Reviews

Watched for the Royal Glamour, Hoped for a Better Story, AND GOT NOTHING

My rewritten review after completing the drama

Honestly, I’m not a huge K-drama watcher, so when I started this drama, I went in with both curiosity and very high expectations 👑✨. A modern royalty theme, A-list actors, luxurious production, palace politics, business power struggles — on paper, this drama sounded exactly like something that should have been unforgettable for me.

And first of all, I want to make this clear: it is actually quite a nice drama if you watch it casually. If you don’t think too deeply about the writing and just enjoy it like a royal fantasy fairy tale 🏰💫, then I can absolutely understand why many viewers are loving it. The drama is visually beautiful, stylish, luxurious, and very easy to watch.

But for me personally, the experience feels more complicated than that.

Usually, I’m very careful when rating dramas. I don’t rate based on popularity, visuals, or whether my favourite actor is starring in it. Even if my favourite actor appears in a poorly written drama, I will still criticise it or even drop it completely. That’s why I sometimes struggle with sites like MDL. I often feel like many viewers rate dramas emotionally rather than fairly. Popular actors and romantic fantasy stories automatically receive higher ratings, while genuinely layered thrillers or more complex dramas are judged much more harshly. Sometimes it feels less like honest reviewing and more like people wanting to protect their fantasy worlds 💭.

And honestly… this drama just doesn’t fully work for me the way I hoped it would.

When I really analyse the drama deeply, I can’t say it has anything truly groundbreaking overall. However, I also can’t deny that certain aspects are genuinely top-tier. That’s the strange feeling I have while watching this drama — I’m not fully satisfied, but I’m still impressed in certain areas at the same time.

Now let’s talk about the acting and chemistry 🎭.

This is actually one of my biggest disappointments.

From the moment this drama was announced, I had massive expectations because of the cast alone. The modern royal family concept already caught my attention immediately, but then seeing IU and BWS cast as the leads made my anticipation even higher. I had also seen so many people praise their previous performances, so naturally, I expected powerful acting and unforgettable chemistry.

But honestly… I just don’t feel it.

Even after eleven episodes, the chemistry between the main couple still feels weak to me 😅. In the beginning, I excused it because the story was still developing and the characters were just meeting each other. But as the drama continued, that emotional connection I was waiting for never truly arrived. I kept expecting a scene that would suddenly make me emotionally invested in their relationship, but it never happened.

About IU specifically — I actually do think she acted well. I genuinely like her as an actress, and she still carries scenes naturally. But my issue is that I expected MUCH more from her. After watching some of her previous dramas, I know how emotionally impactful she can be. Here, however, her performance feels more “acceptable” than extraordinary. She performs the role correctly, but nothing about it feels especially memorable or emotionally overwhelming. It feels like she is simply acting the character rather than completely becoming the character.

Now about BWS… I know many fans may disagree with me here 😭.

But honestly, I feel like he completely misunderstood this role.

This character is not simply a handsome romantic male lead. He is a Grand Prince. A regent. A royal figure carrying generations of political authority and royal responsibility. He is the son of a late king, brother of a former king, uncle to the current king, and one of the most powerful figures in the royal family. A character like this should naturally carry royal elegance, imperial dignity, authority, composure, and overwhelming presence 👑.

But I personally felt none of that from him.

Visually? Yes, he looks extremely handsome. His styling is excellent. His face, body proportions, outfits — all perfect. But beyond the visuals, I honestly could not feel royal charisma from him at all. The way he walks sometimes feels more like a runway model than a prince raised within royal traditions. He looks amazing as an idol-like fantasy male lead, but this role required much more than appearance.

This is not a story about an idol.

This is a story about royalty.

And for me, he never truly embodied that royal identity. Sometimes I even felt like the second male lead carried more believable nobility and aristocratic presence than the actual male lead himself.

Speaking of supporting actors — I genuinely think the second female lead gave the strongest performance in the drama 🖤✨.

Even though she plays a darker and more villainous character, her acting feels convincing, layered, and engaging. Every time she appears on screen, I pay attention. She understands the tone of her character very well and delivers it properly. Out of the entire cast, she impressed me the most.

The second male lead also did a pretty solid job. His acting wasn’t as impactful as the second female lead’s performance, but he still felt believable within the royal world. At times, I honestly thought he matched the royal concept better than the main male lead because he naturally carried that noble atmosphere.

Now let’s talk about the writing and characterisation ✍️.

This is another area where I struggled a lot.

I understand why many viewers feel conflicted about the female lead. Sometimes she feels dominant, sometimes manipulative, sometimes emotionally unstable, sometimes pitiful — but the issue is that none of these traits is fully developed. It feels like the writer wanted her to be many things at once without properly committing to any direction. As a result, her characterisation feels incomplete and inconsistent.

And honestly… some of her loudly shouting scenes became genuinely frustrating for me 😭. Instead of feeling powerful or emotionally intense, they often felt noisy and overly exaggerated.

As for the male lead’s character, I actually think the basic concept itself is very good. A prince burdened by royal responsibility since childhood, trapped between duty and personal emotions — that idea has huge potential. But the execution feels weak. Some of his behaviour feels far too immature and unrealistic for someone raised within a royal institution. I’m not from a royal family, obviously 😭, but even I feel like the writer didn’t properly study royal behaviour, political etiquette, or aristocratic culture before writing this script.

And now… the plot 🔍.

This is probably the biggest reason why I feel disappointed overall.

I personally LOVE layered political stories filled with twists, betrayals, strategy, hidden motives, and psychological tension. Since this drama revolves around royalty and political conspiracies, I expected something much more complex.

But after eleven episodes, the story still feels surprisingly simple.

If someone asked me to summarise the entire first half of the drama, I would simply say this:

A Grand Prince burdened by royal responsibilities enters an arranged marriage with a wealthy and intelligent illegitimate daughter of a business family. Their political marriage slowly turns into love while conspiracies happen around the royal family.

And honestly… that’s basically it.

Yes, there are political schemes, assassination attempts, accusations against the royal family, and villainous manipulations happening in the background. But none of them truly shocked me. There were barely any real twists. Most developments happened exactly the way I expected from the very beginning. The supposed masterminds were obvious early on, and the drama never created the level of tension or unpredictability I hoped for.

Now I absolutely NEED to praise the cinematography and production design though 📸✨.

Because visually, this drama is genuinely stunning.

The fireworks scene in Episode 1? Absolutely breathtaking 🎆.

The Grand Prince’s proposal scene during the royal function? Beautifully staged and visually memorable.

The costume design deserves enormous praise 👗💎. Honestly, this is one of the biggest reasons I continue watching. The styling team selected incredibly luxurious outfits and accessories, especially for IU. Watching her appear in those elegant gowns and royal-inspired fashion pieces is genuinely one of the highlights of the drama for me.

I also loved many of BWS’s royal outfits — especially his Episode 1 entrance costume and the imperial military-style uniform in Episode 6. Those costumes finally gave him the regal aura I wanted to feel from the character.

The architecture and interior design are also gorgeous 🏛️✨. The palace interiors, royal residences, ceremonial halls, and private estates all feel rich and expensive. The drama constantly reminds you that this is a massive high-budget production.

And honestly… You can SEE the money on screen 💰👀.

Everything looks luxurious.

The sets.
The costumes.
The jewelry.
The locations.
The lighting.
The overall atmosphere.

This drama truly feels like an S+ production in terms of visuals and budget.

I also really appreciate how the drama combines traditional Joseon royal aesthetics with modern luxury fashion and business culture. That mixture feels fresh and visually unique compared to typical K-dramas.

However, one visual issue I noticed is that many wide-angle shots feel strangely empty. Sometimes, there are giant palace buildings or massive locations shown with barely any people around them, which creates a very desolate atmosphere instead of a lively royal environment.

About the OST 🎼 — I usually don’t pay much attention to soundtracks, but I do think this drama has some beautiful background music. The soundtrack fits the luxurious royal atmosphere very nicely. However, despite sounding pleasant, none of the songs feels truly unforgettable or emotionally iconic yet.

At the end of the day, the biggest reason I was so excited for this drama was the royal concept itself 👑✨.

A Grand Prince and a billionaire young woman?

That combination sounded AMAZING to me.

It immediately felt more refreshing than the usual “cold CEO and poor innocent girl” cliché. I liked that the female lead is intelligent, wealthy, ambitious, and capable instead of helpless.

That’s why I’m continuing this drama despite my frustrations.

Even though the acting, chemistry, writing, and pacing disappointed me in many ways, the royal fantasy atmosphere, luxurious visuals, costumes, architecture, and overall production quality are still entertaining enough to keep me watching.

So overall, this drama feels like a visually stunning royal fantasy with incredible production value, beautiful styling, and strong aesthetic appeal ✨👑🏛️ — but at the same time, it also feels emotionally weaker, less layered, and less impactful than I originally hoped.

I still hope the final episode surprises me and delivers stronger emotional depth🤞💫.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

I just completed the last episode, and I honestly do not even know how to express my disappointment 😭💔 Such a huge disappointment.

At least I hoped to watch a big plot twist in the final episode 🤯⚡ but no… nothing happened 🫠 Everything happened exactly as I expected. Actually, some of the things I expected never even happened.

I really hoped the villain would finally get a proper backstory 🥀🖤 I thought he would have some emotional or hidden story about himself, and that all those villainous actions were connected to revenge or some deeper reason 😮‍💨 But no… such a foolish reason 🤦‍♀️ Oh what the hell was that 💀

And what even happened in the end? 😭 I have literally watched the same type of ending years ago in another drama 🫥📺

I was already disappointed with the acting and directing 🎭📉 so I thought, okay, at least the scriptwriter might save this drama ✍️ But I expected a great, satisfying, or at least complete ending 🌌✨ Instead, they just… ended it 😐 No major reveal, no emotional impact, nothing memorable.

When this drama started, I genuinely thought it would have a big and meaningful plot 🔥 But in the end, it barely even had a story at all 🫠 It just felt like a staged play dragging toward an empty ending 🎬⬇️

Ahh, such a freaking disappointing drama 😭💢 Oh my gosh.

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Inconsistent

Things I loved

1 Enemies to Lovers or Second Chance or Best friends to Lovers paired with legal cases is a perfect combination for me. I expected this to be great. It fell short though.

Things I liked

1 The FL. At first I loved her but after a while she fell to the liked list because her characters didn't grow the way I was expecting. She still did a great job and I liked her more than disliked.

2 The ML. I wasn't fond of his tortured character. This wasn't the drama to be that secretive about his feelings and act aloof. It's like the director didn't know what he wanted from him and of course he wasn't able to deliver. I also liked him more than disliked hence the high score. That said, I won't go out of my way to find any other dramas with him or her.

Things I disliked

1 The cases. Some were interesting, some were dull, some were awful. I'm not sure at the end of the day that they should go for drama. I think lighter cases and more comedy would have been greats for this premise.

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Unfortunately, I was truly disappointed with the show.
The beginning of their meeting should have laid the foundation for their love story, but it was so quick and banal that it didn't convey the deep feeling between the protagonists (especially the acting of ML was very flat).

Everything that follows seems strangely forced and awkward, it is not clear whether he remains close to this woman to keep the promise of engagement, out of humanity or something else (I know it is supposed to be for Love, but only on paper).
Once FL wakes up from the coma, things don't improve much... it's interesting to see the long and arduous rehabilitation process. I felt like I was watching a documentary, but what about the emotions?

I might be considered "insensitive," given that it's also based on a true story, but I have to be honest about what this film left me with, and the answer is: nothing. A real shame, because the potential for a great story was there.

The music bothered me and I didn't find it appropriate to accompany the film's scenes.
I consider it a barely decent film, which is too quickly forgotten.

I apologize for any mistakes, English is not my language.

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Long paragraph, but you must read this if you’re planning to watch it.

When this drama started, I honestly thought it would explore the idea that people working in the adult industry are no different from others that they’re normal individuals with their own emotions and lives. However, as the story progressed, it shifted focus and portrayed the male lead entering the adult film industry mainly due to depression and unresolved trauma from past sexual violence.
Unfortunately, the execution falls short. The storyline feels weak, with several loopholes and a lack of depth in the narrative. Character development is almost nonexistent, making it hard to connect with most of the cast.
The drama tries to juggle three different storylines, but only Lanlee and Sea’s arc feels engaging and worth watching. The rest lack emotional impact and proper buildup.

The hate to love dynamic, especially with the shared room trope and emotional scenes like crying during sleep, feels overly familiar. In fact, episode 1 strongly reminded me of "TharnType*" almost as if it was trying to recreate the same formula but without the same intensity or execution.

Overall, the plot feels repetitive and underdeveloped, which makes it hard to stay invested despite its potentially meaningful themes. All love to the entire cast, but this series and its plot could have been much better.

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The best and so good!!!

Absolute perfection. This easily became my favorite BL of all time. The story, the acting, the characters, the music, everything about it I loved. I recommend it so highly. This is going to be a long review, so buckle in.

The story:
I loved that if there was any conflict at all, it was solved so quickly. No miscommunication, no drawn-out plotlines that felt unnecessarily long, no breakups, none of it. Those things are almost always in dramas and especially BL's and this time there was none of it. The friendships felt so real and natural. Daung, Jamie, and Pae, might just be one of my favorite friend groups I've ever seen. I love how supportive of each other they were, how much they joked around with each, there for each other, etc. They truly felt like a real friend group. Even though we didn't see Qin, Tong, and Kim hang out as much, I really liked their friend group as well. Both were complete opposites of each other in some ways, but I think that is one of the reasons it was so enjoyable. I really loved the friendship Jamie and Qin had by the end of the show too. They really became besties and I love that. I think the show progressed at the perfect pace too. I loved how long each episode was and even though they were long, they still went by so fast. I love that the entire story took place over a years' time. It showed how much time has really passed and showed that nothing happened immediately and took time, which made it feel more realistic.

The characters and actors:
1. Duang and TeeTee! Nobody could've played Duang except 2Tee. He was the perfect Duang. 2Tee did such an incredible job. He made me laugh, made me emotional, made me feel all the emotions throughout the series. He is such an incredible actor. Duang has got to be one of the greenest flags ever. He's just the best. I love Duang with all my heart. He's so kind and caring and funny and was just so enjoyable as a main character. Loved him so much!
2. Qin and Por! I've loved Por since Your Sky and was hoping to see him in something else and little did I know it would become my favorite. Por did an incredible job as Qin. I, like I said with Duang and TeeTee, don't think anyone else could've played Qin except for Por. I loved Qin so much and loved seeing how he grew and changed throughout the story. I loved seeing him open up more and more to Duang and then get to open up to his parents as well. So beautiful. I love how much we got to hear him sing as well.
3. Jamie and North! North absolutely killed this. I didn't know North before this, and I am so glad this introduced him to me. I love him so much now. As for Jamie, I loved him so much too. Jamie was so funny. I loved seeing him with Duang, Pae, Qin, and especially Marvis. I just think Jamie was such a fun character.
4. Marvis and Otto! Again, this was my first time seeing Otto and GOD DAMN! I wish I knew him sooner. He killed it as this c*nty little diva. I loved Marvis a lot. He's so sassy but caring at the same time.
5. Pae and Wave! Once again, my first time seeing him and instantly fell hard. I loved Pae so much. He was so funny! I wish he was in the show more. The second half of the show especially felt like he definitely became more of a background character, but I kept wanting more. Either way love him, love Wave. He did an amazing job as Pae.


Couples:
1. Duang and Qin! COUPLE GOALS!! Where do I find this? They are such a perfect couple. They balance each other out so well in so many ways. They're helping each other grow in so many ways too. Best couple. I've never seen a couple in a show/movie feel so natural and real like them. From bigger moments between them down to the littlest kisses and gestures, they felt so realistic. They were such a true representation of what a healthy and in love couple looks like. I could talk about them forever.
2. Jamie and Marvis! I loved every scene between them, I just wish we got more!! I loved every time they came on screen together, but there wasn't enough. I'm hoping we get a special episode or something so we can see more of them (and hopefully actually get a kiss this time). I loved all their scenes though so much. The sexual tension was so strong. I loved seeing them have sweet moments too and see them start to fall for each other more and more.
3. Pae and Tong! (Yes, I'm putting them in the couple category) I thought we'd get more of these two together, even if they weren't going to get together in the show, I thought we would just see more of them together, but we really didn't. Pae kept mentioning a partner and with the whole Cherry thing I really thought they were going in that direction, but I guess not. If we get a special ep I hope they get at least some kind of scene just the two of them.

Overall, I just can't say enough good things about this show. It was incredible. I'm writing this on the first Saturday without Duang with You and I'm still so sad to see it done. I'm really hoping for a special because I don't want to be done with any of these characters yet. I fell in love with all the characters and actors and miss it so much already. I've had the music on repeat since they all dropped on streaming. I could genuinely talk about this show forever, but I'll end with this. Duang with You's thing is "not the best but still good" but this series truly was the best. I can't wait to rewatch.

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Strong start, weak middle, rushed ending

At the very beginning, this drama was very good. The concept of a high school girl like Seong A being a shaman at such a young age is something I have honestly seen for the first time, and that immediately made it interesting. The main storyline about Gyeong U being born with misfortune, where everyone close to him ends up dying, and the karmic connection with Seong A’s shaman life had strong potential.

The starting episodes really pulled me in.

But as we progressed, the shamanism angle started taking over a lot. I understand that it is the core concept, but considering the genre, I expected a bit more balance with romance. There was romance between Seong A and Gyeong U in the beginning, but in the middle it completely disappeared. Then a cute closure. It was sweet, yes, but it felt like all the build up was lost somewhere along the way. Their chemistry had potential, but it never fully reached it.

I also had multiple theories while watching. I binge watched it in one day, so I was fully invested. But some theories started contradicting each other at the same time. Certain developments did not make complete sense. The mysterious lady introduced at the beginning had such a strong aura, but since we already knew she was the villain, it did not feel that impactful. Everyone already knew she was the villain, so when things started unfolding, it did not feel shocking. They were reacting like it was some huge surprise, like oh my gosh, she is doing villain stuff, but as a viewer, we already saw it coming.

At some point, it genuinely felt like they were putting themselves in danger. Like khud ke pair pe kulhaadi maar rahe ho tum (you are hitting an axe on your own foot). If you know who is behind everything, maybe stop trusting the same person again and again.

Now about the second male lead, Ji Ho. He was very resourceful, and honestly, he could have helped a lot more. He was with Gyeong U the entire time when Seong A was not, and still he did not know half of what was happening. They kept saying I will tell you later or it is not that serious. If you want Ji Ho involved in the plan, then tell him everything. Either keep him in the loop properly or do not. That half situation was frustrating.

The acting was good. Not bad at all. Everyone did their job well. No complaints there.

Even beyond the romance, I feel like the shamanism concept itself did not shine the way it could have. The constant variation and modification of theories weakened the impact. The finale, which was built up as something huge, ended up feeling underwhelming.

I would have rated the plot around 5 or 5.5, but since I binge watched it and liked the overall vibe, I gave it an extra point.

Final rating 6.6 out of 10
Potential Yes
Fully delivered Not really

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A kawaii series, but with an annoying "ideal Japanese" FL.

PLOT: FL arrives in a new department (Sales) and encounters hostility, even malice, from her colleagues. However, ML (the head of IT, on whom she's had a crush for two years) discreetly helps her. One evening, she finds herself locked out (keys inaccessible) and he takes her in (he share an appartment with the head of Sales). ML (very introverted, almost autistic) and FL grow closer, confess their mutual love, and face their problems together. HE.

+++ Fujii Ryusei (but with a щ(ಠ益ಠщ) щ(ಠ益ಠщ) hairstyle) as ML
+++ A fairly realistic story that addresses workplace harassment, forced alcohol at numerous team dinners, etc.
+++ For once, quite a lot of kisses and skinship.

### Konno Ayaka is undoubtedly a good actress, but she always plays the same role (the Japanese ideal woman): submissive, hardworking, forgiving, clingy... stupid!!
### The OSTs are too Japanese for me.

=> A series to pass the time, not memorable either. The producers should give the actors the opportunity to have more substantial roles!
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Série kawaii mais avec FL "idéale japonaise" agaçante

PLOT : La FL arrive ds 1 nouveau service (Ventes), et se heurte à l'hostilité, voire la malveillance de ses collègues. Cpdt, le ML (chef du service informatique, sur lequel elle a 1 crush depuis 2 ans), lui vient en aide discrètement. Un soir, elle se retrouve à la porte (clefs inaccessibles) et il l'héberge chez lui (colocataire, chef du service Ventes). Le ML (très introverti limite autiste) et la FL vont se rapprocher, s'avouer leur amour mutuel et affronter ensemble les pbs. HE.

+++ Fujii Ryusei (mais avec 1 coiffure щ(ಠ益ಠщ) щ(ಠ益ಠщ) en ML
+++ Story à peu près réaliste, qui aborde le harcèlement au travail, l'alcool forcé ds les nbreux diners d'équipe, etc.
+++ Pour 1 fois, pas mal de kisses et de skinship.

### Konno Ayaka est sans doute une bonne actrice, mais elle joue tjs le même rôle (idéal féminin japonais) : soumise, hardworking, forgiving, cluless, ... stupid !!
### OSTs trop japonaises pour moi.

=> Série pour passer le temps, pas mémorable non plus. Les producteurs devraient donner aux acteurs la possibilité d'avoir des rôles + consistants !

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Great premise, awful acting

Things I loved

1 The premise. That would be great for a long series and I hope someone does it one day. It could be fun, original, romantic, whatever you want. The sky is the limit. Title: a 100 ways to break up.

Things I hated

1 The FL. Have you ever met someone who thinks is beautiful, smart and walks around with that belief written on their forehead? Well, if you haven't just watch this. The main actress can't act to save her life but she definitely can walk around like she's beautiful, smart and the world owns her. I hated her acting, I found her ugly because it's so obvious she thinks she's great, and her character wasn't better. I wish another actress would have been cast.

2 The ML. At first I wanted to put him in the dislike list because his character at least was a bit better. But after a few episodes his awful acting got to me. He walked around with eyes closed like he was a hazy state and it was annoying to watch.

3 The ending. I get now why they cast two awful actors. Because the writer also thinks he's smart etc. Why would you choose such an ending to a short series? It wasn't fun, romantic or even intriguing, Just frustrating. Therefore, 4 is generous, but as I said, the premise is perfect for a rom com, and that alone gets a 10. Add the awful acting, and the stupid ending, and it falls to 4.

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Ambition and Greed Fuel A Family War

This drama took me a WHILE to watch. But I've finally finished it. It was an interesting look at seeing how greed literally tore one powerful family and everyone else apart. The best character in this drama to me was Yoon Na-Young, she was a fascinating villain protagonist to follow. You could consider everyone in this drama (except for Min-Jae) villainous somehow. Even Jung-Suk was a weak enabler for most of the drama. I didn't really care for the romance. I grew to be annoyed by In-Ki eventually (yes, I understand why she was the way she was), but no, Na-Young did NOT intentionally abandon you. 💀 And then the whole relationship with In-Ki and Min-Jae (they were step-siblings!) rubbed me the wrong way.

The pacing was not good. 50 episodes was far too long, because the second half dragged on WAY too much for me. I was skipping full episodes towards the end. Because of that, I personally wouldn't rewatch this drama. The acting and the music were great. Top-tier! But the story suffered a bit because it lost steam after episode 20 or so.

I'd recommend this to people who like business dramas or melodramas with angsty romance. If not, then skip it.

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