THE MOST FRUSTRATING LEADS EVER...

I was super excited when this project was announced and literally checked on its update every month after it was announced and the excitement was there till ep 5-6 and after that, the main leads became extremely frustrating and i watched it the same way we watch soap opera or makjang... you know, frustrating characters but still want to know what will happen next... for a drama that's advertised as a realistic drama that's not a good thing...



lets start with the good aspects of the show which surprisingly are many
1. the acting is very good esp by jcw... kjw was good in the present but very over the top and artificial in the flashback... the rest of the cast also did well... the only thing realistic with this drama is the acting...
2. the cinematography is amazing and the scenes on yangyang were well shot...
3. the ost is amazing...
4. i personally liked the iv format which made it look like the characters are talking to the viwers and every character gets to express their inner thoughts...
5. the comedy scenes were really good and weren't overdone or too animated...
6. minho's extended cameo...

there is only one single aspect that just destroys the entire drama for me and that was the so-called deep love of the main leads and unfortunately, it takes up 60-70% of the screentime...
it started off well but the writer just overdid the flaws of the character to the level their relationship looked right out unhealthy.... jaewon has so little to no self-respect, is whining and wont take anyone else's pov other than his own... his love looked like an obsession... eunoh is extremely selfish and is emerged in self-pity to the level she is unfit for a relationship and the only person who can have a relationship with her is jaewon... sometimes i felt the writers degraded jaewon just so he will fit with someone like eunoh... she claims to love the guy but lied to him from the get-go, dumbed him out of the blue then didnt care about him even when he became a borderline alcoholic for more than a year, stalked him occasionally for more than a year and when he finally found her instead of sitting down and talk with him she lied more, insulted him in every chance she got (which apparently is supposed to be seen as bickering b/w lovers), treated him like shit, played with his emotions a little bit more by kissing him and then when he cornered her and she had no other option but to talk to him, she said he isnt her priority anymore even though she likes him but within a week or so goes back on her words and goes after him only because she didnt know the meaning on the pentant he gave her and he wasnt showering her with the attention she wanted and was getting for so long... since jaewon is such a pushover and have little to no self respect he dont care for the fact that she treated him like shit for more than an year as long as she says she likes him which is very hard to belive as a viewer... there isnt a single moment where eunoh even considered jaewon's feelings and that too for more than a year... she admits she is completely messed up but still wants to get back with him because she knows if she stays silent he will move on and find a better person...
also to justify all of her messed up unhealthy behavior we get a look into her past which only gives a reason for her behaviors and not justify her actions... the drama literally romanticizes an extremely unhealthy relationship b/w two people who need counseling asap esp the FL...
the happy ending looked very artificial and forced... these two ended up together only for the sake of a happy ending and nothing else...

also, all the female characters behave and blame the guys as if these guys are some psychics who will understand every actions of them even if they hide things from him or behave the exact opposite of what they want... not a single female character even try to communicate with the male characters and then point fingers at them for not understanding them...

Their love story literally looks like the gender-reversed version of playful kiss... the ML of playful kiss don't even stand a candle in front of eunoh when it comes to being self-centered....

the bad aspect that i said might only be a bad aspect just for me and if people watch it only to see jcw and kjw together then its a perfectly fine drama for them... personally as a fan of jcw, i seriously hope he dont even do a cameo as jaewon in s2 of this drama... i would never want to see him as park jaewon ever again...

for people who want to watch it should watch it and judge it on their own as its a complete hit or a miss and the liking for the drama depends entirely on the individual... i personally didn't like it but there are people who loved it...

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the best sageuk i have seen...

i was interested in the drama the moment i saw the first teaser of it and from ep 1 to 20 it didnt disappoint me at all... it will be one of the very few historical rom-com that had comedy till the end... it did had the usual sageuk formulae of palace politics and everyone planning and plotting and having their own agenda but it never goes too serious with those aspects... it was a laugh riot till the end...
the overall drama looked grand and it seems to be made with a good budget.... i think the makers were very confident with their product and thats why they chose the cast based on pure acting skills and not popularity... shin hye sun is a wonderful actress that needs more recognition and i hope after this she gains more success... she plays the real queen while she was happy and depressed, the queen with a man inside, then the queen who has two souls inside and at the end the real queen who is different from before and she did a spectacular job with all of the changes the queen goes through...
kim jung hyun is not that far behind... he also had a dual side to portray and he was amazing at it... even though the entire drama mainly focused on the queen he didn't get over shadowed by her and stood on his own in every scene they were together...
the chemistry between these two was great as well and has become one of my most fav onscreen couple...
all the side characters including the villains were good... one of the best things about this drama is it dont have a lot of bloodsheds and unnecessary violence... out of the main cast only one dies and that death was inevitable...

overall, for me, this is the best sageuk and one of the best kdramas ever....

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the drama that made my new year a cry fest...

i started watching this drama just like that and without knowing that this is based on a real story. the initial episodes were fun and i thought its a simple rom-com. oh by! was i wrong. this one made me cry a river.
this one is undoubtedly among one of my all-time favourite dramas.
lee junho and lee seyoung have done an amazing job at both acting and having great chemistry. they both were flawless and so was the rest of the cast. a special shout out for lee deaok hwa. he had such a complex character to play. lee junho's stares deserves a special mention. they are hot as hell.

the only drawback in the story according to me was in the middle when they gave too much importance to the court ladies cult. it kind of looked out of place and the entire ton of the drama changed a bit.

i guess this is the only kdrama sageuk that i have watched which isn't a fusion sageuk or fantasy sageuk. the feel was much more real and intense with this one. this is totally a much watch drama.

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heartwarming drama

this drama was on my watch list since i came to know this was based on the movie 17 again and is from the makers of go back couple... this drama gave me the exact same feeling i got when i watched go back couple... the comic scenes were hilarious and the emotional scenes make me cry hard...

i guess without a doubt that the star of the entire drama was lee do hyun.. his chemistry with the rest of the cast was also on point... he played the high school dae young in the past and woo young (older DY in younger body) really well... the difference is quite evident...
i like how the makers give the point of view of each character which helps in understanding them deeper... this made me like hong family and the rest of the characters with all their flaws...

i wish the drama gave more screentime to some characters but i dont feel it had any unwanted storyline either... i guess the writers were so good that even if this was a 20 episode drama it wouldn't drag.. the writers and director managed to make 16 episodes out of a 2-hour movie excellently...

the drama successfully made me laugh and cry equally... dramas like this have high rewatch value and maybe i will rewatch this one again sometimes in the future...

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WATCHED IT COMPROMISING ON MY SLEEP AND DONT REGRET IT..

So this is my 3rd kdrama suspense thriller after memorist and FOE and it seems like this genre kdramas are becoming my favourite.. i wanted to watch it for a long time but kept waiting because after watching kdramas on Netflix and viki i didnt feel like watching it on unofficial sites like KA,DC etc and unfortunately this one was not available on any of the official streaming sites in my country. but finally, i decided to watch this because i loved FOE and wanted to watch more suspense thriller and this one was only 12 episodes which i consider to be the perfect length for a suspense thriller. if there is no other genre attached to it then 16 ep suspense thrillers become kind of draggy.. memorist kind of had this problem and since FOE also gave importance to the romance 16 ep was perfect for it...

this one started off a bit slow but then catches up with the pace.. the makers managed to keep the suspense and thriller aspect alive till the end.. i accidentally clicked on one of the spoiler comments in MDL and ruined one suspense but thankfully that wasn't the only big revelation. even the spoiler didnt decrease my interest in watching one episode after the other.. since this is a suspense thriller i wont speak anything about the story as i dont want to ruin it for anyone.

this drama entered my watch list solely because of nam ji hyun.. i have only seen her in rom-com and she had 3 back to back successful rom-coms.. this one was entirely different from her last 3 and i wanted to see her in something different and the girl didnt disappoint at all.. she is amazing in it and she was good in all the emotional scenes and she had good chemistry with the entire cast.. in some scenes she kind of gave me the vibe that she can pull off darker roles.. i would love to see her in grey-shaded characters. before this i could only imagine NJH in bubbly energetic roles.. she is quite versatile...
this is my first drama of lee joon hyuk and i liked him in this.. his character even though a detective wasn't the smartest cookie out there.. the female lead who is a thriller webtoon writer gets the hints and joins the puzzle much faster than he does but in his defence he was shown as a lazy detective at work in the start.. the kind that slacks off at work whereas the FL is more determined and focused on her job resulting in her being a successful webtoon writer...
i have only seen kim jee soo in hwarang and i dropped it halfway through.. so this one might be kind of like my first drama with her.. her character was interesting and she managed to evoke mixed emotions among the viewers towards her character.. i wont go deep into her character as that might end up being a spoiler...

since this was one purely a fantasy suspense thriller i didnt mind the lack of romance even though there were subtle hints that the leads kind of liked each other but were too busy trying to solve the mystery..

the rewatch value is low for me coz this is a suspense thriller and when the suspense is out the thriller part will be gone.. so whats the use of watching it again.. its the same for memorist as well.. since FOE has lot more going on other than suspense its rewatch value is higher..


overall i through out enjoyed this one and will surely recommend to those who like suspense thrillers with no romance or comedy.. this one does have some light moments but not anything that will make you lol..

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ITS A SIMPLE LIGHT HEARTED DRAMA

I rarely finish watching an ongoing dramas and due to this i rarely watch ongoing dramas.. i usually wait for it to finish and then binge-watch it. BR is one of the few i watched while it was ongoing and didnt drop it midway.

The first thing i want to say to those who decide to watch this drama is its not as problematic or as controversial as some people projects it to be but its not the best drama out there either.. this drama definitely dont deserve all the controversy surrounding it.. people over exaggerated every action in the drama as if this created everything thats wrong in the word.

One thing that made me like BR is that i officially became a fan of both JCW and KYJ.. i never got the hype behind KYJ until i saw this drama(i have only seen her in moonlight drawn by the cloud and i dropped that drama half way through). she is like a breath of fresh air onscreen.. she brings a certain kind of energy whenever she is onscreen.. i have seen that kind of energy only in jun ji hyun and park bo young.. KYJ is kind of like a younger version of JJH to me.. i always found jcw to be one of the best looking guys out there but this drama made me appreciate him as an actor.. he can pull off a character like daehyun who dont have any special skills or charm pretty well.. if you want to see JCW as the charismatic and charming kdrama lead then you will be disappointed with daehyun but if you want to see JCW as an actor then DH is one of his best roles..

the story is very simple and the characters seem real.. one of the very few dramas that show both the good and bad of almost all the characters.. none of the characters are pure evil or perfect.. everyone has their pros and cons.. the different thing i found about this one is, it starts off by showing the negative side of every character and then slowly shows the depth in them.. characters like DH's father and SB's sister might come off as extremely selfish and self-centred at the beginning but its just that the way they do things are not the ideal way..

PROS
1. the relationship development of SB and DH is really good. there is understanding, mutual respect and trust b/w them as well as they give each other personal space. KYJ and JCW have good chemistry without a lot of intimate scenes. they both are good actors so all their emotional scenes came out well.. like the characters, their relationship also started on a questionable note but ended up being so beautiful.. it started as an obsessive infatuation of SB towards a good-looking older guy who was nice to her but ended with uplifting each other and correcting each other's flaws.. even though there is an age gap there is a sense of equality in their relationship.. DH takes the front seat when one of them needs to be wise and SB takes the front seat when one of them needs to be bold or strong.. they complement each other quite well..
2. SB and DH's mother's relationship. they both are hardworking and sincere but are taken granted by their family.. so they both understand each other very well.. all their scenes are high on emotions.. again the actress playing DH's mother is amazing.. she is good as the loud but good-natured mother.. she clearly can make you love her in one scene and irritate you in the next.
3. DH's personality. i personally loved his character. he is at times too good for his own good but is a very respectable guy. he might not be a macho alpha male but has the patients to deal with things the right way.. he is sincere and gives his 100% to any relationship he has.. he stayed loyal to his gf because he is a loyal person and his gf deserves his loyalty and not because he was blindly in love.. he clearly liked SB's company but also knew to draw the line..
4. since the drama didnt had any high tension moments or cliffhangers, it was like a stressbuster.
5. the emotional scenes of the drama were really good.. one of the best i have seen. you can connect with every character and understand why they get emotional..
6. SB and her friendship with her 2 bff esp GB.. GB might be from a rich household but clearly understands the struggle SB faces and is always there for her.. those two girls are friendship goals..
7. SB's character growth.. the makers kind of put a bump to it on ep15 but quickly clears it on ep16.
8. BR had one of the most satisfying endings for me.. there was no proper kiss but still every scene of DH and SB was worth it..
9. parasite and the fiery priest reference. i just finished watching fiery priest when i started BR and FP reference and guest appearance from some of the FP cast were hilarious to me. the parasite reference fits perfectly into the story.

CONS
1. the stretching of DH-YJ relationship. it becomes a bit repetitive after a point.. we get it why they are together and also get it why they shouldn't be together.. the makers have made that pretty clear by ep 7-8 but still the breakup happens only on ep 9.. also the actress playing YJ was the weakest link in the cast.. she has very limited facial expressions. like every other character, she is also not too good or too bad but since she is the roadblock to the union of SB-DH as viewers we tend to hate her the most. DH becomes an unlikable person when he is with YJ and he might come off as a weak guy when he was in the relationship. the showed how this relationship is eating up his real self.
2. there were some scenes and characters that should have been cut short and more screen time should have been given to the leads in the end of first half of the drama.. ep 7-9 was a bit dragging..
3. not enough fluffy romance b/w the leads.. this one was supposed to be a rom-com but ended up being a comedy slice of life drama with a pitch of romance here and there.. there is a lot of meaningful and emotional scenes b/w SB and DH but dont have much typical romantic moments..
4. the time gap.. the makers didnt made the time gap b/w the breakup and DH starts developing feelings for SB more evident.. if you give importance to minute details then there is a lot of time difference b/w DH's breakup and his feelings for SB but if you dont notice it then it might feel like DH started falling for SB within a week of the breakup.. EB's sister debuted after months of training but it might look like she debuted within weeks of joining the agency. same with SB's exam.. it looks like she wrote the exam after 2 days of studying but the time gap is only evident when she remembers the flashbacks with DH helping her with her studies..

there were some episodes i didnt enjoy as much as the rest but when i look back i liked the overall drama.. this drama definitely deserves a try..

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start up ended as messed up due to an unwanted forced love triangle...

i wasn't interested in watching this drama when the trailer or the initial episodes came up but gave it a try just to know what is this obsession with the second male lead and why this drama has such a proactive comment section in MDL... this were literally the only reason for me to watch this drama...
from the first episode i got my answer on why everyone is getting obsessed with han ji pyeong... from his background story, his onscreen charm to the acting of both young and adult HJP were spot on... the drama had a really good start and the first 4-5 episodes were well made but then it all went scrambling down... the show couldnt even hold on the first half of the drama...
this was supposed to be a youth motivational drama but we have a male lead who made the female lead his DREAM... wow what a motivation for the youth...
the drama has a lot of loopholes and the female lead's characterization suffers a lot due to an unwanted forced love triangle...
dosan as a character was quite adorable at the beginning but then he literally had no quality that made me root for him after the first 4-5 episodes.... dalmi started off as a very energetic go-getter kind of character but after a while as a viewer you dont get what she likes, who she likes, why she likes, what she wants... the acting of suzy didnt help either... dalmi is just there so that 2 guys can fight over her just because she is the FL...
this drama without a doubt has one of the lousiest written main leads in kdrama history and one of the most well written and well-acted second lead in the kdrama history...
on the business side of the storyline... there isnt much to talk about either but its set in a fantasy world where if the female lead wants to make a flying elephant, the male lead will make a flying elephant...

like i forgot to mention the second female lead the makers also forgot to show her onscreen... she is like an extended cameo... had great potential... she seems like she belongs to the search www drama but sailed without a map and landed up in the world of fluffy startup where business is seen in a rose-tinted glasses... she was supposed to be the younger sister of bae taemi but god messed up and she became the older sister of seo dalmi... poor girl...

what i liked about the drama
1. KIM SEON HO as HAN JI PYEONG... he is such an amazing actor... audience can understand his feelings and emotions even without him uttering a single dialogue... his every single expression was on point and didnt overdo a single scene
2. GRANDMA AND HJP - they share one of the warmest relationships in kdrama world... prepare a box of tisues every time these two share the screen
3. the first 4-5 episodes

what i dont like
1. EVERYTHING ELSE... normally kdramas only have 1 or 2 irritating characters and rest of them will be nice but in startup you will only find 2 or 3 characters that you want to root for and the rest irritating af...


now coming to acting i already talked about how amazing kim seon ho is... kim hana didnt had enough screentime for me to talk about her acting... from whatever she got she did a good job...
nam joo hyuk as dosan was really good in the first 4-5 episodes but after that he acting suffered due to bad writing... its not his fault... the last i saw of him was in the bride of habaek and compared to that he improved drastically but he still dont have great screen presence and can easily get overshadowed by a better actor....
suzy, as dalmi was only good at scenes, where she has to convey her emotions through dialogues... she literally has a blank expression when she has to convey emotions through subtle expressions... she was pretty decent in screens where she has to cry and express her feelings through dialogues... dalmi could have been played by literally any female actor in her late 20s... like dosan, dalmi is also a victim of lousy writing...

the lead couple lacked depth in their love story and we dont even know when,how and why dalmi started liking the real dosan over the dosan from the letters... their chemistry is also flat... i guess if the actors atleast had strong chemistry i would have rooted for them forgetting all the flaws in their characterization...


overall i dont regret watching startup simply because it made me love kim seon ho... it had potential like almost all other kdramas but got ruined by a forceful love traingle and a forcful love story...

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LOVED IT!!!

I wanted to watch it when i saw the trailer but waited for it to finish airing since the genre is thriller.. i didnt want to bite my nails for an entire week to see what happens next and i am glad i did coz most of the episodes ended with a cliffhanger and makes you want to watch the next episode asap..

this one is a well written, well-directed and well-acted drama which stayed true to its genre till the end without any dragging or rushed ending.. i liked how they stayed true to the ML's personality disorder till the end and made it look believable.. he didnt change to a completely different person and it wasn't flowers and butterflies for the couple.. he was never treated properly for his disorder and it took him more than a decade to realise his true feelings for the FL.. so it was believable that he didnt change completely till the end..

the FL was very rational and logically and didnt end to conclusions on her own.. when she found out his real identity she went out to find the reason behind it and didnt belive everything till she got enough proof which is quite rare to see.. FL's most of the time act impulsive and get to conclusions on their own.. she was strong as well as emotional..

the leads had amazing chemistry and they complement each other well.. i have only seen lee joon gi in moon lovers and moon chae won in the movie mood of the day but liked their acting.. all the scenes b/w do hyun soo and his daughter was heartwarming to see.. lee joon gi was amazing.. he perfectly gave out the creepy vibe at the start and then got the audience emotional by the end.. moon chae won also did her part amazingly.. the difference b/w detective cha and a wife and mother were very evident.. she is like the pampered wify at home and a smart detective at work..

i loved the dynamo b/w cha ji won and her colleagues esp with the one who always have a different opinion than her.. they all truly cared about each other and supported each other..

both do min soo and baek hee sung had the creepy vibe from the start and they look believable as psychopaths..

i thought after jung mi sook was revealed to be alive i thought they will show a reunion with her husband.. after all the guy went psycho looking for her and never gave up.. that was a loose end..

i had more expectations from the mother.. she seemed to be the only one with some kind of humanity left in her and she seemed to like do hyun soo's daughter.. but after a point she got blinded by the love for her psycho son and helped him cover up murder and also trap do hyun soo..

i really felt bad for kim moo jin when do hae soo left but i hope the makers kind of indicated they will be together in the future. he did screw up in the beginning but then he was only a teenager at that time.. he was the funniest character..

overall its an amazing drama with little to no flaws and keep the audience interested till the end..

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its a slow poison, so it will take its own sweet time to grow on you but then it gets addictive...

i watched this one simply because it was on netflix and had no expectations or anything... the first 2 episodes were very normal and the story also looked very ordinary... but what stood out was the characters... all of them are weird and crazy but the emotions they portray are as real as it gets... as the episodes passed the drama and its characters started to grown on me...

the makers show that they can deliver a beautiful drama with 16 episodes without toxic or unhealthy relationships and with no overdramatic scenes or twist and turns... i guess the only other drama i have seen that is similar in this aspect is the hospital playlist...

this drama deserves a special shoutout for the dialogue writers... its pure gold... it has really good sarcastic and comedy dialogues as well as deep and meaningful ones...

the acting and chemistry b/w all the actors fit really well with the ambiance of the drama... im siwan is perfect as Ki Seon Gyeom... the way he speaks, his body language and even his hand gestures contribute to the character... he literally creates an adoration and protectiveness inside the viewers for his character... i felt the same way mijoo felt protective over him as if he is a child that needs to be taken care of... shin se kyung's character mijoo is how a FL should be... having self respect is something most of the kdrama female leads lack and mijoo has the right amount... her self respect dont come off as being self-centered even for a minute... this is my first drama with both choi soo young and kang taeoh and i loved both of them... choi soo young's physical appearance is apt for danah who has a strong aura and is rich and powerful... she is the one that shows the least amount of emotions out of the 4 main characters and when she does at the end she made sure the audience cried with her... kang taeoh as yeong hwa is as cute as innocent as seon gyeom but is a little bit childish as well since he is the youngest among the 4... his reactions to some of the situations are hilarious... the rest of the supporting cast were also amazing... i wasnt even annoyed by the fathers who tried really had to be the ultimate kdrama villainous mothers but failed miserably because no one took them seriously... every single character had their own moments and they all shined in it...

it is the first work of the writer and i must say she did a better job than some of the famous and well-known writers in kdramaland... i will be looking forward to her next work... the director also did an amazing job... in short literally everyone did an amazing job...


its mostly a character-driven drama rather than story-driven.. if someone asks me whats the story of runon i don't know how to explain it even though i watched all the 16 episodes... all i can say is it's about some really interesting characters and their growth as individuals, as lovers, as friends etc...

overall its such a heart warming and heart touching drama with lots of positivity... it has high rewatch value...

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AN ALMOST PERFECT DRAMA

IOTNBO will be one of the most well-made kdramas of all time.. from acting to cast to the direction and story everything was very detailed..
this drama put forward the hidden talent that is seo yeji.. she looks very petite but comes off very powerful as ko moon young.. she is now one of my favourites.. after her i liked oh jung se as moon sang-tae.. he had the best and most natural character development out of the 3 main characters and the actor did an amazing job.. kim soo hyun was also good as moon gang-tae and i loved his chemistry with seoyeji.. the trio hand great chemistry together and their combination scenes were a treat to watch..

what i liked about the drama-
1. SEO YE JI as KO MOON YOUNG. no matter how much i say it wont be enough to describe how amazing she was in this drama.. i love her voice and smile..
2. THE TRIO
3. LEE SANGIN AND JAESOO. they stayed with MY and GT without expecting anything back.. the best human beings out there..
4. DIRECTION, STORY, CINEMATOGRAPHY
5. THE FAIRY TALES. i loved how they narate an episode or the inner torment of a character through a fairy tale. it was unique.
6. ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT THE DRAMA.
7. CHILD ACTORS. THEY WERE ALSO GOOD. the actress playing young MY is very pretty..
8. LAST EPISODE. all's well that ends well. this drama has one of the best ending.. not rushed at all and every character had closure.

what i dilike about the drama
1. THE MYSTERY AND REVELATION OF THE MOTHER.. this almost destroyed everything good about the show.. this was so flawed that it overshadowed some good scenes in episodes that gave importance to the mother and her mystery. due to some episodes trying to create the mystery i couldn't enjoy good scenes. my mind got occupied with the mystery.
there is no proper explanation on how the mother survived or how exactly she managed to fake a normal life for almost 20 years.. she is too creepy and psychotic to act normal for 20 years and fool and manipulate everyone around her including experienced doctors.. this is the reason why the show couldn't be a 10 on 10..
2. somewhere in the middle nothing major happens in the show and the character growth also gets stagnant but thats just for a short period.
3. sometimes i couldn't understand the emotions of the characters and got distracted by the extravagant set and camera work and wardrobes..

the last episode was so satisfying that at the end we dont remember the flaws of the drama and only the good things stay with us.

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PLAIN AND BLUNT

i started watching this because it was on Netflix and one of my MDL friends said she was watching it... i didnt had anything else to watch at that time... even though i am familiar with park bo gum and park so dam, i am not into them enough to check out their projects because of them...
the drama started off relatively good but the problem is, from the first 2-3 episode itself we are obvious about the struggles and conflicts thats gonna happen and those struggle and conflicts is all that is there in this show... since its a slice of life drama, slow phase wasn't a problem with me but towards the 2nd half this turned plain and blunt... even if you skip 2-3 episodes you wont miss anything... thats how slow and plain the drama is... the drama is completely centred around the male lead and everyone else are just part of his life... at the start we might think the female lead will have her own struggle and story but she just ends up being just a part of his life... by the end she is just a non-celeb girl, the male lead who becomes a star had sincere relationship with... the romance is soo less that when they are together it will be difficult for a 3rd person to say these two dated for more than a year... the break-up of the secondary couple was more impactful and logical that the male leads... the second lead becomes quite irrelevant by the end of it... he dont even feel like the 2nd lead anymore...
the male lead is high on morals and principles and dont take a shortcut no matter what may come.... he is so straight and upright to the level that we can simply predict how he is gonna react and what he is gonna do... in the last 2 episodes the makers tried so hard to create tension b/w the ML and his manager that they wanted to create suspense whether he will renew his contract or not but just knowing the ML for 3-4 episodes is more than enough for us to understand that he is gonna renew the contract... they just simply wasted time on creating friction b/w the manager and the ML...

the bad people were bad just for the sake of being bad... none of them had any solid reasons to be bad or bitter towards the male lead... even a random journalist out of nowhere comes in just to hate the male lead... a slice of life drama dont really need bad guys or evil characters like in hospital playlist or reply series... the situation and huddles in life were more than enough... here the bad guys were added solely to create random problems for the male lead... even the problems faced by the male lead were over-exaggerated...

it did have some heartfelt scenes b/w the family and friends but only some episodes had those scenes... at the start the male lead and his grandfather had some really adorable and cute scenes but from the 2nd half onwards they barely have any combination scenes... the scene b/w te grandpa and HJ's father and HJ and his father in the last episode was good... also the last scene b/w HH and his mother...

my most favourite characters will be the grandpa and the ML's brother... his brother is the only one that's gonna make everyone laugh...

the acting of everyone was just fine... nothing amazing but nothing bad either... the second male lead is relatively a newcomer so he needs polishing... even though i liked park bo gum's acting i wont say i was very impressed with his acting... something about him just dont click with me and i dont know what it is... i think park so dam is better for movies than dramas... cheesy stuffs dont suit her and kdrama is filled with cheesy things... i am still not into them enough to check out a project solely because of them... most of the times when i complete an ongoing drama i start liking the leads enough to check out there other projects or wait for their next projects...
the chemistry b/w the leads were very plain like the drama... its not like they didnt had chemistry at all or didnt look good together... may be its how their relationship was written, they had no passion in the relationship... they just looked like two friends and not even close friends...

i finished this drama solely because i only have to watch 2 episodes every weak else i would have dropped it around episode 7-8... none of the episode endings made me restless to watch the next episode... i guess this drama will belong to the category of kdramas i forgot as soon as i finished it and wont even remember it to rewatch it again... i necessarily didnt hate it but i didnt like it either... i just dont have any sort of feelings towards this drama... i dont regret watching it but i didn't exactly enjoy watching it either... my feelings are also very plain and blunt like the drama...

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its a decent watch without any drag...

this is my first wuxia drama so there was some stuff that i didn't understand and it took me 6-7 episodes to get used to everything... so i might not have enjoyed it as much as people who like this genre enjoyed this drama as i was confused with some things that happened... i also know that this is based on a BL book and i haven't read those books so my perception of characters might be entirely different from those who are a fan of the books... books give more insight towards each character than dramas...

the overall story was very good and i didn't feel that it dragged anywhere even though it was 50 episodes... but even though i was very invested in the story i wasn't emotionally invested in any of the characters... when major characters were killed off i didn't feel anything and i just wanted to know what's gonna happen next in the story...
the overall flashback story reminded me of empress ki( as in everyone was united to bring down the big bad guy but after that, they started fighting among themselves)... i guess one of the reasons why i never got emotionally invested in any characters is because of the acting of most of the cast... even with the main 2 guys i really liked wei wuxian's acting but lan wangji was literally having single to no expression for 50 long episodes... the actor playing wwx has an expressive face and he seems to naturally have a very mischievous look which went perfectly with the character as well... so he was very believable as wwx who does what he believes in rather than what others believe in... but lwj looked like a robot in the majority of the scenes... i know he is like this cold guy who rarely shows any emotions but bad acting or lack of acting was clearly visible... there are lots of asian dramas with characters like him and there are some actors who made those characters look real rather than a robot...
when i read the synopsis i thought the drama is about wwx and lwj but for me, it felt like an overall wwx show... even the name untamed seems to be based on his character... at some point, i felt even jiang cheng and wen ning had a more important part than lwj...

for me, some aspects of the drama were very well done but other aspects were average like the vfx and sets were amazing but the makeup was bad... i dont get how they can master in vfx but screwup with the makeup... some characters had so much foundation on their face that they looked more like the ghost general than wen ning did...
Jin Guang Yao and xue yang were perfect as the evil ones.. their smile in every situation literally got on my nerves and as villains, it was a good thing but since they looked so irritating to me i didn't feel anything towards their sad past and was more than happy when they died... none of their justification for how they turned out made me sympathetic towards their tragic past... they were too villainous to have any sympathy towards them... they were the same as the head of wen clan and his son who were simply bad guys and power-hungry... i hated all of them the same way...

one of my major issues with the drama is the lack of female characters... there were only 3 female characters that held some kind of importance and 2 of them died.. i was really impressed by how mianmian stood up in the court for wwx against all those powerful people who badmouthed wwx and thought she might play a major role in the rest of the story but after that scene, she just simply vanished and came for just one scene which didn't have any importance to the main story... yanli even though had a very strong bond with jiang chang and wwx, outside of that she is quite a weak character... all she did was cook soup for the guys and get bullied by jin zixuan only to end up marrying him... why wasnt she involved in the cultivation when there were clearly women who did it? she went to lwj's home with jc and wwx to attend a seminar but she was never shown to attend the classes... did she just go there to make soup for the guys and get insulted by jzu? the only female character with some kind of talent as well as importance was wen qing but she was killed off and even her death was just brushed off... wwx was shown to atleast remember yanli but wen ning seems to have completely fogotten about his sister whose entire life revolved around him... atleast she could have been kept as an important character till the end... also none of the head of the clan were shown to be women.. if 1000 yrs ago lan clan can have a woman head why were no woman clan head 1000 yrs later? at least just for the namesake, they could have shown a woman heading any of the minor clan or at least show mianmian creating her own clan and leading it successfully...

i really liked some scenes and the last 4-5 episodes were literally perfect... i loved the conversation b/w wwx and the rest of the clans before he died 16 yrs ago... his counterattacks on all the allegations on him were very powerful... that scene literally showed why he is superior and why the rest of them hated him even though they knew whatever he said is right... i also love the bond b/w jc, yanli and wwx... i personally liked the brotherhood b/w jc and wwx more than the bromance/romance b/w wwx and lwj... the only scene in the entire 50 episodes i got emotional was the final confrontation b/w jc and wwx inside the temple...
i also liked how nie huai sang manipulated everything and put an end to jgy.. he literally used jgy ways to end him... even if he used manipulative ways to end jgy i didnt mind it because he and his brother genuinely loved and respected jgy at one point of time but jgy used that to get ahead, the relationship b/w wwx and wen siblings...

i also liked how subtle they played the bromance/romance b/w wwx and lwj... if people want to see it as a friendship then its friendship but if they want to see it as a romance then its romance... as viewers we can interpret it the way we want to...

except for some bad acting and lack of emotional connection towards characters as a viewer, i really liked the overall story and wwx is one of my favorite characters of all times but i dont think i will rewatch this drama... maybe i will watch some scenes i really liked but i am not sure if i will rewatch the entire drama...

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very normal and down to earth drama....

its a very simple romantic drama with likable side characters.... there is nothing too good or too bad about this drama... its slow paced and dont have any high-end ​drama or twist or revelations...

PROS:
1. its a proper office romance... unlike some dramas of this genre where the characters are in the office but dont do any job, here all the characters are shown to be working and facing troubles that a normal cosmetic company will be facing... both the leads are very dedicated to their work and so is the other people in the office...
2. the ML might come off as pushy and stalkerish in the first 2 episodes but the FL never encouraged his behaviors or crossing the line and he does reflect on his actions... he is very open to criticism and dont think too high of himself... if he crosses the line and the FL calls him out, he backs off and never repeats the same mistake...
3. the side characters also have pretty decent stories esp the ML's second sister...
4. the romance and their chemistry look very real.. the chemistry isnt passionate or hot but it looks real... when they go on dates and walk holding hands they look like a real couple we see on the streets... neither too clingy nor too distant... the comfort level is there...
5. the bond b/w the 3 siblings and the niece... i like how involved the aunt and uncle are with the niece... the MLs family comes off as a very decent classy family... they are rich but dont have the stereotypes that rich people in kdramas have...


CONS:
1. it can be a bit slow and since nothing major happens it can be really boring for a binge watch... i think i finished it solely because i was watching only 2 episdoes per week...

ACTING:
the acting in this drama is decent... i have only seen rowoon in extraordinary you and his character didnt had much depth so his acting chops cannot be judged solely based on EO... he comes off as a decent actor in this drama... he isnt awkward or makes over-exaggerated facial expressions... i wont say he is a really good actor but he definitely is nowhere near being bad... there is nothing to dislike about his acting and he is good enough not to ruin a character with his acting... i guess my only complaint is they use too much makeup on him... his nose and lips are highlighted way too much... some kdramas need to tone down the lipstick of the male characters... at times its more than the female characters...
i have seen woo jiah only in melting me softly and she was unimpressive in it... but after watching her in this i think she dont suit comedy but is not a bad actor... even though she is very petite and tiny she dont really come off as cute or delicate and thats maybe because she has a very strong voice... she dont sound like a teenager and that helps her look very matured despite her small figure... she looks belivable as a strong independent carrier oriented woman... she is a workaholic and that makes her come off as less involved in the relationship... she isnt as intense as the ML which might not go down well with some people that want to see intense romance from both sides but she is not really at fault... its just that both the leads love differently... the ML is ready to give his 100% in a relationship whereas the FL dont go to that extend even if she is genuinely in love with her partner...
i really liked the child artist playing the ML's niece... as most kdramas, the kid is more matured and wiser for her age but all her scenes were really good... her interactions with all the characters were interesting...

overall the drama is a decent watch but i don't think i will ever rewatch it... i dont think this is the kind of drama that has high rewatch value...

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its a good fantasy drama

i was attracted to this drama from the first teaser and i thought this will be like goblin or hotel del luna but it was much darker than my expectation but i didnt mind it...

what i liked
1. lee dong wook- he looked like he was on his way back from a fashion show in every single scene... from his hair to his wardrobe everything was perfect... his character's sassiness and cool quotient were also on point... also he is one of the smartest male leads out there... even if he gets tricked he comes back quickly...
2. kim bum - he was amazing as the spoiled little brother who dont know how to deal with his emotions and instead throws tantrums to get the attention of his brother... in his case throwing tantrums is doing evil things and killing people... he naturally has this mischievous smile that goes well with the character as well...
3. jo bo ah - she was good as both the strong-willed independent jiah as well as the imoogi... i think it would have been better if she got completely possed by imoogi and became the big baddy of the show... she is too good at being evil...
4. all the other characters except imoogi and his assistant...
5. the action scenes and creepy scenes... the drama was good at showing really creepy scenes... i loved the entire island episode as well as the episode rang, yeon and jiah gets trapped inside the dream... the drama should have had more action and creepy scenes... it kind of gave an edge to the drama
6. i liked how they wrapped it up... i knew one of the main characters will die so i wasnt disappointed when he died even though i ugly cried for him...

what i disliked
1. imoogi... i think they should have went for a more evil looking guy as imoogi... taeri is too sofy and boyish-looking to be taken seriously as the big baddy of the show... he looks like a boy infront of lee dong wook... it didnt look like 2 extremely powerful being were fighting with each other... lee yeon always looked way more powerful than imoogi eventhough that wasnt the case... their fight looked intense when boah was possessed by the imoogi... she looked like a worthy opponent to a powerful looking lee yeon...
2. inconsistency in episodes.... usually a drama will start off on a lighter note and then get intensed but this one started off very intense then in middle had some light-hearted fluffy episodes then went too dark and thrilling with the getting trapped in the dream episode then slowed down again but when back to another intense episode and ending it with a cliffhanger before taking a 2 weeks break... its very hard to tell what to expect from this drama and the synopsis of the drama dont even tell 10% of what it actually is... so a lot of people might come expecting something and will get something else... since some episodes are very action packed and thrilling the not so thrilling episodes might come off as boring...
3. should have had more action, thrilling and creepy scenes...

i guess apart from these three points i didnt dislike anything else in the drama...

the background score and music went well with the drama.... it had more korean mythological creatures than i expected... i like dramas with supernatural beings that belong to a particular culture.... overall it was a good drama and i looked forward to watch this every week...

i usually only rewatch light hearted so i might not be rewatching this one...

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why is this one so underrated?

after watching this, i cannot understand how is one is this much underrated... i liked it way better than some of the hyped-up famous dramas...
the story goes to and fro b/w the past and present...i personally liked the present story more than the past... it wasn't too light-hearted not too dark... had a really good balance b/w both...

the only problem i had with the drama is how the fl was shown to be a kid in the flashback while the guys were the same... it kind of showed a huge age gap b/w the leads which wasn't evident at all... im soo jung looks young for her age but yoo ah in looks younger for his age so its not that believable when he is shown to be much older than her... they should have just went for same age...

the acting was really good and i loved the look of present-day yoo ah in... it was different from the typical kdrama lead looks...

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