I got to know about this drama through feeds and was immediately interested. Initially, I thought it would lean more towards mystery because "mystery tag" is supposedly the first one, but I was pleasantly surprised by its heartwarming and simplistic tone more like an slice of life.

The story revolves around a mother who had a teen pregnancy in high school, navigating through various struggles and sacrifices as she raised her daughter. The highlight of this show is Mother- Daughter dynamic. Considering their age gap their relationship felt so real, almost like sisters, with its mix of love and conflict.

PROS

There were moments when I found the mother's actions to be selfish, but I could empathize with her desire to live life on her own wishes. I was drawn to her extroverted and energetic personality, personally whole time I felt she should have been a cop instead of FL because she is so much involved in the cases than the FL was LOL.

I also found it good to see that female lead wasn't a brat, like she was one of the genuine and considerate characters in the drama.

I appreciate that the mystery aspect wasn't excessively prolonged. While it was a part of the storyline, it wasn't the main focus, making it an easy and enjoyable watch.

CONS

The romantic storyline involving the mother dominated much of the screen time, I eventually found myself growing bored of it.

It would have been great if both male leads had received more screen time to delve into their backstories. I was particularly interested in learning more about their lives, and it felt like there were missing pieces that prevented us from fully understanding them. Getting to know them better would have added depth to the story and made their characters more compelling.

Nevertheless, the drama offered a nuanced portrayal of familial dynamics and personal growth of characters that kept me engaged throughout.


Thank you for reading my review ^^

Read More

NEED A LOT OF UNDERSTANDING

This drama requires a lot of understanding, which isn't everyone's cup of tea. Throughout the series, you'll see people experiencing various problems in their lives. This drama shows how people heal themselves and face their issues. Mental illness is a topic that many avoid discussing because society tends to judge those who open up about it. However, this drama, just from its title, tells us that it's okay to not be okay.

In everyone's life, there are moments when you need someone's support, and that's perfectly normal. Humans are not always strong, and it's okay to ask for help to overcome your fears.

1. The animations and illustrations in the first episodes, as well as throughout the series, are praiseworthy. Both the screenwriter and director have done a great job, I must say.
2. The romance between the leads was perfectly balanced.
3. The acting skills of each and every actor were amazing; the drama felt real because of them.
4. Oh Jung Se's acting as Sang Tae was incredible; no one could have played the role of Sang Tae so well.
5. Moon Young and Gang Tae suffer a lot due to their past, yet they didn't leave each other even when faced with numerous problems. This teaches us not to abandon someone when they're suffering.
6. The mystery they maintain throughout the series keeps you excited for the next episode.
7. This drama's ratings were not fairly given by AGB Nielsen. I hope you don't judge it based on that. It's not a typical family drama; it requires a lot more understanding.
8. The plot was beautifully presented by the director.
9. Every episode has a story that is too intense to grasp easily.
10. Seo Yea Ji impresses with her portrayal of the cold-hearted Moon Young. Despite her selfish, arrogant, and rude behavior, she desires emotional connections with Gang Tae and Sang Tae. Moon Young's terrible past shaped her into a cold-hearted individual, but deep down, she is warm-hearted and acts cold to stay strong.
11. Kim Soo Hyun's character, Gang Tae, tries to discover himself throughout the series. He is burdened with the responsibility of taking care of his brother. Despite being called a coward by Moon Young, he still tries to protect his loved ones.
12. There is also mystery in this, didn't add much contribution to over-all narrative but still wasn't that boring.

While the pacing of this drama may be slow, its beauty shines through. It's a must-watch, truly praiseworthy. I hope you find it enjoyable. ~END~

Read More

Cute kinda cheesy xD

Honestly i didn't have anyone idea about the drama when i started watching neither read anyone's review just saw the trailer and next moment started watching it and i really don't regret it>.< i wanted a break from crime and all other genre related to it and wanted a heartwarming and cute drama and i got it at right moment which could make laugh and surprisingly give small cute moments after every another scene .They made so cute moments sometimes that my heart flutter many times .This was my first cdrama which i willingly don't wanted to end:(
When i started watching it i really didn't have any sort of those questions like should i watch it or not after watching first 2 episode because i have never judge a drama based on first two episode but after 3 episode the story went really great till the end yaaa it was cheesy but a good one.
Talking about the actors Darren Chen really improved his acting like i don't he was the same person from meteor garden all the jealously scene felt so cute i am his fan after watching this drama. sebrina( Sang Tian) she was cute in the drama and without knowing many times she was fooled by Darren(Wen Bing) saying Ti AMO without knowing what it actually does mean was literally the most adorable moment in the drama.
Talking about Drama the story was quite well executed they were some too cheesy moments but compared to the leads chemistry i really didn't put much attention on it.
It's a easy watch give a shot
~END~

Read More

Why regret when we can get a second chance:)

Parent's sacrifice, their screts and them helping you without your knowledge. This is all about the drama is.

Parents love their children undoubtedly,but not all can express their love. There are times when years after we regret some of our choices, but don't realise that the moment we made those decisions we were happy about them.

The story about the will surely make you tear up just like me. It seemed like comedy drama until it wasn't one.

The actors did really great job portraying their characters.

I also enjoyed the OST of this, it was damn amazing HAHA.

I won't re-watch it coz it's a really sad drama, which I totally didn't expect, and I don't wanna cry twice haha.

END~

Read More

Endless suffering like a river;)

Cry me a sad river, flowing through the heart of a teenager, endless in its pain, sorrow, suffering, and agony. The river runs deep within, its currents heavy with the burdens of youth.

Ren Min's portrayal of Yi Yao was absolutely phenomenal! Her facial expressions had such a depth and emotion that I was truly impressed.

Qi Ming is the most uncalled character, bro was pretty much a jerk, in the name of her childhood bestie.

Gu Sen Xi was my favourite character, he was an wholesome support to Yi Yao; I liked his character, their bonding and story line altogether.

❌ The backstory related to the main message of the movie was brushed off in flashbacks which made it extremely disappointing and confusing as I couldn't emotionally connect to the suffering of the character.

❌ Inconsistency and no proper closure to certain story lines.

Overall, I did enjoy the movie, but I wished everything wasn't so fast forwarded and was more detailed. Still worth a shot!

7.7/10

Read More

Here's a line of famous Hindi Song "अभी ना जाओ छोड़ कर, के दिल अभी, भरा नहीं "
Translate: " Please don’t leave yet, my heart isn’t satiated yet"

There were moments when dreams lingered unfulfilled or loved ones weren't prepared for the final farewell or they simply just wanted more time.

This drama can be perfectly described by those song lines. "May I Help You," or more fittingly, "May I try to help you fulfill your one last wish."

Is this episodic? I wouldn't say so exactly, because the stories continue into the next episodes, but there are plenty of stories covered throughout.

It's a very heavy watch. It's more like a slice of life, and you have to appreciate the essence of its pacing to grasp the emotions of each "death story." I have to say, I sobbed during many of the stories—it was definitely a cryfest for me.

So where did it go wrong for me?

❌ SFL entered randomly and exited just as randomly.
❌ They used many characters as "plot devices" after giving them so much story and character, only to ruin it by the end of the show.
❌ Some stories lacked depth or were simply too short.
❌ The history between the ML and SFL made the ML's character pretty inconsistent, given that he was very good at communicating.

✅ The leads were very good at communicating, their relationship was less heart fluttering but more mature.
✅ 80% of the death stories were so beautifully written, and I loved their execution.
✅I loved almost all the supporting characters, 1-2 were partially annoying but it's fine?

Hyeri is a convincing crier; it's not just about her emotions and tears, but also the way her voice changes when she cries.

Jun Young, the man you are, his characters are always so radiant and interesting to watch, imma keep eye on your upcoming projects ?

Over-all, there were some noticable inconsistencies and some plot lines were extremely unnecessary but I still liked the show and it's worth a shot✨

Thank you for reading my review ?✨

Read More

Unnecessarily long and boring;/

This had no reason to be this long and unnecessary.

So, let's say something good about this drama
.
.
steamy kisses
Gege's abs.

The plot was lowkey trash—unnecessary, boring, dumb, and utterly uninteresting .

Our supposed "villain" is more of a clown. Everyone keeps saying, "Oh, he'll do this, he'll do that," but his plans? Absolute garbage, with a success rate of 0.001%. Scary, right? Yeah, no.

And then there's the FL who sexually harasses the ML without getting called out even once. Flip the genders, and ML would be in jail ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

FL isn't just naive; she's pure dumb. She lives in a black-and-white world. Even a kindergartener could make better choices. She invites unnecessary drama to herself ⁠°⁠_⁠o

Our ML? Just a simp for FL and nothing more. But oh, when he removes his shirt... hehe. They should've explored his character and backstory more instead of wasting time on nonsense.

I watched this whole mess at 2x speed and still fast-forwarded through most of it. Dumb decisions, poor story development, and unnecessary drama!

4.4/10

Thank you for reading my review ^^

Read More

Love to hate relationship

This is a show, I can say I have a "hate-love relationship", hate and trash the characters but love the story?

The characters have lowkey trash mindset on certain topics, but that's precisely what sets this show apart—they're raw and real, unlike the typical sugar-coated leads.

This reminds me of lakorns, except without the constant screaming ? The show is wild, prejudiced, biased, sexist, misogynistic, and what not, but it does provide a somewhat realistic portrayal of human behavior. Specifically, it acknowledges that people with such attitudes exist, both among men and women.

My favorite part was FL's character; she was independent, hardworking, and had a great deal of self-respect for herself. Although I didn't always agree with ML's opinions, he still had endearing qualities, and I appreciated his character growth by the end of the show.

This is the NOT a type of show where you hear comments like "Oh, ML is such a nice person," or "He does so much for her," or "I want someone like him." Instead, it's about learning how people typically behave in the real world and not glorifying or romanticizing it, but rather calling it out for what it is.

Overall, one should watch it for the plot not characters because I was amazed by how non-cliché it was; it unfolded in ways I never expected. The characters do have problematic mindsets, but as I mentioned, it's reflective of how many people are out there. And the ending was satisfying!

Thank you for reading my review^^
END

Read More

Promising start, boring second half

✅Impressive start, the premise was promising, like a demon in contract marriage + losses his powers. I was intrigued how they'll develop the story, and had me hooked till Ep8.

✅ Song Kang being a hot oppa and showing his abs and couple having beautiful visuals.

❌ My boy is a demon, who has lived on this planet for hundreds of years, but he still has no clue about anything and acts like a pathetic lover boy ;/

❌The plot is lackluster with no interesting developments or engaging storyline in the second half of the show. It's extremely predictable.

❌Too much talk, not enough action. For a fantasy drama, I wanted more magic, but it was disappointing that they didn’t use it to its full potential. Unsatisfactory feeling.

❌ There was way too much focus on side stories. They weren't bad, but they were clearly just filler to stretch the show to 16 episodes. It could've easily been wrapped up in 12.

❌I wish the old lady was more involved in the story, her character was interesting and I thought she'll play out a huge part in the story but she didn't ? hmmmmm

And don't even get me started on the FL, girly your husband is a demon, what do you expect him to be???? A angel??? ??

Overall, I felt this was a mix version of SWDBS and The globin lmaooo with lazyy writing, it had so much potential but route was too cliche and ended up becoming too predictable for my taste?

5.2/10

Read More

Illness as the redemption arc

"Love Next Door" follows the story of two best friends, Seok Ryu and Seung Ho, who grew up together. However, as life became busier, they gradually distanced. Their paths cross again when Seok Ryu returns to the country, rekindling their connection.

My review is kind of a reality check because Oppa couldn't distract me this time xD

How illness was magical bandage to all the problems:

1. Yeon Du gets a fever and collapses, and suddenly Dan Ho realises his mistake and responsibilities.

2. Poor Seok Ryu has to go through cancer just for her family to finally notice her and have their big emotional redemption arc. It’s as if a regular sickness wouldn’t have been tragic enough to get them to care. It had to be something huge.


3. The younger brother gets priority treatment because he was sick as a kid, and that status never seems to expire. It's not wrong but neglecting the other kid ain't fair either.


4. Then there’s the ML’s mom, whose short-term memory loss from stress is what finally forces them to have a real conversation about marriage. Because talking it out normally? was difficult for the writers:D


5. And, of course, the ML has to get injured at work for the FL SAY OUT LOUD her true feelings.


It’s funny how illness and injury are like the secret sauce to fix everything in this drama.

Things that consistently pissed me off?

1. Her mother. There's a fine line between suggesting a career path and straight-up forcing someone to return to a place they've repeatedly said, in language clear enough for even a toddler to get, they don't want to go back to. But no, she just had to be so persistently annoying about it, like her hearing was selectively off every time Seok Ryu said, "No thanks."

And as if that wasn’t bad enough, we get one episode—one—where she magically redeems herself, only to snap right back to her old ways immediately after. Classic. She continues treating Seok Ryu like she's a clueless 18-year-old, completely ignoring the fact that her daughter has probably figured out a thing or two about life by now. But nah, in mom’s eyes, she's still too young to know anything worth listening to.

The father was the only sane person in her family, but overly dramatic but I guess it was needed for his character.

2. Okay So I love Jung Hae In but his character, UHMMM, I'm not really a fan.

The first incident, when he was walking behind her and she started running because she thought she was being followed by a stranger—why was his response, "You should've looked back"? BROTHER, YOU COULD'VE SAID IT'S YOU OR CALLED HER NAME! What's with the victim blaming? ?

Then, when Seok Ryu was sick, she tried to reach out to him sooo many times. Forget friendship, it was basic human decency to pick up at least once. Like, they've known each other for at least 10 years—what kind of dickhead behavior is that? I'm sorry, but if you were her friend, you would've put aside your feelings and at least reached out to her once. I SAID WHAT I SAID. They weren't even on bad terms! She has a boyfriend; I will never understand this kind of ghosting. It's not like she was even aware of his feelings, wtf. FELT SOO IMMATURE and then he hits you with a "I should've reached out to you sooner" shit smh.

3. Seok Ryu's ex coming back was the worst and most saddening thing for me. Like, what was even the point of him? I honestly felt bad for the guy. He wasn’t wrong to feel what he felt and to be in that depression mode—he was taking care of everything alone. Her family had no idea, but he was there, and it’s sooo pathetic how at the start it almost leaned toward him cheating on her. Messed up. And then Seok Ryu keeps him around without giving him a proper rejection or any real confrontation.

Things I liked

1. Seok Ryu sucked at being honest about her feelings and emotions, which is sooo relatable as the older sibling. I literally cried for her :( I liked how she finally found her dream.

2. Mo Eum? She’s soooo straightforward and easily the vibey person throughout the whole show—I loved her! Her bond with Yeon Du, I lovedd it so much.

3. One of the things I also liked was the ladies' group. That was one wholesome friendship, and all the ladies were so cutesy.


Honestly, the last few episodes were a bit of a dud. Nothing really happens! And that unnecessary fight between the aunties? Like, WHY was that even a thing:d

Overall, nothing stood out to me. Sure, the corporate culture and work-life stress were highlights, but beyond that... meh. The leads are cute, but that's about it.

Thank you for reading my review:D

Read More

Sweet and Youth Romance Mini drama!

It took me 5 hours to complete a 4-minute drama with 25 episodes ?. They could've just made this into a movie instead of a mini-drama; it would have been more convenient to watch.

This was a cute teen and youth romance, with many likable tropes and a short and sweet storyline. I enjoyed their bond, especially the occasional bickering! Also I'd suggest turning off your brain in the time travel aspect, it was beyond my comprehensive skills too(⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

I liked the FL; she was cute and a little noisy, but she wasn't annoying or childish. The actress did a pretty good job!

I wish Gege smiled a bit more and expressed his reactions more expressively. Still, he's not bad compared to other stone-faced MLs; he can definitely improve!

The storyline was pretty good considering it was a mini-drama. So if you're looking for short and sweet drama give it a shot!

7.1/10
Thank you for reading my review ^^

Read More

I started for the cells, and I stayed for the cells.

Continuation for season 1, Yumi's Cells 2 continues to focus on dating, thought process and life of character Yumi.

If you take out these cute lil munchkins, the cells, the plot is prettyyyy bland in my opinion because it's SO real. The story might not be, so interesting or engaging; but the cells are the saving grace., like the plot is a 7-8 but the CELLS ARE A 10!! The story is centered around one character, her life, so yes, life isn't that much of an adventure, so this drama is like a melo-romance drama, often slow paced with no major events at times.

Yumi isn't 100% correct in her shoes. She's tangled up her love life, mixing her past and present, it wasn't intentional but it's neither fair to your current partner. This girl seriously needs a long break from relationships to focus on herself.

What I love about Yumi's Cells is that Yumi never compromises on her beliefs and emotions. The portrayal of her feelings is extremely on point and relatable that it pokes a hole in my heart, and now I have to rethink my dating principles. I love the message and deeper symbolism of certain things. I won't get deep into it because I might spoil it, but it definitely brings a smile to your face, like it did to me. Though I did feel it was draggy towards the end a bit.

I picked this up after two years and binged it in a day. Why did I put it on hold? I'm scratching my head for the answer too. That's not the worst thing though; the worst thing is that I can't get any more of the cell anymore.

Overall, it's 80% focused on romance, and sure, it might get boring at times. But let's be real: relationships aren't all rainbows and butterflies. This show actually portrays that pretty well. And here's a piece of advice: stop obsessing over who Yumi should end up with and start rooting for Yumi as a person. Focus on her character, career, and personal growth. After all, it's called "Yumi's Cell" for a reason.

With this show, it's either you love the animations or hate them, but personally, I loved them!

8.6/10

p.s: cells you will be missed ?

THANK YOU FOR READING MY REVIEW!!
END

Read More

Bonds beyond blood relation.

Nobody tells a kid how to deal with death. While they are still wrapping their heads around the situation, they hardly grasp the emotions and impact of losing someone close to them.

It wacks your soul, where you see a meaningful and heart warming bond between people who aren't related by blood. The movie evolves around deaths, so can be disturbing and an uneasy watch at times.

It's a rare sight to see ML's job being of funeral service so it adds a unique touch to the story and also how it was inculcate in the movie.

I loved the dynamic between San Mei & Xiao Wen, which was the main highlight?✋?So many moments between them which had me sobbing, I've to say!

The story was heartwarming, and made me sob a bit as well. And the end was wrapped, very well too ♡

Read More

Somewhere between suffering and healing

Planning to watch this is like signing up for 10 Eps of misery, sadness and depression willingly ?

This was a heavy watch. It constantly revolved around thoughts of death, sickness and sufferings. Each character was miserable in their own life, it was gut wrenching to watch at times.

I felt so many emotions like grief, pain, forgiveness, unrequited love, hopelessness and healing.

✅ I really like the acting of all the characters, especially Zhang Zhe Kai, I really felt that man was sick, the tiredness and pain in his eyes conveyed his suffering so well.

✅ I personally was invested in all the stories, the main and side. It shattered my heart to bits each time.

❌ The story LIKE it was sad but I didn't get the whole point of the MAIN storyline, the writer kept introducing surprising twists but when you step back and look at the big picture its pretty dumb and unnecessary. It's like writer is trying to throw all possible complications to make the story more miserable forcefully ?

This was a major drawback, which absolutely, made no sense to me at least;)

Anyways, the side stories were engaging as well, so I didn't mind, the music was sad (just like the drama)

By the end of the show, I had an extremely uneasy and anxious feeling and felt low for two whole days, no joke. The colour grading of the drama is very gloomy and on the darker side which makes it even more depressing.

So, overall if you wanna make yourself CRY, go watch it☺️

Read More