Like a warm hug, cozy blanket, and soup for the soul

This drama is one of kind. With a rather simple premise of finding yourself, it manages to be authentic and profound yet gentle and calming. It is not plot driven, but instead a story of characters and so many good conversations. Much like real life, every episode shows the day to day that seems rather insignificant at first, but it is those little moments that make up the whole. Overall, this drama felt like a lesson in mindfulness. Slow the mind and tune into your senses and just be. It was calming and therapeutic, but never boring. I was also very surprised how many times I cried or was deeply touched in this drama, and I do not typically cry easily in my drama watching.

Just a few wonderful parts I loved:
our main leads’ natural chemistry and lovely relationship progression
gorgeous cinematography and natural environment
random cats in the inn courtyard
adorable village children living their best free range life
village elders, especially my hero Granny
OST and sound effects

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Decent portrayal of mental health with l terrible messaging

Ughh. This drama really bugged me. As someone with some background knowledge and care giving in mental health, I just need to share a few thoughts on this one. Especially because the drama presented things in an almost textbook way. Well it came off as super old textbooks written years ago when we have much more research to update our knowledge of these things today.

Drama gave a decent portrayal of people with various mental health conditions. I especially appreciate that it took their perspective and was sympathetic.

What I couldn’t stand was that in order to manipulate the audience and tell emotional stories, they went completely off track in explaining root causation for mental health issues. They would rather put blame on bad parenting or societal pressures because it suited the story, than address the scientifically proven genetic predispositions people have to many of these mental health diagnoses. I am not saying environmental factors don’t play a role in triggering, but it was pretty obvious they wanted to skirt around the biological and genetic causes. To me, it was too much of a missed opportunity and came across as Korea once again not wanting to fully acknowledge mental health. Almost like it is a personal weakness and flaw to have such genetic predispositions. So it feels more comfortable to explain it in another way. I’m sorry but bad parenting does not cause bipolar disorder. It is a physical, chemical brain condition.

Once again, Korea still has a ways to go in facing without shame mental health.

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Original was a feast, this is a mostly tasty snack

Good adaptation, so cool seeing it on the big screen, lots of little Easter eggs from the drama. Overall enjoyed it but the drama is much better. Too much to cram in less than 2 hours and the plot was not as tight because of it. The original drama was intelligent and made you think but didn’t confuse you quite as much as this movie did at certain points. Not sure if it’s better to have seen or not seen the drama first because of this. You might be confused without the context of the drama, but you also might be confused because they meshed old and new things together and sometimes it didn’t blend so well. I don’t know if it’s because they combined some things from the drama and drastically altered other parts, but it left me scratching my head more at the logic of how it all fit together and it lost some of the emotional impact.

Production quality was great and included some of the original beloved OST with a couple new songs.

I think they tried really hard pay homage to the drama with a new twist and give everyone a more happy, clear ending. Worthwhile adaptation but the drama holds my heart!

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Beautiful and bittersweet

Loved this drama and I usually don’t enjoy sageuk. It’s incredibly forward thinking and honestly highlights real issues women faced during an extremely difficult time. I loved the messages of the importance of choice and being your own authority, even when you’re the most powerless.

The most women centric, feminist drama I’ve ever seen in all my Korean drama land watching.

I loved Junho and his acting too but the true star of this drama was the overall message it meant to convey.

And if you’re paying attention it is chock full of symbolism. Another highlight is the gorgeous but also thoughtfully planned cinematography.

Beautiful and bittersweet but worth the journey!

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Why just why?

I completely get different dramas appeal to different people, but I can’t quite wrap my head around why this one is so popular. Story dragged out and was chock full of obnoxious characters and over the top humor that didn’t quite deliver. I get this was a comedy not to be taken too seriously but the humor fell flat and was jarring with the rest of the genres they tried to smash together to create this train wreck.
I suffered through the entire series with my finger heavy on fast forward just so I could watch the main couple. Not because I enjoyed Bong Soon as a character or an actress. She was flat, tried way to hard to be cute, never grew on me, and completely undeserving of our male lead. But because watching Min Min totally head over heals besotted like an adorable puppy with hearts in his eyes was the best part of this whole drama.

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It’s really not THAT bad

This drama is a hard one to rate. For sure there are flaws, but I don’t believe it truly deserves all the negative reviews it is receiving. Maybe because it was not well advertised and then started off much more stronger but then fell apart, that missed potential and disappointment is showing up in the reviews.
Unfortunately this drama suffered from what I see happen way too frequently in Chinese and Korean dramas: awesome actors and ideas ruined, by no fault of their own, from terrible script writers and plot points. What a sad waste.

All the actors did a good job really. Our ML is not usually my cup of tea, but in this drama he was fantastic and believable. He carried some really hard nuanced and emotional scenes. I hadn’t really noticed the FL before, but I found her natural beauty and acting much more charming than many of the overly stiff and perfect looking female leads today. Yes, like many others I was much more invested in their past lives plot. Together they had great chemistry, nuance, and really sold me on the angst. Now why did they have terrible fish kisses circa old Chinese dramas? Again, blame it on the director.

Which brings me to my last point. This drama really reminds me of older dramas made in the early to mid 2000’s. It felt a bit dated in some good and bad ways. The bad? The music style, questionable angst, some stiff kisses, and not able to entirely carry off then tie up all the senseless, terrible things that happen to our characters.

It is not easy to pull of this genre and some older Kdramas did it much better than others. Those dramas that did it well were the full package and have stood the test of time, but others crashed and burned hard. I think if this drama was released 10 years ago it would’ve done better than now, issues and all.

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The science of a good college youth romantic drama!

The is sadly under rated and no one seems to be talking about it. I surprisingly loved it, even more than the currently airing big budget dramas.

What initially seems like a basic college youth romance drama, overall is much more enjoyable and better done than many others of the same genre. It managed to bring a little more depth, maturity, and realness to a somewhat typical storyline. It was funny, sweet, and nicely acted. It even addressed childhood psychological trauma decently, also using the stereotype of the fated childhood past encounter in a way that really worked.

I liked how it was directed, with no over the top, distracting glowing lighting or way too many freeze frames that so many other youth dramas suffer from. Actors used their real voices. And real kisses! The chemistry was on point between main and second lead couples.

I don’t know if the current low rating is because this drama didn’t get much attention at all or because there was some copyright controversy at one point which caused airing issues. Regardless, try giving it a shot and enjoy!

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What a sweet, feel good drama! It doesn’t seem like much at first, but I found myself pressing play episode after episode and smiling all the way through. It was a refreshing, easy watch with healthy romantic leads, plenty of fun teasing, and and cute chemistry. The relationship between the our main pairing, all family members, and second leads were ideal yet realistic overall.

I liked that they featured a CEO/president ML who was not domineering. His character was written to be genuinely good with his biggest weakness being the occasional childish behavior. Actor’s soft baby face completely matched his character as well.
I liked the female lead’s back story, you could understand why she acted the way she did. And how the two of them were such a good match.

Watch this with knowing it won’t be anything groundbreaking or life changing, but rather if you need something warm and lovely to unwind to.

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Reminds me why I love CDRAMAS!

I had all but given up on this genre and Cdramas in general until this gem sneaked up on me. It’s a story that has been told many times, similar to classic fairytales like Beauty and the Beast. An yet, this production managed to make it fresh.
Don’t be fooled by the first part of the drama that starts with a whiny, weak female lead and an seemingly stereotypical cold male lead. The character development is truly some of the best I’ve seen in drama land. Once you realize how the story is connecting, you can even go back and recognize how all the pieces were perfectly laid for excellent character and plot development.
Other things to note: beautiful OST that plays at the right moments and great CGI that really adds to the world building. The actors were all amazing, especially DFQC, and plenty of time was spent on our main couple with less time waisted on stupid side plots and fillers, a major issue in most Cdramas. At 36 episodes the plot was tight and I found myself going back time and time again to rewatch as I waited for the newer episodes to air.
This one has cemented itself within my personal top favorite dramas!

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Progressive and Timeless

I’ve watched so many Korea and Chinese dramas and this drama is still so special to me unlike any other. It is timeless while still being very progressive. It was progressive when it came out and is still progressive in many ways compared to current dramas. For that reason and many others I can rewatch this one again and again.

It has an incredibly realistic, lived in feeling to it where you feel like this crazy out there story could be people in the real world. There is an unique natural physicality all the actors bring to story. It’s all over the drama and I just love it. It breathes a kind of life into the story I haven’t seen replicated anywhere else and contrasts so much with the current dramas that love the perfect lighting, long drawn out stares, freeze frame, fake music video atmosphere.

The chemistry between the main couple is some of the best I’ve ever seen, but all the actors and side characters played so well off each other. You can really tell everyone had fun while together filming this.

Can’t praise enough Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye! This is my favorite role of his from an impressive acting career. I won’t call him classically handsome but has a certain kind of charisma that can’t be taught and sucks you in. And I can’t imagine anyone else playing Eun Chan. This is the first girl pretending to be a boy storyline that is actually believable and it’s all because of her.

Coffee Prince brings me nostalgic feelings. Maybe because when I watch it I am transported back to 2007 when it was filmed and I was a college student experiencing my own first love with my now husband. The drama’s costumes, music, cellphones, and coming of age storyline bring me back to that time. It reminds me of a warm summer of youth.

And of course it’s a message of love is love.

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Xianxia love story done right!

Xianxia dramas are very hit and miss and for me, this was a hit! There is a lot to be admired in this one, especially if you have a little patience for the story to build after the first arc or take a moment to look a little deeper and appreciate the ways this drama balances the usual Xianxia tropes and also flips them around.

Things to admire:

*Main leads chemistry: Look, I watched Princess Agents when it came out and like many hated the ending. But I moved on and wasn’t waiting for a season two redemption on bated breath. So I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this couple regardless. And if you were waiting, this drama would definitely heal those wounds. They knew what the fans wanted and delivered it in spades.
* Mature pairing: We need more romantic fantasy dramas with “older” couples.
* Gender stereotypes reversed: So much to love here and too much to list. Shen Li is unlike most female leads. She’s beyond strong physically and mentally. And our ML is more than the cold, emotionless heavenly deity. He’s funny, playful, and nurturing. We still get swoony moments when our ML saves the FL, but it’s a situation of Girl, you protect the world and I’ll protect you. Also, ML is the best househusband a girl could dream for. Take care of all my needs and feed me delicious food? Yes please.
* Slice of life in a Xianxia: We don’t usually see this played out in these genres. Underneath all the big end of the world drama, TLOSL is really about our couple getting to the joy of appreciating the pleasures of being alive and living a simple life with the one you love. Eat good food, sit out in nature, spend time together, care for each other, and live in the moment without burdens of responsibility. If that isn’t the fantasy many of us long for, I don’t know what is. I’ll admit, first arc of the drama felt a bit slow with this focus, but when I realized what was building up here and then how it all ended, it’s beautiful and fulfilling.
* Satisfying Ending: In a year of Chinese dramas with disappointing endings or lacking in closure, TLOSL does not let down. We get spoiled with a whole episode and half of happy ending!

Really, this is a love story first and foremost. If you’ve bought into the couple, enjoy Chinese fantasy drama tropes, and appreciate the thoughtful ways this drama flips some of them around, you’ll find this really is better than most coming out these days.

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I am liking these short dramas that have great chemistry and simple plots. Even though there’s not much depth to the plot, at least there there aren’t hours and hours of useless filler. Also, no fish kisses.

Most dramas in this genre aren’t really original any more and this drama drew heavily from many others. I could clearly see inspiration from dramas like Love Between Fairy and Devil, Goodbye my Princess, and The Starry Love to name just a few. Some of the dialogue, scene set ups, styling, and character sketches were blatant knock offs. But like any good knock off, sometimes it’s more accessible and enjoyable to get the benefit of the thing without paying full price. This is a quick and enjoyable watch without too much effort.

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Fun rom com romp that hits in almost all the right places

This is a fun drama full of lots of the usual romantic comedy tropes with some new ideas mixed in. It will likely be compared to Business Proposal, but it reminded me a lot more of Crazy Love, a 2022 Kdrama that is a bit of an underrated gem and also feels a little bit B side track, in an enjoyable imperfect way.

The good:
-Solid performances from lesser known actors that are also a bit older than usual rom com of this flavor
-Easily consumed candy like romantic storyline and plot
-Feminist message

What turned me off:
-Honestly, the first few episodes felt very disjointed and I was not connecting with the characters at all. Especially our leads. They felt like card board cutouts and the storyline wasn’t quite clicking. I pushed through that though trusting other reviews and I’m glad I did. But really, I don’t know why it had to have such a rough start, especially for an only 10 episode drama.
-Feminist message was watered down by making such an extreme character have to be a vigilante all the time, especially for her reasons of dating around more than is socially acceptable in Korea.
-The music mostly bugged me. Especially the American style scat, doodle dee bop style songs. Or whatever you call it. Played again and again in the intro, background, and “Don’t mess up the party”. 🙄 It never stopped annoying me.

Overall a mostly enjoyable drama watch, and despite its flaws, does a much better job than many at meeting the requirements for a fun rom com of our day!

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Beautiful, smart, meaningful, and enjoyable!

I NEVER write reviews before a show has finished airing. But I hate how this gem of a drama is flying under the radar. So I’m here to say if you’re questioning whether to watch it or not, just go for it! I am also confident the remaining episodes will be as excellent as the first 8 I watched because I trust the expert makers and writers of “Someday or One Day”.
So what’s so great about this one? Plot, actors, messages, OST, and cinematography are all impressive and enjoyable to watch. It comes together in a grand yet intimate way many other dramas attempt to accomplish but miss the mark in doing so.
I especially appreciate the way the plot is written. The story is revealed in non linear pieces. Moments and scenes are played and replayed in different fashions and are given new meaning within the context as you receive more information. It never feels repetitive but instead adds layers of depth and moments of “ah-ha”. You have to pay attention but it never feels like they’re trying to reach over your head. In this it definitely reminds me of the brilliant “Someday or One Day”. I like this way of thinking of time being cyclical not linear and seemingly simple moments that matter most in our lives.
Also, major shout out to showcasing the native folklore, language, and beliefs.
Yes it will be compared to dramas like Goblin or many of the other human/deity romances. But Rainless Love in a Godless Land has so many unique things to offer and deserves it’s own stand alone place among them all.

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