Reviews

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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Started off so good but gradually lost that hype

The opening and first episodes of this drama really got me so hooked. It was so engageable in the first few episodes. But gradually, I don't know how to explain this, but the direction of storyline kind of changed and it somewhat became draggy and lost sense, I mean even in a fantasy drama, there should be some sense right?

But it was indeed engageable to watch when they were in that fantasy world and inside the game. There are points that you will feel as boring and have no sense, but you will also find thrilling and enjoyable parts. That's why I'm having mixed feelings about this drama. And also this is one of the few dramas of this theme and I have to say among those dramas this should be included to the "Best" list.

So, if you are into dramas like this and haven't watched this, I think you might want to give this a try. Just don't expect it to be so good like as it is in the beginning.

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This had me actively binge-watching! Thank God I watched it after it aired; otherwise, my impatient heart could never. ;55

I totally, totally loved the 'son of the victim' and 'son of the killer' trope! And the chemistry?? DAYUMN! Their chemistry is peak and unwavering.

Is it just me who adores Tae-Seon's eyes in particular? I feel like they have their own magnetic charm. ><

Although Tae-Seon was a prick at the beginning, and despite the rushed pacing and hasty portrayal of the case scenes, I was still able to enjoy this show because it had such amazing actors. They made the show thoroughly engaging, and their visuals are very captivating.

I must note how the show highlighted the way our loved ones' actions impact our lives and further shape our future. It offered brilliant insights into such a delicate theme.

Having Tae-Seon eventually realize—and let Lee Chae-Ha know—that his father's actions don't define him and that he deserves love and happiness was so reassuring to watch.

It's been a while since I vibed with a KBL like this!

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Acting is great, story was great, but things are starting to fall off in season 2....

What I liked:
1. Definitely the acting. These actors did a good job of selling me on their roles, and making me feel genuine empathy for the characters.
2. The story for me in the first season of the show was unmatched. At the end of every episode I was hyped to learn more about the characters and what made this system to be. Which brings me to what I started to dislike in season 2:

1. I hate that they killed off the Woojin guy so soon. Like why? She shouts Jeong Jinman at the sky 3 times and every thing is fixed, little miss girl, why didn't you do that beforehand??? Is the moral of the show that Jian has to be depressed for the rest of her life or something??? Why are you trying to make me cry every two seconds guys?? It's not going to work I'm sorry, this is just pissing me off at this point.

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