Reviews

Suffers from the Chinese Drama Syndrome

I have now watched around a dozen Chinese Drama Series and only managed to finish 3 of them while dropping the others mostly midway through. The Chinese have a remarkable propensity to pull off a "Game of Thrones" in nearly every one of their Dramas. Only 1 of the Dramas I watched managed not to completely ruin everything towards the end.

This is not the one!

To be fair, it started incredibly strong with an engaging Story, interesting Characters, good Actors and an overall good "feel". The first 20 Episodes just flew by and would be easily worth 9/10 Stars. The next 20 Episodes were a little bit draggy and it could not keep up the momentum but it would still have been worth 8/10 to me. Its the last 10+ Episodes that really jump the Shark in ways that I cannot accept, ignore or forgive. I would consider 3/10 as a very generous rating for those.

But lets get through the Categories shall we? starting with the least important (to me).

MUSIC: the Intro is brilliant and fits the Series very well. It has a memorable Tune and gives the whole series a unique Character. However, it is completely countered by the Outro, which is an abomination I could not wait to skip. I dont know what they thought when they introduced that song into the outro but its just ear cancer to me. Also, there were some background music during scenes that was so annoying that often times I though that my Sink was defect and water was dropping from it. The 5 Stars are all for the Intro while the rest is either unnoticable or straight up bad.

ACTING: some great some pathetic! The Actor that plays Sima Yi is the clear Winner here. He does a great job overall and is only let down by the Story towards the end. On the other Hand, some Actors were so over the top "dramatic" that it bordered on comical and the actor playing the Emperor was just annoying towards the end.

STORY: This is based on the Historic Events of the Three Kingdoms Period. Arguably one of, if not the most Interesting Period in Chinese History. So the Story is based on very solid Foundation. Lets not forget though, based on History does not mean "historically accurate" and this series is clearly not historically accurate and takes a lot of creative freedoms, which sometimes works, sometimes doesnt.

The whole Twist with switching off the Emperor is interesting at first but becomes actually a weak point towards the end. The "holier than thou" attitude of the imposter should have better been left to Cartoons and simply looks misplaced in this Series. His actions are laughable and can only be accepted by those who are unknowing in Political Reality. I dont mind having a "cartoon character" in Cartoons but since this Series is clearly not a Cartoon, it just doesnt fit. There is a reason why History celebrates those who had little to no compassion and killed whole Countries. Thats the Reality of life. Jesus was compassionate, he ended up tortured and crucified, Gandhi was compassionate, he was shot, Luther King was compassionate, he was assassinated.....those are no accidents.

This gets even worse later in the Series by the Actor that plays the Emperor (they could have easily replaced him with a cuddly animal and nobody would notice the difference), who I would suggest should take the role of a piece of driftwood next time.

The "Romance" between him and the Empress is LAUGHABLE!!!!! Its really really cringe and catastrophically bad. We are supposed to believe that she is an Empress under constant threat, he is someone who replaces the Emperor and later even becomes a major Player but the two are so full of "Teenage Angst" that they cannot even touch each other.....riiiiiiiiiiiiiight! This is clearly targeted at said "angsty Teenagers" and does not make any sense in the series overall serious tone. The writers even go so far to insult us viewers by suggesting that their chastity was because their enemies would use it against them (they were in laws and that was supposedly a problem). They were living in the same Palace, in the same room, sleeping in the same bed. Do you really think once this came out people would care whether they really slept with each other or not? do you really think once it comes out that he replaced the Emperor this would be their main Problem? Its just insultingly bad.

On a positive Note, I liked nearly everything that was Sima Yi. Even his Romance. However, they even managed to ruin that by letting his Wife die in what must have been the most pathetic, forced, idiotic self sacrificies I have ever seen on film.

CONCLUSION: I am really thinking about watching Chinese Dramas only half or 2/3 max. The way they manage to ruin everything in the last couple of Episodes is nothing short of remarkable. This series is like a Gift wrapped Turd, as long as you only see the packaging, its great but the more you open it, the more it stinks.

Such a shame, there was great potential!

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deep psychological analysis ,detective

Its a very good detective story with great pleasure and would be glad for season 3! Thank u ) !
Separately, I would like to immediately note the unsurpassed performance of Cho Seung Woo in the role of Hwang Shi Mok
He perfectly played the role of a man who had undergone brain surgery and did not experience any emotions afterwards. It’s physically difficult simply because we react in one way or another to some events, details in our lives every day, and even with complete indifference, at least some emotion manifests itself momentarily, throughout the day, and it’s very difficult to maintain the same facial expression, let alone for the whole day or even for a couple of minutes! Or not to react to anger or someone’s attacks, it’s difficult not to respond as emotionally as your opponent in the event of a dispute, despite the fact that you are a prosecutor and “in front of everyone.”
I'm sure it was also a little difficult for the actor to “maintain” the same facial expression throughout the entire series! But he coped with this role perfectly! In the 2nd season, I asked myself the question, “maybe it’s the actor himself who is “without emotions’ that he plays so well .. or plays himself?”), but this was the first time I watched the series with him, so I can’t judge yet! But I really liked his performance. I started watching because
Lee Joon Hyuk thinking that he would play a “good detective” .. and even when I realized that he wasn’t because his character is a “vile prosecutor”, I still didn’t regret watching it).
This detective story may seem boring to some because there are not many events, it is not so dynamic, but this is its feature!
Each episode shows how a person who has undergone brain surgery, who is completely (or partially) deprived of experiencing emotions (as well as feeling the emotions of other people), struggles with that every day, trying to solve problems relying only on his logic and “ 6’feeling”, so to speak... how It was said in the series itself that people who have undergone brain surgery are not always completely devoid of feelings... although it was also shown as sometimes Hwang Shi Mok
could not understand when people talked to him about “feeling angry/embarrassed/embarrassed.”.. he simply did not understand what it was and how it was, while those around him did not understand him, considering him strange.. (except for those who knew about his past).
What's amazing about Hwang Shi Mok's character
He could clearly see when the suspect was lying or hiding something (which suggests that he still had empathy after the operation) and he solved all the cases better than other prosecutors and investigators. He was always one step ahead.
This series (like all cinema in principle) is useful because you can better learn to understand people, understand that behind every facial expression there can be a lot of different feelings hidden, since people express their feelings differently in the same circumstances.. it’s interesting to watch the detective’s thoughts and his analysis of those around him in an attempt to find the truth.. it shows a deep psychological analysis of individual characters, their actions, motive.. I love it, I really liked it!))
I’ll make a special note about the music! It was chosen just perfectly and is very compatible with the theme of the series itself and the events developing in it

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We are Korean Gobolin

Gobolin could have been shortened to a 8 episode story. There was a lot of fluff and misunderstandings which end up extending the runtime a lot.
The best part of the show was the ghosts stories. Some of the characters/world building was pretty inconsistent but the show doesnt really take itself too seriously anyway so its fine. Its mostly a fun watch with some emotional highs and lows. The forshadowing and symbolism throughout the show is pretty well done. Dalkom coffee and subway making their return in this show as well.

Sometimes the way the scenes were cut were a bit disorienting wtih them having several cuts in a row for a pretty simple conversation. The music and ost in the show is pretty solid. Really enjoyed the music especially with dramatic scenes.
The slice of life story contains other elements like mystery, romance and manage to blend them well into the show. The only complaint is that there was a lot of unecessary things that happen due to lack of communication.
Some characters actions are also very convenient for the story and are essentially just to advance the plot. The lore of the story is also somewhat inconsistent/doesnt really make sense. Characters being inconsistent to their lore was probably for irony purposes, but was kinda silly.
The acting was very good overall, carrying a lot of the emotional scenes. Especially when the show itself is mostly humour. +1
If the show ended at episode 14, it would have been peak. -1
Because of the scene where they threw out a plate of food because someone put too much spice on it. -1
Ghost stories epic. +1
Dramatic scenes were dramatic, sad scenes were sad, funny scenes were funny.
Good stuff. Very enjoyable.
Overall, Gobolin.

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it doesn’t end in an HEA

OK, so I’m all for realistic endings, and not not everything being happy roses but I really do come to the stories to escape life and although I think this was cinematically done really well and gave us a realistic ending it also felt almost like a slap in the face because his friend is a really bad person and she doesn’t get punished at all. The show just ends, and then his mom ships him off because she is also homophobic.

I think this has great potential if there would be a season two, and we would get more of an ending.

I didn’t see any of the reviews at first that said it didn’t have a happy ending so I went in thinking that we would get one so it’s my fault for not looking further into the series before starting it

But for anyone who likes their stories they have a happy ending. This does not have it, so I would not start it if you are someone like me.

that being said I love YinWar.

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One of the best K dramas I have watched

I enjoyed watching this show from start to end, it's rare to see a drama getting better and better with each episode, characters in the show are used well they are not in it for the sake of it, cast did well especially Lee Joon gi was at his best in this drama.
Relationship between ML & his family, his sister and fake mother in the sense some scene we feel she is actually the mother she even had a good interaction with Ml's daughter, it was hard to say one character is pure evil except the real baddies in the show. Even that cop character ie friend of FL he was interesting his character was not in the show for the sake of it, each character in the show that is important to the story were used well.
I enjoyed it so much watched it 3 times and still planning to watch whenever get time and feel to watch.

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Bom, mas teria sido melhor!!

eu gosto da história, mesmo ela se perdendo da metade pro final, o que me impediu de amar ela e se tornar favorita foi o fato que pegaram a história do passado e ficaram repetindo em vários episódios, isso ficou muito chato. E só depois percebi que era a "visão" de cada um, mas se o cara lá era senhor da montanha, como ele não conseguiu ver oq a amada dele fez? enfim a maluquice.

Me apaixonei de verdade pelo Eunwoo, ele tem uma atuação fantástica e consegue transmitir tudo de uma forma leve. A atriz também super apaixonante e encantadora. Não teve um que odiei, gostei até dos "vilões".

Enfim, tinha tudo pra ser bom, mas infelizmente se perdeu como tantos outros.

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The perfect slice-of-life drama for me, 10/10

There are no "big" events in this drama or scenes that would keep you on the edge of your seat. It is just a show about four characters and the people around them in their jobs and lives. This is just a simple drama, but why do I rate it a 10/10? The answer is the flow. The way they tell and show each character's story will connect you with them. Individually, they are all strong, independent adults in their 30s, but once they got home and were surrounded by their loved ones, you could see how vulnerable and gullible they were and how much they needed each other. This hits close to home.

As someone who is still young, I always imagine what will and could happen when I turn 30. And this drama answered those questions. A lot of things could happen; you will mature, grow, struggle, and meet a lot of people who could help you or ruin you, yet you will still find yourself like the old you. In short, there is no big difference between your 20s and your 30s; you just have to embrace change.

Definitely worth watching and recommendable.

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Sadomasochism drama for you

The only reason I watched this is He Xuanlin. I really hate sadomasochism theme, but I kept holding on, along with any kind of curse words.

As the synopsis written, Lin Wenyu is the FL. Her real name was Su Wenyue, the daughter of Su Mu. Su Mu was the lieutenant of Duan Xunchu's father. Xunchu's parents thought of FL as their own daughter, so she lived in Duan family's house since she was a kid. Bcos of the close relationship between the parents, Wenyue was engaged with Duan family's oldest son, Duan Xunliu. However, one night, enemies barged into Duan family's house and killed everyone. Wenyue and Xunchu managed to escape and lived together. Wenyue lied to Xunchu to make him leave the city. Seven years after they got separated, they reunite. This time, Xunchu's mission is to make Wenyue, now Wenyu, to pay for his family demise. Then, after they resolve their misunderstanding, together they try to find the truth.

MUSIC
Tbh the music is just so-so, not memorable. Sometimes it is too loud. I don't like the opening song too.

CHARACTERS
Lin Wenyu/Su Wenyue
Our FL is a few years older than ML so she sees him as her own didi. She owns a apothecary and known for her beauty and skills as a doctor. An elegant, smart, brave, kind hearted and forgiving woman.

Duan Xunchu
The ML who vowed to make the killer of his family suffer. Therefore, he loves and hates Wenyu. He started to love her when they lived together for a few years after the incident. That's why he was in agony when Wenyu said his family was killed by her and her father. He came back after successfully becoming a general known as Iron Blood. After he comes back, he makes Wenyu lives in hell. He treats all women like trash.

Song Wanzhen
As usual, we have the delusional spoiled rich brat. She is the youngest chikd in Song family, so she acts as she pleases. A perfect match for Xunchu. Anyway her father tries to tie her with Xunchu in marriage, but Xunchu successfully avoids it. She always tries to bully Wenyu and she hates Huaining bcos he is not her real brother.

Song Huaining
The adoptive son of Song family. Somehow he doesn't remember anything before he was saved by his adoptive father. He is kind, gentle, well behaved. Although he is few years older than Xunchu, they became friends. Sometimes he has a severe headache, so Wenyu often comes to treat him.

ACTING
He Xuanlin is undeniably great. She is the reason that kept me watching.
Gao Mingchen got his first lead role, but as a red flag. He did great though. Some of you might think he looks more like an angry teenager. What do you expect? Xunchu lost his childhood and has been hiding from his enemies until he finally gained power. His mind is full of revenge, but he can't help feeling jealous to Huaining. He is conflicted between love and hate to Wenyu.
For the SFL, what kind I say? The easiest role in a drama is playing a spoiled rich brat.
For the SML, he fits his role. A gentle man shrouded in mystery. But sometimes he is lacking in expressions.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS
Tbh, I freaking HATE the ML. He is a disgusting piece of shit. He keeps treating FL like a trash on the first half of the drama! He hates her, but also cares for her. After choking her, then he gives her his coat or treats her wound. He is always jealous everytime Wenyu gets close with another man, then he will drag her along the road. Sometimes she doesn't defend herself and lets him do as he pleases. I think it is bcos she feels guilty for his suffering after they got separated. Once he finds out she is innocent, all he says is "From now on, I will make up for it. I'm sorry". WHAT??? That's it?? Everytime I see him choking her, I always scream "I will fry you, pig!" If I were Wenyu, I will never forgive him, or at least I will make him pay for it until I feel satisfied. I won't get swayed by his gifts, sweet words, etc. But anyway, Wenyu is too kind and forgiving. She accepts him right away.

SUMMARY
Would I recommend this? If you are fine with sadomasochism theme, you might want to try this. The leads have great chemistry. The mystery is predictable, so viewers just have to watch how the story goes and how the leads handle the situations. This is a short drama, only 10 minutes each episode. You can finish binge watching it in less than 3 hours.

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Felt like a state sanctioned anti-suicide infomercial

Ok. So I know the rating and review title might be confusing.

This show has some great acting, the quality of production is fantastic. The music was great. Some of the stories were really interesting and it’s for the most part well-written.

HOWEVER, if I hadn’t been watching with someone else I would have dumped the show. It felt like I was being lectured about suicide but in a very strange way. Korea has a very high suicide rate and maybe that plays into it, but some of the message delivery was clunky and anyone with an ounce of common sense can throw the reasoning out of the window. Maybe they hoped to make people think again about giving life a chance, maybe scare them into carrying on. I dunno guys, it just fell flat.

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EDIT: BRILLIANT

EDIT AFTER FINISHING THE DRAMA:
I certainly don't regret the subscription fee in the app. My points in the first version of this review still stand (read below). Everything had it's logic, no gut punching turning tides events for the sake of dramatisation, very nicely paced, keeps you glued to the screen. I especially appreciate Wanmian's character, you go girl!!! The character and actor of Di Fei Sheng (thank you so much to casting directors, I LOVE to see Xiao Shun Yao like this). There's an extra small episode in iqiyi app, but you don't really need to watch it, it doesn't add much to the ending. Although I would've appreciated a happy happy ending, the ending they wrote was understandable. Personally, this drama is up there on my list with the best ones on my list. I hope this writers team will do more dramas like this in the future.

Original review I wrote after watching 10 EPs, unedited:
I've watched 10 episodes so far and boy, I'd binge this in one day if I could but I don't have the time for that lol.
Storyline is catchy so far, great cliff hangers which make you want to watch another episode. Some cliff hangers spread even through two episodes which I like, it's a smart move.
I've watched many series and dramas from many countries, so some mysteries are a little see-through for me but it's fine. It's good that the writers put the storyline logically.
I like that there aren't crazy fast movements from one location to another, no big storyline jumps, just a normal pace for when you want to chill while watching.
The only annoying thing so far is the immense amount of Fang Duobing's lines, like he's talking TOO much in some places, but I guess it's part of the charm of his character.
Two of my favourite things so far - Xiao Shun Yao is one of the main characters and he finally has screen time!
And most importantly THERE'S A DOG AND HE SHOWED UP REGULARLY IN THE SERIES.

I'll let you know my final rating once I'm finished :-)

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Makjang dumb plots chasing after one villain

This drama was written by the written who have written Miss Monte Cristo in 2021. While I was expected for this drama, but I also cautious because daily drama it is usually a hit or miss and this one was a miss in my opinion. If you have been watching from the beginning until the end then you know. Without going into much into it I like the fast paced early on until the switch of the actor which both are good actor, but I personally felt it went down from there and the writer lost momentum in writing the story and directing as well. I liked the acting for the most part, but this drama just went down afterward and I dislike how one person who been doing wrong never gotten taken down like what the hell is going on with this. If you like this type of drama then check it out but I don't think the stupidity does stop.

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"It's already bad that we are poor, and now you're gay as well" . This just got me.

If I had the privilege to award something, I would give this series the best BL series award in 2023.

I feel the sense of proud while watching this series. Why? Because, it is so nice to see how BL series have evolved to this.

Particularly the story. So if you are expecting a common troupe like poor lead falling for a rich lead and happily ever after, or poor couple falling in love and then becomes rich and problem solved or something like that. This is definitely not that, it has the most sense of realism that any story could ever have. It shows the actual struggles of working class people and how they make ends meet everyday.

When Uncle Jim said. To Li Ming
*"As if, Being poor was not enough, and now you are gay as well".*
I was tearing up with such a powerfull dialogue, specially the fact that it was said by someone who himself was a gay. That was too deep. It gives you the touch of sad reality, that even in this whatsoever progressive world being a sexual minor is still a challenge.

Earth-Mix acting is over the top. They blend into the character soo well, that you might question wether they are different person or the same as their characters. Gemini-Fourth acting and story is wholesome. First-Khao-Mark are steals the show as a side character whenever they are on screen.

I believe this kind of stories that have a good takeaway message should be more appreciated.

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To tell you the truth, the moment I saw you for the first time I knew I would fall in love with you

A drama full of emotion. I did not watch the Japanese version, but I really liked the story, the actors’ performances, and the music was calm
There was a sense of sadness in the series. I felt sad in most of the scenes💔
, how misunderstanding destroys the relationship and that love requires courage.....

16 episodes. I lived the atmosphere of Cha Jin and Mo Eun’s relationship. I enjoyed the story and the narration was touching. At the beginning, we lived the atmosphere of the beginnings like any relationship, and how Mo Eun is passionate about her love and that Cha Jin loves her, but he was not able to convey his feelings to Mo Eun because he had a previous painful love story. Also, after his ex-girlfriend returned, he had an impact on their relationship. I felt the same way Mo Eun felt when she felt jealous of Song seo
Also during the series there is a one-sided and hidden love between Gohan and Mo Eun, but he was not brave to tell her his love. She should have realized that. She is always grateful to him for always being by her side, but she did not feel his love. I really feel sorry for Gohan.
also The character Mo Dam, Mo Eun's brother, and her friend Ji Yoo, had a cute relationship and scenes that added fun to the series.
Also, Ki Hyun's character was warm and their friendship was unconditional. The series is really enjoyable and worth watching..💜

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