A classic feel in its style.
April 2026.I really enjoyed this. Nice cast, usual sageuk characters, and a 'classic' style.... apart from the body-swapping twist!
Unusual choice of actress for the FL, I thought, given the character's scenes when in their hidden identity. I do like the actress, however, and it didn't spoil my viewing; just something I contemplated at the end.
FL character is the type I often like; positive, pragmatic, sharp and clever.
I found the ML character interesting, and open.
There's wit, action, romance and a pace that fits. An engaging watch.
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Complex main characters, slow pace.
April 2026.I had high hopes for this drama, as I love Jin-young's acting. I actually thought both leads gave good performances, as both characters were incredibly complex, and with reason.
This will definitely not be for everyone, and I imagine it splitting opinion quite widely, just like 'My Liberation Notes' did (which I didn't enjoy).
I thought this was well written; there were no real extremes in the story, and it felt quite true to life, in terms of the ordinariness of the every day.
The ML character has, what feels like, the weight of the world resting on him ~ he feels overwhelming responsibility for his family, seeing himself as the most able provider.
He is often withdrawn, doesn't say unnecessary things, and doesn't talk about how he feels, to anyone.
The FL character also feels similarly about family responsibility, but for very different reasons. She is somewhat more outgoing, but at the same time has no friends.
The two connect whilst nearing the end of High School, sharing a study space, and become close friends. They seem drawn together and provide one another with often unspoken comfort.
The pace may be crippling for some, and the story at times stagnant. I personally felt that fit. They were healing slowly and beginning to think of themselves more ~ Eun-A was definitely a shining light for Tae-so; and Tae-seo a rock and guiding light, for Eun-A
At this point I liked her character; quirky and quite focussed. However, some actions towards an adult female character earlier in the story, especially when coupled with later behaviour as an adult, made her seem an incredibly selfish character, to me, byvthe end of the drama She put herself first, and I got the distinct impression she was desperate for a way out of her young adult life, which she was successful in getting ~ again through someone else's guidance and involvement.
The two grow apart, as happens, with college/Uni and maturing. They reconnect later, and it's from this point I really grew to dislike Eun-A. I felt she used people, from beginning to end~ maybe it wasn't intentional, but the feelings of others were secondary to her, from where I was sitting, it was mostly about her own aspirations, and needs. Yet she allowed herself to be pushed around in work settings. Infuriating.
The ending, I thought, was fitting.
Made me want nothing but love for Tae-seo in his future, and for Eun-A to grow up and think of others, as well as herself.
If you don't mind an at times snail pace, with a contemplative focus, you might like this. I didn't dislke it at all, but watched alongside others, as it aired, which I think helped. Not one I could binge, nor would I revisit it.
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OK, but not a memorable story.
April 2026.I watched this as it aired ~ definitely not one I could binge watch, and tbh, it hasn't been memorable.
I didn't dislike it, but I wasn't wowed either.
Nice cast, and an interesting twist on the usual Gumiho stories.
I found the second Gumiho's storyline (and character), to be weak and somewhat pointless to an extent.
I didn't find anything particularly funny, moving, or gripping.
Not bad, certainly not perfect, but worth a look, perhaps as a filler.
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Fabulous!
April 2026I loved this drama ~ Xanxia is my favourite C-drama genre.
Great production quality, and beautiful to look at in every way, including the cast.
Both leads were excellent, and I am so relieved that I'm seeing less of female lead roles lately, where they behave, and worst still, speak, like 5-year olds!
Definitely not the case in this one. She's feisty, focused, practical, and often very funny.
ML character is stunning, mysterious, accomplished, powerful, feared, equally focused, and with a very sad back story, which has left him somewhat convinced he'll always be let down.
It's an epic tale, with some very moving moments that brought tears to my eyes, and others that had me laughing out loud; a proper roller-coaster of a ride.
It has plenty of humour (not slapstick), but also lots of action, breathtaking moments, and a great love story to boot.
Often with C-dramas, even good ones, with so many episodes, it isn't surprising when the story gets somewhat drawn out at times. With this, however, I never felt that, and the episodes flew by.
I would definitely watch this again, very happily.
Highly recommended.
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.....mostly, is the answer.
April 2026.I enjoyed this drama overall with a good cast and characters.
There were aspects of the plot not to my taste, mainly parts I felt dragged, or weren't convincing, and seemed somehow out of place.
It also got quickly wrapped up, and the storyline around the ex, I found bizarre for a number of reasons (not to be confused with "I didn't understand it" ☺️).
Nice locations, and I liked it more than didn't,
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Need to wear a thinking cap, it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
I have watched 20 episodes out of 29.Pro:
- If you like thought-provoking drama, this is a great one.
- Top-notch chemistries. I thought JJY would be paired with JZ, I was worried. But I was wrong, the actual pairing works best.
- Everyone is visually attractive. The best one is the Moon sister in their original form..... JJY and CDL did a great job.
- Fight scenes with computer tech are addictive and keep you on the edge of your seat.
- As predicted, if you are a fan of GJM, it is not disappointing.
- Choice of BGMs for the story segments is perfect. CDL's and JZ's love stories in the ancient world always have a perfect BGM, pulling your heartstrings.
Con:
- Some segments feel dragged (you can FF them, and you are missing nothing), but some are too fast.
- Some story segments jump from one to another, a little bit confusing
- This director, you've seen one, you've seen them all. You just have to be a fan of GJM in order to appreciate it
- Some of the CGI looks cheap (or more like not believable, you know it's CGI)
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Start to finish great!
So, I rewatched, on binge, this drama three times while airing. Each time I took a little something more from it! I paused to watch the whole thing until I had the time to deal with the unraveling I knew was coming. And I am so glad I did! This drama deserves nothing less than the stellar rating it is receiving. Beautifully cast, fantastically acted. Love, hate, rich, poor, black and white, right and wrong-and every shade of all things in between. It even paid homage to the book without needing to delve fully into it and losing the story it set out to tell. If I had to nit-pick, I would say that the exquisite world cut scenes could have been cut back to give the story a bit more character time at the end. I also know that the music was not loved by all, but thought it fit well for the emotions it needed to carry. Overall, my final binge, from start to finish, delivered the amazing story and characters I knew I would love. In fact, I many need to watch it again soon!Was this review helpful to you?
I love the acting!!
I think that the main gem of this show is the acting of the leads, it's is so damn good. Especially Andy's, as he is acting out a more complicated character, I love his expressions so much, and in my book he and this show does one of the best portrayals of anxiety/panic symptoms.Some personal experience: I had a few years of my life when I had really bad anxiety, I was scared alone, so when it got dark I turned on the lights in the empty rooms, as if someone was there. When I had an oncoming panic like attack, I started to do stuff and talk, trying desperately to draw away my brain's attention from freaking out. So when I saw these exact things in this show, it felt the most real I've ever seen anxiety struggles is dramas. And on top of that, this is the BL genre, which is notorious for being cheesy, or lower quality in acting. Absolutely shocking how many great scenes are in this show.
I'm blown away by the leads, every second they felt like their characters, I saw nothing else. I loved it so much that Xun An didn't gloss over the mental health issues of Bai Lang, but tried to understand, analyze and find a solution. He even suggested therapy, which I wish they had included, I think that would have been great. Still, the theme of someone healing the other is one of my favorites, and here it felt so pure and loving.
The writing is not perfect, I did find a few things odd, but it was still all acceptable for me/it also could have been the lower quality subs' fault.
The side couples are realllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly unnecessary for me, felt about nothing between them, simple bromance or friendship would have been enough and satisfactory.
The microphone quality, camerawork, shots, composition, colors- are ALL so gooood!!! There were some really great shots which went on for so long, the camera following people, panning, like a whole choreography. I love it when every person involved in the shooting puts their best into it!!
The plot about the trauma, and the leads' personalities are quite detailed and very well written I think, I love them, and these are the main engine of the show thankfully.
Also omg I love older guys in BLs, also because usually they can act better, and they look amaziiiing!! I'm so over pretty boys when I see guys like these here, I wish there were more of this age in BLs!!! (also shoutout to Old Fashion Cupcake)
I admit on second watch I skipped over the side couples' scenes, and because of that I pumped up the score to 8.5. So basically I pretended that those don't exist, sue me! (pls don't sue me)
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Asian financial crises, slush funds and an undercover probe
The plot is closely based on the 1997 Asian financial crisis and its ripple effects on the South Korean economy. This drama will likely appeal to viewers who have a keen interest in global financial history and the economic ups and downs that shape societies. Otherwise, it may feel a bit exhausting, since it is not your typical office romance or anything remotely similar. I suppose this also explains its relatively low viewership numbers, though not necessarily its ratings.As far as the pacing is concerned, the first half was quite slow, with too much screen time spent on unnecessary scenes. The story only began to gain some real momentum around episode 11. At times, it felt as if the writer did not have enough strong material and instead stretched the narrative with filler moments, such as a lengthy birthday celebration captured through camcorder recordings.
Park Shin Hye delivered a solid performance as always, though this was certainly not her best work. Whenever she flashed that signature smile, it often felt forced and slightly out of place, occasionally giving off secondhand embarrassment, though that might just be my personal impression. On the other hand, Haan Yoon Kyung was my favorite among the cast. Her appearance, acting skills, and the character she portrayed were all impressive. That said, I do not think there was any weak link in the cast, and even the child actress did a commendable job.
I particularly appreciated how thoughtfully the story navigated the lives and struggles of career-driven women, showing them building meaningful bonds with one another while deliberately avoiding the predictable old-flame rekindling cliché, which felt refreshing. Still, I wish the writers had incorporated more chess sequences into the heist segment to heighten the strategic tension.
Overall, it was a good watch.
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Decent
Just finished watching it: it started well, interesting as a cross-country romantic drama with slice-of-life elements, but it went very passive in the middle and lost its way. The screenplay isn’t particularly strong or brilliant; it never really explores depth or emotional weight & so towards the end nothing feels very memorable.Other than the Mon–daughter confrontation, that whole scene was good; most of it is fairly forgettable. So, not a bad watch, not a great one either, I just ended up skipping through it fast.
And one more thing: performances were decent to okay.
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Very worth watch
Like the first review mentions, as it comes with J-dramas, there's very quirky and unusual characters.Someone mentioned that if can just watch episode 1-2 and then jump forward to the last 2 episodes. I strongly disagree, you miss all of the details and emotions coming from all the different characters.
One of the details I love from J-dramas is how unapologetic they are about the reality, pain of marriage for example and unromantic they portrayed having in-laws which in this case they were real people with good hearts but had a lot of misfortune and created a lot of trouble for the lawyer husband in this case. But he loved her so much that he vowed to be there for her regardless of how things turned out and that is love. Love is beautiful but it can also bring a lot of pain and sacrifice. And that is life. I enjoyed every episode and loving j-dramas even more
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It was really good.
I downloaded this one a while ago but only just now got around to watching it. It sucked me in from the first episode.I don't normally take these types of stories seriously, the protaganists are usually vapid and the love interest is a horrible person. But I loved both of the lead.
Someone should probably do something about the synopsis on this site though.. Uh, it's not very accurate?
First of all, when was it established that she was dissatisfied with reality? When was it said that she was passionate about fantasies? At most she read one web comic.
For someone dissatisfied with reality, she was awfully quick to want to go back home again. Which leads me into the next complaint, when does she ever say that she wants to be the female lead in that web comic? The only thing we see her say about it is that it had a tragic ending. She came across like she picked a decent looking comic and felt ripped off when it didn’t have a happy ending. So confusing. It's like it was written by someone who didn't watch the show.
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In pursuits of uniqueness, failed to deliver even the ordinary.
After watching almost one-third of this series, there is still not a single aspect, character, or storyline that truly keeps me engaged or makes me eager to continue. Five out of sixteen episodes are already over, yet I am still waiting for something meaningful to happen. Instead, I am stuck watching this overly sensitive male lead throwing constant tantrums, behaving as if the entire world should adjust to his moods. He comes across as cranky and emotionally exhausting, while the female lead keeps babysitting him with endless patience.What frustrates me even more is how this self abasing female lead continues to tolerate his behavior despite being disrespected again and again. He has humiliated her in countless ways, yet she stays around as if she has no self-respect, almost like a doormat who refuses to walk away. Her actions make it difficult to sympathize with her character.
Then there is this third character who treats other people’s house like his personal love hotel, casually walking in and out whenever he pleases, while maintaining privacy against the house owner himself. The supporting cast does not help either. We have an animal abuser, a worthless paparazzi reporter, an annoyingly loud personal assistant, and a woman constantly insecure about her husband’s past relationship. The only somewhat decent character so far is the shaman.
On top of all the plot moves at a painfully slow pace. The storytelling lacks tension, meaningful clues, or satisfying reveals. At this point, it feels less like a drama and more like a test of patience.
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Soooo Depressing
Hate the ads for the candy and food appearing in the K-dramas- they are really overdone. I don't think Netflix offers the best in K, C or J dramas.The narrative began in an interesting way then the narrative failed. The acting nor the plot were able to convince me that these characters were in their 30s and still so clueless.
Both characters were struggling and had very odd ideas about what is possible in a relationship.
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Profound slice-of-life melodrama with outstanding acting, cinematography & symbolism
I really enjoyed watching and rewatching this melodrama. This is not a light-hearted romance and those looking for that type of drama will be disappointed and frustrated. On the other hand, if you are looking for a drama with lots of intense emotional scenes and thought-provoking uses of symbolism and imagery to explore themes of transition, personal growth, healing, trauma, and communication issues that many of us experience in life, I recommend this drama.Park Jin-young hit it out of the park with his acting. It was a pleasure to witness how he has matured as an actor: how he took on the role of Yeon Tae Seo, made it his own and powerfully conveyed the complex emotional states of this introverted character. Kim Min Ju took a risk with her first leading role which was a challenging one given that the POV was more focused on the ML. I applaud her for not playing it safe and she definitely showed how she is improving as an actor. I look forward to upcoming roles from both of the actors.
The cinematography and OST were both beautiful and enriched the emotional tone of the different scenes, both in the countryside and in Seoul.
The use of symbolism and imagery was an important element in this drama that I really appreciated. Some of these are particularly noteworthy. For instance, both of the main characters carried their "emotional baggage" throughout the drama (and they had a lot)-the ML's backback and the FL's yellow suitcase played an important role in many scenes. Another important image was that of the door to the FL's house in Yeonwoo; a door often represents transitions, personal growth, and new opportunities and it was used well in the drama in multiple scenes. The use of flashbacks that were prompted by seeing or hearing something such as a key in a lock or the sound of footsteps were also particularly poignant.
Since the POV was mostly focused on the ML, it was harder to empathize with the FL and the script writing struggled a bit in this respect. We witnessed the personal growth of the ML during the drama so that he could finally accept that he was worthy of a future and then take steps to shape the future that he wanted. One of the many compelling scenes was the one where he asked his friend "Will talking about it really help me move on?" In other words, is talking about our problems helpful since, like many people, he had held it in all these years and he could start to see that is yes, it is helpful to talk with others about our problems and issues and indeed, that is the way to healthy relationships. In contrast, the FL was living a life that had almost been shattered by the abandonment of her mother and suicide of her father. She was living but not really living. Ultimately, she needed to reclaim her "family" and her sense of worth before she could enter into a healthy relationship and she was able to find a way to do that towards the end of the drama but it was a frustrating journey to witness because she was really lost and really struggled.
The ending: There is an important conversation between the ML and SFL in episode 5 which indicated where the relationship between the ML and FL was headed. While speaking about the making of a frame, A-sol asks “Then can it be done quickly?” Tae-seo replies “No, you have to wait 3 more times”, “you have to wait for these three, no matter what”. (They are not just talking about making a picture frame). A-sol then says . . ."oh . . .3 moments of waiting” and again in episode 9, they discuss the the "3rd and final moment of waiting" . . .which is where the drama ended. Although the photos that the FL sent the ML at the end that showed the spaces that they had shared together in the different stages of their relationship including the school, the bus stop, the train station and his rooftop flat indicated that she was ready to enter into a relationship with him since she had healed and she was shining again.
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