Reviews

THE EPITOME OF YEARNING AND LONGING

Can you hear it? This sound… The sound of flowers…

i will be your servant. my body is yours. my soul is yours and my heart is yours too

do you truly not know? you're all i need. even if you are poor, rich, insolent or obedient. even if you do not love me, and even if you say that you love me.. whatever you are, you are all i need, gilchae
-then.. what if i say a foreign intruder took advantage of me?
then i should give you a hug for it must have been painful


This has been truly one of those dramas that kept me thinking about it while sleeping and made me cry my heart out not just once or twice but several times. It is undoubtedly a masterpiece and truly deserves all the accolades that it received. I wish I could give more than 5 stars. Entire cast gave stellar performances but Nam Koong Min and Ahn Eun Jin embodied their characters perfectly. The drama's main theme was about how two lovers found their way to each other despite different struggles during the time of war. Along with this, I thoroughly enjoyed that it explored several themes and profound feelings like yearning, longing, social dogma, de stigmatisation, sisterhood, loyalty, unconditional and unwavering love, classism, gender bias, trauma, grief, endurance, resilience, honor and autonomy. Two main characters showed immense growth and had the most compelling and inspirational character arcs. The cinematography, ost , direction and entire screenplay/storytelling was very well executed. The korean name of the drama "yeonin" is so befitting as it exactly translates to the beautiful connection between the characters - lover. Yeon means to long and in means person - a person one longs for.

SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD:

Lee Jang Hyun is literally the epitome of yearning. Initially, he might have been an aloof and care-free character. He played one of the major roles to somehow uphold certain diplomatic relations between the two dynasties with his wit and courage. He is the personification of calmness, stoicism and composure. Even in life-threatening situations, he always came out of it by acting cleverly. But when it comes to his love of the life, he hears sound of flowers when he first saw her. He thinks of her whenever he sees moonlight and swears by it to promise that he will return to her again. He thinks and dreams of her when he is sleeping. She is his hometown. He loved every form of her. He never felt that women were guilty for losing their chastity against their will. He respected her autonomy and choices though they broke his heart several times. He believed women were not to be forced into the marriages only to turn into widows during wartime. He saved several people by putting his life in danger.

Gilchae is the embodiment of resilience and courage. She was a spolied noblewoman but immediately comes out of that comfort zone once war breaks. She put her survival instincts to the best use in order to escape from intruders and save not only herself but her peers as well. She always believed survival is more important than succumbing to their life due to social stigmas. She defied every stigma. She emerged as a leader was like a matriarch in her family. She bravely did business that are often male-centred to feed her family. She had autonomy and agency towards her own life. She sincerely loved jang hyun and pushed him away due to her own insecurities and guilt but later ultimately reunited with him in the best way they ever could.

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Bittersweet slice of life, warm and hopeful

I hope we see a season 2, but if not, I think this stands well on its own as a slice of life mini-drama.

We meet a group of friends who are all attached to the film industry: an editor, a writer, and a videographer, each of whom have their own issues they're struggling with. Familial, personal, romantic, etc. The love interest- and the fourth addition to the group- is a director who's recently gone freelance to rediscover his "spark".

I found this drama beautifully written. It's true to life in that it feels vulnerable, real, and poignant, very honest in how it portrays emotions and conflict; but it's also sweet, hopeful and funny. I came to love all the characters, both the central four and the fun side characters. Everyone has great moments and depth to their personalities and lives.

The romance is more of a built-up to a potential romance (in season 2, I hope), but I really liked it, and it made sense that it went slow. The tension was really great, both fun from a fictional perspective and cute from a more realistic POV. One of the men involved is still grappling with his sexual identity and his feelings, his parents want him to bring a nice woman home, etc. so he's still a bit skittish over his own yearning for romance. But he and his love interest go through a little conflict together, and come out the other side hugging, and it's really sweet.

If you're looking for a short drama to watch, I recommend this one, each of the episodes are only about 6-10 minutes long IIRC. It's well written, excellently acted, and leaves you feeling hopeful.

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Sweet horrific romance

Full marks for the extreme angst of the romance. A drama that does not play around with the enemies to lovers, it truly is as blatantly dark and bloody as can be for the character's romantic set up of entangled karma. The deep conflict within Ri Ta is so palpable with both the hate and sympathy that clenches her heart and soul for Do Ha who slaughtered her father on the battle field and also executed her mother and entire household in front of her. She didn't witness the battlefield so that would be one thing if she fell for her father's murderer, but she watched him personally execute her mom. That would normally be the deal breaker for anyone, but she tries to assassinate him as well as a untrained former rich girl could and gets stabbed in the shoulder, though spared by him to serve and hide in his household in secret while he gives her some training to kill him properly. She learns he's murder machine Cinderella for his adopted father who uses him to gain glory and higher position at court while also deeply jealous that his puppet that risks his life for him is awarded with attention from the king. Her heart can't help but soften as she sees him with a constant death wish, breaking for him as he muses aloud how the only person that wishes him to live is his would be assassin, falling in love with him, but still horrified when he uses his killing skills to kill countless people for her in place of killing for his adopted father. The scene where she stops him from killing a child is truly chilling and she knows she has to kill him save others hunting them just as he had killed her family as an example to quell her people and save them from being killed. His dying breaths is stopping he from killing herself immediately, telling her to live, but his spirit forgets already in the moment he left his body what his lingering feelings keeping him to her are and in the succeeding 19 lifetimes of reincarnations that he watches over her.

Ri Ta's 19th life is Young Hwa, who is a dogged firefighter who may have a bit of anger issues, at least ones that are triggered by popular actor Jun Oh. She's unintentionally framed for excessive violence against her kidnappers who were left severely injured by the Do Ha possessed Jun Oh. An example of the kinds of victim blaming laws that may or may not be real in Korean, but there certainly real life examples of such injustices. She's suspended for a few months which gives her time to become Do Ha's personal bodyguard for a while as she slowly recalls her past life through her dreams which she initially could not remember, but could now seem to retain the memory of now that she's within the vicinity of the person she's been dreaming of. This could have been better explained in the show, but it can still be taken as so through observation. Her life time is unique in that she's the only one that can see him, remember him, looks like Ri Ta and also got to receive the special lotus seed amulet that she had received from Do Ha as a wedding gift as Ri Ta. There's no explanation for why Jun Oh looks like Do Ha. Young Hwa doesn't have any feelings of person hood separation despite her life and personality being absolutely different than Ri Ta, she accepts that she's the same person. Both sets of parents are dead, but the trauma is different and Young Hwa still lives a loving and fulfilling life, perhaps she is who Ri Ta would have been all along. Her 20th life reincarnation being the same kind of upbeat personality seems to suggest so, that this is who her soul would always be if not in such dire circumstances. It's strange that even though she accepts her memories as Ri Ta, she still calls Do Ha as Jun Oh and not by his actual name even when they're not in public around people who already know the truth.

Do Ha's supernatural ghost abilities and limitations is very inconsistent. He can affect the lights a little bit to his will, which was funny when she challenges to do more than just the ones around them outside at night and even he found silly. He seems to have healing powers to be able to resuscitate the dead, terminally ill body he occupies. At first he was prone to fainting symptoms just as Jun Oh originally dealt with from the cancer, but then that just disappears towards the end of the drama. Jun Oh whose prognosis was death from every doctor his brother Min Oh consulted is suddenly able to recover within a year of chemotherapy. I do like the set up of Do Ha being able to access Jun Oh's memories as needed and Jun Oh retaining a little bit of Do Ha's personality and feelings for Young Hwa, but not enough to have transference of love or anything, just enough to deliver Do Ha's final letter to Young Hwa for closure to the 19 lives of strife so that they start her 20th fresh with Do Ha again after living a full life.

The angst and chemistry between the lead characters is great, but the stiff jpeg kisses AND stiff hugs takes you out of the immersion of the intensity of the show. They don't need to do much, just kiss and hug in an organic way. It's all the more flummoxing when they do get to do one scene of organic kissing at the end. It's like they're only allowed one like an F word in a PG 13 American film.

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Lazy and stereotypical writing

Had to drop this series because of the unnecessary changes to the personality of the characters which in turn made the characters stereotypical.

Changing Sky's background from one of him naturally having his reaction to cameras due to him being born that way to him having the reaction due to bullying was just lazy and stereotypical. It also removed representation from the people who naturally have phobias or reactions without it being due to bullying.

Jay's mother was a strong and smart woman, changing her to a woman who was outsmarted and took her own life once again relied on lazy writing and stereotypes.

Jay was far more of a red flag in the manwha than in the series. The series attempted to modify this by writing him as red flag in episode 8 but the deed has already been done.

This series lost the soul of the Manwha because it just wanted to rely on stereotypes.

sun also had more friends in the manwha. Cutting out his close friendship with Jay's uncle and the manager just to give more time to Sky and pakin led to ghost ships and took away time from Jay who is supposed to be the lead. Episode 7 was the worst of this. Jay only appears for 5 minutes there.

This ghost shipping led to real life online attacks on neoul because fans wanted boss for sky.

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Politics, Survival… and Wife-Obsessed Husbands

I started this drama because I kept seeing clips of the male lead, and honestly, he was the reason I hit play. He has such a refreshing personality compared to most C-drama male leads. He’s cute, funny, charming, and just so easy to love. Every scene he was in was entertaining.

This is also the first drama I’ve actually finished starring Meng Ziyi. I couldn’t finish Blossom because, for me, it didn’t have the same humour and fun that this drama had. This one kept me invested from beginning to end.

The female lead was such an interesting character. She was intelligent, calculating, and definitely not someone you could underestimate. At first, it was frustrating watching her not return the Crown Prince’s feelings, but as the story progressed, I really came to appreciate the slow-burn romance. I especially loved everything after their wedding. It was refreshing to see their relationship continue to grow instead of ending once they got together.

Even though the romance was great, at its core, it’s about politics, survival, power struggles, and outsmarting your enemies, with the romance woven naturally into the story.

Now, can we talk about the husbands? 😂 Every single man in this drama was ready to risk everything for his wife. Even the Second Prince, who was a cheater! I had zero expectations for him, but seeing him sacrifice himself for his wife genuinely surprised me. Then there’s the CEO of the “I Love My Wife Too Much” club, our Crown Prince. That man was absolutely down bad in the best way possible, and I loved every second of it. We also can’t forget the Fifth Prince and the sacrifice he made for the female lead. It was honestly so refreshing to see male characters who loved and respected their wives this much.

As someone who’s single and doesn’t even want to get married, dramas like this give me the most unrealistic expectations. 😂 They really make you believe wife-obsessed husbands are just walking around waiting to be found.

My only real complaint is the ending. Episodes 32–36 kind of lost me. We barely get to see the Crown Prince until the very end, and I’m still confused about how he came back to life. Maybe the novel explains it, but I’m way too lazy to read it. 😅 Hopefully someone in the reviews has an explanation because I’m still scratching my head.

Overall, I had a great time watching this drama. The chemistry between the leads was fantastic, the supporting cast was memorable, and the mix of politics, survival, humour, and romance made it a really enjoyable watch. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a historical drama with smart characters, plenty of twists, and one of the most lovable male leads I’ve seen in a long time.

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In Your Radiant Season was such a comforting drama. It really broadened my perspective and made me feel so many different emotions—it honestly felt like I was experiencing everything alongside the characters. I remember watching it while it was airing, and I was there as soon as the new episodes came out every week. It had such a cozy and heartwarming atmosphere, and the main leads' acting was incredible. They brought so much emotion to their roles, which made the story even more memorable. Overall, it was a beautiful drama that stayed with me long after I finished it.

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Light-hearted and funny show with great music!

I went in with zero expectations but ended up enjoying it overall. Although really low budget you could see they put an effort into making this which was amazing to watch. It was light-hearted and funny, they knew they were going for a over the top comedy and didn't try to be something else.

All of the characters were so silly, and that made them lovable, I adored the whole group. And I was interested in all of their arc. Liked the actors chemistry together. Personally I really fell for the sfl (fei xin).

The musical parts were well-made, I loved the music and the performances.

All in together I would definitely recommend this for when you need something to relax to and laugh.

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Blossoms of Power was honestly really good. It was such a comforting drama, and everything that happened actually made sense instead of feeling random. The main leads fit their roles so well, and their chemistry made the story even better. I also liked that the court scenes were never boring, which surprised me. One thing I wish they had done was give the second leads more screen time because they were interesting too. I also loved that they showed the main couple with their child afterward since most dramas end as soon as there's a pregnancy. I probably wouldn't rewatch it because I personally don't like rewatching dramas, but overall it was amazing and definitely worth watching.

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Brutal, Fast paced, True to it's title

I really enjoyed this one. It's intense, fast-paced, and never gave me a chance to get bored.

Sure, it's a bit unrealistic at times...one injured man taking down so many enemies isn't exactly believable... but it didn't take away from my enjoyment.

What I liked most was the main character's determination. He never wasted time on long speeches or unnecessary drama. He had one goal: avenge his brother. He stayed focused from start to finish and never seemed afraid of death because, to him, completing his mission mattered more than his own life.

The title, Mercy for None, fits the drama perfectly. It delivers exactly what it promises.

The action scenes were brutal, bloody, and well choreographed. If you're not a fan of graphic violence, this probably isn't for you.

The ending was emotional. After taking down everyone responsible, he was left completely alone. Thinking about his brother in his final moments made his death hit even harder. It was sad, but I also felt it was the right ending for his character.

Overall, it's a short, action-packed drama that's intense from beginning to end. If you enjoy revenge stories with lots of action and don't mind the gore, it's definitely worth watching.

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Action with heart and laughter

This was a fun action drama that kept me interested almost the entire time.

Ep 1: Interested.
Ep 2: Loving it.
Ep 3: Hooked.
Ep 4: Couldn't stop binge-watching.

Around Ep 5, I got a little frustrated. Instead of focusing on finding his daughter, he spends time chasing someone else, which didn't make much sense to me. The father-daughter reunion also felt like it was taking forever, and I almost wanted to fast-forward those parts.

From Ep 6-9, the drama picked up again and kept me invested.

Ep 10 wrapped things up nicely. I liked that the ending wasn't rushed—they actually showed what happened afterward instead of cutting straight to the credits. Seeing the dad happier and smiling more, and his daughter becoming more expressive, was really heartwarming. I also loved the friendship between the ajussis.

I would've liked to see a bit more of Ju Hak's daughter's downfall because she was incredibly arrogant, but there were bigger things happening in the story, so it wasn't a major issue.

Overall, it's a solid one-time watch, especially if you enjoy action dramas. The action scenes were well done, the emotional moments landed, and apart from the slight drag in the middle, I don't have many complaints.

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Right off the bat I thought this show reminded me of a Manghwa called Jinx, but there are some key points that were changed - someone in the comments/reviews said it was to avoid licensing - which is kinda shady. The story for both is about a poor man heavily in debt with a sick relative who is hired to be the physical therapist for an athlete - and has a private body slave contract with the athlete.

This is one of the few shows I have watched where I found the OST to be absolutely amazing compared to the show. The show itself wasn't bad, it was just kinda meh. I prefered the 2nd pair to the 1st. The kisses were lackluster (at least for the 1st pair). The 2nd pair had some spicy scenes, and the 1st pair had some non-con kisses and manhandling - but nothing explicit - not that that makes it any better. The supporting characters and actors were amazing - the brother, the photographer and the sculptor. The MC (the PT) was perfect in terms of looking pitiful but he was kind dead fish when it came to kissing. The casting for the ML was ok but the character development and redemption arc was missing, he was just angry, jealous, possessive young man from start to end. I never understood why MC liked ML or did he just have nightingale/stockholm syndrome because ML saved him financially and kept him in close quarters the entire time.

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Where does that leave me?

We are so back, because I am, for once, actually finishing shows in one go. I don’t even know if this is fully out yet, but it is for vip so I downloaded it for my plane ride. I would give it an 8 (8.3) out of 10, and I am going to say what I liked, what I didn’t, and then do an episode overview, so let's run it.

Okay, starting off strong with our actors. I am currently still in the air, so I can’t look up the actors' names, but genuine props to these two sexy ass men. Just phenomenal acting all around. Whether that be their love story, the crime plot, all of it was really good because of them. And they have officially raised my standards for Korean BL. If you look at any of my reviews, you know I do not watch Korean BL at all and am a Thai BL girlie (hence me on a flight back from Taipei and in turn Bangkok), because the Korean BLs, either they have the worst chemistry ever OR THEY PECK ONCE AND THE REST OF THE SHOW IS A HARD WATCH. But these two did really well, especially with their kissing and their two sex scenes. Truthfully, I am very impressed, so good job to them. (ALSO, we did not use our height difference enough; I am irritated as fuck, irritated as fuck).

I also quite enjoyed the connected cases. I thought it was really easy to follow while still staying entertaining, so that was also a really good job. They gave us everything and didn’t randomly introduce characters last minute, so I mean, once again, good on them; love to see these plots non-convoluted and actually interesting.

On more stuff I liked. This first thing is lowkey so random and bullshit, but it still stood out to me as something I enjoyed: the slants at the end of the episodes. Like, I know that's so weird and random, and it just signals the end of the episode, but I actually really enjoyed that, like, oh my god. Another thing I am very much a slut for was when they were talking about the cases, and they were actually in them and reenacting them. God, that was great, oh my god.

Regarding things I didn’t like, the main thing was the romance building. See, I expected it to be bad because every single mystery BL or crime center BL has the worst romance building ever. But despite this, I am still ultimately disappointed, because I quite enjoyed our couple. But I guess it’s whatever.

On the topic of romance, these MOTHER FUCKERS ARE SO TOXIC, more specifically big daddy. God, he is like irritatingly toxic too, and in some parts it wasn’t even hot; it was just pissing me off. Also a lot of forced kissing and forcing himself onto the other guy (even though the other guy was into it after the 1st one). I feel like they could’ve pushed back their sex scenes or something so it didn’t feel out of the blue and random. But yeah.

Next up, with things I didn’t like, I’m gonna say plot holes, or I am sorry, irrelevant ideas. The case with the lady who killed her husband. What did that have to do with anything? I am actually so lost. I mean, maybe it was to get the audience’s attention on the son, but also it was just very irrelevant; I don’t know. I feel like they could have done more with that because it was quite interesting. (This is also loosely based on this topic, but this whole show is a conflict of interest lmao; every last case the two of them have a conflict of interest with). THE UNCLE was another plot hole that could’ve been greatness. Like, oh, I know they sent him to jail, but that felt almost too easy and overall irrelevant to the plot.

Also not really the biggest fan of the, I don’t know if it's AI or CGI, but it's sprinkled in here pretty randomly, and lowkey takes you all the way out of the show, so they need to cool the fuck down on that shit, oh my god.

And finally, for things I was not very fond of, was the ending. We spent what, 9, 10 episodes building up to this shit; we got the reveal with the son, which I very much enjoyed, and then the story folded and they are like, oh, we arrested everyone! Like what? I need my clarity, my revenge; I want to see them being taken away in handcuffs, not just AI. And their whole getting into a relationship pissed me off, silly. Like why did that even feel rushed? Girl bye. ALSO, did we ever find out if Lee's dad was innocent or what? They should have made that more clear.

Episode overview time!!! Just funny shit I have written in the notes app about this show. Episode 1: “Lowkey about to miss my layover in Taipei because my Bangkok flight is delayed but you know at least I have Korean bl...hopefully these two aren't awkward kissers I beg.” Episode 2: “Bitch, what the fuck was that? HELLLOOO???? Why did we start choking him out? I am so lost, and why did we kiss him if we hate him? AH NAH. That's a lawsuit incoming, but we aren't locked in enough. Nah, the whole police department coming down if this was me. Lee, step your shit up, dude.” Episode 3: “They need me on this team, I swear to god. Inspector a bitch for the love of the game. Like I need a really good reason for you not to like Lee, that's not he's the son of a murderer because what does that have to do with him, I'm confused?” I now understand lmao. Episode 5: “Lee just got stabbed, but I really couldn't take it seriously because it was the music that they played in the sex scene of my stubborn so I thought they were about to fuck, but he just got stabbed.” Episode 7: “We got a random half-ass sex scene thrown at the start because Lee likes poking the emotionally unstable bear with a flaming dildo dude.” Episode 8: “Also, I don't know why we are making this a big deal. He made it very clear that he hated you and wanted you gone, and you didn't suspect why? Like, he made it clear that he hated you because you are a murderer's son; you ever wonder why? We lack common sense and it shows. I am impressed we have both made it this far in the world with this little common sense. I do wish that he was the evil lady's son; that would have been a fire fucking twist, oh my god.” Episode 9: “Once again, they need me on this team pronto. But yeah, the director coming to his house to choke him out was ACTUALLY CRAZY.”

Yeah. It’s a short watch, so I would say check it out. The romance building is ass, but it’s still enjoyable because the plot is very continuous. Okay bye!

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When a Cowardly Dad Is Anything But Cowardly

This drama is not for the faint-hearted. Half the running time seems to be spent with someone punching, kicking, stabbing, or bleeding. The action is relentless, and bloody scenes are very much the norm. Thankfully, the series balances all that violence with plenty of humour, most of it courtesy of Park Jin-cheol, the resident clown. His quirky antics, over-the-top martial arts demonstrations, and impeccable comic timing provide much-needed relief between the bruises.

The drama is apparently adapted from a popular webtoon. Having never read it, I can only judge it on its own merits—and it does a fine job standing on its own.

The story opens with the bitter rivalry between Kim Min-ji and her classmate Ju Hye-ri. Hye-ri, the daughter of a construction tycoon who climbed from street thug to business mogul, has clearly inherited her father's bullying streak. During a revenge-fuelled confrontation, she smashes a brick over Min-ji's head, seemingly killing her.

As Min-ji's father desperately searches for his missing daughter, he is forced to reveal an identity he has concealed for years. Suddenly, everyone wants him dead. North Korea sends an elite assassin, South Korea's Special Mission Directorate puts him in its sights, and Hye-ri's vengeful father joins the hunt after suffering a humiliating encounter. The central question quickly becomes: can Manager Kim find his daughter before his enemies find him? And is Min-ji really dead? The drama drops enough hints on her to keep you guessing without giving the game away.

Some of the characters will have your blood boiling. There is a perpetrator who insists she is the real victim, a father whose overprotectiveness often looks suspiciously like cowardice, a ruthless business tycoon who seems able to bend everyone to his will, and corrupt politicians whose loyalty extends no further than their own bank accounts.

Several action sequences are particularly memorable. The frantic search through a sprawling warehouse complex where rival gangs hope to use Min-ji's "corpse" to blackmail Ju Gang-chan, is wonderfully tense. Equally entertaining are the daring infiltrations of the heavily guarded SMD headquarters and the hotel hosting North–South peace negotiations. These scenes keep the suspense high and the adrenaline flowing.

The finale does not forget to have fun. One of the villains ends up at the mercy of an agent he had manipulated throughout the story. I kept wondering what sort of revenge was coming. The answer was unexpectedly hilarious—and entirely deserved.

Of course, realism frequently takes a holiday in this drama. How does someone survive that amount of torture? Can three men really take on what feels like half the country? And how does a person recover from a massive blow to the head and severe blood loss without so much as a headache? A little explanation from the screenwriter would have helped. The influence wielded by wealthy elites is also portrayed as almost limitless, while the North Korean agents are depicted as nearly superhuman. Highly trained? Certainly. Invincible? Perhaps not quite. Regardless, these larger-than-life moments add to the tension, the spectacle, and ultimately the entertainment value.

Sharp-eyed viewers may also notice a few obvious product placements. A well-known health drink and Kopiko sweets seem determined to sneak into the action whenever possible.

Credit where it is due: the English title, Agent Kim Reactivated, is far punchier and more exciting than the rather plain Manager Kim.

Overall, this is an immensely entertaining action thriller with a generous helping of comedy. If you do not mind frequent violence, it delivers excitement from start to finish. Just do not make it family movie night—the younger viewers should safely sit this one out.

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