Reviews

Disappointing and filled with absurd tropes – I had to watch it on 2x speed.

This is officially the first time I’ve ever had to fast-forward through a K-drama, and it’s entirely because of the female lead. From minute one, her character completely pulled me out of the story. I just can't stand nosy, arrogant, and self-entitled characters. She was so exhausting that she made me lose all interest in the show. To be clear, I have nothing against the actress, she’s just doing her job, but this insufferable character was simply too much.

On a positive note, the relationship between the villagers and Mechoori (Ahn Hyo-seop) was really heartwarming. Even when they got mad at him, those moments were still salvageable and sweet.

However, the drama is packed with tired clichés, and the female lead's sleepwalking subplot was an absolute joke. A sleepwalker who goes out for walks, finds her way back home perfectly, and can somehow type in the door's security code? Come on. Then she wakes up with cuts on her feet and just brushes it off like it’s a normal Tuesday? But the absolute peak of absurdity was her ability to call the exact person she wanted while fast asleep. Out of a thousand contacts, her sleeping brain magically dials the same number every time. I just couldn't take it seriously.

And don't get me started on him. Can anyone explain to me how he managed to travel all the way from the village to Seoul just in time to save her from almost getting run over that night? The logic completely flew out the window.

Overall, a frustrating watch.

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A lesson on chemistry

I swooned and felt all the feels. Someone get me my own Tada pls (sorry Armin). Their love story moved me so much. Tada was Kind of a stalker in the previous life but it's ok all is forgiven cause he's such a cute golden retriever. I really loved the acting and chemistry it was to die for. While, obviously, the story was irrealistic it still was handled well. At the end I feel like the whole "Reset" magic could've been explained better but I was satisfied on how it was handled and I'm glad they had a happy ending. Armin got the strongest bones and luck cause that man died 1 time and almost 2 other times but he still bagged the hot CEO. Armin teach me your ways King.

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Super slow and no depth in relationship build

The Best Thing tries desperately to be a "slice-of-life" comfort watch, but it forgets that life actually needs to happen. The narrative moves at an incredibly slow crawl, stretching out moments that could have been handled in a fraction of the time. Instead of building tension or depth, the lingering shots and heavy reliance on atmosphere make the episodes feel stretched thin. If you are looking for momentum, a driving plot, or sharp conflict, this drama will drive you crazy. It mistakes a lack of story progression for "calmness."

Zhang Linghe (as Dr. He Suye): He is arguably the only reason to stick around. Stepping away from his usual intense, heavy historical costumes, he plays a gentle, green-flag traditional Chinese medicine doctor. He brings a soft, natural charm to the screen, looking effortless and delivering a grounded performance. 

The Female Lead (Shen Xifan): While meant to be a relatable, sleep-deprived working professional healing from past trauma, her writing often crosses the line into frustrating territory. Instead of coming across as independent or deeply layered, her constant hesitation, communication roadblocks, and repetitive emotional loops make her incredibly annoying to watch.

If you are solely watching to see Zhang Linghe look handsome, relaxed, and gentle in modern clothes, you might find some visual comfort here. But as a cohesive, engaging drama, The Best Thing bogs itself down in a slow, tedious rhythm with a female lead that is hard to root for. It’s an easy skip if you prefer your romances with a bit more life, energy, and progression.
If you still want to watch Zhang Linghe but need a completely different vibe—something fast-paced, high-stakes, and where the female lead definitely won't bore you—you might want to check out his historical dramas.

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The romance part is fine

What can I say? The romance story is fine. Miles always delivers. The female lead is lovely. The secondary leads are great.

However the writers tried to be too clever and the plots in the last 1/3 of the dramas were jarring.

The ratings were pushed higher because it does have some of the best kissing I've seen from Miles W.

I would recommend this just for both the leads besties chemistry with them.

Rewatch? No. There are no memorable scenes. However its great as a marathon drama. How or when did the romance starts? Well lets say it hasn't in ep 15.

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vertical series with great visuals

Overall: the actors did a good job, but the plot circled a bit too much for me. Aired on Vigloo, here's an invite link www.vigloo.com/en/redirect/app/invite?code=c33Vjb4P
50 episodes a couple minutes each. Episodes 1-10 are free, can watch about 7 episodes per day for free by watching ads so it takes a few days to finish watching the series.

Content Warnings: past child or intimate partner abuse, manipulation, sexual harassment, dub con turned consensual, non con picture taking, blackmail, drugging

What I Liked
- visuals/dynamic
- supportive coworker

Room For Improvement
- started with the cliche drunk sex
- impersonated a doctor and then did something when he knew they should wait a few days for health reasons
- plot went in circles
- business drama was uninteresting

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really good definitely watch

SOOOO GOOD!!!! I am not the type to watch romance and am a huge critic when it comes to dramas and movies but this was a drama my sister recommended and it was definitely one that I would never get bored of. this was the type of drama that had the introduction of new characters and different elements to the story keeping it fresh without getting confusing or losing the plot. i love the ML so much this was the first drama of Kim Jae young that I have watched and he his such a great actor- definitely underated and I felt the same way abt the FL. anyways I hope you loved the drama as much as I did if you watch it which I highly recommended and I can’t wait for season 2

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Great drama but ending felt rushed

I enjoyed Princess Royal! What I loved most was how emotionally layered and mature the story felt. This wasn’t just another historical romance — it explored regret, misunderstandings, sacrifice, trust, and what it means to truly love someone after years of emotional distance and pain.

The relationship between the leads felt especially compelling because it wasn’t perfect or overly idealized. Watching them slowly rebuild trust and rediscover each other after a lifetime of regrets made the romance feel earned. The quiet moments, emotional tension, and gradual healing honestly became some of my favorite parts of the drama.

Zhang Linghe was definitely a highlight for me. He brought so much warmth, patience, and emotional depth to his character, and there were so many moments where you genuinely felt for him. The chemistry between the leads kept me invested, and visually, the drama was beautiful — from the costumes to the overall atmosphere.

That said, this is a 9/10 and not a 10 because the ending left me wanting more. After such a strong emotional build-up, the payoff felt a little rushed and not as satisfying as I had hoped. There were also moments in the later episodes where certain plotlines dragged or became frustrating, and I wished the story had focused a bit more on the emotional resolution between the leads.

Still, despite those frustrations, this drama stayed with me. The emotional maturity, second-chance romance, and layered storytelling made it incredibly memorable. Even with an ending that didn’t fully land for me, I’d still absolutely recommend it.

Princess Royal ended up being such a rewarding watch for me. What I loved most was how emotionally layered and mature the story felt. This wasn’t just another historical romance — it explored regret, misunderstandings, sacrifice, trust, and what it means to truly love someone after years of emotional distance and pain.

The relationship between the leads felt especially compelling because it wasn’t perfect or overly idealized. Watching them slowly rebuild trust and rediscover each other after a lifetime of regrets made the romance feel earned. The quiet moments, emotional tension, and gradual healing honestly became some of my favorite parts of the drama.

Zhang Linghe was definitely a highlight for me. He brought so much warmth, patience, and emotional depth to his character, and there were so many moments where you genuinely felt for him. The chemistry between the leads kept me invested, and visually, the drama was beautiful — from the costumes to the overall atmosphere.

That said, this is a 9/10 and not a 10 because the ending left me wanting more. After such a strong emotional build-up, the payoff felt a little rushed and not as satisfying as I had hoped. There were also moments in the later episodes where certain plotlines dragged or became frustrating, and I wished the story had focused a bit more on the emotional resolution between the leads.

Still, despite those frustrations, this drama stayed with me. The emotional maturity, second-chance romance, and layered storytelling made it incredibly memorable. Even with an ending that didn’t fully land for me, I’d still absolutely recommend it.

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Complex Characters and Difficult Themes Create an Emotionally Powerful Drama

As only the first part of a two-part series, the show does a very good job of establishing its characters, conflicts, and emotional themes while leaving enough unanswered questions to keep the audience invested in what comes next. Many character relationships and hidden motivations unfold piece by piece, gradually revealing a much larger and more interconnected story. The series is at its strongest when exploring difficult topics such as bullying, toxic family relationships, and personal identity, handling these themes with surprising maturity and emotional depth.

While the large number of storylines can occasionally make it take some time to fully familiarize yourself with everyone, many of the central characters become increasingly compelling as their backgrounds and motivations are revealed. Several relationship dynamics are handled particularly well, creating emotional investment without relying entirely on romance. Some questionable character decisions also receive additional context later on, rewarding viewers who remain patient with the story.

At the same time, the series is not without flaws. Some plot developments suffer from weak explanations or noticeable logical gaps. There are multiple moments where events seem to happen because the story requires them to, rather than because they feel completely justified within the narrative. Some antagonistic characters, particularly a few of the more openly villainous figures, lack nuance and often feel reduced to stereotypical "bad guy" roles. Additionally, several storylines ultimately move in the right direction emotionally, but the build-up leading to those moments can feel rushed or incomplete, making certain resolutions less believable than they could have been.

Since this is only the first half of the overall narrative, many unresolved questions, mysteries, and character arcs are clearly being saved for Part 2, making it difficult to fully judge certain plotlines at this stage.

Overall, Part 1 succeeds in exactly what it sets out to do: creating emotional investment in its characters and generating curiosity about what comes next. Despite some logical issues, rushed developments, and uneven character writing, the series remains engaging throughout thanks to its strong emotional themes, compelling drama, and ambitious multi-storyline approach. It may not answer every question yet, but it certainly leaves plenty of reasons to continue watching.

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Understand why it’s called Our Generation

This drama hit home in a way I wasn’t expecting. Our Generation beautifully captures the emotional complexity of growing up under pressure — the unspoken expectations, emotional wounds, and quiet toxicity that can exist within families, and how those experiences follow us into adulthood. It felt incredibly real and relatable, showing not just the pain, but also the resilience and healing that comes with growing older.

What stood out most was how thoughtfully the story unfolded through different stages of life. The transitions felt natural, and you genuinely felt like you were growing up alongside the characters, witnessing how their personalities, choices, fears, and relationships evolved over time. Nothing felt rushed or overly dramatic for the sake of drama — the emotional moments landed because they felt earned.

The love story was one of the most beautiful parts of the drama. It was pure, unwavering, and deeply moving — not perfect, but strong in a way that felt authentic. The chemistry was beautiful, and the emotional depth made you root for them through every challenge.
I also appreciated that the drama didn’t try to unrealistically “fix” every family relationship with a perfect ending. The relationship between the mother and son especially felt painfully real — you could tell there was love there, but also years of distance, misunderstandings, and emotional damage that don’t disappear overnight. They weren’t suddenly close, but they were trying to rebuild, and honestly, that felt more authentic than forcing a complete reconciliation. Healing in families is often messy, slow, and imperfect, and I think the drama handled that beautifully.

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Sucked.

before watching this drama I read some of the reviews on it and saw how everyone liked it and gave it high ratings so I decided to watch it because it was popular and also the fact that Chen Zheyuan was staring in this drama. I can’t even start on how much I despise the story of the drama like first of all why is a 14 year old crushing on her brothers friend that’s like half a decade older than her like bsfr and then she gets mad at him cuz she thinks that he has a gf ( even though she was mistaken) like girl my guy is a full grown man at this point leave him alone. Anyways when she goes to university they both meet and then like he says smt along the lines of “why didn’t you text me I was worried abt you” ( Ik it’s not what he said but it was on the lines of it) LIKE WHY ARE U WORRING ABT YOUR FRIENDS SISTER?? they weren’t even THAT close to have each others numbers especially considering the age gap I find it just so weird.

personally I think the story itself isn’t that well written. the casting was alright, I think that zhao lusi had abit of a childish tone in her voice which was abit annoying at time but overall the acting was not to bad.

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Pretty good for a Japanese drama

I will say for a j-drama I'm giving this a pretty high rating. Japanese dramas are hit or miss, and this one was actually pretty good overall. I thought the acting was pretty good for a j-drama. Enjoyed it and it's a super quick watch.

I know a lot of people didn't like the male lead but honestly his acting was pretty good if everyone also wanted to punch him lol. I will say the female lead was so great in this! It was great to see her work so hard to get as far as she did. Made me want to take up boxing. She's the reason why I'm giving this an 8.5.

I say if you want something quirky and quick to watch, give it a shot. Was definitely worth it in the end!

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