Reviews

Shouldn't have existed

I initially dropped it b/c I thought the problem was the switch of actresses, but after death's game and moving I grew to love the actress. So I started it again,
turns out the problem wasn't the actress nor the chemistry, the writing was just unbearably soap-level bad:
- They dragged out the amnesia until the last 2 episodes, and they had no reaction to it, b/c he was already in love with the new Naksu and didn't care about the old one that much apparently.
- Naksu had a personnality transplant and lost all brain, they turned our smart lead into a damsel, she never got her powers back.
- The secondary characters were just there,
- there was no solid plot just milking a soapy story
- I couldn't follow the characters logic in anything...

Anyway a total waste of my time, fortunately the FL did other projects and won't be remembered for this flop

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First half was charming. the second half lost interest. dropped it by episode 10

Things I loved:
The FL. refreshing, charming, natural looking (not overly made up). She's relaxed, confident. Has a conscience. Doesn't make stupid mistakes. Is honest with herself and the characters around her. So different from all the other longsuffering, overly optimistic or taking it on the chin without defending herself FLs. I'm not detracted by her voice or mannerisms.
The 2FL. Not a cardboard jealous backstabber!! Lovely young woman who secretly likes ML. Not a doormat. Love love love her. 2FL and ML interactions are very sweet, and you can see her realizing, "Oops. I like this guy", while ML is oblivious. And once we get into later chapters she states her motivation and doesn't back down. She's not a jerk about it. Just assertive. She wants what she wants and is not afraid to fight for it.

A lot of people online are utterly trashing the FL actress for being unattractive. Small spoiler for them: her looks remain the same throughout the show, so if you can't stand looking at her in the first episode, she won't get any more good looking to you throughout the drama. To those people, I beg you to save yourself, and the rest of us, the pain of your complaints, and watch something else with a conventionally "beautiful" actress. If you can find one we all agree with, I'll eat my hat.

Things that grew on me:
ML. Until episode 4 could not get into his personality. Found him flat. But now starting to see the charm. The first three episodes of his pouty "look off camera into the distance to convey remembering sorrowful memory" got old. By the time episode 7 rolled around, he got good.

Sadly, that's where it ended for me.

I do not like the acting of the older brother actor. He uses three expressions if you count his awkward smile . Someone had said he is miscast, and I think that's exactly it. He doesn't bring the character of older brother to life. It's disappointing because it could be so much more. He stands. doesn't use his body to emote. It's disappointing. I think he might have clinched his fist once in anger.

The ML and FL - once they get together it deflates and gets boring. FL angst and torture comes through very well. and the The kiss scene was ok but in the next scene they're just walking down the street like pals. Chemistry ends. Rather than watching episode 10 when it came out, I began watching other dramas and enjoying them more.

Finally skipped the last three episodes entirely and watched the last 5 minutes of episode 12. That was enough for me. I don't miss it.

Gave it a 6 instead of a 5 because of the well-written FL, 2FL and the hopeful beginning.

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Incomplete

Watched March 2024
A pretty gory, violent, tense, gripping and thrilling watch.

Jung Hae-in is excellent, as always, and Go Kyung-pyo's character is very unnerving and he plays it really well.

A lot of very unsavoury characters in this and the nothing-new trope of anyone different being ostracised, victimised and, where possible, cruelly used for financial gain.

There are a lot of adult themes, so not one for [young] family viewing.

JHI's character is a mystery. Alone, a loner and seemingly without family or history/background, which is almost completely non-existent in the drama. He is sweet, kind and sometimes comes across as vulnerable, but he has an edge when he becomes protective of others. He is totally unaware of his 'situation', too, until the trigger point; which raises many questions. In fact, how certain characters exist at all, whilst hinted at a tiny bit, remains a complete mystery as well.

A very dark, seedy, mony powered and selfish side of life is portrayed, with aggressive and brutal people and police.

I did like the pace, feel and the soundtrack to this. There is also a sound effect used for a specific 'thing', which I found rather cute, although I am totally unsure as to whether that was intended, tongue-in-cheek, or just me perhaps!

S1 ends with a wide open door for a S2, which is desperately needed to make any sense of this drama at all. Without it, it's really just a vehicle for gore and shocks.

Sadly, it seems nothing has been confirmed on that front. I absolutely hate it, when American backed productions don't film/air a complete story, and release a S1 without committing to a S2, at the outset.

It happens all the time now. Island, Move to Heaven, Moving, Song of the Bandits, to name a few... none of these provided conclusive endings and many also lacked the depth needed to explain why/how things became the way they are in the present.

It is frustrating, and, is honestly making me think twice about starting Netflix, Disney+ or Prime short-episode K-dramas at all. It totally spoils the viewing experience and story.

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Loved this initially but halfway through and was ready to drop it. A drama with a group of the pushiest people ever… which is the problem… pushy people. ML, Mother. Sister, Music friend. business partner.. everyone!!

I love ML as an actor and he’s one of my favorites. BUT in this drama, FL is like a glass figurine and ML has a savior complex. He’s a man that can’t accept no and thinks he alway knows what FL wants. Actually everyone is out to “save” FL cuz she has to make copies at her new job and teach music to children. ML uproots everyone else’s life to make FL happy … I mean these people have families and jobs. What’s worse is FL agrees to everything without a thought to their circumstances. FL is a spoiled and entitled porcelain princess who isn’t actually very sweet or nice… at least imo. sorry!!!

Drama made music out to be a ride or die thing but it wasn’t convincing … at all. I am bummed cuz I was really looking forward to this drama.

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The aftermath of going against the Emperor's will | The favored river God's illogical death & legacy

"Without a body after death, the soul gains true freedom." - Kang Xi

I want to start this review by stating how dissatisfied and disappointed I am on the path they took to conclude Chen Huang's role and character in this story. I understand that they want him to be viewed as someone who died valiantly and unyielding, however, I want to retort back and say that he was played dirty by the writer instead. His legacy was later set up as monumental worthy of nobel prize but in reality it was their way to make up for their incompetence to develop and expand his characters purpose and abilities. Like, they know he's extremely capable but the problem is that they are not talented enough to cultivate and utilize it properly. Hence his unjustifiable and illogical death.

Also, after scrutinizing this story, I wanted to say that they should have not given this drama the title 'The Long River' and instead come up with something related to the Emperor's ambition and regrets. I feel like the title doesn't live up to the screen time the 'Long River' has gotten. Not to mention how neglected the characters (Cheng Huang & Jin Fu) working on the actual river are.

On the good side, I wanna say that the writer of this story is exceptionally gifted in giving in depth purpose and development to the side characters. Heck! I feel like all of them combined has gotten more focus and screen time compared to the actual protagonists of this show. Which is really annoying because it seems like all his attention was diverted to them to the point where he had forgotten who the real leads are!!

In addition, the writer also seemed to be well-versed to topics related to politics—its structures, components and system. Reason why he's totally engrossed and invested to the political infighting of the story. I can even proclaim that this is heavily centered to that; which is understandable since river construction has to go through such thorough planning, discussions and approvals. The problem is... it's extremely focused on the dramas happening between the 2 different political faction that it has strayed away from the main issue of the story.

One thing I want to sincerely praise and applaud this drama for is its attempt to depict the struggles of the righteous and upstanding officials under the well established and deeply rooted corruption in the government; as it proves that attaining good governance was and will never be easy even to those incorruptible officials; and that it automatically puts anyone on the spotlight that risks their life to an apparent tragic ending.

Just to add up, I had this idea written while I was watching this drama "A nation will thrive and flourish under a good governance" and I must say that it proves me wrong as this story demostrates how even the Emperor was tolerant and susceptible to corruption.

Timeline and phasing - The transition between timelines are smoothly executed to the point where I almost got out of track on how much time/days/months/years have passed since the previous events. lol

Graphics, site set up and design were impressively realistic! You can clearly see that this production was greatly supported through their budget. I mean, even the placards are grandly designed.

Lastly, I just want to mention how everything went south when Emperor Kang Xi's patience and tolerance towards Chen Huang & Jin Fu finally snapped!

Story - 9.0, You will only notice that something is wrong while watching the last 3-5 episodes. Even with my grave rants above, I still wanna say that this drama was well produced and directed. It's just that they focused too much on 1 aspect of the story and was never able to get out of it till the end. The story strayed away from how I expected it to be, which is about the 'Long River'.

Acting/Cast - 10, Perfect set of artists! I'm out of words of how good all the actors are and honestly, this is one of the drama where I don't really have to worry about the acting and perfomance. It's highly visible that they're mostly skilled veteran and even those who are not, acted and blended really well.

Music - 10, At first, I thought it is too 'opera' based but then I realized that the overall music was selected to correspond to the era this story was set on. The music delivers this melancholy vibe and feeling that made me feel the sorrow and pain shown on screen. It depicted and helps hightens the emotions of the scenes.

Rewatch Value - 8.0, I never really thought that something was wrong with this drama until I reached the denouement. I hate how it was ended in a rather loosely manner and that's also the reason why I don't think I can watch it again. This rating is actually more on how good the drama is during my initial watch. It was good but I probably will not re-watch it.

Overall - 9.0, This drama could have been one of my favorite, only if they didn't spend so much time focusing on the political propaganda and agenda of the story. This show was promising but was tainted by how lazy and unreasonable they delivered its ending.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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A Good Watch.

This was a good watch that left me with little to complain about. I feel the story should have gone in another direction, but that is just personal preference.

The Casting was particularly good here, I could not find any real flaws in either the main or support characters. I felt the romance was sweet and satisfying for me. As a dog lover, I enjoyed the premise of the entire show.

If the show did not tackle darker themes this would have become a go-to drama for me when I wanted to watch something light that made me smile. The show explores themes such as bullying, kidnapping, blackmail/threatening, and revenge. The show does these themes well and is not necessarily a bad thing. I just felt the show might have become something I could watch over and over again for years to come if they went in a different direction.

I do believe I will at some point give the show a rewatch. I would give it a very good rating and can see recommending the show to people who enjoy this kind of drama.

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Captivating the King" unfolds the story of a man thrust into kingship following his brother's untimely demise.Prior to his ascension, he led a quiet life, content to observe rather than interfere in others' affairs, managing the outskirts with care. His encounter with a skilled player of the game ,"GO". The king was mesmerized by him and find a chance to play with him and then they became friends. One day the boy was captured by some soldiers and the king was not at his side.The king was in his house because his brother was demise and he became a king. Upon his return, the king, now burdened by his regal duties, distances himself from the boy, setting the stage for a tale of power ,struggles and vengeance. While the drama culminates in a happy resolution, the potential for deeper exploration leaves viewers yearning for more. Notably, the male lead's captivating performance adds to the drama's allure, leaving a lasting impression on audiences.

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Worth the watch ^_^

I just don't know why i didn't watched it until now. I had it in my list for a long time but somehow i always skipt it.
This drama was such an emotional rollercoaster. They get to know each other then broke up then meet again and when she broke up with him for second time...damn it hit so hard...i was like what why? okay...i understand why but she could have been more patient. After being apart for so long and everything. But in the end the biggest satisfaction i was when they realized everything and get together again.
I found it a little bit annoying the SFL but overall it was okay.
ps. This drama was a total love triangle.

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An action packed story that keeps you interested despite its flaws

Some spoilers but no specific details

This started off very nice, and was still interesting till the end although I was not fully satisfied with a lot of things, the ending was a big fat useless cliffhanger with basically all the big plots still left unanswered. We basically just got rid of some "npcs" lol. And i just could not for the life of me understand how so many of these people (even the mc) survived the sht they went through: a machine gun blasting from every corner/ a shot through the eyes, stab to the throat and a burning house/ 2 freaking grenades!!!!!! and the list goes on. And STILL they all get up with a minor scar. Just very very unrealistic and a huge pet peeve for me.

a little bit of a spoiler here:
I like that the uncle wasn't invincible, like you could see him get beaten down buy a bunch of random dudes before he finally managed to take care of them and you could also see that he got scared from time to time. At first I was like mehh it takes away from the amazingly badass mysterious vibe they set him out to be in the first couple of eps... but then I thought this ACTUALLY makes him even more of a realistic character and less like the mc with the plot armor protecting her.

All in all this was a fun watch, I really wanted ALL those bad guys, especially THAT specific one to go out very, very painfully but I am at least happy Honda got avenged, he was my favorite character :'(

Edit: Oh wait I just realized something that annoyed me in the first couple of episodes and I don't think it was answered till the end. Why on earth were a bunch of killers obligated to protect the mc? like what would force them to do that, especially since some of them just took out whatever those implants were? Not mentioned, they never even showed up lmfao xD

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Lovin' It !!

Being a Big fan of Kim Soo Hyun, I’m thrilled to witness his return to the screen after a three-year hiatus. His performance up to Episode 2 has been nothing short of spectacular, capturing the essence of his character with finesse. Kim Ji Won, though not someone I follow closely, has also delivered a commendable performance. Her roles in ‘Crash Landing on You’ and ‘Descendants of the Sun’ were my only encounters with her work, but in this drama, she’s truly doing a good job.

The narrative has been engaging thus far, and I’m optimistic that it will maintain its momentum without resorting to unnecessary fillers. I’m eagerly anticipating how the plot will unfold and have high hopes for the drama’s continued success. It’s a story that has captured my heart, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us.

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Would have been good if not for the serious lack of communication between the leads.

I don't much like Han Che at certain times, not because of his peculiarities, that in itself I did not mind. That made him an interesting character but he often threw tantrums without even trying to talk to Nuan Nuan about it. He found out that Fang Han Chen confessed his feelings for Nuan, so he ghosted her for a while, even though Nuan clearly said that she said no to the guy. Later, the incident with the cufflinks, she had a bad day at work, so while we all understand what needs to be done logically, she just wanted some comfort, instead he just made things worse for her.

The drama lacked conflict resolution, things were often glossed over. The entire concept was so flawed, it reminds me of the show "Well-Intended Love" in which the ML was a crackpot.

In "My Love, Enlighten Me", the ML was overbearing and made decisions that were not really good for others. The FL while fun to watch, wasn't really all there. The entire setting lacked the intensity required for the script and concept. They could have focused more on the emotions to make this drama more memorable.

The second couple were also so flawed. They again refused to directly communicate and resorted to tactics like using another person to make the person you like jealous. Too childish for me, so skipped most of their scenes.

That's not to say the entire thing wasn't worth watching. The leads had some chemistry and the FL was charming enough to stay on.

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An european view

I am European, Italian, and I watch K-dramas in the original language, with subtitles.
I certainly miss a lot about Korean culture - which nevertheless fascinates me - and in particular about ancient Korea. So my review will have many flaws. I didn't know the two actors before Captivating the king.

Indeed the actress seems a bit stiff but I think it depends on her character: even though she has become her lover, she cannot behave with too much confidence. Look at the reluctance of her gestures even after the first meeting, and how they change later, when she is now convinced of the king's sincere love and of her real intentions towards the Crown Prince. Of course the king has more freedom of maneuver. But, I repeat, I don't know of any other performances by the two actors.

The historical setting takes many liberties, but overall it draws quite clearly on the events of the second Manchu invasion of 1636 and King Hyojong of Joseon.

In short, overall I watched this series with interest - and I rewatched a few episodes back, to better grasp the different nuances, and it didn't seem so bad to me.

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Song hye kyo just nailed it!!

Even tho i have watched worse things than this it was still hard for me to watch. I didn't finish it in one setting i took a break in between which caused me to forgot alot of things but somehow i completed it and it was worth it. It's was fun seeing Song hye kyo on the screen again.

(sorry im pasting this again mdl wont let me post a review if it's not of 500words just ignore it)
Even tho i have watched worse things than this it was still hard for me to watch. I didn't finish it in one setting i took a break in between which caused me to forgot alot of things but somehow i completed it and it was worth it. It's was fun seeing Song hye kyo on the screen again.

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