I remember one Christmas Eve I was invited to have dinner with friends and family at a family member’s house who served American and Asian food for our holiday dinner. The house and the dinner table were beautifully decorated with soft candle lights and hints of Christmas décor combined with Asian accent pieces. The change-up felt warm, it felt special, it was visually delicious, and the food was excellent.

This drama gave me the same feelings that I felt that night on Christmas eve experiencing the fusion of two cultures, two stories, two types of cuisine, and a visually titillating setting which made the holiday feel even more joyous and special.

This drama definitely gives you the feeling of a story that is told as two different Acts. The first half of the story felt like a cute Rom-Com, but at the half-way point, the drama unexpectedly transitioned into a suspense/thriller. The transition from Act 1 to Act 2 was well done but always felt a bit uncomfortable because it was unexpected, and the tone of the drama went from light and easy to dark and heavy. This drama seizes your attention quickly in the opening minutes of the first episode and does not let go.

This is a story of two people who made their living in the alcohol industry. Lei Wei Xun is a famous wine critic and expert sommelier. He Bu Zui is a young lady who has an unbelievable tolerance level for consuming alcohol and never gets drunk no matter how much alcohol she consumes. She makes a living by attending drinking contests and consistently can drink any competitor “under the table” until only one person is standing at the end of the contest. At the contest’s end, He Bu Zui is always standing as the victor. The writers of this drama did a nice job quickly establishing how vastly different the two leads are as people, as personalities, and in lifestyle----but then one day they meet quite by accident. When they meet, Lei Wei saves He Bu Zui’s life from a car accident. In the process of pulling Bu Zui away from danger, she falls on top of Lei Wei and the two accidentally kiss each other. The kiss proves to be magical and destined by the heavens because what transpires next changes their lives forever.

The kiss exchanges their skill sets between each other. Now the two main characters have to enter into a contractual work relationship for their careers to survive but require at times more kissing 😊!!!! The uncomfortable closeness that they have to have with each other causes them to become fond of each other, but separation comes before love can fully bloom; then in the second half of the drama, a hunt begins for a necessary truth that they hope will be able to return their lives back to normal. In the end, the lights turn back on, love and warmth return to the screen, and a happy ending is delivered.

I think you will find the lead actress Ye Rin Song, also known as Iriene Song, to be a pint-size container of cuteness filled with bright energy and warmth. Her bio is also extremely interesting---she is a citizen of both China and Canada, she can speak fluent Mandarin, French, and English, and her rise to film stardom in China has given her the recognition and title of being “The Nation’s Little Sister.” She is a real cutie pie. They matched her well with another rising star in Gong Jun, also known as Simon Gong. Simon has starred in two well-received 2020 productions—“Begin Again” and “Love Equations.” Simon has Gentleman Quarterly looks (GQ Magazine) and can play well the role of the arrogant, aloof, and self-centered CEO type but can also transition well into being the loving, caring, and protective boyfriend. I think you will love the two lead actors on-screen but their co-stars Dai Chow (who played Yi NanKe) and the gorgeous Zhang Yu Qing (who played Mi Ya) almost stole the show with their story, talent, and performance on screen. Actually, I thought their love story had a bit more intrigue and realism than the leading couple’s.

I deducted a point from the final rating due to using a title to the drama that is totally misleading to the essence of the story. Viki ought to rename this drama back to the original title given to the drama, and the one used in the opening credits. The title of this drama is actually “Flavour, It’s Yours.” Also, there were a few times that the drama needed to pick up its pace in telling the story; however, it is still worth the watch to see some really good-looking actors on screen who gave us very entertaining performances.

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DISCLAIMER BEFORE YOU START: Forget everything you know about Dong Hua and Fengjiu’s story in Eternal Love/TMOPB since that was entirely made up due to lack of copyrights. This drama actually depicted what happened in the novel Pillow Book!!!

I loved TMOPB so much so I was very excited to watch this sequel! And boy, I can say that it really delivered! A 1000000000 out of 10 in my book :).

- FIRST AND FOREMOST, Dilraba Dilmurat and Vengo Gao’s chemistry, starting as a red nine-tailed fox & the almighty Dijun to being the true power couple at the end, was palpable and heart-fluttering! Their chemistry alone, with expressive eyes, facial expressions and subtle movements, made this drama a win for me. We got a Fengjiu who courageously follows her heart through many realms, non-hesitantly sacrifices herself for that one and only love and bravely proves her worth to not only be the head of Qing Qiu but also as his Imperial Lord’s partner. Then we got a Dong Hua who unexpectedly falls hard in love, surprisingly becomes a puppy sick in love and boldly shields her from any trouble that comes her way. Together, they made the perfect OTP: they fought, misunderstood, hurt, made up, trusted and loved each other ever so strongly in this “nonexistent” fate. After all, age is just a number (hopefully this is also true for their off-screen relationship as well - praying hard for this ship to sail and dock) and fate is truly what people make of it.

- The cast itself is nothing short of amazing (huge props to the production company for keeping original FJ)! I definitely think Reba and Vengo have personally grown as actor/actress since their TMOPB performance and truly perfected their characters (most of the time, you won’t even feel that they were acting at all and you’ll see A LOT of real life, intimate ear rubs, hand caresses, waist hugging 🤗). And believe me when I say the chemistry try is sizzling here - being a diehard fan for each individual actor for so long , I haven’t seen Reba and Vengo have ever come close to having this kind of “chemistry” with other leads in their long experiences of acting haha. All the supporting actors, esp Xiao Yan and the Third Highness Lian Song, were a bunch of hilarious love-stricken idiots that provided much needed comedy relief during sad times. The villains were still formidable in both annoyance and tenacity levels (*cough cough* I’m looking at you Ji Heng 🙄). All together, each character had time and playground to develop their own stories and each was perfectly orchestrated into the storyline. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that most of them were pretty nice eye candies (even the evil ones lol).

- The plot itself is definitely a lot more well-paced and well-developed compared to their story in TMOPB. It had fun, suspenseful, heart-wrenching as well as heart-warming moments packed with a lot of actions! I really liked how the whole story mainly revolved around FJ and DH without feeling too overbearing - you’ll learn about DH’s background, his perseverance (and his thick-skin) to be the respected person he is today, FJ’s growth and maturity which often excludes jealousy but includes self-acceptance of who she is as a person and how these two polar opposite characters crossed paths in different realms.

- Amazing cinematography with excellent OSTs (one of our main OST was sung by Reba herself!). Film sets looked more polished in this drama and outfits were nicely put together that matched with the setting and the scenes!

- Excellent adaptation from the book! This is one of those scenarios where the drama adaptation stayed pretty true to the book and explained some of the details sooooo much better and more concise. The drama weaved a lot of the plot holes together and made the story so much more flowing!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel (even better than TMOPB *gasp at myself for saying this* even tho TMOPB was my top fav for a longgg time) probably because I can now ship the OTP in real life lol. All jokes aside, I felt the plot was more focused, leads have an AMAZINGLY REAL CHEMISTRY, it had a lot more funny moments that I didn’t expect, enlightened the book to another level of excellence and the angst was, if not more, painful (however rewarding) compared to TMOPB. I went into watching this as a filler for my TMOPB withdrawal and ended up binge watching it for the 10 million time today so I highly recommend this series for everyone!

COMPARISON TO SIMILAR FANTASY ROMANCE CHARACTERS: It’s actually really hard for main leads, one being thousand years old and stoic/indifferent vs the other one being extremely young and innocent/sheltered, to pull off toe-tingling, believable chemistry on screen (Watch Love & Destiny with similar aforementioned characters for comparison since leads there didn’t quite accomplish what our Vengo & Reba did). That’s why ELOD still stands FAR apart from other xianxia dramas! So let me forever be trapped in this Dream of Eternal Love ❤️

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My impression of the first 10 episodes can be summed up in one word – infuriating! But, on the bright side, we’ve gotten Xia Yan separated from her scumbag boyfriend. The series begins with Xiao Lei finding out that her fiancé had a chick on the side, thus ending her wedding, but this guy was an angel compared to Lin Hao. By the end of episode 10, I absolutely loathed this guy. Not only was he the boy toy of a married woman, but he allows everyone to believe that Xia Yan’s relationship with President Xu is the reason for their break-up, acting as though he’s the injured party. He's a despicable coward who has the unfortunate ability to look innocent in those glasses.

To add gasoline to this hot mess of infidelity, we also have vindictive b****** (VBs) bursting at the seams. XY’s first boss installed his mistress as XY's boss, causing XY to jump ship when Xu’s company offers her an interview. However, Director Xue has the hots for Xu so she does everything in her power to keep XY from being hired. Thus, VB#2 makes her appearance, and you’ve got to ask yourself – why the hell would anyone accept a position, no matter how good the pay or opportunity, when you’ve got another VB just waiting to take you down? You’re jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

As for Xia Yan’s friends: I like the maturity of the doctor, Xiang Nan, but I find the love match the scriptwriter created for her a bit odd. I love the combination of Xiao Lei with the older, divorced bookshop owner – they seem perfect for each other. I’m hoping the scriptwriter won’t disappoint me, but I won’t bet my life on it. She's showing signs of Lin Hao worship. As for Han Shuang, I dislike her. The only reason she’s not in the VB category right now is because she’s one of the friends.

Despite what I said above, I’m giving this drama 9 stars, based purely on the likeability of Xia Yan and President Xu (Cheng Yi). XY is one of those rare gems – a mature C-drama heroine…although she does have an unfortunate tendency to wear her skirts/shorts too short. Also, kudos to her and Xiao Lei for not having any stuff animals sitting around their living room. But tell me - what is it with C-dramas and Chanel? This is the third drama where someone has been wearing Chanel jewelry! As for Cheng Yi, he’s another rare gem – a CEO who’s not an unemotional, overbearing jerk. Right now, he’s actually a pretty decent guy although he could have told her the truth about that night at the hotel when she woke up. I’ll keep watching this drama for these two. I’m hoping now that we’ve gotten rid of the scumbag boyfriend, XY can start to fall in love with a guy worthy of her affection, but of course, we still have a slew of VBs waiting in the wings to wreak havoc and cause me to reach for the Nerf bricks.

Episode 14: Shuang has just gone up in my esteem since Xiaolei plummeted to last place. A divorced dad you can't accept but a cheating, mentally unstable creep is ok? I'm really disappointed in this character.

Episode 17-18: VB#2 makes her move. Lin Hao needs counseling. Prediction: Ling Wei is going to show up at some point. The ex always shows up in C-dramas unless they're dead.

Ep 19-22: And, as predicted, the ex flies in on her broom! Where the hell is the company's apology to Xia Yan for falsely accusing her? I love Xu, but he's such a nice guy I worry that lingering feelings for VB3 will blind him to her true character. Shuang's right - Xiaolei is stupid.

Ep 23-24: Still infuriating. I fast forwarded thru most of it. I can see breaking with your friends over a man who's worthy, but everyone knows Lin Hao is a cheating weasel so Xiaolei is just a gullible fool, a really pathetic character. Shuang's impulsive marriage is crazy and typical of her.

Ep 27-30: This is an utterly exasperating hot mess! If it wasn't for MC, I'd drop it. Shuang's a psycho - totally controlled by her emotions, and Xiaolei is absolutely pathetic. And they saved the ultimate VB for last since you just know Ling Wei is behind all this. I'm removing another star bc these episodes were just unbelievably crazy.

Ep 31-32: More stars coming off. Thank God there's only a few more episodes left in this train wreck. How many times is SG going to falsely accuse XY in the same sterile, stainless room with the same jerk? Bet she doesn't get an apology this time either.

Ep 33-34: Apparently, President Yan is the only smart, clear-thinking man in this disaster. Too bad he's not ML. I hate to say it but Cheng Yi is too nice a guy. So, our finale can be summed up as VB Strikes Back and Return of the VB.

Final thoughts: President Yan is the best character. 35 episodes of hot chaos and you couldn't have a better ending for MC? At least, MC didn't let misunderstandings/other people separate them - just career opportunities. Hate this trend in dramas where career trumps love.

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Minor spoilers included.

This series is going to put you through a rollercoaster of emotions!

First, the plot. The story goes from innocent flirting in the countryside while killing demons to sect politics discussing marriages to a full-blown war between the three realms and the imminent destruction of all existence without you even noticing how it got there. Even though some things are not explained in all detail, it does not affect the logic of the plot too much. Another note: While The Untamed (if you haven’t watched this, what are you even doing with your life?) focused on the question “What is evil?”, this series questions “Who is evil?” and it is very well done without being too much in the foreground. Series with a well explored ethical question among their plot are usually very good and this series is no exception.

Second, the Characters. They are so well done. Not only the main characters who are often opposing even sect leaders to do what they think is right (which is very refreshing) but especially the support characters. They really earned the *support* in their title. Whenever you are shouting frustrated at your screen because of another misunderstanding or THAT guy (we will come to him later), usually one of the support characters will come and call everyone out on their bullsh* or explain things (which is sooo satisfying). You will love many of these characters!

There are three villains in this series. You will probably love Wu Tong if you know him from Word of Honor (there, he is Ye Baiyi) and he is lovingly hatable. The second villain is your normal standard I-want-to-conquer-the-world-because-of-reasons villain. Not too bad and you despise him normally. And *then* there is THAT guy. At first, you will find him annoying, later you will stop having any affection for this guy before you begin to hate him. And then he just does not stop. Whatever hope you had for him, for humanity he will just sink lower and lower. Multiple times you will find yourself thinking that he reached the bottom but think again! There he is, ruining everything and everyone while being convinced to be in the right *all the time*. Never was a villain so despicable or hatable. Props to the actor but I just hate you!

Third, a few shoutouts. The costumes are soo beautiful. Especially the armor and visual effects for the Gold Birds. Also the fights are usually very nice to look at and some of them are simply epic, not only in choreography but also just visuals. Then we have Lord Teng She who is just so great and unfortunately only joining the cast after the first half of the show. Luckily, there are some minor scenes before that to allow you to board the ship with Green Dragon (you’ll know what I mean).

Flaws. To be honest, it would be really interesting to watch this series again and count the times Sifeng is spitting blood. It’s number really can only be matched by the times Xuan Ji shouts ”Sifeng”. You will definitely notice after some time and maybe roll your eyes. Also, Sifeng should probably spend 0,00001 second near THAT guy to learn enough about selfishness to not sacrifice himself every time he sees an opportunity for that. We all know, it is kind of normal for a male lead to be selfless and self-sacrificing but *come on* Sifeng!

Also, not really a flaw, but prepare to suffer! There are so many misunderstandings and overheard-conversations that need some time to be resolved. Until then you will contemplate your life-choices and ask yourself why you are doing this to yourself in the first place. Luckily, a support character will usually save you from your misery. And you get a lot of fluff for compensation later.

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Our Secret is a type of youth drama that would bring you down memory lane. It emits a nostalgic feeling if you have left school because of the realistic portrayal of a student’s life. High school and campus romances tend to be a bore because of the repetitive storylines. But this one is a rare exception because the way the story is told will draw you in to follow the couple’s progress and growing up pains. There is no exaggeration to take away the seemingly ordinary life of the protagonists. This is what gives the drama a healthy dose of realism.

In short, if you like youth dramas, this should be one of the better ones to watch. There are no cheesy cliches like those found in My Unicorn Girl. Neither does it weigh you down with plenty of melodrama like in Go Ahead. There are sad moments but nothing so dramatic that an ordinary high school student is unable to overcome. The couple is cute and this is what most viewers would be looking for in a youth drama like this one.

Simple But Realistic Plot
I think many people would be able to relate to the main characters in Our Secret. They are teenagers and hence, you will find issues like quarrels with parents, bickering with sibling, making friends, exam pressures, course choices, and of course, first love being part and parcel of the drama. Except for the relationship between the leads, the rest of the issues are not explored in depth but naturally weaved into the story to provide viewers with a more comprehensive understanding of their lives. They also help to build the characters’ development as the story progresses.

With only 24 episodes, the drama doesn’t get bogged down with unnecessary details and long-winded subplots of all the issues mentioned above. Hence, the story is easy to follow. It is akin to the daily life of a high school student who develops feelings for the boy sitting next to her and vice-versa.

Great Acting
I think both the leads did a great job in portraying their characters. Chen Zhe Yuan seems like a natural fit as Si Yue with his smirks and air of indifference. Si Yue’s character is not cold and arrogant but neither is he friendly and warm. He is somewhere in between. Chen Zhe Yuan manages to give Si Yue this balance so that he appears just like the typical boy next door.

Rainbow Xu is not an experienced actress but she is still able to make Ding Xian looks timid and introverted as required. She captures the essence of the character with the way she speaks and her mannerisms. Thus, both of them provide viewers with very realistic characters with the way they depict their roles. Their chemistry as a high school couple is evident in the drama. There is no skinship given that they are students then but their interactions are sweet and cute to give off a feeling of an innocent romance.

Well-Written Characters
Our Secret is different from some other idol dramas like Love 020 which has unrealistically perfect characters. Ding Xian is like your typical teenager who is anxious in a new school and has to learn how to make friends. She is weak in Maths and doesn’t know how to refuse others. Si Yue is brainy and confident of his abilities but still has his moments of self-doubt.

The characters are written in a way that matches real life with their flaws. Yet, they do not end up being annoying. Instead, they easily entice viewers to root for them. There is also room for growth as they mature to become adults. In short, the main characters are not one-dimensional but have depth to their personalities.

My Verdict – Engaging For The Young
I think it is clear that Our Secret will easily resonate with the younger viewers especially those who are still studying or have just left school. This is simply because the story is very typical of what a teenager would face in real life. However, for the older viewers, this might be a tad draggy. Their high school life spans 15 episodes which means if you don’t enjoy high school romances, this would not be as engaging. It is different from Forever Love which has a much shorter school life arc and a more matured couple.

On top of that, I find a few episodes in the later part of the drama to be unnecessary. The obsession of the female lead to be with the male lead and his hesitance towards a relationship with her are unnecessary. This is where it falters to me when it has been going rather well for the most part. The second arc doesn’t have the same depth as the first and has a quicker pace. The screenwriter tries to incorporate more issues in their university life which I just don’t think add much value to the plot.

I would give a score of 7.5/10 for this Our Secret review. The start will immediately make you curious about the couple’s story. The girl expresses her feelings right at the beginning but got rejected. The story is then told as a flashback for 15 episodes. So, watch it if you don’t mind stepping into a teenage girl’s world and the experience of developing feelings for the boy next door. But skip it if you are looking for a more matured romance because the slow-moving school life will bore you.

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Its a witchy romance all about a witch and her fate with a human. It started 25.years ago when they were children. They never even met at the time but the girls hair used to save the life of a boy that was kidnapped but had wander off from his captor. He is found by the girls grandma, witches who saved him because he was a child.
The boy grew up to be an arrogant, audacious, haughty, overbearing, domineering and also handsome man who through his powerful and wealthy means purchased the home and restaurant of these three witches. This made them powerless against him and he moved into the home with them and caused them to be his servants.
So in plain sight in bustling Seoul, three generations of witches have been living below the radar of everyone around them. Kang Cho Hong operates a restaurant with her fellow witches, Maeng Ye Soon and Jo Aeng Doo. They try to keep a low profile, but Cho Hong’s youthful good looks attract the attention of a neighborhood guy, Hwang Jae Wook, who is constantly trying to get close to her. He is a writer and he is writing about them and their lives as witches in his imagination. Cho Hong and her fellow witches’ quiet lives become complicated when their building landlord, Ma Sung Tae, shows up one day. Sung Tae wants to face a traumatic incident that happened to him in that building when he was a little boy. With Sung Tae nosing around their business on a regular basis, can Cho Hong keep her true identity a secret from him?
Kang Cho-Hong (Yoon So-Hee) works as a delivery woman for a Korean food restaurant. She is a witch and she always finds herself in the business of others.
Kang Cho-Hong loses her witch powers after she was betrayed by a man she loved.(That is right the guy in the bank) So she goes to powerful black witch to get them back. Similar to Ursula in “The Little Mermaid”the witch wants something personal that contains the owners, stories, memories, histories, tears, affections she does not want the expensive large silver plate but instead takes her mother’s keepsake rings on a sliver chain around her neck, the rings are a love token of her mother and father. Kang Cho-Hong doesn’t want to give it to her but wants her powers back so she reluctantly relinquishes it to her. The Black Witch Hwa Ja told Cho Hong that she could regain her witch powers if she kisses the man of her destiny. After hearing this, Cho Hong started to fall for Sung Tae despite the fact that her destined love was actually Jae Wook ,the writer,(played by VIXX’s Hongbin). When her grandmas Ye Soon (played by Kim Young Ok) and Aeng Doo (played by Go Soo Hee) found out about this, they demanded that she break up with Sung Tae.

Sung Tae has been haunted by the memories of his abduction involving a two-story building and a mysterious woman. After he became an adult, he started to investigate the case on his own and found a building that closely resembled the one in his memory. This building turned out to be the soup restaurant run by Cho Hong and her grandmas. After it was revealed that the three witches were somehow involved in Sung Tae’s abduction, many viewers became curious about the mysterious incident. Ye Soon recognized Sung Tae’s mom and noticed a scar on Sung Tae’s chest. She then became shocked after realizing that Sung Tae was the boy from the past. Viewers were also given a peek at the past when Ye Soo broke the witch’s rule of not getting involved in humans’ lives and visited the black magic witch in order to save the life of a young boy.
You need a strand of hair from a young girl. A fresh strand of hair from a child that isn't 1,000 days old yet. I see.... they used her hair for Ma Sung Tae and gave him some of her powers. It's Cho Hong's hair. So they used the magic knife to cut her hair and to heal the wound. She would be less than 3 years old then. So they magically set alight a strand if hair that fell on to the injury.Since he survived through Cho Hong's hair, witches blood runs through his veins, too. That is why they are destined to be lovers as well as the other man. This ia also why they can’t lock him out of the house. He can magically open the doors. That's why his memories weren't completely erased. Do you think his memories were completely erased this time?
The Grandma. Aeng Doo had exLover problems and why I wrote these quotes:
I'm glad I don't get like this when I see my ex. I've freed my heart

Yep people break the bottle and free your heart don’t be like this

Thats right the bottle broke the first time when they kissed the rings were around the bottle
When Kang Cho-Hong start smashing all the bottles of people essences. The Black Witch loses power, but lucky the two Grandmothers turn up in time to save their grand daughter. You know who Hwa Ja is, don't you? She's a black witch who harvests our powers. is a scheme to steal their last ounce of power. she can see and hear them throught the crystal ball that she has so she knows everything they are doing and saying!! That's how multiple witches disappeared into the darkness. Just like Ursula in the” Little Mermaid”.
Awesome all her power vanished. All those witches get back their power. I the meantime at the hospital Sung Tae was dying

This is not an EKG reading...just squiggly lines on a monitor...so don't get an EKG tattoo that looks like this,,,JS!! Where is your 350 D-vib? Then magic comes to heal him after all the essence bottles are broken.

Hyun Woo plays the role of
Ma Sung-Tae
I've disliked his character from the start. Constant threats instead of love and encouragement - doesn't work for me.
This is one of his quotes the annoyed me. You shouldn't do anything that makes me care. Because all of these situations that make me pissed, irritated, and turn me into a crazy man that can't mind his own business is unexpected, unpleasant, and bothersome! That you have to evacuate your shop once if you break the rules. How can you look so clueless when I am talking to you? Also, your habit of giving me food with those dirty chopsticks, please refrain from doing that. It makes me uncomfortable. I think that while he lost his memories, he also lost his manners. I think you're mistaking something. I'm the building owner and you are the tenant. What kind of tenant in the Republic of South Korea can ask their building owner to leave? I don't want to.

He is the destined man, you did not watch closely enough and still wanted Jae Woo to end up with Cho-Hong .
Yeah, and he remembered that she's the final witch? Were all the problems they had to be together gone?
The ending was choice he finds them gives her the necklace, kisses her and take her home. So good after the many dramas I have watched and cried painfully at the end when it didn’t end how I wanted it to end. I didn’t get my way in this ending either but the writer had their way. But it was still happy for them they kept kissing and kissing.

Don't worry. Sometimes when you fall in love, you break up; and once you break up, you forget and are forgotten. That's how it is. It's not like my love was anything grand.

It seems like the seal has been broken. You were destined to die anyway, so you're leaving when your time's up.

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This drama is amazing!! I can’t put into words how much I loved it! The story is just too cute! My favorite will always be Bok Joo and Soon Ok. Soon Ok little relationship with his friend was so funny. I’m not going to lie I really felt bad for the Doctor because he is such a good guy, and just so sweet. Same with the younger brother his past with his mother is so sad. I cried when she showed up at the school. I couldn’t get over the fact that he was really letting his feelings out. And when his aunt smacked him….. I could not take it. I could really feel every emotion. Now on the the three musketeers. I absolutely loved their friendship. When they finally found out about Bok Joo liking the Doctor and going to the diet clinic. I could not help but to cry with them.
In conclusion, this is an all around amazing K-drama. I would definitely recommend others to watch this. You get so immersed into the story and you feel like you’re apart of it. Bok-Joo SWAG!!

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Preliminary 10 STARS.

EDIT: (2021-08-31) Great show. I wish there were more episodes. 10/10 Stars well deserved by the cast, crew, and writers.

EDIT: (2021-08-08) The show maintains 10/10 Stars as of Episode 6. Witch's Diner maintains the plot with more surprises around the corner. The pacing of the show is steady and keeps one interested. Song Ji Hyo, Nam Ji Hyun, and Chae Jong Hyeop (as well as supporting cast) acting is low-key (subdued) yet strong. All deliver excellent performances.

I'm four episodes on in and I don't know where this show is going. That is a good thing. Why? If you can not tell where a show is going, then the show is a SURPRISE. Constantly chasing that surprise around the next corner. Then the next corner. And the next corner. And the next... Some shows end up going nowhere as the meander, confusing, never being coherent in plot and direction. Witch's Diner is not that type of show (so far). Instead, Witch's Diner has direction and plot without the confustion.

I must admit that I had my doubts and skepticism when reading the premise of Witch's Diner. No longer.

CASTING

The cast? Song Ji Hyo exudes and embodies the mysterious. Nam Ji Hyun... becomes the mystery by episode four - the full embodiment of mystery. A mystery hinted out only before in episode three. A mystery, that by episode four, I want to solve. Chae Jong Hyeop... just when I thought I had him figured out... no I don't. Twist o' plot that you will have to watch the show to see. Ahn Eun Jin in the guest role in episode four? Thumbs up to her. Kang Gi Doon makes appearances; again, another thumbs up.

WRITING

Lee Young Sook keeps a steady pace. Dialogue is solid, the twists are low-key yet impactful. I want more. The pace of Witch's Diner, determined by the writer & director (So Jae-Hyun), is enough to keep people coming back for more of the same. So far.

EXCEPTIONS TO SURPRISES

At one point in Episode four, I guessed where the wish fulfillment was going. Hoping against hope that Ahn Eun Jin's - shout out for her excellent portrayal in guest role - character was not going to ask for what she wanted. Yet, the "train kept traveling down the tracks, I had nowhere to go, except to be run over". Even though I had a good idea of what was coming? I was left wishing it was not going to be so. Yet it was.

A SUPERNATURAL PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR SHOW? NOT QUITE.

That last sentence in the paragraph concerning the train is an example of how The Witch's Diner is in some ultra-subtle way, a supernatural psychological horror show. Without the blood - okay, there is some, guts - fingers don't count (I am talking "guts" as in "intestines splayed out everywhere"), without chainsaws & implements of torture... a sort of supernatural psychological horror that is so low-key as to be missed if one is not paying attention. I would like it if further episodes keep up the very low intensity supernatural psychological horror. Perhaps, "horror" is the wrong word; in which something more soft should be considered. Hmmm... living with the consequences... responsibility as horror. With fate mixed in.

PRODUCTION, ATMOSPHERE

Production value? Top notch. The set embodies the show. Somehow mixing, in my opinion, hope & gloom. The sets are not over the top. The few instances of special effects are nice if a little flashy for my taste. Camera work is very, very good.

A COMMENT ON NAM JI HYUN'S ACTING & ROLES

On another website, someone was complaining that Nam Ji Hyun always plays the same characters in different shows. Yet, that commentor admitted to not being able to stop watching the show. Nam Ji Hyun as a certain presence on film. Perhaps a certain expression of method acting. I find that her characters are different enough as Nam Ji Hyun portrays them - from being the "dirty former judo college athlete turned lawyer suspected of murder" in Suspicious Partner to her now playing her role in Witch's Diner. She plays each character with a certain finesse sufficiently enough to make each of her roles, memorable; differentiating each of her roles from show to show. Examples of famous method actors include Al Pacino and Jason Statham. No, I'm not saying that the three are comparable. Here's to Nam Ji Hyun not being pigeon-holed into acting only in one role or style of acting from show to show. She's talented, her characters are memorable, Nam Ji Hyun makes her roles. I look forward to her acting ability in the future.

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Forgetting the fact that Lee Jong Suk is incredibly cute, I'm gonna be brutally honest with the review.😆

This show is one of those phenomenal shows that serve you romance, thriller, mystery, comedy, all on one plate! I loved it so much that it was very difficult for me to hold myself until the very end to write a review.

Both the main leads aced their roles. While Suzy was a treat for eyes as the intellectual, bubbly and smart reporter Nam, Lee Jong Suk's character Jae Chan saved all the stressful moments with his comic relief. Professionally a prosecutor and personally a lovable, carefree, innocent, cowardly cute little boy. Jong Suk is clearly a talented and passionate actor that his scenes could actually make me cry with him.
A special mention for Jung Hae-In here, as he was so damn perfect in policeman Han Woo Tak's role that it nearly gave me a second lead syndrome. I loved how an unfortunate incident lead to the creation of an unbreakable bond between these three! Supporting each other through thick and thin, they overcame all the obstacles that came through their way.

Coming to the plot, a new kind of story it presents with beautifully done cinematography. I don't know why it is called a rom-com as to me, it seemed more of a suspense murder drama with spine chilling cliffhangers! Lee Sang Yeob is really scary at times, which truly means he did full justice to his villainous character Yoo Bum. I was bewildered and left awestruck with each episode that it made me want for more. The opening and closure episodes were cleverly curated, it makes you laugh and cry at the same time as everything falls into the right place, the right way. Although the storyline felt a bit dragged mid way through the show since same kind of things were happening again and again but Oh My!! What did just get into the makers towards the end!? The last 4 episodes were incredible. I repeat, incredible! This is actually what made me star this drama 10/10.

I would also like to take a moment and praise the film score. Everytime we watch a Kdrama, it's OST is something that stays with us for a much longer time. Lyrical songs are liked by everyone, but this is the first time I was amazed by instrumental background score more than the lyrical ones. I personally LOVED 'when the night started instrumental' by Kim Min Ji. It felt like this one score bound the whole plot, whole story, character building and what not! I literally had goosebumps everytime it played!

Finally coming to what you can take back with you? A lot of great learnings for sure! It is a show that gives you hope on darkest of your days and tells you that no matter how pathetic your life may seem at a point, there WILL come a day when you'll get over all of that and everything will be alright once again. So believe in that day and stick through it. Ah! how much I wish that this drama never ended. Can we get a season 2 please?

You still here? What are you waiting for? Go watch it NOW. Laugh, dream and heal with it. A little bit magic never hurts anyone anyway ;)

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I’m... speechless.

This drama is so amazing, I can’t even use words to describe it!

I would give it an infinity out of 10 if I could!

I couldn’t put down my iPad for the whole 3 days that I was binge-watching this!

This is my second kdrama that I’ve watched and I just want to make a few main points on why this drama is actually amazing and why you should most definitely watch it!

1) This drama has an incredible storyline, especially when things that you don’t expect start happening. The storyline flows incredibly well, and even if it switches to another scene, it is somehow related to the previous scene, which I love. Now, I won’t say what, but there are tons of scenes like that in this drama, which really make me happy because I love it when something unexpectedly good happens! :)

2) The scenes are filmed with extraordinary actors and actresses and the quality of this drama as a whole is extraordinary. I can’t describe how amazingly well this drama is filmed as a whole. The scenes work well together and the cohesiveness of the entire cast is amazing. I think that because the main characters have such a high level of chemistry between them, it makes the drama seem so realistic, instead of feeling like it is fake. I really congratulate all the cast and the crew on this!

3) There’s nothing better than a romcom to watch. This has amazing romantic scenes but also has hilarious scenes, which is a great combination. I’m so impressed with this combination! No matter what happens in the drama, there is always romance and comedy intertwined among each other.

4) The Perfect Secretaries team is amazing. They are the team of subbers for English which make this drama so enjoyable. Because I’m not Korean, the subtitles have helped me so much. I’ve learnt some Korean, which makes me proud that I can learn something new while having fun watching a drama! Thank you Perfect Secretaries!

5) The editing of this is outstanding. This drama doesn’t feel like it’s been over edited, but it feels natural to watch. Some dramas can seem under edited and some dramas feel like they’ve been over edited, which makes me enjoy it less, but the editing team for ‘What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim’ is an amazing team and I’d just like to thank them for that!

6) The selection of characters and cast are amazing. The cast have really adapted to the characters of the drama, which I think is an excellent things to have in a drama. There’s no doubt that Park Min-Young fits the role of Secretary Kim and there’s also no doubt that Park Seo-Joon fits the role of Vice Chairman. All of the other characters like Section Chief Bong, Secretary Seol, President Park, etc. were amazing in the drama as well! All the characters have such amazing personality traits, which the actors and actresses took on amazingly well!

7) The OST is legendary! I especially love the songs which fit the moments and I love the theme song a lot! Especially when it’s put with the video! Every song produced for this is amazing and I’m really happy to see that the crew reached out to different singers and groups for a different vibe.

Overall, this drama is incredibly well made and I’d even like to see another season with the same cast. I know it’s unlikely for it to happen but I’d really like it if there were another season, because of the amazing quality and the amazing cast and crew of this drama. I honestly cannot express how much I love this drama and I will most definitely keep rewatching the drama because of the main points listed above! Thank you, ‘What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim’!

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I love S2 as much as S1.

First of all, situation between S1 and S2 is very diffrent: Seo Jin and Joon Ki breaks up, rest of friends (maybe) move out from Waikiki and old friends of Joon Ki from collage and high school move in. We don't get to know what's was wrong, why this is happening, but I, after some time, come back to watching S2. You CAN be disappointent, but giving a chance to S2 maybe be good idea, because:
• Relationship between Seo Jin and Joon Ki wasn't that awesome - Joon Ki at first wanted to give up because he saw Seo Jin as a kid, and at the latest episodes of S1 they were near break up, so, it's possible to they to have a break up after S1;
• The characters, even without cast from S1 is good - we get to know other people, who are in other profesions (not related to themselfes) and being good friends, every of them are diffrent, even diffrent from characters from S1, and I'm sure you'll love them;
• As in the S1, S2 has some of the Waikiki style - even if in front it looks like it's kind of scheme, you can love it, because of funny, crazy moments, not typical relationships and romances

I'm sure, even without reading all of my review, you can love this drama, after watching more than one episode.

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This drama is so so good. It has a nice storyline and the characters are so darn funny. My favourite character is Lee Joon Ki cuz whenever he comes on screen I die of laughter and I'm sure you will too. Doo Shik is such a cutie and a real gentleman. Dong Goo is Dong Goo 😂 and I really like him too. Yoon Ah, Su Ah and Seo Jin are also really nice characters and seeing all of them go through crazy adventures together was really a lot of fun. Whenever you're feeling down, watch this drama cuz I'm sure that you'll be laughing like crazy after watching even 5 minutes of it. The second male lead, Hyun Joon, is such a mature person. The way he cared for Yoon Ah and how he wanted her to truly be happy and wanted the best for her was just so cute and heartwarming to watch. I definitely learned a lesson from him. You'll definitely like this drama and miss all the characters when it ends, specially Sol who is the star of the show. Though this show does have a second season, it does not have any of the original cast members except for Lee Yi Kyung which is enough for me to watch it 😄. If you're looking for a drama which is light-hearted and fun to watch, then this is the one you're looking for. I highly recommend it and I'm really gonna miss this show now that I've finished watching it.😭

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This is a final review with major spoilers. For 14 eps, this drama was excellent. It draws you in fully from the first moments and becomes more compelling as the story progresses. The cast is perfect for each role and the acting is just as perfect. The physical and voice acting is nothing short of phenomenal. The drama is very intelligent with sharp, clever and often inspired dialogue. It's a very deep drama with lighter scenes and touches of humor and charm. Unlike many shows that come across as scripted and acted, this drama has much more substance and reality beneath the story. The drama is particularly adept at showing true adult human relationships. Although some scenes are not easy to watch, the acting is so wonderful in capturing the emotion of the moment that the scenes are often truly beautiful. The characters are multifaceted. So they have different sides and traits depending upon the moment and the context. Interestingly enough, we can hate a character for what they do in one scene and then feel for that same person in other scenes. It all comes across as very natural and real. The story is just as multifaceted. The writing is masterful in presenting this story at the right pace and with the right tone. Deliberate and not rushed but never boring. And at times very surprising as new information is revealed - often in incredibly smart and creative ways. With an ever changing focus that moves from history to present, work to personal life, lighter tone to deeper and changing which characters are center at any given moment. Very well done on every level. The background music is the best of any drama I've seen. The cinematography is just as good as every other part of this production with many stunning visuals. Up through ep 14, I watched every episode a second time and they were as good every time.

But I now need to mention some very major negatives about the last two eps. The last two eps were not a natural and necessary continuation of the wonderful 1st 14. In fact, the drama totally stopped doing everything that worked well. It was no longer a stunningly good mood piece. There were some really nice scenes. But the tone of the drama changed and it lost all emotional resonance and intensity. I actually grew weary of every character or story arc except the lovely romance between Ms. Lee and Mr. Cha and nice scenes with Mi Na's family. Overall, the story just fell apart. Some plot lines like the end of the company back fighting and the VP and his family were a waste of time. The work event was only there to give an excuse to have Jung Sun fall down the stairs. And it all felt contrived and pointless. And just about every bad guy character began to grate on my last nerve. The story had no more suspense since all secrets were disclosed. And the story stopped having any real drama. This story inexplicably lost the very intense emotional bond built with the audience during the prior 14 eps. All of the main characters related to the most dramatic story arcs just stopped moving forward. Jung Sun for some reason became contemplative and oddly accepting of things. I'm glad the story let her find peace. But this transition never felt real and it surely wasn't the ending the story and her character deserved. It was too uneventful and felt like her story just fizzled out. The writing also seemed to give up on any plot progression for the husband and his mistress. Their stories became boring and pointless as they both became super annoying pathetic losers. Having them give up or lose their relationship added no sense of justice or satisfaction. It just punctuated their descent into boring irrelevance. Maybe the drama became too intense and emotions wound too tight. And then when it all unwound in the last few eps, the show lost the tight punch that had us constantly on the edge of our seats. But whatever the reason, I felt that the show just sank instead of ending on a high note. His closing explanation to his wife was pathetic and his reasoning absurd. He was always a lying cheat. But now he was also an incredibly annoying loser who offered nothing to the story. He never had any affect but that was OK since the others around him had affect and emotion to spare. But now with no one showing much emotion, his lack of affect became a noticeable negative. Yu ri was always a conniving cheat. And she was pathetic for quite a while. But she turned into such a supreme loser that I continually wanted to yell at the screen for her to just shut up already. Aside from the good scenes involving Mi Na and Ms. Lee, this drama totally lost all momentum in the last 2 eps and just limped along to the end. Given how brilliant it was, this show should have ended as an all time favorite. The writing in the last 2 eps was a major disappointment and ruined this show for me.

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I have mixed feelings about this show. It started off very, very strongly. I loved it so much to the point where I started rewatched the entire thing (when there were only 14 episodes) on the same day that I finished it. I was obsessed and still am to be fair. The casting and acting is great. There were so many moments when I cried and no series has ever made me cry before. A lot of extremely hilarious moments to balance out the emotional scenes.

However, the last two episodes ruined the entire thing for me. They were evidently extremely rushed and the entire premise was extremely predictable because you realise that not once has Jugyeong felt any sort of attraction towards Seojun in the entire show and this just makes it obvious that Suho is endgame so, unlike the webtoon, there isn't much suspense about who she will end up with. The last two episodes were so rushed because why did Suho have to leave at the end of episode 14, leaving only 2 episodes for the possibility of jugyeong and seojun which was unlikely. If anything, it would've been best for Suho's father to get sick and Suho having to leave a bit after Jugyeong healing after her bare face got revealed to the school.

Also, they did Seojun so wrong. The writers essentially made him a side character like why add him in the opening and introduce him as an important main character if he's only going to get like 20 minutes of screen time in an entire 70-80 minute episode? the way he carried the entire show but only ever got hurt or left out. It's like they just added him in scenes when it was convenient for the plot rather than treating him like a fully fleshed-out character. The irony is that he has a more developed and so much more interesting character than both Suho and Jugyeong combined despite only being on screen for 1/6th of the time they were. I realised this wouldn't be the same as the webtoon and I was fine with that because I found it refreshing but it frustrated me when they did decide to use scenes from the webtoon but decided to give Seojun's scenes to Suho???? just to fuel their whole Suho is endgame plot line.

Also, the way they wrote Jugyeong's character was absolutely awful in my honest opinion. Tolerable at first but as the episodes progressed, she seemed so one dimensional. The only things that could be in her mind at any one point were her bare face/makeup and Suho. Similar case with Suho. She rarely ever said thank you and/or appreciated her friends (including seojun) for all that they did for her. No one said she had to like Seojun back but never once did she truly treat him like a good friend despite the fact that they were meant to be best friends. He just existed for her to vent her problems about her relationship with Suho. Seojun was always there for her when she needed but she was never there for him. Even after the car accident, not once did this girl bother to ask her "friend" how he was because apparently hiding her bare face from a boy she has no feelings for is more important than his wellbeing. Even after she came back with her face on, everytime she visited she couldn't bother to ask him how he is. She never once cared about his feelings at all and because of the time skip happening with two episodes left, we never knew what happened in between those because apparently, it's illegal for Seojun to have any moment alone with Jugyeong without Suho coincidentally being there like 🧍🏻

The ending of this show was the dumbest thing I have ever seen. The writers had the audacity to say "happy ending" like no, wtf no this is not. This is only a happy ending for Team Suho which is fine but Seojun deserves justice and happiness too. I am glad that Seojun and Jugyeong never got together because he deserved way better but the fact that they left such a crucial scene of him being rejected to the very last minute meant that Seojun got no time to recover from his emotions and heartbreak. This is what I meant about how sloppy and rushed the last two episodes were. If this happened in any earlier on episode, maybe, Seojun could've gotten a happier ending because he would've already been in the process of healing but nope. No happiness for Seojun at all. Every other single character got shown to have a happy ending, even the irrelevant to plot side characters. All of them at the wedding, having a fun time but no Seojun? I understand he was preparing for his debut but if the writing wasn't so rushed, it would not have been that way. I don't care if Seojun didn't get Jugyeong but he didn't even get a happy ending? Everyone else ended the show with a smile to their faces but Seojun was the only one with a melancholic ending with tears running down his face. awful.They thought that by showing him debut, it would mean a happy ending?? No, because his feelings were still there and he was clearly so broken and pretending to be okay.

In conclusion, I wouldn't recommend if you are strongly team seojun because they do him so wrong

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I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw my Reaper and his Sun got a show of their own!!!!

So, I came for Mr. Reaper and his Sun but stayed for Mr. Lawyer and his Oh Jin Sim. This really felt like a spin-off of the final episode of Goblin with Sunny returning as an actress (named Yoon Seo no less) and the Grim Reaper as a justice worker. In other words, it’s my dream come true!

I want to talk about Oh Yoon Seo for a minute. She’s easily one of my all time favorite female leads, which are very hard to come by if you ask me. She’s warm and kind without being weak or gullible, which is extremely rare in most drama. Only Yoo In Na could have done this role with this much justice. She made this “universe goddess” both relatable and mystical at the same time. She’s a celebrity with a formidable aura yet a girl next door attitude. This character could have just as easily been a shallow airhead but it was In Na who made her layered and nuanced. There’s one scene in particular that stuck with me. It’s the one where they’re at the observatory and she doesn’t know yet if he likes her or not so she asks and when he doesn’t reply immediately she just smiles sweetly and says “never mind.” The way Yoo In Na portrayed that facade of self-assurance yet you can feel her vulnerability despite the air of nonchalance, it was supremely phenomenal. Also, there was another scene that had me bawling my eyes out unexpectedly. I don’t want to give away too much but it’s that scene after she has a “meeting” to discuss the casting, when she goes home and we hear her text “I’ve reached home safely and I’m going to bed now!” All cheerful and chirpy then the camera cuts to her crying her heart out alone. That hit hard. Too close to home. She is the heart and soul of this drama. She deserves more appreciation.

Lee Dong Wook!! Forever my Grim Reaper. Kwon Jeong Rok is charming and endearing. His chemistry with Yoo In Na is no joke. If you thought their chemistry would be boring after Goblin, you’re wrong. They’re incredible together and bounce off each other beautifully.

The cast is here and there. Everyone in the law firm was lovable and entertaining. At least I didn’t fast forward any of their scenes. Unlike the prosecutors office. I literally have no idea what was the need for that plot. Didn’t watch a single scene of theirs and the story still made perfect sense to me. Not to mention his “best friend” Kim Se Won could’ve been any random citizen because dude doesn’t know a single thing about his own “best friend.” The story could’ve done without him and Yoo Reum. Definitely—if not most unlikeable—then least likable characters on this show.

Now I’d like to talk about the plot for a bit because this show really opened my eyes to how messed up the Korean entertainment industry is. It’s like if you’re a celebrity, anyone and everyone has a control over your life except you. They can see you suffering as a consequence of their action yet they don’t feel any remorse or even the need to apologize for their action. It’s like they’re entitled to your existence. Truly disturbing.

Overall, a very cute lighthearted office romance that is worth watching. And if you’re like me, it will definitely satisfy your need and quench your thirst for a fully realized and nicely developed PeeChy story.

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