Reviews

Not Bad but Not Good either

this show was good, yes but the storyline got boring the moment they started to fall for each other. Before that, I was extremely curious about the culprit's identity and the backstory behind his villain arc but after it turned out to be Noh Suk-min, it decreased my interest in that show even more. The beginning was perfect. From Eps 1-10, I watched the series without even sleeping but it got more and more boring as the episodes progressed. But still, this show was very good. Just wish that the FL didn't just act expressionless while the ML was being portrayed as a cheerful, devoted husband character because by the end, they both became highly annoying. But still, a great watch. Highly recommended.

Read More

Overused plot

Don't get me wrong, this series was one of my most anticipated releases for this year but it kind of disappointed me. Maybe this show is not my cup of tea but the storywriters are just being lazy. They could have given us a better storyline by making the stepmother of Isoo not one of the bad guys. This plot, this character is being overused and stereotypical. But still love the bond between him and his brother. One thing I am irritated with is the attitude of the FL. Ik that she is harsh on him because she perceives him as just a rich kid enjoying Papa's money but her character could have been executed and written better. She is not being 'bold' by being rude for no reason. Also, I can't feel anything from her character like her expressions are just not giving the vibe that the character she is playing in this series should give. On the other hand, I think that Ahn Bo-hyun did the right job by playing this character. He gives off good energy and vibes. Every scene containing him is exciting so rather than adding a romance sub-plot with this terrible FL, increase his screentime and make this a show only for him instead.

Read More

Enjoyable

Park Shin-Hye's return to the screen in this captivating Kdrama is nothing short of a triumphant comeback. Paired alongside the esteemed Park Hyun-sik, the chemistry between the two actors is palpable, adding depth and authenticity to the storyline. With just two episodes in, it's evident that this series has the potential to etch its name in the annals of Kdrama history as one of the finest. For those on the fence about giving it a chance, fear not; the magnetic performances and engrossing plot make it a must-watch. So, without further hesitation, dive into this mesmerizing tale and witness the magic unfold!

Read More

Chef's kiss ?

Someone has replaced Goblin as my top 1 kdrama. Never did I think it would be Song Joong-Ki. Trust me, I'll say it again—I'M NOT A FAN OF HIM, and I just watched his shows this 2024.

Okay, this show was recommended by a friend, so I gave it a try. Damn, the first three episodes were so boring, and it felt so long. Who knew episodes with an hour and a half are still a thing??? I even changed the setting to 1.5x to watch it faster. It was wasting too much time. I really considered dropping it, but my gut said this show has potential, so I continued watching.

After episode 4 where Cha-young's father died, little by little, it captured my attention. Fun fact, I really like watching law series. This show got me screaming and nervous at the same time. Too many revelations, and the visuals? Best casting ever. It got me hooked until the last episode. Taecyeon's English-speaking skills are so good ?

I got post kdrama syndrome because of this. After watching it, I felt empty and kept posting TikTok edits of them. I really liked how this show focuses on law, corruption, and exposing Babel rather than making it romantic for Cha-young and Vincenzo. Also, I liked Vincenzo's relationship with the tenants, how gradually their relationship progressed.

P.S. my score really is 10 but I don't remember any ost from it so I gave its music score 1.0 with the overall of 8.

Read More

Watched Vincenzo after this and I forgot I even liked this show before

It’s been three weeks since I watched this, but I don’t remember any significant episode that is unforgettable for me. However, the OST is excellent; the musical director deserves a raise. Anyway, I got hooked on this show because of Song Joong-Ki’s charms. Believe me, I’m not a fan of his, and I was really looking forward to the second lead guy, but Joong-Ki knows how to catch our attention with his charms.

I gave it a 7 because the last part felt a bit rushed, and I think his character dying is irrelevant. Like, he died that easily and came back like nothingi happened?? That episode was so meh

Read More

Sometimes grumpy & gruff, sometimes touchingly sweet & unabashedly sincere, radiating joy & warmth

“Like Flowers in Sand” is enchanting in its own way. Here we have once again a KDrama with a distinctive aura. Rustic, with tons of heart, original characters and great performance. Without tons of make-up, yet with plenty of bare male torsos - here, for a change, not focusing on aesthetic ideals… (which sort of makes this KDrama even more likeable and even more authentic.) Love also has a subtle hand in it here and conjures up a rather unconventional Rom+Com in the guise of a crime thriller.

“Like Flowers in Sand” takes a look at the rural regions – with their living traditions, the lively gossip and the importance of lifelong childhood friendships. The way people interact with each other is a little rough, but still warm; sweet even, yet in a grumpy disguise.

The KDrama draws its significant charm from the tradition and lifestyle of the Ssireum wrestlers. The two protagonists grew up with Ssireum (see side note below). In general, Ssireum marks the dramaturgical pivot of the story - then and now.

The gym, the sand-filled wrestling field, the colorful ´satpas´, and the ML tirelessly running here and there and back again, all of this contributes to an unmistakable look&feel. In addition, "Like Flowers in Sand" is sometimes grumpy and gruff, sometimes touchingly sweet and unabashedly sincere - with three-dimensional, unconventional characters in their unique individuality quietly conquering the hearts of the audience. A KDrama solidly grounded in the life of ordinary people, that in its quirky, eccentric aura radiates joy and warmth.

















----------------------------------------------------------------
SIDE NOTE: --- Ssireum – Korean version of wrestling ---

Ssireum has been listed as a UNESCO immaterial world heritage since 2018. This distinctive Korean wrestling is probably as old as the first kingdom of Korea itself, which according to legend was founded in 2333 BC. What is certain though, this form of wrestling has already been practiced during the time of the Goguryeo Kingdom. The strongest young men from the surrounding villages came together for competition, with the last man standing at the end being the winner.
Ssireum is the wrestling of two people within a circular field filled with sand with a diameter of 8 m. So-called 'satpas' form a kind of belt over the wrestling pants that the opponents at all cost hold on to during the fight - until one can bring the other down by strength or skill. The techniques are varied, but hitting and pushing are not among them.
Actually, previous to colonial times, this type of wrestling was known as Gakjo, Gakhi, Sangbak, Jaenggyo or Gakgi. Wrestling was tolerated under the Japanese because it had similarities to sumo. Competitions were successively sponsored, which ultimately led to national championships. To this day, Ssireum is an established and popular sport in South Korea being practiced by women, too.
Eventually, with Netflix broadcasting this ENA Production internationally, the immaterial cultural heritage is reaching more worldwide attention, too...

Read More

every person can have happy ending??

i really love their love story but I’m not satisfied the ending??????❤️❤️❤️HAHAHAHAHAHAH I MUST BE CRAZY because i hope a miracle will happen to JW but I know it won't. I just hope that the ending will allow JW to be able to hear and be able to speak so that JW doesn't feel insecure about his disability and can happily relationship with Moeun????????and i hope that JW can hear Moeun the voice and Moeun can hear JW call her name. I don’t know why I’m not satisfied also disappointed ☹️with the ending maybe i must watched many fantasy drama hahahahahahah

Read More

A not so objective rating, but an objective review

I’m rating this drama with a not so objective rating of 10 because it was really captivating, despite its imperfections. However, I would like to mention the things I didn’t like because I really hoped that some things would be different! First of all, I really really enjoyed the parents' storyline but wished for more scenes of them and a better conclusion, especially after what happened to Yi Chan. Additionally, I wasn’t as fond of the second couple's plot and the general story between Yi Chan and Se Kyung. I felt like Cheong Ah’s emotions for Yi Chan were so sincere that I would like if his emotions felt more developed and not so rushed. For me it was like he forgot Se Kyung in one day and he started to like Cheong Ah in this exact day also. Like before the big event he was fighting with Eun Gyeol for the same girl but they show us that at the same time he wanted to dedicate a song to Cheon Ah? I don’t know…
And in the end I didn’t like that the present life of the family changed so drastically. But because I understand that if Cheon An was saved her life would be different I would like at least a more family moment in the present and not just a big event in which they couldn’t exchange more personal words with one another.That all!! I really hoped that I could at least change the last scenes !!! Maybe I need to read some fanfics!

Read More

Love him love his voice? Yes please...

Finally been able to sit & watch this drama... Oh My God I love love love this... Long time not falling this down & deep with any drama.... I don’t want this to end....

Before this never realized how soothing Tan Jian Ci voice.... That voice really can make me dream to the cloud nine... Haha.... So with that voice, this drama definitely land their mark on my fav ost. Can't get enough of all the song in this drama.... Enough about that. Let's talk drama....

What i really2 like:
+ Tan Jian Ci and his voice.... One more time. Oh My Gosh that voice....
+ One walking & alive green flag ML... Haha... One very famous, rich, kind and handsome man that very humble & still very introvert man. Haha... And the way he respect our FL. Ugh... How can a man alive in only our dream come to our screen... Haha...
+ No love rival or third wheel that hinder their relationship. Not even fans of both side....
+ The cute 2nd couple. So cute & a little bit frustrated to see the dumb Zhou Zheng when he try to chase Geng Xiao Xing
+ How wonderful their friend circle. I love see how they all interact with each other. Even though they sometimes nosy, but with only one glance from Mo Qing Cheng (QC) and they all shut up. Haha...
+ The drolling food. Ugh... Sometimes it makes me hungry... Unfortunately later we don't get the cooking narration from our ML, instead just the cooking demo itself.... Haha...

What feel a little lack:
- How casual every thing.... The way they start to take their relationship further is so casual. Like when QC confess to Gu Sheng (SS), it's in the kitchen. It's like something he can't hide anymore and just jump out of his mouth. Or when QC purpose to SS, oh so damn casual.... I really hope we can get the better proposal scene....
- QC a little too perfect to be a famous person. I don’t believe no crazy fans or paparatzi that try to reveal his face to the world. Especially when Qiang Qing Ci start his relationship with Sheng Sheng Man, 2 hot topic yet no one try to expose more... Unfortunately I don't believe the world is that kind...
- They never let our FL introduce to ML's family.... Only QC comes to SS family. If only the throw away some unimportant scene, like when QC & SS meet QC neighbors, and replace with SS come to QC's house. It's gonna be the best. After all they plan the wedding, right. How can the leave behind the fact SS haven't meet QC's family....

Overall this definitely one drama i can't forget & forever and ever in my most beloved drama....

Read More

A healing drama

This slice of life drama is really comforting to watch.
But of course, some plots are a little bit annoying to watch such as,
FL - easily forgive the framer even tho her whole life is nearly destroyed and not standing up for herself.
ML - not much character development.
Second ML - unnecessary plot from my pov.
FL’s mother - close mouthed about her bff death, never confront ML’s father for years and she even made the whole family also felt guilty for ML’s mother weather related death.
ML’s father - his way of hatred on FL family is too childish and too nonsense (that I can’t even watch his scenes) and forgiveness is too sudden.

But overall, this drama is light hearted to watch from heavy plot dramas.

Read More

Charming Series!

Although My Boss is an understated RC, it is a solid series in its genre just the same. In my view, it is better for example than the current Our Interpreter or the recent Only For Love. Neither series are without appeal..but they are missing some element that would make them a stand out. This series by contrast has consistently delivered. It has a been a pleasure to watch for multiple reasons. There are thrills but without extreme angst. A fun and enjoyable watch ...but absent the frivolous fluff. The release schedule for this series has also added to the fun. Slow releases often negatively impact a drama...yet on this one...they chose to air one new episode almost every day. What is not to love about that? ❤️
Some have complained that it took too long for them to become a couple. I respectfully disagree. Half the fun of any trip is the planning and anticipation, right? So why the rush? Savoring suits an adult palate. Lol. Although the build up is relaxed...it has made this romance feel all the more legit. As if we have a window into a love affair from its conception to its maturity. Besides as viewers, we already know they love each other....even before they appear to know it themselves.

Things I Loved:
The ML, Chen Xing Xu:
The camera loves this guy, I swear he does not have a bad angle. His stylist played up his good looks with clothing that was interesting yet totally fit his quieter persona. And his hair...well, it is really, really nice. Lol.
But more importantly, I really liked his character in this series. He gave a much used stereotype a fresh new take, how that is possible given the many RC's out there I dunno......but he did it. And he did it in such an understated way that it felt authentic. And ummm...can we just take a detour to talk about his chest? Hey!! Don't laugh...his muscles are serious business. Don't believe me? Research it. Lol. But since I am a serious reviewer, you can take it from me darling...his chest muscles are for real. How do we know? Well, dang it...he has the pics to prove it...can you believe? And those pics have dealt a blow to his harshest critics who said that he wore chest pads. Grrr...the very idea! So life in China as a celebrity is tough business....evidently you gotta prove those abs are for real.

The FL, Zhang Ruo Nan:
She is adorable...and I am taking nothing away from her by saying that. She just is. She is not a bombshell, but the more you look at her.....she is gorgeous. She is also very adept at playing her role..it has never been plain vanilla or perky/silly...or one of those pushy females pursuing and being rejected, instead her role feels uncontrived and unusually fresh. She holds her own with a much more dynamic ML without losing a step. She is easily as interesting to watch as he is. I especially love it that despite his strong personality ...she has an equal confidence in herself. She is not led around by her emotions or by his moods. She appears to value her own life independent from his opinion of her. I liked that. I do love strong FL's.

The Setting: The Law Firm
Cheng Yao (Zhang Ruo Nan) is a young and talented lawyer who has bigger ambitions than she has connections. Her biggest problem? She has never tried a case before. So she is in desperate need of a quality mentor. She gets an unexpected chance to join an exceptional law firm, blissfully unaware that her new Boss, Qian Heng (Chen Xing Xu) accepts no one less excellent than himself. He is infuriated with his partner who has hired Cheng Yao. Qian Heng is one very determined guy. He has made a name for his law firm by sheer talent and hard work. His strong desire to succeed means that he will only hire the best, those who don't meet the grade...are fired on the spot. He has carefully built his reputation...as a top notch lawyer who never loses a case. So when he sees that his partner has hired Cheng Yao because he is in love with her sister...he dislikes her on principal. Things escalate further when they discover they will end up sharing an apartment. Both are wary, yet living together has unexpected side benefits. He finds that she is surprisingly good for his mental and physical well being and she benefits from having him to mentor her. So the law firm adds a cool element to the story, the cases and coworkers are interesting and the writers have sketched a mentor/mentee relationship that is turning into a toe-curling romance. For now it is a 10. I will be back to update you.

@20 This series is a gem and if romance is your thing, you will love this one.
@23 I have smiled my way through this series. If you've experienced the excitement of a love affair where all your senses are engaged...you will relate to this one. Watching them feeding each other pizza was such a legit moment that I felt the joy. This relationship has come full circle. He is now the vulnerable one and she appears to be the more mature one. She may not be experienced in love, but she has self-respect (I love that!) so she is no pushover. She is making him work for it and you gotta love that! Update at Final.

Happy Watching!

Read More

A drama that stirred so much emotions - IT HAD MY HEART

I can't even begin to describe how I feel about this drama but all I can say it was a rollercoaster in the best way possible and it had my heart the whole time. Not me was able to create an enticing plot with deep character storylines and the perfect chemistry. It tackles politics, it tackles ableism, it tackles injustice of any kind in an interesting way that you can't help but watch unfold in-front of your eyes.

This show may have it's faults, since my review is spoiler free I will refrain from pointing them out and if you're looking for a perfect story then this is not it. So why rate it a 9? Because there's not many shows that can leave me feeling the way I feel now. Through the characters I saw family, i saw love- the characters are far from perfect but that doesn't stand in their way of caring for each-other despite each-others faults, that's what I view as true love- whether platonic or romantic the admiration, the passion, the raw emotions had destroyed me and fixed me in so many ways.

I don't think there will ever be a show that can pull off what 'Not Me' had, and I won't lie i began this show with little expectations only to find a sense of family within the characters and to see a heartening show that stirred so much emotion in me and I could not put it down, I may have watched it in the span of 3 days consistently but during the time I was occupied by my life, my mind returned to thinking about the whole dramas framework and plot. I will forever admire what this show was able to evoke, and I feel like it is a drama I will remember.

Read More

This is it. This is my comfort drama.

This is it. I found my comfort drama. Whenever people would say that "this was their comfort drama", I never understood what that meant. Sure, I had dramas that I loved, dramas that I would rewatch, and dramas that I thought were absolute masterpieces. But this is the only drama where I definitely felt "this is my comfort drama". This was such a feel good, slice of life, realistic drama. I absolutely loved it and I know I'll be coming back to watch this time and time again.
I don't think I have much else to say, sure the drama may have its flaws but this was such a heartwarming ride that I really don't mind. It was still such a beautiful portrayal of life, friendship, and family.

Read More

Dropped...Sorta

So I made it to episode 7 of this throwback series, reminding me of all of what we had in 2016, mixed with a little HIStory 2: CTL. And to be completely honest, I don't hate this, not like the usual BLs that I drop specifically because I hate them, with this one, it's just very very -- boring. With so many characters, side couples, and plots, it's hard to keep up. And then on top of that, this is languid pace, not only the romances but just the plot in general. How much longer am I to wait for Sprite to tell them he's not Zee? How much longer until the inevitable with First hating SPrite because he didn't tell him? Or let me guess, Zee comes back First is weirded out by him not being in love with him all of a sudden? Classic. Classic and overdone.

Let's Dive In.

I was originally really excited about this, one, because the men in this series are drop-dead gorgeous, and two, I like Twins Switch story tropes. It reminded me a lot of my love for Not Me when it came out, and even though this plot looked a lot more frivolous than NM, it still brought on a little nostalgia, so why not? Episodes 1-3 were probably the best episodes. It sets up the plot nicely without dragging on the start of the conflict, and we see Sprite navigating the ins and
outs of volleyball and his team. It's good. But by then, it was just so draggy. The hospital scenes, the scene of his taekwondo, the useless dialogue, all over it went on for wayyyy too long. Even by episode 7, when we finally get a kiss, I just decide to drop because I see the future, and I don't like it. The reason I say I kind of dropped is because I still skimmed through some of the episodes and watched the very last one, but I say dropped because I might've skimmed too much (lol).

Overall, falls short of delivering a compelling narrative or meaningful character development. Everyone felt one-dimensional, while the plots were cliche and lacking. It's way too predictable, following tired tropes without offering any fresh new perspectives (besides the twin switch). In addition to all of this, the pacing is uneven and way too freaking tedious, leading to massive amounts of boredom and being disengaged from the story. So, yeah, I guess I kind of hated it.


ratings:

Story: 5/10 - was such a good build-up to the conflict, and even had some special gems, but overall, it's just too boring.

Acting: 7.5/10 - Everyone was pretty new, but from what I could see, most of it was decent. There were a couple of characters whose acting was mediocre at best, but it wasn't unwatchable. Frame was definitely the best actor.

Music: 6/10 - wasn't distracting.

Recommendation Value: 3/10 - Honestly, it's not a one just cause I would definitely recommend looking at these beautiful creatures, because goddamn. Otherwise, save your time.

Read More

Mashup of historical drama with VFX and monsters

Unlike several big-budget Korean series that have appeared in the wake of Squid Game, Gyeongseong Creature is admirably restrained in its narrative ambitions and never uses it's full potential.
A historical drama infused with monsters and sci-fi stuff is brought down to some extent by poor quality CGI and ineffective chemistry between the leads. The pacing could have been better. The drama has some noticeable issues but it is still effective to please us, atleast to some extent.
Director Dong-yoon makes sure that while all the characters have their own little arc, it is Gyeongseong- the region that becomes a very important character in the narrative. The K-drama isn’t without its flaws. Every now and then, there are a few gaps in logic or parts of the plot that could have been explained better along with s better chemistry. But these are little things in the face of a drama that has used its solid production value to offer something out of the box, although it doesn't stand out completely.

My Rating : 7.5/10

Read More