ahem! i have arisen.

i wasn't really planning on binging anything for the time being, but the title seemed to have called my name successfully while i was scrolling through netflix. one of my friends recommended it to me a while ago, but like always, i never watch shit that people tell me to. oops.

anyway....this was fine! it took me less than a week to finish it, which is usually a good sign. although the chemistry between the two main leads wasn't really felt by me, i think that the plot made up for it. it was, of course, overflowing with a bunch of clichés, but it was quite engaging. it's sort of like a roller-coaster, because they just keep throwing new twists at you without properly addressing the previous. there was a poor addition of trauma to the main lead, kang tae-sung, & i think the drama would've done better without it. or maybe, they could've done a better job at writing that particular arc.

oh well, it doesn't matter. i really liked the second dynamic that we have in this drama, between yu-seong & ho-young. they were, at times, the sole reason as to why i clicked on the next episode with expectations. they could've gotten more screen-time tbh.

it was really fun, all in all. watch it if you want something fun & lighthearted.

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sigh, okay...

FIRST of all, jang ki yong what the hell? genuinely, what the actual fuck. alas, i'll come back to this question very soon.

second of all, can we leave time travel k-drama plots behind us? i think we got our fill, & we do not need to see it for another..decade, at least!
— to come back to the story, i think that the side characters of this drama really saved face. claudia kim's character, although amazing for a really long duration of the show, somehow gets a really whimsical plotline & development somewhere around the end of the season. some things just refuse to make sense, but the question that bugs me the most is why the lesbian erasure? you build up a genuine story that has a root, a heavy ass trunk && a crown and you throw it away...what for? to fit a heteronormative standard? sure, okay. fuck you though.

— when it comes to our main couple, i simply couldn't see it. i didn't hate the entire con artist / rich clueless man trope, but it lost appeal as quickly as it earned some. mind you, i was extremely excited to see jang ki yong in another role, but this is potentially the worst role of his career. at the beginning everything's fine, and you're trying to overlook his responses because of his trauma & mental battles, but some things just get fuuucking old. and these writers dragged it so long; they sucked every drop out of the 'helpless dad' trope. grow a fucking backbone, you're not 12.
— and the prepubescent adolescent, ina, pissed me off! but alas, like father, like daughter. some therapy wouldn't hurt their wallets.

—quite frankly, to wrap it up...it was boring, predictable && extremely unreasonable. even the generous 12-episode format felt like too long. ew.

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my brother in christ...

— i went in blind, & i haven't even read the summary beforehand...i should've. it's confusing at the beginning, but dots start connecting quite nicely somewhere after the first revelation. i don't believe that it could've been confusing to anyone, you just need to pay it minimal attention, at least.

— it's strange, & then it's quite horrid but overall it's just heartbreaking. i dislike sibling bonds in movies precisely because it was gut-wrenching to see the dynamic switch between the two brothers after we discover the truth. it's hard to bring your brain out of that illusion once you're convinced that they're blood-related. nonetheless, i liked this movie a lot. my brain glitched for good five minutes after finishing it because you rewind all little details that didn't make sense & you see them in a totally different light.
— i cried, like a lot.

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hm.

now, i knew i would like this to an extent from the get-go. it's why i wanted to watch it in the first place.

— i originally planned to watch this drama last year, the moment it aired...but i forgot all about it. today, i feel extremely bad that i missed out on this gem when i could've been up to date with it. alas, i'm here now. && i dunno if my review is going to make any sense, fair warning.
— it's hooky, & the story is really promising from episode one. it doesn't take long for everything to turn upside down, & i'm a firm believer that the side arcs of this drama were as equally engaging as everything that was happening with our main characters. i liked the pacing, & i also liked how everything was revealed to the viewers, one by one. i don't think that the romance was written badly at all, but i do think that the chemistry, or lack thereof, between the two leads is what painted the final picture of the main dynamic for me...let me explain.

— it got overshadowed by the bat-shit crazy circumstances they found themselves in. there's plenty of scenes & opportunities (romantic per se) that could've been utilized to strengthen their bond, instead of dumping heavy layers of trauma on top of them at all times. there were moments where i just wanted something lighthearted for the main couple, but the universe just wouldn't freaking allow it. to add onto this, i felt extremely bad for kang-min. what could've been a path for his own individual story & finding his own happiness, he was used as a mere puppet for the bigger picture, & his character did nothing to deserve such treatment. he's an interesting character, & i hoped we'd get more of his individual arc...but oh well, not everything can be perfect.

— this drama doesn't get enough credit for completely giving into fan service & giving the most clear, satisfying ending for all of those people who like happy endings. everything was settled, & every single character was shown at the end. it's a breath of fresh air, being able to experience the climax in full. all in all, there were parts that could've been better, & i felt discouraged & disappointed somewhere around ep.13, but the last two episodes saved the entire drama for me.

A GEM.

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honestly speaking,

i expected more from this drama. originally, i picked it up a few years ago, & ended up dropping it after a few episodes. on top of that, i wrote a horrible short review, & i’m thinking that i should’ve just listened to my gut.

— nonetheless, a few friends recommended this to me again & told me that i desperately needed to give it another go—so i did. the drama starts off promisingly, and everything’s just perfect on the cliché scale, until they come crashing down even in that department. the main story becomes so complicated & bizzare in the middle of the show, which had me seeking some entertainment in the second leads, whose storyline i ended up finding even worse. not only does it not add to the main couple in any way, shape, or form—the people involved in this triangle are HORRIBLE! from ji-na to ji-uk & all the way to bland, friendly hyun-gyu. i thought that maybe it would be cute seeing two lovers reunite after a rocky goodbye, but instead i got this really weird narration of a girl being passed between siblings. kinda sickening?
— but nonetheless, back to the main story. sure, it was complicated but i also didn’t feel the chemistry at all. the only thing that made this drama a complete tearjerker & a sobfest was dong-kyung’s relationship with her family, & her tragic back-story. nothing about this modern, new love with myul mang had some appeal. the writer’s got lazy (obviously), & stopped with his proper development—which is why we got the result we did. also, the story lacks in the romance department soooo much, but i decided to look over that for the sake of peace.

— my last penny would be the fact that i’d preferred this to be a sad ending. it would really send the message across more accurately, & it would cause heavier reactions. the happy ending that we got was so rushed & …lazy. almost stupid. there was absolutely zero drama effects in this k-drama.
— waste your time if you wish, seo in-guk has a really nice face to look at. and, this role suits him a lot. i wish they didn’t butcher the whole character.

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MUHAUAHAUHAUAH !

(reposting this from my feed, because my dumbass forgot to do that five months ago.)

rewatched this show from start to finish again after about eight months after my first encounter with it…i knew it would take a lot of mental strength to get through the first season, considering how big of an impact season two had on me.
— apart from the fact that it is indeed *a bit* long, i resonated so much with go yoon-jung’s interpretation of such a complex, unpredictable & yet strangely loveable persona. jung so-min did amazingly, but it takes so much skill to approach a character that’s already been perceived as one, & turn it into something completely refreshing, & melancholic at the same time.
— reviewing season one as someone who knows the climax of these intertwined fates, was genuinely so much fun. the first part of this story isn’t focused as much on romance as it is on the root of the plot & the explanation of the world we found ourselves to be part of. seeing songrim, jeongjingak, the palace & so many more in a certain warm setting during the first twenty epsodes, & then meeting these spaces all over again—it truly felt like seeing them from a pair of different eyes. bu-yeon’s eyes…yeong’s? mud-eok’s? naksu’s?

— nonetheless, as much as the twisty drama held my attention—i quite literally yearned for the gift we get in the second part of the series. the world was abruptly paused for three years that followed a horrible, heart-wrenching outcome…and we were greeted back inside with naksu’s deer-like, childish & warm gaze.
— yes, she feels different than mud-eok, but i never perceived that as a bad thing. the man born under the king’s star needed a master, a pillar to lean on to as he grew & molded with his potential. but jang uk with the ice stone in his chest needed a partner, a lover, & a safe haven.

— the most important thing in this whole monologue is that her love for him remained the same throughout all numerous identities she shared. every name she had loved him the same. it never wavered, it was one thing never subject to change. if he never cared what her heart looked like on the outside, *why* do you?

anyhow, i loved this whole thing with my whole heart. from the ost, the cast, the chemistry, the visual appeal of it all, to the richness of the storyline & the most gut-wrenching romance known to man—this series made me happy. i’ll forever wish to get a better glimpse at who they came to be outside the ten episodes of the second season. yul? dan-gu & choyeon? maidservant kim’s pregnancy? the future of uk & naksu? i wanted more. i still want more.

— thanks for coming to my ted talk. ( i probably didn’t say half of what i wanted to…)

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