Reviews

it's all about the yearning

I really enjoyed this drama.
The plot is set up to be a palace/political thriller, which I like, but is really overdone--however, this show twists that plot by adding in a mystery that the Crown Prince and his people are trying to solve. The political drama blends into the overarching mystery nicely, which makes the plot fresher. There were some things in the plot (villain choices towards the end of the show) that I thought were a little silly, and parts of show dragged (too much screen time for unnecessary characters), but I could overlook all of that because I was enjoying myself so much.
Also, I love love both the Crown Prince and Min Jae Yi as individual characters, but I really loved them together. The drama really showed how they respected each other and worked well together as a team. Their romance is slow, but so lovely. It's all about the YEARNING.
I can see how this won't be for everyone, and that's okay. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However, I think that this drama took an overdone plot and gave it a fresh twist. Do I think some things could've done better or that more time could've been given to the interpersonal relationships between the characters? Sure. Does that lessen my enjoyment? No.
Overall, really loved this one.

Read More

Polyamory

What started as almost a typical cheater-husband-discovered-and-wife-struggles-to cope-plot quickly became a heartfelt drama about not only society's judgement of the not "normal" but also one's internal judgment, the struggle to fight for one's own happiness, and the willingness to open oneself up to new possibilities, all featuring genuine people trying to do the "right" thing. And beyond just that, the scale of "like."

If you're looking for an exploration of relationships that is complicated but worth it in the end, then this is the drama for you.

I only want a monogamous relationship. I may not understand--I say "understand" because I myself have felt some annoyance hearing Straight people say they "understand" my being Bi, because, to me, you can't truly understand something unless you live it--what it's like to be polyamorous. But I can accept the reality of it because it is someone's reality, I can learn about it, and I can widen my understanding of the world past my own nose. I feel that's what this was trying to say in the end: You don't have to "get it." Just try to grow and see more than yourself.

Read More

Slow burn excellence

I was a little nervous about the leads' relationship — after all, the characters have a TEN year age gap. But this turned out to be one of the sweetest, healthiest, most mature relationships I've ever seen and I can't put into words how much I loved seeing their feelings slowly develop. The chemistry was absolutely there but even individually, both the ML and the FL were given equal time to shine. They were such well-rounded characters with their own stories, and their relationship was built on supporting and caring for each other during those journeys. There were no stupid misunderstanding tropes and the honesty was just so refreshing. The FL is exactly how a strong female lead should be written, and the ML is respectful and kind.

The second and third couples were okay; I liked them as characters also and think the relationships also made sense, but they weren't as fleshed out and sometimes there were developments I wanted to see that I feel like the show skipped over.

But they were still good additions to the cast, and plot-wise the subplots of all the side characters were intertwined with the main one relatively well. It's interesting too to realize that there are really no clear-cut villains in the story. There are some people that are selfish and money- and power-hungry, but ultimately they didn't become "evil" and things were never that black and white. It made the drama very relatable and true-to-life.

I know some people complained that the drama started out slow but the pacing of the entire show was just perfect for me. We got to see what the characters' original lives were like, what traumas they had, who and what was important to them, how they handled conflicts, etc. It makes seeing their development at the end mean so much more.

Whether you typically watch sport dramas or not, this is one I will 100% recommend.

Read More

Age is but a number

Japan, back at it again with their calm, feel good, healing dramas.

The thing I enjoyed about this drama the most is the tone - it's very warm, light, relaxing and playful. Your mood is constantly just positive throughout the drama.

We are first introduced to the leads as co-workers, then co-workers helping each other out, friends, and finally lovers. The progression was so perfectly well done considering the short duration of the episodes and length of the series.

Togawa's respect towards Nozue and his one-sided love for him was a sight to behold and Nozue's oblivious(?)/playful flirting with Togawa was so entertaining. First and foremost, I loved the characters' banter. Their dialogue felt so realistic/non cringe-worthy, there was an actual flow to their conversations that made all their interactions appear natural. They joke with each other so naturally and bounce off of eo so seamlessly that you quickly forget they're actually just boss and subordinate. They're the kind of on-screen couple that you don't just ship because they look good together but you ship because they actually fit and you can imagine them being 80 years old together still loving and respecting and learning from one another, you know? There was just such a fresh breath of natural realism between this couple that amplified the romance aspect even more for me. So every moment I spent watching their relationship progress was truly an enjoyable experience.

My only small complaint is I wish we had more intimate scenes of them together when they finally became a couple (hehe) but I know that wasn't the point of the drama so it definitely didn’t take away from my experience watching the show.

Overall, if you're looking for something really light, low-angst, playful, sweet and romantic then definitely give this a shot!

Read More

Full of hope; if you like sageuks and don't mind investing some time in a slower plot!

Wow! I did not expect to love this one as much as I did. It caught me by surprise, but I think this is going to be one of my top all-time dramas.

If you haven't watched a lot of sageuks (or, if the only ones you've watched lean more towards fast-paced comedy like Mr. Queen or Forbidden Marriage) I would not recommend this to start with. It is a bit slower, and I think I have only recently grown to love the genre enough that I appreciate this about it. If I were going to pick one to compare it to, I would say Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung - it strikes me as less intense than a lot of traditional sageuks when it comes to the plot, but it also it may not be as "fun" as some of the more recent historical dramas have been.

The mystery plot (and detective teamwork) was actually really intriguing and made a lot of the political portions of the drama much more refreshing than they could have been. I especially enjoyed the first chunk of the drama that had almost a contained mystery plot for each episode, and then those pieces all slowly came together for the main storyline. That being said, there were some episodes where the discoveries were dragged out to such a degree, that it made it hard to continue to be in suspense. I think this drama's greatest flaw is just that they overextended the main plot, and did not give the main romance much time to grow. I think if they had leaned into the romance a bit more, it would have balanced out those slow portions of the mystery.

That being said, where this drama really shines is the main cast. Park Hyung-Sik was AMAZING in this drama. If you are a fan of his, this drama is worth watching just for his acting. His character leans a bit more restrained (which like, is pretty par for the course for a Crown Prince character) but PHS managed to communicate so much emotion just with his eyes and body language. Also, those fight scenes omg!

Jeon So-nee and her character were immaculate. She was incredibly vibrant on screen and just captivated me in every scene she was in. My only complaint is we didn't get enough of her character in action! She was clearly incredibly intelligent and skilled, and her detective work was some of my favorite scenes. I wanted more of it (like what we had in the first few episodes of the series). Also, again, those fight scenes omg!

PHS and JSN together were great. Their banter was great, their chemistry was great, I adored it all. I just wish there was more. As I said above, I think it would've filled the gaps a bit more. Like, in some of the later scenes, there was potential for an amazing reunion moment, but it wasn't there! I think because they were so great together, those moments where there was potential to take their chemistry (even slow-burn chemistry) to the next level, really stood out. Also, the whole detective team was great, and there was some amazing character development in this show (looking at you, Sergeant)!

The ending was optimistic and full of hope in a way you don't see in a lot of historical dramas. It left me teary-eyed, just thinking of how far they had all come.

If you like historical dramas and don't mind investing some time in slow (but largely intentional) pacing, I highly recommend it.

Read More

my heart is about to burst

this was so so so so SOOO GOOD i cannot breathe. new favorite kdrama!!!!
it was so cute and funny and interesting and exactly what i needed. it filled me with dopamine and serotonin and all those other hormones that cause happiness. hye-jin and du-sik were adorable and cheesy and cringe and made me so jealous
side characters were also masterpieces. this show made me ask myself "should i become a dentist?" and "should i move to the countryside?" (still debating). and alongside all the heartwarming romance this made me bawl my eyes out. i wanted to hug du-sik and make him forget everything that happened to him and make it all better because he is such a cutie and deserves none of that
eun-cheoul (i'm probably spelling his name wrong but i'm talking about the policeman) was so CUTE i can't even speak i loved his relationship with min-seok and side note she is an absolute rizz master when she was in the back of the car i forgot her exact words but damn she had me folding too
ju-ri is us personified i feel her. oh yoon - cutie
grandmas were also wonderful characters
i almost forgot but oh my god cho-hui. she is so brave and my girl also deserves a happy ending AND GO SCREENWRITER/DIRECTOR/WHOEVER FOR THE REPRESENTATION!!;!;
bo-ra supermarket lady and hardware shop guy are also very babe. the latter was a /bad word/ in the later episodes (if you've watched i think you'll get what i'm referencing) but got better and i LOOOVEE their relationship
(i-jun and bo-ra spin off?? pls)

overall best drama ever if you haven't watched you're seriously missing out would sell my organs and first-born child to rewatch for the first time again

Read More

I love love love this

I absolutely love this!! There were no parts of this show that I didn't like. He's the villain that you would definitely love. All elements were on the spot, my favorite was the chemistry of all the characters together. I love how they make me feel warm and surprised, they make me laugh, and thrilled. The Casano family will always have a place in my heart.

Our mc Vincenzo is such a badass but at the same time somehow he'll melt your heart while Cha Young is lovely and strong in her own way, plus I love how she's sassy. I love all the characters even the villains not because their lovable it's because they made a great job portraying their characters, I really wanted to slap all of them that's how great they are.

Finally, My best boy Han Seo. You did a great job. I really love you. Up until now, I still can't believe that you died. I love you so much, you make me so proud. I know if you'd live, you'll become more successful than your brother even without the bad schemes. I know you'll become a better man, you already showed us in the episodes./spoiler> There were many loveable characters there in the story but your development awed me. Your smile broke my heart. I really wished your happy now.

Overall, I absolute recommend this!!

Read More

Not sure of the genre, but it's an ok show

While I kinda loved most of the series, it seemed like it wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. At times it was a bit fantastical, at times it made me laugh out loud. Sometimes it was action packed, but other times, it was dark…almost to the extent of a psychological thriller. Sometimes it was just silly, or didn't even make sense, but I went with it anyway.

Jinxed at First is a drama about a female "shamen" (prophesier/oracle) who escapes into the world after being locked in an opulent 'prison' for the first 20 years of her life. With the help of Gong Soo Gwang, Seon Min Joon, and the store owners of an entire marketplace, Seul Bi learns what it's like to have friendship, family, and love. Getting to that point, however, involved corporate conspiracy, family drama, murder, intrigue, and everything in between.

KingLTC (Reviewer from Aug 4, 2022) had it right when they said that Seul Bi’s character was played exactly as it should have been, given that the girl had been sheltered from the world and didn’t have the chance to mature or learn to be an adult in the real world. But there was character growth, or at least evolution, within all the characters, including Seul Bi. All of the characters were played by talented actors. I think I enjoyed Choi Jung Woo (Dong Shik), Ki Do Hoon (Seon Min Joon), and Kim Dong Young (Wang Yoon Ho) the most. I am very interested in seeing what else those actors have to offer in other shows.

Read More

Every Episode Guaranteed to Make You Feel Something

Whether it be happiness and laughter or sadness and anxiety, this cdrama portrays emotions astonishingly well. Coming from someone who has watched a million cdramas, despite the very predictable trope towards the end (but not quite the end, I won’t spoil it), it was one of the only to make me sob. This cdrama also had me screaming into my pillow and giggling like an idiot, along with binge-watching this late into the night because I couldn’t stop.

The plot could have been easily shortened, with too many unnecessary subplots, yet that wasn’t too bad and I stayed with every single subplot, hooked.
My one regret was not picking up this cdrama sooner! It teaches so much about high school and youth. The cast were amazing, and I would not have changed them for the world.

Read More

Up until the last 10 minutes this show is fantastic.

BRILLIANT cast, great music, and very warm and genuine interpersonal relationships. I loved the old men bros. Sword Saint was awesome, as this actor always is, and Ji Chang Wook made you forget every other role you might have seen him in. He really embodied the character of Baek Dong Su.

I really wanted to give this drama 5 stars in everything but … (spoilers)

All the demerits from the full 5 star rating is to punish the writers for the way they treated Un at the end.

Cho Rip suddenly (and inexplicably) becomes faithless and murderous, but he gets the girl? Really?

First of all - it was not even within Cho Rip’s character profile to, suddenly, act so rashly on his own, and willfully put his friend’s life on the line. It was totally fabricated nonsense, just to kill off Un. It reminded me of Queen Seondeok’s poor, tragic Bidam - but at least with that show, the writers had history as an excuse. This was an absolutely uncalled for ending, and I felt betrayed by it.

Cho Rip should have died instead of Un.
Really ticked off.

All that aside, I still I recommend this drama 95%.

Read More

Short, but sweet & intriguing!

**This review may contain spoilers**

A bit odd and confusing at times, sprinkled with fantasy-mystery like elements, but intriguing. Free for interpretation, but I liked the context of "self-discovery" through work. The main character was burnt out after giving her all in her teaching job, losing her passion for it. A fairy god mother listened, helped and taught her the values of self-respect & courage through work. Making her do small, yet meaningful jobs. She thought she was helping others, but in fact she was helping herself.

There was no major plot twist, quite self-explanatory in fact. The acting was so-so, nothing impressive, but well delivered story and simple characters. The thing that stuck out for me was the scenery/filming location and creative photography directing. You'd have scenery and sounds of the harbour, some random frames of the friendly neighbourhood cats, the elderly people just strolling by, the small community of people helping each other and keeping the children safe on the streets. The most mesmerising location/scenery is actually inside the "Canary Bus". I suppose they did not have automated buses in such small rural towns, but it was quite interesting to see this kind of public transportation and the uses of it for the community.
A small bite sized refreshing one when you're not looking for anything in particular.

Read More