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MadelineMaureen

MadelineMaureen

Completed
Strong Girl Namsoon
5 people found this review helpful
Nov 30, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

I Refuse to Believe Beak Mi Kyung Wrote This

I can not stress this enough, quit while you're ahead. The story at first seems promising, but the added side quests, stupid character choices, and lack of having the ML & FL in the same room for more than 5 minutes doomed this to be the worst show I completed in 2023.
There is entire side quest with a homeless couple that goes nowhere. They dont stay close with any other member of the cast & break up after both receiving money from FL's mother for helping her.
The fake daughter had so much potential for storyline, but they fridged her in the end.
The FL had more screen time with the villain of the show as he was her boss and in closer proximity to the FL. Having her stay in the ML's apartment could have been a way to have them interact more, but he's almost never there when she is. They never take the time to flesh out the FL's feeling when it comes to her relationship to ANYONE. She has a long lost TWIN brother...has dinner with him 2 or 3 times.
I figured out who the "big bad" was during the first episode they appear.
If they wanted a story for 16 episodes instead of 20 like the previous series, they should have cut the fat. The uncle storyline wasnt necessary in the least. Why are we having multiple scenes with a doctor we never see again, and why do we need him to learn more about the secretary/anchor woman? Answer...we dont.
As a final note to end on...what senior detective, not just a cop but SENIOR DRUG DETECTIVE, touches an unknown substance that is known to KILL people with their bare hands and then proceed to stick the drug covered finger IN THEIR MOUTH! When the supposed smartest person in the room is too stupid to live I should have known to cut bait.

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Completed
Blossom
3 people found this review helpful
26 days ago
34 of 34 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Best of 2024

Y'all this one is for the romance girlies.
Can officially say with my whole chest that this was the best period drama of the 14 that I watched this year. Probably the best Cdrama of 2024, at least of the 23 that I watched.
From start to finish cinematography, lighting, direction, action, acting, musical score, story/writing were top tier. The added little extra bit of running comedy with the slaps will forever live rent free in my head. I promise you, if you are someone who enjoys period dramas and romance you wont regret starting this one. The only spoiler I will give in this is the answer to the most common question I get from binge watchers who wait until the end of show to start watching.
Sad Ending, Open Ending, Happy for Now, Happy Ending, or Happily Ever After?



Happily Ever After, Five year flashforward for Epilogue after satisfying conclusion to other storylines . Plus extra bonus scene at the end of the credits.

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Completed
Love Song in Winter
0 people found this review helpful
4 days ago
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Just not for me

If you just want to watch this show for the romance go on and enjoy, but I can't really say that the romance was worth it for me when the production was lacking as much as it was.

If you are or have enjoyed the show don't read this just continue enjoying it for what it is to you. But I just needed to rant a bit and just speak my peace on this and move on.

Okay, so as a production girlie...this one just doesn't quite meet my expectations. The editing is all over the place and almost like they didn't get the shots they needed and didn't realize until they were editing the episodes together. A lot of scenes just end out of nowhere, not in a suspenseful way but in a...did they forget about the other people in the scene, kind of way.

It feels very unfinished/unpolished. The crimes are really only there to bring the main couple together or tear them apart....it wasn't even a serial killer...I'm also a true crime girlie, so words matter. He's a killer, but doesn't fall under the definition of a serial killer, and with a whole plot dedicated to a professor of criminal psychology....it becomes a bit eyebrow raising with how lazy the writing is with regards to the actual crimes. There were whole episodes that could have been boiled down to about 5 - 10 minutes and then combined instead of showing the same shot over and over again. Also the bg music when they are showing a cop take down or whatever seriously gave me heavy blinks

I watch too many shows to not catch on who the bad guy was once her nurse friend is murdered. I thought it would get better, but it never felt like anything or anyone was actually developed as a character outside of like the bad guy and even he was so lazily written it felt like a checklist of personality traits rather than a real person. Also, can we stop with the crazed laughter when the character is shown repeatedly to mask his emotions? Like why are we going full comic book villain in the 11th hour?
Pretty much everything would have been solved within 2 hours had people actually communicated with one another. If the whole plot hinges on one character just not speaking to the people around them...what was the point? Seriously, lets not tell our mother's that we are the targets of a stalker who has used people to kill our friends. Maybe don't try and met up with him or accept rides from him. I seriously hate when smart characters do stupid things just to make the plot move in a direction the writer wants it to.
Also, in what world would he be allowed to stay on the investigation of his step-brother without having a briefing with his chief? because once you are the target/victim you don't really get to pursue that suspect anymore.

I wanted to like this show, but no amount of liking an actor(s) will let me see past lazy writing and production to this degree. If it was just a straight forward romance I think I would have been more forgiving. But there were multiple character choices that just didn't make sense for their shown personality nor their actual profession. It's just like a Dick Wolf show in the USA with kind of pumping up the cops and the profession of a cop. As some would say, copaganda. China really is just the USA of Asia.

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Completed
New Life Begins
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 5, 2024
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Sisterhood and Brotherhood above all else

This show is very much a life drama about a family of young lords and the woman that go on to shape who they are as men. Every single female character is a whole human, with her own feelings, emotions, ambitions, thoughts, and plans. They aren't all the same nor do they want to be. They all help and uplift each other throughout the story. There are both male and female villains, some that get redemption and some that don't. There are gray characters that float between. Each personal feels like an actual person. The responses to conflict and misunderstandings feel real and earned. The love stories sprinkled in are strong and healthy depictions of what a balanced and mutually respectful relationship should look like. They also show you the bad side of toxic and one-sided relationships, and how just because you got yourself into a bad place doesn't mean you can't also get yourself out. Everyone deserves respect from their spouse.
Just the sisterhood alone with all of the young lords' wives and concubines is worth the watch. Very progressive in their storytelling in a fictionalized country. When 7th's wife feels nervous and unsure about herself because she is slower to do things, every single one of the women around her validates her and complements her on her care and attention. When the 2nd Crown Lord shows his true colors the women band together to help their friend Hao Jia. His wife even plays one of the largest roles in getting Hao Jia and herself out of a horrible situation. And with that storyline Yin Zheng(6th) gets closer to his own mother after realizing she was struggling with a similar situation as Hao Jia was.
But the best relationship is that of the 6th Lord's wife(Yuan Ying-Jin State's Princess) and side wife(Li Wei- FL). There are like true sisters. The Jin Princess immediately takes Li Wei under her wing and trains her to become the lady of a royal household and partner to Yin Zheng(6th lord). Yuan Ying becomes like a sister to both Yin Zheng and Li Wei, and they all share a bond that could never be broken. She becomes one of their fiercest allies.
The understanding and refusal of Yuan Ying to cause any misunderstandings between Li Wei and Yin Zheng is peak supporting female character energy.
We have a simple girl who has the protentional and drive to make great change.
A warrior princesses trying to find her happiness.
A woman who doesn't want to follow in her mother's footsteps. And though she miscalculates finds her feet again.
A princesses who is smarter than all the men and knows it.
A group of women who band together against their trying husband, and protect and care for each other as they fight for there individual wants and needs.
A kind and quiet girl, who just would rather be left alone, if that's okay, who finds her other half.

I could go on and on, because the characters are all great fully fleshed out. But just know that it's worth the watch. Even though it's 40episodes there are enough smaller story arcs that start and end every few episodes that keeps the momentum of the story going. You will laugh, cry. and kick your feet from this slow-burn romantic life drama.

PS: We don't see him much, but I have a soft spot for the 9th little lord as his is just like his sisters-in-law...and that punch in ep40....bravo.

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Completed
Hierarchy
2 people found this review helpful
Jun 11, 2024
7 of 7 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 4.5
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 4.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Flash Over Substance

I was originally just going to write a comment but it got out of hand so...full review it is.

The show started off somewhat interesting, but they didn't really bring anything new to the table. We've seen this done multiple times already in Korea, as well as in other international Netflix properties...and better.

Having multiple actors who were in SKYCastle made it all the more obvious how bad the pacing and writing was in this show. I can see what they wanted to do, and I'm okay with watching shows with similar plots and tropes, but not when the writing is lackluster and the acting is...missing something.

Lee Chae Min(Kang Ha) and Lee Won Jung(Lee Woo Jin) were the only actors amongst the younger cast that I believed and saw the subtle emotions they tried to get across. Chae Min studied acting and it shows. Even though he's only been active since 2020 he has a confidence in front of the camera that is important for a lead actor. The was an insecurity showing from Kim Jae Won that I didn't really understand.

TBH the reason I wanted to see this show in the first place was because of the lead actress Roh Jeong Eui and after watching her performance...I have some questions. Where the hell did her extremely prominent dimples go? Why do actresses keep get tweakments RIGHT BEFORE shooting a drama where they need to be able to emote? Her smiles seemed forced and unnatural for most of her scenes with Kim Ra In. There was no connection between their characters. And I don't know what it is about Kim Jae Won's eyes, but it's giving 'no thoughts, head empty'. She's been acting for over a decade, and I really want to know what happened here...was it her...was it the director? Other than what I've already said I'm not sure what went wrong with this performance. It feels like they said "your character has no personality so just stand there and don't smile, don't show any emotion"

Okay, let me put this in a way that you can understand why I'm a bit harsh with the emoting and chemistry. If you've seen the show Maxton Hall recently you might have seen the lead actor talking about how he'll go over a script and see what lines could be omitted and just be expressed through a look instead. The LOOKS that the entire cast give in that show...you can practically hear their internal thoughts/struggles.

There is a way to express cold and standoffish without giving statue and dead eyes. The reason I was drawn more to Kang Ha as a character was because he had those looks down. He had his mask side, and his true self. He had emotions that spanned more than just happy and disinterested. There were thoughts in his head that the audience could interpret. Same with Woo Jin, best example, when he realizes what he's done in bringing about the unhappiness of the girl he likes and his best friend.

I'll give it to the make-up/wardrobe department for doing the work towards the end to soften the characters. The different make-up techniques on the girls were noticed.
Using Prada for the FL is smart in that it is extremely structured and angled, but simple, classic and understated. *snaps*
I just wish we could have gotten a few more "relaxed" versions of the characters. There was a lot of what I like to call "over produced" scenes that should have been more intimate. We really didn't need the Michael Bay level break up scene...I swear I was waiting for an explosion to go off as she walked away. A lot of the cinematography was flash over substance imo. It's one of the things I notice the most in any production. A lot of the show felt more like an ott music video(which is how Michael Bay got his start as a director) than an actual human story.

We also never got to really see Kang Ha's personal space. Everyone else's rooms were over the top or cold and impersonal. It just all felt so...fake. I know that that was the intent for some of the set design, but there was little to no contrast and it all just felt the same person decorated multiple locations. The only space that sort of showed the personality of any of the characters was Woo Jin's studio.
We should have been shown a home at some point, what we got were show rooms.

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