Far away from flawless, but still wonderfully heartwrenching

This drama has so many flaws, starting with the weak female lead, due to both bad writing as well as a weak actress. Then the absolutely useless romance, which no one asked for and no one wanted, the twisting of historical facts, the plot which did not make sense half of the time, the deadly battlefield wounds which would have killed everyone else except our leads of course (they must have like a 100 lifes).

But dear drama-god, I still fell hard for this one… the morally grey characters, the character development of Nam Seon Ho, the heartwrenching moments, the battlefield scenes, all the fake blood (so much fake blood!), the costumes (!!!) and of course the complex bromance… from wanting and trying to kill one another to saving each others asses every single time risking their own life under the most miraculous circumstances. And don’t get me started about the acting of Woo Do Hwan and Jang Hyuk! I expected nothing less than a perfect performance of Jang Hyuk of course, but wow Woo Do Hwan outplayed himself and nearly everyone else too! And yes I am a sucker for heartwrenching dramas, but this one really made me cry every other five minutes after the 10th episode and left me feeling devastated to no end. I still cry listening to the OST Wild Road of Kim Jae Hee.

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A drama that would have been nearly perfect with Moon Lovers ending...

Wow what a show! I have to admit I wasn’t really into it at first. It took me like forever to start liking the king and caring for the palace people at all. At first I only wanted to know what happened to Bong Hwan. But then suddenly they got me… What I find most fascinating is, that this might be the most queer k-drama we ever had… even though they did try to avoid any discussions about it with a weird ending and yes that is a small down point for me.

Shin Hye Sun outshined everyone with her acting if you ask me. She is simply amazing and I loved her portrayal of So Bong as well as So Yong (though I did not like So Yong at all). I also think Kim Jung Hyun did a great job, I already loved him in Welcome to Waikiki and was able to discover a new side of him again after CLOY. And as much as I loved Na In Woo’s outfit I think he has got room for improvement… but that could have been due to the script I am not quite sure (but dios mio he was hot in that outfit).

As for the ending, everyone was basically ready to give this drama a 10/10 but the ending ruined this for most of us. I have to say I was not too surprised, but would have wished for something similar to Moon Lovers in that case. Even though it would have been heart-breaking I would have preferred So Yong dying and maybe waking up as Bong Hwan again in present time (just like Moon Lovers). Cheoljong would have suffered of course and it would have been quite tragic but it would have been fair and simply logic. The way the drama ended means he is now married to a woman he doesn't love because the women/man he loved was Bong Hwan. And that's it. Also I don't get how Bong Hwan can be okay in present time. I mean you can say whatever you want but he LOVED Cheoljong. I think the drama missed a huge opportunity here to make a point about the fact that you can fall for everyone be it a woman or a man, because you fall in love with a person and not with the persons gender. But yeah it is not a surprise they finished it that way, without questioning Bong Hwans feelings, it is a k-drama after all. And since the genre was comedy they couldn't let So Yong die of course...

However despite the ending I think this was a great drama and I am glad I did not drop it. I might even rewatch it again in a few years :)

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A masterpiece

Hear me out: was this series perfect? No it was not, but boy did I love the storyline, the acting, the music… it is a masterpiece and here is why:

I think we all agree that the story suffered a bit and some points never got explained (like who the fuck was that old man Dan was brought to by Techit?)
But I loved how much the lovestory was subtle and in the background especially in the first half of the series. There was actually a story and yes it feels sometimes a bit luckluster, the big „plans“ are sometimes just unlogical and I also never understood what Gumpas role really is… he is kinda like a trainer/informer/dad but with whom he works we never got to know. But the portrayal of actual characters with brains and rational feelings felt like a breath of fresh air. The sabotage acts show us clearly the youth of the gang but the series still feels mature. I did not cringe once.
We also got two more or less relevant female characters and I loved them! While Namo did not have much of a story I loved Eugene! Her character was amazing and I was so happy for her and Gram in the end. Again, the series did not just concentrate on two gay storylines, which made it a lot more realistic.

I loved the character developement. Every single character (except maybe Gumpa) grew througout the series and I loved it! They all matured a lot and changed for the better, even Black in the end in my opinion. His eyes seemed softer the last time he talked to White.
Sean grew up, Gram got to know his limits, Yok had to go through a heartbreak, White and Black speak for themselves.

The acting: fantastic! I may have never seen an actor that mastered a twin role as perfect as Gun did… speachless. He deserves at least a standing ovation for this! And I don‘t think I even have to mention First, he is on another level which made it even harder for Fluke, whose acting next to Papang was the weakest. But overall still one of the best Thai series acting wise I have watched.

The soundtrack and the cinematography fit so well for the series and were very thoughtful. The stylists deserve a raise, I loved how they let the actors have normal skin without layers of layers of concealer, they looked amazing and once again it made everything so much more realistic.

Okay I try to find an end here, overall one of the strongest (Thai BL) series I have watched and I will not stop to recommend this to everyone!

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This drama does not deserve the overall rating!

Come on people, this is a story about married life, cheating and struggles of couples. Of course it is not your typical romance drama that makes you feel great. But I think this show has been written quite well, I liked the pacing and the acting and besides the small side plot with Sa Pi Youngs mother (why should I even care, I do not understand why this story fits into the drama) I really think the story lines are interesting!
I also like the changes of perspectives and the way the story is told. You slowly get to know each character better and learn about them. For example I liked Boo Hye Ryung in the beginning and judged her husband but in the end even I understood why things happened the way they did.
The audience for this drama should be of a certain age to understand it I think... it's not just about evil husbands cheating on their wives, in my opinion it is about so much more than that. And it is also not a makjang-type kdrama like The Penthouse series... it is much more realistic and with less drama.

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Criminally underrated

This drama is in all honesty criminally underrated! The chemistry of the leads is amazing, the acting overall more than just great and I absolutely loved the slow scenes which brought out all the emotions perfectly! I cannot understand how this drama is not better rated!
I love the character development of the FL though she nearly breaks with all the pressure that she is put under. Her mother, who is never satisfied, her workplace where SA is a daily common happening and let‘s not forget the general expectations people have towards women her age. She is an amazingly strong character who learns to stand up for herself and fight for her own life.
Seo Jun Hui though younger than her shows his matureness in guiding her through quite some of this process and does it beautifully. He is not to blame that even for him the pressure has become too much towards the end. It was wonderful to see how he gave in to his heart in the end.
The OST is the only issue here… the three songs were beautiful but clearly overused and not always fitting the scenes. I think it would have been better using a wider selection and I wouldn‘t mind if the songs were in Korean instead of English… but that is really the only issue I have with this drama.
I will definitely rewatch it, for all the beautifully shot emotional scenes, the chemistry of the leads (their intimite scenes left me speechless) and the story of a struggeling woman who starts to stand up for herself and fights for her rights as a human being who is capable of making her own decisions instead of listening to her mother, her boyfriend or society.

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What a waste of potential

First of all, I think the plot would have had great potential... but the story was terribly executed....

The cast did their best to make the sometimes terribly bland characters somehow lively... even though even Ha Ji Won miserably failed and only managed to give her character creepy smiles and an overall weird personality which made me want to punch her in the face every time she was on screen. And she was "the good one". Don't even get me started on some other side characters.
What was the worst however was that the story itself did somehow not really understand what it wants to tell us. For example: Why does the main character look exactly like the grandfather? No one seemed to care, which is so very weird if you ask me. Given the fact that he grew up in an orphanage and does not know his origin himself.
Then what the fuck has happened to Ri Moon Songs wife? Is she alive? Did she die? Does he want to go back and bring her to South Korea? Does he matter at all anyhow? What hurt the most, was that the only interesting character which was the real Ri Moon Song was given an overly bland story "bad guy, who does everything for money" with nearly no room to explain himself except a very short sequence with the fake Ri Moon Song.
And what the fuck was wrong with this family? They welcomed the fake Ri Moon Song with open arms, all smiley and happy, but when the real Ri Moon Song appeared everyone hated him and was not even interested! Not even the Grandma! Please just fucking tell me why I don't get it! Yes, he is a criminal, but ffs we are talking about North Korea here. Do people in South Korea really expect North Koreans drinking Iced Americanos and watching South Korean dramas? Because the drama makes us think that way and I cannot imagine people being so blind... even the Grandma who I'd expect to take an interest in what's going on in the North... but no. Everyone just accepted the stupid and obnoxious lies from the fakes. I hated it!
And don't even get me started on the forced romance... please tell me what the fuck was that? Not only is Ha Ji Won about 14 years older than Kang Ha Neul but... they had no, zero, nada chemistry at all except as a Noona and Dongsaeng.

Overall, (I realize I should stop), the drama was bad, non-sensical and very insensitiv. I regret having watched it and wasted my time.

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Light-hearted, funny and kinda like comfort food

I really enjoyed this one, and it only took me about a week to watch it, I even have put the other dramas aside for this because I loved it made me happy! It is lighthearted, funny and shows cute stories of friendships, love and everyday struggles. Since my career also came to a huge halt due to Corona I felt deeply for the 3 guys and could relate to their situation. I especially loved Kang Dong Goos character and I just loved how the story ended for him ^_^

So if you are looking for a funny drama with great friendship you will not regret watching this drama!

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Broke me in a good way

I absolutely loved this drama contrary to many others who seem to have been quite disappointed.
Sure if you expect a steaming hot romance show, as the trailer and the first episode indicate, you won‘t be satisfied. But after all it is a C-Drama… if you expect to watch something similar to the Borgias, you for sure will be disappointed.
The second reason why many did not like the show was that the ending was changed compared to the original novel. Since I am a sucker for sad endings, I truthfully enjoyed every heartwrenching minute of it! But yeah if you are hoping for a happy end you will get disappointed again.
I loved the chemistry not just between the leads but also between the other actors. Liu Xueyi is for me on an other level of acting and so is Wu Jinyan! I loved Liu Xueyi already in Blood of Youth and fell hard for his portrayal of Murong Jinghe. The scene of them lying on the bed both crying will hunt me to my death it was so beautiful, sad and full of feelings!

To sum up my rant: I love it! I loved the pacing, I was okay with Murong Jinghe‘s 180 degree character change (because it made sense) and I also found it understandable why the General fell for the Crown Prince (and don‘t get me started on the execution scene… beautiful!). It is a beautiful drama for people who love a good tragic story, who want to cry and feel as if their heart has been crushed and put together again.

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Great drama but a rushed ending

I absolutely loved the chemistry of the leads in this drama and the story itself! It was a decent wuxia with xianxia elements and I did enjoy that!
The story is funny and lighthearted, the female lead daring, quirky and quite likeable, though totally naive of course.
Li Hongyi is incredibly pretty in this drama though his character is basically the same as in The Blood of Youth. Still enjoyed his beautiful face though ;)
The ending felt quite rushed, the solution was way too simple for my taste and weird… would have prefered a logical ending instead of the lovey dovey cringe moments… also he is still fully human who will grow old and die while she isn‘t… that plotline was completely ignored in the end and don‘t even get me started about the pregnancy…
But overall a fun and enjoyable drama with lots of eyecandy

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Misleading title but amazing chemistry

I really enjoyed the start of this drama, the chemistry between the three friends and their background and family stories. In my opinion this show had such a huge potential that has been completely wasted on the lovestory of the main couple. The plot itself focused on the wrong things and up to now I do not understand how this car accident had such a great impact (she didn't die so come on don't be so overdramatic!). Also I sometimes had a hard time to understand the feelings of the characters because it seemed like they wanted to make this story super dramatic but failed to explain why it was so dramatic and desperate since they ignored the background stories. The ending was so typical for such a drama but I was glad how it ended for soo ji and se joo. But yeah overall the plot was quite a mess.
The acting was great if you ask me, even though Joy could improve a bit ;) I actually watched this drama because I loved Moon Ga Young in True Beauty and she did not disappoint at all! She is amazing!
As mentioned I think they could have done more with this, but I still enjoyed this drama because I really cared about the friendship.

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