I enjoyed this drama a lot more than I expected to. While I found the actual plotlines sloppily executed (more on that below), it had wonderful characters, great chemistry between the entire cast, well-choreographed fights, and cool art direction. It had an almost retro, anime-ish style in the costuming and action scenes, but it felt fresh and fun rather than silly and over the top.

Story: It had me entertained the entire way through, though some arcs were better than others. My one beef is that it tried too hard to be smart for its own good. Plot twists, misdirection, and unreliable narrators can be great storytelling tools, but used too much, and you're going to stop feeling invested. This definitely happened to me here. It got to where any time something supposedly shocking happened, instead of feeling actual shock I was impatiently waiting for the 'gotcha' moment because I knew it was coming. I thought the last arc was the strongest, as it focused more on the characters we'd grown to know and love, and the plotting felt tighter. Until the actual ending. That cliffhanger just seemed really unnecessary and tacked on. Fortunately, as of me writing this, filming of the second season has begun.

Acting/Cast: Where this drama really shines is in the characters. They were fantastically written, the casting was perfect, I loved the visually distinct styling and costumes, and the acting was great. Even the side characters that came and went were enjoyable and I got attached to them. The character development and evolution of their relationships felt natural and satisfying. I especially adored our main couple. The male lead was a clever, mischievous trickster who could fight but preferred to use words and cunning to get out of (or into) trouble. The female lead was a badass - cool, confident, ambitious, principled, an awesome fighter - and best of all, she stayed strong up to the end. No sudden incompetency for the sake of making her the damsel in distress, which was really refreshing! As for the romance - their chemistry was good and I liked how it developed, but it did rely on too many clichés (which it sort of tried to subvert - I think? - but badly) and the kisses were pretty weak. Frankly, it felt a bit forced, which is unfortunate because I really did love the pairing a lot.

Music: Probably fine - I don't remember being annoyed by it?

This could've been a 10 out of 10 if the the writing was tighter, the editing less choppy, and the romance better executed. Still, it was a fun watch - visually pleasing and I got very attached to the lovely cast of offbeat characters. Very much looking forward to season 2!