Sonal Arescot

Horribly disappointed by this Netflix adaptation. The good looks of the actors couldn't save this show. Although I wouldn't call it grooming, I can see why a lot of people are completely repulsed by the age gap- it's not about their age but the circumstances under which they met. Although it's normal for young girls to have crushes on their brother's friends and Duan Jiaxu never led on Sang Zhi, it's still hard for people to fathom how a man can fall in love with a girl he pretty much watched grow up. It doesn't help that Ziao Lusi talks in a grating nasally fake baby voice throughout the show. The actress who played the 8th grade Sang Zhi was more natural. Whereas Zhao played a very immature and infantalized character instead of a charming, playful, young girl. People who liked "When I fly towards you" mentioned this show because of the resemblance between Zhang Lurang and Duan Jiaxu's chivalrous and hardworking personalities, but the actress who played Su Zaizai did a much better job at playing a charming, innocent, lovesick character. The fake cute mannerisms of Sang Zhi was more like that of a 3rd grader, not an 11th grader. The fact that she didn't adopt a more natural voice after she became a university student was even more irritating. Plus the fact that there were lots of errors in the show editing like in ep8 with the cycle scene, you can literally see the green screen between her hair. What a careless and disappointing show. Very hard to watch let alone finish.

One of the best drama shows internationally. The chemistry between Zhang Lurang and Su Zaizai is insanely good. The cinematography is beautiful and the story is super sweet. It follows the story of two highschool students who navigate life, studies, friendships and more. Su Zaizai is incredibly cute! She's also very courageous, hardworking and perceptive. I love how she is very adorable and girly but knows exactly when to stand her ground. Not only is she bold is pursuing Lurang, she brings out a side of him that he never knew existed. And she's not just a dopey lovesick girl but someone who is determined and has self discipline too. Lurang has my whole heart. He's super smart, shy and gentle. And he's friends with good people like Guran and Guan Fang! They are all incredibly chivalrous, charming and sweet. I loved the adorable bond between Guan Fang and his grandma. And Guran who silently treated Jia so well without ever boasting about it. Jia was a great friend to Zaizai who always supported her and stayed by her side. I loved that there was no unnecessary drama in the show and the conflicts and misunderstandings were quite quickly solved and cleared up instead of being dragged out for lazy plot-writing. The friendships and the bonds between characters were incredibly refreshing to see. Zaizai's parents were also lovely and Lurang's were... realistic too. It's great to see healthy friendships with no jealousy and doting parents for once. The show was wrapped up nicely too and very entertaining throughout. I love how the main couple not only liked each other but constantly strived to be their best version to be more deserving of each other and never held back from loving honestly and earnestly. Again, the chemistry was SO good!

Although the cast is star-studded, the plot and acting are quite predictable, basic and even cliché. The actress is very beautiful and has a strong yet vulnerable personality. But it kept derailing as episodes progressed. The acting in this kdrama seemed a little lacking too. Especially from the main actor. His face looks unnatural when he does anything other than a poker face. Being handsome, tall, and having a big hair full of secrets isn't enough to save this kdrama. Next time, they should focus more on the story and less on the visuals

Good acting, good concept but failed execution. Despite being only 5 years apart, I initially did not think Rowoon and Bo-Ah would make a good couple as she has been paired with older actors like Lee Dong Wook and Jang Hyuk. But after a couple of episodes, I could see that they did have good chemistry together. And it's nice to see Rowoon shed the schoolboy character and step into more mature roles. They're both very good actors and have all these subtle actions that make their emotions look more raw and realistic. Their chemistry is not as bad as some reviewers here said. However, Hong-Jo's character was a cringy to watch due to the annoying timidness and the excessive aegyo. This is the criticism for many many female leads and I'm surprised writers haven't learned their lesson yet. The obsession with 'goody-two-shoes poor virgin female lead who has never had a boyfriend' who meets a 'rich guy who falls in love with her because she's not-like-other-girls but his parents dont approve their relationship' trope is SO overdone. They wrapped up the 'bad guy getting their karma' story decently. But there are just too many plotholes and lazy writings. The "soulmates in past life" is nothing new but they should've never introduced Kwon Jae-Kyung and Na Jung-Beom in the past life story. We can see Shin-yu and Jae-Kyung's rivalry but it had no chemistry with Hong-Jo. She was nothing but a shaman he wanted to execute so for him to be in love with her now makes no sense specially because he didnt drink the love potion. He should've just been some guy she likes before the real deal (Shin-Yu) comes in. It makes much more sense for him to a "placeholder" second lead that simply loves Hong-Jo now because they did have compatibility. And Na Jung-Beom should've just been a crazy stalker the male lead has to protect the damsel in distress from. Jung-Beom doing witchcraft and soul marriage makes no sense because his role in the past life was to catch the shaman under orders and he had no romantic feelings for Aeng-Cho either. And he murdered his first wife out of jealousy so he should've just been a jealous killer who was mad that a pretty girl decided to brush him off for a hot guy. These two were completely irrelevant to the past life plot and should've just been present-life characters. Plus, it's fair to assume that Shin-Yu's dad suffered from the "curse" too (and we see him acknowledge it as he gets shocked when Shin-Yu and his mom try to decode Hong-Jo's message of what Eun-wol shaman told her and they mention the word "curse") and the curse was actually the symptoms of his "incurable genetic illness" but it no one knows how the dad's curse got cured. Its also true that they were cheating despite how terrible Shin-Yu's girlfriend was and all the love spell and curse and destiny angle they try to hide it under. Also, the co-workers were lowkey bullies to Hong-Jo despite them being "nicer" towards the end. Not pleasant to see. And the whole show did not live up to its expectations. The writing was lazy.

Fans of "Strong girl bong-soon" would obviously want to see this show. It's not quite the sequel but still follows a similar storyline. Park Bo Young and Hyung-Sik's cameo spoiler on Instagram is what made me watch the show. It's hard to pull off the cutesy/aloof aegyo acting without seeming cringy but the main character, Nam-Soon manages to do it well. The actress was well loved in "The Squid Games" and "All of Us are dead" so it makes sense that the public opinion would be in her favor. The villian, Ryu Si-O reminds me a lot of Jimin lol. And the other girl, Ri Hwa-Ja is stunning. I definitely feel bad for her and personally, she's hard to hate. It's crazy how innocent and vulnerable she looked with Geum-Ja and how she immediately looked cunning with the makeup done. Her satoori and acting are pretty good. I like how the show managed to show "taboo" topics while still keeping it serious and without making it too melodramatic. Like Nam-In's binge eating to disorder to cope with grief, lack of self-esteem and neglect. And Gil Joong-Gan's love story with the barista. It can be embarrassing for us to see old people our grandparent's age doing romantic (and other suggestive actions) but it's true that a person's passions and hunger for love doesn't just die because they're old. I like the thriller side of the show too like the whole drug thing (trying to not give spoilers). It's a good watch and all the episodes will be fully uploaded by November 26.

Mask Girl is about an office worker Kim MoMi who has inferiority complex and a secret online livestreamer persona. It starts off small, wanting validation from patrons on her performance and her talents exclusively, then it evolves to a bit of teasing and suggestive content for more attention. Her co-worker Joo Oh Nam just happens to be someone who is a loyal subscriber of Mask Girl and finds out her true identity. And somehow it snowballs into a string of murders and unfortunate events that involves the death of Oh Nam, his mother that's hell-bent on revenge and an innocent daughter who's caught in this crossfire. Amazing cinematography, cast and plot. Given the nature of livestream-culture and growing internet p*rn addiction, this seems like a slightly-exaggerated yet realistic story. Yeom Hye Ran did an amazing job as usual playing the role of a vengeful mother. Her dialogue delivery, her satoori and her expressions are on point! Go Hyun-Jung as adult MoMi was perfect! She really plays that "broken, awkward and desperate" character perfectly! Her eyes seem so empty yet so full of repressed emotions, just like her role in "Reflection of you". Lee JunYoung also did a great job with his role of the parasitic good-for-nothing ex-idol boyfriend of ChunAe. His voice and his stance was really menacing unlike his character in "Love and Leashes". The young actress who played MiMo is also a really promising one. Very similar in looks and demeanor to "Kim Si-A" who played the daughter in Kill BokSoon. Actress Moon Sook is legendary and any show she's in is bound to be a good one. It's bizarre, it's dark and it might even be disturbing to some. But it's a good drama, only 7-episodes and it's wonderfully directed, casted and executed.

Excellent casting no doubt! Park Bo Young is adorable and her chemistry with any actor she works with is no joke. You could cast her with a literal rock and she'd still make it work. Even the other characters like Seo Ji Uk, Jang Hee jin and Dong-cheol played the role fantastically. I personally did not find Ahn Hye-Seop's acting very remarkable. Plus, the show is definitely "unique" in plot but unfortunately it was nothing memorable. It just felt too long winded for no reason. There's a lot of lookism as well. (Cha Min's previous form, dissing Lee Mi do's face, dissing the real Lee Mi do's new face, etc). And even though this show IS fictional, there are some loopholes in the plot that just make it unbelievable and eye-roll worthy. The show is fine for a mindless watch on a lazy weekend but I'd hardly call this a must+watch kdrama.

One of the best shows in 2023. This office drama is packed with witty script, talented actors and clever characters. It has two smart and tactical female characters without making their "femaleness" the sole personality trait. It's natural, powerful and fresh. Go Ah In is a sharp copywriter- one of the best in her field and she's determined to climb her way to the top. And Kang Han-na is a spoiled yet cunning spoiled conglomerate brat who's naturally business-savvy. This show's characters are brilliantly written, and have flaws but they're never unlikeable (except the villians of course). It also doesn't rely on the cheap drama stereotypes such as the ditzy spoiled rich girl, working mom who can't balance her family, love triangles, etc. The show rarely has any dull or filler scenes. I love how Go Ah In's character didn't get into any messy love story and I loved how Han-na had a group of smart, honest people who actually looked out for her (Assistant Park, Mr.CEO, her grandfather and even her dad). Han-na truly deserved it because she WAS the "right hands" for the power to fall into. The eccentric copywriter Jo-Eun Jung's story is also incredibly well written. It's feels so authentic! I loved how supportive her family was even if it wasn't easy at all. No cheap mean mother-in-law, emasculated/jealous husband story and her son was absolutely adorable. Go Ah-In too had Han CD as her right hand man. And a couple others. All the side characters were diligent, honest and loveable. Although Han-na's brother Kang Han-su is "made of the same cloth", what sets them apart, and binds Ah In and Han-na is their wit and morals. Kang Han-su can't even muster up basic human decency towards those he considers "below him", whereas Kang Han-na is practically BORN business-savvy and is genuinely kind without letting anyone overstep any boundaries. The ending seemed a little rushed, which is understandable because it only had 12 episodes. It's hard to believe that a man like Choi Chang Su is definitely a brutal man full of bitterness and resentment so seeing him extend an olive branch was a bit dubious but i guess he was just THAT defeated. And we never got a scene with Ah In's mom but it's definitely hinted that they were not on BAD terms. Kim Min-Kyung plays an INCREDIBLE role as a mother in every show she's in so it would've been nice to see more of her but I guess she had to film her scene's for another show (Dr.Cha). We also never got a full update on CEO Jung Jaehoon after the park scene but he was a good influence and caring person to Ah In. Still, the show ended on a good note. The story, the characters, the writing, everything gets a 10/10.

Totally rubbish show full of narcissists. Controversy definitely sells and obviously no one was expecting humanitarianism and world peace in such a show. But seeing these kinds of people get a platform is absolutely disgusting. The producers of this team are nothing but money-chasing despos to put out such a cheap show that has been done in a million different ways. The Mridul guy was absolutely insufferable.

This kdrama is nostalgic and loved by many but it's definitely not worth the 5 stars. The body switch was very funny. But even into episode ELEVEN, the male lead was absolutely horrible to the female lead! Not only did he force himself into her life, but he constantly criticized her for her "poor people" lifestyle. He also watched as the woman HE pursued actively get humiliated by his snobby mother. He might be "in love" with her. But nothing excuses these horrible things. Especially because the female lead didnt pursue him, didnt love him, and didnt lead him on either. She just wanted to make an honest living through her hardwork and live life quietly. She had no interest in trapping a rich man and spending his money lavishly. So to see her being verbally abused left and right for both "being a gold digger" and also "daring to refuse a rich guy" was so infuriating.