Reviews

Another Great Drama From TBS

It's been more than three years since I last wrote a drama review, but I'll review REBOOT. So far, in my opinion, this is the best drama of 2026. Each episode leaves viewers curious about what will happen next. The pacing is fast and intense, but with enough plot twists and turns to keep things interesting. This might be the J-drama I’ve been most eagerly awaiting since VIVANT, to the point where I’ve been searching for theories about the plot on social media.

All the cast members are perfectly suited to their roles. Suzuki Ryohei is very cold, and Toda Erika plays a cunning, mysterious character who also has a caring side, very well. Other support role suits perfectly such as Nagase Ren and Makita Aju (even she's got minor role)

In my opinion, this drama is a must-watch for the opening of the 2026 winter J-drama season.

Update: just finished this drama, i think it's another great drama by TBS other than VIVANT (2023), it's a must watching for action & mysteries lovers because the climax and the plot twist is splendid.

p.s. there's takumi kitamura cameo on last episodes

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it is cringe and I AM HERE FOR IT

shoujo manga adaptation...!!! Honestly the cast was pretty good; big names such as Miyase Ryubi, Hara Nonoka, and some big names in the extras too such as Fujimoto Kodai.

Hara Nonoka CARRIED the acting here cause she never fails to make me feel immense second-hand embarrassment to whatever the fuck situation she places herself into. I see a lot of Aihara Kotoko in her.. that is not a good thing /hj

Also she still creates her fantasies on twitter like PREACH??? I RESPECT THE GRIND OKAY

The only thing bringing this down is genuinely the amount of cringe in this movie (bringing down the rewatch value), which is most definitely done purposefully but it can get overbearing at times. Doesn't mean I won't watch it when I am bored, however ;D

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Darlin', how could you be so blind?

I have a lot of thoughts on this show, and they aren't very positive, but yay joong dunk...I guess. I would give it a 7.5 (7.7) out of 10. I am also now realizing that the name of the show is called Dare You to Death, because they all got dared to death, lmao. I am going to try and find things I liked, and then dump on the show, and then do an episode overview and end this!

One of the main things I liked was Joong and Dunk. I am a JDK girlie through and through, no matter; I still come back to them, and I don't know why, I just love them so fucking much. They did well in this. I liked their acting, and Dunk was actually into it and didn't look completely disgusted, which was nice lmao. I think all of the actors in this did a pretty good job, yeah. If I were in their job, I would have been fired already, lmao, because I was going way too much on emotions and not on evidence. The plot has the potential to be really good and really interesting because it started off well. I love these crime ones with the right amount of love and not all the scary shit, they can be done well, this one just wasn't lmao. DUNK LOOKED SO GOOD IT HAD ME ACTING BRAND FUCKING NEW. People keep saying on TikTok that no one would have died if Joong Dunk did their jobs, okay they fucked up a couple of times, BUT THE FACT THESE BUM ASS KIDS WEREN'T TELLING THE COPS SHIT. THAT'S WHY YALL KEPT DYING, IT WASN'T BECAUSE THEY WERE KISSING. Okay, that is it.

It was a drag plot. They tried to get me to care about these fuck ass kids in this fuck ass friend group drying, and I didn't, I really didn't. Maybe don't make them terrible, and maybe I will actually give two fucks, but I don't give any fucks, not one. My main thing is that if you are going to have this big killer reveal, you need to show the killer more. We saw him once, and I forgot about that. The twist with Fai being alive was good because I was not expecting that, and then they went back on that with her horrible motives. I understand the two weird rapist guys and maybe Tonkla, but everyone else, home girl, why do you care so much? Just leave the friend group, how hard is that? ALSO SHE CHEATED ON HIM. WHY IS SHE KILLING HIM FOR CHEATING? MAKE THAT MAKE SENSE. Terrible, just god fucking awful. I could have gotten behind it if they showed it more through the show, but they didn't, so it was just like why? I do not care. My romance building. GONE. There was actually none. We didn't build anything; we just jumped into a relationship randomly, and then we are having weird issues and flirting, and I'm like, we have zero backing, what are we doing? Very poor writing all around. I wish we did more with Dunks' backstory; it felt very rushed and very one-off, and just overall, I didn't really care about it. Also, I think the whole thing with the police and the government (and all of the control) could have been done better because that also felt very one-off. THE TRUTH OR DARE THING. Where did that come from? There was no explanation for that at all. I am so confused why they went on that specifically, which made zero sense. Joong's bullshit wolf tattoo pissed me off lmao, why did he even have that? I tried to stay neutral through the whole thing, but it was really hard because this got boring very fast, the plot was the same thing with the fuck ass kids dying, and I wanted to just be happy with Joong and Dunk, but they were also fucking around in my face too. So this shit was boring. I had to 1.5x speed 5-10 episode lmao. Towards the middle, they started to do the round plot with the drug guy that led them to their killer, but also a dead end, AND 5 MILLION FUCKING THINGS WERE HAPPENING AT ONCE I FELT LIKE MY BRAIN WAS GOING TO EXPLODE (and the fact I was in class did not help, lmao). Their sex scenes were very random, oh my lord. In episode 8, I finally knew who the killer was because he looked at them all crazy. WHAT WAS HIS MOTIVE? I AM SO CONFUSED! WAS HE JUST KILLING FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME? LIKE WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT THIS RANDOM GIRL'S FUCK ASS FRIENDS? MIND YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS, I SWEAR TO GOD. The ending was also mid as fuck, and Joong and Dunk went on this weird joint family vacation with Aou and Boom, who had no real lore and crapped on the graves of all of the deaths they could have prevented. Okay, I am done dumping on this show.

Overview time. "SOMETHING IN THE AIR BECAUSE DUNK FINE AS HELLLLLL." "I dont think I understand what the whole truth or dare thing is." "Yeah dont make terrible characters if you want me to feel bad for them dying. I did not know this was like a serial killer thing; I thought it was just one murder. Leon fucking Kennedy and Joong shirtless with some random ass tattoo. Worse than goddesses because they are dealing with real people, not ghosts. HE CANT HANDLE ALL THAT, I CAN, I SWEAR TO GOD, I CAN HANDLE ALL THAT. OH MY GOD, I CAN HANDLE ALL OF THATTTTTT. LOOK AT THAT SNATCHED BADDIE. I CAN HANDLE ALL OF THAT. This stupid tattoo has me dead." "Why has Joong been shirtless 25% of this show?" "This show is lowkey boring, and I feel like we aren't really doing anything lmao. Also, HOW DID WE EVEN KISS? WE HAVE HAD ZERO ROMANCE BUILDING. THAT IS SO FUCKED UP." "I hope everyone in this fuck ass show dies, I can't lie. 1.5x speed, because this shit is lowkey boring. I don't really know what we are doing, and it is a bit of a drag plot with no romance building, but I love joongdunk." "Random aou boom cameo." "I hope everyone in this bum ass show fuckong dies, oh my lord. Cute lore with our couple." "YOU ARE DEALING WITH A HUMAN. WHY HAS ANYONE SHOT HIM? I AM SO LOST. ALSO HE WAS WITH SOMEONE, WHO WAS IT? WHY IS FAI ALIVE? WHAT THE FUCK? HOW, I DONT KNOW, SO SHE CHOSE TO KILL ALL OF HER FRIENDS IN REALLY CRAZY WAYS. I MEAN SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO DO A PRANK. I AM SO LOST." "MAN FUCK THEM KIDS, YALL JUST CRAPPED ALL OVER THEIR GRAVES WITH THIS. Uh, mid ah ending to a mid show."

Yeah, I tried to find positive things for this show, but this show was lowkey ass, and I wouldn't recommend watching it. Yeah, okay, bye!

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When life is unfair, sometimes choosing to live is the bravest rebellion

Some film entertains you, some film stays with you as long as you live; and then there are films like Viva La Vida that quietly breaks your heart and leave pieces of it scattered long after the credits roll.

The story follows Ling Min (Peng Yuchang), a young woman battling kidney failure whose life has been reduced to hospital visits, dialysis machines, and the exhausting waiting for a transplant that may never come. When she crossed paths with Lu Tu (Li Gengxi), a man carrying his own heavy burdens. They formed an unlikely partnership built on survival, stubborn hope, and the fragile belief that tomorrow might still be worth fighting for.

What made Viva La Vida devastating was how painfully real Ling Min’s journey felt. Her frustration, anger, and quiet desperation to live seeped through every scene. She wasn’t a heroic patient bravely smiling through her suffering—she’s a human too, flawed, tired and sometimes selfish. And that honesty was exactly what makes her story hit so hard.

Lu Tu entered her life like an unexpected spark. He’s chaotic, sharp-tongued, and seemingly fearless, yet beneath that rebellious energy lies someone just as wounded as Ling Min. Their relationship isn’t a typical cinematic romance; it’s messy, awkward, raw, and built on two people clinging to each other while standing at the edge of despair.

Peng Yuchang delivered a performance that felt almost too real to watch at times. You don’t just see Ling Min’s pain—you feel it in the heavy silences, the tired smiles, the moments where hope flickers and dies in her eyes. Li Gengxi as Lu Tu balanced the darkness with a strange, bittersweet warmth that made the story breathe. His clumsy innocence and clingy affection is bound to win audience's heart.

What truly devastated me was the film’s quiet reminder that life doesn’t always offer neat resolutions. Sometimes survival itself is the victory. Sometimes love appears in the most unexpected moments, not to save us—but to remind us that we are still alive and what it meant to be alive.

Viva La Vida isn’t just about illness or survival. It’s about the fragile courage it takes to keep living when life feels unbearably unfair to live again.
By the end, I'm left with a lump in my throat and a single haunting thought that, sometimes the bravest thing a person can do… is simply choose to live.
"A marriage born from desperation turned into a miracle of love.”

Overall, I urge everyone to watch this movie because the amount of internal enlightenment you'll receive after watching this, it'll enough to make one realise how precious being alive feels. Of course the reality is harsh but there's still hope, it might come in different shapes, colours and sizes, be sure to recognise it when it finds you. It definitely will.

P.S: keep two box of tissues with you. IT'S A MUST! I look like a puffy mess right now 🤧

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if they put half has much energy into solving the case as they did flirting, no one would've died

joongdunk, i love you, and you are the ONLY reason this show is as good as it is. let's get into it.

i'm going to start with the good, there's a very decent amount. first of all: joongdunk. second of all: aouboom. am i biased that two of my favorite ships were in this show? absolutely. but still, they did a great job. i think that joong as jade was FANTASTIC. that man was playing himself. i can tell he was having fun with this role, so i was having fun right along with him. it was also really funny seeing joong play a cop when i'm still stuck on his role as fadel in the heart killers like.. bro really went from a hitman to a police chief you can't say thats not hilarious. dunk also did great! while i don't think he's quite as strong of an actor as joong is, he still delivered a solid performance and he does have real chemistry with joong. aou and boom may have not had much screentime, but let me tell you when they first showed up i SCREAMED. i did NOT know they would be making an appearance, and oh my god was i excited when they did. of course, they nailed their parts as always!! other highlights from the show include the ost yall DARE YOU TO LOVE IS SUCH A GOOD SONG!!! that song deadahh is on my playlist and in my daily rotation like it is THAT good. i also think that pahn and sing did a great job playing the killers. now, let's move onto the bad..

so like, the "bad" that im about to discuss may make it seem like this show is a LOT worse than it is. these are just nitpicks (for the most part), so none of these issues i have ruin the show in any way. with that, lets talk about my biggest issue: the writing. guys, you are POLICE OFFICERS. people are DYING. college kids are DYING. there is a MURDERER on the loose. how, literally, HOW are you guys casually flirting on the job, FUCKING IN THE OFFICE, and acting like nothing is wrong. its genuinely so unrealistic. i was literally laughing when they started fucking in the police office i was like are we so serious right now. but yeah, my huge issue with this show is just how they can't seem to balance the romance with the mystery. jade and kamin can fall in love while ALSO doing their jobs!! i feel like as soon as any romance started happening, the mystery just fell to the waist side. my favorite scenes in the whole show was actually when jade and kamin weren't there, and it was just the kill scenes where i was looking for clues. i noticed that the killer had earrings, so i guessed it was the doctor because sing has earrings. it was little things like that that make the mystery FUN, so when the writers gave up on the mystery plot when dealing with the love story i was lowkey mad. besides that, my only other main issue was just how unlikable literally EVERY supporting character was. literally, all of the "avengers" were assholes and i was rooting for them to die. i was genuinely mad when champ survived like i wanted that mf DEAD he pissed me off so bad. even jay was extremely unlikeable and i found myself rooting against him more than i was rooting for him. it got to the point where i was literally on fai's side entirely like yeah girl your friends are highkey evil they deserve this.. i had a particular problem with champ, i'm not sure what it is, but chimon is really good at playing the most unlikeable characters ever. i think the only time i've ever disliked a character more than champ was with ben in never let me go, and guess what, CHIMON PLAYS THEM BOTH. and whats crazy is i really love chimon as a person, but dear god is he good at playing assholes. last issue i had with this show was the doctor, not the killer, but the other one. the one always asking for kamin's contact like bro SHUT UP. everytime he came on screen i genuinely groaned like bruh i did NOT give a gaf about him at all.

one more thing that i actually was pleasantly surprised by in this show was all the deaths. i did not expect literally all of the avengers to die pretty much, but they did, and i was glad. i think i'm so used to seeing tv shows being too afraid to kill characters off, so it was refreshing seeing this. i was genuinely SHOCKED when champ killed cherreen in the last episode like i did NOT see that coming. when watching that scene my jaw was legit on the floor.

in conclusion, this show is very good. is it flawed? 100000%, but it never acted like it wasn't. joongdunk's chemistry carries this show, and thats okay. i had fun with the mystery over the 10 weeks it aired, playing detective trying to solve who the murderer was. i think that its a shame gmmtv barely promoted this show because it deserves a lot more attention than its got, but i guess every gmmtv show is getting overshadowed by me and thee anyways so.. im going to wrap this up by saying that i love joongdunk, and i dont think this show would be nearly as enjoyable without them.

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Brilliant Acting and Costumes but Romance Needs More Screen Time

After binge-watching several of Ryan Chang’s dramas in 2025, I was really looking forward to How Dare You?

That trailer looked so promising. But they did us so dirty, including all that romance into the teaser material and not into the actual drama.

The early episodes were great—fast-paced and filled with action, with our leads getting plenty of screen time while pretending to be a couple while doing their shenanigans. However, after episode 10, things started to slow down considerably. Suddenly, supporting characters, who were not all that interesting to begin with, got way too much screen time. Those dragged-out scenes really could have been cut down simply to get the point across and not hog my TV.

I felt like I was watching less of a romance drama and more of a political drama with slight romance 2/3 of the scram a. The leads hardly interacted in the middle stretch of the drama. And there was a considerable lack of romantic situations, which was disappointing since the trailer set up expectations for a lot more romance.

Sure, there were some great emotional moments between our couple—like the intense post library fire scene early in the drama—so it was frustrating when romance took a backseat for many episodes. With all the intrigues and unnecessary character scheming being spoon fed to us as if we couldn’t read between the lines, it felt like those elements could have been implied rather than shown. It seemed like many characters were added just to be killed off.

And yes, be prepared – people drop like flies here. People who waste the screen for the third of the drama. I don’t mind it sometimes when the characters are interesting, but as I’ve said, maybe only one or two were actually interesting.

In the middle, it felt like I was waiting forever for anything to happen again between Xiahou Dan & Yu Wan Yin. They were just going in circles.

Things pick up a little bit in episode 19. Romance picks up in episode 20. Finally.

After episode 25 the plot picks up too and becomes interesting. Episode 30 has some great military action sequence. We get some really cool visuals of Xiahou Dan in disguise. A must rewatch scene right before they take the capital.

The addition of characters like Flower was cute, and I wish she had been introduced earlier. Even though she is not who she is she says. I think she was one of those interesting characters that I like to see in the dramas.

The final seven episodes are mostly satisfying, though the last two dragged a bit. Still, everyone who was still alive had their stories wrapped up reasonably well.

That said, some plot points—like Xiahou Dan's character and the fate of the little crown prince—are frustratingly overlooked. It feels like important elements were introduced but never fully explored. I mean, the guy spent half his life in this world which was mostly hell for him. Why Yu Wan Yin never asked Xiahou Dan about his actual biological son after she found out how long he had been inside the novel world beats me. I think any woman would ask, considering how he treated the boy. Yes, he has his reasons. Yes they showed us what happened in a very quick two second snippet that some may have overlooked, but Yu Wan Yin did not see that snippet. So I’m just wondering whether the writers introduced this bit but then glossed over it. Actually, I don’t think they glossed over it. I think they just ignored it. If you introduce something this difficult, then you need to really close this topic properly.

Another thing I did not really get is why make Xie Yong Er from a completely different world. I just did not see the point. Again if you introduce this bit, explore it better. Otherwise, just make it from the same world as the rest of the characters who transmigrated.

In summary, this is a good drama, but I’ve seen better. The pacing is all over the place, especially in the middle, where side characters take up too much valuable screen time that could have been better spent on the leads. If you're a fan of the lead actors, you will enjoy it, but if you're looking for heavy romance, you'll find How Dare You? May know that satisfy your craving.

I also want to comment on acting in this drama.

Acting here was amazing from pretty much everyone. That includes all the child actors.

Ryan Chang here is on fire. He is one of those versatile actors who really shines no matter what kind of emotion he has to play. But he is particularly good costume dramas. In this drama, his emperor has a unique dark tragic aura, and his performance in emotional scenes adds extra depth that makes you empathize with his character. He is just as good in comedic moments.

I also really enjoyed the soundtrack.

Another thing I really liked is that this is one of probably a few C-dramas where you see both characters with hair undone and without their outwear going too bad. I mean, they literally look like they’re wearing sleepwear and their hair is down. Everyone knows this a unicorn in Asian costume dramas. They also don’t make a fuss about sleeping in one bed. They gotta do what they gotta do so they just do it without being prude about it. Also a unicorn situation.

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A truly well rounded, beautifully acted series

I loved this series so much. i watched it for Bai Jing Ting and it was fantastic. Each character was well rounded and believable. The second couple were a little bit slow but at the end it worked out and made sense. It was good to see Bai Jing Ting being playful, it was so endearing. A great mix of hospital and police, and enough action to keep the show moving.

I will definitely watch this again.

The only thing that let it down, for me, was the styling. Apart from his sister and the men, the two main females were dressed appallingly! The FL was beyond drab, I know they were trying to portray her as someone too busy for her appearance (I think) but it was quite ridiculous. The SFL was equally mostly awfully dressed. A minor irritation, just really awful styling.

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surfjava are my everything

okay so after head 2 head i was SO excited to see surfjava again and omg they did NOT disappoint in the slightest. let me just start off by saying that their chemistry is so real and genuine its kinda insane. like yall surfjava are not PLAYING these two are good at what they do. i think they both did a great job with their roles, and im not just saying this because i love them. the story is also a super fun, little story with not too much to it. its simple, its fun, its cute, and i had a great time with it.

i was suspicious of the muteluv series because i didn't think that gmmtv could pull off stories with real depth in only four episodes. while i haven't watched all of the different stories, both love me if you swear and hi! by my luck were both really well done, and i'm pleasantly surprised by their quality. the writing is sharp, the editing isn't the usual gmmtv over-the-top-corny, and, of course, the acting is on point. i want to reiterate that this series truly shines because of surfjava and their absolutely incredible performances. literally sooooooo good omg.

last thing, louis did such a good job in this show like.. he's always a scene stealer for me no matter what he's in and this is no exception, messi is an absolute cutie!! in conclusion, this show is a FANTASTIC short series and i am so pleased with how gmmtv handled this. i hope surfjava have a new series soon idk what im gonna do without them :(

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Adorable

The best thing about this show was the dynamic between the leads. Lee Dong Wook and Yoo In Ah’s characters are so adorable, and I love how they bring out the best parts of each other.

It was a very low-stakes drama, which is nice once in a while. They built good momentum in the first few episodes, but petered off in the last half. I think it lacked the law aspect, and it would have been interesting if they balanced it better with the romance. The one murder case was gripping? And I wish full episodes were dedicated to cases as well; the few we got were resolved within the same episode and felt thrown in.

I also wish Oh Jin Shim decided to stay on as a lawyer or secretary instead of making a comeback in acting because you could tell how passionate she was while working at the office; but I’m glad she was happy with what she got.

The most cliched part of the plot was the temporary breakup/misunderstanding. It didn’t need to be there. They could have written couple conflict that didn’t involve the, “I had to let you go so you could be happy,” trope.

Lee Dong Wook (per usual) aced his role. His character felt very genuine, and I loved how he portrayed a misunderstood but very caring person. Yoo In Ah’s character also grew on me as we saw who she was beyond the actress, and they were perfect for each other.

Story wise, it was okay, and I probably wouldn’t watch again. But the actors and their chemistry had me hooked!

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More Than Just Fights

I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did. It’s chaotic in the best way, like 95% fighting and 5% actual studying.

The OST goes hard. Bang Yedam’s track hit me emotionally, and Seok Matthew and Park Gunwook’s track was a total banger.

The main and subplots were solid, with a satisfying twist.

The humor balances the action well, and surprisingly, some scenes were genuinely emotional and touching.

Minhyun fit his role perfectly. Strong casting and well-built backstories made every character memorable, even the mom was cool.

Still looking forward to season 2.

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A Design Forged Time (2025) is a really nice romance miniseries with Liu Xiaoxu (as Huo Yu Cheng) and Lan Lan (as Zhuang Qian Xi) in the leading couple’s role. The cast did a good job bringing their characters to life and the leading couple had a fantastic romance chemistry and delightful interactions; their relationship was slow burn but they were both determined and committed to their relationship.
In the meantime, this drama can be found in YouTube under the caption:“I was abandoned by a jerk, but as soon as his CEO uncle found out, he proposed to me!” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9wvyR9gVmE)

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Powerful casts but ends up being underwhelming drama.

I watched this on the day this drama was released so it's quite fresh review. All three lead actors are ones I follow, so I'll have to judge this drama as soon as possible and this drama was Zhang Xuan and Chen Linmiao version (it was the best one in terms everything acting and plot, i recommend this one) and compare to the previous version i mentioned, this version didn't live my expectation.

The plot was revised into bad state. Wang Kaimu acting really show how his limited skill was. He is playing a suave warlord but felt like a good student pretending to be a bully. Wang Nan's portrayal of the villain was good, with his red eyes being quite endearing. In this version, SML never likes FL and it was shown on when he pulls the trigger while holding the FL's hand, it feels like he just doesn't want to see FL happy instead of being jealous.

Zhi Chun He portrayal of FL was completely being nerfed in here. I didn't have any good memorable about her scene. Not saying she was bad actress but FL character was not too strong like other version. FL was too calm into passive mode in this version. Wang Kaimu and Zhi Chun He visual were quite match for uncle loli story but the chemistry were barely minimum. I preferred their interaction on BTS scene more than actual drama. Because the historical and political struggles were almost entirely cut from the series, the ending felt rushed.

The costumes and props for the drama are beautiful, and the two MLs are quite handsome, but after watching it, I realized they're not a good match. Those who like this version will love it, while those who don't will feel it's a waste of the actors' talent.

For hardcore fans only.

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