Bad Guy was sexy...but that was just it.

The first show where i thought the bad guy (SML) was really smooth and more attractive than the ML. He really did his role well and had chemistry with all his "paramours". He just had that little something extra (lol).

As for the show itself, it starts out with great momentum, but quickly gets lost somewhere along the way. Then it never really recovers. I liked/watched for the plot and was expecting a bit more of the revenge, anger, pay-back and a stronger FL who is not apologetic or too weak by the end. Instead it quickly downgraded itself to be like the rest of the other shows, with silly misunderstandings and flash backs towards the end that i thought were misplaced or did not change the story in anyway . Or even change your feelings about the characters.

Otherwise you are not missing much, its an average show that will never make it on your top list of memorable lakorns. I rated it a 7/10 and it has zero re-watch value.

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Pointless Idealism, beware you will be dissappointed

I consider myself a very broad-minded individual who watches all sorts of dramas and honestly, the subject matter is important to me but they failed to deliver it compellingly. I'm not even complaining about the romance but about the lack of coherence and the presentation of the story itself. The real issue isn't just the plot but the pacing, tone, coherence, and expression of ideas throughout the drama. The script starts with a strong foundation of idealism, but those core themes are abandoned by the end. It's a classic case of bad writing where the initial promises aren't fulfilled. It's too preachy and idealistic while lacking that "realness" quality. You can tell what they were trying to say but they failed to convince the audience with their story-telling and execution it in a memorable way. Surely there is more to a hagowan teacher's life?

I hated the preachy tone of this drama and the impractical idealism (country, education system issues vs personal idealism). Can one teacher change a whole socially entrenched system? I get the issues of Korean education but I was excited about a story of that one teacher that actually cares about the kids, but it was not. the drama is written in a weird, cliche way. The portrayal of the characters doesn't tell their stories well at all.

From the outset, this was not a story about the struggles of the FL to reach her dream but a critique of the education system, teaching, and how teachers see themselves with all the pressures that the hagwon industry brings. That's why we have the struggles and the politics, the competition etc.

After acting like a virtuous sacrificial lamb who was ready for a crusade fighting for the academy & the students and profession she loved. Even going to the extent of being so condescending and preaching to the “white-haired witch”, talking about ethics etc.

After creating a strong female character like the "white-haired witch", the writer wants me to believe that she was slapped out of existence when she was a good strategist and businesswoman throughout the drama. Questionable ethic yes, but very focused.Many things sub-plots are left hanging with no explanations or closure at the end. I found it hard to believe that the "white-haired witch" who was a strategist who planned her moves would get into a catfight as her ultimate end. That was so out of character with all the expectations built up by the writer from the beginning. I thought there would be some great mind games and a reveal at the end that would justify all the politics, fighting, and competition. In the end there was nothing.

I would have applauded the writer if the story was all about the FL's struggle to reach her dream from the 1st episode but it's not it's about a system she was trying to protect. Therefore the whole build-up of the drama from episodes 1 - 16 is totally out of sync with that ending.

You are made to believe that there is more but there really isn't anything, just a disappointment.

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Same Old Tropes, Missed Opportunity!

I was very excited when I first read the concept of this drama, about a girl that wants to get ahead but the company only promotes married people so she decides to find a fake groom. That sounded fresh and exciting.

I wanted to see more of the struggles of a working class female or females. I was thinking they could talk a bit more about the problems Korean women face with the glass ceiling.

I thought this would be a normal workplace drama, with a woman challenging the patriarchy as she tries to climb to the top or gain recognition for her hardworking. Wait, that was only two episodes of the drama.

It was pretty obvious that he was hiding something & I was praying it wasn't the chaebol secret. After that it's back to the old kdrama trope of chaebol's secret son. Disappointed!!!

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Family Secrets and being sisters...for life

"Family is pain, you can't choose them and they mess-up your life. They make you celebrate for them even though you hate them. And you can't seem to get rid of them..." Ep.8

This is a family drama with a twist, at the heart of it is two siblings making peace with their past and their mother's secrets while rediscovering their relationship as sisters. Anyone with siblings will relate to the sibling rivalry that extends to stealing things from each other including things that shouldn't be stolen. Everyone seems to hate the concept of the sleazy, weak husband but the real story is the sisters' relationship and how they eventually find each other again. The poetry of bones, grieving, family secrets, and wanting to be seen and heard by the people we love especially our mothers. Discovering that your mother is a fallible human being.
The irony is how each sister thought the other one stole what they wanted or deserved in their own life. The spoiled one was starved of love and attention but the big sister was always there and she never noticed it. I'm glad they sorted it out at the end, and were able to be sisters again.

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Positive Message & Sweet Kisses

One of the few Thai Lakorns that i have watched that has a positive message and tries to steer the conversation towards a building better relationships and families. Women were not treated as plot devices and beautiful props that slap each other or are brainless, fighting over a rich guy. This drama explores the issue of abuse & suffocating traditional expectations placed on women.
-I loved that despite what the FL goes through she is portrayed as a strong woman who tries to rebuild her life and regain her independence from her suffocating traditional family( mostly her father) who sees all the females in the family as chess pieces to be played by him the way he likes and her abusive ex & his mum who are not that bright.
-She had a mature second chance relationship with a guy, they give her a realistic romantic relationship, complete with her fears after what she had been through.
-The most boring thing about the drama is that the dialogue can sometimes feel like its a talk show rather than a drama and its a public service announcement.
-There is also a bit of a sadness in the drama, but i will not spoil it here.
Overall gave it an 8/10 for giving a positive message, which is rare in lakorns.

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If you have sisters, you will understand this drama.

This drama delivers what you’d expect from a family-centered story: generational tensions, gender dynamics, and deep-seated familial ties. At its heart, it’s about the complexities of relationships, particularly through the lens of female experiences. While it successfully explores some heavy themes, including domestic and emotional abuse, the execution left much to be desired at times.

The portrayal of abuse is raw and unflinching, which is both the drama’s strength and its weakness. On one hand, it sheds light on the insidious nature of emotional manipulation and the long-term impact of domestic violence. The writer deserves commendation for daring to tackle these sensitive issues with nuance. It brings much-needed awareness to topics often overlooked or glamorized in entertainment. The scenes involving the characters’ attempts to rebuild their lives or confront their abusers are particularly poignant, making you reflect on the resilience it takes to break free from cycles of harm.

However, the pervasive gaslighting throughout the show detracts from its overall impact. While it’s realistic in portraying manipulative dynamics, it becomes exhausting to watch. Scene after scene of characters denying each other’s realities and twisting the truth feels overwhelming and repetitive. Instead of deepening the narrative, it often stalls the story, frustrating the viewer.

Despite these flaws, the drama has standout moments. The women in the story, though flawed, are complex and relatable, and their journeys toward self-empowerment are inspiring. Yet, the overuse of toxic behaviors to drive the plot diminishes the overall enjoyment.

In conclusion, this drama is a mixed experience. It deserves credit for highlighting critical issues like abuse but struggles with pacing and emotional fatigue due to its reliance on gaslighting. Watch it if you’re prepared for emotional intensity—but don’t expect an easy ride.

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Not as Intense as I wanted it to be.

I am only adding my voice to this movie because I recently watched Ryohei Suzuki at the NYAFF say he was curious about what we thought about this movie (good things & bad things) and i appreciated that he said that. So these are my thoughts and views.

The Egoist was kind of average, for me even the love story was somewhat unremarkable, maybe because less time was spent on the development of the romance between the MLs. Was it real love or transactional love?,from the novel we know it was real love but from the movie it was not so clear. At times I found Suzuki Ryohei's mannerisms a little too much and are stereotypical of "gay people". His hands moved but his body looked stiff,I would have to say the way Ryohei crossed his legs and sat on the couch and tried to be affectionate just came off as stiff and forced IMO. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't that convincing to me either.Their love scenes were very hot, but I feel like I needed more emotional depth, by exploring why he felt so lonely in this world before Ryuta and just how Ryuta influenced his life. Everything felt rushed.

The most memorable thing for me from the movie, were the conversations that he had with his circle of friends talking about being gay in Japan. My best moment being when t the other friends confess that they went to collect a marriage registration form and filled it out, though same-sex marriage is not legal in Japan. That act of rebellion was memorable for me.

Overall , Dear Tenant and Eternal Yesterday actually came to my mind when watching the Egoist. But both DT and EY were very persuasive in their execution and emotional story-telling in my opinion. They all revolve around love,death and unintentional family, learning to say goodbye to those who have left, some unresolved grief.

DT and Egoist share the same themes of love,death and unintentional family bond that involved the mother of the partner. Though DT has wider family dynamic issues (uncle,child of partner etc). Both partners pass away and the other partner becomes a sort of replacement son for the mother-in-law (for the lack of a better word) with differing degrees of sadness and success. Both bonds are formed either by guilt or kinship for the shared dead partner of the mother. At the heart of both stories is the concept of family & the question of what is family?.

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Doesn't live up to the Hype

I had really high expectations when i watched this one, but it didn't live up to it for me at least. Some parts i enjoyed but some parts i found draggy and just filler episodes. The ML does try to be a tough pimp (according to the novel) but it doesn't seem to suite the actor, we needed a better Bad Boy (hard with tats and all). I think it was a miscast. Yes Tor is handsome & juicy looking and all those other things but just didn't work for me.He looked too innocent and clean to be a guy on the edge.The FL is equally lacking in some respects, weak character. i understand she was representing the voice of reason for the ML but we can have a strong, assertive voice right.Some people saw chemistry, i saw none. I rated it a 7.5 because i enjoyed some of the action scenes but not deserving of an 8.3 because it wasn't consistently great. My favorite character that i think embodied what the series should have been is Aunty Mam. Maybe when they do another remake they make use my ideas (haha). But who cares right (lol), but i always love it when others leave honest reviews.

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Legal drama with no actual court drama!

As someone who likes legal dramas, I was looking forward to a show with some critiques on marriage, divorce, and the whole female perspective especially in a society like Korea. I was looking for riveting high-class court drama and theatrics that would leave me thinking about how fair or unfair the justice system is. But unfortunately, this is not the show.

The cases the lawyers deal with are not presented in any dramatic legal way that is believable. At some point, the cases were also becoming a bit monotonous with the stories about mistresses, cheating, and petty fights. There are so many facets and issues that divorce cases have. There are some interesting topics like the guilt of working mothers and how women are often blamed for being bad mothers even when they excel in other areas of their lives.

I also dislike how even though it's a show that's framed as having strong female characters, both characters have men panting and chasing after them and saving them or "smoothing the path" for them. I think this is so unnecessary.

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