Reviews

Please consider spoilers here. English isn’t my first language, so I’m sorry for the mistakes.

Please consider spoilers here. English isn’t my first language, so I’m sorry for the mistakes.
I can only speak about the first four episodes, but this drama is already gripping enough. I'm glued to the screen.
-Music
Every song comes at the right moment and sounds like it is needed for its scene. The main OST is a masterpiece.
-Locations
Everyone has already said it, but I repeat, it's astonishing. Especially when you realize the connection of locations to the plot.
Example: the scene on the bridge, where after Qing Lang's conversation with Shi Yuhao, the camera goes down and shows lifeless trees, as a sign that there are no emotions in the relationship between these two. And in the next scene, Qing Lang and Chang Yang are surrounded by picturesque landscape, as are their feelings for each other
-Dialogues

Maybe because of the last bl dramas I have watched where the logic in the dialogues flew into the stratosphere or there was no important information in them, here I understand how the dialogues work and what their meaning is.
 For example, there is an axiom that without an understandable TT, you won’t get a clear respond. And when Qing Lang asks Chang Yang the same question over and over "Do you like men?" Chang Yang сan't answer, because the question is about some random people, not about Qing Lang. Its Brilliant
- Acting
They made me believe them, and that's all that needs to be said.
- Kissing scenes and ets

I share how the actors play regular scenes and intimate scenes, especially kissing.  
 In this drama, the kissing scenes are good, I’d say, not just good.
 There’re no unnecessary gestures display, kisses with barely touching lips or affection, and no needless camera moves.
 
P.S. Thanks to everyone who worked on this project.

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AAAANGGGGSTTTTTT

Dearly beloved readers, my drama slump has been unreal and only recently rescued from the brink of starvation and revitalized with the recent kdrama, doctor on the edge, and, you guessed it, NEVER. ENDING. SUMMER. Zhou Keyu, what a stud. Bao Shangen, what a beauty. Chemistry, exploding, obviously.

Only 4 episodes are out and I am SO HOOKED. So this story follows high school students Zhou Wan and Lu Xi Xiao. Zhou Wan is a strong academic student who’s proper and obedient, definition of a good girl who has never gotten in trouble. But as you continue to learn about her, she hides a lot of burden and is left with a huge responsibility of taking care of her sickly grandma. She’s kind to those close to her, and those who aren’t may find her a bit cold, and that’s exactly the side you don’t want to mess with because she can be scheming and manipulative when she needs to. Lu Xi Xiao on the other hand is very early on classified as the school bad boy. He rides a motorcycle, skips classes, doesn’t study, and simply doesn’t care about school. Growing up with neglect from his parental figures, hes essentially given up on caring because no one else would care anyways! Both struggle with their own family issues, and due to an unexpected twist of Zhou Wan’s mom (who abandoned her as a child btw) being Lu Xi Xiao’s supposed stepmom, she decides to get closer to him to get closer to her mom (what she’s plotting, I guess we’ll find out!). She ends up tutoring him as he’s getting ready to study abroad and they have almost daily meetups at their secret study spot (inside a dome of wooden tables and desks in an abandoned swimming pool, super romantic I know). The issue doesn’t become how she can fool Lu Xi Xiao, but how she can continue bringing herself to fool him, because this guy is not who she imagined at all. Well, who knew what a romantic he is. They’re so cutesy, he’s super falling in love, and she’s super denying her feelings because she only sees their interactions as her using him.

Within these first 4 episodes, we already see that there’s a period of separation 10 years from their high school days. 10 years later, they’ve got some bad blood between them, although it’s mostly one sided from Lu Xi Xiao. Not sure how many episodes it will take for the transition to the adult half of their story, but they’ve done so well so far with the pacing and the storytelling that I have high hopes. I know it might not feel angsty right now, but the build up to their fall out is killing ne and I know it’ll hurt bad, but I can’t stress how excited I am for this angst. He’s mad at her and she feels super guilty towards him, will they or won’t they??? Let’s not forget he’s gonna be a loser in love and with how he’s acting now, he definitely can’t forget his feelings for her. And to those of you crying wolf on the incest, literally what incest? This woman is probably his dad’s girlfriend, his actual mom’s dead, and they never grew up as siblings (jab at speed and love, sue me), legit no blood relations so rest assured friends.. anyways, love em already, give this a chance!

music chefs kiss btw

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Resolving the Destructive & Never-ending Family Affairs | A Masterclass in Writer Manipulation 101

"Everything in the world that repels each other can live in harmony too. If you want to find an antidote, you must go to the place where the poison grows." - Wang Youheng

NOTE: This is the longest review I've written since I started leaving reviews here on MDL. I poured my all into this. Phew! Haha!

For the record, I just wanted to say that it was quite a challenge to watch this show, particularly the opening arc and the climax. That being said, to maintain a logical order, I will address the opening arc first, followed by the upsetting and tiring repetition in the plot, and conclude with my thoughts on the climax, denouement, and ending combined.

Although the story opened strongly—successfully introducing the main leads, the dynamics of the Lian household, and the series' "game" mechanics—the narrative stumbled by dedicating nearly half its time to the ML's (Shen Nuo) solo missions. To me, this prematurely derailed what could have been an excellent foundation for the leads' chemistry. Given the title and theme, the writers should have allowed him to assimilate into farm and family life first, establishing his role within the household and the story while forming a genuine connection with the female lead. Instead, he acted entirely on his own whims to fulfill his mission, even resorting to clever tricks—like manipulating the children—to avoid his chores. While some viewers might find this entertaining, I found it to be plain laziness. Truly annoying! Furthermore, this narrative choice introduced a host of other issues into the plot.

• First, the farm theme of the story wasn't fully highlighted because the ML's side quests tended to always steal half the screen time of each episode.

• Second, the story's focus was split into two parts: the chaos within the Lian household, and whatever mission Shen Nuo was doing. It felt like I was watching two different shows in one drama because his mission simply did not align with the current plot.

• Third, it became extra hard to connect with and attach myself to the ML because he himself felt detached and distant. He was always preoccupied with his mission and frequently half-assed his farm work, which made him annoying to watch.

• Fourth, the chemistry between the leads became hard to establish and invest in because he simply wasn't putting in the energy to begin with. I read the synopsis, so I was aware that he was written as a mysterious, tsundere character, but dang, his character was assassinated early in the story because aside from the fact that his aura didn't exude chemistry, his actions didn't show it either. What's worse was how he used the female lead (Lian Man'er) to toy with the 2nd male lead's (Wang Youheng) feelings to make him jealous.

This is exactly why, during the first 10 episodes of the show, viewing them as the "supposed" main leads became challenging, simply because the male lead failed to bring any romantic energy to the table. To make matters worse, the story slowly fumbled and grew increasingly frustrating as it progressed, due to the never-ending treachery and backstabbing occurrences within the Lian household. This exhausting cycle brings me to the next point of my review.

Honestly, I don't know whether to feel relieved that I can finally vent about the Lian family plotline, or furious because I have to relive the sheer amount of frustration and anger I accumulated while watching it. *Sighs*

The proverb "charity begins at home" serves as a powerful reminder that a person's upbringing and moral foundation depend entirely on their home life. When parents instill strong values early on, children possess a steadfast moral compass to ground them, no matter how chaotic or challenging the real world becomes. Unfortunately, this vital moral grounding was entirely absent within the Lian household—with the sole exception of Lian Shouxin, the youngest son, and his family (the 3rd branch in the Lian Household).

At first, I felt really proud of Lian Man'er when she said she had no problem dealing with all the family issues in the game. I figured she must have been so used to dealing with them in the real world, given that she also comes from a broken family. However, learning how intense and severe the situation actually was within the Lian household made me feel sad and full of pity for her instead. Imagine dealing with a hundredfold version of the family issues you have back in the real world. Just how excruciating and suffocating must it have been for her? Not to mention, the same "taking advantage of and scheming against one another" plot kept happening like a broken record. What a traumatic experience she suffered. 😭

Right off the bat, let me declare that this is the most chaotically dysfunctional household I have ever encountered in C-dramaland. They are a family that never prays together, yet desperately tries to stick together—a supposed family that isn't "family-ing" at all.

I know this might sound like an exaggeration, but I completely lost hope in this entire "family" thing they were so frantically trying to establish right before the show reached its first half. Whenever I expected that they had finally learned their lessons and would, for the love of God, change, I would then be shocked in the next episode by how well-prepared they were to stab one another in the back once again. It was endless—an infinite loop of events that kept happening over and over and over again. It dragged both the plot and the Lian family down into the mud, completely beyond salvation. They were a true disappointment!

This is precisely why the "family splitting" arc is my absolute favorite plotline. First, it brought the immense relief of finally escaping the pointless, childish rivalry of the Lian household. Second, it introduced Lian Man'er’s maternal side—the Zhang family—who were such an awesome bunch of people. They are the true definition of what a family should be.

However, everything felt short-lived after they successfully split from the family, because even though they were finally divided and living their own lives, the Lian household still never failed to create trouble for them out of mere spite and jealousy. They were unstoppable! Despite being given countless chances, they still managed to fuck up by repeating the same mistakes every single time. Gosh! Which is why I was extremely disgusted by how hard the story tried to redeem the unredeemable, immoral Lian household. Can't the writers just give up on them? I know they wanted to embody the core value of "staying together through thick and thin," but the more I watched this drama's repetitive plot sequence, the more my patience wore thin. And as it continued, it arrived at a point where I was on the brink of snapping. Grr!

This raises the question: Just how much lower can her paternal family drag her down?

Furthermore, just when I thought we were only dealing with Lian Man'er's grandmother, uncles, and their wives, here comes her equally, if not more, vile cousin named Lian Hua'er. She was a shameless, ungrateful, hypocritical, and totally two-faced bitch! Lian Man'er should have never rescued her from that ghost marriage/widow-burning wedding. Thinking about it, she was practically involved in, if not the mastermind behind, 90% of the ordeals the main leads faced. Without her, we could have enjoyed a much lighter and more entertaining show. I was even overjoyed when she was married off, thinking that we were finally getting rid of one vile schemer in the family. Little did I know, her reach knew no bounds as she became even more wicked after she finally obtained wealth.

It was truly sickening to watch the script scramble to whitewash and trivialize the family's atrocious acts. The writers constantly tried to suggest these people possessed some hidden conscience—even after they had inflicted catastrophic, irreparable damage without showing an ounce of genuine remorse. It was incredibly frustrating; I could practically combust just thinking about it. A toxic crab mentality is what ultimately poisoned and destroyed this family from within. No matter how hard the story tried to manufacture unearned harmony at the end, I just will not buy it. NEVER.

Finally, looking at the last three episodes—the combination of climax, resolution, and ending—I am left with nothing but aggravating fury. Where do I even begin?

The last three episodes (Episodes 24–26) are where I truly lost every single ounce of patience I had stored up for this drama—especially during the climax. The number of times I was baffled and infuriated by how utterly careless and indecisive the FL (Lian Man'er) suddenly became is beyond my mental capacity. Considering that she was in high-risk situations, shouldn't she have been more cautious? Most of the dangers she faced during those episodes could have been 100% avoided if she had only worked with the utmost caution and rationality. I myself feel exhausted from my rants, so let me just say that the climax of the story was ultimately ruined by the writers' agenda of squeezing more 'drama' into the scenes—to make them more dramatic... which unfortunately backfired heavily as it suddenly stripped the female lead of her rational thinking, turning the climax into a cliché, anticlimactic downfall.

In regard to the denouement or resolution, God as my witness, I have lost count of how many times I rolled my eyes while exhaling heavily to suppress my pent-up anger and keep myself from totally lashing out. If I were to describe this entire part of the story in a single word, it would be FAKE! Instead of genuinely apologizing and repenting, Lian Hua'er and her mother, Madam Gu, still have the audacity to guilt-trip and blame the Lian family for their demise. Good grief! I refuse to squeeze any more juice out of my brain just to describe how brazenly unapologetic and shameless they literally are. Even how their entire cognitive process works puzzles me.

My hatred for them was so deeply rooted that even playing sad background music when it was announced to the family that their eldest son (Lian Shouren) had gone insane got me so mad. After the countless atrocious deeds he had inflicted upon the family, this show still had the audacity to forcefully extract and solicit pity from its viewers to feed into a "pity party" for this unforgivable, despicable man? Oh, geez! The only saving grace of this family was Song Hailong, Lian Hua'er's husband. He was a living symbol of righteousness they must look up to. Aside from him, the whole first branch of the family was a basket full of rotten apples that were beyond saving.

If only they had allowed the first branch of the family to have a character development arc during the middle of the story, similar to what they did with the second branch, I could probably have at least reluctantly accepted them. However, they did not, and instead resorted to making Lian Shouren (the eldest son) suffer trauma that led to his mental illness, while letting his wife and daughter—who are equally vile and obnoxious—become poor. Like, what were they trying to achieve with this, really? Sorry, but that is such an inadequate and completely insufficient redemption arc for them. What they badly needed in order to redeem themselves was a genuine form of repentance through action and absolute accountability, not just a convenient plot device set up to make them appear pitiful and deserving of mercy and forgiveness. It is ludicrous and extremely disturbing how the story low-key manipulates us to accept them just because they suffered their well-deserved retribution and became poor and struggling. Undermining what they have done, and without them offering a proper apology? Sorry, but no. I flat-out refuse. That is not how it works.

Lastly, the ending. Seeing them all together at the end, eating at one table, feasting and conversing with one another was truly comforting and heartwarming. I might have consumed all that and accepted the hypocrisy surrounding it only if I hadn't witnessed them pull off filthy tricks left and right, like absolute monsters, throughout the entire drama. But since I did... sorry, but scratch that. I just cannot let them off the hook so easily without proper punishment. The retribution they suffered was actually much too lenient compared to what they inflicted. So, no. N-E-V-E-R!

This family is beyond saving despite their family reunion and reconciliation at the end. I don't believe a single one of them has the strength to resist committing yet another heinous mistake if an opportunity arises.

I also just want to point out how I can't stand the act of magnanimity in this show. It was unbearable and suffocating, in the sense that we were forced to consume an ideology just because it is what's ideally correct, while it completely fails to acknowledge the moral aspect of it. It was truly revolting how the writers have been gaslighting us ever since. It's like they are trying to prove a point by experimenting on people's capability to understand and forgive—even when the deeds done are truly unforgivable. It is an attempt to be innovative in the most negative, illogical, and nasty way! Disgusting!!

To conclude my review, all I can say is that this drama was fun, and I won't deny that I laughed out loud at some scenes. However, it also caused so much frustration and anger, which outweighed all that positivity. The Lian family is on a constant downward spiral. The more you watch them, the more you will realize that their stupidity and irrationality reach past the horizon—beyond human understanding!

Story - 6.0, The story had potential. It had a good premise and was truly promising. What killed it was the never-ending, repetitive, and destructive family schemes, the lack of accountability, the inadequate time allowed for consistent character development, and the combination of an utterly revolting climax, resolution, and ending. Another factor that greatly ruined my mood regarding this show was the shameless attempt by the writers to manipulate and gaslight the viewers' judgment of what is right and wrong. That was truly nasty of them! Furthermore, for a "Game World" setup, it is truly weird that she only received one mission throughout the entire duration of the show. Talk about an unpolished storyline. Tsk, tsk!

Acting/Cast - 9.0, I have no complaints about the actors' and actresses' performances. My main issue is how their characters were written. Joseph Zeng's role annoyed me during the first 10 episodes, as it deprived him of the presence and energy needed to build chemistry with the FL. Same goes for Tian Xiwei's role. At one point, I was even thinking about how she was taken advantage of with this character. It's the first role of hers that I know of that made her character look indecisive and, in a sense, reckless. Not to mention the rest of the supporting characters. *Facepalm*

Music - 9.0, I like the soundtrack a lot. It is a combination of fun and melodious tracks. The lyrics are very uplifting and empowering for women, too.

Rewatch Value - 4.0, ​I am giving this score in consideration of the fact that this show has its good and fun sides, too. However, personally, I don't think I will ever watch it again.

Overall - 7.0, Upon reflection, what truly frustrates me the most about this story is the characterization and how it was written. I am especially furious about how manipulative the writers were! Talk about gaslighting to the absolute maximum. Grr!

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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A melancholic and memorable rom-com

To begin with, Lee Soo is one of the best male leads ever written. Fairy tale metaphors, landscapes, discovery of Seoul through teamwork and different jobs (photography and calligraphy), stages of life and love (school, adults), beautiful quotes, timing, coincidences and missed opportunities, family relationships, FL's own issues (meanwhile Soo stayed patient and worked on himself, but that never means he has to change his whole personality and I hate when people think that way - he is not bad, and they are also just ignoring the lonely cocoon he's created for himself - what he lacked was self love and the vision he had of relationships was from his divorced parents), complex SFL, great contrast with the SML (simple, kind CEO character, his job had to do with literature), his own backstory and his relationship with FL being a sort of contract, creating new opportunities despite being too late, both halves of the drama divided by a turn of tables, fresh take on tropes, 3rd couple and overall "group of friends" story. The best part was the ML's story because of how real it is. I got insanely attached to him, the way he cared about Woo Yeon (her name literally means destiny) for her dreams and I loved how The Little Mermaid was referenced through him. Ong Seong Wu is also one of my favorites since then, I love the OST titles here and he did a song for his character that's so sentimental, the OSTs were always perfectly placed in the drama. Anyway, Lee Soo was just a kid, nothing nearly as bad as what some people want you to believe, same for the FL even though they play on it which is funny but it's not simply their fault.

"I don't take photos of people and myself", this was the beginning of his story. He actually gave me inspiration to take photos on my trip at the time I started watching it. Overall, this drama is a slow-burn character study so it's important to be patient.
The moment I fell in love with this drama was the end of Ep 6, where my disappointment turned into fascination and silently crying because of Lee Soo. Afterwards, he really became the star of the drama. What I thought was a ridiculous cliché was just so beautifully done and thought-out. I was still on my trip, and I barely slept that night. I also remember I watched his short movie "Seong Wu is Alright" and loved it.

P.S. Ong Seong Wu actually likes photography, so of course he took the role. One interesting thing to note is how some of the audience sided with the SML who was the one to convince Woo Yeon for the relationship, and because of course, a simple, green flag, stereotypical character like this is much easier to digest than the leads.

Yes, the last episodes become hard to watch. But they are necessary.

Quotes:

"But life is a series of exchanges. No one can control them. The only thing that should have been different is not what happened. It's this feeling that I became aware of far too late."
"A missed opportunity turns into regret. If there are no more opportunities to miss, I will make sure to create them myself."
"In a world of misunderstandings, it's dangerous to make assumptions about others. So you should ask the question yourself. You should hear the answer directly."
"Love must touch someone's inner confidence. Then, love will not be dragged away by the other person, but will draw the other person towards you." - from a book's quote at the end

Lee Soo's father to him: "(When couples break up) A man becomes friends when feelings remain, but a woman becomes friends when they have no feelings left."

When Lee Soo asked his divorced mother to consider getting back together with his dad: "Son, do you know what is the most important thing in a long-term relationship? The memories. Your dad and I had good memories, but we have more painful ones. I have no confidence in overcoming those bad memories."

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You will want to watch it again

To me, this lighthearted comedy K-drama is a perfect 10 from the beginning quite literally through the last episode’s end credits. It was so clever and so much fun to watch that, even if I tried, I couldn’t come up with a single criticism. I honestly believe there are very few people who wouldn’t enjoy The Legend of Kitchen Soldier, regardless of their preferred genres or favorite tropes.

Park Ji Hoon, as Private First Class Kang Seong Jae (shouting here with a salute), was absolutely perfect for this role. He nailed every scene. I haven’t read the webtoon, but judging from the images I’ve seen, Park Ji Hoon looks remarkably similar to Seong Jae’s original character design. For those in America who remember—or still enjoy watching—The Andy Griffith Show from the 1960s, the scripting of The Legend of Kitchen Soldier feels surprisingly similar in its construction. The humor is warm, character-driven, and genuinely hysterical, often reaching that same timeless level of comedy.

Bravo to the screen writer(s) and director of this most enjoyable drama!!

WARNING: Spoilers from this point forward.

I especially enjoyed watching Seong Jae’s character arc evolve. He shows up at Kanglim Outpost as a lost, depressed, fearful young man, an outcast of sorts. But he gradually blossoms into someone far more confident, eager to serve his platoon, eager to learn, and determined to accomplish more. His sensitivity toward his peers, his immediate obedience to his leaders, his earnest desire to please Sgt. Yun in the kitchen, and his uncompromising loyalty to his responsibilities as a soldier first and kitchen assistant second all make him deeply endearing. Unlike many others in his platoon, he doesn’t have it in himself to complain about his circumstances. He has no choice but to accept where he is and make the most of it.

His sudden introduction to the Army Cook Quest voice—and later its screen interface—was an absolute delight to watch. Park Ji Hoon was completely convincing as he pantomimed his interactions while navigating the system. And whenever Seong Jae achieved a goal, earned points, or added another comrade to his cache, his smile practically lit up my screen. I couldn’t help but smile right along with him every single time.

Seeing him deflate, nearly reverting back to his old self at the cooking competition was heartbreaking. But then watching him realize he had not lost his skills and he could still do his best even if he didn’t win the one-on-one round was actually inspiring. I think it was one of the central themes of TLOKS; your mentors and teachers can take you only so far. If you have prepared well, trust yourself - your knowledge and your skills even if the circumstances seem to be against you. Do your best with no regrets.

I think we were all rooting for Seong Jae when military reporter intern and hometown ?girl?friend Jun Min (Jeon So Young) came running into his arms in front of both his peers and his superiors. Even though he was mortified by the attention, he needed that moment, not only for himself, but for everyone else to see that he was more than what they had assumed him to be: not a loser, but worthy of some level of respect. What a pleasant and fitting surprise to see them together in the end.

The rest of the cast was equally perfect in their roles, making this a truly unforgettable first watch. Lee Hong Nae’s lazy, incompetent, intimidating, yet ultimately loyal Sgt. Yun Dong Hyeon; Han Dong Hee’s deadpan, serious, but generously warm Platoon Leader Cho Ye Rin; Lee Sang Yi’s serious-but-maybe-not-quite trustworthy Company Commander Hwang Seok Ho who had his very funny moments; and Yoon Kyung Ho’s brash yet loving Major Sgt. Park Jae Yeong all delivered outstanding performances. Along with a stellar supporting cast, they created an ensemble that was impossible not to love. It was especially hilarious to watch these talented actors fully commit to the over-the-top music video sequences.

I enjoyed a fully satisfying ending including all the suspenseful buildup from episode 11 into 12. Everybody got their just reward, if you know what I mean, including the Outpost itself. I’m excited they left TLOKS open for a second season to find out what’s in store for Kang Seong Jae next.

I liked the Quest’s voice and felt the voice actress was perfectly cast. OST was just right for this drama and complemented every scene beautifully. This drama has already earned a permanent spot on my rewatch list.

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Funny and swoony

This was the kind of light, fun but swoony rom-com we have been waiting for! No neccessary drama! And disputes and misunderstandings were cleared quickly. The ML’s past traumas were very legit too. It was interesting to watch them overcome those traumas together. Well-written, well-acted with a little bit of absurdity, a lot of swoon and plenty of fun! 😂 I also loved to see the found family aspect of the school and neighborhood. And the end with the pictures from all the different episodes was really cute! A great way to start and end the drama!
The only gripe I had was that Sejin and her brothet were lowkey annoying 😅 I also didn’t understand why Hangyul liked her tbh…

Nevertheless a great romcom to watch as a palate cleanser!

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Teach You A Lesson – Review

Episode 1 delivers a strong opening before settling into a case-by-case format, with each episode tackling a different school and a different form of bullying. Across 10 episodes, the drama covers a wide range of issues including physical violence, cybercrime, substance abuse, stalking, defamation, and scams.

The cast is undoubtedly the show's biggest strength. Kim Mu Yeol leads with incredible charisma and the swagger of a convincing action hero, while Jin Ki Joo, P.O, and Lee Sung Min bring plenty of charm and energy to the team. Together, they form an entertaining "Anti-Bully Avengers" squad whose chemistry carries the series from start to finish.

The show frequently breaks the fourth wall and delivers its messages quite directly. While the intentions are admirable, the heavy-handed approach occasionally reduces the impact of its satire. Viewers who prefer subtle storytelling may find some moments overly preachy.

One thing the writers deserve credit for is their effort to present a balanced perspective. The drama carefully distinguishes between bad individuals and the larger student and teaching communities, repeatedly emphasizing that its mission is to protect both education and students. This neutral approach helps strengthen the show's themes and avoids simplistic good-versus-evil narratives.

However, the constant reinforcement of these ideas sometimes slows the pacing. The repetition can feel excessive, particularly for viewers expecting the tension and suspense typically found in high-school thrillers centered around a single antagonist.

Despite these flaws, the series remains highly entertaining. The action choreography is satisfying, the humor lands well, and the emotional moments are effective without becoming overwhelming.

Verdict: 8/10

A fun and refreshing addition to the high-school revenge genre. Instead of students taking justice into their own hands, this time it's the adults delivering the slaps—and the justice.

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Fun Concept (but AI intro)

A new recruit joins a military base who is dealing with the demise of his father. The officers decide to put him on kitchen duty. But since arriving at this base, he has been seeing a strange game like pop-up window in front of his face. The window and voice offer him a path to becoming an experienced chef and in the process winning over his colleagues by uplifting the vibe of the place through delicious meals.

The game like challenges mixed in with very real life issues of these soldiers was an interesting twist and is what made this show a fun watch. The episodes were entertaining as were the character developments. The food making process was also nice. And overall the show gives you a glimpse into the world of the Korean military.

Though the comedy wasn't bad, it only made me chuckle a couple of times. Like when the actors started to speak Spanish befause of how good the food was.

Actually I'm torn between giving this a 9 or 8.5. As fun as it was to see this, maybe an 8.5 is more fitting. Also I've read that AI was used to create the intro theme which was disappointing.

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Wonderland of Love: Strong Start But Disappointing So Far

I’m not finished with Wonderland of Love yet, but I’m honestly quite disappointed with how it’s turning out.
It started off really strong and had so much promise. The drama features two strong main leads, a great side couple, and a stomach-turning villain. However, after the first few episodes, it began going downhill.
My biggest issues are:

The characters (especially the FL) aren’t developing much.
The relationship between the FL and ML jumps from 0 to 100 way too quickly with little buildup.
The story is becoming quite repetitive.

I’m also finding the FL pretty annoying because she doesn’t seem to be growing as a person. It’s really sad because the drama had such a good direction in the beginning.
I’ll continue watching to see if it improves, but right now it’s been a big letdown.

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Entertaining

The drama is nice. There isn't much new about the concept. A lawyer begins to see ghosts and decides to help them eventually. How he makes money? No idea. They never really discuss the money aspect.

The stories of each individual were good and it was honestly a fun watch. Very binge worthy too. But is it an exceptional drama? Certainly not. I liked the concept of water being used to undo the possession. Simple and effective. It was obvious what was coming by the end so it was also predictable.

I didn't see much romantic chemistry between the leads but they worked well together.

They also didn't explain what happened to the shaman in the end.

If you do decide to watch it, you won't be enthralled by it but it won't be disappointing either.

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Pursuit of Jade: Funny, Heartbreaking & Addictively Good

Pursuit of Jade was one of the best dramas I’ve watched in a while! It perfectly mixes funny, heartbreaking, and heart-tugging moments all together.
I loved the romance between the main couple — it was so cute and hilarious. The female lead is really strong and independent, which made her super cool. I also adored the kids in this drama, they were absolutely adorable!
This drama did an amazing job showing how dark and twisted some kinds of love can become. The two brothers as villains were incredibly stomach-turning and honestly haunted me. The way it explores aggressive, poisonous love and the madness it can cause was really well done.
The character development throughout the show is excellent. I loved watching every character grow and change.
Overall, this drama has tragedy, humor, strong love, and great writing. I would definitely rewatch it and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a rich love story with depth.

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A mix of Scream and Saw with a mediocre result.

I honestly don't understand why GMM-TV insists on creating series with darker themes if they're going to stop halfway through to throw in a joke and have the characters kissing.

What's scary here isn't the killer but the weak acting and shallow protagonists who never convince in their roles as detectives. It's the extremely low-level production that delivers lazy cinematography, uncertain direction and a soundtrack incapable of evoking a feeling of terror.

And worst of all, the series had immense potential that is absurdly wasted by a script that doesn't know if it wants to be a silly romance between cops or a murder mystery.

For this series to work, it needed to invest a little more time in the other characters and better explore the dramas, secrets, fights, and betrayals between them.

Only then could we care minimally about their deaths. But the series follows an almost puritanical path, where all the bad characters are punished and killed for their sins.

And it's a valid path to follow but here it's developed in a rushed and secondary way, since the focus is on a bland romance that feels out of place in the story.

Their first kiss is right after a murder scene and that says everything you need to know about this series.

At no point do they manage to evoke even the slightest feeling of mystery, tension, danger, or fear.

The final revelation of the killer could have been good but there's no build-up to get there. The intrigues and discussions that the letters could have brought (by making the characters choose who should die) are sidelined and poorly utilized. The detectives are a joke and discover nothing throughout the entire series. The secondary characters have zero development. The deaths are creative but the cinematography is so bad that everything has an amateurish and low-quality feel.

There are so many mistakes, so many problems, and after watching Goddess Bless You from Death, this series feels like a childish version that tries at all costs to be dark and edge but only ends up being embarrassing.

An absurdly wasted potential. And a waste of time too.

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