woman" who falls in love with him, and is against gangsters and does not know he is a gangster, and he keeps gangstering

AT THE END OF THE DRAMA, MOST OF THE AUDIENCE THOUGHT THEY NEVER GOT TOGETHER

the gansgster somehow starts doing good deeds bc of her

It is too rosey and vague

I was watching out of curiosity and then dropped bc the drama became about the "fun" villain ...

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