This started as such a fun drama, it felt like watching an anime in real life, with the silliness of his masochistic tendencies. I liked her strength, and they had okay chemistry, nothing amazing but there were at least a little? Episode after episode I kept waiting for an advancement in their relationship but got nothing. He turned into a complete and utter, creepy stalker and she sort of floated, like instead of falling in love she just accepted the harassment. It's a shame, what could've been a funny, quirky show about a secret sadist and a masochist turned into a show about, it's okay to stalk someone if we categorise it as romance.

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I wasn't originally planning on watching this title, but decided to give it a go, and happily watched the entire show. It's a light, fluffy rom-com, with some medical drama thrown in.
The chemistry between the two leads was great, I loved it, and the two leads were likable in their own ways. Sakura was a bit of a cringy ditz sometimes, but not enough to overly irritate me and I liked how eventually she moved away from the goal of simply getting the guy, and invested more into being a nurse.
I think what disappointed me a bit was the side characters and how their own endings were rushed. Little investment saw little payoff.
Plots like meeting families was a rush job, but I find Japanese dramas like this never delve too deep into certain story lines, so I didn't bring my star rating down.
Overall, a quick binge weekend show.

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From a fantasy to a flop

SPOILERS AHEAD

This was the biggest disappointment for me as a drama this year.
I was so excited to watch this and for the first few episodes, I rushed home, settled down and switched it on. The mythology, the characters, the little twists, and the ease into this fantastical world made this exciting. Then we hit episode 4-5, and instalove set in and the story went downhill.
The fantastical world? Brief flashes of what felt like the outside of the Narnia closet.
The mythology? Delegated to artifacts and uninteresting backstories read aloud by the characters.
The characters? I went from loving detective, whip-smart Ji-Ah to not caring if she died and wishing she'd just not appear on screen. Also, close to 1000 people die, no self-sacrifice, but your bf gets into trouble and it's a gun to the head? She ended up being incredibly selfish and whiny, I want my parents back, I want this, I want that.
The charisma of the stars was drowned by the constant weeping and lamentations put into every episode. This went from drama to DRAMA.
I wanted so bad to explore the fox-side of Yeon, instead we get one scene where we see fiery tails and they never appear again. He was the Guardian of the Mountain. Cool story bro, but uh, yeah, never really explored what the hell that entailed except for I guard the mountain and yadda yadda, next.
I read a prediction blog of how this would end, and had the writer's followed suit, and made Yeon king of hell and Ji-Ah the administration lady, I woulda given it an extra half star. This person managed to outshine the writer's ending with their own prediction. How I wanted it to end like they guessed! Instead, Yeon's human and whining about human shit (but then he's not human? Wtf, I dunno.) Rang dies and gets reincarnated, like nah, it's fine, wasn't enjoying the family of four, let's ruin that.
The more I write, the angrier I get, this had so much untapped potential and given a clever writer, this could have been my new favourite kdrama. But alas, another drama lost to damsel cliches, unnecessary filler, and weak endings.

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What started as a drama that looked like it was going to provide us with a fresh take on love and life in your 30's, with a stigmatized romance, quickly turned into a convoluted mess of tropes that have been done hundreds of times, and this show didn't follow them well.
The characters were great...at the start. They were grown-ups but showed us they hadn't figured everything out yet and that's where we were supposed to see them find themselves. Only they didn't until the last episode where everything was shove into a rushed ending.
I feel bad Victoria Song is getting such backlash, she didn't write the character, she acted well, it's just a shame her character went from naive to just plain stupid.
As for the other characters, they seemed interesting, or they would have been, had we seen more of them. By the end, we have their endings plattered up for us and we're supposed to care? I wanted to delve into the different romances, but it was 2 minutes on them and then the rest of the show watching the leads play tug or war with their relationship, though you could hardly call it a relationship, since it seemed such a fleeting aspect of the show.
All in all, if you like slow stories with rushed endings, go for your life. I got to the end by skipping 35 minutes of every 40 minute episode. Good luck

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Binge for a lazy afternoon

If you're looking for a drama with any conflict or relationship angst, this is not for you. This drama is about a couple getting to know each other and doesn't do much else. The cast have good chemistry and that's about it. The story itself is simple, and whenever conflict arises, it fizzles out quickly to compensate for its 20 minute running time.
Sadly the heroine does suffer from the typical self-doubt that most heroines suffer in Jdrama rom-coms but it's not over the top so it can be forgiven. Overall, I binged it on a public holiday and it filled some time. Nothing bad, but not brilliant. 8 stars because it's a fluff piece and if you hate conflict then this would be ideal for you.

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Fluff to fill the time

I didn't go into this expecting much, and if you go in with that attitude, you'll enjoy this show. It doesn't wow you, and there are plotholes, and an ending that doesn't really make sense, but it's happy and the romance is sweet and fluffy. This didn't let me down as much as a bigger budget type of drama, where you expect better.
They could've made the story more complex, and honestly the last few episodes is where the show is really let down, where we don't get a big bad build up and finish, but rather a light drizzle of emotional pay-off and a tip of the hat to the villain, who was rather ho-hum.
But I mean, damn, the visual effects of the dragon was a lot better than some other dramas I've seen, so props to that.

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I have to write this for my parents. They typically only watch Korean drama's, you know, a nice set 16 episodes and they're finished. After watching bits of this and the mini-series on Netflix, I talked them into trying it. They were unconvinced, thinking it was too long, but started anyway. They binged the whole thing within a week, were both sad that there was no more and hoping I could suggest something else.
The female lead is great, she's cunning but not unkind, and I loved the interactions between her and the emperor, the chemistry is great. It was nice to see a woman who didn't whine or scheme, where we weren't sure of how she'd get out of a bind until it happened. The politics between concubines was ruthless and the opening song will be recognisable for the rest of my life.

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How to make a drama drag-on

This drama was simply a disappointment. When they cast Dylan Wang, I was cautious and my fears came to fruition watching him in the main role... his role being staring into nothing. And as for Bambi, who knows if she's a decent actress? I was frankly bored with her portrayal, of course story-wise she wasn't given much to work with, 3 incarnations of damsels and 1 of a general. By the way, what did the dragon love about this mortal? Because with 0 personality most of the time, I wondered if she'd been born with a different face, how he'd recognise her.
I commend the second lead couple, they kept the show alive, dragged me into watching the whole show. I hope to see these two in more dramas in the future.
In essence, for a drama idea that has been hyped for years, the writers massacred what could've been an entertaining drama. Also the big bad was laughable, with pathetic motivation and scarce reasoning.

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Late runner wins my favourite drama of the year

Wow, just wow. If I don't get a second season, I'm going to become a monster.
Let me start by saying, I hate horror, I avoid it like the plague but after watching the trailer, I decided to sit down and watch some of it, and it hooked me from the start. I have never read the webtoon, so I went into this blind.
The only thing that has a shrug from me: the song Warriors being played. Only thing that irritated me.
The acting superb, two thumbs up for the cast. They had me in a whirlwind emotion of hate, hope, love, among other things.
This drama's manifestation of monster's, both physically and psychologically was brilliant. What added to my delight, was the monsters appearance, almost webtoony in a way. They weren't made to blend in perfectly with their environment, they were made to look unreal, and that only heightened the idea of real monsters. Human's and their shortcomings. When we cut to people, it was gritty, and real, and dirty. The metaphorical beauty of this drama hit me like a bus (or a firetruck).
Another point is the characters themselves. Morally grey. I love when this is done right, and this was done awesome. I had my favourites, and I had those I loathed, and there were those who changed my mind. I grew with the characters, and loved every minute of it. And what brought more meaning was character deaths. They did this so right. They were poignant, and made me stop and think. I didn't just go, oh well, another dead, I actually paused and grieved when a few of my favourites died (or did they?) They had different personalities, different goals, different histories, we didn't dwell on them, but were exposed to them fresh, raw and wholly, which kept the teetering pace.
I think 10 episodes was a great package. I feel like some drama's do 16-20 and they end up with so much filler, or flashback or things that meant nothing. Here, everything was inserted for a reason.
And that ending episode, the twists? Damn, that's an ending done right.
Can I also say the poetry behind Hyun-Su's form? He looked like an avenging angel, and whether he caused that eclipse or not, I can't wait to see them delve further into this world of survival.
Sweet home hit a sweet spot, in a year of drama misses for me, and I eagerly await the next season! Fighting team!

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Wasted Potential

This is a good drama if you're looking for something light and fluffy, but with little depth. The story and romantic subplots all started off well, but ended up fizzling out well before the show ended. Some connections were made too early, others too late, and wasted screen time with filler, only to rush the climatic episode instead of giving us three episodes at the end that has that satisfaction of being able to see all their hard work pay off. Where was the smarts? The epic fighting? Where was the pleasure of seeing the villains pay? Even the ending between the two brothers felt hollow and undeserved, the resolution making me angry more than anything. His brother only felt sorry for his actions after being caught, and provided no support or redeemable qualities except for falling in love with an assassin who was bland and weepy.
As for the SL couple, I was disappointed to have such an interesting wall dividing their feelings and yet we only got 2 minute glimpses every few episodes of their relationship which didn't give me anything to look forward to or to root for.
As for the lead couple, they didn't develop so much as suddenly have an insta-love moment.
This was a highly anticipated drama as I waited for it for 2 years, and while it kept my attention to watch to the end, it disappointed, and ultimately wouldn't bring me back to rewatch any scenes.

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Favourite of the year

This was a surprise drama I hadn't expected to like so much, but it's fast-pace, cgi, and comedy drew me to it. It's a beautiful romance, and redeemed Dylan Wang as an actor in my eyes. This is a drama I would recommend watching, especially if you love a story that focuses on the main leads, their romance, and their development as individuals.
The reason I've only given it 9 stars instead of 10 was the ending felt rushed, as did the side plots. This was a drama I could've happily watched to 40 episodes to see other stories fleshed out. Jie Li and Shang Que were fun to watch, but we barely watched any development between them, and so their romance fell flat a bit. I also felt Jie Li was an interesting character but didn't get anywhere near enough time to flesh out her backstory/ main story. Same with Shang Que, he was a dragon, yet we see very little of his power, and when trouble came, he was rarely found. In the end, being sisters to Danyin had very little impact and could've been written out. I was also intrigued by the Arbiter and her love story, but only saw a brief glimpse, not even a, hey after the peace treaty they were rescued from their prison. These little side stories can elevate a drama to 10 stars.
I was also disappointed the emperor didn't die. He was horrible.
However, this world was incredibly interesting, and I wouldn't say no to a season 2, I think corrupting the emperor would make an interesting story. Better yet, bring back the Arbiter, and lets roll the dice and play with fate?

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Junk food for the soul

I loved this drama because it took all the tropes that made me fall in love with kdramas to begin with, and enacted them beautifully. With shows that start light hearted and quickly turn to melodramas, it was refreshing to see a drama that didn't hide what it was.
The actors were great, they played their characters well.
The 12 episode format was a refreshing change- no dragged out scenes or stories, and while sometimes it's necessary, on a show that's easy to predict and full of tropes, 16 episodes would have dragged it out.
I do take issue with the last episode, purely because I would've liked the last 20 minutes to have wrapped up each story nicely instead of bringing in a completely new element which gave us unresolved ends, but again, this drama is so faithful to tropes, it's followed the rushed ending for a brilliant drama trope. But I'm not unhappy. We knew where the characters ended-happy. Which is what we all need at the moment. After two years of bad news in the world, I personally enjoyed watching a drama that didn't make me feel depressed watching it. I can't wait to see where these actors pop up in other dramas.

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Bittersweet Home

Buckle up because this is going to be a long review.
To preface, I rated the first season 10/10. As someone who can't stand the zombie genre, Sweet Home was an endearing take to an outbreak scenario. Everything worked for me. This season, not so much.
Let's start with the positives.
Those first three episodes were mind-blowing. The emotions the cast and crew wrought from me, I was on the edge of my seat unsure of what was going to happen. What I loved was the continuation of the survival story, where we're with our characters, despondent, on the edge of giving up, and hopeless. They're being attacked by monsters and soldiers, and there is no mercy. The glimpse of the bride and her husband broke my heart, it was short, sweet, but such a powerful scene, and it hones into the idea of monstrosity not being simply a physical as we watch the husband shot and the wife becomes a monster in her grief. These 3 episodes had twists and surprises, and such amazing interaction between the characters, and we saw the writers really take on audience feedback from the first season and input it. We watched bad guys vs good guys, good guys vs good guys and bad guys vs bad guys. The deaths of Ji-Su and Soo Young were raw, and so beautifully real. They weren't heroic deaths, they were bleak and cruel and raw. It reminded me of when Game of Thrones had deaths that just shook you to the core, because they were so unexpected (before it became a redundant theme and then not a theme at all). Even the off screen death of Hye In, which people might have felt robbed but I liked it because in war, we forget the facelessness of those who die, and so we who've watched her since episode one, to see her disappear without explanation, was poignant. Like, this is what happens. She becomes a body in a pile and if there's no one to grieve her, she'll be forgotten.
I also really enjoyed thinking about how you saw survivors become soldiers, which is an interesting aspect to bring into an apocalyptic korean show, because it showcases that most of them can take on the role because they've taken part in military service, so I enjoyed that aspect. Also as the audience, you do wonder in that situation whether you'd be better off with soldiers or alone.
Seeing some of the OG monsters, love me the half head dude, so creepy.
Eun-yoo being a badass, was great, wish I'd seen more. Hyun-soo being the gentle monster, you just want to give him a hug.
The ending of the show also with Hyun-su and the potential for a dual personality, I loved. That was such an interesting concept to bring and I'm sad we only got a glimpse because I like the idea of, we're no longer fighting against ourselves but rather against the enemy. And seeing Eun Hyuk again, that was *chefs kiss* and I applaud them for keeping it under wraps for so long, I had no idea he'd come back. I was honestly expecting to see him presented as a full blown monster, so to see the humanness intrigues me, because is he still the same on the inside?
Okay, now to the negatives, which lost this show 2 stars (but gained half back with that ending). Ready for a rant because I am.
Episodes 4-8 felt like they were recreating the first season on a grander scale, but without anyone I cared about. Seriously, I can't tell you the name of any of the new characters because I didn't care. They had way too many which left me sitting their bored, waiting for someone familiar to come on. We had uninspired military guy 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Wait, I didn't mind Mr. Kim, but they didn't quite get the morally grey right with him. We had the survivors who I didn't care if they'd all been blown up. Count it, we had 3 women in this show who were obsessive over the guy of their choice. A priest, who, I dunno, what was his purpose? He was edgy? Instead of introducing all these people, they should've kept to a smaller group and figured out something different, even if it was fighting another small group. Because this just felt like 4 episodes of Sweet Home Big Brother.
Ah-Yi. Why do they always have to ruin a show or movie by having these bratty teenagers who are half sociopath half pixie dream girl? I'm so special, I hate everything, let's make monsters. You know what I would've preferred? Seeing Yi-kyung as a mother, adapting, struggling as she's watching her baby grow too fast, worrying about someone hurting her. I craved a mother daughter relationship. Instead Ah-Yi turned her mother into a monster and then left. Let me guess, next she's going to team up with Sang Wook because monsters are awesome?
I found the dynamic between Hyun-su, Eun-yoo and Chan Young super interesting and thought there was something we could've had more time on. This is what the second half of this season felt like. Could've ended up in the same way but boy they should've gone a different route on some of this stuff.
At this point, I don't even know who we're going to have left to resist monsters because the group gets smaller and smaller, and I don't care if most of them become monsters of die. Like what's the end goal at this point? Because first season it was clear. Survive. This one? No idea, felt like it flopped all over the place.
The girl and man with the caravan. What was their purpose? No idea. Did they have potential? Sure, but so sick of having female characters being half insane. Like take them out of the story, and you could've literally kept going with barely anything changing.
This season asked more questions than it answered. Did we ever actually find out what was in the suitcase? I can't remember at this point, I started skipping scenes towards the end, because while the mad scientist was interesting, it felt like the whole season was him gearing up to do something. This whole season was a set up for season 3, so I am hoping they end this show at season 3 and make it truly epic because it fell flat this season.
Will I watch season 3? You bet, they've set up some interesting things, I just felt disappointed they didn't choose a more enticing way to set it up. Because the first season was an interesting dive into the human psyche, the second season had me like, there are too many humans, I don't care about any of their backstory.
Come on season 3, fighting!

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