A good show indeed !

It’s called everything from a romance to a supernatural time-travel drama. It also introduces some of China’s historic and religious beliefs wrapped in a story about Gods and Humans, relationships and revenge. The story here revolves around The Exorcism Lord, Chung Keui, who’s also known as the ‘Devil Punisher’. He comes to Earth to put malicious spirits back in their box before they affect humans.He’s also on a mission to find Lady Meng 1087, who’s kidnapped and brought to Earth. As a result, she loses her memory of her work in the Underworld and Chung. With a sizeable, time-sensitive job, he’s also keen to win the heart of Hsin-Yu, as she’s known on Earth.

Mike He, who plays Chung Kuei, can be seen most recently in the 2018 drama Tree in the River and film Come On Teacher. Ivy Shao is Lady Meng/Hsin-Yu appearing in romance dramas The Perfect Match and Back to 1989, both available on Netflix. Lu Po Ya is portrayed by Anson Chen, also seen in The Missing Half and Temptation of Plastic Surgery and soon to be hitting Hollywood according to news reports.

Known for his intelligence, Chung Kuei is the warden of hell’s prison. Folklore, which dates back to the 700’s, notes his role is to rid the Chinese empire of evil. As a result, he’s often invoked at Chinese New Year to protect in the year ahead. Each episode closes with a message attributed to Chung Kuei, imbuing his responsibility as defender and vanquisher. Among the array of deities represented is Cheng Huang, whose historic role is to protect a city’s defences as guardian. As Chung’s friend and supporter, he also delivers many of the lighter moments, teasing Chung about his love life and supplying lessons in tactical dating.

One of the more gratifying pieces is the 1000-year romance between Chung and Hsin-Yu. It shifts charmingly from ‘That guy must be in a triad, let’s call the police,’ to fighting side-by-side .Generous 65-70 min instalments give the creators plenty of time to dig into the narrative, sharing historic and cultural detail. The first several of which ease you into the story and the characters. It doesn’t get going until Episode 6 which takes a little too long but does connect the dots from there onward, effectively raising the tension from Episode 9.

The mysterious origin of the malevolent ghosts and their uncanny power unfolds cleverly, offering opportunities to speculate. Yet while some reveals are done well, others slip in randomly where you could miss it if you’re distracted. Directors Zhang Jinrong and Chen Jingwen are supported by a team of four writers pulling together multiple plot points. Perhaps that’s a few too many cooks in the kitchen, as the storyline does seem to scatter here and there. Occasionally too drawn out with more ghost side stories than necessary, some chapters felt tedious while others zipped by.

Whilst the backstory is enjoyable to discover, it could have been more cohesive, explaining some pieces sooner. At times it seemed like a mess of unconnected information, presuming a level of understanding that’s probably true to audiences in Taiwan and China but a bit confusing for those watching from other Netflix markets. Sets are a complementary mix of modern and historic, Earthly, Heavenly and Underworld-bound with concepts based on tales of The Bridge of Helplessness and the sky-high office of the Director of Destinies.

While special effects are appealing for the most part, occasionally you’ve got to wonder about the choices, particularly considering the production scale. The blue-painted ghosts, for example, that are only translucent when someone is passing through them. Otherwise, they’re just blue people. And toward the end there’s one effect that stands out as ‘really?’ But in the spirit of spoiler alerts, I’ll leave that for you to discover.

‘Last Look’ is the catchy opening song and a tough one to find, which feels like a miss. It’s track 1 on the Original Soundtrack (OST) and one of the few places to hear the whole thing, rather than the shorter on-air cut. Another worth pointing out, noted by fellow viewer, Kave is pretty duet ‘If You Turn Around,’ sung by chanteuse Amanda Wang and Anson Chen (Lu Po Ya), number 3 on the OST.

There are some translation issues that plague the Netflix version of this drama too. The character names have quite different spellings to the series notes on Netflix and other sites, adding a layer of unnecessary confusion. Therefore, to make it easier to follow on The Review Geek, we aligned the names with the embedded subtitles. In addition to the translation muddle is the multitude of names for each character, including nicknames, titles, names from a past life, etc. You’ll need to focus to keep up.

Like Jamie commented on the finale, I was disappointed with the conclusion. It’s not that it wasn’t satisfying – they do tie up loose ends and relationships – but more that the crescendo was lackluster after many hours of build-up. Additionally, they seemed to have dropped the ball on the ‘how’ of the power behind the malicious spirits and their leader.

What The Devil Punisher presents then is a dive into culture and a fanciful spin out into the modern world. It’s an interesting perspective on the processes and administration of the afterlife, to be sure. Interestingly, although reviews were mixed, it maintains a number one rating in market and strong following on The Review Geek.

Action-packed and filled with interesting concepts, the build up to the Nine Star Alignment gave promise. We spent a lot of time with this show – over 1500 minutes believe it or not – and may have been willing to forgive some of the previous mismatch. But ultimately, the resolution was anticlimactic.

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Watchable

Begin Again actually reminds me of another Chinese drama called Intense Love. This is because the starting is pretty similar with the female lead relentlessly pursuing the male lead. The motivation is different though and so is the remainder of the plot but it gives me the same vibes for the first few episodes. Personally, I find 35 episodes to be a bit too long for this drama. So, do expect some boring stretches in between. The confusion and denial of the couple’s feelings for each other just seem to drag on a bit longer than necessary. It is tolerable to me though as I find the story picks back up before it gets to a point where I really have to skip scenes.

Chemistry Between The Leads
What makes this drama largely watchable is the chemistry between the leads. Just like Perfect And Casual, the plot is nothing great and it is the interactions between the leads that sustain the drama. Credit has to be given to Zhou Yu Tong and Simon Gong for a job well done. They have made Fang Ning and Ling Rui look like a real couple on-screen. Compared to his partner in The Love Equations, Simon Gong shines better with Zhou Yu Tong in Begin Again with their better compatibility and natural affinity for each other.

There are quite a few scenes in the drama whereby the couple is required to be loving, teasing, and playful. So, without the right chemistry, the drama wouldn’t be able to have the same effect on viewers. Add in the young Ha Ni to complete the picture and Begin Again manages to rise up a notch despite the less than inspiring plot.

As for the acting, Zhou Yu Tong really did justice to Fang Ning’s character. She exhibits the required maturity and aura to play a domineering executive and can effortlessly switch to an uncertain and embarrassed lover when the situation changes. She has that flexibility that is comfortable to watch. Simon Gong is stiffer in his acting compared to Zhou Yu Tong to me. I suppose he needs to portray a more rational character as Ling Rui is a doctor. But if he eases up a little, I think he will be able to convey some emotions better for the emotional scenes.

Questionable Plot (Spoilers Alert!)
Begin Again is really not the type of drama that is strongly grounded in reality. I would say just treat it as a typical romance drama whereby you just try to feel all the sweetness and fluff. The cliches and coincidences are aplenty throughout the story. They happened to know each other when they were kids, the guy’s aunt happened to owe the girl’s brother money, the girl happened to need a husband, and… you get the drift.

Furthermore, the business side of things in the drama is glossed over to give the romance all the spotlight. Well, I guess it is not a business drama like Perfect Partner after all and hence, the commercial details will be downplayed. So, for those who prefer a bit more variety and excitement in the plot than just pure romance, you may find Begin Again somewhat lacking.

Finally, the fact that the girl left the guy without notice for 6 years even after she found out that she was pregnant may be hard to stomach for some viewers when it comes to the plot. It is a selfish thing to do even if her reason of not wanting to hold him back from his dreams seems altruistic. While the plot is not as bizarre as the one in Well Intended Love, I think one would still need to overlook the way the story is written and the time jump to be able to enjoy the drama all the way to the end.

My Verdict
Begin Again is not too bad for a romance drama if you don’t mind a simple plot. Apart from the great chemistry, it does have a few other things going for it. Among them is the character growth that is evident in the drama for the female lead. At least, she learns how to love someone and how to put aside her feelings to let go. So, it is satisfying that she doesn’t carry on to be a selfish and imposing character all the way. There is also none of the annoying disapproving parents plot that is common in romance dramas. There is a bit jealousy involving a third party but it isn’t overplayed and remains just a small part of the overall story.

However, the plot isn’t inspiring as mentioned. The kisses lack passion when they are supposedly to be deeply in love and married. The couple in Love Is Sweet as well as Love Designer certainly did better with the smooches. I also find the characters seem rather different in the last 9 episodes compared to the beginning of the drama. They are like totally different people 6 years later especially the second male lead. Personally, I find it kind of weird although one can rationalize that people change over time due to circumstances.

Nevertheless, I would still recommend a watch for this Love Begin review with a score of 7/10. Watch it for the chemistry between the leads and the cute little boy who will melt your heart. He is adorable here as well as in The Blooms At Ruyi Pavilion. It may get a little boring in the middle but the boy will spice things up again when he appears. There are touching moments and there is anticipation to the main couple’s story which helps to add to the overall watchability.

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Sweet It Is!

I guess the title says it all – Love Is Sweet is indeed a sweet love story. The plot is simple and the tears allergy seems odd but the execution is well-done. 36 episodes do seem a tad too long for a rom-com as many tend to end up with boring stretches but not this one. The combination of the romance with some business cases help with the overall pacing of the drama. The business side of things is unlike Perfect Partner though as it is not the focus but merely paves the way for the couple to cooperate and get to know one another better.

Where It Differs From The Usual
Many rom-coms start off with the main couple hating one another such as Midsummer Is Full Of Love and Mr. Honesty. But Love Is Sweet is a bit different because the guy’s interest in the girl is established very early on. They know each other from childhood and he has been carrying a torch for her for years. So, the phase of the male character having to discover his feelings for her is not needed in this drama. Yuan Shuai just loves Jiang Jun secretly and all his actions are geared towards wooing and protecting her right from the beginning although she sees it differently.

The other refreshing change is viewers get to see the couple living together for about half of the story. Normally, we will only get this in a contract marriage drama like You Are My Destiny. Other rom-coms would typically see the couple getting together at the end after a series of misunderstandings. But in Love Is Sweet, Yuan Shuai and Jiang Jun are already lovers midway through and viewers will witness a lot of sweet moments as they live under one roof. I think this adds to the satisfaction for the viewers to be able to see a minutiae of their interactions as a cohabiting couple.

The Plot (Spoilers Alert!)
To cut to the chase, Love Is Sweet is basically an office romance drama. The plot development is predictable as the drama unfolds. You will know who will the characters end up with eventually. It is the journey of getting there and the aftermath that will draw your attention due to the couple’s chemistry. There is the usual jealous third party but fortunately, it doesn’t really affect the main couple as there is trust between them and they are firm in their love for each other. So, this story line is nipped in the bud throughout the drama except for a very short stretch as it inches towards the end.

Personally, I think the drama could have ended at Episode 30 but somehow, it was stretched by another 6 episodes. The transformation of Du Lei from bad to good flows well with the story. But the last few episodes whereby he transforms back to being bad is a little forced as that part of the character development is not well explained. It is not that the last 6 episodes are boring but merely unnecessary to lengthen Du Lei’s story. Perhaps an extra 2 episodes would have suffice to tie up all the loose ends with a proposal thrown in.

Acting And Chemistry
The cast definitely did well in Love Is Sweet. Leo Luo fits the role to a tee with his good looks as a suave and confident Yuan Shuai. It is really a change to watch him in this romance drama compared to his melancholic roles in Princess Silver and Ashes Of Love. He made full use of his smiles and smirks to project a charming and also domineering man.

Bai Lu is known for her versatility as an actress as she can appear at ease in different roles. In this rom-com, she gave Jiang Jun a very down-to-earth feel. Bai Lu convincingly projected an adorable and a tender Jiang Jun during those loving moments with her softened expressions. For more serious scenes, her demeanor will change with a more steely expression that is portrayed very naturally.

It is obvious that Leo Luo and Bai Lu are very comfortable with each other from their behind-the-scenes clips. Hence, it is not surprising that the high comfort level will translate to a sizzling chemistry on-screen just like the couple in Love Designer. Leo Luo and Bai Lu seem to have a natural couple vibe that makes viewers ask for more. The compatibility is obvious and the sweet story simply takes the sparks up a notch.

I think the difference is plain to see if we were to compare the chemistry in Love Is Sweet with the lackluster Leo Luo and Yukee Chen pairing in And The Winner Is Love. It will also be interesting to check out Bai Lu and Lai Yi’s performance in Overlord.

My Verdict
If you like romance dramas, you can’t miss Love Is Sweet. The relationship is more mature unlike college romances like My Unicorn Girl. So, I like it that there is none of those juvenile antics that are typical of first love rom-coms. It is not entirely free of cliches but they are kept at an acceptable level and done right to help minimize the cheesy feeling. So, there is no escaping those accidental hugs and kisses that are so common in these dramas.

Although the plot is not top notch, the overall pacing is good. There are no unbearable boring stretches and the main couple’s story development follows a well-paced sequence of events. Yuan Shuai and Jiang Jun share a very trusting and supportive relationship which is satisfying to me as a viewer. It is sweet to see how Yuan Shuai indulges and pampers Jiang Jun and can’t get angry with her for long. His defenses simply crumble with his love for her.

The second couple’s story lacks spice to me but I’m still fine with it as they don’t take up that much of time in the drama. Furthermore, Riley Wang does have his fair share of fans and he is cute to watch. Xu Li can be an annoying character with her infatuation over Xiao Chuan in the beginning but the good thing is you can skip their story and will still be able to enjoy the drama without missing much.

Forget The Details
If you want to enjoy Love Is Sweet, don’t take it too seriously though. The details are not grounded in reality and you will have to overlook them for better enjoyment. For instance, the protagonists are too young to assume such senior roles in the investment banking field. Jiang Jun’s tears allergy is also such a strange condition to have. Thus, just watch it for the romance and chemistry of the main couple and not let the details bother you too much.

For this Love Is Sweet review, I would give it a rating of 9/10. I like it that the producers have taken a simple office romance plot and made it enjoyable with a talented cast, sizzling chemistry, and smooth pacing to keep the chain of events going. Therefore, it is easy to get hooked to the story and the main couple as the romance develops with an overload of sweetness. The bonus are the kisses which are aplenty in the drama from passionate smooches to loving pecks on the forehead. A few comical moments will make you laugh while the interruptions to their intimate moments will probably cause you to squirm.

Overall, I would recommend a watch for Love Is Sweet unless you really can’t feel the chemistry between the leads. If that is the case, then a big chunk of the drama’s attraction will be missing and it might well be a big bore. But personally, this is definitely one of the better romance dramas for me for 2020.

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Experiencedso many emotions within those 50 mins

Wow… I am left speechless… I just watched the last episode of Chicago Typewriter and I am left with such a warm feeling inside. I experienced so many emotions within those 50 minutes: sadness, anger, fear, happiness, and hope. This is an overall review of the series, since I haven’t reviewed each episode individually.

The plot of this series was simply AMAZING and GENIUS. Personally, I love historical setting dramas, especially stories with historic significance…. and Chicago Typewriter combined both the modern and historical aspect beautifully with a touch of supernatural magic. The historical setting was placed during the 1930s when Korea was under Japanese rule… but what made this drama enticing were the elements of reincarnation and time-traveling by flashbacks. This drama did well to use both of these elements to highlight important events and progress the plot. Not only do we get the historic story of the main characters, but we also get to see the struggles of the main characters’ present lives and how their decisions/actions compared to their past selves.

At first, I was worried about the drama because it started out quite slow in terms of character development and progression of the plot, as well as, the modern story was beginning to be overshadowed by the historic story. At one point, I became so heavily invested into the historic story that I almost didn’t care about their modern lives. On the other hand, wonderfully, they brought our attention back to the present by Se Ju’s exceptionally well-crafted character development and the teaming up of the main characters to write ‘Chicago Typewriter.’ Definitely, the strongest aspect of this drama was the plot/story-telling… I cannot emphasize how simply amazing the plot is. At first, we were made to think the moral of the story was for Se Ju to overcome his writing slump and ultimately finish writing ‘Chicago Typewriter’ with Yoo Jin Oh (Shin Yool); however, that was not the case.

Let’s take a step back and understand why this drama is called, “Chicago Typewriter.” Literally, one can interpret the title to symbolize the typewriter itself and the submachine gun… but in a deeper context… I believe the title represents the dreams and the promise between Se Ju (Hwi Young), Yoo Jin Oh (Shin Yool), and Seol (Soo Hyun) and this can be described by Hwi Young’s letter he gave to Shin Yool in episode 16. Physically, the typewriter is an empty object with no significant meaning. We learn that the typewriter was bought by Shin Yool as a gift to Hwi Young… and later this typewriter became the source of the resistance fighters’ communication. Soo Hyun also compared the submachine gun and the typewriter to each other.

She quoted that the pen is mightier than the sword… thus explaining how significant the written word (communication) is the most essential aspect to obtain independence for their country, other than killing/violence. However, notice how important both the presence of the typewriter and the submachine gun were throughout the drama. Especially how the Chicago Typewriter gun was used by both Hwi Young and Soo Hyun in the last two episodes… In the end, Hwi Young sent his prized possession, the typewriter, to Shin Yool and replaced it with the gun - thus symbolizing how he was putting down his pen and accepted his death. As for Soo Hyun, she used the Chicago Typewriter gun to kill the Japanese officials because that is the only thing she can do for her country… she made a statement by taking revenge through extermination.

Now in the present, Se Ju was in a slump because his writing “caused” his stalker to kill himself and, thus, him losing confidence in his skills. However, the return of the typewriter not only brought him to meet Seol and Jin Oh, but he was also able to regain his confidence in his writing through trust and friendship. Combined with all the experience the typewriter has gone through, one could say that the typewriter symbolizes time and fate… by bringing the main characters together and tying up the loose end of their story. However, the greatest impact for me was how Shin Yool sealed himself in the typewriter so that he could keep his promise to Hwi Young.

After he finished writing the story… his existence was basically over. But, what touched me the most was that Se Ju wrote a new story… the story of their present day lives… so that Shin Yool could seal himself in that story to be reborn one day. Truly, this drama showed how powerful the written word and communication is in our daily lives… and that it can both kill and save. This lesson was not only seen through the main characters’ struggles, but also by Tae Min who struggled to take responsibility for his actions, their mother who held a grudge against Se Ju, their father who failed to protect both of his sons, and Seol’s mother who abandoned her daughter because she couldn’t face her past actions.

The plot and the lessons weren’t the only amazing aspects of this drama. The character development was also well done… especially Se Ju. Personally, I think there was a lot of focus on Se Ju, that many of the other characters didn’t receive the same spot-light. Se Ju changed from a cold, haughty, and lonely person to loving, forgiving, and understanding. He changed his outlook on life to appreciating it and valuing friendship, love, and faith. But, I also think that Se Ju was always that person to begin with… however, he just locked his true self away due to his troubled childhood and the betrayal of his family. I must also say that Hwi Young was an amazing character who exemplified what it meant to be a true leader… cunning, brave, strong, and steel-hearted when it came to making clear-cut decisions.

I loved how very different Hwi Young and Shin Yool were… and how one could distinguish between the two’s leadership. Hands down, Yoo Ah In stole the show with his masterful acting as Se Ju/Hwi Young (who didn’t cry when Shin Yool was reading Hwi Young’s letter? I freakin balled like a baby cause it was the most heart-felt letter I’ve ever read along with Shin Yool’s crying, Hwi Young’s narration, and the music in the background T___T).

Jeon Seol’s (and Soo Hyun) character was very lovable and I loved how she remained true to herself in both the present and past lives, but I also loved how she showed times of weakness to indicate that, despite her amazing skills in various fields, she is human. Im Soo Jung did a great job to capture Seol’s liveliness and her strong determination. I really loved that Soo Hyun finished the job of exterminating the traitors (especially Heo Young Min), as well as, it was truly admirable when she killed Shin Yool… but it also showed that she had no purpose to continue on living because she was exhausted and lost everyone she loved… in the end despite killing all the traitors with her gun, she ended up losing herself in the process. Overall, the acting done in this drama was absolutely great!

You could feel each characters’ thoughts, emotions, and understand their reasoning for their actions/decisions. You could feel their fears and how each character was on the edge of their sanity… just barely trying to survive. You honestly couldn’t really hate a single character, even if they betrayed their comrades (except for Heo Young Min… that bastard had to die). As for Shin Yool, I loved him so much! Poor sunshine loved Soo Hyun so much that he ended up betraying Hwi Young… but he couldn’t handle the guilt and didn’t stay with Soo Hyun in the end because of his friendship. I really loved his character… you can see how he slowly opened his heart to Se Ju and Seol… the actor, Go Kyung Pyo, did an amazing job to showcase such an emotional character. That was the biggest difference between Shin Yool and Hwi Young which was why his bluff as being the leader didn’t trick Heo Young Min.

I also have to admit that, despite the romantic touch in the drama, the romance wasn’t really the focus of the series. Se Ju and Seol’s romance was very sweet and I enjoyed every moment they had together, however, the most touching aspect of the relationships in this drama wasn’t the romance… but the aspect of trust. Seol’s character, along with Yoo Jin Oh, brought trust back into Se Ju’s life. At first, we thought that Seol was Se Ju’s muse… but the most surprising muse in Se Ju’s life was Yoo Jin Oh because he was the one who brought the two together in the first place.

And the best scene to show how Se Ju’s writing evolved from writing for others to writing for himself, was when he told Ji Seok that he wanted to write ‘Chicago Typewriter’ his way and not how the fans want it. At this point, Se Ju had already defeated his slump. Friendship and trust were the most important elements in this drama and it can be seen by 1) how Hwi Young and Shin Wool both loved Soo Hyun but didn’t force her to choose someone, 2) Shin Wool kept his promise of letting her go because of his promise, 3) Shin Wool didn’t get together with Soo Hyun in the end, despite Hwi Young asking him to take care of her, because he felt guilty for Hwi Young’s death, and 4) both Hwi Young and Soo Hyun had already forgiven Shin Wool. Especially.

Most importantly, the ending showed how the past was finally put to rest with meeting the present (notice how Hwi Young said, “Done.” when he finished typing his story… I think this symbolizes that the story of ‘Chicago Typewriter’ was finally over)… with how the typewriter, the gold watch, the story ‘Chicago Typewriter,’ and the picture were shot together in the last scene.

This drama may not be perfect and sometimes you may feel that the drama is slow, but please give it a try (especially if you’re interested in this era). Honestly, this drama deserves way more recognition and it saddens me that it didn’t receive higher ratings… this drama did well to showcase some of the real struggles during the 1930s, as well as, the struggles that writers face. The storyline, the characters, the music, the cinematography/visuals, and the supernatural touch all makes this drama very unique and intriguing to watch.

The reason being is because each character had a closure but the ending wasn’t absolute. Se Ju’s career is back on track and he is happy with his writing. Seol is finally with the man she loves, while also providing him strength and support. Shin Wool finally reunited with his old friends and, as well as, he can look to the future to meet with them in a liberated Korea (indicated by how his image became visible in the picture). The story of the Independence fighters that the typewriter brought to the main characters may have ended with episode 16, but a new story also began… and I believe that is the moral of the story.

The story of “Chicago Typewriter” continues through us, the viewers. Just as Korea’s liberation did not end with the death of their comrades, but lived on through the hopes they wrote to the future generation. If you’re looking for a drama that combines elements of romance, friendship, and the suspense of real-life struggles, then this drama is perfect… as you will truly witness the growth of each of the characters as they unravel their past lives and make amends to long-kept promises/dreams. Regardless, you’ll definitely be in for a roller-coaster ride of feels T____T

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Cliche Ending

Anyways, on to the review for “The Bride of Habaek.” Tbh, I’m gonna go on a little side rant… if you ask me, “Did I enjoy it?” I’m gonna answer… “Kinda?” At the beginning, I was super hyped for the drama, especially since I loved the manhwa. I knew that the drama would take a different route by modernizing the setting… and yet, that’s not the reason why this drama disappointed me so much. The most disappointing aspect about this drama was the plot itself. There was so much they could have done with all the elements they introduced into the story… but instead, they took the typical boring route and casted aside development for their characters to have a happy cliche ending.

1. Plot/Story
Again, I’m going to reiterate, the plot/story wasn’t really captivating. Even in the beginning, the plot was kinda confusing. Habaek’s mission was to collect the god stones to become king… but once he found all the god stones… they kinda became insignificant to the storyline. As well as, answers to the questions in the drama were revealed “too late” to add to the suspense of those questions; it would have been helpful to reveal the backstory sooner to better comprehend the plot. Really, the whole purpose of the god stones were for Habaek to travel to the human world to understand and empathize with humans — but once I figured that out, I already didn’t care why those god stones were important. What really threw me off, though, was how this drama ended and basically said “forget all the things we’ve built up for the plot, let’s just have a bullshit happy ending.” Various elements were introduced into the drama to stir up “drama” and create a unique story, such as Habaek’s missing powers, the half-god Shin Hoo-ye, So-ah’s missing father, Habaek’s ex-lover Nak-bin, the disappearance of the other god stone, the rambunctious childhood friend Bi-ryeom, and the cold but unrequited love of Moo-ra towards Habaek. These various elements added flavor to the enjoyment of the drama, however, they were readily tossed aside when it came to the progression of the main couple’s love story — which, in my opinion, was a hit or miss. Sometimes I felt the chemistry between the two and then sometimes it completely flat-lined, but they focused way too much on “fan-service” action and not enough to completely convince me the depth of Habaek and So-ah’s love. Also, so much “fan-service,” to the point where the “heavy consequences” of the drama were complete jokes. Overall, the story was bearable enough for me to finish the drama, but I found myself dreading each episode as they dragged on.

2. Characters
The acting wasn’t phenomenal, but it wasn’t the worst either. I was fairly impressed by Shin Se-kyung’s acting; she was able to portray So-ah’s character of kindness, understanding, but — yet — she is ashamed of her upbringing. Despite being ashamed of her upbringing for helping others before herself, she chose a career that was the definition of helping others — a psychiatrist. Sometimes she didn’t seem like a competent psychiatrist (which I always seem to have problems with dramas that portray mental health and illnesses), but So-ah was a genuine and considerate person when it mattered and she reminded us that she is only human. Thus she makes mistakes (such as her ridiculous debt lmao). As for Habaek, I’m not sure if Nam Joo-hyuk was the best fit to play the character considering how complex Habaek’s personality was, but NJH was very adorable and definitely “eye-candy”… if you know what I mean. I just personally think that perhaps a more experienced actor could have done better to fully bring out the gravity of Habaek’s complex and demanding personality, his trust issues with humans from the betrayal of Nak-bin, and the grandeur of being the chosen king of the gods.

As for the other characters, I really liked Moo Ra and Bi Ryeom… and I kinda wished there was more development for these two characters. Tbh, they didn’t really feel like “second lead” characters and more like side characters. Towards the end, we got a bit of romance between the two, but even their love story was rushed and didn’t fully convince me of Moo Ra’s feelings because she has always loved Habaek. Honestly, you could remove these secondary characters and it wouldn’t change the plot of the drama… that’s how poorly written the second characters were. They just added drama that made the story more disorganized.

Lastly, the winner of this drama goes to Hoo Ye — the adorable CEO. Lim Ju Hwan did a PHENOMENAL job… I completely fell in love with his character to the point I was shipping him with So Ah. In my opinion, Hoo Ye had the best character development and story out of everyone. His character was relatable and felt realistic. He was an abandoned child who was casted away because he was considered a mistake — someone who shouldn’t have been born even though it wasn’t his fault for being a demigod. I loved how the moment he met So Ah, he gradually changed and he became a better person to where he could love and accept his true self. I was so disappointed at how they simply casted him aside after his story was “resolved.” If there was a sequel drama just about him, I wouldn’t complain at all because he deserves a happy ending.

3. Overall
There were too many concepts that this drama introduced, but the writing failed to concretely focus on one message or issue to solidify the drama as a complete story. Basically, this drama was about one’s fate and searching for happiness; to give other people happiness is to sacrifice your own, so you have to learn to love yourself before you can love and understand others. Habaek learned this concept that to be a king, he must be capable of protecting others and not just himself. So Ah learned that in order to help others and give them proper advice, she must help and take care of herself too. Hoo Ye learned that he has to accept him for what he his, so he can learn to accept and trust others into his life. Unfortunately, this drama lands in my list of “dramas that I wouldn’t rewatch.” I still scratch my head to this day as to what the “real” message of the drama was supposed to be. But I guess… one thing that was clearly seen was that Habaek and So Ah were just fated to be.

Though this drama is fantasy, one thing this drama really lacked was the element of the gods’ powers. We got to see snippets of these godly powers, but it continued to be dragged out with Habaek being powerless. I understand why he lost his powers, but we only saw his powers in action like once or twice. The cinematography and sceneries of this drama was done well, so those are some redeeming qualities (as well as the nice music). My recommendation is… if you like these actors and actresses, then give this drama a shot. However, this drama will require your utmost patience and understanding to follow the reckless ideas that occur randomly throughout in this drama. Also, if you just want to see some really cute romantic scenes between the main couple, then this drama takes the trophy.

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A Virtual Romance

It is a pity that a few things went wrong with this Chinese drama when you have 2 people who have proven acting skills being chosen as the leads. I see it as a waste of their talent and effort. But first of all, you must be open to the concept of online dating if you are thinking of watching this. The female character has known someone online for more than 6 years. She has been chatting with him but does not know his name and how he looks like. But she still falls for him and has no interest in any other guys.

Okay, if you are comfortable with that kind of romance, then you will be less likely to feel that the whole story is farfetched. After all, she doesn’t know the identity of her online boyfriend for a large part of the drama. She just knows that she loves him and considers him as her boyfriend as the drama progresses although she hasn’t even seen a picture of him before. Hence, it is hard to really relate to this story as it is too detached from reality.

Poor Plot Structure
Personally, I think this storyline has potential to be a hit but the screenwriter has failed to structure it properly to present a more emotional and believable romance. I don’t think it is necessary to elevate their online friendship into a romance because it is just not realistic when they have never met. If they have preserved the online buddy concept like in Moonlight, this might be more watchable.

Even if a virtual relationship is integral to the plot, it fails to hook viewers into rooting for the couple. This is because little time is spent to make viewers feel that the online relationship is worth pursuing. There is just no justification for that obsession that he is the one when she doesn’t even know his name. They are normally just chatting with each other like buddies that the romance, if any, just seems fuzzy.

As a result, when the relationship moves to the real world, you can’t feel that emotional depth. What begins online with little romantic vibes just can’t suddenly transform into a great real romance. This is especially so when the plot also fails to make the 2 characters be more loving towards each other before the girl finds out the guy’s identity. I guess they can’t because she already has an online boyfriend and this is where the kink is in terms of the plot execution.

Serious Lack Of Chemistry
This is probably the main reason why Fall In Love With A Scientist can’t really take off. The leads lack chemistry as a couple. The romance looks bland and uninspiring. Perhaps the poor plot execution contributed to it but the leads themselves fail to give us a convincing performance as lovers. There is simply no spark between them. It is such a far cry from Zhou Yu Tong’s partnership with Simon Gong in Begin Again and Jasper Liu also had better chemistry with Shen Yue in Use For My Talent.

I don’t really know where the fault lies because the leads’ acting isn’t exactly bad either. Zhou Yu Tong and Jasper Liu did bring out the essence of the character that they are playing. She gives Ling Ling a very ordinary personality with lackadaisical attitude while he displays the required awkwardness in Yang Lan Hang’s character. But once you put them together, they just don’t seem to match. It could well be the case that the way the characters are written just makes them an oddly paired couple.

Unalluring Characters
I see Ling Ling and Yang Lan Hang as opposites of each other. Ling Ling is expressive and direct. Yang Lan Hang is an introvert and not very sociable. She sees her job at the lab as a means to earn money while he is dead serious about his research work. It should be the case of opposites attract but somehow, the outcome just falls flat.

I don’t see Ling Ling as annoying but neither is she very likable. There is nothing to make her really stand out unlike the gutsy Xia Qian in My Bargain Queen or the principled Su Xiao in The Ideal City. Instead, Ling Ling is silly and immature at times. As for Yang Lan Hang, he is merely a brainy guy to me and there is nothing cute about his character unlike Zhou Sheng Chen in Forever And Ever. In short, both the main characters are just not alluring enough to draw viewers into their love story.

My Verdict – Little Reason To Watch
Unless you have watched all the recent romance dramas and there is nothing else on the table, there is really little reason to choose this title. I know rom-coms don’t normally have great plots but what usually makes them watchable is some level of chemistry between the leads. A mind-blowing chemistry can make a very average romance drama into something special. Think of My Little Happiness and You Are My Glory. But Fall In Love With A Scientist just don’t have the required romantic vibes to pull it out of mediocrity given the average plot.

It is also a relatively clean romance drama which is akin to Our Secret. There are kisses but nothing spectacular for you to drool over. So, the overall romantic feel for the drama is kind of muted from the plot to the skinship. I’m not saying steamy kisses are a necessity but you certainly can’t have missing sparks in a couple’s interactions for a romance drama.

The last few scenes for the ending may also feel weird for some. It is certainly different from the typical ending of a rom-com. But on the plus side, this drama does go into more detail on the protagonists’ work so that you can understand what they are researching on.

For this Fall In Love With A Scientist review, I can only rate it 6/10. Watch it only if you are a big fan of the leads and you think having an online boyfriend whom you have never met is sane. Otherwise, just pick another title to spend your time on.

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More Romance Than Gaming

Falling Into Your Smile is not a drama that you would watch for the gaming aspect. Yes, it is featured quite heavily throughout the 31 episodes but I see it as merely a conduit to the romance. So, the romance is the driver while the gaming helps to create the stage for the love to bloom. There are quite a lot of computer graphics of the game being played during the competition. It is different from Love Scenery whereby the leads also take on the game characters. In this drama, the game is all graphics with the leads controlling the characters that they play as they try to pump up the excitement of a close match.

I have to say that those graphics are quite well done and the quality is there. However, it gets repetitive to me and I ended up skipping some of these scenes. Perhaps it might be exciting if you are into gaming. But I can hardly distinguish the different game characters and who is playing what during these battle scenes. The good thing is it doesn’t mar the story in any way if you skip them. After all, those gaming competitions are merely fillers most of the time. The actual story takes place outside of those matches at the team’s base camp.

Not A Plot-Driven Drama
Falling Into Your Smile is not a drama that is plot-heavy. The story isn’t anything new. In essence, it is about a girl joining a male-dominated field. She slowly gains acceptance and also falls in love while having to deal with rumors and fans. A big chunk of the drama is taken up by the female lead’s interactions with the male lead and relationship among the team members.

There is no one big villain which needed to be gotten rid of. Instead, the drama is taken up by little events that mainly affect the female lead ranging from a provocative anchor to a crazy fan. Of course, the male lead will get dragged into them as well due to his feelings for her and position as captain of the team. All these help to make up the overall story.

It is not boring but neither does it have a captivating and more refreshing plot unlike dramas such as The Day Of Becoming You. Basically, you will end up just enjoying the main couple’s bantering and sweet moments plus some team camaraderie. That’s about it for me. So, if you don’t mind the lack of an interesting plot and just want to watch the romance, this might be your cup of tea. Otherwise, it is just like any other light romance dramas out there rather than a serious gaming drama.

Acting And Chemistry
Cheng Xiao’s inexperience shows when playing her role as Tong Yao. She doesn’t have a broad range of expressions especially the micro ones to give the character more life. I think it could be better so that Tong Yao will come across as more spunky rather than bland and stiff. But her performance is still passable for a new actress to me. At least, she didn’t annoy me to the point that I need to quit watching.

Furthermore, Cheng Xiao did well to generate the right chemistry with the more experienced Xu Kai. I think without this chemistry, many would have dropped it halfway. It is hard to watch a romance drama when there is little chemistry between the leads like what happened in Please Feel At Ease Mr. Ling. In Falling Into Your Smile, the leads got the sparks going and that carried the drama all the way through for me.

Well-Written Supporting Characters
If there is one other reason to watch Falling Into Your Smile, it has to be the supporting characters. All the ZGDX team members have different personalities. Although they don’t dominate the screen time individually, they are interesting to watch as a group. Their unique personalities create a different kind of chemistry and provide the comedic scenes as well as the team spirit required for a gaming drama.

There is really no hateful character that stands out in Falling Into Your Smile. All the main and supporting characters are likable which is why this drama is kind of light and stress-free to watch. They are also realistically portrayed as people with flaws unlike the idealistic Love 020.

My Verdict – Interesting But Nothing Compelling
I think Falling Into Your Smile will not resonate with viewers looking for a really good gaming or e-sports drama. Personally, I find it to be more suitable for romance drama fans. It has little time spent on the team compared to Go Go Squid! which at least tries to give viewers a more in-depth look at past friendships and their team spirit. The focus on the romance in Falling Into Your Smile is akin to Go Go Squid 2: DT Appledog’s Time although the latter has a more mature feel to the main couple’s relationship compared to the former.

This drama is saved by the leads’ chemistry and supporting cast because the plot is nothing great. It is the interactions among the different characters that give life to this story rather than a strong plot to drive it. All the various issues that crop up from parental conflicts to ex-boyfriend matters are never explored in-depth. They are glossed over to give screen time to the main couple’s bickering and relationship development instead.

I would give this Falling Into Your Smile review a score of 7.5/10. It is alright for a simple storyline but don’t expect anything compelling. Watch it for the romance which is cute and sweet in its unique way. There are quite a few kisses but they are not as intense as those found in Love Is Sweet or Love Designer. You will like it if you are into a confident and domineering man turning into a softie when he falls in love. Of course, you also can’t miss this if you are a Xu Kai fan. But if you are looking for something more serious and mature whether in terms of the plot or even the romance, I think this will fall short.

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As a fan of Han Hyo Joo, I made sure to watch this drama since it's her small screen comeback after W: Two Worlds. Well, it was also Park Hyung Sik's small screen comeback. So a lot of fans are definitely waiting for this series. Although I have been waiting for it, I never read the plot nor watch the trailers. So I seriously have no idea with its story. Since we're seeing another visual couple, I thought it was some kind of a typical romance K-drama. BUT I WAS DEFINITELY WRONG! I was shocked when I watched the first episode. I didn't imagine the story to be like that. But that's what made me interested with the story and continued watching the drama.

Casts:
There are actually a lot of characters but I'll just post here who I think are the main protagonists and antagonists.
- Han Hyo Joo as Yoon Sae Beom
- Park Hyun Sik as Jung Yi Hyun
- Jo Woo Jin as Han Tae Seok
- Bae Hae Sun as Oh Yeon Ok
- Baek Hyun Jin as Oh Joo Hyeong
- Lee Joo Seung as Andrew

Plot: A thriller drama that happened during the New Normal era wherein an infectious disease is spreading. Sae Beom and Yi Hyun was lockdown in their place along with their neighbors. The whole story revolved around how people reacted and survived the disease.

Things I like about the drama
Everything? I guess that's the most accurate answer. But of course, I'll be sharing some details about it. Note, that this review is not spoiler-free. So read at your own risk.

Every scene has a reason
This was in Episode 8. I can clearly remember asking, "So, what's the purpose of the two of them having conversation about Yi Hyun's digestive medicine?" But then a few scenes later, Yi Hyun drank a medicine in front of Joo Hyung and everyone thought it was the NEXT (the medicine that can make you infected). But it ended up being Yi Hyun's digestive medicine because he already has swapped the medicine in the car. I was really amazed when the drama actually answered my question. I didn't expect that the first scene actually means something. I applause the writer for this. There are actually a lot of scenes that I thought doesn't make sense or can be edited out but ended up answering my questions.

A not-so-romantic drama but is giving me all the feels
Come on. Don't tell me you didn't root for this couple? No romantic scenes and cheesy lines (well at least during Episode 1 until the 10th episode) yet they're giving us all the feels and kilig inside. How was that even possible? It's just a proof that their chemistry is so good that we don't even need those romantic lines to feel their love for each other. But of course, when they confess or show affection to each other for sure our hearts blasted.

This is one of the best K-Drama couples of 2021!

The antagonists are so effective
They say that an actor/actress is a great antagonist when you're really irritated with his or her character. The whole story won't be complete without these antagonists. They made the story more realistic. My stress level became higher than their apartment whenever I see them do something bad. I remember a post on my Facebook page, it has reached more than a million reach because of these characters. That's how good they are with their craft that a lot of people got irritated.

The realistic zombie makeup look
Oh yes! An intense spoiler! Koreans are really good when it comes to makeup. You'll really get scared when you see one in real life. I remember a Filipino director praising South Koreans for their efforts in doing makeups. The effort they do here is highly commendable.

Production set is so realistic
My inner Multimedia Artist in me comes out whenever I watch the behind-the-scenes. I really love seeing how the drama that I'm watching was made. Who would have thought that the staircase is not a real one? How about the room in the first episode? The way they made it as if it's a real one is so mind-blowing. Kudos to the production design crew!

Relatable Yoon Sae Beom
She's definitely relatable! She just spits out things randomly but all of us can definitely relate to. But aside from these there are some lines that she said that remained in me.
"Happiness is hard to find."
"You have to look forward to something in order to be happy."
Simple statements yet struck hard.

Lessons I got from the drama
It may be a zombie-type of drama but you can actually learn a lot from it. One is, a lot of people are indeed selfish. You can definitely see it when there's a situation like this. Some are making money by extorting other people. Some are willing to kill. But let's not forget that there are still some people who are selfless. Let's learn to choose who we get to be with and who we are going to be when situations like this arise. But one of the most heartwarming lesson I got here is, family will always be your family. I actually got teary-eyed with this short scene.

It somehow reminded me of the story of the prodigal son. After wasting all his money, he returns home yet his father is so happy to see him back. At the end of the day, it's our family who will be with us until the end. It's also heartwarming to know that this old man never left his wife even if she is suspected to be infected. This is what we call true love. And of course, one of the mantra that I put my mind into. "People need something to look forward to in order to become happy." Every time I feel sad, I remind myself to find something to look forward to. In this example, Sae Beom looks forward for the meal that they will receive. It may be a simple thing yet it makes her happy. So, I'm always looking forward for my merchandises. (hihi).

Conclusion
For those who love watching thrilling K-Dramas with a little bit of a romance, Happiness is definitely a must-watch! I consider Happiness as one of my favorite K-Dramas of 2021. I'm really looking forward for Park Hyung Sik's and Han Hyo Joo's next projects and who knows, we might get another drama or movie from them?

For international viewers, Happiness is available on iQIYI, Viu, and WeTV.

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An Action Hero but also establishes the fact that Strong Anti-Hero Females are a lasting trend

I saw some clips and action scenes of ‘The K2’ on YouTube and became interested in the show. I finished the show within a span of 1.5 days with ample sleep ofcourse. I have to say this is the most action packed K-drama I have seen thus far (DOTS, following second).

I wanted to find out why the show is called K2, what is the significance. 15 mins into the drama and there is some punch packed action. My hopes rose, seeing how well it was choreographed. It’s safe to say the action didn’t disappoint and you find it packed around pretty much the whole drama. Although, the excessive pause made it unrealistic to some extent and fast pace of camera sometimes made it hard to follow through. I had to go back a few seconds sometimes to know what happened.

The background music and ending credit song caught my attention from the first go. I searched out for it and found it was the main theme for the drama, furthermore the words that I wasn’t able to grasp (other than all of the dialogues in Korean) were in German. The words had a lot of meaning attached to the story and for a Kdrama having a ost composed in German was much surprising (my initial guess was spanish since that’s where the story began). To tell you the truth, it’s absolutely catchy and is still ringing in my ears. Most of the ost is instrumental and pretty good depicting the mood of the story. Soft for emotional scenes and thriller for suspense or action. Few episodes into it and you could guess with the main theme playing that you will witness some action or dynamic transition in plot.

Coming to the story, it is not something entirely new to the universe. An agent (Kim Jeha) like no other, suffered a tradegy, gone rogue, fighting against the world but still being good and fair to the innocent. He fights for the right, wants revenge and along the way encounters love (Go Anna). However, the intricacies are what makes these stories and characters a bit more unique. It’s always interesting to watch these kinds of stories roll out every time. (Action with a purpose, as I call them are a favorite genre of mine). There are some things I absolutely loved about the drama. If there was a damsel in distress it wasn’t without a strong antagonist and that too a female (Choi Yoo Jin). Not often do we see this gender being given so much authority and control to move the story.

I loved the character of Choi Yoo Jin even though she was evil, very evil but there was something about her that made her vulnerable and deserving of bit sympathy. Amazing acting by Song Yoon-ah, she ruled the show for me. She has so many layers and ultimately turns out to not so bad a character. Infact, she is better off than likes of Mr. Jang (father of Go Anna). I wanted to like this character, giving reasons for his shitty behavior of a playboy or towards his own daughter (he still loves her mother, he is trying to protect his own daughter) but even after his whole sacrifice at the end I haven’t been able to like him. I understand that his political career was the only thing he had left and it was to avenge his love. But you need to draw a line and not hurt and put the only thing you could possibly love through danger and much emotional turmoil again and again.

The character of Go Anna played by Im Yoon-ah is much in controversy. Some say her acting isn’t as strong as her kpop gig, some say she doesn’t compliment well with Ji Chan Wook and there is no chemistry, others say she has improved a lot. Well I have nothing to compare her with, neither her past works nor many actresses. I honestly found her acting well according to the role given to her. I felt the role demanded of her to show less emotions, to act aloof. I felt the sparks between Go Anna and Kim Jeha but I wish they burnt like fire, I wish for more scenes where the chemistry could be explored more. Nevertheless, it
was great.

I also enjoyed the love traingle between Kim Jeha, Go Anna and Choi Yoo Jin. It touched upon a restricted topic of older woman loving a young guy. From the first go I felt that Choi Yoo Jin started liking Kim Jeha but it wasn’t very clear, the show makers deliberately kept it that way I guess and I loved it. The way she should stood strong, caught hold of her feelings amidst her goals and also the way she unfolded and exposed herself to Jeha.

Coming to the titular character, Ji Chang Wook, he has done some amazing work. It was my first drama of Ji Chang Wook. I am completely mesmerised by his ability to induce intensity and comedy equally well into the scene. He has performed some amazing action and was truly the wolf of show. Few of my favourite scenes include the inital fight scene (episode 1), the car chase with Kim Jeha and Yoo Jin (episode 2), bathroom fight (episode 3), taking Anna to infirmary (episode 7), euroem and ding (episode 8), how Kim Jeha looks at Anna through CCTV and then his eye shades episode, all the tiny details make your heart melt, the ending (episode 16) and choi yoo jin’s role in it, she was literally the queen of the forest!

After finishing the show, it was difficult for me to imagine any korean actor that I famously know of other than Ji Chang Wook to play K2. He has done sweet justice to his role. The drama kept me engrossed throughout and due to the suspense attached I was constantly on my feet. The only disappointment I have from the show is not being able to K2’s real name.

The whole soundtrack of the show is so so good it be enough to make you want to watch the show. I love the soundtrack of the show so much that I usually have it playing on repeat. All in all, I love the show a lot and I do keep coming back to it.

Why Watch it?

- If you are looking for an action packed Kdrama
- If you are a Ji Chang Wook fan
- If you are a Im Yoon-ah fan
- If you are a Song Yoon-ah fan, trust me she’s too good in this
- If you like action entangled with romance and suspense
- Amazing Ost
- If you like female anti-heros who move the story forward

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the good, the bad and the controversial

THE GOOD
Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung
Let's talk about Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung's new k-drama Backstreet Rookie aka Convenience Store Saet Byul. Everything that's good, bad and controversial about this drama and if this drama is for you?
I am gonna be honest with you guys, I love Ji Chang Wook. So much so that I was counting days for him to come back from the military. So it’s very hard for me to accept that I haven’t liked his previous drama Melting Me Softly.

I was really dreading this one since they announced it because of the age difference between Wookie and his co-star Kim Yoo Jung. But that is just my personal issue and not at all a reason to not watch the drama. Kim Yoo Jung and Ji Chang Wook are both very talented, very good looking people who light up the screen when they are in it. I have really liked Kim Yoo Jung’s past dramas like Love in the moonlight and Clean With passion and in this drama as well she is as lovely.

Her character is of a short-tempered alpha-girl who takes no-nonsense and can kick people’s asses if required. Let's talk about Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung's new k-drama Backstreet Rookie aka Convenience Store Saet Byul. Everything that's good, bad and controversial about this drama and if this drama is for you?
I have never seen Wook in a comedy setting quite like this, his character is funny, simple, kind-hearted, a little dumb guy who can’t fight for himself.

He is such a talented actor that when he is on screen it’s hard for me to see him as the Wookie I have seen over the years playing characters who can kick asses of 30 men without breaking a sweat. In Backstreet Rookie, there is no Ji Chang Wook there is Choi Dae Hyun.

THE BAD
Style and Makeup
Let's talk about Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung's new k-drama Backstreet Rookie aka Convenience Store Saet Byul. Everything that's good, bad and controversial about this drama and if this drama is for you?
Here is my problem with the style and makeup team, you have two really good looking people on earth as your main lead and you decide to style them in really bad clothes and terrible makeup?

Let's talk about Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung's new k-drama Backstreet Rookie aka Convenience Store Saet Byul. Everything that's good, bad and controversial about this drama and if this drama is for you?
Like????? Have you seen Ji Chang Wook?? That man can look good in a potato sack but then you put him in big XXL size clothes he is swimming in them and dark circles to show he didn’t sleep?? I mean, he even looked hot when he was frozen for 20 years in Melting me softly. I am personally offended. And then there is this weird red makeup around eyes whenever a character is drunk. BAD. I don’t even want to talk about the nose bleed whenever someone gets hit (and there is at least a handful of character who gets hit in every episode, which, eh) and the way the side characters are being styled.

Writing
Let's talk about Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung's new k-drama Backstreet Rookie aka Convenience Store Saet Byul. Everything that's good, bad and controversial about this drama and if this drama is for you?
There is so much wrong with the writing of this drama that if I deep dive in it it will be a 1000 words of just me critiquing everything about it but I ain’t got no time for that (I mean I do but I am lazy and no one cares).

Some of my main issues with the drama:

Bad double meaning dialogues.
Physical fight scenes where characters can’t even have a normal human conversation without hurting each other.
Domestic abuse as comedy scenes, where a wife is beating up her husband or Kim Yoo Jung’s character is hitting drunk, sleeping Ji Chang Wook so much that he gets nose bleed when he wakes up the next day.
Worst of all, sexist, racist character (more on that below.)

The first time Jung Saet Byul and Choi Dae Hyun meet, Dae Hyun is drunk and Seat Byul is a 19-year-old high schooler and for no reason, I can understand, she decides to kiss this random drunk 20 something man she doesn’t even know without his consent and everyone is supposed to be swooning over it? She is even wearing her school dress. As an adult, I understand the problem here but what about the majority of teen audience watching this drama who might not get why it is wrong for a grown man and a teen girl to be romantically involved.

Let's talk about Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung's new k-drama Backstreet Rookie aka Convenience Store Saet Byul. Everything that's good, bad and controversial about this drama and if this drama is for you?
Dal Shik’s (played by Eum Moon Suk) intro in the drama is him drawing an erotic webtoon and flies living in his dreadlocks. Unfortunately, it does not get better eventually. There are so many problems with this character and even if I overlook everything, the dreadlocks and cultural appropriation is still unacceptable.

Not only that they decided to give this character dreadlocks they made it look so dirty that the flies live in it. It is insulting and hurtful to people. If you think this is just a style people like to do and it is not about race then please educate yourself. I am not attacking actor Eum Moon Suk, he is just playing a role that someone wrote as spoof and others went along with it. His character in Fiery Priest was my favourites every time he was on screen he made me laugh. Moon Suk is a talented actor and he doesn’t need this look to make a scene funny, he could have had normal look and still made the audience laugh.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Let's talk about Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung's k-drama Backstreet Rookie aka Convenience Store Saet Byul. Everything that's good, bad and controversial about this drama and if this drama is for you?
Despite all this, I don’t think this drama is so bad that it can’t be watched. If you like fun rom-com and can overlook all the problems above, you should definitely watch it. I am also watching it in the hope that it gets better eventually. As a long time, Ji Chang Wook fan, writing this review didn’t give me joy. I wish he would take better scripts from now on. He deserves better. All these actors deserve better.

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Watchable show !

It is clear that Novoland: Pearl Eclipse is a big budget production with elaborate costumes, great cinematography, and top stars as the leads. So, you can be assured that this would have a certain quality to make it watchable. Having said that, I think it still falls a little short compared to other top rated Chinese dramas in the past such as Nirvana In Fire and The Untamed. This is mainly because the story isn’t as riveting with the way it is told and edited.

As you watch, it is quite obvious that certain scenes have been cut that the story flow becomes disjointed. For instance, the leads are shown falling off a cliff in one episode but we are not told what happened thereafter. Then, they just reappeared a little while later with no explanation offered. Simply put, the editing is not perfectly done in this drama.

Apart from that, the story is not told in a straightforward manner. You are given bits of what happened in the past between the 2 male leads every now and then through flashbacks as well as dialogues. So, it takes time to piece everything together. Similarly, the protagonist’s plots are never fully revealed. You will only be shown half of it initially with his actions becoming questionable, only for it to take a different turn later on. The way he handled Zhe Liu is one example of this slow reveal kind of storytelling with a twist.

Perhaps this is a way to get viewers hooked to the drama but it does become a little overdone to me after a few times. The plot also doesn’t have enough excitement to pull this off successfully especially when those twists to the story tend to fall flat.

Master-Disciple Romance Plot
Novoland: Pearl Eclipse is really about master and disciple romance amidst a plot to overthrow the Emperor and the effort to flush out the moles within the palace. This is a slow burn romance as feelings have to be hidden due to the male lead’s blood bond with the Emperor. But he loved her immensely and was always thinking of her safety with enemies lurking around. He would often hide things from her to the extent of hurting her feelings in the name of protecting her from danger.

Therefore, you will get plenty of those torment on the girl’s part because she is always kept in the dark and thought that her master didn’t really love her. I guess if you like this kind of painful love and feel that hiding things to keep the girl safe is romantic, then Novoland: Pearl Eclipse will succeed in evoking those deep emotions within you. But if you are the type who prefers upright honesty from the hero rather than pushing her away in the name of love, then this will be a let down.

As for the power struggle, it is a collection of subplots that are not effectively fleshed out. It is not convoluted like the Legend Of Fei but it lacks depth with a few villains rather than one big bad guy. Basically, these villains are there to drive the romance of the main couple forward as their schemes would put the heroine in danger.

Leads’ Chemistry
Personally, I don’t see sizzling chemistry between Yang Mi and Willian Chan. In fact, I think Yang Mi has much better chemistry with Mark Chao in Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. Perhaps that is because Hai Shi and Fang Zhu’s romance is kind of forbidden and he is always hiding his feelings. Fang Zhu is also a very complex character with emotions being deeply buried in his heart. Hence, I feel that William Chan failed to flesh out the different layers of the character effectively. Most of the time, he just appears as icy and stiff but I think there is more to Fang Zhu than that as he is a tormented man who also has desire, guilt, and frustrations in him.

I think Xu Kai Cheng did a better job with his character and I much prefer his acting here than the one in A Female Student Arrives At The Imperial College. At the very least, he could portray the dark and lonely side of Emperor Xu rather convincingly. In fact, I get the feeling that William Chan seems to have better chemistry with him than with Yang Mi in the drama.

As for Yang Mi, she still could play a girlish character well despite her age. I guess this is nothing new to her as she was also playing a cross-dresser with a mischievous personality in the first part of Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. Being a seasoned actress, she could switch effortlessly from being girlish to being regal and back again as the story requires. It is just a pity that her chemistry with William Chan feels a little muted. Otherwise, this would be a much more memorable drama.

The Imperfect Ending (Spoilers Alert!)
For me, the ending is merely okay. It is realistic because it is Fang Zhu’s fate to be tied to the emperor of the day as the Fang clan has been for centuries. But at the same time, it lacks that finality that viewers crave for regarding Fang Zhu and Hai Shi’s relationship. While I’m not hard up for a happily ever after, I would have preferred for the screenwriters to give us some indication as to the nature of their relationship at the end.

As it is, it is really up to you how you want to see the couple and imagine their future. Personally, the ending has a bittersweet tinge to it with both of them still alive but sacrificing their carefree lives together for the sake of their friends’ young son.

My Verdict – Good To Watch!
While Novoland: Pearl Eclipse has its flaws, it is still a highly watchable drama. It could have been more highly rated if the editing is better and scenes are not cut out unnecessarily so much so that the third couple becomes an afterthought towards the end. But I guess the positive consequence from it is that the drama becomes less dragged out. The story flows pretty fast at times which minimizes boredom.

This is also not a fluffy kind of romance drama but neither is it as tormenting as One And Only. But it is certainly far from sweet like your typical rom-coms. The main couple has lots of interactions but few loving scenes in the entire 48 episodes. Maybe that could make some viewers feel the love more deeply as every one of these rare moments naturally become precious. There are a few kissing scenes but nothing too steamy either. It is not that kind of romance drama that relies on passion to drive the story but rather unexpressed love and devotion.

For this Novoland: Pearl Eclipse review, the score I would give is 7.5/10. It lacks that riveting feel to me unlike The Long Ballad because the story relies too much on pushing-the-girl-away-to-protect-her trope to drive it. Nevertheless, this is not a bad production overall. Despite the weaknesses, you will still be drawn to the story because you will want to know what will happen to the 3 couples and the moles’ identity. It is not a gripping saga but has enough anticipation and twists to make you sit through to the end.

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Watchable But Draggy!

Ashes Of Love has lots of fans worldwide and many think that it is a top rated drama. I concur that the plot is intriguing. A female who is incapable of love because of an elixir lodged in her heart being fought over by 2 powerful immortals who are half-siblings do make a compelling story. There is a lot of depth to the tale apart from the typical jealousy angle. It is also well-told unlike Love Of Thousand Years which wasted a good storyline.

Furthermore, the main characters grow as the drama progresses. This means they are not so one-dimensional to me but develop as they go through heartaches and bitter experiences. Run Yu is the most interesting one to me although you may have your own favorite Ashes Of Love character. The production team did a good job to make viewers understand and sympathize with Run Yu. It is not easy to make viewers love a villain but I think they managed to do it pretty well in this drama. You can kind of feel his pain.

Acting And Chemistry
I’m fine with the acting and chemistry of the main leads. They did a good job with the casting. Leo Luo shines in his Run Yu role. He personifies the ‘still water runs deep’ kind of character really well. He can appear gentle and kind but also quietly sinister with just his facial expression. I also like his portrayal of Rong Qi in Princess Silver. Leo Luo seems to be very adept at portraying this kind of tragic role. It would be interesting to see him in And The Winner Is Love next.

Allen Deng Lun and Yang Zi are also able to create the right chemistry as a couple. Their interactions with each other flow naturally on-screen especially during their trials in the Mortal Realm. At least, I can root for them despite their character flaws. I have no complaints about Yang Zi’s acting although her character can be kind of annoying in the beginning. Perhaps it is a little overdone by the actress but I’m prepared to fault the character that she is given rather than her acting ability. As for Allen Deng, I think he lacks the dark side aura on-screen to be a convincing demon. He certainly could have done a better job with it in my opinion.

I guess the character everyone hates the most must be Empress Tu Yao. Kathy Chow must have done a good job playing that role if everyone ends up hating her! She is a veteran actress and I guess there is nothing much that she can’t handle. She emits so much hatred and evilness just by her glare which she typically uses for this kind of role. Kathy Chow is also in Heaven Sword And Dragon Sabre 2019 and the same expressive glare is present there as well.

What I Don’t Like About Ashes Of Love
Having mentioned what I like about this drama, I should also add what I dislike about it. I don’t like that it is 63 episodes in length. It is too long that the pacing is a little slow to my liking at times. They could have easily reduced it by 5 episodes, if not more, especially in the first half of the story. Jin Mi’s naivete seems to go on endlessly when they have already made a point from the very beginning that she has been fed the Yun Elixir. So, I can understand why some viewers find Jin Mi to be highly irritating. Perhaps the producers have overstretched the fact that she is ignorant.

The other drama that is slightly longer than Ashes Of Love is Legend Of Fuyao with 66 episodes. The difference is Legend Of Fuyao is more than just romance. There is also a lot of palace intrigues and power struggles in that drama. On the other hand, most of the happenings in Ashes Of Love revolve around Jin Mi. So, if you prefer more sub-plots for this kind of epic tales, Ashes Of Love could end up feeling very draggy. The story keeps getting bogged down by Jin Mi’s ignorance.

As for the romance which is what this drama is all about, it still lags behind Eternal Love Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms for me. The love story of the main couple in Eternal Love is more straightforward. In Ashes Of Love, you have 2 immortals fighting for Jin Mi and going to war over her which is kind of over the top. Add in the fact that Jin Mi was having an affair with Xu Feng while still betrothed to Run Yu also stains the romance in a way.

My Verdict
So, is Ashes Of Love worth watching after all? Well, I would still recommend it if you can put up with a very innocent female character for about 20 episodes or so. Some people like to watch decisive and intelligent heroines like the one in Legend Of Yun Xi. You don’t find it in Jin Mi who is more on the cute and innocent end of the scale. But the plot itself is interesting and unique which is why I still recommend a watch for this Ashes Of Love review.

Overall, I would give this drama a rating of 7.5/10. Be prepared for it to be draggy or even irritated by the female character. But it picks up gradually and Jin Mi also becomes more matured as the drama progresses. You just need to sit through it until you get there! Watch it for the story and Run Yu’s transformation but skip it if you really can’t stand naive heroines.

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Not Worth The Time

After watching all the 30 episodes of Cute Programmer, I can only conclude that there is nothing cute about this drama at all. I will try not to rant and be fair in my assessment but I really cannot recommend a watch for this one. There are a few reasons why which I will elaborate below. Anyway, this is not a cross-dressing romance drama like My Unicorn Girl even though it might look like one in the initial episode. Lu Li’s gender is already fully exposed by Episode 5 and the cross-dressing plot stops there.

Therefore, if you like the female pretending to be male trope in your romance dramas, Cute Programmer will not be a good choice at all. Neither does it focus much on the programming aspect or the business side of things unlike My Bargain Queen. It is pure romance with the relationship between the leads being central to the whole drama. There is nothing wrong with a romance-driven drama except that everything just turns out to be mediocre in Cute Programmer.

Recycled Plot
The plot itself is a rehashed of common themes in the romance genre. So, you will find cross-dressing in the first few episodes, then a contract marriage and co-habitation followed by a jealous ex returning. If you have watched enough of Chinese rom-coms and romance dramas, I think you can pretty much get an idea of what Cute Programmer entails.

While it is okay to have recycled plots, they must be done in a way that is sensible to viewers. For this drama, a lot of things don’t exactly appear as sensible or logical. Hence, you will have a cross-dresser masquerading as a male being able to get a job in a tech company without anyone questioning her gender. You will also have the female lead agreeing to marry the male lead when he obviously doesn’t even like her. Basically, it is the type of drama that you have to overlook the details if you want to enjoy it. I’m not too fussy about details at times but when other factors also start to weigh down the overall enjoyment of the story, that is when it goes downhill for me.

Badly Written Characters
I think the way the characters are written is the main turn off that kills this drama. Yi Cheng is someone who is childish and easily irritated. He is not evil or cruel. Conversely, he is a kind man behind all the harsh words and actions. However, he is also an insensitive fellow and lacks communication skills. So, some of his actions towards Lu Li border on petty bullying as he shows his irritation. Viewers’ patience with him will be further tested when his ex-girlfriend shows up as this will then shows his stupidity.

Lu Li’s character is not much better. I wouldn’t say she is like a doormat but simply nonsensical. She has a long-term crush on Yi Cheng but to cross-dress as a man to join his company is simply silly. There is nothing in Yi Cheng that is worth hanging on to for 5 years as he doesn’t even know who she is before she joins the company. But Lu Li is made out to be a girl who is hopelessly in love who doesn’t mind marrying someone who doesn’t like her. She even tolerates his bad attitude towards her most of the time.

I guess the redeeming quality in these 2 characters is that they do eventually grow to be more matured. But you will have to sit through more than 20 episodes to see that happen.

Some of the supporting characters are no better. Gu Mo is a guy who would use his brother status to secretly scare away all of Xiao Qi’s suitors. And he has been doing that since her high school days without her knowledge to chase away his love rivals. I don’t know how this kind of controlling behavior could sound romantic but that is how it is in the drama.

Leads Lack Chemistry
Personally, I cannot detect enough chemistry between Xing Zhao Lin and Bambi Zhu for this romance drama to flourish. Sometimes, even with a simple plot, a sizzling chemistry can make a huge difference in a romance drama as can be seen in You Are My Glory and My Little Happiness. But the couple in my Cute Programmer simply fails to inspire. It is as if they are just going through the motions to deliver their lines without really getting into the feeling of being lovers.

I don’t know if it is the problem with the script, the badly written characters or the acting. Perhaps it is a combination of all 3. If the plot and characters are top notch, the average chemistry displayed could probably still pass muster. But when the other factors are equally mediocre, then the lack of chemistry becomes amplified here.

My Verdict – Watch Something Else Instead
Cuteness is certainly not the hallmark of this drama especially when you have a jealous ex lurking around for about 10 episodes. That is more annoyance than cuteness. There is not much of sugar and fluff either as the love is very much one-sided for three-quarters of the story. So, if you want to see cuteness and sweetness, you are much better off watching Forever And Ever or even a typical rom-com like Sweet Teeth.

Having said that, I understand there are plenty of Xing Zhao Lin’s fans out there who might still give this a go. Well, if you reduce your expectations, this might still be watchable without too much complaints. As long as you can shy away from dissecting the characters’ antics and behaviors, this could work for you. Furthermore, if you see bickering, harmless jealousy, and childishness as romantic, then you would probably be able to enjoy it to a certain extent .

For this Cute Programmer review, I would give it a score of 5.5/10. I’m not going to recommend a watch for this one unless you are a diehard fan of the leads. There are just too many weaknesses to drag the drama down that it is difficult to say that it is worth the time especially when it is 30 episodes long. The whole story is predictable and I don’t think it will resonate with the more matured viewers. If you are going to watch it, just think of it as pure entertainment and switch off your brain for better enjoyment!

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Light, cute, easy watch

If you’re looking for a lakorn that is different and is a little lighter and fluffier than most lakorns then this drama is for you. There are no slap kisses, no evil mother in laws, no domineering male lead, no over the top crazy drama that makes you want to throw your tv across the room, and no long term couple separations. It’s an unusual lakorn that is lighthearted and funny. That’s not to say there’s no angst, sadness, or melodrama. It’s just that the sad or dramatic parts of the drama don’t last too long and there’s lots of really good comedy interspersed throughout. So let’s talk about what I liked and didn’t like.

What I liked:
The chemistry of the main leads was what made this drama work. Seeing the male lead try so hard to seduce his wife throughout a good deal of the drama was adorable (even though she’s sassy she’s shy about sex because she’s a virgin). He really nailed his pouting scenes (adorable) and his seductive scenes too. And I just want to thank the producers for all of the multiple gratuitous shirtless scenes. Those abs were a work of art (sigh).

And the way he would flex his pecs and make his chest jump when she stared at it was so cute! I loved the sassiness of the female lead. She always stood up for herself and was able to kick some butt if needed. I also liked that she wasn’t some poor needy girl off the streets. She was well educated from a good family and she was confident in herself. It was easy to like her personality. And it was pleasant to watch a drama that didn’t take itself too seriously. The comedy was top notch. I liked that even though there were evil characters doing bad things most issues got resolved rather quickly. There was angst and sorrow and bad guys pulling all types of stuff but it was never drawn out for too long.

What I didn’t like:
Even though I liked the female leads character and her sassiness, she was a bit too rough. She was always hitting the male lead for one reason or another and it was a little too much (though he usually deserved it because he didn’t understand women and didn’t respect her feelings.) I also didn’t like the crazy girl that was obsessed with the male lead. Why is there always a crazy female that’s been obsessed with the male lead her whole life in every drama?

And almost every time the male lead has never liked her or even given her the time of day yet she still obsesses over him. It’s so unrealistic and unoriginal. One other thing that I often complain about in romantic dramas is the kissing scenes. And yes, these kissing scenes were the typical lock your lips and stare at each other type of kisses. Not realistic at all.
Even though I loved the ending and how sweet it was, I wasn’t a fan of it turning into a musical for the last ten or so minutes. I’m sure most people loved it but it wasn’t my cup of tea. It was a little too cheesy for me.

Overall this was a very good drama. Lots of romance, great comedy, good plot, and just enough angst and drama to make it interesting without going over the top and stressing me out. It’s not perfect but it’s definitely worth watching.

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I have never finished a Thai drama, actually that’s not true, I have finished Oh My Ghost, but that was partly due to me not having finished the original Oh My Ghost and thus did not find it to be as atrocious as anyone who loved the original had. Also I don’t count remakes because you already know what’s going to happen and you keep watching to see how this version chooses to do it. So like I said, I have never finished a Thai drama.. That is until Boy For Rent.

You all must be thinking, what possessed me to even start watching this shit and honestly I was just bored one Sunday afternoon, saw the title and decided, “fuck it” and twelve episodes later here I am writing a review.

This story is just incredulous to say the least. So many plot holes and inconsistency and I don’t just mean with Liz’s hair that literally goes from brown to black in every damn scene. I mean we know that scenes aren’t film in a continuous sequence but could they at least tell home girl not to die her hair during the middle of filming?!?! It was so distracting! But anyways story is straight up on crack. This is story is about prostitution, yes point blank, plain and simple, this is prostitution. They pay money to rent these boys and then they are basically their properties until the contract is up. So that is why I was not surprised to see that almost every episode had some form of fucked up shit in it? We had Smile almost getting rape at least ten times, and no I am not exaggerating. We had scenes that were quite questionable when it comes to consent. The twist at the end was just straight what the actual fuck and made me wonder if everything was going on over at GMM ONE studios.. Like lmfao y’all tried it.

The characters.. SIGHS. Okay so let’s start with Smile. I don’t like naïve leads, not that there is anything wrong with women who are kind, and sweet, but listen.. Smile was every bit that childish girl that Kyro said, I literally wanted to reach into my laptop screen and smack the dumbass a few times. I don’t think she really developed character wise in all honesty. It was like she went from a nerd to a nerd with a boyfriend. Badz, bless his soul, was your typical handsome male lead. The problems that he created with Liz could have been resolved by COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND. He does have a banging body though (pretty sure it was in Mond’s contract to take the shirt off every episode and I am not complaining.) Liz was a dumb bitch, but not in the dumb cute way that Smile was, but like a proper dumb bitch.. Once again all her issues with Badz would’ve been solved had she just communicated.. Just think for a while, your girl says she saw your man with another girl and you don’t confront him? You’re just like “uhh cool, let me rent a prostitute to cheat with then” like nah girl, first we confront his ass and then we fuck his best friend. Kyro was the caricature of a bad boy who finds a woman that changes him with daddy issues.*yawn*

At this point you’re probably wondering how it was possible that I finished it and if I was hate-watching like I tend to do sometimes, but the truth is that I am in love with Badz and Smile’s chemistry or I guess Mond and Fon. I couldn’t get enough of it. I wanted to see them at all times and watch them be absolutely fucking moronic with each other because they were so freaking cute. I legit skipped all Liz and Kyro scenes cause I could not give any less of a fuck about anything either of the two did. I eagerly waited on my subs just so I could watch these cuties and I don’t regret it all. Matter of fact, if there is someone out there who can just cut all the Liz and Kyro scenes from the drama and make the show solely about Badz and Smile, I would very much appreciate it.

I MEAN LOOK AT THEM !

Acting: 6.5/10
Production Value: 6/10
Music: N/A
Story: 5.5/10
Overall Rating: 6/10

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