When the Camellia Blooms is a well written fantastic collage of mixed genre drama that connects the leading female character Dongbaek, a seemingly naïve single mother and owner of a restaurant/bar in the small town of Ongsan, with different town people and a serial murderer. The town characters add dimension to the fairly common life of a single mother who’s trying to make ends meet and gets entangled in a series of circumstances that threaten her life and livelihood. The melodrama can be classified as a bourgeois tragi-comedy with characters that range from the most simple with strong moral principles and core values (Kang Ha Neul as the main male lead policeman Hwang Yong Shik), comical and absurd characters like Dongbaek’s ex-boyfriend (Kim Ji Suk as Kang Jong Ryul) and Dong Baek's landlord (Oh Jung Se as Noh Gyu Tae), enigmatic and complex personas like Dong Baek's friend (Son Dam Bi as Choi Hyang Mi) and Dong Baek's mother (Lee Jung Eun as Jo Jung Sook), the sometimes absurd police chief (Jeon Bae Soo as Byun Bae Soo)and the neighborhood watch ladies, to the psychopathic murderer, and more. There is a romantic storyline between Dong Baek and Yong Shik and, although their romantic scenes are cute and light, their romance's heartfelt connection is beautiful. The drama is packed with great seasoned and younger actors that deliver their characters with a flawless performance. Enjoy it!

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This is fantastic period drama! The story line is well written and it leads to an array of twists and difficulties that lasts until the last episode. It is a fast paced drama that could’ve use a couple more episodes to let the leading couple enjoy more togetherness moments (LOVE, from the title) since the plot was full of conflicts (hence, WAR from the title), but the story regarding their love is really nice. The overall emotions in this drama are very well delivered and the cast has good chemistry. The actors did very well bringing their characters to life but, apart from the love between the leading couple, Wal (Lee Si Eon) and Eun Bo’s relationship was intense and wonderful as they truly loved each other as if they were real siblings, and their interactions were fantastic. Lee Si Eon excelled in his portrayal of Wal. Also, honorable mention to Go Yoon who did a wonderful job bringing the enigmatic antagonist Gae Pyong to life. Overall, this drama has action, a very nice romantic story, lots of dramatic moments, treachery, revenge, and a good dose of comedic moments. Enjoy it!

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This is a fantastic comedy with a good romance story. It is a lighthearted drama with very enjoyable characters. The actors did a great job bringing their characters to life and the overall chemistry among the cast is great. Although the drama has a lot of characters besides the leading couple, it blended their stories very well without taking away from the main storyline. There are some really funny moments and the main love story was done well and, even though the romantic moments were toned down, the leading couple and their respective troupe brought some real charm to their characters. As been said before, this drama is light hearted, playful, and funny; enjoy it!

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This drama is a fantastic production centered on the lives and character development of a group of students enlisted in the Arsenal Military Academy. The cast did an excellent job bringing their characters to life. There is a great dynamic among the cast and the themes of conspiracy, action, military strategies, great friendships, and a cute but endearing romance between the leading couple. The academy life and its mission is the center stage on this drama. Although there’s a romance theme included, there are no romantic scenes between the leading couple, but that doesn’t make their chemistry less effective. The acting is superb and the drama keeps the audience interested and emotionally invested through its entire duration. Enjoy it!

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This is a good romantic comedy period drama. It has some really good actors and it is entertaining but it feels as if, sometimes, the actors were not giving it all. Surely, it is not only the actors fault; the drama goes from dramatic moments to comedy with some really ridiculous moments of absurdity. The lead couple’s were so much in love that, at one moment, they were willing to die for one another but, at the same time, it was ridiculous how immature and flippant was their mutual trust. Although the drama is supposed to be about the “perfect couple”, it had too many insufferable moments which hinder the lead couple’s chemistry. Overall, it is a good watch and the main antagonist did a great job. Enjoy it!

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This is a great and brilliant intrigue drama that uses the paparazzi world as the backdrop to a very powerful story. Paparazzi are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile individual from all walks of life and sell them to the highest bidder from media outlets that focus on tabloid journalism and sensationalism. The drama poses the reality of how greed, power, money, and ambition lead people to manipulate social media to move the masses from left to right and vice versa while utilizing pictures taken by paparazzi to bribe and control powerful people. It will be safe to say that in this drama the idiom "A picture is worth a thousand words" describes perfectly the drive behind the drama’s plot. The cast did a fantastic job bringing these complex characters to life. The story is well written and the dialogue is smart and powerful. Although there is a strong attraction and complicated circumstances that bring the lead couple together, there is no romantic storyline, but the leading man’s persona holds the drama together. Enjoy it!

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This drama is pure perfection! What a rollercoaster full of the most painful, heartwarming, and beautiful emotions among the different characters. Kudos to the writer and to those who work so hard to bring to life the struggles, memories, and life stories that go untold about the survivors of catastrophic events. The cast did a splendid job bringing these characters to life to give us a glimpse into the different views, feelings, and perspectives of those that are left behind. Last, but not least, Junho gave a stellar performance as Lee Kang-Doo, and Won Jin-A, as Ha Moon-Soo, was not far behind. Also, what a great character delivery from Kim Kang Hyun as Sang Man. Enjoy this drama, it is really outstanding!

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This is an outstanding period drama! Everything in this drama is excellent; director, producer, writer, editor... the cinematography, customs, great OST, beautiful and precised choreography, locations, and above all, the performances. There are no disappointments in the selection of the cast; supporting actors were magnificent and the lead couple was stellar. Yang Mi’s rendition of the female heroine Meng Fuyao was delivered to perfection and Ethan Ruan, as Zhangsun Wuji, gave a very powerful depiction bringing to life a very complex character. The chemistry between the lead couple was perfect as they worked together to bring the immense array of emotions that stem from their love for each other and the circumstances that they encountered. Although the romance was full of tender and beautiful sentiment, there are two very powerful performances by both leads, episodes 34 and 66, what a great display of talent! Enjoy it!
Rewatched 11/2023: Still grandiose!

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This drama is a fantastic fantasy romance comedy set within a historical background. The actors did a superb job bringing their characters to life and it was thrilling to see how Shin Hye Su, as queen Kim So Yong and chef Jang Bong Hwan, embodied the duality of her character and gave the audience a well rounded character that will make the viewer laughed, surprised, and, at many times, heartbroken. Needless to say, there is also Kim Jung Hyun that gave a stellar performance as King Cheol Jong and had an electrifying chemistry with the leading lady; never a dull moment when they were together on screen. This drama was so well casted with leading and supporting characters that performed excellently to bring about a very interesting, funny, sometimes poignant, and memorable drama. Enjoy it!

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This drama is a magnificent production. Love and Destiny seems to be a spinoff of Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms with a story about a destined love that spans across three lifetimes. On this drama, the cast, story, cinematography, costumes, music ... everything is done with finesses. There is great chemistry among the cast and between the leading couple. Although most of the romantic scenes could’ve been better, the feelings are beautiful and the imagery appeals to all your senses. The main and supporting cast did a great job bringing their characters to life and the leading actress is exceptional as she conveys all kinds of emotions. There are some clichés that were not needed, but overall, the drama is fantastic and very entertaining. Enjoy!

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This is a very nice, light romantic comedy with great feelings. Don’t expect too much from The Rules of Love Season 1 since it is just the preemptive tale of how the lead couple meet and a series of unfortunate events developed that will get the couple together. For The Rules of Love Season 2, the love story starts to develop and characters start to fall into place. The drama is nice and the romance is light but the leading couple has good chemistry. What stand out on this drama is the overall sense of sincerity on the character’s feelings and the camaraderie. Last episode of Season 2 ends with “to be continued hinting to a Season 3. If you are looking for something nice to watch until a great one comes, this is entertaining. Enjoy it!

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This is a great revenge romantic drama set in a historical era. It is well written and the cast did a very good job bringing their characters to life. Li Zong Lin (as Su Jing Yuan / Cheng Yu Yang / Xiao Shu Shu) and Jiang Zhi Nan as Cheng Xi Nian gave a wonderful performance as the leading couple. They were both smart, strategic thinkers, intense and have a fantastic chemistry, whether they are planning their revenge, being childish, or just expressing their romantic feelings , they were really natural and lovely; during conflict of interests or when one thought the other will be in danger, they showed empathy and steadfast support while trying to reason about their actions. This is a wonderful and entertaining miniseries, enjoy it!
The drama can be found on YouTube under the caption: Full Version | The sweet and painful forbidden love with fake uncle | [Rise From the Ashes 小亭台] or Full Version|Cinderella want revenge, but she accidentally got pregnant with her uncle's child- on this one, the beginning is taken from a scene that happens later on but it is the same drama.

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His Lover Is Difficult to Coax (2024) is a great romantic miniseries with Li Mengran and Cheng Zi (Native name: Chengqi,born July 1, 1999) as the leading couple. The cast did a very good job bringing their characters to life and the leading couple had some nice heart fluttering moments due to Xie Huai’s (Li Mengran) forceful and persistent personality. Chen Zi also did quite well in her role of lead female Song Nuan. The drama is well written and both Xie Hai and Song Nuan have great character growth. There are a lot of misunderstanding about Xie Huai that come to light as the drama progresses and Song Nuan’s attitude toward him softens as she learns about Xie Huai’s difficulties and his steadfast love and care for Song Nuan and her family. Overall, even if his actions are obsessive, his love for Song Nuan is true and precious and it becomes more obvious after they get married and how he never crosses the line with her, even when she was drugged, as he waited for the moment that she was ready to be with him.

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