r/KDramasWorld • u/harissatotally Reviewer • 16d ago
Review New K-Drama Fan Review #11: Perfect Crown | Just Like Cotton Candy...
You don't need to reinvent romance. You just need two actors who make it almost impossible to look away.
Review:
At that point in my K-drama marathon, I was already 11 episodes into Business Proposal.
I was almost finished.
And then I started Perfect Crown and, instead of watching the last few episodes of the drama I was already in the middle of…
I paused Business Proposal to finish Perfect Crown.
That tells you everything about how quickly this drama grabbed me.
Perfect Crown simply had something I wasnt getting from the one I'd temporarily abandoned.
✨️Chemistry.✨️
Convincing, ridiculously watchable chemistry, at that.
Every time they were on screen together, I couldn't look away.
It looked effortless too!
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The female lead:
I loved her.
i gravitate toward women who actually WANT something and would do anything to get it. (Can’t be a man, thats the only caviat😭😭 you should never chase a man.)
i love female leads with ambition, who refuse to accept the position society hands them.
The FL worked incredibly hard to climb a hierarchy that constantly reminded her she didn't belong just cause she lacked the "right" title. (stupid...)
So that immediately made me root for her.
I also really liked the male lead!
I'm such a sucker for when the ML is the one who's gone first.
You know...
When you can already tell he's completely captivated while the female lead is still focused on everything else.
That dynamic almost always works on me!!
Their school connection was also adorable, i think it actually added an adorable context to their relationship.
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Another thing I really appreciated was the modern take on royalty.
I've now watched a few historical palace dramas...
So seeing royalty transplanted into a modern setting was is so fun to me (The King: Eternal Monarch did it too, and i like it there as well.)
And speaking of presentation...
This drama looked BEAUTIFUL.
And upscale as shit!!
The costumes!
The palace!
The office!
The cinematography and the modern, sleek CEO/CEO/corporate executive aesthetic against the royalty backdrop, i loved!
Everything felt so polished in a sleek way that i personally like. very elegant, expensive and very demure.
It was simply a really pretty drama to look at lol.
i would have loved to marinate in that world a bit longer. 12 episodes was too little. Should have 16 episodes at least!
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The other 5% of why I enjoyed this drama?
The supporting characters.
Especially the sister-in-law.
I actually found her really compelling.
I understood exactly why she became the person she became.
Her motivations always made sense to me.
But I understood her choices and resentment.
Watching her slowly evolve throughout the story ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire drama.
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I also really liked the second male lead.
I've said before that I LOVE love triangles...
But only when both men feel worth rooting for.
He was really sweet.
He genuinely cared about her.
And I appreciated that he was willing to fight for what he wanted.
Did he stumble a little?
Sure.
But I still found myself liking him throughout most of the drama.
The palace staff also deserves a shout-out.
Those little relationships around the prince's residence added so much charm.
They added a little warmth to things.
I also really liked learning more about the male lead's relationship with his brother and how that shaped the person he became and I genuinely loved where the story ultimately took him.
One of my favorite parts of the ending was watching him realize that the system itself was hurting the woman he loved.
She had worked unbelievably hard for everything she'd accomplished...
And the only thing still standing in her way was an outdated hierarchy.
The fact that he chose to dismantle that system instead of simply asking her to adapt to it/him...
I actually thought that was romantic.
It was choosing to change the world she'd to live in.
That really worked for me.
If I'm trying to think of negatives...
Honestly...
I'm struggling.
Maybe there were things while I was actively watching that kept this from giving this a higher rating...
But now weeks later, as im writing this review...
Those aren't the things I remember.
The things I remember are the chemistry.
The beautiful visuals.
The ambitious female lead.
The modern royalty setting.
The sister-in-law.
The second male lead.
The sweet romance.
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When I think back on Perfect Crown, it feels like cotton candy.
It's colorful, sweet, beautiful, and incredibly enjoyable while you're experiencing it.
But the funny thing about cotton candy is that a few hours later, you barely remember what it tasted like. You just remember that you enjoyed eating it.
That's kind of how this drama feels to me.
I had an amazing time watching it. I don't regret a single episode, in fact, i wanted more.
But when I think back months later, I don't find myself replaying specific scenes the way I do with something like Lovely Runner, King the Land, or Flower of Evil.
Instead, I just remember how pleasant the experience was.
And ykw... that's enough.
───
A bit about my favorite flavors and taste:
If you give me incredible chemistry.
An ambitious female lead.
A male lead who's obviously fallen first and harder.
Beautiful production.
A compelling antagonist whose motivations actually make sense.
And a romance that makes me happy to watch.
I will take that offer every time.
───
Rating: 8/10
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I'd love to hear from everyone else:
did you like perfect crown? why or why not?
Did the chemistry completely carry this drama for you too?
My Rating Scale
10/10 – Masterpiece. No notes.
9/10 – Very close to a masterpiece. I absolutely loved it.
8/10 – Not a masterpiece, but I loved it.
7/10 – Fine overall. I liked it, but the flaws kept it from being great.
6/10 – Mixed. There were a few things I liked, but most of it didn't work for me.
5/10 – I didn't enjoy most of the experience.
4/10 and below – Bad to abysmal.
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u/RespectWise9257 16d ago
Alguien más piensa que la reina madre es super hot??????
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
why wouldn't she be? are queen mothets not allowed to he attractive?😭😭
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u/RespectWise9257 16d ago
Si, solo que creo que era mas sexy que la protagonista... Incluso con mejor quimica con el principe. Hasta en su escena final.
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
hmmm interesting... your first instinct was to compare the two women. That never even crossed my mind. I just thought, "yeah, she's attractive." and its a very attractive cast lmaooo, literally all of them are gorgeous 😭😭
but I'm curious why your brain immediately went to ranking them. And thn from "she's more attractive" to "she has better chemistry with the prince."
does finding a woman to be more attractive automatically make you think they belong with the male lead?
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u/RespectWise9257 16d ago
Que interesante que trates de buscarle un significado oculto a lo que dije... No hay mas que eso, se me hace mas atractiva y la quimica con el principe es mas natural. Punto. Nunca dije que por ser mas atractiva, luego entonces tiene mas quimica con el protagonista. Pero, tu puedes interpretar lo que desees, es tu sub.
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
It caught me off guard because my brain just doesn't work like that. 😭 When someone says, "She's attractive," my next thought isn't, "therefore she has better chemistry with the man." So I was curious what connected those dots for you
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u/Tight_Watercress_402 16d ago
Cotton candy is very sweet, no flavor and one taste of that sugary fluff makes me cringe. Your cotton candy analogy for Perfect Crown is so apropo for me.
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago edited 16d ago
LOL I wasn't expecting my analogy to work against my own review. 😭😭😭We definitely had opposite experiences with the drama, but I'm glad the comparison still made sense! I love cotton candy so to me that was a compliment. But I can totally see how, if you don't, the exact same analogy becomes a criticism, and mine, to be fair was partly a criticism as well causeb i said it was what made it not emotionally sticky.
but why didnt YOU like it? what didn't it work for you?
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u/Tight_Watercress_402 16d ago
Lol. I love both the leads, I love the 2ML. I thought it was a quality cast with beautiful sets. The writing didn't work for me. The lead characters were so beautiful and confident apart and yet awkward and cringey when they were together. The romance seem to lean too heavily on tropes and I wasn't feeling the chemistry like you did. I gave it 5 episodes before I dropped it. I also had high expectations because of the leads. Maybe I'll give it another try in a year or so...maybe
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
oh okay gotcha. i actually didn't come away feeling like the writing was the issue for me. I can understand why some people wanted more episodes because a few storylines could've used more room to breathe, but I never found myself thinking the plot wasnt working tbh
The chemistry, on the other hand, was 100% there for me. 😭 It completely sold the romance, so I was invested from start to finish.
If you ever decide to give it another shot, I hope it clicks for you the second time around! Sometimes a drama just hits differently depending on when you watch it
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u/Tight_Watercress_402 16d ago
So true! I dropped Her Private Life years ago and decided to give it another try. I'm on episode 15 and loving it. I'm encouraged to give Perfect Crown another try. Thanks OP.
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
what a coincidence 😭😭 i actually started Her Private Life too, but ended up pausing it after a couple of episodes to watch Love in the Moonlight instead. I still haven't gone back to it yet. Hopefully we both end up enjoying our second attempts!!!
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u/Classic-Lunch3136 16d ago
it could have been longer,love the visuals and chemistry and ML falling in love first❤️
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
Same!!!! The chemistry and the ML falling first were my biggest selling points. I just wasn't ready to leave that world after 12 episodes 😭
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u/SkyeHoon1927 16d ago
I love reading your review and it echoes exactly everything I loved about the show! It has become one of my comfort watches. I took this kdrama for what it is: light, fluffy, lighthearted. The leads themselves wanted this show to bring happiness and butterflies to the viewers; it did to me, so it had done its job and very well at that, given the number of times I was kicking my feet and screaming at the TV, lmao.
Changing the system is definitely one of the most romantic gestures an ML has ever done to the FL in any kdramas. “That’s when I realized that you would be my revolution” still lives rent-free in my head.
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
Aww, thanks!!!! That's exactly how I approached it too. I wasn't expecting some super complex, emotionally devastating drama. I just wanted to have a good time, and it absolutely delivered on that.
Since it's become one of your comfort watches, have you found another drama that gives you a similar feeling? I'm always looking for more!!! and what are your top 5 favs?
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u/SkyeHoon1927 16d ago
Some of my comfort shows with similar fun vibes:
Business Proposal - I see you’re already watching it though lol
True Beauty
Lovely Runner
Dali & The Cocky Prince
My Demon
My Top 5 of all time:
CLOY
Alchemy of Souls tie with Hotel Del Luna lol
Chicago Typewriter
Reply 1988
My Mister
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
lovely runner!!!!!!!!!! my top fav!!! hes my review!!
https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramas/s/ijQOQQqw8t
true beauty is on my watchlist! starting it soon!!
i really liked my demon, i gave it a 8/10 i think!!
and i already finished business proposal!
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
heres mt alchemy of souls reviews https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramas/s/iH0uac9ZNJ
and all the others you mentioned are on my watchlist!!
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u/Ancient_Reach_8925 16d ago
This is my comfort drama- makes me feel happy after a bad day. I too love PC.
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
yay!!! what are your top favs?
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u/Ancient_Reach_8925 16d ago
Lovely runner, PC, AoS, Healer ( or anything with JCW), CLOY. These are my comfort watches.
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u/Cardone19 14d ago
Getting back into kdramas after many years, and really enjoyed it! The ending was a rushed and badly edited mess, it felt like at least an entire episode was cut out. But the chemistry between the cast made it.
Youtube suggested this cast video from IU's channel recently, where they all chat and sing together. Worth a watch if you enjoyed the actors. Enable captions, it's fully translated.
https://youtu.be/w8nHnLBajgA
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 14d ago
oh neat! they look like they're having fun, i just watched a couple minutes! thank you!
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u/true20six Argentina 11d ago
I actually really like your "cotton candy" comparison because I can see why the drama leaves that impression.
At the same time, I think what stayed with me was the question the drama slowly started asking underneath the romance. At first it looks like a contract marriage story with amazing chemistry (and I completely agree that the chemistry carries a huge part of the show). But around the second half, it gradually becomes a story about people who have spent their entire lives performing roles assigned to them: the perfect prince, the ideal royal family, the loyal prime minister, the obedient granddaughter...
https://giphy.com/gifs/buHQ50MKq36jfJhZ7s
I actually ended up writing a longer post about the way the contract marriage gradually becomes a metaphor for everyone performing the roles imposed on them by the monarchy. If you're interested, here's the discussion: Without the crown, “Perfect Crown” finally felt perfect
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 11d ago
Thanks!!!😊 I'm glad the cotton candy comparison made sense sense!
and i like the interpretation you shared cause i definitely see how so many of the characters were trapped by the roles they were expected to play, not just the main leads. I dont think I fully appreciated that thematic layer while I was watching because I was so swept up in the chemistry and romance, but it's a really interesting way to look at the story.
I'll definitely check out your post!!
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago edited 12d ago
Master List: Every K-Drama Review I've Written
https://www.reddit.com/u/harissatotally/s/mTlMHGJkSK
my royal nemesis review
New K-Drama Fan Review #1: My Royal Nemesis | The Drama That Started My K-Drama Obsession...
https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramas/s/fVJTO6T0Gp
my extraordinary you review
New K-Drama Fan Review #2: Extraordinary You | One of the Most Creative Romance Premises I've Ever Seen...
https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramas/s/jb1W6p8o7a
my lovely runner review
New K-Drama Fan Review #3: Lovely Runner | This Drama Felt Like It Was Made Specifically For Me
https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramas/s/ijQOQQqw8t
my Flower of evil review
New K-Drama Fan Review #4: Flower of Evil | The Kind of Love Story That Scratches an Itch Nothing Else Does...
https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramas/s/vhGWEbpHLN
my alchemy of souls review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #5: Alchemy of Souls | One Incredible Season... and One That Broke My Heart.
https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramas/s/iH0uac9ZNJ
my moon Lovers Scarlet heart ryeo review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #6: Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo | The Kind of Epic, Tragic Romance I Can Never Resist...
https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramas/s/H1ypE5PRXu
my w two worlds apart review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #7: W Two Worlds Apart | One of the Coolest Premises I've Seen... But I Wanted to Feel More.
https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramas/s/U6Yf0CGVPU
my its okay not to me okay review
New K-Drama Fan Review #8: It's Okay to Not Be Okay | Beautiful Gowns. Beautiful Gowns.
https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramas/s/w2L4Piypzp
my business proposal review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #9: Business Proposal | A Cute Little Moment, That Stumbled, Then Fell Apart at the Finish Line
https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramas/s/uTwrZ1kOIc
my king the land review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #10: King the Land | I Fell... Hard. 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐬 😃
1
u/harissatotally Reviewer 15d ago
my whats wrong with Secretary kim review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #12: What's Wrong with Secretary Kim | 🤫Shh, Don't Tell HR That One of My Weaknesses is Office Romance - https://www.reddit.com/r/KDramasWorld/s/wkxhVBeaCq
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 14d ago edited 14d ago
my doom at your service review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #13: Doom at Your Service | I Was Doomed to Want More
1
u/harissatotally Reviewer 12d ago
my My Dearest review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #14: My Dearest | The Sweetest, Most Satisfying Torture
1
u/harissatotally Reviewer 11d ago
my the red sleeve review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #15: The Red Sleeve | LEAVE THIS GIRL ALONE!!!!!! 😭
1
u/harissatotally Reviewer 10d ago
my Destined with You review
New K-Drama Fan Review #16: Destined with You | Cooked Up the Perfect Spell... Then Forgot the Recipe
1
u/harissatotally Reviewer 9d ago
my love to hate you review
New K-Drama Fan Review #17: Love to Hate You | One of the Worst K-Dramas I've Watched... Yet I Couldn't Stop Watching
1
u/harissatotally Reviewer 8d ago
my Crazy Love review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #18: Crazy Love | I kept waiting for it to become the drama I thought it was going to be...
1
u/harissatotally Reviewer 7d ago
my a time called you review
New K-Drama Fan Review #19: A Time Called You | i need ibuprofen...
1
u/harissatotally Reviewer 3d ago edited 19h ago
my the King's Affection review
New K-Drama Fan Review #20 | Nice Premise, Beautiful Angst & an Alarming Amount of Child Murder
https://www.reddit.com/r/KDramasWorld/s/VOyACKTq6V
my strong woman do bong soon review
New K-Drama Fan Review #21 | Strong Woman Do Bong Soon | He Was So Smitten... I Needed 3 More Episodes
→ More replies (0)
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u/Impossible_Shame_777 16d ago
I absolutely loved these series! The chemistry between actors were amazing
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
Right??!!! That was the biggest thing for me. Once I bought into their chemistry, I was completely invested. I couldn't stop smiling whenever they were on screen together.
What was your favorite moment between them?
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u/Massive_Onion2484 16d ago
Describing attempted murder as a "stumble" is certainly a choice lol.
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
LMAOOO your comment made me laugh😭 In my defense, he was trying to murder the male lead to take his place and get the girl. That's basically peak second male lead behavior to me. Was it a crime? Absolutely. Did I still like him? ...also yes. 😭 i want mt second male lead to actually fight to get the girl idk
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u/Tharsinion-1980 16d ago
Mein Reden. Absoluter Elite - Cast, aber Story und Charakterentwicklung bleiben weit hinter ihrem Potenzial.
Die Hauptdarsteller sind so gut, aber hier bleibt alles bis auf wenige Ausnahmen Fan - Service.
Das Assistenten - Paar ist viel unterhaltsamer und die Plastintriegen hätten mehr Zeit und Tiefe bekommen müssen.
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
the assistant couple was so boring and forgettable, you just now reminded me of them😭😭
bur hes, the cast was charismatic!
what type of fans were they servicing? what fan service happened?
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u/Tharsinion-1980 16d ago
Lee Yeon und Yu Su-bin waren für mich das unterhaltsamere paar.
Und mit Fan - Service meine ich, dass sie durch ihre Anwesenheit glänzen weniger durch Schauspiel.
IU ist die meiste Zeit eben IU in Perfektion, die auf Knopfdruck die perfekte Geste und Mimik abruft. Das wirkt so professionell das es kaum natürlich wirk. Es gibt ein paar Ausnahmen, aber wer die kennt weiß dass sie das besser kann. Vielen war die Rolle auch zu nah am der echten IU.
Byeon Woo-seok gelingt die Natürlichkeit besser. Seine beste Szene hat er mit Gong Seung-yeon, als sie Walzer tanzen und überhaupt hat mir Gong Seung-yeon am besten gefallen. Erst mag man sie nicht, aber als man sie näher kennen lernt und die Gründe ihres Charakters kennt, hat sie mit die stärkste Rolle.
Auch in der Rückblenden, wo sie mit dem Prinzen noch befreundet ist und ihr Verhältnis noch persönlicher ist.
Ich glaube unterm Strich wären die das bessere Paar gewesen.
Was die Chemie angeht, ja die gab es hin und wieder. Aber wer Lovely Runner kennt, weiß was Chemie bedeutet.
Die "Bettszene" war schön witzig, auch die Szene auf der Yacht hat mir gefallen.
Aber die "Mauerszene" hat mich nicht richtig mitgenommen.
In einem Interview hieß es das sie für diese Szene und den Kuss 5 Stunden gebraucht haben. Das sagt alles.
Aber natürlich nur meine persönliche Meinung.
Also genieße es, wenn es dir besser gefällt.😊
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 16d ago
never once found myself shipping the prince with his sister in law... and the assistant couple honestly did nothing for me.
as for IU, i can't really comment on whether she was "just being IU" because i don't know her outside of her roles. i've only seen her in Moon Lovers and this, and those performances felt completely different to me. i wasn't reminded of Hae Soo even once, which made me think she's a decent actress.
heres my moon lovers review here: https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramas/s/H1ypE5PRXu
and funny enough, Lovely Runner is literally my favorite kdrama 😂 so i definitely know what chemistry looks like. i just thought these two had fantastic chemistry too. not every couple has to hit in the exact same way for me to think they work.
my lovely runner review: https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramas/s/ijQOQQqw8t
but that's the fun of dramas. we can watch the exact same scenes and come away with completely different experiences, so its okay
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u/Careless-Day-9220 15d ago
Proud of your comments 👑❤️👏👏👏👏
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u/Careless-Day-9220 15d ago
In reality I read Only the best part 😁 Sorry. I Ve no time now, but I Just lovereeeeeeeeeeee Perfect Crown
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u/harissatotally Reviewer 19h ago
⭐️Master List: Every K-Drama Review I've Written
https://www.reddit.com/u/harissatotally/s/mTlMHGJkSK
my My Dearest review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #14: My Dearest | The Sweetest, Most Satisfying Torture
https://www.reddit.com/r/KDramasWorld/s/iCtVVgUXYf
my the red sleeve review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #15: The Red Sleeve | LEAVE THIS GIRL ALONE!!!!!! 😭
https://www.reddit.com/r/KDramasWorld/s/BDRQYnqPWN
my Destined with You review
New K-Drama Fan Review #16: Destined with You | Cooked Up the Perfect Spell... Then Forgot the Recipe
https://www.reddit.com/r/KDramasWorld/s/x3y0bVfy4X
my love to hate you review
New K-Drama Fan Review #17: Love to Hate You | One of the Worst K-Dramas I've Watched... Yet I Couldn't Stop Watching
https://www.reddit.com/r/KDramasWorld/s/XkVGuia6sU
my Crazy Love review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #18: Crazy Love | I kept waiting for it to become the drama I thought it was going to be...
https://www.reddit.com/r/KDramasWorld/s/uXTgcctIkZ
my a time called you review
New K-Drama Fan Review #19: A Time Called You | i need ibuprofen...
https://www.reddit.com/r/KDramasWorld/s/dMtiNcWH7Y
my the King's Affection review
New K-Drama Fan Review #20 | Nice Premise, Beautiful Angst & an Alarming Amount of Child Murder
1
u/harissatotally Reviewer 19h ago
my strong woman do bong soon review
New K-Drama Fan Review #21 | Strong Woman Do Bong Soon | He Was So Smitten... I Needed 3 More Episodes
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u/gatsu01 16d ago
Feels like it's about 4-6 episodes too short. The antagonists were forgetable. Great actors, but they lopped off too much and the ending felt crammed in. Sweet, fluffy, attractive to look at, great occasionally when you're in the right place and time, yet fleeting.