The rom-com is not the point of this drama

The main theme of this drama is not the love story between the main leads, which is why you won't get to see that many heart fluttering moments.
I was pretty bored for the 2 first episodes, I wasn't sure where the drama was going, there was no character development.
If you're looking for a good romcom drama, I found this blend on the romance and comedy aspects, and I felt like the romcom was almost a cover-up for the important part.

In my opinion, the interesting aspect is the second plot hidden behind the mainstream romance.
It's about the impact of new technologies and personal data collection from a woman's point of view and how sexism and girl-shaming can be spread though those technologies even though they're supposed to embody progress within our society. And more generally how new technology can impact negatively our daily life.

The ML is the "good guy" because he's out of this overly connected world, which allows him to question things from an outside point of view.
It also depicts all the subtle injustices women can face in daily-life, like not being recognized properly for their work etc...
And above all, this is a BRILLIANT representation of how some people are not inherently bad people with bad intentions but are still unable to see how scary and invasive their actions are in a relationship, and when confronted with it, they throw back the emotional burden on the other and victimize themselves instead (daily gaslightning at its finest).
It's a form of emotional abuse but a very faint one and above all, a socially accepted one, which leaves victims often unheard.
This drama does an amazing job at depicting how gut-wrenching it can feel and how wrong it actually is. The real victim ends up feeling guilt and shame.

Because the seriousness of this show is at first hidden behind a pretty common kdrama storyline, i would not recommand it to people who just want to enjoy a fun drama since the romcom part is actually almost boring.
However, its a very subtle and well-made story if you digg a little deeper.

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First 3/4 episodes : I was bored. The cast was great but I didnt understand where the drama was going, it was slow and there was no real storyline, I thought it was about the rivalry between two prosecutors but the drama didn't really develop that aspect either.

From the 4th/5th episode : the drama is based on what working as a prosecutor looks like in reality and that's the only continuous storyline.
The underlying concept is showing a different side of society in each episode. Theres an episode about domestic abuse, one about fraud, one about school violence ... and so on.

And in every theme, you witness 4 sides : the victim, the assailant, the entourage and the prosecutor.
What are the hardships, the reactions and the motives of each one of them.

As soon as I started watching the drama as an observation of society rather than trying to look for a continuous drama-like storyline, I got completely hooked.
This drama takes a huge risk in trying to portray reality and using episodic stories which may seem slow or boring for the viewers but I think the drama was amazingly done within the concept chosen.
The acting was really on point. I definitely cried a couple times.

If you like realistic and emotional dramas, this one is for you, give it time ?

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Honestly I have a hard time understanding the ratings of this drama.
Compared to many other overrated ones, this one had at least good acting for the most part and a interesting storyline.
The directors made the plots twists appear slightly overdramatic when they were not but the story was still very interesting to me.
I really liked how they portrayed the work of judge and the characters were overall very refreshing.
The romance part was not smothering the rest of the story which was GREAT, and I was happy to see a more mature and realistic romance story instead of the usual cheesy cringy stuff between bright girl-cold guy.
In this drama, I was able to see more realistic main leads with more complex personalities.
So I recommend!

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Dramas are made to create an embellished version of reality so we can enjoy it and relax and fantasize.
Which is why dramas trying to portray real life are often slower and not as entertaining.
The writing for this drama is pure GENIUS, a lot more real and mature, definitely a lot less cringy-cliche than most dramas out there but still manages to keep it sweet, funny and entertaining.
There was no epic confession or slow-mo dramatic moments but I felt so much emotions watching this drama. The comedy is ON POINT, I laughed so hard.
The actors are phenomenal and were able to keep this bittersweet melancholy that adulthood can bring while remaining funny.
The emotional parts have a very mature/real impression which I loved because for once, it wasn't overdone.
This drama doesn't have to be relatable, you dont have to be in your 30's to understand its message, it's just a very beautifuly done and slightly different slice of life drama with an OST that will stay stuck in your head for the next month.
I totally recommend it.

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This drama absolutely deserves a 10. I laughed so much and at the same time, the story itself was pretty classic but still interesting enough.
At first, I wasn't sure how they would be able to use the religious aspect without making it seem boring or touchy but they used it as a double edged sword. It brings an original comic aspect in many situation but they also used it to convey a message more serious.
Every single character brought something unique to the story and the cast ... just wow.
It's my first time laughing so much in front of a drama after chief Kim. Totally worth watching and even re-watching !

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The saddest thing about this drama is the huge expectations everybody had about it.
Without those expectations, I probably wouldn't have finished it either , because the story was a bit slow and lacking in different areas and mostly because the romance part was not working out at all for me.
The main leads had, in my opinion, no real chemistry and their romance had almost nothing to do in the middle of the plot .
For the rest , i really enjoyed the bromance part, the training and the maturing of Hwarang guys , and that's what kept me on this show until the end.
Some bad and good acting , a pretty good cast , i discovered Park Hyung sik's acting through Hwarang and was pleasantly surprised , he might not be the greatest actor of all time , but gives a sweet feeling!

To conclude, the plot was partly interesting (birth and development of hwarang unit) , partly out of place and boring (romance part) , the acting was not bad but not perfect either , and some very funny and light moments that ended up working out way better than the tragic ones .

I do recommend it , but without big expectations !

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If you’re looking for a story, there’s none. If you want character development and interesting personalities, again, not here.
The hockey aspect was poorly used with little research on the sport, I didn’t really get to feel the intended brotherhood between the members of the team or the suspense of competition. The cross-dressing thing was not believable at all... and the characters seemed to have only one expression, the FL is startled and the ML just mischievously half-smiles at her.
Basically Darren Chen’s smile might be the only reason to watch this drama.
It can also completely empty your head but wasn’t good enough for me to watch it fully so I skipped most of it.
I’d say it’s a drama you can binge watch while pressing the “+30sec” button, while you’re waiting to find a better one.

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I didn’t really enjoy anything about this drama. The acting is okay , the plot is non existent, the aesthetic is non existent as well...
The little sparks of story here and there are not used properly , and it didn’t even feel like a feel-good-brain-off drama.
I just really don’t see any reason to watch it. It’s not absolutely terrible , but there’s nothing good or interesting about it.
The persistent and nice girl working for the rich narcissist guy , he abuses his power and money, she doesn’t like it but still falls for him... a classic but not even a good one.
Even when looking for a simple and fun drama to laugh and relax, I wouldn’t recommend this one.

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I’ve been on a quest to find all the decent dramas that are dealing with investigations, law and stuff.
And I usually pay extra attention to the story cause I watched way too many American shows that were so incoherent and stupid.
This drama is fun, I got attached to the characters more than I thought I would even though the story is super classic.
The acting was okay, the plot was decent, but not fantastic. However , the bond between the leads is really endearing and has a very comic side.
So even if the way they developed the story, the relationships and the characters was not so interesting, it was still a fun drama to watch more for its comedy aspect.
So I recommend if you’re not looking for a thrilling plot and a subtle development, but just for a bit of action and bromance.

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A new season meeting every expectation

Once there's a hype around a plot and a show, immedialty the second season will face an intense scrutiny from the public. And season 2 went above and beyond my expectations.

Stranger season 2 is more political, at least at first. And i absolutely love the fact that they tried to oppose Hwang Si Mok and Han Yeo Jin in their job position.
They could have setteled for a repetition of season 1 but took a huge risk instead by changing the pace of the drama (a little slower at the beginning), the theme (more political) and the dynamics of the characters.

Some people seemed bothered by the settling of the plot who might have been slower since the drama doesn't start off with a crime and an investigation but more a legal and political face-off.
In my perspective, everything made perfect sense. This plot allowed new characters to be introduced in the story much more smoothly because you get to know everyone before the question of who is suspect and who is not arrises.

The writing is honestly mindblowing. It kept me on the edge of my seat during every single episode, it made sense, was well paced, and for once, i actually genuinely WONDERED who the real culprit was. Amazing and compelx plot twists.

After 3 years, i fell in love again with the characters (so happy that a major part of the cast from S1 was back + new and interesting charcaters).
And there were fewer sweet HSM /HYJ moments since they were not officially in the same team but the chemistry is a 100% there and you can actually feel their bond and trust strengthen despite all the obstacles.

The acting is, as always, on point.

I can only recommend this show and the first season of it as well, hoping for a 3rd one to get closure on certain questions left unanswered.

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Predictable but super entertaining

The first 2 episodes didnt really get my attention but once I was finally hooked, I absolutely loved the ride.

The plot is not very original, even with the other dimension concept, it's something that has already been done. But despite its lack of originality, I found the story very well paced and written. Even though I already knew what was coming, I still very much enjoyed watching each episode and the process of finding the criminal.

For the romance part, some said it was only subtle but I disagree. It's not a romcom and you dont get to see the whole "fall in love" process but instead you understand how much they belong to each other and are already each other's family mainly through the ML memories. I found it maybe a little exaggerated for drama purposes but very moving at the same time. And I love how respectful the ML was to seo kyung from the other world, how he loved her without forcing his memories on her.
It was a breather from all the romcoms in which the ML pretty much forces his feelings on the FL

The ML actor carried this whole drama because the writing totally emphasises his perspective and introspection, I would have maybe liked to explore a little more the other characters, they were too simply depicted in my opinion.

Overall, i found it very entertaining and the OST stays in your head as well; the whole concept of the butterfly effect and how every action has a huge impact on a possible future was well used too. So as a big mystery/crime drama fan, I recommend!

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As proved by the numerous great reviews and grades, this drama is indeed awesome!
To me, it's a perfect mix between a super sweet romance with great chemistry , a bunch of very good actors playing amazingly funny characters , and an original aspect brought by weightlifting, a not-so-commun sport.
The story is really well managed , i thought that the timing of the different events worked out really good.
The plot was kind of classic , but the weightlifting part added some spice and lots of funny situations in it.

The romance part was so sweet ( like melted caramel *^*), i really didn't want this drama to end. The acting was really good, and had its content of well done dramatic moments even though the comic part was way more present.

Appealing characters, funny story overloaded with sweetness!
If there is any negative aspects in this drama , they're easily overtaken by the good ones, so i totally recommend it !!!

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The concept of showing the coming-of-age emotional turmoil is far from being new but I liked the effort to choose the perspective of an introvert to tell the story and to do it well which is actually very rare in dramas.
I also surprisingly got hooked on the secondary story of the perfect-looking leader who's actually suffering from all the pressure and destroying himself and others behind close doors. Because here again the concept isn't new but the secondary cast did an amazing job.
But somewhere in the middle, the drama changed its timing and instead of giving enough space to school life, it focused on the romance and also modified JunWoo's personality a little.
So we got too much of a romance, which was sweet at the beginning but got bland very fast. And we got the cliche that introvert are just overall quiet people, which is true but once they open up, there's also much more to their personality and that part was lost here. So bland romance with bland characters.
And at the same time, they rushed the side story with the secondary characters which turned out to be much more interesting for me.
I still gave it an 8 for the beginning and the amazing performance of most of the cast.
Also please give Kim Do-Wan playing Sang hoon and Kim Sun Young playing the main girl's mom an award, they were unbelievably good.

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Really good performance from both leads

The scenario is not really a fresh concept in itself : a surnatural being coming to earth and relying on one human to get used to "earth life" and then, they obviously fall in love.
But a few details made the difference here.
-  the FL is not helpless, just unaware of certain rules. And she learns fast, is always very careful of how she acts around others and tries her best not to be a burden. I really like the fact that they wrote a very sensible and intelligent yet bright character for her. She's independent and likes to explore on her own, just like a cat.
What made her character good is also Gia Ge's amazing performance.
I think she did a really detailed job with her body language, micro expressions and sounds to act like a human-cat without making it weird either. For example the way she moves her head when she pays attention to something is more cat-like than human-like but it's too subtle to feel like a forceful detail. 

- I also like the fact that they managed to describe very accurately the world of an introvert (the ML) without making him a lonely and hurt wolf. He has a complicated past but accepts the situation and I think that makes him more realistic than the typical forever-wounded-but-saved-by-love ML.
He appreciates his independence, is an easy going yet complex character and the bromance with his best friend is really natural and fun to follow.
But none of this would have been possible without the performance of Ren You Lun.
Everything in the way he talks or moves totally embodied the character . And that's why this already-seen concept works here. The story is impossible but the characters are so well portrayed by the main actors that they make it believable. I didnt doubt a second that Ren You Lun was in fact Chi Yan, which made him realistic and therefore made the whole story "believable".

There are a couple of downsides, some parts were a little artificial. As a person who has felt abandoned many times and who had doubts about being vulnerable again, it wasn't really clear how the ML suddenly got over his worries  and decided to date the FL .
I also really liked the twist towards the end but the last 4 episodes had a little bit of a weird rhythm because the romance is pretty much resolved at episode 20/21 and then the rest is a rush through the other plot.
Some solutions brought towards the end were also a little bit forced but this is a c-drama so compared to others, it still flows pretty well.

Overall this is a very sweet romance with a very good performance and chemistry from the leads. I almost didn't use the +10sec button, which is RARE with c-dramas.

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A story about two childhood friends who have a common passion for books and who take a long time to realize that they're each others's home ? YES. So far so good.
I really liked the concept, I also really liked the cast.
The second leads were incredible. Honestly, the background story of each reminded me of the Reply serie which always make sure that each character is well developed and appealing.
BUT... the main couple was a fail for me. Although I liked the mature romance, the way it was brought up and all, I didn't like the energy at all. In my opinion, they didn't manage to convey a romantic feeling and just kept the friendly atmosphere just with a ton of cringe on top of it.
The main guy was way too cheesy, the main girl was a bit bland, the chemistry was not great.
But I still liked it because of the side stories going on, the comedy aspect that was really well made and the cast.

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