Reviews

I have been debating for a while if I should give this drama an overall 9 or give in to the impulse of bestowing it a 10. The "masterpiece" definition always sounds a little awkward to me, it seems to require I were ready to offer defensible reasons for my choices.

But I'm hair-splitting. Soratobu Kouhoushitsu is a terrific drama, one that starts without any pomp or expectations and slowly sneaks into the heart and under your skin. It does so in such a gradual, delicate and suave way the effect is powerful and lasting. By the end, I was so sad to see these characters go I couldn't bring myself to watch the last 15 minutes.
When I begin to feel nostalgic about something that isn't even over yet, it means I'm seriously in love. This is why I am not at all sure I'll be able to convey the feeling with my review, or convince any of you to watch this little jewel of a drama. This is not a rom-com, it's not melo, it's not a thriller, nor a simple life drama; it doesn't rely on plot twists, nor on sexy heroes... and yet my heart has stopped many times while watching.

Perhaps the main reason is in the acting, which is wonderful. I never needed confirmation of Aragaki Yui's acting skill, since I've loved her in everything she's acted in. This role however has sealed the issue. I loved everything about Ina-pyon, from her stubborn and passionate honesty at the beginning, to her compassion and better understanding she grows into. And I adored the chemistry she shared on screen with an outstanding Ayano Go, whom I have every intention of becoming a stalker to.
Honourable mention to Shibata Kohei, the most lovable, unforgettable and adorable chief ever appeared on screen. I'm almost offended that the actor isn't even mentioned in the cast. He was awesome here, the kind of character everyone would like to have as a father, or a superior at work.
Hats off to everyone else, from a gorgeous Renn Kiriyama to a hilarious Mizuno Miki, from a surprising Katsuhisa Namase to a sweetly idiotic Jun Kaname.

I can't possibly not mention the cinematography. Stunning. While watching I had to stop the screen every other minute to get a screenshot. Beautiful colours, terrific attention to little details, masterful use of camera angles. Truly lovely.

The same could be said about the music. Not too many pieces are used, but the few have the ability to enhance the scene and play with the viewer's feelings, just what an Ost should do.

I am well aware that I haven't said much about the main subjects of this drama. You may be wondering at this point: what it is about?
Please, bear with me. If my experience is anything to go by, this is a drama better approached without expectations or prejudice. Let its charm work on you as it did on me, by surprise.

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This is NOT 9.5/10 show… but it is. Let me explain.

Technically speaking, the show was quite a mess. The editing, directing and pacing were all over the place, but Fightor storyline was close to perfection, and even if you don’t want to watch the whole show, watch Fightor. As far as I know, they are one of the best BL couples up to date with the most fresh and not stereotypical personalities. Or rather, nice twists to the boring stereotypes we know.

LET’S TALK ABOUT ACTING
While most of the cast did a good job, I want to focus on the talent Zee showed. I rarely ever get amazed and impressed by acting in BLs. Often I see the imperfections that make me feel less emotionally attached to the characters, because I don’t see them as real people. Meaning, I don’t immerse myself in the story completely.
Not here, though. Zee’s eyes… oh his eyes spoke volumes! I like to call them "Fighter's searching eyes". While his whole presence showed more of a cheeky and confident side, his eyes showed all the insecurities he had. He was also really good at controlling his microexpressions. Sometimes less means more and makes the performance seem realistic. Viewers are not blind. An actor does not need to make full theatrical gasp with a hand up to their face and huge eyes, for us to understand that they got scared, surprised or taken aback. Simple, short intake of breath is enough. The split second of a reaction, but that’s all we need. I appreciated these small things a lot in his acting.

Overall, he makes these small decisions while acting - when to close his eyes, when to open them, when to fix his gaze and when to make it unsure, when to swallow or take short intake of breath, perfectly timed and telling viewers so much about Fighter’s character.

Both Zee and Saint are also masters of using pauses for their advantage to make the storytelling even more believable and engaging. It’s a perfect example how sometimes not doing anything can enrich the portrayal of the character. With Tutor, the pauses are more intentional for the character, it's his time to "decide", think about the consequences of "what if you push forward a bit more" and with Fighter it’s not intentional, it's him not being able to get back to reality, not being aware whatever happened or was about to happen, ended.

Tommy aced his role. His overreactions were still natural and did not feel theatrical. As the story of Zon and Saifah progressed from comedy to romance, I was able to appreciate more of his subtle acting, with shy smiles and joyful laughter. The potential he has and the flexibility in this craft to fit different genres and moods of the story impressed me a lot.

Jimmy did well for his first role. He did feel more inexperience and his performance fell flat compared to other cast members, but I could see how much of a progress he makes in every episode.

TUTOR AND FIGHTER: DYNAMICS OF LOVE
Ever changing dynamics of their interactions were simply beautiful and amazing to watch, to the point I could write a book about it. Tutor is nothing like your usual stereotypical shy, confused, passive bottom and Fighter is anything but the dominant, overconfident, possessive top. Tutor does not let Fighter get away with the teasing and always questions his behavior, demanding answers and explanations. They pull and push, but never cross the line if the other person is not okay with it. THE CONSENT ladies and gentlemen was a recurring theme. Always giving each other space and time to back off and stop whatever was happening. I wish I could say no forcing yourself on the other person after you've been pushed away, but I guess (?) that was an important part of the plot and the development of the relationship.

THAT SAID, while the behavior of a character was definitely wrong, the way the writing and editing portrayed it was close to perfection. It was a situation that should never take place and the editing and acting surely did NOT make it look like a romantic behaviour. It was not one of the “force it till the other person gives in and starts to enjoy it”. Was it painful to watch? Yes. Was this scene well done? Yes Was it necessary? Yes and no. It showed the mental state of both characters in a raw way that could not be achieved in any other take. Sadly, because the writing of the show, up to that point, didn’t explain enough in how bad of a mental place one of the characters was, this behavior might have felt out of place. In my opinion, they could have mellow it down and not go that far, and still convey needed emotions, desperation and broken state the characters were in.

To sum FighTor up - it’s hard to describe the depth of what was happening between them without quoting specific scenes, but you can see so much through the acting. How both characters struggled with internal conflicts and the feeling of unsureness. And yet, they gravitated towards each other.

PROBLEMS WITH PACING AND EDITING
Shall I say the pacing was a clusterf*** even before the COVID-19 happened and I literally laughed at how confusing everything was? Coz that’s how I felt. But then I just said: wherever, let’s just enjoy this acid trip.

While I was in love with how they handled Tutor and Fighter’s story and the pacing was everything I might have wished for, the fact the drama focused on them so much made the other characters suffer. With the overload of characters and couples, it was doomed from the start - not gonna make it. How can you have well established and developed 5+ couples with their own side-stories? Goal impossible to achieve.

Zon and Saifah... where to even begin. Zon the first half of the episodes had 10 different personalities, I was confused. Because the director did not spend enough time showing us the gradual change in Zon’s perception of his situation and relationship with Saifah, everything just came out of nowhere. There were not enough scenes showing us how Zon went from panic to soft. Which was a bummer, because their sweet story could perfectly balance the drama happening between Tutor and Fighter. We were robbed of such an amazing story it truly pains me.

Don’t even want to talk about Hwahwa. Poor girl makes no sense, her feelings change every second. Just sad. Justice for Hwahwa and her beautiful hair flip.

It’s hard to comment on other characters and their plot lines since they were just dropped here and there without much linear progression nor explanation.

The audio editing was distracting. While the use of some comedic sounds was fine and brought a smile on my face, they definitely overused them. The scenes would be funny even without some random sounds dropped every few minutes. Video editing suffered quite a lot because of COVID-19. In later episodes there were some black screens showing up, the subs were missing, we got the same action done by characters shown in x number of angles, just to stretch the scene a bit more. It was not tragic to the point I could not focus on the plot, but the difference in the quality in the first and second half was quite obvious.

BACK TO POSITIVES
What this drama does have though, is an amazing message. While, in default, most BL dramas are supposed to promote - love is love no matter what gender, Why R U does not shy away from talking about it in a straightforward manner. Calling out and questioning homophobic characters, explaining to them how they are wrong, showing how being heterosexual does not mean your love it perfectly good and will never fail. There were quite a few scenes that deserve to be called “iconic” in BLs realm for how well written the dialogues for them were.

Overall, Fightor is life and perfection. I was legit obsessed with them and rewatched their scene every week. I was never as invested in any couple in drama ever (and I have seen quite a number of them). Watch their story, fall in love and let’s all fangirl together.

PS. While my rating is extremely biased and subjective, I tried my best to be more objective in the review itself. Hope it worked out well-ish :)

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THE STORY
First of all, this drama should not be called ‘Legend of Fuyao’ because didn’t focus enough on Fuyao. It should not be called ‘Legend of Wuji’ either because Wuji was willing the risk the safety of all the people in the 5 kingdoms for his love interest. Though his love and devotion to Fuyao was admirable and touching, this is not what a good ruler should be doing. So, no, Wuji does not deserve to be called a legend either.

I think a more appropriate title for this drama would be ‘The story of Fuyao, the woman who changed Wuji’s life’, because Fuyao turned Wuji’s life upside-down and brought his arrogance down a few notches the moment she entered his life. It is also a coming-of-age story of both Fuyao and Wuji as it shows how they change as a result of knowing each other and going through the trials in their lives.

The story takes us through 5 kingdoms (Taiyuan, Tianquan, Tiansha, Xuanji and Qiongcang) and has a lot going for it – court intrigue, action, adventures in strange lands, long lost identities and an epic love story. However, the focus, development and pacing of the script was inconsistent. . The drama’s title and first 8 episodes in Xuanyuan Mt. had us anticipating Fuyao embarking on a quest to find her true identity and remove her 5 seals. However, after she left Xuanyuan Mt, the focus changed all to Wuji and Fuyao became an accidental follower in his schemes instead of leading the story as the main character. Too many episodes were devoted to the court intrigue in Taiyuan which did not move Fuyao’s quest along one bit. The result of this was that everything else had to be squeezed into the remaining half of the drama and so there was no time for proper development of the stories in the remaining kingdoms. The story in Xuanji kingdom - where Fuyao’s childhood story and true identity were revealed - was especially short and rushed (only 6 episodes). Wasn’t this drama supposed to be about Fuyao? I would have loved to see more time devoted to Fuyao’s backstory (because it was just so tragic) and how it shaped her strong character.

ACTING

(1) Yang Mi as Fuyao
I liked Yang Mi since TMOPB, but after Fuyao, I have become a fan. Her performance was simply PHENOMENAL! I love actors who can emote with their eyes and Yang Mi did this superbly here. Her eyes are so gorgeous and expressive, I found myself drawn to them every time she appears on screen. She had a lot of epic scenes that had no dialog – the attempted rape scene, Yao City battle, rain scene, when she regained her memory, when she turned evil). She relied only on her eyes to convey Fuyao’s emotions and slayed every scene. Just a simple change in the expression in her eyes could convey so much, especially when she teared or cried – my heart just went out to Fuyao and I could really feel her pain. I particularly love her scenes with Uncle Zhou as the surrogate father-daughter bond was just so heart-warming and touching. And despite all the heart-break and hardships Fuyao endured, there was always strength and fire in her eyes.

I feel a lot of viewers do not give Yang Mi enough credit. I guess this is because majority of viewers are female and prefer to focus and swoon over the male lead. When a male lead cries, it is hailed as good acting whereas the female lead can cry buckets and no one takes notice. Is it because females are expected to cry, so that no one thinks much of it anymore? I vividly remember 3 scenes - just before Fuyao passed out after her fight with Zhangsun Ping Rong, right after she regained her memory and just before she stabbed herself. In each of these scenes, Yang Mi dropped a tear that totally broke my heart. It’s sad no viewers bother to mention her great acting in these, as well as many other scenes, whereas when the male lead drops a tear, viewers shout about it.

So, I do wish to give special mention to Yang Mi here because her exquisite and excellent performance was one of the main reasons I enjoyed this drama. At the end of the drama, I realise the character I remember most is Fuyao. Yang Mi made Fuyao come alive. She made me care for Fuyao and want to continue watching the drama to find out her fate. I only wish she had more screen time. She lights up the screen every time she appears and stole the show.

(2) Ethan Ruan as Wuji
This is the first time I have ever seen Ethan Ruan acting and so I did not know what to expect from him. His performance as Wuji was both a hit and miss for me. It was a hit because he looks handsome as Wuji, had great chemistry with Yang Mi and was good as the cheeky and flirty prince. But it was also a miss because some of his facial expressions, especially his smiles/smirks, come across as sleazy and goofy instead of suave or endearing. There were several OTP scenes where he suddenly gave a goofy smile that just totally spoiled the tender moment. And he tends to overact, such as crunching his face into an unrecognisable mess to express pain or angst. It made the last few episodes, when Wuji was crying over his parents’ betrayal and when he was chained to the ice on the mountain, very difficult to watch. I cringed more than I felt touched. I just wish he had used more of his eyes to emote (like the senior actors and Yang Mi) instead of such exaggerated acting, because some of his emotional scenes were good.

OTP’S LOVE STORY
Fuyao and Wuji’s love story has got to be one of the most well-written and best developed I have ever seen in a Chinese historical drama. Their epic love story is one of the things that really draws you in to this drama. It was wonderful seeing their relationship grow from the initial fighting and flirting to trust, support and finally self-sacrifice for each other. And Yang Mi and Ethan’s chemistry was simply sizzling! They looked so natural and comfortable around each other and their scenes together were a joy to watch.

MUSIC & CINEMATOGRAPHY
I absolutely love the OST and BGM. Every piece of music suited the mood of every scene so well. I daresay I prefer Fuyao’s OST/BGM to TMOPB’s. Cinematography, sets and costumes were also very good and gave the drama a grandeur more common to movies than a TV drama.

FIGHT SCENES
One of my favourite are the fight scenes. There are more fight scenes here than the average Chinese historical drama and you could tell a lot of effort was put into these as they were all very well-choreographed and visually stunning. Fuyao had the best fight scenes and Yang Mi just looked soooo freaking COOL fighting and flirting!

FINAL THOUGHTS
As someone who read the novel before watching the drama, I was very frustrated over how the drama scriptwriter had changed and butchered Fuyao’s character. Drama Fuyao was a victim of circumstances. In contrast, novel Fuyao was a dictator of events. All the schemes that Wuji planned in the drama were actually plotted by Fuyao. She single-handled plotted and helped put all 5 male leads on the thrones in their own kingdoms. So, I didn’t like the fact that the drama made Wuji more like the lead character and accredited all of novel Fuyao’s achievements to him.

When writing this review, I had to treat the drama as being NOT RELATED to the novel at all. Otherwise, it would not have been fair to all the cast and crew who put up such a fine production. Other than the inconsistent script, everything else about the drama was very good – from acting to music to cinematography and fight sequences. Putting my drama vs novel bias aside, this is still an entertaining drama with lots of action, adventure and intrigue to keep you engaged. If nothing else, Yang Mi’s and Ethan’s superb chemistry and love story will keep you invested and wanting more.

If you are debating whether to read the novel or watch the drama first, do yourself a favour and watch the drama first. You will enjoy the drama a lot more this way. Then go read the novel to understand what a truly awesome character Fuyao is and why she is a legend. The drama totally does not do any justice to Fuyao and the novel.

REWATCH VALUE
I will definitely rewatch this drama for my favourites scenes, action sequences and Yang Mi’s superb acting.

* ENDING SPOILER ALERT *
In case anyone is still confused about the ending, Fuyao and Wuji did not die. In the last scene, they are alive and well on a bridge (probably in Tianquan), not in heaven. The words spoken by Wuji in that scene (ie. follow her to the mortal realm etc. etc.) are actually lines from the novel that novel fans love. The scriptwriter probably put it in thinking that it would please novel fans but instead, it ended up confusing everyone about whether they lived or died.

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Every actor hopes his first project after mandatory service will be a hit. Jung Kyung Ho luckily can set his hopes to rest; they've been realized. Cruel City will likely stand as the best drama of 2013. Even if better appears in the coming months, nothing can take away its status as top-notch noir.

Writing for this series remained consistent and strong throughout, even maintaining good pace. Characters rarely failed to behave in an intelligent manner. The much-lauded, flooring twists are just as crazy as you've heard (and better yet, even supported by prior evidence in the story). What is most impressive to me though, is that the script remains faithful to itself and the spirit of the genre. We are shown a seedy, pessimistic world which is…well, cruel. Potential viewer expectation aside, this kind of darkness is what we were promised from the first and delivered at the last.

Nearly every lead was dynamic, from Shi Hyun and Hyung Min to Jin Sook and Safari. Even the hardcore villains had strokes of complexity which made most more than mustache-twirling monsters. These grounding factors may not cease our hatred of them, but at least add some level of understanding. Yoon Soo Min likely is the weakest link of the main cast, her arc included; she needed a bit more weight to contend on equal footing with the other plot lines. The completion of her journey manages to be satisfying nonetheless.

Jung Kyung Ho shines brilliantly as both star and main draw of Cruel City. Decadent charisma pours from him in droves, lending his Doctor’s Son an impossibly fierce magnetism. The most compelling action sequences belonged to Kyung Ho also; I quickly fell in love with his sharp knife skills and cat-like elegance. It's important to note he filmed the final episodes with a nasty back injury; his epic performance is not only a product of talent, but dedication and hard work. This drama was also very kind to Lee Jae Yoon, whose slowly developing Hyung Min I gradually gained affection for. He portrays the team leader as smart, sympathetic, and steady -- with a shot of menace to prevent him being a boring goody-two-shoes. Honorable mentions go to Kim Yoo Mi and Yoon Hyun Min; their respective characters Jin Sook and Hyun Soo are over the top cool and attractive. To say I became deeply invested in the fate of both of them is an understatement.

“Love is dead,” according to one of Cruel City’s most recognizable themes: Kim Young Jin’s “Wound.” My love for the music will never die, though. It is stirring and atmospheric, always well-utilized in show. Even instrumental tracks are memorable, though the rare vocal was always delicious. Many fans here at MDL went crazy trying to find out their artists and song titles before the soundtrack was released.

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A Step Forward in Danmei

The story sticks pretty close to the novel which a lot of fans will totally vibe with. But one big issue is how they handled the non-consensual scenes. Instead of taking those moments seriously - they were kind of romanticized which is definitely misleading. In my opinion they could have been way more thoughtful about this to show a more responsible perspective of those heavy themes but I do not fully blame them because they did follow the book after all.

On the flip side - the actors really killed it! Their chemistry brought a lot of authenticity to the adaptation, I really loved how they looked at eachother and the kisses were pretty decent too. And even with a limited budget, the creative team made it look pretty impressive.

So overall I think this adaptation is a promising step for the genre. It features Chinese actors and culturally relevant elements and it sets a new standard for future projects. Its awesome to see a production that respects the source material in the DANMEI world. Sure, there are some areas that need a bit more care and improvement but this is a meaningful move towards more nuanced and culturally accurate representations of danmei literature.

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Fantasy Healing Fable

I will preface this by saying that this is in all likelihood the best drama I’ve seen all year. By a strong margin. It’s certainly one of the best I’ve seen in the last 12 months. Until Shards of Her, I hadn’t watch any Taiwanese dramas in several years. Yet in the last couple of months, I’ve discovered a treasure trove of good shows. This is perhaps the best one with the widest appeal. While it has whodunit elements, there’s no gore or violence to deter the faint-hearted. It’s a gloriously perfect blend of coming-of-age, fantasy, a touch of horror, detective and family drama. The weakest part I’d say is the police procedural side of things occasionally played for laughs (which doesn’t help especially from the perspective of a seasoned watcher) but all is quickly forgiven because this show is driven by great storytelling and is imbued with plenty of heart. It’s the kind of show that the Koreans call a “healing drama”. Which usually results in an outpouring of eye water once the waterworks are turned on. Good grief. I don’t remembered the last time I cried this much in a drama.

The star of the show is Pu Yiyong played by Tseng Jinghua, an underachieving high school graduand whose only talent is calligraphy. It’s hereditary. His grandfather is a renowned calligrapher and a teacher in the art. But that distinct family trait has a habit of skipping a generation. Calligraphy however is a dying art form, quickly being superceded by technology. On the other hand Yiyong’s only ambition is to be a comic book artist after completing high school. One day on his way to a calligraphy competition, Yiyong, his father and grandfather board a bus which unfortunately falls prey to an incoming airplane. The lad survives but wakes up after being comatosed for over 2 years. His grandfather barely makes it and is still unconscious in hospital even after all that time. It is left to Mother, Ye Baosheng (Cheryl Yang) to pick up the pieces.

While time has moved on and everyone else with it, Yiyong is lost at sea with no paddle. Or map. Metaphorically. He has no idea what’s next for him until he becomes entangled with supernatural beings who insist that they need him to settle unfinished business on their behalf. So an almost 20 year old unemployed Yiyong reluctantly takes on “cases” that contain at their heart a riddle that needs to be unravelled. Enter Chen Chuying, a junior police officer (Vivian Sung) to lend him a helping hand and takes the lion’s share of the credit for clearing up these mysteries in front of her colleagues. Still cracking these cases is a team effort. Along for the ride is former schoolmate and med student Cao Guangyan (Peng Cianyou) who coincidentally moves next door with his dad (Mario Pu) when Dad’s days in publishing comes to an abrupt end.

Yiyong becomes a reluctant sleuth as he wrestles with his own future and the loss of his father which has left a gaping wound with guilt at the centre of it. He has nightmares that he can’t make head or tail of. There’s also a shadowy figure in the background determined to test his mettle at every turn. Unlike others who have come before, Yiyong is a reluctant superhero. He would rather get on with life and not be haunted by beings that only he can see. Until he starts drawing them that is.

On a deeper level, like many crime shows, this is about the forgotten people in our communities. Those who have suffered loss. The lonely. The homeless. The victims of crimes. This where the show tugs at the heartstrings effectively. The rollercoaster of emotions that I feel in this comes only very rarely. Beautifully intertwined with all of this is also the message that everyone has something that they’re good at. Even a designated “loser” by current social standards can contribute in unexpected ways. Academic smarts aren’t the be all and end all. Everyone has a part to play in the social engine regardless of social status, education, smarts or rank.

This journey of course isn’t Yiyong’s alone. Chen Chuying and Cao Guangyan, his so-called “superiors” who accompany him have a lot to learn from him as well as these out-of-this-world experiences. Chuying understandably is desperate the climb the ladder and break glass ceilings in the police but is forced to confront her own motives for wanting to a respected detective. And Guangyan, for once in his life doesn’t have all the answers regarding his future.

I am new to most of the cast and Tseng Jinghua who leads the cast is definitely brimming with potential. He brings the right balance of confusion, grumpy frustration and a reluctant compassion to the role. Despite Yiyong’s brusque demeanour Tseng Jinghua manages to keep him relatable and likeable.

To give credit where it’s due, I leave my highest praise for the script and by extension the writer. It’s the kind of story that could easily lose its way or get derailed by all the moralizing but unlike many others it’s unusually disciplined by keeping the main thing the main thing. The result is a coherent piece of storytelling which is undergirded by a surefooted direction. Once it takes off it never falters. Furthermore they also manage not to butcher the finale in order to leave the door open for another series. Which is entirely doable if the will (and a decent script) is on the table.

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Bromance

The first time ever I write a review about a series.
So the plot is kinda common, about a cop who hate drugs and try to clean the city from drugs dealer. Then he met a doctor in an incident and both become friends to deal with the master of the drugs dealer. The thing that attract me the most is the bromance between the two main leads. You can say its almost like BL, just got censored. Even so, I still like their bromance as they trust each other so much even when they just met.
So far the story is good enough, lot of things that makes you want to watch more and more. The only problem for now is the subs. From what I read, I think the subs just copy paste from google translate. Even the name sometimes translated. I think this series will have lot of international fans if they could advertise it well and also put proper english subs ASAP.
Two thumbs up. This is one of the drama that i really love and will rewatch it later.

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May the baddest man win.

This is the drama adaptation of a popular female harem web novel "Kun Ning" (坤宁) by Shi Jing (时镜) with an interesting approach; readers voted on who the female protagonist ends up with. It is a dark and gripping tale of intrigue, conceit, betrayal, revenge and redemption. Jiang Xuening is the alluring but resentful, selfish and ambitious daughter of a court official who ruthlessly parleys her charm and cunning into becoming empress. Her schemes lead to the downfall of the royal family and the ruin of both her childhood sweetheart Yan Lin and the erstwhile incorruptible Zhang Zhe. Desperate and full of regret, she barters her life with the blackbellied Xie Wei to save Zhang Zhe. She finds herself reborn as her 18-year old self with a chance for a do-over. She vows to do better this time, to steer clear of the bastions of power and the malevolent Xie Wei. She tries to use her preternatural knowledge to save Yan Lin and Zhang Zhe from their sad fortune. As she embarks on a journey of atonement, she discovers there is an element of destiny that pulls her towards the center of power. This time, with greater wisdom and insight, she uncovers hidden secrets and unexpected allies that help her better grasp the intrigue unfolding around her. Is that enough to change their destinies or are they doomed to the same tragic fate?

This story explores the causal links between the past, the present and the future.; the idea that if only knowing what we know now, we can go back and do what we should have, could have but did not do. It begins with a Ning'er who is already a fully realised character that is not yet revealed; a charming beauty who had the world at her feet and lived a wicked and self-indulgent life. Even though Ning'er's goals change, her innate nature stays the same. The past is told in flashbacks just before the moment plays out again in the present. This works in terms of the more detailed plot points but dilutes the character and relationship stories. Thus while Bai Lu pulls off her role well overall, the piecemeal telling of the backstory doesn't capture the depth of Ning'er's regret or the layers in her relationships with some of the main characters.

Where the storytelling falls short is in Zhang Zhe's arc. To me, it is the most pivotal love story in the drama. He was the best of men, a morally upright official who betrayed his principles for her. And she was a selfish person who was so moved she became selfless for him. Their emotions were so powerful it pushed them both outside of themselves towards a mutually destructive outcome. Sadly unlike the novel, their do-over relationship is shallow and barely scratches the surface of the unfinished affinity between them. It's a pity that instead sticking to the novel which better fleshes out this arc they wasted a bunch of time on the nasty Consort Shu's boring and tropey petty antics. Wang Xingyue delivers such an empathetic portrayal of Zhang Zhe that I was disappointed his character was short changed by the narrative.

As for Xie Wei, I have a weakness for unapologetic, unspeakably damaged, vengeful and morally ambiguous characters like this. Zhang Linghe delivers an intense portrayal of this dark and complex role. Although he overdoes some of the snarls and sneers, his performance overall deserves praise and is his strongest to date. Every time the full fury of Xie Wei's fiery death glare flashes across the screen, I go weak at the knees and my brain turns to mush. Yups, I am definitely a "may the baddest man win" kind of girl. Xie Wei is far from the best man but they are well matched, morally flexible ends justify means kind of people. Their romance arc only takes off later on but it is worth the wait. A mutual understanding develops gradually between them before things get really hot and steamy. When it does, their audacious chemistry explodes in a way that sets a new bar for passionate kiss scenes going forward.

Even though the political conspiracy is not that complicated, it is well told and riveting. Xie Wei's origins are a bit too obvious early on but I enjoyed how Ning'er and Xie Wei work together to uncover the conspiracy. They are both diabolical in how they manipulate the different factions around like chess pieces. The villains are no pushovers but they are overshadowed by the force of nature that is Xie Wei and Ningér's combined dark ruthlessness. This is not an action heavy drama but all of the fight scenes were well shot. I particularly enjoyed the vicious ferocity and absolute glee with which Yan Lin cuts through a melee. I hope this fight maniac Zhou Junwei's small indiscretion does not stand in the way of future roles in action intensive wuxias. Outside of one unnecessary and infuriatingly gratuitous death, the drama ends on a strong note after a bloody, intense and thrilling showdown.

While I enjoyed this drama immensely, the storytelling left me vaguely dissatisfied; as if I only watched the cliff note version of a story that had a lot more depth, nuance and substance than the drama managed to convey. This director is not great at knowing which plot arcs to give more weight to and has an unfortunate predilection for over-bright spot lights and spinning cameras. The production values are mediocre at best. This is a story that had so much potential it deserved to be in the hands of a better director and a better budget. I still rate this a highly reccomended 8.5/10.0.

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Incredible Romance

When I first came across Fake Princess, the title sounded cliche and the storyline tropey. I was not familiar with the actors. I thought I would watch the first episode and drop the series. To my surprise, not only I didn't drop it, in fact I was rather enjoying this drama.

She is a bandit and he's a crown prince. She wants his telescope so she steals it and they meet, and later marry each other without him knowing the actual identity of the person he is marrying. He has assumed that she's the granddaughter of the Prime Minister, his arch enemy, and a mole planted by him (the Prime Minister). But despite all the suspicions and distrusts, very quickly they fall in love with each other and become inseparable. Everything they do is for each other. Never once they betray the other. Each is always there to save the other. As a viewer, it's hard for me to drop such heart-warming storyline.

I love the Chang Le (Yu Kai Xin/Eleanor Lee) character - altruistic. wise, strong, humble, quick-witted, and intelligent. She is also unusually technologically talented. Yu Kai Xin has that casual expression and body language on her that fits perfectly well for the bandit character she's portraying.

Li Che (Zhao Yi Qin) the crown prince is one of the most adorable crown princes I've ever seen. He doesn't have the normal sharp good look of a crown prince that we are so familiar with. Instead, Li Che tends to have a blank face, a clueless look most of the time, giving the viewers the impression that he's not that smart. Perhaps he's indeed not as smart as his wife, but his devotion and upstandingness capture us all. In front of Chang Le, Li Che is like a teddy bear - compliant, devoted, silly and loving; he becomes a little boy, dependent and gullible. Zhao Yi Qin is new to me but his acting here is wonderful, delivering his character 100%.

My favorite scene of the couple would have been the moment when both try desperately to save the other from the 'poison' both have ingested. The altruism in each is amazing and brings tears to my eyes. Both are faithful to each other with one united heart.

There are 2 incredibly well-developed side couples here - Zhu Yan/Li Heng and Nong Yi/Gong Sun Mo. I have always thought the Zhu Yan/Li Heng couple would have a tragic ending whereas the Nong Yi/Gong Sun Mo a happy one. With a twist of events, they do not end as I have expected, and it's painful to watch the loss.

The villains are despicable characters. Having said that, the Prime Minister is villainous and yet super funny when it comes to his beloved teapots. I laughed so much at those scenes because they are so unexpected of his character. Being mean and nasty but not so intelligent make the villain characters very entertaining and a joy to watch.

The wuxia scenes are extremely well executed. Beautiful fighting choreography, floating hair and flying clothing making the whole scenes stunning to watch. Absolutely wonderful.

Yes, this is a good drama deserves our valuable time to watch. Don't miss it!

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When I saw that there were only two reviews for this drama, I just had to write one!

Story: The story is quite common and seen a lot but contract marriages have always been my soft spot and this is one done correctly. As said in the synopsis, they met on a dating site. Haruta Ami wanted to get over her ex-boyfriend of five years and Miura Manatsu was looking for a wife. Can love prevail in these circumstances?
The way they met was just plain destiny, let me tell you. It starts off fluffy and cute and it ends fluffy and cute. This whole drama was super, super cute.

Acting/Cast: The chemistry between the MLs were off the charts. Goodness gracious, I almost died from their chemistry. It was absolutely splendid. The acting was amazing too! They each had their own charm. Haruta Ami's smile was so contagious that the whole drama I was smiling like a ninny. Same goes for Miura Manatsu.

I didn't watch episodes 5, 6, 7 with subs because I simply couldn't wait to see more. Even without subs though, I could tell how great and romantic their interactions were with each other.

A short drama that won't take too much of your time and you can watch it in one sitting.

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"Where Stars Land" is exactly the kind of romance I was in the mood for. I initially avoided it because of so many negative comments, but I'm so glad I decided blindly to give this drama a chance inspite of that. I have been disappointed, and honestly bored, by quite a few romance dramas recently, but with this drama I was pleasantly surprised instead. It's set in an airport, a familiar KDrama setting, but the focus is on the customer service staff in particular. I think it's best to watch this drama not knowing or expecting anything, so I will be careful not to reveal too much, but it turned out to be more than just the opposites attract romcom I expected it to be, and actually had a pretty original story that kept me interested until the very end (flaws and all).

It stars Lee Je Hoon as Lee Soo Yeon who's straight laced and by the book character is matched with Chae Soo Bin as the stubbornly impetuous Han Yeo Reum. All of the complaints I read about the drama were about Han Yeo Reum, and how much people hated her, but I didn't have a problem with her character at all. I think her character is frustratingly ambitious on purpose in order to disturb Soo Yeon's futile attempt at having a quiet and routine worklife. Of course their conflicts lead to some great chemistry and I loved the way the story between them developed. I was a fan Lee Je Hoon in "Signal", but this is my first time seeing him as a romantic lead. I also loved Chae Soo Bin in "I Am Not a Robot", so it was great to see her in another romance, and she did not disappoint me. Together they had cute and comedic moments as well as heartbreaking dramatic moments, and even when parts of the story were weak, their character development was strong.

As for the supporting cast there were characters that were favorites, some who were underutilized, and some who were boring as hell. My favorites in the supporting cast were definitely Kim Kyung Nam as Oh Dae Ki and Lee Soo Kyung as Na Yeong Joo of the security team, who's chemistry was entertaining enough to deserve their own spinoff show. I thought Lee Dong Gun was great, although almost typecast in his role, but because his storyline was compartitively weak I felt like his talent was a little bit wasted. I also wanted to know much more about Mr. Jang who I feel like never got enough screentime for being such a huge part of the story. Then there was Kim Jee Soo as Yang Seo Koon, who seemed like a character I would like in the beginning, but she turned out to be so boring that I'm still not quite sure about anything involving her character. Also, because so much of this drama revolves around work, there's a pretty good ensemble cast feel among the airport staff, which helps make the random airport stories seem less disjointed.

For me, the weakest parts of the drama was the internal airport drama between management, which was too vague to care about, and took up too much time. There are also parts of Soo Yeon's backstory that I wish were better explained, but I still think the parts they did focus on were well done as far as drivng the story and his motivation. With the short episode format there was always enough in each episode to keep me curious and make me want to keep watching. By the end, the story felt like it was definitely rushed, but all the parts of the story that I cared about were resolved (although I'm still not sure if the very end was an artistic choice or an emergency decision).

Would I rewatch this? Yes. I think the chemistry between the main couple is what carries this show, more than the general story, so I would probably still enjoy it with a second viewing.

Overall, "Where Stars Land " isn't going to make it to my favorites list, but it's much better than some of the mediocre dramas I forced myself to finish this year. I recommend giving it a chance, especially if you are a romance fan. You may find out that under it's unassuming appearance is a drama with a spark of something extroadinary.

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Who will spy on the spies?

The Wind Blows from Longxi is an intricate ancient spy thriller that is not for instant gratification audiences. Its biggest hurdle are the first three or four episodes that are weighed down by the introduction of too many bearded and murky characters on both sides of the Shu-Wei conflict. Clearly even Lu Yang couldn't resist romance of the Three Kingdoms lore and goes down the rabbit hole of lingering on defining events and larger than life figures of the day that are peripheral to the otherwise tight plot. Past that, the storytelling simply immerses you in the lonely, tangled, nail biting, heartbreaking, cruel and utterly thankless world of ordinary spies, ants who put themselves in harms way to pave the way for great men to be glorified by history.

Recent adaptations of Mo Boyang's works have been orgies of high speed chases and thrilling action scenes that fall short on suspense and in delivering satisfying and convincing motives and twists. This is very much the opposite. The production values are movie like in quality but due to the shadowy palette, this is best enjoyed on a big screen. The camera is often very still and at times comes at avant-garde angles in low light that accentuates the clandestine nature of the interactions, of opaque motives and conveys a omnipresent sense of alone-ness, tension, ambiguity and danger. The action scenes are signature Lu Yang - impressively choreographed, blood thirsty, vicious and up close and personal in the critical moments.

This drama is set during Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions, a period of stalemate between Shu and Wei where neither side had a clear advantage or scored decisive victories. It is an apt setting for this kind of story because when the margins are narrow, intelligence and counter intelligence can tip the scales in either direction. The drama opens with Zhuge Liang's first (of five) Northern Expeditions, which was unsuccessful. This led to General Ma Su's decapitation for his failure to hold Jieting and Zhuge Liang's demotion. It allowed his political rival General Li Yan who advocated a Southern campaign against Wu instead of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions against Wei, to gain power and influence. The Northern Expeditions took place in rather complex geographic terrain, where the timely delivery of military food provisions was challenging and made the difference between victory and defeat. That is broadly most of the historical background that is needed to understand this story. Of course Three Kingdoms buffs will be thrilled by the "drive-by" of many legendary figures on both sides of the conflict but the important characters in Ma Boyong's stories are always the little people or the ants.

The lines between fact and fiction blur as Siwencao, Shu's intelligence agency, suspects that compromised military intelligence had led to their defeat at Jieting. Siwencao hastily concludes that Chen Gong (Chen Kun), a Shu spy code name Baidi (White Emperor) under deep cover at Tianshui (a Wei stronghold) must have defected and sends Xun Xu (Bai Yu), Deputy Chief of Internal Affairs to deal with him. But Xun Xu is not convinced of Chen Gong's culpability; they are intimate friends, related by marriage. Together, they discover that the highest echelons of Siwencao has been infiltrated by Zhulong (Wax Dragon), a Wei spy. They can trust no one and go rogue with a bold ploy to lure Zhulong out into the open with Shu's crossbow design, long coveted by Wei. They are forced down separate paths that are fraught with danger, under resourced and alone with nothing but their absolute trust in and knowledge of each other. But nothing ever goes completely to plan and everyone has secrets. When the rubber meets the road, will they still have each others' back? How well can one really know someone? This also applies to Chen Gong's relationships with both Mi Chong and Guo Gang, which are as riveting and illuminating has his relationship with Xun Xu. After all, this is about two states at war with each other, there is really no good or bad or right or wrong side. All of the characters on both sides are patriots to their own cause; fascinating, layered, suspicious and disingenuous characters practiced in the art of deception. Were it not for an accident of birth, Guo Gang could well have been a Xun Xu to Chen Gong.

The role of such a cunning, duplicitous and morally ambivalent character such as Chen Gong must have been written with Chen Kun in mind. He dominates the screen in every scene and had my heart in my throat at his ability to turn around dire situations and the glimpses of his ferocious, raw pain and rage that is quickly disguised by indifference or conviviality. The wildness and the violence of his emotions when he takes revenge, where his veins literally popped out of his forehead is frighteningly intense and breathtaking. Bai Yu's Xun Xu is Chen Gong's conscience, a sincere and persistent truth seeker whose bottom line is not flexible. Xun Xu's most consequential mis-calculations are with those he loves best and his regret and unspeakable guilt and sorrow are among the most moving performances I have seen from Bai Yu. While Chen Gong and Xun Xu don't actually get that much screen time together, their screen chemistry is tangible and conveys a bond that transcends dialogue with undercurrents from their body language and their unguarded manner with one another. When Chen Gong starts to play a lone hand, Xun Xu senses it and their dynamics shift and become subtly more stilted, again showcasing the sheer virtuosity of their performances.

The most outstanding aspect of Longxi's storytelling is how masterfully the narrative builds up to the plot twists and the reveals. It is so insidious that by the time the reveals happen it is already sitting on the edges of my mind and thus seems to be organic. This is very compelling because I feel that I am part of the process, and underneath all the surrounding complexity the solutions are rather straightforward and should have been obvious. The characters are so fully actualised that their decisions are characteristic and the outcomes are inexorable. Unlike many other conspiracy heavy plots, this does not succumb to too many twists with overly convoluted or illogical outcomes.

The ending is gut wrenching and yet oddly triumphant and fitting. What is clear from the get go is that Chen Gong and Xun Xu are just expendable pawns caught in a high stakes game where they are besieged by both the enemy within and the enemy outside. As a result of serendipity and his own deviousness, Chen Gong is able for a moment, to seize control of the chess board. He plays the White Emperor's gambit, trading one life for three, empowers a righteous man and writes his own ticket home. His decisions are completely in character and in doing so, he finally articulates his own bottom line. But I won't lie, my first reaction to the ending was ".And that is why those dumb f*cks lost the war!" Because I am not sure the greater good was served. While one traitor is felled, the other villain with equally dishonourable tactics gets off largely unscathed and Siwencao remains a weapon that can be both used and abused. The age old question - "Who will spy on the spies?" remains.

While the start is dense and lacks finesse and the dialogue is on the heavy side, this is a drama that rewards the patient viewer. It is not a masterpiece, indeed many of the criticisms about accessibility and the dialogue that is heavily littered with modern phrases are more than fair. Yet I find the immersive storytelling, the suspenseful plot, the stellar acting and the unconventional camerawork immensely enjoyable. This is not something likely to enjoy mass appeal but for me, I would be surprised if I watch a better drama in 2022. I can happily give this a 9.5/10.

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Real definition of "Dark Comedy".

This is exactly what you call dark comedy or black humor; perfect combination of comedy elements & morbid satire. Inspector Koo, in my opinion, is also the investigative thriller of the year 2021 and I am amazed to see an immense investigative drama after a long while.

Inspector Koo (구경이) got a simple yet "not so basic" storyline. The title clearly indicates about the drama being centered by single person, i.e. Inspector Koo Kyung Yi. She's an ex-cop who now works as an insurance investigator at a company after retiring from police due to a tragic incident involving her personal life. Her desire to perceive truth behind different cases is so high that she can do literally anything to get her work done. She ferociously chases down a university girl, who seems to have been connected to a serial murder case, all of them staged as either suicide or accicent.

The drama has 3 stages in total:
i) know it all but no proof.
ii) have proof but can't catch.55
iii) oh! everything is a messs.

Koo Kyung Yi (Lee Young Ae) is a crazy woman; to say it in Korean, 'michin yeoja'. Food, alcohol and gaming are what she lives for, and can go insane when not provided with them. She got severe mental health issues due to past incidents, and can be sensitive when mentioned about them. Song Yi Kyung (Kim Hye Joon) is a university student with abnormal behaviours and considered a psychopath by many. She's a dramaclub member too and her past has made her like this. She avenges victims of several incidents who have been unfairly compensated by the law, by doing what? Killing the guilty. She's also know as Ms. K.

This drama infact is a all female story and is dominated by women all over; amazing actresses playing major characters. We have here, Chief Yong Sook (Kim Hae Sook) as the chairperson of a charity foundation. Na Je Hee (Kwak Sun Young) as the team leader of the investigative team B, Director Kim (Jung Suk Yong) as Chief Yong's right-hand man, Oh Kyung Soo (Jo Hyun Chul) as an investigator in the Team B, Santa (Baek Sung Chul) as Kyung Yi's assistant, Ahn Keon Wook (Lee Hong Nae) as K's helper, etc in the major roles. These are all profound actors, and hence the acting department has done very well in the drama.

The plot development is stupendously set up in the drama and the progression is very pleasing. The first impression from the 1st episode is sooo intriguing that you'll definitely move to the next without hesitation. This is something that'll keep you hooked throughout and never ran outta substances. There are places where you might feel like the consequences might be become uninteresting, but that's where the table turns and they start over again. That's the beauty of the drama. There are several peaks in this 12 episode script and I loved how they were able to keep the moods & vibes up till the very end of the show.

I don't want to believe that the writer is actually a rookie and it's their debut script as the main jakka. Sun Cho Yi jakkanim have done a great job such a mind blowing script with a compelling plus captivating progression. The character dynamics for each and every major character is very well drawn and everyone has got a fair share of importance, I feel. You're gonna love Koo Kyung Yi, Song Yi Kyung, Santa, etc. Special mention to the cute-acting namja Santa who'll melt your heart multiple times with his acts TT. There's also a portrayal of homosexuality (gay character) for one of the major roles (won't spoil) and I am happy they didn't use it in bad light.

Director Lim Jung Heum, known for the critically acclaimed thriller drama "Nobody Knows" did take the responsibility for Inspector Koo and was able to do a fabulous job there. This is clearly evidebt from the 1st episode of the show. Screenplay management, coordination, screen-editing pacing and execution is amazingly handled and the entire crew deserves credit for it too.

The sound production department as well as the composer for this drama Kim Tae Sung needs some serious praise. Loved how the drama has so many enraging OSTs that perfectly fit the mood of the drama and were appropriately used at instances. A major part of OST album is sung by TRPP, a Korean Indie trio, known for their rock, alternative and garage elements. The songs by TRPP are "Yeah (Round and Round)", "Coming After", "Sins", "Patience", "Liars (I feel Alive)" and "Limbo".The speciality of TRPP is that are the electronic instrumentals used in their songs plus their harmonic vocal line up, which is totally visible here.

Other than that we have "Up" by Hajin, "Watch Me" by SURL and "SURF" by INNI. Additionally TRPP has collaborated with Wayco and Mollo separately to remake Yeah (Round and Round). I swear to my life, there couldn't be any other song to accurately suit the drama and the mood it wanted to deliver. Music for Inspector Koo deserves 10/10.

The sense of choosing from right or wrong is the main concept of this drama. This drama reminded of this quote which I don't remember was said by the person, but it goes like, "Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.". Everyone who has their standards to differentiate between the two and in case they committ mistakez they come up with certain prenotions to defend themselves by which the whole concept of righteousness itself is wronged. Perceiving the drama from this way, Inspector Koo is secondarily a revenge game where someone tries to avenge the right by unlawful means and another who tries to stop the former because righteousness can never be achieved when you commit the same mistake.

The drama also focuses on mental health issues. Abnormal and morally dangerous personalities induced by lonliness and trauma can harm the society in many ways and the drama is yet another portrayal of that. I am happy they has also emphasized on that.

The 2 important elements of Inspector Koo are investigation and comedy. Again, thia drama is a great treat for the lovers of investigative thrillers. Although you known who the culprit is, it really takes a great effort and time to figure the situation, motive and consequences. Connecting the dots and drawing a figure is all yoh have to do and this drama did it brilliantly. There are several highs and lows in the status but what matters is the end, and I assure it was as compelling as the entire show. Many shows claiming to be of dark comedy genre actually fail to understand what dark comedy is but the writer of Koo has done a good job in doing her homework. The main source of comedy is Koo herself and anything involving her might look serious but they simultaneously make you burst into immense laughter too. Several scenes which scare you off about the consequences, also seem weirdly funny, and that's how it should have worked, I mean that's how it happened. I had a good time watching the entire show.

Overally, Inspector Koo is an amazing drama and it has also those entertaining factors. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and honestly wanted more episode tho I don't wanna complain. The basic storyline of chasing after villain is not something new but the screenwriting and plus the execution along with music surely make it a stupendous thing. It's a must watch in my opinion with high reawatch value, so definitely coming back to it.

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Sageuk of the year 2021.

A quote from Oscar Wilde goes like, "Women have a much better time than men in this world; there are far more things forbidden to them." Indeed the women of the world have been chained with rules created by bigoted individuals, for which they're made to sacrifice their wills, rights and aspirations. This drama, too, is based on the story of a woman who, till the very end, did her best not to fall into the patriarchal system's confinement.

In Joseon era, the court ladies chosen for the palace to serve the King, his family as well as to carry out different matters, were more like slaves. Bound to stay single until death, once chosen, they had to wear clothes with crimson red coloured sleeves. This red sleeve was more like a handcuff to hold back them from leaving the palace as well to remind them of their limitations. So the drama is based the love story of a King and his court lady turned royal concubine and it truly lives upto it's title throughout.

"The Sleeve's Red Cuff" (옷소매 붉은 끝동) is a live-action adaption of the famous Korean novel with the same title, by Kang Mi Kang (강미강). With a fictional script, the drama is the true love story of King Jeongjo, the 22nd monarch of Joseon dynasty and his royal concubine Sung Ui Bin. Some historical facts about major events found later is also included in the drama to maintain the most possible accuracy.

To simply put the plotline, the drama is set in the Joseon premise of history from mid to late 1700s (18th century), with only 1st episode taking place in 1764 and the rest after a couple of decades, with flash backs from both 1762 and 1764. The basic story is about Yisan (Lee Jun Ho), the Crown Prince of the kingdom trying to persue his handmaiden, court lady Sung Deok Im (Lee Se Young) to become his royal concubine. Although they're in love with each other, circumstances stand in their way to unison and this what the story is about.

Yisan is the Crown Prince of Joseon, very intelligent and aware of his duties and responsibilities, he strives to be a better ruler than his grandfather, the King. Deok Im is a quick-witted, strong-willed and free-spirited girl who has progressive mindset and believes in living an independent life; she's a medieval feminist. Both the characters are stupendous in their own places and their arcs are beautifully drawn by the writer; couldn't help but fall for them. Romance? Well, I won't call it romance. To me, it felt like an amazing chemistry buildup, growth of mutual understanding and blooming of untold emotions. Even though they were not together as couples for most part of the story, but whatever amount of togetherness we witnessed, it sufficed my heart bcs I had been savoring myself with the bonding throughout.

Lee Se Young is already a proved actress who has won us over through her skills for years in different roles, and she, as Deok Im in here has done very well in bringing out the truest essence of it. This is not her first Sageuk so I'm sure the experience has helped. Junho came back after his enlistment with this and I can say with confidence this'll be a turning point in his acting career. Even with less than 10 dramas, he was a decent actor but his acting graph went really really high in here and I am very happy about it. Lee Duk Hwa who played King Yeongjo (Yisan's grandfather) was a show stealer for me; being the one with most experience, his performance was so powerful that it has left a tremendous impression, what an actor! Kang Hoon as Hong Duk Ro (Yisan's closest aide) struggled in accommodating at first but improved in the later part. Honestly, I thought he was not enough skilled yet to play a major role like this but at least he learnt a lot. Park Ji Young as Head Court Lady Cho served as a prominent antagonist though I was expecting more of her character; she's an amazing actress nevertheless.

Jang Hye Jin as Court Lady Seo (Deok Im's mentor) was the simplest and easygoing character and very likable. Jang Hee Jin as Queen Consort Jung Soon (King's Concubine) and Kang Mal Geum as Consort Hong (Yisan's mother) were of moderate importances in the drama and they're already praised for their acting skills. There are many other familiar faces in supporting characters, who did well too.

Plot development is very fabulous, I must admit, it's been a while I witnessed such prominent and solid development in plot along with each of it's individual elements and possible side stories. The introductory episode is the background story involving the early childhood days of Yisan and Deokim. And then a leap of about 2 decades where the characters grow up. There starts the gradual progession that includes the individual lives of the leads and the supporting characters around them. 3/5th of the show is mainly about dealing with the conspiracies against the Crown Prince, within the royal family as well as in the palace. This is also accompanied with the simultaneous and unhurried buildup between the leads. The rest 2/5th is concentrated on the unison of Yisan and Deok-im with almost similar importance to crime revelations.

The connecting plots of past and present, the twists, the revelations and the storytelling method are awfully good. There are several peaks and very few slopes; it was somewhere around 8th and 9th, in which nothing major happens but it was still interesting. The last 4 episodes were ofty intensed and highly vehement. There are comedy elements incorporated here and there but 4/5th of the show is of serious tone. The single word narration of the drama's mood is melancholia; oweing to the already known sad story of history, it was bound to be sad and miserable.

Talking about episodic progression, in short it's fantastic. I've already mentioned about the perfect pacing for a major portion of the show; there is no part it feels boring. The last 4 episodes visibly get rushed but it's not that fast-paced to be bothered about. It could have obviously been avoided but anyways, it was fine for me.

Jung Ji In PDnim is one of the powerful female directors in Korea though she's produced less than 10 dramas over a decade with no significant piece but her graph of direction went really high with this one and I'm sure it's a big turning point in her career. The quality of the drama really speaks about her skills which we also saw in the BTS videos. The screenplay, the screenediting, pacing and execution is definitely praiseworthy though the pacing became a little fast in the last 4 episodes, but anyways, it was manageable. The cinematography was spectacular giving out the red&blue aura of a perfect sageuk premise. Most of the drama takes place inside the palace and whatever scene involved the nature, both in and out of the palace, were worth the enjoyment.

Honestly, I didn't know the screenwriter Jung Hae Ri jakkanim before this but I must say that she has done a commendable job. Even though the drama is an adaptation from a novel, turning a literature based book into a movie or show script is not really that easy. And given her least experience, she has done the work with a up to par quality. The immense research to create sets with historical accuracy and the efforts to retain the preserved facts, is clearly visible.

On that note, I must also applaud for the author of the Original novel, Kang Mi Kang jakkanim for this story of majestic essence, putting forth the importance of court ladies, their roles in royal as well as political affairs, the life of red sleev cuffed concubines, the heart of a King and several other lesser-told stories from the history, etc in a very beautiful manner. I haven't read the novel but from the drama, I am sure it's something very great, bcs books are better than their adaptations you know.

Execution of sageuk elements is another plus point and notable aspect of the drama, which is worth the mention. I don't really mind the dilution of cultural aspects in periodic dramas or inaccurate representations but you know what, accurate and realistic approaches serve as a huge advantage. The royal palace complex premise consisting of several residencesfor different members as well as different departments including the court maid residence, are well photographed. The costumes, the rituals, the architectural elements, the laws and regulations, the royal court proceeding methods, the literature, the natural scenrios, the city and rural setups, etc. etc. were perfectly delineated in accordance with real fettle of the period in which the story takes place. The execution, thus, is beyond perfect; I don't remember watching such in a while, probably not since Scarlet Hearts.

Noh Hyung Woo is an old yet lesser experienced in comparison to the other contemporary composers but I've quite liked his work in other dramas and so did I like here. He was able to compose pieces that perfectly suit the story, giving perfect sageuk OST vibes, and the substance it wanted to convey. The background scoes are up to par, as well. It has 8 OSTs. "Starlight Heart" by BEN is my most favourite among them, her vocals are so majestically heart touching. "I'll Leave You" by my all time fav Lee Sun Hee ahjumma is unfortunately a melancholic track released for the last 2 episodes. "I'll be with you everyday" by NU'EST Minhyun is a confessional romantic track and so beautiful. Jung Sang Keun's notes are that of an old classical Kdrama OST in "Every step you take" so are of XIA in "I'm still" whose passage stretches wrench your heart.

Things I loved the most
# The progression of the show was lovely, likable, enjoyable and entertaining with good dramatic values; I had a very good time. Especially the elements are what make it eventful and engaging.

# The chemistry between the leads and the coupled development in characters and relationship is alluring, even the romance is subtle for most part and real romance lasts for a small while.

# The portrayal of importance of Court Ladies in Palace is not new for sageuk Kdramas, but this drama does a better job in projecting extra focus since the FL is a Court Lady and not from any Noble Family. It reminded me of my first Kdrama Dwe Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace,2003).

# The true nature, character, duties and responsibilities of a real Korean King has been very well illustrated which is actually very intriguing and impressive.

# In history, King Yeongjo was a ruthless King and a remorseless father but I somehow felt in love with the character in the drama, may be because of Lee Duk Hwa and acting, but yeah! He truly felt like an emperor and his majestic acting, oof!

# There was no exaggeration, neither of plot, nor it's elments; everything is in a perfect dosage. Unlike most of the sageuks this year, it didn't drag an empty plot to make it a proper cable drama. The drama didn't run out of substances at any moment.

# There was no deviation from history, the basic story and the historical facts were not changed which is in fact a big plus point.

The ending, well, yes! It's a sad one and it was, in fact, announced earlier. The real story on which the novel is written ended like that, so does the novel and hence does the drama. This was to retain the historical accuracy of facts. Some of the audience might hesitate to go till the finale or some other might not want to even start it because of that, but trust me, it's WORTH IT. Each and every second of the show is that good to give you beautiful experience and in my opinion, no one should miss it. In the end, I wanna say that I have cried a lot, A LOT. And I will never forget how much i did. I think I will comd back to my own review to cry.

My only complaint about this drama is, it not being a 20 episode show. I mean I am also a lil disappointed about the pacing in last 4 episodes, but they could have easily extend it upto 20. The makers themselves were aware of this and hence they extended the originally planned 16 episodes to 17 episodes, which can also be cited as a production flaw. So they should have planned this ahead of the casting and finalized in order to avoid the occurrence of such a situation. But anyways, its over now.

Final remarks... "The Red Sleeve Cuff" is the sageuk of the year without any doubt. Direction, production, screenwriting, execution, casting, acting, cinematography, music, etc.... all these aspects havs been taken care of very well and I can't praise much about how much I loved this drama as a whole. The only problem of lil rushed pacing in the last 4 episodes is totally avoidable, given the quality of the show. I was more than willing to give it a 9.5 but that only issue made me deduct 0.5 and i believe that's only fair.

If you're wary about watching bcs of the sad ending, let me state that "sad endings are not bad endings"; even if it's a sad one, the journey and the content are worth everything. Let's assume it ended with 16th and we got a happy ending though the reality is something else. It's definitely a must watch and also worth coming back for. Please do watch this bcs this needs more attention than this. This is the best historical as well as one of the best set of dramas this year.

P. S. Let me know in case of any mistake.

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This drama was stunning - a complete breath of fresh air - and I just needed to write a review in the hopes that more people will watch it. I wish I could give it more than a perfect 10 because I really enjoyed it that much!

Right away, I’ll say that this is not the goofy romcom I was expecting it to be. Although there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and lighthearted comedic scenes, this drama gets heavy at some points and definitely moves into the melodrama category occasionally. But what made this drama so amazing is that it continually challenged my expectations of the comedy genre and the difficult emotions never felt unnatural. I laughed and I cried many times and found myself re-watching scenes again and again. The dialogue was fascinating, very quotable, and definitely gave me a new outlook on love and relationships.

It's the cast and characters that really make this drama special. Not only is the acting superb, but the individual characters are very complex and unique. Mikuri, the drama's heroine, overanalyzes and missteps often, can rarely reign in her colourful imagination, and is bold as brass, but that’s what makes her endearing and I loved watching her grow. Even the most minor characters shine in this drama! Each character is so well developed in their personalities and desires that you can’t help but root for everyone to find happiness!

Definitely don’t miss this beautiful drama!

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