Reviews

Inception-esque

I have seen a lot of bad series defended lately as "art". This one actually deserves that title. The series focuses on two actors filming another series and falling into lust/love along the way. We truly see more of the second series than we do Deep In, but I'm certain it's intentionally to keep you drawn in the way the actors find themselves drawn in. The chemistry between the two leads is not perfection, but I'm not upset about it either. The story itself moves so well that I have to look and see if the glasses are on or off to know which series we're supposed to be in at the moment. That might sound like a negative comment, but I assure you it is not. Looking forward to see how they wrap this one up.

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she fell first, he fell WAY harder.

Wow wow wow this drama completely took me by surprise, I never expected a drama I randomly started watching at 9 pm on a Friday night to completely take over my heart. Everything about this is amazing, the leads have ELECTRIFYING chemistry. You can feel every bit of hurt, sadness, angst, and happiness they portray through the screen. This story is paced really well, even the reunion arc where they weren't on good terms didn't drag on for too long. This one will stick with me for a while, and quietly made its way to my all time favorite dramas list. Honestly what sells this for me so well is the casting of the 2 leads, they made an already good drama so much more amazing because of their portrayal of the characters. Their acting felt so natural it felt like I was watching a real couple and not some characters, it's some of the best chemistry I've seen in a cdrama and I mean that genuinely. Everything felt so real and not forced.

my favorite scenes: their first dance in episode 7, the heartbreaking series of back to back phone calls after the breakup, the reunion scene where the female lead shows up with a new look (no bangs) and where the male lead looks absolutely heartbroken, and the make up scene in episode 26 *whew that one was steamy*!!!

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Hiding hurts the pride

This was a very cute series, short and sweet and just the right amount of goofy and serious. The cast were great, and I loved how each character had a distinct personality that shined through in their interactions with each other. The photography and lighting were beautiful, and the jazzy soundtrack was on point with the setting.

I also loved the relationship between the niece and the aunt and how the script used them to show the differences between queer acceptance in Korea and how that changed a lot in even just one generation. I particularly loved the discussion around the ambivalence between hiding your true self for safety reasons and wanting to live as your most authentic self and how often times those two wishes can become hard to reconcile.

The best part of the series for me was seeing these women be out and proud about being lesbians. A lot of sapphic shows avoid labeling characters at all costs, and while that has its place and is important representation to have, it can quickly become an excuse to queerbait and sidestep actual representation of queer people, so it was a breath of fresh air seeing all the characters in this series be open about who they are. Overall, this was a lovely show to binge in an hour and I highly recommend it if you want to watch something light and funny.

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A Mediocre Soap Opera featuring Cops

1. Pacing is too slow
2. Way too much makeup on both leads, sheesh! (The finally eased up 2/3rds of the way thru!)
3. Mediocre production values across the board. Direction, lighting, sets, costumes -- everything was subpar.)
4. MDL rating way too high
5. Female lead (Elvira) is a weak actress for such a complex role, seems lifeless too often -- and her performance drags down the more than capable ML. And she's ridiculously small and thin for the role. Yes, we see that high heeled boots with lifts.
6. The story has some nice twists, although most are predictable. The plot is the strength of this show, and it gets better as it goes. It's the only thing that got me to the finish line
7. Qin Jun Jie fans should watch this series because he steals the show. I suspect it was really his story all along.
8. This isn't a quality crime drama with MEH soap opera moments. This is actually a quality soap opera with MEH crime drama elements. So sometimes you'll see scenes that make no cop sense but instead romantic sense. If that makes you nervous, don't watch this series.
9. Joker fans will enjoy the villain, but more and more I see queer looking actors exploited as villains. Hmm.
10. The title annoyed me as a bad fit.

Overall I'd tell anyone to pass on this series.

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Strong start, but lost its heart along the way

I honestly wasn't expecting Dazzling to grab me as quickly as it did.

At first, I thought the female lead was a little too cocky. But that impression disappeared almost immediately. She simply knew how to stand her ground, even if she did it in her own unconventional way. That confidence made her incredibly easy to root for, and I quickly grew attached to her.

What I loved most was watching two complete opposites slowly learn to fit into each other's lives. Neither of them tried to change the other for long. They acknowledged what the other person needed and made space for it. The air conditioner subplot is probably my favorite example of this because it perfectly captured how much they cared for one another. I also loved seeing the female lead slowly open herself up to a more domestic lifestyle and embrace experiences that were completely new to her.

The ML was so loving and thoughtful, always making room for the female lead in his life. To me their bond felt not only romantic, but also like found family. There was so much trust and quiet affection between them that I found myself looking forward to every scene they shared.

Another thing I really appreciated was seeing the female lead become part of the family. Instead of just living with them, she genuinely wanted to help. Watching her come up with ideas to improve the family shop showed how much she had grown. She felt mature, balanced, and comfortable with herself.

Even the male lead's mother fascinated me. She wasn't an easy character to like, but I could understand why she became the way she was. She clearly cared, even if she struggled to show it in healthy ways. I kept waiting for the moment where she would finally break free from all the pain she was carrying. The drama seemed to hint at that several times, but it never quite reached the emotional payoff I was hoping for.

Sadly, the warm cozy feeling from the start fades away by middle of the drama.

The biggest disappointment for me was the male lead. In the beginning, his kindness made me look up to him. Later, though, it felt like he carried everyone's burdens entirely on his own. Instead of building a life together with the female lead and his family or at least finding a way that could help support his family without him having to hold everything together, he seemed to sacrifice everything for everyone else. What had once felt loving slowly became emotionally exhausting.

The female lead also started acting in ways that confused me. Earlier, she had become such a grounded and mature character, but suddenly she was participating in childish revenge schemes that were presented as funny teasing. For me, it completely undermined the beautiful trust that had made their relationship feel so special in the first place.

One thing I'll always give this drama credit for is its structure. Before watching, I read the synopsis and expected the school setting to appear much earlier. Instead, the story carefully built its characters and relationships first. When I realized what the writers were doing, I thought it was brilliant. It felt like the drama was setting itself up for a really meaningful coming-of-age story where the school arc would naturally become the next chapter.

But instead of continuing to develop the relationships and dreams it had spent so much time building, the story began relying on outside drama. The shop, endless admirers, misunderstandings, and conflicts that felt forced started taking over.

Eventually, I reached a point where I stopped watching. Not because I hated the drama, but because the feeling that had made me fall in love with it had disappeared. The beginning felt safe, warm, and full of genuine love between its characters. By the middle, that feeling had been replaced with conflict that, to me, existed more to stretch the story than to deepen it. That might actually be what disappoints me the most.

Dazzling introduced characters I genuinely cared about and built relationships that felt authentic and comforting. I truly believed it was setting itself up to become something special. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, it lost the heart that made me fall in love with it in the first place.

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feelings

- nội dung phim xây dựng nhân vật rất tệ, cả 2 nhân vật chính đều ích kỉ, chỉ nghĩ cho cảm xúc của bạn thân, t thấy tội Min Ho, 1 bên là người mình yêu, 1 bên là bạn mình, mà một lần như vậy như kiểu bị phản bội lòng tin ấy =)) . này cứ như ngoại tình tư tưởng ấy, t thật sự không thể chấp nhận nội dung phim kiểu này được luôn á. Thật sự nó tệ vô cùng

Diễn viên diễn thì cũng gọi là tạm, còn hơi đơ, chưa thấy được phản ứng hoá học trong couple này lắm

T coi phim này t coi tới đâu t phải nhăn mặt tới đó, vì bản tính ích kỉ của 2 nhân vật chính. Thật sự thất vọng

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10/10

What I appreciated the most is how realistically this drama portrays school life. Because of pop culture and many school dramas, it’s easy to think that school in Korea is always exciting, romantic, or carefree. This drama breaks that image and shows the reality that many students and teachers experience every day. It isn’t afraid to address difficult topics, and I really respect that. Another thing I loved is that the story doesn’t focus only on the students. It also highlights the struggles of teachers and reminds us that they face pressure, stress, and emotional challenges as well.
Overall, I highly recommend it. It's a drama with an important message that stays with you long after the final episode.

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Korean/ Pinoy Food

A wonderful series to to change up my kdrama flow. To see the celebrities challenged outside of their comfort zone and to see why The Head Chef appreciated the celebrity staff. At the press conference he admitted having a preceived notion the kitchen staff with little or no restaurant experience proved his preferences so wrong. He saw the entertainment passion and proactivness translate from acting to food service in an instant making the operations run smoothly and efficiently on the fly. I loved the customers Korean and Philipino coming into restaurant gasping at who was serving them. The show was quite entertaining and enjoyable to watch! PS to hear there will be a Season 2 in PI- I look forward to watching it 😊😊👍👍

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The acting was quite good, but the storyline wasn't what I expected. From the plot description, I thought the male lead would constantly make the female lead's life difficult. However, that wasn't really the case. Instead of making things harder for her, he actually helped her most of the time.

I did enjoy their romance and thought they had great chemistry. Their romantic scenes were the highlight of the drama for me. Unfortunately, everything else felt way too slow. The drama dragged on so much that I found myself skipping a lot of scenes. Even after skipping so much, I could still easily understand what was happening, which says a lot about the pacing.

At times, I honestly felt like my time was being wasted. Even though the romance was enjoyable, it wasn't enough to make up for how slow and repetitive the story felt. It took me much longer than usual to finish because I kept getting bored.

Overall, I wouldn't personally recommend this drama. That doesn't mean it's bad—I'm sure many people who enjoy slow-burn, leisurely paced dramas will like it. But if you're someone like me who prefers a tighter, faster-moving story, this one probably isn't for you.

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Came for Keng, stayed for TleFirstone

My first horror/supernatural BL and honestly I only watched it because of all the good reviews. Personally I don't need all of that supernatural ghost stuff but it was nicely done, the underlying plot is simple but good and the special effects aren't too cringe. Styling and set designs are amazing, but what really stands out is the acting and how much depth and backstory every character gets. Keng Harit is stunningly beautiful and I liked how Namping played his character. Still, it was Tle and FirstOne's couple that really made this a great watch for me. They have incredible chemistry and their story was so well done: two great actors playing two great characters! I think the ending was a bit too cheesy (they really went all out hahaha) and I wouldn't rewatch it but it's a solid show with very high production value!

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Extremely addictive

I can't get out of my head the fight scene from the first episode, simply epic. I’m amazed at how incredibly engaging and funny the stories are when HMH plays the ml, perfectly balanced. Btw, he’s tougher and more ruthless in this one. The fl is beautiful and has great acting skills. Let's see how the story unfolds. I’m really excited!

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Combo explosivo: acción, romance e intrigas políticas.

¡Qué gran serie! La trama es trepidante, se saborea lentamente sin aburrir, sin meter prisa. Los personajes están muy bien creados, los actores, fantásticos en sus papeles, sobre todo Hou Minghao como Xiao Wuji... ¡Es tan imponente, y tiene una aura y una elegancia increíbles! Wuji es un personaje complejo, con muchas aristas, a lo largo de estos 8 capítulos vamos conociendolo poco a poco más de su vida, y es realmente fascinante. La dinámica con el personaje de Aimi, me encanta, se nota la calidad actoral de los dos. La dirección, es muy buena. Totalmente recomendable.

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Trama trepidante, grandes actuaciones.

Siempre es un placer ver las series de Hou Minghao, y "Key to the Phoenix Heart", no es la excepción. Ha vuelto a sorprenderme con otro personaje carismático. ¡Xiao Wuji, es tan fascinante y complejo!... Es peligroso y violento en el campo de batalla, o con sus rivales; pero es protector con los suyos. Es misterioso y un poco inaccesible, pero poco a poco se van desvelando más detalles sobre su vida, su historia....
Me encanta su química con el personaje de Xie Jiayu, tienen momentos cómicos muy divertidos y su historia de amor romántico, me gusta mucho.
La estética de la serie es magnífica, me encanta el vestuario, sobre todo las armaduras militares.
Felicitar al guionista, es agradable ver una serie original tan bien escrita.

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