This heart wrenching, sometimes tragic, beautiful drama teaches us that it's not blood that tells you who your family is. It's a  satisfying watch that shows you what loyalty truly is. It begins while Hong Gil Dong is a child, and moves along through the trials he faces throughout both his childhood and his adult life. The writers really know how to inflict an emotional response on their audience whether it be standing up and cheering for the good guys or ugly sobbing into a blanket. This drama is strongly written, with many impactful and symbolic scenes. It is story of the revolt against the rich that makes you pour (no pun intended) your heart and soul into rooting for Hong Gil Dong and his group of rebels. The bond between the rebels is thicker than even blood, and their loyalty towards one another is without a doubt one of the most intensely heartwarming things I've seen. It begins with backstory that may seem very slow, but if you stick with it, it will make the story that much more powerful later on. That said, I've taken half a point off (9.5/10) because a handful of episodes do have a slower pace, but it definitely did not drag or become uninteresting. The acting in this drama was phenomenal. This drama made me believe in it, and I think that's the most crucial part of it. The casting was absolutely perfect. The child actors looked very much like their adult counterparts and had acting abilities that were well beyond their age. Kim Sang Joong gave such a raw performance as Ah Mo Gae and perfectly captured the essence of his character. I had watched Yoon Gyun Sang in multiple other roles, but this role is where he truly shines. I believed in his motives, his emotions, and as another reviewer mentioned, the fact that he is Ah Mo Gae's son. I would also like to mention Kim Ji Suk who did wonderfully as the tyrannical king and brought a lot more substance to this role than any of his previous works. The music in this drama is very special to me. The OSTs are not the typical kdrama OST, rather the songs sound very traditional. They add so much emotion to the scenes, and truly captured the spirit of the rebels. The romance, I will talk about as a separate topic. It starts off slow, and the chemistry between them is minimal, but as it progresses it will hit you like an arrow (a reference). It is so intense and pure and overflowing in believability. Not going to lie, their romance has made me shed tears. It is definitely a drama to rewatch and will remain as one of the most memorable ones. This has been a powerful and emotional journey that will stay with me for a long time. I think it's very underrated, and if you're wondering whether to watch this, I wholeheartedly recommend that you do!

Read More

Firstly, we need to address first is that this is a melodrama, and in that sense the drama was done perfectly. The color scheme was muted, the OST fit the mood, and the pacing was quite slow which melodramas seem to be known for. There were some scenes towards the end where that raw desperation was conveyed so well that it elicited a lot of emotions from me (aka I couldn't handle the feels). That said, the middle did drag a little bit, but not to the point where I lost interest. Everything was purposeful, and you can tell as the story progresses.

The story was quite new in the KDrama world, which I appreciated. And where else can you see the leads get married by the third episode? The first half of the drama was quite light, mostly centered on their romance while the second half had lots of angst and suspense. What this drama did well was weave the past, the present, and the future in which he traveled to into a clear and coherent storyline. Most of the show is actually foreshadowing, and finally in the last few episodes are the viewers exposed to what actually happened. It did build up suspense and intrigue, as you had no idea what would happen. It was unpredictable, but by doing that they lost a few people (and provoked lots of fan theories), but I promise if you stick with it, everything will build up to a satisfying end.

The acting was done really well on Lee Je Hoon's part. This was my first time watching any work of his and I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't particularly like Shin Min Ah's character, as sometimes I felt like she was unreasonable. Their chemistry was off the charts though, and perhaps because they were married early on in the series, we're given a ton of fanservice (aka steamy scenes). At first I was skeptical because the circumstances of which he married her wasn't the best, but soon you could really believe that they're in love. There isn't a moment where the music fades and the camera pans over their face in slow motion that tells you they've fallen for each other, but trust me you'll know.

I really loved the music. I think there were only about three main OSTs , significantly less than that of other dramas, but all of them fit the drama so well. They also played some beautiful piano instrumental tracks pretty often, which created a sort of gloomy mood befitting the storyline.

While I may not watch the entire drama over again, I would definitely rewatch some of the scenes.
Overall, I loved the way the story was told, despite the pace. I have to mention the color scheme again, because it was really genius and beautiful. Right off the bat, it helps you get into the solemn mood constantly reminding you of the overarching plot despite the cheesy happy scenes. I would recommend this drama for those who don't mind a slower storyline, because it's definitely worth the watch.

Read More

Hwarang began at the top of my list for most anticipated drama. It boasted a star studded cast as well as the fact that it was pre-filmed which seemed to promise a quality show that would become "the next big hit". As it turns out, the drama became a pitiful case of lost potential.

The story was lacking, to say the least. It didn't seem as if there really was one sometimes to be honest. The episodes were mainly made up of small conflicts that didn't seem of much importance to the central story at all. Even the the climax of the main story was resolved rather anticlimactically in the last episode. I often found myself wondering what the heck happened after an episode, not because I was shocked by the events, but because nothing really did happen. The story trudged along at a horse and buggy speed and it seemed that our lead female Ah Ro was just along for the ride. She didn't seem to have any purpose in the story, but to give our leads some angsty tension (not that it was needed because they had enough of that on their own). The main couple had no chemistry whatsoever and I even found myself bored at their scenes. And lets not even begin talking about the plot holes. There were many and they were extremely noticeable.

The acting was mediocre. This is an average amongst this large cast; some were better than others. Going back to the issue with the main couple, I believe it wasn't totally the fault of the cast. Park Seo Joon had amazing chemistry in his last drama with Hwang Jung Eum and Go Ara did well in Reply 1994. While they are not exceptional actors, they have shown good acting skills, and even they could not salvage how stale the plot was. Minho's acting became a lot more natural though and Taehyung did well with his emotional scenes.

The OST itself is pretty good and some of the songs were actually quite memorable. I did notice though that the music editing was not very good throughout the entire drama. It cut off weirdly and some of the music didn't even fit the scene, which is disappointing coming from a show that was prefilmed and edited.

Overall, it was only slightly enjoyable to watch so I will not be rewatching. I would like to give some honorable mentions though to my otp Ban Ryu and Soo Yeon, Sung Dong Il the designated ahjussi of kdramas, and Park Hyung Sik's face (it's beautiful :')).

Read More

First off, season one and two are essentially the same drama, only split into two parts. There isn't really an end to this "season", so this review will be based off of episodes 1-21.

The story itself is a very light hearted typical romantic comedy. It has the seemingly cold guy and a bubbly girl. I definitely had my differences with the female lead. She has a habit of lying and turning bystanders against whoever she is targeting (let's be real, most of the time it's the male lead). I found that incredibly annoying and unlikable, but perhaps that is why she is the "fox" in the title. That does stop after about the first ten or so episodes so she has grown on me since then. There isn't really a major over-arching plot, and as of yet, since it is the incomplete story, there hasn't been a climax. The only things that really propel the story forward are the relationship between the female lead and the male lead and the "love square" that they're involved in.

As I mentioned before, the female lead began as very unlikable to me, but the actress portrayed that role quite well. I felt that the male lead however, could be a bit more expressive. I understand that his role is supposed to be cold and stoic, but his expressions could use a little more emotion.

The music wasn't very memorable, but it wasn't unpleasant.

This drama isn't anything special or new, but it is an enjoyable watch. It's a good light hearted show to watch especially as a break between some heavier dramas.

Read More

This drama is lighthearted and fun, definitely something to pick up in between some angsty melos. Although I've only read up to about chapter 40 of the webtoon it's based on, the content of half, if not most of the episodes have been covered so I can say that it is definitely true to its original source. Scenes are depicted very similarly and even the dialogue is recognizable from the webtoon.

The storyline was interesting to me because of the unique concept that constituted the plot (a vampire who feeds off of energy through physical contact and a human who has mysophobia). It was well paced throughout and the drama did wrap up nicely. There were, however some loose ends, but the second season is rumored to air next month so hopefully, those will be taken care of. The climax of the story (within the drama) though, didn't seem to be as dramatic as they may have intended it to be. It didn't create the suspense or anticipation that it probably should have.
 I am actually a big fan of the male lead actor after his drama The Eternal Love, so I found myself inevitably comparing these two. That said, I think both lead actors did a good job of portraying their characters, but I never really felt the chemistry between them. Again, perhaps the second season may change my view on that.
As for the music, I did quite like two of the OSTs. They fit the tone of the story well and were memorable enough, as well as not too overused.
Overall, I would recommend this drama for a short and simple watch, as there are only 16 episodes at around 30 minutes each. I also definitely recommend reading the webtoon!

Read More

Before I continue further with this review, I have to say that one of the best parts of this movie which is that there is NO DUBBING! This is extremely rare for a Chinese movie, especially with a foreign actor and I loved that they didn't have to use dubbing. As a huge fan of the uber talented Lee Joon Gi, I definitely had to watch this. My experience with Chinese movies weren't the best, I admit, but I gave it a try anyway and I'm so glad I did.

I think it's safe to say this storyline has been done a million times. The plot is by no means unique, but I still found myself anticipating the events to come. The execution of the the story, I thought, was done really well. If you're impatient, you may be tempted to drop it at the beginning, just because they present a series of events that happen so quickly you don't even know what's happening. That is actually what I really appreciated though, because the second half of the movie focuses on unfolding the previously introduced scenes and connecting everything together in a sort of genius way.

Lee Joon Gi was of course, amazing as always (I may be a bit biased). He's honestly one of the best actors I've seen. His acting was extremely natural, even for parts that required him to speak in mandarin, which just proves how talented he is. Zhou DongYu's acting was pretty good considering it was one of her first roles. I didn't particularly like her character though because it seems as though the writers wanted to make her more complex, but instead she seemed a bit irrational and off putting.

I loved the music! For a While by Lee Joon Gi was played in the movie which was great. Unfortunately I can't post the Chinese title on here, but the title of the main track can be found on the Chinese wikipedia page for this movie. It took me forever to find!


Overall, I really loved it and would definitely rewatch. The cinematography was absolutely beautiful and you could really see the artistic intent behind each shot. Sure the movie isn't original, but it still made me an emotional mess and more of a potato for the entirety of the it (and maybe 10 minutes after as I contemplated the meaning of life). I wholeheartedly recommend it if you're into cheesy (in a good way) tearjerkers ^.^

Read More

This drama has all the elements of a very successful show. It's aesthetically appealing, one of the best in the world of Taiwanese dramas. The storyline and characters were very complex and intriguing.

The story itself, although seemingly cliche, was done very realistically setting it apart from other dramas with similar concepts. You won't find this drama to be a repeat of things you've seen before (I would know I've watched over 130 lol .-.) The story flowed smoothly and until the last 3 episodes, I had absolutely no complaints. Although the ending was a bit iffy for me, it still produced lots of feels so no worries there.

The characters were so refreshing. The wit in this drama is just AMAZING. The main female lead is so strong and although may seem bitchy at first, you'll definitely warm up to her. The dialogue between the characters are extremely intriguing, and their relationship develops very smoothly. There is sooooo much chemistry, I can't believe they're just acting. It's that good.

The music is really great, maybe because I've liked Yoga Lin songs for a while, but the other songs are really good as well.

Overall, I loved it. It was one of the best Taiwanese dramas I've seen in a while. It'll literally take you on a roller coaster of emotions (that's a good thing). I highly highly highly recommend this show!

Read More

Disclaimer: times have changed and so has my review now, but these were my initial thoughts after

Yes, I did rate this a 10, but let me explain. If you look at my other reviews, I'm not usually this generous so I do have my reasons for giving this one such high scores in every category.
The story itself actually had a nice, steady pace. From my drama watching experience (and I have watched quite a lot), the show usually gets draggy around episode 10 to 14. This was NOT the case. From the very beginning it was so action packed and fast paced I wondered how the writers were going to keep this interesting for another 15 episodes. They proved me wrong though, and every episode felt like 3. The story itself, granted they did have the advantage of a unique setting, does not use the same plot devices as other dramas. It was just a perfect mix of humor, suspense, romance, and action. Those are very different genres but they managed to do it really well. There didn't seem to be a central storyline, but instead it was quite episodic which would usually turn me off. The drama, however, had such a good flow that I didn't even notice, and although the conflicts are episodic the romance and relationships between the characters were developed consistently.

The cast did so wonderfully. Not only were the main actors amazing, every actor breathed life into the supporting characters. They were not just there to support the leads. Each one of them actually had their own distinct personalities and characters that added so much substance to the show. The chemistry between the leads and the second leads was one of the best I've seen. Because of the setting and the dire situations they're put in, you can clearly see the development of the characters. And as a side note, though some of Song Joong Ki's lines may come off as cheesy as hell, he pulled it off so well I almost didn't even notice how cheesy they really were. In fact, they just added to his character.

The music is just so so so good. Usually I only find one or maybe two good songs per OST, but right now I have the entire OST on replay on my phone. It's that good.

That said, I would definitely definitely rewatch it. Normally I would have a couple critiques on my reviews, but honestly I couldn't have asked for a better show. Sure, the show has become really mainstream and may come off as overhyped, but that doesn't mean it loses it's value. If you're hesitant about trying it, don't be. Of my 140+ dramas, it's climbed to number 3. You won't regret it!
Now I'm just going to go into my little corner of post show depression :')

Read More

Watching this drama actually feels like peeking into the different stages of life for these characters. Cinematography wise, it is gorgeous and really well done. You can tell that much care was put into the lighting, coloring, and setting of each scene.

STORY: It details the lives of the two main characters and their group of friends through roughly ten episodes set in high school, ten in college, and the last ten as they start their careers. I really love how this was split because it really feels like you are with the characters as they grow and mature throughout the story. (Not sure if this will be fixed later, but the synopsis on this site is slightly incorrect). There's really no villain, rather the story is driven by time and the changes in the characters as they mature.

ACTING/CAST: I'm sure the male lead is pretty recognizable from the very popular dramas Love O2O and Guardian. The female lead, however, is relatively new to acting and she's VERY good. In fact, most if not all of the acting in this drama is really natural. Granted, they look a little too old to be playing in the first arc as high schoolers, but ignoring that fact, they really make you believe in these characters.

MUSIC: It was quite good actually. If I remember correctly, they had the leads each do a song. There was nothing I particularly loved but the songs fit well into the drama.

Overall, I think this drama is very well made and pretty underappreciated. Sure, it's a simple story, but it was definitely a good quality production.

Read More

The plot of the story is very intriguing, and started out great. I, however watched as it aired for around 5 episodes, took an extended break, and binged the last 5. In general, I thought the story dragged quite a lot in the middle episodes and picked up speed in the last two. That said, this show still gets a pretty good score from me.
Now on to the positive points, if you need just one reason to watch; it's the male lead. This guy is seriously gorgeous (which he doesn't really showcase until the last two episodes), and he's only 17! You can definitely see his character evolve from being stiff and awkward to being very natural around the girl.
As the plot implies, this drama is definitely full of CGI. It's not an amazing Hollywood film quality, but it's decently done so that it isn't a problem.
This is definitely worth a watch if you're looking for something light and fluffy.

Read More

First off, I've watched all the adaptations of Itazura na Kiss more times than you can count one hand, so this was really like a breath of fresh air. They took all weaknesses of previous versions, and transformed them into something so much better.
Tenten ( Naoki Irie) actually has FEELINGS, and very early on too. Taliw ( Kotoko Aihara) has a backbone, and isn't particularly desperate or clingy. King (Kinnosuke Ikezawa) was not nearly as over-exaggerated in this version. The actors/actresses' portrayal of these characters made them seem like normal, reasonable humans.
Plot-wise, this lakron changes it up a bit. The main elements are there but many events have been cut out, which is not necessarily a bad thing. As a die hard fan of the series, after many many rewatches of the other adaptations, this still managed to give me an avalanche of feels and kept me in suspense as to what is going to happen.
I definitely wholeheartedly recommend watching this!!!

Read More

Finally! It's here after years and years of waiting. So of course even as I was in the midst of watching 5 different shows, I had to start it. That being said I went into this with pretty high hopes especially since one of my favorite actors is the lead.

The story itself is pretty weak. I think I've seen this plot line almost a million times, but let's be real here, I'm a sucker for this genre. The whole story though was incredibly cliche, and was not executed in the best way. The beginning was arguably one of the best parts. It has your typical romantic comedy tropes, and while it was pretty cheesy, it was watchable. The middle, however, the huge chunk of episodes from 12-35 though was almost hard to watch. I found myself skipping through the episodes and just watching scenes I was slightly interested in. At this point you may wonder why I even bothered to stick with it, and I'll be talking about that a bit later. The middle segment was so repetitive. They threw the same obstacles over and over again, and it almost felt like an endless cycle.
I did find the ending to be very satisfying though. It can be a little confusing at first but it's all explained by the end of the episode. They made sure to supply us with some fan service as well as provide a more realistic ending. Although it was not explicitly stated, it's quite clear what had happened and it did give the closure I wanted.

Now to the real reason I stuck with it... GODFREY GAO is in it and he's amazing. I thought he did a great job at portraying his character, and I'm glad I kept watching for his acting (and hotness of course). His random English lines thrown in there were pretty awkwardly placed and though I love it when he speaks English, it didn't really sit well with me there. The female lead, I admit, didn't stick with me at all in the beginning, but I did slowly warm up to her. As of now I don't particularly find her too like able but I did like her more towards the end.

The music was alright. There seemed to only be about 2-3 songs used though and with 38 episodes it kind of got old.

Overall I really did enjoy some parts of it. I would definitely recommend trying it out if you're a Godfrey Gao fan or a fan of cliche melodramas, but otherwise I'd skip it.

As a side note, there are no English subs as of now but the raw episodes are all up on YouTube.

Read More

This drama is seriously underrated! I was a bit skeptical because of this reason, but I ended up loving it. Ella Wilkins plays the daughter, and she has one of the biggest child roles I've seen in a show. She's so adorable, and if that isn't enough Mike He's interactions with her are the cutest!
The story isn't too overdramatic. It's basically a normal rom-com, but the absence of evil characters (until the last few episodes) is a breath of fresh air. The romance develops very naturally and the issues dealt with are very realistic. The only downside is that there doesn't seem to be English sub for this drama so far (fingers crossed there will be in the future), but if you understand mandarin definitely give it a try!

Read More

This drama started out solid. I was super hooked for at least the first 5 episodes. The two leads had fantastic chemistry and it was unique how the leads had already started liking each other from the beginning. Around episode 20 however, I began skipping around because it began to bore me with the same tropes over and over again. The second half was absolutely frustrating, and I ended up skipped around 6 episodes towards the end altogether.
That said, this drama is worth a watch if you have extra time on your hands and don't mind skipping around. Also, this drama doesn't seem to be subbed anywhere so watching raw would be your best bet.

Read More

This has honestly become my favorite drama (out of almost 200)...ever. You're probably thinking that I'm exaggerating, but I can assure you there's no doubt that this is an amazing drama that's given me tears, lots of them, both happy and sad.
The story is ambitious, let me tell you. The fantasy genre is not for the weak. Many try, but there are few survivors. They tend to fall short, leave the audience wondering, and the plot becomes shaky. Goblin, though marched right up to the top (easily) and stuck it's flag in, claiming its rightful place as the best fantasy drama made so far. It tells a story that spans 900 years, relying heavily on drawing parallels between past and present, but coherently weaves all the little details into place. Everything makes sense, and leaves the audience in suspense through the entire show with it's twists and turns. The fantasy aspect is absolutely amazing as it's used both comically and as important elements for the plot. It's never used just to show off the effects they can do. The show forms such an amazing atmosphere as if you were in another world, and as an artist, I can assure you that this is the most aesthetically appealing show I have ever seen.

The acting was of course, top notch, with this star studded cast. By star studded, I don't mean idols; These are talented and renowned actors that have proven their excellent acting abilities with their previous work. Fun fact, Lee Dong Wook, who normally has lead roles, begged and begged the writer to cast him as the SECOND lead. That's how good this script was, and you bet he worked his butt off for this drama. Gong Yoo, I'm sure you've seen in plenty of other movies, namely Train to Busan, never overacts, but conveys so much emotion and is just perfect for his role. There have been people talking badly about the lead actress, saying she isn't pretty enough, but I think she's absolutely gorgeous and has such a pure smile. She fits her role so well and you can't help but love her.

Since the drama does everything else so well, I guess you can't expect its OST to be perfect as well right? But it is. Many of the tracks have gotten millions of views on Youtube and I have the entire OST replaying on my phone. All of the music is just so atmospheric and fitting for the show. I mean it when I say I love every single song, and that's pretty rare. I mean when's the last time you loved every song on an album?

Alright well, I guess I'm done singing praises for this drama. I can't find a single thing to criticize, not because I'm biased, but because it's just THAT good. By now you may have guessed, but I wholeheartedly urge you to try this. You'll find yourself rolling around with laughter, pain, and feels so if you don't try it I may have to personally go over there, sit you down, and force you to watch it. Now I'm off to cure this post Goblin hangover and maybe cry in a corner. Shoot me a PM if you need me (especially for fangirling or crying purposes I'm here for you)!

Read More