This review may contain spoilers
I'm loving this!
Haha... no, this is not a McDonald's joke but I really do love the drama. I mean, people used to say Hwarang was bad but aside from some endgame plot that I'm not really fond of, that drama was okay. The same would I say about this drama. I've been waiting for a new drama where Hyungsik would play another royal prince character and lo, WE GOT IT! And this time, his character has a higher likelihood to get the girl SINCE HE'S THE MAIN LEAD GUY!šAnyway, since this drama more or less was based on a Chinese novel... some plot might be predictable to those who are familiar with the novel. Or maybe not, since it's a kdrama some elements of the original novel would've been changed to suit the sageuk theme. That should be quite interesting to see regardless.
I really like how the characters were written. I mean, as much as there was this supposed triangle between Hwan, Jaeyi and Seung-on, the drama didn't focus too much on the triangle and just let the characters naturally grow to develop a decent friendship. There weren't too many unnecessary conflicts being made just to make the plot 'dramatic'. Which was nice. I love how Hwan and Jaeyi's appeared to start at first as an encounter between two people in crisis, which progressed into a sweet friendship between two person who could've easily been childhood friends and later having a much deeper love growing in between. I like how natural their relationship progressed into mutual love as Jaeyi grew to learn more about Hwan and help each other.
I also love the comedy element with Myungjin and Ga-ram and even more when Hwan and Jaeyi were with them. Cos seriously, I feel that a lot of the funny scenes were brilliant adlibs by the cast and that's so brilliant!
The mystery and political intrigues and conspiracies are nice too, but the serious plot didn't completely overshadow the lighthearted scenes. Also the ost, songs and special effects are well done as well and the visuals are pretty, so what else to ask? Seriously if you consider the time period where it'd be hard to investigate a murder and find the culprit without the modern techs we have now as well as the fact political murders and violent outbreaks of people who desire control of the throne are a common thing, it makes sense for people to not be able to trust anyone so completely, in order to stay alive . Added with superstitions and lack of complete knowledge on how things like science work in such times, life could be so scary if you're stuck in such a situation. I really like how the writer made good use to insert little clues here and there that may at first seem unrelated or pointless, only to later bring it back to form the bigger image in order to head to the final conclusion.
If you just want to enjoy some drama to fill your pastime, you can try watching this drama and you may find yourself liking it. If you're the type to be all negative and expect a drama to live up to some non-existent 'perfect' standard of what could be a great drama, don't bother watching this drama and spread your negativities here.
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This is a fabulous show with a lot of depth - one of the best out there
DO NOT BELIEVE THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS. This is one of the best historica dramas out there. The only thing I agree with: the poster is misleading but only a little, because at the heart, it's a socio-political drama. This shows highlights:The foundation of trust and friendship is what matters most;
that agency of women has been hard fought and we are still fighting;
people in power will do anything to keep their power unchecked;
social injustice unhinges people; revenge is never pretty and is a vicious cycle, and one day someone has to sacrifice something to break it.
learning to be humble and thankful for things we often take for granted (freedom to make choices, having enough to eat, having a roof over the head, trusting people around you when anyone could kill you anytime);
And it's about making the right choice. This drama also features one the most FEMINIST heroes that I have seen in a very very long time. It's unbeleivable how beautifully that arc has been shown. His belief in his woman's capabilities is limitless and is a pure delight to watch. He is never the knight in the shinning armor, and only steps in if his woman is facing trouble because of others' prejudices. As Jay Yi beautifully says in one instance "he is a man who breaks down high walls for a woman who is stuck behind it'.
It IS a romance but not the regular kind we see today. It's more a vehicle that moves the narrative forward. Yi Hwan (the Crown Prince) falls in love with a woman he has no chance with - she technically belongs to his best friend (whether she wants it or not, she is just an object in the eyes of the soiety she lives in), while the best friend has this unhealthy attachment to a woman he has never met as an adult, making life truly difficult for the Prince; plus she does not fit any criteria to become his Crown Princess even if she were to be absolved of the murders (The Crown Princes were governed by strict rules of marriage, he had no choice in who he could marry as it was always a politica decision taken by the royal parents; the Kings however were not bound by any of it, they could choose their own Queens if they wanted). Min Jay Yi, duty bound to marry the man her family chose for her, marriage being a contract between families with no place for choice/love, is now an accused murderer on the run and, not only she loses everything - her family, her home, her reputation, her identity, but she also ends up falling in love with the most unatainable man she could imagine.
Hence, they have no chance with each other. But when does heart ever listen to reason? Yes, they never touch each other and totally adhere to the Josean principles of physical space between a man and a woman at all times. But their relationship is so wholesome, beautiful and pure that it harks back to the times when romance was all about yearning and longing. Don't miss their interactions, they confess to each other throughout without saying the actual words and it's beautiful to behold. And their interactions are hilarious at times. He is stuffy, morally upright, naive and insanely competitive. She is fiesty, unconventional, motor mouth but keeps her innermost feelings bottled up because that's how she has been raised. He falls for Jay Yi for the world she shows him outside of his very lonely existence (she is fearless and she drinks haha!), someone he can trust, rely on, beleive in, and laugh with, while she falls for his progressive thoughts, and benevolence. Both are brilliant people and never fail to complement each other for that. Or take each other down a peg when the situation demands.
All of these are packaged into a constantly moving narrative, packed with super funny moments and sparkling chemistry between Park Hyung Sik and Jeon So Nee. The side characters are to die for - Myung Jin and Ga Ram (Lee Tae Sun and Pyo Ye-Jin) are fabulous and the four make an investigative team (Shield team) that eventually resolve the mystery, with each of them bringing something to the table. These four could easily have a spin off show. Jeong Da-Eun as princess is super adorable and a very interesting character. The main villain is one dimensional but at the end, that makes his end supremely satisfying to watch. But it's the backstory that keeps you hooked.
The cast is steller, but Park Hyung Sik is ethereal as the Crown Prince. Not only he is blindingly good looking, but boy, can this man act. He brings Yi Hwan to life, and he does it with just his voice and his eyes. You cry with him, you laugh with him, you feel his heartache, you feel his jealousy, you feel his helplessness and rage at the injustices he is trying to fight . This is an award winning performance and hope he gets recognized for it. Jeon So Nee is a perfect foil to him. She starts ordinary and then grows on you. The fact that she is drop dead gorgeous is a bonus (take her out of the Eunuch uniform, put her hair down, put her in a plain unfashionable white gown and she takes your breath away). She goes through various stages of her performance with aplomb, and absolutely aces it in the emotional scenes (her confession will give you goosbumps and stay with you for a long time). She is an actress to watch out for.
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this show isnāt blooming
The first episode of this drama is point blank amazing. It sets up a really good story with a strong female lead. I expected this show to stay that way, to stay just as engaging as the first... but it didn'tOur Blooming Youth leans more towards a political mystery than an action. I expected a lot more fighting from the female lead since she was really good at it in the first episode. Her character is just weird to me, she is supposed to be really good at solving mysteries but the way the audience knows that is pretty dull. They just say she did it with her father and was good at it, there barely is any flashbacks to her life with her family. That is an issue.
Min Jae Yi wants to find the culprit behind her fathers murder. For some reason that is intertwined with the crown prince because of a letter she got. The letter tells her to protect the crown prince and her father does as well as she's dying. She has to disguise herself as a male to not get caught and to investigate. So that was what I can tell after the first few episodes, and now onto episode 14 it is the same thing. She is still disguised and the progress is really slow. The more I watched the more annoyed I became of her character. She does a lot of talking where it sounds like complaining or whiningā¦ at the beginning she wielded a sword and was super cool- what now? Where did that go? She just talked and confronts people.. from an outside perspective she clearly would be annoying.. it hurts because she CAN fight. But there is little to no action here and it comes in abrupt spurts.
Of course this is all my opinion. But come on now, I can't help but compare. Shows with. a mystery driven plot can do well, and they are able to be engaging. The whole disguise and mystery aren't working because the build up was so poor. They don't have any flashbacks of Min Jae Yi being young and showing how she cares for her family, there is no threat to her because in the end I know she is a main character and there will be no harm. The steaks for their mission to find the culprit is so low and lost. A lot of this drama is filler scenes with the main gang hanging out... crown prince, Min Jae, her maid friend, her maid friend teacher.
It was ok at first, but it slowly made me become so bored. I am not stupid and I can understand what is going on. I watched 50 episodes of the Untamed and knew all the characters names, convictions, why they did what they did, the mystery. The Untamed just did it right. It engaged me because it took a careful setup to show why these characters are doing what they are doing without telling you. I wish Min Jae's character took time to reflect on the deaths of her family, they could have developed them as characters rather than them being dead. That way I would want to find out just as much as she did, I would have a reason to care. Right now it is just the plot. Her family is dead and she loves them just because. I mean of course they are her family but they could show that bond between them and show how much it pains her to have it cut off rather than having the audience make it up for themselves.
Straight up some characters don't need as much time and time is wasted on them. The teacher friend guy in the pink outfit is a comic relief and at this point the maid is to. The interesting characters like the crown prince really take a back seat. It is such a shame, the crown prince before him died- I mean they could have him feel guilt and shame. He does.. a little.. but the story goes and cuts to any other place but his.
He is involved with the mystery and is supposed to have a curse on him. I think the writers forgot about the curse after a few episodes. His arm works, he is just paranoid. It is fine but he is one dimensional, slowly being flattened by the writing. His relationship is supposed to be a blooming romance with Min Jae Yi, and they apparently were childhood friends? That whole plot thread serves no purpose whatsoever. It is just a cheap way to have a connection between them because there is no chemistry or spark.
Min Jae Yi liked who she was betrothed to (which is another interesting character I wish they would actually spend time on). They spend time on characters, but its all talking.. its so boring and is all over the place. I could know these characters names but I don't. It's not my fault and I am capable, but I shouldn't have to look things up and write things down when watching a drama. I don't hate the drama, I just am so disappointed.
Min Jae Yi kind of gets annoying because she isn't even doing what she wanted to in the first place. Half of the time its her looking worried and remembering and failing to remember, I don't really see her do anything.........
Park Hyung Sik's drama Happiness that I watched before this served him much better. Just watch that if you like him. He is cute and not cold, not saying he is bad at acting here. I just do not like his character. The crown prince is bipolar I swear, like he flips on a dime and has people he trusts and then doesn't trust. The only reason why is because he's paranoid.
Don't even get me started on the villain. The villain I do not even know the name of. He just wants power I think? He sucks as a character and a villain and a threat, he has done nothing other than probably killing Jae Yi's family and other people. But I don't care anymore.
I have to finish this drama because I'm almost done. Maybe its a slow burn. Then again a slow burn should be engaging. So I recommend to people that like political dramas and that's it? It's just boring and not doing what it is supposed to do. This is completely unbiased, maybe it's not my style. Still I have watched similar things... Iljimae is older but a much better revenge plot mystery drama, watch that instead. This show is so bland.
Now by the end of it I become so .. bored? I donāt know honestly. It felt like a satire and a disservice to the actors at the last episode. Iām talking about the twin brother plot line. That was so cheap because they didnāt show how this kid existed, that he was his brothers shadow. Like he was there as a plot device rather than a character and I could write a whole essay on why he is and how it couldāve been done better. They crammed so much but it still was watered down and I didnāt care. Now thatās just me. But this drama honestly isnāt all that it was cracked up to be. Maybe itās because I expected more tension overall, romance wise, plot wise, it was just standard and compared to older historical dramas Iāve seen it didnāt have a lot of heart. Itās too bad honestly.
In the end good guy wins bad guy looses. Why are they good and bad though? You donāt get that- itās just your main characters. That is all, no backstories further than what you knew at episode 2. The main group of characters donāt get developed and neither does the bad guy. That is how I sum this up. What about the curse? Itās not real. What about the family that was murdered? Itās just the bad guy that did it? Why? I donāt know because heās bad ā¦ Iām sorry Iām trying my best here.
The reason why I am so harsh is because of the potential. There are parts where this show is good, but at the end I lost all interest that I donāt care. Itās a shame to me.
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Very mediocre drama
Mediocre.-Nonsensical title and kinda misleading poster.
-The plot was too dragged out, I'd say about 6 episodes too many.
-The plot was mostly about politics and full of beaten to death cliche tropes seen in practically every saeguk out there, nothing fresh. If you can't write a captivating period drama story then go fantasy, or at least throw some zombies into the mix to spice things up!
-A very slow burn romance and lack of romantic chemistry between the main leads.
-Misrepresentation of FL's character. She was presented as a fighter and genius detective in the beginning, but then was degraded into a passive sidekick to ML, who along with another male detective character basically solved all the mysteries. They took inspiration from the og novel, but def no wheels were reinvented here.
-SML was so boring and lacking presence compared to ML, FL didn't even give him a good second look after meeting ML. I guess no one was having second lead syndromes here.
-Some ridiculous bs about the immortal fish and queen's rise to power, don't even want to go there further.
-Obligatory and as always unnecessary time skip and rushed ending! This just triggers me all the time in kdramas. ML wasted 10 minutes of the last episode literally digging holes. Should have showed more scenes about what happened to everybody in the end, most of the stuff was just alluded to or announced and then it was the end.
Secondary couple was the only highlight, they were funny and cute together all the time. So i guess 6.5 overall from me.
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Light Historical that deals with a lot of interesting stuff
I'm not so sure about the blooming youth but this is an easy to watch well balanced historical drama.The story is complicated, but not nearly as complicated as many other historical dramas, and while some twists are more predictable than others I did enjoy the level of suspense as well as how the story tied together.
The main villain of this story is the perfect villain, so greedy, smart and evil that there is no way i hell anyone would ever wish for anything other then a slow and painful death to this person, however that person is not the only villain in this story, and that is what I love about this that even if we get some pure greed and evil we also get the "It's complicated" side to this plot.
Park Hyung Sik is the perfect prince, vulnerable, smart (a bit like his character in Suits but with power and fame), he thinks beyond himself and even acknowledges that women are not object, odd but true (which kind of makes this not so realistic after all), His acting is spot on, his charm is all over the place and yes I may be bias but I had been looking forward to seeing him in this and was not disappointed.
Jeon So Nee (the female lead) got a really lovely character to portray (most of the time), smart, funny, forward, had great lines and though there where some inconsistencies with her character (she could be impulsive and stupid at times) I truly loved her character. However acting wise I think Pyo Ye Jin (the female leads maid) as well as the princess (Jung Da Eun) did a more convincing job.
Overall I would say the female characters in this drama may not have been very realistic but I fell for them all.
There where some annoying overacting parts in this but they did not take over or diverge from the main plot of conspirecys, greed and equality. As the crossdressing is used in an appropriate well written way. As a girl no one will tell you "try it, you can do it, go ahead... + Hiding... As no one could ever guess these very feminine looking people dressed as women are actually men... (yes I am being sarcastic)
The romance is beautifully subtle yet slow and by slow I mean painfully slow (for obvious reasons), so for the romance lover out there you are going to have to be patient, really, really patient and you may just may have to settle for the subtle hints of romance you get or I assume you will find yourselves kind of frustrated.
I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend this to those who want to watch an historical that is kind of light without being a ridiculous mishmash pop culture historical. If you want something more heavy I would recommend you watch something else like Under The Queens Umbrella or maybe The Red Sleeve...
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Excellent show
I loved this as much as I loved the Story of Yanxi Palace. I will rewatch this often.The romance was so beautiful. The story line was great. I was desperate to watch every two episodes every Tuesday. It had mystery, romance and action. The best. I didn't want it to end. Their chemistry was on point. I would love to see Park Hyung Sik and Jeon So Nee together in a tv show again. I loved Lee Tae Sun's character. I loved them all. I would recommend this tv show to everyone. I need another one to watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
This show is a truck load of political drama sprinkled with a cup of romance and I love it!
The premise of this show got me hooked from the first episode to the last. They were able to hide enough information from the viewers so that they are not totally in the dark. There were moments, especially towards the end that they were spoonfeeding the details, but it was done in a way that would not derail on what the show is trying to do. I also love the fact that when it started, they veered to viewers towards the 'supernatural' approach to the situations happening. The ghost's letter, the curse, the shamans, the mind control, and etc, was a good first approach that makes things very interesting. And in the end, when the viewers are somehow convince that there was something paranormal going on, they revealed who were really the perpetrators. It gave the show substance.The ML's character development was insanely good. His character development felt so earned and genuine that I shed a couple of tears in the last few moments of the show. The climax of the show did not happen until the very last episode which somehow worried me because it may be rushed but everything fell into place quite accordingly. I loved how the show started with a 'wedding proposal' and also ended with a wedding proposal.
All of the actors delivered on their roles really well. They did their characters justice. Kudos to the team for casting the right people! Just wanted to mention PHS's acting, he really improved from the last time I watched him. When he cried, I felt like crying with him. When he got furious, I got furious with him. Kudos!
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Superb cast; sketchy plot sequences
The cast is superb: I love the characters and story lines. And I adore both leads: he is subtle and calm with a wry sense of humor; much of his acting is through his eyes alone. She is adorable and spunky, more than a match for his highness. Their scenes together are funny and touching; the growing affection and mutual protectiveness come through poignantly. Support cast is excellent, and I cared about their characters, especially the 2nd male lead who nearly steals the drama heās so good. My only complaint is the writing could have been tighter, and the plot strengthened. 16 eps might be better than 20 because the longer series too often flounder in repetitive plot re-enactments and filler scenes. Still, I recommend the series: though for me the series just misses being great, itās very good, and Iām glad I watched it.Was this review helpful to you?
Oh Mighty Drama gods, give me strength
This Show starts with a bang. We have murders, chases, fights and the ubiquitous death-defying escape. It is certainly a rollercoaster ride. If the first couple of episodes didnāt hook you then you are watching the wrong show.We are introduced to intrigues both at the imperial court as well as on a personal level. The interplay between the leads is certainly a highlight. There is obvious attraction between them, and they spend the bulk of the Show exploring their feelings and dancing around each other, searching for clarity.
The problem here is that they really stick to the Joseon rules. Most pairing of the upper class is just a power game between dynastic families. Courting is a minefield and love has little to do with it, unless you count forbidden love which is theme du jour of so many historical dramas. This means the ML can only long for the FL but he is not allowed to express his true feelings. On the other hand, even if the FL confessed her love for him, she would need a miracle to see it to fruition. This is an impasse that dragged on for too long in this show. It might be historically āaccurateā (heck, that didnāt stop other dramas from turning up the skinship dial) but as viewers, we are left dangling and more than a little frustrated. We waited and waited but there is little reward for our patience. Consider we didnāt get any fan service until the literal dying minute of the Show. It is very poor return for our dedication.
To be honest, the Show is too slow. I can accept the need to build up the mystery and allow time for all the clues to be found and the puzzle pieces to fall into place. The issue is that we are also watching from the sideline, and we can see the bigger picture. So, while our protagonists are expounding their nascent theories and being spoon fed more clues, we are way ahead of them. Maybe we donāt have the smallest details but the overall plotline is fairly obvious to us well before the final confrontation.
This is not helped by the fact that the show is 20 episodes long instead of the usual 16. Honestly, the Show would have been better off being only 16 eps long. There are easily 4 episodes worth of filler material that can be cut with minimal impact to the narrative.
In terms of acting, the ML carries the Show on his broad shoulders. His character has more depth and he certainly has a more challenging role. The FL is good but she spent too long cross-dressed as an eunuch. While she is reasonably convincing, it does makes it hard for us to adjust when she resumes her life as a lady. Your mind yo-yo between the image of the eunnch and her normal female form.
Unfortunately, most of the antagonists are straight out of central casting. Evil officials on one side while the good āuns are on the other. Their roles are about as predictable as you'd expect. We do get some twist regarding a couple of key characters, but the longer runtime dilutes the impact of the revelations as we already guess their hidden identities before the official reveal.
So far so sageuk, you might say but the sting is literally in the tail. The ending of this Show is definitely the weaker link. Good guys are rewarded, and the bad ones get their just deserts. All the loose threads are tied up, so, job done, right? The complication lies in the actual delivery. It feels awkward and uneven. We got there at the end but it doesnāt feel right. I get the impression that the writer-nim struggled to make the ending work within the allotted time and resources. The ideas are there but something is lost in translation.
Other than the less than stellar ending, there is one other thing that has been bugging me for some time. Byeokcheon is the key to the main storyline. An army was dispatch from the capitol to suppress a rebellion there which kickstarts the overarching plot. However, it seems to change from a district to a town to (in the end) nothing more than a village. The show even has the people of Byeokcheon gather for a ātownā meeting at one stage and they all fit inside one simple room. The scale feels wrong and inconsistent. Maybe I fail at ancient Joseon geography, but the Showās own interpretation also seems to be somewhat rubbery.
In the end, it is watchable and reasonably entertaining. It could and should have been better with a tighter script and a shorter run. If you are a fan of the leads then it is a must watch and you would be well satisfied. However, there is not a lot there to warrant a rewatch for anyone else. Peace out.
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How bad writing ruined a show
This drama had everything going for it; the premise, the acting, the music, the visuals, they were all really good, except for the most essential part of any drama; the writing.The drama starts really strong; the story is quickly set up for our main characters to meet; a tale of a cursed crown prince and a disgraced noblewoman; sounds promising, right? Well, it turns out it isn't. The show sets the entire thing up at the very beginning, throws even more plot points in an overcrowded story in the middle, and resolves everything only at the very end. Which makes for a story that is very quick in it's set up, very packed and unsatisfying in it's final and a middle where the story does not move forward. I compare the middle of the story to a clogged sink or toilet, I'm sorry if that is a crude comparison, but it's the only appropriate one; there is just too much stuff thrown in there and it won't move. You can skip from about episode 10 up to episode 19 and I'm pretty sure you would not miss anything of importance.
And that's quite frustrating because I think with the intriguing premise the drama had potential, everything was shot beautifully, the historical costumes, setup and the music made it very atmospheric. I wasn't familiar with FL, but I think she did very well, not really a big fan of ML (hot take, I know), because I have PTSD from Do Bong Soon, which I deeply dislike (another hot take), but he was okey.
I would have liked to know more about Byeokcheon and the Queen, that was very rushed, despite being very important plot points. In summary, the ideas were good, the execution was bad.
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Tried so hard for what could have been. Wasted opportunity.
I tried so hard to like this sageuk because of PHS. I think he's a talented actor and love sagueks, what else other reasons could there be? However I've started and stopped this drama 4x already. The first few episodes were very promising - mystery, underdog, and dashing king. The side plots (the 'forensic pathologist' friend) were also hilarious to watch and the supporting actors were likeable.However by about episode 8, that was it. Nothing new was happening and the plots were going around in the same circles. The mystery hadn't progressed and none of the mysteries were getting any closer to being solved. We already knew who did it (but not the why, but do we really care anymore?) The romance was half-baked - there was no chemistry whatsoever. Instead, we have the villains plotting and way over-acting with a lot of yelling and overly dramatic evil "I want to rule the world"-esque lines.
I totally throw in the towel at epi 14. Even watching at 1.5x speed AND online shopping for groceries on the side didn't help. This series should have stopped at episode 10 or 12. But instead, they have to drag it even beyond the normal 16 and even go on to 20. Please save 20 episodes and above for sageuks with lots of conspiracies, complicated side plots, engaging characters with nuanced motivations, and plotting where the real Machiavellian villain is unseen right up to the end or plot development that span several decades; but certainly not this rubbish.
I love sageuk and don't give up any without a fight. This is probably only the second time I'm dropping a sageuk in my entire kdrama watching history. Since I'm so close to the end, I may finish it one day when it's finished broadcasting but only because it's on Amazon Prime which I'm subscribed to anyway.
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Our Gloomed Youth
The story kicked off with the female lead getting falsely accused of murder and the prince is connected to the incident. So how would they structure the drama around this narrative? They had the female lead spend most of the drama hanging around the prince waiting for something to pop up for the story to move again, which didn't happen until the last few episodes. Unbelievably long and draggy for little to no story or character development. Everything can be summed up with 6 episodes without compromising anything from the narrative. The romance and the secrets were too delayed to care about, instead of laying them out evenly. Which made romance redundant by the end. Aside from the initial few episodes, I don't see anything appealing in this drama.Was this review helpful to you?
