Reviews

Great acting

This had the potential to be perfect, but the writers just had to go ahead and make Ji-ah wilfully stupid - she kept lying to Minkyu and I hated that; it was painful to watch him being fooled when she could've just told the truth.
Seungho was definitely the star of the show - outstanding performance!
Minkyu's disease was a great idea, I loved it! Perfect portrayal of it, too - I suspect 'Clean with Passion for Now' drew inspiration from this, but they failed to pay attention to detail the way this drama did.
I love that there are so many funny scenes in this drama, and I love the scientists, but hate the fact they made Baekkyun date Ji-ah - to the writers: did you even think about what you were doing? He's old enough to be her father - I don't care that they're both adults, it's still weird. On top of that, he had an odd obsession with her - it was creepy. It makes me frustrated because he could've been a perfect character.
Yoochul, on the other hand, was an amazing character!
Great acting, which didn't come as a surprise because they're all great actors - special mention to Geonhan because I love him, he's one of my favourites!
Awesome OST as well!

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Very healing drama

Actually im soooo thankfull that i was able to see this drama.... its been a while since i had seen such a drama very thankful to god . It healed me in many ways and tomorrow i have an exam but i didn't eve start learning i was binch watching the whole drama ..... evrything the music the characters the script writing was just all amazing ...and it is sooooooooo gooood heart warming...idk may i feel like this because of my current situation..may be if was in someother timeline at another age ... i wouldn't have enjoyed this as much as i enjoyed it now..... this drama will be with me alwayssss ... actually im a bit of a writer and this will be my thinking subject for atleast a weekkkkkk........

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Strong Start Average End

I had a lot of expectations from this plot but it disappointed me a bit. A queen from the Joseon area forced to drink poison ends up in the modern area and in a historical drama shooting no less.

It started out so great and slowly the weakenesses started to reveal itself. She started off struggling to understand the world around her in the first episode but by second episode she had already adjusted herself to the clothes, tech, and general world around her. Even the elderly can't adjust this fast and they've had years seeing it introduced. No one was teaching her.

For a woman with no money, she gets the best phone and and get dressing style? Where is she fitting those clothes in that apartment?

The grandfather and villain step brother were very boring characters. Sisters were useless. The male lead and her had decent chemistry and some cute moments. The best side character was the shaman.

They tried to resolve the problem of 2 women in the same body and I did like that part. But when does she leave? And when she returns she has time to get fully dressed up before going to meet the male lead? Maybe I'm nitpicking but the drama was not as exciting as I thought it would be. Not many twists. Could have been magical.

Overall it was nice but I just had higher expectations that it didn't meet. Still worth a watch.

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My Royal Nemesis – Started Strong but Lost Its Way

I don't understand why so many people are calling this the best rom-com so far when shows like Filing for Love and The Perfect Crown exist.
My Royal Nemesis was very promising in the beginning, but at some point the story became completely absurd. The main couple seemed to be fighting almost every single day, and their relationship relied heavily on constant misunderstandings and miscommunication. I find it frustrating when grown adults can't communicate properly, and it became repetitive after a while.
Another thing that bothered me was the female lead fainting in what felt like every episode. It quickly became an overused plot device rather than something that added to the story.
As for Cha Se Gye, he was initially portrayed as a fierce, highly capable businessman who excelled in his field. However, as the series progressed, he came across as much softer and less commanding than the character we were introduced to at the start.
Overall, the show had a lot of potential and a strong beginning, but the excessive conflicts, weak communication, and inconsistent character development made it difficult for me to fully enjoy. It wasn't terrible, but it definitely didn't live up to the hype for me.

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When writing a BL novel changes the family

Before anything else, let me point out that this is NOT a BL.
This drama's focus is on a journey through a time of growth -- in this case, it's the grandfather and the grandson, along with their family members, who try to save their orphanage; it just happens to have a few gay characters (and one confused character).
Along the way, the series picks up a few topics that are currently discussed in Thai society -- That there is some romance is more coincidental than central.

So, those who are interested ONLY in BL romance series should give this one a miss.
However, if you're willing to follow the story of a family of multiple generations through troubled times, who push through by doing things they would have not done normally, and who learn and grow because of it, then I fully recommend this drama.

The script is written extremely well -- the plot flows smoothly from one point to the next. Problems are -- although enhanced for tension -- never too "out there", and characters don't react dramatically, but rather like *people*. The characters are well-defined from the get-go, and the following character development makes sense.

The titular characters, their relationship with each other and their own journey -- both grandfather and grandson are mentioned in the Thai title -- get, of course, the most screen time and the most character development. Grandfather Sak starts out as the typical (Thai) traditional patriarch, who might care for his family but thinks he has to be strong and flawless as well as strict with his sons at all times, and learns to let his family take on part of the responsibility, learns to show weakness and, most importantly, learns to accept his sons the way they are. Grandson Save's story is a more common coming-of-age story; with a light twist in that he doesn't just grow up to be a responsible adult family member but also that he learns things about himself that he had never thought of before.
The development is gentle, but by intention not smooth: It has fits and starts, stalls occasionally -- just as it happens in real life.

The family dynamics are introduced step by step -- at first they just seem like an ordinary family of four generations that share a house, and then slowly we get to know and love their kindness, their flaws, their struggles, and their love for each other. Which is why when the reason for the uneasiness that occasionally pops up in early episodes gets revealed later, it hits much harder.

What is a bit unfortunate is that the children and the great-grandmother get only a minuscule bit of plot for themselves. I do understand the need for a focus on few sub plots but I would have loved to know more about the kids and about great-grandmother's own story. Maybe we can get a spin-off?

The plot is, for the lack of a better word, a slice-of-life, that refuses to collapse into soap opera, even though some plot points would make a weaker writer yield to temptation. Instead, in these moments, it gentles the tension -- by having a character accepting the inevitable, or neatly side-stepping the huge fallout by giving into the big emotions.

The actors as well as the directors follow the understated way of dealing with these big emotions -- they get as much room as they need to, but no more than that.
All of these elements combined make for a drama that feels very grounded, even as the emotions hit hard at the same time, especially in episodes 8 to 10. And by this I mean that Yes, it made me cry. More than once.

In all of this, as well as in its overall style, it is a very typical Thai PBS production.
Which means it comes as no surprise that it also touches on contemporary issues like scams, health issues in age, gender roles, to name a few, as well as a call for mutual respect between generations.
The most prominent issue is the acceptance of gay men and of gender non-conforming people by their family members -- how what we are taught in childhood still influences what we believe in adulthood, but also that there's a chance of changing your beliefs.
Another point, one that I found very interesting and think would deserve its own series, is how BL (dramas and novels) are still considered "lesser" than other, more traditional genres. And I find it quite fascinating that it's specifically compared to adventure novels here, which don't have the best reputation for quality themselves (at least here in Germany they don't).

Overall, this is an excellent production in terms of writing, directing, editing and acting. Done in the typical Thai PBS style, it's made to appeal to an audience of different ages with a goal to educate Thai viewers for the 21st century.
There are a few things to nitpick (like the fact that all children at the orphanage are all of approximately the same age), but in the greater context, these become insignificant.
The drama has a clear vision of what it wanted to achieve, and in my view, it did.

I have no reservation at all to recommend this to anyone who is willing to follow a story about a family with flawed characters, who struggle through a time of confusion.

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Delicious baddies could not save this meal

You know I hate to say it, but I loved the men in this one!

Ashes to Crown presents a pretty typical historical Cdrama FL and ML: A smart royal princess with a pixie dreamboy love interest, both of whom enjoy a good old 'for the state and the people' moment. I will henceforth refer to the ML as 'Triangle Boy' because he was all shoulders and no waist. Anyway. I had zero time for their romance.

But our three male supports, on the other hand, ATE. Were they super constrained by a plot that made them play out the same back-and-forth three times over? Yes. Did the writers give them barebones backstory and substance? Also yes. Did the actors commit to the bit and deliver stellar performances anyway? Hell YESSSS

Boy, give me vocal fry like Wang Rui Chang playing Xiao Xun!! Do you know how many cute girls I could pull with a voice like that?? hot daaaammnn

Also, what a delight to see Tang Xiao Tian go from playing a goodie-two-shoes character in Pearl Girl to eyeliner scheming baddie with a feather fan in Ashes to Crown. I love a man with raaange!

And last but not least – I demand justice for Deng Yi. His intentions weren't really that impure compared to the FL's – but like whatever, I guess. My baby deserved better <3 Keep up the side eye energy mate

Mrs Gong is so on point when they say in their review: "The drama is at its best when it lets its smart characters be smart, showing us their calculations through actions rather than telling us through voiceover."

Because, yes, my beautiful baddies aside, Ashes to Crown had so many let downs. Bad lighting choices. Blatant gen AI. Uninspired and uninteresting puppy dog moments from Triangle Boy.

What kept me going to the end were the aforementioned stunning performances. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made it past episode five.

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Stories of love through time

The series was at times uncomfortable to watch because of how it depicted certain realities of the past, specifically during the 1970s in China amid its political landscape. Still, I believe every story, whether good or bad, has value. This one, though, is good. And it’s quite unforgettable.

Even if some of those historical realities were difficult, I appreciated learning how life might have looked back then (with the understanding that fictional inserts were added for storytelling purposes). The characters’ stories (yes, not just the leads!) but also Qu Hua, Fang Mu Jing, Fei Ting, and Lin Mei were mesmerizing and touching. The series beautifully blended historical elements with fiction to create compelling storytelling.

As a hopeless romantic, I was especially drawn to the leads’ love story, which was written with sincerity. Yet I equally admired how the secondary characters were given enough space for their arcs to develop. The pacing was steady and complemented the rhythm of the narrative well.

One of the highlights for me was the use of mise en scene as an active storytelling tool. For example, during the leads’ confession in front of the family, the wall and door framing added powerful visual meaning.

Another memorable moment was Xu Hong Qi’s demotion scene, where she tried to pour water into a broken cup she had fixed herself—a poignant metaphor captured visually.

The color grading gave the series an authentic “old days” feel without being overdone, and the cinematography often felt like carefully composed photographs. Altogether, the combination of tried and tested tropes, solid writing, good pacing, and technical artistry made this series stand out.

While I might have wished for different directions in some character arcs, I understand there are limits to what can be told. Overall, this isn’t just a romance or a feel-good trope—it’s a story about love, told with grace and craft, set against the backdrop of a complex historical era.

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Strong start, but weak finish

At the very beginning of this series, it had fantastic story. An extremely entertaining plot with Ji Yeon, who was absolutely wonderful in this character, being as brilliant in this role like she was in The Tale Of Lady Ok. Her equal protagonist in this, Nam Jun gives a strong performance and it seemed to be a good match up to watch. Hae Sook is also spectacular as the aging grandmother. It's one of her best!!
What also made this so watchable, was the evil antagonists spread around each episode. It also works well when there are people you have such hatred for, continually rooting against. Through all that praise, it sounds like a "10" ... but something happened 80 percent through the series. After the unbelievable shocking ending of episode 10, things started to change for me in watching it. The story began to become a bit confusing. At times, there were a lot of slow moving scenes, showing the same things that had happened, over and over again. It was still a good series to watch, but what really did me in was that final episode. To me, it was not a satisfying conclusion ... maybe the last five minutes were, but most of that final hour was not.
It was such a strong drama most of the way, so for that, I still give it high marks, I just wish it could have held that powerful story right till the end.
There was one line used late in the series that kind of sums up what these two protagonists go through ... "As you go through life, there will be torrential rains & bolts of lightning. When that happens, stand together and face the storm"

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A Promising Story Rushed Before Its Time!

The story started strong, giving the impression that it would be another intriguing parallel-lives/time-travel drama. What ultimately pushed my rating to a 7 instead of a 6 was the incredible chemistry between the two leads. Their performances made the emotional moments work even when the writing didn't.

Unfortunately, the story began to fall apart, especially in the final four episodes, which felt rushed and underdeveloped. One of my biggest issues was with Choi Mun-do's character. He was portrayed as a villain from the beginning, so there was no meaningful buildup or gradual reveal to make his arc compelling.

I'm also starting to question the industry's obsession with limiting complex stories to 12-14 episodes. A drama built around parallel lifetimes, intertwined destinies, and reincarnation themes needed more time to develop its mythology and character connections. The explanation of how Shin Seo-ri was actually Dan-sim, and how their fates were intertwined and reversed, felt vague rather than satisfying.

A great series isn't made by story or actors alone. It's about how well the narrative is crafted and whether every character and plot point is given the attention it deserves. While the acting was excellent across the board, Cha Se-gye stood out the most for me and was honestly the main reason I stayed invested enough to finish the final episodes despite losing interest.

Overall, this felt like a production with a lot of potential but inconsistent execution. There were strong performances, great chemistry, and an interesting premise, but the rushed storytelling prevented it from reaching the level it could have achieved. A watchable drama, but one that leaves you thinking about how much better it could have been.

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Love it!

I have a huge issue with Chinese dramas: the fact that they use Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) - this always throws me off and I hate that I can't watch something that seems interesting and could've been good. This drama, however, caught my eye because it revolved around driving cars, which I love, so I gave it a go, and in doing so, it was a relief to see that most of the time they either didn't use ADR, or you couldn't tell they did.
The cinematography is mesmerising, and so are the views.
Everyone in this drama is a great actor, especially Esther Yu, who had to cry a lot the entire drama, and He Yu, who was able to convey a lot of emotions and could only smile towards the end - they really make you believe they're those characters, well done to them!
San Lai was also an amazing character, and I absolutely loved Jin Zhao and Lin Sui's bromance - I just wish Jin Zhao hadn't been so mean to him, lol.
I really loved the way the writers wrote He Zhang as well!
As for what I didn't like, I'll have to say the fact that we could hear their thoughts - it didn't happen too many times, but only a few of them made sense and weren't cringe-worthy; I'll definitely skip the times when the thoughts are cringey when I rewatch this drama.

[Warning: Spoilers ahead!]
I also didn't like the way Jin Zhao disappeared from Jiang Mu's life out of nowhere - as someone who's done something similar to what he did, I have the moral high ground to say it's wrong because nothing gives you the right to decide for someone else, especially when Jiang Mu was so worried and sad the entire time she didn't know what was happening with him, and also the fact that he used her ideas, kept their dog and didn't tell her... If you find this sweet, you're just wrong. He should've told her, full stop. Communication and honesty above everything, always. And I don't want to hear "But he didn't want her to have a hard life, blablabla" - what he and all the people who think like this fail to realise is that when you like someone, your life will be much worse if you're away from them, and that's exactly what makes it difficult, not being with them even if it comes with a lot of challenges.
[End of spoilers]

I know some people will find the story a cliché, but I could relate a lot to it, there were many things they went through and said that were the exact same as what I've been through, thought and said, so this drama will always be special to me and I plan on watching it from time to time - it truly became one of my favourites.
The OST is awesome as well!
Well done to everyone involved and thank you all SO much for this drama!

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Non toxic version and more humane character.

Okay My duanju review are getting slump due to various reasons, I watched many versions and this is wont be comparison, I'll only talk about this one as new version. Let's pretend i never watched another version since my memory are too hazy. But this drama is quite sweet and not too toxic like other version.

Gong Fang Ni as Younger sister is not bad and her costume was not to childish for me. Her character are still acceptable for me and she got some brains and not too spoiler brat. I quite not used to Lambo on Modern drama but i think his character was not too cold and feels more humane. Unfortunately their chemistry is still artificial for me. The Older sister and Younger Brother love story was quite fine and i was surprised by Yu Wen acting since its my first time seeing her in duanju.

The sister and brother's relationship, and the parents' scenes, while not numerous, are all very sweet! In this version, the mother finds out the father has been pretending all along, acting like a "white moonlight" (idealized love interest)! All three couples are very sweet and the misunderstand trop are not being dragged.

Recommended for everyone who liked sweet moment only.

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The Mini-Drama That Had No Right Being This Good

I’m genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed My Familiar Stranger. Going in, I had very low expectations because it’s a short drama, and a lot of mini-dramas tend to feel low-budget or rushed. You can often tell when corners have been cut in the production, but that really wasn’t the case here.

What surprised me most is that this easily could have worked as a full-length drama. The story has enough potential, the cast is strong enough, and the chemistry is definitely there. Maybe part of the reason it works so well is because it’s so direct and fast-paced. It jumps right into the story, there’s no dragging, and you never really have time to get bored. At around four hours total, it’s an incredibly easy binge-watch.

Does the story always make sense? Not really. But honestly, I didn’t care. It was entertaining enough that I was willing to overlook the logic gaps. It actually reminded me a lot of In Blossom, but in some ways I think this was executed better. Everything moves quickly, the atmosphere is engaging, and the show never loses momentum.

The cast was absolutely spot-on. I do have to mention Cheng Lei because I’m admittedly biased—I love that man. While I think this is probably one of the weaker performances compared to what he’s capable of now, it was still very good. Looking back, you can clearly see how much he has grown as an actor over the years. His recent projects showcase a much more refined performance, but even here he was charismatic and easy to watch.

The female lead also did a solid job. I’ve seen her before, and while nothing about the performance completely blew me away, she delivered what the role needed. What really carried the drama, though, was the chemistry between the leads. I was not expecting it to hit as hard as it did, but they worked incredibly well together. The romantic tension, the steamy moments, and their overall dynamic were some of the strongest parts of the show.

Even the supporting characters were enjoyable. The drama isn’t trying to tell a deeply complex story, nor is it particularly political or heavy. It’s simply an entertaining watch that knows exactly what it wants to be. Unlike many mini-dramas that can feel cheap or disposable, this one actually feels like there was real effort put into it. The production quality is surprisingly decent, the costumes are lovely, and overall everything looks polished.

My biggest complaint is honestly that it’s so short. I kept wishing there were more episodes because the drama had the potential to become something much bigger. With a longer runtime, I think it could have been a genuinely great full-length series.

The ending is probably the one area that didn’t fully land for me. It wasn’t bad, but I do think it could have offered a stronger sense of closure. Still, that wasn’t enough to significantly affect my enjoyment.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend My Familiar Stranger. It’s a quick, entertaining binge with great chemistry, some steamy moments, a solid storyline, and absolutely no filler. If you’re looking for something light, engaging, and easy to finish in a single day, this is a perfect choice. It’s basically four hours of pure dopamine.

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Cute and corny with a ho hum ending

This drama had me all in with LSW and JYJ, the evil stepmother. the hardest part to watch, apart from the appallingly slow and almost afterthought reactions from JYJ, whom I truly have enjoyed watching previously, was the last 10 episodes. I meAn, having already worked out the ending. I just wanted either the resolve of just desserts or a good restoration story ending of evil turned good but neither was happening. I do have to say that the ending storyline of mother and daughter together in the afterlife is just so wrong!!! mother doesnt get to enjoy her daughter after destroying her life for her own selfish gain…… just doesn’t happen people. Hell is real and there are no parties happening there either.
the other cast members did a brilliant job with the writing they were given but I do not think I’ll revisit this one.

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You Are My Rewatchable Drama

Like everyone says, this is a great, rewatchable drama with top actors. Dilraba and Yang Yang are at the top of their game. The plot is creative and engaging. No obvious plot holes and good pacing while delving into relevant topics such as the dilemma between financial gain vs following your passions. It showcases healthy and mature conversations between the leads with no distracting, time-filler secondary lead couple or those repetitive love triangles found in other formulaic dramas. The e-sports aspect was not my cup of tea, but that's just nit picking, and it was the catalyst for what's to follow.

Love how the drama highlights an aerospace engineer rather than your typical CEO, doctor or cop. On the other hand, I wish this drama didn't perpetuate this idea to postpone starting a family until late 30s, but that doesn't take away from the its overall quality. 9/10 in my book!

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