Intense kissing scenes and chemistry but.....
Production of this drama was quite poor, sorry to say. All the voices and sound were dubbed, and editing was sloppy. The plot and base storyline was actually good, that’s why I gave it a 7. It had some thriller/ mystery/ romance elements but the flow was just... meh. The plot twist towards the end was also extremely predictable.The main characters were interesting, but unfortunately I don’t think the actors pulled it off. (Sorry!) Their chemistry was good though, and the kissing scenes were intense. Actually that was what got me to watch this after seeing some snippets online :):) However, the drama itself fell short of what I thought would be a good one. The SFL was plain annoying, and the second couple lacked chemistry.
The few songs in the OST were quite nice. I’ve already added to my Spotify list :) A special shout out to Productive Procrastination for subbing this in English :) There were also some deleted couple scenes which you can find online ;)
Watch it if you’re in between dramas. It’s a short one - 16 episodes and 30mins each. Don’t expect too much, just enjoy the chemistry ;)
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Not as good as 10
Many reviews are giving it 10s but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. And here’s why:1. Storyline
What I liked- Yes the storyline and plot was very interesting. A Swat special police and a doctor- not the typical CEO/ employee, rich man/poor girl/ tall guy /short girl, handsome/cute nonsense.
What I didn’t like- some parts were boring! If it was intense like Grey’s Anatomy or thrilling suspense like 24, man that would be awesome. But the background episodes on their “daily lives” were just yawnnnn and slow. The first episode was captivating, was quite engrossed until episode 5. Up until around episode 20-21, it was engaging. Unfortunately the latter half was just a lot of skipping.
2. Romance
Sigh... many said their chemistry was fantastic. I’m sorry but I could not agree. Before they actually dated, I felt their connection was more intense. But after they started dating , I felt Xing Kelei and Mi Ka were more like BFFs or like a married couple of 10 years. Laughing and understanding, but not enough tingling za-Za-zing you would normally have as a new couple. To me the romance development was disappointing.
3. Too long
It dragged on for 40 episodes. Could have done with maybe only 25-30? Between episodes 22-38 it was repetitive and not very interesting. The last two episodes were great with the bus hostage situation. Ending was meh... not that I wanted to see a wedding, but felt rather abrupt.
I haven’t watched DOTS, so I’m not making any comparisons at all. Should you watch this drama? Yes give it a go. But don’t expect much...
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Very unique and interesting! MUST WATCH!!
I started King The Land first… didn’t find it that great. I love Lee Jun Ho, but felt that the drama just didn’t bring out the best in his acting. Didn’t really find the humour all that funny either.Then I started this drama, and boy was I blown away! It’s so unique and interesting!! A very refreshing perspective and fresh outlook. I loved the FL - her character is so fresh and unique. The storyline is very captivating, a little complicated and may not make sense at times- but that’s what happens when you have past lives/ reincarnation plots like these. (At least this made more sense than Lee Jun Ho jumping off the helicopter on to a steep cliff in his Hermes shoes and suit to save the girl he likes???? Does he think he’s spider-man? )
Ok enough reference to KTL. Watch this drama. It’s very good. :):):) Some ppl commenting that the ending wasnt great. I thought it was fine- an open ending sort of closure for all involved. Some loose ends with some of the side plots- like what happened with Mr Kang? I always thought that if Ban Jieum had her normal life back, he would be “released” from the spell and go back to his normal life as well?? Haha.. anyhow. These sort of plots cannot make perfect sense anyways.
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Good leads chemistry, bad side plots
First of all, just know that you will finish this drama solely because the ML is SO HOTTTT!!! Lol… seriously. Can’t get enough. His role, his character, his chemistry with FL.. sizzling!! I’m not entirely sure Janice Wu suited this FL role. There were times she tried to act cute but it didn’t jive w me…The romance between ML and FL was off the charts. Very good from the beginning. The kind where they met when they were in high school, got separated, met online but didn’t know it, meet again much later and STILL - there is the undeniable attraction! (Spoiler- they only get together in Ep 20 but the anticipation was well worth it with the scene of their first kiss!! You can watch it on my Instagram;) ) Lots of cute, PDA, kissing hugging pull her close kind of scenes.. Third parties were not an issue. There was almost a break up for your own good, but it didn’t really last.
Now the PROBLEM with this drama was- everything else!! Hahahaha.. seriously.
1) The office at Velin- so boring!! All the office / business talk boring. The bitchy boss trying to back stab, ok a little interesting.
2) The side couple Gao Leng and Chen Shu- skipped and ff ALL OF IT. Pls writers- we are not interested.
The grandpa was kinda cute- he had a special relationship w his granddaughter. The last 10 episodes shifted and evolved quite a bit, and it did get a little more interesting. The ending was a bit weird. How long did she have to wait from the time she found the ring till he proposed? I couldn’t tell, it was too rushed. And the fact that they had to be apart from each other so often… not that great. But I suppose that’s life.
Yes yes YES!! Watch this and just FF all the boring parts ;)
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‘‘Twas good until it wasn’t
It’s one of those Kdramas where there’s a lot of bickering and Aigoo and aishhh and whyyyy and shouting and hitting… very typical Kdrama , which I’m not particularly fond of.I DO LIKE the essence of the storyline- which is centred around mother Eun Mi and daughter Jin Hee. Each episode started with a little prologue of their lives years ago- how she got pregnant, how tough it was, how Jin Hee grew up as a child etc.. but again, the bickering and shouting were just too much to handle. There were also many soppy moments talking about love and life. I do like the dynamics and tacit understanding between mother and daughter. It was very unique and admirable, no matter how “broken” it was.
The romance was nothing really… just like a flittering speck of dust. Hahaha… so don’t expect anything at all. There is only one kiss- but the build up to it and the after effects will disappoint, lol. The last few episodes were quite meaningful, I teared quite a bit but then again I also Ff quite a bit. The crime and mystery aspect as so-so, just passing episodes I guess.
Shout out to both FL leads though. Their acting were commendable and both did well.
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Slow and repetitive
Not sure why many people are liking this drama... it started off interestingly enough. It was funny, quirky, the main couple were very cute and had lots of chemistry.Then it started getting repetitive, a lot of push and pull, the same old drama/ issues/ problems. I don’t quite like character developments of both leads. They seemed to really lack any sort of communication, even after 5 years of being together, breaking up and after another 5-year lapse and meeting again. Towards the last few episodes, we do see some growth & maturity in Choi Ung, but Yeon-Su was just disappointing. To be honest, I didn’t really like Kim Da-mi’s acting. She was cute but I didn’t like the way she talked. She seemed to mumble her words way too often, it just annoyed me.
As for the supporting casts and story, found it too dull and cliche. Unfortunate I skipped most of it with NJ and Ji-Ung. OST was not too bad, it had that one song Christmas Tree sung by V from BTS.
All in all a little disappointed. Expected much more from this, but it reminded me a lot of the drama More Than Friends.. which was SOOO SLOWWWW and boring. OBS was at least more interesting.
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The only drama where I wished had MORE episodes :):)
Yes it has all the usual cliches - accidental fall and kiss✔️, contract bf/gf then really falling in love✔️, pretending to be someone else on a blind date✔️, rich guy CEO normal girl from “poor” family✔️, crazy colleagues✔️... maybe the one cliche it didn’t have was the bitchy ex or the love rival?! BUT!! Even with all the cliches, this drama is SO SO GOOD!!1) It has only 12 episodes, so the pace is really fast. This is the first drama that I wished was longer!!! 2) It’s super hilarious- slapstick comedy as well as witty humour. 3) The four main leads have such awesome chemistry and VISUALS!! They look so good! 4) The romance between both couples is so sweet and done just exactly right! 5) The side characters are NOT AT ALL boring! I’ve seen so many dramas where the supporting casts are so annoying or such a let down. These support casts are great and funny!!
It really really is an epic rom-com. The ratings nationwide in SKorea is the highest! It has only two episodes left so if you have been contemplating, start now!! Highly highly recommended :):):)
Update: the final episode was just too rushed. Was expecting more after all the hype and build up from the entire series. There should have been a few more to wrap it up nicely. :(
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I wished it was better ;)
Epi 1-2.. a little dull as they introduced the characters. Epi3-5- very dramatic and lots of angst as both FL and ML navigate through a tough break up. But they start finding comfort with one another ;) After that the story becomes more interesting and engaging. We get to Epi 11 and it was the best! Very promising with our leads finding love again, romance blooming etc.. then boom! Back to square one? Uncertainty and lack of understanding. Both are pretty matured so there was good communication. Just beating around the bush. Tbh I didn’t really like the so called confession scene by the ML in the final episode. It’s true to his character yes, but come on! We all wanted that big gesture of love and romance!! Was a tad disappointedAnyhow, some funny funny lol scenes here and there. The married couple were relatable, and the younger couple were a little annoying but still bearable. I wouldn’t say it’s a true blue Rom-Com , but definitely a light hearted nice one to watch. :)
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2nd half was disappointing
This has all your usual tropes and cliches- CEO rich boss, star idol cast aside became overweight and became his maid, lots of miscommunication and misunderstandings, bitchy rivals etc…The first half wasn’t too bad actually, and I didn’t mind the cliches. How the CEO looked past her looks and was attracted to her personality and good traits. But somehow after they got together he became brainless and spineless, and suddenly she was calling all the shots. She wouldn’t even listen to his explanations- just throwing tantrums.
Yeah the good thing is it’s short, and all their problems seem to resolve within one episode lol;) Wouldn’t recommend this. Let’s move on :)
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Good drama, bad morals :(
The title tells it all really- it’s a story about revenge. But how do you take revenge on others? The smart way? The sophisticated way? The by-the-law way? Or just downright tie him to a chair and beat him up??! Yeah… that’s what this drama is all about.I thought it was quite violent, or the insinuation of violence was pretty strong. It really projects a poor image of the police force and the school discipline/ administration. The police didn’t believe it wasn’t a suicide; when they did, they were always one step behind the high schoolers. Hmmm.. then a boy who raped his fellow schoolmate, was allowed to come back to the same school as the girl he raped. What the???!!! It’s no wonder high school kids think they can take matters into their own hands- instead of reporting it to the office/ police.
The morals behind this story was poor, not a good way to live life. But- the drama itself is intriguing and has a good pace. Enough twists and turns to keep you interested; and it’s short only 12 episodes. PLUS you have the visuals of Park Solomon and Seo Ji Hoon :):) The character I loved to hate was Kook Ji Hyun. MAN… she was a bi*ch! Those who think they can do anything or get away with anything because they are rich.
Have a go at this one, just make sure you’re in a happy place when you watch this lol. No romance, but there’s some sweet moments between the leads where they hold hands. That’s it ;)
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Typical and bitchy ;)
This has CLICHE written all over it!! ;) Overbearing CEO✔️ Contract Marriage✔️ Accidental fall and kiss✔️ Annoying best friends who will eventually fall in love ✔️? Love rival✔️ ML cooking for FL ✔️ Princess Carry✔️ Save the damsel in distress✔️ Sister jealousy and trying to destroy your life✔️And the list goes on... ;););)It’s typical but I am quite enjoying it lol (only from Ep 1-9) The later episodes are full of bitchiness from the girl/ boy love rivals and towards the end from the jealous sister. I really couldn’t take all the lying and back-stabbing so I ff quite a bit. And of course-lack of communication from our main couple. The side couple which are their best friends is annoying, yeesh.
The romance development was not great, but there are quite a few of tender and pda scenes. Chemistry was quite good. Let’s be honest, I only finished it to watch Luo Zheng ;) Don’t expect too much, just watch this in between some serious ones and you’ll be fine;)
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A tragic love story
This won’t be your typical romance drama, and there’s not a lot of skin-ship. There were many times I would scream at my screen and say, “Kiss her you fool!” ;) But alas, Zhousheng Chen is too noble and honourable for that.It’s a slow burn, melodrama with a tragic ending, so make sure you have the stomach for that. The storyline can be confusing, as the timeline goes across years in just one episode and next thing you know, ten years have passed! Also there’s a lot of families and clans so the names will be difficult to remember. It starts off a little meh, and the first half is lighter but as it progresses the conspiracy, power struggle, betrayal etc makes it darker and definitely more interesting.
I DO LOVE the cinematography! The settings are all so realistic and beautiful. The battle scenes are epic, very similar to LOTR (in fact one scene really looked like the battle at Rohan) and the orchestral music soundtrack is very very well done! It really moves the audience for the particular scene. Bravo to the composers!
Now as for the love story, it’s slow- but their affections run deep and although nothing was really laid out in the open, their love for each other was very real. From the happy glances to the intense looks; the gestures and gifts that he gave Cui Shiyi over the years; from how he is so protective of her etc... I only wish, really wished there was SOME skin-ship and some sort of utterance of love etc. Even if it was just one scene... sigh. Allen Ren was good, a little stiff I felt with not much variation in portraying his emotions. Bai Lu I loved!! Very beautiful and talented actress but I don’t know why her voice was dubbed. :(
The supporting casts were fantastic! Each had their own story and character development which were fundamental to the plot and storyline. I DO FEEL SORRY for Liu Zi Xing- as a kid he was being used as a scapegoat and took all the punishments for the emperor; he was promised the title Crown Prince but was denied it later; the woman he loved felt nothing for him; his health was poorly and in the end, he lost everything. Really sad :(:(
The ending [skip this part if you don’t want to read SPOILERS] :
1) Zhousheng Chen should have never trusted the word of a mad rebellious general like Jin Rong. When he was set up, he had enough manpower to fight back.
2) Cui Shiyi - ending your life also was not the right choice. You could have helped regain the armies and power to fight back and bring honour back to the kingdom.
3) I thought there would at least be an epic battle scene where the Nanchen Royal Army would fight back, but in the end it was just a brief summary. the last 15-20mins was kind of a let down.
Tbh, I didn’t cry at the end. Not like Scarlet Heart Ryeo and Youth of May- I was crying till I couldn’t breathe :( The next drama Forever and Ever- is a continuation of this story, where they meet again in modern times and Cui Shiyi has memories of her past life. One and Only is one of the better historical Wuxia dramas, definitely recommended. :)
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Typical and annoying
Yes, all the typical drama cliches - serious lack of communication, loads of misunderstandings and bickering, third & fourth parties, marriage contract, break up and get back together etc...It started off quite well, some funny and cute moments. It ding-donged for quite a bit before they officially got together. After that there were some sweet romance moments, and then it just got annoying. I would say both ML and FL did some wrong things, so not one party was entirely to blame. The break up scene was quite heart-breaking though... I could truly feel his pain.
Many loopholes in the storyline, like how did Jiang Jixuan betray the company? There wasn’t really a background story or details to what exactly , and after that what happened? It was left hanging. The last episode seemed rather rushed.
All in all was quite disappointed. ML had a good physique, good looking - nice jaw line and cheek bones and dressed well??♂️ Which kept me watching till the end! ? FL is only 19 years old ? and her first drama apparently.
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Great kissing scenes
Haha yes! Very rare in cdrama but I liked the kissing scenes! Chemistry between leads were great.Storyline was interesting but it didn’t develop any further after awhile. I found the middle episodes rather annoying and repetitive. Oh, and there is the silly notion of “breaking up to protect you” in this show.
Ending was abrupt at episode 24. Apparently there are two special extra scenes but I can’t seem to find them with ENG subs.
Give this show a try. The female lead is a bit annoying and silly.
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It won’t make sense
Generally I found it quite engaging. Some funny parts lol, romance progression was quite good. I like shows where the ML is focused and intent on his woman and doesn’t stray. Both leads however lacked chemistry, and HYT should learn and rehearse kissing scenes... seriously ?There were a lot of kissing scenes but both very stiff and unnatural.Storyline was ok until the last 1 mins of the drama! I can’t believe Appledog actually played for SP team- opposite and rival her husband??♀️ She should have joined K&K and make the team invincible. ? At least there was no silly break up scenes. The game tournaments were intense and interesting, but I personally preferred Gank Your Heart - Wang Yibo? (but the romance progression in that show was bad!)
All in all, just watch for a light hearted funny game show.
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