Reviews

MUST WATCH

I actually rarely watch on going dramas since i am very impatient, sometimes i get bored as i wait and ends up with me putting the drama on-hold. But surprisingly, this isn't the case for fiys! i am into cdrama these days so i decided to try fiys plus it's an esports drama! i am a sucker for dramas like this as i like playing games myself. I can’t exactly find any words to describe this drama, it’s funny cute, sweet and inspiring, a mixed of it all!

To be honest, It can't really be considered as the most unique or special drama for a lot of people but one thing that made me think of how special this is, is how inspirational it is! I love how it's breaking gender stereotypes, as someone who plays game myself, getting misogynist comments from people often happens bc they think it does not suit me although i did not really care about it still gets on me, in the earlier eps people doubt Tong Yao just bc of her gender and i loved how she proved them wrong and showed them her worth. I also loved her speech when she talked about women playing games and all, i couldn't remember the whole thing she said but it warmed my heart. I also loved when Lu Si Cheng talked about their fans, "If you really like a player, please come closer to his competition stage, but stay a bit further away from his personal life." How i wish i could tell this to every obsessed weird fans out there.


The female lead (Tong Yao) is competitive and hard working. She has good gaming skills, no. 1 tamamo mae player for a reason. She's a sweet and a really good team player. She cares not just for her teammates but also for her opponents, she doesn’t look down on them and geniunely wishes them the best. She might come off as childish and impulsive sometimes but she knows and reflects on it. It's my first time seeing Cheng Xiao in a drama and i kinda find her acting stiff at first but i got used to it after awhile and even found her adorable. Not that she's bad, just maybe the lack of expression but she's actually doing pretty good for someone who just started acting.

The male lead (Lu Si Cheng) is the type of guy who seems cold and quiet to everyone but has a soft spot for the fl. He's also a really great captain. He geniunely cares for his teammates. Like the fl, he also got good gaming skills, he's an awesome gamer. He might come off as cold but he's honestly not, he's just really too honest and calm lol. I have never seen Xu Kai before and i am glad he's the ml, he did really well in portraying the character. I even became a fan! i watched arsenal military academy while waiting for new eps and now im currently planning to watch more of his past works. Will surely wait for his future works too.

More than anyone in the esports field, i believe that the one who understands and trusts Tong Yao the most is Lu Si Cheng. He sees her as someone who's capable of being a great professional gamer, regardless of her gender and what people think of her. He believes in her but he is also always right beside her when she's upset or unhappy, tong yao’s overcoming her fear and cheng ge’s comfort and support for her, he is so supportive. The way he’s always the first one to push and support tong yao just warms my heart.


This chemistry is really great, they look so good together!I i can't help but scream everytime i see them together. XK and CX really succeeded in making my heart flutter whenever i see the both of them together.

Ofc, let's talk about the supporting characters, Falling Into Your Smile would never be the same without them! Y'all should really look forward to the relationship between the cps, the wholesome bromance and friendships. There were some team conflicts but I liked how they sort things out. Behind all those wins is a team with amazing teammates.


Overall, it's a great drama! I will for sure rewatch it once i had the time. I like how it covered different life aspects like relationships, friendships and teamwork.

If you're hesitant to watch it bc you know nothing about esports then dw, it's okay if you don't know much about gaming, you can watch it and you'll still understand how things works since they also explained some of the things related to the game/esports. Even if they did not explained it, ig you'll still understand how it works the more you watch it.

Please do not take things too seriously, a drama is called a drama for a reason, it's all for entertainment purposes. Some may love fiys and some may not. It has its flaws.

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The Fantasy World That You Will Never Forget

The story of Alchemy of Souls is built on a strong foundation of imaginary world. It took times to understand the magic world of Daeho, but once you understand how everything works, you're gonna immerse in the story. If you like reading fantasy novel and watching fantasy tv show (both western or asian), Alchemy of Souls is a must watch. The story & characters are so well written, and you're gonna miss them so much once the story ends. People complains about the length of the story, but if you already in love with the world and the characters, you will hope that AoS will be made in 5 seasons at least. There are so many potential side stories, so many potential plot development. I like it how the writer's style of storytelling is so detailed.

There are lots of rookie actors in AoS, but their acting are really good. Even supporting characters are giving their best. Some part of the acting might annoys you, but overall, more than 90% of times, every characters gives a believable acting.

AoS Music is really good because each OST really tells the story of main characters' point of view. You can only listen to the lyric and you already know what happen in the scene. The list of singers are also fantastic. There's no bad OST in this drama, the album is no-skip album.

Overall, I can say that this is one of my favorite K-Dramas of all time. As a kid who grew up watching Wuxia and reading Harry Potter books, Alchemy of Souls brings plenty of nostalgic elements to me.

Sorcery stone mystery + Martial Arts action + Magic World + Wuxia Styling + Korean Romcom= Perfect

Thank you Hong Sisters for another masterpiece! Glad to know that I only have to wait until December for part 2. Gonna rewatching the series for 141627635th times.

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I have watched a lot of dramas and I always judge them based on the overall of it but on this one I had a hard time due to the fact that some parts were amazing and others not. I really liked the chemistry of the main leads. The first few episodes were really good and I enjoyed the drama but then the ending ruined the entire thing. I was so happy at first with the ending and then that went away quickly. With those types of endings I sometimes cry but in this drama I just felt disappointed.
I liked the cast a lot and the main leads in my opinion had good chemistry. I hope they work together again. This was one of those dramas that gets you all hyped up and then nothing. So after reading this if you still want to watch it then go ahead but be prepared to suffer.

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Oh well, it is a Happy ending

Mmm After watching the 30 episode it was an open ending, the screenwriter of the drama want us to decide, if they lived together or not! The production team surprised us by an special episode . This time line happened after five years so both mourn the death of Mu Ze ! Mu chuan visit his brother grave, he fulfilled his brother dying wishes by recovering his mother bone from the well the emperor granted his mother a name and was buried next to him. Mu Chuan become the crown prince , the common people respected him alot. In sioux city Lu Anran achieved a lot by opening extra port , her servant, her father was spared from the cruel faith.

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If Im gonna say I didn't enjoy it a little, Id be lying.

I somehow like the first half ish of the show but the rest is a mess.
Badly written and not well executed story.
Also badly written characters.
Typical k drama story line pattern.
Average drama. it's watchable, nothing else.

In a good note, I love the osts and the cast.
Sad to see them in a roles like this. It is like witnessing a shining beacons on the top of a stagnant river.

Recommendable to watch it if you knew and like the cast but if not, its good to pick another show.

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Venus in Retrograde

It's always disappointing when a drama doesn't live up to expectations, but usually there's at least something redemptive about it. Venus in the Sky though just bombed and it bombed hard. It's glacially slow with episodes that are far too long with far too much repetition. And once the leads finally get together, we get multiple NSFW scenes that seem more about pushing the limits than showing that these guys are actually in love. I just did not feel the chemistry. It's a pity because it did have the potential for more.

The story is lacking severely. There's not much of a plot and the drama suffers because of that. Venus and Sky were college friends until Venus confessed that he had feelings for Sky which Sky didn't reciprocate. Venus's response was to block Sky and cut off all contact. Three years later they meet again by chance at which point Sky has realized that he actually does have feelings for Venus and sets off to win him back. The first episode isn't bad. It sets things up decently, though there's some confusion regarding time frame and what's past and what's present. From there though it becomes a slog of increasing repetition as Sky tries to win over Venus and Venus repeatedly rebuffs him. It would have helped if there was a bit more variation to how Sky goes about this, but there's not, and it's not until around Episode 7 that things start moving along which is far too little, too late. While Sky does eventually wear Venus down and they do get together, the story continues to drag as repetitive drama with the side couples is brought up and Venus and Sky act like horny teenagers. It's tedious to say the least. I suppose the ending could be considered cute, but I was so done with everything that frankly I was just relieved to be done with it.

I didn't find myself particularly interested or attached to any of the characters. I generally liked Day, Bom and Kla, but not to any real degree. They just served as the occasional pleasant diversion from the constant annoyance of Sky and Venus. The characters lacked depth and it made them feel quite superficial. Venus's anger towards Sky felt excessive. I get it, he broke your heart, he was giving mixed signals previously (they really did act like a couple, so I get that Venus thought Sky might reciprocate his feelings), but three years is a long time to hold onto that much anger. And even if he was hurt by Sky's rejection, it wasn't as if Sky deliberately led him on. Without a better reason for his anger, it created a disconnect for me as the viewer. Otherwise, I just did not find him to be a particularly compelling character because there was so little to him. He was boring to watch and his reactions felt repetitive. Even after he and Sky got together, I just could not bring myself to care about him. Sky spent most of the time acting like a whiny child. I was over him within the first couple of episodes. He had zero respect for Venus's boundaries, physical or emotional, and essentially stalked him. Maybe it's because I'm a woman, but I found his approach to be disturbing and deeply concerning. And his pushiness continued after they were together. There were times where it felt like he cared more about his physical needs than what Venus actually needed. The scene where he lets Venus initiate physical intimacy while he's sick and doesn't stop him is a prime example. There was also the element that his feelings for Venus were not well explored. The realization of his true feelings obviously came after Venus cut him off, but was that the catalyst for that recognition or was it later? I think that's something that should have been given time to look into. The communication between the two of them was alternatively decent and then completely lacking. Sky had a tendency to misinterpret situations and then go sulk about them without actually discussing anything with Venus. The side couples really didn't interest me much. I initially liked Janus, but eventually got tired of the repetition with him promising to tell Bom about things and then proceeding to tell him nothing. That inevitably led to a fight and Bom storming out the door. I did like Bom. I appreciated his patience and kindness. He was a sweet guy and I felt bad that he had to deal with Janus's determination to take everything on his shoulders. Tong and Kla were even less interesting. Again with the repetition of not communicating and then getting into fights. Kla was a cutie though and he did try so hard to make things up to Tong and make him happy. I will say that the side couples did have some good conversations and at least with Tong and Kla there felt like there was progress made in the relationship on that front. Janus and Bom also made some progress, but part of me wonders if Janus really learned his lesson.

For all that they had some very steamy scenes together, I really did not feel the chemistry between Tod and Cheque. Part of it could be that I simply did not like their characters, but I also found their acting lacking. Neither one showed much range. Cheque seemed to alternate between looks of condescension and scowling and maybe two other expressions. Tod was either overly perky, moping around, or sleepy and he just cycled through those expressions as needed. They were just boring to watch. Most of the other actors struggled with the same lack of variety of expression.

While there is a fair amount of product placement, it doesn't feel too in your face mostly because of the way it's promoted with Janus's business. It still took more of a priority than it should have though. One thing that really stood out to me and that was off-putting was the almost complete lack of background characters. Sky works in a hospital, Kla works in a hospital, Janus owns a 7-Eleven, and yet the hospital always looked practically empty, we never saw any other doctors or medical staff aside from the main cast and one or two nurses who were there and gone and there were rarely any customers show in the store. It made the world feel very isolated and unreal.

There is nothing about Venus in the Sky to recommend it. It's a long slog with very little reward. If NSFW scenes are your thing, I would recommend watching Episode 1, maybe 2, and then jumping to Episode 7 or 8 through to the end, you won't be missing anything by skipping the rest. Otherwise, I would say best to just avoid it.

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There were numerous questions in my head after the last episode

Im starting my review with how i felt about the story of drama overall.
I went in to this drama with an idea of a female student who helps out a male student who's in trouble by hiding him in her dorm but the plot was as far from it as it gets.

Yes the story starts with that "Eun Young Ro (Jisoo) meets Lim Soo Ho (Jung Hae In) on a group blind date with her friends and falls in love with him at first sight. Later she discovers him in her dorm all wounded and takes care of him for a few days with the help of her roommates. "

BUT thats just the first 3 eps, she is later caught by the headmistress of the dorm and when she is about to be kicked out the story turns over and we now have an endless hostage situation plot. Yes most of the story is how 3 spies are holding around 60 female students and hostage and things that happen in between.

The script was weak, some scenes left me frustrated, very repetitive, the main political characters were just all around the place doing all sorts of things but getting nowhere (or I don't know if they were going to go for a satirical side) but you don't see political leaders being this dramatic and senseless especially in a political war drama.

We had great side characters like Jung Hanna, Lee Gang mu, Ms Pi, Boon Ok, Ms OH, Man Dong, Kang Cheong ya, Geum Chol, Gyeok Chan, I just wish they could have explored them more, given us more insight on their stories like the north spies family, what happened between hanna and gang mu etc.

And mainly the plot holes, usually after watching a drama im usually sad or satisfied but found myself strangely feeling numb because the story wasn't covered in a way where i would feel either.
After all the continuous plot twists in the latter half of the story, the last episode didn't come as a surprise and was kind of rushed in my opinion.. Somehow it was just left off at the end like the writer decided 'oh its the 16 episode? i've got to end this now, times up!'

Ms.Pi loved her, i needed more insight on what happened to her and how she came here, more insight on MAN DONG pls that plot twist was unexpected, most importantly the past between Jung Hanna and Lee Gang Mu, like how come there wasn't a small inclusion or at least a scene. I need a separate drama for their story please and thank you.


Going to the performance, firstly Jisoo definitely exceeded expectations, even though there were areas where she could improve for a first drama she performed way better than i had expected. But most of her character was just endless crying and covering the ears when hearing gunshots (pls that annoyed me)
Jung Hae In had this side in this drama mostly similar to DP and Prison Playbook, i love seem him express anger, madness, anguish, As for the romance he wasn't that expressive in this film because he's a north spy and his character had to suppress his emotions for the most part while i admired his acting i hated how the script had just ridden us out of the romance scenes.

My favorite was probably 'extraordinary you' star Kim Hye Yoon whose character and performance was extraordinary. She was perfect for her character and she nailed it. Including Kim Min Kyu (Gyeok Chan) here, i loved him, the perfect mad villainy role and his soft spot for Boon Ok and their interactions were everything even though it was short. I was more sad about the fact that they didn't have more interactions than the main plot.

Yoo In Na deserves a separate mention, we loved her in Goblin and Touch Your Heart but her character in this was everything. Boy she's the best spy here. One again we don't know where she left to at the end.

All the other characters were amazing too. mentioning Ms.Pi here again, Hanna and Gang Mu ( i appreciated the little bonus scene between Gang Mu and Soo Ho). The ANSP characters were pretty comical and dramatic..

Overall not an entirely satisfying drama, but if you have the time to get frustrated over characters, mull over 100 different plot twists, feel dumfounded during some scenes and have a good laugh too go ahead!

PS. I did not cry at the end, rather i was just left feeling numb.

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I LOVE this show.

In fact, when I watched it for the first time, I liked it a lot but after watching it twice, I completely fell in love with it.

It is full of cuteness and comedy and romance.

Ding Ding is the CUTEST kid ever....he is one of the major reasons for my fondness of this drama and his bromance with Dok go jin was simply awesome!!

I liked all the characters...Pil Joo is the cutest second lead ever. Period.

The lead couple has great chemistry and Cha Seung Won has done a terrific job, whose over the top attitude is perfectly balanced by Gong Hyo Jin's natural and understated acting. Also, I liked that the second female lead is not a negative character.

Another thing, the drama is full of amazing metaphors.

It's a great Hong Sisters drama.

I loved the soundtrack as well!!

A MUST WATCH.

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Short: Fun, cute, many funny moments as the cat learns to be a person and still exhibits cat-like traits (finding a box to sit in...). I enjoyed it a lot until the ending which was clearly just abruptly cut short and frankly made no sense. Apparently this is another one that was cut from 16 to 12, but in this case they just lost 4 episodes of story from the looks of it. It *does* end, but a bit like "Abyss" it's unexplained. By the time you finish this, you'll firmly know the Korean for "cat" :-)

Detail:
Really good to see Shin Ye Eun in another drama as a lead, she was great in He is Psychometric too. Also thought Yoon Ye Joo did a great job in her role as the shy Ji-Eun - frankly all the actors were great but those two stood out for me. The cat was fantastic too, helped along some times by a Computer Graphics render of a cat where they needed particular things and couldn't get the cat to cooperate, but most of the time it's a real cat.

Basic premise is a cat finds he can turn into a human when around his owner Sol-ah, humorous things happen when she mistakes him for the step brother she hasn't met yet. She's a webtoon author and finds herself inspired initially by the story of her and someone from her past who just stopped talking to her, that she represents in the webtoon as a cat - and then starts evolving the story based on Hong-jo's thoughts (while he's pretending to be her step brother) and the story takes on a new life. In many respects it mimics the events happening in the drama.

It's fundamentally a fairly simple plot really, some nice bits where he helps some captured cats out as he's captured himself, and talks to other cats who can turn into humans too.

I've seen commenters (not sure if on here but certainly elsewhere) expressing negatively about the idea of a person and cat in a relationship but... its a person, there's worse out there in drama land, just chill. :)

But the fundamental problem with this is that they set down some rules eventually for the changing from cat to person, and ultimately break them without explanation to give the ending. My gut feeling is that given this was shortened from 32 to 24 episodes - that the missing 4 hours are the journey from where they end up in episode 24, to where they end up in the last 10 seconds of episode 24 :) I think 24 episodes ultimately would probably have been enough, in retrospect there was a bit too much meandering, too much time spent where she doesn't know that he's the cat, and probably if anywhere that's where i'd re-balance things.

Still - it IS still worth the watch, it's good fun with some funny moments and the music is entertaining too.

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Feels like "behind the scenes"

This is not a "high budget" production - which is not bad, it actually makes it even better for me.

First, the actors. They are more "real" than in any other BL series. Time for example is great, he is "normal" and not styled to death. I already loved him in "Present still perfect" (if you haven't seen it: watch it!).
And Michael? Jesus, his acting is awesome! Yes, he is the product of BL industry, but his acting really hit me because he is so vulnerable. For me, he is the best character in this show because he combines what I critizise most about BL: on the one hand, he has amazing looks - but to what cost? His portrait of Bas is (sadly) true: sacrificing his health (even mentally) just to be a BL actor - there is nothing sadder to be seen.

Second, the story. Because of the show being "low" budget it feels for me like a "behind the scenes" and this makes it even more believable for me. I do not know what is really going on in the shows - there are rumors and some times there are "facts" about BL productions, I do not like. Like sexual harassment, pressure on the actors even in their private life and prejudices. I think this is sad because in my opinion, BL could be a great way to create understanding and acceptance for gay / queer relationships - but not the way it is shown in most BL productions.

Aam Anusorn Soisa-ngim is not afraid to show the "dark" side of BL (check out "BL - broken fantasy" on gagaoolala and yes, please pay for it because this should be supported) and I am glad that there are brave people like him! And even if this show is not "smooth and cute" like other BL, this should be supported - for the sake of the actors and for the sake of every gay / queer human being out there.

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Hotel intern meets boss of the hotel

This drama does deserve to be rated that low! to be honest it was a decent watch .I really liked the first half of the story . Not a fan so much of the later 9 episodes.

Storyline: Female lead is an hotel intern/trainee. She has a three months probation, and she gets sent to different departments like the guest services, culinary etc. The male lead is the son who owns the hotel. He is sent to help out the hotel who is in trouble. The backstory is there is this mysterious lady who has been trying to buy the hotel for a low price. Through a series on incidents she tries to ruin the reputation /make the hotel close down. The story line gives a decent and fresh perspective and some of the things that they might run into while they are working in a hotel. Male lead gets attracted to female lead due to her persistent, and optimistic personality. Female lead falls in love with male lead because he is always there for her.

Romance: They're romance is acceptable, but not the best chemistry. Doesnt give me the tingly feeling in the heart. Have some cute scenes.

There is definitely focus of romance in the story , its almost the second main factor in the story. With the hotel and dealing with clients, tp dealing with the staff and hardships of the hotel being the main focus.

I didn't like the story development pass episode 15 because i felt it was developing smoothly. I mean the mysterious lady is finally revealed! and she does what she can to try to sabotage female lead and male lead relationship. At this the the female lead doesnt believe in the male lead, some riffs in their relationship...... it then becomes some hat of a roller coaster.... ups and downs but for the relationship and the hotel.

It has an happy ending, its a little too sweet and unrealistic. but overall a decent watch !!

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Really!?! Major disappointment!

Was expecting mature, intimidating, dangerous mafia guys but instead got 2 man childs acting like they've just discovered sex for the first time (with all the cringey, awkward, overly horny crap that comes with it). Don't even get me started on the seriously messed up relationship of the 3rd couple. VegasPete stole the show with their chemistry despite their all kinds of wrong relationship. KinnPorsche on the other hand was seriously laughable and utterly unbelievable. Kinn saves Porsche from being RAPED while he's drugged and then a few minutes later RAPES the drugged out Porsche himself... and yet Porsche some how falls for him? Are you kidding me?! Not to mention he befriends Vegas the guy that drugged and tried to rape him in the first place. Also the mafia plot went out the window like 4 episodes in because they are by far the most ridiculous, unintimidating, laughable mafia i have ever seen.

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Fun but NOT complete

A good way to waste time, without realizing your wasting time. Yes, it's that fun to watch. There are a lot of funny moments and the bromance is spot on and it makes you cheer for the family.

However, there could have been thinks that were done better. For example, it took way to long for both of the main characters to realize that they were both from the past (around episode 13 or 14). The ending also feel rushed and we didn't get to see a lot of time in the future. It would have been better to see how Yi Chan and Ah Chung went through and not just the main characters coming back to the future, and boom everything is fine and they are rich(?).

One thing that really bothered me is how they protrayed Yi Chan as deaf. Just because he is DEAF, does NOT MEAN he CAN'T SPEAK! Especially since he was not born deaf. I have a deaf friend, that can read lips and speak fine. So, it was annoying to see that being glossed over.

Reccommendated if you want to see something light-hearted with, just a bit of a plot and not just fluffyness. The acting was good. Ah Chung, really made an impact and how she expressed her self through her eyes!.

The female character (from the future) was annoying because she kept trying to mess things up for Eun Gyeol unintentionally. Also, the solution she had to solve her problem was so stupid. She cannot live her life for her mom, so how is finding her first love and setting her up going to do anything...?

Overally, recommend for something light-heart. It's NOT perfect, but it a good watch.

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