Reviews

Easily my favorite Ji Chang-Wook series (although I loved his angst (and growth) in Empress Ki and he had some fantastic scenes in Lovestruck In The City). I also *really* loved Park Min Young in this role. I had only seen her in ROMCOMs (after just coming off What's Wrong With Secretary Kim and Her Private Life) and had thought she was a bit too one-dimensional but Healer showed that she has a full palette of versatile emotions and is a wonderful actress.

This series had camaraderie, romance, action, humor, a solid plot, fabulous acting, and no wasted characters. It had 20 episodes and I found myself watching every single one without skipping through the scenes. My only qualm (and it's really not a big deal) is that the action scene choreography is a bit dated, so what was likely very cool and cutting edge then, is a littttttttle bit cheesy to watch now. I *did* end up skipping through those scenes a bit just because it took me out of the scene a little bit unnecessarily. The OST was nice and I liked the song that they played for the main leads whenever they had a romantic beat. It reminded me a little bit of an 80s Simple Minds track.

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Fine

Start was good ,entery of leads increase the interesting level ,the male lead show the attitude while listened her name and then came out if the carriage and the way he talked to her ,I thought there some story in between them because the way he react when listened her name . Then the male lead' parent fixed his marriage ,so very start of the drama introduced his fiancee . All these increase the interest that we were going to have some secrets ,some love rivalry and from female lead side also she had one male best friend who loved her but she saw him as just friend. So all these were little intersting . But story didn't go well ,little disappointed with it . Because after few episodes the male lead fall for her ,I expect more from the story and his character was tough and discipline one but when he fall for her and after confessed his love for her ,he attitude become soft which I don't like. I want his arrogant type of attitude . Starting half way was good ,there were some funny scenes also but second half of the story was bored .

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Better stay away unless you have plenty of time to waste like me

The title of the drama already has drawn many comparisons to the Chinese version. If you are checking this review to ask which version is better, it is certainly the Chinese version with no doubt.

Coming back to the review of Thai version, I believe the main drawback is the failure to emote and connect viewers with the feelings. Most of the scenes felt with no life in them, the first half of the drama was a lot memorable to me due to Female lead. She is a breath of fresh air to Thai drama and single handedly lifted the first half in many occasions with her charm. Then the second half got much worse that the drama managed to pulled down her charms together.

What went wrong ?
1. The second ML / love rival character “time”. He has no connection to the story at all. He simply came just to play a love rival character and annoy audience.
2. Boring scenes of science. There was an episode where ML travels for his experiment right after the couple together. There the forced scientific stuffs where testing our patience. We do get excited and wooed when science is used intelligently but not use it for namesake.
3. ML boring acting ? Although ML looked charming and handsome, his acting isn’t good enough to carry this character.
4.Unnecessary breakup by the end along with the hate from both side parents. They didn’t even try to solve those issues to give a proper conclusion and instead played it all fun in unconvincing way.
5. Many scenes felt like fillers. You can easily skip half of this drama without losing any content ….

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A warm ode to our youth – one day, we will become someone that our past selves can be proud of.

Mental turmoil latched onto me the moment that I attempted to evaluate this drama with a rubric. To claim that this show is close to objectively “perfect” would be awfully far from accurate. But the more that I told myself to be impartial, to judge this drama as fairly as I did every other show that I’ve ever consumed, the more squeamish I got. After all, it's one of the most magical dramas I've ever had the pleasure of watching.

The overarching plot of Dear Diary starts with a woman by the name of Chen Meiru. Like many young and hormonal creatives, she wrote a self-insert love story when she was 12, and paired herself with a handsome and devoted prince to boot. On her 24th birthday, he appears before her very eyes: a buff Babylonian man, wildly proclaiming his love for her. Hilarity ensues as the jaded careerwoman attempts to return to her normal life, haunted by the gorgeous prince, his loyal subordinate, and a beautiful love rival – each of whom she designed under her own pen as a starry-eyed child, but who are now composed of flesh and bone.

On the surface, Dear Diary is yet another kooky fantasy rom-com mess. In a genre teeming with titles, what instantly sets this one apart is that it’s legitimately funny…hmm, nope; “hysterical” is a more fitting term. Not once does it rely on cheap gags. All the jokes fit perfectly with the situation and are delivered impeccably. I had just gotten my wisdom teeth pulled when I started watching this drama, and the amount of pain I suffered due to failed attempts at suppressing my cackling was not trivial. Totally worth it, though. (Side note: some of the jokes may only be effective if you have prior understanding of Chinese culture. I took a look at the official English subtitles and they don’t provide any relevant context to understand these references. Booooo. If you're interested, you can visit my profile for a link to my fan-subbed version, in which I translate and explain these references.)

Is good humor this show’s sole asset? No, no, no. That’s the mere tip of the iceberg. Once you go for a deeper dive, you’ll discover that this show possesses a power that many others can only dream of: logic. Halle-freaking-lujah, it’s not mindless antics! Not only is there a methodical sequence of interesting events, there are actual reasons behind those events. I would like to thank these writers for displaying to their industry peers that “fantasy” is not a synonym for “has no rules.” In spite of a few plot holes (which are inevitable due to production reasons, as I’ll explain in a bit), the overall story is one of compelling, nonstop developments.

As you learn how and why certain events occur, more serious themes emerge. Whereas a great deal of creativity went into the layout of the story, an equal amount of thought went into tying it all back to reality. The fantasy elements become increasingly metaphorical in nature and the initial humor recedes to reveal the characters’ internal struggles. While I adore the comedy, the tone shift is truly brilliant and utilized fruitfully. Savor your joy – the higher your mood flies in the beginning, the more tears you’ll shed when later episodes wrestle you back down to earth.

How do the funny and somber components both work so well? Obviously, the writers and directors put in excellent work. But it would be a severe injustice to not applaud the actors. Across six lead characters (that’s right; six, with each of them bearing equal weight in the story), there’s not a single weak link to be found. They all interpret their roles very seriously, which allows you to immerse yourself into every scene – be it one of comedy or one of tragedy. I’m especially appreciative of the actors and actress playing the three characters risen from Chen Meiru’s diary. These characters would be extremely easy to exaggerate to the point of being awkward caricatures. However, because each actor gave due respect to the role that they played, every character feels real and their reactions suit the situation. Also, special shoutout for Bu Guanjin, who I swear has some of the best line delivery skills in the industry.

For the sake of clarity, I’ll go over the drama’s characters by splitting them into two groups: “human” and “paper,” the former being those in the story who are regarded from the get-go as “real” people, and the latter being those who rose from the pages of Chen Meiru’s journal. These paper characters, Murong Jielun, Ouyang Wenshan, and Jiutian Longnu, all start off as you would expect – horribly cringeworthy. Flat, one-dimensional; the pinnacle of an adolescent girl’s imagination. But, over the course of the story, their growth is the most impactful and satisfying of all. It’s through them that we witness the departure from supposed destiny, and the subsequent importance of taking your future into your own hands.

As for the humans themselves: you have Chen Meiru, Jiang Huizhen, and Duan Shuiliu. Each of them live drastically different lifestyles, but are ultimately as similar to one another as they are to you and me: full of youthful dreams, and also full of doubt. Perhaps we’d expect that them teaching the paper characters about life would be the primary focus. However, what is of more interest is watching them—the “real” humans—find hope within cruel reality by cherishing and loving those fictional, yet genuine paper characters. It’s poetic cinema, I tell you.

At its core, this drama is a tale of growth and self-worth; about overcoming insecurities and reaching for greater heights with the support of those around us. This storytelling is especially valuable for us women in the audience, who need more media in which ladies are permitted to be vulnerable, to be flawed, to be irritable. Of course, this message applies to you; whoever you may be. We all have our moments of weakness. We all have negative memories that hold us back. But through others and through our own self-reflection, we can find happiness.

Alright, so I’ve talked your ears off about all the good points. Then what made me initially waver away from giving Dear Diary such a high score? For one thing, the dubbing leaves a lot to be desired. It is extremely obvious that they recorded over existing dialogue for numerous scenes. I’m sure it was unavoidable, but dubbing will always get me in a huffy mood.

Secondly, and possibly most importantly, the pacing is far too fast. Like, “someone needs to dish this production a speeding ticket”-level too fast. 24 episodes at 20-some minutes a pop? It’s whiplash waiting to happen. In regards to the overall story, the length is tolerable; but as they say, the devil is in the details – the compressed timing creates a good number of plot holes, which leads to clunky development, which in turn harms intricacies in the characters and their relationships. Frankly, I didn’t find it to be a major issue; but the progression definitely doesn’t feel as natural as it could be. Here, I’d like to mention that the producers edited the entire show twice before it could air (due to reasons like our beloved censorship). Twice. Can you imagine how much precious content got cut out in the process? I could cry just thinking about it. Anyways, if the crew is willing to release an extended director’s cut—even if it’s secretly in some kind of drama black market—I might have some pocket money at the ready…just saying.

These issues could prove fatal for any other show, but I’m more than willing to overlook them all for Dear Diary. This is a rare drama where you can truly tell how much care and effort went into making it something of emotional value. You never get a sense that those involved in this production were in it to make mad bank or to revolutionize the Asian drama scene or even to be super dramatic. It’s just here with the modest goal of telling us a fun, soothing story. Whether it be in the realism of the acting, the craftsmanship of the dialogue, filming in Morocco and having the cast learn the Akkadian language for scenes referencing ancient Babylonia – there is no shortage of genuine dedication. There’s something exceptional about witnessing a passion project, bursting at the seams with honesty and sincerity, coming to life upon your screen. It warms my cold, cold heart. It inspires me to be just as heartfelt toward my own life.

While Dear Diary may not be “perfect,” it’s a perfect example of the sentiment that a show need not be flawless in order to receive love from its audience. When a writer cares deeply for her script and an actor his role, a viewer can instinctively feel it. That emotional connection, that soul alone can be enough to make a show into something special. Dear Diary possesses that soul. And I couldn’t be more grateful that the team behind it shared it with us, because it really is something special.

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Drama about self-care & personal growth

This drama is everything I wanted and more. I started this drama because I wanted a feel-good. It has given me so much more!

« You just focus on what’s in front of you and do things step by step »

In this drama, romance is not the primary theme. Yes, we know it is present, but the focus is more on the characters' personal growth.

The hero is not talking much at first, but slowly, he opens up to our heroine. We could say that he is a damaged hero because of his dysfunctional family, he never had the opportunity to do what he wants with his life and was a puppet for his father’s political career. Despite his hardships in the past, the hero remains a pure and humble soul. He does not hesitate to ask questions and to look for information when he does not know something.

Personal growth : The heroine asks the hero reflective questions. He thinks about them and looks for answers in the course of the story. He learns little by little to love himself and to put himself first in his life

Romance : Communication & great chemistry of our main couple, slow burn

I particularly liked that the second couple was different from usual. The chaebol girl is not insufferable like in many other dramas.

This is not a usual drama : new twists and unexpected turns. I love it. When watching a drama, I enjoy stereotypes, but also being surprised. Here, I was surprised more than once.

OST: good.

Major Themes:
- self love, self discovery, fighting for what you want, ‘adulthood crisis’, personal growth
- trust, social awkwardness, adapt & overcome,
- violence in sports, bullying,
- dysfunctional family

Minor Themes: sexual orientation, bribery, orphans

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I'm a sucker for happy ending. This one has it..

I admit, I didnt watch the first installment. Read somewhere that it didnt end well. So, here I am tried this one instead. Pretty slow start to be honest, and a bit boring.

Cast/Acting was ok, not much excitement at the beginning but it did improve as the story progresses. I feel like the ML had the quota of crazy with his family. He was a straight laced nice guy with a big traditional family. Amidst all the secrets, lies and betrayal, customs and tradition, in his own way, he loved them still.
FL reflects sweetness, innocence and a bit vulnerability, pretty and talented too. No wonder ML find her interesting enough to propose early on.

The family drama, crime mystery is a bit mediocre for me. It was lacking something. It feels like it was just put there just for the sake of conflict. Rewatch value is not that high.

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The worst female lead EVER

To be honest, Dingding don't deserves a man so good as Dr. Ning. He always put she on the #1 place in her life, but she cares with everyone most that him. Who kind of woman in love will let the boyfriend stay alone for 1 year in the other side of the world, 'cause have to take care of her ex-boyfriend??? Man, that's ridiculous! And the fact that Dr. Ning have to fight for the relationship until the end, when Dingding NEVER done anything to apologize (when she was the only wrong) or to deserve the fight, just make me real dissapointed and revolted.
I'm so mad with that end, it's make all the drama a big trash for me.

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Another open ending

This is the second time I can imagine person as an animal. Xu Xu (XX) is fit perfectly as a snail, but unfortunately except XX actually no one is fit with the animal image this drama want. Like Yao Meng (YM), for me she more like cheetah than a pig, I don't know am I get the influence from kungfu panda or what, but I simply can't imagine YM as a pig.

Actually as detective drama, this drama at first will gonna confuse you with the plot which all over the place. The story like have no connection with one and the other at first just simply like being force together. But turn out everything much more complicated that what I guess at first. And the dark setting no help at all. I got confuse with all the people, sometimes I remember wrong or just reverse one and the other.

This drama of course also tell the story of how our couple just simply being together. I really like how YM explained to XX about her feeling toward Ji Bai (JB). JB himself we don't really get the answer why or how he can fall for XX. But in my opinion it's maybe one of the most male chauvinism reason, he just simply find the woman that really need his protection & he is really happy & willing to protect :)

What lack:
- Once more where is our timeline :(. From the accident in the Laos border until the wedding of YM, how long it already pass...
- The romance between YM & Zhao Han (ZH). Just simply press to be together. Yeah we got the feeling YM will gonna be with ZH, but how & how long... Is it just simply because they the one left behind so they just got closer...?? Weird right. Maybe if there was the timeline it will help a little :(
- What the most unfortunate for me is the comic... Why...? Why...? Why...? They the hell they don't show us the complete picture of the comic, just simply a little bit here & there :(.

Overall: This is one of good detective drama. The plot still about the crime, romance not too exaggerate. But the best of course not. Oh yeah the ending is an open ending with peeking of probable next journey. But because it's 2016 drama, I think we will not gonna get the continue of this drama...

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Disappointing ... & .... Boring

This for me was one of the worst drama, I have come across, to put where I started skipping and not even bothering to watch, the storyline I have not what it really was about, as it really lacked that, the acting was downright bad, and had no flow whatso ever to it, the characters themselves didn't seem to click at all. Lack of music in this drama was just as bad.

It was a very big, boring disappointment, It was just very boring and hard for me to even finish. The acting was stilted and the actors did not fit the characters , they didn’t fit them looks or even in characteristics. And how they portrayed them in the drama like so mismatched. They just ended up being very unremarkable, like how did this even get made?!

I will very much forget it after today and I will probably never think about it again.

I literally needed the oxygen to try and get through this drama!!!

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Surprise of this year for me...one special series which touched me deeply

When I first watched the trailer, I was surprised how theatrical it was, how can you connect Babylon and modern times. So I watched first episode when they aired and I was hooked. Many people stopped watching after the first 2 episodes, because they were hilarious. But truth is, they are really hilarious and so funny...let us see "In my presence, not a strand of Chen Mei Ru's hair will drop to the ground" "I don't fall for his money, it's his charm of scheming, it melts me" I had to roll my eyes and smiled from ear to ear...
BUT than next episode aired and the hilarious funny story changed to story with many deep emotions and problems, which stayed hidden for a long time...time to heal is what the characters needed to change to live for real, to accept who they are and what they wish. And when you think how the story will continue and you know you think you know all, than next episode airs and you get fully new direction, which changes the life of all 6 characters.
Is there a male and female lead? At the beginning I would say yes...with time I would definitely say NO. This story has no leads, three couple, three love stories and everyone of them is wonderful and unique and although all are fully connected and interacting with each other in beautiful way.
I cried, smiled, cheered with all of them and fell in love with these amazing characters and also with the actors, who did awesome job. At the end of the show, I was really happy I could see the love the actors put into these characters.
The quality of the drama is wonderful, great shots, camera work, also the colors were beautiful, costumes and the style fitted the drama very well. The OST is also very touching and I am listening to it daily.
Would I have changed something? Yes the end, I heard there was different finale too...I would love to see that one more. Although the end was well done...it didn't give me what I wanted from a finale. This is the reason the story got 8.5/10 points from me. I would so love to read the original script..
At the end, I have wonderful comforting feeling in my heart and am happy to count this drama to my favourites now. It touched me deeply and maybe healed some of my own little wounds on its way.

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Chaotically fun

Ridiculously funny slapstick humor in a rather intriguing premise where a quick-witted magician and a rather daft physicist repeatedly find themselves embroiled in the most absurd situations, the only thing urging them forward is their vehemence to prove that the supernatural is fake. Lots of fake magic busting.

“No matter how mysterious it may seem, there is always a reason for it.”

Trick follows the story of Yamada Naoko, a magician whose father (also a magician) debunked and exposed people who claimed to have real spiritual powers. Naoko herself firmly believes that every miracle is actually a trick; the solution lies in an excessively simple idea, a sleight of hand or commonplace mirrors.

Ueda Jirou is one of the most famous physicists in Japan. He challenges the idea of supernatural powers and offers a reward. Having unpaid several months of her rent, Naoko accepts the offer and this begins this journey.

I have no idea why I laughed everytime they made a boob or knob joke or the wig was about to fall off, absolutely ridiculous but the characters somehow managed to grow on me. Big-Dick Ueda and Flat-Breast Naoko were an awesome duo, the series also continuously teased their romance and it was fun to see how they skirted around it.

“This is a simple trick. Even if it is repeated 10 or 500 times, all of you will not see through it. It is not because you people are stupid. This trick is simpler than any you have imagined.”

The build up of the events and exposition of the fake supernatural were quite interesting to watch, and honestly the tricks were actually so stupid. That I think is the most impressive aspect of this series, how such seemingly magnificent occurrences can be explained so simply. Moreover, Naoko’s firm denial of anything supernatural and her strong will to find the root was great.

Overall this was a really fun watch with a suitable ending that left me aghast and also rolling on the floor. 8.5/10. TRICK is a show that I would rewatch.

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Heartwarming and a bunch of flower boys

Honestly, I gave it a try to watch this drama because of Chengxiao but got surprised because of the whole male cast, lmao. If you are looking for a drama that will spoil your eyes because of its cast, then this drama is super recommended.

Actually, I just started watching C-drama and romance drama isn't my thing, so I didn't have any expectations. I thought the drama would be filled with romance like the previous c-dramas that I've watched, but no? And it turned out to be "my cup of tea dramas".

I really love how they sent every message in this drama. They talked about gender equality, where some people underestimate women for things that they thought only men would understand.
It also talked about dreams. Those players want to chase their dreams despite the fact that they didn't get support and were opposed by their family. The only thing that they can do is prove that they didn't choose the wrong path.
I like how they pointed out fans' behavior. Some fans will throw hate to someone, even think that the support that they have given is enough to interfere in their idol's private life. Also, how people use mental health as an excuse because of her wrongdoing. That's a picture which also happened in real life.
Romance, dream, family, friendship, trust, even relationship between idols and fans, you can find it in this drama.

The matter is in me. I didn't understand the game, so I couldn't be excited T-T but it's still fun to watch. Fortunately, after 26 episodes, I could finally understand the game.

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This was my first introduction to Gong Yoo and I can easily understand why he's so loved. He's gorgeous, emotive, and captivating in his scenes.

This series easily had one of the strongest openings I've ever watched. The first few episodes hooked me in with its OST, masterful cinematography, special effects, and script. I loved the backstory and how it explained the Goblin's origin in a way that made me think of old bedtime stories, or even a Guillermo del Toro opener. I was curious and enamored by Goblin right away.

The show isn't perfect. I wouldn't say it's "over-hyped" like some of the other reviews say, but I do feel like the show had some issues that even made me skip through a bit with the last couple of episodes.

The pacing was a huge issue. It became very obvious by episode 7 or 8 that the show lacked its main antagonist. That could have easily been remedied by introducing the evil spirit a lot sooner (and with less Halloween-y makeup) and less meandering with the "will she or won't she" pull the sword out. I also had an issue with the age gap. I had the same issue in My Roommate is a Gumiho. Why must the writers use a minor to captivate the heart of our 900+year-old protagonist? Ick, guys. Even making her college-age at their intro would have been a whole lot better (maybe mid-20s?). Her maturity level and the school uniform constantly gave me the creeps whenever he looked at her in a romantic way (although, I'll give the series credit that they waited until she was technically legal until he made any physical move on her...but still, ick! 900 vs just-legal. What is this, a Pornhub storyline?)

I was able to suspend disbelief a little bit ONLY because I knew the RL actress was actually 26 (to Gong's 38 - which is still a bit much, but still totally acceptable and not 19yr old vs 900+).

Kim Byung Chul bothered me a lot. His character, Park Joong Hun, was ultra campy in both appearance and behavior as an evil spirit. I assumed it was due to poor writing (which came as a surprise because the writing was excellent up until then). He was a lot more sinister in his introduction as he whispers into the king's ear. He seemed formidable and insidious.

I loved the bromance and the humor that the show inserted to give moments levity. I didn't really like the Cinderella syndrome our FL had with her constant need to summon Goblin to solve her problems instead of fight back and out of her own dilemmas (even though it was always fun watching him come to her rescue or show up disoriented and caught off guard).

The ending was bittersweet for me with respect to Goblin's fate, but knowing he's no longer existing purely because of his punishment tells me he'll leave with her once she's lived through her 4th life, so in that respect it was beautifully written.

Despite its issues, I was sad to finish the show. I'm having a hard time finding something else to watch that matches even close.

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I don't know what anyone's problem is with An Hyo-seop.

He might be new (his debut was in 2016), but I thought he was totally great in this. I never got the impression that he was "green" like other reviewers have said, and I found him totally capable of holding his own with Park Bo-yeong. Their chemistry was killer, and I LOVED their comedy together. They're a great screen match and have great chemistry. The scene where she dreams of him accidentally kissing her and she goes off on him and he turns it right back on her while everyone dances around him was *SO FUNNY*. I cried laughing. The casting was great.

I could watch An Hyo-seop watch paint dry and still drool. That man is beyond gorgeous, it's almost offensive.

Aside from our two leads, the plot was horrendous and had more holes than swiss cheese. It got better near the end, especially when the (spoiler alert) true villain was unveiled, but by then, the show was nearly done. I also got a bit tired of the convoluted rules of the orb and watching Park Bo-yeong die over and over again (it lost its emotional weight).

I'm also super annoyed with the "2 (or 3) years later" trope that seems to be huge in Kdramas. Why the giant time skips, people?! It doesn't need to be that long.

That's crazy. Anywho, looking forward to more dramas with An Hyo-seop.

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