Reviews

The four horsemen ride again!

There appears to be two types of c-drama watchers, those who has seen L&P and those who have not. Due to some quirk of the space-time continuum, I find myself in the later group. I have since remedied that and I tender this as proof. 😉

BTW, as this drama first aired in 2022, there are already a lot of discussions and countless reviews. I shall focus on some thoughts and spare you the repetition.

There is no doubt this is a good show. While the series is tropey, it managed to weave them into an enthralling story. This is ably assisted by the acting of its young cast and interesting subject matters. I particularly enjoyed the sojourn into the programmer's world as I was a C/C++ programmer in my past life. Their struggle is real.

Our ML is a tortured soul. The FL is a strong-willed young woman who has to grow up fast to save the man she loves. As a chingu said, she must put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

I'm not saying the show is perfect. There are issues. Its unwavering focus on our OTP helps the narrative in the long run. Their journey spanning years is the backbone of this series. We are all in for a bumpy ride.

As you can imagine, they are put through the wringer, especially the ML. This is a 36 eps c-drama after all. The hour before dawn is pitch black for him. His absolute nadir starts around episode 20. Within a few eps, his world has completely collapsed. Before he sunk to his lowest point, he executed a diabolical Noble Idiot scheme. He pushed the FL away so hard that she landed on a different continent! So much pain, so much yearning.

Yes, it is the cliché "how low can he go" scenario. This also allows the writer to pave the way for his redemption in the last third of the series.

Now that we covered the rough plot outline, we need to talk about tropes. This drama is powered by four very powerful ones. I like to call them the Four Horsemen of Tropes.

The first one is the Madonna X Bad Boy trope. The ML is a genius. He is several steps ahead of his peers. The problem is that he is always misunderstood. Just name an antisocial trait and it will most likely be him. It is hard for him to make friends and even harder to keep them. The FL is the one who must do all the heavy lifting in this relationship. She is pretty and righteous.

This brings about the second Horsemen, backstabbing friends. It is sad that friendships can become toxic over time. Jealousy, ambition, love triangle, etc can strain a relationship until it turns sour. The fallout is devastating. The antagonist never walk away unscathed. Redemption is not guaranteed.

Speaking of devastating, we need to look no further than the trope du jour, Noble Idiocy. This show didn’t hold back. Our leads went from cruising along their romantic journey to taking a ride in the Titan submersible (too soon, my bad). It was a desperate act by the ML to push the FL away because he knew he is going to ruin his life. It was a difficult watch. Horsemen #3, tick.

To round out this gathering posse, we have the omnipresent Queen Bee. The FL's mum has been controlling the FL from near and far for years. She is always pulling strings and planning her life. Of course, it all comes down to "mother knows best". This creates a lot of friction for our OTP. The mum's reasoning has scant relevance in this day and age. We mustn't discount the wisdom of elders, but when it is unreasonable, biased and non-negotiable then it spells troubles. While the FL has been passively resisting her machinations for years. Ultimately, she must act to secure her own happiness.

As if to reinforce the pervasiveness of these tropes, I just finished Love For You (2026). In that drama, the ML also pushes the FL away with extreme prejudice mid show. Oh snap! Both dramas have the same FL. Is that just a coincidence or a curse?

Re-watch the whole series will be a bridge too far for me. Just the last few eps is doable. OST is fine. Production value is above average.

Credit to the production team for managing all these tropes. I won't say I enjoyed every minute of it. That is part and parcel of drama watching these days. The downside is its success helps to cement the prevalence of such tropes. You win some and you lose some. Peace.

P.S. 3 bonus observations;
* There is a Big White Truck of Doom™. Enough said.
* How come the FL's mum does not know about the OTP's relationship for 3 years?
* Love the little company that can. A lovely found family. Respect!

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Don't waste your time

Don't waste your time watching this drama. The premise is just like any other, the ML has long harbored feelings for the female lead (he just being a coward simp) but never dared to speak up because FL was already in a relationship with her fiancé. Even after repeatedly discovering her fiancé's infidelity, she clung to the relationship because his mother had raised her since childhood. Despite maintaining the engagement, she ended up sleeping with the ML while drunk and frustrated over her fiancé's cheating. This ambiguous situation dragged on for nearly two-thirds of the drama.

It took a full two hours and fourteen minutes before this foolish FL finally decided to call off the engagement. FL doesn't deserve to end up with the ML, who is portrayed here as incredibly handsome and the heir to the wealthiest family.

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I could rate this a 4 or an 8

It's difficult to write a review for a show like this since you could be rating

a) the production and concept of the show itself

or

b) the storyline, how things turned out between the contestants.

Either way, I do admit that it is frustrating to watch. This could be the editing, but I feel like most of the time the contestants just talk about who is their first choice, instead of actually getting to know each other. But it is also kind of the point of the show - the contestants not really knowing how the whole dating thing is supposed to go or what to say.

Nevertheless, it is super fun to watch and almost impossible not to binge (now that it is released completely). Even though I was super frustrated most of the time, that was part of the charm, so I can't help but give this show a higher rating.

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simple straightforward romcom

kinda surprised nobody else is bothered by the choice to make the webtoon on the usb to be the first main driving point? the side character’s role contributed just about nothing to the story and neither did her usb, even less than the other 2 supporting characters. it didn’t even make sense for anyone else to have seen or know of the usb the way the situation was presented. just a very weak story that blatantly exposed itself as an amateur youtube project despite the fact I watched it on another platform without any prior knowledge. as several others have said as well, the story is told moreso in brief vignettes, which didn’t do it any favours. the stronger point in editing seemed to be the music choices being nearly all piano pieces, giving the show a bit of a theatrical tone that seemed to suit the comedy genre they attempted to achieve that I personally enjoy. though that could possibly also attribute to an amateurish impression too, depending on how different viewers perceive it. more points for characterizations not being bland like most others in the genre. and despite the setbacks, the overall plot was still able to be engaging and wasn’t as boring as other shows in the genre with similarly weak plots. good de-stress watch, light and corny

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THE MOST AMAZING CDRAMA OF ALL TIME....

I'm writing this review after my 5th Rewatch....I literally can't move on from this drama even though it's been almost one year......No matter how many dramas I watch, I always go back to Ji Bozai and Ming Yi....Their chemistry, their love, their sacrifices are on a different level......I just finished my rewatch now; my heart is truly aching.....I can literally feel the pain in my heart that the drama ended.....it's only a drama which is finished here.....I won't see them again....Like I can't explain the feeling....
This is the only drama which has left me in this yearning state....whenever their edits come in front of me......i automatically smile and blush.....and when it's finished I feel hurt that It's only a drama.....Their acting was soo soo soo good and chemistry was so so so so so gooodd that it felt absolutely real......

Now I pray for only one thing......Please pair them again in another drama..... I don't care about the genre plz cast them again......I believe only then will I be able to move on from Ji Bozai and Mingyi.....and start my next yearning on that drama.....
Please Please Please.....now let's just wait....

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Great addition for an era of KBLs that include more genres

For the longest time, KBLs stuck with basic, easy-to-produce/film pieces, but this drama is just another proof of the leaps KBLs have been making. After Secret Relationships, I didn't watch any KBLs for a long time because it gave me a true taste of what I wanted in my KBLs, which is a variety of genres. So you can imagine my happiness when I found out the SR director is also directing this.

PROS:

1. First of all, I absolutely love that we got a drama in this genre, and I hope SK continues experimenting with the type of shows they create.

2. The main characters had sizzling chemistry. Their love-hate storyline was fascinating to watch, and the actors’ chemistry made it even better.

3. I particularly have to appreciate Kim Yoon Sik’s (Tae Son), Cho Min Kyu’s (Ha Neul), and
Seo Han Gyeol’s (Ja Hyeon) performances. The way they were able to emote and perform truly made me feel a lot of emotions, so props to them.

4. While the crime plot wasn’t anything new or out of this world, it still managed to keep me engaged and curious about what was going to happen after each episode. The show managed to create a good balance of romance and crime plots.

CONS:

If I had to critique this drama, there are a few things I would say:

1. This story could have really benefited from having longer or more episodes to flesh out the characters and the crime plot better. I felt like the last couple of episodes were a tad bit rushed in that regard. There was a lot of ‘say, but not show ’ stuff going on.

2. Some might not view this as a con, but for me, this was an annoyance.
A) The AI intro for the drama.
B) The use of AI to edit the ending scene.
I'm not the biggest fan of AI usage in my dramas, but if you're absolutely going to use it, it should at least be well-made or not so obvious. The very obvious use of AI in the intro dimmed my initial excitement going into the drama. However, because the actual story was very engaging, I was able to get over it. That was until I saw the ending scene. That ending scene felt like it came out of some other low-budget drama that has no correlation to the rest of this drama. It really took me out of the moment because I couldn’t stop face-palming and laughing at the stupidity of it. For me, that’s a fairly big blunder to make at the very end of the drama, where you’re supposed to feel emotional and content.

3. I feel like Park Si Woo’s (Lee Chae Ha) character was made to be a bit weak. If you’re an ex-cop who switched to be a prosecutor, I feel like you should at least have some basic defensive skills. However, this drama made this character a tad weak and unable to fight back against suspects, which is quite odd, especially since he’s an ex-cop who’s been to police school and was one of the top students. This aspect made the believability of this character go down for me.

Overall, this is a still a pretty great show to watch if you want something fresh out of Korean BLs. It has an engaging plot, great chemistry, and a good romance plotline. I would recommend giving this a try!

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A good story ruined as it was too slow and drawn out.

This drama initially annoyed me so much I dropped it and went back while waiting for other dramas to drop. The drama is so very slow and boring In parts that it becomes difficult to watch without hitting the Fast Forward button.

The leads have an awful experience growing up and at least the first 10-12 episodes focus on the period when the lead characters are growing up in the 90s. The abuse and neglect by their parents is hard to watch. As the older brother, Chen (ML) does heavy lifting when it comes to protecting and providing a safe home for Miao (FL). As a result Miao (for me) becomes a somewhat annoying helpless female i”but when she returns to Teng city 6 years later she is stronger but still demanding and secretive. The twists and turns as her role starts to gradually reveal itself in episodes 12 onwards is gripping. This is where the drama really starts to develop and become watchable. The love story and chemistry between Chen and Miao is the routine push pull and distracting third parties creating intentional misunderstandings. While some may see this as a main storyline I enjoyed the side plot more and the love story is complementary.

Teng city is a gritty poor environment which is a good change from the glamorous settings of Shanghai and Beijing etc. Chen has been recruited into a world of crime and is trying to break free by running his own small business. The pace is slow and raw. The head gangster (Zhang Bin) is menacing in his calm emotions, and manipulating those around him. He was mesmerising. There are some loud aggressive types but the quiet boss of the underworld is disturbing as his threats are so subtle that one wonders if it is really a threat or good advice.

The three lead actors Song Wei Long, Zhang Ji Yi and Zhou Tie play their roles brilliantly.

Production was generally good and supporting characters never overshadowed the main characters but provided the necessary context for them. I think the Director overused the ‘quiet’ reflection scenes, drawn out scenes such as sickness, death and burial of Miao’s mother and memory flashbacks that contributed to the dragging slow pace of the drama.

Overall I think this drama would have been better if kept to 20 episodes rather than the 32episodes. If it wasn’t so slow and drawn out I would have given a 9.5.

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The Best Military Drama Ever

A Masterpiece!!

I never expected to be so engaged in a military drama. But this drama did it. The plot, acting, fighting, character development, emotions; all were on point. Another thing that I like about this drama is that the plot is so realistic.

An important thing to say, don't expect any romance here. In the cast, it might seem like that Li Yi Tong is the female lead. There's indeed that kind of thing hinted at some point of the drama, but trust me, it has no romance. And she didn't appear in the drama much either, only a few times and nothing special. I couldn't figure out why she is there, 2nd in the cast list, many supporting characters had more screen time than hers. Anyway this is a great drama with great team bond and brotherhood, but not romance.

You should definitely try this. Highly recommended.

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The main conflict of the show is just too bizarre, even for kdramas. It's really hard to get over how ridiculous that is. Sure angsty melodramas have their fans & even I have enjoyed at least one before, but it's challenging to find immersion in the angst, knowing what has caused it.

As a sports drama it kind of sucks too. Badminton is not a sport that can be easily faked by professional actors & the camera work to make it kind of happen is borderline nauseating to watch. Of course the production team knew this, so not that much is shown, but that in itself is also a different problem.

As for the romance, I don't know. The golden retriver ML meets broken girl should have worked without a love triangle, right? It was ok, cute enough at times, but not amazing.

Ultimately I feel romance is not Love All Play's main focus and the other stuff is oftentimes painful to watch. I think this drama barely qualifies as entertainment.

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????????

who allowed these writers to make this.. lol what a huge waste of essentially full length episodes. there was no way to understand anything that happened the plot had actually zero structure at least in the way it was presented on screen. they were really just writing Whatever. right off the bat, the pilot episode makes it seem like you’re dropped off in the middle of nowhere where the story has already started which I think several others have mentioned getting this impression as well. it felt as though absolutely no conversations occurred at all in this story and nothing made any sense. the encompassing mood throughout is absolutely miserable without good reason from this empty plot and along with several others, I was already set off at the start with how bad the sets were lit like a hospital too. really weird production despite clear efforts towards visuals? just poor choices throughout and forcing myself to finish it to judge it fairly was just plain torturous. haven’t read the source material, but it seems like it was written by some sick teenager. the obsession with pseudo incest in asia for no reason needs to be studied. in this adaptation seemed like they just took the entire novel and annotated key scenes that they wanted to portray and threw them together alone as separate parts without any consideration for flow or storytelling. unlikable characters and exaggerated characterizations, literally the only character I didn’t hate was Iljo, even he was written poorly. hated Suhyo and Jeonghan when we were probably only supposed to hate Jeongin and the CEO. the addition of the past scenes were particularly useless because it just made me wonder why on earth Iljo was treated with such scorn in the beginning when there was no reason for it at all other than to just have an edgy toxic premise. just made me feel pity for the entire cast to be subjected to a script like this. I normally hate how many osts, especially in this genre, will often have full english lyrics for openings, but the closing credits track was unexpectedly good. mildly surprised there’s any good reviews of this show at all, but I know this genre is often not sought out for storytelling.

tldr huge waste of runtime opportunity. nonexistent plot and bad production that tries to give the illusion it’s otherwise. don’t watch this expecting a story at all. anything I rate 3 stars is only watchable if you’re high as a kite or were born yesterday like the writers seemed to be

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An action film pack with a gigantic punches and angst!

Spoiler!!!!

First, I am so mad about the schedule release because I cannot wait for it! This is a great action film; this is how you shoot a thrilling action film. The plot, the relationship dynamics of Jeong Jinman and Jeong Jian, the cast, the women in this film- wow! Women in this film are evil, cold, and manipulative. And, yes, including Jian, she just doesn't want to admit it. The men, too, I like the no-nonsense vibe. I wanted to punch every villain in this drama. They did a good job, Bale, J, Q and that madwoman Kusanagi Jin, such a powerful player, cold, manipulative, liar, and evil personified. I thought I hated Bale but this woman takes the cake, hands down! And, for So Min Hye, don't ever die, please team up with Q at the end in pulverizing that mad woman Kusanagi Jin!

I just finished episode 4 and I almost hollered since I have to wait for the next release! The way Jian called for his uncle at the end of this great ep 4, pure cinema! The action scenes keep me on edge! It was so realistic that I feel like I am in there, being kicked, being shot at, being punched! Kim Hye Jun is phenomenal! She really embodied the character's pain, nonchalance, fear of being part of her uncle's world, but also cannot deny that she is more comfortable being at the center of it, and being the lion (1st season) that she is, calm in the midst of an assault but still an apex predator! I really like that analogy in S1. And don't get me started on Lee Dong Wook, such a phenomenal actor as well, he made this film so intense. The way his dynamics with Jian are spot on- being mercenary, being powerfully calm, being manipulative too and full of tricks. His fighting scenes- great, wonderfully done. I like the realistic approach that he can bleed, get hurt, and get overpowered from time to time, especially in his fight with Bale. Bale the character is unhinged, good thing he is out og the picture! The flashbacks on how he gets to be this powerful, although done in sequence so that it really blends with the present, didn't do him justice! But all the friends and allies that he acquired are also great, they provided great support to the main characters and owned theirs! So Min Hye, I like her action sequences; it was so believable that you would think she does this as her primary job! I also like Q, I know she is also badass, looking forward to her fighting scenes!

I ranted this long because it's been a long time since I got to watch an action film with no supernatural power, done in present times this well! Plus, there are no dragging scenes! Hope this good storytelling and action sequences would keep up until the ending. Can't wait for the next 2 episodes!

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