Super Slow Pace, but a nice Vintage look and feel.

There really isn't anything that is going to take hold of your attention. You kind of go into the drama with just watching characters play out stories with a super slow pace.

I thought Xiao Zhan really shined through in this drama. The story was truly about him. It portrays his life from his twenties up into his mid-forties. The first half of the drama circles around the struggles of twenty-something youths in China. It's tough and cold, but there's a community.

I am not a huge fan of Li Qin, only because I find her acting style a bit lacking. Like true to form, she under acts and her meek and good-girl vibe is hard to get into. However, you do like her character and you want to root for her.

This is not a romance or love story (it's there, just simmering in the back), but a story about a bunch of kids in their twenties doing their best to survive. It's a very slow and easy going drama. I think if the drama was edited down to 20 episodes instead of 38, then this could have been a hit for me.

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This is the drama we have been looking for

I watched this drama with my husband and he only watches really good C dramas so I went into viewing with high expectations due to reviews. I have to say. This was probably one of the C dramas that had the best character development for such a short 24 episode series.

The best part of the drama for me was that I never knew what was going to happen. Just when I thought the writer was going to write some basic storyline to drive angst or tension, something else is written and craziness explodes. I wouldn't call the drama perfect. Sure, at times the bickering is a little too much and long and going from one story arc to the next can be lengthy but the characters! The entire cast is pretty important in the drama and everyone has a story which is something I enjoyed a lot. I never knew I could care so much for the B and even C cast.

Esther Yu totally shines in this drama and gone is the dizzy girl with the high pitch voice. I really think this was the drama for her to act and to show the world that she can be a good serious actress. I was really excited that Zhang Ling He was casted as the male lead and I really wanted to see him shine. We got a taste of him in Love between Fairy and the Devil. I thought he was fairly good, but he still needs to work on his camera presence. For someone who is over 6 feet tall, you want your character to command the scene and that is something I feel like he still struggles with, but there is hope because he is pretty close.

Overall, the drama was exciting to watch and isn't for the faint of heart. A lot of dramatic events happen, but you will truly feel for all the characters which is totally new for me.

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A bit Boring, but easy to watch.

I basically watched this for Feng Shao Feng, he was amazing in The Story of Ming Lang. The Legend of Zhuohua was okay in my opinion. It started out very cute and super slow. There is little to mild tension throughout the drama and so it’s easy to watch one or two episodes a day.

You can’t binge watch the drama because I feel like the plot is just too slow. Little to no action happens and that is okay. Sometimes you want to watch people just chat with each other and drink tea.

I thought Jing Tian was very adorable and cute. She looks so young and she conveyed the main lead very well. I didn’t think Feng Shao Feng or Jing Tian had chemistry at all. I think it’s because of how Feng Shao Feng played his character. We know he can act (we all have seen it in The story of Ming Lang) but his SUPER stiff / cold personality was very one dimensional and gave the audience little to look forward to.

I do like that the female was super strong in the drama. I loved that she used her mind and even though she was the only woman as a scholar, she didn’t use her sex to her advantage. It was a very girl power drama.

Overall, it’s an okay drama to watch with low angst. I do like low angst dramas and so I’ll take a slow boring drama over a high angst one any day.

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There were good and not so great elements of the show.

This was a drama where I was very excited for the cast, Kim So Hyun has some hit or miss dramas, but she always acts well beyond her years and I still can’t believe she’s only 24. Hwang Min Hyun was pretty good in Alchemy of Souls and let’s face it, he has a very nice face to look at.

The premise of the story is interesting, the FL, can hear lies and she happens to meet someone who basically doesn’t lie (even though the title is called My Lovely Liar, but when you watch the drama, I guess that is kind of explained).

I like the cast and the secondary cast was pretty good. Very entertaining and everyone has their quirks. I like that I mostly didn’t recognize anyone else and so it was nice to see fresh faces (to me that is).

The drama basically has low angst which could be considered good or bad. I found some parts a little slow and boring, but I rather have that then silly angst.

The villains of the show were really annoying. You know that villain who is just “crazy” and never seems to listen to anyone even when everyone is saying he or she is wrong, but they will not simply listen. Yeah, that was fairly frustrating to watch. To have the bad guy pursue the ML for so long and for one solid reason was very annoying to watch.

The FL’s mom was very annoying too. I loved her in Dr. Romantic but I will not want to watch her in a “bad” role anymore. I couldn’t take the mom character at all. I truly wanted to fast forward her scenes because they made her so over the top and kind of ridiculous

As much as I love the leads, there is ZERO chemistry between the two. I truly felt like I was watching two pretty actors recite lines to each other and maybe that has to do something with post production. There are a lot of moments of dialogue without background music and I found that really odd.

The drama is fairly predictable and I figured out everything by the 4th episode, that doesn’t really hinder my experience because to me that wasn’t really the main part of the show for me. I was just interested in the leads getting to know each other, so suffice it to say, I enjoy the first half better.

The show could have easily been cut down to 12 episodes, but I didn’t fast forward anything so it’s an easy show to watch, or to have something on the background. I started to read webcomics as I was watching the show towards the second half and I was completely fine in following the storyline (I don’t know Korean, just FYI).

Overall, watch it for the leads, but the storyline / over plot is fairly lackluster.

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Just like the title, a little annoying.

My Annoying Roommate had potential. I love a high school / teen rom-com. I love small town dramas with a rag-tag cast of friends and uncles and aunties. The FL, Ji Mei Han, is adorable from Make My Heart Smile and her look is VERY popular these days. Everyone loves the big-eyes, baby doll face, so I would say she truly carried the show.

With all that is said and done, with a 12 episode series at 30 mins each, it would seem in theory this show would be easy to watch, but I couldn’t really tell you what it was truly about. Was it a slice of life kind of drama? Not really. What really was the plot of the show?

If you like an enemies to lovers romance with childish troupes and high angst value, then you will like this rom-com. I found the leads VERY difficult to like and cheer on. As much as I love the actress, her character was beyond childish, she plays a 17 year old but truly acted like she was 10 or 12 maybe?

The ML, Zhang Jia Shuo has been playing support roles and I can see why. He still has a long way to go in regard towards the acting department. He plays VERY stiff and his dubbing needs work. Towards the end of the show he gets better as he gains more personality, but he needs to act better on camera. Even his TV presence was lack luster. I felt like the FL out shined him a lot (even with her annoying character).

I like the idea of the show, but everything was a mess to be honest. This rom-com felt very contrived and forced. It’s as if the script writer couldn’t really write good plot points, so the only plot point in the drama were fights between the leads. If one was upset (mostly the FL), she would throw a tantrum and cause a scene and fight. Then when the leads finally make-up, she would get upset again and rinse and repeat. Instead of focusing on good plot points to work on, the script writers focused on stupid little fights between the leads to create tension. It was very difficult and annoying to watch.

The romance didn’t feel organic at all, if anything, the leads felt like brothers and sisters fighting dumb things. Who wants to watch that?

I like that the show was short and the FL is a cute actress. Other than that, the show was just basically about two people fighting until the very end.

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Great for bromance lovers, a story about friendship.

Mysterious Lotus Casebook is usually a drama I don't watch. I'm a romance buff so bromance dramas are kind of low on my list. There were a lot of high and praising reviews on this drama, so I decided to give it a go.

Overall, the drama was pretty decent. I really like the story-telling and world building. I like that it was a detective kind of show, where about every 2-3 episodes there was a new and unique case to be solved. It really kept up the momentum. The win of the show was casting. I wasn't really sure on the dynamic duo of Cheng Yi and Joseph Zeng but they make a good pair. They each brought in their own personality and really gave life to the characters.

You can't forget the third bro, Xiao Shun Yao which basically rounded off the cast nicely. As for the romance aspect of the show, I wouldn't say there is any form of romance, except for a romance story / excerpt. I did find that brief part somewhat entertaining since it was different from the other stories I have been told.

This drama isn't for everyone, as in, I did find it a little boring at times and I was just waiting for some additional movement, but I think if you watch it like me, a few episodes here and there, then you can appreciate the overall drama. I like that it was low in angst and high on story telling. I really appreciate the character growth and loyalty. It truly will make you appreciate your friendships more.

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Even So Ji Sub couldn’t save this drama

Sigh, we have waited five years for a So Ji Sub drama! This was probably the most anticipated drama for me. I loved him in Oh My Venus, The Master’s Sun and even Terius Behind Me, but what did I just watch?

Doctor Lawyer could be best described as the drama that could have been, but was not. I don’t even know where to begin.

1.) The whole concept and idea of the show was just too over-the-top. I feel like the villains of the drama had too much power and it was just not an enjoyable drama to watch. I understand the need for shock value and drama, but sometimes just writing a bunch of evil things the bad guys do and not really understanding laws nor how ridiculous some of the things that happen was just too much.

The bad guys basically did anything and everything and they always seemed to have the upper hand, which made it not enjoyable to watch.

2.) Shin Sung Rok, second male lead slightly outshined So Ji Sub. What could have been a great bromance was basically second male lead out acting the male lead. I was really disappointed on how flat and mono-tone So Ji Sub was. I know he can act, but why didn’t he express any of his emotions? The star of the show for me was Shin Sung Rok. He’s acting range was really good and his character had a lot of depth and development.

3.) I was very happy with the lack of romance. I think any romance on the show would have been too much and it would have felt cringy. There was a touch of warm conversations between the FL and ML, but nothing more and that was good.

4.) The drama was not a drama but a boring show. Even though the villains were over the top and there was a lot of angst, the show was in itself VERY BORING. I don’t think 16 episodes were needed. Everything could have been wrapped up in 10 shows. The last show was a rehashed of everything said and done. It was very sloppy writing.

The only reason why I stuck with the drama was for So Ji Sub. I have to show my support! I just wished he went back to rom-coms because he truly shines in that genre.

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A little frustrating, but held out

The premise of First Love is a pretty typical C-drama rom-com romance. I like that it sets in college, although the plot and dynamics is more high school behavior.

I love Tian Xi Wei from New Life Begins. The big eyes and puffy cheeks is very trendy now with leading female actors in Chinese dramas. You can’t help but smile when you look at her. I also have to say, she did carry the show. As a lot of reviewers commented, the ML, Wang Xing Yue is good eye candy, plenty of shirt off scenes, but oh boy he’s a stiff actor. His dubbing also needs work, he delivers his lines, in a very dry monotone voice. I hope he improves over time, because his face is pretty to look at.

I liked the first half of the show because it was kind of cute banter. She pretends to go after the ML so people won’t think she still has a crush on her friend anymore. It’s totally cute and the ML doesn’t go against this which makes the show even cuter.

Of course, a simple storyline can’t carry throughout the show right? The FL is very adamant that she doesn’t want to be in a relationship and it’s the main focus of the storyline for a huge chunk of the drama. Over time you get a little frustrated and annoyed and just simply tired.

I did stuck with it because there was always that feeling… maybe in the next episode they get together finally? I did enjoy it again once the tension eased and the angst went away. I do enjoy the cute parts of the show. I didn’t really like watching everyone floundering on expressing his and her feelings because everyone did.

The second couple was cute, I enjoyed watching the out-going ballerina going after the nerdy doctor. I totally tuned out with the third couple, it wasn’t enough chemistry for me.

Overall, it’s an okay rom-com. Watch it for the actors or just background noise.

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A good attempt.

I liked the summary of A Different Mr. Xiao. The ML, Xiao Jing is from the future, 200 years in the future. He needs to save his sister’s life and the medicine is from a plant that is no longer in existence. He has the time travel to our present time (2023) where the plant was last sighted.

Zhao Yi Qin plays the ML and this is my first drama with him in it. I didn’t know he’s a seasoned actor. I haven’t really formed an opinion on his acting yet. I thought he played his role well and his expressions were pretty good, but the script he had to work with was a little difficult to really show his acting range.

Like typical C drama fashion, they like to cast super young actors, the FL, at 21 is very young. She doesn’t look young though. I haven’t seen anything with Duan Xing Yu in it. The FL character was a bit hard for me to get into. I wasn’t fond of her styling (very typical frumpy, FL, girl next door look) and she was a bit all over the place.

There are some aspects of the drama I like and there were a lot parts that needed improvement, but a drama with a lower production budget, I get it.

The chemistry between the leads was very lacking and I don’t want to say it’s because of the acting, but mainly with the script. It was hard to see the attraction when the ML’s character was so stiff. The drama starts out like enemies to lovers, but the antics the leads played on each other was a little silly and childish. I get it, the script writer was trying to make it comical and light, I appreciate that, but I was generally concerned with the FL every time the ML kicked her out of his car (especially at night).

The pacing was a bit off. It started out pretty quick, the ML hurry and tries to get the plant. The FL does everything she can (without knowing) messing up his plans. Again, tried to be funny, but it came out a little silly.

Then, the story gets a little flat and it almost feels like a slice of life kind of drama. You really don’t get much story with the plant, other than the ML is working on it. The plot is focused on the relationship between the leads and secondary ML. The Love Triangle.

The love triangle between the leads and second male lead is probably my favorite part of the drama. The second male lead is a baby too, no age is listed. He has great cameral appeal too and it was nice to see both leads fighting over the girl.

The worst part of the drama was the secondary couple. They were plain awful to watch. Just boring, lack luster and no camera appeal. I did fast forward their parts, sorry.

Another thing to note, I don’t think the subtitles were fully out yet. Once I got to episode 20ish, it felt like I was watching AI generated subtitles and I have to say that hindered my experience. So maybe once all of the subs have fully been uploaded / edited by a human, there will be better reviews.

Overall, I got great exposure to actors I don’t have any experience with. The leads were very good looking and had great cameral appeal. I will watch out for them. Even though the budget was lacking and the fashion was awful, I think the problem for me was just pacing. There wasn’t enough substance during the main episodes to really hold my attention for the duration of the drama. The script writer focused too much on antics and childish plot devices, instead of really focusing on character development and creating organic chemistry between the leads.

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Watch it for the Fashion, not for the plot.

I’ve had A Romance of the Little Forest on my watch list for a while and I was looking for a cute rom-com to watch with husband. The reviews were mixed, but to my surprise it started out pretty cute.

This is the first drama I’ve seen with Yu Shu Xin since Love between Fairy and Devil. I know she gets a bad rap for her high pitched voice and sub-par acting, but she didn’t disappoint. She’s pretty consistent, in the sense, yes, she still has a high-pitch voice and her acting is a bit over the top, but she kind of makes it her own.

If you aren’t a fan of her, then you shouldn’t attempt this drama because her acting style is pretty over-the-top and some may find it annoying. At times I just thought it was comical.

I’m a major fan of Vin Zhang, he has an understated kind of acting style that is so effortless but effective. He didn’t disappoint in this one and his chemistry with the FL was pretty good. There isn’t much skin-ship in the drama, but plenty of tension.

The best part of the drama was the FASHION. The female lead NEVER REWEARS A SINGLE OUTFIT. I’m a big fashion buff and that was a HUGE enjoyment of the show for me. I know it’s silly, but it’s the little things.

Like I said, the first 20ish episodes were really cute and I got the typical C drama rom-com I wanted to get sucked into. Then the plot gets dragged out and we get a silly conflict and it kind of just makes the show a little sluggish.

I can see why the reviews are mixed. On one hand I really enjoyed half of the show, a lot and on the other hand, I was highly disappointed on the other half and kind of gave up. If it wasn’t for the fashion, I probably would have fast forwarded a lot more.

The drama didn’t need to be 35 episodes, a good 10 episodes could have been edited out. The secondary story line with the best friend and CEO was a little silly and his hair cut! Oh my gah, it was pretty awful. I couldn’t get into the secondary couple. Sorry.

Overall, watch for the actors, watch for the fashion, but you will be a little disappointed with the script.

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Comical turned heart-warming.

The story is pretty funny. A 26 year old son goes to the past where his mom is 16 and tries to get her to marry her “husband” to change her fate. You have to take the story for what it is and for a 20 episode series with 30 mins each, it’s hard to unpack a lot.

I like the casting and the comical feel of the show. The heart of the show is the son, Qi Shuo and although I haven’t seen him in a lot of dramas, he’s someone to watch out for. You really see his unconditional love for his mom and you just want the best for him.

The mom, Qi Yue is something. She’s funny and young. You forget, she’s 16 and this random person came into her life saying he’s her son. It didn’t take her long to believe him and it was pretty much funny from then on out. Judy Qi played her role well and I liked they picked an older actress.

My most favorite moments were the son and mom antics because they are just too adorable together. Who has a son that is 7 years old than her? Then you have the “husband” the person the mom is suppose to pursue, Lu Xiao, he’s the nerdy brain that is just along for the ride.

The romantic aspect of the show is entertaining and it takes a lot for the kids to actually see each other. I just watched Romance of a little forest with Jerron Wu and I like him more in that drama, I think I’s because he got to be more animated.

Overall, I liked the comical side of the show, but all loose ends need to tie together and the last bit is hard to get through, but you need to do it because it’s the end of the show.

Overall, I’m glad I went into it with an open mind and the good ratings really represent the show.

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Another Bai Jing Ting beloved drama.

This is Bai Jing Ting's year! I fell in love with him in You are my Hero and pretty much any drama he touches turns to gold. I want to say, his dramas are a little hit or miss for me. I think it's because sometimes I don't fully jive with the story.

I haven't seen a drama Song Yi has been in, so I was excited to see if I would fall in love with her. She's very tiny and pretty and at 33, I know she is taking care of her body, she looks so young!

The drama started out a bit slow, but good. There's that enemies to lover romance which I'm not too fond of, but since it's a Bai Jing Ting drama, the ML can't be that horrible and he wasn't. I appreciate how light the drama started and pretty much 1/3 in, you realized this is a drama, not a rom-com and I was okay with that. I wanted to see more dramatic scenes and see where the story will take me.

I like that the main couple stayed together and basically it was a story of a slow burn romance. I appreciate that they respected each other before falling in love.

The drama started to fall flat for me towards the second half as it got more into court drama and less about the main lead's love story. I can't tell you high much I get tired of palace angst if the characters aren't playing royalty.

Overall, I understand the high ratings. I love the actors and I appreciate the night time scenes (the actors were in "PJ's" and their hair was down), so hair and make-up was totally on-point. But I just found it boring at times.

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SUPER cute C drama, kind of the point of Rom-Coms

Call all Seventeen fans! I'm into K-pop and when I realized Jun from Seventeen would be in a C-drama, I didn't care what drama it would be, I would watch it.

Miaoyi is super cute and I totally fell in love with her in When I Fly towards you, so I was pretty excited for this pairing. I want to say Miaoyi totally carried the show. Jun is good I candy, but his dubbing needs a touch more practice (not sure if they used his own voice, I want to say yes?). I appreciate Jun's acting ability, because he's not really a professional actor, so it was pretty good, but with a few more dramas, I believe he can be great in no time.

The rom-com is totally adorable and cute. It's EVERYTHING you want in a C drama. Very cheesy moments, a lot of tension and very low angst. I kind of wished the episodes weren't so short at 30mins, I pretty much finished the drama in no time. The drama is my favorite kind of youth drama, it starts out with the characters in high school, then they eventually go to college and finally become young adults. So, you get plenty of skinship!

This drama is really fan-service to Jun's fans or anyone who loves classic C drama troupes. I really do appreciate these high cheese, high adorable shows because it really puts me in a good mood.

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SUPER boring and no Romance

I don’t even know where to begin. I WISHED I READ THE REVIEWS! This is not the romantic melo-drama I was expecting. Nope, you will not get Red Sleeve or some great romance.

The drama is focused on two things I don’t like watching, high on politics, low on romance and non-existent skinship.

HUGE SIGH.

After watching Happiness, I was SUPER excited for Park Hyung Sik and I was completely shocked how he acted in Our blooming Youth and maybe its because of the writing, but I felt no chemistry between him and the FL. I understand the drama wanted to be authentic and have it pure to the history, no touching or any flirty conversations, BUT is that something I want to watch on TV?

If I wanted to watch a boring Joson drama, then why was it advertised as a romance? I felt like the false advertising was to draw the audience, rather than actually telling the viewers what they were getting themselves into.

The drama was too boring, too slow and had too many fillers. The side stories were not even interesting and the fact that the FL was a man for the entire drama was very disappointing. I didn’t sign up for that so the drama poster is VERY misleading.

Overall, the drama was a complete waste of time for someone who loves romantic K dramas and I’m a little irritated that it was advertised as such.

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Sugary sweet and one happy family.

There are so many things they did right on this rom-com.

(The casting was perfect)

The best part of this drama was the chemistry between the leads and since they were in a previous drama together, Once we get Married, you can see how comfortable they are working together. There are lenty of kissing moments too, YAY for that. The pair simply look very good on camera. They are fairly young as parents, but it’s not a stretch (they could possibly have a 5 year old). I liked they are only two years apart too.

(The little boy was the highlight of the show)

I loved that they casted a child voice-over for the little boy parts. It made the drama very authentic, even though a lot of his lines would never be said by a soon-to-be five year old. But overall, TOO cute and his acting was so good.

(The second and third storylines were fairly cute)

Both of these side relationships had huge age gaps, one with a 10 year gap and one with a 9 year gap (in real life). So that was fairly interesting, you got to see it from both perspective (one older guy and one older gal dating younger people).

I really liked the second male lead and I kind of wanted him to be the male lead, only because he’s in his thirties and looked more dadish too. If only … but the ML was very good, so I can’t complain too much.

(the Styling and wardrobe was modern and easy on the eyes).

I liked that the FL was a strong independent mom. She dressed her age and was very modern and classy. I liked her up-do buns and she didn’t rewear too much of the same outfits. I am SO happy they didn’t make her poor or frumpy. It was a very good take on the FL. China needs to go more in this direction. The sets were pretty awesome too, who doesn’t want a slide in their house?!

(The storyline was too adorable)

The plot of the show is too cute. Single mom and rich baby daddy, that’s a making for a too cute plot. There’s a lot of tension in the beginning, but it’s the cute kind where you just want the baby daddy to find out!

Then it goes more into why they broke up and I was REALLY interested in those parts.

The drama was just really balanced well. It had all the elements of a rom-com you want in a C drama with very little to mild misunderstandings and cheesiness.

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