Reviews

When Your Wife Calls

I thought this series would lead me back to Kdrama. Unfortunately, it failed me again. This is your another clichéd Kdrama full of murder, crimes, political and family rivalry. I'm here supposedly for the romance. But, the romance I am hoping for took a back seat in the story. Oh yes, it started again with that aloof, domineering, snob character of the ML. Which expectedly would make a turn towards the end of the drama. Yes, everything is predictable, from the crime itself, the childhood flashbacks, the orphanage and the romance itself. Very poor storyplot. Lots of unnecessary characters like the sister of the FL who didn't play a significant role at all, FL's colleagues in the court or judiciary.

The idea of the burner phone is too lame for me just to express ones feelings. Even poor execution of crime solving. Like, a car that can be easily hacked and operated by a culprit but a simple burner phone cannot be easily located or even decoded by the Office of the President. Like, how inefficient such office can be?

Anyways, this is a wasted potential. If only the writers focused on the romance, instead of the too overly used crime trope, it would have been much more interesting. Yes, this is a total slowburn. Why let the audience wait for the finale for a married couple to get intimate? Can't it be at least halfway thru? or better yet, after the wedding ceremony itself since the feeling is mutual anyway. Would have been much better if they have kids in the finale.

Mysterious Love or My Lethal Man Cdrama is way better than this.

I was suppose to give this a 7.0 for the minimal romantic interaction between the leads. The actors were all awesome. My first time to watch Yoo Yeon Seok in a drama. Second time for Chae Soo Bin as first seen her in I'm Not A Robot. Still, gave an overall rating of 8.0 for the intimate finale scene. Definitely, chemistry was there. Another overrated drama.

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HONEST REVIEW: Rushed Plotlines Leave Too Many Questions

This Season left me feeling disappointed, particularly with how it ended. The story felt incomplete, leaving too many unanswered questions...like what will happen to the surviving players? The season only featured 3 games instead of the expected 6, which made it feel rushed and unfinished.

On the positive side, I appreciated the deeper exploration of the players’ backstories and how they ended up in the game. The added focus on the masked soldiers' lives and motivations was refreshing, as this wasn’t covered in Season 1. However, these elements felt like they were only partially developed, raising more questions than answers. It’s like baking a cake but leaving out some essential ingredients—sure, I could add my own frosting to make it better, but it would’ve been much more satisfying if it was complete and delicious on its own.

The black comedy they incorporated added a fun twist, and the scenes outside the Game Arena, especially the search for the Arena’s location, brought a new perspective. Despite these strengths, the overall story lacked balance and closure, which made the season feel disjointed.

While I understand the open ending is meant to pave the way for Season 3, I firmly believe each season should have its own complete and satisfying story arc. As a viewer, it’s frustrating when the storytelling doesn’t deliver on its promise. The lead actor did an excellent job, but I found his role this season less compelling compared to his potential.

Despite my disappointment, I’ll still give Season 3 a chance and hope it will provide a more cohesive and satisfying experience. I just wish the writers would prioritize the viewers’ perspective and deliver a story that feels complete, even within a serialized format.

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A good series for Lakorns'users

Totally lakorn PLOT: The ML2, orphaned heir, is forced by his grandfather to marry a rich and spoiled heiress (FL2) who "tricked" him to be the supposed father of the child she is carrying. The childhood friend of ML2 (the FL) pretending to be pregnant to help the ML2, finds herself married to the uncle of the FL2 (the ML).

+++ Lots of seasoned actors.
+++ Relatively effective production, just a few lengths at the end

### FLAWS of ALL lakorns: lots of melodrama, crying and shouting, caricatured characters, VERY heavy makeup, women's costumes often vulgar (soory for Thai designers), music volume too loud, .. .
### premature babies who leave the hospital and look like they are already 3 months old
### Idiot ML's behavior in the last part, to add melodrama to melodrama = stupid narrative arc.

=> Nice (for lakorn regulars) & well done
****************************************************************************
PLOT totalement lakorn : Le ML2, héritier orphelin, est obligé par son gd-père, d'épouser 1 héritière riche et gâtée (FL2) qui l'a "trické" pr être le supposé père de l'enfant qu'elle porte. L'amie d'enfance du ML2 (la FL) prétendant être enceinte pr aider le ML2, se retrouve mariée à l'oncle de la FL2 (le ML).

+++ Bcp d'acteurs chevronnés.
+++ Réalis° relativement efficace, juste qq longueurs sur la fin

### Défauts de TOUS les lakorns : bcp bcp de mélo, de pleurs et de cris, personnages caricaturaux, maquillages TRES lourds, costumes des femmes souvt vulgaires (dsl pr la thaï fashion), volume de la musique bcp trop fort, ...
### des bébés prématurés qui sortent de l’hôpital, et ont l'air d'avoir déjà 3 mois
### Comportement idiot du ML ds la dernière partie, pr rajouter du mélo au mélo = stupide.

=> Sympa (pr les habitués des lakorns) & bien joué

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secrets and lies -- a crazy chaebol thriller and star-crossed lovers

An excellent K-thriller w/a contract marriage complicating a truly super chaebol-evil kidnapping, blackmail and murder mystery plot. Fans of the genre will rejoice. I loved it.

The heavy use of text and phone to move both plots along is a brilliant metaphor for the communication problems in the marriage. The tangle of deception and family secrets is a particularly vicious one with one or two good surprise reveals (its pre-produced!); the script keeps it tightly organized. We regular people are still capable of being enjoyably scared and surprised, unlike many jaded reviewers only too pleased to trot out their superior foresight.

Really excellent cinematography throughout, taking full advantage of the excellent settings. Huge empty chaebol apartments contrast with the pleasantly crowded work environments of the couple, and lots of the action takes place outside in an autumnal landscape. The opening scene is of course breathtakingly Bond-ish and I originally hated the contrast with the opening credits' sentimental design visuals and music, but as it turns out, sentimentality wins in the end in the show. The spy-flavor is merely a decorative surface. Although the ML at first looks like a dashing superhero, he turns out to be a much more interesting character, very very introverted and inhibited.

Yoo Yeon Seok, playing Baek Sa Eon, the scion of an important political family, is living a lie; he is a fake son. YYS is incredibly good; what I loved about his tragic yakusa turn in Mr.Sunshine and his sexy chaebol self-assurance in Warm and Cozy is eclipsed by this more mature work.

Chae Soo Bin, playing Hong Hee Joo, daughter of an important media family, is also living a lie; she is a fake mute. CSB's portrayal starts off as an impossibly isolated woman whose controlling and gaslighting relatives have forced her into mutism for over a decade. She communicates by written text and through sign language, and works as an interpreter.

She also believes that her marriage is a fraud and her obligatory 'silence' (by contract) about this subtly isolates her from the 3 lively groups of work colleagues who actually hold her in great affection. She, as it turns out, needs her husband's love to grow in confidence and to express her own needs. He is equally in needs of her affection to break the shell of his false life, so that her clinginess, timidity and weepiness are overshadowed by the ultimate closeness and equality of their emotional relationship.

Highly recommended unless you hate kdrama, in which case it will drive you nuts. On another note having the novel at hand is sometimes a problem -- the husband treats his wife very roughly, whereas in the series he is merely insanely cold. Sa Eon is not a tsundere type, though -- he is actually really scary and sort of threatening in a more classically literary sense -- more like the MLs in Jane Eyre and Rebecca.

ps. I am sure many waited to see if that daring phone sex was going to happen, but then this would have been a very different series!

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This drama has everything—love, grief, romance, comedy, and friendships—ticking all my boxes

Blossom is undoubtedly one of the best Chinese historical dramas I watched this year. The "coming back to life when they were young" trope may be a cliché, but it was beautifully executed here, blending seamlessly with the storyline. This drama has everything—love, grief, romance, comedy, and friendships—ticking all my boxes.

I usually lose interest in long dramas and end up skipping scenes, but Blossom held my attention throughout. Not a single scene felt unnecessary. The chemistry between the leads was phenomenal. The female lead, who returns to her younger self with full knowledge of the future, worked tirelessly to change it for the better. Her determination to protect her loved ones and achieve her goals was both inspiring and heartwarming.

And how can we forget about the male lead? He was such a darling! The cold, stoic general who was completely head over heels for his wife was just wow. He had a lot going on in his life, yet the way he handled everything while loving the female lead with unwavering devotion was commendable. Watching him was like seeing two broken pieces of a heart coming together to create a home.

As a fan of the smart, strong female lead and equally strong male lead trope, this drama was a delight. The pairing of a businesswoman and a general is one of my favorites, and the show handled it brilliantly. The supporting characters were equally well-developed, bringing the story to life with their complexities.

What I loved most about Blossom was the way it explored so many shades of love. It wasn’t just about one kind of romance—it showed us love in its purest, most bittersweet, and even tragic forms.

1. Yan Tan and Shou Gu – Their love was so pure and heartfelt. I adored their chemistry and how they were always there for each other during the hardest times, never wavering in their support. No matter how difficult life got, they stuck together, and that kind of love felt so real and touching.

2. An Su and Mu Yu – This story broke my heart. An Su loved him wholeheartedly and believed in him, but he manipulated her and killed her brother. From the beginning she stood by him until she couldn’t anymore. I loved how she grew stronger and stood up for what she believed in, even when it meant falling out of love and ultimately killing him. The way he finally realized his love for her when it was too late was such a tragic twist.

3. Zhang Ru and Chen Jia – They were complete opposites, but they fit together so perfectly. Their chemistry was adorable, and I loved seeing their dynamic play out. Chen Jia’s character especially left a strong impression— I literally loved his character whereas I liked the younger zhang ru more !

4. Dou Ming and Ting Yu – Their love story was bittersweet and tragic. Ting Yu fell for him because he truly saw her for who she was, but it felt like she loved him more than he loved her. His irresponsibility led to her death, and the guilt consumed him. I truly believe he loved her too, but his inability to take responsibility ruined their lives. His death, driven by guilt and heartbreak, made their story even more haunting.

5. Sun Lan ( or yan ? ) and Lu Zheng – Though their story wasn’t fully developed, the small moments we saw spoke volumes. The way she froze when she heard about his death showed how much she cared. I wish we had gotten more of their story because the little hints of their bond were so compelling, their story had so much potential would've really loved watching their love unfolding.

6. Dou Shiying and Gu Qiu – Their story was intense and heartbreaking. I loved Shiying’s redemption arc, but the way he hurt Gu Qiu—cheating on her with her best friend and neglecting her—was infuriating. She loved him so much but ended up taking her own life because she couldn’t bear the pain anymore. Her decision to think about her child’s future while sacrificing her own happiness was devastating but so powerful. Shiying’s eventual care for his daughter and son-in-law was his way of atoning, but their love story was a tragedy through and through.

7. Princess Shu De and Dou Shishu – Their love was forbidden, but it was so beautifully portrayed. You could see how much Shu De loved him, and even though Shishu tried to keep his distance for her sake, his actions showed that he loved her too. The way he protected her until the very end was heartbreaking yet so touching.

Each love story had its own unique flavor, from pure and supportive to bittersweet, tragic, and forbidden. The drama captured the complexity of love in all its forms, making it a truly unforgettable experience.

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A very slow slice of life

This show is a mix of parts that have documentary feel, parts that are your usual slice-of-life servings and parts that are overdramatic in a soap opera style. Despite still-sort-of-slow pace the last two episodes feel rushed, as if they had to wrap up the story as soon as possible.

The documentary-like parts introducing Taiwan and its culture were good and felt genuine and warm. The overdramatic parts were, well, overdramatic. And the rest of the story was a slow moving life from loss to love, from love to loss, from old things to new, from new things to memories, with the characters growing in some ways, staying the same in others.

All characters are very different and look pretty genuine. Even Nian Nian, though she could be annoying at times. I personally know a person like that, though, so even she didn't look fake.

Nothing fancy, nothing polished, just pure life, more or less unfiltered.

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So... This is how I see it

Ep1: I hate him I hate him I HATE HIM and I'll run from school because of him

Ep2: I want to avoid him so I pretend to be sick. He knows, he visites me and takes me to see some beautiful place. Suddenly I don't have a problem to sit in his car and I don't object.

Ep3: He takes me to my favourite food and now I'm head over heels. And I fenally told my friend (and watchers as well) ny sister liked him and he liked her back. I know it's true and I'll be do down bad when I'll find out it was all misunderstanding...

Sorry guys, I can see why you like it, but this is just not my cup of tea.

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Prima di scrivere questa mia opinione al riguardo, mi son letta qualche recensione e purtroppo mi tocca dire che si vede lontano un chilometro chi non ha mai subito bullismo. Alt, non sto dicendo che questo sia un super drama, una serie incredibile, assolutamente da vedere ma su tutto quello che concerne la protagonista mi tocca darle 100% ragione. Non avete la minima idea di che cosa vuol dire subire quello che lei ha subito e perciò quello che può essere il pensiero suo, il suo modo di proteggersi non è discutibile. Io ho sentito tutto, ho colto i più piccoli segnali perchè so cosa vuol dire, so come ci si sente e purtroppo a volte si prendono decisioni che sul momento non sembrano aver senso, ma è tutto un modo per crearsi un guscio, un modo per riuscire a "nascondere sotto il tappeto" le azioni che ci sono state rivolte.
Fatta la premessa, passiamo al resto.
La storia di per sè mi è piaciuta, mi sono piaciuti i protagonisti, ma anche i personaggi secondari, le varie coppie che si vanno a formare. Note forse negative possono essere i genitori sia di ML che di FL, anche se capisco che con questo metodo sono stati in grado di dare maggior profondità ad essi. Alcune cose potevano essere sicuramente gestite meglio, ma anche le tempistiche dietro ad ogni più piccolo passo le approvo. Insomma, un bel drama contro il bullismo con tanti messaggi positivi.

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Worst C-drama I've ever seen

This drama is completely destroyed y the script & storyline. It features an ultimately fatally (literally) idiotic, albeit moral and self-sacrficing MML. a feeble and likewise self-sacrificing FML, and a second "villainous" MML who nverthelesscomes out on top. (The last, rushed episode is just an afterthought).

At many key points the protagonists could make different, but equally ethical decisions - thus the air of inevitability the script is trying to convey is simply deceitful.

Also irritating are the prolonged "romantic" scenes with their dreadful sung underpinnings. Pointless padding, given the ultimate, largely catastrophic outcome. This drama fails essentially on its internal inconsistency

So: Worst I've ever seen, out of well over a hundred. The only positive aspect is video quality. But how anybody other than a weepie addict could give this more than 5.0 beats me.

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Watch this cause of YouTube fishing. Turn out quite good for short drama. It has a complete & clear story from beginning till the end.

Story about Lin Yan (LY) who find out the betrayal of her fiancé Ma Cheng Jun (CJ) and her best friend Wen Li Li (LL) on the day of her wedding. LL push LY down from the building result in LY laying in hospital bed unconscious for 3 months. One day LY suddenly wake up & while running from the one that want to hurt her, she meet Xiao Mo (XM), LY's late dad bodyguard & special assistant.

After learning from XM that CJ slowly take over her company, LY join hand with XM start planning her revenge against LY & LL. In the process, LY learn a lot about XM; what XM had done for her while she's sleeping & how XM silently protect her, slowly but sure LY fall in love with XM. But turn out XM still hiding about his true identity, making LY really doesn't know what to do & who to trust. Is XM feel for LY is real or everything just a plan for the bigger picture...

That's pretty much the story without giving any spoilers. For short drama, this really one good & complete story to tell. All the aspect; acting, editing & music is very good. But unfortunately all falling to the victim make it easy, I mean FL laying in bed for 3 months, but she can still instantly running, FL just wake up from head injury but having no problem with her head. See... make it easy...

But for short drama, this quite a good watch

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