Too Long, Good Ending

Unlike most sports dramas, there wasn’t much focus on the actual competition, more on the training and team dynamics. It also focused on the social media aspect and the story of the ML and FL too. Although ML & FL had chemistry, it was not utilized enough. There were too many episodes, it could’ve been condensed and I think that’s why a lot of viewers rated it lower, due to getting bored [they waited until Episode 32 to tell us about ML & FL incident in the past]. That’s the fault of the writers though, not the actors/actresses or production team. The theme and episode music was often played so loud that it was hard to focus on what the actors/actresses were saying.

The production was good and scenery well shot to show location changes. I watched this because of Hu Yi Tian and Xing Fei. I’ve been waiting a long time for Hello, the Sharpshooter! I did like how they concluded the drama, especially how the pocket/locket watched tied into everything and why it was shown frequently throughout the show. I also liked the character growth of the ML and FL the most, although some of the other supporting characters romances also had growth. But again even that was dragged out too long. Basically the last five episodes of the show, were the best. The ending was predictable, as most of the drama/tension moments of the show were.

Overall it was okay, but not as good as some of the other dramas the ML and FL have stared in or even other dramas that are sports/competition related. 5.5/10.

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Puppy Love & Friendship

LIKES:
Cinematography and Production were both good.
The colour palette was rich even during the winter scenes.
Music was okay and there wasn't really any FX to speak of.
The message of taking your time to fall in love with the right person and to cherish your friends, was well delivered.
The parents of FL & ML were fine, except how the writers wrote them in the last episode.
Puppy Love for everyone, almost to the point of being way too sweet.
The acting was decent for the most part.

DISLIKES:
The last episode's writing involving the parents. (Tantrums of people old enough to know better, were ridiculous.)
Not even one kiss between FL & ML, their love felt like something from a middle school child and not college/university aged people. Same with the adults, it was very childish.
Some parts got a bit boring, the director must have been on a coffee break when it was filmed.
Not much character development for FL & ML or any of the supporting frequently seen characters.

OVERALL:
I watched all the episodes, without skipping any. It's extra PG in terms of love content. For someone 10 yrs old and up to 16 yrs old, this drama would be well received. I wont watch it again.

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Cute But Typical BoyLove Show

I never read the manga, so this review is solely based on the show. As per most S.Korean BL dramas, there is hardly any physical contact and few kisses. The 2ML had decent chemistry, given that this series was extra short. The production was good and the directing okay. No real special effects or cinematography that stood out. It's easy to watch, very little drama. The changes for both ML, came on fast and would've felt more realistic and impactful had there been more episodes to build each character and their backstory. Sang Woo obviously had OCD, but maybe a little bit autistic too (hence why little emotion shown, always in his own bubble and didn't like to be touched). As for the other reviews saying that they were straight and suddenly were gay, that's a stereotype. I know a lot of gay men, that you wouldn't know were gay, until they got drunk.

This show was the usual formula for the BL/hate to love/university crush story in S.Korea. Still it's a gentle introduction to BL, if it's your first time watching such. It's annoying that the last episode was mostly used to recap what we've already seen and could've been used to show us what they were like 3 or 4 yrs into the future, to give us real character growth and perception of their relationship. All in all it is okay, the music wasn't outstanding but fitting and i would rewatch it, if I need something fast and cute.

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Great Spear Fights, Otherwise Boring

LIKES:
Wardrobe of FL & ML
Costume of Snake guardians of ML, nice hair accessories for females and males
Buildings and outdoor scenery very familiar, obviously used in other dramas.
The spell casting on par with other magic use dramas
Fitting music
Xu Kai’s spear fighting & fight choreography in general was good
Great cast (I watched this because of Xu Kai)

DISLIKES:
FX:
Terrible CGI, as shown throughout drama, starting from opening sequence with deer.
Terrible/lazy makeup for the demon/zombies
FX for Demon God was dumb, especially the helium balloon voice
WRITING:
Usual tropes of this genre, same old formula which is disappointing for 2023, messy/lazy plot strung out for 40 episodes
Also trying to entice gamers with attack names popping up on the screen like in Mortal Kombat (which in 2023 is very cheesy).
The FL, a goddess who is weaker than the average warrior is way too funny.

Bad Directing in too many ways to bother listing.

Costumes:
Mask of bad guy 2nd in command was terrible, like a cheap dollar store costume mask.
Lion costume was cheesy head, the director didn’t even have the actor doing any cat like behaviours.

MUSIC/SOUNDS:
The Sound effects in Ep. 39 for consuming another person’s essence sounded like someone flushed a toilet and it got stuck in flushing mode! LMAO

OVERALL: Disappointing even with Xu Kai trying his best in this role. I used a lot of fast forward just to get through the whole drama. Pacing issues and so many boring parts that it dragged down the drama.

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TOO Short, but interesting

LIKES:
Reminds me of the American TV show Gossip Girl, very similar concept.
The chemistry between Bo Rin, Ji Min and Woo characters is great. If there comes a season two, they could have a love triangle… which would me more kissing, lol.
The acting was good particularly that of actress Lee So Hee, considering the episodes were short and limited.
No FX to speed of.
OST was okay.

DISLIKES:
Because it’s super short, hard to develop the characters and even worse to deliver a completed drama.
No character growth.
Too short, unless they plan on two or 3 seasons.
The last episode was rushed.

OVERALL:
If they create more episodes and seasons, this was worth the watch (however this concept was better developed and written by the creators of Gossip Girl). One kiss scene was okay. Since it’s so short, I could watch it again. I would recommend it, but only if there is at least another season.

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Action Drama that Got Confused of Its Message

LIKES:
The concept or storyline is good for a drama.
Great casting throughout the show, but the main leads did fantastic in their acting roles.
The Risk Management team threesome had great chemistry (although others didn’t think so as pervious reviews will show).
Every episode was interesting, and gave a little bit of insight into peoples hardships and how to overcome that darkness; talking to someone is sometimes all that you need.
The music was good, although nothing really stood out.
The FX was well done.
The merging of past lives/dreams/nightmares with present and the current reality was done in a way that it wasn’t confusing.
Scenery and for the most part wardrobe were perfect.
Loved Ryeon’s outfits, some of Ryung-gu’s outfits were a bit crazy.
The message: Second chances are what humanity is all about, because everyone can make mistakes.
I loved how they did Episode 6
Satisfactory handling of dark/heavy topics of suicide, murder, death, etc.
Good amount of drama and excitement due to the Grim Reapers.
The colour pallet and variance between past, dreams and present was well done.
I liked that they showed a little bit of punishment for the evil doers, but they could’ve done more.

DISLIKES:
Their cases/missions all got summed up easily and suicide is part of depression and can happen again. That aspect wasn’t shown. I also expected that a show about suicide would have a message at the end about online help or an information hotline to contact.
Sometimes the attempt at humour failed, but other times it was needed due to the heavy content.
The last 5 episodes seemed to have had little budget for the FX.
The ending was rushed and it was an okay summarization of the main leads, but could’ve been written way better.
Too much time spent developing the past for Kim See Sun’s character Ryeon/Ryun. It definitely could’ve cut some of the scenes and still be effective.
The romantic aspect of the drama failed, only succeeded as an explanation to the connections between Reapers, nothing more. Even the end or concluding part was almost boring, less impactful than it should’ve been. Not even the red thread concept helped.
Seemed very similar to the formula used in Taxi Driver.
I thought they would highlight the fact that when we choose to die, we throw away life too easily, but if the choice is taken from us (death by war, illness, etc.) then we fight hard to keep living. The Jade boss lady kept repeating how it’s the individuals choice, yet that constantly was contradicted. The writer seemed to be confused on what their message was.


OVERALL:
I watched it all and couldn’t wait for the next episode. Certain parts I would watch again, but maybe not the whole drama. It’s a decent action drama, with a dose of fantasy. I would recommend it to others.

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Needed More

The sex scenes were very well done, nothing vulgar or over the top, in that sense the acting was great. Both Male interests of the FL were good kissers too. Nothing grosses me out more than a bad kiss moment. The music was okay, nothing memorable, but not bad either. Also production was good, no shanking cameras or too close shots, filming was great.

The FL was too childish and no backbone. She was good at her job, but all other relationships a moron. It's not the actress's fault, but the writing and directing. Her face and voice was cute, they ruined her character by making her stupid. The ML (Tetsuya) was over the top aggressive. A few times being told no and stop was okay, but constantly saying it and he ignored her... that's cringe worthy, not sexy. At least Tetsuya had some character growth, but didn't see that from anyone else. I guess there wasn't enough time, since it was only 30 minutes and 6 episodes. Yuka, the bizzarre bartender and Kakeru, had no character development or closure to their storylines.

It's worth a watch, just for the great intimate scenes and kissing. The rest just skip it/fast forward. LOL

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Good Lessons about Love and Life, if you have an open mind.

Both FL and ML did an excellent job acting; range of emotions. OST was good, but nothing stood out. Interesting story, which wasn't about normalizing pedophilia, but how to handle a young person being attracted to an adult, without belittling their feelings. The show reminded us that communication and trust are the most important factors in any relationship, and without that it will fail. It taught us about being honest with ourselves. There was decent character growth with Hijiri and Akira.

SPOILER ALERT:

What I REALLY didn't like was that they started the ML as a grade school/ middle school kid. He didn't even look close to that. It added a very weird element to the story. If they had started the ML as a high school guy, then as college/university, it would've been more believable. It was like the middle school portion became too long, with unnecessary drama moments, which would've been better used during the high school arc.

Meeting the Father of Akira moment, wasn't impactful at all. Akira's mother with her lies and suspicions didn't come across as a loving mother just looking out for her son. It seemed like she was more narcissistic and too controlling. The writers failed in this aspect, unless they were trying to paint Akira's mother as not a good person.

Overall it was a decent watch, no over the top sexual moments either. Re-watchable.

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Slow Build But Great Movie

The storyline has been done before, but I like how it was executed here and that the music didn't overpower the acting/verbal moments. There was drama, action, emotional, cute and raw moments. The ML did really well considering half the time he wasn't allowed to say anything. FL was sweet and yet empowering. They had enough chemistry to make it believable. Incorporating the dog was smart, however not correctly executed towards the end*(at the end of this review I will explain, however it is a spoiler alert). Great MMA/fight scenes, including the training.

Due some parts not really being done well and really slow build of the story, that is why it's not a 10/10 for me. Definitely a good watch, that has scenes that will tug at your heart. 100% Rewatchable.

SPOILER ALERT
*The dog obviously knew him by scent and found the ML quickly. So why, (when she was trying to find Rui again on the street), didn't she take the dog,? It would have dragged her straight to him. Also in the pottery shop, the dog should've been trying to pull her back out the door, while barking.

Also FL sculpted his face from what her hands remembered, so she should've recognized him from that alone at the hospital. Her feeling his back muscles and thinking she knew him, not likely. Feeling his scar, the one she thought was a burn, that would've made more sense. Or even his scent, because she knew it from before due to her heightened other senses, that would be believable.

The part about the sea glass and it's connection to him, the ocean and her, was nice. Same with the song and music box.

All in all it was a great movie and I did enjoy it.

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Great Start, lagging middle, lame finish

LIKES:
Great costumes for the most part.
Strong female lead for the first part of the drama; beautiful, smart, skilled in martial arts and sword fighting, kind.
Scenery was fitting and beautiful. Cinematography was well done, including colour pallet.
FX: the flying scenes and some of the graphics were really good, see dislikes for parts that weren't.
ML chasing after FL for once.
Potential for ML & FL romance.
Step-mother as a villain, although cliche, she was hateable.

DISLIKES:
No solid foundation for the ML & FL to show their chemistry for romance.
Issues with PACING; too much plot twisting that didn't help the end. The political stuff started to get boring, especially the step-mother's schemes. When over done looses it's impact.
WRITING: got lost with it's concepts. First part FL is strong, independent and smart, second part she is just about the ML and constantly needs rescuing. Also in the later parts FL is often deferring her ideas to the ML's ideas. They lost what little chemistry they had in the second half of the show.
The male villain was lame and way too obvious.
Another bad writing section is the step-mother scheming was too much and got boring. Then we have the male villain who's hate for ML & FL is ridiculous and groundless.
The ENDING was very rushed and made no sense, but it was probably due to pacing issues.
Bad EDITING. Choppy PRODUCTION & terrible FX for the waring states (really bad graphics to the point of very smelly cheese, when the two sides clashed. The areal view was so lame, or the running horses were as good as a super old school video game).

OVERALL:
I would rewatch the first half of the drama and even recommend that part. Some would like the ending too. I don't understand why Netflix keeps screwing up/rushing the endings of their dramas. Is it their fault or the writers or both?





SPOILER ALERT DISLIKES:
The costumes for the wedding of ML & FL were so UGLY! And their kissing was not convincing as lovers.
Also the eldest brother should've been made the King at the end, because making ML the king and then he throws it away is just dumb. IF eldest brother was King, then the two main leads could have their alone time together, maybe even showing FL with a son. Or even kill off the ML completely, would have had more impact.

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I Believe It Needed More Episodes

LIKES:
THE SOUND OF MAGIC, concept reminded me a little of (American) K-PAX.
Production was good and so was the cinematography. Special FX were great.
The fantasy aspect of this drama was well done.
All the singing was a little annoying, but I was into the storyline so kept watching
FAN of Ji Chang Took and I like Hwang In Youp too. And I was surprised by how well FL Choi Sung Run acted, she was great.
I loved how they used Bella too.
The conclusion was predictable to a certain extent, but satisfactory.

DISLIKES:
How they handled the bullying, sexual assault & self harm, could’ve been written better. Some of the characters needed better development, which was another writing fail.
Also how they concluded his character was annoying
Ending felt a little rushed and for Na II Deung his future self should’ve been shown as much as Soon Ah Yi’s future self was.
They tried to hint at a romance, but then left it hanging mid way.
Some parts dragged a bit too.
The directing wasn’t the greatest.
I’m not a fan of musicals, but this was bearable, however nothing from the OST stood out or was memorable.

OVERALL:
Do you believe in magic? Yes, this show’s message was enjoyable even with some of the heavier content/topics it had. This fantasy drama could've benefitted from a few more episodes, instead of rushing the last few. The singing parts were tolerable. I would rewatch certain episodes, but not the whole thing again. I would recommend this for others to watch.

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Disappointing and Overrated

LIKES:
The little girl the FL & ML’s daughter is super cute.
Acting was good for the most part, especially Lee Joon Gi.
Music was well chosen for the scenes, but nothing memorable.
Appropriate colour palate.
Initial episode seemed interesting, but went downhill fast.
I liked the villain (acting on point!).
Cinematography: lighting, set locations, filters used and some of the special effects were good.

DISLIKES:
PRODUCTION had turned off the film stabilizer too many times and that caused the shaking camera syndrome.
WRITING
Plot holes and over use of coincidence to tell the story, contradictions, the writer unsure if this drama should be a thriller or romantic melodrama and it cause the script to become terrible and cliched. The usual trope is what it turned into, with a predictable ending. Not even giving us a little bit of character growth at the end. Also the writer needed to research how crime investigation is done, because it was very lacking. Completely disappointing in many ways.
DIRECTING
Some scenes had actor/actress reaction just over the top (FL crying and screaming too much) and also other scenes where there was serious delay in reaction.

OVERALL
Considering it was created in 2020, I had high expectations of the execution of this drama and was very disappointed. Only watch it if you have never seen a crime/thriller drama before. I don’t recommend it otherwise and I won’t rewatch it.

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Easy Watch with huge doses of stupidity

LIKES:
Cinematography and scene locations were well done and chosen.
Costumes for the supporting characters, also were good.
FX and use of CGI was pretty good too.
They didn’t push any romance between the three main leads, which is refreshing for once since it’s a Korean drama.
The ending was rushed, but satisfactory in terms of conclusion.
Acting for the most part was good, especially the children. I liked how they showed Yoon Hwa Pyung “seeing” the demon’s moves. Also the Priest Choi Yoon showed a good range of emotion, considering how stoic his character was presented.
There was enough blood, gore and creepy moments to keep me watching.
Story set up of the main demon controlling lesser spirits, was a new spin on the genre, even though other parts were cliche or the usual trope. Also for the writing some twists were good, although not really unexpected. I also liked how they linked together the three main characters.
Music was okay and appropriate for the scenes, but nothing really stood out


DISLIKES:

WRITING:
FL would have been better as an investigative reporter instead of a police woman. The reason I say this, is due to her stupid reactions or lack there of. As a cop she should know better in certain circumstances, than to go into a crime scene, or enter a dangerous situation and then get distracted so the bad evil doer can sneak behind and attack. The writers failed with her character on so many levels.
All three main leads had no character growth.
Certain themes were over used and became too repetitive to really impact the viewer.
The person who was the real great demon was a little to obvious and I knew who it was early on.
Supporting characters, like Look Gwang (shaman) were under utilized.
The back story of the main demon, was a bit simplistic and under developed.

DIRECTING:
Once again the characters took too long to react in certain situations, especially based on their particular occupation. Also there was a lot of time spent with the characters running around.

PRODUCTION:
As with a lot of Korean dramas, this had shaky camera syndrome, where they didn’t use a film stabilizer. It took away from the emotions of that moment, rather than add anything.

PACING:
I fast forwarded some episodes, because it moved too slow. And even doing so, it was easy to follow the storyline. Also a lot of filler scenes and conversations.


OVERALL:
Very easy to watch, not especially scary either. I didn’t binge watch it, because it didn’t grab my attention in the thriller mystery department. After watching 3 episodes in a row, I switched it off no problem. For someone just bringing to watch Korean thrillers, this would be recommended. If you like this ghost/thriller/supernatural type of genre, you might want to check out Oh My Ghost (2015) South Korean drama. I won’t watch it again.

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Overrated, Repetitive, Cute

DISLIKES:
Production: shaky camera syndrome, zooming in way too close
Writing: very repetitive: the continuous looping of the same thing without any growth. It should’ve been shorter, because it became redundant and boring fast, making me not care about ANY of the characters the more I watched. Too many plot holes and such a mess. It felt like the script writer had become lost within the concept that was created. Which meant by episode 8 I became annoyed with the repetition, the constant crying of Dan-oh and her yelling Haru! Also the actress used an over the top cutesy voice that was very irritating.

LIKES:
Cinematography, lighting, colour pallet, locations
FX: also done well (the scar on the palm looked real), the green vortex, the floating elements, all blended in well and seamlessly. And moments between EGO/STAGE sessions were well edited and fx for it fine.
Acting well done by Rowoon and Lee Jae Wook.
Writing: the satirical take on the usual trope and cliches (concept of making fun of manga’s & anime & dramas.). I liked that the focus was the supporting characters. I liked how they showed the transition from comic character that’s written to the real character or “Ego”. The beginning episodes were good.
Music: I didn’t really notice it much, which meant it blended in seamlessly.

OVERALL:
I ended up finishing it only because of Rowan and Lee Jae Wook’s acting. I do not recommend it and will NEVER watch it again, as after the first 5 episodes it’s boring and a waste of time.

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Sweet Boy Chemistry

LIKES:
They showcased very real talents of the Male Leads: Jeff's singing and guitar playing + Gameplay's chef skills.
Excellent chemistry and teasing between Jeff & Gameplay as Win and Tops.
No heavy drama or over the top sex scenes.
Cuteness of the cat and the baby/very young child with Top and Win.

DISLIKES:
Production:
Mic placement; seemed to be in their collars so if the actors touched anywhere near you could hear the impact of the mic being hit. It also cause dialog to be muffled at times too or breathing moments way too loud. For some scenes they could've used a boom mic.
Shaky camera syndrome + zoom in too close (see up noses isn't good & cutting off their heads).
Pacing was very slow.
Directing:
The actors had some very delayed reactions. A few more kisses would've been nice, especially drunk moments and xmas (why no mistletoe moment?), missed opportunities. Even if it was a neck kiss, we would've taken anything.

OVERALL:
It moved very slowly, but really showed us what "boy love" is and how chemistry between actors can really make a show work, without over sexualizing everything as most dramas in this genre do. Also nothing abusive or traumatic needed, which was refreshing. I would recommend this to anyone who wanted to hear Jeff sing and for those just starting to watch BL shows and movies. Because episodes aren't long, it's a quick easy watch and could be rewatched just as fast. However I was left wanting just a little more; more intimacy, more character development for both MLs, more of what happens in the future.

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