Alright, I have such such mixed feelings about this drama. I'll split it into pros and cons.

Pros:
Seon Jae: I honestly love SJ a little too much. He is pretty much the main reason why I was watching the show lol. Anyway, why did I love his character? A. I found him somewhat relatable. He is someone who doesn't trust easily, needs a reason to open up to somebody, but once he's made a friend he's made a friend for life. B. I just love his story of how devoted he is to his mother and his mother's case. C. He's just so adorable ok! I just love how he really cares about the people around him, but doesn't like to let onto it too much, it cracks me up. D. He's just an all around good guy. He's hardworking, loyal, devoted, and the list could go on.

Kwang Ho: I really like how they made his character true to the 80s. He thinks like a guy from the 80s, which means he's a bit sexist and a chauvinist. I liked seeing the contrast of how he thought of things compared to present day. And sometimes the past was better, but sometimes they were so wrong. The show did a really good job of portraying that through his character. I also just loved his character in general. He's handsome, loyal, hardworking, courageous, and honest.

Bromance: Alright, this was also one of the main reasons why I was watching the show. I just loved the bromance between Seon Jae and Kwang Ho! How it went from hating, to tolerating, and finally to genuinely caring. It just bloomed in this real lovely way and I absolutely loved it! I haven't seen a bromance as good as this one in a really long time. I just really loved it.

Acting: Acting was on point in this drama. Wow Seon Jae, Kwang Ho, and even Jae Yi really brought their characters to life. I could feel their emotions, it wasn't acting it was living.

Feminism: Oh wow, there's some great feminist under-tones in this drama, and it's fantastic! When Jae Yi asks the police "did these women deserve to die?" I was like you go girl!

Yeon Sook and Kwang Ho romance: They had such amazing chemistry, and I just really loved how much they cared for each other. Yeon Sook was such an amazing woman, who has admirable faith in her husband. Though not the focus, they were definitely a beautiful couple. And I wish that I can have a marriage like that one day.

Emotion: This drama's true strong suit is emotion. It packs in the emotion well. A lot of crime dramas, it's simply about catching the criminal. But with this drama you really see how the killings affect people's lives. We're not just catching criminals, we're saving lives. I truly felt the emotion attached to the victims and the victims families. As much as I love Seon Jae and his story, he is not the only reason why I think this. The side cases had a lot of emotional impact too (I nearly cried during one, I never cry lol). While Seon Jae's mother's case was the highlight case, each case was important. The women that died, were people, with lives and families. And you felt for each and every one of them. Not every drama can do that, so I applaud this drama for not only caring about suspense, but reminding viewers that these are people we are talking about. And in real life, when cases like this happen, it is a person that died. Someone with family and friends, and nobody deserves that death.

Episodes 1-9 plus episodes 11 and 16: These episodes are really the strong point of this drama. There's good pacing, smart characters, humor, and touching moments in these episodes. Episodes 8 and 16 were truly amazing, and I applaud the writing and acting. They were truly memorable episodes.

Cons:

Most of these cons came out during episodes 10-15 (save 11). So really only 4 episodes, but it was enough to bother me and really frustrate me. I would say the last half of the show wasn't as enjoyable, and was downright frustrating at times.

Plot: I like to know what the plot is. I like mysteries, but not the actual plot to be a mystery. For example, God's Gift is one of the best mysteries I've ever seen. But the plot is very clear, to save main girl's daughter. This drama I wasn't sure what the plot was till the very end. Was it to go back in time? Was it to catch the criminal (future)? Was it to catch the criminal (past)? Was it both? Was it all 4? I really had no idea, and this made the drama very frustrating to watch, especially the last half.

Jae Yi: I just didn't care for her character. I didn't hate her, but I didn't love her. And if we're being real, I just didn't like the fact that she interfered so much with the bromance towards the end. I'm cruel like that though. If I have neutral feelings or disliking feelings towards a female character, and she starts to interrupt the bromance, I will start to get annoyed with her character. Even if she didn't really do anything wrong. I also found her a bit creepy in the beginning, and there's something she did I found a bit hard to get over. I don't know for the most part she was very meh for me. I mean she had some touching moments, but still. I just didn't grab onto her.

Stupid Characters: Ok, they weren't always stupid, they definitely had their smart moments. But sometimes the writers would decide to make their characters stupid to prolong the suspense. Like sorry, I don't like suspense for suspense, I get really annoyed if suspense is being created because a character is being dumb.

Ending: I loved the last episode I really did! Episode 16 and 8 are by far the best in the series! But, for real there should've been another episode.


Overall, would I recommend this drama? Sure, go ahead. It's good, and the ending episode makes it worth it. Would I call it a masterpiece or a classic? Lol no. It's good, but there are too many plot holes and facepalm moments for it to be a masterpiece. The plot was a bit too all over the place for my taste and the things that made the show amazing at first got toned down a bit in the last half (save the last episode and episode 11). But it's still a good drama and overall there's more good than bad.

Leia Mais

Wow. What a cute a cute story.

Pros:
Acting: I enjoyed all the actors, and thought both lee min ki and son ye jin did a great job. son ye jin especially did a great job of portraying the loneliness of her character, and gave you someone worth rooting for. lee min ki was cute, and great boyfriend material. He did comedy really well.

Jo Go: I really liked him, and how he refused to leave her side. Poor girl, even her sister requested for her to leave. Not Jo Go though, he'll stay by her side :)

Ju Ri: Besides the fact that she sees ghosts, Ju Ri was pretty relatable. She did a pretty good job of making you feel for her character. I really loved her and her story :)

Ju Ri friends: They were great comedic relief, and I loved them so much, haha. I loved the bond they share with Ju Ri.

Moral: I just like the moral, that no one should be alone, and you should have someone by your side :) It was really cute to see that through Ju Ri and Jo Go's relationship

Chemistry: I thought that Jo Go and Juri had a lot of chemistry, and were super cute together :) They always made me feel so happy when they were together :)

Comedy: this movie did comedy really well, and was super hilarious at times. Actually laughed out loud!

Cons:
Music: nothing special, it was there but not memorable.

Dramas vs Movies: I mainly watch dramas. So some things that I feel would be dragged out in dramas, weren't here. Which is good and bad. Sometimes I think they needed a little more time to sort things out....but it's better to have a quicker resolution then endlessly dragging. So sort of a pro and con.

Overall, it was a good watch. Nothing overly special, but I wouldn't mind watching it again. It was cute, and I enjoyed it! Would recommend :)

Leia Mais

This is my first korean movie...I typically only watch kdramas but decided to make an exception because this looked really good.

Plot: The plot was pretty good. It was about jangwoo trying to catch his sister's killer. It was suspenseful at times...but honestly I've seen way more suspenseful movies and kdramas. But it did make me catch my breath and the ending really made me hold my breath in suspense.

Characters: I liked jangwoo, he was definitely the protective older brother...there just wasn't much more to his character than that. I guess I'm used to kdramas where they flesh out the character more. Being how this was a movie, and action movie at that, they didn't really have time to go deeper into his character. But they went deep enough and I really like how he was always protecting his younger sister and trying to give her the best life that he can. You can really see how much it weighs on him, the responsibility of being older brother but parent also. I liked shi eun...but there were times where I wanted to yell "tell him!!" or "tell her!!" But I also understand that most people laugh at her talent and shun her, and it would be difficult to get anyone to listen. The killer did good job of creepy and crazy. You could definitely tell he was not right in the head.

Acting: All the actors did superb. Joo won's crying scenes broke my heart, I nearly cried too (I never cry so this is a good thing). Shi eun definitely did a good job with the mysterious and sorta creepy at times tbh, lady. And the killer did a good job of being really creepy and having this crazy look about him.

Music: Was there any music..? Like there were a couple songs...but for the most part there were none. Which I found glaringly obvious. Anyway, nothing memorable for sure.

Clean: there was one sex scene...it was about 2 seconds and the lady took her skirt off. Same lady opens her skirt real wide so the guy can see her vagina, we don't see it though. There is a prostitue, but nothing is shown. Killer's stepmom is a slut but again nothing show. one guy has implied nudity. The F word is used at least 5 times, but usually is only used when the character is really angry. There's other language too, mostly the a word and s word. And there's lots of blood and violence.

Overall a good movie, but probably something I wouldn't rewatch. The ending sorta left me with a "what did I just watch?" feeling, which isn't my favorite feeling btw. There's some really good joowon scenes, and the relationship between him and his sister is touching. Would I recommend it? Meh, if you want to watch it great, if you don't I understand. Overall, I'd see it for yourself.

***edit*** I just saw Shoot My Heart and Long Way Home, and they tooootally could've fleshed out Joo Won's character more. This was just bad writing. Also, other Asian movies have music...so I don't know why it was lacking in this one. Changed from 7 stars to 6 stars after seeing other Asian movies***edit***

Leia Mais

First, this drama wasn't bad. It was good, but I feel like they missed out on some great opportunities. I'll start out with the positives, and then go onto what I think they missed out on.

Pros:
Child Story: Personally, I love the child story more than the adult story lol. This and Queen for Seven Days rocked their child stories, and if the whole story was the children, I'd be okay with that, prefer actually lol. The child actors had great chemistry, and I loved their story, and especially how it parallels when they're older. Da Reum Nam (Jae Chan younger version), especially did well, and I look forward to his future projects.
Music: You can give this drama a 1 star, but the music was on point. I haven't seen such an amazing ost from a drama, in such a long time. Eddy Kim's ost was especially amazing.
Transitions: this drama does it's transitions quite well. They made the moments much more emotional, and I really applaud their style. There was one transition/parallel scene in the last episode that nearly had me in tears (which is good for me)
Acting: I won't say it's amazing, but it was certainly good. Especially the last episode, there were some emotional scenes with Jong Suk that were really done well. Also as regard to Suzy's acting, I'll probably get hate for this, but I feel like most of korea's actresses aren't amazing. They're good, but there are very few who I would actually genuinely compliment and call great. I feel like Suzy did an average job. I didn't cringe, and she delivered her character well, so I'd qualify her as average. That's just me though.

Cons:
Predictability: this drama is hella predictable. Oh. My. Gosh. And if it focused more on character development instead, then that would be fine. But it doesn't. Frankly, our two main leads aren't that interesting, character wise, and on top of it, the plot is predictable. Now some may say, I should've known it would be predictable. But Signal wasn't predictable. They could've just been like "oh we have walkie-talkies and can fix all past crimes, so every episode is a win" but it wasn't. Signal definitely had moments where their characters failed, and where their characters succeeded. Causing real suspense. There was no real character development, and there wasn't even suspense, resulting in boredom.
Side Characters: I love our side characters. Woo Tak, lil bro, dae gu, and inspector choi. They all have interesting characters. Woo Tak and his internal debate of what it is to be a police officer, and if he has the right. Lil bro and his school problems, and learning that being a good friend is more important than popularity. Dae Gu with his father, and the struggles that comes with, and how he finds a friend in lil bro. Finally Inspector Choi, and how he needs to forgive himself. Honestly, I thought all of their stories were much more interesting character wise, yet they got hardly any screen time. Definitely a star off for me.
Kim Soo Hyun: why? She has an arc, a romance, a sismance, great chemistry with cast, and a great story. Yet, they just cut her off. Why put her there to begin with? Honestly, everyone wanted her to stay. For a guest role, she had such a great presence on screen, and it just left me disappointed that she didn't stay.
Main Characters: I mentioned this in side characters. They just are too perfect for me. I know they're always going to succeed. While I liked their characters, they certainly weren't memorable.

Overall, this drama was good. It just isn't something I'll draw back on. The writer missed out on a lot of opportunities with suspense and side characters. It felt too safe for me, and no chances were taken. Hopefully, next time the writer can make a better drama, as I know he is capable of.

Leia Mais

Be warned: I watched the kdrama before I watched this. I really really really loved the kdrama, and the whole reason why I watched this movie was to compare it to the kdrama. Honestly, the movie fell short.

Pros:
The bully: lol forgot his name, but I thought he was the best actor, and I liked how it portrayed his bullying. The movie didn't water down his bullying at all. I liked how the movie showed that yes, he was human and had his own personal struggles, but bullying is bullying regardless. I actually felt bad and sympathized with Juri, which is something the kdrama could never make me do. It really showed how cruel he can be, but at the same time didn't let us lose hope in him.

Kashiwagi: for as little screen time he has, he really affects the characters and all they do. Ryoko's main reason for holding the trial is to show to herself that Kashiwagi was wrong, she's not all talk and no action. She will act.

Matsuko/the rabbit boy: lol I forgot his name (these japanese names are killing me). I just thought they were both so cute and innocent. They both lighten up the show, and remind us that there's still purity and goodness in the world.

Cons:

Ryoko: ok this really bothered me. Her whole ordeal is that the adults are inadequately protecting them. This is why she's holding the trial. And then, after telling the adults that clearly the kids need to protect themselves because they're not doing their jobs, she has the gall to ask the adults for the evidence that they collected. Like girl, you just told them that they're incompetent, but now you want THEIR evidence to use in YOUR trial. Seo yeon was gullible at times, but at least she collected her evidence and went through what she said. Kashiwagi is right, this girl is all talk and no action. She'll talk about a trial, and even put up a trial, but she'll do none of the work to go with it. No she'll take the incompetent adults work instead. Now, this may be proven wrong in the second movie, but right now she's just coming off as bratty.

joon yeong vs. rabbit boy: ok, this is something that will only bother you if you've seen the kdrama, but honestly, i like joon yeong's character a lot more. His character really stuck with me after the kdrama. Rabbit boy is cute and funny, but that's it so far. There's no depth, and it honestly saddens me that joon yeong's whole story was an add on (so far, again this could be proven wrong in the second movie).

Suspense: maybe because I've seen the kdrama, but I don't find this supsensful at all. But I think that's just the writing. Because I'm rewatching god's gift for like the 4th time, but I still feel the suspense. I'm just not feeling it in this drama.

Music: There's no music!! I can hear the silence, and it's really annoying. This is the second asian movie I've seen, and it's like they have a thing against music. I mean really, I feel like the suspense thing could be fixed if they just added some suspenseful music.

Overall, I like the kdrama way better. I feel like it has more depth and emotion so far. Would I reccomend this? If you have nothing to do, sure go watch it. But if you're busy I wouldn't waste your time.

Leia Mais

This is a hard drama to rate. TBH, I enjoyed it like a 9.0, quality wise though, I'd say it's a 8.0. So I decided to settle for 8.5. I'll split this up into what I liked, and what I didn't.

Loved:
Comedy: The comedy was fantastic in this. I laughed out loud, at least once an episode, if not multiple. I don't typically laugh in dramas, so this is a huge plus for me. BUT, it is an acquired taste, comedy wise. My best friend, is more serious and logical, and I don't think would appreciate this sort of comedy. I on the other hand, love exaggerated comedy, and find ridiculous situations hilarious. I also have been known to laugh at body-related humor, another thing said friend doesn't appreciate. I would say if you love ridiculous situations and body humor, to go for this drama. If that's not your thing, don't go near it lol. This drama is heavily focused on comedy.

Satire: Comedy is good and all, but this drama often makes use of the comedy to point out faults in society. Something I for one appreciate. Many topics are covered here. Gambling, pressures of acting, college life, etc. The satire in this made me laugh a lot, but also made me think. Talk about on point satire, if you ask me.

Joon Ki: As many others have stated, Joon Ki, is in fact hilarious. The actor playing him does a really good of just bringing his character quirks to life. He comes across as hilarious, but not over the top. Something I've noticed many other actors struggle with. Joon Ki is definitely a gem in the comedy world.

Female Leads: Yoon Ah, Seo Jin, and Soo Ah, are quite amazing. They were all very different and unique, and added a special something to the show. While I wasn't sure about all of them at first, they grew on me, and by the end I was quite enjoying them. It's nice to see three totally different but amazing females come together and be friends in kdramas.

Feel-good: This drama just gave such wholesome vibes. Definitely a drama to watch if you're feeling down. Not only is it comedic, but it has some very touching moments. Had me grinning all throughout.

Didn't Like:
*would say hate, but I didn't hate anything in this show lol*

Dong Gu: Funny thing is, I originally came for the actor who plays Dong Gu. I'm finding I enjoyed his character in School 2017 a lot more. Now I don't hate Dong Gu, but I don't love him either. He starts out pretty good. Hilarious, immature, but still a good guy. In the middle tho, he just comes off really childish. Like an unhealthy amount of childishness. Even too childish for this drama. Which says a lot. He gets really petty with Yoon Ah, and it just made me slightly uncomfortable how incredibly petty he was over the love triangle. Again, I don't really hate him. He did have his sweet moments, and he could be quite hilarious. But his character got annoying a bit in the middle. I liked him in the beginning and end though. There he was as stated before.

Doo Shik: Doo Shik was sorta meh to me. He was funny at times, and his relationship with Joon Ki is too precious! But his countless romances were annoying. And sorta creepy...though I think that was the point. I think they were trying to make fun of guys who get way too attached to girls too easily, through Doo Shik. Anyway, he wasn't awful! Even his cringey romances were sorta funny at times, and sometimes downright hilarious. He just wasn't my personal favorite.

Character Development: I felt like there wasn't much personal development in many of the characters (not all), until like episode 18/20. BUT, this development was done naturally enough, and didn't cause me to roll my eyes. Just wish it happened sooner, or the drama was longer haha.

Overall, this drama was really good, and I would definitely recommend it! The things I didn't like, were more like slight annoyances. FYI, the reason the story is so low, is because it's not story based. It's more of a sitcom. One of the best korean sitcoms I've ever seen! Was worth it!

Leia Mais

This was barely an 8 due to the ending, more like a 7.5 or 8 depending on my mood. I chose to give it an 8 though, because lets be real I'm a sucker for student-teacher stories, as they remind me of why I want to be a teacher (I'm working towards being a elementary school teacher). This movie did exactly that, it reminded me of why I want to teach, and gave me that fresh excitement all over again. The teacher-student interactions were cute, and it was nice to see how they effected EACH OTHER. Typically in these stories, the teacher has got it all, and he effects the students. Not in this story. Mr. Perfect, well isn't perfect, and has his own issues to figure out. Him serving the island and being a teacher helps him lead to his own road of self-discovery and renewal. The students aren't perfect either. They have their own personal struggles and problems, and it's nice to see the teacher effect their lives and show them that they truly have an adult by their side. I particularly liked his relationship with Byeong Joo. It was nice for Byeong Joo to have an adult on his side, and for him to open up to his teacher :) I would also like to add, that this movie was funny and had me laughing out loud at some parts. It was truly a joy to watch :) Now, it's not all roses, and there are some things I had problems with. One being, the overly light treatment of Byeong Joo and his problems with his father. Though this is mainly due to culture differences, in how that specific topic is treated. I personally thought that things were a bit too smooth, and found it unrealistic. The second problem I had was the ending. At first I was going to to give this a 6 I was so mad. But after discussing with a friend whose also seen the movie, I realized that this movie is about Mr. Perfect's personal journey. The movie does fulfill that, just in an unexpected way. The ending was a tad bit unsatisfying, but really it's like the last 10 minutes, and the rest of it is so good.

Overall, I would recommend this movie. The ending could've been done better, but the rest of it was well-done and worth the watch. Also, for those curious, I'll leave a comment explaining my interpretation of the ending below.

Leia Mais

I don't usually write reviews for dramas but this ones an exception. So bear with me. I guess I'll talk about the pros and cons.

Pros:

Message: the message is done very well. Basically the message is that specifically korean society is too corrupt and money hungry but I think this can apply to all. It is done very masterfully. It's done in a satirical way. So keep in mind that it is SUPPOSED to be ridiculous. It's supposed to make you think "is our society this ridiculous?" Also another constant message was "be kind and have courage" I know I stole that from the recent Cinderella movie. But if you watch this kdrama, you'll notice problems don't get solved until you are kind and take action. You need both. It's really beautiful to see. But you have to watch for it. It's done subtly.
Acting: The acting was very good. Personally I love Yoo Jung and was excited to watch her. And may I add that I'm officially addicted to ji soo??? He's on my list of must see (and that's not a big list).
Characters: The characters all needed to grow. It was pretty amazing to see them grow and mature. It's one of those dramas where you think "maybe, just maybe there is hope in the world". Personally I love it when I get that feeling. My favorite characters would be Kang Ja, Bok Dong, and Noah. Also they really grown on you. I was in love with Bok Dong by the end of the drama! Sooooo cute!!! I love him, he's actually the reason why I had to marathon this drama. He was ruining my productivity. He was always on my mind.

Cons:
OST: seriously??? The songs were annoying and catchy (not in a good way). Sometimes they didn't even make sense. Like super intense scene and then they play "sunny side up" there's nothing sunny going on!!! But I did like crying, they did that one beautifully.
Acting: Though I liked the majority of the actors (Kang Ja, Ah Ran, Bok Dong, Sang Tae all did great) but Noah...was like a sore thumb...He always looked like a lost puppy. But to his credit, he did amazing scenes with Bok Dong.
Character developement: It was a little bit uneven. In my opinion they spent too much time on Kang Ja and should have spent more time on the kids (specifically Sang Tae, who got pretty much no time until the last 3 episodes)

Overall: This drama was really good and had a really good message. I found it really interesting. By that I mean it did a really good job of highlighting flaws in society. I loved the characters even the ones I started out hating. (I didn't really like Kang Ja and Noah...but then they ended up on my favorite list...) I would definitely rewatch it again. And my I say one last thing: Bok Dong is amazing!!!! He just really grows on you (give it time though!!!)

Leia Mais

This was my first completed Japanese drama! I’ve watched korean before, but my coworker convinced me to try Japanese.

Story:
The story was solid! It kept you on your toes, but was also heartwarming. It’s really more a story about friendship than about finding a killer. Neither robs from the other though and both are done well. Kids story is the best, but adult story wasn’t bad too.

Acting:
IMO korean acting is better. The acting wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t the best I’d seen. It was good enough to watch though, and was a tearjerker at some parts. Kid actors did great though! Especially Kayo, really was impressed with her.

Characters: characters were all loveable! I rooted for all of them!

Would definitely recommend for someone who wants a good jdrama!

Leia Mais

For a 3 ep drama...THIS IS AMAZING!!! Wow...I wasn't sure at first...but this was really good. It was realistic. It was about people with real problems, real struggles, and real victories. It is very heart warming and I loved all the characters especially the boys. It was a beautiful story about following your dreams, working hard, and being the best you. I loved cha shik and his selfless, loyal, hardworking kind self. I also loved Sam shik and how he never asked for praise. He was just trying to be a better person, and wanted to set things right. He didn't need anyone's approval and I think that's a lesson to us all. And the girl...I loved how through compassion you really start to see her change. But I have to say she's the reason it's not a 10. I thought she could be a bit mean sometimes and didn't like that. But considering how her mother raised her she really did grow by the end of the drama. Lol she was just a bit of a pineapple. Scratchy on the outside and sweet on the inside. Anyway I reccomend 1000% and it's only 3 ep...so y'all have time.

Leia Mais

Rewatch value is so low because I don’t rewatch things unless they’re a 10.

This was a solid crime drama. The cops were intelligent, psychopaths interesting, mystery exciting, and story riveting. I really loved that they gave Detective Cha such a primary role. That’s extremely rare in crime shows. She was also a mentor to 3 teenage boys, and I think that’s the first time I’ve seen that done. Her character development was great and her story not only interesting but emotional too. I would recommend this show to all crime-show watchers.

Why 8 and not 9 or 10? I felt like the side characters were treated unevenly. As in sometimes they had lots of screen time sometimes none at all. While in the end all the side characters got resolution with their main conflicts I still wanted more. Also am I the only one, but I was sort of disappointed how Sun Woo was treated? He was helping everyone out but received so little help himself. Maybe that’s just me though. I do happen to love characters that are teachers. I also love characters who have a hard time forgiving themselves. I also love characters who are super loyal no matter what, and he was all 3 of those. Anyway he got more resolution than I was expecting but I still wanted more. That’s just personal preference though, most people on here don’t seem bothered by that.

Overall I would recommend this drama! It is definitely one of the better crime shows! Don’t regret entering on this journey with the characters!

Leia Mais

So this review contains some very minor spoilers. Most of these you figure out after a couple of episode.s

I hate joseon dramas. I really do, I hate them with a burning passion. I feel like usually joseon dramas have two main leads and every one else acts as though they are satan themselves. It's annoying and repetitive. I LOVED this drama though. I loved it so much. This isn't just "good for a joseon drama" this drama is amazing by itself. I'm glad that the premise of jang dong yoon acting as a female and adorable bts scenes finally swayed me to give this drama a shot. I binge watched it in a week and I have no regrets. It was my treat myself after finals, and it was one of the best treats ever.

Here is what I loved the most:

The Relationship
Now some people complain that these leads don't communicate. I wholeheartedly disagree. We figure out early on that they are in some dangerous schemes. It's realistic and respectful to protect those you love when you're involved in something that could get you executed for treason. The female lead is hesitant to start a relationship, but it's shown that she's been denying herself happiness all her life. It's realistic for her character to act like that. Also if I was planning to assassinate the king, I wouldn't start a relationship either. I would be even more hesitant if I actually liked him, because I wouldn't want to hurt him. If you think about it from her perspective it makes sense why she acts the way she does. What's beautiful about their relationship though, is that even though they don't lay out their plans, they still give each other emotional support. They laugh with each other, they cry with each other, they cover for each other, listen to each other and they are always there for one another. It's beautiful and natural. They are definitely one of my favorite kdrama couples.

Nokdu and Jang Dong Yoon
I love Nokdu. His character was more comedic in the beginning and more serious at the end. This didn't jar me too much. In the beginning he didn't know who he was and that allowed him a more lighthearted nature. Towards the middle and end he found out who he was and let's just say it became more personal. It makes sense for his nature to become more serious and hurt. Whether he was being romantic, funny, or serious his acting was on point. I have never seen a man act like such a convincing woman. Lady Kim is more feminine than I am lol. His acting in more serious moment was of course on point. I already knew that he was good with serious characters though from Solomon's Perjury and School 2017. He also did fantastic in the romantic department. I don't usually like romantic dramas and I tend to stick to crime.s the Nokdu definitely made me swoon though and I found myself squeeling over him and his relationship with dong joo. Overall, the acting was great. I also loved Nokdu as a character. I found myself rooting for him since the very beginning. He is so kind and loyal to those he loves. When his heart broke my heart broke, I just love Nokdu so much.

Dong Joo and Kim Seo Hyun
Some people don't like her character, though I don't understand why. I thought her story of "happiness or revenge" was really poignant. The actress did a good job from the very first scene establishing the internal conflict in Dong Joo. I loved how human she felt. Sometimes characters are so bent on revenge that they feel less human. Dong Joo felt very well-rounded and real. I was always rooting for her character too, and hoping that she would find happiness.

Side Characters
The side characters were good people! I loved all of them and was rooting for their personal happiness too! I'm glad this drama added in side characters, instead of just focusing on our leads. I love our leads, but good side characters balance out the melodrama. I wish all joseon dramas had a healthy set of comedic and lovable side characters.

The Villains
They weren't just the spawn of satan. Perhaps the writing could've been a bit tighter on their characterization. I'll be forgiving though since it was different from just "he's evil." I enjoyed our villains and didn't get bored when they were on screen. This is enough for me, since usually I tune out when villains appear on screen in joseon dramas.

Overall, this drama was amazing. It is definitely my most favorite joseon drama. I recommend it to all, and hope you give it a chance like I did!

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