Love Torn Apart

Once I saw this was another heroic firefighter series I thought of ADWTF series that ended not long ago. As beautiful of a story it was, I could not stay awake long enough to get through an episode.
This is a different path and a little bit more interesting. I find myself staying awake and I binged the entire first 8 episodes.

It has backstories that need addressing of course but nothing to in depth that it leaves missing links. It tells the story of a young love divided by stations and separated by family. They both or heroic in their own way and resentment and hatred triggers hidden feelings that were buried away.

The connection the ml has with his coworkers/brothers in uniform are similar to most series with that setting.
Fl struggles to get her footing with coworkers due to her station at no fault of her own. Yet, I will say she does have a DGAF attitude about how you feel towards her, (while on her path to success for her career) in which I love.

FL only weakness is the ml Song Yan and her not being able to walk away from a very toxic family. I mean her mom used mental abuse to train and instill fear that followed her brother and herself well into adulthood. Yes, their mom and father are prime examples of Narcissistic Parents. Big brother is just as confused and suffers just as much if not more but you will learn why.

The two leads do have chemistry. It's not as deeply rooted as one would like it to be, but there is some chemistry between the two leads. There is one scene where Xu Qin seems to be pouring her heart out and she was very much in character. However, SY has a very one-dimensional look that showed little emotion besides a frown here and there. If it were not from XQ I could not truly believe they had a deep connection in the past or present. Butttt there is room for character development with his emotions and connecting.

I am not a fan of either lead but I have seen their work.
Yang Yang - is great at frowning and looking serious and also confused. Yet he has a great smile when he decides to. However, it does not really add the emotion needed for some scenes with her. This is probably because his character has been hurt and does have a career that could possibly end his life as well as others at any given moment.
Wang Churan- is great at looking like she has not one emotion which is again, what her character calls for in the beginning.
She received little love growing up. She was probably traumatized. (You will later learn why she’s so obedient as an adult even when her best interests are at stake.) She does however show emotions when faced with the ml. That would make sense since she has only experience happiness while with him. Her character also calls for an empty shell of a person trying to reconnect with what made her smile so many years ago. I must say she has bodied that type of character and I’m sure it’s what the producers had in mind when they casted her for the role. She may need characters that take her away from her comfort zone.
So, my only concern would be their chemistry and not how they look with coworkers. I mean who smiles while trying to save a life. That would be awkward, I think.

It’s cute, funny, loving, calming, refreshing and enjoyable. It can make a great go to after a very intense series when you need something more calm and relaxing in the storytelling approach. Their love seems to be very meaningful to them both and that's always an interesting outlook.

Pros
•CGI is pretty good.
•Plot seems to be pretty decent.
•Love involves only two people for now. (May change)
•Producers and crew seemed to have worked hard.
•Actors are doing phenomenal. ( most are seasoned)
•Shows the risk the firefighters take and the importance.
•No ridiculously complicated script that needs analyzing over and over.
•It also doesn’t give you too many accident scenes to tug on your emotions.
•It’s all about the characters and their growth in work, family, career, life, and love.
•Rewatch value is highly as of now

Cons
•Seen it once you have seen it twice. (Similar stories have been done several times)
• It has 40 episodes so drama is heading our way.

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Not a cliche romcom

If you came here looking for a tear jerker, cliche storyline, typical romcom, or your typical boy meets girl, you have the wrong show. This is a refreshing approach on a young lady and her journey to love. All three stages of her life are reasonably similar to the average person.
Initially I thought I would not want to see her going through relationships. When characters portray their role convincingly you form attachments and it would make the transition difficult for the viewer. Although I had moments, it was wrapped up nicely. I am looking forward to the closing of storyline 3.

Storyline 1: Steamy. Passionate.
Storyline 2: Considerate. Family development. Growth.
Storyline 3: Enduring. Eternal. Truth.

Also let me add that the music is phenomenal. It is the first time I considered buying the soundtrack.

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A Girl Crush

If you have ever heard the song, "Girl Crush," you know what I am referring to. Zhao Lu Si reminds us time and time again why she is a fave among directors and producers. She manages to make a viewer like myself, jealous of the love journey she’s experiencing. From her role as a young teen to college, every step is believable. She is the embodiment of young love in this drama.

Between ZLS and Chen Zhi Yuan, I don’t know who to love more in this heartfelt story. Their chemistry is unmatched and it’s the best I have seen in a long time.

Don’t pass this up. You will love everything from the sibling relationship, her awkward facial expressions at a young age to her love that never truly wavers.

This was referred to me by a friend here on Drama List. I can wholeheartedly say this has been the best, involving a romance, in a long time.

Happy Viewing!

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Highs and Lows but mostly highs

Story:
This was a story of Love. Obnoxious family members who would do anything for money, including selling off their daughter and niece. Suffering from betrayal from those you love and hold dearly. There is a disappointment due to secrets, traditional family values, and being forced to give up the one person you love. Then it’s followed up with revenge for a husband who was voiceless no matter how he tried.
You have sisters/cousins that go through life’s ups and downs together. They have a bond that seems unbreakable. Then one makes the ultimate sacrifice for the family that never truly treated her like family. The other cousin later becomes wrapped in pain and regret feeling remorseful and at times angry. The two find medium ground in the end. They both find out just who they are and what they are capable of.
You don’t want to miss this. There are a few holes and that’s mainly because some writers and producers have not yet adapted to the shorter dramas. When you have 65 episodes it’s easy to place everything needed in. However, when you have 30-40 it becomes a challenge, especially if the scripts were written a few years ago.

Production:
Great job on directing, scenes, props, costumes, and also acting.

OST:
Beautiful.

Rewatch:
I would watch it every few years but I definitely would rewatch it.

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The WOKE vs FICTION!

I remember reading a couple of reviews before I watched this on a few platforms. One reviewer talked about the woke crowd. Yes, it does seem as if everything under the sun has been shifted under that category. It was originally used to bring awareness to police shootings. Now it's overused, holds no value, and no one cares to listen. Can you blame them when we do things like wanting to bring awareness to a series about FICTIONAL characters?
Sheesh!!! That's like me assuming if my nephew watches Spongebob with a scene of him burning crabby patties, he will do the same. It's just not going to happen. He knows it's not real and if he doesn't like the new episode he turns the channel. If a 6 y.o. can do something as simple as finding something else to watch instead of complaining, why can't adults? If your complaints are interfering with your morals and values, don't watch it.

Do you recall the series, Saimdang, Light’s Diary? (Great series by the way.) There was a scene of a character who was very young throwing herself at a much older man. She promised to give him kids, I think. No one said omg, that's disturbing, no one. Ffwd to 2023 and a bra strap seems to be the bigger problem. You can't say it was because it was allowed during that time. I could argue and say boys at school were also innocent when they pulled straps trying to inflict pain.

How about we as Americans have watched far worse on cable television or streaming platforms, i.e., Scandal, The Handmaids Tale (boy that one would really wake the woke up), and even the Outlander had a few moments. No complaints right, because you understood you could have just dropped it or not watched it at all. However, somehow there we go inserting ourselves in the political standards of shows allowed in a country we don't reside in nor have citizenship for and probably use subs. It's been 18 years for me and I still use them. Imagine trying to place your morals and values on someone from another country with a different culture and language. Don't get me started on the people who are upset because he had multiple partners living in his head rent-free. Like no one has ever cheated but the divorce rates due to unfaithful spouses are very real all over the world.
If you notice they are not even reviewing the story just a few scenes of him being too dominant in their eyes.

None of this has any right to be on a review. None of what they wrote has a right to be on a review. If you are reviewing based on your standards, then say that. Say, you didn't like his domineering attitude because “you” felt uncomfortable but please include it has nothing to do with the actual story. Also, don't realize you haven't proven your argument and then totally discredit the series to do so. There is nothing wrong with not watching something that doesn't align with your values. However, it would be wrong for me to leave a horrible review because of that. I just want you to see how absurd it is to place importance on someone’s imagination. It was, after all, birthed from his imagination.

Now to the review.
1. The one or two holes were overshadowed making them appear as just an extra component.
2. It has a couple of overacting moments done by support or guest roles but the leads made up for it.
3. It's worth a try. It could be a hit or miss.
4. The story was an untraditional writing style for most but I like different.
5. Overall acting was standardized.
6. Romance and relationships from a male’s perspective are seen throughout the entire story.
7. Brotherhood.
8. Written from an actor’s perspective with no skills or prior education that I know of, and he did it exceptionally well.
8 1/2. Seasoned veterans that brought it to life.

There you have it, my 8.5/10 rating

Happy Viewing

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60+ hours I will never get back

•It had so much potential to be a great soap-style drama.
•There is absolutely no rewatch value from my perspective.
•I could not stand to sit through a 100+ episodes just to be disappointed for 70% of the show. So major disappointment.
•Acting is subpar and sometimes a bit of an overkill but hey, I can’t act at all.
•Plot heads in various directions.
•After 50% of the show there was no character development. (Maybe by episode 90)
•Unnecessary dialogue.
• Completely one sided and favorable to the antagonist throughout the majority of the drama.
• It redefines “drama” and carries it’s very own sub style.
Category: WTF was that?
• Some things could have been fixed with an easy google search. It’s not like they wrote it in one day. Or did they?!


With soap dramas we basically understand what we will get if we decide to watch it. There will be absurd scenes and very domineering parents. The family business will face a crisis and someone will get hurt or killed. Family relationships will be broken and mended. New love will blossom and the antagonist will turn over a new leaf.

However, we do not plan on watching something so ridiculous that we have to question our own intelligence and mentality.
If you can bare to get through 50 or so episodes of being livid at the writers and producers then this is for you.

Spoiler:

This drama has a male lead who has the surname Kang. Kang is the most despicable, horrible and disgusting human who would do anything for money and titles. He starts off by killing his wife and trying to kill his newborn who is named Hae In. Then the story completely spirals from that moment on.

One family is attacked the entire first half, which makes it almost unbearable to many like myself. Give us drama but don’t give us destroy the poor and the wealthy always win. No one wants to see the less fortunate bullied and especially to those extremes. That’s the problem people are having with this. You can create drama without bullying the poor. -She was an orphan for crying out loud.-
It’s very old and tiresome. Circumstances that at one point created such a gap involving working class and or the less fortunate, has shifted tremendously. (Meaning even the poorest are fighting for their rights.)

All of the families are intertwined. Conflicts continuously happen. Scheming and power plays are involved as well as love triangles. There is nothing new here folks except for the disgusting father. I don’t think I have ever seen a father so horrible and foul in a drama in all of Kdrama history. At this point no redemption would make me see him differently. He has passed the point of no return. And I hope the writers don’t try and do that because you have built his character up in a way that’s unfitting for any decent human.

I originally thought this would be a loving, playful, family drama. This turned out to be the complete opposite. I don’t know why they opted for a bright, lovely, doting, and bubbly family atmosphere on the cover either. It would be fitting for HaeIn family but not Kang and his ingrates. They should have went with a darker sinister look.

The writers now are really focused on following the blueprint to 90s style dramas or early 2000s I am sure. It seems as if you have seen similar plots a thousand times and get the same result.

If you can sit through that, you have made it midway.
My problem with this story is that it’s very one dimensional. I personally hate shows like this because the writer is taking an easier approach and just checking off boxes. Nothing about this story is interesting enough to make you want to rewatch it.

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I loathe this show.

This is the worst soap-style drama I have seen EVER. The plot is all over the place. They have one or two actors that are up to par and the rest or horrible. Either the facial expressions are exaggerated or the entire presentation is just off.

Then you will see it’s one-sided, but that’s if you should happen to get past the horrible acting. One character with no backer whatsoever becomes more intelligent than the 1%. -It's a reason the 1% is just 1%.- She has no history that includes anything to warrant her success rate in the business, education, finance, and or mental and physical backing that allows her behavior. However, she somehow gets to practically overthrow, kill, destroy, and manipulate an entirely successful and rich family for 70-80 episodes. Why do I say that? Granddad with no help became a powerhouse which means he had to have some intelligence to get that far. Even if he had a leg up, he still grew that company and made it what it was. So, you are telling me that Granddad is slow to someone like AeRa?!

If, a show has 100 episodes, and nearly 80 or horrible, it’s not a win. One character has been the center of attention, and no, it’s not who you think; it’s the antagonist. The antagonist here wins for nearly 80-85% of the show. The show’s name should be changed to Evil Resides in A Chaebol’s Bedroom. Because let’s be honest if this was boxing and the opponent had managed to land a few punches in the last 4.7 minutes of the match. Then out of 47 minutes, he would still lose. This was a bust from beginning to end but some of us had so many minutes invested we wanted to see it through until the end. I throw in the towel at this point.

Happy Viewing!

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Should I? Shouldn’t I?

Yes, you should definitely give it a go. It has some moments that are questionable to the average viewer who loves this genre. It dwells into the story of the main leads’ love a little more than most but that’s only when it’s deemed necessary for the story to transition. Is it the best I have seen? No, but it is definitely a decent script to consider and well worth viewing.

It has an interesting backstory that links the two leads and not in our usual cliche type of way. They definitely did not know each other prior to the encounter.

I find it humorous at times and a bit nostalgic in one or two scenes. I am very interested to see how they will close it, and that’s always a good sign.

If you are a fan of the leads, (they are doing a phenomenal job by the way) then support your faves.

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A beautiful lens of the past.

I don't know why the ratings are so low here. However, I enjoyed this drama. It was a beautiful story of love during a time we could only read about or hear stories from our elders.
I don't know what else to say other than that it was truly beautiful. To watch Xiao Chun Sheng face setbacks with family, love and career. Then he manages to get it right somehow in a way that's relatable to viewers, which was remarkably done.

Every side story from the supporting cast was very real and raw. From inferiority complex, betrayal of friends, career struggles, loss of family, and divorce to jealousy and domestic v. These are things that happen in real-life circumstances, and most of us have witnessed or experienced at least one of these things.

I think the writers, cast, crew, and directors deserve a round of applause. They went back in time and captured the beauty in the ugliness that life will throw at us.

The actors did a phenomenal job of betraying their characters. I felt like I knew each character personally. Their moods, characteristics, and personalities came through very clearly. They communicated what was needed to the viewers in my opinion. This entire cast needs a nomination from the best support to the best lead.

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Ex of and ex with an ex??‍♀️

It’s a typical soap style drama. Soap rides are very unpredictable but not, if that makes sense. Meaning you know it’s going to be an insane drama but you never know what level of sanity they will choose.
It is a cute love story that has trial and tribulations with family drama. You have a two crazy exes obsessed with their exes which happens to be each other’s exes or something like that. (See what I mean) Soaps are wild and ridiculously funny and somewhat enjoyable. The entire family’s relationship with make you very angry but in development it shifts and that will take the frown from your face. If there is one thing I enjoyed with some characters it is and will be there character development.

Rewatch value: I would probably skim through this again one day years from now.

OST: Fitting for this show.

Cast: Besides a few overacting moments they are pretty decent actors aside from the veterans who are more skilled.

Happy Viewing!

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Can't have the one you love, love the one you are with.

Generally, the so-called romance stories have little if anything that’s considered romance throughout the show. Here I can finally say we get to actually witness the love growing. It has other side stories that contribute to the plot as well, but nothing takes center stage over their growing love. There is action, family, trauma, wars, and much more. However, it still holds its weight as the main plot.

Is this the best series to date? No, but it's the best script-turn series I have seen in a very long time. I have been watching these dramas as well, for two decades, and I can honestly say it's a gem. I would give it 4.2/5 on a 5-star scale and anything less than that would not be fitting.

I am a romance buff so I am very particular about my love stories. Their unknowing love faces challenges and setbacks like no other. You wouldn’t want to miss this ride.

The leads are great and so are the support actors. No one is overacting or failing to meet the expectations set by the viewers. It's pleasantly heartwarming even in the midst of a war.

You will definitely enjoy this one.

Happy viewing

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The toxicity I needed

I didn’t know I needed this kind of toxicity in my peaches-and-cream drama life.
First, Karens don’t come for me about my toxic relationship with this drama. Police me another day??.
This is surprisingly watchable. Yes, I had moments where I thought he was a complete a** but that's a given with this drama. It’s not a Romcom. It’s not your typical costume romance either. You have revenge, love, intimacy, revenge, drama, drama again, revenge again and it goes on and on like that. *laughing hysterically* I’m sorry but I was not expecting that from this drama.

All jokes aside, it’s an interesting story. I will give the entire drama 8.5/10 or 4.2/5 stars.
I don't have to go into detail about the plot because it's in the synopsis.

Just beware!!!!!!
Watch at your own risk.
Me. Well, I am enjoying the ride.
Happy Viewing!

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Falling For The Boss

Review:

Leads: Leads have chemistry maybe because of their collaborations over the years or that they both have always been entertainers. I also think they are the same age as well, which makes it even better.
Now, I can put them together in real life and not just as K-pop stars, actors, and etc. Just look up their performances from not long ago and I think one from almost a year ago. Credit-MBC World.

Actors: The support roles seem to have good stories going as well and they are not skip-worthy. One friend will experience new love. One friend is married to a bum. They all suffer at the hands of superiors or seniors at work. But, much later they will get their resolutions that will lead to their happy ending.

Story: This is a good story but I can say I am mainly here for the leads. It’s not the best story but it’s fair enough to continue.
It’s cute, funny, and adorable. The actors bring this story to life. Some stories could have C-list actors as leads but as long as the plot and execution were great, it would be a hit and the actors would become well-known. This is the polar opposite. It’s not the best story but the actors make it worthwhile. Hopefully, the later episodes change my views.

Added: This romcom is like any other romcom known to the audience that involves Kdrama writers. Let's not pretend that drastic changes in writing patterns are always welcomed. That could totally end up as a failure. Writers have tried time and time again to step out and experiment with their writing only to be told by the audience it sucks. I can’t blame them for being cautious.
Is there a family rival? Yes.
However the twist is in his mom’s death and that his half sister deemed her a nobody.
Is there a boss and subordinate relationship? Yes.
Is there a comparison with other Netflix dramas? NO. Well, aside from a hotel chain in my 19th Life, the buck stops there.
Is there a rich heir falling for someone of a lower class? Yes.
There will always be rivalry, antagonist, family drama and a couple falling in love Cinderella style in this style of writing. However, that’s why most of us love them. We don’t escape to entertainment involving romance to see harsh reality. We escape to be entertained and shift our hearts from the reality of the world. When you watch a horror do we say they always get killed and someone always murder the monster? No. We just watch the same style writing over and over because we enjoy it. There will always be an introduction, rising, climax, falling and resolution in writing. Those are the key components. Pride and Prejudice has the same style with the Cinderella falling in love with the rich heir but we love it just the same. Fifty shades of Grey had a rich heir. Memoirs of a Geisha had a rich man saving the damsel in distress sold off by her father to save the sick mother who passed anyway. We have seen it a thousand times but we love romance and understand.
JMO

Rewatch: I would watch again but as of now it wouldn’t be often.

OST: Seems fitting.

Elephant in the room:
South Korea has tried hard to pull away from those older production writing styles from decades ago. They are trying more modernized approaches and views for a global audience but it's sometimes a hit or miss. Episode 7-8 My takeaway was a spoiled rich kid who loved women and money. Half of the entertainment world portrays most of the rich in such a negative way. I will hand it to Koreans, you guys can laugh at yourselves and think that we all can and I wish that were the case.
I do appreciate that they are really trying to reach more audience members. If whatever country, race, or culture involved takes offense to something they deemed inappropriate, racist, or xenophobic, then they do have a right to that. Also I think Netflix has a streaming session for some of their movies, shows they create if not all. I’m sure it will be a learning experience for all involved.

Happy Viewing??

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