Skating fans will be delighted with this drama

This drama is a blessing since I love figure skating and I've been a fan of the likes of Yuzuru Hanyu, Nathan Chen, Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir, and Kim Yuna. After watching this, I also became interested in speed skating. I think this is a sports drama first and foremost but the romance part is portrayed well. Every character feels real to me. their stories and hardships as professional athletes and their relationship with one another. It's an easy watch and really heartwarming. Wang An Yu and Shen Zheng Yi are perfect in their roles. I've watched dramas with Miao Pu, this talented lady deserves the world I can never get tired of her. Fu Wei Lun and Du Yu are actors that I will keep an eye on.

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It's thrilling enough

I'm just an average moviegoer and I saw this with English subtitles. I can't understand Korean, and English subtitles always take away something from the movie. The experience is not as organic and it's hard to concentrate when your attention is divided between reading text and watching the scenes. With that said, let me share what I thought of the movie after watching it for the first time. The movie made me uncomfortable as it should be. The amount of tension and suspense on the screen until the midpoint is just sublime. As a disaster flick, it didn't really immerse me in the sense of danger and fear. I'm not fond of the route that the movie took to reach its ending. It didn't leave an impression. What I do love about this movie is the main cast. I admired their works for years. I wish the role of Im Si-wan was extended because I can't get enough of him.

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Watch it for Rowoon's visuals

Destined With You is okay, but I have a few issues with it. My biggest complaint is why the second female lead has to be an insufferable, cartoonish villain. Similar to 'She Would Never Know', the second female lead has to be the villain of the story to make the audience admire the female lead. Why deprive the audience of a serious moral conundrum? I think the drama would be a little better if Na-yeon (Yura) were a likable character.

It is easy to pair Shin-yu (Rowoon) with Hong-jo (Jo Bo-ah), not because of the destiny thing they tried to pull, but mostly because the other alternative is a horrible human being, a bully. I also feel that Jae-kyung's (Ha Jun) character is underutilized. The saving grace of this show is of course Rowoon and its cinematography and the beautiful scenery. Even though it is sometimes heavily edited, it still gives the show an ethereal feel.

All in all, it's not that bad.

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Eat the rich! This is the best KDrama of 2022 has to offer.

I watched Reborn Rich three times! On my initial viewing, I felt disgruntled and unsatisfied. It felt like the director, writers, producers, and actors deliberately stole the "revenge" their faithful viewers deserved to see. I was ready to get on my keyboard and furiously write a long essay and why it game of throned itself. Spectacular all throughout except for the last two episodes 6/10, or so I thought. But then I decided to give it a watch and again for the third time. When some vocal minority screams that this series is unwatchable because of the terrible ending I almost believed it the first time. But on the second and third times, I've grown to appreciate the care and effort the whole production team gave. Everything about this show was a work of art.

Reborn Rich takes a knowing shot at the Chaebol culture but surprisingly in a tasteful and informative matter. I mean as an outsider, I beg the question who are these people? Why do some people venerate them like royalty or worse, a deity? Reborn Rich does its job to show this world, not in a glamorous way with snooty dialogues and eye rolls. Instead, the actors showcased the ruggedness and dirtiness of being rich. The camera work even represented this, instead of an UHD shot we got blurriness, smudges, and interesting lighting. For me, the dynamics between the founder, Jin Yang-chul, and his estranged grandson Jin Do-jun is the pinnacle of Korean Drama acting in 2022. I understand that this kind of storytelling is a hit-or-miss for some but as I glued my eyes to the dialogue and subtle details I began to realize who are the characters, what makes them who they are, and why they made their choices. One of the overlooked actors is Kim Nam-hee as Jin Seong-jun, his character felt so real to me, I can see his internal struggles. Overall the cast is memorable, even those with bit roles are easily recognizable. Hoping Reborn Rich gets many awards!

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Imagine the horror of the kids

Just imagine if their future children were told the truth about the main couple's first meeting. In reality, their first meeting is the worst way to meet your soulmate, it straight up could be a horror series. I love the male lead in goodbye princess and decided to give this a go. Chen Xing Xu is absolutely a joy to watch especially at the start, he's oozing with so much charm. I wish they kept his playful demeanor until the very end, but I guess a lot of things happened so it would not fit the atmosphere they're going for. I'm not feeling much from Zhang Jing Yi, I guess it was the role she's playing, despite her tragic background, I found it hard to sympathize with her. Maybe her character needs some build-up so the audience can fully commit to and support her. What the series did right is the second leads are not evil and obsessive with their lead counterpart. I have to say when they started to kill off some characters, it became less enjoyable. I guess the death of supporting characters comes with the genre. I didn't enjoy the second half as much as the first half but I kind of expected it already, considering dramas in this time period tends to be serious at some point. This drama is easy to recommend for the great acting, good ost, and awesome production.
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Around 40 episodes of misunderstandings

Don’t watch this drama if you don’t like a push-and-pull romance, there are many romantic drama couples out there that have healthy relationships and ended up happy. It’s easy to get frustrated when you watch the leads succumb to their own prejudice and immaturity. For me though, that’s what makes it entertaining because of how incredibly dumb yet dramatic their misunderstandings are. Over time, we can see how they mature with the tragic war in the background. I’m stumped with the ending, I don’t know if I should like it or not but it’s definitely not satisfying. I’m obsessed with Dou Xiao as Xiao Bei Chen and Yuan Hao as Mu Zi Zheng, they were great to watch. Zi Zheng’s character arc was most interesting to me but I think the writers didn’t quite hit the mark and his storyline was lacking something. If you’re willing to watch 40+ episodes of misunderstandings, give this a try.

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Justice for Sungkyunkwan Scandal

If you read the novel or watched the KDrama "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" like me, it's easy to conclude that the Chinese remake pales by comparison. As Park Min-young and Park Yoo-chun led this drama marvelously, considering this was their "early" works it still became a cult classic. A decade later, we have a beautiful woman, and these young and handsome men refreshing this aged story. Honestly, the actors are too good for their roles. I can see why the four leads' careers took off because they certainly had the capability to be great actors. Xue Wenxi is eye-candy and her characterization is quite convincing. I have a soft spot for Park Min-young, but Xue Wenxi's acting didn't fall behind. Song Weilong, Bi Wenjun, and Wang Ruichang are good too but it's obvious the quality of their performances is not as consistent. I'm not sure if it was the direction or personal choice, but surely there's something lacking that was present in the original material. If good looks sprinkled with some comedy are enough to keep you entertained, then this is the show for you.

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a tale on how a parent's love can change everything

Ever heard of people who didn't want to have children because they can eff up their kid's life? This drama sets a prime example of how a parent's decision can make a difference. Often we go to our everyday lives thinking we are alone and those around us are barely affected by the actions we take. In truth, small actions every day bare big consequences in the future. Take neglect, two of our main leads played by Song Weilong and Zhang Xincheng suffered so much because of their neglectful and abusive parents. While the wonderful dads portrayed by Zhang Xilin and Tu Songyan made a conscious choice to be good parents making our trio resilient and filled with love. Tu Songyan takes the cake in being arguably the best dad ever in Chinese Drama and Tan Songyun's character is the luckiest girl to be surrounded by people who care for her. The story is good from start to finish and I have nothing bad to say about it. The drama deserves praise.

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A Reddit Recommendation Turned Out Great

I stumbled upon 'Psychopath Diary' thanks to numerous mentions on Reddit threads, and I decided to give it a shot. I ended up binging it the entire weekend, and to my surprise, it quickly became one of my favorites. This drama is a breath of fresh air, relying heavily on the art of subverting your expectations. That's where its comedic power truly shines – just when you think you've got it figured out, the show takes a 180-degree turn.

Yoon Shi Yoon's performance is commendable, but I must say, Park Sung Hoon steals the spotlight with his flawless portrayal of a villain. He slips into these roles so naturally that it's hard not to appreciate it. Normally, I'm not a fan of the main character being both naive and incredibly lucky, but in this context, it surprisingly complements the story. Like many dramas, the comedy hits its peak in the middle and tapers off toward the end. While this didn't bother me too much, I do wish the writers had more time to polish the ending.

Overall, 'Psychopath Diary' is a hilarious and thoroughly enjoyable watch that I highly recommend.

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Audible Sigh

With the anticipation of My Girlfriend is an Alien 2, I decided to watch the first one for the first time. *Trigger Warning* some people like me may be thrown off by how the female lead casually touches the male lead and is played out in a comedic manner. First off, unwanted physical contact is and will never be fluff. Imagine if the roles are reversed and the female lead is touched all over. Setting aside my apparent dislike for our alien with raging hormones, I still think the leads did their job well. Considering they were on screen for most of the time, I never got tired of their banter and did find a silver lining for our couple. Wan Peng as Chai Xiaoqi, and Thassapak Hsu as Fang Leng certainly had the chemistry to carry the drama's weak story.

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