"You know... I always keep to the side of the road as I walk and I sit at the back end every time I take a bus. And I always choose the corner table in a restaurant because I hate making contact with people. I'm afraid of being noticed. You wanna know why? Because I'm afraid that I'd die right after I open myself up to someone."

Honestly speaking, I knew exactly how the movie was going to end from the start. It’s a story that was told one way or another countless times. Does it take away from its quality? No. This is not a mystery thriller that relies on plot twists. It’s a story that serves as a reminder to cherish what we have, seek happiness, be open to others and fight our fears.

It’s a moving tale of a boy who was so scared of dying, he willfully gave up living and settled on just existing. Then Ma Xiao Yuan, one could say, forces herself into his little bubble, slowly making it bigger to the point when it bursts, letting him see all the things he was missing out on.

Is it a sad movie? To some extent. The topic is, what it is. Unless you want an unrealistic fairytale, it will have its ups and downs. Somehow, it was still able to end on the uplifting, yet realistic note. It helps you see all the little great things you have in your life.

The acting - amazing. Both Jackson Yee and Liu Hao Cun truly aced the delivery, with the depth and emotions that would touch any viewer.

The directing was truly great. I especially enjoyed the adventures montage - it brought a smile to my face and tears in my eyes at the same time. Such a moving and uplifting moment.

Overall, it’s for sure a watch I would recommend to everyone. It speaks of a tragic topic with such a delicacy and tact it does not leave you depressed by the end.

“Everyone in life experiences losses, which we’re all afraid of. Yet when it happens, the most powerful weapon we have against it is to live each moment to the fullest. Every second counts.”

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Overcoming yourself, striving for improvement over glory.

A story worth checking by all young and older viewers, that shows the importance of striving for improvement, patience, healthy rivalry, friendship and many more life lessons that one is never too old to be confronted with.

The main plot lines of the show are Shi Guang slowly discovering his love for Go, his rivalry with Yu Liang and Chu Ying’s search for The Divine Move. The main stories are surrounded by countless amazing side plots that make the character grow, mature, learn and reflect on their actions. We witness many different hardships characters have at different points of their lives - each serving us important life lessons. I feel like I learned so much, not only from the main characters, but also all the supporting ones.

While I enjoyed most of the stories told, I could not help but feel disappointed with how The Divine Move story was concluded. Loved the message behind it, and it truly fits the show perfectly, but the execution seemed lacking - it did not impact me as much as I hoped it would.

All characters were unique and served a purpose in the story - it goes not only for main ones, but all the supporting, or at times even guest roles. Ones that showed up for two or three episodes had a visible impact on the main characters and the plot even long after they were gone.

Shi Guang was a hot tempered and impulsive child - this being both an advantage and a disadvantage of his, depending on the situation. Sometimes making decisions on the spot is the only way to move forward, but at times it might lead to severe consequences. Watching this kid mature, gain more grounded and reasonable confidence in his skill was an amazing journey, full of emotional scenes that made me cry my eyes out a few times.

On the other side, we had the complete opposite - calm, collected and reserved Yu Liang. Probably my favorite from the show. His character development was less extreme and, for lack of a better word, dramatic, but I admired his love for learning. Watching him put developing his skills over pride of winning matches was in some strange way touching, since many of us would not be able to do that.

Even though these two barely shared screen together, their chemistry as characters was undeniable. I am truly amazed how I could still see the massive influence they have on each other, on the decisions they are making and progress they are striving for, even when they did not really see each other that often.

Behind a lot of the developments was Chu Ying - true master of Go. His admiration for the game was inspiring. With his guidance, Shi Guang was able to improve, while he himself was able to rediscover the true joy and meaning behind the game of Go. That said, he was one of my least favorite characters. At times, his childish behavior was too much, especially since he was supposed to be older than the two main teenagers. I was also truly not on board with some decisions he made, as the consequences were mostly negative and could have been avoided.

Acting wise - truly phenomenal. Especially Hu Xian Xu. I was amazed by his performance. Not one scene, not one line, not one emotion was a misdelivery. The diversity in his acting and the natural way he presented the internal conflicts the character was facing just blew me away.

The whole cast did not disappoint. Even the supporting and guest cast presented the level of acting worthy of the main characters. Sure, the children acting as the young main cast could have been more natural here and there, but for such a young cast, I was still truly impressed with what they presented.

I have close to no complaints in terms of production and directing. Some CGI seemed excessive and the makeup on Zhang Chao was a bit distracting, but except for that - everything just clicked well together.

“Our Adventure” is such a bop, every time it played at the end of the episode I wanted to drop everything and go on an unknown journey. Just the initial tune had quite an impact on my mood, making me want to try a bit harder in whatever I was going to do - be it work related or even a simple hobby.

Overall, I would not say it’s a must watch for everyone, since there is no drama that fits all tastes, but it’s for sure a must try for everyone. Whenever you feel like it’s something you will enjoy or not, give it a shot - you might be surprised with the result.

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Extremely simple idea with extremely high production value.

First, I like to warn anyone who might want to pick it up - it's graphic. If you have a weak stomach, move it straight to the "not interested" list. They delivered amazing, beautiful, but gruesome pictures that made me uncomfortable with the content, but also in awe with how beautifully shot they were. No doubt the production value was the best part of the drama. It's clear to me a lot of thought was put into directing and editing, as well as set and costume design. The zombies... ladies and gentlemen... These were some good zombies. I was extremely impressed by the actors portraying them. The movement they presented was true perfection.

The acting was amazing for some, good for others. At times it was hard to judge since some characters (The Queen B) were annoyingly boring and unnecessary. Overall: A+. Especially with such a large "supporting cast" of all the background people and zombies. At times, dramas cast average skilled people for these roles, with hopes no one will notice. Here, everyone did their part well.

As for the plot and characters. There truly is not that much to say. It's the old tale we all know: power struggle and fighting for the crown. There is nothing new nor innovative about it. That said, since it's executed so well, it was not boring. Not to mention the zombie apocalypse going on in the background to keep us invested and excited. I was a bit disappointed with how they slowly toned down the shocking scenes to just go with zombies running and killing, since the creepy scenes from the beginning were some of the most memorable scenes.

There were some characters I loved more (Young Shin and Master Ahn Hyung), and some that seemed pointless and not interesting at all (Jo Bum Pal and the Queen) but knowing it's just a first season, I'm hopeful they will deliver more later.

Was I disappointed in anything? Yes. Last episode presented two plot twists that were simply dumb in my eyes, and the longer I think about them, the less sense I see in what was shown. One of them makes a character look too stupid for the position they hold, and the other, to some extent, contradicts everything that happened before it.

Can you watch it as a stand alone without diving into season two? Technically, yes, but it would not be a smart idea. Season one ends on a cliffhanger and more or less middle part of the whole plot (if not just the introduction).

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Zombie movie with a heart and brains.

Truth to be told, it's hard to be original with a zombie movie. We have seen it all. So now it's not about how original the story is, but how well the tale is told. Here - it's close to perfection.

People who like horror movies often joke that if all the characters used their brain, the movie would end before it even begins. And yet, Train to Busan was able to give us smart characters and not bore us to death with easy ways out. There are no easy roads when you fight bloodthirsty zombies ;)

The biggest surprise for me was how much I cared about the characters. With zombie movies I try to not get attached since sooner or later, the majority of people have to go. It was impossible to do here. I cried with every death and goodbye. The movie kept me on the edge of my seat because I liked these characters, and I wanted them to survive.

The production value was extremely high. How the movie was shot, the costumes and make up. Everything was close to perfection. CGI zombies at times felt off in terms of their movements, but as far as I know, the majority of people did not notice it at all.

Overall, the right amount of action, thrills, emotional impact and character's development. Masterpiece of the ending. Definitely worth the high rating it has.

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What an amazing story we’ve got… almost. This drama has as many beautiful characters and storylines as problems with writing and development. And by the end, it left me completely confused.

Let’s start with the perfection that was the female lead. Dare I say one of the best I have ever seen in a drama? Yes. She was so strong and so amazingly flawed, it was hard not to love her, even when, at times, her decisions made my blood boil. She was fanatically loyal to people she cared about, even when faced with a moral dilemma. At times she ignored the wrongdoings of people around her, finding excuses for them and trying to justify their actions. When Yuan Song told Xing Er he cannot look at her confident and self righteous face, I couldn't agree more. At that moment I agreed with him and his reaction made perfect sense. But that’s the charm of Xing Er. She is just a human. She makes mistakes, her convictions are not always good and her decisions are not always correct.

Another character that caught my attention was Yuan Chun. The transformation she went through was amazing, yet so tragic. How she was driven into madness and self destructing. She was the true victim of the whole scenario presented to us. She was so innocent, and how these pure intentions she had were used by all the people she trusted and loved, broke her.

I must say, I quite enjoy the whole cast. Some characters deserving a bit of attention were: Xiao Ce - the charming prince with a good heart, Yuan Song - the cute prince with a bright smile, Yue Qi - the loyal bodyguard and the true MVP, He Xiao - the only one that truly deserves Yanbei.

That said, I was quite disappointed with both male lead characters. While Yu Wen Yue was painfully, boringly perfect, Yun Xun by the end of the drama was a dumb, easily manipulated villain without any true plan nor motivation behind his actions. Pushing him towards the dark side was a good idea and it worked for the most part, but the closer to the end we’ve got, the less sense I saw in anything and everything he was doing. I had no sympathy for him even though his character build up was based on the idea that we are supposed to feel empathy towards him, taking into consideration his past. For me, he could burn in hell and I couldn't care less.

And here we have the problems with the plot. For the most part it was perfect. I was truly amazed with the pacing. I was never bored, the plotlines were nicely entangled as we smoothly moved from one story to another. The problem is, at times we did not come back to some plotlines, and they were left unsolved. What happened to Xing Er’s sisters? We saw them meet when she was rescued, and then they were gone. Not even one line telling us where they are and what happened to them.

And it happened to the majority of the characters. We’ve got amazing setups, promising us more than we’ve got. The payoffs were simply weak. Xing Er’s core ability… nothing. It was mentioned here and there, the dramatic opening eyes and awaking her true potential at the end… and what next?

We know Xiao Ce is not just this dumb, playboy prince and he has so much more going on for him, why not show that? Why not show more of his duality? Cheng Yuan’s motivations were far better and deeper than we were led to believe for the majority of the run time. He wasn’t just a cruel and evil person. His decisions could have been logically explained as any other character. His ways of dealing with the problems were wrong, but it was not any worse from what we have seen from the majority of the other characters.

The romance… oh boi the romance. From day one we knew who the end game was, and I did not mind that. I wasn’t expecting some deep love triangles since the drama did not need it. Not even for a moment I thought Xing Er might romantically love Yan Xun. As much as he was obsessed with her, she was obsessed with the dream he created for her. For me it was just an unhealthy obsession she had for the better future and, later on, the need to save him from his own demons. Her heart was always with Yu Wen Yue. I loved their chemistry, their fighting scenes were beautiful and I've rewatched many of them quite a few times. I didn’t need more from it, just the longing, stolen glances, the lovers that should never happen. So why did we get that accidental kiss I am asking? Why did this happen when it was one of the most ridiculous and out of place scenes I have ever seen. The hug that followed a few episodes later had far more impact and conveyed greater emotions than any kiss they ever had. They were simply unnecessary.

The overall production value was beautiful yet questionable. The set design, costumes - perfection. The tragic CGI - painful. The scenes that made me laugh the most were the horse riding close ups when many times it did not look like people riding horses, the movement was wrong. What's more, often the sounds did not match the movement. For the OST though, I could not ask for more.

Truth to be told, I am surprised that with that ending (I don’t even want to talk about it) and the problems I had with the drama, I’m giving it 8/10 rating, but at the same time it makes perfect sense to rate it so high. The outstanding acting we’ve got probably helped a lot, so the frustrating parts of the plot were easily covered by the brilliant performance of the cast. I enjoyed it quite a lot, and watched it in 3 and half days. That's how invested in the plot I was. The ending ruined me. I needed a drink.

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What an amazingly unproblematic drama with a great cast of characters. The good guys are good, the bad guys are evil, there are no unnecessary love triangles and cat fights between female characters. We've got a blooming romance with great pacing and interesting side stories. What more could one ask for?

Big appreciation to the main cast, who did an amazing job portraying their characters and all the internal and external struggles they were facing. Thanks to their hard work I, as a viewer, found it easy to connect to them and get deeply involved in the story presented. I'm a big fan of Zheng Qiu Hong and Johnny Bai and they did not disappoint in this project with their duality and variety of acting.

Both Bai Qi and Lin Xia are well written characters with smarts and wits, who are willing to fight the bad guys and make sure people they care about are safe. They show great passion throughout many brave acts, and you cannot do anything else but just root for them.

While the romance had great pacing, the overall story felt off at times. There were episodes where a lot happened, and some that felt a bit empty. While I know that showing these daily scenes was also important to develop characters and their relationship, having them more evenly spread throughout the episodes would be better.

The drama was filled with nice side stories, with Shen Zui being the ones that will stick with me forever. I wished we could see a full drama just focused on his character. If you watch the drama, you will know why.

I've got to experience happiness, sadness, anger and many different emotions while watching Fairyland Lovers. It leaves a hopeful message with both main and side stories. The love story was truly moving and made me cry more than once, though I overall do cry quite easily while watching dramas ;)

Overall, I'd say it's an awesome watch for anyone who wants to see some fantasy romance with a brave and strong female lead and caring and smart male lead, surrounded by a diverse cast of supporting characters that you end up loving.

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When the mystery (almost) ruins the show.

I’m just frustrated, because the good parts were really good, but the bad parts made it close to impossible for me to enjoy them.

What seemed like a bitter-sweet slice of life, that will move you to tears and make you appreciate the small things in your life, changed into a ridiculous no brain mystery about a character no one truly cared about and mobs. There was truly no reason to give them so much attention, and I highly doubt anyone would complain much, if they were used just as backstory devices and nothing more.

You know when a heartwarming slice of life shows work? When they are relatable. When the stories told in them hit close to home, since you either experience these things yourself, or you know someone who experienced them. It’s meaningful, because it’s a daily life we all have to deal with at some point. So why ruin the best aspect of slice of life, by adding borderline makjang plot lines and then focusing the majority of screen time on them as the drama gets closer to the end?

You can probably feel my frustration, but it’s because I truly adored a lot of the elements of this show, just for my joy to be cut short by things that were not even necessary.

Everything that was related to the Genie team? Amazing. I loved Gyeo Re and how raw the character was. The complexity of the emotions presented - perfection. Ji Chang Wook made a good choice picking this role and it’s nice to see him back on track with some more challenging projects. He managed to show vulnerability, but also emotional strength. The gradual development of the character was impeccable. Not to mention how his story clearly shows men can be victims of abuse too, and psychological abuse is as much of an important issue as physical abuse.

While I was not amazed with the writing of Seo Yeon Joo, Choi Soo Young did a great job with the role. The character was just slightly too perfect for me. The impulsivity at the beginning was gone after maybe 2 episodes, and from that point, it was close to impossible to find any real flaw in her.

Sung Dong Il is Sung Dong Il - he always delivers. Kang Tae Shik won my heart. Must say though, I liked his (sadly limited) interactions with Ha Joon Kyung the most. She was also one of my favorite characters - such a troubled person with so much pain. I wish the writers gave her a little bit more screen time, so we could truly dive deeper into who she was. That said, she might be a character many people fail to sympathize with. Girl had issues and she created a lot of issues for other characters.

The compliments go to the whole Genie cast - all actors did an amazing job, and the characters felt like real people. Most of them got enough screen time to make them an important part of the team and the plot, and flesh them out a bit.

The stories of the patients and their last wishes were tears-inducing and I welcomed the pain, but also the warm feeling they brought. Some I enjoyed more than the others, but all had meaningful messages and presented cohesive stories that many could relate to.

And then we have two side plots that I could truly not stand - the mystery of room 403, and the mob/mafia. When I started the show, I did not exactly sign up for soft makjang plot lines, but that’s what was delivered. Compared to the rest of the stories told in the drama, these two just felt cheap. Technically it wasn’t a massive part of the plot, but I found these scenes unnecessary, and that influenced how the whole episodes affected me emotionally (or rather did not, since I could not shake off the frustration caused by these two plotlines).

Still, the drama offers more good than bad. The production value was top notch - screenshotable for sure. Soundtrack, while not exactly memorable, fitted the scenes and overall atmosphere of the show. The songs I personally enjoyed the most were: I Can't Forget You by Kim Feel; I'll Protect You by Choi Yu Ree.

Overall, If You Wish Upon Me is similar to a protagonist from any well written drama - great spirit, depth, complexity that makes you emotionally invested in them, but also having a major flaw needing a major character development. Sadly, dramas don’t get character developments so the flaws stay as part of it forever.

Bonus: I want a short 2nd season with Lee Yoo Mi. She can deliver anything. Just don’t add mobs please ;)

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Exaggerated portrayal of how we failed the youth.

Starting from the message, that for me was completely overshadowed by the pure entertainment that the killing aliens brought.
What this show tries to present is how we as society created a false sense of security, purpose and goals for the teens - a path that is supposed to guarantee success and happiness. That path being higher education. The extent these teens were willing to go to get just a few more points that will help them get into a university - it showed how they truly believed that’s the only way to live a fulfilling life, to have it easier as an adult. The empty promises, the use of the pressure teens feel about their future was used to manipulate them to make dangerous choices and control their behavior. Exaggerated in the drama, but sadly truly happening in real life.

While the teens willing to risk their safety for a few points is believable, the fact teens were able to survive and fight better than train military was not. Did this completely lackluster and stupid take on the army annoyed me? Not really. They clearly showcased how delivering solid entertainment was the biggest goal and they aced it in that aspect. You just have to turn off a few neurons in your brain as you watch.

As long as you won’t question every unrealistic aspect, you will have a blast! The show is great at creating tension and keeping the viewer entertained with great pacing both in overall story, but also the episodes themselves. It had great comedic moments, good action sequences, solid character development, friendship and bonding, and some truly touching and heartbreaking scenes.

Did a lot of people die? Yes. Not enough from the main cast if you ask me. And not the right ones… Not gonna lie, the show got my blood boiling a few times when some of the most frustrating and annoying characters kept surviving against all odds. I also wish a few more students would die to make the stakes a bit more real. This is the luckiest group of teens I have ever seen and at some point I stopped being worried about them dying, because it seemed like they would be able to survive even with a nuclear bomb being dropped directly on their heads.

In terms of acting, what can I say? I am not worried about the future of Korean cinema. With this large cast of great young actors who can deliver a versatile performance, the future of movies and dramas is in good hands.

Production value was phenomenal. I love the design of the aliens, I love how they look, how they move, even the sounds they make. For some strange reason I always thought that if aliens exist they may look like fancy sea creatures, and this is exactly how the spheres look like. I have no complaints about the filming, editing, sound effects, lighting, set design. I only wish the female characters tied their hair, that was a bit so unrealistic even I could not ignore.

Overall, what a fun and exciting watch. With such a large cast they still managed to make all the characters memorable. The level of entertainment and engaging characters (be it for their awesomeness or how annoying they were) allowed me to ignore any possible flaws and just enjoy they ride. I cannot wait to see the second season.

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Sherlock Holmes on crack.

Ever thought that some of the Holmes’ cases are rather unrealistic and impossible to predict from the perspective of the reader? Well, this is worse. Not gonna lie, for some that might add to the entertainment value, but for me, it just made me completely not interested in the investigation itself.

That said , the great chemistry between the main characters was amazing to watch. Serizawa Go was for sure my favorite. I loved how he was trying to act low-key, but in fact was truly interested and engaged in the cases. Him trying to keep the good image also led to many funny moments. Aoto Junko was a good case of a smart and strong female character. She was not perfect, sometimes driven by her emotions too much. Yet, she possessed many good characteristics which made her quite a lovable heroine.

Enomoto Kei was quite a mystery - after seeing the whole show and the special episode, I am still not sure who he truly was. He did have one of the most interesting “conclusions” of all the characters, but I wished his backstory would be more integral and a bigger part of the show.

So, if the cast was so good, why did I not quite like the cases? Putting aside how unrealistic and at times convoluted they were, they also at times sent a questionable message. I especially felt a lot of discomfort after finishing the Go Game episode.

The acting? Great. From the main cast, to all the supporting characters, all did an amazing job. There was no exaggeration of facial expressions and line delivery, and even though most of the characters were quite eccentric, the portrayal done by the cast made them rather realistic and approachable.

Overall, quite an enjoyable ride. Even though, for me, the cases were lacking, the cast was so entertaining, I still had a good time watching.

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A slice of a slice of life.

Try to see the whole picture from just a few puzzle pieces. That’s the essence of the movie. Figuring out the relationships and backgrounds of the characters from their short, taken out of their lives' context conversations. Why they are? Why they met? What will happen after they leave the table?

Have to say, not all the stories were equally interesting and enjoyable. Without giving any spoilers about the characters background, I’ll try to describe why they resonated with me or not.

Yoo Jin’s story - one that evokes the most emotions in me, and by emotions I mean anger and frustration. While at first I was unsure where it leads, with each new line I could sense the probable direction.

Kyung Jin’s story - the most chill and down to earth, the only one that put a smile on my face. The easiest to understand from the start too, you kind of know what you will get right away.

Eun Hui’s story - serving some unexpected twist as the conversation progressed. To some extent moving, if we try to understand the characters a little bit.

Hye Kyung’s story - the one I did not vibe with at all. Not only I couldn’t resonate with Hye Kyung, I also strongly believe Yeon Woo Jin is incapable of having chemistry with any of his female co-stars.

Overall, for a short movie like that, which tries to present 4 completely unrelated stories, it did a fairly good job. The acting was truly good, but then the characters and scenes were not exactly complex and well-developed to serve as an acting challenge. As I mentioned at the beginning, the entertainment comes from trying to understand who the characters are, even though nothing is set nor explained by narration or exposition. You are thrown into a random moment in their lives.

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Rather thrilling and gripping, yet quite predictable movie. I don’t think they served even one plot line that was not obvious. Even with that, I still enjoyed it quite a lot.

I think the best part of the movie is the lack of realism and sanity? These characters had issues, and I mean serious ones. The whole setup made little sense. They were committing crimes in daylight, often showing their faces, yet no one knew who they were. Sure. Suspension of belief is required to enjoy it.

Another aspect that I greatly enjoyed was the performance. Yeo Jin Goo as Hwa Yi was one of his strongest performances. The amazing on screen transformation that teen went through was just an interesting tale, with quite a satisfying conclusion.

Kim Yoon Seok as Yoon Seok Tae could be described as a cold, tamed madness - rather terrifying character. At the same time, the more I saw of him, the more pathetic he seemed. That said, I am thankful all the bad characters were truly awful, so I could watch without any sense of empathy towards them.

The movie had some unnecessary elements. While I understand why Yoo Kyung was an important person for Hwa Yi’s journey, I believe keeping her more as a symbol of normal life compared to actually getting her to interact with him would be better.

The emotional aspects of the movie depended on the well built relationship between Hwa Yi and the gang members, yet I barely felt anything. There were a few moments that showed him and Yoon Seok Tae have quite a deep, but also complicated bond, but I needed more than two or three scenes of it. Not to mention how all the rest of the characters were painfully one-dimensional.

The visuals were nice. They dive a bit into those gruesome scenes, not shying away from violence. The most powerful scenes though were the few emotional bits delivered by Yeo Jin Goo.

Overall, I would recommend watching for the performances. The cat and mouse chase between Hwa Yi and Yoon Seok Tae was exciting, and the emotional games and manipulation thrilling.

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Throw away the logic, let the pigeons in.

It was refreshing to see how they truly did not give a damn about realism and logic to such a ridiculous extent, but because of that, this drama had no business having 20 episodes, each 1 hour and 20 minutes long.

Realistically speaking, the whole plot would perfectly fit into a 2 hour movie. Instead, we’ve got around 28 hours of Vincenzo being cool finding a way to fight Babel, said “way” getting killed, Vincezno finding another way to fight Babel, that then gets killed… you get the idea. Strangely, even with this painful repetitiveness, I was not exactly bored for most of the watch time. True, I did watch the whole drama at 1.25x speed, but I enjoyed the experience quite a lot.

Surprisingly brutal, a few times reminding me more of a Saw movie, and not a k-drama comedy about a mafia. Not sure how, but this vicious take mixed well with the dumb jokes and plot points. The only time I felt like the show failed at mixing different moods was the way they handled Cha Young’s motivation to join the fight - that bit made me feel slightly uncomfortable and was not the best start to the series.

Song Joong Ki as Vincenzo Cassano was the selling point of the show, and for me, the performance was so strong, I did not even need more from the drama to keep watching. He is just really fine, and when he goes into full boss mode, I could not care less about the plot. Sometimes, this is all I need to keep me entertained.

Then we have Hong Cha Young played by Jeon Yeo Been. Love the actress, struggled with the character, especially in the first half. Her comedic vibe has been just too strong for me to like. Slowly she became less cartoonish, and more like a relatable human being - that’s when I started to appreciate her more.

I am truly not the biggest fan of Ok Taec Yeon as an actor. Has been a fan of his since his debut in 2PM, he is born to be an entertainer, but I was not even once convinced by his acting. Yet, I loved him as Jang Jun Woo. Don’t know if it’s just one lucky role for him, or he is starting to feel more comfortable in his acting, but I bought him as Jun Woo completely.

Some side characters and performances that caught my attention were: Kwak Dong Yeon as Jang Han Seo, Choi Deok Moon as Tak Hong Shik, Kim Yoon Hye as Seo Mi Ri and Im Chul Soo as Ahn Ki Seok. Not to forget Kim Sung Cheol for whom I have quite a soft spot.

I could feel all the money spent on the production leaking through my screen. Top notch might be an understatement. When you know the production team did not shy from spending money? When the soundtrack has 67 tracks - all of extremely high quality.

Still, the writing was just… empty? It serves amazing entertainment, and that’s it. There was no depth, no emotional attachment, no well developed plot. I’m still trying to figure out how the decision to make it into such a long drama was made. I can imagine the writer, director and the production team sitting in the bar, after quite a few bottles, brainstorming with ideas of a similar quality to “but imagine this: lizard people were behind it all along”. Some plot points were so outside of the box I was truly impressed with the creativity.

Overall, perfect brainless drama for some fun, light watch. Watching this as my neurons were being fried by Covid was a perfect choice and I don’t think any other drama could accompany me through that hell as well as Vincenzo did.

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The long ballad of supporting characters.

Amazing development, reliable traits with believable strengths and flaws, emotionally gripping stories that made me invested in the plot progress - what I’ve got from the supporting characters and side plots. Confused teens with good fighting skills are what the two main characters delivered.

So why did the main leads not work for me? Poorly presented context of their struggles. Li Chang Ge was introduced as a military prodigy for her young age. After facing the murder of her parents, she sets on the journey of revenge, that leads to countless self-reflection and changes of her goals and motivations. The issue is, the drama made me feel like an idiot.

All the characters around her kept saying how impulsive she is, how her actions are wrong, how the killer of her family is a good and a nice guy. I was sitting in front of my laptop questioning my sanity and the character's morals. Yes, I understand that there was more behind the story. I understood that the relationship between her and her uncles is not all that we see. My issue is, even the characters that had no reason to like or trust Li Shimin, ended up on his side right away, and I was just supposed to accept that. The writer wanted to make sure the viewers see Li Shimin as a good guy, without explaining why we should not view him as the villain. Even the most loyal people of the late emperor changed their affiliation in one or two days.

I was amazingly frustrated how no one tried to explain anything to Chang Ge, and she was just supposed to accept everyone’s claim that the new emperor is a good guy and she is wrong. As if everyone did not try to hunt her down without first giving her a chance to understand what truly happened. She was the traitor that needed to be killed.

Because of the unreasonable context, her journey just felt flat to me. Not to mention, while they showed her to be physically strong, she was extremely easily influenced by other people. Her morality, goals, views on the world shifted each time she met someone new. While self-discovery is based on exploration, the fact she just adopted whatever principles the people that were currently around her had, was a bit much.

Then we have Ashile Sun. There were fascinating ideas that could have been explored on a greater scale: how long are you obligated to stay loyal to the people who helped us in the past, should you accept all their demands or is our individuality as important, how long can you surrender to others’ demands and what are the long term consequences? His internal conflicts connected to Yan Li Khan were sadly overshadowed by his instant love for Li Chang Ge.

And the romance was not that great. He literally fell for her because “she was not like other girls”, remembering all the behaviors she presented that are usually linked to masculine traits. He fell fast and hard, and she was the initial reason for his character’s development - I find it disappointing. Often he did not feel like an individual character, but rather a shadow of the female lead.

Luckily, we’ve got some interesting side characters who made me like the show a lot. Easily my favorite, Li Le Yan had one of the best written character developments I have seen in a while. Her character development was built on her already existing characteristics. She did not become a completely different person - she simply worked on her flaws while staying true to her peaceful and gentle approach. She trusted the people around her, knew her limits and when to ask for help. She showed maturity and emotional strength when other characters were struggling to control themselves.

Hao Du, everyone’s favorite. Truth to be told, it took me a while to truly understand why everyone was so obsessed with his character, but he does creep on you - you don’t even know when, and you love him. I wish his story had a bit more screen time, so the development would be more gradual and well paced. Sill, the progress from distant, lone wolf to lost, adorable puppy was extremely entertaining and endearing to watch. I also appreciate his efficiency - kill first, ask questions later.

Even if not as well developed, the other characters that I appreciated by the end of the show were She Er, General Li Jing, King of Mobei, Gongsun Heng, Situ Lang Lang, Zhen Zhu and probably a few other supporting characters. They all had distinctive personalities, motivations, goals and aspirations. They all played an important role in the plot, affecting the events in a meaningful way. None of them felt like a background filler.

The characters made the show, because the plot was slightly all over the place.

Then we have the production issues. I am sorry, but they did not even try to make the cross-dressing believable. When Chang Ge was addressed as “he” after her first appearance, I had to pause the episode, I was so confused. All I could think about was: how could anyone ever assume she is a guy? And the show did not improve on that aspect at all.

Then there is the issue with kissing scenes. One could say - small detail if we take into consideration the whole show. But romance was a huge portion of it. The romance was what drove a lot of the characters. So when we’ve got birds’ make out sessions, a non-existing kiss fading to a white screen and even a dead body getting more action than the lead characters, one would start to get frustrated.

The Long Ballad had a lot of unintentionally hilarious moments. The new emperor being surprised his daughter was starving when she was a refugee (little grasp on reality he had, no?), “think for yourself” being seen as a lifelong experience that can be passed on to only the worthy one, the fact male lead had to be told he loved female lead 31 episodes in, after he risked his life and lives of other people he cares about for her, the overall vibe of “people die, get over it” everyone gave, female lead telling male lead he can’t kill his brother for killing his mother, while she herself has been on the revenge trip for months to kill her uncle for killing her parents. To sum it up, everyone lacks brain cells.

Overall, The Long Ballad was addicting and entertaining and I had a lot of fun watching. Undeniably sharing my rants and views on mdl feeds did make the whole experience a bit better, but even without it, I would appreciate what I’ve got from the show. For 49 episodes, it was a quick watch with likable characters, fast paced plot that does not require much brain power to understand, which makes it perfect late night binge watch material.

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Rather simple, but well constructed plot that, thanks to the interesting cast of characters, serves as an entertaining watch.

The best thing about this show was for me Wang Zhi. While at first I was quite cautious about him, soon he became one of my favorite characters from all the shows I have seen in 2021. Loyalty, desperation, wits, drive - all fitted into this one, morally gray character. Whatever he said or did, I could not stop myself from thinking “he makes sense here”. Did I sell my soul to Wang Zhi? Maybe. He could be going around killing and torturing people and I’d be like: good for you honey, keep it up!

Even though Tang Fan and Sui Zhou were not as complex of characters, they still presented some nice nuances. On one hand, Tang Fan, in a quite refreshing way, combined reasoning brilliance and social stupidity. At the end of the day, a lot of problems he solved in a clever way, happened because of his social ignorance.

On the other hand, Sui Zhou represented both strength, emotional maturity, but also vulnerability and emotional struggles. It was interesting to see that the character who seemed the strongest, was the one that had to face his internal demons and tragic past the most.

The trio had an amazing dynamic, pushing each other to strive for better, while not ignoring each other's shortcomings. How it usually went, you ask? Tang Fan causes the problem, Sui Zhou tries to help Tang Fan, Wang Zhi actually does all the work to clean the mess - what a perfect group of friends, relatable af.

All the supporting characters had their place in the story, and none felt redundant. What's important, most did not just vanish after their cases were solved, and they've been brought back at the important plot points. This small detail of not removing characters from existence after they've done their part, made this whole fictional world seem more real.

Another aspect of the show I had to appreciate was the pacing. For some, it might have been slow - it took them quite a few episodes to deal with each case. For me, it was perfect. Watching crime related shows, I want to witness how the cases are solved, what actions and steps have been taken, and it’s impossible to achieve in the "one episode for one case" format.

The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty presents the viewers with some amazing visuals - from the scenery, sets to beautiful costumes. Do you like food? You might want to prepare some nice snacks before watching the episodes - the cooking scenes will make you hungry even after eating dinner.

That said, the show is far from perfect. To be honest, I did not notice many flaws since I was preoccupied going crazy over Wang Zhi, but there are a few that caught my attention. First of all, there were not many characters that were just… normal people. Everyone was highly skilled in something, and me being a typical potato could not relate to the skills and brain power going on. At the same time, around episode 44-45 everyone’s brain collectively shuts down, to make room for the villains to try their schemes.

While I found Tang Fan being an idiot, cute and funny, I can see how he would make some people’s blood boil. Some mistakes this child made were on a whole new level of “I forgot to bring my brain to work today”.

Since this is an adaptation of a BL novel, it will not satisfy people who watch it for the bromance. Honestly speaking, the show has little “censored adaptation of same sex original work” vibes, to the point that these few scenes, giving the bromance feeling, actually felt out of place for me.

Overall, great directing and writing, good acting, nice soundtrack - everything making this story an addicting and fun ride. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me bang my head on the wall. I became obsessed with Wang Zhi, and had withdrawal symptoms right after I saw the last episode.

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Nishiogikubo Mitsuboshi Youshudou is a short, yet surprisingly deep drama that made me dwell on various social issues.

Each episode focuses on a different customer of the bar and their personal problems and worries. Amamiya Ryoichiro serves a role of a mediator, rarely ever giving his own opinion on the subject - focusing on making the guest comfortable enough to share their stories. On the other hand, Nakauchi Satoru and Kobayashi Naoki present usually opposite takes on the presented situation, which helps the viewers see that most issues are not just black or white scenarios.

Taking into consideration the short duration, the social issues are never presented in a complex and detailed way, but the show still opens the door for the viewer to reflect on the topics on their own.

The acting was on point, and the casting team did a fantastic job, not only with the main characters, but also all the supporting and guest roles. The natural expressions and line delivery, mixed with simple directing created this familiar feeling that made it easier to relate to the characters, even if we could not get to know them that well.

The only criticism I have would be the lack of backstory of the main characters, especially Amamiya Ryoichiro. His character was like a blank canvas - focused on reflecting what is happening around him and guiding other people's thoughts and emotions. While it might have been a writing and directing choice, I wish we could get to know him and his story more.

Overall, it’s a short yet meaningful series that presents you many interesting and realistic stories in a heartwarming and pleasant way.

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