Rainha das Lágrimas (2024)

Horrible show unless you love to be angry all the time.

Before i give my two cents i want to say that i watched up to episode six and then skipped big chunks up to the last episode since it was just horrible to watch all those evil people.

This is one of those shows where i loose hope in Humanity.

i find the characters very unlikable even the male lead. While i think the acting wasn't to bad but ultimately it wasn't believable for me. I am very aware that there many people who love these kind of shows and i can tolerate it to a degree but not in this Drama.

I think the drama has a high production value and capable cast but the story and characters are just so bad that i would never recommend it to somebody unless you're into shows with horrible people and want your blood to be boiled.

Leia Mais

OVERLY HYPE

I was excited for this drama for long time because I am a fan of the Main Leads.
And the first Trailers also seem intriguing.

Cinematography is just okay imo - it's beautiful but I do not think it fits well for this kind of drama.

Plot is just so-so it started interesting but honestly speaking, I was disappointed. It was really tough for me to finish each episode without getting bored. And then it became overly convoluted! Too many things happening, too many unnecessary and additional stories.
It would've been better if they focused on the relationship between the main characters because honestly speaking it just doesn't make sense.
They fell in love and then eventually their marriage didn't work, ML started hating FL. He was even happy to hear that she is dying but then suddenly he cannot live without her anymore?
I wish the writers focused more on their relationship instead of mini backslash. Give us a proper explanation on HOW their relationship turned sour.

And honestly speaking, FL isn't likable as well. Almost every character is unlikable in this series. And just like most kdrama - the emotional negligence of parents are just brushed off in the end. They said sorry and it's forgiven and forgotten

Leia Mais

Just my opinion...

Apparently, I watched a different show than everyone else. I'll put the sadly necessary disclaimer - this is my own personal opinion, so don't come after me.

For me, the show had a lot of style, and not much substance. Beautifully filmed and beautifully dressed beautiful people, so much of the time I felt like I was a spectator watching a fashion show runway catwalk. Lots of walking from here to there, "look at what I'm wearing now", models with no expression.

I just didn't like anyone in this show. For me, there has to be something likeable about someone to make me care about what happens to them. Both the ML and the FL had personality issues. FL in particular was unlikeable, she was such a cold person. Kim Ji Won tends to play the same type of character, and her lack of facial expressions just doesn't endear her to me. The ML's reaction when he found out she was sick was just wrong. And the sequence, with the overabundance of flashbacks, was out of synch and made it hard for me to like them. I didn't believe in their story and was never able to feel their love for one another, even at the end.

And can we talk about tropes? In this drama, the tropes were piled high, one after another. When they got to the amnesia part, I laughed out loud - my trope bingo card was complete!

Should you watch it? Don't go by me, because apparently, I'm an outlier. Give it a try and come to your own conclusion.

Leia Mais

With Great Potential Comes Great Expectations

At first, everyone's so excited, Queen of Tears will be Kim Soo Hyun's RomCom comeback and he'll be paired with non other than Kim Ji Won. I know this drama will be so hyped. Once the trailers were released, it's full of funny clips and I thought this will be your typical RomCom, Park Ji Eun style. But once I started watching, I realized trailers were very misleading. This show made me cry every episode. Every episode, I felt the grief and regret of each and every character. And towards the end, I felt the unconditional love that every character has for their loved ones.

Baek Hyun Woo and Hong Hae In are two flawed characters. I like that the protagonists are that way since they portray a very realistic type of relationship between two people. It is very real that a relationship can easily fall apart between married couples, specially if there is lack of communication and understanding. Despite this, the love story between this couple works and I just can't get enough of this two. Hae In, her love for Hyun Woo, the guy who mattered the most to her, she will live or die depending on Hyun Woo. She's a very cold person because of her upbringing, but when it comes to her husband, she just melts like ice. Same as Hyun woo, he may have develop hate towards Hae In after 3 years of marriage, but once he realized that he really do love her. He always save her and her family despite their mistreatment of him.

One thing about this drama, it is a mixture of so many genres. Romance, Drama, Comedy then there's Family drama, Suspense, Revenge, Mystery. At first, I think the story sustained to be interesting and was really well-written because of its character-driven plots. However, once the story turned to a plot-driven one, (HyunWoo gets arrested, Hae In' amnesia, Hyun Woo almost dying and was still able to save Hae In) it became over the top that I think it detached from its roots which has real characters.

All in all, I still recommend this drama. This made me realize how great of an actor Kim Soo Hyun is. He was able to delineate Baek Hyun Woo from the other characters he portrayed. Also, I saw Kim Ji Won on a different type of drama again. She really became the Queen of Hyun Woo's tears. Haha. The show started very refreshing and I understood the hype but once the story goes to the climax, it just became very over the top. I hope the story just remained real and believable.

Also, what a very beautiful ending and awesome soundtrack. ;)

Leia Mais

Mix of Genres With Stellar Cast

I rarely write reviews, but maybe this is the TV series that might get me back to writing them on a regular basis! Hooray, I guess.
 
The premise of the story is very straightforward: we have an established married couple who goes through a crisis, which is very realistic, as nowadays, the percentage of divorced couples is skyrocketing in multiple countries, and with South Korea being one of them, I guessed that they tried to create a series that would give the South Korean audience hope in marriage once again. Did they succeed? We’re going to see that a few years later! Some statistics take some time, folks.
 
Let’s talk about my enjoyment of this series as a big fan of the cast.
 
The acting is marvelous and stunning, and no one can take this opinion away from me—not even the storyline. Going into this series, I knew beforehand that I was in for an acting treat and basically a masterclass, which I was not wrong about. I cannot name all the cast names, but imagine the list being very long. While some are praising mostly male and female leads, I am praising everyone—even the side characters—because even those side characters were played by well-known and talented actors. This is why I just have to give them all 10 out of 10!
 
Now, let’s move onto the music department, which... didn't overwhelm me, but this once again wasn’t shocking to me, as I am very picky with music. I like a lot of genres, but I cherry pick from each, so to have an OST  impress me, it takes a lot! I can literally name the OSTs that truly hypnotized me and are webbed in my memory. Sadly, this TV series simply didn’t have a single OST or BGM that made me shiver, cry, or just directly search for it on music platforms to listen to the full version. This is the reason why I am giving the music department 4.5 points, which isn’t terrible, but quite...below average, let’s say. It’s not that I hated it, but did it make me interested? Far from it.
 
Production value and visual FX—what can I say? Perfect! Yeah, it was an expensive series, and they showed this with various things, not just a stellar cast. I really don’t have a single complaint about the production value, because it was truly breathtaking. The shots were amazing, the locations were wonderful, and they made me feel calm and cozy. The costumes were also amazingly fitted and complimented the figures of all the cast members. A special thanks to the costume designer of our favorite auntie.
 
Now, let’s get to the backbone of the whole series—the plot! Yeah, we have reached the weakest link of this whole series, and it is truly sad because I have been waiting for years for another amazing TV series, not only from Su Hyeon’s side but from Ji Won’s side as well. Both their previous projects didn’t interest me much, so I had high hopes. Me being into more mature romances and overall melodrama vibes kind of made my expectations skyrocket even more. In the end, I was not satisfied.
 
Let me emphasize that the premise served me well and truly fed the melodramatic me, but the execution was the part where the series failed. The long format of the episodes was truly painful, as everything looked like filler, and I swear if you skipped some of the episodes and started in later, you wouldn’t miss a lot. I do think the plot was underdeveloped and lacking in many aspects. Some characters—the main couple—weren't written thoroughly, and for my taste, they were bland, and I honestly found myself not rooting for them at all. I get it; the premise is a marriage crisis and getting back together, but the writer has written mostly about the female lead as a very dislikable person, and I get it—she was born into a rich family, so she didn’t know that her manners were sometimes very... wrong. Still, I felt that the differences between the couple were way too big to overcome in real life, and since the series tried to portray a realistic relationship, I do think they failed. They were way too different, and even though couples can overcome differences and be happy, I felt that what they have isn’t anything too deep, and the love from both came out of nowhere. Other than that, the male lead truly tried to work the marriage out, but the female lead was very rejective of his attempts, and seeing the cycle repeat was very tiring.
 
In terms of the dramatic plot, I have to disagree with others who say that it reminded them of older TV series. I was there, and they were far more dramatic, I would say, and more tropey, while this had only like two prominent tropes: the second male lead being intrusive and loco, and the upgraded version of White Truck of Doom. I do not consider female lead being rich as a trope, sorry. I can vividly say and name the tropes in order with older series, and this series didn’t follow them at all, so I personally didn’t feel as if I was watching an older series.
 
Overall, I think the series would stand out more to me if it had shorter episodes and maybe even fewer episodes, and most importantly, a set genre. As I said, going into this, I expected melodrama, but in the end, it was a mix of melodrama and comedy, which ruined it even more for me. They dealt with serious topics (which I praise them for), but they set them in very bad times, I think? Like, writer, please decide if it’s going to be a comedy or a melodrama. Some say that because of the heavy topics, it was a melodrama, but I have to disagree. For me, it had very little melodrama vibes, even with the serious topics, and I hated that. I think if they strictly kept it as a melodrama and shot it with the same vibes as well, I would have enjoyed it far more.

Leia Mais

Nosediving into the horrible

Episode 1-12 9/10
Episode 13-16 1/10

This took such a nosedive after episode 12. I cried myself through most of the show, but by the end the only crying I did was from crying laughing because of how bad it was.

The plot is all over the place, plot threads are abandoned and Mr. Cartoon Villain keeps showing up to ruin any semblance of good storytelling.

And when you think you have finally finished his part of the story, nope, there he is again overstaying his welcome and to become a villain befitting of a bad episode of Supernatural.

The amazing main leads are the only ones holding this thing remotely together. And I will definitely try and check out more things with them. But I had similar issues with Crash Landing on You, so probably avoiding this writer

Leia Mais

Cliche Plot with a Heartwarming Touch

Many compared this with CLOY - since both are from the same writer, some of the scenes are somewhat similar, but to compare, I think this is far behind. The starting of CLOY is already unique on its own, esp building a comedy on the North Korea's settings, whereas QOT is purely a story of a married couple - it's less fun but more realistic.

Cliche plot to expect - terminal illness, loss of memory, accident, gun shot - you name it. TBH the ending of the second last episode made me suck back all my tears and started rolling my eyes. Like, really?

But I gotta say, I do like the parts that make me cry - it gives a strong emotional touch on kinship and love, some of the lines hit you hard and made you look back in life, and also emphasize the meaning of life. [SPOILER] One very special scene that you might not find it in other dramas - the interpretation of FL's death at the end, it's really sorrow yet beautiful :')

Overall - watch this if you are finding a drama to cry on. I wouldn't say it's the most special one, I think the writer and casting itself gave this drama a huge "fame boost". I mean, how can you not fall in love with Kim Soo Hyun again? His crying scene is 10/10 - as always.

Leia Mais

Hearts Rekindled

This is an exciting entry in Netflix's deep collection of Korean romantic comedies! Many typical storylines are reversed here, however. The rich, ruthless protagonist is female; the show starts with a seemingly happily-ever-after wedding; and it is the male lead who must demonstrate his dedication to the family.

At its core, it's a story about navigating the delicate terrain of a relationship in turmoil and rediscovering love. Despite the conflicts, there is an underlying optimism, hope of reconciliation, understanding, and healing. The angst is punctuated by comedy and humor. There are hidden gems and delightful cameo appearances. Themes include gender roles, social expectations, and family. The actors are beautiful, and so are the cinematography, wardrobe, and shooting locations.

The writer is Park Ji Eun, the creator of Crash Landing on You. She specializes in powerful yet feminine characters. This is her third Queen of ... series. No doubt Kim Soo Hyun is masterful in roles alongside strong-willed counterparts, as he did in It's Okay to Not Be Okay. Kim Ji Won excels at portraying the somewhat stoic and mysterious but troubled female lead, as she did in My Liberation Notes. Enjoy this skillfully acted, therapeutic, and playful story!

Leia Mais

wasted potential; crashed and burned with the same old lame tropes and plot holes

Let me preface this by saying that I'm not usually one to watch romcoms, but the premise drew me in. The first few eps were hilarious too so I decided to give it a shot. Alas! it was downhill from there. Like many other reviews here mentioned, the premise is interesting and refreshing. A genderbent version of the typical "cold rich CEO" and "long suffering wife" trope seemed intriguing to me, and it was until the villains were revealed.

The villains' (Moh Seul Hee, Eun Sung, Grace (??) and Da Hye) plans and machinations were portrayed so confusingly and nonsensically I had to turn my brain off in order to understand how they were intending to takeover the company. After the villains were revealed, the IQ levels of the Hong family immediately dropped several notches and they were bested. Does this even make logical sense?? This is a 3rd generation chaebol family and yet they were behaving like idiots. This does not fit the supposed backstory of Chairman Hong who supposedly went from shining shoes to building this empire. Would an astute businessman fall prey to such schemes so easily? I would think not. Of course, thankfully we have Baek Hyun Woo who still retains his superior intellect and rescues his ex(??) in laws almost singlehandedly.

I felt sympathetic to Baek Hyun Woo at the start. He was portrayed as a long-suffering son in law who in constantly undermined at home and work by Hae In and her family. I felt for him really; he is supposed to be the male version of the typical korean daughters in law being mistreated by their in-laws and ignored by their husbands. Unlike most viewers, I found the writing and portrayal of his character genuine and hilarious when realizing that he would soon be released from his predicament by Hae In's timely (or not?) death. To me, those were the most hilarious parts of the drama. Part of it is due to how hard it is to like Hae In as a person. She is portrayed as a cold and stoic CEO who almost constantly masks her emotions. She seemingly cares for Hyun Woo but rarely expresses it. She is blunt and puts him down at work publicly. It honestly is a miracle their marriage lasted 3 years. I was curious to see what made him fall in love with her in the beginning but we never really get that. We never really get any scenes on how they mended their marriage either; sure her cancer diagnosis was the catalyst but it felt like the foundation they were trying to rebuild their relationship on was never shown. Instead we get makjang tropes of multiple car crashes, MULTIPLE childhood connection tropes and ridiculous random car chase scenes.

This next paragraph will be dedicated to all the plot holes that I seriously couldn't stand. First of all, Hae In's illness is just so...fake. She has a couple of symptoms that only flare up at the most convenient times and looks in the pink of health despite being literally at death's door. Like seriously, whenever she is at the hospital for checks or whatever, she is always sashaying around like she's walking down a runway. I get that its a drama and that it would be impossible to really look THAT sick, but its hard to feel sympathy for someone supposedly going to die when they are still strutting around in the pink of health! Her brain surgery thing was the most fake thing too. Going in with full face of makeup and HAIR and somehow "losing" her memory but still retaining the ability to walk/talk/eat and returning to work after 1 month... I know I'm nitpicking when this isn't a medical drama but this is a major plot point which the show hinges heavily on so some realism would be good here. I'm not even going to talk about the car accident tropes because yeesh. Lastly, those darn childhood connection tropes, which I honestly HATE the most because it adds NOTHING to the plot. In fact, I feel it demeans the love between the characters. I want the characters to be in a relationship because they CHOSE each other and would go through heaven and hell to make that choice, not because fate ordained them to and the choice is already made for them. That is such a cop out. So if they are fated to be together forever why even bother with anything? Why bother with treatment? Why bother with saving the marriage? if it's meant to be it's meant to be you know what I mean? Since they are fated to be lovers they wouldn't need to save their marriage because they would be together till the end anyway. Lame.

The story is honestly the weakest point of the show. Acting, music, cinematography are all top notch and I'm not going into it because all the other reviews are already singing their praises. The last thing I need to get off my chest is the ending. If I were the scripwriter, I would write that Hae In dies in the end. I seriously cannot believe that she lives. And I always think back to this quote from a western medical drama: dying changes everything, almost dying changes nothing. After the surgery, Hae In loses her memory but somehow reverts back to her old personality (partly due to Eun Sung?). Almost dying wouldn't change anything about the relationship; Hae In is an ambitious person and would probably get over the health scare and return to chasing her trillion dollar club goal, leaving Hyun Woo by the wayside again. The fundamental issues that broke their marriage down were never addressed (miscarriage, communication issues etc) and Hae In can't remember it anyway. The whole treatment thing felt like just pure fanservice to appease the fans and to keep viewership numbers up. If Hae In dies, it would be more impactful in the grand scheme of reflecting on her relationship with Hyun Woo and also her family. I feel like it could have tied in with the scene at her grandfather's funeral quite nicely. And of course realistically, with a 3 month death sentence no treatment would usually be available. But that's just me lol, I just wanted to get this off my chest because this premise had a lot of wasted potential.

In summary, watch for the acting. The plot just goes downhill after ep 6? If you like makjang you would like this. Hand to heart, i was entertained by this but I was hate-watching the last few eps.

Leia Mais

We had high expectations

Certainly the drama I less appreciated from our star Kim Soo Hyun. It is not about actors’ performances, I actually was stoned by Kim Ji Won’s acting. It was a very refreshing role for her. But the story itself lacks deepness… Of course if we compare this to recent works labeled as kdrama romances, you can find worst cases scenarios which actually got better reviews than this one but how can I say… maybe high expectations were awaited here. Kim Soo Hyun’s choices used to be better. In this series even main characters reach a point where they stop to evolve. And the intrigue and vilains are not justified at any point. It’s like, let’s put a vilain to get an intrigue… on a short notice, I’d like to see our boy is something very different from what he usually plays. Maybe a vilain ? Idk.
Again my review is only subjective tho.

Leia Mais