Reviews

Buns of Steel.

Blossoms in Adversity / Xī Huā Zhǐ/惜花芷 is the story of superwoman Hua Zhi's feel-good romp through feudal China. When Imperial Censor Hua dares to criticize the monarch, he is exiled along with all the men in his family. A bevy of helpless women and young children are left to fend for themselves. Hua Zhi takes charge and rallies the women together to triumph against overwhelming odds. When she flexes her buns of steel, no feat is beyond Hua Zhi! She parleys a candied hawthorn business into a pastry and restaurant empire, picks up stray royal children, foils a few palace plots, build schools and a canal, rescues the Hua family men and even manages to find time to fall in love! All in the space of a 2-3 years!!! Even superwoman would surely stagger around from sheer exhaustion!

This narrative paints a distressing picture of how oppressive life was for women in hierarchical ancient Chinese patriarchal society. The best part of this drama is how in order to survive, the women defy social conventions, set aside petty differences, learn to trust each other and work together towards shared goals. While the sheer scale of their financial and other achievements are preposterous, there is something very cathartic and satisfying about how flamboyantly they flourish. The storytelling is squarely centered on Hua Zhi and speeds through many of the supporting character arcs, leaving their motivations and struggles under-developed. This is a pity because family dramas like this are most compelling when important supporting characters are given enough agency to be the main characters of their own arcs.

This is one of those dramas that is best enjoyed superficially and with heavy suspension of disbelief. Upon closer scrutiny, the overarching empowerment theme is contradicted by some of the sub-plots. I was disturbed by the different treatment of domestic abuse in Hua Jing and Hua Xian's case. But what I disliked most was what happens to Hua Rong and her child. It is as if she learned nothing from her family's struggles about resilience in the face of adversity. There are a few poorly developed sub-plots like this that the writers raced through without thinking carefully about the messaging.

As much as I like Zhang Jingyi, this is not her best role. Her interpretation of Hua Zhi is too perfect, too calm, too understanding and too reasonable. This has led to many Mary Sue comments about the character. But Hua Zhi is actually written to have many flaws - she can be over confident, she cannot mind her own business, she is reckless and like her grandfather, she cannot hold her tongue. In the canal arc, she is the architect of her own downfall but because everyone unites around her, she never suffers any consequences for her actions. This character has too much plot armor and is already so smart and capable that she shows virtually no growth from beginning to end.

Hua Zhi's relationship with Gu Yanxi is similarly whitewashed to the extent that it appears too ideal to be true; it lacks passion, conflict and intensity. Hua Zhi lets Gu Yanxi off too easily for deceiving her in the beginning when any normal person would be at least a little bit angry at him. She also never communicates any discomfort with his role at the Security Bureau; indeed she seems quite happy to use his authority there to serve her purposes. Thus, it came as much as a surprise to me as it must have to Yanxi that it could be a deal breaker for her! So much for their so called mature, open and communicative relationship! I don't know why young actors like to make their characters so perfect all the time and have such a hard time embracing more complex but perfectly natural human relationship dynamics and emotions.

Hu Yitian delivers a more nuanced portrayal of Gu Yanxi as the emperor's sharpest knife. His fight scenes are phenomenal and he is menacing and ruthless as the commander. He shows us he is a different person; more open, at ease and happier when he is with Hua Zhi. While this is one of Hu Yitian's better roles to date, he shies away from showing us the true extent of his affection for the emperor and his inner conflict. This is a missed opportunity because Hai Yitian delivers a compelling portrayal of the lonely, paranoid and manipulative emperor. Because Hu Yitian's portrayal of Gu Yanxi does not meet him halfway, the emperor's affection for his nephew comes across as borderline obsessive and a lot more one sided than it really is.

Even though it seems her character Shaoyao is dumbed down from the novel, Lu Yuxiao is once again a scene stealer in this drama. This kind of beguilingly innocent, simple minded savant kind of character is t extremely difficult to portray well but Lu Yuxiao pulls it off brilliantly. She doesn't get enough screen time to steal the show but I was more invested in her character than I was in Hua Zhi who is too perfect to be relatable.

The ending of this drama really cracked me up. It is one of the few times that the villain actually saves the day by doing what Hua Zhi and Gu Yanxi could never have done. Although it is also possible that Gu Yanxi learned his lesson not to look for needles in hair stacks and had the good sense to show up a just a tad late at the ceremony. Despite some flaws, this is a very appealing feel-good drama for those seeking light entertainment. My rating 8/10.

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SO MESSY…

I watched this series because I love MaxTul. It took me a while to get into the series because it is sooo messy and so much drama. The whole plot is just drama filled which can definitely get annoying and overwhelming at times. I love MaxTul but them in this series was definitely different. I think I liked the couple but at times it was a lot of miscommunication. With the other side couples, I just felt bad for Farm and I thought Phu and Korn’s sister was cute. There was just too much going on but I still enjoyed it. I kept wondering what was going to happen next.

Overall, I would watch it if you like messy series but if you don’t, then don’t watch it! It can get very overwhelming and become too much. I never liked the cheating trope so that was also something I disliked about the show. But I like MaxTul and thought the series was decent. Probably wouldn’t watch it again and I am unsure if I’m going to watch the second season.

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bye haein and hyunwoo

After analyzing my existence, I am aware of the inconsistencies that there were within the drama but in retrospect it really didn’t take that much importance when giving this final review bc I genuinely enjoyed watching it and I will really miss it?

Really, the heart of the drama lies with haein and hyunwoo?
Seeing how they grow as people, noticing their mistakes and wanting to change so they don't make it again, is simply beautiful. I lived every moment of their story as if they were people from my social circle jajaja??, I guess that is the acting power of soohyun and jiwon who transmitted to us every emotion and feeling of the characters?✨

(on the other hand, applause for sunghoon??who made me hate him every saturdays and sundays haha)

I thank all the people who were behind the creation of this dram, they made me very happy (i will rewatching it when I need that comfort that Haerin and Hyunwoo can only give me)???✨

Take care of yourselves Haein and Hyunwoo ???

I love you so much and enjoy your time with Soobin (although I feel like I shouldn't say that because it's obvious that you will be happy)??☘️??

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RECOMMEND! Beautiful romance and story

This was my first ever drama, and it was phenomenal. 10/10 recommend

I do like the computer coding aspect. There is the case of travelling back to the past and present continuously, however I did not mind it and it was good adding to the plot progression. There was a few times where I skipped ahead as I felt bored but I think the good parts outweighs it. The plot overall is pretty good and the drama was good.
The romance aspect is the best part. Fei yu and Jing yi were amazing choices and they delivered the roles of Li Xun and Zhu Yun spectacularly. I love Jing yi's big eyes that always were filled with love and they have a beautiful story and are extremely cute together, they also look great together LOL. The other actors were great as well.
MUSICC. I am a HUGE fan of Zhou Shen, so when I found out he sang the main OST 'Firework' / '焰火' I SCREAMED. The vocals, lyrics and atmosphere is SO PRETTY I LOVE IT SM. I also really love 'Falling You' and '恋爱循环' these 3 are my favourites and they are so beautiful and perfect for the drama.
OVERALL. definitely recommend for the adorable fluff romance, story, casting and music. I binged this tbh and rlly enjoyed it !!
CUZ I BELIEVE I LOVE UUU TRUE LOVE WILL TAKEEE ITTSS COURSEE

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Hey Rookie Thailand, Toosafe is deserved a better script.

I think I have the same opinion on most of the reviews here. I don't like Night's character, I don't like how the whole series revolves around how Night was cowardly and unclear in every decision of his life. It's clear that Dream is someone who has been through a lot of worse things, so he chose to run away. He didn't confess his love to Night because he wanted to protect Night and Namwan's love. He had too much trauma from love affairs to family matters, he was probably very lonely. But when Night and Dream met again after 5 years, Dream was still as nice to Night as before, he tried to act like they were still friends, he was willing to hide his feelings. But that night Night was the one who started it first, once again, got drunk and almost had sex with Dream, then woke up the next morning and he didn't remember anything. All three times, he always kissed Dream passionately and then ran away.

In return, Dream is such a nice person. He was clear with Day, openly admitting his feelings at the end even though he was afraid. He protects Namwan, but also wants clarity from Night after being sure that NightNamwan's relationship didn't work out.

I want to praise the acting of Toosafe (Dream), Jina (Namwan) and Frong (Zone), all three of them completed their character well. Toosafe is the one who saved the entire emotional flow of this series. He's not a matter because still have some their sweet scenes that are still a bit awkward, but Toosafe has a lot of potential. He’s pretty and his crying scene is also so good, it touches my heart every moment i see him shed tears. He should get another main role with a better script because he is the best actor of Rookie Thailand, not overrated here. And I feel like Ohm (Night) and Jeff (Day) still need to improve in their acting. They are handsome but their act is not that good throughout the series, especially the main Ohm, who only has two expression even though having gone through so many sad and happy things, I hoped he would be more emotional when he met Dream again. Jeff is about 7/10.

I wish they had a kiss scene at the end to balance the emotions of the series after so much drama. I mean they kiss really well *shy* but I would watch their kiss scene at the beach over and over again. This is just my personal opinion. From a nonfan but I’ve become Toosafe’s fan after this series.

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WAS THAT NECESSARY!?!?!?

As I was finishing the episode yesterday, 1 hr 50 mins, I mean i dread watching movies now, I can totally gulp down episodes these long but watching movies of 1.5 hrs make me bore, which is not the point.

The drama started in a cute way, even though divorse was discussed. She was diagnosed w cancer, public was sad. The here and there, the family drama the scheming old b*tch. Everything was flowing smoothly until Eun sung entered and stirred poison in the relation. He as a person is such a cutie but made me want to kill a fictional character, CAN WE KILL A FICTIONAL CHARACTER IN TV???

The death of villian in Strong Girl Nam Soon was sad but here I felt no remorse for the villian and his old hag of a mother, such a coniving bitch, just wish her death but wtv. The happy ending to all the characters, the acceptance of each and family members who trying to teeth each other before.


This is an appreciation paragraph for Baek Hyun Woo, my man is the epitome of sacrifice, even though it felt like in the start he was there for the money, the sweet revelation of past and his future actions showed how much he loves her. He doesn't care bout himself, took the bulled for his ex wife who literally had no mempries of him. Even though Baek hae in will die earlier than him, he will be there at the grave, wishing her well. I LOVE HIM, AND WANT THIS TYPA MAN FOR ME.

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Doom at Your Tears

I must admit that beyond the commendable acting and the occasional heart-touching moments, the show failed to redeem itself from its mediocre scriptwriting. My lack of strong emotional investment in the unfolding events, compared to other viewers, was a clear sign that the show was on a downward trajectory from the start of its second half.

It's an interesting premise but needs way, way better execution. The acting was superb by both leads, but I can't say they saved the show; it wasn't that terrible either, yet the premise promised something above-average yet was subdued to cliches, underdeveloped characters, and unnecessary plot twists to hook the viewer still when, in fact, did the opposite. Due to its genre, we shouldn't expect an entirely logical story, but that isn't the problem that is pointed out. The problem is that I need help seeing where the writers wanted to make me feel for the characters. Still, I couldn't, as much as I wanted to, not being able to oversee where potential arcs and events could have impacted characterization properly and give depth and understanding to other characters and subplots when needed. However, that's just something I value. I was bored and uninterested in the secondary characters and their subplots. I wish the writer could have focused on the leads and navigating their marriage crisis, and I wonder what exciting commentary and unique character arcs could have at least developed.

Similar to a top review, Hae-in was a character that had potential with a given backstory and from the perspective of Hyun-woo, it made me even more interested, yet she was also wasted. Kim Jiwon did a great job playing her character, yet I still needed to be impressed with the scriptwriting...which was even more frustrating, especially for the cast. Hyun-woo, however, was a character who deserved better. Whether you think of what he had to experience in the latter half of the drama or the writing of his character, which is still annoying, I see myself leaning toward the latter. At first, I did not mind him being the guy who was up to save everyone else, which the writer wrote him to be, but unfortunately, she could not get the memo on what is best for character writing and development and how it dries out very fast. I do not need to say much about Soo-hyuns acting, either. When they delved more into how Hae-in (with her illness) made Hyun-woo want to care for her more, I found it something worth touching on to at least develop his character, but his motives were unclear. It was more complicated for me to be attached to his character when he fought so many demons in the last few episodes, and I was just sick of it.

Although his interactions were based on the writing of his character and his helping the families, many explanations regarding the secondary characters' actions (Hae-ins mom that still relates to the underdeveloped character of Hong Hae-in, Moh Seul-hee) were never explained to fuel Eunseongs power over the plot, for no reason whatsoever. It could have just stuck to being more slice-of-life and ending these sorts of conflicts in a better way, developing these characters properly through mature conversations rather than rushing it through and focusing on Eunseong (a rather dull villain) to make me feel sad enough so that I would automatically miss them enough again after a happy ending; very formulaic. I admit that the ending was beautiful enough. Still, its message did not reflect what the drama seemed to me by trying to be so much all at once, ending up as a makjang (commendable from the writer's efforts to kill the character's arcs that the potential was understandable enough, spelled in big, bold words in front of you, mind you... I wasn't even as invested, yet I was still disappointed because of what could have been when paired with such a golden cast).

By not being able to connect to the characters with barely passable arcs and romance (regardless of it being a romcom or a melodrama) that barely had crumbs with the already beautifully written epilogues and the more minor details in their relationship that weren't as impactful but worthy enough to see how they would end up, with most being unsatisfying or unresolved. It was a struggle.

The music was fine enough for me. I especially liked the intro track, but I don't know if I could find it anywhere. 10CM and Crush tracks were already in my head each week, saving me from the brain rot I have experienced from questioning actions and motives. The cinematography, although attractive, wasn't as unique to me.

I would not see any point in calling it overrated because it wouldn't be a word that would describe the amount of wasted potential Queen of Tears had, yet I appreciated it for the somewhat enjoyable moments and well-thought-out epilogues with great performances that can appeal to any viewer. I honestly have more things to comment on, but there are almost 200 reviews here and possibly a text limit I would not rather see myself end up at, as you can see from the length of the entire review. However, the narration and storytelling quality trajectory became just as predictable as the other dramas I have watched, which I am not always mad at. I still think it's worth a watch. It could have been a better watch, but it's not badly written. It tried to be something and could have improved exponentially. Still, alas, it falls hard to do messy scriptwriting with decent enough writing in the first half that built up enough potential with the actors' work but failed to become anything above an average watch overall.

Of course, this is just how I felt about it; nothing too biased from other people's responses but from what I saw on my screen; maybe some things didn't make enough sense to me to comprehend. And as much as it looked like I barely tolerated it, there were still redeeming elements to make it an okay one-time watch. Nothing too extraordinary, which is still fine for me.

One last comment: the ending for the main couple was great, and the acting and cinematography elevated it more for me, but it was not so much a great saving grace.

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I gave this drama another chance, and I still think it's overrated

I originally dropped this drama because the plot started to get slow and repetitive, but I decided to give it another try.

The premise was interesting - a 900 year old "Goblin" needed to find his bride to release him from the curse and to ultimately kill him. Sounds interesting, but, unfortunately, the beginning episodes up to around episode seven didn't have much of a plot. The Goblin was an ancient being with centuries of life experience, but he acted pretty stupid quite a lot. The Grim Reaper wasn't much better with his obsession over business cards. These characters should've been more mysterious and dangerous. Instead, they were often portrayed as dorks.

The pacing was often inconsistent. The plot tended to drag with prolonged angsty moments, reminiscing, crying, and filler scenes. Then, the story would suddenly pick up. The show really should've been done in 12 episodes if the showrunners cleaned up the episodes from all the unnecessary filler scenes to make the pacing more consistent. The last few episodes were the main characters just trying to remember each other, dying, getting reincarnated, and meeting again. Since the villain was already defeated and the sword taken out, there was no longer a plot that needed to be resolved. What could've been concluded in one episode, unnecessarily stretched into multiple episodes.

The romance was also kind of underwhelming. ML and FL acted more like a niece and an uncle, than a couple. This was probably because the girl was barely an adult and still in high school. Only after the plot was fast-forwarded nine years forward did we see adult romantic chemistry with kissing, hugging, and acting like a couple.

The villain and the final resolution was a bit anti-climactic. The flashbacks made him look more dangerous than he actually was, even though he looked pretty darn creepy. He appeared in the present timeline for just a few episodes with nefarious intentions to kill everyone, but didn't do much except threaten some people. Then FL pulled the sword out of ML, ML killed the villain and disappeared. The end. I really expected there to either be a plot twist, a battle, tension, more struggle to defeat the final boss.

The one thing the show excelled at was acting. Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun and everyone else delivered really good performances. No complaints there.

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The Best Watch of 2024 So Far

A fabulous journey of lost love, redemption and reconciliation.

Words cannot express my feelings, as I look back at this journey of eight weeks. What happens when you are a stay in son-in-law and dying to divorce both your wife and her family. Before you sympathize with Baek Hyun Woo’s situation, you might need to hear about the said wife’s tragic life. Despite her ruthless demeanor, Hong Hae In is a lone camper who trusts no one. In times of utter despair, she desperately wants to lean on her husband, only he wants nothing to do with her and is seeking a divorce. Both are depressed at different levels; with familial pressure tearing them apart. When I first watched the pilot episodes, it seemed the show was more about their reconciliation. But “Queens of Tears” managed to deliver a beautiful script with a stellar casting that literally embodied the struggles faced by the variant characters. A couple cannot, will not be together until their families get along well. Marriages are made in heaven, aren’t they? Let’s talk about each & every character in this show, as we pay homage to this phenomenal melodrama!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/04/29/queen-of-tears-series-review/#more-777

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When else would we get to experience an amazing and well-executed drama such as this?

Cinematography, scoring, editing, acting, and everything in between---- PERFECT!

The story was so dynamic and it didn't just focus on the main leads that I felt grateful on behalf of the supporting actors for giving them the spotlight that they deserve.
A lot of trivial incidents of our everyday life got placed on centerstage, so telling of how little things affect as greatly.
And for that reminder, I am so grateful.

The ending, considering its length (1 hour and 50 minutes) could be broken down into three chapters and all of which were beautiful.Thank you so much to the entire cast and crew, as well as those behind the production of this masterpiece. I'm forever grateful to all of you.

This has got to be the most expensive drama, acting-wise and emotion-wise to me.
I felt undeserving of how each scene was executed.
Everything about this is well-thought of. There may be instances that we didn't agree with the writing but it was a welcomed contrast to our views nonetheless.

The past eight weeks was so beautiful and I'll carry QoT with me for as long as I live. Thank you.

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THE BEST DRAMA EVER HONESTLY

Okay so listene to me the drama is AMAZING I love the chemistry between the ml and fl like how much they are willing to do stuff for each other and the story line is amazing in this drama the fl isn't a weak girl who needs protection she literally slapped the villan of the drama ( throughout the drama I had so much laughter cuz of her) and the other characters also had such good chemistry with each other and whole group of thier just love it in this each villan had thier own reason the ending made me a bit sad but don't worry no one died but I didn't really care cuz the drama was too good like I couldn't stop myself

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A rollercoaster of emotions

I enjoyed this story so much even though it was one of the most heart-wrenching, draining, and emotional experiences I've had in a while. The amount of tissues I used while watching QOT is crazy. This drama had so many different hidden meanings. To me, it meant life, death, family and love.

Ngl this drama had its ups and downs but to be honest I loved it and I am happy with how it ended.

The actors and actresses did an excellent job playing their characters. Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won have played their roles really well, and their chemistry is just perfect. I've watched Kim Soo Hyun since Dream High and he has never disappointed me. There's a reason why he is the most expensive actor in Korea. As for Kim Ji Won, she is such a good actress, she portrayed her role so well.

I do want to point out Park Sung Hoon’s acting. I hated his character so much which means he did an excellent job. (but please don’t hate the actor he’s just doing his job!).

Overall, the ending was good for me. The way they showed Hyun Woo as an elderly man, visiting Hae In’s grave. That broke me T^T I cried so hard. The pictures in the house, their daughter. They had their happy ending even in the afterlife.

"When only one of us is left, the other one can come and meet them. Then it won't be scary at all.” T^T❤️

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a hit or miss

there’s a lot of mixed reviews about qot but i overall enjoyed this drama!

things i liked about it:
- i really liked this drama and it became one of my favorites quickly, i love the cast and they did a good job (especially park sunghoon with playing the villain) he almost did too good of a job to the point where idk if i could ever watch him in another drama without thinking of how annoying
eunseong is in this, every scene he was in made me want to throw my remote because of how unbearable his character was.
- was never boring for me except for the first episode but once i got past it i was hooked. this drama always ended on usually a cliff hanger that had me counting down the days until the next episode came out
- made me really emotional, especially with the glow in the dark star on the ceiling and once i thought i was done crying about it they mentioned it again in the last episode ?
- loved how the family had their redemption moment, even the grandpa/original chairman had his moment by offing himself to help his family

things i didn’t like about it:
- i feel like some of the last episodes leading up to the finale (and the finale itself) were a bit rushed, especially both of the villains downfalls. both of them happened quickly and didn’t really give you any time to process what had just happened since they both occurred in the last episode… another thing is with the ML and how bad thing after bad thing kept happening to him in the last 2 episodes (which realistically he wouldn’t survive) he literally got hit by a car the day before and still somehow trekked up a dark snowy hill to save FL?
- another thing that i haven’t seen anyone talking about is what happened to soocheol in episode 15? he got brutally beaten and they really made it seem like he was gonna die … but that didn’t happen, for the last however more minutes of episode 15 it was focused on hyunwoo and haein and even in the next episode it just wasn’t talked about? after that whole incident happened, the next scene we saw him in was when hyunwoo was in the hospital and he didn’t have one scratch on his face??
- dahyes and soocheols relationship was cute but throughout the drama it confused me more and more until it was finally cleared up in ep 16. i never knew if she came back because she liked him or she felt guilty because no one has ever treated her as good as he does??
- the villain in this story pmo so bad and he should of had his downfall way sooner, it was so hard to watch some scenes when he was in literally every single episode running after haein

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