Reviews

Eccentric lead, Underrated drama

This drama is so underrated. From the very first episode I was captivated by the female lead — there's something about these very eccentric but straightforward and socially unique leads that just feel so relatable and immediately create a different dynamic wherever the drama takes place, which, in this show, is a newsroom.

I really enjoyed the episodic format of this one as well, and it was even more interesting than typical episodic dramas because of how well they tied in the subplots of each side character with different cases. By the end of the show I truly felt like I knew every single person working in that newsroom.

My only criticism is a minor one: I enjoyed the backstory arc of the main female lead, which was revealed about halfway through the way, better than the actual ending arc, which was treated like the finale. It's not a dealbreaker by any means — in fact, logically it makes sense for the story to wrap back around to present day, but I just felt like it wasn't as emotionally hard-hitting.

Overall, I still really enjoyed this drama and I'm sad at how underrated it is.

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"Why transition into a tearful melodrama genre all of a sudden?"

+ It started kinda promising.
+ It was funny and I am a huge fan of bickering between leads. Both leads have a nice humour and are likeable.
+ Besides the leads, we also have 2 employees in the café, which are pretty much likeable. Also the people in the office are nice, but the main focus is really on the leads, which I liked lot.
+ The ost is really beautiful.
+ It's short, so I don't have to endure too much and it's still kinda watchable, BUT:
- Towards the end it was just so frustrating to watch. T_T The obstacles just got copy and pasted. If it was solved on the FL side, it appeared on the ML side. Yeah, wtf. :'D How can a drama with this length be so freaking annoying?!

Things, I disliked:
- Unnecessary lies. I hope everyone out there would handle the situation with the ex differently! Otherwise, don't you dare to call yourself a friend.
- annoying ex, who also leads me to be annoyed of the FL, because: why can no one talk clearly in this show?! I can clearly see how many thoughts rush through their minds, but communication can't be found, lmao.
- second female character whose whole personality only consist of one thing. I won't spoiler it, but she doesn't talk about much aside of this. She is so pushy and uncomfortable. This has nothing to do with "I won't hold back, because xxx" It's just straight up: "I don't want to read the room, because I don't care about others anymore. I just care about me, so deal with it, why should your feelings matter, LOL."
- Unnecessary time skip at the end. Yeah, sure, we need more obstacles to drag the frustration. /s

With the negative points, the show felt dragged, although it is pretty short. I would not say that you miss something, if you'll just pass here. It was okay, but it was nothing major cute, fluffy or romantic, which would have balanced the criticism. I laughed some times, but there were definitely shows that turned me more often into a gasping, squeaking fangirl than this one.

Btw: The Headline is a quote from the ML in Episode 9 and describes my thoughts on the SFL in such a perfect way, that I just had to use it. :'D

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My favorite series

I think the series is very good, although there are still some bad points to say it's perfect, but they have good ideas, I very much respect the daring thinking of the film crew, and really love the actors who have devoted their best. The way of working in a film crew is very fast-paced, so I respect and admire these beautiful guys. They dare to show bold scenes according to the script. But it's very artistic, thanks to the love scenes, the series is very attractive to viewers. My BIAS is Copper, the most beautiful guy I've ever seen, every moment he's on screen I pay full attention. Not just because of his beauty, but also his charisma and real-life personality. Oh, I'm in love with this man.

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fantastic

I didn’t actually know anything about Yu Yu Hakusho before I watched this. That being said, my review is not based on comparison to the anime but just solely on how much I enjoyed watching this.

I thought the story was great. Humans versus demons… what’s not to love? I could feel that there was a lot left unsaid but I just took it at face value and will hope for more seasons.

I’m a new Kurama fan. When he turned into his fox form I totally lost my breath. Love his fight scene so much.

I thought all the actors did a great job and I appreciate the hard work they put into their roles. So physically demanding. I also really like the actor who played Enma but I could have done without the pacifier. I’m sure there’s a story behind that.

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You cannot miss this brilliant drama featuring a math genius.

This drama is truly exceptional and I highly recommend it to anyone who's looking for a good TV show to watch. It was a perfect blend of great casting, superb acting, top-notch direction, incredible soundtrack, and impressive artistic vision. The way the characters were brought to life felt authentic and genuine, and the seamless transition of each scene into the next made the storytelling even more compelling.

I was particularly impressed with the portrayal of the autistic mathematics genius character, played by Zhang Ruo Yun. The way he brought the character to life was simply incredible, and I found myself truly invested in his story. His performance was nothing short of remarkable, and it was a delight to watch him on screen.

Another standout actor was Wang Yang, who played the wicked lawyer in the show. He was able to convey the character's evil persona with ease and made the audience root for his downfall. WuGang also did an amazing job portraying the villain, and his performance was both menacing and captivating. 3 of my favorite actors (Joy of Life). Shoutout to actress Qi Wei.

Overall, I would highly recommend this drama to anyone who's looking for a well-crafted and engaging TV show. It's a true masterpiece that has everything from great acting to impressive direction, and it's definitely worth your time.

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The two main leads were killing it and I love them

But the story tho? It felt half-cooked. I was seriously confused as hell most of the time. It was such a good idea but they should have done it better. A lot of things didn't make sense. The subtitles I had (English) sucked so much that I stop reading them pretty often. But honestly, the acting of Boom and Hai was excellent. They were the reason why I kept watching. Boom’s eyes… They scream suffering every time he looked at Ken. You could breath the sorrow and despair from the screen. Also, in the shower scene when Ken begs him to make him forget Din. Ah, that was perfect. It wasn't the worst thing I have seen but it's sad cause it really could have been better. Especially with such a great actors.

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Worth watching

I don't understand why some people are extremely critical of a well produced and well acted series like Bake Me Please. The storyline is well crafted, the background music is adequate, the acting is superb, the scenery is beautiful (not talking about the bakery kitchen, of course), the complexity of the characters' stories (especially Chin) is appealing. Chin has to process his inner traumas and struggles in order to open his heart to love and be loved, all the while learning to be less self-centered and more concerned with others. This is not a series about good-looking boys (which is a given) but about the need to face our innermost problems and be courageous enough to start anew in life. I recommend watching Bake Me Please.

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Time Stamps For Sweet BL Side Story Listed.

I mostly just watched the BL side story because the main one didn't hold my attention consistantly. I've listed time stamps for Talay and Sky's story below. (Talay is the brother of the main female lead.)

Sky and Talay were acted well and very naturally (8/10), and though their story was simple, it was enjoyable to watch. I would recommend it for BL fans in the mood for two highschoolers finding their safe space in each other and catching feelings (though at different paces).

I watched the full episodes (7 total) on the One31 YouTube channel (in the USA in January 2024).

I've noted Talay/Sky scenes with them individually as well as together to get their full stories.
Format example: their first scene starts at 26min & 20sec into the episode (-and goes to 32min & 10sec in).
Ep 1: 26.20 (-32.10), 35.10 (-38.40)
Ep 2: 19.15 (-22), 38.50 (-44.50), 45.45 (-47.30)
Ep 3: 4.20 (-5.30), 28.35 (-36.05)
Ep 4: 11.35 (-25.05), 56.30 (-57.40)
Ep 5: 2.20 (-23), 37.20 (-39.35), 48.30 (-50.30), 54.30 (-58.35)
Ep 6: 13.30 (-14.15), 21.15 (-23), 28.40 (-31.15)
Ep 7: 3 months later 1.10 (-7), 16.50 (-23), 36.20 (-39.10), 40.50 (-48.20), 3 years later 54.25 (-55.20)

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Powerful story, great actors

Let me start my review with the first thought I had after the last episode was finished: What a disappointing ending. 51 episodes of fights, intrigues,betrayal, death and grief - for this? I don’t need necessarily an happy ending but I hoped for justice for Seung nyang and Ta hwan after all they (and the viewers) had been trough.

Don’t get me wrong. I like the drama. To describe my feelings about it I need a German word: Hassliebe. It means you feel love and hate at the same time.

„Empress Ki“ is an impressive and epic drama. I was addicted from episode 1 on. There was always something that kept me on the line, especially if Seung nyang really will fall for this childish Ta hwan and what will happen to Maha when his identity will be revealed. But there were also times I couldn’t stand the drama anymore and I just wanted it to end. Every intrigue and every fight was followed by another - accompanied by battles, killings and penalties. It was to much violence for me. For the last part of drama I just skipped this kind of scences.

The cast was really great, but the most amazing job (for me) did Ji Chang wook to portrayal the unstable character of Ta hwan between fear, insecurity and delusions. Unlike in other historical dramas this crown prince/emperor is such a weak person who tries to be a real ruler but never overcomes his feeling of inferiority. A special place in my heart has the character Tal Tal. He seems to be the only good person in this show who tries to do the right thing without to care about money, power or vengeance.

My conclusion to “Empress Ki”: a powerful story, sometimes a little bit repetitive, big emotions, great actors and a good but not memorable OST.

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Fair share of suspense and comedy

All my favorite genres are combined in this one drama, which is suspense, crime, comedy, and romance.
although romance in this is very minimal the chemistry between leads is awesome, it's slow and gradual.
only two things bothered me. One is SML's death, I wish he didn't die, that did spoil my mood and left a bitter feeling towards the end. but there were a few comedy scenes after that to lift our mood, still, I wish he didn't die, that was very sad. the second one is that the leads kind of ended up together but nothing was official, maybe it was the end for us but a beginning for them and their relationship but I still wish there was more love story.

both leads acting was great, and even the side characters did a great job. overall loved it.

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Disappointed but not surprised because I already know Star Hunter...

This series could've been amazing if it was well made, the plot was all over the place and things happened too fast without treating any subplot with the importance it needed.
The second couple started too suddenly, we didn't get to see Warang growing her feelings, she liked Gyo one day and the next she liked the other girl.
Luktarn not getting a punishment, not only for breaking the main couple a part because she's jealous, but because she drugged someone to make that happen, it made me really angry.
The girls did amazing with the script they had, they're the only reason I finished the series, they deserve support, I hope they get series with better plots and better everything.

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Cute but struggled with balancing the genres

I said it before: The award for the worst airing schedule goes to ... A good day to be a dog
Firstly, before I started the drama I thought the synopsis sounds really ridiculous. Or I thought there was no way to execute this on TV without making it seem ridiculous. Something like this would better left as a webtoon. Surprisingly, it was way better than I thought.

Things I Liked:
- The story sounds silly, but they executed it quite well. It was cute.
- The characters were likeable and the main couple was enjoyable
- I like the mountain god. I know he is hated. But the story was getting a little bit boring. It might just be that I started to be a fan of Lee Hyun Woo. His acting is excellent and I love his expressive eyes. I hope he gets a new main-role soon. His love story in the drama was quite enjoyable.
- At times it was actually hilarious and it was entertaining
- Btw... Eunwoo's acting has gotten better, and his delivery felt more naturally. I still think there is still a long way to go. But his acting does not pull you out of the story

What I disliked:
- The airing schedule! One of the worst enemies this drama could have was its own airing schedule. What was that? Just horrible. Especially the beginning, where the episode were released one every two weeks. But I have to say I kept on watching, so I must have been invested in the drama. Who knows... maybe I would have ditched the drama earlier if I watched it in one go.
- The recaps every episode. Because of the airing schedule, they added long recaps at the beginning of each episode
- The drama had trouble balancing all the genres it wanted to convey. It was a romcom only, then it was fantasy drama only and the last episode was happy romcom again. They could have integrated more of the fantasy-story earlier on, without focusing whole episodes on that. The tone-shift felt very bad made. I personally like the Mountain gods' story, but objectively viewed it was badly handled. Just like the whole dog-story was suddenly done.
- The last episode felt unreal. After all the drama, it suddenly shifted to romcom and fillers. Instead of nicely ending the story of the mountain god and the girl, their ending felt somewhat fabricated and unreal.
- Characters disappeared for some time and suddenly showed up again, after I didn't care for them any more

Objectively speaking, I can understand if someone rates this drama lower than a 7/10. But for me personally, even after knowing the flaws... it was quite enjoyable for a romcom-fantasy mix. Shout out for Lee Hyun Woo, who's acting I really enjoyed. It's still entertaining, and usually I easily lose interest in romcom's. So it is still a 7/10 for me. May change my mind later on and give it a 6.5... but right now that's how I feel about it.

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It was worth the watch (cute)

I kept looking for reviews that spelled out certain information, so this is for anyone wanting the following:
1) Episodes 1-18 take place in high school (not much in the way of "butterflies" during these episodes)
2) Episodes 18-19 are transition episodes (I'd say most of the tummy butterflies happen here)
3) Episodes 20-onward take place after high school (some butterflies, but not a ton; just kinda cute.)

All the main characters are likeable. The secondary characters are also likeable.
There is a wee bit of angst, and it is super well done. It also gave their story a lot more depth. But this is a cute love story, not a melodramatic one.

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Untapped Potential in 'A Good Day to Be a Dog'

A Good Day to Be a Dog" offers an engaging story, yet there's a lingering sense that something crucial was missing, potentially in its direction. The narrative catches interest but doesn't fully satisfy, as if some key elements in the storytelling or progression were overlooked. This feeling of incompleteness leaves one wondering what could have been if these aspects were better addressed or given more attention.

Despite this, the main characters stand out remarkably, imbuing the series with charm and relatability. Their likable nature and dynamic interactions are the heart of the show, making it special and memorable. However, a desire for more depth and detail persists. Expanding on the characters' backgrounds, motivations, or the world they inhabit could have significantly enhanced the viewing experience, making it not just enjoyable but truly captivating.

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