Reviews

Theft At Dawn

While I appreciate its shorter runtime of 10 episodes but I wish it was even shorter for a tighter package. Some side plots didn't fit the narrative and were a mere distraction, such as the female lead's friends personal affairs, not even a good filler. The middle parts were filled with padded sequences. It took a long time before actually getting into what the synopsis describes. From this kind of plot around embezzlement, I would expect somewhat a smarter play and a deeper plot but the drama kept things mostly at a surface-level and borderline making stupid mistakes intentionally to create some tension and invoke a reaction from the viewers. I really like what Kim Seo Hyung has been doing in the past few years, leading projects of characters that fit her are infinitely better than older supporting roles. Anyway, the drama may not rank high but still offers a decent viewing experience for those willing to explore something different.

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Pathetic Themes of Love

The drama started on an objectively stupid and trashy conflict that couldn't have been written by a real human being in 1998. It loosely maximized all imaginary tropes of sadness, depression and angst regardless of how well they can connect them, that's why they slapped a terminal illness in the mix because why not at this point. The drama lacked the slightest minuscule resemblance of any balance. What's even the point? It failed to establish a good argument why the viewers should care, especially for how awful the setup was with both guys. The atrocious attempt to shove in the love triangle and romance of the leads was unbearable and killed any redeeming qualities all at once. This was one of the worst trio leads combination I've seen, surface-level and brain-dead trio entanglement. Forced rape, pregnancy, marriage and domestic abuse by their friend, all treated as something casual and turned a blind eye because exploring any of them, especially rape, would require more nuanced writing. After all of these long-winded commotions the drama shifted its focus to something different within a couple of scenes as if nothing happened. Garbage writing! The female lead was as dry and boring as they could come, easily the worst character in the drama. Even the guests had a better impression. The drama had big cuts and gaps which led to abysmal pacing and disjointed narrative. I had to double check if the drama was actually cut but both TV and DVD releases were the same. At the end of the day, there was a lot to dislike about the drama and little to no likeable elements.

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Morning-After Pill

Something about action dramas from around early 2010s make them unique for better or worse. The drama started off with a big bang, literally, while shoving in the maximum possible amount of flashy elements. If you watch the very first scene it should give you a good idea. However, just like other ones from around the same time, it gradually began to wither away after 5-6 episodes until it reached a bland conclusion. The male lead doubling his role as a comedic relief was mostly fine, but him flailing his tongue like a dog was a bit too cringe to tolerate. The drama really wanted to include romance because it was the trend back then, that's why we had multiple pairings, most of them were unnecessary or weak. The main antagonist was your generic baddie, the drama didn't even show him a lot until the last few episodes because they didn't want to bother with more writing. The vibes were very similar to 'A Man Called God (2010)' which came out in the same year, except this one was a bit better.

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What are 10 good things about this series?

1. *Fresh pairing of the leads and their extraordinary performance...*
I didn't have a good impression of the male lead Kim so hyun ..as he always makes a straight face...and it feels very boring...but this time I witnessed an improvement in his performance...he was pretty expressive in delivery of emotions....the female lead Kim ji won has always been in my good books and she retained her impression this time too with her out of ordinary performance...
2. *Female lead's character and it's development ...*
The character development in story though was below satisfactory overall but it was pretty good in case of female lead's character...she is shown to be a girl with cold posture but a warm heart ....she has got strong nerves ... pretty inspiring how she carries herself even in the direst of the situations... there's no paradox and throughout the drama she justified her character outline... even after losing her memory and stuff...
Also she loved the male lead throughout the drama... unlike male lead who was initially shown to be very selfish and later become a saint for reason never disclosed to audience..
3. *Touch of Humor from beginning to end*
For me humor is the highlight of this drama...
Of course not denying it to be an emotional rollercoaster...as there is pretty good amount of sadness and tragedy...But it carries a very good proportion of humor...and this lifted the heavyweight of many dark scenes...and this humor starts from the very1st epi and goes all the way till last epi.... unlike many dramas that start on a light note and become darker taking even the slightest humor left...
4. *Family love and reality*
In comparison to other subjects of this series...this theme has been presented more realistically...no matter the apparent manifestation of expressions and meanness in behavior and conduct..you r always together in adversity.. support each other...love and care for each other...this is what defines a family...
5. *Pretty entertaining Supporting characters*
The character of aunt...who married 3 times...her temper nd stuff...
The character of brothers and sisters...their competition... jealousy...and fights
Villagers .. ( the gossip monger ladies)
secretaries (particularly the female secretary)..
parents...
And even villains everyone performed really well
6. *Scenery, style, shooting and stuff*
Scenes have been choreographed really well ..nature... beautiful landscapes...and the styling of the cast... particularly the wardrobe of ji won is amazing...and gives an aesthetic touch to the screen
7. *Emotional stuff and tear load*
Power struggle... poverty... deception... disease... breakup... Jealousy and even love including many other things one can't control becoming victim of...and the ensuing helplessness that lingers in such situations...brings the scenes where you can't hold back your tears and they are quite many... however thanks to the intermittent humor the air gets less heavier...
8. * Happy conclusion *
Though this series is loaded with tragic turns but somehow everything concluded on a positive note...just like in fairy tales...
Family feuds... terminal disease... misunderstandings... selfishness.... revenge...hate and love everything has been shown in a smoothest and most dramatic way it can be presented... there's no tragedy as such... script is made Happy to the point it looks unnatural and unreal...
9. *Mixture of genres*
It caters to the interests of different kind of audiences as it has family...friendship... Money ...marriage... divorce...revenge...power struggle... business...city-village life...broken families... childhood traumas and much more...
10. *Unrealistically hopeful story*
Good for those who prefer touch of fantasy in dramas...

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Masterpiece

Loved everything from the story to the acting to CGI.

Jang Uk is witty, smart, genius, carefree, jolly minded, lazy, lout, fickle. He isn't a great mage & lacking in power for some reason. Throughout, we'll see his growth. I liked that they didn't show him as a powerful mage who is unbeatable, which is why we can see development.

Mu-Doek is a mysterious person. She is straightforward, isn't afraid of anyone, brave, an expert at lies. I liked how her voice changed into a somewhat mocking tone, but in front of Jang Uk it's different. She has another name, which is Filthy Mu Deok.

Jang Uk & Mu-Doek have a master & maid relationship and also a master & student relationship. In the end, lovers. They focus more on the master-maid & master-student relationship. But there is love between them & it's shown by their actions. They do end up together in the end, but.....

Park Dang Gu is fun-loving, kind, speaks without thinking. Seo Yul is a serious guy who always stands for the right.

Love how Jang UK keeps on teasing Mu-Doek by giving her lots of work.

Loved how unbothered Jang Uk was after breaking Jin family heirloom. Park Jin fell down on the floor while chasing him because of it.

Laughed when Jang Uk asked Maidservant Kim to carry Mu Deok on her back & Seo Yul to carry him, their shocked faces after hearing it.

Angry face of Park Jin when Master Heo tells him that he is a lonely person.

The way Park Jin & Maidservant Kim tease each other for having feelings for Jang UK parents. I love them together. They are my favorite couple.

Laughed at how Jang Uk made Park Dang Gu believe that Mu Deok likes Seo Yul.

Laughed my ass off when Jang Uk, Mu Deok, Park Dang Gu, Maidservant Kim offered that they'd drink the filthy water.

It may seem like Park Jin hates Jang Uk actually, he cares & loves him.

Love Park Jin & Maidservant Kim bickering. Loved the way they were stammering to say each other good-looking.

They way Jung Uk & Mu Deok firmly said they’re not married to Master Lee.

Jung Uk horrified face & reaction when he learns that he drank tea which could lower his libido.

Loved how easily & with a straight face Jang Uk said the Heo Yoon Ok that her looks didn’t impress him.

Laughed when Park Dang Gu asked Park Jin if he has any secret child or not & the embarrassed face of Park Jin.

When Jang Uk & Crown Price came to find their loved ones but ended up seeing each other, it was hilarious.

Park Jin acting like a kid to meet Maidservant Kim is so cute.

I laughed so much when Jang Uk & Mu Deok started acting to get punished. The confused faces of Park Jin, Jin Mu, Crown Price & Sang Ho.

Jang Uk scared face when his serect of having 7 exes was revealed in front of Mu Deok.

The face of Jang Uk when Mu Deok said, "she likes him a lot" & kissed him.

Loved everything. No Complain.

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A Good Casual Watch

After several starts and drops of various historical dramas, this one was finally able to keep my attention long enough to become invested. The first couple of episodes may be slightly off-putting but it does evolve well and the layer of corniness is part of its charm.

Positives:
- There's a good blend of serious moments and light-heartedness/comedy.
- Most of the actors did a good job with their roles.
- The mystery aspect was decent as well as the action scenes but nothing to write home about.
- Almost no romance.
- A good series if you need a break from heavy politics and melodrama.

Negatives:
- The biggest negative for me was the ML (Ding Yu Xi). His acting became increasingly not believable and he only seemed to utilize 3-4 different facial expressions throughout the series. Unfortunate because this really brought the series down a few notches. (And this is already overlooking the extreme corniness to his cat-human form).
- The story takes a somewhat convoluted turn somewhere in the middle, and the flow became messier. It's as if they spend the first half working on the build-up and then just decided to throw everything that was necessary for the plot all in at once, just to be able to complete it.
- While I may able to overlook things like poor villagers suddenly being able to build a hot air balloon in almost no time at all, it was difficult to overlook the reactions to character deaths. There is almost a zero grieving period or any needed emphasis on the deaths of even relevant support characters. Providing flashbacks that doesn't trigger any emotes doesn't cut it, and the almost instantaneous leap to laughing and having a good time shortly thereafter was just not okay.

However, it is a good series that one doesn't need to take seriously and is good for a casual watch. Despite some significant negatives, it still did provide some actual laugh out loud moments.

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Messy

Where do I even get started.

Well, first of all, I really liked the storyline, but I did not like how it was executed. I feel that it was a refreshing take on the whole contractual marriage thing, especially when she was supposed to be a sacrificial bride, but I hated the way that they executed the story. It was a huge mess with a lot of plot holes.

First, I definitely understood his resentment towards her and his distrust of her since she was the daughter of his enemy, but I feel that him finding out about her father's plans was way too fast. I would have preferred if he suspected the father, but not full on finds out that he was behind everything, and doing nothing about it. It was so stupid on how they made him do nothing for the entire drama!!!

Second, even though he was "smart" he was also dumb. I liked that the FL was strong and stood up for justice, but I wish they made her stronger. It broke my heart the way she was getting treated by the people in her courtyard. Also, how did no one know that she was being abused by the people in her courtyard. There were so many people who have seen how the maids treated her, but it was a surprise that she was being abused.

Third, how evil can the father be! Not only did he sacrificed his daughters, he even sacrificed the wife that he so called loved. He was just pure evil and greedy. Even though he was evil, I didn't really understand his reasoning. I mean, when I watch these types of drama where someone is plotting against someone, it's usually due to the fact that they want to overthrow the throne or see that person as a threat to the throne, but Wan Ye didn't care for the throne. So he technically was not a threat to the throne at all. Which leads me to...

My fourth point, what the hell is wrong with the emperor and empress dowager. They clearly have an inferiority complex or something because Wan Ye have already turned down the throne because of the dowager, but yet, they couldn't fully trust him and let him be. They sabotage him by having him marry to his enemy's daughter (which by the way, how did they even know about those two being enemies) and then when he was happily married and living his life, they go and try to kill his child and when that didn't work, they gave him a declaration to marry the country's enemy's daughter. Like how much more can you throw at him to satisfied your stupid ego. Their plotting was the stupidest thing I have seen in dramaland. It made ZERO sense for them to even plot against him when he clearly didn't want the throne and was not remotely close to being a threat to them.

Fifth, all of the misunderstanding was just plain stupid and overdone. I'm sorry but not sorry. He has a mouth, he could have just told her what happened and what the deal is that he made with the emperor that he that he loves her. Like, was it that hard for him to tell her that he loves her. He didn't have to treat her like crap because he wanted to keep her safe. That was so stupid of him.

Sixth, I honestly got tired of the obsessive princess that I started to fast forward all of her scenes. When she first showed up, she was this hardcore, badass assassin and then she turned into this whiny, obsessive princess who was willing to sacrifice her only friend to be with someone who does not even care about her.

Seven, the ending was rushed and messy. All of a sudden, everything was resolved as if it didn't even happen in the first place. The obsessive princess, over a few words, betrayed her people for him. The emperor finally let go of his stupid inferiority complex and started to trust Wan Ye. The empress dowager changed her mind as well because she lost Wan Ye. The only punishment Shen Ke Yi's father received was to be exiled -- like what? His wife, who he so called loved, died. His daughter, that he loved, was disfigured, but he only got exiled? Where is the justice in that? The timing was also off with a lot of unexplained events. For example, how did he find Shen Ke Yi? What did Lady Yunning died off? When did the romance between her and the guard develop? Like nothing. They gave us nothing.

I wished that they would have a better script writer to execute this plot line. Like I said, I liked the plot line, I just don't like how they executed it at the end. Also, they should have continued with the fake jade pendant storyline as well. That would have been a better plot twist than whatever plot twist they have because I wasn't even sure at this point what the plot twist was. I mean, from the beginning, they already showed us that Shen Ke Yi's family was being the attempted assassination of Wan Ye, so there was no story there.

I also wished that they went into depth as why the emperor and emperor dowager feared Wan Ye. I know that they touched on it, by saying that he was the emperor's favorite, but there was nothing else that they offered. I also wanted them to go into more depth behind Wan Ye and Shen Ke Yi's past along with the obsessive princess's past. Like they only show glimpse of it, but what they showed didn't do much either.

Overall, I gave this a 7 out of 10 because I really did enjoy the earlier episodes and I loved Zhang Miao Yi. She reminds me of a young Ariel Lin and I do really enjoy her dramas. I didn't care for Dylan Kuo too much. I feel like they should have casted another actor. Don't get me wrong, he played Wan Ye very well, but I feel like he didn't match Zhang Miao Yi, and this has nothing to do with the age gap between the actor/actress either. I just don't find them aesthetically pleasing to the eyes when they are together. Would I rewatch this drama? Probably just the first few episodes only. I feel like I wasted by time waiting for the ending to air and then was left disappointed.

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OH.MY.GOD

the love I have for thsi drama is impeccable. one day I stumbled on this drama on my homepage and didn't think much of it, "oh it's probably like any other time travel c-drama there's probably nothing interesting about it" OH BOY WAS I WRONG. I LOVE this drama, the love I have for this drama cannot be expressed by words I'm honestly SPEECHLESS, I wish I could watch it for the first time again. as someone who is not a fan of heavy plots in dramas, I think "Mr.bad" should be in your lists of plan to watch, the story it self is amazing, the chemistry between the make lead and the female is TRULY EXCELLENT I almost forgot they were acting. if you're a fan of heavy pot you might not like this drama as much as someone who enjoys fluff in dramas so YEAA. I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEE THIS DRAMA

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Get ready for a rollercoaster ride...

This drama was definitely a rollercoaster ride, for sure.

The first few episodes were boring, I did a lot of fast forwarding. This drama reminded me a lot of Hotel del Luna and a few others with similar story lines, and I had really high hopes for the drama, but like I said, a rollercoaster.

After I believe episode 9 or so is when it got better. I really did enjoyed the later episodes and how they developed the plot. I also enjoyed watching them resolve the mystery of his uncle, even though, it was already known that he had died, but it did explained how he died and how it was related to Han Bom.

I also like how he started to embrace the curse after meeting Bom instead of just going day to day without a purpose. She really did helped him see the bright side of things, even though, it was the hardest for him at the time.

The ending was not a disappointment, but it wasn't the best as well. The entire episode focused on Ji Won and Assistant Manager Go, giving us a little glimpse of happiness to our main leads.

As for Ji Won and Assistant Manger Go's relationship, I think they should have allowed him to possess someone so that she can either have a human partner or have her die so she can be with him that way. If I remember correctly, in Hotel del Luna, one of the ghost was able to possess the bully and stayed in her body, so I feel like they should have allowed that instead. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do like the idea of her being with him and pulling a Beauty Inside plot line, but I feel like they should have just made it perm for those two.

Overall, I feel like it was missing Mr. Baek. I wish he didn't turn into an evil spirit and dying. He was part of the team.

I am giving this an 8.5 just because the earlier episodes were boring and disappointing and Mr. Baek had to die, but the later episodes made up for the earlier ones.

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What it looks like with Perfect Yin Yang

Immortal God x Princess/Sky King of Spirit Realm
Character Depth at its peak
Best showcase of Character Development
Ultimate Slow Burn
Down the lane, the epilogue is one of the best I have witnessed so far.
Beautiful Costumes
OST that makes you leave bits of it in your memory
Strong Mature Characters
Extremely strong Female Lead.

That one female Lead who bullies the bully. Talk about perfect flawless characters, making way into everyone's heart - Shen Li. She is the utmost centre and one of the four wheels that keep you attached to the drama. Personally, once I felt attached to her, there was no going back. With every decision, she exhibits knowledge and situational awareness appropriate for someone who has lived for 1000 years. Shen Li is such a well-written character, she will mark her presence in the minds of the ones who watch this. Her love for her realm and people in general is so tucking and foremost her love for Xing zhi. From the moment she knew there was no going back, her duties and his acceptance might have held her back but her feelings never changed. That in itself makes such a strong impact.

An extremely strong, non-serious funny male lead - Xing zhi. You will wonder how strong can characters be, coming across him. He will answer - Sky is the Limit. Some moments you just try to figure out what going on inside his head but can't. No worries, you will be engaged with all the questions in the first half and slowly decrypt them in the second half. decrypting him comes along with this... Talk about a well-built complex yet simple character. From the way he annoys her to the way he can showcase his love even without saying a word. That's what they say - Actions speak louder than words. Oh! you will love how verbal he will be about his love once he confesses.

The main story is eye-catching in the majority cases but imagine the side stories being equally engaging and heartwarming. The story of Qing Ye, Fl's parents and also their friends.
At most Kudos to Fu Rong's and You Lan's character development.

There are rarely such dramas where we can identify it from the set like their house, immortal realm, spirit realm, way oh heaven, west garden; things like her spear, few extremely catchy dialogues. This story is one of those.
A MUST WATCH.

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