Angst Galore

An okay drama with lots of frustrating moments.

Be ready to pound your chest in frustration at the slow pacing and weak (albeit understandable) character personalities/actions (talking about Xu Qin here). XQ was quite a frustrating character to watch in the beginning, and I'm torn because I understood her dilemma and lack of action in being independent and relying on herself, but I also thought she was too spineless and too dependent on her parents. As someone who values independence, it was really frustrating to watch her. She grows a major backbone by the end and delivers one of the best speeches I've ever seen of a child rebuking their parents' actions, which was so satisfying.

I've seen some people compare this drama to Road Home and I get why. There's a lot of similarity in the relationship dynamic between the two couples. Specifically, both dramas are really about this couple who've known eo from childhood, spent time broken apart, found eo again and reunite and try to make their relationship work while dealing with the realities of life around them (their work, family pressures, personal pride/prejudices, adulthood, etcetra). Even the pacing of the non-romance parts were the same as we got to see a lot of both MCs day-to-day life at work fighting fires or saving lives in the hospital. I personally enjoyed these scenes as well as it was a reprieve from all the angst in the characters' personal lives, but if you prefer faster pace romances, then you may not like this.

The romance aspect was different from Road Home though. XQ and Sang Yan's relationship didn't feel as stable as the couple in Road Home. Also, I personally preferred the actors' chemistry in RH more. In this drama, the XQ and SY had chemistry, but it felt a little like acting to me and so less natural. It also didn't help that I just kept feeling like Yangyang was giving the same "man-in-love" kind of performance that I've seen him do in other dramas (honestly, specifically referring to his performance in YAMG. You know those scenes, the ones where he grabs Dilraba and tucks her in his neck, cradles her hair, presses his nose into her neck and whispers sweet nothings into her ear and alla that). Anyway, the whole "in-love" performance in this drama just looked so similar to me, so the chemistry here looked a little bit recycled and less natural. Regardless, the couple were really sweet together and adorable so if you're not picky like me, you'll for sure enjoy their romance and have no problem with the chemistry.

I've said this before and I'll keep saying it again - Not every plot line needs a happy ending. Sometimes, people are shitty and they deserve to deal with the bad karma that comes from the consequences of their actions. I wish cdramas would stop caring so much about filial piety at the expense of one's child's mental health, but who am I to say that? It's their culture. Side note, I'd like to give 10 stars to XQ's mom for her acting in this drama. That lady freaking killed it.

Anyway, overall, it is an okay drama but I likely would have dropped it if I wasn't such a slut for Yangyang in romances.

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Gritty action, frustrating story.

I really enjoyed the fighting scenes and bromance in this drama, but unfortunately that wasn't enough to make up for the drama's faults.

My biggest gripe is just the writing/story, specifically with regards to how the actions of some of the characters were written and how some scenes played out. I feel like in each episode, there was always at least one mistake a character made that, on one hand, you could realistically drum it up to being an honest to God mistake, but on the other hand, you can just tell the mistake was purposesly written in order for the bad guys to get yet another one-up on them and for the plot to move along.

It's just frustrating to watch as a viewer, because based on what we have come to know about each character, their background, strengths, fighting specialisties, etc., we would expect things to play out a certain type of way, and when they don't it just seems like a disservice to the character.

In summary, I just felt like the bad guys were given plot armour 99% of the time while the good guys had to suffer the most and it was frustrating to watch.

Aside from the plot frustrations, everything else was good. All actors did a great job, even Saeron, and I loved the bromance and fighting as well.

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Don't expect much

For a roughly 15 minute per episode drama, this was fairly well produced. Acting was really good, especially considering the scale of the drama. Specifically, Xiao Hong Ye and Gu Meng's actors were spot on throughout the drama. The actor for Zhou Zi Chen was also good until the end where he had more explosive scenes, he fell quite short in those areas, but again, overall good job given the scale of the drama. Lastly Zhou Jiao Jiao's actor also did a good job!

As you'd expect, given how short the drama is there are bound to be problems. Even long dramas have their problems so it's to be expected more so here. Unfortunately, the plot was not plotting. The writing went around in circles; Xiao Hong Ye didn't redeem himself in the end imo - he always kept lying to Gu Meng about her situation at every single freaking point in their relationship; Gu Meng was such a cool assassin/skilled fighter in the beginning but even before losing her memories she was weak sometimes and then afterwards really just became a prop for the men to fight over for their own agendas; insane amount of plot holes, never-ending cycle of amnesia/head trauma; anticlimactic resolution to the Gu family massacre.

Overall, the writing just failed this drama. I understand they were limited due to it being a short series, but they could've just made the plot simpler and used their time wisely.

****SPOILER****

You know, I was actually happy with the way the ending was playing out, until we got to the ridiculous 2 years-later re-incarnation(?) conclusion. If it just ended with everyone dying, I would have been satisfied because I personally didn't see how XHY could've redeemed himself after causing Gu Meng's abortion, lying to her multiple times, and even though we know he wasn't the one who killed her family, we know he had intended to do it all the same (even if he ended up changing his mind later - so honestly this doesn't help make him look better imo...again, I don't even know why the writer made it out this way, like either say he is the killer and make him a bad guy or say he was framed, smh)

***END OF SPOILER****

Long story short, I would really only recommend this drama if you are interested in watching a chinese romance with spicy scenes. That's honestly my biggest takeaway from this drama. This drama really brought on the heat in the romance department. It was very romantic, realistic and very sensual. Honestly, XHY and GM's relationship was toxic AF in the beginning but I really enjoyed it lmao.

If you primarily care about a good plot or a story that makes sense, then avoid this.

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Romance at its core

This is truly a romantic drama about love. Love that gives you that heart fluttering feeling, love that's sometimes innocent and pure, love that can be stubborn and flawed while being sincere.

The drama is so befitting of the title. The love b/w TaeJoon and WonYoung was so unintentional. They weren't even each others' type but ended up slowly falling in love with each other. When they first met, I was expecting the camera to really zoom in on their facial expressions for a few seconds as they stare into each others' eyes while showing us the instant attraction they have for each other, but nope— they just bowed to each other, said hello, and continued the scene. And that really set the tone for me, because it felt like the drama was telling me "Don't worry, there's no rush, we've got time". And that we did! In 10 episodes at ~35 mins each, we got a fully fleshed out story of the unintentional love between TJ and WY; a story with depth and a realistic plot progression.

Other comments:
I love how there was no hesitancy on Taejoon's part whenever he was talking to his friends about his relationship with WY. It sounds like such a small thing but the fact that whenever TJ talked to his friends (specifically, the cafe owner and the kiln sunbae) about WY, it already appeared that, 'behind the scenes', TJ had already been talking to them about the fact that he was dating WY and getting advice from them on his relationship. Also, there was never this "Wait, what? You're dating WY? But he's a man!" type of reaction or vibe from his friends. So although it's honestly not something that we should be surprised about, it was such a noticeable thing to me because of how much of a big deal I've seen other shows make this kind of situation. I just really appreciated that TJ and WY could feel comfortable in their friend group even though they weren't out to the world.

However, in the beginning WY did have moments where he's pretty much denying that TJ and he could like each other because they're men (from the top of my memory- in ep 2 with the chin holding scene and ep 5 where they were pretty much recreating the iconic 'Ghost' scene and WY says TJ would have probably preferred if he was a girl instead. So those moments were a bit dissapointing/cliché but understandable too since WY had, up to that point, only been dating women and he assumed TJ was also the same so didn't know any different. Eventually, his language/mindset becomes more open and he wasn't hesitant to be affectionate with TJ in public so I forgave him :).

Side note - Dong Hee and Hotae. Gosh, they were so fucking cute. DH is a classic tsundere; He's all hiss and scratch but when HT hugs him or does something sweet, he gets all soft ?. I wish we got more of a conclusive ending to these two but I understand there wasn't enough time to dive into their own romance. I just hope we get a S2 or spin-off that's focused on their story line too!

Overall, I really enjoyed this drama. I know some people complained because it doesn't have intense kiss scenes, and while I truly understand those comments (bcos I also love when the actors [whether BL or non BL] go all in on their nc/kiss scenes), I personally don't think those kinds of kisses were necessary here nor did it take away from the story. I strongly feel this way because I was able to feel the love between TJ and WY in other ways. Like through their hugs! They gave each other the warmest freaking softest intense hugs. The way TJ would cradle WY's head/nape and really sink into his shoulder...Come the fuck on, how could you not feel the love? So yeah, I didn't mind the fact we didn't get intense kisses one bit.

In conclusion, it's a wonderful drama with an actual plot line that serves a pure, honest, romance story and deserves way more than the 7.8 stars I see this has rn.

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A lot of nothing

If I watched Part 1 when it initially came out, waited for Part 2 and then watched Part 2 after it was released, I probably would've been more upset because Part 2 was a bit useless.

There was barely any character development. Upon watching episode 1, it felt so corny seeing all the students work together so cohesively and confidently while killing the spheres but it also gave me a sense of comfort cos it felt like they all grew closer and had come to a place where they all respect and understand eo well.

But nope. A few episodes later and you realise that nothing has changed.

It's just so frustratung because, at the very least, towards the ending of Part 2, we still shouldn't be having issues like distrust between the characters. If you want to add 'betrayal' to the plot, do it in Part 1 when everything was new or at the start of Part 2 and resolve it immediately after. After the high of episode 1, I just thought that we were at a stage where the students would be respecting each others' opinions, completing their responsibilities, not whining, not crying, making reasonable decisions and so on. But a lot of characters just remained the same from Part 1: we still had Il Ha being agressive and sometimes displaying bullyish attitudes towards the CSAT kid, CSAT kid still only just worrying about score points, we had the useless princess girl always whining for her mom, we had Hui Rak being the loudest complainer, we had Ha Na always faking sick to avoid going on missions, we had Ae-Sol all of a sudden being a sickass shooter but then making a stupid ass decision in episode 2/3 that made the remarks Bo Ra always said about her justifiable, and more that's not at the top of my head rn.

Part 2 just felt like a let down. There wasn't much more progression. The prison arc was so unecessary and felt like filler. I'm not exactly sure what the purpose of Part 2 was. Especially after watching the last episode, the whole series just feels so pointless.

The only thing I enjoyed watching this drama was the small glimpses of camaraderie between the students and also their relationship with the Platoon Leader in Part 1. Unfortunately, the little bonding moments we got wasn't enough to save this clusterfuck of a show and it's mainly the fault of the writing.

Everyone did a great job on their roles, it just sucks they weren't given much of a plot to work with.

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Girl crush

I enjoyed this drama very much.

Mi Ran was definitely my favorite character. She was so strong, independent, smart, multi-talented. I loved how she exceeded at everything she did, her job, her side gigs - she was so funny and I loved watching her. I was thinking of a headline and 'girl crush' is really the only thing that comes to mind for my overall review of this drama. When I watched episode 1, that's the word I kept repeating over and over again whenever Mi Ran came on screen. Kim Ok Bin acted really well with this character.

Kang Ho was a funny character too and very adorable/relatable at times. He was so full of himself in the beginning but it was cute/funny to watch.

I loved all the side characters too - the company CEO was such a funny character, loved his bromance with Kang Ho. Even the Gilum Law firm employees were actually really fun to watch too. I was thinking they'd be misogynistic twats because it's an all-male law firm but everyone was pretty cool and unserious so they were fun to watch as well.

The only thing that fell short a bit for me was 1) - the chemistry in some of the playful sex scenes the leads had and 2) - the last episode.

For 1): Both Ok Bin and Yoo Tae definitely had chemistry, no doubt about that. But there were some scenes (really just one or two scenes, I think) where they were being playful with each other that just looked a bit..awkward (?) to me. Like, it just felt more like they were playing a couple that was being playful and less like a natural thing that they were doing. I only felt this way in a few scenes between them. For the most part, the chemistry between the two leads was HOT AF so it's not like I got that awkward feeling throughout the drama. So this point is very very miniscule but still just wanted to mention it.

For 2): I already gave a short review of my feelings on episode 10, but to expand on it - I'm just a bit dissapointed at the direction they decided to go with how Mi Ran reacted to the public's opinion of her. For all 9 episodes, we've come to know Mi Ran as this strong woman who stands up for her ideals and doesn't cower in the face of opression, but then when the public comes at her for her past history, she decides to break up with Kang Ho (the second time!) - even though Kang Ho was ready to give up everything for her at the moment. Like honestly, realistically, I know breaking up makes sense, because most of us have seen how knetz/public opinion has ruined lives of people through canceling and whatnot...but 1) this is a drama not reality and 2) in the context of this drama, more specifically, in the context of Mi Ran's personality, I was hoping for a change not another cliché where the couple breaks up because they cannot handle the negative press. I just wish the writing was different and the public didn't make a big deal out of her past in the first place when it was revealed or at the very least, since we know public opinion will always be bad in those kinds of circumstances, I was hoping at least they would show us a refreshing character that decides to say "F- you" to the public instead of giving in to them. I'll give them credit, there was one scene where Mi Ran did stand up for herself but they still had to break up so I was just fed up. If even a character like Mi Ran cannot handle public opinion, who can? Sigh.

I look forward to watching a drama where the couple continues to stand strong in their love despite the circumstances until the stupid public realises that they are the problem. Or until we reach a point where writers don't need to use public opinion as a trope to create drama and drive a wedge between couples in the first place.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

Anyway, don't take my above rant to mean I didn't like this drama. I really did enjoy it. All 9 episodes were so fun to watch and my mood was only dampened for a few minutes of the last episode so that's not a bad ratio. It all can't be great, I guess.

If you're in the mood to laugh and watch a strong female character that makes you feel refreshed and you want to watch a sweet romance blossom between a beautiful couple, then look no further!

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Really didn't like the female character at the start of the drama but ended up opening up to her more later on. My favorite thing about this drama was probably the parent-in-laws and how they, mother-in-law especially, was very approving of the ML and FLs relationship.

I didn't like how they made the FL become MLs secretary when her field is pediatrics. It was such a weird decision. Like, i know it all worked out but it just didn't sit right with me. Also, couldn't stand that the FL didn't stand up for herself more at work but it was also understandable given she didn't want to burn bridges with her superiors - I get it but it wasn't any less frustrating to see her be insulted or humiliated.

Overall, it was a really funny and sweet romance with an ok story

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Beauty in Pain

I've been in a drama drought the whole year and was solely waiting on this drama to finish airing because from the trailers, I've been absolutely looking forward to watching 'The Legend of Shen Li' and boy did this not dissappoint.

Talk about an honest ROMANCE, talk about non-cliche's, talk about breaking the mold, talk about character development, talk about non-one dimensional villains, talk about great dialogues, talk about fleshed out happy endings; this had everything that makes a great drama!!

The romance is truly the main star of this drama. The last couple of episodes were heartbreaking yet so beautiful to watch because you could see and truly feel from the screen the enormous amount of love Shen Li and Xing Zhi have for each other. I don't think any other couple have made me think, "Wow, what an absolutely beautiful and sincere display of love this is!" while balling my eyes out at the pain the characters and viewers were being inflected with.

My main highlights of this drama are self explanatory, but to expand on one aspect of what I mean by breaking the mold, I really liked the whole part of this drama that deals with the discussions regarding the Ancient gods, why they were created and how they they are expected to carry themselves. Specifically, I loved that our leads were defying norms by not just accepting their fate but fighting the 'Laws of Nature' and condemning the hypocricy/conflicting expectations the higher powers have towards the Ancient gods as well as the expectations of the citizens. It was just so satisfying to see characters curse at the higher powers, and stand up for themselves when faced with pressure to act a certain way. Like no, f you, why should I keep suffering for your sins? Can't I rest and enjoy my life too? Why give me emotions but dissallow me from expressing them? I just really loved this whole discussion. The overall dialogue in the drama was written so well.

This drama was just completely refreshing to watch. The cinematography and CGI were beauuutiful, the OST is 100/100 (probably my second fave thing about this drama), the acting was soooo freaking good - Episode 38 was the most painful episode but both actors did such a fantastic job, I know I'll be going back to rewatch this and more episodes in the future.

The drama did have a few shortcomings. My main problem with it was the lack of story/plot line. In the beginning it just felt completely aimless, I kept asking myself, "Where exactly are we going with this?", "What's the story here?", so you might watch this and feel things are progressing slowly but it eventually picks up. Also, although the romance was intense and there was great chemistry between the leads, the kissing scenes were minimal (save for last ep) and a bit off; I felt like ZLY was at least trying, while LGX was not giving at all lmao.

Overall, a fantastic drama. If you don't know what to watch, give this a go. If you're tired of clichés and same old stories, give this a go. If you're in the mood for a slow burn, angsty but intense romance, give this a go, you'll definitely finish this with something good to say.

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Potential to be great, ruined by writing

7-7.5 stars.

This BL reminds me of The Sign and how I felt watching it. I loved the concept and plot line as well as the chemistry between the leads, but there were just too many moments of logic being thrown out the window that dampened by enjoynment. Also I feel bad rating this low because quality was really nice but it was also highly dramatized with lots of makjang-esque moments that really cheapened the overall quality.

The romance seems like it would be one of those classic epic love stories, like in IFYLITA, that lasts through the years and shows you how time can't stop one true love (I mean, its right there in the title too); however, interestingly enough, I didn't get that feeling by the end of the show. Suffice to say, it feels like the message in this BL is more about moving on and living in the present, not holding on to what has passed but following your heart. Especially with how inconclusive the plot was about Vee and Wat, I just wasn't getting the anticipated 'Centuries of Love' vibes yk? Anyway, I don't mind it too much because the chemistry between the leads was great. Vee's actor did give me cringey moments here and there with his acting, but he was a lovable character.

Mini spoiler: TLDR rant from above is just, how can you name a series 'Century of Love' yet make me doubt at the end whether the main leads are actually the fated couple or not...

Things I liked about this show were the family dynamics between San and his descendants(?), Vee's relationship with his grandma, watching San progress from hating(?) Vee to being head over heels for him, Third's friendship with Vee and him being the voice of reason in this show (also love that they broke away from the cliche of the 2nd ML pining after the MC plot), and Chu (bestest great grand daughter ever), oh and big shoutout to Doctor Tao!

Overall, it's just an okay series. Steam level is medium but has great intimacy (Hello, neck and wrist scenting!). I hope to see San's and Third's actors in other BLs in the future as I really liked their performance in this.

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Well done

Great series with some plotholes(?)/frustrations but really short, so overall enjoyable.

A little dissapointed with Tin's fighting skills given he's a karate instructor...but maybe that was just a touch of realism on karate being the least effec- lemme stop there.

Parts of the editing were really choppy and tonal shifts being scenes were jarring sometimes, but this was somewhat understandable since there was a lot to cram in 8 episodes.

Plot wise, I loved the way everything was handled at the end and I felt satisfied with the villain's outcome and our leads' happy ending. Episode 7 was my favorite episode in the drama. We got to watch some great acting, especially from Charn's actor, but both leads were really amazing. I was pleasantly surprised with the 2nd couple too, up to Ep 4 or 5 I was begrudginly stating my disinterest in anything concerning Thaenthai, but ended up rooting for his adorable love story with his handsome bodyguard. As for our main leads, their dynamic was wonderful. Charn being an insane, somewhat unhinged, tsundere, but pouty and naturally aegyo filled man and Tinn being the pure hearted, morally upright, sensitive, golden retriever, sunflower of a man was such a great dynamic. I loved how Tinn, while lacking dating experience, could give as much as he could take in the flirting department. It was also funny and very definition of man of him whenever he was curious about how he sized up against Charn's exes. Overall, I really liked the pairing and thought the chemistry was great. I wish we saw more physical intimacy between them, but the sexual tension, loving stares, and flirty dialogues between the two was also great!

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Romance? Passion? Chemistry? Pacing? What more could we possibly ask for?

What a great series!!! Everything we could possible want, we got in spades!

I loved the story of Bai Zong Yi and Fan Ze Rui. How these two lonely people whose paths unexpectedly cross steadily form a relationship from being enemies to unwilling caretaker/pestering patient, to friends, and then lovers. The buildup of tension between the two as their feelings for each other started to develop was immaculate ????. Between when they finally become lovers, are separated and reunited, the love, lust and longing they had for each other was so palpable it was almost too much to watch. Episodes 7 and 11 still have me in a chokehold. My favorite thing about BZY was his honesty and straightforward personality. He wore his heart on his sleeve and was direct with his feelings for FZR. My fave thing about FZR was his eyes. His eyes told so much and always looked at BZY so lovingly. When watching two people GAZE at each other makes you shy, you know you've found a gem.

Where BZY and FZR were intimate and loving, Ai Di and Chen Yi were explosive and intense. Both pairings were so passionate but it was expressed in completely different ways which was great to see. AD and CY's romance story was also beautiful to watch; finally seeing, AD who had been waiting over 4 years for CY to reciprocate his love, find his own happiness was for sure worthwile. For all of AD's aggressiveness, he is such a softie on the inside, especially to those he loves, a classic tsundere so his character was very fun to watch and I loved his dynamic with CY.

Overall, in terms of romance, Kiseki: Dear to Me 100% delivered. The driving gang plot itself too was also good and brought lots of angst that allowed our couples to develop their feelings even quicker. I appreciated how the story didn’t drag at all throughout the series. (Though, I did wait for the series to end before binging so the pacing seemed great to me, all the cliffhangers would have had me STRESSED had I watched this live xD). Everything was paced well and I didn't feel any relevant plotline was particularly underdeveloped. Although, I wouldn't be opposed to getting bonus episodes of BZY and CY's married life, too much to ask? ???????. Acting was also superb from the main cast. I did not feel one bit of discomfort/awkwardness in intimate scenes between any of the pairings. They all had great chemistry. The only poor acting was honestly mainly from Wayne's character lmao, and other small side characters.

Anyway, so happy with this series and I wish the best to all the actors. I had a great time watching it and I'm sure if you decide to pick this up, you will too!

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Good message but frustrating to watch.

This is another hard to rate drama for me.

In terms of enjoyment, probably 6 stars. In terms of the message that I think the drama was trying to show, probably 8 stars.

Heres why:

Enjoyment - I didn’t like the FL. I found her to be a bit of a hypocritical character. She came across as pretentious, on one hand carrying herself like she's above the instagram girls and standing proud/not being ashamed of the fact that she's not rich or doesn't care about being famous (which I loved), but then on the other hand, she found her own online success by lowkey mooching off of the instagram girls' popularity and making decisions that keep putting her in that circle of "friends" despite the fact that she oh so wasn't interested in being famous ?. Idk, her actions just didn't align with her words and personality so she just rubbed me the wrong way. Also I just found it hard to believe the amount of hold the influencers in this drama had over the entire public. Like come on...

Message - For all the reasons above and more, I feel like this captures exactly what message the drama is trying to send. Regular people like A-Ri can all of a sudden find themselves in a similar situation and be swept away by the money, pretty clothes, popular "insider" cliques, sponsorships, fancy parties etcetera and lose themselves to chasing internet fame. I liked how it showed a normal person's fall into the internet fame ecosystem and how people can get so obsessed with seeking likes and the thin rope these influencers walk with their "fans"/followers.

So I'm a bit torn about this because I didn't enjoy the drama cos it was fruatrating to watch, but I also saw the message it was trying to send which made it easier to understand why the FL was written the way she was. And at the end, she does come back to her senses and serves her revenge well which was good to see.

The acting from FL was a bit stiff at times, and I wasn't a big fan of the couple pairing between A-Ri and JunKyung (but they looked pretty together, so my eyes were happy ?). But if you're looking to escape and watch something that's far from the reality you might be living then you can give this a try.

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There's not one sane character in this drama

In the most endearing way, all characters in this drama were on crack. I remember saying this to myself after every episode especially in the early parts of this series. This drama has such a variety of weird, ridiculous, funny, and charming characters that makes you fall in love with them. They were all insane, it was so funny to watch their antics. The good characters were insane for the above reasons while the bad characters were literally insane.

The drama has very serious moments dealing with revenge and murder and plotting and death but there's so much comedy tossed in as well that had me laughing and kept the overall tone of the drama light.

All the cast did a terrific job in their roles. Specifically Song Joong Ki, he really fit his character so well and I enjoyed watching him be this mafioso consigliere, although everytime he spoke in Italian I couldn't help but cringe. Taecyeon was also really fantastic in this.

I didn't necessarily like the ending of the drama but I appreciated that the writer did not hold back on the revenge to the bad guys. I was so sure they'd end up with some half assed comeuppance but Vincenzo really delivered at the end so I was satisfied.

My rating is somewhere between 7.5 and 8 stars. I enjoyed the drama a lot but there was so much that pulled me out of the plot that I'll detail below:

1. Although the Geumga Plaza tenants were a really funny bunch, I found them too nosy for my liking. I know that it's part of the gag that they keep being included in everything, and they really do end up being helpful to Vincenzo sometimes, but it was just too much for me. They were so involved.

2. The writing did a diservice to the bad guys. Jang Han Seok is this really ruthless, blood thirsty but also intelligent Chairman and by a certain point in the series, he (and the also very intelligent, ruthless lawyer of his) has had MULTIPLE run ins with Vincenzo and his gang of helpers (Geumga tenants). But even despite that, the bad guys haven't upped their security detail to let them know to watch our for, not just Vincenzo, but the tenants as well? There were many moments where Vincenzo's people would infiltrate the bad guy's location when realisticly, the bad guys should've already memorized their faces and known to watch out for them. So the writing sometimes was just really poor. You can tell the purpose wasn't to make it believable but to just move the plot along however the writer likes. So I didn't appreciate that. There are other situations where the writing didn’t deliver. It felt lazy to me at times.

3. Cha young's character was...annoying. The amount of times I either cringed or just stared with disbelief (?) at her very unique mannerisms was more than I can count, mainly in the earlier episodes. Again, I get that this was part of the gag but it just came off so unnatural and out of place for me at times. She would be in the courtroom acting very ridiculous and I couldn't help but think it was just unprofessional. Idk, the drama is a comedy but also has serious moments so I'm just never sure how to feel about the ridiculous aspects cos, on the one hand, it has me laughing out loud, but then it also pulls me out of the story due to how unserious the characters are being.

4. Lastly, the crazy lengths the bad guys took in this drama was a bit ridiculous to me. I know it's a drama but come on...at some point, all the murdering people left and right becomes too far fetched. Especially when it's lawyers that are making all the orders. And I know that's the whole point of the drama, that the people who should be establishing justice are corrupt and selfish, but it was just over the damn top. This probably ties back into the writing.

So yeah, those were my main issues with the drama.

Overall, it's a good drama. The romance is really low here, but you can definitely see that the main leads care for one another. If you like dramas with found families, good action, revenge plot, anti hero main characters, and wacky comedy, definitely give this drama a shot.

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Best supporting characters

My favorite thing about this drama is definitely the supporting characters. The four soldiers, the ajummas in the North Korean village, Seo Dan's mother and uncle, Se Ri's manager and the insurance advisor, Se Ri's older brother and his wife. All these people were so fun to watch. Especially, the bonds between Se Ri and the soldiers was really beautiful. These side characters were honestly the main highlight of the drama to me.

As for our main leads, the romance between Se Ri and Jeong Hyeok was definitely epic, but I honestly don't see how they could work in the long-term. Will they really just meet for two weeks every year? That's terribly sad. I loved their love and how strongly they felt for each other and wanted to protect each other so it's so unfortunate they can't fully be together.

All the actors did a fantastic job, as you'd expect. I wasn't a big fan of Se Ri's character as she could come across quite spoilt and entitled, mainly in the early episodes but I'm sure this was a purposeful decision to make her character that way given her upbringing. It was all the more wothwile seeing her become more kind/understanding/humble after her experience in NK.

Jeong Hyeok was all around a great male lead. I love that mainly he was this really masculine, serious, leader character but he also had unexpectedly cute moments too where he would pout and be jealous when with Se Ri or would look like a child when with his parents.

Overall, a really good romantic comedy that also deeply hits you with the feels more often than you may have anticipated. Be prepared to cry, both sad and happy tears but also be prepared to enjoy watching the various bonds that are formed between both the main leads and supporting characters in this drama.

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Representation everywhere

Anyone watching this drama will feel represented by at least one of the characters in this series.

This was a really good drama. It had mature topics, and a diverse group of characters. I loved the friendships in the series namely, our three amigos (Alex, Ew and Nim), (Army and Alex), (Kat, Liu and Rose). Really liked the romantic pairings as well. All characters/couples had their own flaws and issues but they end up working on it and eachother towards the end.

Overall, its just an all around feel good drama. I laughed a bunch of times and was emotional as well. Alex's actor did a fantastic job, along with the rest of the cast. The acting was just really natural.

Although there were somethings I didn't agree with in this drama (mainly - Jean's anger towards Alex for, imo, what didn't seem to be his fault, at least not his alone), I still enjoyed it all the same. The tone of the drama is very educative especially in the early episodes but it didn't feel too heavy, I really enjoyed those teaching moments too.

All in all, a very funny, mature and romantic drama with a variety of beautiful couples and a plot that keeps you interested.

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