K-Drama Short Reviews – 2024

/ Lady Divine / 2 Comments

Here are some other K-Dramas I watched this year (most of them from 2024) that were good, decent, or I dropped. None of these were worth a full review, in my opinion, but there were quite a few that I truly enjoyed this year.

Dramas listed in alphabetical order.

The Atypical Family (2024) – Overall Rating: 7/10.

I’m popping this up to a 7 only because the plot line was truly unique. I’m not interested in super hero stories, but I liked this drama as it showed how super powers would most likely be used by more “average” people. You know, basically for self-serving reasons only, which seemed pretty honest. The romance was below-average, but the familial relationships made up for it – in particular the father-daughter relationship and the unusual relationship between the leading lady and her thug mother.

Black Out (2024) – Overall Rating: 9/10.

This is a dark themed show that does not let the light in. If you like dark crime shows or intense murder mysteries, then this one is for you! I loved it, even though it was depressing as hell. Reminded me of a Nordic murder mystery… cold… bleak… and compelling.

Blood Free (2024) – Overall Rating: 7/10.

Probably deserves a lower score, but the concept was amazing. Set in the near future, when scientists have perfected creating meat and fish products in a laboratory and are about to start tackling manufacturing grains. It dived into the inevitable backlash of such a breakthrough: the protesting farmers, the suspicious consumers, the fight to keep the science proprietary. Ya’ll know mad science is one of my all time favorite genres, so I was having a ball! A stoic bodyguard lurking around all sexy in his tailored suit and a hardened business woman with a secret laboratory? The K-2, anyone? Sigh. The side characters had more personality than the two leads, unfortunately, and the plot didn’t really pick up the pace until the final episodes, but I still enjoyed this short drama and hope there will be a second installment.

Call It Love (2023) – Overall Rating: 7/10.

This should have been one of my favorites, as I love stories exactly like this, but somehow it just didn’t climb to the top of the ladder for me. I’d still definitely recommend it if you are a fan of slow-burn romances and complicated family melodramas. I admit I enjoyed watching the sad, overworked and overburdened daughter falling in love with the sad, pitiful rich boy with a terrible haircut (their chemistry was not electric, but it didn’t detract from the romance either). This drama has all the requirements for a good melodrama: selfish parents who put themselves before their families, best friends who show us different sides of main leads, side romances that are equally interesting to watch unfold, and overdramatic family situations that keep the tension high.

Connect (2022) – Overall Rating: 7/10.

It’s so weird that I loved it. More mad science! Horrah! This is a show for people who like to read comic books. Or anime. The plotline does not feel realistic in any way and seems better suited as visual storytelling. It’s got human beings that have been enhanced so that they can never die, their body parts just piece themselves back together if removed. It’s got serial killers and illegal organ harvesting and art students. It’s got eerie vibes… icky elements of science fiction body horror… and artistic serial murders in the style of the Hannibal tv series. It’s not a satisfying plot nor does it have satisfying character development or relationships. It’s just like reading a quick gory one shot manga. A fun snack. If ya like that type of thing, then you might like this.

DoDoSolSolLaLaSol (2020) – Overall Rating: N/A.

I was really enjoying this until I found out the leading man was a teenager and then it just felt too creepy to continue. I work with teenagers. It just crossed over one of my mental lines and I could no longer enjoy it.

The Frog (2024) – Overall Rating: 7/10.

A surprise, for sure. And a must watch for thriller and mystery lovers. Two murders in two different locations within the same small town at two different times. We get to watch and discover how these separate events overlap and unfold as the tension slowly builds and escalates each episode. But I think if you’ve seen it, you know the leading female carried this entire show on her psychotic shoulders. I can’t say I will ever watch this show again, but I will confess I was spell bound by the insanity. Kim Yoon Suk deserves an Oscar for her performance. She was truly unhinged.

The Golden Spoon (2022) – Overall Rating: 7/10.

I think we all know how obsessed the Koreans are with their insanely rich people. They both love them and aspire to be them while simultaneously loathing them and imagining their lives are nothing but shallow and meaningless. This is yet another story that plays with that theme, but I had a good time watching this story of two boys from different economic classes switching places. It had a few surprises and kept me guessing how it would all end. These types of stories pop up nearly every year with varying success (The King’s Affection, The Crowned Clown, Reborn Rich, and so on).

High School Return of a Gangster (2024) – Overall Rating: 9.5/10.

I really had a blast with this show. It was shamelessly stripped of all its gay elements, which is insane as it’s based on a popular BL, but… I don’t think I mind. The original story was a bit problematic, honestly, with a man in his 50s taking over the body of a bullied high school kid and then getting romantically involved with a teenage boy. So for once I was happy to have that aspect toned down, as it just seems weird no matter how you look at it.

Age differences are okay with immortal creatures or monsters but a regular middle aged gangster dude falling in love with a teenage boy was too much for me to get behind. That’s a 30+ year age gap, people, and predatory.

I like that instead they hinted at a suppressed love between the gangster and his right-hand-man gangster dude (played by Won Tae Min who was in my favorite BL of the year The Time of Fever). And the show made it clear that the bullied boy was definitely queer, and thus the confusion of the other young male lead who now sees an old dude staring at him through the boy’s eyes instead of a besotted teenager.

It was short and fun and I was grateful to have a “lesson of the day” type storyline without the usual preachy tropes. This story kinda broke the mold a bit. Feel good but also a realistic portrayal of how a middle aged man would tackle scrappy teenagers and a second chance at life… (as realistic as you can be with the premise).

A Killer Paradox (2024) – Overall Rating: N/A. I dropped this one too, though I love the actors in it. It just felt too similar to other shows and I couldn’t make it past episode 3.

Love Next Door (2024) – Overall Rating: 7/10.

It was cute. I enjoyed the families and the romance. But it didn’t endear itself to me like other romances have in the past. Still… a solid choice for those seeking a cozy family comedy/drama with a sweet friends to lovers romance.

Love Song for Illusion (2024) – Overall Rating: 7/10.

It’s a messy story, but I had so much fun watching Park Ji Soon bounce between the two “personalities” of his character that I cannot complain. I will say my engagement with the story dropped significantly around the halfway mark. Thankfully it was only 16 episodes. Not much of a romance, but the story of the prince and his fractured psyche really drew me in.

Lovely Runner (2024) – Overall Rating: 6/10.

I was soooo into this. And then I just wanted to throw myself out of a window cause it was toooo much. Too, too much. Like caricatures of caricatures. The cheesiness overwhelmed me. It took me forever to finish this one, I had to force myself to go back.

My Sweet Mobster (2024) – Overall Rating: N/A.

It started out cute. But I got bored with it quickly.

Racket Boys (2021) – Overall Rating: 7/10.

In the mood for a feel-good show about a bunch of people in a small town coming together to support a small group of boys play badminton? A wonderful slice-of-life show about friendships and family.

A Shop for Killers (2024) – Overall Rating: 7/10.

I had a good time with this one. It’s simple and violent. A young lady discovers her uncle was an arms dealer after his death – and has to fight to protect herself as various members of the underworld try to take over the business. A perfect cat and mouse action show that filled up an afternoon. If you liked Hanna or even La Femme Nikita, you’ll probably enjoy this.

Sweet Home Season 3 (2024) – Overall Rating: 6/10.

Sigh. I still love Season 1, I think it’s one of the best horror k-dramas of all time. Honestly, one of the best horror dramas from any country. But Seasons 2 and 3… total let down.

Under the Queen’s Umbrella (2022) – Overall Rating: 7/10.

A solid historical drama and yet another one that just didn’t quite land for me personally. I think if I had not seen dozens of other historical dramas, this one would be an all time favorite. It was a unique angle for palace politics. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a drama about the problems of not preparing all your royal children to be crown prince candidates before. I enjoyed the brothers and the queen really shined with her bestie palace maid. There are no filler episodes, the story builds over the season, and the character development is quite good. Check it out.

Review – Blind (2022)

/ Lady Divine / Leave a comment

I have just discovered I did not write a review for Blind, despite it being one of my favorite dramas in 2022. It’s got everything I love. Siblings with strained relationships but a deep connection, gruesome murders, and unfolding mysteries linked to secret atrocities that are slowly revealed. I thoroughly enjoyed every episode and am gonna run you through the general set up for it – and what happens in the first episode (so spoilers for the first episode follow!)

Blind opens to a group of young boys, elementary to middle school aged, in matching dirty uniforms running through the woods as vicious dogs chase them down through the night. These boys are terrified and desperate. It’s clear they are running from more than just the dogs… but a horrible situation. 

One of the boys gets his foot caught in a bear trap. Another boy is waiving down a car for help only to be run down on the road. Savagely the drivers put the car in reverse, running over the kid a second time, ensuring his death. Those who are uninjured are quickly surrounded and trapped, their escape attempt thwarted. A man the boys call Crazy Dog narrows in on them, whistling an eerie tune.

– and the scene closes on a child’s wide eyes before it cuts away… to an equally horrifying scene in present day 2022.

A young lady is kidnapped off the streets and wakes up in a plastic lined room tied to a chair (never a good scene). She is strangled by an unknown man… who is whistling the same creepy tune as Crazy Dog. 

Back at home her parents await her return, hanging up balloons, the entire house decorated for the young lady’s birthday. She will never come home.

The stage is set.

The basic mystery presented: 

Who were the children? And where were they? Did any of them escape? Who is the person that murdered the young lady? Is he connected to the man that was hunting the children in the first scene? Is it the same man?

I was riveted and hooked after 15 minutes. 

We meet our main character, Sung Jun (Taecyeon), in the next scene. He is a cop amongst the crew called out when the girls body is discovered on the outskirts of town. 

Sung Jun’s older brother Sung Hoon (Ha Seok Jin), is a judge. But not just any judge, he’s a righteous man known for his unfailing devotion to fairness. He eats alone, he refuses to take any bribes, and won’t even help a family member who got into trouble. The law is just in his eyes. It is only people who are fallible.

We learn quickly that both parents seem to loathe their police officer son while they dote on their judge son. It is not a happy home.

We learn the two brothers live together. That the cop brother has a history of violence and was often in fights as a youth. The judge implicates maybe he became a cop to continue a life of violence, and the suggestion clearly upsets the police officer.

Big brother judge is overseeing the murder trial of the girl strangled, now nicknamed  “Joker’s Murder Case,” because of the wounds on her face. The suspect was caught in a security camera threatening the victim with a knife… but he claims another man was involved – our young police officer! Could the judge’s suspicions be true?

The show flashes back once again to the young boys hiding in fear from the opening scene. The whistling man who is hunting them is finally revealed… It is the father of the young woman who’s been murdered. And as the camera pans in on one of the young boys, it cuts back to modern day – to our police officer.

Are they same?!

Was the murder truly an act of retribution? For whatever horrible things were obviously happening with those boys???

Ya’ll. I had to know. I knew I wasn’t going anywhere until I’d burned through this entire show and binged it all over the weekend.

Overall Rating: 9/10 – A Dark Murder Mystery About the Dark Side of Humanity.

Read on for some very mild spoilers… and the connection of this show to true events

Continue reading →

Love Better Than Immortality

/ Lady Divine / Leave a comment

Love Better Than Immorality is like eating ice cream for dinner. You know it’s not the best option, you know there is no nutritional value and you’ll probably be hungry again later, you know there are better things in the fridge… but dang it, sometimes you just want sweets. This show is 40 short episodes of decadent high calorie deliciousness that hit all the romance beats required without wasting any time on… you know… a plot. It’s like Love in the Air for the heteros: As in the male lead is aggressive and touchy-feely, shamelessly inappropriate, and will be spending his time getting as close to your lips as humanly possible.

There is a lot of kissing in this show: For a cdrama (important disclaimer). It’s not the good stuff, the open mouth crazy passionate kind, but it’s still really sizzling… probably because it is a cdrama, and for a cdrama those extended closed-mouth kisses feel scandalous.

gifs by @thedramaden – link

The official plot is that in the future everyone has achieved immortality but apparently none of them experience love any longer – so our leading female “gives it up” by going into a simulation. I dunno, whatever, just go with it. This is never referenced in any way again. She does not bring any insights from the future with her (this is not Joy of Life – if you want a useful time traveler, I recommend that absolute gem of a show), she never speaks of the future or references it, she doesn’t seem to miss the ultra-modern sci fi world nor does she have any trouble whatsoever adapting to the world of the past. The “comes from the future” situation is just a contrivance, like the vast majority of the plot points in this show, just a series of events you are briefly shown or told were of great importance but really don’t mean much to the narrative. (further discussion of plot holes, random thoughts, and huge abandoned story threads in spoiler section below)

Cause there is only ONE narrative line – and that is WHICH BOY IN THE LOVE TRIANGLE WILL SHE CHOOSE? Will it be the dashing and handsome knight in shining honor, bound by integrity and duty, with his cute stand-offish nature and surprised blushing? Or will be it be the villain, the slinky demon clan leader who immediately starts putting the moves on our girl before she can catch her breath? It isn’t much of a mystery as she’s making out with one pretty early on in the show… and barely gets a hug from the other. So… you know… the outcome is assured. I don’t consider that a spoiler.

And that’s fine! Obvious choice love triangles are fine. I mean that sincerely. Sometimes you don’t really want to be antagonized by your romance stories. You want it to be pretty clear who the fated dude is and just watch the romance unfold with all the little conflicts and resolutions along the way that will build up their love and trust in each other. And this show delivers that. Tied with a satin ribbon bow (aka a grand gesture to illustrate undying true love), like a box of Godiva chocolates.

The chemistry between the two lovers in this show is unbelievably good. I have seen shows with both of these leading actors before – so I was already a fan.

The leading female, Zhao Lu Si, was also in Love Like the Galaxy (good show), The Long Ballad (actually her romance with the guardian knight dude was my favorite in this), Romance of Tiger & Rose (cheeky and cute but I just wasn’t vibing), Who Rules the World (good – I’m halfway through this currently), and The Last Immortal (I loved this one personally). She’s a tiny cutie who excels at these playful, plucky characters and has a really expressive face. She’s a treasure.

He’s like Cheng Yi’s horny cousin

The leading male, Li Hong Yi, is a handsome man with a slight lurch which serves him well. He always seems to be looking up at you through his eyelashes, like a seductive vampire, even though he’s taller than nearly everyone in these shows.

Bad posture has never looked so good on a man!

He also has an unmistakable light swagger (like he’s walking on air) and this low voice you have to lean in to hear – which again serves him well. He has mastered a neutral facial expression that forces you to pay attention, hoping to see the hint of a smile or the dart of his eyes. You are DRAWN IN. I’m not sure how much of this is just good physicality acting versus this is just how he is as a person. Whatever it is, it’s spellbinding and very sexy.

He’s also a great actor, so when the role demands it he can sell you on whatever emotion he’s going through. I was mesmerized by him Blood of Youth (super fun martial arts drama), which refrained from having any serious romantic plotlines whatsoever, so imagine my surprise when he slid onto the screen and starts putting the moves on his lady within the first episode.

And our boy has MOVES.

more gifs by the amazing @thedramaden – link

I’ve read a bunch of grumblings or whatever over this show for its “incest” plotline. So let me just touch on that briefly in case you are the type to cringe away from such things. Since our girl from the future transplants directly into the body of another girl, with zero memories of the other girl’s existence, she is at a disadvantage… because other characters in the show remember her (or rather, they remember the other girl, follow along with me here). Our leading male takes advantage of her memory loss and quickly tells her that he is her older brother. I know our girl is a gullible thing, but I don’t think she really believed this ploy much, as they were flirting and hugging and kissing and lounging about in her bed all the time.

Regular nightly visits to your bedroom to cuddle with your sibling are mandatory in this world.

The sibling story was rather a lie they both agreed upon that gave them an excuse to canoodle freely, or at least that is how I interpreted it. That it made zero impact once it was revealed he was NOT her brother lends credence to this theory of mine. And the fact that they continued to call each other brother and sister up until the last episode, like a pervy pet name and a joke shared between them, also makes it clear it’s more of a naughty role playing kink than anything else.

So yeah. They had kinks.

screensaves from @dangermousie – link

They were a matched set of flirtatious, naughty souls. I found it charming. But I realize this only one lens, and others can easily view it was creepy or gross too. Fair. Listen, I grew up on Flowers in the Attic and weirdly sexy movies like Close My Eyes, and those were real siblings in those stories. So maybe I am more immune to this plot line and more open to be it being used as a kink (not that I am supporting incest, people, I’m just saying taboos have always been used in story-telling because they hit buttons that engage us in different ways). And exploring how those taboos can be used and are often linked to kinks is just human nature. Haven’t ya’ll read Erotism: Death & Sensuality by Georges Bataille before?

Anyways, without going further into the rabbit hole on this one let me just say if you are looking for a short breezy villain romance with little plot but a whole lotta sexy shenanigans then this is your show.

Overall Rating: 9/10 – A cute, slightly pervy villain romance.

For more musings about this silly little fun show – including the gay side couples, the bizarre lack of ANY plot, and more – follow me into super spoiler land…

Continue reading →

Review – The Double – Style Over Substance

/ Lady Divine / Leave a comment

The Double is an outrageous, preposterous, totally ridiculous drama that is sure to please if you’re in the mood for over-the-top theatrics and CAMP. We are talking the most ludicrous plot line of all time, a complete disregard for historical accuracy, and fan machines running nonstop to ensure no strand of hair, ribbon, or robe is ever stationary. There will be a breeze gently wafting through this show at all times. Even indoors. Especially indoors.

Personally, I am a fan of such dramas – as long as they fully embrace their soap opera hearts and commit to the insanity. It’s why I loved the Korean drama Penthouse with its rich socialites throwing each other out the windows because of opera (truly a stand out show in the camp genre). It’s why I loved Bulgasal: Immortal Souls, which was fantasy camp nonsense through and through and I adored it. Devil Judge? Pure gay camp and politics. To be camp is to be a dumpster fire covered in glitter. Not many shows can maintain the sheer disregard for logic in favor of fun. Once you realize you are viewing a camp show, you must immediately stop asking questions and just go with the flow.

The Double is the story of a woman who wakes up one foggy evening to find herself framed for adultery (or is it early morning? time is nebulous in this show – between the fog machines and the spotlights aimed through every window, you will never know what time of day it is). To add insult to injury, her husband whisks her away into the night and dumps her into an unmarked grave. He confesses that the whole thing has been a set up, that her brother and father have been killed, and that he’s really sorry, baby, so so sorry, as he proceeds to crack her in the head with a shovel and bury her alive.

This all happens in the first fifteen minutes. It’s delicious. Soft white petals fall on her grave. I really wanted to see her hand shoot up from the grave, gripping that flute he’d tossed in with her.

And when that happened?!

OMG the audacity of this show to be so absurd?! The CAMP nonsense!

I cleared my viewing schedule as I knew I’d found THE DRAMA to get me through the next few days.

Our murdered wife crawls out of her own grave and resurfaces by a creek/river. She is found by two young ladies in white, who we discover are psuedo-nuns (aka, ladies who have been sent to old timey juvie for whatever infractions).

Super conveniently one of the young girls dies right away and even though the resurrected wife looks nothing like her and there’s at least a ten year age gap, she promptly steals her identity. She does not attempt to change her style or her appearance in any way and moves back into the same town she just came from, with a different name.

Cause, sure. I mean. Sure. Let’s do that.

Our “reborn” girl now has to pretend to be this other girl, move into her home, deal with her evil stepmom and stepsister, torment her murderous husband while solving her own murder (she knows WHO did it, she just doesn’t know WHY), flirt with a sexy Duke, and maybe help out the royals or whatever. It’s enough to keep you busy.

I don’t have much to say about this drama’s plot. Revenge. Romance. Really beautiful scenery. That sums it up.

I watched it and it was enjoyable because of all the camp nonsense. The insane entrances of characters, the deliciously overdramatic dialogue, the spotlights outside every window giving us these fabulous shafts of light in interiors, the swishing fans, the billowing robes… the thunderstorms!

I think this is a good time to point out one of the director (or perhaps cinematographer) quirks: close up shots of faces. Really close up. Usually cropped at the forehead, a wee bit of shoulder, with the giant head often staring straight into the camera – and thus at you.

What a waste of all those elaborate hair styles and bun ornaments, am I right? Not that everyone doesn’t look beautiful at all times, but geesh… give us some space, camera man! I have a relatively large television and felt overwhelmed by these massive full screen looming faces.

I guess that’s my only real gripe.

There are plenty of interesting and unique characters in this show. I particularly enjoyed the crazy Princess Wanning. That actress had me spellbound with her performance. I could totally believe a man might be trapped by her, caught between lust and fear.

gifs by @jiaoliqiao – link

I think if you haven’t watched a lot of melodramas, or are new to Asian dramas, then this show may be a perfect 10 for you. Due to the excessive campy nature of the entire production, I could not take it seriously as a true melodrama. It was more like… Bram Stroker’s Dracula. A glorious, color saturated fever dream with ridiculous embellishments that no one minded cause… Dracula? Uh, yeah, of course the church cross is going to spout blood when you stab it. Don’t question our creative choices!

Our leading male Duke Su was a riot. I can honestly say I was always happy to see him saunter into the scenes with his red and black robes.

I’m not convinced this guy is the best actor, but this is what we call GOOD CASTING. They needed a big hunky man with swagger and that is what was delivered.

I mean… seriously…

Duke Su was sooooo overdramatic, I was eating it up.

gifs by @smittenskitten – link

The Duke also had electric chemistry with the leading female.

Their romance was very… mature? I don’t know how else to put this, but the female lead wanted to bone this dude from day one. Listen, she was a married woman. And though her husband had his flaws (murderous flaws), he was obviously giving it to her on the regular cause she looked at the Duke like a woman STARVED. And our girl got progressively and obviously hornier as the episodes piled up.

Subtle she was not.

gifs by @xiaolanhua – link

Ain’t no one gonna believe you’re a teenager who just got out a nunnery, girl, you are waaaaaay too comfortable around the male body. We can all read your mind and it is not PG content, missy.

Though I think we can collective say “SAME, GIRL.”

They were gorgeous and hot for each other. There is a scene where he lets her bite into his hand and I thought I was going to pass out…

gifs by @storge – link

I am not immune to such sexy shenanigans. The Duke is gonna have to let me borrow his fancy fan cause I was perspiring!

Though there are many villainous peeps in this drama, it is the Murderous Husband and the Crazy Princess who are most often behind the wheel driving the plot. I’ve already said I loved the psychotic princess, and I stand by it. But the husband… holy god, ya’ll… he’s… fascinating. Just a conflicted and tormented disaster. He’s honestly even scarier than the princess cause you’re just not sure about him.

Anyways, enough prattling. Go and fire up Netflix or Viki or whatever app you can find this on and settle in. This show is sure to please. It’s hard to imagine anyone not having fun watching this campy romantic mess of a show.

The Double – Overall Rating: 9/10.

Review – Destined – A Divided Viewing Experience

/ Lady Divine / Leave a comment

I was looking forward to writing a review on Destined. I was sure it would be another 10/10 drama for me, another series I would tuck into my top drawer, another show I would gush over and tell all my friends about (just kidding, none of my friends watch Asian dramas which is why I created this blog). And this was very much the case… for about 20 episodes.

And then… it just kept going. And as it kept going, all of the viewing pleasure was drained away by a plot I was not interested in and new characters that felt unnecessary.

You know how there are great shows? Stand alone shows? Or “limited series” as they are calling them now on Netflix. Shows that have an overarching plotline and complete their storylines in one season. Sometimes they try to make more seasons of these shows. Just… drift along on the success of the first season, throw a haphazard plot together, include the characters everyone loved, and hope for the best. The same kind of thing happens when studios don’t let a show die. On season 8 or whatever, you are having a hard time remembering why you used to love this show (The 100, anyone?). Destined gave me a similar viewing experience, in that by the time I finished it I struggled to remember why I loved it so much in the beginning.

It’s a real tragedy, honestly. Though the political factions and wars and whatnot were mentioned in the beginning and were, in fact, the initial catalyst for the leading couple to get married – these aspects were never front and center in the foundational episodes. Instead, we were treated to a very enjoyable romantic comedy.

Destined is about a scrappy Cinderalla-type character who is married off to an irresponsible spoiled Prince-type character. They both can’t stand each other but due to a series of unfortunate events (or destiny), their fates are tied.

For the first ten episodes you will be totally in love with these two. The story line is fresh and satisfying, the obstacles they must overcome were each given the attention they deserve. The actors embody the shyness, the sweetness, the disbelief and wonder of first love. Watching these two young people fall for each other slowly and naturally was heaven.

screenshot from @xbethelight – link

I was enchanted, I tell you! Their cute little smiles and teamwork won me over completely.

The male lead may be one of my all time favorite characters – he was so adorable and fun to watch. Bai Jingting playing Gu Jiusi was casting perfection – he was born to play this role. 100 percent puppy energy.

gifs by @dingyuxi – link

Jiusi is ditzy and rambunctious and loyal and impulsive and no man has ever ADORED his wife more than this guy.

Song Yi played his serious, task-oriented, wife Li Yuru… chef’s kiss. It’s so nice to see a nerdy girl shine like this. Her practicality and ambition (and his family’s money) were the pillars that held up their relationship. I couldn’t help but respect the girl. The actress also managed to make this character still seem young – appropriately so for the character’s age – so even though Yuru was determined and proud there was always some doubt and insecurity in her eyes. My babies! I loved them so much.

They were a ying-yang couple that worked. He made her more playful, she made him more serious. It’s a simple opposites attract storyline and I adored it.

The cinematography is breathtaking and I especially drooled over all the interiors in this show. (That beauty shop, am I right?) There is a harmonious balance of outdoor and indoor shots, a variety of locations, and plenty of movement so you never feel confined in one space. Though I am sure CGI is used, it never felt obvious.

Destined delivered a big cast of memorable servants and socialites and guards and politicians and family members and friends. Liu Xue Yi makes a fabulous villain, by the way… I’d like to see him play more elegant, devious characters in the future.

After the first quarter of the show the politics come in and there are major upheavals and big changes. Even that was okay, as it added serious dramatic tension and tested the bond of our lovers.

There were so many fresh ideas, liberal ideals, role reversals, and genuine growth in this show. Some of the dialogue will make you swoon, but you’ll also be impressed by the casual conversations between characters too. There were lessons to be learned with a focus on family harmony and societal unification. Learning to work together, to be better people, to forgive and move forward. It was positive and empowering and engrossing television.

This show was so good!!!

Until it wasn’t.

I noticed it right at the halfway mark, episode 20. Cause I felt satisfied, like the show should be over… so… wait… how many more episodes are there???

It just never stopped. It just kept going… and going… and going. My god. New characters came in that were cool but also never quite felt developed. I certainly was not at all interested in the lines of succession for the throne or empire or whatever. We got less and less scenes of our couple. My attention waxed and waned and then just went to run errands. I didn’t fast forward any eps, but I honestly wish I had cause… geesh. What a drag. Twenty long episodes of it, too.

I’ve heard that the webnovel is a vast improvement for the second half of this story, and I mean… surely. Isn’t the book usually better? Anyways, I’ll wait until there is an English translation available in print cause I struggle to read books online – but for those interested go find “Chang Feng Du” (长风渡) by Mo Shu Bai (墨书白).

For those of you who haven’t seen this show yet, do yourselves a favor and stop watching once the lead couple consummate their relationship (ep 27-28). I’m serious. Consider that the last episode. Sure, there are some elements of the plot that haven’t been closed out – but you know they’re gonna be tied up eventually, right? Just trust me on this one.

If you turn it off and walk away, you will be a happier person with nothing but warm fuzzies for our couple and an overall good impression of this show. If you keep watching… it’s highly unlikely that your overall satisfaction rating will remain that high. I mean, I have read a few reviews from people who loved the whole thing but there aren’t many…

Destined – Overall Rating: 8/10 (First half: 10/10 – Second Half: uggggggh/10)

Review – A Journey to Love

/ Lady Divine / 3 Comments

This show is a road trip movie inside a political historical drama with a romance thrown in to make us all weak in the knees. It’s outstanding, people. We are talking flawless immersion. The editing, the music (ya’ll the music is exceptional! – including the sound effects used to comedic perfection), the sets, the costumes, location shooting, horses galore… a lot of money was spent on this show. Well spent.

It’s the writing, though, that really shines. Dialogue that shifts from official and political to playful and casual. There’s witty banter. Believable interactions between friends and strangers. Complicated politic situations presented in ways that were easy to follow. Nothing feels forced or quickly patched in with a trope, characters just feel natural and naturally complicated.

This drama is full of gossiping, bickering, matchmaking, and interesting people will surely win you over.

collection of gifs by @zishuge – link – link – link

The story is relatively simple (kinda sorta): A small group of elite warriors are tasked to deliver a young princess disguised as a prince to a neighboring kingdom, rescue a royal who is hostage there, and try not to die along the way. There’s the core group of guards in charge (our fab 5!), who have all been to war together in the past and have a shared history, and there are other guards and servants, as well as the young princess and her advisor. After a few weeks of travel everyone in the traveling group is familiar with each other… and growing increasingly comfortable and casual around each other as each episode progresses. It’s a very organic development of relationships.

They are eavesdropping and comfortably joking around. Let’s face it, there wasn’t much for entertainment on long trips back in the day so you learned to entertain yourself and each other. These people had paper windows, ain’t no secrets in close quarters.

Front and center of this motley crew are the leading lovers. We shall call them MURDER MOM & DADDY NING.

Our female lead is a female assassin, a master chameleon, a deadly martial artist, and also a woman with a heart (though she would vehemently deny it). She was the top assassin in her secret organization before faking her death and going rogue. Murder Mom is on a mission… to avenge the death of her (mother substitute) patron queen and to honor her last request (which is to get knocked up).

I may be in love with her. I mean… LOOK AT HER! Some people just win the genetic lottery, eh?

Murder Mom… or Ren Ruyi (formerly Ren Xin) of the Scarlet Guard Assassins is played to perfection by Cecilia Liu / Liu Shishi and voiced by Bai Xin Zan. No one could have played this role better. She is the definition of beautiful badass. Her posture, her facial expressions, her athleticism… her natural dominatrix vibes… and Bai Xin Zan, whoever you are, your voice is velvet deliciousness and I ain’t mad about the dub.

gifs by @storge – link

Daddy Ning, our male lead, is a military leader who has become jaded and wary of the intentions of the government (yet ironically remains stoically patriotic). But no one wants to let this tall glass of water pop off to early retirement while he’s still useful to the cause so he’s blackmailed into escorting the princess to the neighboring country.

With his caring eyes and carefree smiles, he is instantly lovable as the leader of the pack. He’s not all smiles though, this dude can shift like lightning – going from humbled subordinate to brutal assassin, from stern leader of men to kind father figure within a five minute stretch.

Daddy Ning… or Ning Yuanzhou, leader of Liudao Hall – is played by Liu Yuning. He’s 6’2”, multi-talented, and very handsome… in an almost cartoon animal sort of way, am I right? Like the Disney fox Robin Hood or something… but the anime version… I dunno, I can’t quite put my finger on it but he’s got distinctive facial features. His voice has a very pleasing timbre to it, too. He’s got a tiny bit of an overbite which gives him just a hint of a lisp or a breathy rounded quality when he speaks. I really love his voice. Did I mention he’s 6’2″? Which is apparently like being 7’2″ in China, I dunno, cause he seemed huge this whole show.

go hide behind that huge tree, baby girl! gifs by @01432853 – link

The romance of Murder Mom and Daddy Ning is top tier and feels fresh and exciting. They’re both pushing middle aged (for that time period 30 years old was well over the hill). They’ve been too busy murdering people all their lives to form any romantic relationships. There were interesting dynamics and motivations driving our lovers together and apart. I’ve never seen anything like this romance, so it really stuck with me. Applause once again to the writer for giving us such a nuanced and impactful relationship.

Here’s when they clicked for me as a couple.

There’s a scene in the second episode (yup, 2nd episode and I was like they are OTP!)… our leading man is calling out our leading lady for being deceptive by calmly but calculating pressing his fingers into a wound on her shoulder. He’s just so politely savage about it, too. It’s such a wonderful character establishing moment because she’s crying and sticking to her disguise as a helpless maiden even though he obviously does not believe her b.s. even a little bit. He’s hurting her, yes, but he’s also showing her that he knows she can take the pain and he does not find her helpless.

And then as they’re standing there staring at each other there is a sudden flicker of attraction between them… both their expressions subtly change… I was holding my breath, ya’ll. It looked like they were second guessing all their life choices.

Then our baby boy shows up, breaking the spell, and she bites our huge male lead on the wrist (like, she digs in too! girl is gonna mark that big tall man as hers!) and he finally releases her. He seems flustered and bewildered looking at these teeth marks deep into his skin, like who is this woman??!!

gifs by @xiaolanhua – link

I was in heaven.

From then on our sexy assassin starts to actively tease him in all these subtle ways, while still maintaining her guise around others, cause she knows he sees her as she is – a tough and cunning woman and not some helpless person in need of rescue. She keeps revealing more and more of her real personality in these small little moments and you can tell he’s totally mesmerized and also quite wary cause this lady is not something he can control. Hmm hmmm – I was already shipping them hard.

Their cues to each other are so subtle but they always pick up what the other is throwing down (and no one else does – it’s like a secret twin language). Their martial arts training is so good they can sense each other from a distance. And their interactions are so unique, as they are both professional liars (Daddy Ning the Gaslightling King, eh?). So they’re relying on what’s unsaid and their shared awareness of the game they’re playing though they’ve both drawn different lines that keep blurring.

Yum Yum Yum, my complicated creatures you spoiled me real good in this show. It’s gonna be hard not to compare all future couples to these two.

Not to mention they’re both so gorgeous. They are the perfect couple (and it’s okay to hate them a little for it, everyone else does too).

When they fight back to back it’s like… poetry. Murder Machine couple activated! This ride or die pair had my whole freakin’ heart.

gifs by @peachblossomdream – link

Be prepared to be swept up into the whole #couplegoals relationship, too. For an assassin / warrior pairing, these two are shockingly touchy feely. The cuddles? The amount of hugs and tender moments in this show… ugh… how dare they encroach upon my bitter heart like this!

If nothing else watch it for these two.

Though they aren’t the only dynamic duo in this show.

There’s also my two besties, Daddy Ning and dandy Yu Shisan whom we shall call Playboy. These two come across like a divorced couple more often than not. Their constant bickering, playful bullying, and yet undeniable magnetism is extremely fun to watch.

gifs by @heymeowmao – link

They just know each other so well. Close like siblings, who can torment each other without ever questioning the unconditional love shared between them. It’s just… there. I mean, the yin and yang is all in the outfits so need I say more?

who goes to battle in white? this guy is a trip.

And Playboy is such a riot.

He’s got bisexual king energy off the charts, prancing around over dramatically, swishing his robes. He will definitely be one of your favorite characters as how could he not be? He’s so adorable and funny and ridiculous.

gifs by @heymeowmao – link

Speaking of characters you are bound to love, let’s dish on my favorite characters in the show: The Teenagers.

I’m just going to give you an overview of the young apprentices of our lady assassin Murder Mom: Yandere Extremist Li Tong Guang and Princess Yang Ying. The Princess of Wu was also a fun character but I’ll leave that for you to discover. And I can’t write about our other teenage baby boy for… reasons (see spoiler section). So let’s dig into our young nobles.

Princess Yang Ying is the young lady the whole team is responsible for escorting across the border. She’s disguised as a Prince (badly) and is nothing but terrified and uncertain as the show begins. This sort of pitiful, helpless character can come across as cringey or unlikeable if not handled correctly, but thanks to great writing and even greater performance by He Lan Dou she is one of the most gripping characters in the show. Our sweet little lady naively signed up for this political mission, completely unaware she’s in way over her head… though it dawns on her real fast, ya’ll.

Murder Mom is tasked with teaching her. Curriculum: the art of deception, politics, and how to top men.

Watching our little princess’ slow but steady growth over the course of the show is a rewarding experience. Every inch of her progress was hard earned, too. I would have loved more of her story at the end, but we’ll get to that in the spoilers section.

Maybe this is a bit of a spoiler… but Marquis Li Tong Guang is Murder Mom’s former disciple who has an unhealthy attachment to her (understatement of the decade – he is batshit crazy about her, emphasis on crazy).

But for the first half of the show, before he meets her again, he’s just this calm and calculating upstart. A devious badass, plotting and scheming, winning battles and playing women like chess pieces. There’s a ferrety quality to him… or maybe I just saw this meme and stuck with me.

He’s deranged over his master and is absolutely shameless in throwing himself at her feet and acting the fool. Like, he is not trying to hide it. At all.

People who’ve gone insane for love are some of my favorite characters, the more fucked up and intense they are the better. So needless to say I was well fed by this young illegitimate noble and all of his petty, bratty behavior and extreme jealousy. Towards Daddy Ning, of course, but also towards the young Prince/Princess who is currently under his master’s care.

gifs by @ladynamie – link

The tantrums this boy pulls!

I’m not even sure I’d call this crazy in love. It’s more accurately described as severe PTSD or a trauma response or psychosis or something (whatever, a psychologist I am not). Let’s just say our Marquis has got ISSUES. Our boy is NOT OKAY. Unhinged, if you will.

And his femdom kink is off the charts. (Ya’ll, this show goes there. Often.)

top two pics by @numerodix – link

I cannot say enough about how this shifu-obsessed yandere elevated this otherwise amazing drama to an OMG I AM SO ON BOARD FOR THIS CRAZY MESS drama. The writer obviously reads danmei novels, am I right?

The actor tears this role to shreds and I could not take my eyes off him. Chang Hua Sen, I’ll be looking for you in other dramas.

I also really appreciated how obvious the age differences were between the characters in A Journey to Love. The teenagers (our princess, the crazy marquis, the princess of Wu, and the adopted “son” of Daddy Ning and Playboy) acted like teenagers.

Listen, it’s quite difficult to write a realistic teenager (as is evidenced by 90% of all televisions shows depicting teenagers). They are often written too cool, too well spoken, too aware, and too mature. Not the babies in this show, though. They felt so authentically young and messy.

Real teenagers have flashes of being articulate and self aware, but this is a time in your life that trial and error rules the land. You’re figuring stuff out. You’re fun and silly when you’re not morose and brooding. You’re getting things wrong all the time. You embarrass yourself a lot. You’re shifting between moods and fighting hormones all day long. You’re daring but not calculated. You can revert back to childishness when things don’t go your way. And most of all, your focus is turned more towards yourself than other people cause this is really the era of figuring yourself out… so that’s only natural.

The teenagers in this show are all learning how their actions affect other people, which is one of the biggest lessons that must be learnt to become an adult.

I’m really fighting the urge not to write a novel about this show right now. It’s just so good!

With that said, I will be the first to admit my interest slightly waned in this show once they got to Wan and the thick of the political saga kicked in. I took a nice viewing break around episode 24 and gave myself some time before going into the second half of this show. I’m glad I did, too, cause holy shit. I’m not sure if you’re aware of what the ending has in store for you but suffice to say there will be tears. War has its casualties, ya dig?

I’m a pacifist, but I love these intense depictions of heroism and patriotism in historical war dramas. It’s idealistic and delusional… but how nice is it to dream, eh? Is that not why we tell stories? To picture the world we’d rather live in?

Daddy Ning is patriotic in the extreme, always ready with an inspirational speech about the pride of the country or whatever, while simultaneously loathing the actual leaders of the world he lives in. To him the country is all the people in it and he fights so they’ll have a better life, but the vast majority of the people’s problems are directly created by the government he works for. And sometimes he seems very aware of it, but five seconds later he’s like “I would never kill the political leaders, I will die for them as will we all!” It’s an interesting feat, actually, how he can maintain these two conflicting realities in his head. Cognitive dissonance, thy name is Daddy Ning.

Murder Mom Ruyi, on the other hand, knows that unchecked patriotism is a trap but she keeps her mouth shut when the men are gushing over it. She has no problem at all slicing up a problematic political leader from any country, be it male or female. You get ’em, honey, love you for it.

A Journey to Love – Overall Rating: 9.5/10 – When Murder Machines Fall in Love

Let’s gush over details together… oh yes, I could go on (and I did!) so if you’ve already seen it and are so inclined, come with me into spoiler land…

SPOILERS BELOW!

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Lost You Forever – S1 – Chinese Crack Cocaine! I Need More! – A Review

/ Lady Divine / 2 Comments

I have literally written, deleted, re-written, deleted, edited, and finally just abandoned a full-out analysis or overview of this show because…. it’s just too good? It’s like Coffee Prince. Some shows you should just watch – and let them take over your life as only the best shows do.

Season 2, the conclusion to this show, is rumored to start airing in July…. so I wanted to drop something before then to try to inspire as many people as I could to watch Season 1 now – so we can all watch the final season together.

So here is why you should watch Lost You Forever – Season 1:

The YEARNING!

The absolute pure longing going on this show will give you heart palpitations. This show had me talking to my television, kicking my feet into the air, crying into my ice cream, sighing and screaming as I watched these romances unfold.

But other than the harem of hot guys our leading female has gathered around her and the coma inducing sizzle of pent up lust and desire between so many people… it’s just an amazing character-based drama.

Lost You Forever is about how good qualities and ideals can be warped by trauma, twisted into dark attributes instead of positive things. The four main characters are all good people with good intentions but their perception of the world and their behavior has been catastrophically shifted by extreme experiences (torture, abuse, family members trying to kill them, strangers trying to kill them, these are not fun times). Even when they are aware of their faults they are unable to overcome how trauma has rewired their brains.

In this way the antagonists of this show are the protagonists themselves. There is no villain or evil within the story that is greater than the destructive forces within our good guys. This is a show about internal battles and wars.

Because of this, the show truly stands out from the norm and shines as a deeply moving and emotionally gripping tale. More than they are failed by others, the characters fail themselves, becoming their own worst enemies. It is difficult to imagine anyone viewing this show and not seeing hints of their own destructive patterns and behaviors in the narrative. And just as we are our own biggest critics as well as our own greatest cheerleaders, you will be both frustrated and sympathetic to the characters in the show… hating them in one episode, rooting for them in the next.

Whether it is ambition, loyalty, or duty, the three men in this story are unable to grasp it without tearing themselves apart. Ambition at the cost of humanity, loyalty at the cost of love, and duty at the cost of freedom.

BACHELOR #1 – THE COUSIN

The ambitious brother/cousin of our leading female, who has been faking his personality for so long I doubt he even knows who he is without a mask… but ooo la la in those scenes where he’s fake smiling but turns around and that smile just slides off his face to reveal this ruthless, cold expression of calculating emotional void. I squealed.

Even when he’s genuinely happy it feels weird and strained, as if he’s uncomfortable with the whole concept. He’s the biggest psychopath/sociopath in the show but you probably won’t realize it very often cause he presents himself as this extremely polite, reasonable, even charming rich guy in most eps.

I really loved this creepy repressed dude, despite his creepy repressed crush on his “sister.” Honestly, it was just more fuel on the fire to my “this guy is deeply troubling and I am intrigued“ verdict. I freely admit to loving The Borgias, okay? Something may be wrong with me – I blame reading Flowers in the Attic at an impressionable age. I excuse a lot of nonsense in the fictional worlds.

BACHELOR #2 – BEAUTIFUL MALEWIFE

Tortured and abandoned, our next leading man was literally plucked out of the mud by our leading female. After she saves his life he becomes utterly devoted to her – like a dog, honestly. A beautiful, elegant dog. My goodness, this man is just beautiful.

Every time they show his hands on screen, I lose my mind a little – his fingernails are perfect oval glass. Just like the leading female, I want to brush his hair and tuck him into bed and fuss over him like the lovely flower he is.

Who’s my good boy?

gifs by zishuge – link

His shy little smile makes me crumble into a million pieces.

I would die for him.

But like I said, ain’t no one perfect in this show. And this ethereal angel baby, whose greatest asset is his undying loyalty and devotion, tears himself apart trying to serve two masters.

BACHELOR #3 – MONSTER BOY

Our third leading man isn’t even a man, he’s a monster thank you very much, and demons don’t bother with men and women, it’s just male and female (the gender politics of the demon race! I love they brought this up on two separate occasions in the show). He’s a stunningly gorgeous nine-headed serpent demon war general and he is here to use and abuse you if it serves his purpose.

While doing so, he might also offer you a shoulder to cry on or take you for a nice walk on water… but don’t be fooled, this guy is very clear as to where his priorities are. Work always comes first for our serpent baddie. And he’s very good at his job (assassin murder machine deluxe edition).

gifs by @zhouyes – link

He’s your weekend boyfriend, your vacation hook up, your sexy side dish. The guy you can be yourself with because you don’t have to worry about seeing him the next day.

gifs by @dramascene – link

Like everyone alive, I adored him from the very beginning… lounging about on tree limbs, feeding cute creatures to his gigantic bird, blackmailing our female lead to work for him after he had her whipped and literally stepped on her. Uhm… stop making violence sexy, sir.

He’s cruel, he’s confident, he’s capable. But he’s also broken and lonely and needs love, don’t you baby? I can fix you I know I can, ouch stop biting me you ridiculously handsome beastie, or don’t, you know, whatever…

gifs by tianzhens – link

Listen, I know he’s everyone’s favorite. He’s my favorite too. He’s a vampire who drinks poisons like cocktails, how can we not love him?

Only the best shows can make you want both sides of the love triangle with equal fervor, I get it, I do. But the OTP is obvious. What we want and what we need are often different things. But our leading female is smart. What she wants and what she needs are the same thing.

OUR LEADING LADY-MAN

The female lead is a “dude” for about half the show until she returns to her female identity (as things go in Xianxia shows – why are they all so freakin’ gay? I luv it). She values trust above all else but her fear of abandonment causes her to constantly test those around her, forcing them to impossible standards, never fully committing lest she be let down again. The security she demands is unreasonable, for there is no bond that can never be broken or a partner that will never fail you. Things and people are malleable and make mistakes. Relationships that last are built upon mending, refining, and forgiveness.

This actress was born to play this role. The female lead is so feisty and playful and smart. I was happy when she was happy and devastated when she was sad. I am deeply attached to her life story and need season two.

She also has magnetic chemistry with the three main leads – so it’s even harder to pick a favorite ship. She behaves differently around each of them, too, which only adds more complexity and realism to the entire show. Character development galore! It’s a smorgasbord and not only will you be well fed but they’re gonna give you enough to take home as leftovers and enjoy again later when you can’t stop thinking about them.

So that’s it for now. Just… watch it. Dissolve into the steamy pile of emotions.

Though I will warn you the first episode is jarring. The opening scenes were pure confusion and melodrama, so don’t be thrown off by it – just TRUST. It’s a lot, with murder and mayhem at funeral, crying children pledging to watch out for each other forever, random bullying, and more pledges between the two orphaned kids who are prompted separated for decades. With only ten minutes to left in the first episode, we jump to the “current time,” get a short explanation of the politics of the show, and see of our now grown royal orphans. From then on it’s smooth sailing – and I’m talking NO SKIP episodes, just excitement and humor and romance and thrills and chills and devastation. So stick with it through the bumpy first ep.

Oh, and in this show the deities, humans, and demons all live in the same world. There are three kingdoms (well, two by the end of the first episode), but they are not divided by the people and creatures that live in them. There’s no heavenly realms or demon realms in this one. As I’m new to Chinese fantasy, this threw me off for a while, so I thought I’d mention it here.

Lost You Forever S1 – Overall Rating 10+/10 – A Flawless Story About Flawed People

We’ll see how it all wraps up with the second season, but right now in my world it’s tied with Till the End of the Moon for favorite Chinese drama. I’ll be back after Season 2 for a full spoilery mess review full of pics and gifs and memes… promise.

Until then… enjoy for this funny F-M-K game with light spoilers for eps 1-13.

powerpoint by gizkasparadise – link

The Legend of Shen Li

/ Lady Divine / Leave a comment

The Legend of Shen Li is a Chinese fantasy drama with the soul of an old Hollywood Movie. Like Cassablanca, It Happened One Night, Love Affair, The Philadelphia Story, or His Girl Friday. You know, the ones that despite being in black and white the entire world metaphorically bursts into technicolor when the two leading actors lock eyes.

I loved those old movies. Cool, confident, well-dressed people slinking around each other with playful, covertly flirtatious dialogue. Strong ladies in designer dresses circling around handsome men with deadly charm.

The Legend of Shen Li is about capable, confident adults finding love in the same suave style of Old Hollywood – but transplanted into an epic historical fantasy romance with many worlds and apocalyptic fates in the balance.

Introducing our two protagonists, Shen Li and Xing Zhi (or Xing Yun, depending on your subtitles) – whom you will fall in love with as they fall in love with each other.

gifs by @movielosopy on Tumblr – link

So let’s talk about the set up to this show – cause it’s bizarre and brilliant.

Story Arc 1 – The Mortal Realm

In the beginning a demon warrior woman with a massive spear is escaping an arranged marriage to an heavenly immortal with a bad reputation. Their marriage is a proposed strategic alliance between the Demon Realm and the Immortal Realm but our warrior woman is having none of it. She’d rather die, thank you very much, and fights off an army to run away. In the fray of her escape she falls to the mortal world and transforms back to her spiritual form – a phoenix.

Except no one in the mortal world knows what a phoenix is so they just assume it’s a weird looking chicken. She is, in fact, a most adorable CGI chicken with little hearts in her feathers and as corny as that sounds, you will adore it.

Saving her from becoming someone’s dinner is a kindly ginseng farmer who takes her back to his picturesque home on the river and proceeds to tease her and cook her delicious meals. It’s clear he knows this chicken is more than meets the eye, but how he knows and what else he might know are mysteries that slowly unravel in the first few episodes.

you can click on any image to enlarge

This drama is picturesque in the extreme and you will enjoy a visual feast while this powerful war general deals with being powerless for the first time in her life, learning to let someone else take care of her and protect her from harm. She’s annoyed and frustrated and ranting – but ultimately gives in to her gentle caretaker, who delights in teasing her and pushing her buttons, amused by her outbursts and antics and obviously quite charmed by her stubborn, bullheaded personality.

gifs above from @zhanglinghez on Tumblr – link

Their roles reverse by episode three as she regains her human form and her powers slowly come back; then she is the one protecting him from local bullies and other dangers. She’s also enjoying bullying him a bit herself, but it’s obviously a giant turn on to her tall, handsome mortal guardian who is grinning like a fool every time she throws him around.

The Legend of Shen Li 与凤行 (2024) | Episode 3 – gifs by @ladynamie on Tumblr – link

Listen, this guy can play our lead female like a fiddle. He’s having the time of his life goofing around the house and wasting the days away with this recuperating warrior. He’s sickly and mortal and other than some impressive knowledge of magic, he has little to protect himself in the world… not that he seems to care. The dude is like Buddha. He’s both calm like an old man who has accepted their fate and oblivious like a child who has no concept of danger… nothing seems to worry him, he’s at peace wherever he goes… and its bizarre and Shen Li is captivated by him.

gifs by @movielosopy on Tumblr – link

Cause this super chill farmer manages to make our leading lady feel… well, like a lady. And also kinda like a little girl. Which is a novelty for her, as she is a military leader and not accustomed to men wanting to act as her shield and take long walks around the property and hold her hand and such.

It’s vacation romance all the way.

Our leading lady is relaxing for the first time in her life, just enjoying the beauty of nature and the slow movement of days, the burdens of her position and realm far, far away. No one knows who she is, no one expects anything from her… she can just melt into the tranquility of a mortal life… eat good food… and enjoy witty banter with her handsome farmer guy.

gifs by @movielosophy on Tumblr – link

The Legend of Shen Li 与凤行 (2024) | Episode 4 – stills/gifs by @ladynamie on Tumblr – link

And in this idyllic setting… with gorgeous cinematography and perfect pacing… the stage is set for these two people to fall in love.

The love stories of adults should feel different from a romance of youth. The same uncertainty, excitement, and insecurities are there but how adults respond to these things is different. But the older you get, the higher your walls are and the easier it is to just give up or walk away. Cause you’ve been alone all this time, you know it can’t hurt you, but this… this new thing… this love thing… this could tear you to pieces if you aren’t careful.

And it involves someone else, so the outcome is not all up to you. For someone who is used to being in control, this is often the scariest aspect of relationships. Cause the stronger you are alone, the harder it is to let someone else in.

And the two lovers in this story are, respectively, some of the strongest people in the known worlds.

Shen Li is the war general of the entire Demon Realm, adopted daughter of the Demon King, and a fierce and unstoppable warrior woman who is respected and feared by everyone.

And our man Xing Zhi? Oh, he’s the last remaining ancient god, the most powerful being in all the worlds, above the Immortal Realm, the Demon Realm, and the Mortal Realm, a mysterious entity who only comes out of his seclusion in the Sky Beyond Heaven occasionally when situations require it every thousand years or so. Or when he’s so bored that he wanders down to the Mortal Realm to live as a human hoping to escape the existential horrors of being an ancient immortal.

That is a mild spoiler, and I apologize if you were coming to this review blind – but the truth of both their identities are revealed very early in the show and are printed in every description of the show online so it’s not really much of a spoiler in my opinion.

The first few episodes (1-6) are the foundation of this show and of you aren’t won over during this first story arc then go ahead and drop the show – it’s just not for you. To each their own, but… seriously… you weren’t won over? What manner of creature are you?

Overall Rating: 10+/10 – A Xianxia Romantic Epic with the heart of an Old Hollywood movie.

SPOILERS BELOW – just go ahead and watch it if you haven’t – and if you have… then come along and let’s chat more about it.

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2023 – A Hit & Miss Year for Korean Dramas

/ Lady Divine / 4 Comments

There were so many shows that SHOULD have been incredible this year but just kinda let me down. But let’s not be all doom and gloom, there were definitely some stand outs and new favorites, too. If I thought it was worth watching, I’ll slap a pic with it… so if you just wanna find some recommendations it should be a quick scroll. Listed alphabetically for your convenience.

  • Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun – 9.5/10

Arthdal Chronicles went out with a bang. After waiting FOREVER for this second season, getting used to several major cast members replacements, and then trying to figure out where to actually watch this thing in the USA… I am pleased to announce it was worth all the hassle. It’s just a cool story, ya’ll. It’s epic in scope and concept, in costuming and set designs, and character development and plotline. It did not get a 10/10 because Kim Sung-cheol was my favorite character, Ipsang, in season 1 (so much so that I wrote an entire post about him) and his replacement Lee Hae Woon, though good, could not really compare. My other minor complaint was the chemistry was lacking between the ML & FL in this second installment…. who were perfect for their roles in the show but maybe not so perfect together. But otherwise, the cast replacements totally held up to the standard set by Season 1.

  • Behind Your Touch – 4/10 – I mean… it’s about a woman who accesses her psychic abilities by touching people’s butts. If they’d leaned hard into the comedy of that, it might have been great… but it tried to be a drama, a romance, and even a murder mystery. Ridiculous.
  • Black Knight (Netflix) – 5/10 – I don’t know why they bother to gather all this Korean talent if they’re just gonna churn out basic “American Style” garbage science fiction.
  • Bloodhounds (Netflix) – 6/10 – I love a good bromance but… what were they doing with Woo Do-Hwan’s character? I did not understand if he was supposed to be just… stupid… or mentally challenged… or… I dunno. He was so off putting with his weird child-like character mixed with so much physical violence.
  • Castaway Diva – 6/10 – Okay, sure I am a sucker for childhood trauma stories but mixing that topic with this super cheesy idol story was just awkward.
  • Celebrity (Netflix) – 8/10 – Trash. Glittery, devious, guilty pleasure trash.

Celebrity is a totally over the top mystery, revenge thriller that had me in its manicured clutches from the first episode until the last. I had a ball watching every episode. Don’t think about it too much, don’t pull at the delicate stitching on the designer gown or the entire plot might unravel in an instant. Just turn off your brain and enjoy the glitzy drama of bitchy girls and rich assholes. This show is the definition of guilty pleasure from beginning to end and I would recommend this for fans of trash… like Penthouse.

  • Crash Course in Romance – 8/10 – I liked this one.

Crash Course in Romance had K-drama from the 2012-2016 vibes, including all the annoying tropes that I’m not sure work as well in 2023, but it made me happy and nostalgic watching this show so I’m definitely tossing it into the recommendation pile. I’m not sure I will ever understand the competitive nature of college entry in South Korea, and I will certainly never be able to wrap my head around math… but it was cool to learn about these study schools and watch this struggling lady strive to ensure the best possible future for her teenager. The romance between the celebrity math tutor (I know, right? what a weird world) and this hardworking middle aged lady made me kick my feet in the air it was so cute and stupidly adorable. What can I say… late to love stories work for me.

  • D.P. Season 2 – 9/10 – Feel like being emotionally wrecked and sad for a few hours? This is your show. Guess they don’t have to worry about it hurting their recruitment stats as enlistment is mandatory in South Korea. This season hurt more than the first one.
  • The Deal (Korean Drama) – 6/10 – I love this type of plot, but unfortunately they did nothing to expand upon this well-worn territory. Not to mention the incredibly shallow character development of the three main guys. I felt nothing for any of them, or their problems, it had the emotional weight of a commercial. Did an AI generator write this script or what?
  • Doona! (Netflix) – 6/10 – One day I will be able to put my finger on why I hated this drama so much. Maybe I hated it more because I really wanted to like it more. That will be a reoccurring theme this year.
  • The Eighth Sense – 10/10 – Gorgeous, emotional, romantic, and concise.

The Eighth Sense was a gay romance that tackled a lot of themes – first loves, familial pressures, survivors guilt, and the various complexities of friendships. The cinematography was stunning – capturing all the flickering emotions on the two main lead’s faces. It felt like falling in love, watching this show.

  • Evillive – 7/10 – if you’re gonna queer bait us to this extent, just be queer. Especially if you can’t fix the plot up enough to be great without the ambiguous gay angle. Ultimately a let down, this had a lot of potential and the dynamics between the leads was very enjoyable to watch.
  • The Glory – 10/10 – HOLY SHEEPLE. This show, ya’ll!

The Glory wrapped up in 2023 with a deeply satisfying conclusion. I was horrified, traumatized, and totally hooked by this show. Watching a woman’s steely resolve to destroy the lives of the monstrous people who had destroyed her own life was addictive. I usually don’t like Song Hye-kyo because I don’t think she’s very good at portraying emotions – her best roles are when she’s cast as these cold, closed off ladies who don’t want to let anyone near their fortified hearts – so she worked perfectly for the lead in this show. One of the best revenge dramas I have ever seen.

  • The Good Bad Mother – 7/10 – I do not understand the hype over this show. And I adore the leading male, he’s one of my favorites. Even so… I just did not enjoy this show. I struggled to finish it.
  • Gyeongseong Creature – 6/10 – Another disaster. A shoddy patched up mess of a monster movie that really had no right being as bad as it was. The elements were there, but whoever was in the kitchen just did not know what to do to create the masterpiece that this show should have been. A-List actors came across as flat with one dimensional characters. Just… not good. Sorry, ya’ll.
  • Heartbeat (Korean Drama) – 6/10 – Vampire comedy writes itself, so I was looking forward to some giggles with a South Korean slant. But nope. The comedy is stale. The chemistry between the leads is non-existent. The story line was promising but ended up being a huge waste of my time. Deeply disappointed. Don’t bother to stake it, this one was dead on arrival.
  • The Heavenly Idol – 3/10 – I don’t even know what to say about this hot mess of a show. I am giving it a 3 because I had a blast making fun of it… so much so that it was totally worth watching. It’s like if Pureflix made a K-Drama… but with a weird mix of mythology. This is another one where if they had just leaned into the camp – it could have been a hit. Just be silly and over the top, don’t try to reign in your nonsense show with moral messages and unnecessary elements. Know what you are.
  • The Killing Vote – 9.5/10 – Preposterous. And super fun. I loved this show.

The Killing Vote had a Devil Judge vibe to it, with the same societal distrust in the justice system and a self-righteous man pretending to empower the people when really he’s got his own personal agenda. This show was a blast each week and I was won over by the young secondary couple who were swept into the madness due to their familial connections. This is what I mean when I say a show should know what it is. It won’t be for everyone, but I am particularly fond of over-the-top social justice type stories.

  • King the Land – 5/10 – The most boring, cliched story elements tossed together and yet people seemed to like this mess? Do they not realize there are literally a million better dramas about a dickish-rich guy slowly figuring out that… uh… most people have to work for a living and do shit they don’t wanna do in order to eat? And some nice, capable lady comes along and sorta-kinda helps him be a slightly better person without actually making any significant changes to his wealth, status, or company. I mean, just cause you stick two attractive people together does not mean the show has any merit. I didn’t even bother to finish this one.
  • Kokdu: Season of Deity – 6/10 – Okay, you are probably wondering how I could give this turd of a show a 6… and that’s fair. But at least it tried to go camp. It attempted to be silly and stupid and have a good time with its nonsense story. It reminded me a lot of A Korean Odyssey, actually, which was also a mess but had a good time being terrible. Unfortunately, the silliness just didn’t pan out as well with this show. The leads had no chemistry at all (just like A Korean Odyssey, actually!) and the FL did not have the comedy chops to play off the zany romance (also just like A Korean Odyssey, actually!). Kim Jung Hyun is so good at comedy, I really hope they keep casting him as these insane wacky characters – but you know, next time make sure it’s a good show first and be sure you hire one of our comedy queens to hold up the rom-com dynamics.
  • Miraculous Brothers – 8/10 – I wish I had watched this all at once – but when I started it only 11 episodes were out… and I was totally drawn into the story of stolen books, unsolved murders, and a time traveling magical boy. Then I kinda forgot about it… and when I finally finished it up, it didn’t have the same appeal anymore because I’d crammed too many other dramas in my head inbetween. I still think this drama was totally unique – and I enjoyed the odd bitter friendship between the time traveler and the book thief. It’s unique. And definitely worth watching. But learn from me – watch it all at once.
  • Moon In The Day – 8/10 ESTIMATED – I haven’t finished this one yet, but I’m enjoying the melodrama of it. I doubt my rating will go up with the end… if anything, it might go down… but I’ll collect my thoughts on this once I’ve seen the whole thing.
  • Moving (Korean Drama) – 7/10 – It started out so good, too! But this show wanted to make every character the MAIN CHARACTER – and there were just too many characters running around to pull this off. Entire episodes dedicated to one character’s plotline or backstory, leaving the other characters completely out of the mix. I could barely remember the kids by the time we came back to them. It was so frustrating. And it’s not that I didn’t like the backstories and side characters – it’s just that every writer has to chose their leads. The side characters can rock, can have amazing stories, but they should not overshadow the leads. And if you’re gonna be an ensemble story, you gotta share screen time with some consistency and “track” with everyone. What a waste.
  • My Dearest (Korean Drama) – 9/10 – And here we have Gone with the Wind, Korean-style.

My Dearest was a ride. It’s set during the Qing invasion of Joseon, so, you know, times were tough. Slavery. Hostages. Girls being shipped off to foreign lands as “tributes” and whatnot. And in all this turmoil, we have the sassy, brash lead female Gil Chae (played to perfection by Ahn Eun Jin) trying to win over the heart of a dude who’s clearly in love with someone else. Enter the suave, player Jang Hyun (again, played to perfection by Namgoong Min) who has sworn off marriage but becomes infatuated with the beautiful, spirited Gil Chae. If you’ve seen or read Gone with the Wind, then… just… imagine it. Just like Gone with the Wind, this story is more sorrow, heartbreak, and hard times than anything else – but at its core it’s a fiery romance about two strong willed people trying to figure out their feelings. Loved it.

  • My Demon – still watching… it’s kinda dumb but I’m enjoying it anyways.
  • My Lovely Liar – 7/10 – The concept was fun. I hate to say it, but I don’t think the Leading Male is much of an actor. I should have realized Hwang Minhyun is an idol. Hidden Side is a gem of a song, though! This show, however, is not very impressive. I enjoyed the concept, and I love the Leading Female, Kim So-hyun… so I watched it all… but there are so many better shows with a light supernatural twist that are far superior. If you’re just looking for something light and cute, this is a solid choice, I guess, but it’s hard to get excited about it.
  • Not Others – 9/10 – Applause to the non-traditional story line, characters, and vibe of this show.

Not Others found a way to turn a basic rom-com into an unexpected treat by shifting up the traditional starting point. Who knew a story about a grown woman happily living with her single mom would be so freakin’ good? I really loved both these gals – and their respective love interests, who were perfect compliments to their personalities. Besides the dynamics of the two women figuring out if they know how to separate their lives, there were some good mysteries and crimes to keep us excited. It was so nice to see something different.

  • Perfect Marriage Revenge – 8/10 – This is my brand of nonsense, but it also felt kinda deflated.

Perfect Marriage Revenge… what can I say… the concept was fun, the couple had great chemistry, but I just didn’t particularly like either of them. I didn’t find them interesting, charming, or unique. And if you’re gonna give me such vanilla leads, then you better make the Evil Queen larger than life… and again, it just didn’t quite reach peak evil in my opinion. Though there were moments when the dialogue was there, it just didn’t feel earned. However – the step-sister was stellar – and I thought her crazed desperation was absolutely the show stealing performance in this drama. Whenever I considered turning it off, she would show up and revive my attention with her theatrics. So, yeah… watch it for the irredeemable evil step-sister.

  • Revenant (Korean Drama) – 10/10 – Helllooooooo horror drama!

Revenant creeped me out. I have enough religious upbringing to be utterly compelled and horrified by the idea of demonic possession. Unlike your Western possession story, this one did not involve priests slinging holy water. Revenant treated us to traditional Korean mythology and folk customs. To the tantalizing and horrifying aspects of working with the dark arts to gain power. I was on the edge of my seat each week watching a young woman’s life fall apart after she inherits her estranged father’s eerie legacy (Kim Tae Ri is really one of the best actresses out there). I especially loved the non-romance in this story… as there was definitely something there between our possessed girl and the cop who was drawn to her, but also… not quite. Add to that the unusual relationship she had with the academic who was helping her and the whole thing was just a non-stop exploration of uncharted territories. If you wanna be unnerved – this is your show.

  • Song of the Bandits – 6/10 – Great actors, great sets, great costumes… and yet, I was not at all drawn into this story and basically had to force myself to finish it. And this is a short show, too. If it weren’t for Lee Ho-Jung turning me on every time she sauntered into a saloon with her blood soaked hands, I don’t think I would have bothered. But dang, girl! Why weren’t you the main character???
  • The Story Of Park’s Marriage Contract – 7/10 – It’s corny and cute. I’m still watching it but feel like this is a safe bet of a mid-show.
  • Strong Girl Nam-Soon – 4/10 – I was one of the people who asked for this. I wrote an entire review praising the first show and begging for a spin off series to show off other “strong women” with the family genes. Listen, you gotta be careful what you wish for. This is like one of those old parables where the devil starts cackling immediately after you sign away your soul and says “You forgot to say you wanted the spin off series to be worth watching!” And I just stand there, defeated, knowing that’s true. At least we got sexy reels of the bad guy all over our socials. Silver lining, eh?
  • Sweet Home 2 – 7/10 – To say I was disappointed in Season 2 is the understatement of the year. This season felt so disjointed – whose story was this? I’ve rewatched Season 1 about a half dozen times over the past two years, and it remains a stand out in K-Dramas as well as proof that Netflix can help fund some truly wild and creative projects. This season, however, will probably just remain the necessary bridge between Season 1 and Season 3. What can I say, I still have hopes they can salvage this mess for the finale… save us, Lee Do-hyun!
  • Taxi Driver 2 – 5/10 – We did not need a Taxi Driver Season 2. I know most of ya’ll wanted it, but it was absolutely unnecessary. This season was repetitive, boring, and uninspired. Though I will give it snaps for introducing me to that amazing Dragon Bridge that goes over the River Hàn at Da Nang, Vietnam. Did ya’ll know that thing actually breathes fire??? It also spits out a fountain of water, too, depending on the holiday. Seriously – type in Dragon Bridge Vietnam in a search engine. It’s far more interesting than anything that happened in this lame season.
  • Twinkling Watermelon – 8/10 – You know when you drink a slushie too fast and get brain freeze? But you keep drinking it anyways cause it’s delicious?

Twinkling Watermelon was a surprise hit for me. Okay, hear me out here (no pun intended). There is a cuteness saturation point and I think this drama definitely was soaking in the sugar-sweetness tooo toooo toooooo long. But maybe it’s because I listen to so much K-Pop that I did not mind this sickeningly sweet teen drama about a time traveling boy who jumps back in time and befriends his own father – and tries to set him up with his future mom. Sometimes you just want to jam out to STAYC, okay? There’s no shame in loving adorable and super-sweet-cutesy things, including this show. Everyone was absolutely lovable and charming in this drama, but it’s the two male leads that will steal your heart. Their cute friendship with the unusual dynamics of being secretly father/son was the colorful icing on the cake.

  • Vigilante (Korean Drama) – 7/10 – This was on the border of being a hit. It was so close! It had such potential! It had all the the ingredients, too. Anger at the failure of the justice system. A burning need for revenge. Masterful secret plans to root out evil above (or below) the law. Great actors. But it didn’t quite congeal, ya dig? I think this one needed to bake a little bit longer. It was still gooey in the center. Give the writers time to iron out the kinks, please. Maybe add a few more episodes if you need to and if that’s not possible then cut out some of the plot points so it works better.
  • The Worst Of Evil – 7/10 – This is another show that needed a little more work in the writer’s room. This is a story about a married couple, both police officers, except the wife keeps getting promoted but the hubbie is struggling to move up in the field. He takes on an undercover assignment to infiltrate a local gang and becomes friends with the leader only to discover his new bestie is still harboring a crush on his first love… who just happens to be the cop’s wife. I mean, WUT!? I love this more than words!!! I wanted 2 things from this show: MORE of that delicious complicated love triangle with MORE drama, emotions, and insane consequences cause… that’s the most over-dramatic ridiculous melodrama recipe ever! And I wanted MORE of the friendship/bromance between the cop and the gangster. They should have made this show longer so we could have those two things more – and this could have been the 10/10 show of the year. The Worst of Evil brought us SUPER WOOK back, for God’s sake – Ji Chang-wook is too good at action not to be making more of these types of shows. And we got to see Wi Ha-joon kiss a woman? Finally! But since they didn’t play up the love triangle it felt kinda awkward and strange. Sigh. What a disappointment. If you’re a fan of gangster shows, though, I would still recommend this one.