Awesome at parts, okay at others, still a solid watch

I hope Hong Jong Hyun got a nice massage after filming finished; I'm sure he needed it after practically carrying this whole drama on his back! Okay, I exaggerate, but my lack of enthusiasm for the other two leads made him stand out in comparison. The character trope of "man caught in a love triangle and dutifully trying to squash his feelings to spare his best friend" isn't new, but he pulls it off well. Credit also to an excellent supporting cast - the king and queen, the baddies, bodyguards, siblings and fathers, etc. They really fleshed out the story, and made up for weak performances from the other two leads. The female lead was merely serviceable - though it depended on who was in the scene with her - and her personality veered between bold and playful, and frustratingly wishy-washy. The other male lead was the most anemic crown prince I’ve ever seen, with all the charisma of a wet dishrag. (I feel like very similar role was done far better by Park Hyung-sik in Hwarang.) Anyway, despite some negative feelings, this drama was still worth it - it didn't drag and I barreled through it pretty quickly to see what would happen next. The ending was satisfying and brought me both smiles and tears. Great music and scenery, also.

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Perfectly decent drama

This has been on my list for a while and as I recently saw comments talking about how bad it was, this pushed me to watch it! My takeaway is that though it wasn't a mind-blowing drama, I really don't think it's worth the heavy criticisms. I'm particularly surprised to see such dislike for Shin Se-kyung - I thought her acting was perfectly good, I enjoyed her character and I've seen far worse actresses get far less critique. Nam Joo-hyuk as Ha-baek gave a subtle performance, perhaps a touch too impassive at parts, but I thought it suited the role - I was reminded of the phrase "still waters run deep." I thought the second lead was great, often the second lead can feel like a pointless filler character but his background and struggles moved me. Anyway, I found this to be an enjoyable watch and it left me feeling happy and content. Some of these harsh comments make me wonder if we watched the same thing!

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Almost perfect

With the exception of the last episode, this drama was stellar. The concept was unique and fascinating, the chemistry between the boys was on fire, and the undercurrent of darkness and danger was incredibly compelling. The cinematography and visual representation of the color rush was gorgeous, and the music was well-suited to the moods of the respective scenes. The tension got my heartrate up multiple times! Unfortunately, though I did like the ending, much of what made the drama so good was abandoned at the last moment. The hints of manipulation and possessiveness from the boys disappeared, and there's no follow-up on the mother's disappearance. I can't find anything on a planned season 2, but apparently there's a web novel so there's a potential for more. I would still wholeheartedly recommend this, as you can see by my high review, I just think it could've had a punchier finish that better matched the tone of the overall story. I'd love to see more in this universe, there's plenty of potential.

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