Reviews

It's not where we're going...it's how we get there.

When a viewer is watching a 'youth' drama from China, they almost always know the outcome...the two main characters will be together at the end after some trials and tribulations. In that regard, Dazzling doesn't really hold many surprises.

However, I thought the story took an interesting approach when our hero, Xing Wu, was portrayed as someone who was so busy making money as he tried to keep his family going financially that he wasn't sure he wanted to finish high school. He had offers to make good money without a diploma. Was more education really necessary? I think a lot of people in his situation would ask that question, and for a lot of them, the answer would be to take the short term financial gain.

Enter our heroine, Qing Ye who was basically dumped on her aunt's doorstep in a tiny seaside town because her father was in legal trouble. After living a much more luxurious life in Beijing, she has many 'fish out of water' experiences before adapting to her new home.

The hero is the son of the aunt, so he can't avoid the girl, who comes across as spoiled, childish, and petty. Of course, they argue a lot and have several adventures until they come to some sort of understanding. As they get to know each other, they each nurture an unspoken attraction that blossoms into romantic love.

Eventually, she inspires the hero to return to high school, and she tutors him and a lot of his friends as they prepare for the end of high school exam.

This drama struck me as a bit different in some ways:
The whole 'do we need an education' aspect brought up a lot of discussion among the characters.
The heroine is no damsel in distress. She is able to think for herself and solve most of her own problems.
Life in the small town wasn't completely sanitized. The aunt's house had no indoor plumbing.
Almost all the characters experience personal growth in some fashion.
One of the 'bad' guys gets a redemption arc and becomes a successful adult.
The small town becomes like another character in the show.

The acting was very good from the main cast. I've seen some comments that the leads didn't have much chemistry, but I disagree. I could feel how much the main characters meant to each other, even if there wasn't any physical affection through the first 27 episodes. Both actors are able to use small nuances of expression to show what the characters are feeling . I think this is especially true for the male lead. His character was in an odd position. He cared tremendously for the heroine, but there were many obstacles in his way, and he had to control his feelings. The actor did very well in that regard.

The drama isn't perfect, of course. It's a slow paced drama, probably because life in a small town has a slower pace. There were a lot of flashbacks in the last few episodes, which can get annoying. I would've rather learned more about what our hero was doing during the time they were apart.

I grew up in a small town, so the slow pace of the story doesn't bother me. I found it to be very enjoyable, so I might watch it again.

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Not happy with the ending

I wasn't happy with the story.

At first, everything was good. The drama started with anger, revenge, and separated lovers, which made the story interesting. However, as the story progressed, it became boring. There wasn't a single truly happy moment for anyone.

The drama had three love stories, but not one of them had a happy ending, which was the saddest part of the entire drama. And what was that ending? I wasn't happy with it either.

The story revolved around a family that was assassinated, after which the plot focused on revenge. However, I would like to appreciate the acting of all three couples, especially the second male lead, who was the cousin of the first and third male leads.

There were only a few happy moments between the main leads.

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INSANELY CHARMING, PAINFULLY CONTRIVED

(Review in progress, I'll be done watching this series in days)

In some ways this series is trash. In other ways it's transcendent. I've never experienced a story so conflicted this way. So let me tell you right now it's a recommend -- but with the warning that it's more charming than logical.

I normally would have abandoned a series this contrived. All sorts of things happen because of 'fate', which is a poor screenwriting trick to justify bad writing. And it's such a shame because the characters are so endearing.

The core question of this series is: what would you do if you discovered you had a doppleganger? Someone who looked exactly like you, but behaved differently. In Western stories this would be an actual twin brother somehow separated at birth, but I love how the Eastern story simple accepts the doppleganger as real and proceeds forward.

The problem is that from this point forward the writer/director filmed his rough draft. He needed input from another writer to make this thing work -- and there's SO MUCH WRONG here.

1. Characters ping-ping between cities in contrived confusing ways. Towards the end of the series I honestly lost track of which city we were in half the time. The entire series should have been set in Beijing.

2. We have four main characters: Memory Issues Li Qin, Ballerina, Photographer Boy, and his clone Qipao Boy. The story struggles with having these characters all cross paths by coincidence again and again and again. There was no need for this. The first time the boys crossed paths was fine, but after that --

3. -- these four characters should have become fast friends. And over a month before major plot twists happened. A month would have made the looming tragedy 12 times more tragic.

If you've made it this far, you think the show is trash. Except it isn't. Again, I had to get this out of the way. Here's the cool parts --

1. The male lead isn't your run of the mill Idol Drama Pretty Boy. Instead he plays two different roles really well. I want to see more of this guy, but have a feeling he'll be relegated to more supporting roles than leads because as good looking as he is -- he's not an Idol gorgeous type. But for me that's a good thing.

2. The ballerinas are fantastic because... they're actual ballerinas! Instead of tiny emaciated actresses you'd beg to eat a bow of dumplings, they're simply fit young ladies that exude beauty. The lead ballerina is TERRIFIC and I'll watch anything with her in it going forward. Her snarky friend literally has almost no credits but is so natural she steals half the show.

3. What brought me here is Li Qin and her constant ability to pick great stories. Her role is so delightfully different for her and yet she's pulling of her subtle acting thing yet again. She can smile with a slight tear in her eye and kill me everything.

Oddly enough the older generation this show is just okay. Some of the best actresses have bit parts but the ones we see a lot didn't seem to be... the best choices? They weren't bad, mind you.

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When I say I want a toxic BL, this is exactly what I mean.

Not because I want abuse romanticised. Not because I think love should hurt. But because I'm interested in stories where damaged people collide, where morality isn't clean, and where everyone is forced to confront the consequences of who they've become.

Payback begins with exactly that promise.

Sun isn't an innocent protagonist caught in someone else's game. Before tragedy ever enters his life, he works as a debt collector for a loan shark, threatening desperate families for money. He already belongs to a brutal world where survival comes at someone else's expense. Then everything collapses. A debtor, pushed beyond his breaking point, kills Sun's younger brother in front of him. His mother dies soon afterwards. His boyfriend Bank disappears with all of his money.

For five years, he simply survives out of habit.

What makes him such a compelling protagonist is that he genuinely believes this is his punishment. If he hadn't chosen that life, his brother would still be alive. His guilt becomes the thing that keeps him moving, and Min Thanakorn plays that emotional numbness beautifully. Sun rarely allows himself to grieve because, deep down, he doesn't think he deserves to.

Years later, while working as a delivery driver, Sun accidentally overhears Bank — now living under the name Sunny as one of Thailand's biggest stars — casually admitting his own involvement in the events that led to Sky's death. Until then, Sun believed Bank had betrayed him and stolen his money. Suddenly he realises something far worse: Sunny didn't simply abandon him. He played a direct role in destroying his family.

That's the moment revenge is born.

Sun's revenge is deeply personal. He wants Sunny to lose everything the same way he did. Jay's revenge, however, is something entirely different. He wants to expose and destroy the corrupt system behind Dream Entertainment, a system built on exploitation, coercion and the abuse of power.

And unfortunately, this is where I think the series slowly loses the thread it had woven so carefully.

I kept waiting for the moment where Sun's personal revenge would naturally evolve into Jay's larger fight. Not because Sun suddenly stops caring about Sunny, but because he slowly begins to understand that Sunny isn't the beginning of this story. He's another product of the same machine.

Ironically, the ending already hints at exactly that version of the story.

I just wish the journey had taken us there more deliberately.

Personally, I would've loved to watch Sun dismantle Sunny's life piece by piece throughout the series. Not through violence, but through carefully calculated moves. Destroying his reputation. His public image. His career. Slowly forcing Sunny into a position where he'd finally have to confront the consequences of his own choices.

And then... give Sunny one episode. One chance to tell his side of the story.

Not because he deserves redemption.

Because he deserves perspective.

Payback begins by asking us to empathise with someone who carries enormous responsibility for the tragedy that destroyed his own life. I wanted that same complexity extended to Sunny. Not to forgive him, but to understand him.

Because I think that's where Sun's character arc truly wanted to go.

Not towards revenge.

Towards self-forgiveness.

The most powerful version of this story isn't one where Sun wins. It's one where he realises that revenge was never really about Sunny. It was a tool that kept him going, a reason to stay alive when he otherwise had no idea what he was still living for.

And perhaps that's why I wanted one more confrontation between Sun and Sunny. Something that forces Sun to hear the other side of what happened. Because Sunny did something terrible. But Sun also has to confront the fact that his own choices helped create the chain of events that led to his brother's death. None of that absolves Sunny. But it could have forced Sun to understand that he can't spend the rest of his life looking for one person to carry all of his guilt.

The series gestures toward this idea, particularly during Sun's psychological collapse and the devastating scene where he performs a suicide attempt for the camera, only to realise that despite everything, he doesn't actually want to die.

It's one of the strongest scenes in the entire show.

The same can be said for the corruption storyline.

The entertainment industry isn't simply used as a dramatic backdrop. The "Backer" system — powerful executives exploiting actors in exchange for career advancement — is presented as something deeply rotten, and the series deserves credit for refusing to make that corruption feel incidental. Payback deserves credit for refusing to sanitise that reality.

Jay is perhaps the character I'm most conflicted about.

His chemistry with Sun is undeniable. I genuinely enjoyed watching two people who both understand they're using each other while slowly becoming unable to pretend that's all they're doing. But I also found Jay frustrating. The rabbit reveal — discovering that Sun was the mysterious man from five years earlier — should have fundamentally transformed Jay's motivations. Instead, it mostly plays like another layer of romantic destiny. I wanted that revelation to matter more.

Because Jay doesn't just discover that he once slept with Sun.

He discovers that he has finally found the person he's been looking for all this time.

And that should change something.

I wanted to see Jay protect Sun without a deal attached. Without Sun owing him anything. Not because Sun is useful to him, but because, for once, Jay has found something he doesn't want to lose.

That would have made their relationship feel so much more significant to me.

In the end, Payback isn't a failed revenge story.

It's a revenge story that already contains the emotional journey I wanted to watch — it just never fully connects all the threads.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 10/10 — One of the best fantasy dramas I've watched this year.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 10/10 — One of the best fantasy dramas I've watched this year.

I went into The East Palace with almost no expectations, and it completely blew me away.

The visual effects are stunning and actually serve the story instead of existing just for spectacle. The plot is filled with suspense, mystery, and twists that kept me invested from beginning to end. Every episode left me wanting to watch "just one more."

The chemistry between the leads is phenomenal—natural, emotional, and believable. But the biggest surprise for me was the King. His performance was outstanding and every scene he appeared in carried so much weight.

The fight choreography is incredibly well done, and there are several moments I'll definitely be rewatching.

What disappoints me most is that this drama isn't getting the attention it deserves. It has excellent writing, fantastic performances, beautiful cinematography, and production quality that rivals much bigger titles.

If you're looking for a fantasy drama with mystery, romance, action, and great acting, don't sleep on The East Palace. It deserves a much larger audience.

An easy 10/10 from me, and I'm already hoping for Season 2.

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OMG is that bad...

Oh there was a korean show I almost forgot and God why did I not forget it completly?

Police shirts with "security" on the back and "police" on the front with a name tag and on the side some emblem. But did they sew them on? Nope, looks like some glue was all they had or so... The background music is like in a p0rn, where what you see, does not match what you hear. Just some music, so we have it.

Luckily this shit is only on iQIYI but I doubt many will like it. Why did they spent money on this? SeekMedia has no taste, no vision and of course not a good script at all but tons of dubious nc-scenes. This series is a disgrace for Korea. So, if you stumble on it, make a huge detour and never ever press play!

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Title is misleading I was expecting a 'daddy' kink & I'm disappointed.

No, but really, Saithan needed to call Sila "Daddy" at least once.

The subtitles were a bit off in the beginning & on the site I watched at least, they didn't translate the Korean in the first episode.

I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this series. I had positive thoughts going into it, but no real expectations, & I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself watching it without getting distracted. That being said, it probably helped that I sped through all the GL scenes like I was being paid to. I thought I would really like the pair at first, but they really had way more screen time than was needed, and I honestly didn't like Phae at all. I don't mind emotional or weak characters, but it felt like she spent half the series crying over something & doing nothing about it but seeking comfort from Gale. Some of their time should have been given to Saengla and Mok, who we don't really get a resolution for; technically, we don't even get a beginning, just a lot of hinting that the feelings are there.

I may have rated this series higher if the GL couple's screen time had been cut in half. Their parts added very little to the story that it could have easily been done, especially since they knew each other already and the attraction was already there.

My favorite character was Saithan. SaengNuea's acting was perfect in portraying a bratty but caring person with very little self-worth and plenty of trauma. (He's also adorable.) I was actually hoping that Sila would get to have a conversation with his mother & tell her about the damage she's mentally caused Saithan. Between the mother & the abusive asshole of a boyfriend, this boy needs therapy. He literally thinks that if anything bad happens, it's his fault; he doesn't like making mistakes, and his self-worth is in the trash, and he hides all of that behind a smile & a sassy attitude.

The plot twist was both obvious and a surprise. Wipa being a Spy for Khum Rimpha wasn't surprising at all; I kind of figured that out around episode 4 or 5, but her being Montri's illegitimate daughter actually caught me off guard. I don't see why any of the kids would do anything for this man; he treats them like they are disposable pawns that can never please him. Why do they want his acknowledgement? He's horrible. He's the kind of father who I would only stick around until I'm employed and able to stand on my own feet; after that, don't expect to see me again. The mom also just smiled and nodded like there wasn't a thought going on upstairs; the lady didn't stand up to her husband at all concerning her kids.

This was a short series that neither stands out nor fades into the background.

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The cinematography, music and depth of story!

The breathtaking cinematic artistry, the soft chemistry and scriptwriting is to die for!

This show treats the remote, misty tea mountains of Yunnan not merely as a background, but as a living character which is fascinating.

The green landscapes, soft natural lighting, the deep music, and the soothing narrative create an incredibly comforting atmosphere along with the captivating slow burn chemistry of the leads.

For anyone looking for a visually stunning, thoughtful and emotionally profound romance, this series sets a new gold standard.

PS: I did bawl my eyes out after Ep 12 but I’d still 100% stand by what I’ve written above. The director’s justification and thought process of it all made me so.

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Given the True Nature of Royalty, no fairy tale was expected

My rating: 10/10

Review

I actually delayed watching The Perfect Crown because I had seen several reviews mentioning that certain story decisions made the ending disappointing. Then I kept seeing it appear on "best of" lists, and my curiosity finally got the better of me. I decided that even if it didn't end the way I would have preferred, I was going to give it a chance. I'm really glad I did.

This drama was incredibly entertaining from beginning to end. I loved the characters, and the premise of a Korean monarchy surviving into modern times was such an intriguing "what if" scenario. It wasn't just a romance. It blended mystery, political intrigue, humor, and a surprising amount of action into a story that always felt engaging.

There were also elements that reminded me of the Princess Diana era of the British royal family. While the situations were obviously fictional, the exploration of public expectations, royal duty, media attention, and the burden of status felt surprisingly grounded. The series also explored class distinctions and privilege in thoughtful ways without ever allowing those heavier themes to overwhelm the pacing. It managed to ask meaningful questions while still remaining an enjoyable romantic drama.

Another strength was its characters. Most weren't written to be morally ambiguous simply for the sake of appearing complex. Instead, they grew naturally in both positive and negative directions as life shaped their decisions. That made them feel more believable because people aren't static. They evolve based on the choices they make and the experiences they endure.

I can certainly understand why some viewers disagreed with one of the drama's biggest story decisions, but for me it never diminished the overall experience. Other reviewers were often divided over the ending, while many praised the performances, chemistry, and unique premise. I ultimately fell firmly into the latter camp.

This is a drama I'll happily watch again someday. If someone else had it on, I'd gladly sit down and watch it with them, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys romance, political intrigue, mystery, fantasy, or modern fairy tales.

Spoilers

The biggest point of criticism I saw from other reviewers—and the reason I delayed watching this for so long—was the decision to dissolve the monarchy. So many people seemed disappointed that Prince I-an wanted to abolish the crown that I assumed it would completely undermine the fairy-tale quality of the story.

Instead, I found it to be one of the most logical and noble decisions in the entire drama.

The series spends so much time exposing the darker side of royalty. It isn't just about beautiful palaces and elegant ceremonies. It shows how power, status, and privilege attract greed. Not just greed for money, but greed for influence, recognition, and authority. History is full of examples of people willing to betray, exile, or even kill family members for a crown. The drama explores that reality exceptionally well.

Being one of the "good" royals often means carrying enormous responsibility while enjoying very few of the benefits. At the same time, the entire structure inherently creates social classes where some people are viewed as superior simply because of birth. I-an had experienced firsthand how destructive that system could become. To me, a character like him was never going to preserve it simply because tradition demanded it. Dissolving the monarchy wasn't abandoning the fairy tale—it was the natural conclusion of everything the story had been building toward.

My only real disappointment was that I wish we had spent just a little more time with Hui-ju (female lead) and I-an (male lead) as queen and king before everything changed.

It almost felt like watching someone climb a mountain only for the story to end just as they reached the summit. I wanted a little more emotional payoff. I wanted to see Hui-ju enjoy that position for a while after everything she endured. Maybe that's a little bit of social revenge on my part, but I wanted to see her finally have the authority to dismiss the people who had looked down on her throughout the series. I especially would have enjoyed seeing her outrank the Queen Mother, even if only briefly.

The epilogue showed enough of their future together that I was satisfied with where they ended up. My only small disappointment involved the modern interpretation of their happily-ever-after.

I wasn't particularly thrilled that I-an became a house husband while Hui-ju returned to being almost entirely career-focused. To me, it leaned back into the modern "girl boss" trend where the successful woman is so consumed by work that they still haven't started a family while her husband quietly waits for her attention. That simply isn't my favorite type of ending.

Personally, I would have preferred to see them become more of a true partnership. Maybe I-an could have taken on an important role within the company so they worked together as equals. I like relationships where both partners contribute in different but equally meaningful ways. I think that would have better reflected how much they had both sacrificed throughout the story.

I also really appreciated that Hui-ju and her brother ultimately reconciled. Their relationship could have easily remained bitter, but instead they both experienced meaningful growth. Likewise, I was happy that her father ultimately proved to be a genuinely loving father despite the complicated circumstances surrounding their family.

The only aspect that left me wanting a little more was Hui-ju's overall character arc. I-an gave up virtually everything—not only for her, but for the future he believed was right. Meanwhile, Hui-ju ultimately returned to being the same intensely career-driven person she had been at the beginning of the series. While she certainly grew emotionally and learned to trust others, I don't think her priorities evolved quite as much as his did.

Even so, these are relatively minor criticisms in what I thought was an outstanding drama. None of them came close to diminishing my enjoyment. The romance was compelling, the political intrigue remained engaging, the mystery kept me invested, and the characters were genuinely enjoyable to spend time with. For me, The Perfect Crown delivered exactly what I hoped it would—and even surprised me in a few places along the way.

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Literally a hidden gem

Japanese vertical drama distributers need better PR/Marketing departments because I'm convinced the only reason I found this was because I'm a freak that crawls the internet looking for all the interesting projects my oshis have been in. I was shocked to discover that several of the vertical drama apps are downloadable internationally, have proper English subtitles, and are fairly generous with their free offerings - if you've been into Japanese content for awhile, you KNOW how rare that is. The FOD Shorts app where this drama is available also has the best catalog from the ones I've sampled so far and isn't full of the brainrot slop that's generally associated with vertical dramas.

This was the first vertical drama I've ever completed, and maybe it set the bar too high, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality, from the cinematography to the performances. Of course, given the format, the story and characters weren't super deep or complex, which kept me from rating it higher, but I think keeping things simple worked to its benefit. The relationship between the main couple, Ryo and Natsu, was built up nicely with all its ups and downs and was very believable thanks to the great chemistry between Higuchi Kouhei and Kyoka. I almost wish we could've seen this pair in a full drama with wider distribution (or maybe a movie?), but I also think part of the reason it was so effective was because the short clip format of vertical dramas allows them to cut the fat and not linger long enough for the audience to be bored or start to see the shortcomings. I also think because my expectation of vertical dramas was so low coming into it, this having decent production value with "reputable" actors gave me a more favorable impression overall. Still, highly recommend for people looking for a well-made, realistic love story with the bonus of seeing Higuchi Kouhei's face <3

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Overhate and Overhype at the same time.

This drama generated a lot of early hype. The teasers, pre-release photos, gorgeous costumes, and early plot hints created incredibly high expectations. The Republican era visuals looked stunning, and the cast seemed perfectly chosen for their roles.

After waiting for months for this drama to finally air, I ended up feeling disappointed. Putting aside the AI-generated opening sequence. Even though an opening is the first impression of any drama, especially one that so many fans were eagerly anticipating, I found the story itself to be the biggest letdown.

To be honest, I think the drama has managed to keep a lot of its viewers thanks to Zhang Linghe's popularity after The Pursuit of Jade. I was already struggling to continue after the first 10 episodes, but I kept watching because I wanted to see if it would eventually prove the haters critics wrong and become better in the second half.

But sadly the overall pacing and storytelling style felt more like a short drama than a large scale Republican era production. Important plot developments happened too quickly, while other scenes dragged on without adding much to the story.

Because of that, I think it's best to watch this drama with moderate expectations and simply enjoy the parts that work for you. If some scenes feel slow or fail to hold your attention, there's nothing wrong with skipping ahead. Fans of the main lead actors like me will probably still find plenty to enjoy, as both of them deliver solid performances and look absolutely stunning on screen.

I'm a fan of both Wang Churan and Zhang Linghe, which honestly makes this disappointment even bigger. Their acting is good, but in my opinion, a weak script prevents them from showing their full potential. I don't mind the ending where the male lead sacrifices his life for his country. In fact, I thought it was a meaningful and fitting conclusion for his character. My issue is everything that came before it.

For some reason, I never felt the chemistry between the two leads. I didn't truly believe they loved each other enough to make the sacrifices the story asked of them. Their relationship looked beautiful visually, but emotionally it never convinced me.

I also feel that Wang Churan once again chose a role that didn't showcase her strengths, similar to LHF. In many of her previous dramas, she completely captivated me with both her performance and charisma, but here I found myself appreciating her visuals more than her character. As for Zhang Linghe, he's as handsome and charismatic as ever, and I sincerely hope he gets more diverse roles in the future with stronger scripts that allow his talent to shine.

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MESSY, but worth it to the end.

The entire plot was a mess from beginning to end. The story was so painful, so torturous to watch. It was a sh*tshow after another. The ML and FL's lives were extremely cruel. Yet, as bad as it was, this drama was so alluring. I found myself not able to drop it, but instead, I was literally waiting for more. I wanted to believe that there was hope. Hope that it would get better soon. It doesn't.

The last 5 episodes were when it felt like a normal drama/storyline again. LOL. The ending was not as we all had hoped for. The alternative universe at the end was truly needed. It helped heal a part of me. It wasn't a satisfying ending, but it wasn't the worst either. I'm glad they gave us that what-if ending.

The most ironic to me was the people who MLs was trying to fight throughout the whole story turned out to be not so bad after all. This show had so much misunderstandings which led to all this drama.

I’m glad they didn’t turn Li Boze evil. He was seriously the last hope for us all.

Overall, this drama would be a 7 for me. Acting was very good from all of them. Would I rewatch it? Hard no. Not because it is bad, but because my heart can't go through this mess again. Not sure what the writer had in mind when writing the script, but DAMN. WT* haha!

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Not even the cast could save this

The main issue with this drama—and the aspect most open to criticism—has been the consistently poor use of AI, which creates a sense of low quality. It wasn't just the terrible intro they had to change; the entire series constantly featured images that were clearly AI-generated.

On top of that, a dramatic story that seemed to have potential ended up relying on many excessively exaggerated scenes, giving the impression that you were watching a short-form drama. It didn't help at all in connecting with a story that carries such heavy emotional weight. That sort of thing works fine for rom-coms or series with a more lighthearted tone, but certainly not for this one.

It really saddens me because I was so looking forward to the series for the cast—I love both leads. But between the AI ​​and the terrible script, even they couldn't help the show fly by for me. I'll be waiting for another series featuring the two of them where they can actually give a proper performance.

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