This review may contain spoilers
An impactful must watch drama
If you have not yet seen Love in the Big City, I implore you to do so. This story contains so much beauty and intricacy that can only be experienced though watching it, SO GO DO IT!Anyway here’s my review:
In the ten years we follow Go Young we bear witness to every aspect of his life, from the realities of living with HIV, to dealing with his hyper-religious dying mother, to a suicide attempt. These sensitive subjects are handled with care but not sugarcoated, resulting in something that feels raw, realistic, and personal.
This drama is guided by Go Young's retrospective narration, which I interpreted as excerpts from a future novel of his. The narration is often poetic and brings another dimension to Go Young and the people around him. Go Young's narration also delivers one of my favourite quotes from the series: "In the face of a tough life and a long time love is powerless".
This line harkens back to one of the central ideas of the drama; is everlasting love real? Throughout the course of Love in the Big City we see Go Young enter various romantic relationships. They bring him moments of happiness and suffering, subsequently ending in hurt. Which makes him question whether love has an expiration date.
Another theme that stuck out to me was loneliness. We see the different ways it develops in Go Young's life and his futile attempts to quell it. Even when he’s dating, even when he’s living with someone, the loneliness inevitably sets back in. All of his solutions are temporary.
Although Go Young’s loneliness is ever-present, it isn't permanent. A beacon of light that consistently makes him feel seen is his friends. When he spends time with them he can be loud, unabashed, and confident. He can stick his head out the window as they drive around in a bright pink car. Go Young’s friends are also the only characters that stay with him from the beginning to the very end of the series, affirming their loyalty. Absent of everything else, Go Young still has his friends.
In the final episode of Love in the Big City, we see Go Young write down a wish on a floating lantern. He wishes for love. After the lantern is released into the air, it burns down and falls into the sea. His hopes quite literally go up in flames. Despite this, the series ends on a rather optimistic note; Go Young smiling as he watches fireworks with his friends. I think in this moment Go Young realizes that he is loved and has been loved this whole time. Love exists in many forms, it doesn't have to be romantic or familial. Love's versatility is an aspect of its beauty.
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East Palace – A Masterpiece of Destiny, Sacrifice, and Love
East Palace is one of those rare dramas that completely draws you into its world. From the very first episode to the final scene, it balances political intrigue, heartfelt romance, unforgettable characters, and emotional storytelling with remarkable confidence. It never relies on spectacle alone—the true strength of this drama lies in its people and the choices they make.The story unfolds at a carefully measured pace, allowing every relationship to develop naturally. Friendships feel genuine, rivalries carry real weight, and the romance grows through trust, loyalty, and shared hardship rather than simple attraction. Every victory feels earned, and every loss leaves its mark.
What truly elevates East Palace is its cast. The performances are exceptional across the board, with each actor bringing depth and authenticity to their character. Even the supporting cast shines, making the palace feel alive with people whose stories matter. There were very few one-dimensional characters—everyone had motivations, strengths, and flaws that made them believable.
Visually, the drama is stunning. The costumes, cinematography, and palace settings create an elegant atmosphere without overshadowing the story itself. Every scene feels thoughtfully composed, enhancing both the quieter emotional moments and the larger political conflicts.
One of the greatest strengths of East Palace is how emotionally rewarding it is. It made me smile, laugh, worry, and occasionally break my heart. The drama understands that the most memorable moments are often the quiet conversations, acts of sacrifice, and unwavering loyalty between people.
By the end, I wasn’t just watching a historical drama—I felt as though I had lived alongside these characters. Long after the final episode, they stayed with me, and that’s the mark of truly exceptional storytelling.
If you enjoy historical dramas with intelligent political intrigue, beautifully developed relationships, outstanding performances, and genuine emotional depth, East Palace is an easy recommendation.
A drama that reminded me why I fell in love with historical series in the first place.
⭐ Rating: 10/10 – An unforgettable journey that deserves a place among the very best historical dramas.
And we want a season 2 ☺️
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This review may contain spoilers
A Heartfelt Journey That Tried to Tell Too Many Stories
I went into Road to Success expecting a heartwarming sports drama, but what I found was something much more ambitious. It tries to blend coming-of-age, healing, sports, romance, mystery, trauma, family drama, and even a little suspense into one story. On paper, it has everything I usually enjoy, and for the first half, I genuinely thought it was going to end up in my 9s. Unfortunately, while its ambition is admirable, it ultimately becomes the very reason the drama struggles to reach its full potential.The first fifteen episodes were honestly fantastic. They were fun, emotional, and surprisingly engaging. Every episode gave me something to look forward to. I loved the interactions between the characters, especially all the little inner monologues and the way everyone constantly misunderstood each other while the audience knew what was actually happening. Those moments gave the drama so much personality and made the cast incredibly easy to love. By that point, I was already thinking this would easily end up being an 8.5 or even a 9 out of 10.
Sadly, somewhere after episode fifteen, everything started losing momentum.
The biggest problem is that Road to Success simply tries to tell too many stories within thirty-two episodes. There are so many interesting plotlines that constantly compete for attention that none of them receive the development they deserve. The mysterious person responsible for bringing the football team back together feels incredibly important during the beginning, only to disappear for a huge portion of the drama before suddenly becoming relevant again. The same happens with several family storylines. We never really see whether Wen Chengye's father genuinely accepts his son's decision to play football, and Lin Wanxing's relationship with her parents also feels unresolved. They're briefly confronted, then quietly disappear without giving us the emotional closure those relationships deserved.
The biggest disappointment, however, was the entire storyline surrounding Lin Wanxing's past. The person responsible for destroying her career is introduced as this major mystery, yet when the truth finally comes out, the confrontation feels incredibly easy. The male lead finds him almost effortlessly, resolves everything quickly, and the drama immediately moves on. Considering this event shaped the female lead's entire life, I expected a much more emotional and satisfying resolution.
That became a recurring issue throughout the drama.
Every time the story introduced an interesting mystery, emotional conflict, or character trauma, it would quickly rush through the resolution before moving on to the next storyline. Instead of allowing emotional moments to breathe, the narrative constantly jumped ahead, making many scenes feel less impactful than they should have.
The drama's biggest weakness is its pacing.
Rather than naturally developing each storyline, it often feels like we're watching only the beginning and ending of important events while the middle is skipped entirely. You understand what happened, but you rarely experience how the characters reached those emotional conclusions. As a result, even scenes that should have been emotionally devastating never quite leave the impact they deserve.
This is especially noticeable because the drama is trying to balance so many different genres at once.
It wants to be a healing story, a sports drama, a romance, a mystery thriller, and a coming-of-age series simultaneously. Unfortunately, it never fully commits to any of them. The romance receives just enough attention to make you invested before disappearing for several episodes. The mysteries are intriguing until they're solved far too easily. The sports storyline builds excitement but often takes a back seat to other plots. The healing journeys are genuinely meaningful but frequently interrupted by another mystery waiting to be solved.
Instead of complementing each other, these genres often compete for screen time.
The romance was probably my biggest personal disappointment.
The chemistry between Esther Yu and Chen Jingke is genuinely lovely, and I really enjoyed watching them together during the early episodes. Their slow burn initially felt very promising. However, somewhere along the way, that slow burn simply... stopped burning.
Once the male lead realized Lin Wanxing wasn't responsible for the incident he blamed her for, it almost felt like the romance paused entirely. By the time he finally confessed his feelings, I found myself no longer emotionally invested in whether they became a couple or not. Their dating phase was equally underwhelming, lacking the emotional payoff that such a long buildup should have delivered.
Ironically, despite romance not being the drama's strongest element, Esther Yu gives one of the most mature performances of her career.
I've always thought she was capable of much more than the overly cute characters she's often cast as, and this drama proves exactly that. Lin Wanxing is warm, compassionate, resilient, and quietly determined without becoming exaggerated. Esther balances vulnerability and strength beautifully, making this one of my favorite performances from her so far.
Chen Jingke was equally enjoyable.
His reserved personality worked perfectly opposite Esther's warmth, and together they provided the emotional center that kept me invested even when the storytelling became uneven. I just wish he had received even more screen time because every time the drama focused on him, it became noticeably stronger.
The real stars of the series, however, are the students.
Watching these children slowly overcome trauma, abuse, family pressure, bullying, and feelings of worthlessness became the emotional heart of the drama. The football team wasn't simply learning how to play a sport—they were learning how to believe in themselves again. Whether their struggles came from poverty, wealth, strict parents, neglect, or emotional abuse, every child represented a different kind of pain.
The message that everyone carries invisible burdens regardless of social status was genuinely beautiful. More importantly, the drama constantly reminds us that having someone believe in you can completely change the direction of your life.
Unfortunately, even here the writing feels inconsistent.
The team is introduced as a complete group, yet by the second half the story focuses almost exclusively on three or four members while the rest quietly fade into the background. I found myself wanting to know more about many of the other students, but the drama simply didn't have enough time.
The mystery elements also left me frustrated.
Who left the email and password on the classroom board? Who created the puzzles leading to her grandfather's classroom? Who placed the photographs and keys? These details seemed incredibly important when they were introduced, but the drama often forgot about them until it suddenly remembered they existed. Instead of creating satisfying mysteries, they ended up feeling like convenient plot devices.
Some scenes also felt surprisingly illogical.
One example that really bothered me was the counseling session where the female lead somehow overhears the male lead's private conversation with his psychologist. Confidential therapy sessions exist for a reason, and using such an unrealistic situation simply to force emotional development felt incredibly awkward.
The football itself was enjoyable, although not always convincing.
The matches created excitement, but occasionally it was obvious the actors weren't actually playing competitive football. The coaching also felt inconsistent. We're told Wang Fa is one of the country's most respected youth coaches, yet during one of the biggest matches his strategy essentially comes down to telling the team to eat well, sleep well, and stay calm while the opposing team arrives with detailed tactical plans. Moments like that made the sports aspect feel less authentic than it could have been.
Another aspect that never quite worked for me was how the drama handled some of its supporting relationships. Lin Wanxing's friendship with her best friend left me more confused than emotionally invested. The story kept insisting they shared an incredibly deep bond, but I rarely felt it. In fact, some of their interactions almost made it seem as though her friend had romantic feelings for her rather than simply being a close friend. They never shared those heartfelt conversations or moments of emotional vulnerability that usually define a lifelong friendship, so when the drama leaned on that relationship for emotional impact, it didn't resonate as strongly as it should have.
The same issue applies to Wang Fa's manager and best friend. While he provided some comic relief, he often felt like a character who existed only when the plot needed him. His relationship with Wang Fa's sister also never sat right with me. He continued pursuing her even though she clearly wasn't taking the relationship seriously, yet she never gave him a firm rejection either. Instead of feeling like a charming slow-burn romance, their dynamic became awkward and frustrating because neither character seemed honest about what they wanted. It was another subplot that could have been much stronger with better development.
Despite all these issues, there is still so much to appreciate.
The performances are consistently strong across the entire cast. Esther Yu delivers one of her best roles to date, Chen Jingke is quietly compelling, and the young actors deserve enormous praise for carrying so much emotional weight. The drama genuinely succeeds whenever it slows down and allows its characters to simply exist together.
In many ways, Road to Success feels like several really good dramas trying to occupy the same thirty-two episodes. Every individual storyline had enough potential to become emotionally memorable, but because the drama kept rushing from one idea to another, very few of them reached the depth they deserved.
That's ultimately how I feel about the entire series.
For fifteen episodes, I genuinely believed I was watching a drama that would easily earn a place among my favorites. Then the pacing accelerated, the mysteries became easier, the romance lost its emotional momentum, and the resolutions started arriving before the emotional journeys had properly unfolded.
It's still an enjoyable watch with meaningful themes, lovable characters, and genuinely heartfelt moments. It reminds us that healing often begins with someone simply believing in us, and that no matter our background, everyone carries struggles that aren't immediately visible.
I just wish the drama had trusted those stories enough to let them breathe.
The first half promised something truly special. The second half never quite lived up to that promise. Still, thanks to its wonderful cast, heartfelt message, and memorable students, Road to Success remains a worthwhile watch—even if it never fully reaches the heights it seemed destined for.
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Kim Tae Ri as always at her superb best
Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born (2024)A stunning production, which I gather did not garner much enthusiasm as the time it was released. Which is a pity because, for someone like me who knew nothing about pansori storytelling or gukgeuk theatre, it was a real eye-opener – the theatrical productions and auditions from this Korean arts tradition were a joy to watch. Whether the writing between the lines is Sapphic or not.
The cast, with Kim Tae-Ri in the lead, were also stellar. The vocal acrobatics of all actor/singers (whether voiced-over or not I do not know, but it didn’t seem to matter in any case, so why am I raising the issue…) were staggering in stark contrast to the simple folk tales and heroic events enacted in the theatre productions.
Kim Tae Ri, as ever, stood head and shoulders above everyone for the depth, intelligence and sensitivity of her acting, whether as a young woman fighting multiple challenges in order to become a gukgeuk actor, or as that actor on stage. Her vocal modulation technique in particular was remarkable. I never tire of watching her in the ambitious parts she always manages to choose.
My only quibble would be the tendency at times towards lengthy melodramatic moments, especially between members of the gukgeuk troupe. But that may be my 21st century European perspective which could arguably be viewed as inappropriate for a series set in Korea in the 1950s (excellent set and costumes btw). However, perhaps the script could nonetheless have taken the contemporary sensitivities of the target viewership into account?
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This review may contain spoilers
Uncomfortable Watch
The age gap in the beginning of the show makes me feel too uncomfortable, and they could have shown less, such as a simple, momentary crush maybe, but they chose to build the relationship from there by calling it love. Yikes. I had high hopes since it's high up on the lists, but I guess I should remind myself that the audience for Asian dramas is very young and might still think these types of situations are okay. But it's not okay, guys. Like the show says, if you are 20 and meet someone who is 25, it might be okay, but 14 to 19 is absurd. (Still not for me, though, as I think a 5-year age gap is only okay for people above 25.)Was this review helpful to you?
Chemistry
Sometimes the plot was boring and too long with unneccasry details. But Yang Yang is always good to watch. I am glad his co-star this time was her and they actually caught a chemistry together. (Love O2O was lacking in that part) Even though it promotes a game in the drama it's only mentioned a lot in the first half of the drama and it is still fun to watch. Surprisingly OST of this drama hits the right spots when they are played in a scene.Was this review helpful to you?
Immaculate casting and acting skills!!! ❤️?
First of all, This might be HMH’s BEST roles! He outperformed his previous roles. I was in awe every time he was on screen. I never thought AIMI to be this good. She has a bright future ahead. 💓The storyline : The starting is GOOD, but upto ep 15 it got a bit stretchy… after ep 15 It finally started to go somewhere and yes im so glad i did not drop it halfway… the plot twists is insane! i loved and hated so many characters at certain point of time 😭. Anyways IT WAS A GOOD WATCH!!! omgg i have to rewatch it later someday.
OSTs ; this drama ATE with the ost lineup. HMH outdid here as well. The songs are on repeat in my spotify playlist. 100/10.
ps: i wish to see hmh and aimi in another historical romance drama when she’s a bit grown up😭😭😭. They had a good chemistry!
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MUST WATCH
This is my first review, I just had to as I recently finished watching this (along with s2). LITERALLY MADE AN ACCOUNT SO I CAN POST A REVIEW !!!!!S1 absolutely got to me, I cried, I laughed, I screamed and more.
Production quality is amazing, the acting is refreshing, realistic and the story is adorable but not cringe.
I thought this was another enemies to lovers story but HELL NAW it is more than that !!!
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This review may contain spoilers
First impression
You can watch it on GagaOOLala: https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/8378/duty-first-kiss-later-2026Japanese BLs just hit different sometimes, and this is definitely one of those times. Awesome acting and an interesting premise, I'm bought!
This series reminds me of another BL called "Love Is a Poison." Both have a similar vibe and have the storyline around law work.
Overall I really like it so far; I'm excited for more episodes.
Episode 1:
* It is so nice to see more mature Bls.
* I like the characters and the whole opposites attract thing. Takoi being a sweetheart older detective and Shiono being more of a blunt and straightforward kind of guy.
I sort of enjoy watching their bickering and little silent glances of microaggression.
* Most of the humor is pretty much typical Japanese humor with all of the exaggerated face expressions and that sort of stuff. Not bad or annoying necessarily, I just can never get used to them.
Episode 2:
* Yeah, Haruka got real creepy real fast. I'm never one to complain about a female side character who has feelings for one of the leads in BLs, but this one is just crazy.
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Acting - I have to say totally impressed by Chen Zheyuan’s portrayal as Emperor. He conveys a lot with just his eyes. A face that handsome and with such a confident steady performance, it’s unbelievable that it’s his first time acting as an emperor!! A veteran level acting. Wu Jinyan is also perfect with her known charm as in her previous hit dramas. The ministers and close officials are also really done their job well.
The main actors are gift for directors who like to take close up shots. Court room scenes are so majestic and realistic. This drama has close to real life cinematography. Less filters and more natural colors. Very easy on eyes.
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A Headache in Motion
I like both actors, but I struggled through four episodes before finally dropping it because it literally gave me a headache.Apparently, storytelling has become optional, and unfortunately that seems to be the latest trend. This is yet another cliché drama that mistakes style for substance, prioritizing visuals over storytelling. Yet the visuals aren't striking at all, quite the contrary. The short scenes, constant cuts, rapid editing, endless camera movement, and relentless visual changes created nothing but visual fatigue. The editing is fragmented, the pacing frantic, and the scenes are illogical and unrealistic. Of course, we also get another female lead who can apparently do everything except be believable.
As if that weren't enough, another trend in recent Chinese dramas is loud background music that plays almost continuously, is mixed so prominently that it competes with the dialogue, and soon becomes exhausting. Apparently, every emotion now requires an orchestra, and every conversation needs a soundtrack.
I like both actors individually, but I didn't think they suited these roles together. She looked a little too old for the character, while he had too much of a puppy-faced, youthful appearance for his role.
I'll leave this cinematic rollercoaster to viewers with stronger eyes, a higher tolerance for nonstop editing, and perhaps faster reflexes than mine.
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It's been a while since I was this invested in a drama
Loved this so much.You'll find that this drama is a bit fast-paced than most dramas, but that doesn't make it any less engaging. In fact, I think its fast pace is one of the reasons it's so captivating. This is one of those rare dramas that keeps you hooked every second, and if you skip even a few minutes, you might miss something important. Because it's fast-paced, it doesn't waste your time, which makes it even more worth watching.
Now, I also wanted to leave a note regarding the criticism about the cast's age and the age gap. I've been a fan of both Hou Minghao and Ai Mi for a while. As for Ai Mi, I've seen her in several supporting roles and already knew she had the potential to become a great leading actress. It's true that I wasn't expecting her to star in this kind of romance drama at just 17, but as long as it doesn't include overly intimate scenes or excessive kissing, I think it's fine. They're actors, after all, they're simply doing their job. And despite all the criticism, just look at how successful this drama has become.
I also hope people will look at the positive side. At just 17 years old, Ai Mi was able to deliver such an amazing performance in her first leading role in a drama like this. She was incredibly captivating. She did an excellent job, even though, like any actor, there's always room to improve. As for Hou Minghao, he didn't disappoint, as always. His emotional performance was spot on. For me, the acting in this drama was top-notch. It was also refreshing to see an actress who is nearly the same age as her character portraying the role so naturally. I loved that energy.
The supporting cast was great as well. Everyone did an excellent job. The OST was so good too. This is one of the best dramas of 2026 for me. It takes you through laughter, sadness, joy, heartbreak, and so many other emotions. I highly recommend it. You'll definitely want to give it a try.
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A STRONG LOVE STORY INTANGLED IN STORM
IT was kind of a unique story i really loved it story was also good the characters every thing was well balanced according to the situations 😁 i don't want to compln about other things because it needs a lot of patience to watch this series so I don't recommend this if u don't have patience to watch.The story feels long some times it feels lots drop it but hearme it's worth to watch. u will feel the happiness and laugh and cry with that ghost in side of your room.
Acting is always top-notch every character was well matched and acted but my only complaint is it missed a lot of action scenes i really wanted to watch some actions. I want to mention about uncle zhou bro was like a pillar for our Main leads really that guy lost everything but never gave up on leads our leads.
music will it was good every time its good.
re-watch value it's almost 32 ep i want to watch i will watch last 2 episodes
that's it I am going to watch another drama bye bye 👋
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the best kbl I ever watched!!
My expectations for korean bls aren't high but this was actually really good. Like ones I started it I couldn't stop watching it!!I didn't fully understand the plot not gonna lie and some of the plot twists were pretty obvious... but the kissing and sex scenes!! Pretty good!
The usage of AI was horrible tho and the reason I can't give this drama a 10... they really didn't need to use AI at all... I hope this won't become the standard for kdramas..
But I do hope that more bls like this will be released!!
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Oranges
Honestly? When I put aside the fact that it takes place in past and everyone is okay with them being gay, it's 10/10. It's cute, meaningdlful, emotional, the story makes sense, the actors do have a chemistry... And the ending? I didn't expect it'd expect like this, but it's really great.I feel sorry for Jason (actor), because he didn't deserve such a big punishment for one wrong repost. It's good that they let him in last episode at least, when he can't attend the fanmeeting with other cast. At least it was so obvious that they still left some space for him <3.
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