Reviews

Healing

Wow, I really loved this one. The premise of a twin swap is already very promising, and the first episode was really strong. I was immediately captivated by the younger scenes of Miji/Hosu, and their friends-to-lovers romance went on to become one of my on-screen favorites.

This show really did a fantastic job balancing romance with more serious, darker topics. Each character had their own struggles and their stories, and I really loved seeing everyone grow individually and together. But the most important theme in this show actually turned out to be motherhood; I loved seeing different mother-child relationships throughout the show, whether it was about the twins vying for their mother’s attention, or about the struggles of being adopted, or about generational trauma. I was really impressed with how much nuance this drama had towards each story.

Aside from motherhood, it’s just a really touching story about growing up, healing from trauma, and dealing with adulthood, and I found every plot point to be really relatable.

There are a few things that I’m not the biggest fan of, even if this show handled it okay. One of those is the very well-known final act break-up. While I think Hosu’s reasoning of not wanting to burden his loved ones with his disability is very realistic and aligned with his character, I’m just never going to enjoy the final act break-up trope in media because it feels like introducing a new conflict near the end; in this show, I would’ve preferred if we took some more time to confront the twin’s relationship with each other or with their mother.

The other thing is the second ship, Mirae and Sejin. I don’t have any particular criticism here; I just didn’t really connect to the romance as much.

I’m ultimately satisfied with the ending but it is a tad bit open-ended; my heart wants to see more Mirae confronting the office bullies but my brain knows that it’s actually healthier for her to just remove herself from the situation and have her legal representatives deal with it. Either way, the message the show left me with is very true to life — life goes on.

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Unnecessary negativity and conflict

I started this drama because of its popular recommendation, however I'm struggling to see why others find it so good. I fell asleep several times in the first half but mustered through. It's not entirely bad, but I feel like I may need to rewatch it in case I missed something?

While the drama had a unique hook, the execution didn’t fully land for me. Some of the acting felt forced, and the story kept pushing itself to one direction.

Jiang Xuening was portrayed as the constantly upright protagonist. The drama leaned so heavily on comparing her past and present life that it was repetitive.

Xie Wei’s characterization also felt overdone. He was obviously meant to seem cold and cruel, but the constant scowling, shouting, overly hoarse voice, and choking during romantic scenes made the performance feel cringey. His mean personality and her giving in because she felt pity was confusing to watch.

The antagonists conflicts were dragged to such extremes that they became exhausting. The same villains were being squeezed for every bit of evil possible by the producers just so the protagonist could eventually overcome them. Even non-villians were portrayed to extremes, such as her mother’s constant nagging becoming very irritating, even if those conflicts were eventually wrapped up in a touching way.

I think the narrowness of the characters and the storyline made this drama difficult to watch. No character development. Basically she grew from her past, so we are already at the stage in the story where she has already grown. Typical palace drama ... and why make the king sick? He doesn't do much except for being sick. But shoutout to the sister for a change. Some of the scenes were also unflattering for the cast -- like why wideangle them in the only scene they're in bed?

The pacing was another issue. The buildup was really slow, and finishing the drama took patience and self-control not to skip scenes. The emotional payoff did hit near the end, but the conclusion felt restrained, like the story spent so long building tension only to quietly wrap everything up and move on.

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logic out of the window

I'm disappointed in this drama, from the trailer and first eps it was super interesting but then it went downhill. You'd think with all the deaths happening that at least the police got involved but apparently not, cause how are they entering areas where supposedly a person passed away but the crime scene looks untouched, like you'd think if the police got involved some sort of cleaning would occur? or they'd take the phones into evidence or anything at all, but no the crime scenes look virtually untouched except of the missing bodies, like was the police involved and why are 4 kids the only ones affected by this phenomenon app considering its suppose to be a viral app?, like did it not reach the news or the rest of the country or whats going on, i genuinely don't get this show, and the ending sucked too, like when they reveal the big "whh the curse got made" youd think it would be something super serious and insane and harsh and not something dumb like she revealed my crush to the school, super disappointed considering how promising the plot was.

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Good stakes but tonal whiplash

I know this entire series is highly regarded and there are moments where I can completely see why — it’s probably one of the most high-stakes historical dramas I’ve ever seen, and the acting and production value are all great. In this first batch of 10 episodes though, I found the tonal inconsistencies to be really difficult to keep up with.

The first episodes are really light-hearted, and we have a really spoiled main female character; this definitely makes for good character development later on as layers get peeled back and we start seeing that there’s much more to her, but those first few episodes were really hard to sit through. That combined with a similar obnoxious personality for our male lead meant that I didn’t really root for our leads to be together — not until later. It doesn’t help that the show uses a lot of tropes that I don’t really buy into or that I find frustrating, like dream symbolism or miscommunications.

About halfway, the heavy stuff starts, and that’s when I start to care about it. The political strategy stuff is not always the most interesting to watch, but seeing the FL become stronger and try to protect her friends was great, and probably the highlight of the season. Which is why it kind of jarring weird when the tone suddenly reverted back to being bright again when the previous conflict was resolved. And then it went back to being dark again when another conflict was introduced. I’m not against moments of humor in shows with life-or-death stakes, but I think it wasn’t balanced very well between scenes or episodes.

I’m a little sad that I didn’t like this as much as the rest, but I still have high hopes for Part 2.

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ACTION PACK

FIRST TIME SEEING HAEIN IN VILLAIN ROLE AND I LIKE IT.. MORE VILLAIN ROLE TO COME, OR ACTION FILM FOR HIM, TIRED OF SEEING HIM IN MELODRAMA. HE BETTER DO MORE ACTION FILM OR COMEDY FILM IF HE CAN. MORE MOVIES.

“I, the Executioner” tells the story of veteran detective Seo Do-cheol (played by HWANG Jung-min) and his team at Major Crimes, relentless in their pursuit of criminals, who join forces with rookie cop Park Sun-woo (played by JUNG Hae-in) to track down a serial killer who has plunged the nation into turmoil.

For audiences familiar with the impact the first installment of the first movie Veteran had in Korea and veteran actor Hwang Jung Min’s status in the Korean film industry, I, the Executioner is a movie Korean film enthusiasts wouldn’t want to miss. That said, the storyline of I, the Executioner has absolutely nothing to do with the first movie so moviegoers can opt to watch the movie without any expectations and knowledge of the first film (but it would be good to learn just the names of the main characters).

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Coould have had it all

I admit I was looking forward to watching this series because of ML who I really like and enjoy his acting, and because the story line seemed really good. I was not disappointed in the ML's acting or the storyline, but very disappointed in the match-up of the ML with the FL. I don't like criticizing anyone, but I can't hold back on this one. This actress was absolutely wrong as a FL match-up with ML. He is a good actor anf I have watched him and enjoyed his performances in many series, and I have to say the scenes of him and FL together here were so lackluster that it made me feel bad for him. She brought nothing good to the table. Her negative impact manages to dim his light in my opinion. They truly made me cringe! I enjoyed watching the 2nd leads together much more. I understand the characters the FL and ML were playing, but still find FL was not right match for him and I don't think it's because of their (real or their charcters') age difference either.
As for the storyline, I found it to be good.
Due to my disappointment in the FL, I won't be rewatching this. It was difficult watching it once. (I do rewatch Melody of Golden Era often 😁)

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Not worth watching for me

So, 40 eps later, I think I should have invested my time in another drama. It was not worth my time. Don't think I can rate this more than 6-6,5

Let's start with some positive points :
1) I liked the costumes
2) Acting was fine from the cast. I don't think I have ever seen FL's actress before and I think she did good, during the emotional and sad scene too
3) The leads character were enjoyable.
4) I liked the powerful ML, he is mostly why I continued watching the drama. I liked watching him fighting and solo everyone.
5) This had some good fighting scenes
6) Surprisingly, I liked the arc about the library. I liked the fighting scenes and I think it was admirable all these people willing to die and trying to save the ancient texts or wiling to die protecting them. It still felt infuriating when we saw one of the half burning after so many dead. I was feeling ''All that for nothing''.
7) I liked Bai Zong Ying arc later in the drama. I was sad when he died.
8) I liked what they did with Jiang Ji character. She was annoying a part of the drama, but she was so about the rules, following the sects, you are a demon, etc.. So I think it was interesting seeing her see things differently we could say in the end.
9) Some side characters were fine

Now the negative points for me :
1) A Sheng and Jin Lun : they were a complete waste of screentime. 0 Interesting and what was the point. Jin Lun and their scenes could have been completely erased and it would have change nothing. Even her, I didn't found her character interesting, she did serve some little purpose at some point, but she also felt unnecessary. As the fourth drama I watch of the screenwriter, the ''Second pairing'' is always a waste to me
2) The romance : there were some little moments, but there was barely romance and I did not really feel it. You don't need kissing scenes, I just don't think there was much romantic chemistry. Felt more like a friendship, companions than romantic partners
3) The last battle felt somehow disappointing. I know I said that I like ML being invisible, but for a last battle... he just show up, kill him and leave so fast. That somehow felt underwhelming.
4) The plot in general : It didn't really catch my attention and it felt mid to me, boring at time. I wasn't fully invested in the plot, but I still wanted to see where it lead. All of this to become human to in the end stay a war demon. Well he did had some times to enjoy what it feels like to be human, but still. I was left a bit with ''what was the point''.
5) The editing : maybe a few times it bothered me. Like the transition between the scenes. One time, we were in the middle of ML fighting and it shift to the second leads talking out of nowhere, like why. I fast-forwarded. And how many eps ended mid battle, that was annoying.
6) The ending : the most disappointing part of the drama. You tell me, they had 2 entire episodes to do the conclusion and it's how they went ? It's okay to show closure in general and side characters too, but for the leads ??? Useless and unnecessary cameos and filler moments, FL looking for ML for 2 eps. Then they have them meeting in the last few seconds of the drama.
You can call this a happy ending, but I won't call it a good ending. Feel like a complete waste of time an ending like this, left to imagination to what happens after that. These kind of ending gives nothing. The romance was already flat, so I wouldn't have expected much, but still could have gone differently.

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Stuck With This One

I’m a bit on the fence with this show. I absolutely love the mains. Most of the supporting cast is pretty good. music has been ok, but nothing standout. My issue with it is the constant state of give and take. I’ve watched a ton of dramas over the last 10 years and I don’t recall any of them throwing this many curveballs. Sure, one per episode is pretty standard, but with this show is 3-5 per episode. As a viewer, you’re never given the chance to build hope for the relationship to develop. To be honest, 7 episodes into a 12 episode series, there should be some development. There isn’t. They make the slowest amount of progress and then instantly erase it. Every time.

I have to finish it to see the end of course. I’m too invested at this point. But the building blocks of the story have been completely tossed out now. I’m sad about that.

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Watching a 2nd time

I am currently in episode 8 of watching this drama a second time. Here are my reasons:

I had no idea who any of the actors were the first time I watched this drama. Since then I have become a fan of Sung Hoon in CEO roles and wanted to re-watch him in a role where he was basically support. I loved HENRY's character and when I found out about his singing and violin talent I became a huge fan. I feel the leads did a good job portraying their characters and liked ML's teasing of FL regarding potential kissable moments.

As someone who has seen domestic violence in a family situation I appreciated that this subject was touched on.

When I was in my twenties I weighed 127 pounds (57.6kg) and now thanks to menopause I weigh 240 lbs (108.9kg) I had a well proportioned figure due to my height and good genes. I can identify with the FL. Inside you know you are still you, but have that nagging feeling of not being quite who you were. Both the first time and this time while watching this drama I was touched by the following comment: "Is your body only single use? Are you going to use it only one day and throw it away?" I really think I need to put this on my refrigerator and take it with me when I go shopping.

From the very beginning I fell in love with the theme song, Beautiful Lady. But then before retirement I made my living as a mobile DJ so I either love or dislike music immediately. Overall I thought the music and sound production in this drama paired well with the appropriate scenes

Someone made a comment about the FL gaining so much weight in the final (to avoid spoiler I won't say why). However, I know many people who have done this and then been able to return to their weight prior to the incident. It was not unrealistic.

Some things I didn't like:
The second leads were okay but nothing to write home about. Didn't care for the stalker female at all. I intensely dislike childish characters and her behavior was so inappropriate. I have not seen the primary leads in any other work and won't go out of my way to watch something just because they are in it. However I am happy for Shin Min Ah that she and Kim Woo Bin have been able to have a loving and stable relationship in a world full of toxic netizens.

Overall:
I would definitely recommend this as a must watch at least one time.

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"I warned that you might regret this"

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I started Going by the Book. The old synopsis said a traffic cop went undercover in a robbery gang and that was far removed from the story in this film. The actual premise might have been far-fetched but it did provide for both tense moments and hilarious ones.

Officer Jung Do Man had been a detective until a failed investigation resulted in his demotion to traffic cop. Upright and by the book he is a thorn in his colleagues’ sides. When the new police chief, Lee Seung Woo arrives, he discovers that there have been a number of unsolved bank robberies. After watching a military exercise, Lee decides to hold a police exercise to strengthen police response time to robberies and coordination with the banks. He secretly chooses Do Man to play the robber, a move the officer warns against. Lee learns the hard way that Jung Do Man takes his job very seriously when the simulation becomes more complicated and more public than Lee had planned.

The film started out slow, and I worried that it was not for me. Once the simulation began, that’s when the fun and tension ramped up. Do Man had done his homework and his way of handling the “hostages” was stressful and funny. Despite not wanting to upset the people in the bank, he was willing to see the simulation through to the end. And return his rented videos on time! Jung Jae Young was suited to a tee as Do Man. He portrayed a good cop who didn’t see the nuance in relationships yet could zero in on illegal patterns. Son Byung Ho brought out Chief Lee’s conflicted emotions as Jung had done exactly what he asked but to a degree he never dreamed.

Going by the Book was an interesting case study in hostage situations even if or perhaps because it was fake. People complained, freaked out, and cooperated. Pride pushed the chief to continue on long after he should have called the simulation off. Thankfully, the humor was not slapstick or bathroom oriented. It evolved organically from the claustrophobic and absurd experiment. I laughed out loud numerous times which is a rarity for me. Silly, serious, ridiculous---yet ended up being quite enjoyable.

12 May 2026
Favorite quote (roughly remembered): “In a fight, which one wins, wushu or boxing?” “The one who has a gun.”

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what happened?

genuinely almost clicked off and called it quits during the first sighting of ai post lin'an arc. i thought the groundwork of the story was neatly laid, and i was quite impressed with the abilities of the cast, both linghe and xiwei. they have mouthwatering visual chemistry, and i was pretty frustrated by how wasted it was in the second half of the story.

some tropes got a little old after a while, the usage of ai was blatantly disrespectful, and the political lore just started to drag and drag after a while. i was intrigued, i'll admit, by the second leads and their forbidden romance. but then it got overshadowed and watered down for the sake of the main couples, including qi min and qianqian.

it sucks that such a brilliant director with such a keen eye for beautiful imagery fell victim to ai usage in his craft. i was amazed otherwise, but i'm mostly disappointed.

all in all, i don't think i feel the need to finish this show.

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