Reviews

better than I thought after reading the bad reviews

I read both positive and negative reviews and I wasn’t sure to start, but I don’t regret it. In general I think it was good and a cute romcom, it has flaws but I still enjoyed it.

The good points :
- I liked the leads. I think they are good chemistry and I love their dynamic. He for sure started to like her even before she started to lose weight. Good kissing scene.
- I liked the friendship and the bromance
- I found it funny and entertaining most of the time
- I think the general plot was okay, I wasn’t bothered by the fat comments or the plot about her being « fat » (maybe overweight, it wasn’t actually bad » and blah blah blah. I was expecting something bad with the comments or reviews. It wasn’t that deep for me and she was the one who wanted to lose weight.
- the music became good
- I like that there is not really annoying and unnecessary love triangle or second lead. Or even annoying characters in general or annoying plot and drama. Much appreciated, in recent dramas that’s often annoy me a lot. After FL breaks up at the very beginning of the drama with SML, her ex like the SFL and we have the relationship between the leads. Yeah there is some scenes with FL and SML, but there is no love left and I wasn’t annoyed by it. I understood that, they were in a relationship for 15 years… It was in the firsts eps and very few scenes. There was no annoying side characters with unrequited love in the drama.
- Happy ending, I found the airport scene funny too
- there is no break up. just ML who leaves for like a year after his accident to get better, physical therapy, etc. but that didn’t last more than 1 ep
- I liked secretary Min

Now some minus points :
- that second couple wasn’t it. The cheating ex and the coworker/friend from school. That’s not a couple I was interested in, they got their happy ending, good for them... It became better to watch later on, but still. At some point I actually felt bad for her though.
- The dimples kiss was cute at first, but after a while, enough
- the guy talking in English, that was annoying at some point
- the third couple, I actually think they are cute. the girl was kinda a stalker at first though. But there are so few scenes of them that I felt like their relationship time line didn’t make sense. Seems like they are a couple in the last ep or her with his mom, feel like we missed a few chapters. I would have like to see more of them and the development of their relationship than that second couple.
- ML that didn’t talk for FL for the year he was gone
- mL’s father, he got some redemption at the end…
- became a bit boring later on, I was on my cellphone sometimes
- too many flashbacks


So, I would recommend. I think it’s an easy to watch and fun drama without trash problems or many annoying things.

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Must watch..

Este drama llamó mi atención especialmente por la participación de Ji Chang Wook, uno de mis actores coreanos favoritos, y de Bibi, a quién hasta el momento yo no había visto actuar en dramas. No es el tipo de drama que suelo ver, aunque sí es un género que me ha llegado a interesar, y debo decir que me ha parecido muy entrenado de ver. The worst of evil logra retratar bastante bien desde lo corrupto que es el sistema, lo fácil que es usar a las personas sin importar su bienestar, y por supuesto cómo podemos vernos corrompidos por todo ello. Creo que las actuaciones estuvieron muy bien, lograron convencerme y las peleas fueron bastante crudas y hasta me hacían voltear la mirada por lo real que se veían las heridas. Incluso logró hacerme poner en el lugar de los delincuentes, llegué a sentir mucha empatía por Haeryun y más aún por Kicheul. Quizá me quedó un sinsabor porque no es el tipo de final que estoy acostumbrada, pero sí que es uno muy realista, vemos cómo todo esto que impulsó a nuestro protagonista a infiltrarse al final parece haber sido también perdido, el reconocimiento que recibe no es visto por nadie, aquel que consideraba cercano murió a causa de la investigación, su situación matrimonial no es la misma, y él tampoco parece ser el mismo después de haber hecho cosas que antes no hubiese concebido, hasta el punto de matar a aquel que dentro de todo este embrollo llegó a considerar su amigo o a guardarle algún tipo de respeto o afecto. Sin duda, bastante crudo. Si te interesa este tipo de tramas, lo recomendaría.

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Another opportunity to waste Ohm Pawat’s talent.

If Ohm Pawat wasn’t in this I would’ve bailed. I really think GMMTV series there aren’t any really good series that’s worthy of Ohm’s talent because their roster of young actors in these kind of series aren’t up to his level as an actor. To date, Double Savage with Perth and Forei is his only non BL that is worth nothing.

ISTG, I don’t know how Phuwin keeps getting the roles he gets because he’s so miscast. As a former PondPhuwin shipper, I cannot watch Phuwin in anything non BL. This is only because Pond is doing all the heavy lifting to keep that ship sailing. Every time he comes on screen, I cringe at his performance. The only part he did well was when in episode 1w when he gave his bully the finger. But this is how I see a Phuwin in everyday life from how he is with Gemini and other friend he hangs out. Something about Phuwin’s acting for the most part looks like acting instead of being in character,

Anyway, the serie had potential. While I might have wanted Joong in a series with Phuwin but I don’t mind Satang recast in the series instead. He has potential.. plus the fact that he can sing helps with the role. I think he fits the role of Prem better than Joong.

As for Piploy as May, the performance was good.She played a flawed character to some degree of believability. However, Film always comes up short in acting. She seems to give the same kind of performance. Im. It sure if it’s because she plays the same kind of character or it just not good acting. It’s bland and boring at this point.

The other actor who gave a decent performance was Kay as Mac. Like that’s acting to be and being in character.

I think Thor as Top gave a decent performance. Kul’s brother, Kong’s brother and sister, Pali’s sister, Tam’s grandmother/ father, and everyone else did their job.

My biggest issue is the lack of a cohesive flow in the storyline. It’s jumbled and try ending was a hot messy rush job. This might be the series that makes me stop watching Phuwin all together if it isn’t a BL.

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To be honest, I am not a fan of the plot itself but I love Joong so I decided to give it a try.
The story is not too promising; there was no exact scene that I would love to go back watching. The acting was not really phenomenal but it was good and could have been improved.
I was really expecting more from the other love team because they actually look good and their story made more sense to me than the leads but they unfortunately up until the last episode, they did not dwell on that. They even had an emotional scene.

Hoping for more projects with better plot this year for both couples.

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An Unexamined Life

A young graduate (Seo In-guk) doing it very tough in the existential scramble for jobs, has come to the end of his tether. After several years of juggling part-time jobs and not achieving that holy grail — a corporate position at Taekang Group — he concludes that his life has been an absolute failure. From the top of a high rise, he takes the plunge, ends his life, leaving behind a loving single mother and his longtime ex-girlfriend. It is important to note that his despair is exacerbated by a particularly bad day that culminates in a break-up with his girlfriend which he initiates after seeing her with another man. One thing after another he believes that his death is the solution to all his problem and will end all the agony that paralyzes him. That is until he wakes up and finds himself in a kind of purgatorial location face to face with Death herself played by a suitably menacing Park So-dam. This begins a drawn out debate between Death and our protagonist about the value of his life and life in general.

I went into this not knowing much except the bare essentials and on hindsight the surprises increased my engagement with the plot. The element of surprise pumps an extra layer of enjoyment as there are plenty of thrills in the offing especially in the first 4 episodes aka Part 1. Be warned: It’s not for the faint-hearted. The crime elements are unyielding in this and there’s bloody violence all about in precarious situations. If violence is no barrier to entry, this can be an amazing adrenaline rush as the viewer embarks on this seemingly convoluted journey of discovery with Yee-jae who reluctantly… and often defiantly takes on each challenge to prove his case.

From the perspective of a seasoned viewer, it’s undoubtedly one of the more creative K drama endeavours I’ve seen in awhile. The plotting here is everything. On the surface it appears to be just another one of those transmigration stories that have become K drama staple but from the way it blends genres, it’s a superior work of art to all the others.

The other highlight has got to be the top tier cast. Plenty of familiar faces and the director certainly used the best of the best to optimize the storytelling. It’s also good to see the underrated Kim Ji-hoon getting a lot more work these days in these bigger high profile productions. But the star of the enterprise is the script begging the question... when was the last time a K drama had plotting this good?

My analysis — best read after viewing and not before… Spoilers ahead.

Somewhere between the third and fourth episodes, it occurs to me that Death’s Game is a darker, certainly more violent reimagining of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. And while we’re at it, why not throw in Charles Dickens’ great classic, A Christmas Carol for good measure? We know which inspired which there. So what do these stories have in common? For one they are second chance stories but the protagonists in these stories aren’t necessarily aware that they are being offered a second chance at the start. They undergo an arduous punishing journey of self-discovery that on the surface is more excruciating than edifying. If Death is to be believed, then Yee-jae is being punished for committing suicide.

But is he, really? Should we really take Death at face value or are her threats strategically made to egg him on to play the game game and force him out of his despondency? Is she manipulating him with reverse psychology. Hell awaits if he fails and it’s a terrifying thought now that he’s seen what it looks like. If punishment is really the endgame, then why take Yee-jae on this journey to solve a matter of grave injustice but to give him a glimpse of what’s life like for those who are left behind? If he was the burden he believed himself to be, why are his mother and ex-girlfriend, Ji-su still grieving for him?

Because the first “body” belongs to the second son of Taekang Group, it signals immediately that these challenges are somehow linked to Yee-jae’s life before death. But how do these pieces of the puzzle fit together? Why can’t he see the forest for the trees? Corporations in K dramas are seldom portrayed positively and yet it seems to be the dream of every university graduate to seek employment in these detached monoliths. Yee-jae attends two interviews at Taekang. The first is a write-off as a result of his encounter with a suicide victim on his way. In the second seven years later he interacts with Park Tae-woo (Kim Ji-hoon) the oldest son and CEO of Taekang Group and mistakenly assumes he has had a positive encounter with his potential employer. It’s an illusion. One of many. Park Tae-woo is a double-faced psychopath with violent tendencies. He’s a fraud. His benign public image is a cover for something far more sinister. He uses his clout as CEO of a corporation with deep pockets to pay off corrupt officials to cover up his crimes. He can use his infinite resources to engage organized crime. He sets himself above the law. He styles himself as Milton’s Satan ruling in hell. No one can get to him. Except through a miracle.

Furthermore the purpose of Taekang Group in the narrative is not only that it represents a festering merciless evil behind the facade of wealth but it is a symbol of a larger critique of materialism that drives the rat race and the participants to despair. The society in which these people live define success in terms of wealth, status, possessions. Yee-jae mentions this more than once that everyone has the same goals — a good job at a large company, marriage, children who do well at school, financial security. The reality however is that not everyone can achieve all of this. Nor might they want to. It is in the interest of these corporations with the help of governments to turn men and women into economic units — slaves of a system that tethers them to the economic engines of the nation with no regard for their spiritual, mental, physical well-being that make up the whole person. Big Business is first and foremost about profits. Governments are about control. They don’t see their clientele or electorates as individuals but entities to be exploited managed.

This perspective is given added merit by the fact that when Yee-jae finally realises that the people around him are more important to him than clinging on to wealth that’s not even his, he finally has clarity about the nature of Death’s game. It isn’t punishment per se but revelations/insights into his life that were not available to him previously. These insights serve a dual purpose insofar as they offer him an opportunity to re-evaluate his life and a compelling reason to exist. He didn’t have much by way of material wealth. In the order of things he was a “nobody” but he loved and was loved. His life had value by virtue of the fact that he was born.

In his case Yee-jae’s depression arose from unrealistic, unhealthy social values that just don’t account for individual differences and the unpredictability of life. Working for Taekang isn’t that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow but it has become a lie perpetuated in his world to prop up a class based social system that devalues the “losers” based on their monetary value. This is also reiterated in the other highlighted suicide where unlike Yee-jae, the individual makes it at Taekang for a while and lives the South Korean dream only for the bubble to burst in middle age when all his accomplishments and attempts to climb up the corporate ladder are rendered meaningless in a single moment. The problem with material possessions is their transience and lifelong pursuit of them is meaningless. Our ability to cling on to them in life is tenuous at best. And no can take it with them when they die.

At the core of this is the question of what makes us human. Are we just mere bodies to be “filled” by a soul? Are we just a sum of our memories? Like in Neo in The Matrix, Yee-jae is able to “download” abilities ie. access the abilities of his “hosts” and use them for a far greater purpose that transcends the lives of any of these morally dubious men. He is able to co-opt their memories for a greater cause — justice for victims of heinous crimes.

Hence the analogue to It’s A Wonderful Life and to a lesser degree A Christmas Carol. Instead of Clarence the angel or the three Christmas ghosts, Yee-jae’s instructor and messenger is the hard task master Death who brings out the whip and cracks it with unholy glee to keep him on his toes. As with the case in these second chance stories, these men come to realise that material prosperity isn’t everything but the relationships, the people we leave behind when we die are the true legacy of our lives. It’s not punishment at all but compassion to be shown how you’ve been led astray and be given another chance to refashion one’s life not governed by the materialistic impulses of our culture.

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The plot sank like the Titanic, but the Chen Yi x Ai Di ship sailed like the Flying Dutchman

The title of this review pretty much sums up my thoughts about this series. I binged it around the time when the last episode came out, and all I can tell you is that I cannot tell you what this story is about. The only thing I remember is that the plot makes about as much sense as a fever dream. It does not matter, though -- I skipped half of it to get to Chen Yi and Ai Di's scenes faster. The main couple, while played by attractive and competent actors, failed to engage me in their story and was forgettable to the point that I now have difficulty remembering the two characters' names.

I am sure that I am not the first person to write this in their review, but I would have dropped this series if not for Chen Yi and Ai Di, who carried it on their backs from start to finish. If you read 100 reviews fangirling over this ship, I will be the 101st. It is one of those rare cases when all elements needed for a great BL couple -- story, acting, chemistry, looks -- come together to make a ship that tugs at all the right heartstrings. Louis Chiang delivers a brilliant performance, turning the already likeable Ai Di into the best character in the show. Nat Chen charms and disarms as the quiet, manly, and possessive Chen Yi. The chemistry is off the charts. Furthermore, their story is the only meaningful and engaging part of the plot -- if they were the main couple, Kiseki would be a good show.

Is this series worth watching? Chen Yi and Ai Di's scenes are. I watched and re-watched them many times. They kept me up at night. I am not so sure about the rest of the show, though. You can give it a try, but you will probably stop caring about what is going on as soon as you get to Chen Yi and Ai Di.

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How the Actors Save the Day

The story was just ok for me. The writing wasn't spectacular. The story dragged in parts, but I was so invested in the characters and their relationships that I kept coming back for more. Some of the villains were a little poorly written, no depth really. The same old ploy with the ministers - give them a fake story and they run with it, and in this case, an emperor who was that and worse. Still, the cast did a wonderful job in bringing their characters to life. I loathed the bad guys, loved the good guys.

Liked the camaraderie of the soldiers - and wished for a happier ending for them. The ending was nicely tied up for the most part, but I like to see what's happening and not get a narrative. So, I would have liked to see the young emperor with his two older mentors come back to the palace, and I would have liked to see a family (or even a wedding) for Chang'er & Taozi. And hey, what happened to Pei Yuan?!

And of course, the real draw for me... Xu Kai. That face! His expressions! OMG he is absolutely gorgeous in historical garb, especially the military uniforms! WOWZA! And he's a god on a horse! The chemistry between he and Jing Tian was sweet. Their bantering was cute and funny - and oddly enough for me, because I don't usually care for fight scenes, theirs were nicely coordinated and executed. They looked great, especially fighting together against a common foe. The way they got the evil minister *perfect*!

I didn't expect to like this drama as much as I did, and I might even go back and watch it again if I had time on my hands and just wanted a good dose of eye-candy (Xu Kai) and a little romance. If there had been better writing perhaps, I could have given this a higher score - but the acting earned all the points.

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A full course meal that’s worth it in the end.

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

This was a very interesting series. The first few episodes may scare some individuals off, but it’s worth sticking around. The way they introduced all of the stories was very compelling, for me at least. The overall theme is that learning, self-discovery, and individual evolution is an on-going, never-ending process. However, there were so many other little lessons incorporated into this series. In essence, the only constancy in life is change. Although there were some week elements, the script was still excellent. It spent the right amount of time introducing the backstories of most of the side characters. It also had the right amount of drama and quirkiness that I’ve become to love with series from Japan. All of the actors were outstanding and did a wondaful job portrayed their characters. They also did a great editing job with the flashback scenes.



******Potential Spoiler Alert******

I don’t necessarily agree with Kai’s methods, but everything he did was for the benefit of others.

It was very smart with switching between Gaku’s personality of 2023 and 2024 in the beginning of the series which is the reason that compelled me to keep watching.

The friendship development between all of the characters was great. I also love the undertone bromance in the series.

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A journey that started well, took a detour and ended with…

… rain and a mirage.

Despite knowing that the last few episodes will be rushed and unexpected, I wanted to watch this as many have raved about how good the first 3/4 of the drama is. With each episode I enjoyed, my heart filled with dread to think how bad it could get towards the end… Thank goodness, it wasn’t as bad as I had expected.

The first 20 episodes were promising - good story which was beautifully shot, nicely paced and well edited. Then in the last quarter, the story unfolded very quickly with many things happening without much explanation so you were forced to accept things as they were (when the story revolved around the betrayal in Wu).

A romance that is realistic and grown up from the way they are attracted to each other to the way they express it to each other and sadly, to the way they contemplate if their different needs will make them happy to be together. Kisses are few but so much more meaningful than Wonderland of Love. The romance atmosphere sizzles instead with beautifully captured looks and embraces. Past the halfway mark, the romantic moments got a bit draggy and forced.

Humour done right with just enough to lighten the atmosphere and not over the top like My Journey To You. It is woven into the story naturally and does not just focus on one character being the court jester of the drama. While most of it comes from the self proclaimed expert on women which he plays very well, I also laughed out loud when the princess went from suicidal to talking about sweet and sour flavoured poison. I also loved the humorous sign language moments which are not usually found in dramas.

Acting was top notch. Both the ML and FL were good together and their chemistry in the beginning episodes were more touching. What I unexpectedly enjoyed were the sparks of love of the other 2 “couples” - very heartfelt and touching. 2 characters which I particularly like are the Princess and the Casanova. Seeing the princess transform realistically from playful and naive to independent and smart was a joy especially how she tried to save herself when she was “left behind” after her brother was rescued. My heart was constantly tugged with the complex Casanova character - the actor brilliantly portrayed his carefree attitude which hid so much deeper emotions within.

The fighting scenes were well choreographed and I enjoyed it despite it being super hero level martial arts as they also showed the leads sustaining injuries from the fight.

I accept what happened to the ML and FL in the end as it flowed well within the story. But the flash forward sequence (more than 10 years later) which vaguely alluded to children that could have been theirs and a dreamlike sequence which happened with a character that doesn't have a strong bond with them did not sit well with me. I would rather see how the princess turned out in the future and let her be the one to reminisce about the heroes.

Random notes:
1. Episode 10 - Crimson Guard received a secret message from a pigeon in the usual 2 inch length cylinder vessel. Next scene shows her unscrolling the message 5 inches long from top to bottom and 7 inches wide…
2. Not sure why all the romantic scenes were ok then for the one at night in the cave, there was the dreaded giant spotlight shining from behind the couples face… and the light came from the cave…

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Not very remarkable

I was on a roll of jbls, and so far I'd really liked the ones I'd seen, but this one broke that streak. The story feels very shallow and I still don't understand when/where/WHY did the main leads liked each other. The whole show it's just one misunderstanding after the other and they don't even make sense. One of the protagonists is an overthinker and keeps crying every 5 minutes without a real reason, and the other one doesn't really have a personality nor a wide range of facial expressions. The friends were more memorable for me.

Although the dynamic of the characters was cute, I wouldn't recommend this show nor watch it again, but I know a lot of people think differently, so maybe give it a try if you want.

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A drama that hooked you in and never let go

I am super lazy at writing reviews in general, but I will give the honour of my first review on this drama, which easily became one of my most favourites.

I would say nearly everything in this drama is perfect:

The cast and acting:
This is the gateway of Luo Yunxi obsession for me. I saw him in Ashes of Love, which showed his excellent skills, but TTEOTM really showcased his potentials. I am so amazed by how he can portray the characters even without spoken words. His movement and mannerisms.. Truly talented actor, and I’d say he was born to play lead in costume dramas.

The story:
Spoiler alert! The ending is not exactly happy ending. You could sort of predict it from the last few episodes anyway. I took 0.5 points for the story because I found that the ending is tragically inconsistent with the novel. I only found out about it because someone translated the last 5 chapters of the novel here on MDL and it sort of healed my broken heart.
Putting aside the ending, the story itself was perfect to me. It was dark at times and full of angst, but also a lot of romance and fluff moments.

Excellent music & rewatch value.
I rarely rewatch things, but somehow I keep wanting to revisit their story, just to get the fluff & fuzzy feelings again. I kept listening to the beautiful soundtrack as well, even weeks after my first watch.

To be fair, there are some flaws that annoyed me a bit:
- There are a lot of blood-spitting. By a lot, I mean amazingly excessive, not just the leads but nearly all characters. In a way, it was kind of funny.. though I wonder if there are some other way to show that someone is hurt, you know.
- Misunderstanding tropes. A lot of them. Thankfully, they were all resolved in timely-ish manner. I'd imagine some people might hate this trope, though.

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