Interesting story, underwhelming cast

Before starting the review, I want to emphasize that while I do lean towards certain actors or actresses when I dramas to watch but I am not biased when it comes to good / bad acting.

This is a very real insight into the IT industry in today's world. When you're behind the trend, you lose. When you don't understand the audience (in different industries) well enough to cater your product to fulfil their needs, you lose. When you do not have connections, you don't get a head start. Sad, but that's true. I love the progression of this drama. They brought us back to where it all began - university. This is another true scenario. If you see yourself as a kid who is just attending university to get a degree and earn credits enough to get yourself into the job industry, that is a very old-fashioned thinking. University is where people should get themselves equipped with not just academics but connections and experiences enough to get yourself a good start in the job industry (or even get a job at all). I like how the scriptwriter perfectly categorised these different types of people in university.

The story just made sense to me. Whether or not you're a person with natural talent or just a person who is so-so, the decisions that you make will eventually lead you into different pathways. Li Xun and Gao Jian Hong are your perfect example. This is why the story deserves a solid 8.

However, there are parts where I don't quite like or think the drama is lacking.

1. The female lead. I don't dislike the character but this actress is honestly not portraying the character well enough. Is it just me or the female character has a problem showing expressions? She doesn't look angry when she's supposed to, she doesn't look sad when she's supposed to. When she makes eye contact with the male lead, she is just staring at the male lead, but there is no emotion to it. She is quite stiff overall and I don't know about you, but I can't connect with the female lead character at all. In fact, I think the actress playing Ren Di does better than her.

2. How the story ended with no conclusion on Zhu Yun's parents' approval. So do the parents approve the relationship or not? They highlighted the parents' disapproval multiple times throughout the drama, I am assuming that their approval is very important and if you're heading towards a happy ending for the couple, shouldn't there be a firm conclusion to what the parents actually think?

3. You know how there's one part where Li Xun went to jail because he blinded Fang Zhi Jing. First of all, for a villain like him, why is he only imprisoned in the end? Also, his eye looked perfectly fine to me. Small detail but it kind of bothered me during the drama.

Overall, it is a good story. I like the progression but there are too many areas that are lacking. The chemistry between the characters are not exactly off the charts either. Highly recommend to watch but this is definitely not the kind of drama you'd get withdrawals after it's over.

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By far the worst drama I've ever watched

The headline says it all. I've never seen a drama as trashy as this one. Season 1 was meh, Season 2 intrigued me for a sec and Season 3 is just complete trash. Remind me to search who the writers are for this drama so that I could boycott all of their dramas.

The one and only thing I actually liked about this drama is Sa Pi Yong and Seo Dong Ma's love line. Other than that, it either doesn't make sense or just simply pathetic to watch.

1. The possession element of this whole thing. Seriously? Really.... Seriously? Need I say more? Why? There is no point to this whole possession thing.

2. And more ghosts. As if mistress turned into ghost and possessed the ex wife ain't ridiculous enough, we have child ghost, grim reapers. Seriously, this drama is pure nonsense.

3. Pan Sa Hyun. Honestly, I dislike this character more than the mistresses, At least those mistresses are acting like their roles, but this guy is really just a weak link in this drama.

Those are just scratching the surface, so much to complain about this drama.

Will I watch season 4? No, but for closure purposes, I might read the spoilers. This drama is really no longer worth my time.

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Beautifully executed

Prepare lots of tissue because this is one of the most tear-jerking dramas I've watched this year. I really like how the whole drama is executed and the entire flow of the story does quite makes sense.

Some thoughts about this drama:
1) I love all the characters in the drama (villains too). I can't really imagine not having any of the characters in the drama because they each contribute to one or more important parts in the drama plot. So I'd say, they are all quite important.

2) In a way, I can't help but pity Liu Zixing. To be honest, I do think he is more capable of being the emperor. At least he has more wits than the emperor on the throne. Not only is he always sick but have been treated as a placeholder for the most part of his life. The girl that he loves and was rightfully meant to be his wife didn't love him back. How can one person be happy living out the life he did?

3) All the little rituals and the meaning behind every action (especially Zhou Sheng Chen's) are quite interesting. Everything seems to have its own explanation in this drama and it hooks you in as much as the development of the characters.

4) Not all historical dramas or war stories end up with victory and happy endings. As much as I hate the outcome of my favourite leads in the drama, I can't help but applaud at how realistic this ending is. Given the circumstances the characters were put in, I think I would have done the same if I were to be in the same position. Everything comes with sacrifice and this truly reflects real life.

5) The only reason why I didn't rate 10/10 for this drama is mainly because of the heaviness of this drama. Hence, I don't think I would rewatch the drama. But I do anticipate for its sequel.

All in all, I do think this is the kind of drama where you gotta sit down and focus instead of binging all the way. You'll be missing a lot of details if you do skip too much.

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Binge-worthy

So I've pretty much binged the entire drama in two days. In overall, it is a pretty good drama and I like the chemistry between all the characters. Then again, I've always got a soft spot for Hu Yi Tian. He has been acting in quite a few dramas lately and his character in Go Go Squid actually made an impact. Acting as the female lead, we have Hu Bing Qing who performed pretty good in Legend of Dugu. I was really anticipating for this drama because I was curious as to how to act alongside each other.

The reason why I rated 8.0 for this is because the leads have great chemistry. I especially liked Ming Rui, Huai Nan's best friend in this drama. However, the story can be a bit of a drag in between. You go with Luo Zhi approaching Huai Nan and finally getting his attention. Then you have misunderstandings in between that would make them both drift apart. Afterwards, Huai Nan starts chasing after Luo Zhi and they finally got together in the end. This entire process took up 30+ episodes.

I know this is an adaptation of the novel but since the 2019 drama already had adapted from the same novel, you would think the 2021 one has some difference. Similar to the 2019 one, the ending was quite disappointing. They both separated and went on with their lives to progress in their respective careers (Huai Nan to regain his stance) and then bam, Huai Nan reappears in Luo Zhi's life. Then what? Probably it's just me, but I was hoping there is more built up to the ending. they can probably cut down a few episodes of "you-chasing-me-me-chasing-you" in between and put a bit more emphasis on the ending.

Overall, I would say this drama is quite binge-worthy. It's just a bit abrupt in the end when you're already finally attached to the idea of them being a couple then they break up again and you have a really vague reconciliation.

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Could have been better

I've watched quite a few episodes into the drama. Honestly, I had high hopes for the drama because the storyline seems to be pretty interesting. Looking at the leads, both of them have acted in some pretty good dramas. You would've thought their acting wouldn't be that far off as leads. Wrong.

Throughout the drama, I've only been seeing Yu Xuan "trying" to act in a smart, mature, person-with-a-painful-past role when she doesn't even look the part. Then you have Yi Chang trying to act the cool and cold-blooded CEO but only to end up looking stiff and unnatural. I can't see them merging into their characters at all. The entire drama, though only with around 30 minutes per episode, has only been draggy so far.

What a disappointment. Looking at the storyline, I do think there is potential. But the acting makes it so dreadful to watch, to the point I have decided to drop this drama.

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One of a kind

I don't think I've watched a KDrama that's so heavily focused on economics, historical events and finance this good. There's never a boring moment throughout the drama. When it comes to succession dramas, often times, you'll see a lot of internal politics drama but this one is different. I'm not saying that there's no internal politics, but you get to see the thinking process behind business decisions and also good strategies. There are so many mentions of real historical events and how they have impacted businesses in Korea which is one of the highlights of the drama for me.

I read an article somewhere comparing the plot of this drama with the Samsung's succession drama as well. Long story short, the founder of Samsung, similar to Jin Yang Cheol in the drama, planned to let his eldest son become the successor but the son wasn't really business savvy so he changed his mind and led to a series of events surrounding power fight within the family. I always have a soft spot for dramas which have elements inspired by true events because you can help but think "so it does happen in real life".

Parts I really love:
1. The whole part of how Jin Do Joon took advantage of his knowledge of events to make investment decisions.
2. Jin Do Joon's relationship with Oh Se Hyun. It's really funny how they became such trusty partners after a donut incident in the US.
3. All the details put into business and investment strategies. Is it because Do Joon could see the future? He could confidently make decisions and at the same time make logical sense out of them.

The one part of the drama which I really dislike is Seo Min Young. Sometimes, I feel like the writers wrote her in just to give the actress something to do.

My opinion on the ending:
I see a lot of comments complaining how "ridiculous" the ending is. If you guys have been watching the drama from episode 1, you should know that historical events cannot be changed. Remember when Do Joon tried to save Hyun Woo's mother? He did all sorts of things to avoid her death but she died anyway. In actual fact, Do Joon didn't get to survive the accident. Isn't already expected that at some point, Do Joon will die? Probably because we have been too attached with Do Joon throughout the drama, it is quite upsetting that they have killed off our main character.

There are parts that don't quite make sense to me though. I couldn't for the life of me, figure out the age thing. 20 years had passed since Do Joon died and Hyun Woo still looked the same? How old was he then, when he survived the gunshot? How did he survive the gunshot to the head in the first place?

All in all, I highly recommend this drama. The only reason why I rated this 8.5 is only because other than Jin Do Joon and Jin Yang Cheol, other characters seem to be a little lacking.

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Drama that completely doesn't make sense but still addictive to watch

I guess after Penthouse 1 and Penthouse 2, the audience is so used to tons of unexplainable plot twists, we are not even surprised anymore when the same happens in Penthouse 3. Every single time a character dies (especially important characters), I can't help but think "how is he/she going to come back later?" I think we can summarise the series with three points

1) The rich will never run out of money. Even when nearing bankruptcy, there's always a way to bounce back to the same wealth as before.
2) The more evil the person is, the longer life he'll live.
3) No matter how deadly the encounter is, there is still a way to come out alive and look better than before.

After conditioning us to think that anything is possible, you would think there would somehow be a happy ending as an answer to all the efforts that were done in the previous two seasons, until the screenwriter decides that it doesn't make sense to do the same trick twice (or multiple times) and give us one of the weirdest endings (in my opinion).

To be honest, I kind of feel cheated. After following this drama for so long, watching each character's ups and downs, the ending really made me feel like I've wasted my time. On one hand, it has been a great journey. It is kind of nice to see the dramatic lives of the rich once in a while, but on the other hand, the ending is very underwhelming.

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A different kind of drama

This drama deserves to be put in a category on its own. It's definitely not a romance drama, it doesn't really revolve around one family drama either and it's not exactly a law & investigation drama.

The story is so well laid out that there is really nothing much to complain. While watching, you will be put into a different perspective towards divorce. Yes, divorce in general is not exactly a good thing but it's sometimes necessary and essential for the betterment of the couple (and their kids).

Each character is portrayed so well, I really think this is the best cast they could put together for this drama. The evil stepmother is evil enough to get on your nerves. The cool uncle's love towards his nephew is so touching, it really beats your typical romance drama. I love the parts where he would swallow back his tears because he felt so bad for his nephew. The two little boys are very good in their characters as well - both very cute and very talented child actors.

Although I love the story and I love the cast, but it is definitely not a drama you'd watch over and over again. It was nice to watch but not addictive. Highly recommend for first timers.

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Gratifying drama

This is one of those dramas that has a really complete story. The plot, ending especially, does not really leave much room for subjective interpretation and it basically gives you the answers to the questions you might have.

From an overview, it does look like your typical palace drama - plotting, treason, betrayal, fight for power - but the details and plot progression are quite unique and interesting to follow. The focus is mainly on the Queen who essentially is the "mother" of the palace. I love how the story brings out the different personalities of the princes, the difficulties they go through and you have the Queen who swoops in and guide them on the right path.

However, there are some parts which I don't quite like. For one, the evil people suck at being evil. I think the Kdrama industry is kind of running out of ideas when it comes to evil plots. Or perhaps we have watched too many dramas and became immune to evil tricks. I like some of the plot twists but they drag it out a bit too much so the revelation doesn't really give a big impact.

All in all, I have enjoyed the drama, though it's not the kind of drama I would be feeling the anticipation or excitement over when the next episode would release.

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Get ready for a bucket full of tears

Guess most of you probably already know even before starting to watch the drama, this is going to be somewhat tragic. To some extent, it's not a sad ending but the journey towards it is definitely a very difficult one.

This drama touches on a lot of things - friendship, love, sacrifice, love for the country and comradeship.

Parts I really love about the drama:
1) The friendship between the emperor and Fang Jian Ming. They both grew up together and were technically stuck together because of the Baixi. The depth of trust between the two are even stronger than blood siblings. It's always nice to see a good bond between friends who understand and trust each other.

2) The emperor character. You can either hate the emperor or love the emperor. In this case, I love the character. He is not the most perfect person but he is very real. He has every reason to be unhappy with his life - lost the love of his life, stripped off his freedom, stuck in a role he did not sign up for and can't even feel basic physical pain. Regardless, he stayed alive simply because he was put to the task and felt the responsibility to run the country well. Putting yourself into his shoes, you would kind of understand why he acted the way he did.

3) The fight scenes. The production and execution of the whole drama in general is quite top-notch. However, the fight scenes are really the ones that impressed me. Hai Shi, Jian Ming and even the emperor have really distinct styles in their martial arts. That part was portrayed very well in the drama.

Parts I dislike about the drama:
1) Hai Shi and Jian Ming's relationship. I know, I know. Why watch the drama if I don't even like their relationship in the first place? For one, their age don't add up. Forgive me, but it's kind of difficult to digest the fact that the age gap between the both of them is acceptable seeing how Jian Ming practically raised Hai Shi (like a father / sifu).

2) The progression of the relationship between Hai Shi and Jian Ming. There are so many things that are unnecessary. Jian Ming hiding almost EVERY SINGLE THING from Hai Shi cause he's "worried" about her safety; how he pushed her away almost all the way to the end of the drama. It seems like they keep going back to square one and it's quite tiring to watch.

-- MAJOR SPOILER --

3) The evil mastermind behind the whole coup towards the end of the drama is actually quite "meh". To be honest, they have been building up the tension about the evil mastermind for so long, I kind of expect the character to be more "evil" or at least have deeper attachment throughout the drama.

In general, I am quite impressed with the plot. This is not your usual romance drama which is very refreshing to watch. Will I watch again? No, cause it's simply a bit too intense for round 2. Will I recommend the drama? For sure.

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Fastforward 70% of the time

First of all, I started watching this drama with pretty low expectations. Unpopular opinion: Shawn Dou is not exactly the greatest actor. He is handsome for sure but his acting has always been the similar character - capable, cool and popular among the ladies. I like Li Qin, though - the reason why I decided to give this drama a shot.

One word to describe the drama? Boring.

In fact, I quite enjoyed watching the chemistry between Shao Zen Rong and Du Xiao Su. Unfortunately, they killed him off too early. Then come Lei Yu Zheng and Du Xiao Su's love story development which is honestly very painful to watch. Du Xiao Su slowly became my least favourite character - unrealistically kind, constantly misunderstood, strong principles but weak execution. Surprise, surprise. Whenever she's in her weakest moments, Yu Zheng will be coincidentally there to witness.

To be blatantly honest, I would say the entire drama can be summed up in 4-5 episodes. Most parts are not even worth the screen time.

Very disappointed.

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I wanted to love this drama

The main reason why I watched this drama in the first place was because of Leo Luo (I really liked him from Love Is Sweet). I also find the story's focus on science a bit refreshing. However, after 11 episodes in, I no longer have patience to continue the drama.

One of my biggest peeve is the fact that they kept harping on how Jia Ning and Xiao Shan have lived abroad for a while as though it's a huge deal but they can't even speak a complete sentence of proper English. Especially that conversation Jia Ning had with this English professor - Jia Ning kept replying in Chinese while the professor spoke in English.

There are so many other cringe-y parts that don't even make sense, lowering down the overall quality of the story. Really, if you're bored, you'd probably be even more bored watching this drama.

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Perfect, outstanding, satisfying, amazing

This is one of the best dramas I've ever watched. You usually have dramas with an obvious differentiation between the good and the bad. Villains in the end would either die or get thrown into the jail. Vincenzo is definitely a drama on a different tier.

I personally never believe that a quick death is a punishment to villains. Which is why I've got to say this drama has really hit a different spot. The two worst villains - Myung Hee and Jun Woo - were portrayed perfectly. It is impossible to not hate the two of them because they are just the perfect definition of cocky, spoilt and evil. Thinking they have everything under their control and pretty much nothing in the world can stop them from doing what they want to do. Until Vincenzo comes in and spoil every single one of their plans.

There are some parts which I absolutely love (prepare for spoilers):
1) One of the early episodes where the villains lost to Vincenzo and Jun Woo commented that the reason why they always lose is because Vincenzo is creative and that's what they are lacking. I completely agree! Vincenzo would always surprise the audience with very creative and different ways of handling crisis. Just when you thought he would be toppled down, he bounces back up and strikes back harder.

2) Vincenzo was furious after they killed his mother (which is pure stupid by the way). You would think after so many altercations with Vincenzo you would know not to provoke him unless necessary. That is when Vincenzo declared war and you can really see the shift in the episodes to come. You would honestly think Vincenzo was being nice in the previous episodes in the way he treated them.

3) Vincenzo visited Jun Woo in the prison. He was telling Jun Woo the story behind his nickname - cat that is always full. That pretty much sums up the entire drama, to be honest. The entire time, killing Jun Woo and his minions was so easy but it was just too easy. A cat that is always full will play with the mouse before it decides to eat the mouse. Woah, that scene is hands down my most favourite scene in the entire drama. The satisfaction is just *chef's kiss*

4) The excruciating deaths of Myung Hee and Jun Woo. Omg. Just... omg. I have never seen such a satisfying ending. Myung Hee and Jun Woo definitely deserve every second of their painful deaths. The thought and creativity put into ending their lives, Vincenzo, again, did not disappoint.

5) All the tenants of Geumga Plaza playing Mafia together. There are quite a lot of times when they will gather together but that moment hits me differently. I love how all of them are together, each of them with a different back story, sitting together and just playing a game of Mafia together. The chemistry between the cast is off the charts. I have never really watched a drama where I get attached to every single one of the characters.

There is not one thing which I dislike in this drama and this is how perfect it is. Absolutely amazing 10/10

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