Reviews

When Love Hurts

I applaud this series for not giving the usual generic story, daring to try something else but it still used the familiar to get the point across.

Yujun, feeling inferior in the relationship, decides to leave because he doesn't want to hurt Yeonho by staying. Yeonho over compensates to keep him. This alone could have made the story and delved deeper into the barriers. Unfortunately, they inserted the third party, Hyunseo, to create the distraction. Both Hyunseo and Yeonho have the same request: Stay by their side. One he doesn't love and one he loves too much. The obvious choice is glaring.

A better story would have been them separating, Yujun getting a job and feeling comfortable to return the love in kind. BUT this ending was better in one regard. They chose to stay even though the dynamic wasn't perfect and issues not solved. It finally dealt with a relationship in a realistic manner. They loved each other enough to stay, set the temporary boundaries that make it habitable and will work on doing better. This felt earned.

The acting was better than kost of the recent mini series but felt too concentrated. Too heavy that it became overdramatic.

Still the differences made it enjoyable enough too root for their love.

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a let down

Honestly, what a let down. I was looking forward to this drama because I love Park Minyoung and Wi Hajun. The first few episodes got me HOOKED.

Story
At some point, the story just felt.. boring. I wasn't very interested in the plot anymore. The police in this drama are infuriatingly incompetent; I hope this isn't a reflection of reality... We have the police literally saying "can you prove you weren't there? It'll be good if you could send me the recording of .." ?? wow. Is this really what happens in real life?? :0 The odds are always so conveniently stacked against Park Minyoung's character, it almost feels like lazy writing.

Acting
Great acting from the main cast.

Music
Nothing stands out but whatever plays tends to be appropriate for the scenes.

Rewatch value
I was somewhat invested and due to sunk cost fallacy, I wanted to complete the drama. Can't say I would recommend this drama or want to rewatch it though...

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10/10 — not for perfection, but for how real it felt.

i never really understood the hate for enchante.

was the script perfect? no. there were pacing issues, and some choices were frustrating. but honestly… that’s what made it feel real to me.

theo isn’t a “perfect” character like akk, and that’s exactly why i liked him. he made selfish decisions, he ran away, he hurt akk — not because he didn’t love him, but because he didn’t know how to handle everything he was feeling. that kind of emotional immaturity exists in real life more than people want to admit.

their relationship wasn’t easy. it was messy and uneven, but still genuine. you could feel that they meant something to each other even when things were falling apart.

and akk… he was the best character for me. the way he loved theo said everything. i did wish theo would be the one chasing akk back after everything that happened, but in the end akk’s love was just that big.

i can’t hate theo. his decisions were frustrating, especially leaving akk, but it also felt like he did it because he didn’t want akk to wait for him.

i loved the music and the acting. sure, the overall production had its weak points, but forcebook’s chemistry and their performances carried the series for me.

it’s not perfect, but it’s still one of my favorite series ever.

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Successful Story Telling, Just Not the Story I Wanted Told

I watched this after Moving because it was set in a shared universe. The connection was not apparent to me until the last minute or so of the drama. Whereas, Moving had warmth amidst violence, Light Shop offered despair amidst darkness. Moving had loving relationships; Light Shop had people afflicted with despair, prejudice, guilt, and loss. Moving had its moments of humor; Light Shop was unremittingly bleak—it was always night, and it was often raining.

The more than half-dozen stories began about a third of the way through, with the background supplied in alternating flashbacks. It was confusing, but viewers and characters alike were bewildered, so it worked in a fashion. The writer trusted his audience to grasp the situation, and he filled in the important issues later. This may have caused some viewers to quit early, but the payoff started in about the fourth episode and built steadily from there.

The drama started as a horror, macabre and eerie. Horror isn't my cup of tea, but as the drama progressed, the pieces came together, and, as it began to make sense and progress, terror turned to understanding.

The Good:
• Park Bo Young's character was the one calm, reassuring touchstone in the drama. I inevitably enjoy her acting.
• The dog was a good boy.
• The drama managed to take all the dark, broken pieces and fit them together in a pleasing way. There was a rhythm and pattern to the stories that was satisfying.

The Bad:
• Moving had buckets of blood; Light Shop was adrift in tears. If there was a character with any screen time who didn't cry, I'm unaware of it.
• There were many unanswered questions which made me wonder if the story was to be continued in a sequel or if it would be shuttled into the second season of Moving.

Not recommended for the depressed. Recommended for those who appreciate seeing bits of a smashed vase being spun into a whirlwind and miraculously made whole, more or less.

My rating reflects my appreciation for a convergence of stories melded together successfully and less on my enjoyment of the drama. The characters were memorable, and the cast did an admirable job. I can recognize the drama is a dark gem without particularly liking it. I will say that, although I rarely rewatch a drama, this easily could be rewatched, because there are so many aspects potentially missed in the first viewing.

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Damn, I'ma need a minute to process that-...

The way the individual scenes were filmed, the acting, the characters—it was rly good. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this engrossed in a drama. Thrilling and emotional. It had everything my heart desired. Martial arts, warfare, crisis, but also emotional scenes. It was sometimes hard to follow the plot, but it all made sense in the end.

I’d actually even rewatch it (if the ending weren’t so mentally devastating—I mean, literally devastating xD). In terms of C.&P. dramas, after “The Untamed” (1) and “World of Honor” (2), this might be my number 3 so far.

A whole point deduction 'cause this drama was very aggressive and physically abusive, especially toward the one male lead character (toxic relationship), and that was just pretty, pretty intense. The abuse aspect was very prominent, and that can be pretty triggering (at least it was for me). But ig it just fit the plot and the characters’ traits, so I ain't gonna say more about it. Therefore, because the rest of the drama is so good, and the abuse aspect fits the plot (sadly) well, I’m still rating this drama 9/10.

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Late Qing masterpiece

enjoyable drama Set at the beginning of the end for the Qing dynasty, it was an interesting period of history that allowed the state propaganda to be a perfect, natural fit and thus not intrude on the storytelling.
For me, the undoubted highlight was the presence of strong, independent women who chose their own destiny and took action to accomplish it. Both the female lead and the second female lead were completely independent individuals. They had the ability and determination to act toward getting what they wanted, and it was nice to see even a secondary character in the person of the male lead's childhood betrothed grew into exactly that kind of female character as well.

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I might do a one ep test for a lot of dramas
In Ramadan our work hours is a bit less so I can breath a bit

I feel like if it stayed 100% dark above saesangs, it’d have been better
The comedic elements with the fl ruins it, I do also not like falling in love with a fan, but atleast “she knew him before he got famous”

It had given me the Veronica mars type of story especially the movie
But idk i don’t like the balance between comedy and darkness
Fl was fine during her court scene but after the ending I feel like it’d just go to the cheesy romcom vibes
And I do dislike the past connection, atleast like VM, they should’ve made him remember her

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You know what this feels like, when the teen tv shows of the past always had their parents away or supppperer busy so the kids could do the saving of the world

Every “hyung” here makes gunhoo like a baby who can only throw punches so he’s not doing much

Tbh this should’ve been called the road of ahjussi hyunghood, so many ahjussis, I got lost on who’s who, the last three, I almost thought they’re the same ppl

An 8ish, but a boost up for my booyy WDH

tbh I’d have had it differently, but the ending scene was good too, kinda makes it sad that wasn’t done earlier and instead we got a really long arc of hyunghood interfering

For me, I’d have kidnapped woojin, made him fight every day and have geonu come save him, but plot twist , they have to fight each other

So cop guy died right? And they lied that he’s in a coma to geonu? Cuz like I said, all ahjussis looked the same
The “bloodhound” yet good guy, the other cop who I think wasn’t the old cop, and the last soldier guy


Choi siwon was hilarious, I wish the whole last ep was the actual drama and the aftermath was the focus


It’s like my favorite author once said, if you make a story, you better expect trauma
And this drama only got a second season for the trauma

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Pretty show, but severely lacks depth

This is the first time, or one of very few times, I've ever wanted to seek out "haters" leaving bad reviews on a show so I can feel justified in my dissapointment with this series.

7 eps in, I thought the show was complete ass. Nothing was grabbing my attention and l wasn't really buying Arthur in his role at all, he wasn't selling the general character. Also he had absolutely zero chemistry with Dilraba, like he just felt too young/boyish for her. It's probably less of an issue with Arthur and more the dynamic between Duan Xu and Si Mu as determined by the writer themselves. I just don't think the boyish/innocent/puppy ML personality type works well with that of an all-powerful/detached/400+ years life experienced FL.

Also, there's this thing that Arthur does with his smile...idk, it has always bothered me in every drama I've seen of his where he basically has this fake/awkward looking smile or smirk. And at this point I have to believe its an acting issue, because it's prevalent in every single role I've seen him play.

I hung in there until Ep 17 and the show still was not doing shit for me. The plot is seriously non-existent. It doesn't feel like the characters even care about their roles/jobs. FL is so powerful but seems incompetent or just too bored about the fact she's a freaking Sovereign of all spirits and the fate of the world rests on her shoulders, but she doesn't move like she's got shit to do, so the drama just comes across as unserious, like the plot is not really serving a purpose for actual story telling and is just background for the romance to progress.
Anyway, dropped at 17 eps. Not feeling any chemistry or interest to keep going.

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