Reviews

It was cute, but lacked in some areas

Now don't get me wrong when I say that this drama was absolutely amazing. But unfortunately, I feel like it lacked in some areas or was dragged out a bit. I loved watching every second of this drama, but I couldn't help but think of how it could of ended 3 or 4 episodes beforehand.

Im Sol and Seon Jae's relationship was absolutely the cutest, but I kept thinking I felt sorry for Tae Sung. There was just something about him that made me feel like Im Sol could have had a better relationship with him. Although, when Im Sol chose to change the past by never meeting Seon Jae, then it seems like Tae Sung's future had changed for the better as well. So I guess it wasn't such a total loss.

The one thing I loved about this drama was that Im Sol didn't keep it a secret entirely that she was from the future. But it would have been so much better if she had told Seon Jae a long time ago. Then maybe they wouldn't have kept dealing with the same thing over with him being confused with how Im Sol truly felt about him..

It would have been SO MUCH BETTER if Im Sol was able to just tell Tae Sung and Seon Jae about the kidnapper. I know she wasn't able to talk about certain facts and such, but there truly wasn't any reason why she was keeping them in the dark so much. Seon Jae and Im Sol could have had a better future if she had been honest about everything (that she could explain of course) and there wouldn't have been so much pain and constant change of events.

I loved this drama.
But I can't stop thinking that it could have been so much better if they changed a few things and it would have been a complete masterpiece.

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Good story arc of the journey of a courier giant, spoiled by some bad plot development

Overall plot is pretty good, except for many plot holes (specifically how things work in business, finance and legal sense). Some of the things just don't make sense, it's probably fine for those that aren't well-versed with how things ACTUALLY work in real life but to those in the know — it definitely spoiled the drama by making it feel like a joke and made me feel like the script writers are just not well-researched to write good script. Also, are the rest of the board of directors stupid?

Acting is pretty good, haven't watched TVB dramas for a while but this is probably better ones among those i remember.

The main song title "the bars are closed....." is repeated so often sometimes not even suitable for the scenes, it became so sickening halfway through the series i couldn't take it and just mute the volume whenever it comes up. Other background music are not too bad.

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A Sweet Show :)

I went into this drama not knowing much, but I was pleasantly surprised! I loved so many things about this show. Firstly, all the main characters were so lovable!! The friendship between Sawako, Ayane, and Chizuru was my favorite. I loved their dynamic; it was so heartwarming. Also, one of my favorite romance tropes is the popular/extrovert x 'loser'/introvert; this drama executed that trope very well! All the plot/storylines grabbed my attention and kept me interested; the acting was good, too. This show was the perfect length; I finished it quite fast. I recommend this drama to anyone who likes that trope or even romance in general; it is such a sweet show.

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The best series of the year.

After The Untamed, i think this drama is gonna be my all time favorite. The storyline is so refreshing to watch and the actors (Eric and Ben) are so good in their characters that it really feels like they are the real sheng wang and jiang tian. This drama proved that it really don't need to have intimate scenes or anything to portrait the pure love and affection of two people. Each and every episode left beautiful yet painful marks on my heart. Really wishing for its second season because it is the story which really have to end and doesn't go in vain, like it's necessary and must to know what future holds for them. Really invested in the second season. At last i would say the actors are so amazing like its so refreshing to watch them. The very last episode really left me in hurtful situation. Hopefully we'll see them again, until then I'll cry and be depressed.

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More Like, Always Let Me Go

If I had a nickel for every time these two lead broke up and got back together in the name of love… I’d own a goddamn bank! We get it, you are in love, with a hero complex. Enough already!

Listen, based on the rating of some of the reviews here, I didn’t want to waste my time with this drama, cuz I thought it was going to be worse than that one drama where the lead was secretly collecting the rubbish of the male lead. But then I wanted to procrastinate instead of doing the dishes, and decided to put this on. And, I was presently surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Really, it was a good one. Which makes me wonder if PondPhuwin had been progressing backwards?

What happened to them? I felt none of the vibe I felt with them in this drama while watching We Are. Shouldn’t their chemistry had been better with time or… I’m glad I decided to watch this drama so I could see them at their peak.

My first drama with them was We Are, and that series was not it. Their acting was nothing, and their chemistry was on the floor. Really, I have nothing good to say about my first impression of them, unless to say, at one point I seriously thought they were afraid of each other’s lips. But this show was good. Sure it was messy, but they had a plot and they followed it, and I liked the general vibe between the two leads.

What I liked
- The Music in this was epic!!
- I actually liked PondPhuwin’s chemistry in this. Their acting could use work, but I was okay with how they each played their roles.
- Those hawaii shirts made me laugh. Each time, I was like, why? not sure if I liked it or not, but I laughed so…
- I repeat the music in this show was amazing!!
- The special our sky 2 episodes, don’t care what no one says, I enjoyed it.
- The plot was flawed, I'm sure it had as many holes as a basket, but even with all it’s flaws, I liked it.
- Chopper
- How Palm didn't seem to have any ill-wishes towards his mother. He went straight to calling her 'Mother'. He's better than me, cuz my grudge holding arse would have straight up went, 'Ma'am and/or Auntie.'

What had me going huh?
- Constantly leaving each other to protect the other. We get it, you love the other so much, now stop it, it’s getting old.
- When Nueng talk down to Palm and then we are suppose to forgive him because somehow it was justify. That scene at the dance party made me wanna shake him.
- How Nueng never have any bodyguards with him? Sure, there was Palm, but even when Palm wasn’t around, dude was doing stuff alone. Like, child, peoples are trying to kill your arse!
- The Uncle being sooo obvious as the villain. Literally, his expression was bad guy coded, and at one point he was even walking side ways with a villain tilt of his head. Also, how people in movies/series never notice when someone acting suspicious??
- Palm’s father: Telling his son to give up his life and future for a debt his bum arse owned, was rubbish. Also, why did Nueng’s mother think the guy who worked on a fishing boat would be a good bodyguard? cuz he played basketball?
- Palm’s mother not even knowing what he looked like was wild. Poor boy.
- No matter how I tried, I could not vibe with Ben… don’t know why, he didn’t even do anything that awful.

Anyway, there were a lot more I liked and some things I didn’t, but imma leave it here. If you haven’t watched this show, and some of the reviews are throwing you off, ignore them, this drama isn’t perfect, it has it flaws, but I enjoyed it a lot, so I’ll recommend it.

I hope we’d get more dramas like this from Pond & Phuwin in the future.

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A good story, but…

liked the story, but it lacked the ghost-hunting element.
When this series first came out, I wasn't really interested in it, but one evening I gave in to temptation. I really got hooked on the first three episodes. We're shown ghost hunts, and I thought they were well done. But then, goodbye ghost hunting... sure, we still see ghosts thanks to the family (who are actually ghosts) but otherwise we don't see them anymore. I think that's a shame.
Otherwise, I liked the relationship between Kevin and Pluem. They have great chemistry (I'm a fan of their hand games).
Like most, I also really liked Kevin's family.
Also, I was a bit disappointed by the last episode, I won't say more, bus it's really something I don't like in dramas.

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Check the tags!!!!!!

I think this was a recommendation from Anne. I've just finished watching it. I should have seen the tags beforehand though. It got really uncomfortable at several points. So, do check the tags before going in folks.

Now, let's come to the story, acting and direction part.
Story is ok, typical Sokor fighting crime movie. I liked as it somehow tried to spread some awareness but would have liked it more if they had delved a little deeper into the mission.
Acting is good, from everyone. The movie is a little short to actually go for some character depth, so it lacked in that department. But that's ok.
Direction is average. Saying this because I've seen better action choreography and Korean movies excells in it.
Overall, it's a 7.5 for me. This can't be placed into a 'light watch' nor 'heavy watch'. And that's the dilemma for me.

Now, I don't want to comment on Sokor law enforcement. If I start, I will probably lose track of time. But if a police-law-prison system can't break/rectify a criminal within sentenced period of prison time, that's just total failure. And there should be only one punishment for child sex offenders, hanged till death. I can't comprehend how such a heinous criminal gets 20 years of prison time and still comes out as such trash. Total failure of prison system.

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Ambitious in its intent but fell flat in the writing

To be honestly, when I first saw this drama I had high hopes because I really like deep slice of life and the premise sounds intriguing too. When I saw that the drama was made by the same person who did Silent, I realised I had to lower my expectations because I didn’t really enjoy the latter. First episode was not great as it was unnecessarily slow and draggy, a problem that plagued Silent. It picks up afterward when it goes deep into issues like death, grieve, abortion, parenting responsibilities. But the series just went absolute downhill after the episode where Natsu met his father. Every episode seems like it’s about how much they can make Natsu suffer when he is the most patient and kind character I’ve seen. Realistically, if I were in his shoe, I would have flip.

While the intention of the drama is admirable because it really tries hard to go into the aforementioned issues, its writing did not deliver. The biggest problem is Mizuki as a character. The entire series revolve around her and how because she died, her words become a life manual to everyone on how they should live. She is written as someone who believes in having options to live your life, but her words are dictating and influencing how everyone should live. And that’s problematic, because while her option to keep her child and not tell Natsu is celebrated as pro choice, it also portrays her as selfish because she is thinking about what makes her happy for her or what is right for her but without thinking the impact on others. To me, being pro-choice is a good thing, but it’s not a one-sided thing that it’s always good as there is the selfish element that the drama did not address. So, I feel that there is a propagandistic narrative (being pushy about this concept of pro choice) that the drama is trying to convey without the needed nuance to the conversation.

In the end when the writer tries to salvage Mizuki’s selfish actions by showing her letter to Natsu just isn’t convincing to me because her actions are clearly selfish but they make it sounds like she has Natsu’s intention at heart. No, she is imposing what she hopes Natsu would be and not actually giving him much choices which she claims she is. To me, her character is written as a master gaslighter especially to viewers.

Besides the flawed writing, everyone’s performance were great. Ren’s acting have surely improved but he still needs help in emotional scenes, a similar problem I had when he acted in Silent. I wasn’t convinced of his breakup scene because it felt forced. But I heard from social media that he really had trouble getting into the emotions for this and felt bad for him. I guess it’s still good that he is aware and can’t wait for his next show which hopefully, he would be better. Music is the best element in the show, love the melancholic soundtrack and also the back number song is a bop, which I don’t usually say it in my reviews.

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Story + acting + chemistry = 10/10

We'll start with Han So Hee, she's amazing in this role and she might be the best female action star in Korea. I felt her emotions throughout the 7 episodes, her acting has improved drastically.

Park Seo Joon, he's one of my favorite male actors. His range of acting was on display, action, romance, a dash of comedy.

Their chemistry was amazing. The writing wasn't too complex and it made sense once the whole story was revealed. It was a roller coaster of emotions with an intriguing story.

Highly recommend if you enjoy action with a side of romance. 10/10

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A tale of hatred and obsession wrapped in love.

Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Plot Summary:
This is a story built around the intense emotions of love and hate. It beautifully portrays how "love" never allows distance, while "hate" never lets closeness prevail.

Characters:

Yue Jin Chen:
A boy who seems to have everything but is left with nothing. I found his character captivating, and the actor who portrayed him did a remarkable job. His emotional conflict was gripping and left a strong impact throughout the series.

Gu Jun Yao:
A girl whose world shattered with the destruction of her clan. She returns as a martial artist, seeking revenge after many years. However, her character was a bit of a letdown. Despite her background, she continuously made impulsive decisions and failed in every fight, relying on Yue Jin Chen to save her time and again. This inconsistency in her portrayal weakened the storyline.

What I Liked:
The concept of "love and hate" driving the plot was intriguing. Yue Jin Chen's character and his emotional journey were the highlight for me. The two standout moments in the series were especially heart-wrenching and impactful:
1. The scene where the "wing is cut", leaving a lasting emotional scar.
2. The chilling nightmare with the line, "I will do it very gently." Both moments hit hard and left a lasting impression.

What Could Have Been Better:
While the core concept was strong, the narrative and character arcs were not as well executed. When a character's background is established, it should be reflected consistently in their actions. Unfortunately, the characters often contradicted their backstories, lessening the emotional impact. Repetition of the scene was not a good idea its weaken the impact.

Gu Jun Yao, in particular, should have been portrayed as a stronger, more competent fighter given her quest for revenge. Yet, she came across as reckless and overly reliant on the hero. Additionally, the plot's political intrigue was underdeveloped. Despite so much planning and plotting, none of the key figures—kings, ministers—seemed to be aware or involved, making them feel invisible. This lack of engagement from powerful characters left the story feeling incomplete.

The political tension could have been more thrilling if the series had explored the rivalry between the two sides with more complexity, showing them outmaneuvering each other at different points. This would have added depth and excitement to the plot.

Final Thoughts:
Overall, the series was enjoyable if you're watching for the push and pull of love and hate. Although it had some narrative weaknesses and missed opportunities with certain characters, it delivered moments of emotional intensity that made it worth watching. If you're in the mood for a story that tugs at the heartstrings with its themes of pain and passion, this is worth a try.

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