Reviews

Job done !

It was the first time I watched a Cdrama so no other Cdrama to compare to… And I have to say that enjoyed it most of the time.

On one (negative) hand, it was for me a typical Romance drama with classic storyline, no surprise, no plot twist (« they lived happily ever after »).
And sometimes too slow and boring (I admit I sometimes used fast forward button).

One the other (positive) hand, you get what you expect from a Romance drama : a love story without (a lot of) troubles (there is the ML’s father story but it isn’t much compares to real life), a happy ending (again « they lived happily ever after »).
A sweet, adorable and heartwarming drama with a beautiful chemistry between lead characters, cute and tender moments of romance and a funny relationship between siblings.

About acting, I didn’t know Zhao Lu Si (FL) before and I liked her acting (made me want to see more cdramas she stars in).
I also liked Chen Zhe Yuan (ML) and Victor Ma (FL’s brother) acting, they were great too.

I really appreciated the directing that allow actors to portray characters in a very natural way !!

I liked the OST and it was a good surprise to find out that Zhao Lu Si is also a great singer. I’ve added 2 or 3 songs to my Drama playlist.

Finally, yes I understand some people could find this drama too cheesy, unrealistic and a bit boring. But from my point of view, it met expectations of « sweet & adorable » Romance drama (if I’d wanted to see real slide of life drama, I’d have prefer My mister, Lost, My liberation notes or similar dramas…)

To summary, if you need heartwarming feelings and butterflies in your life, this drama is made for you.

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Disappointment

The drama starts off strong, with a prince unjustly separated from his mother due to false accusations. Only the princess, who believes in his honesty, loyalty, kindness, and trustworthiness, stands by him. Everyone, including the princess, believes he has perished. From a young age, she diligently cultivates magic in hopes of bringing him back. Meanwhile, the prince tirelessly cultivates himself to reclaim what he has lost. Their journey is fraught with hardships and trials.

While I enjoyed the subplot involving the other prince's love story and their chemistry, the main storyline falls short in the end. The conclusion leaves me unsatisfied, unsure if the prince truly returns or if it's merely the princess's illusion. I wish the drama had a more definitive and fulfilling ending.

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Lacked originality in the story !!

I was eagerly waiting for this drama and successfully avoided all the spoilers. The records this drama broke added to the hype and I got even more excited.
It’s good for a one time watch but I will not sit through 16 episodes to watch it again neither will i recommend it to anyone because I have recommended ppl some really good k-dramas and they have set a high bar.
Now I didn’t entirely dislike the show but there was no originality in the story. I constantly felt like I have watched the same things in some other kdramas. Specifically last episodes felt like copy paste from crash landing on you except the ML took the bullet for the FL and in CLOY the FL took the bullet to save ML in the end. It kept bothering me until I couldn’t take it anymore and didn’t watch the last episode bcz it was soo obvious.
I feel like strong cast couldn’t make up for the weak and incomplete story line. Also there was no intimacy between the main couple like the romance sometimes felt shallow. And there was just too much crying all the time it got me bored.

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Good acting

I love this series so much engfa is such a good actress I recommend this series 100%
Engfa
Charlette
Goy all of you are amazing and I am so proud of you the producers and directors did a very good job too wish this series a success
- "Absolutely captivating! I couldn't stop watching/reading!"
- "This series is a masterpiece! The storytelling, characters, and plot twists are all so well done."
- "This series has everything – action, suspense, romance, and heart. I'm hooked!"
- "The writing is superb, the characters are complex and relatable, and the story is engaging and unpredictable."
- "I loved every minute of it! The series is a true work of art."
- "The characters are so well-developed and complex, I felt like I was right there with them on their journey."
- "The plot twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat

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I have not been this excited for a BL show in 2024

Yes. That is right. I have watched some great shows this year already like Unknown. But this show oh my gosh packs such a mature way of storytelling that both surprises and delights me. From showing toxic and tumultuous characters in their own skin, and how they can ruin lives because of their own envy is so well portrayed.

usually I do not write a review before I complete watching the whole series but this time I feel compelled to write this.

Joe fell in love. Ming, heartbroken, wanted to cling to the semblance of his reason of heartbreak, but what did he get? The show does not shy away from showing the violent side of a narcissist character and it does not forgive him for the sake of love either, at least not till now.

There are many stories with the same transmigration trope, where one character is living inside the body of another but this one takes the cake for being such a believable way of portraying misunderstanding, trying to get away from toxic relationship yet not able to forget it, the audacity of the ownership of the abuser, very very believable topics that legit happens in the society.

Up and Poom, excellent work together. I saw Up in Lovely Writer. And Poom in Bake Me Please had the best chemistry among all the couples.

This review will be updated as the story progresses. I am stoked to see the KinnPorsche crew including director, cinematographer because I expect stellar content from them.

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Cathartic, but a bittersweet ending

Queen of Tears is a K-drama of two halves. The first, composed of its early episodes, is an innovative take on K-drama romance. The other is a chaotic second half that squanders much of the potential of its beginning. The Netflix hit ended Sunday with a global audience that exceeded the wildly popular Crash Landing on You.
In terms of chemistry, the leads were a perfect pair. It’s like they were crafted from the cosmic dust of perfect on-screen couples. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for other characters and sub-plots on the show, which are more disconcerting than fascinating.
Plotwise, the series started losing its charm in the second half as well. The amount of scenes that felt repetitive and the back and forth between the main leads only showed the lack of creativity of the writer. While the show we ended up with remains compelling, even fun, to the end, the decision to dispense with its profoundly tragic and emotional core makes the endeavor more rote and, at times, even boring. The series never recaptures the rare thrill of its early episodes, but nevertheless had a sweet ending that will surely be a satisfactory element.


My Rating : 7.5/10

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Brilliant in its own right, but..

Queen of Tears is a brilliant drama in its own right. While it may not be as original as I would have liked, it more than makes up for it with stellar performances by the main leads. Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won are exceptional as Beak Hyun Woo and Hong Hae In, respectively, bringing depth and emotion to their characters that kept me thoroughly engaged.

The storyline, though familiar, is well-executed, blending emotion, intrigue, and suspense. The character development, particularly within Hae In's family, adds richness and diversity to the narrative. The soundtrack is amazing, perfectly complementing the mood and enhancing the overall experience.

Despite its many strengths, the drama felt like it was missing a little something to make it truly outstanding and to add, episodes felt longer than they actually were which made drama feel slow at times. Nonetheless, Queen of Tears is enjoyable, with breathtaking cinematography and a good plot that will keep you hooked if you're patient.

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A shaky, TERRIBLE start to GMM GLs

The more I think about 23.5, the more I think about it's wasted potential. This could have been an amazing first series that would skyrocket GL to as much popularity as BL, but that won't be the case, at least with this one.

I came for MilkLove and will stay only because of them. My overall issues:

-> The fact Ongsa and Sun could not have LESS valid reasons to like each other than in this series! There is zero explanation or motive as to why either of them actually started liking each other.

-> Chemistry, who is she?! There is no chemistry between their characters. The awkwardness, the long moments of silence, the lack of any substance in their few brief conversations, the list goes on. I'm sad to see this considering they had FIRE chemistry in Bad Buddy.

-> Everything can be summed up with BORING. The reveal of Earth was supposed to be a big thing, like the main turning point of the plot. But everything was rushed, revealed, and solved in a single episode mid-series. Everything is a blur and felt like nothing ever happened.

-> Despite being set up as a main character, Sun was given a crumb of screen time. Even less than the side couple and side characters.

-> FLAT characters. Little to no character development, no pasts, no desires, and no passions. It feels like every character was written only as people who are supposed to be in love because they told us so.

I wouldn't recommend this series at all, but I have hope for the GL industry. Little effort was put into 23.5 overall, and it shows.

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I would recommend stopping at 13 episodes and finishing the story in your mind

I would recommend stopping at 13 episodes and finishing the story in your mind
The last 3 episodes made me drop my overall rating from a strong 8 to 4.5

SPOILERS
Kim You Jung made this show cute and wholesome but somehow they destroyed her character Oh Sol in just a few minutes after episode 13. We knew that something was happening between Oh Sol's family and Sun Gyeol's Grandpa, there were hints everywhere. I thought that there was some bigger secret that maybe drunk Sun Gyeol killed her mother, but no. He was traumatized by his grandpa, he also lost his father because of him (THEY DIDN'T EXPLAIN MORE? HELLO? Just that he made his father leave his mother btw she was a cool character). Grandpa also sent him abroad without hearing what he had in mind because he needed to catch up with the deadlines at the construction site he sped up the process which concluded with the death of Oh Sol's mother. THEN when he gets to know that they're coming closer to each other, he forbids Oh Sol to be with him even if he will confess, if she can do it then he will save her brother's sports career. AND THEN they're hooking up, and angry grandpa goes for big guns and tells his ppl to ban him from matches for one year WTF. I was so frustrated with his character. But it was good, he had 3 months to live, he would die (I was hoping so much for this), and he was just the villain of this story. BUT WHAT HAPPENED. THIS BIATCH (Oh Sol) goes to his boyfriend, and breakups with him. That guy had so much pain in the past and she blames him for the sins of his grandpa. WHERE THE FUCK IS LOGIC. There was more fucked up shit going on, the she realise that she still loves him but because her family also hated him (BUT WHY?) she still doesn't allow him to get back. Afterward, there is a time skip of 2 years, and he cures himself of his mysophobia and starts a new business bla bla bla, he still loves her and is courting her like a simp but she still is like NOPE I still hate your family, like seriously? why?! The director just broke this drama in 3 episodes FOR ME. I don't like this illogical stuff and Oh Sol's way of reacting to the past for which he was not even guilty. And for the worst, Grandpa lives happily cured of cancer (I don't like forgiving that much stuff). Overall drama was cozy and cute with mental health issues in the background. But how they made them resolve these problems was too emotional, like they didn't even think just staying in the pain of the past, was kinda too much for me.

The side characters were good, I want to point out Choi Ha In (Dr. Daniel was a good third wheel in this drama) and Min Joo Yun (her friend, she was very likable). This is my first review that was created to funnel my frustrations :3

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Who is the best in plotting ?

Why all the negative comments I quite like this drama!
I know is kinda cliche with the face swap revenge story but this one was better than modern day drama perfect her. 24 episode was perfect, any more and it would been draggy.

First of all smart and witty female lead ( even despite many times of getting betrayed and step up by her evil family members she remains on top and not affected )
Male lead is also really smart, pays attention to detail , brave and caring
SML - a really caring and kind brother

I really cant stand the evil people but they portrayed it pretty well. The daughter that no ones looks up on is the most craziest and twisted. They each got what they deserved.

Also the annoying prince trying to find the hidden treasure. He is horrible and truly cold blooded.

The leads relationship is cute , but the kisses still lack a lil something something.

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Weirdly Good

I find this drama weirdly good. It's unlike most exaggerated detective dramas, where the detectives go against the tide and challenge every villain they come across. This is more realistic and the detectives know when to stop. This is also because media wasn't a huge luxury in this period and investigations were not very advanced. I wouldn't say this is binge-worthy, but it is very relaxing, funny and intriguing in its own way.

This is not a detective story focusing on one villain, instead each episode is about solving separate cases and all the episodes just vaguely relate to each other. It's like the difficulty level of each case level up by each passing episode and the detectives also level up in their competence in solving them. For example, the story starts with finding cow thieves and by the end, it's about putting kids of influential people in jail. But all is solved with appropriate seriousness and humour.

Lee Je Hoon's character in this drama is like a tone-down version of his character as "Taxi driver", with more smiley smiley faces. The bromance between the 5 detectives is just wholesome and funny and is a good reason to stick to the very end. All the actors and actresses did an amazing job and their chemistry was really good.

The set of this drama was particularly very noteworthy. The vibe it gives was just perfect for this period drama. And also the overall vibe is different from most detective dramas I have watched so far.

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at least I’m entertained.

firstly, I don’t watch modern cdramas. watched this because I’m currently going through Allen’s list of dramas and because I’ve watched Burning Flames and wasn’t a fan of the CP there, I wish to see how their chemistry fares.

main leads have good chemistry. however second main leads were amazing! love them and every of their scenes made me laughed out loud. at the end, her confession made me cry and touched.

storyline wise, it was ok until I reached around ep30ish when story started to drag, especially Xiao Ning’s parents and the embezzlement issue. it lingers in the background for too long that I lost interest in those scenes.

the scenes between Chuan and Xiao Ning after they got together, also felt too long and dragged. this series should either be a 24 or 30 episodes long.

about the mechanical heart. I mean I don’t get it. the main doctor is gone and the assistant have no materials to refer how to update the heart? then in the end, she established her own research team and they able to salvage all this mess? sorry, this sounds so fairytale like. I wouldn’t want Chuan to die because it defeats the purpose. at least, they should spend some of the scenes focusing how they able to save him or something.

acting wise. Xing fei, I don’t know what happened to her in Burning Flames but she’s very likeable here. her cheerful and bubbly character won me over.

Allen. I think after bingeing 3 shows from him, I’ve grown accustomed to his line delivery. his name here Chuan, can also panting or gasp for breath. lol, how irony. it’s funny that as much as I’m not satisfied with his delivery, I just like how he delivers his image of Gu Chuan.

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Don’t Expect Historical Romance

Want to preface and say this was my first historical drama, so maybe it’s on me for expecting satisfying romance. I knew they have a tendency to be tragic, but I wasn’t ready.

I came into this for Lee Junho because I watched King the Land and he’s a cutie patootie.

Notes:
PREPARE FOR THE SLOWEST, MOST FRUSTRATING BURN OF YOUR LIFE, WITH NOT EVEN SATISFYING PAYOFF.

The good:
- Acting: the characters didn’t feel shallow, and the villains made me want to strangle them, so I know they did their job. As I said, the ML carried the relationship with his acting

The wack:
- The FL’s pride: she had me yelling at my screen I was so frustrated by her. JUST SAY YOU LOVE HIM & STOP PUSHING HIM AWAY. I get her inner struggle, but literally (spoiler) on her DEATH BED she STILL couldn’t say “I love you.”

- The ending: save yourself the trauma and live in blissful ignorance by ending it on episode 16. I was in physical pain watching the last episode. Their child dies, she dies, he’s miserable, etc.

I still get pissed off when I think about what this show did to me.

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Not sure if it really deserves the hype

I literally forced myself to complete it, partly because of Yang Yang looking good in traditional Chinese costumes and partly because Lusi is my favourite. But even these two couldn't save the series. Firstly, I always have a problem with Yang Yang not showing enough expressions. Like, show me that you're happy/sad/angry/h**ny. Anything! Secondly, I felt like something's missing in Lusi's character. Bai Fengxi is undoubtedly strong and elegant but she didn't look promising as a martial artist as much as Feng Qiwu did. Guess Lusi is not made for martial arts characters. The martial sister of Xiyun, Bai Langhua, was annoying as hell. Like she was unsure of what she wants or thinks. Has some confusing and ridiculous trust issues with Bai Fengxi even after being her martial sister. And how come every living woman in the drama (other than the Queen) is in love with Lanxi. Even that maid of his mansion has a crush on him, like?????? I get that Yang is super handsome and pretty irresistible but this is just some kind of mindless fangirling dumped in the drama. Honestly, Feng Chang really raised my expectations of what he initially bestowed upon me. He was the most genuinely created character. Overall I think the drama had a promising potential but was ruined by casting teenagers and dry actors.

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