Don't listen to the cliche korean viewers!

This is a kind of drama that I try so hard to find. why? It's free from all the unpleasant and repetitive elements of many korean dramas. Now, what do I mean by unpleasant and repetitive elements generally present in 80% of the romantic korean dramas?
1) Childhood/prior acquaintance (the ML and FL have already unknowingly acquainted; i.e. their love story is fated) This is also present in one of my most beloved korean drama CLOY, which is pretty recent.
2) PTSD (even in many of the famed korean dramas , you will see that this element can't be avoided)
3) Rich ML, Poor or clumsy FL
Also ,this drama has very realistic and interesting storylines. I can understand if you don't find the main couple's story that attractive, but the progress of the story can be reasoned . The side storylines are very distinct and cover broad issues that one can face in relationships.
Please note that this is not the rom-com as written in the details section. Expect a slight melodramatic romance from the main couple. This is a light watch ,so don't expect very high emotional turnover

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A great drama showcasing strong resilient leads

First of all, I'm disappointed in the genres being attributed to this drama. It's not an adventure and not much on the business side either. It should rather be something like: espionage, academic research, romance .

The characters are well-written and their actions aren't predictable at all. The changes in the Xiaoshan's and jianing's character are well within reach. I mean Xiaoshan wasn't a bad person to start with. He just needed a guiding light like that of jianing to smoothen his transition to the life of a regular person. Both jianing and xiaoshan stay true to their beliefs in the face of adversity.

If you want a break from all those childish FL and fluffy dramas, you are at the right place.

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A xianxia well made!

Watching a C-drama in historical settings after 6 months! (last one was who rules the world)
Whether or not Bai Lu and Luo Yin Xi are great actors isn't up for argument as we are well aware of the answer. I think they played their parts to perfection.
Why do I feel it's a great drama to watch?
1) The idea that "People aren't born evil, circumstances is what makes them whatever they turn out be" is expressed throughout the series. Tantai Jin didn't harbour evil intentions towards others by nature. It's the fate he was born with. His life for the most part was destined but in the end, he takes control of it by making definitive actions
2) The FL develops into someone who understands the ML's sufferings and tries to mend his destiny as she showers him with love and respect he was never shown before.
3) The connection between tantai jin, the mortal and ming ye, the immortal is mysterious and eluding. It gives a hint of something that can be used in sequels or standalone spinoffs.
4) CGI is better than what you would find in most historical dramas, which is expected given its high cost of production
4) The OST (especially the ending theme) is something you would wanna listen to rather than skip to the next episode. Even if you don't have the time to listen and would rather binge-watch the episodes, here are some of the ones I liked:
* Let's be like this for 10000 years (by huang xiaoyun)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3jBkNmIKV8
* Black Moonlight (by zhang bichen and mao buyi)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NACxvEqubCs

Why you might be a little disappointed?
1) Due to the regulations imposed by the Chinese drama authorities, the producers have to accommodate everything in 40 episodes, so the plot might feel a little jumpy at times ( I felt it on a couple of occasions)

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A good joy ride into the Gumiho’s past!

Spoiler alert!
We happen to value things which we either don’t have or used to have. The former is out of control for most of us and most of us are mere mortals who can’t do much but regret the latter for not having cherished it enough when we had it. But our ML being a Gumiho (and not a mere mortal) in a fantasy world gets the opportunity to build some more memories with his brother lee rang who is dead in lee yeon’s time.

Things I appreciated:
It showcases good face-offs between lee yeon and some powerful villains as well as friends (you will know what I mean). At times I was afraid that our ML might get beaten or severely injured (even though we know he was meant to bounce back). The most appealing and attractive aspect of this season was the battle with the perfect impersonator jang san-beom. It’s a pretty unique and fascinating idea to witness. The path of the damned gives the kind of mysterious and horrifying twist to the plot I love.
The use of pure Japanese throughout many scenes in the show was also likened by me. I watch Chinese and Japanese dramas as well, so being subject to two languages at once was something that felt really amazing.
This season presents humour with pretty good timing and broadens our knowledge of lee yeon’s friends and acquaintances. This one doesn’t have any romantic elements to it like the first season. Overall I appreciate the showrunners displaying different themes in the two seasons. I would like it if season 3 goes back to the romance between Lee-yeon and Ji-ah.
Lastly, we all know - “She is there”

Things I couldn’t:
Old-fashion rice cooker deity!? Toilet deity!!? Seriously? This made me disappointed for something with the standard of “tale of the nine-tailed”.

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Whom will you trust?

In life we constantly find ourselves becoming the subject of deceit or foul play. That’s what makes us act assuming the others are likely not to play fair. The liar game agency exploits exactly that. However, given the right incentive, people can also believe one another to take collective action for the benefit of the whole. This requires someone vulnerable but selfless to step forward (Kanzaki Nao here). The duo of Akiyama & Nao complemented each other really well.

Besides lying/deceiving, this series also makes you utilize your brain. On numerous occasions, other than deceiving another person or team it seemed like there was an intelligent strategy to be discovered. This made me look forward to the next episode, the next instalment, and the finale.

The unanimous red vote in the final seemed like a win for humanity.

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When faced with an ugly truth what will you do...?

Attractive aspects of the show:

1. Sheds light on how far people in power can go to keep that power intact
2. Individuals from opposite factions come to terms with the fact that they were mere pawns in a struggle for something bigger and decide to do the right thing together
3. This is something said often but cannot be emphasized enough: the detrimental mentality with which North Korean soldiers are trained and the helplessness in which ordinary citizens live. I wish the tyranny would end soon and north korea could also become a free country for the citizens residing therein.
4. Cliché but very true: “Love knows no boundaries”

Performance of the Cast:

This is my first time watching any of Jung Hae In or Ji Soo in a drama, so I had no preconceived notion of what was expected of them. The ML plays his character of Lim Soo Ho very well. He is a top-notch agent and a great team leader as well. Hae In portrays the patriotic, resolute, adaptable and magnanimous Soo Ho to perfection. Coming onto the FL, Kim Ji Soo. This is a tricky one given the kind and selfless nature of her character in Yeong-ro. But I feel it missed the mark by some margin. But if she were to continue, she can definitely improve (given her Blackpink background).
Yoo In Na is someone I have plenty of experience watching. Be it the main role, be it a side role she almost always delivers. She is versatile and resourceful. Jang Seung Jo is also very convincing in portraying the honest, upright and just agent Lee Gang-mu.

Thoughts on the Plot:

I am not Korean and don’t have a good understanding of the real premise (1987 elections and the democratic movement) behind the show. Even though it would have been pleasing to see a good ending like one where the rule of president park mu-yeol comes to an end and the conspiracy surrounding the election comes to light, we all know real-life scenarios don’t always end that way and we also need a good number of shows which have a more pragmatic ending*.
Note: *Assuming the events of the plot are meant to be fictious.

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Not all actions convey the intention

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Cast: They did what was expected of them
Music: In every k-drama there is at least one track that I really come to love, but for this I loved almost all that were played in the background. I’ll have to create a new playlist altogether for queen of tears.

Chemistry: You wouldn’t see this high a rating for romance centred drama if the leads didn’t have appreciable chemistry. Baek Hyun Woo and Hong Hae In’s deep love for one another is expressed through actions in taking care of one another even when they have apparently fallen apart from each other. Some of the epilogues where they secretly vie for one another were really enjoyable

Plot/Theme: A chaebol family falls apart because they are unable to segregate whom to trust whom not to and sticking it to the other person. I really liked the part where the Hong family had to make amends with the Baek family while they were kind of forced out of the city. The first half of the series really sets up the narrative for something unprecedented but fails to capitalize on it in the second half. Hae In’s unconscious pursuit of Hyun Woo even after losing her memories gives vibes of the popular romantic movie, “eternal sunshine of the spotless mind”. This is something I really loved.

The wrap-up: K-dramas always end in a very predictable fashion; we are given a happy ending where Hyun Woo and Hae In seemingly spend most of their lifetime together before Hae In says goodbye to the world ahead of Hyun Woo. This surely doesn’t amount to the kind of anticipation the drama sets the viewers for.

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