Pass or Play: Law, Crime and Time Travel

Queen Mantis

Crime thriller, mystery
Watched ep 2/8
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Queen Mantis is a new crime thriller release based on the 2017 French tv series La Mante. Go Hyun-Jung and Jang Dong-Yoon (loved him in Like Flowers in Sand) portray the lead roles. Very good so far, the acting is top notch and the story moves at a good pace that kept me on the edge of my seat for the first two episodes. Go Hyun-Jung is terrifying as the notorious serial killer who committed five gruesome murders 20 years ago. Every scene with her is masterfully uncomfortable – from the way she savours the memories of her past kills to her intense, unsettling stares. Her characterization is phenomenal, and I can't wait for more episodes!

Beyond the Bar

Legal drama
Watched ep 6/12
❌ PASS

More soapy melodrama than profound legal analysis from this drama but case stories are moralistically interesting though resolved quickly for the episodic nature of the show.

Early on, the portrayal of the female lead as an autistic-coded legal genius felt rather heavy-handed, which led me to believe the drama would focus on how her neurodivergent impacts her daily life as a lawyer, however, this narrative thread ultimately goes nowhere in terms of plot development so far.

Completely out of left field is the burgeoning romanticisation of mentor/mentee dynamic between the FL (a 20-something law graduate) and her forty-something boss, played by Lee Jin Wook. Not only is the large age gap not my cup of tea, it's honestly completely off-putting to watch but it is also very badly written with many gratuitous scenes that felt like it was forcing the romantic chemistry between the leads. Just terrible.

The true highlight of Beyond The Bar lies with the secondary couple, portrayed by Lee Hak Joo and his colleague, Jeon Hye Bin. Their story arc is handled with far greater care, a noona romance with more adult themes of healing after past abusive relationships. Their interactions are both humorous and sweet, and I appreciate their backstory was explored more in depth which makes their colleagues to romantic entanglement significantly more interesting to watch.

Bon Appetit, Your Majesty

Foodie, Historical romance, Time travel
Watched ep 4/12
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Among the numerous mediocre rom-coms I've started (and often not finished) this year, Bon Appetit, Your Majesty stands out as one of 2025's more enjoyable watches. While its premise isn't groundbreaking and many plot points feel familiar, it's a solid choice, especially for fans of gastronomy-focused shows.

I was particularly impressed with Lim Yoona's performance in the opening episodes. She's very funny as Yeon Ji Yeong, the ambitious and sassy Michelin chef and I much prefer her role here to her character in King the Land – there's even a fun Easter egg referencing Cheon Sa-Rang's multilingual skills! Ji Yeong's quirky personality and entertaining 'god-like' cooking skills make her far more engaging. I also love the food reaction edits, they are hilarious and reminds me of the anime series Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma.

I know this is a historical rom-com but the King is pretty bad guy - enslaving women, forcing the poor in to servitude, his reign has caused suffering and strife to the common people - it's been sort of brushed under the rug so far but I'm wondering if I'm able to suspend my disbelief just to follow the romance between the two leads alone.

My First Night with the Duke

Romance, Web novel adaptation, Comedy
Watched 4/12
❌ PASS

Based on a popular 2020 webtoon, the trailer looked like a lighthearted rom-com with a charismatic idol pairing. The story seemed like a fun premise; a college student criticizes a romance novel online and finds herself transported into its pages as a minor character and the original plot of the story is completely derailed.

Seohyun, who I enjoyed watching in "Love and Leashes" plays the naive heroine, Cha Seon Chaek, and Ok Taec-yeon plays the seemingly ruthless and slightly obsessive Prince Gyeong Seong (who was enjoyable in "Secret Royal Inspector & Joy").

My initial impressions were a mix of disappointment and unmet expectations, the humor often fell flat and the pacing in the early episodes felt oddly rushed to me, almost badly edited. Despite my desire to see Seohyun shine in this role, I found her portrayal of Cha Seon Chaek overly exaggerated. Many of the comedic scenes intended to make her endearing to viewers didn't land for me; instead her performance felt off-beat and her acting a little too overly cutesy. Ok Taec-yeon's role was a pleasant surprise, his portrayal of the prince seemed more natural but there were a lot cliched romantic moments that were really beautifully shot but unfortunately I didn't find any chemistry between these two actors.

From a couple of episodes in, curiosity led me to check out the original webtoon and I was surprised that I enjoyed the story a lot more! The world is set in a fictional European-inspired kingdom in contrast to the drama's Joseon dynasty adaptation, and yes, the female lead is often clumsy and naive in the webtoon as well, but I found the webtoon had a funnier narrative with a more streamlined cast of characters. Notably, I missed the strong presence of Sylvia, the sharp-tongued maid whose witty comebacks and humourous comments on her lady's terribly laid plans were missed opportunity to add some good banter in the live-action version.

I adjusted my expectations after the first few episodes, and kept on watching, the story got a little more interesting in some parts with Prince Gyeong Seong's storyline involving the king and uncovering corrupt nobles but it was still a very bumpy ride. This show was such a let-down, after enjoying the teasers and the announcement of the leads, the poor editing in the first couple of episodes which really threw me off and lack of chemistry just really made the show hard to keep watching.