Forbidden.

This is not my first brush with an art form related to incest – back when I was in high-school, Tabitha Suzuma’s novel titled Forbidden (the same as my review's) created a stir in Goodreads, Cassandra Clare's Dark Artifices features two characters (though not blood related) bound to be forever in a sibling like relationship with each other due to circumstances.
The most recent one is the currently airing Taiwanese drama, Unknown, based on the novel Da Ge by Priest.

I don't condone or encourage incest by any means, but I have to admit, I would be in the exact same predicament as the leading characters’ friends’, had something as such happened before me.
I view almost everything from an objective point of view or through the eyes of the characters, which might be why I did not find this as abhorrent as expected.
Plus, the immaculate performances by the leading and supporting cast was an added bonus.

The Plot:
The story opens with two supposedly newlyweds moving into a neighborhood for a fresh start. We soon learn the shocking truth: Akira and Keicchi are not husband and wife, but siblings by blood. And hence begins a flashback into the past, which step by step explains what finally leads them to this point.

My Thoughts: Typical Japanese style, this drama is simple with an excellent cast, and a slice-of-life calm ambience whose very power lies in the hands of the characters.
A common aspect that I've noticed in such dramas and novels hinting at sibling relationships going awry is the children being forced to grow up as adults way too soon.

From the get go, it's clear that Hirose Akira, the younger sister was the mother of the household – it's not that anyone assigned her to do it, but their neglectful and absent mother, combined with a distinct alienation of Akira from the family pictures speaks volumes.
She automatically accepts the role and takes care of her elder brother Keiichi. However, somewhere along the way, she begins to realize that she has reached a point where she just can't let him go.

The same goes for Keiichi, who is heavily dependent on his younger sibling to take care of him. I have to point out, Keiichi had no idea about Akira's feelings towards him and it's not until she confessed multiple times that it finally hit a nail across his head.

Another common theme revolving around characters growing up too soon seems to be this – they seek permanent safety, happiness and warmth from someone whom they know will never be able to abandon them rather than try out transient emotions. Both Akira and Keiichi had only each other to seek out during difficult times. They are burdened by insecurities and responsibilities. (I did feel that Akira was a bit too stringent, though.)

Their friends, particularly Takumi and Go-san, are two other characters who have a fair share of their own dilemmas. Impossible unrequited loves, dysfunctional families, growing up different… Saraba, Yoki Hi had quite a lot going on.

The Cast: Is the real reason why this drama is a success. Hirose Akira in particular, has one of the most emotionally draining performances I've seen in such a subdued drama and I applaud Yamashita Mizuki for taking on such a role. One minor flaw would've changed the entire vibe of the drama from real and raw to plain creepy.
I'm familiar with Suzuki Jin's work and he did a decent job here. Kato Konatsu and Ito Asahi, Takami and Go-san, were excellently portrayed for supporting characters.

The Music: Was not too memorable for me. It was rather mellow and blended in with the scenes, without overpowering it.

Many thanks to massterchef @Tumblr for the subtitles. It was a different experience from my previous watches as it directly dealt with a taboo and sensitive topic.
As for that part… I'm not one to judge, and will not do so in this case. But, Saraba Yoki Hi was indeed a pleasant watch for me.

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"And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door..."

The repertoire of folk tales and mysteries has once again arrived... it is a direct continuation of the first season, just that it's simply split into two parts.

But, the story, as compared to the first, was much more powerful and compact and delved directly into Akira-sensei's past, something which we did not see in the first part. Moreover, it's a chain of events or web instead of a simple mystery in episodic format.
It did not pull any punches and relied a lot more on the background of the characters, particularly Takatsuki Akira-sensei. It is this season which proves why he is the eponymous character of the show. We see a different side of his in this one and focusses on his emotions and vulnerabilities.

Plus, there is a prominent 'antagonist' - Hajime. Kudos to the actor for portraying a completely eccentric, sad and psychotic personality. He really gave the lead mystery cracking team a run for their money.

The story is still see through Fukamachi Naoya-san's eyes, but he is no longer as subdued as before. While he still has the requisites that come along with his "rare gift", he is much more in control of his emotions. Reiko-chan and Ken-chan tag along as usual and hasn't lost their essence from the first season. I appreciated both of them a lot in this one.

As usual, the strength of friendship is as strong as ever. And the emotional connection between Naoya-san and Akira-sensei is even more pronounced. It was heartwarming to see their raport develop from trepidation to trust.

The supernatural vibes is particularly undeniable as usual, particularly with sensei.
It took me almost two years to complete this as there were no easy accessible subtitles available, but when I did continue where I left off, and I was happy to find out that I hadn't forgotten about the first season either. [Many thanks to sametakunai and Kate.]
The ending was personally satisfying for me. I for one, strongly believe that some mysteries remain as they should be. And Akira-sensei deserves to keep his secrets.

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When you have no idea what the plot is...

Does this drama deserve such a low rating? Technically not, but in a critical sense, yes. I've seen a lot of Youku's light hearted dramas and how this one managed to make me regret the time I invested in it is kinda surprising.

THE PLOT:

What makes me upset is that the drama had a strong start with just the right amount of cheesy and fluffy vibes. Its premise itself sounded promising. Luo Yan, a supposedly cold-hearted bully from Fang Li's high school memories reappears once again, only for her to find out that he had completely forgotten about his past at the school. Through various coincidences, she slowly realizes that he may not be the bully she had assumed him to be.

THE DOWNSIDE: I enjoyed the first twelve episodes immensely. The flashbacks to the past and the cliche stuff that happened in the present didn't seem draggy or over used, thanks to the excellent portrayal of the characters by the leads. Then came the downside. If there is one thing that I absolutely dislike, its a plot device. Characters were introduced just for the sake of making the plot move forward, only to disappear for a couple of episodes and then re-appear whenever the script requires it. Half of the cast we see in the MDL poster don't even play an important role. (Except Luo Yan and Fei Fei.) The story veers off tracks multiple times and there were episodes that I felt got filmed only cause they had too much budget left/or had no idea what to do with the script.
Another thing that I noticed was that they had cut several scenes. The last episode was the only one that gave off the initial feelings of the first 12 episodes that I wished the people behind this drama had tried to maintain. The last few episodes were painful to watch. The mood switches felt off and rushed. (Particularly the scenes with Fang Li's Grandma.) But, the finale was done so beautifully, and the last episode managed to somehow bring back the initial fluffiness.
Luo Yan's past was sort of scraped up after EP12 and the story took a lot of time in developing useless subplots and wasted a whole episode on side characters that do nothing to the plot whatsoever. Hsd they stuck to a single plot thread, this drama would've been much better. Or it would've been nice if it had just 18 or 20 episodes with more substance.

CAST AND MUSIC: I loved the soundtrack. It looked as if the music director was aiming to purposefully make fun of the plot/over used tropes and it worked well. (In a good way.) The cast was not too bad either. They did well with what they were given.

OVERALL: It was particularly disappointing after a strong start with some quality fluff. It has its own sweet moments. The story had a lot of potential to be genuinely good in its own right, but unfortunately, it fell far off the mark.

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An excellently paced drama that is worthy of a watch.

One of my 'palate cleansers' of this month, I absolutely loved every minute of Semantic Error. The storyline is not uncommon, but I was amazed by how each episode was shot.
Considering that it only has 20 minutes per episode, the pace never falters -- we clearly watch the characters, Jaeyoung and Sang Woo, develop their hate to love relationship and I'm impressed by how nothing seemed rushed or unconvincing.

I admit, I grinned like a fool whenever something happened. It had the perfect mix of comedy and romance. (Guess this is going to be a guilty pleasure watch for sure.)

A shout out to the script writers and the actors without whom this drama would've definitely landed somewhere in my 5 - 7 scale.
I adored the lead characters and Jaeyoung's friends in particular. Their presence was necessary to highlight the extraverted Jaeyoung's emotions. Sang Woo, being the loner, handled all his emotions himself. (Or tried to... the first 10 minutes of episode 7 will forever remain iconic to me.)

It's highly enjoyable. Not a masterpiece, but not a completely average drama either.

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"First Love Again."

First and foremost, Lovely Runner is a rom-com. Meaning that if you came to watch some science fiction fantasy drama which is a stickler for rules of time travel, this drama isn't for you. [The title of my review is from a 2021 CDrama, which has a very similar plot, but with the laws of nature governing the whole thing.]

But, if you are looking out for a real wholesome one, Lovely Runner is just perfect for you. It's a well written, well-paced, romantic, comedic and heartwarmingly satisfying.

Im Sol, a wheelchair bound 34 year old woman, is an avid fan of Ryu Sun Jae, the lead singer of a boy band Eclipse.
It's not a simple relationship either – His words had inspired her to keep living on, and to add to that, he also had happened to go to the high school close to hers. In spite of her disadvantages that hinder her from applying for her dream job, she still maintains a cheerful demeanor.
However, her life takes a drastic turn when she finds out that the person who had encouraged her to live on had committed suicide. When she is stricken by grief, fate gives her another chance – Ryu Seon Jae’s watch, which she had bought for a hefty sum at an auction becomes a time machine and she hurtles to the year 2008.
Now, stuck in her high school self, Im Sol snatches the chance to befriend the teenage Ryu Seon Jae (whom she had ignored in her youth) and change his fate. This also meant that she has the chance to avoid the accident that crippled her and distort the future.
But, as she begins to change the past, she realizes that there are some things just can not be altered.


☆ The Plot + Romance:

Lovely Runner is nothing new in terms of plot. What I loved were the characters and the relationships between them. I think this is what most people loved about it and hence the drama's sky high ratings. I have mixed feelings about the “plot”, but as it's a rom-com, I'll try to overlook it.

Romance is a strong building block; yet at the beginning it's evident that Im Sol treated Sun Jae as her “idol” rather than a real person.

But, the transition to love and the absolute possibility of their relationship was genuine.
An Idol meeting a fan and falling in love?
In the case of LR, Im Sol and Sunjae were already neighbors and had met before, it was just that he was a person who passed by her life without ever influencing it ‘directly’.

It was both sad and comedic to see Im Sol attempt to rescue Sun Jae from his fate, particularly when she couldn't tell him anything about the future.
[This plot point got lost somewhere after EP10… or did it?]

Both Sun Jae and Im Sol were innocent people to begin with. Heck, even their friends and relatives are funny and nice people in general - hence, there is absolutely ‘NO’ additional drama.
Also, it was an added bonus to see a ML who was for once, not an all knowing God. Dude was legit dumb.

In Hyuk and Sun Jae’s bromance, Sun Jae and his father’s antics, Im Geum’s dreams, Sol and the relationship with her grandmother, mother, Tae Seong (the 2nd ML and my favorite character) and her best friend together were just heartwarming to watch.

I did feel that there was a distinct difference between the original timeline and the altered version where Sun Jae dies.
In the original timeline, it looked like the scriptwriter went with the way of the webtoon and had Sun Jae actually commit suicide. (It might be because of the way it was shot.) The other timeliness however, showed a stark difference from EP1 and followed the ‘thriller’ aspect.

I still feel a bit irked about a quote that never became a reality. But, hey, the drama was fulfilling.

☆ Also, this is one emotionally draining drama. Hats off to Kim Hye Yoon for managing to bring about both comedy and tears in a seamless manner. She had that Song Yi Ren kind of energy and was very flexible as a 34 year old grown woman stuck in the body of a teenager, which might've
become awkward had it been any other actress.

I had never heard about Bye Woon Seok, except in passing after the ‘Strong Girl’ drama but, oh dear. Both his comedic scenes as well as the emotional ones were spot on.
[One of my friends was contemplating whether to watch this or not after it aired, and another one advised her that it's ‘either death or villain’ when it comes to him.]

I'll definitely be checking out their future works. Even In Hyuk and Tae Seong had their moments.

☆ Soundtrack: KDramas rarely disappoint in this department. Every song went well with the scenes, but if I could listen to a song all by itself, then it would be ‘Monologue' by Jae Eon and ‘You & I’ by Eclipse.

It's been a long time since I watched a KDrama while on air. It reminded me of those times when they actually managed to grab my attention and continue watching them. I've been serial dropping KDramas a lot since the one hour runtime and emotional investment is much more than CDramas. This one is a surprise from 2024.
It reminded me strongly of ‘Legally Romance’ and ‘First Love Again’ both of which were memorable dramas I liked and had similarities to.

A solid 7.5 from me. I cut off points as I felt that something went ‘missing’ with the story after a couple of episodes. The characters were the only thing that kept me going. [Updated the score from 8.5 to 7.5 because I don't think I'll be revisiting this drama anytime soon. Perhaps I might change the rating if I rewatch it.]

Anyways, one thing I learnt from time travel dramas is that I'll be single for a very, very, very long time unless someone from some other parallel universe risks everything to travel through space and time to meet me.

All in all, it was a wonderful journey. I hope that both Im Sol and Sun Jae manage to meet each other in every universe, however slim the chance is. (And that Kim Tae Seong never changes.)

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Will you erase your memories and re-live your life if given a chance?

This is a good, simple story which you can watch as a stress reliever. I got intrigued by the title, but the meaning might lie a bit deeper into the story.

Jack o' Frost is a very cottagecore drama set around two working individuals, Ritsu and Fumiya.
Though they've managed to maintain a good relationship, strains soon appear and Fumiya suggests breaking up. Ritsu leaves enraged, only to get into an accident. Fumiya realizes that Ritsu has lost his memories after waking up. Not just any memory, but those that were specifically related to him. Fumiya takes this opportunity to erase his errors and give their relationship a second chance.

What I liked the most are the characters: they were not annoying, but understanding and was ready to give space to the ones they cared about. I doubted Fumiya's intentions because he seemed to be trying to help Ritsu, but trying "not" to fall in love with him again. But, during the last few episodes, I felt that his decision was the safest. Had ot been something else, things would look ugly.
But, the reason he broke up with Ritsu was plain stupid. It's literally he who is Jack Frost to me. Suzuki Kosuke did well, but his character was wtitten a bit too... pettily? But, I like his inner turmoil.

Ritsu's character (as well as the actor) was my favorite. I appreciated how he genuinely loved his work. He was confused, but still trying to give his all. Honda Kyoko knows how to act well with his eyes.
There were only two supporting characters, and this allowed the story to focus more on the main characters' alone, despite having only 6 episodes.

All in all, Japanese dramas have that quality which makes even the most plain dramas absolutely beautiful. This is not groundbreaking by any means, but give it a try if you feel like it.

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"Dura Lex, Sed Lex."

Cassandra Clare's books were the ones that introduced me to this term, popularly known as the Brocard Law, which when translated from Latin means "The Law is harsh, but it is the Law." Thankfully, she found a strong counterpart against this which is the family motto of the Blackthorns: "A bad law is no law."

Not Me reminded me a lot about this. If you are looking for romance in particular, then this drama might not be for you as it deals more with politics and justice than with love.

It delves into the depth of the social injustice faced by humans in the hands of law and the higher officials. Personally, I did not find it as 'dark' as viewers had said. Moreover, it brought forth certain shady topics that one would not dare to openly do so in a country. I applaud the production team and the whole crew for their bravery in putting this forward.

Four university students who work part time in a motorcycle garage decide to push the limits of law and commit acts of delinquence in order to shine light on the illegal activities being done by the major influential personalities, with businessman and politician, Tawei as their main target. When Black, their ringleader gets beaten to the point of unconsciousness, he is replaced by his more capable and refined twin White, whose existence is hidden as a result of his parents divorce.
As he seeks too find the culprit who caused his brother's injuries with the help of their mutual friend Todd while on incognito mode, White slowly starts to realize that Black was not whom he had known many years ago.

First and foremost, Thai dramas are literally the only ones listed on MDL where I feel genuinely like a useless pile of snack wrappers while watching them. All the characters are students who are passionate about their studies and what they do —- may it be Political Science, Law, Art or even Dance.
They really work hard to study and knows very well the consequences of their actions, right upto the years they would be sentenced to, once they are caught. They are purposeful and know their cause, fight for their rights and want their voices to be heard.
Issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and the loopholes of the Law of Impunity are discussed in detail and for once, I sat down to actually listen instead of fastforwarding. I aspire to be even as half as brave as them.

The entire drama follows their chronicles. And they do it as a final resort since nobody would help them. They are not the bad guys, per se. I even rooted for them. I predicted the ending since the very beginning, so I was not let down by the final episode.

The cast was spectacular, particularly Gun Attaphan who played the dual role of Black and White. It was so well done that I'm convinced that these were two different individuals instead of the same person. Same goes for Sean and Yok. The actors practically made the characters alive. Minor supporting roles such as Eugene, Namo and Nuchi and their rapport with the main characters were interesting to watch. I did not feel that any character was added in as a 'waste'.

The OST was beyond amazing and captured the essence of the drama perfectly. The opening song is so beautiful even without understanding what was being sung. (Not Me by Kang Songks.)

This was an experimental, yet a didactic experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute and would not mind rewatching it again.

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Short, Cute, Sweet and Unconvoluted.

If you want something to uselessly make you grin at your phone, this one is for you. It gives me the same feelings that I get by watching two British Shorthair kittens having fun.

Warning: it has a rather stale start. Hae Bom, the adopted son of the Jo Family, always felt indepted to them. What makes this worse is that their son, Tae Sung, is the exact opposite of him. Rather smart and strong compared to the sweet and small Hae Bom, their differences builds an unintentional wall in their relationship -- until they are put in the same class together.

The episodes start to get significantly better. Or it might be that I became acclimatized to the overall vibe and characters.
It's not too deep, and has that prim and polished vibe that most Korean dramas have, regardless of their length.
The one thing that is the true highlight of this drama is Hae Bom's character growth. He grew up from being a scared baby to someone who is not afraid to fight for himself. It was by the final episode that I truly understood why he was the leading character.
Tae Sung was rather an introvert, and I rarely saw glimpses of his mind. His two best friends, Ji Ah and Young Hee are the ones who weedle out the truth. Their relationship starts out awkward, but then slowly became fun to watch.
Oh yeah. That reminds me. EP5 had a scene that I did not expect at all to be included in such a fluffy drama.
I personally felt that it attempted to shed light on the prejudice and dilemma that the LGBTQ+ community face, even though it lasted for only a short while.

The cast did their best , particularly Ok Jin Uk for his performance as Hae Bom. He was very expressive for a rookie actor with not much experience. Both Hae Bom and Tae Sung were plain cute, if not, one of the cutest pairing I've ever come across in a drama.

If you are looking for something to watch as a short palate cleanser, I would recommend that you give this one a try.
I'll probably forget the names of the characters, but I will definitely remember the transient joy I felt while watching this.

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A fatally beautiful saeguk.

I'm not a fan of Saeguks. Or extremely political dramas which involve power play and betrayals. My first Saeguk was 'Moon Embracing the Sun', which I sat through solely due to my sudden interest in watching Kim So Hyun's works. Though it was a unique experience, I would not say that it was excellent. Same goes for 'The Tale of Nokdu', where all the interwoven politics went over my head.

I started The Red Sleeve purely after being impelled to do so by reading the exalted emotions on the MyDramaList comment section. (The first GIF I saw in Tumblr was the one where Deok Im says that she has a cold.)
Never did I expect to flash through all the twelve episodes released at that time within two days. Based on real historical figures and incidents, the drama follows the life of Sung Deok Im, a happy-go-lucky young court lady who is destined to serve the Crown Prince for the rest of her life. Content with her future, she finds joy among her friends and doing the things that she loves the most, enjoying the freedom that she got.
Until a chance event leads her right to the Crown Prince, Yi San, who although initially annoyed by her antics, slowly warms up to her.
Struggling to untangle herself from schemes of Yi San's rivals and attempting to navigate through her duties and protecting the Crown Prince, Deok Im soon starts to realize that life within a palace is not as she thought it was going to be.

What made this drama win me over was the solid script which equally divided the screen time between palace politics, the court ladies and the angst-inducing romance of the leads. Although the initial episodes leaned more towards the style of a comedic romance, the ominous foreshadowings of what lay ahead are already planted right on the first episode. Thanks to this being based on real individuals, I was prepared for what lay ahead.

I've never seen the lead actors before, so I am unable to evaluate them based on their previous works. But, every single characters' performance was captivating.

Deok Im is hands down one of my all time favorite characters. Aside from the romantic aspect, she is a strong lady who is unafraid to say no when required. Considering that this drama is set during the early 1700s when common women had little to no power, I loved how she went against the social norms of those times.
"The Crown Prince is dear, but myself is dearer."
As a result, her relationship with Yi San is of the excessively slow burn type, but it never once hindered my enjoyment as the subplots had almost equal importance as their personal tale. I had seen several comments about how her character went overboard multiple times, but I vehemently support her very tame outbursts as Yi San himself refused to often understand his boundaries. Lee Se Young almost perfectly portrayed Deok Im's slow decline into despondence. Her bright smile and sunny attitude was nowhere to be found after the initial episodes. Sometimes, I would rewatch an episode and then wonder how things went downhill for her so suddenly.

Yi San is the one character who had the most pivotal role. We see him slowly take on his responsibilities and start to grow from a slightly carefree prince to a ruthless King. This tone shift is starkly represented, particularly after EP11. I admit, he scared me often with his actions. He would be empathetic during one time, then pretty much ruin that by unfurling his deepest emotions and having sudden bursts of anger. But, I can understand why he reacted the way he did. According to fans/viewers who know history, their love story was not an easy one.

Lee Jun Ho and Lee Se Young delivered stunning performances. I will be keeping an eye out for both the actors' future works from now on.

I loved the friendship between Deok Im and her friends; also her relationship with Wol Hye (a senior court lady) and Lady Seo (her mentor). The final episodes in particular made me realize why they were an integral art of her life and how they helped shape her choices.
Lady Seo knew Deok Im the most. It pained me to see her cry.

Special mention to Yi San's personal guard and the eunuch, who were a regular presence straight from the start. The duo and Lady Seo provided the bit of comedic relief that I wanted.

(One unexpectedly touching moment was a brief conversation between Princess Hwahan and her adopted son. It made me tear up surprisingly. Hong Deok Ro was another muddled character whom I couldn't hate.)

The Red Sleeve relied on visual portrayal rather than verbosity. Deok Im and Yi San's real romance barely lasted for four episodes before Deok Im starts to realize that giving up her confined freedom for life as a consort was not worth it.
The drama has politics, but I wasn't disinterested or muddled about what was going on. Though there were episodes where I failed to trace out who was whose sibling/aunty/uncle/brother, it was understandable and engaging. The main King, who has a very strange man, made me feel like either something was wrong with him or with me. Breathe on him the wrong way and there is a high chance we will be leaving the palace without our heads. I could feel the urgency and tension of the characters whenever something happened. The scenes between him and his Grandson were highly emotional.

And the million rules…. I'm suddenly happy that such a Monarchical system has ceased to exist or else I would've self exiled myself. The stiffling life of the Concubines was hard to watch. The Queen Dowager was a regular character who was the most insightful and enigmatic person to me. I realized by the end that she was a wise woman who was worthy of her title.

Yi San and Deok Im's love story is what someone on tumblr mentioned, almost Austen-like. (I'd say Bronte type too.) I understood why it was drawn out. The original story had the king wait for Deok Im for 15 years. This drama somehow managed to stuff that into 17 episodes. Though, I personally feel that it should've been drawn out to some 18 or 20 episodes for a smoother transition.

Scratch that. After finishing EP16, I wanted the drama to end as quickly as possible. It left me with a tumult of mixed emotions. I didn't know if there was anyone to be blamed or hated. I wished that fate itself could get undone. Watching the final episodes was like watching a train wreck.

The background music was enchanting and haunting. Though I was not a huge fan of the songs, I did notice that they progressively went from light hearted to plain heart breaking as the intensity of emotions attained a peak.

The scriptwriter did not resort to any forced scenarios and tried to stick to the book as much as possible. While half of the Red Sleeve is a nerve-wracking mess, I do not regret spending my time for it. It also solidified my opinion on why I hate palace dramas so much.

Definitely an outstanding production that deserves every bit of love.

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Short, Strong and on Point.

Future Chinese dramas can take a leaf out of this one. With only 37 minutes, it managed to convey a lot of emotions. This should've been atleast an hour long. I loved both Po Xiao and Feng Ran a lot. I liked how the two different contrasting characters learnt to trust each other. The basic plot is very Wuxia. It would've had so much potential and been a good one. My only complaint is that everything was so rushed! Skip a sentence and you don't know where the story is heading.
The cast was the highlight - they acted their hearts out. I hurt for Feng Ran and Po Xiao. It was so realistically portrayed! Kudos to them! I hope to see them in future works.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. Definitely worth a watch.

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"Love and Loyalty Run Deeper Than Blood."

I borrowed this tag line from the cover of "Vampire Academy". If you have read that novel, you may get a gist of why I chose that as the headline.

I had a hard time rating this drama. It arose very conflicting emotions in me. Was it well written? Yes, personally. But, what I find disconcerting is the mixture of genres.
The story revolves around a small town, Gifu, where a University student had mysteriously disappeared. What's more, the MIA student is accused of sexually assaulting and drugging several girls. Fast forward 15 years later, his own father is found dead soon after his missing son's body is found buried.

One of the people whose life/passion got ruined by the case happens to be Miyazaki Dai, a police officer who had been present at Gifu during the event. When the case is handed to him, he discovers that the prime suspect was Sanada Rio, the gifted president of the Sanada group... who also happens to be his first love.
Delving for the truth, he is forced to question everyone whom he once cared about. But, what exactly was the Sanada family hiding?

This is perhaps the first blended drama I've ever seen. It goes from Family, to Life to Mystery, Crime, Law and Thriller all at once. What makes it distinctly stand out from the others that I've watched is the how the writers managed to make us care for the characters one by one. It made us understand why certain difficult choices had to be made and why certain truths had no option, but to get hidden.

Romance is not an integral part of Saiai. Dai-chan was completely professional when it came to the investigation. I was surprised by how he managed to juggle both his emotions and loyalty to his work. Sanada Rio was as assertive as him. No one allowed their emotions to get the better of them.
I initially disliked Kase-san, but he was just doing his job. Perhaps, being a lawyer is not as easy as it looks.

The BGMs were constant. Someone would be chasing a suspect, but the music never switches to a thrilling vibe. I personally did not find this annoying. But, the choice in music affects the aura of the drama.
Kimi Ni Muchuu by Utadari Hikari is repeatedly used throughout and now it has become one of my favorite songs, even though I rarely like soft music.

A sir who once came to my class asked a question to a girl who was trenchant in her opinion about how justice should be served and criminals should be arrested: "If the person is someone like your own brother, would you do it?"
She replied: "Yes, ofcourse! I will punish him!"
But, all he said was: "No, you won't. You have never been in such a situation, but when it comes to you, you won't do it."

I do not know how true Sir's staement was, but this drama is the closest to what I could find to corroborate what he had said.
The title "Dearest" is the most fitting. At the end of the day, everyone are someone else's dearest.

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Fresh, Funny, Witty and Smart.

Dali and Cocky Prince is a breath of fresh air, particularly if you are seeking a respite from regular dramas that require a lot of emotional investment.
To be honest, I began this with absolutely no expectations. While I found the pilot episode extremely entertaining, it wasn't strong enough to make me start watching the second episode. But, I decided to give a go. Just as the synopsis promised, the real story starts from the second episode, with the death of the FL's father. The premise seemed to be something that could be riddled with cliches: Female lead falls into hard times and the Male lead, the knight in shining armour appears to save her. The overall plot can be deduced within the first few episodes, particularly if you are a long time viewer of Korean Dramas. But, don't be fooled. This is one of those dramas out there whose vital force lies within the capable hands of our leading characters, who, without question, is the highlight of the show.

☆ Kim Da Li was brought up by her loving father, who ran a private art gallery. She is confident, refined and composed, having an intense love for art and knowledge. With the death of her father comes the biggest trial of her life: saving her father's debt ridden gallery from closure and weeding out friends and enemies. What I loved about her was that she was evidently smart. There wasn't a single moment where I was annoyed by her or her actions. But, she does have her own setbacks, particularly when it comes to Business and Art.

☆ Jin Moo Hak is the nouveau riche Director of Dong Gong F&B, a Gamjatang restaurant chain that had tiny beginnings. Despite his extreme wealth he lacks several factors and they include: education and class.
And he is quite honest about how much he loves money. I haven't seen such an unabashed male lead in a while. It is his unique and sharp personality that earns my respect. If Kim Da Li was book smart, he was street smart with a sharp focus on business related… business. He knew how to earn cash and observed scenarios with a keen eye. It's my first time seeing Kim Min Jae, but he was absolutely wonderful and served justice for his character.

☆ Their banter and budding relationship was a delight to follow. Coming from opposite spheres of the society, their initial meeting as strangers and finally a creditor and a debtor was absolutely fun and entertaining.
While there were several cringeworthy moments from Moo Hak, particularly due to his lack of etiquette, his straightforward attitude and confidence in himself made him a real gem among male leads. There were several instances that I thought he would crumble, but his guts and wit elevated him to a much better position and class that several other characters in the drama claim to have. I loved how supportive the two characters were towards each other.

☆ Right from the first episode, we are are hinted about something much bigger and mysterious going on behind the scenes. The later episodes were really well balanced when it came to focussing on the leads as well as the sideplots. They weren't boring and I was curious about how the whole web was going to get untangled.

☆Won Tak was another fun addition. His care towards Dali and his love-hate relationship with Moo Hak was entertaining and heartwarming at the same time.
"Your face is the best security!" will always be one of my favorite lines from Moo Hak. Also, episode 6 "Is Garbage Art?" had me in tears.

☆ The ex-boyfriend, Jang Tae Jin, was annoying. But, the other characters were really intelligent and dealt their card (limited) well. The art gallery itself had only a limited number of characters and we see their backgrounds and get to know them much better as the story progresses.
There was Jin Moo Hak's family, whom I found irritating as well as amusing at the same time. But, I loved how both he and his father were sharp, despite everything.

☆ The OST leaned more towards the simple side, personally for me. They fit in well with the overall vibe of the drama. I particularly liked some of the hilarious BGM that would pop up.

☆ Last, but not the least, a shout out to Moo Hak's coworkers at the restaurant and Miss Yeom. They made even the toughest episode light and enjoyable. Moo Hak and Miss Yeom were effortlessly funny and serious simultaneously as a duo. I loved how his rapport with his coworkers was portrayed.

A solid 8.5/10 for being one cute little drama that was perfect for me to relax with. I did not focus much on the outfits and scenic shots, but it give me an insight about art galleries that I was unaware about. It might have had it's own drawbacks, but I had dove in without keeping my hopes high. I felt that writers' purpose was to provide a solid and well written story that was enjoyable and entertaining as well.
It was light, emotional and a fluffy mix that exceeded my expectations.

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Emotionally captivating, but lacks depth.

Advertised and hyped up as one of the most thrilling survival series, I decided to watch it to see what the fuss was all about. While I enjoyed all the episodes, I have to say, for Korean Drama standards, the plot falls way below expectations. Plus, the bar was set already high for Squid Game as there are well written predecessors of the same genre.

☆ The drama is buoyed by the excellent and admirable performances of the cast, who did a wonderful job portraying the variety of characters. I stuck through for them. But, I did not have anyone that I was particularly fond of or attached to.

☆ The sets were brilliant in a dark manner. The production value of Kdramas rarely disappoint.

Now…

☆ I am definitely among the minority here, but the plot was really lacking, especially since it's a Korean Drama. SG depends on the strengh of it's characters. It attempts to emotionally pull you in. (And it seems to have succeeded, considering the hype.) Out of most of the countries I've watched, Korean Dramas, if given the right script and a good planning, usually produce excellent shows that are highly satisfying, regardless of their one hour long duration. While I understand the intention of letting the horror of the childrens' games in the drama sink deep, the backstory or motive behind the organizers of the game seems to be added almost as an afterthought. Game after game would be going on, but I was interested in only one plot thread involving No. 29 Guard. Ofcourse, they writers chose a trope for several character arcs.
The Games themselves were not intense, but it was the price that had to be paid for failure that was horrible. At one point, I stopped expecting anything different since most of the players made it out purely because of dumb luck or experience. There were some scenes and gore that as @WandeRer mentioned in his review: gratuitous. They served little to no purpose at all or even if I was interested in it, I got no proper explanation. I even felt that some deaths were added on for the sake of shock value.

☆The last three episodes are the ones I enjoyed the least. There seemed to be a sudden twist for one character in particular. Not to mention, some of the explanations were highly unconvincing to me. Maybe the writers are hoping to tie up a few loose threads in the second season. But, I don't know if I'd watch it.


☆ The OST, unfortunately for me, did not do the trick. This might be a result of me not having any particular attachment to any characters, but some scenes that were supposed to rile up intense emotions fell flat. I couldn't get the right 'survival' or 'thrilling' vibes that I was supposed to be feeling. Regular Kdramas such as Flower of Evil or Strangers From Hell managed to pull that in a better way according to me. I was more focussed on guessing who was going to come out alive since many of the actions' by the characters were predictable. All that remained was how long they survived.


☆ I've been seeing people compare it to Imawa No Kuni No Alice, but I see nothing similar among them except for the 'survival game' theme. I've also heard that the script writer was inspired by a few TV shows, one of them being the Liar Game. While I can definitely see the influence, I can't compare any of them since the purpose behind each is entirely different.

☆ Squid Game is not a bad drama. It's a decent watch. Long time watchers of this genre would find nothing new since Survival Games all have their own tropes. I can see that the hype surrounding it is by most people who accidentally stumbled upon KDramas for the first time or are new to this genre.

It all comes down to personal preference at the end. I enjoyed it, but the plot, particularly the last bit, managed to render the drama's build-up to almost nothing. It didn't have enough momentum to tempt me into watching a second season, unfortunately.

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The Good Things Came too Late...

That's my feeling about "Love Mate".
Why the heading? The drama had to step into the 'character growth' aspect much earlier. The first few episodes was just plain cute stuff to satisfy viewers and it did not help that both the leads were exactly that. Cute and fluffy.

Lee Jun is an uptight Team Leader and planner. His disdainful view on dating and love is reflected in his proposal for a game depicting why single life is the best. However, his idea is thwarted and scoffed upon by a rookie, Ha Ram, who makes it his personal goal to irritate him. {I personally liked how Ha Ram questioned Lee Jun. He sort of deserved that as his proposal seemed to make people who are couples seem weak.}

They agree to a strange option: try dating each other to see if Lee Jun's mind changes.

I liked Lee Jun's character a lot. He is the first person, both in books and TV, who openly expressed his "exact" emotions to the people involved. No mincing of words, no false hopes. Ha Ram was more easy going and childish as compared to Lee Jun. But, all the serious moments in 'Love Mate' came a bit too late, or rather, they were stuffed into the final two episodes.

Other than that, this is an okay watch. Not the best, but I really needed something short to complete my 52 Week Watch Challenge, to be honest.

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Time is an illusion.

I am someone who firmly believes in this headline, although I know that it's impossible for me to track back and change the very root of the concept of time and space.

Kai Duan, or Reset has been on my radar since last year. Being an avid fan of the time travel genre, I was particularly excited -- last year's First Love Again had been satisfying in delivering a believable story, although it's production was far from perfect.

Although it has a rather strange number of 15 episodes, a distinct change from the regular conventions of CDramaland that have an unspoken rule of dragging stories endlessly to fill 24 to 36 episodes and ruin the experience, it rarely disappoints.

Following a Groundhog Day like plot, Li Shi Qing, a young college student, is inadvertently pulled into a time loop after she dies in an explosion aboard Bus No. 45. In a desperate attempt to save someone from their fate and also get down from the bus, she yanks Xiao He Yun, a game developer, into the loop. Now with the added burden of being the prime suspects and getting chased by the police force, the duo search for a way to stop the explosion and terminate the loop.

Following the themes and background that are literal staples of any forms of entertainment involving time travel/time loop, the very succinct and clean execution of the plot is something that is particularly rare to find. Especially in Chinese Dramaland, where a deluge of dramas with absolutely little to no effort is being put behind them are produced aplenty.
While the story, particularly the time travel aspect, was far from perfect, the very basis of this drama's strength lies with the entire cast and characters. Except for a few of passengers in the bus, we get indepth backstories about everyone. The police officers, particularly Captain Zhang, was meticulously and excellently portrayed. The leading actors were right on par with the more experienced cast.

One minor fault with this drama might be Li Shi Qing's guardians' complete absence. And the final episode was satisfying, but also left me feeling discontended as there were a few unexplained topics that remained.

I will rate this a 9.0 for now, thanks to the writers' uncanny ability to make me tear up for everyone.

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