Did I accidentally switch to Chinese Disney Channel? Lmaooo what even was this cheesy one-dimensional mess of a show? Cliches GALORE, it was like a paint-by-numbers teen rom-com

- The female lead disguised as a nerd (glasses, freckles, hair, clothes, she’s covered it all)
- The guy is the most handsome guy in school (apparently), they even call him ‘your highness’. To top it all off, he is an idol singer too
- The 3 popular mean girls
- The 2 dumb minions of the ‘bully’
- Is this even university, it feels more like high school

Lol is this what all web dramas are like?

But god it bugged me so much she just kept her nerd look? Like, why? Because her bf didn't like her attracting attention??? Bro you are an IDOL SINGER

Anyways, I could not stand this drama. I had to push myself SO hard to watch it. The 20 minute episodes felt like an hour.

But the biggest WTF in this trash (spoiler!!!!)
was the ‘mean girl’ turned straight up psychotic and tried to kill herself because the boy she had a crush on found a girlfriend????? She literally FORCED him to be with her (and marry her??? within 2 days??) otherwise she would commit suicide. What the actual f*ck.

Then she finds love with the pink haired gay guy??? What even WAS this show

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This drama was so pure and innocent!

I knew I was going to be down for a vibe similar to S2 of ‘Itazura na Kiss’ and it did not disappoint.
Sakura Nanase is such a cutie. Tries so hard, deserves the world.
Tendo-sensei is the classic cold demeanor male lead (his nickname is literally 'the devil' so I mean) but dammmn is he smooth.

The overall plot is solid. Although, at times plot lines well aren't spaced out well? It’s probably because the director's aware they must cram everything into 10 episodes, but the result of this is that all the major plot developments/plot lines are over and done with so quickly and it leaves the audience wondering what was the point of even going there in the first place.

Another thing, (minor spoiler but I must rant) our couple keeps getting interrupted in either of their apartments by Tendo's sister, you’d think after the first time they’d learn to LOCK the DOOR! And also, didn’t Tendo come over to SAKURA's apartment? Why is his sister barging into Sakura’s apartment??

But apart from that, this drama is a nice easy watch. The best part for me is it helps remind me of the good old days of S2 of Mischievous Kiss, my all time fave. It's hard to not enjoy this drama ♥︎

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Oh boy, strap yourselves in for this review.

It seems I’m starting to have a type for Cdramas: Modern Woman gets Chucked Into Chinese Ancient Times - A World Full of Hot Men.

Kinda crazy when you think about, imagine diving into your own fanfic (every girl’s dream)

However, this drama was the definition of a mess. On paper, the premise and plot sound interesting (it's what drew me to the show after all) but watching it was a whole other story. There are so many flaws I don't even know where to begin.

The biggest problem in this show is the female lead. Chen Qian Qian is so ditsy, I found myself cringing at her actions 90% of the time. She spends so much time trying to make the story go exactly the way she wrote it in the script. Always trying to play wingman for the male lead and her sister and referencing the original storyline she wrote. All I wanted was for her to finally have an epiphany like ‘Omg, things can go different from the original story!’ What a concept! She wasn't dealing with a Back to the Future situation where she had to fix the past - this is a FANFIC. A story can go in ANY DIRECTION and I wished that she would just go with the flow rather than constantly trying to make things go her way.

I was also surprised how quickly she adapted to feudal life, she literally went from 21st century norms to historical China (or a made up version of it at least) and she was like “oh this is what’s happening, okay”. The only thing that separated her from everybody else in this world was how she kept trying to keep the plot on track. Speaking of, I don't understand her reasoning behind this. She has this idea that by making the story come to its written end, it will just magically plop her right back where she left off in the real world like some bad dream. Where is her logic behind this???

But what I missed from her character is she never has any 'modern' moments. For example, her saying something contemporary only we would understand (but would sound like gibberish to everyone else). I guess what I’m trying to say is: apart from her awareness that she is in a fake world (that she wrote), you wouldn’t even know she was a modern woman. She never has any times where her modern (future) knowledge comes in handy. For e.g. in ‘Moon Lovers’, Hae Soo helped the crown prince who had eczema because she recognised the symptoms and knew what would help his condition. Or Xiao Tan from ‘The Eternal Love’. She made endless modern references, forged a scooter, had a Victoria’s Secret fashion show, did a fun public dance in the street - she was iconic. I guess I just consider it wasted potential for Qian Qian's character.

Speaking of wasted potential, I need to talk about the second female lead: Chu Chu. I was so upset that her character regressed into the typical bitchy second lead (to the extreme I might add). At the beginning of the drama I found it so refreshing for the 2nd FL to be nice! After such a kind sisterly relationship in the beginning, it was such a let down to see it turn sour (especially when a lot of it was related to stealing a man). It hurt to see Chu Chu totally embrace the dark side, she has some major insecurity issues when it comes to Qian Qian.

I should also add, can the writers stay true to what they've written please? This whole time the plot has been centred around which princess will become the Young City Master, the heir to the City Master position. We are led to believe the City Master is the one in control of Huanyuan. But after some major political changes as everything is falling apart, the audience's concept on who controls the city does a full 180. Wasn't the City Master the one who had all the power and made the rules? But apparently the Minister of Defence has the power to instil laws and make political moves as well?? Like, how does a Minister of Defence get to decide on the city’s dress code??

And can we take a look at the logistics of this whole world please. Is EVERYTHING in this world written by Chen Xian Qian? Every character? All the backstory and history? She’s only a scriptwriter, I swear the drama script she wrote wasn’t that detailed. So…does the world just fill in the blanks? Because I don’t understand how this entire world was written by her, yet she knows nothing. For e.g. she wrote traitor Su Zi Ying’s character right? Yet she had no clue how Qian Qian’s character treated him badly when they were kids. How can that be? Did she write that in the script or not? Or what about the gasoline that was discovered under the mines? Total shock to her. How much of this world DID she write? Or is this universe just making its own rules and history? So many questions

Now, onto the couple. We all know that it's practically inevitable for a couple to have one of those forced breakups. Especially the ones that involve telling hurtful lies, secretly for their partner's ‘own good’. What I've always hated about this trope (apart from the obvious) is they can achieve the SAME RESULT by communicating with their partner and saying what needs to happen. Qian Qian could have literally told Han Shuo: "hey can you go to a secret location for the time being? I have a feeling a storm is coming and I want you out of harm’s way." it's THAT simple.

Another thing in regards Han Shuo: his heart condition. I feel like I need to voice the words of Dan Oh: “I have heart disease, why am I coughing?”

Where do I even begin with Han Shuo. Look, I love him a lot and he has many great moments. He is a loyal partner and supports Qian Qian wholeheartedly. His devotion to her is true, I completely acknowledge that. BUT there is something that happened that I feel like everyone forgot about. BIG red flag here.

There is a scene where Qian Qian is under house arrest (under Han Shuo's order) and he tries to sexually assault her. He keeps going until she just bursts into tears, it’s so hard to watch. He stops and you know what he SAYS? “You ruined my mood” yikes, yikes, yikes

And then he comes out of the house to see Mr 2nd lead out who's out in the rain and says “Do Chen Qian Qian’s screams sound nice?” Is it possible for my skin to crawl even further?

(I do know he had his reasons behind it - but even if he wasn't planning on going through with it, does that make it okay??)

I also understand that they eventually heal their broken relationship afterwards, but it was such an impactful scene (in all the wrong ways) that I couldn't forget it.

Another thing about their relationship is how Han Shuo calls himself her husband, but it feels so weird because did they REALLY get married?? They skipped literally every tradition and ceremony and didn’t consummate, so what DID they do to earn their marital status exactly?? And especially considering it was a marriage of kidnapping, does it really count?

(( And did they have their first time in a jail cell of all places? Ouch ))

Okay I should talk about what I did like about the story though so it's not just a review of negativity lol

I loved the idea of these 2 cities which the story is focused around. Xuanhu: where men is the superior sex. And Huanyuan: the other where woman are superior. It’s interesting to see a world where the roles are reversed and the women are in control. I was entranced by the beginning where they showed Huanyuan's social norms and history (where it's a blessing if the baby is a girl and a disappointment if it is a boy. A city where only women could study, have important positions, be soldiers, be the head of the household, etc). There is SO much to unpack with this concept. Unfortunately we only scrape the surface for the majority of the drama and only in the final 3 episodes do we finally get to see Xuanhu city. It's only then when we start to get into some good stuff like gender equality and comparing the two cities. I wish there was more focus on this!!

(And along the way there's a reveal that Han Shuo is Mulan’s son??? Say what? What IS this universe lmao)

Honestly... why do I feel like my favourite thing in Tiger and Rose is the costume department? XD
Chen Qian Qian had the most gorgeous clothes!!! Everybody has exceptional clothing, did all the budget go towards this hahaha

On the whole: the premise for Tiger and Rose was intriguing. However, it needed to be properly executed for it to be a drama worth giving credit to

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Can’t believe I got sucked back into watching this mess of a show… but here we are

Ling Yi Zhou is back, and he’s just as extra as last time. Except this time he’s not going to make his crush believe she has a life threatening disease, instead he’ll just take advantage of a scandal :)))
……aaaand be as much of a stalker and walking red flag as last time.

It’s sliiightly better than S1, like an update that fixed all its bugs. But it’s still trash lmao
This includes the obvious PPL. I love that they’ve got so many products, they just totally embraced it

I got a big case of second lead syndrome at the beginning, mainly just because I wanted Xia Lin to get as far away from this dude as humanly possible. My favourite quote (in terms of total irony) was:

Chu Yan: I’ve been quietly watching [Xia Lin], looking out for her all this time
Ling Yi Zhou: She’s not a flower that needs to be sheltered

LOOK WHO’S TALKING

This is the dude who:

- has his assistant keep tabs on her
- stalks her
- doesn’t like her being near any other guy (and watches like a creeper while she’s just doing her job acting)
- shows up out of the blue on random occasions (her work dinner party, the gym, shopping mall)
- moves into her apartment without her permission
- “Today is the 779th day since I met you”

Without going into how disturbing that all is, how does a big time CEO have that much free time on his hands???

And don't even get me started on all the other plot holes (SERIOUS plot holes, as in "wait what? but I thought we established-" or "I thought they didn't know each other? Now they're suddenly best friends?" it's just a state of constant confusion)

I still don’t know why we needed a Season 2 in the first place, when it’s pretty much just the same story but told a little differently. I guess the producers were like “guys, we can still make more money off of this franchise, let’s do a 2nd season” and the team was like:
“great! what’s the plot?”
“let’s see…Season 1 has already used up every possible trope in the book…we can’t just pick up where we left off.”
“then what?”
“hmm……let’s just tell the story AGAIN”
“amazing, you’re promoted”

Luckily, Ling Yi Zhou did improve a bit more towards the end (like Season 1), his character moving more towards normality (thank god)

Even so, this was just as trashy as the first season. It’s a weird vibe because they act like Season 2 is superior and they’ve fixed all the flaws - but there’s endless references to Season 1??

If I had to pick ANY redeeming qualities, at least their son is cute?

So if you're thinking of giving this certified mess™ a try, my recommendation would be to save your time and just skip to the last 10 minutes of the last episode. Watch that, and ONLY that.

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The King: Eternal Monarch was everything I could ever hope for in a drama. *chef's kiss* A masterpiece. I wish I could rewatch it again for the first time

Honestly if I had to recommend a kdrama for someone who had never watched one before, this would be it. A high budget, well-casted, well-written, exciting show that keeps you on the edge of your seat eager for more. It’s too good, too good!!

The romance was top tier. I'm aware it's been a topic of controversialness, but for me - Jung Tae Eul x Lee Gon are one of my new favourite couples. Especially the scene at the end of Ep 11. Had me on the edge of my seat!! That scene >>> any boring love scene ever made

Their dynamic was just so fun. A post to summarize (courtesy of @lavenderbyun):


Tae Eul: take your clothes off

Lee Gon: *undoes 1 button*

Tae Eul: I DIDN’T SAY STRIP YOU IGNORANT SLUT


Lmaoooo, they give me life ♡

And Lee Gon! My man. We love (1) romantic, skilled, handsome science nerd. Someone who travels across time and space for his love, asdfghjkl; A king worth stanning.

One of the highlights in the beginning? When we're in the Kingdom of Corea and people were just shocked cause no one is allowed to touch the king but he lets Tae Eul touch him HAHAHAHA

Considering his well-known 'I don’t like being touched by people', he is certainly shouting out loud here to everybody around him 'I'm crazy about this woman and I just want to touch her all the time!!!!'

I loved all the characters in this drama. Especially Jo Young & Eun Sup, their scenes were always a highlight. Woo Do Hwan has the range, give him all the awards

And his bromance with Lee Gon!! Love them sm

I will admit my brain started to hurt with all that time travel, multiple universes and that place where time doesn't flow. It is a lot to get your head around but just don't think about it too hard is my advice lol

Otherwise, this drama deserves all the praise. I could rave about it forever, please give it a shot!

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I was so ready to rave about how healthy and supportive this relationship was all the way through and they got SO close! Until the male lead acts OOC at the last minute because hey our plot needs conflict and will make the happy ending all the more satisfying.

But let's start from the beginning. The plot is pretty average, but juuuust interesting enough to keep you watching.
It's full of cliches from:

- child abandonment/mommy issues
- chaebol heirs of big corps + meddling parents
- the lead/leads need to leave (usually abroad or just abandoning responsibilities)
- accidents + hospitals
- blackmail
- "Ahjussi!"

But oh well, every drama has its own set of kdrama tropes so whatevs. But my favourite thing about this drama is how nice our male lead Kang Soo is. He makes friends wherever he goes, picking them up like flyers, I love it. When one of our big bads did a background check to try and find dirt on him (only to come up empty), the assistant was like “he got 5 Brave Citizen awards” and just started listing all his good deeds LMAO

And whenever he needed help and 380+ people helped him out, it was great - wholesome deliveryman community here.

But to summarise the show's plot, it's just a constant cycle of:

New Ideas™ ⇒ Beat the Competitor ⇒ Competitor Plays Dirty ⇒ Our Company is In Turmoil (Angst) ⇒ Don’t Give Up! ⇒ Start again

I swear, at the end of the day I feel as emotionally exhausted as the characters.

Onto the romance, the beginning was written so...weird? Can we just forget the first 4-5 eps ever happened? The male & female lead have like 0, nil romantic scenes until around Ep 5-6. To the point where I even had to go onto this website and check that they were in-fact: the main couple.

And THEN towards the middle, the leads do finally get closer BUT before they’d even confirmed their feelings or anything, everyone around them said they’re dating but when did they ever confirm their relationship?? They hadn’t even kissed? There is no confession, no sharing of feelings, it just…happened?? It literally feels like skipping a step (and the step is the best part!!)

But getting past all that, they eventually do confirm their feelings, kiss, etc so it's okay. And after they do get together (for reals) they are v cute and are honestly goals. It was a long haul to get there, but it was worth it.

And like I said before, I was so excited to find a rare drama where the couple doesn't undergo some bs turmoil and angst. There was even this line:

Dan Ah (Best Girl): “No matter what happens, let’s not break up in a stupid way”
[lol, even as she said it I knew it was too good to be true]

But the unnecessary break-up is over and done with fairly quickly so don't stress. It's more the fact that it was added it in there so last minute that it's like 'WHY you were doing SO WELL'

At least it was refreshing to have a female lead who throws some hands! Especially when people are making dumb moves and she needs to snap some sense into them.

Crap I just realised I hadn't even talked about the second leads yet. I almost forgot about them XD (they are easily forgettable) To summarise: Ji-Yoon (the red-headed girl), well.... couldn’t they have written her character less ..annoying? Especially in the beginning, she's such a pest. Jin-Gyu was slightly more interesting. At least he had creative ideas and didn't surrender to his dad or Ji-Yoon's mum (the evil CEO). Their romance was predictable but you get used to it.

On the whole, this drama is okay. It can be a chore to watch at times (especially when it drags towards the end) but still, I didn't mind it and it had some enjoyable moments.

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This show is hilariously over the top and ridiculous. It's trash but I didn't mind it.

The female lead had a lot of flaws in the beginning and I had to try really hard to like her. She’s screaming every second scene and can be quite obnoxious and rude. She just needs to calm down honestly, like honey take a breather and stop going a hundred miles an hour all the time. How does Shang Chen have the patience??

But I like this show for my fave Shang Cheng. Can we talk about how EXTRA he is??? This dude takes dramatic to a whole new level

The first four or so eps were so good (but full of all the cliches lol). The rest of the show had its ups and downs, but fairly enjoyable overall.

[I’m still mad they cut the lantern festival fireworks kiss scene that’s in the intro, how dare they cut it out!!]

I’ll tell you what I did like though which was the premise of the show. I’m always down for pirates, and to have the King of the Pirates fall in love was right up my alley. I loved his pirate sidekicks too, I love their trio.

On the whole, if you want to give this drama a shot, your reason should be for the pirate who stole my heart: Shang Cheng ♡♡ My man

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WoW. What a show. I almost wanted to take my time in watching the episodes to savour this masterpiece of a drama for as long as possible. 

Where do I begin? First of all, the plot was so well written. Every episode was interesting and flowed together so well. From start to finish it kept its pace and momentum throughout the entire show. I gave this same compliment to 'Pinocchio' (2014) which was also a 10. It was so refreshing how it didn't lose its quality (like many other dramas have a habit of doing).

Next, the acting. Everybody brought their A game to this drama, everybody plays their characters so well and brought them to life seamlessly. 

The costumes, set and the soundtrack are also A+

They also touch on themes you don’t normally see in dramas, especially historical ones. We get to see what it was like (well, a dramatized version, of course) for not only historians, but female historians too. There's also other aspects, from the banning of books, vaccinations, protests against the king, and even the introduction of Catholicism in Joseon. Amazing

And never before have I seen a male lead love someone as sincerely and passionately as Prince Dowon/Yi Rim loves Goo Hae-ryung. He loved her from the moment he saw her and I'm not even kidding when I say she occupies his thoughts every minute of every day. [To be fair, he is cooped up in a private garden/inn area inside the palace with nothing to do for 20 years]

He constantly supports her, would do anything for her and puts her first always. She is honestly his entire world and I love it. 

And Goo Hae-ryung loves him too and holds him so dear. What I love is that there is no bs in their story. They have communicated with each other and had such a pure and true love story that is so mature. There are no 'misunderstandings' or 'lies' or 'deceit' like so many others. Of course they must have a temporary split like every Kdrama ever written but it doesn't last long thankfully. But their relationship is just so refreshing.
I also love love love how headstrong and fierce Goo Hae-ryung is. In general and in her relationship with the prince. She is never afraid to speak her mind, or back down from her beliefs/views. She is such a queen and an icon. And so intelligent as well.

Prince Dowon/Yi Rim:“you’re pretty”
Goo Hae-ryung: “i know, i have a mirror at home”
THAT BDE I'M DEFJDKDK

I especially love how she always handles herself. Even with the prince, throughout their story she has made all the right moves. Was always honest with him, helped him make decisions, and done right by him.

I just have so many feelings with this couple. The dynamic between Yi Rim the romantic and Goo Hae-Ryung the realist is sooo cute. Their chemistry feels so natural and authentic.

But it has also got great funny moments too. 30 pages of writing ‘His highness turned another page’ iM CACKLING

Another thing I love is Goo Hae-Ryung’s friendship with her fellow female historians and how they protective they are of Hae-Ryung omg. The sisterhood was so beautiful.

This whole drama just feels so well made. It lacks nothing and has a mature feel to it. An honest joy to watch, and that’s why it's a 10.

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This review is gonna be slightly different to my normal ones. This was a lengthy drama so to help against the pain I wrote 'mini reviews' at different points during the show to vent my frustrations. [so obviously spoilers ahead as I go]
So here goes

(wrote after watching ep 2)

A strong start to this show. We have our two main leads who are both strong in their own way. Crown Prince Lee Sun wants freedom and has a sense of justice, wanting to do right by his people. He reminds me of princess Jasmine from ‘Aladdin’. She doesn’t want to spend her life in the palace, and doesn’t want a betrothal either. She escapes from the palace, and sees a starving child (in our case; a thirsty one with our theme being the water supply) and feeds him an apple, not knowing it is something you must pay for. Sound familiar?

Meanwhile our female lead is already so likeable. She is intelligent, a student in medicine, kind, spunky, and beautiful. I love that there is already a connection between the two from the start.

I’m so excited to see what’s to come!

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Where do I stand now at ep 9?

Well…I think it’s safe to say the show peaked at episode 2. There are a lot of plot holes, with a lot of wasted potential. I’ve seen a lot of reviews by now and I do think they are being just a bit harsh. Yes, there are plot holes. Yes. the romance is rushed and filled with pointless melodrama. Yes, the female lead could have had a better character (*cough* like in the first two eps *cough*) instead of being so wishy-washy. But don't heaps of other dramas have these problems? At least the plot is interesting enough, despite all the tragedy and miscommunication. It’s so interesting to see this evil group who even though the king is in control, he is nothing but a puppet being controlled by the big bad. Even the politics are interesting, from the water supply, the currency, etc.

I suppose the letdown is that this show could be so much better and be considered a masterpiece, if it was simply better written. So many problems are such simple fixes. It isn’t the costumes, set, or actors that are letting the show down.

It truly aggravates me that Kim So Hyun’s character never changes. Like what the hell, is it in her contract that she must play the same lead with the same problems again and again? It’s so disappointing. She simply never communicates and it’s the most frustrating thing.

My main issue with the romance is that it happens so quickly, and before they can even really act on their feelings or do anything as a couple - BAM here’s the angst. Have fun with that for 5 episodes. But the thing is that, she says ‘he was my first love’ and the fact that they ‘love each other’ just comes out of nowhere? Did I miss something? Were there any scenes where they confessed their feelings before that time skip?

Like, did either of you ever explicitly say what your relationship was??? It was a few days!!! Why are you guys acting like you were in a long term relationship??? Don’t even get me started how after they reunite after all that time and begin their relationship (that never even started) saying they’ll never leave each other again (sure jan) and like, they haven’t even kissed yet??

Ugh, I’m tired. It really isn’t that hard to make a realistic romance. You can add all the melodrama and plot devices you want to still give the drama the ‘drama’, but you have to give the show some actual romance to begin with BEFORE you can add the angst. Otherwise it just doesn’t make any sense!!

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(from memory, this was about two thirds in?)

So here I am again and the show has made no improvements. I still can’t believe Ga-eun doesn’t recognise Yi-seon under that mask. For heaven's sake you have seen his face and heard his voice for YEARS. Does it really take the removing of his mask?? Oh whatever. I feel so sorry for Yi-seon. When he initially asked to be the prince’s substitute, he had no idea what that would involve and how long it would go on for. He was a poor baby but the world twisted him into the worst version of himself. I weep for the poor man.

Like, I get it. If you’re going to lose everything else and have your life threatened every 15 days, you can’t see your family, have no freedom, you’re a puppet king and people criticise him for it. If you think you’re going to die soon anyway and hate your life, the least he can get is the girl he’s had a crush on forever. I can understand the logic ‘I’ve already lost everything else, I may as well get the girl’. But YIKES, jealousy and anger made him try to throw his friend and the rightful heir to the throne under the bus.

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At last I have finally finished it. And thank goodness the show picked up momentum and I actually binged them. There was finally plot!! The episodes were actually good!!!

And it was a nice touch to have all those who died tragically step into the final scene in spirit. To have all the characters together and at peace. At peace like how I felt to have finally completed this drama. Far out.

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Wow…this was…a show. It felt like a combination of the Hunger Games, Lost and Liar Game.

The show in itself was enjoyable enough. The psychological aspect, the mystery of the upcoming games and the general unpredictability of it was pretty intriguing. You truly never know what direction the show's going to go in next. And I love that Arisu and Usagi have each other throughout the whole thing (love me some 'together but not together' vibes hehe)

You can basically split the show into two, the first half focuses on the games and the second half (the Beach arc) is more like The Society/Lord of the Flies with everyone trying to govern themselves in this place with no rules. It's in the second half where we see flashbacks to everyone's lives before entering Borderland (like they did in Lost) which I thought was a nice touch.

Although I really wish I knew it was gonna end in a ‘hAHA there’s still no answers, renew us for S2 if you want more’ kind of way. It felt so unsatisfying to finally be on the cusp of learning the truth, only to have MORE questions.

At least the show has been renewed for S2. Hopefully by the end we will get some answers - let’s see what they’ve got in store for us :D

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Falling Into Your Smile my beloved

This drama omg, what a ride. Let me begin by saying I was SO invested in this cdrama. It’s been a while since I’ve watched a gaming drama (my last being Love O2O) and I was not disappointed.

I did have my doubts going into it, eps 1-2 seemed to really enjoy emphasising ‘omg it’s a GiRL GaMeR????’ with so much sexism from both males AND females. Like funnily enough, a girl can also use a mouse and press keys.

I will also add that there is a lot of secondhand embarrassment you have to endure from the FL at times, mainly in the beginning.

But other than that, this show is so fluffy and wholesome. ZGDX (in fact nearly all the teams) have such strong found family vibes, they support each other and the team means everything to them <33

Plus you get to enjoy the group living together (hello roommates/university vibes) and the team’s priceless reactions to Tong Yao and Si Cheng’s budding romance. Truly one of the best parts of the show

Tong Yao and Si Cheng are one of my new favourite couples now, their chemistry is just on fire. You get to see them dating but not dating for 3/4 of the show until they become a REAL couple and omg, they are adorable. And may I also add, no stupid breakups - so refreshing.

In fact I think it’s safe to say I love nearly every character on this show. Jin Yang and Tong Yao’s friendship is SO pure and honestly goals. Even Jian Yang (Tong Yao’s ex) is SUCH a good guy. He may have been sexist at the beginning but even as he stayed in love with her, he never pressured her or made her uncomfortable. He did try hard for them to get back together in the beginning, but when Tong Yao said that they are well and truly over, he did accept it with grace (heartbreaking as it was for him). Then even past that point, he never held it against her! He defended her against netizens slandering her, was in constant awe of her gaming skills, and just, what a guy. Even during the final episode he was like “:D :D I taught her!! I taught her!! :D” omg I was melting.

But of course, Si Cheng is still number 1 in my heart. One of my new fav male leads! His type is ‘someone who can beat him in gaming’ - we stan. He supported Tong Yao from beginning to end and once they started dating, omg if you thought he was Mr. Hearteyes before, my gosh you won’t even recognise him when they date for real. Seriously, I can’t even remember the last time I saw a boyfriend so PDA <3

On the whole, this show is such a gem and I’ll miss it so very much. I already know that I’ll be rewatching this many times in the future

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Yikes, how did this show go off the rails that quickly.

The first half of the show it was a solid 7 but then ugh, I had to push myself to watch it. Honestly, there were so many things that I didn’t like, and so much wasted potential. First the tragic Pinocchio knock-off fire backstory, and then the plot seemed so predictable and forced. I also didn’t like the side characters. The prosecutor who enjoys spending his free time watching people from his car, the chief’s daughter who although is a strong female character - I just couldn’t help but dislike her, that’s just me personally. The big bad of the series, the typical serial killer (the man who gave Kang Sung Mo his creepy watch-from-a-distance habits) who ‘can’t feel emotions’ but spends his whole life chasing, imprisoning and obsessing over a woman? Even the backstory behind the series of murders seemed like such a let-down (like people died man, and you stabbed 3 women to death, why??) and then the next Home Care fire with the same stabbings - all as bait to lure that woman again? And then that bizarre kidnapping, why??

And then we had to suffer the typical angst between our main couple because kdrama law says so, and when Lee Ahn reads her memory for the 10th time and sees her dad, he steps back all shocked like “your dad is Yoon Tae Ha????” like how on earth could he not have known? How is this new information? Are we as an audience really supposed to believe Lee Ahn just wondered who Yoon Jae In’s father was for 2 years, and just heard he was some random criminal and never heard/saw a name, or asked, or researched? If her maths teacher could find out in a minute, so could he. And we all KNOW from several people that he was falsely accused and was framed!

Just because the news says so, Lee Ahn says Yoon Tae Ha is the person he detests the most in the world?! What about the man who fcking stabbed you who is most likely the same criminal who lit that fire all those years ago. I mean it wasn’t, but he’s all tied into it. And while I’m at it, after leaving her on the ground crying in the rain, and saying her dad is the worst, he goes off the grid for days, ignores her calls, leaves her on her own to get kidnapped (when he knew full well the CCTV cameras were malfunctioning where she lives & works, and was being watched by some suspicious man in black) and then after rescuing her by some stroke of luck, he never once apologises????

Look, I understand he had to direct his anger somewhere and everybody blamed her dad, so changing the image you have of someone you’ve hated your whole life isn’t easy, but still, leaving her like that was cold. And another thing!! The MOMENT it was proven Yoon Tae Ha was framed, someone should be making the efforts to get her dad out of prison!! Or at LEAST tell the poor man that his innocence is proven! He literally just tried to commit suicide.

Anyways then the plot continues to go sideways, along with the police’s continued incompetency. How did they manage to lose him when he was handcuffed in a police-car, I still don’t understand that. Twice! Why would, when receiving a text with the kidnapper’s face, you let a possible suspect go and drive away, and THEN look at the picture sent. Jesus christ, is lieutenant Nam (Yoon Jae In’s superior) the only one with a brain in the force?

The romance which was at least a part of the story originally is just tossed to the side for the rest of the show, which considering is the only saving grace of the show, is a pretty dumb move. But alas, I must push on to get closure for this bs. Time to watch the rest of Keeping up with the Kang’s and their psychotic family drama.

And even as they as they close up all of the loose ends on the final episode, the feeling of dissatisfaction did not cease.

Everyone’s dumb, the end.

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Wow....I did not expect to have to rejig my whole review upon this drama's completion.

I still feel so..dejected. I've gone through the 5 stages of grief now and reached acceptance but man...still doesn't ease the pain. But I'll save my feelings regarding the ending for last and I'll give Queen Cheorin/Mr. Queen the proper review it deserves before addressing all that.

So first things first, this drama was absolutely spectacular. Bong Hwan A, I'll miss your character SO much.
And Shin Hye Sun, my gosh. She is the REAL queen here, what an actress.

Every episode was filled with fun and hilarious shenanigans. Seriously, no kdrama has made me laugh that hard in a long time. It was the perfect combination of comedy, romance and plot development.

Bong Hwan A (So Bong) was just so...iconic. Everyone in the palace is trying to get a handle on the queen as every episode she does something else batshit crazy lmao. Especially in the beginning when everyone thought the queen was planning something, meanwhile So Bong is just going through an existential crisis and knows next to nothing XD

And the romance! So Bong & Cheoljong will forever live in my heart. I mean where else are you gonna get: enemies to allies, friends to lovers, then to allies. Who else could do it better, they are the elite!

There is so much to love about their relationship but I still think nothing could be more iconic than the Queen's Dictionary. Cheoljong literally made a dictionary for all the strange new words he heard from So Bong so he could understand her better. He remembered EVERYTHING she ever said to him.....I need a moment.

Honestly if it wasn't for the ending, this would have been my new all-time favourite drama. I would have rated it 100000/10 if I could.

So what went wrong? Let's talk about the ending which I couldn't hesitate to call the worst and most unsatisfying in kdrama history. I can not believe they gave us a Scarlet Heart Ryeo ending but just multiply the pain by ten. And you know why this was worse? Because as heartbreaking as Scarlet Heart Ryeo's ending was, at least it was a completely sad ending. But Queen Cheorin? For some reason they gave us a tragedy packed in happy ending confetti????

Like I just can't believe (on Valentine's Day no less) that TVN decided to throw everything they built in the trash. Cheoljong loved Bong Hwan A, and loved him for who he was. Now Cheoljong has lost him forever :(
And Bong Hwan A! He has to live with the fact that he never gets to see his friends, husband, or future child ever again!!

I think I couldn't say it more perfectly than @acupofwishes (tumblr):

"The Mr. Queen writers took me to an expensive restaurant and bought me a 5 course meal with dessert, brought out a surprise birthday cake and had the entire restaurant sing to me, later that evening they reached for my hand and guided me to the dance floor and then, in the middle of our song, whispered gently into my ear that everything was laced with laxatives."

Listen I haven't read fanfiction for years but I’m seriously considering going on a hunt for reincarnation fics to heal my broken heart.

So now begs the question, would I recommend this drama? Honestly I have recommended this drama to so many people and I feel like I need to go back to them all and say 'nevermind!!' (or at the very least give them the heads up that the finale will leave them hollow inside). However at the same time... the first 19 episodes are so freakin amazing and I don't want them to miss out.....

So I suppose the decision is up to you. This drama is incredible and I had the BEST time watching, but at the same time I'll be thinking of this bittersweet ending every day for the rest of my life

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This is one of the classics, a drama that every kdrama fan should have the pleasure of watching

It's a university/college drama: sageuk style, with all the ingredients for a good watch. It has comedy, a touch of mystery, an interesting plot, good characters, romance, and friendship. For all 20 episodes it maintains its quality, and is so binge-worthy.

I also cannot stress enough the chemistry of Yoon Hee x Sun Joon. It's as slow burn as it gets but the PINING is amazing. It’s the same struggle as ‘Love in the Moonlight’ where the guy is so in love and is in a constant battle with himself, all ‘nonono I can’t be gAy, nOooOOO i am NoT’

Tfw you like someone so much you’ll even like them despite the fact it is the biggest taboo of the time period. Get you a man who falls in love with you even when he thinks you’re a guy, he’s just THAT attracted to you.

I should also mention one of my favourite things about Sun Joon's character (minor spoiler! - but it is one of the best parts of the drama for me) - - is when her gender is revealed, he is so CONSIDERATE of her. Anyone who's seen any drama ever when the male lead finds out the big secret the female lead has been hiding from him, all hell breaks loose (some examples 'I'm Not a Robot' or 'The Secret Life of My Secretary'). But for once, when finding out some big secret, he DOESN'T shun the female lead and we don’t have to deal with that angst for ages. He is is so kind and asks her ‘so…for how long did you wear men’s clothes? …you don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable’ (my heart!!)

The only flaw for me is the ending, in the way that it felt rushed. The plot of the final episode is something that should have been given more focus and more time! There were also so many unanswered questions (not to mention the all-important-something™ the mains spent the whole drama looking for - ultimately made no difference in the outcome)

I should also warn you that as much as I love the romance in this, they have as much physical love/skinskip as a Studio Ghibli movie lmao. The magic is in the yearning, the emotions in their eyes!! I... must admit I wished for more, but hey it's still a beautiful love story nonetheless. 'Less is more' as they say.

Many said they got second lead syndrome from this drama but I didn't feel that way at all. Sun Joon's character is so charming, and fits so well with Yoon Hee. They are both intelligent, share the same views, and are the source of each other's smile. But also in the way opposites attract, and made each other better people. From the beginning she was a pessimist who only knew of the cruel world she grew up in as a peasant. The only way to support her family and use her talent was to disguise herself as a man, otherwise she would only be sold off. While HE was overly idealistic and grew up in a privileged home with strong ideals of a good world. But both of them had things to learn from each other, and gave each other courage. Need I say more?

Overall, I'd highly recommend it

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For any potential new viewers, they should ask themselves if they really want to spend a whole drama watching a love triangle between 1 guy and 1 girl. By that I mean a guy going out with the same girl pretending to be 2 different people. If you’re really interested in watching said guy not being able to put the two and two together for the majority of the show, then be my guest.

Our male lead doesn’t just suffer from prosopagnosia, he also suffers from dumb bitch disease.

Like...how can he not recognise her voice??

Don’t worry, it’s not just him I have a bone to pick with, what is with our female lead? Jung Gal Hee, girl what are you doing? Why are you pretending to be someone else, why can’t you just come clean!? Must you really wait for the universe to do it for you so it’s even harder for him to forgive you? Ugh I hate these writers, writing it just so it gets revealed in dramatic fashion.

Anyways, you know why I don’t like this drama? The only reason they got together in the first place is because he got face blindness and she was the only face he could see (because she wore the same red cardigan every day all year so it trained him to recognise her face automatically or something). Otherwise after he fired her it would have been left at that. He only made her stick around because he needed her.

But ALSO it’s so vague! I thought the deal was when she has her red cardigan on he can miraculously see her face? But then somewhere along the way, it changes and the truth is he can’t REALLY see her face, it’s like he can just remember it (like a blank canvas from memory) - not her actual expressions?? Then there are times when she IS wearing the cardigan and she’s like “I wish you could see my face right now” I don’t understaaaaand
Pick your vague rules and stick with them please.

Although I loved Veronica Park. She was such a fun character. And the friendship between Veronica Park and Gal Hee! We support this wholesome relationship (when they hugged and were all excited because of their crushes!!! we stan)

Also kudos for this to be the first drama where I liked the secondary couple. Loved them. (more than the main couple whoops)

The villains are so mediocre, you don't even know who the real villains are half the time. (but it is HILARIOUS to see the female lead talk about the 'oh so important object' that the villains are after - ONLY in the villain's presence lmao). There are heaps of other things that don't add up but you get to the point you don't even care anymore.

On the whole, this drama is light and easy, but oh so dumb and frustrating. Watch at your own risk.

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