Reviews

For All The Reviews Where I Criticized the Writing

If you've ever criticized a Kdrama saying the writing was bad....well here is a drama showing you the torturous lives of these writers. Whether its being pressured to just write it so its finished, working through extreme writer's block, taking the blame from everyone (but especially the actors) for bad reviews, trying to be creative when you have to work to pay the bills.......this drama gives an inside view of the lives of entertainment writers in the movie and TV biz and they are by no means glamorous.

I couldn't help but feel a little guilty (how many reviews have I written that stated "just couldn't finish it, the writing was that bad"?)) as I saw the agony these tortured souls go through in doing their craft. I wondered if Park Hae Young , frustrated at criticisms on Kdrama writing, decided to show the viewers the reality of being a writer in the Korean entertainment industry. Is she guilt tripping us??

Whether my musings are true or not, the story is so much more. This Kdrama does not fit any of the usual Kdrama tropes, nor does it have any Kdrama memes. It stands apart from the genre as it is a realistic take on the ups, the downs, the successes, the failures, the excitement, the sadness, and even the very ordinary-ness of being an entertainment writer.

What I liked about it the most is how real the characters were, how easy it was to relate to them, and how real the storylines were. A lot of the drama was about attaining and/or maintaining success. Success is subjective because even a successful person by society standards can, in reality, be oh so miserable in their personal lives. Success can be fleeting, can be slow, can seem to never happen even if someone is working their butt off. Success isn't fair. It can happen to one person right out of the gate, while another works and works without anything to show. The entertainment industry can be cruel. You can work hard on something that another person takes credit for. You can constantly come under fire doing your job well because it doesn't fit your supervisor's narrative. This drama does not sugar-coat the industry, but gives a relatable look at people traversing a not-so-friendly professional world in pursuit of career success.

When all is said and done, the story is about perseverance in the face of failure, always stay true to yourself, and know that relationships with family and friends are the most important even if you aren't always getting along. This is absolutely one of the best Kdramas I've seen. Definitely my #1 pick for 2026 so far.

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As soon as Toto called Kanit "Tofu Face," I knew I was going to have fun with this series.

I started this one expecting a light comedy, and it delivered exactly that.

Kanit is a flight attendant whose life seems perfect. He has a good job, a handsome pilot boyfriend, and dreams of being the ideal aviation couple. Then everything starts going wrong. His car breaks down, his boyfriend cancels an important trip, and he keeps running into an infuriating rescue team leader named Toto.

The two immediately clash. Toto calls Kanit "Tofu Face," which becomes even funnier when it turns out that soft, fair-faced guys are actually his type.

The first episode moves quickly, piling one chaotic situation after another onto Kanit. A near traffic accident, an airport confrontation, trouble on the plane, and even a suitcase mix-up keep the energy high. The comedy rarely slows down.

What I liked most is that the conflict feels playful rather than stressful. This isn't a heavy drama; it's the kind of series you can sit back, relax, and enjoy. Tay and New have worked together for years, and their chemistry makes the bickering feel natural and entertaining.

The episode also hints at future complications when Toto becomes involved in investigating Kanit's boyfriend.

So far, this feels like a fun, easy-to-watch romantic comedy with plenty of laughs and a promising enemies-to-lovers setup.

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insane chemistry between leads, peak enemies to lovers, first actual female general i've seen

I watched it after poj and maybe I was still on the high from it but I expected a bit more; I love the chemistry between the leads. For the first time the enemy part felt real and believable and the whole transition from enemies to lovers felt good. Fu Yixiao is the first female general who actually felt like a real one and not just someone trying to play the role. I loved that there weren't misunderstandings between each other and loved that they were equally crazy as generals and enemies. He didn't look down on her and treat her better just because she was a woman; when it comes to when he kidnapped her, he wasn't seeing a woman but rather an equally smart and talented enemy general. That's why he was kind of brutal, and I saw some people didn't like that part but to me, it made it feel believable. I also love how he didn't give a f--- about becoming emperor so he wasn't afraid to do anything and the consequences of it, and how he suggested his sister could be an heir to the throne to his father. I love me an ancient feminist king; it took me, however, like half the series to stop seeing CZY as Duan Jiaxu and see him as FSG but he was such a badass general and prince. I loved him; that's actually the first historical drama of his that I like. The makeup artist and the hairstylists were eating. Xiyang was a cool character and sibling until the whole marriage plot dropped; then she was such an annoying, male-centered pick-me. Everyone loved her so much in Susha yet she went against and betrayed her brother and father for someone she knew didn't love her, pathetic af imo. I loved Yao and Suige's friendship until it was revealed he was the villain and was so sad and angry for Suige. Overall, I liked the acting, chemistry and aesthetics, but the plot wasn't strong, and at some point I even forgot the point and purpose of the storyline; the timing, as usual, at first felt good and slow, and then in the last like 7-10 episodes so much plot was crammed. I hate that type of pacing, the same as PoJ, and the cinematography/directing wasn't really strong. 8/10 and would recommend it, but there were some issues, definitely.

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This Is Not a Romance (And That’s Why It Works)

I have spent the last several weeks completely immersed in this drama, and after finishing all 42 episodes, I think the biggest mistake viewers can make is watching it as a romance.

There is romance in it. There is longing, heartbreak, separation, devotion, and eventually love. But romance is not the story.

The story is Li Zhen.

More specifically, it is the story of a woman rebuilding a family, preserving a craft, and carrying an entire legacy on her shoulders.

One of the things I appreciated most is that the drama never turns Li Zhen into an instant genius. She fails repeatedly. Ink batches are ruined. Experiments go wrong. Business plans collapse. Trusted people betray her. Every success is earned through persistence, intelligence, and an almost stubborn refusal to quit.

That commitment to process is what makes the drama feel so authentic.

The same applies to the relationships.

Unlike many idol dramas, this series does not rely on endless misunderstandings, accidental falls, forced jealousy, or artificial romantic obstacles. The relationship between Li Zhen and Luo Wen Qian develops slowly through partnership, trust, and shared hardship. Some viewers may find the romance too restrained, but for me it fit the story perfectly. These are two people carrying enormous responsibilities. Their feelings grow naturally through working side-by-side rather than through dramatic declarations every few episodes.

Yang Zi is outstanding as Li Zhen. She never seems concerned with looking beautiful at every moment. Whether covered in soot, exhausted from failed experiments, grieving, frustrated, or triumphant, she feels completely believable. Li Zhen is intelligent without being perfect, determined without being invincible, and compassionate without becoming naive.

This was my first drama with Elvis Han, and he made a tremendous impression. He has one of the most distinctive voices I’ve heard in a C-drama, and his performance carries a quiet emotional weight that works especially well alongside Yang Zi. Much of his character’s journey depends on restraint rather than grand gestures, and he handles it beautifully.

I also want to specifically praise Wang Zi Hao as Tian Ben Chang.

For much of the drama, Ben Chang could have become a one-dimensional villain. Instead, Wang Zi Hao creates someone far more interesting: a young man whose ambition gradually corrodes every decent part of him. Watching his descent from an attentive and seemingly sincere young man into someone willing to sacrifice family, morality, and eventually even his own brother was one of the strongest character arcs in the series. I was constantly impressed by how much screen presence he brought whenever he appeared.

Another major strength is the supporting cast.

Seventh Grandmother became one of my favorite characters. Li Jin Shu (Eighth Grandfather) became one of my favorite characters. Rong Hua’s journey surprised me repeatedly. Even secondary branches of the family receive enough development that their victories and losses matter.

The drama also does something increasingly rare: it allows older characters to be important. Wisdom, experience, craftsmanship, and mentorship are treated as valuable rather than obstacles to younger characters taking center stage.

As for the ending, I suspect viewers will debate it.

Personally, I found it fitting.

The final episodes reinforce what the drama has been telling us from the beginning: this is ultimately the story of Li Zhen’s legacy. The romance matters, but it is not the sole measure of her life. The preservation of knowledge, the restoration of the Li family, and the continuation of the craft matter just as much.

By the end, what stayed with me most wasn’t a kiss scene or a confession.

It was the image of knowledge being preserved and passed forward.

For a drama centered on ink-making, that feels exactly right.

Rating: 10/10

A rare drama that trusts its audience, respects its characters, and understands that craftsmanship, family, and legacy can be just as compelling as romance.

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Acting is required, storyline is diff and nice.

As I said above, everything is good. Production quality, story/plot which is sometimes too heavy to take in but at least different from all other BLs, it is slow lile other Thai BLs but at leaat adds something to the plot, direction and dialogues are very smart, artsy drama with understanding of characters and acting.. But, unfortunately, the main leads just couldn't act and their chemistry was just not there.
Idk why but Ja is so good looking, such an eye candy, so tall.. But he just couldn't act in the series. Gosh, it all felt so fake. There was no tension. The actors really need to step up their game. Tae was still better and even understandable but Ja was too stiff, lacklustre, no body language, nothing... Really needs work. Direction could be better also. With better actors, this story could have reached more people, maybe.

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The men are weird, but you may find it fun to watch because of that

If you can get past the cringe of the forever single men, you might enjoy the humor and eventual wholesome interactions of the cast. In other dating shows, you're looking for possible couples. In this dating show, you're looking to see if a man can convince a woman to have a dinner date outside of the show. So lower the romance threshold, and if you have some empathy towards awkwardness, and you might laugh at the absurdity of it all.

My initial impression of the men was that they're far too weird don't visually match with the female participants. But the women are open-minded and they're the ones who have to try to go on dates with them, so I kept watching to see with a learning mindset. The show's school theme encouraged this too. The women must have been mentally prepared, as they do a good job communicating how they're feeling, though they're a bit more honest in the interviews but they try to keep it polite with the men during the show. Maybe because they saw the men as ignorant rather than rude, even though some of the worst moments from the men did seem rude, but it ended up as laughs and the women weren't too disturbed.

Production-wise, there are many recognizable elements from I Am Solo, with the decent amount of interviews, nicknames, the 3 person MC panel with mild observations and humor, the place they stay was also rented out by IAS S29. A lot of drone shots and shots from the house-cameras. I thought the editing was fine; namuwiki summarized that the netizens sometimes noticed villain edits towards the males. I blame the casting for this, the men let out their hearts too openly.

This reminds me more of the 2022 show The Skip Dating than IAS. In that show, pairs ended up with a possible date after of 15 minute mini blind dates, while in this one, it takes 5-6 days of effort for these guys to try to convince their potential date. There's some memorable characters, but I wouldn't count this among my favorites even though I enjoy dating shows (IAS is one of my favorites). It's just good enough to pass the time.

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I’m just genuinely thankful for the creators of this series

I finally finished the entire series of Wishing Upon the Shooting Stars, and I can confidently say I made the right decision to watch it. This series truly deserves to be called one of the best BL dramas I’ve seen.

What I loved most is that it never became tiring to watch. Every scene felt meaningful, engaging, and beautifully directed. Even the flashbacks — which are usually the parts I dislike most in dramas — were handled so well here. They added emotion and depth without dragging the story down or becoming exhausting.

The cast was absolutely wonderful. Every actor delivered such sincere and natural performances that made the characters feel real and easy to connect with. Nothing felt exaggerated or forced. You could genuinely feel every emotion in the quiet moments, conversations, and dramatic scenes.

And honestly, the director clearly knew exactly what he was doing. The storytelling, pacing, emotional balance, and scene execution were all crafted with so much care. I cried through every dramatic scene because the emotions felt authentic, never corny or overly dramatic just for the sake of making viewers cry.

The music also deserves appreciation because it blended perfectly with the atmosphere of the series. It supported the emotions beautifully without overpowering the scenes.

I’m genuinely thankful to the creators, cast, and production team for making a BL series like this. This is the kind of storytelling I hope we continue to see more of in the future — grounded, emotional, sincere, and beautifully written.

This series honestly deserves awards, and I truly hope the team behind it creates more projects in the future.

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Beautifully Filmed, Directly and Acted in Honor of king Danjong and his loyal friend Eom Heung-do

what an emotional and beautiful historical movie this was ... worthy of all the praise
you don't feel the time go by when you watch it .. they take a historical event for a story and give you back a heartfelt story worth watching. then again this what they do best. this is why we watch to begin with.

This movie was so well done , the execution, the direction , the background music , the acting is spot on , i cried so much .. i couldn't stop crying by the end of the movie my face started hurting .. they excel at heartwarming and heart wrenching depictions all together ..

ji hoon eyes went from defeat to persistence to fighting for a cause with the only ways you can and yoo hae jin's performance was so powerful , heart wrenchingly real and raw and his crying pierced deep in my heart and my tears couldn't help but keep falling .. i'm in love with the way they honor their history, one of their fallen king and give a life to the tragic stories of the past.. I felt Goooooosebumps and chills as i watch , i was truly blown away by how powerful it was and how immersed i was . and even after it ended it was hard to stop the tears really, it does leave a silent and yet significant impression on you, and mi do's song at the end does its magic as you sit there in tears and disbelief or denial of such an ending

from the warmth of the king , his prideful dignified stance, relentless pursuit of righting the wrongs at the end tho failed , caring for the whole village and making sure they are safe and don't suffer any consequences even after his death ..his humble tendencies and love to his people , his friendship with the warden, and the deep loyalty and love that they shared...
it was ultimately deep film filled with emotion.. even the silence in the movie was loud and powerful, he remained dignified king until his death and died at the hand of his faithful friend ..

Beautifully filmed, Directly and Acted tragedy!

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What infuriates me isn't that it's a bad story, but the amount of wasted potential.

We thought the stain on NamtanFilm's career would be Her, but it turned out to be Girl Rules.

It's honestly embarrassing to see actresses of their caliber—and by that, I mean practically the entire cast—stuck with characters that are so shallow, emotionless, underdeveloped, and devoid of passion, trapped in a story that adds absolutely nothing to the viewer's experience.

Even the only two characters who received the bare minimum of development end up falling flat: one feels like a rehash of the actress's previous roles (Shasha), while the other ends up exactly where she started despite several weak attempts at growth (Bambi).

Out of the three main couples, one got screen time (PrimBambi), another got actual development (ShashaGorya), and the third was MinPraew. By the end of the series, only one of these couples truly felt like they should have ended up together.

Out of the six protagonists, two have actual storylines (Shasha & Bambi), two have something that vaguely resembles a character arc (Prim & Min), and the other two exist solely as someone's girlfriends, completely defined by that role (Gorya and Praew).

The entire concept of partner-swapping that was used to promote the series was also wasted. In the end, all we got was an interrupted kiss and a cheating storyline that served only to turn the audience against the characters, since the script completely ignored it and never addressed it in way.

Girl Rules failed so badly at developing its protagonists that the real highlights of the show ended up being the guest characters and actresses. And that's not because the leads did a poor job. On the contrary—they managed to squeeze remarkable performances out of remarkably poor material.

I genuinely feel sorry for the people who waited since 2024 to watch a production that feels like it was written in a month and released without a second draft of the script. Girl Rules should have ended at the pilot stage.

Rating: utter contempt.

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My absolute guilty pleasure

I looked through the reviews after watching all episodes and I'm honestly surprised about the amount of hate on this series. I mean you don't have to like the series of course, everyone's taste is different. However, you can notice some of this hate coming specifically because it's OhmLeng and not OhmNanon. Kinda sad people aren't giving it a try purely because of the ACTORS.

The reason I choose to watch it is because the plot sounded really interesting. I do have to say the whole series is VERY different than the description given on sites. I thought the vibes would be a bit a bit more 'crime' ish but it's more like superrrr romantic and cute. It's still serious, but you forget about it.

I fucking love seeing Ohm Thipakorn playing the little brother, he always pulls off the younger brother character so good. I love his role in this series aswell. Just the goofy shipper sibling who does have an emotional side. He can be serious about his family aswell you know?? I loved him in dare you to death aswell and I really hope he'll play more of these roles, it really suits him.

Not gonna lie after watching it, I was still confused why Min had to kidnap Harit/Q (aside for the money). It had to do with his father etc but to be very honest the whole father plot from Q was really confusing and in my opinion didn't need to be this complicated.

The taking care off love language is so adorable and well played. Min can be wayyy to overprotective aswell and it luckily shows the toxic part of that aswell. I love how Min is such a sweet person even if his actions are stupid sometimes. I also love how they lived together and how Min was basically the mother of the house. I feel like he is a super big comfort character to me. He's just so careful. And he cared so much about Q aswell.

One small thin, the whole"poor" but they got a huge house. AND EVEN A PRIVATE GYM BFFR. Even if their house is being sold it's insane how big it is and their second house aswell.

What people also complain about is the series forgetting the plot, which I hafely agree with. Yes, it's a a series about a 'kidnapping' but the whole point is that it takes place after the kidnapping. I am sad they keep forgetting the whole gang following them sort of everywhere.

A big recommend. Genuinely watch it to shape your own opinion but I call this a masterpiece that is ACTUALLY underrated.

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The Lead is the EXHIBITION of the year!

The Lead follows the jouney of Yi Qin E as she navigates her life as a QinQiang Opera singer. I personally enjoyed the highlight on one of China's Cultural arts; everything felt perfect to me including the flaws - it just felt real to a certain extent.

This drama is full of relatable topics, poignant and bittersweet moments. I think the main character, Qin E (Liu Hao Cun) can be misunderstood a lot due to the way she acts towards opera. She did not originally want to practice the art, she was forced into this field by her family to support them. She felt lonely and prejudiced by her peers. It just heartbreaking to watch little Qin E navigate a new life in the troupe and having to fight through it all alone. The people who supported her or had supported her kept leaving temporarily or permanently one by one. I was not surprised she would develop PTSD. Being selectively mute has a lot to do with trauma, and or rejection, regardless I can definitely understand her character and why she acted the way she did. At the end of the day, she just sings, because she promised the people she loved and respected to continue. She was basically just carrying on the legacy they had entrusted in her. By the time Qin E fulfilled these promises, she was lost and honestly I don't blame her. Liu Hao Cun apparently did all her stunts, which she portrayed beautifully! As for facial acting wise, her emotional scenes were done perfectly - girl made me cry a few times. Overall, I enjoyed her work in the The Lead and will continue to look out for more of her dramas. I think this is my first completed Hao Cun drama so it's difficult for me to judge her acting on one alone. Her hard work and performance definitely deserves an award though!! The actress, Wang Shao Xi, playing young Qin E did amazing job especially the one scene when she chased the bus *cough* girl made me cry..TTTTTTTTTT

In terms of romantic interest, one ran away without letting Qin E explain anything, and another came in like a wrecking ball. Dude wouldn't stop following Qin E around, he was basically glued to her whether she likes it or not, she definitely didn't like it. The Uncle literally expressed everything I felt towards the 2nd love interest - HE WAS ANNOYING! LOL I don't want to say much on this since the romance wasn't the main focus of the drama.

The Uncle, Hu San Yuan aka Zhang Jia Yi, was one of the major pillars in Qin E's life. The thing i like about the Uncle is he's quite funny. LOL I think he's the comedy relief in this drama, he acts like a teen in a sense that he just does things impulsively sometimes or... most of the time. However, he definitely supports Qin E in a way a father would have and I'm glad he was one of the few Qin E had in her life that supported her through every hardship she went through, or at least the ones he was in.
Hua Cai Xiang aka Qin Hai Lu was also the other major pillar in QIn E's life, in fact, she was the one the uncle asked to teach Qin E how to sing. Honestly, I love her personality cause she was very straightforward, will not let anyone step over her. And the way she just commands the Uncle sometimes were quite funny.
One of the side characters, Chu Jia He (Han Pei Ying), was extremely jealous of Qin E's luck in getting lead roles to the point that she might've spread something about her until she was reprimanded by Mi Lan (Wang Xiao Chen). The reason why I want to highlight her here is cause her character developement needs some praise. She was so selfish, and vain in the beginning but towards the end of her arc, she has finally learned to let go when it's needed. I really appreciated that in her.

There were so many topics this drama had showcased in Qin E and other characters. But mostly Qin E was experiencing them all: Depression, passion, abandonment, PTSD, existential crisis, heartbreak, loss and grief, and many more. The one major thing is to keep fighting for what you love and the only way to do it is through hardwork. I personally love dramas like these where we navigate life through the main character's eyes.

Would I recommend this drama? Definitely! It's not an idol drama, but the script, acting, costumes, and setting were incredible to watch.
If you're looking for romance, look elsewhere, The Lead is not about romance, it just follows the life of an opera singer.No kiss scenes and not much fluff. Every romantic scene is where your imagination comes into play.
I would say this drama is my no.1 of 2026 thus far! :]

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