Reviews

Stellar casting, meh drama

In the end, the casting saved the show from. An otherwise patronising show.
I'm so tired of school bullying scenes, I skipped that episode entirely.
The first half was more balanced, then it abruptly be one a crime show.
Kim Ji Hoon gets typecast as the villain too much, and his "crazy eyes routine" are not effective anymore, expecially when border parody, like in this instance.
You could tell Kim Jae Wook and Park So Dam were having a lot of fun in their part.
Oh Jung-se gets the most screen time so we get to empathise a bit more with him.
What it left in the end is the crazy moto chase and the serial killers duel.

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Don't hesitate to watch this drama!

Derailment was promoted as a fantasy, mistery, romance genre but turns out It's more of a HEALING drama, the way I feel all their pains & then cherish their every touching moments... ?
I really love all their relationship, Qi Lian, Jiang Xiao Yuan, Xu Jin Yang, Jiang Bo ?❤️

What I love from Derailment is the fact that Qi Lian & Xiao Yuan's relationship has no thirdwheel, the problem is not some kind of 'stupid misunderstanding', but more of building trust, overcome mental matters, & reunite stronger than ever!

What I wish they could do with this drama:
✅️ Decrease Xiaoyuan's work story & change to their sweet flashback story instead (it deserves at least 7 episodes, not 2-3 only)
✅️ Add more mistery & thriller elements (u will know it's that good when u see Huo Boyu!)
✅️ Reveal the last plot twist for the last 2 ep to keep the excitement
✅️ Make a plot twist at the last episode, but I wish it will still a clear HE just like now!

But whatever the minus from this drama is, I still think that the rating is still too low for the drama,, Be real now, there are soooo many worse boring drama get better rating I'm in pain seeing the rating!

Positive things about this drama:
✅️ Quite many plot twist
✅️ Thriller scenes are quite good too (Huo BoYu acting is superb!)
✅️ Slowburn romance but so many memorable sweet romance scenes
✅️ Excellent FL acting, I mean, very very very excellent!

All of this reason is enough to enjoy this drama to it's fullest, so don't hesitate watching this drama without thinking too much about other opinions...!

I will personally add tags for the genre: #sliceoflife #healingdrama

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A Journey to Love is one of the best wuxia productions that, even if the screenwriter, producer, and director turned delusional in the last eight minutes of the grandiose last episode, it does not take away from the fact that it is one of the best period legend dramas in matters of cinematography, costumes, writing, and a strong, smart, and passionate cast that has one of the best written dynamics in complex human interactions. This drama is fast paced and due to the fact that it has multiple leading characters, there’s never a dull moment. The audience is pulled into the plot and gets totally invested in the main characters and some great supporting characters as well. Although the plot deals with revenge and justice seeking themes, the story is really a beautiful and bittersweet tale about friendship, loyalty, romance, and the fine line between what is right or wrong in order to achieve justice. The main cast did an excellent job bringing their complex and ambivalent characters into life. And lets talk a bit about the extraordinary leading couple; the strong, smart, stiff, and frigid female assassin Ren Ru Yi / Ren Xin (played by Liu Shi Shi) an the intelligent, enigmatic, and resolute strategist Ning Yuan Zhou (played by Liu Yu Ning) which met by coincidence and found themselves working together for mutual benefits and, in the process of leading Wu's State's escort delegation to save the King of Wu who has been taken hostage by the State of An, formed a partnership based on mutual respect and understanding that leads to a steadfast and beautiful love story. SPOILER ALERT:
Now to the end, what were they thinking? This is one of the rare dramas in which a tragic ending is written in a beautiful and mesmerizing way making it clear to the audience that the leading couple gave their all, saved many lives, and fulfilled their promise to live and die together. [After sustaining multiple injuries, the leading man was pierced all around his waist by nine spears, all at the same time, with blood gushing out while she says in despair: “You broke your promise again.” Then the leading lady goes to the Beipan enemy encampment, gathers all the leaders in a tent and, as she killed the Prince, she closes her eyes and, in her thoughts, she says: “Yanzhou. You’re gone. It’s too lonely for me… in the world.” Then she immediately throws two of Yuan Lu’s bombs and the tent bursts into flames following the blast.] So, why giving the audience the implausible ideas that they survived, had children, and are living their dreamed life? How ridiculous!!!!! If the audience stops at the 40 minute mark of the last episode before they announced: [Ten or so years later], it will avoid ending up scratching its head, in disbelief!

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This drama is a welcome antidote to all of the revenge dramas out there. Watching revenge dramas such as "The Glory" or "Vincenzo" is vastly entertaining and satisfying. "Call It Love," on the other hand, shows the emotional costs to one’s humanity and to innocent bystanders when one seeks revenge. Refraining from seeking revenge after one has been deeply wronged can be a sign of strength, not cowardice or weakness, and choosing to forego revenge can paradoxically leave one satisfied and more at peace with oneself. I’m glad that this drama shows the other side of revenge.

Shim Woojoo’s and Han Dongjin’s stories and their developing attraction to each other are beautifully told. I was impressed with Kim Young Kwan’s acting, which nails the still waters run deep-personality of Han Dongjin. Too often such attempts result in wooden acting (like Bo Hyun Ahn in "See You In My 19th Life"), but Kim Young Kwan is excellent. Even his back does a great acting job (you’ll understand if you watch this drama).

I watched this on Hulu but the subtitles were pretty bad and too often unintentionally funny. For example, when a tall, broad-shouldered, deep-voiced guy would laugh the subtitle would show, “Giggles.” Someone would cry and the subtitle would say, “Sniffles.” Big sigh. Or, as the subtitle would say, instead of sigh, “Snort.”

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Suicide Shaming and Very Base Level Takes on Mental Health-Lost opportunity for deeper disscussions

This whole show rubbed me the wrong way and it wasn't until I finished that I realized why--suicide shaming. There was an opportunity to really delve into mental health and suicide but instead, the story focuses on a surface-level approach of "suicide affects those around you, more than the victim themselves" INSTEAD of focusing on the actually environment that led up to the suicide, the main character is instead punished and shamed for his actions. I'm not here to argue that suicide is a good option, of course, it isn't, but to completely gloss over just how tough the main character's life was, does such a disservice.

It was such a typical and predictable ending, I was hoping they would've had a more nuanced take- but I guess not. The only thing that made this show good was the acting, and honestly, it feels wasted on a surface-level plot, the actors were seriously so amazing in each role. The shifts from their 'real' character, to the one that the main character takes on are very well done.

The whole premise was a good one, but executed poorly.

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An Emotional Timey Wimey Time

The plot is original and it doesn't fall into a lot of BL trope scenes. The cast was good, and Tae and Tee led the show very well. I didn't feel like anyone was dragging down the show.

I think the drawbacks of the show are the music - sometimes it all felt kind of random or weak. And while I loved the time loop idea, it did get a little confusing at times trying to keep the events in order, and during the final loop several previously known facts were changed to ensure certain characters got the endings the creators wanted.

For example - Sing and Gap suddenly dating and Sing being the lead doctor trying to expose Sak. Tol's classmates being suddenly reasonable and Doi going insane.

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Not perfect but interesting take on suicide

This is an easy binge that though it is episodic has a decent story as well as character development to make it interesting.

Though I am not really a huge fan of the way they portray hell and parts of the story do kind of bother me... There are also some parts that may be just a little to predictable if I am honest while others actually did surprise me. I am also a bit bothered by peoples screaming and displays of emotion... Not that they are not justified but they can get to be just a little bit to much, lowd screaming and crying are simply not my thing.

The high score goes to how easily bingeagable this is the great performances of the star studded cast, how well woven this is and the fact that I keep wanting to press that next button.

I am also happy I do not have to wait for the second part, that would probably have ruined the experience as it ends on top!

Will it be able too keep the high score in part two or will it be taken over by healing mumbo jumbo... and more talk of hell?

Ill probably let you know sometime tomorrow , as I am off to binge part 2

P.S there are a lot of ways to die... like a lot!

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a masterpiece fr, trust me.

not one to write reviews but this drama is too good not to. i had not read the webtoon so i had no idea how this was gonna be but it turned out amazing. like genuinely, the plot, the acting, the pacing, the dialogues, everything is perfect. the whole drama is so well written.

it is tough to create such a heartfelt and touching kdrama which actually alters your brain chemistry in a positive way. i've had depression for a while now and this drama hit home in a lot of scenes. despite how hopeless the ML's situation feels in the beginning, it is truly amazing how they managed to somehow ignite hope by the ending. the irony is that i was fully prepared for a sad ending, kind of proving true a lot of the points made in the drama about the ML and the ending (tho somewhat predictable if you're being hopeful) was like a reminder that even in such situations things can turn around for the better.

some may feel i am giving a lot of importance to what is just a drama but for someone who has felt a lot of what the ML did, this show actually means a lot. kdramas have anyway played a major role in my life as a coping mechanism and this one truly touched my heart and just made me feel happy ngl?

the drama itself is a rollercoaster of emotions like you will be angry, you'll feel sad, you'll cry and whatnot but it is so SO worth it. not much for rewatch value maybe cause the suspense and curiosity for what comes next plays a big role in keeping you hooked so after knowing the whole plot you might not wanna watch it again. BUT DO WATCH IT ONCE!

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Good acting and good characters

I never really connected with the characters in this rom-com, so it wasn't my favorite. However, I do think that the actors displayed their talents by making the 1-dimensional, over-the-top characters come to life. So for that, I give them props. And the story itself wasn't bad, and the ridiculousness wasn't so great that I ever thought about dropping it.

I think my favorite character was probably Gam Oh Jung, the firefighting partner of Jung Kook Hee. This character was written and portrayed well, and was often pivotal in the decisions of the other characters. He was silly but insightful, responsible yet care-free, and supportive without stepping on toes. I admired his tenacity, but also his ability to let go when needed. I also enjoyed his comic relief, which was delivered without resorting to slapstick actions or reactions.

The show did have many elements that I didn't expect, such as suspense, hidden agendas, and mild mystery and danger, without losing the comedy and romance portions of the rom-com. Also, I think the writers did well wrapping up the show, as it felt "finished" but not rushed at the end. I would definitely recommend this as a show to pass the time, and if someone were to watch this without any expectations, I think they would enjoy it.

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Part 2 is perfect

I was a bit disappointed of the end of Part 1 and some reviews said Part 2 was not worth it.

In my opinion, Part 2 gave us everything season 1 did not.

As said for Part 1, the acting was perfect, and the chemistry between the main leads is off the roof. I like how Part 2 gives more depth to the characters (even side characters). There is something really precious in each relationship, especially those formed by Lee Jang Huyn with others (special mention for his relationship with the Qing Commander & the Princess).

It still seems some issues were left to the side, which is a bit of a shame as it could have been more of a historical drama. However, this still was a really good drama that i would recommend watching :)

Part 1 review: https://mydramalist.com/profile/lisouille/reviews/328967

Note: same with Part 1, there are a lot of scenes with violence :(

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Conspiracies!

Everyone she met was conspiring against her and Zisheng all the way to the end. It was obviously their fault for everything bad that happened to the conspirator (sarcasm present).
In the end, only 1 friend, 2 men who loved her, the emperor and empress and her family didn't betray her at some point besides Zisheng and his people. Everyone else, no matter how nice they seemed, had an agenda and wanted to end her life at some point.
Also, the emperor's consort aggravated my soul so much. I understand they were childhood sweethearts and that the emperor was forced to marry the empress by their family, but they didn't have to make her life miserable. The drove her so deep into depression, she later died of a broken heart. And I blame them. With the consort acting like she was so magnanimous and going to convince the emperor because she could, with their constant smiling and looking at each other with love like the empress didn't deserve love too. Even to the end, the empress called this rat a sister.

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A BEAUTIFUL STORY OF two lovers that are fated to be together <3

This show is one of a kind. I have never watched a drama as good as this, it is 100% my favorite of 2023!!! I was reluctant to watch because of the historical themes (I have dropped every historical drama I tried watching) but I was blown out of the water and kept watching this show every single week. This show executes everything so well. First and foremost, the romance is one of a kind. When watching this show, I am completely absorbed into the romance and feel like I am watching a real life couple live out their life. The comedy is amazing with every single side character having their great moments. The second male lead is one of the best executed as well because he isn't overbearing to the female lead and is simply kind to her to express himself. The OSTs are amazing and I kept playing the songs on repeat this whole time of the drama airing. It's hard to explain until you watch it but even the background music is perfect for every scene they illustrated. My good praises for this show can keep going and going but ultimately it made me feel so happy in a tough time and I haven't been invested in a drama like this for a long time. If you are thinking about starting this, definitely start and I'm sure you will not only love it, but try recommending it to every single one of your friends as I am! Bae Inhyuk's best work and the show that has made me a huge fan of Lee Se Young. To summarize, this show is the love story of the century!!!!!!

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Lovely leads and a decent story brought down to the ground by holes and cringe

This drama starts off all fun perfectly balanced between the cold, warm, the tight slightly wet buttoned downed shirts and dimples for as far at the eye can see... The male lead who had had heart surgery actually had a scar..

The over top potential pot holes where kept to minimum and the "oh my god I am in the future" potential over the top low humour was kept to a minimum. The Product placement was top of the top!

The leads out of this world with great chemistry and an amazing use of flowers and butterflies everywhere... The side character are lovable too, the evil is evil and there is this nice mist of know who the real enemy is all over the ground...

But then came the cringy monologs, the twists that just stoped making sense in the context and the lovely scar from the heart surgery was found to be lacking as they either placed a pace maker either from the wrong entrance or it magically grew there... And well in this drama there was indeed a whole lot of magic but creating cyborgs just was not really part of it... The lovely wet shirts got covered up more and more with not so good looking suits (still ok, just not as good)... The evil villains started to get these meeeh back stories that kind of killed the mood.

So the score that was way up there started to go down, down,... and almost hit a 7 before it went back up to an 8.

So what can I say, this is a sweet easy binge with great leads and just a little to much cringe for it to be a great watch

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