Intriguing plot, fantastic acting and high quality production

I generally reserve my thoughts and write a review after watching all the episodes however I just couldn't wait this time to share my initial impression so that people who discover this drama and come here will be interested in watching it.

Dramas that play with the element of time (time travel or time loop) are tricky to get right. There are more chances of plot holes and incoherent storytelling than other dramas. Also, it's important to grab viewers attention in the first episode itself without perplexing the audience. Reset excels in this and the first episode sets up the drama nicely and kept me on the edge of my seat. I am hooked!

Moving onto actors, most of us know Bai Jing Ting after his stellar performance in You Are My Hero and he certainly lives up to good standard in this as well but the real show stealer for me is Zhao Jin Mai. The actress from 'A Little Thing Called First Love' fame delivers impressive performance as Li Shi Qing. I was mesmerized by her. She is pulling off difficult to show emotions such as anxiety, fright and delirium with ease.

Cinematography and edits are also crucial for such a drama and they have nailed those aspects of filmmaking along with good background score. You can feel the tension. The overall production quality is top notch as is the script and you can see that they have paid attention to the details. Additionally, no voice dubbing which is a rarity in C-drama world.

Ending felt a bit forced but it doesn't take away anything. This drama is sheer quality.

Start watching, it's well worth your time and only 15 episodes long. Enjoy!

Read More

A hidden gem!

This drama hits all the right notes. Folks who trivialize saying 'this is Moneyball version of K-drama' are grossly downplaying the depth of this show. There is so much happening in each episode. The first episode instantly sets-up an intriguing plot and every episode unravels something interesting or tackles a deep rooted issue.

Although its set against a Sports (Baseball) backdrop it isn't simply a Sports story. Please don't turn away thinking its a Sports drama. Infact there is hardly any on-field action through its 16 episodes length. It focuses more on the management side of the team and the problems that pop-up after years of under-performance. Along the way you may even pick up few useful tips on topics such as negotiation, presentation skills and general management.

What I loved:
- Great storyline (unusual and unlike anything I have seen before)
- Fantastic acting (Namkoong Min is a Korean treasure, however he was aptly supported by Eun-bin Park and others)
- Good explanation of important Baseball stats (on Viki) and not dumping lot of numbers on our face (easy to follow for a novice like me)

It's a pity so few people have watched this drama. It deserves much more recognition and love.

Go Dreams!

P.S. There is no romance in this drama. Just so you know ;)
It also won the Baeksang Arts Awards for Best Drama for the year 2020.

Read More

Fantastic female antagonist

The reason you should give this a watch is for an outstanding female antagonist unlike anyone you have ever seen before. Song Yoon Ah who played Choi Yoo Jin is truly remarkable and her character has so much depth that she deservedly outshines everyone in this drama and beyond. I couldn't help but empathize with her throughout the story due to her emotive acting and was constantly rooting for her even though she was the main antagonist.

Things I liked:
- Best female antagonist (unbelievably, she wasn't even nominated for Best Actress at Baeksang Art Awards)
- Fast paced screenplay
- Good action choreography (over the top but enjoyable)

Things I didn't like:
- Few implausible events in the plot

Read More

Beautiful!

Simply speaking, 'Mother' is one of the best dramas out there!

This drama deep dives into sensitive topics such as physical abuse, motherhood and childhood trauma while never dragging any of these too long so as to lose interest. The plot instantly grabs your attention and first episode sets-up the story nicely. Not one minute is wasted with fillers or narrative that doesn't contribute to the plot. I was heavily invested in the lead characters and was crying my eyes out especially during final few episodes.

Testament to how good the story is: original Japanese drama has been remade in various languages such as Korean, Chinese and Thai.

I will remember:
- Top notch acting by the mother (Lee Bo Young) and the child (Heo Yool, this kid deservedly won the rookie award at Baeksang). Rest of the cast did great as well
- Evocative and engaging screenplay filled with heart-warming moments
- Beautiful portrayal of multifaceted mother-child relationship
- Satisfying ending

There is nothing to even nitpick, its an easy recommendation for anyone who is looking for an highly emotional drama with an engaging plot or people who are close to their mothers.

P.S. Keep a box of tissues with you if you decide to watch this :')

Read More

An entertaining adventure

Jumping right into it - if you enjoyed Joy of Life or Niravana in Fire, give this a shot. It has elements such as humor, fight choreography, interesting adventure that reminded me of JoL and political intrigue, story of betrayal, leisurely yet intense pacing that reminded me of NiF.

I can't say much more without giving away bits of the plot. I have heard some criticisms such as female lead not being suited to play the role and color grading of the show appearing too green. However these points didn't bother me at all. I was definitely invested in most of the characters from the get go. Bear in mind you will have to be patient with the first few episodes, it takes time to reel you in however once you get hooked you are in for a treat.

"The journey is long, but you'll get there.
Persevere on the way, the future is full of hope.
Wish all the travelers know their way back home.
Wish all the lost ones find their path to the future.
Wish to meet again even though we bid farewell.
Every ending is a rebirth.
See you someday in the future."

Hence we can expect a second season. I hope it takes less time than its taking for JoL 2 :)

Read More

Hidden Gem!

Hikaru no Go is a drama with a primary theme of passion for the game of Go. However it goes beyond your regular sports based story and explores important slice-of-life themes such as friendship, perseverance, teacher-student relationship, hardships faced while trying to achieve your dream, bi-directional family support (between children and parents) and many others.

Strengths of this drama:
- Fantastic screenplay (pulls you in from the first episode and keeps you engaged throughout its runtime)
- Enlightening short story arcs in the middle of the drama (drifting painter, temple monks)
- One of the best child actors i have ever seen (the kid who played ML was so charismatic)
- Support characters add such great depth to the story and each one contributes something significant to the main lead's journey
- Great bromance between the main leads (true to adage 'bringing out the best in each other')
- Peppy and 80s/90s nostalgic music is a bonus as well

If I had to nitpick, the only thing this drama was lacking was some romance. However that doesn't take away anything from this wonderful story.

It's a pity not many people know about this drama. It certainly gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling. You may not love it as much as I did but it definitely deserves a watch from anyone who is looking for something sweet and fulfilling.

Read More

I enjoyed watching Doctor Stranger :)

Even though 20 episodes sounds a lot i was able to breeze through within 2 days. That tells me the story was captivating enough to keep me engaged (along with dramatic musical score). Its not without flaws though (especially the silly elements that occurred during the screenplay - you will notice someone roaming around unnoticed all the time)

I especially loved the ending, it's a satisfying and a happy end. Everything (main characters) ties up nicely in the end.

It may not be the best K-Drama out there but due to the low rating it may fly below people's radar. If you enjoy political thrillers, medical dramas or destined romance you should give this a watch.

Read More

Magical experience

This show was on my watchlist for quite a while however I was always skeptical to begin watching due to its length. 50 episodes did sound a lot back then. However all Chinese dramas seem to be in the range of 40-50 and recently I completed watching a 40 episode C-drama - The King’s Avatar which I thoroughly enjoyed and decided to give this a try. I am glad I did! 50 episodes went by in a flash.

This is a fantastic drama adapted from a great source which has almost all entertaining elements you could wish for in a drama - adventure, action, comedy, bromance (bordering on BL), all woven together nicely. Central characters Wei Wu Xian and Lan Wang Ji form the crux of the story, however I absolutely loved the support characters and their relationships with the main ones. Special mention to the adorable brother-sister relationship between Wei Wu Xian and Jiang Yan Li.

Things I loved:
- Story (it will immerse you in a fantasy and I lost myself in that place)
- Magical music/background score (this is really important for any fantasy/adventure drama and this one nails it)
- Strong character development (not just central characters but also support ones)
- Great backstory for support characters (some episodes are completely dedicated to showing support character arc which was great to watch)

Things that were missing and I wished were included:
- Romance for the ML (I understand that there were hints for BL and from what I have read that seems to be from the original source but I wish they could have taken some creative liberty with this adaption seeing the chemistry between Wen Qing and Wei Wu Xian)
- Visual FX (The drama began with some action scenes and lets just say the visual FX shown left a lot to be desired. However I understand the costs and technology involved behind creating robust visual FX may not be possible for such a big production)
- Less tragedy for the ML (without spoiling too much I will just say you will know what I mean here after you watch it)

I highly recommended this drama to anyone who wants to leave reality for a while and go along a magical experience that this drama will surely take you through. It's almost perfect and only falls slightly short in some regards.

Read More

Missed opportunity to make a great drama

This drama had all the ingredients of a great show. However writing isn't impressive and the plot was especially disappointing towards the end. It is still a worthy watch for anyone who is interested in a drama about family and importance of daily life (living everyday to the fullest and without regrets). Beware: if you decide to watch this, keep a box of tissues with you ;)

Things I liked:
- Kim Tae-hee's work as Cha Yu-ri (wow, she nails this role. Hats off to her)
- Beautiful cinematography

Things I didn't like:
- Heartbreaking ending (one could think of multiple ways to end this better than how they wrote)
- Quite a few scenes were repeated across two episodes
- Some filler moments were quite silly

Bonus:
- The main background score (the one that comes on when Yuri come back to life) is fantastic

Read More

Thoroughly entertaining!

I was hesitant in watching this as the synopsis and the poster give an impression that this is a profound political drama. Don't be fooled! I am glad I didn't procrastinate watching it. This is a thoroughly entertaining drama and one of the best I have seen from east Asia not just from China.

This drama has a unique blend of interesting characters, fantastic humor, amazing action and crazy plot twists, all nicely woven together by a great story. I am not exaggerating, trust me. The director did a fantastic job in mixing heavy scenes with light, fun ones. Whenever you start to think the show is getting serious, the next scene will make you laugh. You will also notice that the stunts and all action is general is of high quality.

If I had to nitpick, the only area that was lacking is OST, no song grabbed my attention unlike how other Chinese dramas such as The Untamed have done before. On the other hand they have done a good job with their quirky and modern background music.

What's more you ask? This is just the first season, there is more to come. I can't wait to watch the second season and immerse myself in this magical world again. Till then I can only re-watch this to satiate my hunger.

I can't recommend this enough especially if you enjoy political dramas or humor filled dramas or both ;)

Get some popcorn and start watching now, you won't regret it.

Read More

Not interesting

This is one of those dramas that pops out at you due to its starcast. I like both the leads and have enjoyed them in other dramas but there isn't much positive to say about this one unfortunately :(

I watched first 3 episodes and they are all too bland for my taste. The drama has documentary format where it interviews the 6 central characters and shows their romantic relationship through past experiences while they talk about those times. If that's your thing then you can give it a try.

However my problem is that this isn't interesting enough and even the screenplay is very boring.

If you want to watch a nice dreamy romance (such as CLOY) look away. This is not it!

No idea what the writer-director were trying to achieve with this drama but it's definitely not my cup of tea.

Read More