Reviews

Better than reviews led me to believe.

Apparently, if you watch the trailer then you will be disappointed because it hints at a more serious storyline than what the series actually ended up being. I, personally did not watch the trailer therefore I had zero expectations going into the series which I would personally recommend is the way to go. Because from a lot of the reviews, it makes it sound like this series was horrible which it certainly wasn't. I found it to be an interesting and engaging watch overall, if not a little juvenile in places (but that's to be expected in a high school setting.)

I think initially, they were aiming for a similar vibe to Never Let Me Go with the danger element and such since Perth and Chimon's role in that series was very popular. But when you put the setting in a high school with really only a debt collector as the main threat, that's not exactly a thrilling plot. I found more "danger" in regards to Kang's heart where Sailom was concerned. Their relationship was worth sticking around for while the side couples were a bit hit and miss sometimes.

At the start of the series, I was already close to dropping it because of the juvenile bullying. But the way Sailom stood up and fought back in his own way without involving others was very refreshing. He knew he was superior and wouldn't allow Kang to treat him lower than he deserved. This made for some great bickering and build-up of tension between them that had the victim on the offensive more often than not.

The side couple of Guy and Nawa was entertaining as well though when the main couple is already an enemies to lovers trope, it kind of becomes redundant in the secondary couple. They played it well enough, but it was just lost in the background most of the time. Which is a shame because they had a decent storyline going as well.

I really wish there was more between Saifah and Name, especially since it was more like a reunion of friends. There were hints of a potential romance but nothing concrete the whole series which left me guessing right up until the last scene they have together in the jail. But by then, it's like "I need more!!" and we just don't get it. Not only with their storyline but with the actors Papang and Pepper... these two seriously need a series together where they are the leads because they totally have the chops for it. I hate that they are typecast as the older siblings or school mentors because they are closer to 30yrs old instead of all the actors in their late teens/early 20s. I would love to see a more mature series with these two. (Doesn't have to be mature as in NSFW but just a story that is about adults "adulting" and not about kids being immature.)

Speaking of NSFW, I kind of wish they just left that part out of this series, and that's coming from someone who lives for the smut. While Perth and Chimon had good chemistry with the bickering and even with the flirting, their actual physical chemistry wasn't great. It looked almost uncomfortable. I would rather it be implied than shown at just 40% effectiveness.

With all that said, I did find it to be a good watch overall and I would recommend it. There were quite a few funny moments that had me cackling and there were some heartfelt moments that pulled at the feels.

And, yeah, someone give Papang and Pepper their own series.

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Great Concept, But Lacking in Story and Chemistry

The show had a really interesting concept that initially caught my attention. The idea behind the show is unique and it promised a fresh take on the usual romantic comedy genre. It's always exciting to see shows trying something new and different, and this show definitely had that going for it. The overall storyline had potential, and there were moments in the show that were truly enjoyable and fun to watch.

However, as I continued watching, I felt that the story was a bit lacking in depth and development. It didn't seem to fully explore the potential of its unique concept. Additionally, I noticed that the chemistry between the lead characters wasn't as strong as I had hoped. This lack of chemistry made it harder to get invested in their relationship and believe in their connection. There were also parts of the story that didn't quite make sense or were not well explained, which was a bit disappointing. Overall, while the show had a great concept, it fell short in terms of storytelling and character development.

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Needs improvement

The show might not have the same impact as many K-POP survival shows because there is a paywall for the full version and very disorganized.

You need to pay to watch full version with behind the scenes and pay for voting (in which I think is not fair). The production companies does upload few behind the scenes clips here and there on their YouTube channels, which is nice but there are no subtitles, therefore a lot of international viewers will lose interest. (keep in mind they have 4 different YouTube channels)

The voting is not in real time, everything I watched from ep 1 to ep 10 have been prerecorded.
On episode 10 (after round 2 performance), they announced the top 30 but then on episode 11 & 12, all 63 trainees will be performing for round 3, voting still going on for all 63 in their app, but top 30 have been announced and 33 got eliminated (They mentioned in their voting rule there will be no elimination in round 1 and 2.)

It's very confusing on how they picked the top 30.
The show is very disorganized, the above descriptions proofs that how confusing and disorganized they are.

I would have given higher stars, but unfortunately the show is very confusing and requires you to pay to watch full contents and vote for I don't even know what. If I didn't love watching these type of survival shows, I think I would have given them 5 stars (the 5 stars are only for the hardworking trainees.)

Also I didn't like the fact that an entire debuted group joined the competition, they already have a fanbase of their own and there are 6 of them, tbh, I think they lacked on many things, but they always get to top 15, I think is not fair for other more talented trainees in the program who came in as solo with no fanbase.

Note:
The description above says total of 9 episodes, right now I am on episode 10, and round 3 performance will be on the next 2 episodes, then they will pick top 18, after that the finals will be on March, therefore there will be more than 9 episodes.

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Overall very good but…

Overall it was a very good fantasy romcom, one of the better ones. The chemistry, the comedy, the visuals and the actors were the most outstanding part of this drama. It was a fun watch, BUT the writing was lazy in the final few episodes. There was no good explanation to Gu Won’s return, it was also rushed and I missed the character development on his part. I do not undertstand why the series spent so much time exploring on how he is getting back his human self if in the end he stayed a demon??!! I think it would have been a much better arc if the ending is him making peace with his humanity and comes back as one. Maybe he could have given up on his powers in exchange for a human life with Do Do Hee.
Keeping everything as it was is very lazy writing in my opinion.
I think Destined with you was superior in this sense even with all of its flaws.

Anyway, it is a fun watch (especially the gang), but do not expect anything out of the ordinary.

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déception pour le dernier épisode

l'histoire était originale, les personnages méchants bien construits, mais le dernier épisode ne sert quasiment à rien. Il y aurait pu y avoir plus de suspens, plus de drama. L'histoire laisse plusieurs sujets effleurés sans réponse. Comment est il réellement revenu, où était il, que va-t-il se passer lorsqu'elle va vieillir et mourir. C'est vraiment dommage de ne pas avoir exploité plus en profondeur les arrangements de conscience des uns et des autres, la création même du démon et son rôle. Grosse déception vraiment sur le dernier voir les deux derniers épisodes qui sont plats et sans saveur

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Why

What the actual f**k did I just watch? It was amazing and the casting was as expected which is good but they just cut things off to quickly. The whole plot of the drama was fuzzy but the main couple was carrying with their chemistry and their kiss scenes . Now that the side couple barely brings anything to the table because their relationship was never explained or got looked in to so now the drama is now a redemption arc and dry . The start was good because it was slow and steady so it had time to expand on the characters but at the end it was to quick because of the episode limit and the rush to get information out that couldve been explained if the drama was longer or they focused on the information at the beginning because they had the time . Not mad just disappointed.

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Frustrating and Unlikeable Characters in a Makjang-like Drama

Subjective Entertainment Rating: 7.25

I would never have watched or known of “Fashion King” had it not been the Chaos Clown Cave Chill Challenge and I was assigned this drama as a MLDer’s least favorite. Because of the low rating, I came in with very low expectations. That should be the mentality if you want to watch this, especially, if you are watching this many years later (2024 for me). But I figured, Yoon Ah In is in it, I can deal with that as he’s always been excellent in everything he’s played.

Plot:
Keeping in mind that this is a 2012 drama, I somewhat excused the physical assault, slapping, throwing things and the not very realistic fist fight. “Fashion King” actually ages pretty well and I don’t think it’s very dated. But it’s more makjang than I anticipated.

1/4 of Drama - Makjang-like introductions to all the main characters. Everything that could go wrong for Kang Yeong Gul (Yoon Ah In aka ML1) and Lee Ga Young (Shin Sae Kyeong aka FL1) went wrong. From broken families to kicking out of the house, to all the adventures getting to and in New York - it’s quite ridiculous.

2/4 of the Drama - I am slowly enjoying how things are developed. Relationships between the four main characters are more defined and the business side of things picked up a little. Feelings are developed and there’s some pining and push-and-pull, along with very muddy former relationships between Jung Jae Hyuk (Lee Je Hoon aka ML2) and Choi Anna (Kwong Yu Ri aka FL2). I probably enjoyed these episodes the most.

3/4 of the Drama - Scheming and getting back at each other continued on. Romance is getting complicated and I am slightly impatient as I realized I don’t want to root for anyone. Everyone should remain single as none of them deserves each other. Even though the drama is about the fashion industry, they don’t really dive right in. It’s a very superficial/peripheral attempt. If you don’t like business dramas, then this is a positive thing.

4/4 of the Drama - Thought I would be rewarded with a little happy romance, but no, happy times don’t even add up to 30 mins. The angst and annoyance I put up with throughout the drama, especially when it comes to romance, was not rewarded at all. And that ending, so many plot holes and everything could be resolved with a few honest conversations.

Characters:
I have a very hard time rooting for our 4 main characters. Yeong Gul appears fun and nice, but is scheming and will use you to advance and make money. Ga Young was spunky and stubborn in the first few episodes, but then she resorted to crying or sleeping all the time. Jae Hyuk is a chaebol man-child who is petty and somewhat naive, but also mean. Anna is a pitiful ex who’s trying to grasp onto something and not sink. If you like flawed characters who make questionable decisions with unclear intentions, then you would love them. For me, I am 70% frustrated and 30% entertained.

Romance:
The only somewhat consistent feelings in this drama are from Ga Young to Yeong Gul. She has liked him from the very beginning. But towards the end, I questioned if she also has some feelings for Jae Hyuk because she’s bad with boundaries. She might say NO (and sometimes says nothing), but her actions might say otherwise. Or maybe deep down she’s enjoying all the affection Jae Hyuk has for her. Jae Hyuk is like a high school boy who shows affection for his classmate by being mean to her. He would make sarcastic remarks all the time, then give you a smile and then run towards you to apologize and make nice. He does not know how to love properly. I couldn’t tell if he still had feelings for Anna in the earlier episodes. Was he unable to show or he’s just using her? I would have liked to believe that Anna did indeed love Jae Hyuk in the beginning. But how she was discarded like trash broke her and drove her towards Yeong Gul. But her affections for Yeong Gul are probably not 100% sincere. She needed a life jacket, and she found one in Yeong Gul. Yeong Gul, once recognizes his feelings, is the easiest to spot and the more cliche lover. He wants to give Ga Young everything he has, wants payback for those who mistreat her and wants to give her all the best. Yet, of course, he doesn’t use words. If he and Ga Young actually talk to each other, I would not be so frustrated.

Acting:
Yoo Ah In really keeps me in this drama. He’s just so charismatic and I can’t help but draw to him. He’s not the typical handsome type, but no matter what drama he’s in, he’s the center of the attention. I love his acting here. Amazingly, I found Lee Je Hoon paled in comparison to Yoo Ah In a little. Probably because his character is a little more pitiful. But his character also allows him to show much more range than the other 3 main leads. Visually, he does not have the swagger for a rich Director and he walks funny. Shin Sae Kyeong is so pretty and young. But she always has the same crying face. I am not sure if it’s the writing of the character or her acting, I get annoyed when she just stands there and not says anything, and acts all shy. Kwong Yu Ri is so beautiful. She really does give off the high class designer vibe, and the subtle bitchiness in the way she walks and talks.

Fashion:
When the drama is about fashion, they better have some good fashion. And I am having a grand type admiring Yeong Gul’s eclectic and loud style, and also nice tailored suits. As I said, Yoo Ah In looks sexy and dashing in this drama. The ladies also have beautiful outfits. I like Ga Young’s casual style and work outfits, and Anna’s more high-end fashion. But Jae Hyuk in the earlier episodes looks like he’s wearing a suit a size too big for him. I have to say, Lee Je Hoon ages well. He looks more handsome in his 30s than in his 20s.


Ending:
I was going to talk about the ending, but decided to keep this spoiler-free as there are many other reviews about this disappointment. Let’s just say it’s not that hard to locate someone, or give someone a call and not rely on regular postal service completely. Communication can solve a lot of problems.


Overall, this is an interesting watch. I am not sure if I will recommend this drama when there are much better ones out there. Maybe if you are a fan of Yoo Ah In and you miss him now that he’s blacklisted? In a way, the entertainment value to ‘hate-watch’ is quite high for me. I am tempted to rate this much lower just because everyone hates it. But subjectively, it’s a 7.25 and I’m rounding this up to 7.5 to boost the rating a little. Though the characters frustrate me and it’s hard for me as a romance lover to not feel rewarded, this drama is still entertaining in a way and keeps me focused pretty well.


Completed: 1/20/2024 - Review #397

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Worth every second

Very rarely have I a seen a drama that pulls the water works out. Every story within the main story was brought to an expected end. None were rushed or left open ended. Which I loved.

Nut and Plan brought out their best work without relying on nc scenes to make their story believable and complete. Phob and Phat's timely meeting set the tone and pace of the series. Every nuanced expression and emotion was felt. The ending was expected because a love like that just isn't forgotten.

The imagery, costuming and ghostly effects were great without going over the top. The three main shooting locations did become tedious to see but budgets to consider was acceptable. Only peeve, Phat's mother seemed invisible until needed. It seemed days would pass without seeing each other.

I would recommend watching over a period of days to truly enjoy the story and everyone's performance. In a era where fast food is easily accessible this was like a nice meal.

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PERFECT

I don’t really know where to start. This drama just ended having me bawling my eyes out and smiling like crazy.
I’m going to be honest I didn’t think I was going to like it at first. A story line that isn’t really my kinda thing. But when I saw Song Kang it made hope for it being an good series. And oh my it was.
The casting is just chef kiss, is really a cast that I want to see again. They all were so amazing.
The whole series got me laughing and smiling like crazy. I didn’t like think Song Kang would fit this kinda series but with his acting is just a big YES. He played so well and made Guwons character so great. Such a funny and serious character at the same time I loved it. But this series also made my eyes hurt from bawling. Youjung is such an amazing actress and you could really feel all her emotions from the start to the end.
The chemistry between the two were amazing.
Not just the romantic side of this drama we’re amazing but the dark side. Such a dark side of a romantic series. But I really liked it having one, it made it become more interesting.
And like I really thought about SangYi character being evil? But he weren’t.. I really had like a theory that he were but I’m legit happy he wasn’t. Maybe he wasn’t my favourite.

Overall it was a really good series. A lil bit of everything. Such a good drama and 100% worth the watch!

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started out strong, lost all momentum and succumbed to common cliches

I was one of those people who had a high opinion (and rating) of this drama when it first started out. Coming from See You In My 19th Life and Destined With You, where the show's supernatural elements were a mere afterthought to boring, redundant past-life jargon and chemistry-less romance, I was happy to see the fantasy touched upon more often. Or so I thought.

The first 5-6 episodes were great in my opinion. They set up the scene quite well - the protagonist, antagonists, supporting group around each, etc... All of this positive growth dissolved nearly instantly when they lazily concluded subplots and introduced ridiculous new ones. The motives behind NSM trying to get rid of DoHee became more and more ridiculous as the plot went on. His evil streak being cut short and BOOM! them resorting to the tired trope of "well, he's hiding now so watch out!" The plot with former Chairwoman Ju barely being revisited until the very end. DoHee randomly being surprised her demon husband-bodyguard-savior(?) kills people brutally. Guwon's powers being literally useless for the most part until the very end?? Insanity. Its like they were trying to tease some avenues for exploration and then chickened out last minute. Don't even get me started on how the episodes just turned into cheesy romance scenes reminiscent of every kdrama ever. I had to fast-forward at one point because it felt like a 13 year old's Wattpad fanfiction turned TV. It doesn't help that the show kept wasting time flashing back to earlier moments of the show re: romantic moments. Like we really do not care can we get on with it? Don't get me wrong, the leads definitely looked good together at the very least. However, all their chemistry and substance evaporated into thin air the moment they stopped focusing on the plot and shifted towards pandering to lovesick viewers with 0 frame of reference for a decent fantasy romance depiction.

The constant parallels to Goblin, DWY, and SYM19L should've been a red flag from the start. Very rarely fantasy dramas stay consistent with the original tone of the show while balancing decent romance. And if they do, they risk major character assassination somewhere down the line (For example, literally EVERYTHING regarding Alchemy of Souls S2 - the side characters were butchered). The only saving grace for this series, in my opinion, was the OST and some cinematic shots. Its a shame because the cast was really good.

Side note, Jin Gayoung has got to be one of The most annoying side characters I have ever seen on TV. Her background gave 0 clue on why she was /that/ obsessive and its a shame she was only marginally likeable and mature at the very end.

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Will be keeping my review short

This show for me went from 9/10 to 6-7/10.
Stellar cast, production, outfits bgm but lack of utilizing the story & giving depth. It started out so damn well & went downhill the moment they started adding filler scenes from ep 9 onwards. The mystery wasnt mysterying because they had to come up with the most predictable villain. The Writer just wasted jin gayoung & SML character. The SML was nothing but just a SML of any other kdrama & jin star was nothing but a one sided lover of guwon. I thought their role had so much more to offer. For a title like "Demon" on top of fantasy drama , it clearly lacked the demonic supernatural tropes it was supposed to provide.

Now on good side, i like the fashion sense of both ML & FL. I liked song kang's comical acting. He was clearly doing his job according to the script & did well. The comedy scenes before ep 9 were actually funny. I had a good laugh. But

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PERFECT drama in every aspect...

I fell in love with this drama even before airing because of the casting of drama.. Because of xu kai, esther yu, wan peng. i have a very high expectation and after airing i was like
OH MY GOD...
This drama is perfect in everything and it is a ? gem ..
Story - one of the most interesting and
mysterious story i have ever seen Music- all the ost matches perfectly with every
scene ....
Production - this time tencent did not
disappoints us and they have shown us what a great set, CgI, costume look like..
This drama is very well known in china because it is adapted from a very famous game and thats why this drama keeps ranking 1 in every charts...

Drama and game looks very much alike even game producer is praising Xu kai and esther yu for their exceptional acting...
Voice of FL completely matching with her character and i really can 't see her in deep and serious voice in this cute role...

Xu kai and esther yu is making the most cute and adorable couple... I am in love with their chemistry...

In my opinion it is a must watch drama...

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Acting was not strong enough

story line is kind of good, but acting is not strong enough.. even through story line is good there is somthing missing i mean its same like acting only story line is good scens line up also not strong for me.. some of parts are not giving sense at all like when zz and sprite changing times to time and them srite ask first what happend.. that wasactually idiotic question.. and actors can not give us feelings.. i am thinking what if there was a good actors this drama will be more famous..

And i must say zee's girlfriend is cute when she smile it makes my heart warm.. and for surporting characters i dont like them too lot of themcan not act and others who can act did not ricived supportive strong characters.. and i thing some stories of supportive characters is dont want for drama.. itz good for that actors but not for drama..

Overall can watch

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My Demon

Best drama I ever scene ?❤️❤️❤️✨

This hug is very special to me , the way dohee went for a hug and guwon hugged her harder ?? they're my everything

DoWon ending note in their IG

" amongst countless footprints, we have left a another trace that belongs to us " - Kim Yoo Jung

" always with a grateful heart, always with nothing but a grateful heart " - Song Kang

I'm going to miss the both of you so much ???

Best drama I ever scene ?❤️❤️❤️✨

This hug is very special to me , the way dohee went for a hug and guwon hugged her harder ?? they're my everything

DoWon ending note in their IG

" amongst countless footprints, we have left a another trace that belongs to us " - Kim Yoo Jung

" always with a grateful heart, always with nothing but a grateful heart " - Song Kang

I'm going to miss the both of you so much ???


Best drama I ever scene ?❤️❤️❤️✨

This hug is very special to me , the way dohee went for a hug and guwon hugged her harder ?? they're my everything

DoWon ending note in their IG

" amongst countless footprints, we have left a another trace that belongs to us " - Kim Yoo Jung

" always with a grateful heart, always with nothing but a grateful heart " - Song Kang

I'm going to miss the both of you so much ???

Best drama I ever scene ?❤️❤️❤️✨

This hug is very special to me , the way dohee went for a hug and guwon hugged her harder ?? they're my everything

DoWon ending note in their IG

" amongst countless footprints, we have left a another trace that belongs to us " - Kim Yoo Jung

" always with a grateful heart, always with nothing but a grateful heart " - Song Kang

I'm going to miss the both of you so much ???

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