Reviews

Aromantic or not, I fell in love with this show

I cannot begin to describe the feeling of seeing myself represented on screen this way. I have never seen a show featuring aro-ace characters that are central to the plot, much less a show where they get to be main characters. I am so insanely grateful for this drama's existence and even more grateful to see all the aro-ace people in the comments finding joy and solace in this story just like me.

The way the writers portray the leads is simply excellent as well. They both have distinct personalities and interests and their character arcs don't simply evolve around their sexualities. It's made clear that their identities are an important part of their lives, but certainly not the only part. Seeing the two of them grow and evolve as people over the course of the show is a genuine pleasure to watch.

I will say that quite a few of the side characters annoy me immensely and I don't enjoy how some of their storylines were handled. Some plot points felt a bit unnecessary or out of place to me as well. However, all in all I still feel that the good of this show far outweighs the bad.

There is no singular aro-ace experience and the series doesn't try to pretend that there is. It offers a glimpse into the lives of two specific people in a way that will feel familar to most aro-ace people at least to a certain degree and which will give others the opportunity to learn just a little bit about one of the least well known sexualities.
For that alone I highly recommend you give this show a shot.

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Harem Drama

*The time I am giving this review, the series is still ongoing so I might edit this after the series ends.*
Nothing typical with this series

This is a story of a lady who is carefree and vibrant, who has a doctor beau and then got entered by her mother in selection for a concubine for the Prince. Now, it is not typical young prince. He is an older prince with many adult sons who are mostly married and have numerous concubines.

The FL looks so much like the consort of this prince who died 30 years ago giving birth to the now heir and the selection is for a consort who looks like this dead consort for this aging prince.

This is where the drama starts that changed a carefree and vibrant lady into a woman trying to get out of a mess consistently.

There is not a lot of martial arts here, only one doing any is Huang You Ming who played the part of Lu Bei Yi (the doctor ex-beau of FL). Its very minimal martial arts.

As so the casts, I have seen ML Peter Ho in a lot of period series, and most times, he played a role of a carefree support character. I find his roles quite fitting for him. He seems to be a natural when it comes to those kind of roles. It closely resembles his role here but not to the full extent. I am actually confuse sometimes as to why his character was written to be a man who plays dumb but sometimes smart, and emotionally responds to certain situation in a way one would not expect or confusing. One sample is his son with his first wife being killed and he went berserk towards FL Lou Qing Lian but when his son with FL was miscarried at 8 months, he didnt investigate nor did he react anywhere like he did with 1st son (when this happens he was already in love with FL). When he found out his brother, the heir has something to do with it, he didn’t react towards his brother and was more focused that the 4th brother setting up this heir brother. Mind you, this heir brother did a lot of nasty things towards him. This made me confuse as to the way this chatacter was written. He even spent and risked a lot to keep this brother as the heir.

The rest of the story revolves around the harem, plots, tricks, friendship, enemies etc.

The rest of the characters and story is alright. It is interesting enough for me to keep watching. I love the first wife of ML. I think her character is the best in this series.



As to the artists playing the roles, I find nothing wrong with it. Most viewers are so used to seeing beautiful, young actors in a drama that when someone like Peter Ho plays the part, theres criticism bound to come up. I think he is a good actor and played his character well. Chemistry wise, its not exploding in chemistry but it is good enough.

The production part as in wardrobe and sets, all I have are positive words and compliments. One thing tho personally, I am not digging the FL's hairstyle by episode 15 (hehee its just my own taste). Don't expect grand palaces and sprawling mansions. But all the same, you can tell the sets in each scenes were done very creatively and efficiently.
One other odd thingbis the appearance of Madam De - the mother of ML who never appeared nor had a say before when FL was jnitially brought in the mansion then midway of the series was the hating on FL for lookingnlike thebold consort who she blames for the prince not visiting her anymore.

The background scene music is not that great for me. The credit music is alright but could have been better.

It is worth the watch I think. At least try 6 episodes and you can decide if it is for you.

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This is what communication looks like...

It's been months I've seen a relationship this healthy in a BL.

They both have their back story but help each other through it and it is so heartwarming.

I was so worried that they would ruin it with a stupid plot twist or the usual misunderstanding plot but this had none of that thankfully.

Story: Communication on point! It was such a breath of fresh air.

Acting: I enjoyed both of the main leads, I kept thinking that Ryuji is so loveable it is unreal.

Music: I enjoyed the outro, and added it straight to my Spotify

Rewatch: Totally! This is perfect to binge after a traumatic series.

Overall: I am so happy I gave this a go! I want to watch seasons upon seasons with this couple and their story!

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Beautifully bittersweet "Summer Love" with stunning visuals

"Summer Love" that's what came to my mind while watching the relationship between Doo-na and Won Joon. They were from different worlds with different destinations who crossed each other's path momentarily by coincidence and created a lifetime of memories.
The drama's ending is sad by itself. But there's a real ending hidden in plain sight for the viewers to find. That's what made me give this drama a 10/10.

*Spoiler ahead*
It's mostly me nerding out about the ending ahead, so tread carefully if you still haven't watched the drama.
In the end we see Won Joon and Doo-na seemingly reconciling with each other but right after we see that they are going their separate ways, each to their own goals. From this it seems like that the final hug was a closure. But there are small clips at the beginning of each episode, right after the opening song where we can find the actual ending of the drama. The most important ones are in episode 1, 2, 6,7,8 and 9. It's a scene of both of them standing across each other at a rail crossing in japan (which can be confirmed by the Japanese letters in the signboards). In the clip of episode 9 the two of them can be seen standing in field of flowers with the mount Fuji behind them and they are slightly smiling at each other. In episode 2, 6 and 7 Won Joon is wearing the same outfit. In the clip in episode 8 and 9 he is wearing the same outfit he was wearing at the end of the drama. From this we can see that their meeting in Japan wasn't actually once but at least twice. But the final clue is actually in the video of the opening song where we can see Doo-na walking on a beach with Won Joon, wearing the same outfit she was wearing while standing in the rail crossing. And at the end of the video we can see them standing on the beach looking at the sunset wearing, you guessed it, the same outfit. From all this it leads us to a conclusion. They are still dating secretly. The drama ending makes us believe that they broke up. This represents them deceiving the people around them including us into believing that was the end. But the hidden clues all across the drama shows us their real situation. Because they can't openly date in Korea because of Doo-na's fame they continued their romance in japan, far from the prying eyes. Also the last big piece of clue is actually also in the opening music video. The whole friend group along with Won Joon's brother Kook Su jin playing around in the same beach. Which makes it clear that they are finally hanging out together again and Doo-na got the friends she always desired and she's not lonely anymore.

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While Suzy's acting was great as always, unfortunately, this did not help her career. I don't want to say that the story was bad because I haven't read the original material this live-action adaptation was based from. I think the problem was the execution of the live-action adaptation. It was everywhere and nowhere.

They could have had focused more in building the main character instead of showing the other relationship of the other characters, then what Doo Na's going through would be more impactful instead of lacking. You know, it's there, the audience understands what she is going through, but there is no emotional attachment to it.

The show, “Castaway Diva”, with a similar celebrity whose career ended, actually have a better introduction and background build up. Both characters want to die. Both characters were pushed to their limits. Both characters made mistakes. But there is no emotional attachment with Doo Na and there is with the other character with a parallel story. It's one thing to “know” and it is totally another to “feel”.

Watching Doo Na was like having a discussion, from a logical and objective perspective, of a celebrity's life in a classroom. They should have chosen a real-life story and created a documentary, which would be perfect for this kind of execution or production.

I actually stopped watching at episode 06. It took a few weeks before I was able to force myself to watch the last three episodes, and that's coming from a big fan of Suzy.

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Likable main couple, decent BL with significant flaws

The story of the main couple is fairly decent, with Sailom and Kanghan taking a familiar enemies-to-lovers route. There is some awkwardness in the transition though. Kanghan and his gang's bullying of Sailom and his friends is really malicious, but quite abruptly Kanghan saves Sailom from actual gang members while he's on a quest to intimidate him.

It may or may not be a good thing that the story can be a little unpredictable. Just when things get really serious, the plot takes a markedly light-hearted turn. Then just as things seem to be pretty light-hearted, the situations suddenly become serious again, such as when Saifah (Sailom's brother) is arrested for allegedly shooting Kanghan's father. Even the characters vacillate: we see Kanghan promising to stand by Sailom no matter what happens, and the next moment, we see Kanghan telling Sailom to leave because Saifah has confessed (falsely) to shooting Kanghan's father. He even makes a totally unwarranted remark about poor people to his grandmother. Then almost just as suddenly, Kanghan is helping Sailom again.

There are certainly commendable attempts to show the changes in Kanghan's character, but the explanations are not really compelling. It is true that he changes after his mother's death, but it does not seem convincing that the problems he faces would cause a reasonable person to become a nasty bully. Ultimately, the story seems torn between giving us BL fluff and dealing with more serious themes, and the two impulses are not juggled well.

One thing that is done quite nicely at first is the presentation of inequality in society. This is clearly represented in the uniforms worn by the students. The poorer students' uniforms look yellowed and washed out. Together with how even the authority figures in school blatantly favor the wealthy students when it is obvious that Kanghan, a wealthy student with an influential father, is viciously bullying others. Unfortunately, the issue of the rich-poor divide is not developed well in the course of the story. While the story starts off by pointing out the gross injustice that exists, it eventually glosses over things by presenting the wealthy characters as good people. In fact, problems are ultimately solved by the benevolent wealthy. Kanghan's grandmother intervenes when there is injustice in the school.

When Sailom is engaged as Kanghan's tutor by the latter's grandmother, it is not even just a matter of the wealthy helping to solve problems. Sailom is fired after Kanghan fails a subject despite showing improvement in his grades. I was hoping that it would be revealed that the grandmother can tell how much Kanghan cares about Sailom and has come up with a ploy to make him ask for Sailom to be his tutor again. However, there is no such revelation, which also makes the characterization of the grandmother a little uneven. It seems to show that the wealthy can ultimately be callous if they wish to. Kanghan manages to get his grandmother to let Sailom be his tutor again, and the debt that Sailom's family owes will be paid off if he manages to help Kanghan do well enough to get into the university. Perhaps unintentionally, this shows that the wealthy have the power to make or break the lives of the poor. There could have been some strong social critique here, but somehow things are glossed over. Eventually, the lives or Sailom and his brother are improved because of the benevolent wealthy. This is symbolized by how Kanghan's grandmother takes the trouble to get a medication for Saifah. (Yes, there's that unevenness in characterization. She is generally a reasonable and kind person, and the way she fires Sailom is off-character.)

I do like the series simply as BL. Apart from how Kanghan's bullying of Sailom is too over the top, the couple dynamics are actually great. However, the stories of other (potential) couples are underdeveloped. The series spends a fair bit of time showcasing the tension between Guy and Nawa and not enough time on their romance. A couple of flashback scenes in the last two episodes show how they noticed each other in the past but these flashbacks do not complement the hostility they show each other. There are also hints of romantic interest between Saifah and his friend, Name. However, Name only appears in the series when he is needed in the main plot, and there is barely any attempt to show their relationship further. Why bother with these other couples then?

I did enjoy this series, but it has some flaws that make it less than great.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This drama is incredibly compelling. It's unquestionably one of the best I've seen this year. The way it delves into the intricate yet prevalent subject of mental health and makes it relatable to a broad audience is truly remarkable. The drama is exceptionally well-crafted, and the cast has delivered a stellar performance.
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Confusing but somewhat charming

This BL had quite a strong start for me, I was intrigued with the hallucinations Jom had and was curious about the characters in the beginning. However, the drama is too long and too much of the runtime is spent on side characters. While it does make the world feel more real, it communicates to me more an atmosphere of the time rather than the strength and depth of the love between Jom and Khun Yai. The acting is quite strong, and the couple looks good together, but I think it would have been better if there was no time skip and it was set fully in the past. I always think Thai BLs spend way too much time on side characters and never make 20 minute episodes, so I usually end up fastforwarding through the later episodes. This BL does the same thing for me. While the inclusion of the lesbian couple is good and refreshing, the lack of other interesting side couples make the majority of the rest of the cast feel like padding.

Over all, there were enjoyable moments, but this BL is by no means a showstopper. Watch it if you are intrigued but maybe lower your expectations.

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2015 female lead in a 2023 drama.

Why are we still writing unprofessional, inappropriate and cringy female leads? I understand if this is a youth drama but FL is in her 20s and a working professional.

The story is like any other tropey workplace drama with an evil coworker, long, endless boring work discussions, a serious CEO and a female lead that’s all over the place.

Perhaps it’s due to the age difference but the chemistry between the leads are of an older sis/younger brother. Even though she acts immature and he tries his hardest to act mature. No amount of filters can fix this.

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a masterpiece!!

I was emotionally destroyed after watching this, but it is a masterpiece, really. Everything was so beautiful - the cast, acting, ost, story, atmosphere, emotions, etc. There was chemistry between Khun Yai and Jom and it was so obvious. I didnt expect more than one kiss but i was surprised.
Also im so confused. Jom went back to his era but when he went to this old house, where he used to live before years, he met Khun Yai? How? In the letter Yai wrote that when will find it, he would already passed away and suddenly he came back and said that he waited all this time (something like that). All this fragments past-future confused me and the last scene .. i didnt know what to think about it. I hope for season 2.
This series gives "To sir, with love", "The miracle of teddy bear" and "Something in my room" vibes. Khun Yai`s parents were strict and his father wanted him to marry woman he didnt love. He made the same mistake with his daughter before that.
I cried so much when i watched episode 11 and 12. Their love was so pure, Khun Yai felt in love at first sight (maybe they met even before 1928 year, maybe the last scene pointed at this) I really love this series, even though i didnt understand everything.

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Two separate worlds

Generally speaking, I liked the series. However, I didn't like the ending. It was not a pleasant ending. At first, I didn't find the lead actors compatible with each other. Irene Song is a petite type. His very thin face is a bit childish, if you look deeply you can also see an old face on the same face. He has such a face too. He is a chirpy, active, enthusiastic, childish type. No matter who he plays with, let alone Wang Yu Shouo, such romantic roles are not for him. I watched it as two separate characters. I watched Irene Song and Wang Yu Shou as if they were two separate personalities, I accepted them as if they were separate rather than together. They couldn't come together completely anyway. But as an actor, I can't say anything to anyone. The role assigned to Irene Song was too much. Also, he has been activated, he has become a general, he is fighting and overthrowing everyone in his path. But he doesn't seem to have the strength to raise his hands. 35 kg. A girl who weighs This role is too much for him. So wrong person. I'm not saying he couldn't do his role. It didn't suit him. There was no double. However, they played their roles well. The story was good. Drama scenes were nice. I felt like I was about to cry. I was so impressed. The activation scenes were also nice. The actors were good. The supporting cast was also good. I will not touch on the simplicities and mistakes. Because it happens in every TV series. There were many. But it can be watched. It's a series you can watch without much expectation.

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Weekend family drama, progressively challenging the concept of becoming/living as an ´adult´

“My Golden Life” is one of those KDramas that have been writing drama-history in South Korea. It is considered a 'national' series – popularity increased rapidly, the number of viewers doubled during the broadcast and towards the end, almost half of all nationwide TV audience during the weekends, while “My Golden Life” was broadcast, watched this series.

"My Golden Life" is a family drama, that doesn't just get lost in family clichés, Makjang and RomCom, but instead explicitly addresses some critical contemporary issues. Additionally, given attitudes and convictions are boldly deconstructed along the way. Thus, "My Golden Life" is a rather progressive family drama, involving also the 'quite new' concept of making personal life decisions despite (and in opposition to) family interests. In addition, more than one protagonist is questioning his/her life decisions or is forced to dealing with 'failure' (up to 'depression' as a result of learned helplessness), which is also quite progressive. Whether rich or poor, such issues likewise hit any income classes - in “My Golden Life”, too. In addition, there are current long-running topics such as the (lack of) work-life balance, discrimination because of social status, and the shame of divorce, as well as the increasingly sensitive issue of 'age'.

Ultimately “My Golden Life” is progressively challenging the concept of maturing in the sense of making my own, accountable decisions and thus becoming/living as an ´adult´. What does it mean, what does it need to be an 'adult'? ´Adult´ in the sense of having grown out of the familiar nest and being able to fly with my own wings? In the sense of being challenged to apply what I have learned in my own, individual manner? Is it allowed? Actually desired? Even wanted?

Notably gratifying and astonishing: Throughout the series, practically all of the divers family members go through their personal maturing processes against the background of various contemporary social issues. Many dramaturgical motifs may be familiar, but you can be sure that sooner or later everyone will be challenged with their attitudes and decisions being on trial. “My Golden Life” is not about stumbling through life with a social reptilian brain in obvious stimulus-response pattern. And it is not about by all means controlling the environment with the arrogant mindset of absolutist power fantasies. "My Golden Life" is intelligently and systematically deconstructing the usual set screws for critical life decisions (and dramaturgical plot developments.) In the end, almost every protagonist gets challenged and in the long run actually they all come to their individual, sometimes astonishingly mature, honest and even wise reassessments and re-decisions. This is (at least in this KDrama) possible, permitted, actually prerequisite.

Strikingly symbolic to deconstruction processes of social and individual assumptions throughout the story, ´gold´ is a metaphor for the estimation and valuation of an individual life. Its meaning and value is changing throughout the KDrama, parallel to the transformation processes of the protagonists... Most of the characters initially have the conviction that money (and associated with it: status) is the prerequisite or guarantee for happiness and a worthwhile, precious life... (as on the other hand the lack or loss of money is the reason or the cause of unhappiness and equivalent to a nugatory life.) However, most of them realize over the course of story that a ´golden´ life is not necessarily one that is successful, prosperous and meaningful because of a lot of money. In fact, an elitist, privileged life - being born with a ´golden spoon´ in the mouth - eventually comes with a ´golden cage´, too... Rather, a ´golden´ life is cordial, substantial and radiant with accountability and authenticity.

Within turbulent relationship dynamics (including a bit of Makjang-style topping when it comes to plot development) the 'impoverished middle class' and the 'dirty rich Jaebeol clan' are cleverly juxtaposed against each other, thus almost offensively confronting with the exaggeration of social class-affiliation and questioning traditional mindsets; additionally, full of wit contrasting submissive obedience and self-confident rebellion. Meanwhile, a dubious, arrogantly patronizing 'Noblesse oblige' virtue is craftily criticized, too.

“My Golden Life” is sometimes funny, sometimes intelligent, sometimes outrageously provocative, sometimes infuriating, sometimes emotionally serious, sometimes touching and sometimes downright grotesque. Being set as a family weekend drama, it is supposed to be easy to digest… yet, at the same time, the KDrama is consistently keeping its unabashed finger (gently, yet persistently) on the social scrapes, quirks and deep wounds, too. An astonishingly felicitous, ambitious balancing act. Overall, “My Golden Life” isn´t long-winded, even with 52 episodes. You may as well give it a try.






P.S.:
'Reassessment' seems to be the greater moral of the story.
Meaning: Traditional structures, rules, proven patterns and given orders may be all well and good. They may give orientation and set a direction in life. They provide a certain range of tools and know-how on how you can meet the challenges of life. But ultimately, in each individual case, it is still indispensable to carefully consider the appropriate application and decide for yourself what actually should be and could be accomplished. What is it, that I want? What is it, that I can do? What is it that I think is right? And what is it, that I am willing to supply?

At the end of education and apprenticeship usually there is a form of diploma or master's degree – not for mere copying, but for suitable, at best innovative application and enhancements. And in "My Golden Life" there are quite a few characters truly having earned their award... each in their own way. Eventually, it won´t do to simply adopt what others suggest, would have done or did before. It is all about individual solutions. Traditional lifestyles and attitudes are put to the test and are systematically deconstructed - voluntarily or involuntarily. In the end, the individually appropriate reassessment and authentically fitting solution does not necessarily have to lead to an easy or obvious decision...

"My Golden Life" is thus also giving a lesson in emancipation, too - in the original Latin and also in the more modern sense. Initially, Latin “emancipatio” was the “release of the son from paternal power”. In a broader sense: the child has grown or the student has been educated, so they can hold themselves accountable for their own life tasks and work obligations and thus take responsibility and reflect on their achievements accordingly. Additionally, in a modern, more general sense, emancipation is freedom from discrimination based on group, sex or class membership…

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Angst done well

Excellent on all fronts. Didn't expect to like this drama as much as I did but I did. This one's a bit of a slow burn -- lots of stretches of silence and meandering shots -- but it hits hard emotionally. Best of all, the angst completely makes sense.

Especially enjoyed the writing. Every character is a little bit annoying (some more than others) but also a little bit of a joy to have around on-screen. Everyone just feels very human. Really appreciate how the writer wrote every character's misery with care.

Also, really really love the fact Woojoo and Joon were completely platonic.

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