Not terrible

I went in with low expectations and mainly watched for the cast. If you're watching for the same reason and generally like this genre, then you will probably find it decent. I'm not saying it's amazing, but for the most part it was enjoyable. Seeing the main character level up is pretty satisfying. After completing this drama, I see why people were disappointed. It didn't help that they had high expectations to begin with either. This drama had a pretty decent cast, ost, and production (considering it was filmed many years before it actually aired). The story is pretty good, but the writing is kind of weak. The beginning was really confusing. The writing assumes you've read the novel or synopsis and know most of the backstory. After a while, you finally begin to understand and enjoy the story though. Many people also found the pacing to be off, but it was not a problem for me.

The problem mainly occurs with the ending. When it comes down to it, this is essentially a revenge story. However, when it comes to the highly anticipated revenge, it was just not satisfying. The moral or point of the story seemed to be lost. Also, apparently the drama ending is different from the novel ending, so novel fans must've been extremely disappointed. Clearly, there was a lot of stuff that got cut out. Was it budget cuts? Censorship? Who knows? There were also a lot of missed opportunities. I could see they tried to touch on some things (such as parallels between crown prince and "that person"), but unfortunately they did not have the time to explore further and failed to hit the point home. If you're considering giving this drama a try, maybe watch while skipping the last two episodes? That way you can enjoy the drama without being disappointed.

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Propaganda gone wrong

This drama was awful and I really had to torture myself to finish. It was drowning in propaganda. The irony of it is that the messages they tried to send across did the exact opposite for me. It tried to promote Chinese scientific research as becoming more advanced and reputable. It tried to encourage people to join the field. However, there was so much unprofessionalism, it actually disgusted me. It failed to persuade me why working in this field in China would be better than in any other country (that they were trying to discredit for being racist/plagiarizing). Furthermore, while the world is currently trying to convince people to get the covid vaccine, it made me really reluctant to try out any new drug or vaccine entering into the market because of all the crap that went down.

It tried to make women seem very badass and capable (girl power), but at the end of the day it made women look bad for being irrationally emotional. I'm a woman myself and I started disliking women because majority of the female characters just gossip, spread misinformation and chaos for no reason other than petty jealousy or boredom.

It was incredibly draggy, though the last few episodes had a bit more drama and some unexpected twists, so things got a bit more interesting. Majority of people were disappointed in the ending. I think I was just relieved that it was finally over. Overall, I would not recommend to anybody unless you work in this field. You will either enjoy it cuz you might find the office politics relatable OR you might hate it because of the inaccuracy (ex. wearing uncovered heels in lab *eyeroll*).

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I binge watched this series so I wasn't really affected as much from the drama behind the drama. Regardless, you will be affected. This drama had a rocky road. but first let me mention what I liked about it. Our lead actress plays a badass female warrior. I'm surprised this role really suited her and she played it well. Not only did Kim So Hyun play the female lead, she had a dual role in which she played the former queen as well. This part, I felt she was a bit weaker in her acting, but she still did a decent job. It can get confusing differentiating the two characters when they go back and forth in the timeline. There were also some really great guest/supporting roles in this drama. The action choreography was pretty good. I also loved some of the scenic shots in this drama. Production wise, it was great.

Now for the elephant in the room...the lead actor changed after 6 episodes. Some people were upset about it and could not adjust to the change. For this reason, I highly suggest taking a break after episode 6 instead of watching episodes 6 and 7 back to back. The editing gets a bit sloppy around this point because they had to go back and refilm scenes with the new actor. The story's focus moves away from the male lead and onto the princess. Just think of it as the drama's slump period. So now the audience is forced to experience two different actors with two different character interpretations. It's very hard not to compare the two. I personally liked Na In Woo's interpretation better as the character is supposed to be a country bumpkin and soft. The princess's nickname for On Dal is "deer" and it seemed to me like Na In Woo had more doe like eyes. This innocence is of key importance in later episodes. Anyways, I have to give Na In Woo props cuz he came in and took on a role he had very little time to prepare for and got so much hate for it because he replaced the predecessor.

As for the story, there was a lot going on and maybe the drama tried to tackle too much at once? Not only do you have the internal palace drama and corruption, you have neighboring country threats, as well a bunch of people with their own side stories trying to get revenge. I wouldn't say the story dragged since there was a lot going on, but 20 episodes felt like a lot and it could've been shortened down to 16. At times the script felt a bit weak when it came to dialogue and flat supporting characters. Overall, not an absolute mess like I thought it would be. If you give the drama a chance, it does get better in the second half. It's a decent drama. I can't say for sure it was worth my time though.

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Cute couple, but unoriginal and uninspiring.

This is one of those typical cliché fashion designer dramas and it's full of tropes that are not even the entertaining kind. It's like a copy and paste with such unoriginal writing. The only difference is that, unlike the usual talented and naive female lead, the female lead here is strong and confident. She is also not your typical poor or orphan lead. She does not let people walk all over her. Other than than that, it's got your typical jealous characters trying to sabotage things for the main lead. A good portion of this drama takes place in France. Some of the scenic stuff was nice, but I'm not sure why so many episodes were spent on this abroad portion. Also, there's a second lead who's super annoying and clingy. In fact, 90% of the characters are annoying, spoiled, and unprofessional. It was all just bad writing.

The main thing this drama has going for it is Zhang Han. I'm not even a fan, but you can't deny his popularity pulled in an audience. He is also one of the better actors in this drama. The male lead is very possessive and a touchy feely kind of guy in this drama. He gives the female lead lots of hugs and is constantly touching her, but the way he does it so casually looks so natural. When he touches her, there is none of that slow motion nonsense or dramatic romantic music playing in the background. It's this factor that makes the couple seem more realistic and like they have natural chemistry. There's also some really cute cheesy stuff toward the end of the drama.

Overall, I would not recommend unless you are a fan of Zhang Han...Even then, I'd only recommend watching the first episode and then the last 5 episodes for the cute romance stuff. Let the flashbacks explain the rest of the story. The fashion storyline was absolute crap. All you need to know is that the main character is good at needlework and wants to showcase traditional Chinese embroidery in her work.

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Super average and generic

It's a super average and generic school drama. It has your typical shy and naive female lead and a cold male lead that secretly likes the female lead, but likes to tease her a lot. The actors are super young so when there's a time jump, they seem like a bunch of kids playing adults. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but just know there will not be much on screen romance because of it...it's basically a lot of puppy love. Speaking of time jumps, this drama goes back and forth between the past and present. It can get pretty confusing to follow because they don't pick up where they left off. The female lead's parents are super strict, she's practically a prisoner. It was all very suffocating to watch. The only unique thing this drama has going for it is that the male lead is a dancer and he's got moves. You get to see some cool dance routines because of it. Also, one of the pairs is really cute, but we don't get to see much of them together.

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First of all, I know this is written by same writer as Cruel City, but lower your expectations...like a lot. The plot did get really good at one point and the action was pretty excellent. However, the drama tanked toward the end. I think most people felt confused or lost as to what was going on throughout this drama. It seemed to me like this drama was having an identity crisis. Is it a drama about swindling, espionage, or political conspiracy? It just seemed all over the place. I never got fully invested in the characters, except maybe the female lead, and ultimately felt unsatisfied by the end. It didn't feel like a proper conclusion...something was missing and I think it's because they didn't tie it back to the beginning.

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Interesting concept, but gets draggy and cliche.

It has my girl Eleanor in it playing a badass master thief. I liked how the FL solved various gadgets and contraptions using her background as a thief. I needed more of it to be honest. This couple was pretty cute together. The theme song was also cute and the music in general was good.

However, I found myself "forcing" my way through it and having to watch it at 2x playback speed. It got super political and draggy toward the middle. It wasn't even interesting politics. It was the typical cliche stuff and it brought this drama really down. They waited until the last 2 episodes to clear things up. There were many missed opportunities on pacing through spaced out revelations. Also, I'm kind of petty about the ending of some of the characters, but since this is adapted from a novel, it's understandable.

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First thing to know is that although this takes place at a school, it is not really a school drama, it is more of a workplace drama/slice of life (a slow paced one at that too). Yes, it's beautiful and inspiring and all, but it is also a combination of elements that I usually avoid. Black Dog tells the story of woman who starts her first career job as a contract employee and follows her journey of becoming a permanent hire. Seo Hyun Jin does an excellent job of portraying Go Ha Neul, a newly hired teacher with little experience. I could totally relate to her nervousness and lack of confidence when you first start a completely new job.

What I could not relate to and found absolutely ridiculous was some of the workplace drama and how messed up the school administration was. Our female lead finds herself thrown into the job on her first day and is forced to adapt into what seems like a very fast paced/chaotic environment. There is absolutely no way that a school would take a new hire and throw them into a job and expect them to figure things out without proper orientation and shadowing. I have taught abroad in an entirely foreign country and the process of adapting to the school system there was a lot more smoother than this ridiculous school. There is no way they throw you in deep waters like that, contract employee or not.

I'm not sure what the message of this drama was. There seemed to be vague touch and go commentary on a lot of things, but they would not follow through with the message. I'm not sure what point they were trying to hit home. There were three main things that they seemed to touch upon: difference between contract employee vs. non contract employee, nepotism, and how the South Korean education system is more geared toward college entrance exams than it is on educating students about other life values/subjects (i.e. it's not useful unless it's on the exam). The third one sort of popped up toward the end and was somewhat addressed, but the other commentary sort of faded away. Overall, solid good drama, but the lack of professionalism can be off-putting.

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Tainted with Negativity

Standing in the Time is the Chinese remake of Jimi ni Sugoi! Koetsu Garu Kono Etsuko, which was such a positive and inspiring Jdrama. This drama is an okay remake, but it just seemed like it was tainted with negativity. The writers extended the plot and added a lot of angst and drama to do so. The characters were immature, obnoxious, annoyingly selfish, and extremely unprofessional. All of the negative traits of the original characters were amplified 3x.

There are probably only 3 characters I liked about the same or better than the original: the editor, the restaurant owner, and the director of the proofreading department. Correct me if I'm wrong, there was a gay supporting character in the original and they replaced him with this young, annoying brat who pretty much slept and played games on his phone all day at work (if he even showed up).

There was just so much super unprofessional behavior that people could get fired over and yet, the characters would get away with it again and again. It was ridiculous. It seemed like the message of the show got lost. The drama went from something about proofreading, work ethic, and the importance of less glamorous jobs to that of the fashion world and modeling (the glamorous side). The direction of the show changed. Contrary to the original story, they focused less on the female lead (main character) and focused more on the male lead. And don't get me wrong the female lead was annoying, but I think the actress did a great job portraying her character. As annoying as the female lead was, the male lead was much worse in my opinion, especially in the second half. I'm beginning to suspect that the drama began to focus more on the male lead's modeling career due to the actor's popularity.

As I was watching this, I tried to figure out what I would have rated this had I not seen the original...the first half I probably would have given it a 7, but the second half really dragged and I wanted to give it a 5. Overall, it's probably around a 6. However, let it be known that the original drama is way better, so if you have not seen that, save yourself some time and see that instead.

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Vagabond is a blockbuster drama with top notch action, cinematography, and music. LSG's role was practically written for him. Plotwise, nothing really pulled me in though. It's hard to believe it was written by the same writers as Empress Ki and History of Salaryman. This plot was so ridiculously unbelievable. The male lead is some random guy that somehow gets involved with the NIS and THEY JUST LET HIM HANG AROUND because they are so incompetent. I hated 90% of the characters. It's a very westernized drama that is probably better suited for a movie format than it is for a drama. I liked the second half of the drama better than the first and I think that's because "Vagabond" comes more into play.

Believe it or not conspiracy dramas have their tropes too and this was a whole bunch of them thrown in together. Some parts of the plot and acting were very corny. Some of the characters were very cookie cutter villain. You only have to watch a couple of these types of dramas to figure out who the real mastermind is. If this is your first conspiracy drama, you'll probably love it. If it is not, you'll probably find the plot mediocre.

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This had bad writing from beginning to end. The story would change directions without much purpose throughout the drama. Even from the start, it's unclear who the main character even is. Chu Lu's story was the most interesting. However, at the halfway point things take a sudden turn and Chu Lu's character changes for the worse. Things don't start picking up again until toward the end. The music was pretty decent since this is a music related drama. I really liked the friendship aspect of this series and how the gang chased after their dreams of becoming musicians together. The first half is light and fun, the second half gets much more serious and boring. The plot is somewhat of a mess. It felt like the writers could've wrapped up the series a bit better by closing the loop on some of the supporting characters and their stories. Overall, it's an okay drama to watch if you're absolutely bored. Luckily, it's not a drama that's easily predictable. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone or rewatch it though.

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The first thing you need to know before going into the series is that it is actually more of a melodrama than it is a romantic comedy. The second thing you need to know is that if you are watching for Push, he is not present for the entirety of the drama despite being the male lead. He sort of comes and goes throughout the drama and instead the romance focuses more on female lead and her relationship with the second and third male leads. The male lead's voice is also dubbed terribly.

That being said, this drama does a pretty good job of representing the entertainment industry including the good and the bad. You have the female lead who just happens to get lucky over and over again making her way to the top while her friend has to claw her way up to the top doing a lot of shady things. Some actresses have to fight their way through and continue to fight to maintain their position, while others just genuinely get lucky and their talent is recognized. I also loved how they depicted the complicated relationship of frenemies and business rivals. Another cool thing is that it has some pretty epic celebrity cameos of actors appearing as themselves, including Orlando Bloom. At times, especially in the beginning, it felt like this drama was being used as an outlet for Tencent to advertise/promote its other projects / movies...especially with its star studded celebrity cameos. However, it was still fun to watch because you never knew who would show up.

Another thing I liked is that the male lead is "allergic" to females due to some traumatic past. While I have seen this plot multiple times in other dramas, I liked how the female lead is no exception to the rule. He is allergic to her as well and that is one of the complications of their romance that he has to overcome. The chemistry between the two leads is pretty good and it's fun seeing them go from enemies to lovers. Scenes between these two characters are more romantic comedy, whereas the rest of the drama is more of a melodrama with the female lead pursuing her dreams of becoming a recognized actress.

One of things that hurt the drama is that it is pretty lengthy and the last 10 episodes or so dragged. At the end of the day, I did enjoy this drama and felt like it was worth watching once (especially for Push). I don't plan to rewatch it though.

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What a serious disappointment. This started off great, but after 20 episodes or so began to use the same tropes over and over again....like MULTIPLE times. Needless to say, it was super repetitive. There was a grandmother with dementia whose dementia episodes were hilarious, but got old real fast. The female lead was an absolute doormat. And don't get me started on the antagonists. These women were shameless and hypocritical. They showed no remorse whatsoever. I don't even think they learned their lesson. I kept waiting for karma to hit them like a bus, but it did not happen sadly...or at least not to the extent that I wanted. The secondary couple gave me life though. I loved them way better than the main couple and they are probably the main reason I kept watching. I have a higher standard for weekend family dramas, but My Only One seems like it was a daily soap that was slightly altered to fit the weekend drama time slot. With the way it was written, it is more suited as a daytime daily drama.

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This drama had a rough start, but it really grew on me. The truth is I loved this like it was an 8/10. It really was a gem with how refreshing it was compared to other mainstream Taiwanese dramas. This was a heartfelt story about two different girls who experience two different cultures. One girl dreams of visiting San Francisco since she was a child. The other girl always wanted to visit Taipei to get in touch with her roots and Taiwanese identity. When they finally arrive in these cities, they realize they are different from what they imagined them to be. I just love how the writers depicted the culture shock and cultural differences of both cities. I particularly loved how they portrayed Jo's internal struggle of being a Taiwanese American and having to juggle between two identities. The drama was by no means perfect though. It had a rocky start that was almost cringeworthy. It was a slow paced drama that would skip around a lot and use a substantial amount of flashback scenes as fillers. There were also a lot of pointless scenes that made me cringe. While the main cast did a solid acting job, some of the supporting actors were a little awkward. I loved this drama for the cultural representation, but the plot however, was somewhat of a downer.

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