There's Just Something Missing.

Let me start off by saying this - this was a DIFFICULT show for me to finish in the beginning. The beginning of this show was incredibly slow. I don't mind the concept of shows setting the stage and foundation for whatever story they're attempting to tell, but I felt like this was one of those shows that would easily lose a potential viewer in the beginning. The only reason I kept going was because I'd been told by several people on various platforms that the set-up for the show makes the rest of it that much more worth it. That's what I was told.

Now, the complaints I have for this show are not with the actors. The actors did .. fine, I guess. They did the best with what they had. We can honestly say that. This show could have been so much BETTER but it wasn't. I'm actually quite disappointed with what this show turned out to be. The premise is intriguing and appealing, but the execution leaves a LOT to be desired. The execution fell flat, and that's my primary takeaway from this show. Months into the future, I'll probably think about how amazing this show truly could have been if given to a set of more competent writers (or directors?) Anyway, this show sounds good on paper but it doesn't deliver on those promises.

Starting off, I love Bai Lu. I love her to pieces and I find that she's quite talented for the most part. Now, I must say that I finished watching Till the End of the Moon prior to watching this show so some of this review mostly comes from my inner comparison of the two shows. Mainly for no other reason but because of the fact that Bai Lu stars in both. Let me start off with one of my biggest pet peeves EVER when it comes to watching dramas - there was a very distinct lack of chemistry between Xue Ning and her love interests. It's the strangest thing because all of her love interests were attractive. Yet, there was a strange lack of sexual tension and chemistry between her and any of them. I don't know how or why they manage to do THAT but it was one of the first things I noticed after I got through the first 10-episode slump. Again, I'm wondering if this is due to the director or something else, because I didn't ship her with anyone. Her first two love interests were decent men for the most part. They weren't downright awful or cruel, but it felt like the writers didn't know what they wanted to do. Meaning - it's almost like they were gearing up for a very specific endgame for Xue Ning and then decided to change their minds in the last 5 episodes of the show. Also, she had amazing chemistry with her girl friends. Xue Ning's relationships with the Princess and Fang Yin were some of my favorites in the entire drama.

People often complained about TTEOTM suffering due to those set of writers not knowing which way they wanted to commit regarding Ye Xiwu/Li Susu's feelings but I felt the same way about this show. I felt like the writers were building the foundation for Xue Ning to end up with Zhang Zhe and then suddenly decided not to follow through. I'm not saying this because I shipped them or anything like that. I'm saying that based on the way Xue Ning acted towards him. There is a very distinct way she looked at him that she never replicated with Xie Wei. Xue Ning looked at Zhang Zhe like he hung the fucking MOON! She had the heart eyes every time she talked to him and it was very very obvious that she liked him. It may not have been obvious to him because he's the duty before honor, hero type so his only purpose is to bring justice to the kingdom and blah blah blah blah. He was gorgeous but his character wasn't interesting enough to be the endgame. If they would have shown him struggling to do the right thing while understanding that following the rules and decrees of an unjust, indecisive leader would have sent everyone straight to hell, then I would have been rooting for him honestly. Xue Ning's interest for him was there. Their interactions were decent too, but his character was too much of a Lawful Good for me to root for him. Rules ensure that order is maintained but some rules need to be broken, and I don't truly believe he ever realized that. At least not by the end of the show, that is.

Someone else said it and I'm inclined to agree, but it appeared as if Xue Ning was simply going through the motions when she got with Xie Wei. It didn't seem as if she even LIKED him. It seemed like she was mostly tolerating and humoring him for some reason? What reason would that be? I don't know, but that's what it felt like. We know he liked her. That was obvious! But I couldn't tell if she liked him or not. She never looked at Xie Wei with the same kind of awe and adoration like she did with Zhang Zhe, which is why I said it seemed as if the writers (or director) didn't know how they wanted to play this. Not to mention the fact that there was truly no real reason for Xue Ning to dump Zhang Zhe in the end. Absolutely none. Also, Yan Lin was a sweetheart but it was never going to be him and that was also obvious. He was a good man who really cared about her, but I knew he wasn't going to be The One. He bowed out gracefully and that just goes to show what kind of a man he was. He loved her but he knew she didn't love him the way he wanted her to; it didn't change how he treated her. He still cared about her. He still protected her. He still wanted her to find happiness, even if it wasn't with him. He's a good man, Savannah!

Now, let's talk about her and Xie Wei. I typically don't like the enemies to lovers trope. I'm usually not a fan of it, but I can be if DONE PROPERLY. That last part is the most important distinction about that statement. The teacher-student thing didn't bother me. The idea that he would be awful and toxic to her also didn't bother me honestly. What DID bother me is the fact that there was no real sexual tension between the two of them. I wouldn't consider a man walking around choking you and telling you at every juncture that you belong to him to be sexual tension. Granted, that could be hot under the right circumstances. However, it wasn't hot in this one. I don't know if it was because the director (or writers) didn't know how to write the receiver of this type of dynamic or not. What I mean is this - in this type of dynamic, the receiver has a very distinct and specific role that would determine how the audience responds to the dynamic as a whole in the long run. Xue Ning never responded to Xie Wei like a woman who was just barely holding on by a thread because she wanted to jump his bones so badly but she couldn't because she's a lady who has to suppress her feelings and maintain her reputation. She didn't respond like that. She responded as if she was being threatened. Her responses came off more like fear rather than suppressed sexual desire. Which didn't make sense due to who she was in her first life. Who she was in her first life would have THRIVED with a man like Xie Wei. The Empress would not have shown fear like that; she would have gave as good as she got and responded by giving this man a run for his money, but that didn't happen either.

Another thing - someone else mentioned that we never saw Xie Wei supplicate himself at Xue Ning's feet, and I think that's another piece of the puzzle that would have changed the finished product of this relationship. I love a man who is possessive and obsessive (in fiction) for the most part, but I still need to see that man's willingness to submit to the woman he claims to be in love with. I don't want this misconstrued. I'm not saying I want him to go through some halfhearted, shoddy redemption arc, but I want him to beg and grovel for her sometimes. Whenever they would argue and he would be in the wrong, we never saw him supplicate himself to her and show her how deep his love is. He never apologized to her for his reactions to her. Yes, he never hid how he felt in front of the world. Yes, he put his life on the line to save her multiple times, but what about the words? We need to see you submit to her in private too. When it's just the two of you, why not? He never established himself as a safe place for her to land, in my opinion.

Sidenote: The one couple I actually found myself interested in was Fang Yin and her husband (whose name I can't remember for some reason). Now, those two had the potential to be great. There was just something about him wanting to lift that weight off of her shoulders and shared the burdens of life with her that I found intriguing. He saw her and he knew that she could have been the love of his life eventually. Yes, he wasn't in love with her initially but he could have been. If the writers had allowed them the opportunity to blossom and thrive, they could have fallen in love with each other and it would have been interesting. I wanted to see where it would go. I wanted to see more of it, but we didn't get that and that's unfortunate.

It bears repeating - this show could have been SO MUCH BETTER. I'm disappointed because it didn't live up to its potential. My expectations were so high based on what I'd read from other people, but I should have lowered them. Will I rewatch this show? Maybe some scenes because there were some scenes I found unintentionally funny, but not a complete rewatch. Would I recommend it though? Ehhh, maybe. It's not downright terrible but it's not as great as people claim it is. It's just okay.

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Tales From An Incel

Ummm ... where do we begin? First things first, you don't watch this show for the romance. You watch it for the DRAMA. The drama of it all is what saved this show because the romance was sorely lacking. Also, I saw someone said that the show had a strong beginning and got worse. I'd have to wholly disagree - it had a weak beginning and got better as time went on. Sure, the plot twists were pretty predictable overall but the whole "he bullies me because he has a crush on me" shtick has gotten old. I know fans are really into this more recent phenomenon of awful MLs treating their love interests like crap, but I've never bought into that. Especially if the writers weren't going to allow the FL to have a backbone and be seen as a strong contender against the ML but I digress. You like what you like, but it's redundant and repetitive at this point.

So, the beginning of this show was NOT doing it for me and I almost dropped it because of that. I don't like bully love stories. I can't stress that enough. However, when we got closer towards one of the major plot twists of this show, things started to get a lot better. Here's where my primary issue lies - I wish they would have made the FL a lot more morally grey than she actually was. The ML's mother (yep, she's a major antagonist/villain in this story. albeit not the Big Bad by the end of the show, of course) was overcome with so much guilt that she ALWAYS assumed that the FL was to blame for every stroke of bad luck she had. Honestly, that would have made for a better story if you ask me. If the writers had decided to make the FL morally grey in the beginning before transitioning to illustrate that someone else was actually in the background pulling the strings, this show could have easily been a 9.5/10. That would have given this drama more depth and complexity instead of falling into the predictable and easy route of "Oh, I'm just a damsel in distress who hasn't really done anything wrong and my boyfriend's mom is blaming me because her guilt is eating her alive." That was boring and lackluster. Give me more!

Back to one of my original points - the romance was there but I wouldn't necessarily classify this as primarily romance because it's more suspense/thriller/mystery. The leads had decent chemistry, I guess. The chemistry wasn't the problem. Their story is the problem. I don't mind noona romances. I don't mind age gaps but this age gap is wayyy more intense than what you typically see. Sure, age gaps in CDramas isn't a new thing but age gaps in xianxia/wuxia dramas are a different ballgame for a reason. Age gaps in modern CDramas are already walking on a tightrope between acceptable and downright inappropriate. This romance fell somewhere in the middle but closer towards the latter if you ask me. The ML was 17 and the FL was 30. Sure, he eventually turned 18 during the series but it's still icky to me because I can't imagine why an established 30-year-old woman would ever be interested in a 17-year-old high school teenager who hasn't even graduated yet. Frankly, what would have resolved this issue is sticking him in college instead of high school. Yes, his mother still being in complete control of his life could have still worked here, as well. All of this could have worked in a college setting! Also, there were things that happened that were obviously misconstrued and no one ever called it out. The ML kissed the FL on the cheek at an assembly in front of the whole school, including the administration, and we're claiming that SHE seduced HIM. That was inappropriate on all fronts and the FL didn't even appear into it, but it was inappropriate because of the student doing it. Not because the teacher begrudgingly allowed it to happen. There were a LOT of bizarre instances like that. Yes, she eventually crossed the line in a big way with the ML but not at that point in time and that confused the FUCK out of me.

Now, onto the plot twists. The first plot twist being that the ML's mother was the mistress that ultimately led to the deterioration of the FL's parents' marriage. Now, if you've willingly read this, then surprise! There's the first big spoiler. However, I must say how juicy that could have been in the hands of more imaginative and creative writers. The wasted potential of that arc is something I will always mourn because the places we could go! That arc was chock full of potential twists and turns later in the story but the writers dropped the ball there. The second plot twist being that the Director was the weirdo behind everything the entire time was ... predictable, to say the least. I always had a suspicion that it was him. To me, it was quite obvious that he was responsible for most of what was happening. There was a slight second where I thought it was the ML's father getting back at his overbearing, domineering wife but nope! I almost bumped the rating up to an 8 because I thought that's where we were going but then they completely went into a different direction and settled on the predictable route. I was disappointed!

All in all, the actors did a decent enough job with what they were given but I didn't buy the romance aspect of their love story. I didn't buy it at all. Unfortunately, that's not enough to keep your interest in the grand scheme of things. If you're able to get past the first few episodes, then you may be surprised. I must must underline the fact that the first few episodes are ROUGH. Those episodes will absolutely lead to you dropping it if you're unwilling to go there and I wouldn't blame you at all. I won't lie and say it's a masterpiece but it's watchable. Would I recommend it? Yes. Would I rewatch it? No.

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Let's Just Say I Had a Change of Heart

As you can tell by the title, this was a drama that I initially dropped early on in my CDrama experience. This was one of the first few dramas I attempted to watch after falling in love with Falling Into You (2022). Obviously, there are some similarities with the age gap/age difference but that's about where the similarities start and stop. Anyway, I dropped this drama a LONG time ago and completely forgot about it. Fast forward to a few weeks ago where I watched the ML in another drama that I absolutely fell in love with, so I decided to come back to this drama and realized that it was the same actor. Everyone say, "Thank You, The Princess & The Werewolf!" If it weren't for that drama, I never would have circled back to watch this one. Chen Zhe Yuan is outstanding! I enjoyed him in that show and that's why I decided to go back and give this drama another chance.

I'm typically not the type of person to watch highly rated and widely popular dramas because the expectations NEVER live up to the hype. I never fall in love with the same dramas that most of the people on this site falls in love with, so the hype surrounding this drama was NOT enough to make me give it another try. The dramas always fall on this side of overrated and over-hyped, unfortunately. At least, that's been MY experience. Now, let's hop into this review, shall we?

I'm quite outspoken regarding my dislike and hesitance regarding age gaps. Age gaps always tend to be a miss for me. It never ticks off all of the necessary checkboxes for me to thoroughly enjoy them. In this case, I'm not going to pretend like the age gap doesn't bother me because it absolutely does. It doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the show but it's certainly not something I can relate to or understand honestly. There's a 5-6 year age difference between the lead characters, right? I can't imagine being 25 and dating anyone under 21. I cannot fathom dating anyone that young because most people in that age range typically acts their age. Plus, Duan Jia Xu watched Sang Zhi grow up. This isn't a matter of grooming by any means, but the age gap could turn some people off and I'm not going to paint it in a positive light just because I enjoyed this show. If you had an issue with the age gap, then you have every right to feel that way because it does come off as kind of icky in the grand scheme of things. But I digress.

Also, the episodes where we watched Sang Zhi grow up dragged out for FAR too long! I think that's what initially made me drop this show the first time. It's one thing for there to be a trope I'm already uncertain about. It's another thing to force me to watch a show overly emphasize said trope by giving us 5 or 6 episodes of the FL being an underage minor and the ML being an adult. That part of the drama dragged out so long and it would easily take someone out of the story if they were already unsure about watching this show to begin with. We didn't need to see that much of her being a kid in relation to Duan Jia Xu. We didn't need to be constantly reminded of the age gap/age difference in that way, honestly. It went on too long!

So, moving on. I think there were some things about this show I would have changed to elevate this drama that much more. I feel like the stakes should have been higher in terms of the obstacles they faced as a couple. The stakes never felt high and there didn't appear to be any true threats to their relationship, which can make the drama feel a LOT longer than it actually is. It makes the drama feel more draggy instead of eventful. Duan Jia Xu's issues weren't threatening enough to make me believe it was enough to be an issue for them. My one pet peeve is that I feel like Sang Zhi should have had more of a presence and backbone. Sometimes, it felt like she was TOO passive for someone who'd happily accepted her love for an older guy. Someone who had wholeheartedly convinced herself of her love in that way should have been a LOT more defensive and protective of said love. While she did stand up when necessary, I feel like she didn't fight enough, if that makes sense. Knowing that you were going to have to deal with a ton of naysayers rightfully being hesitant, uncertain, and wary of your relationship should have made her more assertive when it came to fighting for her relationship with Duan Jia Xu. I think in these moments her age was fairly obvious. Her personality and her choices regarding certain things would remind me that she's still fairly young because an older woman wouldn't have been as passive as she was. Due to that, I extended some level of grace to her.

Also, I feel like Duan Jia Xu should have had a little more of an edge to him. Don't get me wrong, I'm a STRONG proponent of nice male leads. I love them dearly! However, I feel like he should have had more of an edge to him. I feel like he was TOO perfect. I kid you not - this man was flawless in every way. He had no real flaws and it can easily take you out of the story in some aspects. Also, I did see some people say they wished he was more uncertain about jumping into a relationship with Sang Zhi. While I understand the sentiment and reasoning, I feel as if that would have only worked if Sang Zhi were more determined about snagging him in the first place. I know some people hate that trope but I actually love the "female chases male lead first" trope because it's subversive and it's different. You don't see that much in CDramas, so I would have gladly been all over that. But again, that's the only way it would have worked. Otherwise, this drama would fall apart with a ML who's uncertain about acting on his feelings for the FL and a FL who is easily swayed by the opinions of her family and others; it would not have made for an interesting drama.

Anyway, I think I yapped enough for one night. Was this a great show? It was okay. Would I recommend it? Initially, I would have said yes. But after some time has passed, no. Also, I realized that I didn't actually like this show. Would I rewatch it? Probably not. Don't get me wrong. I did enjoy it somewhat but I don't think I can rewatch it. I skipped through the first few episodes of this show for a reason and I doubt I would want to go through that again.

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It Didn't Feel Like A C-Drama!

First and foremost, this show did NOT feel like a typical Chinese drama and that is absolutely refreshing. Nothing against the C Dramas, but they're a lot like K Dramas in the sense they're pretty predictable and they always feel like other shows within the genre. Which, again, is fine. This did NOT feel like a Chinese drama by any stretch of the word. I can't reiterate that enough. That should be more than enough for any potential watchers just case in they want to watch this one. I know I keep saying it but I don't think you guys understand me when I say this. There was skin being shown in this show. There was a lot of kissing. There was even a moment where the main characters were in bed together naked after having sex the night before. Like, this didn't feel like the censorship I'm used to and I'm happy about it!

For the sake of this review, just look at the show for what it is (regarding the age gap/age difference/power imbalance, that is) - a fictional depiction of something that could be terribly terribly problematic and gross in real life, yeah?

Now, I typically don't watch dramas with age gaps. Although I'm from the West and I have a very distinct relationship with coach/athlete or mentor/mentee dynamics due to that socialization, I didn't mind that aspect of this show that much. It didn't bother me, and I find myself ignoring it even though it's something that was mentioned quite frequently. It may be due to the fact that both actors felt older than that? Yu Cheng didn't FEEL like an 18-year-old, if that makes any sense. Yes, in some ways, he did feel immature. But for the most part, he definitely felt older than a teenager. If they casted actors who were more closer to the characters' ages, then I may have felt differently about it. Even in Yu Cheng's characterization, he came off as "more mature" than his peers. He wasn't all that interested in romance and sex, which worked out pretty well for this show because that probably would have easily turned this show into something else.

I think the fact that he was more mature and focused on his dreams of becoming a professional athlete is what helped me to accept his affections for Luo Na. If he acted like the typical 18-year-old chasing skirts and slacking off on both his studies and sports, I would NOT have rooted for their relationship. At that point, this show would have turned into a sad attempt at getting the audience to buy that this older, mature woman would even be interested in someone that juvenile. That's enough talk about the age gap/age difference.

I did see some people mention that Luo Na didn't act like she reciprocated Yu Cheng's feelings or that he showed more interest in her than the opposite. To those people, I have to say this - with all due respect, what show were you watching? It was obvious from the first episode that she was dazzled by him. It was obvious that he caught her eye and grabbed her attention. She saw him before he saw her. Out of all those competitors, Luo Na paid attention to him. It was like love at first sight for her. She was clearly rendered speechless by him. Not even the other coaches with her took notice of Yu Cheng, but she did. Their relationship was the perfect example of "she fell first, but he fell harder." She was way more careful with showing her affections for him, although I don't think she did a good job of it. Even though she may not have realized it, it was fairly obvious. She was attracted to him and that was obvious, but she didn't quite understand her own feelings. Which is why the 180 happened after they officially got together because the levy had been broken! She had no reason to hide what she felt, especially since she finally accepted it. However, I DO think it was silly for her to have told him that no one could know about them when she wasn't very careful while out in public with him. Come on, Luo Na! Anyone with eyes could see it.

Also, another thing. I didn't mind Yu Cheng's short bout of heartbreak and depression. It felt realistic to me. He was a young guy who felt like he had been rejected by the girl he likes. Why wouldn't he lash out and respond like that? He was sad! It's normal to feel that way and it was normal for him to lash out like he did. Yes, kids, alcohol makes all of us do stupid things when we're using it to bury our pain and grief. He screwed up! He didn't pay for it with his life, thankfully, but it was stupid. I think a lot of people feel the same way that I did about Yu Cheng not feeling like a teenager, because anyone who's ever been around teenagers should be surprised by his reaction. I guess people forgot that he was technically a teenager and he was acting like a stupid, immature teenager. Kudos to the actor for his acting! He did VERY well with depicting a heartbroken teenager. I felt sorry for Yu Cheng! He made me feel his pain. Good for you, buddy!

Also, the chemistry! OMG! The chemistry between these two was off-the-charts. They were fucking hot together. The first time they kissed, my heart raced! It was so sexy. I don't know how to explain it, but you could feel the heat and sexual tension wafting off of your screen. Their chemistry was unquestionable. You don't have to ponder whether the chemistry is there, because it definitely is. I know some people didn't like Yu Cheng's characterization or maybe they were grossed out by the logistics of their relationship, but they can't deny the chemistry. The chemistry was undeniably hot! You will definitely enjoy their scenes together.

Now, the thing that kept this show from getting a perfect 10. I do agree with some reviewers regarding the ending. The ending felt .. weird. I can't explain it. I didn't like the last episode. There was something off about the final episode, and I can't quite put my finger on it. It's a happy ending, and we love that! However, I do agree that the reporter angle in the last few episodes was unnecessary. That didn't need to happen. I think the writers ran out of steam and didn't know how else to fill those last episodes, so that's what we got. But outside of that, I do like the show. I would rewatch it again because it's a feel-good romance drama. It's not too heavy, it's not too dark, it's not too angsty. There is very LIGHT angst, but it's not enough to make you angry. it's not enough to piss you off and make you drop the show altogether. There's not a lot of relationship drama or drawn-out love triangle nonsense to annoy you. (There is a love triangle technically, but I wouldn't even consider it as such as Luo Na only feels strongly about Yu Cheng and not her best friend who's in love with her. Luo Na never returns her best friend's feelings, and he knows it so he's never confused or under a different impression regarding their relationship.) It's just a clean, wholesome show. Like, if you want to watch a cut-and-dry romance drama with no real outside issues, then this is the show for you!

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The Best K-Drama I've Ever Seen!

I'm going to start off by saying that I've never been a huge fan of Korean dramas. I'm not sure why or how, but all of the dramas I've ever seen have always been over-the-top dramatic and downright nonsensical. I'm not very fond of soap operas and soap opera-esque shows, so I typically choose to stay far far away from them. And yes, I have tried to watch some Korean dramas in the past and I've never been impressed. Either I'm bored senselessly or I'm unable to suspend my belief to buy certain storylines because they're so effing ridiculous, especially if they're not marketed as being fantasy/supernatural. They're just regular slice of life K-Dramas, but they always employ certain tropes that can only be found in dramas from this country. I can't explain it, but I'm sure someone knows exactly what I'm talking about. And no, I 've never had any issues with watching dramas from other Asian countries; I've always managed to find something to watch from Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, etc. Korea has been the only country where I've had difficulty falling in love with their dramas.

However, this show is nothing like that at all. If you're anything like me when it comes to Korean dramas, then I will highly recommend that you watch this one. It's nothing like a typical Korean drama and that's what made it stand out to me. I know some people may not like the female lead but I LOVED her. She's one of the primary reasons why I fell in love with this show to begin with. She's also the reason why I've decided to give K-Dramas a second chance, so thank her! I've always been drawn to female characters like Moon Young. Yes, she's awful and does some irredeemable things. However, she stands up for herself and other people too. Moon Young is an excellent female lead. She's interesting, complex, and dynamic. She's not boring and she's quite memorable, as well. She doesn't fall victim to being "weak." Granted, I don't mind female characters who aren't as assertive and opinionated as her. But I do mind when female characters are practically depicted as pathetic doormats who don't stand up for themselves and constantly allows things to happen TO them. Moon Young is definitely nothing of the sort. She doesn't let anything happen to her; SHE makes things happen.

Gang Tae was amazing, as well! This is the first time I've ever seen this actor but I'm thoroughly impressed by his performance. The running joke for me while watching this was: "if there's anything you can count on, it's Gang Tae crying." I joke, I joke! But the actor played the role of Gang Tae being suppressed but wanting that freedom of being a single, unmarried, young man in his 30s pretty well. You just know Gang Tae held back for most of his life and you believed it. Now, I loved the two of them as a couple too. Yes, we know that no means no but this is a fictional depiction and is not real. So, because of that, I honestly don't care how "creepy" Moon Young may or may not have come off. I don't care, friends. Anyway, the two of them as a couple worked well for me. I've never watched any shows where the female lead chased the male lead. This show depicted that pretty well too because Moon Young never really came off as desperate or thirsty. In the hands of less competent writers, it would have been fairly easy for Moon Young's choice to chase Gang Tae to come off as pitiful and pathetic. However, that never happened. Even when Gang Tae would reject her in the beginning, it never came off as pitiful. It's a very delicate balance that must be employed and they handled the challenge incredibly well.

Sang Tae was great too, but he would annoy me ever so often. Mainly because it almost seemed as if everyone would walk around on eggshells with him instead of calling him out for his own manipulation. I don't care what anyone says, but Sang Tae manipulated Gang Tae quite a bit during this show. I understand him not wanting to "share" his brother but Sang Tae isn't stupid. He knows that Gang Tae would constantly choose his brother over himself again and again, and that's unfair to Gang Tae. Why should he be forced to sacrifice his own life and happiness to take care of his brother for the rest of his life? It wasn't right! So, I'm really glad that we saw some growth from Sang Tae regarding that issue by the end of the show. This was my favorite trio once everyone got on the same page, and that makes me happy.

Now, before I end this review, I must talk about the elephant in the room with the story. While the story was good and the actors more than made up for certain weak spots in the story, there was something that I wish was made more clear to the audience. This is regarding the woman who turned out to be Moon Young's mother or the woman from Devil Judge (haha). I feel as if they should have justified her sudden reappearance by saying that Moon Young's father has a distorted version of his recollection of the events regarding her "death" due to his tumor. If they'd just mention that in passing, that would clear up so many things. The audience watched her bleed out on the foot of their stairs and watched him put her body in a bag and throw it to the bottom of the lake. How did she survive? I never fully believed Moon Young's recollection because of her age, the length of time that had passed since the event occurred, and her overall trauma. However, that doesn't really explain how her mother survived all of that and I wished they would have cleared that part up a lot more, because it didn't make sense.

Aside from that, this show was incredible and I'm sad that it's already over. I would absolutely recommend everyone watch this show if they were on the fence about it. It was downright amazing!

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Just A Typical RomCom

First things first, do NOT go into this show thinking this is anything resembling a revenge drama. It's not! No, I didn't see any trailers nor did I have any prior knowledge of this series before I watched it, so maybe it's my fault for assuming that. Either way, this is definitely nothing of the sort. It's a nice, cheesy, typical romantic comedy. Truly. As long as you watch it with that little tidbit in mind, you should be fine going into this story. (Also, I've decided that I'm actually going to remember the character names from now on to make these reviews more seamless.)

Now. The one thing I will say is that this was another show that I felt had amazing potential but it fell flat for me in some aspects. While I understand that expecting the female lead to hit us with a complete 180 was unrealistic to begin with, I still expected her to have more of a backbone than she did. After watching the first episode, you would be under the impression that she's going to be a tough, femme fatale getting back at her family and ensuring that she doesn't waste her life again. Wrong! You would be dead wrong if you allowed yourself to believe that? What's wrong with you? (I'm joking about that, friends. That was just a little bit of sarcasm.) But seriously, I fully expected Yi Joo to go toe-to-toe with her stepmother and stepsister and never miss a single step. In fact, I expected her to always be three, maybe four, steps ahead of literally everyone else. She has the advantage here! She's the only one (that we know of at this point) that has literally traveled back through time. She knows what most of her opponents and enemies don't know. So, why isn't she beating them at their own game? Why wasn't she able to do that?

Granted, I understand that she couldn't possibly be three steps ahead of her brother-in-law because he was running circles around his own family for years. She couldn't possibly beat him, but HER family? Yes, she should have been able to neutralize them very very early on in this show. She simply didn't, and I don't understand why the writers wrote it that way either. Which brings me to another issue I had - there were far too many players in this game. There were far too many moving parts in this machine and that bogged the show down tremendously. There was no reason for this show to have this many villains at once. Absolutely none. In my opinion, they should have picked one - if it was going to be Jung Wook, then let it be him. If it was going to be Yi Joo's family, then let it be them and only them. It didn't need to be both sides of the family causing a ruckus here.

Back to my original point though - there were times when Yi Joo allowed people to chew her out and she stood there and said nothing! When her pathetic ex-fiancé chewed her out in the bridal shop, I wanted to scream! Why are you letting him, of all people, chew you out and humiliate you in front of all of these people? Especially when YOU didn't do anything wrong. Se Hyeok only married you to get closer to your sister, who he was truly in love with. In knowing that, that man could NEVER raise his voice to me out of indignance. It wouldn't have happened. Yi Joo should have shut that down immediately! I understand her needing to get stronger to fight back against her stepmother, but that shouldn't apply to everyone else. Everyone else should be fair game. These people abused, isolated, alienated, and treated you like a stranger in your own home since you were a child. Where's your anger? Where's your fire? Where is it?! Your own father allowed his wife to do all of those things to you and he said nothing. Now that I'm thinking about it - maybe that makes more sense to the story. Maybe the reason Yi Joo didn't know how to stand up for herself is because her own biological father didn't know how to either. Like father, like daughter.

I have no notes on her husband. Do Guk was fine. I had no issues with him. I did, however, have some issues with his story though. Let me explain - yes, I know that he traveled through time like she did. However, there were some things he'd say that made no sense. He mentioned the fact that Yi Joo spoke casually to him first and that's why he felt so comfortable doing that when they met in the future. However, we NEVER saw anything like that. In fact, Yi Joo questioned whether he even knew her before she got married when they met in the current timeline (that's technically in the past, weirdly enough). So, when did they have this conversation? During the big reveal, that was something that was still left unexplained. They went back to the events of the first episode but not any further than that. I think the writers wanted to fully sell the idea that they knew each other but they failed at doing so. They wanted to create this intimacy that never actually existed between the two leads. The point is that the writers should have incorporated some scenes prior to the first episode that explained why Do Guk was so enamored with Yi Joo. Do Guk was in love with Yi Joo like Se Hyeok was in love with Yoo Ra. Which actually means that both of them were in love with a fantasy because neither of them knew these women enough to be in love with them. We all saw what happened when Se Hyeok finally saw the real Yoo Ra. It wasn't pretty! It simply worked out well for Do Guk when it didn't for Se Hyeok. Go figure!

All in all, I wouldn't rewatch it. It was okay. It was nothing absolutely amazing, but it's something to watch when you're bored and you don't want to watch anything too dark and heavy. This is a lighthearted show that makes no sense at all when you truly examine it, but that's fine.

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Broke My Slump!

As my headline states, this drama actually broke my months long drama slump and I am ecstatic about that! I kid you not - this is the first drama I've been able to sit and watch through to the very end in months. Hallelujah!

So, anyway, I have not watched Girl from Nowhere, although I've seen enough mentions of it in other reviews and in the comment section to know they share some similarities. Because of that, I was able to enjoy this without comparing it to that drama. I do plan on watching that one next but my enjoyment of this drama wasn't colored by my feelings in any way.

I really enjoyed this drama. I can't stress enough how electrifying and dazzling the female lead is in this drama. She is incredibly compelling and entertaining to watch. I had fun watching her on my screen. The male lead was fine. I have no qualms about his performance; he did well with the material he was given but I was watching this drama for her, not him. Generally, I'm a heavy romance fan so I mostly watch romance dramas because I can't watch anything else because I lose interest quickly. However, I didn't have that problem with this drama. There's slight, very slight, romance but it's definitely not a drama centered around the romance by any means. Don't go into this one expecting that because you're not going to get it.

So, Kiritani Sara is my type of female character. I'm a SUCKER for manipulative, deceptive, calculating, intelligent female characters who are always four steps ahead of everyone else. She ran circles around everyone in this drama without breaking a sweat and I love that. In the end, she got the last laugh. Literally. Even in death (yes, she dies!), she's still fully in control of the narrative that suits her sensibilities. She got her revenge because the male lead will go to prison for the rest of his life. She destroyed his family like she accused his father of doing hers.

The one pet peeve I did have is the gaping plot inconsistency of a 6 year old being cognizant enough to resort to murder. She's not old enough to understand death nor should she be old enough to know which poison is fatal enough to mass murder 20 people at once. She may feel jealousy but not anything else. That's the one thing that made no sense to me.

All in all, I highly recommend this one. It's short and sweet. The plot doesn't drag and you don't have to watch a drama that should have ended 10 episodes ago that refuses to die. Give it a shot!

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It's Not Horrible but ...

The first time I saw Ji Sung was in Devil Judge, which I ended up dropping about halfway through my watch of it. His performance wasn't the issue, but the story was .. lacking TO ME. I found myself rather bored while watching that one, and that's why I stay away from revenge/revenge adjacent dramas because I know I'm gonna be bored to tears and will not finish it.
Now, I feel the same way about that show that I do about this one and that's why I mentioned it. The premise and story of this show is amazing and I've never seen any dramas about DID prior to watching this one, so I'll give the writing department kudos for their originality and creativity. However, this show is missing something. I'm not saying it's not a fun time because it is. But there is something about this show that I can't quite put my finger on. Again, Ji Sung did very well. His acting was superb; you could immediately pick up on the differences between each personality so I'll give him props for that. However, his co-star was ... interesting. Oh Ri Jin was not boring or dull; she wasn't either of those things but I found that I didn't care about her all that much by the end of the show.

I watched most of this show on mute so the constant screaming that some people have mentioned didn't bother me. However, the character of Oh Ri Jin is forgettable. There's nothing about her that endeared me to her. By the end of the show, I can't even say that I shipped Oh Ri Jin and Cha Do Hyun. The pairing had semi-decent chemistry but the characterization of Oh Ri Jin affected my enjoyment of the relationship/show. I think some people truly underestimate how much the lead character/lead love interest can make or break a show. Or maybe I'm in the minority of not minding a crappy plot as long as the characterization and interpersonal relationships are solid and enjoyable. Either way, I didn't care for Oh Ri Jin. I didn't hate her, but I also didn't love her. She was just kind of .. there. If you're the type of person who doesn't care for the romance aspect of a drama, then I'd probably recommend this show to you. While the romance is there, it's not groundbreaking enough to overshadow anything else and it won't interfere with your enjoyment of the rest of the plot.

Also, how could I forget about her brother? Oh Ri On. I couldn't stand him and I feel like the writers were too sympathetic to him and his plight. Oh Ri Jin didn't hold him accountable for everything he did as much as she should have, and that's unfortunate. Then again, there were many issues with the characterization of Oh Ri Jin to begin with and her relationship with her brother was definitely one of them.

I got to the last three or four episodes before I started fast forwarding through literally everything. I was just so ready to finish watching this show. I'd grown weary of watching this show and I just wanted it to be over! Also, I feel like those last 3 episodes were incredibly rushed. I feel like the show would have benefitted from gradually convincing the alters to reintegrate with Cha Do Hyun. Some of the alters were clearly ready to go, like Perry Park for instance. He should have been reintegrated 10 or so episodes before the ending, if you ask me. It was unrealistic to assume that all of his alters were willing to disappear all at the same time like that. Some of his alters clearly had the temperament of never wanting to leave - Shin Se Gi, for example. He should have been the only one they kept until the end, because it was clear that he never wanted to leave and wanted to experience life for himself. Things were just wrapped up too nicely at the end; it was almost TOO convenient and TOO clean, in my opinion. It's almost like the writers lost their way and didn't quite know how to end this show, so that's how they ended it.

It was an okay show but I feel extremely strange about this one. Hence my writing a review for it. For the most part, I don't like to review most of the media I consume unless I felt an extreme urge to do so like with this one. I highly doubt I'd revisit and rewatch this one.

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I Feel So Many Things

I know I'm technically about 5 years too late to watching this, but that doesn't matter. All that matters is that I finished, yeah? Now, this review will not be like some of the other reviews in this section. I LOVED this show, so I won't be agreeing with the rest of the peanut gallery in regards to this show. Like always, I did NOT feel the same way the majority of the K-Drama fandom felt about this show. Not at all, and I'm perfectly fine with that.

I do want to start off by acknowledging the elephant in the room here - usually I only find myself salivating and obsessing over the female leads in this story. However, Ha Ru (Rowoon) is absolutely positively divine. The show did such a great job at creating the buildup to revealing and introducing his character to the audience. The first time I saw him, my mouth dropped. I was absolutely shooketh. I was stunned by how absolutely beautiful this man is. I've never been blown away by any of the male leads in most K-Dramas and that's something I've had to deal with for quite some time and I was fine with it. The entire time I watched this - that was the only thing going through my mind. I was awestruck by his beauty. Don't get me wrong. The actress that plays Dan Oh is adorable too. They were both a very good-looking couple. However, I'm now in love with Rowoon so there's that. Now, onto the review.

While I will agree with some fans about the story not making sense, I don't care enough to stress about it. I'm one of those annoying fans who doesn't give a fuck about a shoddy plot, just as long as the characters are likable and I get my romance. Yes, I'm THAT fan. The plot could fall apart in 5 episodes and be held together by a single piece of thread for the remainder of the show and it won't matter if those characters are hitting all of the right beats and tugging on my heartstrings in the way that I enjoy. I do believe this story lasted far longer than it should, but that's always been a pet peeve of mine regarding most of these dramas. Most dramas don't need more than a certain number of episodes to tell the story. In that way, I do feel as if the writers dragged certain things out that they definitely shouldn't have, but what can you do? The pacing is the issue in that regard. Also, having two love triangles in the same show means that I am entitled to some sort of financial compensation for emotional damages. Down with love triangles! It's not 2008 anymore.

Now, The Writer. The hand wavy God-like figure writing the comic within the show. I did have an issue with this part because I honestly thought that Ha Ru was The Writer before they revealed that he wasn't. I feel that may have been far more interesting. Ha Ru is The Writer who somehow ended up in his own book. Ha Ru, The Writer, jumps through that weird black hole to get in and get out of that make-believe, fictional world. That's what I initially theorized but that's not what happened. I don't like the fact that we never found out who The Writer was either. I did like the subtle meta digs the characters would take at The Writer though. I found that kind of funny. I never saw Boys Over Flowers (?), so I don't understand that reference. Sorry!

Let's tackle my favorite aspect of this show now, shall we? The lead couple sunk their claws into me and they never let go. These two have my heart and will always have my heart honestly, because they were just that perfect. They had the right balance of angst and happiness. I did not care for the long, drawn-out love triangle though. I'm past the age where love triangles interest me so I would have preferred that Dan Oh and Ha Ru's relationship woes were purely about fighting their predestined fate instead of fighting with Baek Kyung (just wait for it because I have a LOT to say about him). I know some people had an issue with Ha Ru seemingly only existing for Dan Oh, and I don't see the issue. Most men need to learn how to stand there, shut up, and look pretty sometimes. It's a necessity, if you ask me. Plus, that's a favorite trope of mine - man only existing to serve, worship, and protect his female love interest. Again, what is the issue here? People kept saying that Dan Oh's journey was minimized to simply loving Ha Ru, but it makes sense. For all intents and purposes, Dan Oh is a teenage girl. What did people really think her priorities would lie? Have you ever actually talked to a teenager in high school? Their priorities are mostly about what they're feeling right now in that very moment. The attention span is short.

With all of that being said, let me drag Baek Kyung for a minute. I did NOT like him at all. By the end of the show, I still didn't care for him. I didn't pity him either. The only feeling I had by the end of the show was wondering whether he fixed what he screwed up because he thought it was the right thing or if he did it because his guilty conscience started to eat him up inside? That's where my mind went, because I didn't buy his so-called redemption arc. The writers (all the Baek Kyung lovers should blame them for sure) spent too much time on him being the antagonist and not enough time actually developing a believable redemption for me to buy it. I didn't buy it. Yes, he fixed it but it was AFTER he fucked it up. What he did was the bare minimum. He killed the girl he claimed to have true feelings for and suddenly realized that forcing someone to be with you when they don't want to be and removing their agency and free will is wrong. Finally! He realized this in the fourth fucking quarter! You realized this in the penultimate episode? Wow. We can blame The Writer for making him a jackass on the stage. But what's his excuse for him being an asshole in the shadow? What was the reason? He treated Dan Oh like crap the entire time, both on stage and in the shadow. But you expect me to believe he truly had feelings for her? He only started to feel something for her once he realized that she started to have a mind of her own. For the longest time, he kept trying to convince her (and Ha Ru) that her on-stage self was the real her when it wasn't. Baek Kyung never liked the real Dan Oh. He liked the girl who constantly chased him after he spit in her face (metaphorically speaking) and humiliated her in front of their peers every single day.

I didn't like the Dried Squid Fairy; I couldn't stand him. The boot licker in him agitated me. Why are you so adamant about following the rules and allowing things to happen to you without attempting to change them? It was clear The Writer lacked creativity, so who cares if you change things here and there? The Writer didn't have enough creativity and imagination to walk outside of their own front yard. Who cares? Burn it all down! Buck the system and stand up for something for once in your miserable life.

Now, I LOVED Lee Do Hwa! After the main two characters, he was my favorite. I enjoyed his character so much. I hate that he didn't get his happy ending but I knew it wouldn't be possible. Yoo Ja and Nam Joo were ... something. Yoo Ja became an interesting person to watch and I liked her. Nam Joo was there, I guess?

Okay, are you still here? Good! You get a cookie. Would I recommend it? Yes! Don't listen to the naysayers. If you want to watch it, watch it. Decide how you feel for yourself. I would definitely rewatch certain episodes again; I wouldn't rewatch the whole thing because there's just too many episodes but definitely some of my favorite episodes now and then.

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What In the World Happened Here?

This drama has a rather interesting and compelling concept and that's what initially drew me in. It was different and subversive, and I have to applaud the writers for writing a drama where virtual characters are real people trapped by some evil mad scientist. However, that's where my praise starts and stops. I wanted to love this drama SO bad; I really really did! It was interesting and entertaining and I didn't have any issues being swept away by the story, but a major issue began to present itself early on.

My first issue with this drama - why is the lead couple so unlikable? Not just as a couple but as individual characters, as well. I'm not a girl who typically falls prey to the supposed second male lead syndrome, which I don't even think applies in this situation? Mainly because the SML is not really pitted against the ML; he has his own thing and his own lady love. Anyway, I digress. The female lead of this show was annoying; her personality was too much. She was too juvenile in my opinion and not very bright either, if we're being honest. She was slow on the uptake and she immediately exhausted me. The male lead was an outright asshole. I do not like asshole male leads. That's my biggest pet peeve and it's the easiest way to get me to tune out because the world (and CDramaLand) has enough assholes with a heart of gold masquerading as male leads. We don't need more. Give me something different than an awful male lead who is angry at the world and physically/mentally/emotionally takes it out on his supposed love interest. That may be a thing for some fans, but it's not a thing for me. The fact that the female lead allowed the male lead to push her around for a huge chunk of the beginning of this show was enough to leave a nasty taste in my mouth. Like, why? Why must we deal with this nonsense? It's a modern drama; the least they could have done was given her a damn backbone. Alas, they did not.

Now, it seems like all of the makings of a perfect couple were given to the second lead couple. They were absolutely magic! I don't know why or how but those two were far more interesting as individuals and as a couple than the primary leads. It was simply more interesting to watch them than to watch the primary lead couple. So much so that I started skipping all of the primary lead couple's scenes just to get to the second lead couple. Once we had gotten to that point, I realized that it was time to wash my hands of this drama. I tried my hardest to finish this drama, but I couldn't do it. If I have to FFW through the primary lead just to get to a scene where things are interesting and palatable, then it's time for me to take the L and move on with my life. Sidenote: even though the second lead couple were a lot more interesting, things started to get rather stale between them once they became an official couple. I don't know what that was about; they lost their initial spark as a couple. I'm uncertain if that was due to writing/directing choices but becoming a couple was probably the worst thing to happen to them. The star-crossed lovers and Romeo & Juliet thing worked for them.

Also, this drama had entirely too many episodes. This is absolutely a drama that could have been wrapped up in 24-26 episodes. This drama dragged on for longer than it needed to, and that was another huge reason as to why I checked out. After they were defeated by the evil mad scientist, the tone of the drama dropped drastically. It became less interesting and a LOT more depressing; I typically check spoilers to get more info on the length of this weird depressing arc all CDramas seem to have but I couldn't gather up the energy to do so. I was just ready to be done with it.

ANOTHER THING: Fan Shuai Qi was the MVP of this drama. I just found out how young she was but she embodied an older character really well. I couldn't even tell that she was only in her early 20s. She BODIED this role! That's an actress that I'll be on the look out for because she was amazing. I'm going to say something controversial here: she was a better actor than her counterpart. I know everyone loves him, but his acting skills still need some work and I don't doubt that he can get better. It's been a few years since this show aired and I've only seen him in one other thing since this drama aired, but she ran circles around him in terms of acting. She's a MUCH stronger actor than him.

Would I rewatch this show? No. Would I recommend this show? Also, no. Don't waste your time. It's going to start off fun and exciting, but it's not going to stay that way. The excitement will quickly dwindle when you realize the momentum of the primary arc of this show hit and then dipped off. You're going to look up and realize that you still have 12 episodes to watch and nothing is entertaining enough to make you keep watching. If you're bored, watch it. If you're not, I suggest that you pass on this one.

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It Was Okay .. I Guess?

I dropped this show midway through episode 5. Now, this review comes from someone who NEVER watched the webtoon and doesn't have any sort of prior biases or personal feelings regarding the original source material. This review comes from someone who's mostly objective, or rather someone who started watching this show with no prior knowledge of anything concerning this show.

This show had an interesting idea, but the execution was crappy. Yes, I know it's based off a webtoon of sorts. I've seen enough mentions of that in the review section to be well-aware of that by now. This show is the quintessential K-Drama, which isn't a good thing. So much of this show doesn't work from an objective standpoint. Let's talk about my primary issue with this series - why on Earth is the male lead unable to recognize the female lead in a face full of make-up? He even said it himself, make-up doesn't completely change the way most girls look, right? So, how in the WORLD was he unable to put 2 and 2 together when it came to her? She looks EXACTLY the same. The only thing that MIGHT throw people off is the fact she hid behind those large glasses. Other than that, absolutely not. Not only that, but he met her and spent quite a bit of time with her with her glasses off. Her glasses broke when he stopped her from doing that very permanent thing. She can barely see without her glasses, but he could see just fine.

It just made no sense! It doesn't MAKE SENSE! The make-up didn't make her look like a completely different person. At least not enough for her to be considered completely recognizable by everyone who claimed to know her before her big transformation. Also, the male lead is a douche. He was just downright unlikable and insufferable before he started catching feelings for the female lead. Before that, he was awful and I found myself rolling my eyes every time he showed up on-screen because who wants to deal with the guy with the bad attitude? Yes, you're attractive but that doesn't excuse your horrible attitude. Grow up, sir! As for the female lead, the actress was fine. She did well enough as the awkward, naive, girl next door type. However, that shtick got old really fast. She was so clueless about everything and it bothered me. Her relationship with the male lead was fine, I guess. I did see the chemistry but the show wasn't compelling enough to make me want to continue.

Anyway, I read some spoilers that put the final nail in the coffin for me. You may know where I'm going with this and I'll give you ONE hint - I was IN LOVE and enamored with Soo Jin. Imagine my surprise when I read spoilers that she actually does like the male lead. When I watched the little interactions they had with each other, I would often talk about how I actually liked their relationship dynamic. Mostly because I got brother-sister/cousin vibes from them. I didn't know it was because Soo Jin actually liked him. I find that to be weird as hell because their chemistry didn't give that. I don't know if it was an acting or directing choice, but their chemistry did NOT give me "gorgeous and tough woman pining after clueless but stoic man" vibes. It gave me annoying kid sister loves to bother her older brother but he tolerates it because he loves her.

But anyway, not only does she like him but she does the unthinkable. Her character is COMPLETELY ruined due to her feelings for the male lead when she discovered that the female lead is dating him now. They had her being this badass character willing to stand up for her friends and putting the absolute fear of GOD into random men. All of that went down the toilet for a guy who's not even really nice to her? I don't understand. She stabbed her friend in the back for a man! I cannot. I don't even want to think about it. As for the other guy in the love triangle, I didn't watch the webtoon so don't stab me, friends. I didn't care enough about him to talk about him. He left little to no impression on me at all. Which may be due to the fact that apparently some of the female lead's scenes with the male lead actually belonged to that guy in the webtoon? Welp! That's too bad because it made him a non-factor in this show for me.

All in all, this isn't a show that I wish to continue with. I've seen everything I needed to see, and that was enough. If you like most K-Dramas, then you may like this one. If you read the webtoon and loved it, you may not like this show. Most of the webtoon fans complained about how much they changed from the webtoon to the series and they weren't good changes, apparently.

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What A Waste of Time.

Umm ... wow! That's really all I can say to start this review off because there's just so much to talk about. To start things off, I will say there's no logical explanation for why this show had a college setting. Absolutely none. Granted, I prefer college-aged characters because it's more interesting in my opinion. However, the things these characters talked about and the things they did felt more juvenile. It didn't fit with the vibe of college students. Sure, college students are young and wild but they're not this juvenile. Maybe it's a cultural thing but most college students don't care that much about their looks. Here, in the States, most college students don't care enough about their appearance to constantly talk about who and what is good-looking 24/7. There are far more pressing matters to worry about rather than nitpicking someone's looks. These characters spent an unnecessarily unusual time discussing people's appearance, which I understand. That's the whole point of the show, right? Yeah, but that gets old.

I want to talk about the thing that truly made me drop this show. Rapey McRaperson. I don't know the character's name but I know he's the Little Guy. Now, Little Guy (or Mr. McRaperson) had way more screen time than he deserved. I don't understand why he was allowed to be apart of the primary friend group of the main characters. In the very first episode, we watched this man attempt to sexually assault and coerce the main female lead by trying to trap her in a room alone with him before the male lead saved the day. Not just that, but he continued being an absolute creeper. He never stopped being a creeper. I didn't make it past the second episode, so I don't know if he ever got better or if he finally received his comeuppance but I would rather not deal with him. Now, I know you're wondering - why would you drop this show for a side character that's awful but is still very much a side character? The unfortunate part about this is that Little Guy isn't the only character in this show that gave me strange, sexual assault-y, rape-y -like vibes. Even some of the women in this show were giving me these strange vibes that told me they clearly don't understand the word "no." There was this one woman who hit on the male lead a few times, even though he'd already told her that he wasn't interested. He was very direct about it, and yet .. she didn't get the memo. What the fuck is that about?

Now, Soo Ah is interesting but I've never been the type of person to stay and watch a show for the antagonist/villain. It just doesn't make any sense to me to do so. While she is interesting, she is awful and I honestly didn't like her. I had second thoughts about possibly sticking around to watch her manipulate these awful guys in the show, but she intentionally lied to Rapey McRaperson, which caused him to lash out at the female lead and I bounced! That was it for me. I didn't want to have to deal with situations like that happening over and over again for the remainder of this show because I get the feeling that would be a running theme. I already saw the forest for the trees.

It's finally time to talk about our lovely main couple, yeah? The female lead in this show was awful. Just completely and utterly awful. She's not awful in the sense that her character does awful and irredeemable things. She's awful in the sense that she's absolutely dull. There's nothing compelling or interesting about her. She has no personality. She doesn't have anything that makes her more dynamic than the other characters and that's troubling because she's the fucking lead. Sure, she got plastic surgery to deal with her self-esteem woes but it clearly didn't help because she's still the same pathetic person she was before. One of my biggest pet peeves is watching a show with a promising story go down the drain because they write a weak, pitiful female lead. I don't even care enough to write her name here because I don't even remember it honestly. Her love interest is .. alright? He was more interesting than her, but that's not saying much because it's pretty easy to be more compelling than she was. I don't have much to say about the actor because I watched True Beauty and he played the exact same character in that show too, so ...

Which brings me to my final point - if you want to watch a show that has a similar concept to this, just watch True Beauty. It's essentially the same plot and it even has some of the same actors in it. I kid you not, The male lead in this show is the male lead in that one, plus a couple of the other actors. (ETA: Also, the male lead in BOTH shows is the only person who knew and saw the female lead before she undergoes her great "transformation," which speaks volumes about the lack of creativity and originality within this market of drama.) The only difference is that the female lead/actress in True Beauty is actually a lot more animated and interesting. You would enjoy watching her on-screen a lot more. Now, don't get me wrong. I hated True Beauty and I dropped that one too, but I hate TB a LOT less than I hate this show. Not only is it slow and there's copious amounts of sexual harassment, but the female lead isn't enough to make you stick around. Which defeats the purpose of watching the show because no one goes out of their way to watch a show for the supporting characters, and I'm definitely not one to continue on with a show knowing that I have to skip through the entire main plot just to get to the interesting parts that don't include the primary cast.

Would I recommend this show? No. Did I enjoy it? Also, no. Don't waste your time. Pass on this one and find something better.

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It Was A Tough Decision.

*deep sigh* Let me first start off by saying that I had incredibly high hopes for this drama. I started it once before and I put it on pause before I finally decided to sit down and actually finish watching this one. This was a difficult decision for me to make, and I don't doubt that this review is going to be another one of my NOTORIOUSLY long reviews. If you're not a fan of those, I suggest you scroll/click away right now because I have a LOT to say and I'm going to say it! As for everyone else, buckle up!

As much as I found myself enjoying this drama, I also found myself unwilling to move forward once I got to the amnesia plot. Typically, I'm not a huge fan of amnesia storylines. However, I thought I could push through with this arc because I was enjoying the drama otherwise. Alas, I was wrong. There's just something about the main character not remembering anything while we, the audience, are privy to every single thing that's happened up until that point that rubs me the wrong way. It feels icky to me, and I don't like it. In fact, it actually fills me with anxiety and I hate feeling that way when it's unintentional. But I digress. I don't like that they dumbed the FL down during this time period though. As a character, she was fine enough but she lacked that intelligence that she had before she lost her memory and that wasn't very enjoyable for me. That was the first pet peeve (or "ick") that hit me like a ton of bricks.

The second pet peeve (or "ick") is a ME problem and I'm completely fine with admitting and accepting that - I don't like the main couple. *runs away* Yes, I know it's sacrilegious to say that because I can see that most fans loved these two, but I'm unfortunately not one of them. I was fine with the FL's relationship with her teacher because I saw their dynamic as most people would see it as a teacher/student, master/disciple/, mentor/mentee relationship. I loved their dynamic, although I never viewed it as romantic. But when his .. reincarnated self (?) was introduced and started sniffing around the FL, I was completely taken out of the story. No offense to the actor, but I felt like he was too old for the FL. I feel like this relationship would have worked FOR ME if they either aged the FL up or aged the ML down. Strangely enough, I don't mind age gaps/age differences in my ships but I definitely minded it in this case and I'm unsure as to why it bothered me so much. I can't put my finger on it. After I've slept on it some more, I'm sure I'll figure it out but that's not going to be any time soon. I couldn't view this ship as a romantic ship with two people who were romantically and sexually attracted to each other because the ML was so much older than her. In my favorite ships, I have to feel some sort of romantic/sexual tension in order to enjoy it. I felt like these two would have been more of the elderly couple, asexual, sexless type had I continued watching it due to the ML's age, which sounds horrible but it's the way I felt. Yes, I'm well aware of the censorship embedded into all C-Dramas, but I'm mainly talking about the fact that there should be the promise of something more, something sexy and seductive, between two characters in order for me to enjoy and root for their love. That promise didn't exist in this plane for this ship. It's like we know we're not going to get anything that raunchy, but I still need to pick up on the tease of something hotter underneath the surface and I didn't get it with these two.

Finally, this is the first time in my entire FANGIRL life that I've said this and I'm shocked by it. I found myself rooting for the FL to get with the SML. I've NEVER been a fangirl who has fallen prey to the second male lead syndrome. Never. This is the first time it's happened to me, and I'm still uncertain on how I feel about that. I LOVED the SML until he screwed up. He was beautiful, he was protective, he went against his abusive father to save her, and he was honest and upfront about his feelings for the FL. But then, That Awful Thing happened and all of my excitement left me. I found myself stuck in a conundrum of sorts because I didn't know how I was going to move forward with this show. I hated the amnesia arc, I was bored by the main couple, and the SML was saddled with That Woman Who Refused to Die/Go Away! So, all of that made for a very interesting recipe for disaster because I wanted to keep going but I knew I had to drop it. That was the last straw for me. I had nothing else keeping me tethered to this show, so here we are.

One last thing before I go: I didn't care for the side couples/characters either. They weren't even enough to keep me interested in this show. I skipped/fast forwarded through all of their scenes. Unfortunately, the side couple's interactions in this drama made me completely remove their spin-off sequel from my watchlist altogether. I know that there's a possibility that I could have enjoyed that drama more than this one, but this one left such a strange and unpleasant taste in my mouth that I wanted to completely cut ties with this verse.

Do I think I'll pick this show back up in the future? Doubtful. Would I recommend it? Yes? It's not that bad honestly, but there's no way I would have been able to enjoy this show had I kept watching it. It's not bad and some people may enjoy it, but I'm not one of them.

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