Confusing but worth it

This was hella confusing but come on...we all came for Doyoung.

This drama gave me a headache even before it aired. I was scurrying around looking for sources to watch it and after the "first episode" aired, it turned out to be the whole drama. (https://youtu.be/gL9dbtDRl2M)

As for the story, I didn't watch the previous seasons because I also couldn't find them. It was confusing at first, but near the end, I got the hang of it. They definitely needed to spend more time on relational development in the story, especially Son Ji Woo and Kang Sun Min.

As for the acting, Doyoung was good considering this is his first acting gig. The female lead's acting was much more natural, considering that this is also one of her first acting gigs alongside "True Beauty" as a minor role. The support characters did their fair share of confusing me, but I don't think I should dissect this too hard because it's only a short.

The best part of this drama is probably the OSTs that we got from Doyoung (https://youtu.be/PyWedT7IVkw, https://youtu.be/gmzSPOx5gmQ) I especially liked 'Night Air.'

Overall, I would only RECCOMEND if you are an nctzen. If not, I don't think this is right for you :(

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Cute but twisted emotions.

Please note that the score given in comparison with other webdramas, not full-length dramas would be 8/10 but since the score shows up on my lists, I lowered its score.

Firstly, let's dissect the story. The whole setup was just cliche, like you knew what was going to happen next. Nevertheless, it was still interesting to keep up with. I'm glad they didn't do the whole "docile girl gets bad boy through dating contract" route. There's not a whole lot to the story so let's move on to the cast and characters.

The cast was honestly very impressive for a webdrama. They really fit their roles and the male characters had their fair share of fueling my second lead syndrome. Let's start with female lead, Oh Jina. Such a badass character and I'm glad this webdrama ended the way it did. Though it's pretty usual for webdramas to have this "weak, innocent, nice" girl as the female lead, I feel like Lee Shi Woo perfectly acted her "independent woman" role. As for the male lead Lee Seung Min, it was just so satisfying to watch a male become the "docile" one. Though the acting was a teeny bit stiff in my opinion, I know a lot of people think that Shin Hyun Seung's visuals make up for it. Now to my second lead syndrome, we have Ku Hyung Tak. He's just neglective and doesn't know what to be grateful for before he loses it. He had really nice character development. Im Sung Kyun's visuals are just underrated though. As for the character Seong Hanna, I totally get where she's coming from and I wouldn't turn against her completely. Choi Yu Ju acted as her excellently because I did ever-so-slightly feel my blood boil once or twice. As for the two side characters, Oh Ba Ul and Joo Min Ji, they were honestly the cutest things ever. Very nice comedic relief, and they are probably the only reason I stayed watching this show. Surprisingly, I actually cried because of Jung Bo Min's acting and lines in the last episode (yes...I cry easily so don't take my word for it). As for Kim Byeon Kwan, I knew he was a member of ACE but his acting was just hilarious.

Overall, I would RECCOMEND for a webdrama.

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Emotionally Addicting but Draining

This show was a roller-coaster of my emotions, misled and misused by the editing of the show. I watched all 15 episodes from beginning until the end-- keeping up with the weekly updates.

If you are willing to be ignorant and are just looking for a show to giggle to when you watch the cute interactions of new relationships forming and cry at unrequited love, this is the show for you. The producers certainly did a good job of making me feel those feelings. Trust me... my heart fluttered, I kicked my feet, and I cried to this show.

But if you're looking for the whole story, you won't find that here. They bring in a new character mid-show and decide to cut most of her screen time. As humans, we want to believe the easiest thing-- so the producers edited her scenes to make her look shallow, dry and generally uninteresting, that way she would interfere with the plot set out by the producers for the "original" members of the house. It made the ending unsatisfying and honestly confusing because so many scenes were with-held from us.

Like other reality dating shows, the producers commit to a storyline after the first two episodes and decide to edit everything to fit that storyline. This includes the chosen flashbacks, dramatic music, cutting scenes, etc. Expect the same for the producers of Heart Signal 4.

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Great overall!

The cast was great. I saw Moonbin on the thumbnail and decided to try this webdrama. I was surprised at his acting. The storyline was quite odd and almost each relationship had a plot twist (<- which I don't really like). Identifying the protagonist was quite hard for me as the screen time for each of the main characters were pretty much the same. Since that is expected of webdramas, I think this can be in my top 10 webdramas. Although the ending is rushed, it is as expected of a webdrama. This drama is light-hearted and not too heavy; perfect for late-night binging so your eyes aren't bloated from crying the next morning and yours abs don't hurt from laughing.

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Is it really "True Beauty"?

Here are some things I want to stress about a 10/10 drama for me. It has to be captivating from beginning to end; it has to have a high rewatch value; it has to not have a part where I want to spam the "skip 10 seconds" button.

Let's dissect the story. It was NOT a lot to unpack. The story was simple and a basic Korean high school drama. It wasn't exactly terrible, but it's just basic. There is really not much special about the plot. It's predictable and meh. I think one point in time it just became a "which boy will she choose (even though it's pretty obvious which one)" instead of "realizing one's true beauty." This drama is basically all about lookism.

Now, let's talk about cast. First of all, this is very biased Team Seojun. I have been Team Seojun since day 1 of webtoon. Of course, I also continued to support him during the drama. Hwang In Yeop's acting was gold and a pinky worth of his chemistry with Moon Ga-young was better than all of Eunwoo's scenes with her. Since we already mentioned Cha Eunwoo, let's just say that I didn't expect anything better or worse. One word: lookism. I'll try not to drop too much criticisms because it might just look like hate. Moving on, Moon Ga-Young was cute but not best for the role. She's a great actress-- I just don't think teen dramas are for her. She's much better suited as the villainess (aka in Tempted) in my opinion. The support roles' couples were honestly better than the main one. Although these couples don't really contribute much to the story, they were full of chemistry. About the support character's acting, nothing really stood out--good or bad. The only thing that stood out was Heekyung's personality. All other support characters just blended perfectly into the background, as they should.

The score for the music is self-explanatory. It's a really good soundtrack for a webdrama.

Overall, I WOULD NOT RECCOMEND unless you are surely Team Suho or if you're an Eunwoo fan.

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Honestly would have gotten a 0 if it weren't for this.

I am not surprised at how this turned out. I actually marked it in my "Not Interested" list because I didn't enjoy the first season at all but then got pressured to watch it anyways.


Firstly, the story was very questionable. It feels the screenwriters decided to pave the way for a new story without more character development. I get that season 1 had most of the character development, but if you want to re-use the character development from season 1, you have to stay consistent with your plot in season 2. At this point, it just felt like they were trying to appease the general public with the way they set season 2 because we all know who Jojo really liked. If you didn't watch season 1, you would know that the public was rooting for HyeYoung (me included). However the thing that comes with second leads is that they are sometimes better off without winning the girl's heart (e.g. My First First Love 1 and 2 being the exact epitome of this series). If they stuck with Sun-Oh, then this drama might have had more popularity. Now, public opinion is basically this: "You can't just change the first season's male lead into the second lead in the second season." Also, one thing thing that was probably the film maker's worst fail was spacing season 1 and season 2 too far apart. It may be just because of COVID delays, but by the time I watched season 2 (which I binged on March 14 2021) I already forgot all of the character's names and who they were except Guk Do and Gul Mi.

As for the cast and characters, it wasn't half-bad. Let's just say I was very confused at Kim So Hyun's acting. I couldn't get the emotions she was trying to convey. It might be because I had the first season imprinted into my brain, though. Song Kang's acting was actually quite good this time. I could feel the emotion behind his character, though I still think SunOh the character was too crazy and abusive with the Jojo situation. As for the whole "Brian Chun" situation, I just felt like that was uncessecaryy. **As what my title probably click-baited you to read, the only thing that saved this was Sun-Oh and Yuk Joo's relationship. I fell WAY too hard for Yuk-joo. She was just such a pure and innocent soul. She's the only character that made my heart act up.

Overall, I would NOT RECCOMEND.

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Interesting but Boring (if you get what I mean)

Let's breakdown the story. It was a cliche rom-com; even more cliche because every side character ended having a romantic partner unless they were used for comedic relief. I got huge second-lead syndrome, but one thing that the writers did well this time was to let the second-lead come to peace with himself and move on. I honestly don't know what I expected when I started this drama, but it was definitely up to par for the "idol image." I love how this story gave us a so-called 'sneak-peak' at the behind-the-scenes of the idol industry. However, even though I haven't experienced it personally, I feel like some of it is exaggerated to an uncomfortable point.

Moving on to the cast, come on... we came for them. It was perfect that almost the entire cast are/were idols or at least had some experience in the idol industry. That being said, the dancing was up to par. I wasn't a big fan of the stage, songs or the choreography, but I guess that was inevitable when they had spent a lot of their budget (assumed by me) hiring these idol actors. On the topic of idol actors, I was pleasantly surprised by all their acting skills; it still radiates 'cute lil webdrama' vibes, but they definitely raised my expectations. I had actually started watching for Yunho (my ATEEZ bias along with Mingi) and Jun (been following him ever since the Unit and watched his other dramas), but Jiyeon made me stay. Her character surprisingly wasn't pitted to be the 'mean rich girl;' even if she had been, she still would've been my favorite character. Although I wished to see more Chani, I feel like the amount of screen time he had was perfect or else the acting-level gap would have really shown among the cast members. Two members of the cast that really stood out to me (and not in the best way) was Hwiyoung and Nayoung. Now don't get me wrong~ this isn't hate to the either of them; in fact, Hwiyoung is my SF9 bias, and I've been keeping up with Nayoung's other dramas (e.g. Summer Guys). Nayoung's acting just seemed a bit stiff and awkward especially in the scenes with Yunho. As for Hwiyoung, he just seemed tired all throughout this drama; I don't know if his character is written to be like that, but he really needed to get some sleep. I know they were filming this while "Kingdom: Legendary War" was airing, so he may have looked really worn out because of that.

Overall, I would NOT recommend you to watch this unless you are into these idols (me lol)! Toodles~

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drinking my SLS away :(

If you don't know what SLS is, it is the infamous Second Lead Syndrome! It's definitely not a pleasant feeling to have, I can assure you. The good thing about this drama, is that

Let's delve in to the plot of the story. I really liked the way it was written because it is a trope we see less within the Joseon era and because it also had subtle mystery flavors behind it as well. Though I feel like some of the characters were unnecessary to the plot, they certainly did bring their fair share of comedic relief. In fact, this drama reminds me terribly of Mr. Queen in terms of humor.

Moving on to the cast, I love Hyeri, but I want to see her play different roles than the ones she typically does -- the "tomboy" characters. She's gorgeous as always and did a lovely job with portraying her character. Next, we have Yoo Seung Ho. Honestly, I didn't like his character at all. Other than the fact they were connected through childhood, his personality made no match for her-- hence why I got SLS. That being said, I believe that Byeon Woo Seok did an excellent job of portraying his love for Hyeri's character but also having a change of heart near the end. Kang Mina was one of the characters I unexpectedly fell in love with. She screams "main character," and I love that about her. Kudos to side characters and couples, Sim Heon and Woon Sim & Cheon Geum and Chun Gae, for their contributions to the story as well.

Overall, I would RECCOMEND you watch it.

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Thriller. Time-Traveling. Transitions.

The story was close to perfect. Though no other time-difference related movie can do it better than Back to the Future, this one did a pretty fair job. Of course, there were some loose ends that weren't tied. The ending was not satisfying but oddly pleasing. Perhaps it's because the good guy lost. Surprisingly, I felt little to no sympathy for Kim Seo Yeon. And of course, I didn't show support for Oh Yeong Sook either. Although the transitions were a little hard to adjust to, I think they did well. Honestly, this is one of the best thrillers I have watched. Please note that I have not watched that many movies though. I'm more a drama person :)

With the cast, there is no need to explain. Park Shin Hye? Amazing actress as always. I loved her acting in this drama. Jeon Jong Seo? After watching this, I researched everything I could about her. Too bad she hasn't had that many works out yet. I believe she will make it big one day with acting because I felt like she was perfect for this role. As for the support characters, I recognized many famous actors from other dramas (e.g. Oh Jung Se from It's Okay to Not Be Okay and Park Ho San from True Beauty, Hush, Extracurricular and many other great works).

Overall, I would RECCOMEND this movie for the genre thriller.

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Interesting

"Growing Season" is all about love, sex, finding and loving yourself, and having a good community. The story was predictable but satisfying. I love how they all took care of one another, physically and emotionally. They left the ending of Hayoung open-ended which I didn't like because that would mean a season 2. I don't like season 2s especially for this mini-drama because I think the writers are just going to drag it out. I honestly liked the "friend" dynamic between Soo Ha and Ah In more than their "lovers" dynamic. Ji Yoo and Seo Bin had pretty good chemistry. One thing that didn't satisfy me was the kiss scenes. For a mini-drama that is based on sex, I would say that I expected better kisses. But, who am I to judge? Overall, I would recommend it for a mini-drama.

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Specific Performances' Running Analysis and Review ~ Summary: HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE, GOOD PERFORMANCES

Here is my opinion on Kingdom: Legendary War as a whole. As you see in the title, this is a running review~which means that I will continue to add more paragraphs and opinions as the show goes on. *Please don't come for me cause it's really not hate. I love every single one of these groups and the effort they put into these performances.


Sigh. Where do I begin? Mnet making this show in the first place was to pit fans against each other because I know for a fact that fandoms are streaming and mass voting their artist. This means that no matter what performance the other artists' performance will be invalid. Mnet made a teeny bit better by adding the "three-vote" rule; this means that you can only vote three groups--no more, no less--and in no particular ranking. This forces the fans to actually pick two other performances that were actually enjoyable. I expect Stray Kids or Ateez to win because of their significantly larger international fanbase than the rest of the groups.
Edit: I also want to say that this show is very unhealthy for the idols participating. They are pulling all-nighters practicing (which may or may not be forced by the company). The amount of pressure on the idols especially SF9 and The Boyz is really showing. This is why I'm not sure this show should go on anymore.
Edit: Also where is all this money coming from? The amount of backup dancers, costumes, makeup artists, props are enough to cost a fortune per performance.
Let's talk about the performances in general. I feel like all the dance-focused groups (so basically all except BTOB) use wayyyyy too many backup dancers. Like to the point where I am seeing more backup dancers than the actual group.

Now onto the single performance analysis. Reminder that I am NOT a professional, nor do I stan or have stanned any of these groups. However, I did watch Road to Kingdom and vouched heavily for The Boyz, so I may be a bit biased in that area.


{Preparation Round:} Everyone brought out a lot more than they needed to. It was a bit overwhelming. Yes, I rewatched all the performance so it would be fresh and fair. Personal ranking: (1-6) Straykids, The Boyz, IKON, SF9, BTOB, ATEEZ
-ATEEZ- "Wave (Overture)"
Pros: They used the stage and lighting very well. The ship formation at the end was pretty pleasing to watch.
Cons: The arrangement was odd as in the "Hakuta Matata" was wayyy too prominent, and the edm addition after that was a bit too much. The fire at the end didn't have much added value and didn't really match the whole concept; it just felt like they wanted to add a "wow" factor.
-BTOB- "아름답고도 아프구나(Choir Ver.)"
Pros (might be biased since I'm more vocally inclined): Stage outfits were just the perfect amount of "extra" for me; they were refined, simpler than the other groups, and much lighter as well~ which gave it a happier mood; Peniel's outfit just Minhyuk did so well considering he is a rapper
Cons: Not really any but maybe because they didn't dance? I'm not really bothered by it though.
-SF9- "Good Guy (The Gloryl)"
Pros: Good use of the prop at the beginning. Tall men in suits hit different. I want to name specific members but talking about how hot they look just doesn't seem fitting for this.
Cons: The first minute was really good but then the rest just seemed like something you would see on any other music show. Rowoon was out because he was injured.
-Stray Kids- "Miroh"
Pros: Good use of props, stage, and lighting~specifically the green lights at the beginning, the daggers, and the point of the dagger into the red lighting at the end. The tricks and flips they did were really cool. The makeup and outfits were all on pointe. Impact felt.
Cons: At 1:03, the fire was kinda unnecessary. Changbin went to fast with his rap and did not match the backing track, causing it to just be wonky sounding.
-IKON- "Rhythm Ta"
Pros: Probably my top two performances in this episode. Bobby looked really cool. Formation and dance on pointe. Swaggy in general.
Cons: None hehe.
-The Boyz- "The Stealer (Epic Ver)"
Pros (hella biased): 0:53 [timestamp in the video] Camera work and creativity with the hands and puppet-like motion was as expected of The Boyz. Floorwork was absolutely stunning. Classical dancing and the body lines made this performance different from other groups. MY FAVORITE this episode. Outfits were great and the arrangement with the keyboard piano was beautiful.
Cons: None also hehe.

{Round 1: TO THE WORLD} Personal ranking: (1-6) The Boyz, BTOB, IKON, ATEEZ, Straykids, SF9
-The Boyz- "No Air (A Song of Ice and Fire)"
Pros (yes, hella biased yet again): I can't express how much I love the imagery that they put in their performances. Their ideas are crazy!!! The whole POV thing was just genius! If I list everything I liked about their performance, it would probably take me an hour to type out, so I'll just leave it at that.
Cons: None babieeee
Other: The behind-the-scenes really struck clear to me how much effort they put into this. The fact that Sunwoo is there facing his fears just made me wanna stan them more.
-IKON- "Love Scenario + Killing Me Mashup (사랑을 했다+죽겠다 Kingdom Ver)"
Pros: There's a reason why 'Love Scenario' was that popular. Also the dance in the chorus with them groovin was probably my favorite choreo yet on this show. The sudden change between light and dark was apparent. They used two of my five favorite Ikon songs so that's a plus. The dance break with Bobby center was effective.
Cons: Camerawork was a bit questionable but it's not their fault. Fire at the end made nice lighting but it had no addition to concept.
-BTOB- "그리워하다 (Theatre Ver)"
Pros (biased because I like softer and more vocal groups): Beautiful. The song was so melodious and just easy on the ears. The concept was mesmerizing. When Peniel rapped with the white boards and dancers behind him-- that was quite creative. And the whole entire setup for the sword-chasing scene was shocking. When Minhyuk starting doing his thing, I was just pleasantly surprised and content because the teeny bit of dancing they were missing in the preparation round was there. Not to mention Changsub and Eunkwangs vocals. Contrary to what I said in the very beginning, I feel like the backup dancers in this case were an additive especially in imagery instead of blocking and stealing attention away from the main characters aka BTOB.
Cons: A bit of awkward dancing (not the Minhyuk part though) but the vocal makes up for it.
-Stray Kids- "God's Menu Mashup (自神: 스스로 '자', 귀신 '신')"
Pros: Amazing dance and stage presence as always. Dark makeup with light outfits were definitely a look. Rapping for Changbin was a lot more solid this time.
Cons: Too many backup dancers that were taking away from the group. Too many props and set that weren't actually incorporated into the performance except for being there to set the mood. (I have an opinion between the Boyz and Stray Kids but I'm lowkey scared of getting attacked so I won't share that here. Edit 2 episodes later: Okay I'll just share it.) I feel like the "puppet show" prop was a bit unnecessary, and it really reminded me of the "painting scene" in Road to Kingdom's The Boyz' Reveal. Here's the biggest one of all~ I feel like 'God's Menu' was a wrong song choice because I really liked the original and the new arrangment just wasn't it for me. Honestly, if they did something related to cooking and have trumpets just like they did in the MV, I would've been a lot more impressed.
Other: Props to Bang Chan for the arrangement. This man works wayyy to hard for his own good. I'm not sure if this is good or bad but the collaboration between the staff and Stray Kids themselves?
-ATEEZ- "Symphony No.9 'From The Wonderland'"
Pros: Glad they stuck with the pirate theme because I think it worked out for the better this time. They were definitely not lip syncing because of Hong Joong's adlib. Jongho's high note was highly impressive and probably the main point of the whole performance. Dancing as expected of Ateez. Very nice outfits and great use of props. The "bone-breaking" dancers and the glowing outfits they were wearing were very cool; I felt like it was an additive to the overall performance. The ship set was just a bit extra but not bad.
Cons: Too many backup dancers once again; I feel like the impact would have been the same without that many dancers. Too many props yet again especially with the things on the ship aka the boxes and whatnot. I didn't really get the purpose of the guns and the sea monster but oh well.
Others: I just love when the idols actually participate in the making of the music so of course I have to mention Hong Joong and the production.
-SF9- "Jealous(질렀어)"
Pros: Chani's part with the girl was sexy. I know this sounds really unprofessional, but I had to say that flat-out. Of course they were too hot to handle. The ending was so aesthetically enthralling.
Cons: Too many dancers. I also feel like they couldn't handle some of the tricks and acro things; instead of fitting in with what the other groups are doing, they should just do their own things with the sexy concept. I also didn't really get the whole storyline and concept behind their performance at all.

{Round 2: REBORN} This round overall was much better and much more enjoyable than the other rounds. Personal ranking: (1-6) BTOB, The Boyz, Stray Kids, SF9, ATEEZ, IKON
-The Boyz- "오솔레미오 (The Red Wedding)/O Solo Mio"
Pros: Excellent concept and stage yet again. They used latin-inspired dance, which is a very difficult concept to pull off. The song arrangement was amazing! The Boyz never ceases to amaze me with their ideas. Although I've listened to "O Solo Mio" before, this version made me appreciate so much more. The dance was really in sync, as with most of their other performances. Although they made a mistake (refer to cons), they handled it very professionally onstage; I didn't even notice what was wrong until it was mentioned afterwards. Lastly, the Boyz looks so good in red.
Cons: Unfortunately, they failed to light up the fire scepter. Although I didn't notice, something felt off to me at that moment in the performance. The lights turned off so I couldn't see the members' faces; if the fire was lit, it would have been a stunning twirling scepter to complete the performance. The member that was supposed to light it up (I'm getting into the Boyz, so I can't really say the member's name at the moment) mentioned it after the performance, and I remembered that he cried and said that he wanted to die. If anyone is reading this review, please send love and support to the Boyz as soon as possible. +IMPORTANT+ This is the point where I stopped watching and had to think about the values of this show; I would honestly be happy if they canceled because I can tell how stressed and pressured these idols are. +IMPORTANT+ I also saw Younghoon fall in the first chorus, but he recovered quickly and continued with confidence.
-IKON- "Inception"
Pros: IKON was enjoying themselves on the stage as always, especially Bobby. The chorus change and dance break was really good. Although there were a lot of backup dancers, I feel as though they did not take attention away from IKON themselves.
Cons: The performance was the least memorable of all. The concept they were trying to convey wasn't that clear, as in if you didn't watch the show--you wouldn't get the whole "dream" concept. The moving props did not add much value to the performance. The watch at the beginning strangely resembles the Boyz' Danger performance in Road to Kingdom.
-BTOB- "Back Door"
Pros: Yeah~~ Minhyuk was hot. Vocals, especially the high note duet with Eunkwang and Changsub, was the best of the season so far. I love how they didn't use much of the chorus and focused more on the pre-chorus because it highlights their vocals more. The 'audience' was well used especially since it reminisces the live audience that most of these groups are missing now in this pandemic. The concept was also easily understandable with the whole 'backstage into concert' vibe; they really made it seem like a concert when Peniel sprayed water at the camera with his bottle and when Minhyuk ripped his shirt off.
Cons: Not much except that part at 1:20 really resembled the part in The Boyz' Intro Performance in Kingdom with "The Stealer."
-Stray Kids- "기도 (I'll Be Your Man)"
Pros: Han's singing was immaculate; by the way, he's my bias and his role isn't even singing *insert screaming emoji*. Han's timing when he kneels and the light turns blue was perfect. Changbin's guttural tone when rapping was crunchily satisfying. I love that I could tell that the vocals were live as I am a very vocally-inclined fan; you can probably tell from the way I reviewed all BTOB's performances. Felix's lines, especially the whisper at the end, were ear-tickling. Seungmin and Han's duet at the end will be the death of me; their harmony was just pristine. Changbin's rap and Chan's falsetto during and immediately following were also really noticeable and complemented the duo well. Good amount of props and backup dancers; a great improvement from last time considering that neither the props nor the dancers took away much attention from them this time.
Cons: Seungmin and Lee Know's vocals were good but not enough to reach Han's level in this performance. The dance break was a teeny bit messy. Chan had too few lines. Sorry in advance but I heard IN's voice crack at the end but I get it...it happens. Finally, the concept was hard to understand; even after watching the show, I still don't get it.
-ATEEZ- "리듬 타 (The Awakening of Summer)/Rhythm Ta"
Pros: The arrangement with the chorus dance break was really good, and the choreography was very enjoyable. The use of the car, mask, and rope was pretty creative. The singer at 1:22 (presumably San if I recognize correctly) did a really pretty falsetto. Yunho right after, at 1:25, had a line that fit him really well. These two parts were my favorite parts in the verse,
Cons: I didn't watch "Money Heist" so I didn't connect with the concept. <- disclaimer in case the props were related to that. I didn't quite like the guns at the beginning. The use of backup dancers, especially at the end took away attention from ATEEZ. The hourglass at the end was also not introduced at the beginning, so I was quite confused as to why they used that prop. The blimp was kinda useless, and they could have done as well without it. I also feel like they put Jongho's high note just for a wow factor, but I didn't quite get the "wow." The verses and choruses have no variation; you can hear this as Jongho has this "oh~oh~oh" part every pre-chorus. They also used a song that was used previously.
-SF9- "The Stealer (The Scene)"
Pros: As the other groups said, I definitely felt their effort and passion to win this time. The fight scenes were very interesting and felt more realistic than the other fight scenes in this season. Taeyang was really hot. Hwiyoung rocked his small part. The dance break was really mesmerizing, and they all looked really invigorating. Jaeyoon's (yet again not familiar with names) fight scene was really entertaining and had impact. The last chorus was my favorite part; they really used their fit and long frames to embody the choreography and give it the strike of sexiness it needed. They really did put their own flavor into this song. Edit: This performance grew on me.
Cons: I could tell they were lip-syncing or at least had a loud backtrack; there is nothing wrong with it as long as the performance dance-wise was really good, but I'm just more vocally inclined. At the beginning, I didn't really understand the duo fighting concept but after watching it a few more times, I was able to understand. The chess prop at the beginning was a bit confusing. More strength could have gone into the glass shattering by Rowoon. They used guns too often, having it in their hands throughout the dance break as well. Having the guns in your hand for too long will cause the effect to be downplayed because they are supposed to have a 'bang' or peak sound when they point the gun at something or someone, but that does not happen. Chani's part at 2:07 was a bit too soft considering he was armed. For Zuho's part, I feel like they should have thought that the editors were going to blur the knife out because it may trigger some people; that part lost its impact. That part also ONCE AGAIN really resembles the POV hands in the Boyz's "No Air" performance. Right after, when Chani's gunman gets shot, they should have made it more clear that Inseong (yet again not familiar with names) was going to kill the gunman and not Chani by perhaps placing Inseong with his gun behind the gunman's head. He should have also dropped the gun after he made the shot instead of carrying through his high note because it was just awkward. Hwiyoung needs lots more screentime and lines; he's my bias by the way. The fire was a bit excessive. The crown should have also been introduced earlier because it was disconnected from the storyline. It also ONCE AGAIN resembles the Boyz's "Danger" and "Reveal" concepts in Road to Kingdom. They also used a song that was used previously, although they did put their own twist to it.


~#~ Please check the comments as this review will not let me exceed a certain word count~ I will add my opinion on more performances as they come out. ~#~

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what the heck

So, obviously a webtoon would never be a 10/10. But seriously, I don't even know where this is going to go. I was just hella confused. Like on Youtube (https://youtu.be/8PqTYlnfxHs), they are listed as episode 1-1 and 1-2 so I kept for 2-1 and 2-2 but nothing came out. Then I checked MDL and it said completed airing. I came to the conclusion that the story was supposed to end like that. The only reason I watched this was because it was recommended to me on Youtube.

The story was... questionable. I feel like it had a good idea and a good start, but then the director and screenwriter just didn't know how to continue and develop the story. With this idea, it could have been made a better webtoon but too bad it was poorly executed.

As for the cast, I'm sure most the people who watched it came for The Boyz's Hyunjae. I actually didn't know that were idols in this. Yes... you saw that right: idolS. Ah Ri is a member of REDSQUARE and Good Day. Choi Yeon Soo and Byun Sung Tae also both participated in their respected produce 101 series. As expected, the visuals were awesome. The acting was up to par (in other words, they were very stiff) as what I stereotype as "idol acting."

Overall, I would NOT RECCOMEND unless you are a deobi.

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Easy-to-binge and gets all the onion-triggered water out of your eyes

It's been a long while since I watched a whole kdrama in one day/sitting. This broke it. Highly underrated even though it was a Netflix original.

Let's dissect the storyline. Even though it didn't have my ideal beginning, it was still very fast-paced and allowed for the main character to be introduced. They quickly introduce the second main character and end that episode off with a very satisfying cliffhanger. I love how every episode introduced a different mini-storyline within the larger one, while allowing the main characters to develop. I also liked how they connected the story between the two main characters and allowed us to go back in time and sympathize with them. (This was the tear-jerking part.) I love dramas that are either completely romance or have a mystery/crime plot with a bit of romance. This was the latter aka my favorite.

Let's talk about the actors now. I don't know much about autism or Asperger's so I cannot comment on how well the main character, Tang Jun Sang, acted. However, I can comment on Lee Je Hoon's. Something about him at first glance was so charming. He embodied his role to the full, from the way he talked, the way he smirked, and his body language. I expect so much more for him in this genre of kdramas, and I'm excited to see more of him. Lastly, Hong Seung Hee was a very nice side (and female) character to have. She wasn't an especially necessary character to the plot, but she was in screenplay because she was the one reciprocating the comedic relief from Lee Je Hoon. The only problem I had with her was that her connection with the main character seemed just too random.

Overall, I HIGHLY RECCOMEND this drama.

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Expectations raised.

This webdrama surprisingly was a lot better than I expected. The storyline seems like it was adapted from a fanfiction, however, the ending made it so much better. I love how it was short and sweet, so even when the plot slowed down, it didn't feel like it was dragging on.

The acting was really impressive for these types of webdramas. Yeo One and Woo Seok are both not particularly strong in acting, but their visuals definitely made up for it. Now onto the female lead and her best friend. They carried this show. At first, I couldn't tell them apart-- but after a little more effort, I could see their chemistry shining through. They worked really naturally together, and I had fun watching them.

Overall, I would NOT recommend unless you are a 'Universe.'

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mine: how far will you go to make something yours?

The plot was close to perfection. I love how they didn't have a typical ending where everyone got what was just (so if you're into a righteous ending and feel bothered when its not, do not watch!), but rather every character got what made them feel at peace and happy. The only thing that they lacked in was the execution of it. At the beginning of every episode, they would cut back to the same scene over and over again~ which might have been used for impact but otherwise (as an audience member) felt unnecessary --> it just felt like the drama was trying to make you stay by reassuring themselves that the audience was still interested in the hook dropped at the beginning of the show. They also do time skips and rewinds A LOT in this show, which I'm not exactly a big fan of.

The characters were so well written here. I love the relational development amongst the leads and larger supporting characters, but the smaller roles had little to no character development, which led to problems and loopholes in the plot. Firstly, I love the concept of "women empowering women." (I'm getting tired of the same 'poor, weak girl falls in love with the heir of a huge company' trope (: ) Having three strong women as leads was such a risky but strong move from our director and staff. I also love how they incorporated topics surrounding the LGBTQ+ communities and the prejudice that they face from society (and even the Church's perspective on it! ...although it may not accurate at all~ also "Happy Pride Month!" at the time I am writing this). Finally, the cast here felt perfect! At first watch, I already knew that most of the actors were perfect for the roles, although I was very pissed at two loud and annoying characters -- I'm pretty sure her character was written like that. The only concern I had had was with N; his acting skills were not really on par with the other m embers of the cast, however, that played an advantage because it allowed that storyline to fade more into the background to complement the other storylines.

Overall, I would RECCOMEND this drama unless you are an avid police/justice drama watcher.

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