Reviews

Don't be fooled: ML is not the main character, ML is barely in the show.

The ML had not but almost 10 minutes of screentime episode 5. Every episode has been the exact same amount of screentime for him as well. I'm so done with this show favoring the fl who's being an absolute b word to him, complaining, being a snob and having 0 facial expressions getting ALL the screentime and plot revolving around her, over the ml actually doing anything at all. This is getting a 6 from me, I should know better than to trust mdl comments in hopes the show will get better... lol but it isn't at all.

Don't advertise Nam Joo Hyuk on the poster and trailer if he isn't even the main character. Every plot point has been about her but she's insufferable, and I'm not exaggerating that. I've never seen him in anything before and wanted to besides 25-21 because I know how it ends, but the guy isn't even here besides getting grilled by the fl. It's getting irritating and tiring, fast.

The Guest is great, but I feel the writers are horrible at writing tolerable female characters that don't b*tch and moan at the ML for absolutely no reason when they're trying their best, as shown with this show (I'm no curser, but that's how strongly this fl is annoying me).

All style, no substance. Nothing is explained when events occur and it's an absolute mess. Cgi nothing burger fest. Poor poor development and 2D characters to boot. I waited a long time for this in gleeful anticipation, but am deeply disappointed. I think this was written as a full length series but got cut short to 8 episodes, I'm not kidding you NOTHING makes any sense and you're not sure what you're watching.

Waste of a show. Roh Yoon Seo should be on the cover solely by herself, because that's all this show is, and she can't act to save her life. I bet my life on it that she has over 80% of the scenes, which would've suited it if you actually had originally advertised her as the lead so we'd know what we were signing up for, but this was misrepresented badly to draw viewers in with the lead Actor.

ML is here to be the FL's punching bag for everything and nothing more. This feels more like watching a so called "girl boss", but instead let's make her be rude to everyone around her and excuse it for being a "strong female lead."


The acting in it is quite bad too from most parties from leading roles to side characters, there's a couple actors here and there who did well, but it feels like B acting 90% of the time. It's very second-hand embarrasment to watch if I'm being completely honest. I'm wincing at the performances.


Skip on this if you don't want to waste your time. It's an incoherent mess and misleading in it's advertisement of what we originally saw of the show and how they marketed it, which is completely wrong and cheap to do.

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Don't watch if you don't like being left on a eternal cliffhanger

I'M PISSED!

Before I get into why I'm pissed, the OST was good, and the acting was fantastic.

I really liked Arisa & Kraam, while I couldn't stand Anan.

I did really hate the cheating, but Kraam and May as characters I still liked. They just have very poor judgment. I may have hated Anan, but I don't like that to happen to anyone.

I also really didn't understand May's logic with some of her treatments. I'm not getting into Joey because I don't know enough, but why did she never try to drain the infection out of Jack's leg? Why was it never elevated above his heart? She drained a blood clot that honestly would have been better left alone because it was far enough away from the heart that she could have just let the body absorb it naturally, but no, let's do that and do NOTHING for the infected leg. After a certain point, the leg should have just been cut off, but that was never considered either because why would it be!?

Now then; WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ENDING!? I'm assuming they planned on doing a season 2, but it never happened because the actor for Kraam, Beam, passed away. Understandable that they didn't want to continue the project. I'm not mad about that.

I'm mad because I don't understand what the fuck happened.

The writing for this series started really strong, but it seemed like once it got to the mystery aspect of the story, it started to crumble. The foreshadowing didn't connect with what we are being told at the end. Which was honestly a little of nothing. The whole time I kept thinking some Island spirit was trying to cleanse the Island of sin since we kept focusing on the wrongs the characters committed. But that's not it? I'm still not sure because we don't really know anything about Kraam's dad, who seems to be like the fake Professor Lin.

I also think some kind of loop is happening. As Kraam went through the gate as a baby, he can't leave the Island; he goes back through the gate, maybe leaving his baby on the other side. Does this baby belong to both worlds? Will it be able to leave the Island? Is Kraam part of both worlds?

This other world is clearly an alternate universe, but did the same tsunami hit in both worlds? If so, why isn't the Island completely submerged? And as for the other world, Joey: is he alive in this world because he died in the other? Are only people who died in this world? Will Jack be there? Can you only travel through the gates if your other self is dead? Wait, Joey knew Kraam, so that means there would have been a version of Kraam in this world, but how is that possible if this was the world Kraam was originally from?

Also, how did Kraam not drown? Not once, but twice, he should have drowned, but didn't. At first I thought that at least his father was a merman and he could actually breathe underwater or something, but we never see how he gets out of the truck in the beginning & he just wakes up near the end like he wasn't breathing while unconscious underwater. Why didn't he drown? What more is going on? Is it because he went through the gate, or does it have something to do with him? I'm assuming him since his mother died not long after passing through the gate.

Honestly, trying to figure out anything in this show gives me a headache. The point is, they didn't explain anything to us and left us on a massive cliffhanger. It's sad, but if I had known this was how it was going to end, I never would have watched it. I don't like unanswered questions or cliffhangers, and that's all this series left me with.

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An Above-Average Fantasy Drama That Knows How to Entertain...

Reborn Rookie (2026) is an enjoyable fantasy drama that blends comedy, corporate politics, sports, and family relationships into an easy-to-watch package. it succeeds in delivering enough humor, emotional moments, and engaging performances to keep viewers invested. Its greatest strength lies in its entertaining premise, although the execution occasionally falls into familiar K-drama conventions.

The story is good but it become predictable in some episodes by repetitive conflicts and predictable twists, which makes it stretchy at times. Although the body-swap concept provides plenty of entertainment early on, the series occasionally plays it too safely instead of exploring its full potential.

Despite these shortcomings, Reborn Rookie remains an enjoyable watch. Its blend of comedy, family drama, and personal redemption offers enough heartfelt moments to enjoy the series.

Reborn Rookie is a pleasant fantasy drama elevated by strong lead performances, but with predictable storytelling and uneven pacing prevent it from reaching its full potential, it remains an entertaining choice for viewers who are looking for a light, inspirational series with a mix of humor and heartfelt emotion.

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I'm a C- Drama convert

It is true that I haven't seen a full fledged Chinese historical wuxia romance drama until I sat down and devoured 40 episodes of this series. I loved the storyline, the chance meeting between a fallen noble and an unlikely butcher's daughter warrior in a heroic, sweeping romance filled with traditional, not fantasy martial arts staged in a sea of political intrigue and mystery. What began with a fake - marriage - turned - true love then united together in the battlefields served with gritty realism for revenge and retribution makes great viewing and entertainment, more than that, it makes me appreciate the cinematography, snow cladded fields, frozen landscapes with the contrast of the warm and earthy Xigu Alley, its neighbors and shops.... to the cold, calculating scheming within the palace walls. I just love the chemistry between Zhang Linghe who portrayed the cold-hearted Marquis of Wu'an, Xie Zheng and the strong female protagonist, Fan Chang Yu, played by the effervescent Tian Xi Wei. Great acting along with prolific writing and direction has made this become one of the highest rated series so far, breaking records in viewership, helped along by the streaming giant Netflix. It will take an extraordinary effort to eclipse this series, for me.

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Nem a Go Youn Jung, nem a linda fotografia conseguiram salvar um drama com um roteiro fraco.

Estava muito animada para esse drama, principalmente por ter a Go Youn Jung e a volta do Kim Seon Ho aos romances. A sinopse, por si só, não tinha despertado tanto meu interesse, mas o trailer mostrava uma cinematografia lindíssima e, somado aos nomes de peso da direção e do roteiro, acabei criando grandes expectativas.

Infelizmente, e digo isso com muita tristeza, foi um drama bem abaixo do que eu esperava. O primeiro episódio foi excelente e serviu como um ótimo começo, me deixando ainda mais animada para os seguintes. Porém, essa qualidade não se manteve. A cinematografia e a atuação da Go Youn Jung continuaram impecáveis, mas o restante foi piorando a cada episódio.

Preciso começar pelo roteiro, que, para mim, foi o maior problema da obra. Mesmo que os outros aspectos não sejam perfeitos, acredito que o roteiro precisa ser, porque ele é a base de todo o drama. Os plots foram mal aproveitados e alguns simplesmente não funcionaram. Sinceramente, ainda não entendo todo o reconhecimento que os roteiros das irmãs Hong recebem, porque, para mim, costumam ser bem medianos.

Essa inconsistência acabou prejudicando todos os outros aspectos da obra. A cinematografia é belíssima — ouso dizer uma das mais bonitas de 2026 —, a atuação da Go Youn Jung é excelente e praticamente carrega o drama nas costas. A direção, as atuações e os personagens, no geral, também cumprem bem seus papéis.

A proposta envolvendo a síndrome da protagonista é interessante, mas acabou se tornando cansativa. A trama girava quase exclusivamente em torno dela, e o roteiro muitas vezes não deixava claro quem estava assumindo o controle, o que tornou essa dinâmica mais confusa do que envolvente.

Gosto bastante do Kim Seon Ho desde Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha e acredito que este seja apenas o segundo drama dele que assisto. Ainda assim, preciso dizer que o Ju Ho Jin foi um dos grandes problemas da minha experiência. Prefiro acreditar que a culpa foi do personagem, mas toda vez que ele aparecia em cena eu já revirava os olhos.

A forma como ele tratava a protagonista, sua falta de maturidade, a personalidade instável e toda a confusão do relacionamento acabaram destruindo a química do casal principal. Esse vai e vem entre os dois simplesmente não funcionou para mim.

Dito isso, continuo acreditando que a Cha Mu Hui deveria ter terminado com o Kurosawa Hiro. Ambos os protagonistas masculinos começam a história de forma imatura, mas, ao longo do drama, vemos um amadurecimento evidente do Hiro, enquanto o Ho Jin parece piorar a cada episódio. Além disso, ficou muito claro para mim que o Hiro realmente amava a Mu Hui. Ele demonstrava isso através das suas atitudes, enquanto o Ho Jin permanecia perdido em suas próprias indecisões. Também me incomodou ver a Mu Hui correndo atrás dele o tempo todo enquanto ele permanecia preso naquela confusão. Horrível.

Os personagens secundários cumprem bem seus papéis e ajudam a movimentar a trama, mas nada muito memorável. As OSTs também fazem apenas o básico.

No geral, é um drama que se sustenta quase exclusivamente pela atuação impecável da Go Youn Jung e pela cinematografia deslumbrante. Ainda assim, não acho que esses pontos sejam suficientes para compensar os problemas do roteiro.

Recomendo para dramalovers que gostam de romance, drama, histórias envolvendo saúde mental, uma cinematografia lindíssima e uma protagonista com uma atuação excelente.

Espero que minha resenha ajude, mas desejo, acima de tudo, que você assista e tire suas próprias conclusões! ♡

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Fraco

Desenvolvimento ruim, fraco. Tiveram algumas situações em que criaram uma tensão que poderia virar algo interessante para a trama mas a sensação é que desistiram no meio de desenvolver mais coisa pq ficou por isso mesmo, resolvido em um segundo. O casal não parece ter intimidade de casal, parece que até o final ainda estão na fase de tentar conquistar, mal se tocam ou beijam, nem no próprio casamento se beijaram. Senti falta de ver sentimento real. A única coisa que salvou de verdade foi o Pond como Thee, ele super entrou no personagem e atuou bem, me tirou risadas.

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Same Team, Same Problems.

I’m at episode three, and will be giving them another episode or two. I figure that it will either be more of the same and I’ll drop it, like I should have with My Stubborn; or they’ll manage pull themselves up by their bootstraps, and make it worth persisting. There are stupid devices being used here, that make the writing look like sabotage. The direction is very inconsistent, to the point where Oat’s bad acting is screaming and waving its arms in one scene, then he’s being directed into almost naturalistic acting in the next. Even the absolutely stellar chemistry between the leads isn’t making itself heard over the cringe-factor. I’m not optimistic.

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O padrão ficou impossível.

Eu terminei esse drama completamente sem palavras.
Entrei esperando um romance histórico e saí emocionalmente destruída. Fazia muito tempo que eu não me envolvia tanto com personagens. O romance foi construído com calma, respeito e confiança, sem parecer forçado em nenhum momento.
O Xie Zheng virou um dos meus protagonistas favoritos. O que mais me conquistou não foi só a aparência (embora ele seja absurdamente bonito), mas a forma como ele ama: com paciência, lealdade, respeito e liberdade. Ele protege, espera, sofre e continua escolhendo a Chang Yu sem tentar prendê-la ou controlá-la. É um personagem que demonstra amor muito mais pelas atitudes do que pelas palavras.
A química entre os protagonistas é incrível, e cada reencontro, cada discussão e cada olhar tem um peso enorme. O final também me surpreendeu de um jeito muito positivo e conseguiu me deixar com aquele sentimento de despedida que só histórias muito especiais conseguem provocar.
Foi um daqueles dramas que deixam um vazio quando acabam. Chorei porque percebi que nunca mais vou sentir a emoção de assisti-lo pela primeira vez.
O único motivo de eu não dar nota máxima é que alguns efeitos especiais poderiam ter sido melhores e, em alguns momentos, acabaram tirando um pouco da imersão.
Mas sem exagero: entrou para os meus favoritos.

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a more serious short series

I gave this an indie bump. Aired on MLV Film Production YouTube channel episode 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-85qqL0L64I and episode 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR04gRBtTWc&t=8s

Content Warnings: intimate partner abuse, bullying, past death/blood, child abuse/choking, death

Watch Suggestions
- to take out most content warnings start episode 1 at 9:30 and episode 2 watch 13-end

The subtitles stopped partway thru episode 1. And auto translate mistakenly thought the language was Indonesian in part 2 so I have no idea what was said. I appreciated that they showed the realistic struggle that many people go to with not having the money for basic needs. For the end, either his mom died and he did see his friend/love interest? or his friend died and he hallucinated seeing him at the end. I couldn't tell without knowing what he said.

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