Story:
The writing of this drama was quite inconsistent. The first half of the show was really good. Everything that happened was intense. I loved how the female lead was smart and stood her ground against the king. Every interaction between them was fantastic. You'll look forward to their next scene. But things went downhill during the second half of the show. The plot becomes repetitive, and you'll get tired because of the naivety of the female lead. You'll also get tired because of the endless flashbacks. They would even show the same things that occurred in the same episode. The worst part of this drama is towards the end. The story takes a complete 180-degree turn in the span of just 3 episodes. The characters suddenly acted differently, contrary to what they did or thought in the previous episodes, as if the middle and latter parts of the story didn't happen. A lot of what happened didn't make sense. The writers wanted to stick to history no matter what, and it ruined the whole show. And this drama is also about fate; the characters are all controlled by situations rather than being in control of them. The leads don't use their brains in this drama, and they don't learn anything from their mistakes.

Cast and Characters:
- Zhang Binbin as Ying Zheng: He did well as Ying Zheng, but there were times when his acting didn't feel natural. He had great chemistry with Dilraba.
- Dilraba Dilmurat as Gongsun Li: Her acting here was average at best, and she was atrocious towards the end. She struggled to cry all throughout the drama.
- Liu Chang as Jing Ke: His acting was poor, and his pouty lips annoyed me. The actor badly needed an acting workshop. He had no chemistry with Dilraba, and you wouldn't believe that their characters loved each other.
- Tae Lee as Han Shen: He is a decent actor.
- Zhang Xuan as Ge Lan: No offense to the actress, but I didn't like her at all. Her acting was really bad, although I really liked the character of Ge Lan.

Music:
They are all good. But, it will get repetitive at some point due to the endless flashbacks.

Overall:
This one is worth a watch at least once, despite the disappointment towards the end. Watch it for its aesthetics, the good cinematography, and the amazing chemistry between Zhang Binbin and Dilraba.

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Unique and Original

Story:
This drama's concept is unique. The plot is unique, I haven't seen anything like this before. The storyline was consistent despite the constant switching between different eras. It can be quite confusing, though, if you don't pay attention to it. The twists and turns are quite unpredictable. There are some plot holes, but those are only minor and wouldn't affect the story much. The male lead here is more of a supporting character for the female lead. The storyline mainly revolves around Si Teng and the mystery of her past. My only complaint is about the last few episodes. They were quite a mess.

Cast and Characters:-
Jing Tian as Si Teng: I enjoyed the FL's character. The way she played Si Teng. Her funny scenes are the best. She is also very smart and mature.
- Zhang Binbin as Qin Fang: How he made his character stand out despite being the second lead to Jing Tian was impressive. And it is refreshing to watch an ML who is nice and sweet.
- Supporting cast: they all did well. The actors who played Yan Furui and Wang Qian Kun are worth a mention. They did well at making me laugh. 

MUSIC:
The music is enjoyable. 

OVERALL:
I'm not into fantasy dramas, but I'm so glad I tried to watch this one because of Zhang Binbin. I really enjoyed it. It is worth a watch.

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One of the best historical dramas

Story:
The first episode of The Long Ballad is very engaging and will hook you right away! The biggest strength of this drama is how each and every character has their own story arcs and their journeys are very interesting, happy or sad, you'll look forward to what will happen next. As the story progresses, all of the main characters will mature and grow from every win, mistake, and obstacle that they encounter. The main couple's relationship is very healthy; they love and trust each other and care about each other's happiness. The story also features multiple secondary couples, each with their own stories about how they will form their relationships. The focus of the story isn't on romance though, the kissing scenes are limited.

Cast and Characters:
- Dilraba Dilmurat as Princess Yongning or Li Changge: Her performance in this drama is way better than in TKW. She portrayed a character kind of similar to Mulan. She is well suited to play this type of character.
- Leo Wu as Ashile Sun: This is the first time I have seen this actor. I think he did well, I liked his expressions and the way he portrayed Ashile Sun as that fierce fighter.
- Zhao Lusi as Princess Yong'an or Li Leyan: She stole the show! Her character got the best growth.
- Liu Yuning as Hao Du: I loved him. I rooted for his character to get his happy ending till the end. He is my favorite character.
- Alen Fang Yilung as Wei Shuyu: he did well, and he is handsome. I disliked his character though, he is useless.
- Supporting cast: all of them were good. The one who hired these actors did a good job. The one who stood out for me is the actor who played Li Shimin.

And lastly, the female leads are cousins in the story. I just want to mention how much I loved the fact that the writer never pitted them against each other.

Music:
This drama has one of the best soundtracks.

Overall:
This one is more than just about revenge, and it is a must-watch! I highly recommend it.

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Second Lead Syndrome

Story:
The first episode is very promising. Some of my favorite scenes were between Park Hoon and his father when they were in North Korea. But, things will quickly go downhill after the first few episodes. What annoyed me the most is how the writers didn't even bother to give the female lead a backstory. We just know that she's from North Korea and that she had a father. Because of that, she was overshadowed by the second female lead, who had a better story and character development. Another thing is I didn't buy at all that Hoon really loved the FL; it came off as an obsession to me. Lastly, the hospital politics as well as the competition were dragging. I struggled to watch the latter part of the drama because of it.

Cast and Characters:
I don't have much to say about Lee Jong-suk, Kang So-ra, and Park Hae Jin. They are all good, reliable actors. They all did their part well. And I loved the chemistry between LJS and KSR. They gave me second-lead syndrome. Jin Se-yeon, on the other hand, is an awful actress. All throughout the drama, she only had one expression. She needed an acting workshop. Her and LJS had no chemistry at all.

Music:
The OSTs are great.

Overall:
This is only worth a watch if you like amazing second female leads and if you are a fan of medical dramas.

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Average, overrated drama

Story:

The first few episodes were good. I thought the story would focus on the troubled married couple and how they would find their way back to each other. How disappointing when it turned out to be different! I can't even count how many tropes the writer wrote in just to move the story forward to whatever she wanted to happen without any logic, especially just to separate the leads to frustrate the viewers even if it made no sense anymore. Around episodes 14 and 15, I almost dropped the show out of frustration. The other problems I had were that the delusional second male lead had more screen time than the lead couple; they wasted so much time on him. And there were just too many plots going on at the same time, and I believe the ending was rushed because they had no more time because they had to wrap it all up. And I wasn't satisfied in the end. 

Despite some bad things, there were some good things that I liked in the story too. The relationship between ML's family and FL's family, the marital issues of FL's brother, and the FL's aunt. Though I find some of these stories unnecessary, it's better than the pathetic second male lead story.


Cast and characters:

The acting was great. They all did well, especially the older cast members. The mom of FL was superb during the hospital scene. Ji-won and Soo-hyun had an okay chemistry; this is probably unpopular, but I didn't feel anything special about their on-screen chemistry. I think both had better chemistry with their previous on-screen partners. And I did like the pairing between the FL's brother and sister-in-law, despite the brother's naivety. Despite my dislike for the SML, the actor delivered a good performance and is more attractive than Soo-hyun.

Music:

The OSTs were amazing. It is one strength of this show.


Overall :

Overall, it's an okay drama that is overrated because of Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won. But I do recommend it. I did enjoy some parts of the story, despite my disappointment about the never-ending tropes.

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A must watch!

Story:
The writing is consistently good from beginning to end. There were no plot holes or overused tropes in this drama. The story flows naturally and it will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. It is a family drama. It depicts the reality of life; the struggles of marriage out of high school due to teenage pregnancy, the breakdown of a marriage, the distant relationship between parent and kid, and so on. It even has some funny aspects that will surely make you laugh. It is perfect all around.

Cast and Characters:
I'm not familiar with any of the actors in this drama except for Kim Ha-neul. One of the strengths of this drama is how good the acting is. The lead actors, and even the supporting cast, were all fantastic.

Music:
I loved all of the OSTs. It all fits perfectly based on the theme of this drama.

Overall:
This one is an exceptional drama. It is a must-watch.

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Very underrated drama

STORY:
• The story is about body switching, but it happens in a unique way. Usually, I dislike this type of trope, at first I thought it would be boring, but I'm so glad I watched it. The story is very well told. I liked the conflict that they faced and the moral of the story. You'll definitely look forward to what happens next. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. I didn't like how the writers ended it.


CAST & CHARACTERS:
- Kim Myung-min as Song Hyeon Cheol: His acting is excellent. He portrayed both characters like they were played by different actors. Amazing!
- Kim Hyun-joo as Sun Hye-jin: I'm a fan of Kim Hyun-joo. She's such a good actress. In terms of acting, she's one of the best in Korea. I can't help but root for her character because of how good she portrayed Hye-jin.
- Ra Mi-ran as Jo Yeon-hwa: Excellent acting from her. She really did a good job, but I really disliked her character here. She was too emotional and she doesn't use her head.
- Supporting cast: I liked all of them. The one who stood out for me was the actress who played the sister of the ML. She's perfect for a comedy role.

MUSIC:
The OSTs are the best. They are emotional and touching.

OVERALL:
• I don't regret watching this one, despite the fact that I dislike the body switching trope. The acting from the main three leads is top-notch, along with the supporting cast. This drama is very underrated and is a must-watch. I highly recommend it.

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Great historical drama

Story:
Great drama. The storyline is interesting and heartbreaking. Can't help but feel bad for the real king when I was watching. The first episode is so good it got me hook right away. And the story between the Queen and the Clown was interesting, I liked the interactions between them. Their love story was sweet and heartwarming and I really looked forward to their scenes. The political aspect of the story is good, it is long (and can be quite boring if you are not fond of political dramas), but I could say that they didn't drag it out far too long. Despite liking the story, what I didn't like was the ending, because I felt like they rushed it and they made it so unrealistic.


Cast and Characters:
• Yeo Jin Goo as Ha Sun (the clown) and Yi Heon (the king): He nailed it.His acting is phenomenal.
• Kim Sang-kyung as Yi Kyu (Secretary): His acting is good. I enjoyed his scenes with the clown and their relationship.
• Lee Se-young as Yoo So-woon (Queen): She is beautiful and perfect for that Queen role. She nailed it.
• Supporting cast: I liked all of them especially the actor who played Eunuch Jo.

Music:
The music is brilliant.

Overall:
This drama is quite predictable, but it still is one of the best historical dramas out there. The storyline is enjoyable. The actors were outstanding.

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Story
The story is about politics, corruption, a dysfunctional family, and revenge. The story is also kind of like a fairytale. Wherein the female lead is taken captive by her evil stepmother and the male lead is her prince charming. The first half of the show is good. It all went downhill when the female lead took the spotlight away. Her character is so dull, boring, and annoying. She is like a filler in the story. Her romance with the male lead was forced and was unnecessary. The second female lead (Choi Yoo Jin), on the other hand, nailed this one, what a phenomenal acting. Her character is very well written and is one of the best antagonists ever. 

Cast and Characters
• Ji Chang-wook as Kim Je Ha, or K2: His action scenes were entertaining. He had better chemistry with Song Yoon-ah, despite their age difference.
• Yoona as An-na: Her acting is totally fine with me. The problem is with how her character was written.
• Song Yoon-ah as Choi Yoo-jin: Hands down, she is the best actor in this drama. She is a fantastic actress—one of the best, actually. She totally nailed it. You will hate, but at the same time, pity Choi Yoo Jin, and you will root for her despite all of the horrible things she has done.

Music
The music is good, but forgettable.

Overall
Watch it for the actions scenes and for Song Yoon-ah. She made this her own drama with her excellent acting skills.

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Story 

This drama is about revenge, but honestly, the story turned out to be empty. There's no real plot, what was supposed to be a mystery revenge drama turned out to be a pointless love triangle story that feels forced. It's such a disappointment because it had so much potential at the start, but it went downhill afterwards. The setting is at an elite high school with wealthy, spoiled kids who bully the "scholarship" students, whom they perceive as out of their league. One of the students mysteriously died. The revenge plot is weak and predictable. The FL had no chemistry with both leading men, especially with the "ex-boyfriend." You wouldn't believe they had a relationship. The acting is average at best; I didn't feel anything, especially during the emotional parts. The revelation of who killed In-han is underwhelming. And lastly, the only part of the story I liked was how the FL's story ended because they chose the most realistic ending for her. 


Cast and Characters

• Roh Jeong-eui as Jung Jae-i : I don't know what happened to her; she was so good at 18 again. She failed to deliver a good performance in this drama. She was like a robot throughout the entire show.

• Lee Chae-min as Kang-ha : I've never seen him before; he's probably a beginner. His acting is just average. There were times I liked his acting, there were times I didn't.

• Kim Jae-won as Kim Ri-an : this actor was decent enough, but just had one expression the whole time. He had no chemistry with the FL.

• Ji Hye-won as Yoon He-ra : the best actress in this show. And her character is the best as well. But, unfortunately, she couldn't carry the show.


Music

Good music, but it couldn't make up for the mediocre plot.


Overall

Overall, it's a disappointment. I would only recommend this if you are a fan of The Heirs because it is quite similar in terms of the setting, but if you are not, then you should skip this.

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