Reviews

the FL ruins it

I liked :
the ML, Jo Jung Suk is great in this show, probably his best performance !
The story is fine
The supporting characters are good, the villains are bad (very good actors), I enjoyed the queen dowager (actress was so good in the crowned clown) , the first king Choi Dae Hoon, Yang Kyung Won (who was also good in Vincenzo and Crash landing on you)

I dislike :
The Female Lead ! The actress is so bad ! She was bad in rookie historian, she didn't change !
Someone can tell her that to keep your mouth open during all the series is NOT an acting skill !
She spent less than 5 minutes with a closed mouth ! She has no facial expression, she just rolls her eyes lol
Zero chemistry with the ML, always the same face.
The character is not better, at the end why did she leave ???
It s a bit long, especially the last 3 episodes.

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Worst show i've watched in my entire life

This is the worst show i've watched in entire life.

Hero reconnects with girl from past, puts efforts into impressing heroine, but last 4-6 episodes show them continuously having sex with each other. They say 'i like having sex when raining', 'i like having sex when snowing', etc. If Hero just wanted to have sex, he should've just found a prostitute. There's sadly no noona romance.

The second couple's existence in the show is 'to remove sigma of sex from society'. They take up room in hotel, where they have 'loud sex' and other hotel members say that this isn't 'that kind of hotel'. But that doesn't stop them from doing what they want to do.

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A BL with a quiet and meditative charm...Not very memorable but harmless and sweet

This drama is a sweet and summery BL coming-of-age story with a really appeasing slice-of-life feeling. The romance is very platonic as well as heartwarming as the feelings evolve between the two protagonists. It is a subtle and quiet series which is likely to brighten your day with his luminous character and almost meditative charm. The counterpart of this is that the drama lack ambition and punch, and its short lenght makes it difficult to go deep into the turmoil and feelings that the protagonists could be facing. It remains relatively surface level on a lot of ways in an amicable and agreeable approach.

The casting was good overall. The chemistry was not really overwhelming but the script did not require a lot of demonstration of affection or overpowering passion...Therefore the acting was totally appropriate at depicting a very youthful first love kind of story. There was a bit of imbalance in terms of skills level, as Hyuga Wataru did in my opinion a better job than Okura Takato in conveying the story and adding additional layer to his character. Overall, both did okay but it could have been stronger in terms of nuances.

I love the soundtrack, it was totally fitting the drama. The production value as well was lovely: there was a lot of pretty picturesque sceneries in addition to mouthwatering food scenes.

I would recommend this to people looking for a BL with a really appeasing slice-of-life feeling. It depicts a sweet coming-of-age story with a platonic and heartwarming romance in a summery setting. If you are looking for an angsty show with passionate characters and a lot of turmoil, this is really not the series you should watch. But if you are looking for a charming and calming drama, this might be a good pick for you.

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THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTING

This BL is an absolute MESS. And not the good drama kind, the story is everywhere, the acting is so awkward, and the ships are sinking. All of the three ships in this show get basically no progression whatsoever. Burger and King felt like an absolute afterthought, not getting any truly dedicated scenes/parts for the two, episodes at a time. And the weird sexual tones of the show gave me the absolute ick. I would've liked the BDSM plot if it wasn't for the actors/characters they're portraying being so young, real HBO Euphoria vibes that just rub me the wrong way. I'll forgive the actors for the awkwardness in their dialogue since they're all relatively young and getting the hang of things. The only reason I finished this BL was because I was enjoying the messiness of it to an extent. The cliffhanger ending being the absolute cherry on top. I hope this BL never gets a second season because I know I would waste my time watching that through to the end as well. And I hope you avoid it at all costs, unless you're feeling masochistic.

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Cute, yeah cute

I was able to binge watch this BL in one sitting. Not because it was really good or anything like that, but because I could. A shoulder to cry on had me hooked straight from the beginning. The chemistry between the leads is intoxicating and the cute moments littered throughout the show always put a smile on my face. The last couple of episodes felt really rushed though and I'm extremely disappointed that there wasn't even a single kiss scene within the series. But overall it was still really cute, especially in the last episode where the main leads are finally in a loving relationship together.

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Non/New were done dirty and the ending is dumb

While the series did start off a little silly and campy, I actually enjoyed it at face value for what it was. However, when the story starts to backtrack to the past explaining what happened with their old "missing" friend Non. It started to become much more different and interesting from your typical slasher-horror genre. The drama between the group of friends and how the story progresses with Non falling into a deeper and deeper pit of unjust situations helps you as the viewer to empathize with Non and despise the group of friends who all had a hand in his downfall. Mio Athens' character Tan, later known as New, was what I was hoping to be the corrector of said injustice brought upon his brother. With the revenge plot twist investing me further into the plot than I already was. So imagine how disappointing it was to watch the final couple of episodes where it feels like it's all thrown out the window. Like many others, the final episode especially felt extremely rushed to me. The hallucination sequences all felt goofy and ridiculous within the final episode as well. And what really dealt the final blow was the "2 years later" bit of the episode where it ends with the most cliche, uninteresting, and basic "Did they really leave, or was it all just another hallucination?" trick. Super boring and unimaginative. Not only that but the death of Non and New had me more mad than anything else in this show. Tee's uncle just gets away with everything and the family is never avenged, which even if it may be realistic, still leaves a sour taste in my mouth that makes me never want to rewatch this series. Overall I appreciated it most for the middle episodes where I felt the story and writing was strongest, it's certainly given me a lot of Mio edits to watch in repeat. 8/10.

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Must watch!!!!!!

This is one of the best drama I ever watched. Also I can it's my first suspense, crime, thriller, investigation genre I watched. I have been never into these genre and I could never complete the series due to lack of interest. But this is different. I m so glad that I decided to watch it and I never regret it. The story, the characters, their acting, intro song, their foolishness their bravery everything is sooo awesome. General Qiu's death really made me emotional and cried. I already had instinct that qiu is good and never go against li bing. He should have lived. That's the sad part for me in this drama. Overall it's a must watch. U won't regret watching. Hope the directors bring moreee dramas like this rather than bringing romantic dramas. Friendship bromance dramas are sooooo good to watch and it touch u more than these romantic genres in my opinion.

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Xianxia without Angst!!!

This drama basically is a xianxia without any angst, a good watch, great visuals, great CGI, somehow high production for short dramas.
This drama feels like a mix of Immortal Samsara, Starry Love, and many other famous xianxias. More like a compilation of happy moments from those dramas.

• Music- above average
• costumes- Excellent
• Acting- Done right✓
• story- light hearted.

For someone who likes slow burn, this was much fast phased with lots of romance. And you might get cheated as the length of the episodes are not as long as said here in MDL. The outro is of 3-4 minutes. So you get to watch around 7-8 mins episodes.

All in all, a good escape from normal lengthy dramas.

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Lucky stars counted

I’m not sure why I’ve put off watching this although I’ve come across it so many times. I count myself lucky because i finally did and totally enjoyed it. Here’s why:
First, I’m a sop for romance and this story has a great one. So as not to spoil it for you, I just want to give brief highlights.
ML has endured the pain of guilt of something that happened which wasn’t his fault but nevertheless painful. FL is someone who desired to be a fashion designer but always felt she brought about bad luck. Their interactions weave a tale that may sound familiar in others you’ve read or watched. The pair that seemed to not get along journeyed on a path involving overcoming hurdles of self doubt, inner turmoil, but strong support for each other.

The cast. Jerry Yan. My goodness he’s a great actor. He has emotional scenes that you can’t help but be greatly affected because of his acting. He really gets into the role and his pain will probably be much more felt bc you can’t help but pity him as you practically feel his hurt. Yes he’s very handsome but I really enjoy his work to care about those things.
Shen Yue. I think this is my first drama watching her. She’s a budding good actress. I love her character, kind, considerate, fun, and devoted. She played her part well, nothing coy but just natural. I’m a new fan and her smile? Contagious.
Wei Zhe Ming. Now I do know this actor and one of my favorites. Though he was second lead, he was very much liked. His character was sort of sad but in the end, things worked out. Though it’s totally unfair to me not to list them all, every other cast members were great contributors to this made story. The parents of Shen Yues character were so wonderful. We all know and have seen real nasty selfish drama parents but here, in them at least, they showed how parents should be…kind, supportive. The friends of fl and their boyfriends were also so cute.

Note of warning. The common complaint from so many is the lack of clothes type worn by Jerry Lans character. Yeah, but so? Letting you know in advance if it’s gonna be a problem for you. To me, yes I noticed but I was too invested in the story itself not be a big deal. Whatever reason it was for lack, I’m sure it’s not actors fault. Or he’s like me, not caring how many times I wear something as long as I’m comfortable??
Second warning is age gap. I don’t know what it is that bothers people (of course they have right to their own) but the way these leads carried out their roles was nothing short of true love and adoration for each other. They were the perfect pair and no gap is in it except maybe In people’s twisted thinking. Let these two things not deter you. This is definitely worth the watch and spoiler…………..ending kiss to a happy couple. Oh yeah, NEVER FORGET, the ost, is so endearingly inserted throughout im humming it as i write. Thanks.

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WATCH WITH CAUTION! MIGHT CAUSE SEVERE CUTE AGGRESSION ❗️❗️❗️

This extremely cute and equally unrealistic short series is made to be watched so you can forget about your own shitty or non existent love life.
The couple gets married on the second time of ever seeing each other and the guy isn’t a serial killer who collects women as wife’s and then killes them. No, here he’s the perfect man that falls in love after meeting her for the first time, treasures and takes care of her in the most beautiful way possible.
Every episode has some conflict that gets resolved in the same episode with… healthy communication… I know, unrealistic ? He even wants kids but only when she’s ready because he knows that it’s her body and she has the autonomy to decide when she’s ready…like..can you stop????
Everyone who’s love and touch deprived, watch with caution because this will only add to it. Saying that from my experience.

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I, for one, was captivated LOL

Writing-wise, this is one of the best sageuks I've ever seen (and at this point, I've watched a whole lot of them).

I don't know how else to describe it beside it being smartly written. The characters were interesting and flawed, with multiple layers and complex emotions. Their actions were always motivated by solid reasons, and even the villains were clever in the way they plotted their evil deeds (which is not actually the norm in base of my observations so far). I was hooked throughout, and actually found myself being surprised by some of the twists and turns the story took.

The show was like a baduk game in and of itself, with the two opponents constantly trying to outsmart and outmaneuver each other, both when it was the King and his Gidaeryeong, and the King and those seeking to control him, which I really loved given how prominently the game was featured. There was a constant struggle for power going on, with the knowledge that any move had to be carefully considered because a wrong step could lead to catastrophic results (much as it was shown during the very first episode).

Also, there were a lot of different instances were it was mentioned how the characters were blinded because of how they were "captivated" by a certain emotion. Be it a thirst for revenge, or an overwhelming love, or anything in between. Which again, I liked the tie in to the show's name and theme.

Of course, it was visually stunning, like all sageuks usually are, and the OST matched the show well, even if it was not very memorable. The acting was top notch all across, with Cho Jung Seok shining especially bright in his range from tyrannical King to lovesick man, he really excelled in portraying a deeply complex character. Shin Se Kyung's character reminded me a lot of who she'd played in Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (also a marvelous sageuk fyi), a smart woman, confident in her abilities but somewhat limited by her circumstances.

The only reason I'm not giving Captivating the King the full 10/10 rating is because the romantic spark between the leads was sadly missing. I loved how mature, deep and settled their relationship felt, but the heat that comes with good chemistry was sadly missing. I bought they cared about each other, but didn't feel the attraction. When they kissed, nothing happened.

Either way, it was an amazing show and I had a great time watching it.

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A Never-To-Be-Missed Piece...!

The dictionary is in lack of words to express my love for the amazing main leads, great actors even the villains, wonderful soundtracks, breathtaking sceneries and everything else rom A to Z showed in this masterpiece is just not possible to be expressed enough.

Actually, I first just ignored the constantly growing popularity of TU for a very long time. A that time I had just newly arrived in the Asian Drama World. But then, I grew fond of Wang Yibo after watching Legend of Fei (when it was aired in Dec 2020). I soon found out that his most amazing drama was the one I was overlooking since a long time...

I immediately started The Untamed. At first it really seemed hard to get through the seemingly boring starting episodes, but I stuck to it for the promising reviews I had collected, and just gave it a chance to prove them. But believe me, when the real story begins (and that comes sooner than expected), I found myself just addicted to it.
I have watched nearly 200 dramas and movies by now, but have yet to find a drama worthy to be called on par with The Untamed... You know, right now, I just want to get amnesia and watch this drama all over again...! Everytime I can't find a good drama, I just return to TU and it feels like I'm back home...

The way the story is adapted and shown is really wonderful... Those plot twists arrive just when required... The CGI effects are also very lifelike... Those eye-tearing scenes with the sad osts in background really make you cry, and trust me, I don't cry easily... The funny scenes leave you rolling on the bed... The suspense scenes make you forget to even breath... The fight scenes have you repeat them again and again to enjoy the wonderful fights...

You just want to be there in the series, console the main leads when they are heartbroken... Your hands keep itching to just go and give a hard slap to the villains... You just want to go in the screen and shout at the stupid ones who wrong the innocents...

The fact that Wang Yibo really is the only one who could carry out LWJ's role perfectly as required is just amazing. Xiao Zhan too is like the only one able to show cute naughty smiles in really hard and serious times...

The way Wei Ying shows his despairing emotions, laughing when crying, it is just perfect... His cute and naughty moments, his creative but kinda infuriating ideas, his mature moments when he stands up to fight... His babysitting the children, or should I say him being babysitted by the younger ones.... And don't forget that 'Lan Zhan' call after every 2 minutes...

The way Lan Wang Ji upholds his image even in troubled times... Always concerned about his friend... Standing by his side when he needed it the most... Finding the true direction in the chaos... The hard to ignore 'Wu Liao'... And when he gets drunk, those funny moments... An amazing Hanguang Jun...!

WANMEI....!

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