Witchcraft and face swap in a thriller-packed drama

Hi guys, I'm back again after hiatus for quite some time due to final exams and lack of spare time. I've done watching In Blossom some time ago, but I only get my time to work on this review today. In Blossom is not a drama that I expected very much, I was obsessed in Burning Flames and didn't plan to watch this beforehand. After scrolling through the comments, I decided to try it and check out my review below.

In Blossom tells a bittersweet story between two childhood sweethearts, Pan Yue and Yang Caiwei. Yang Caiwei was in a disgraced situation after having escaped from the attempted murder which successfully killed her parents. Subsequently, she went to the Pan Mansion and wanted to meet Pan Yue. But Pan Yue wasn't there, and his father refused to let her in. Filled with grief and resentment, Yang Caiwei wandered around Heyang City and was taken in by a retired coroner, who worked as corpse taker now. Together with her lunatic master, Yang Caiwei became a corpse taker and did everything to relieve her master's burden.

She accidentally encountered Pan Yue again. Originally, Yang Caiwei gave him a cold shoulder and ignored him as possible. Pan Yue, of course, didn't give up and tried his best to woo her back, even wanted to marry her. A spoiled and pampered girl of the wealthy Shangguan family, Shangguan Zhi, witnessed this event and was furious. The day before their marriage, Shangguan Zhi used witchcraft to switch her face with Yang Caiwei's. After that, she pushed Yang Caiwei and her subordinates to a narrow cliff, thinking that she had erased every trace of her evil deeds.

Things became more and more unexpected. Shangguan Zhi (in Yang Caiwei's persona) was suddenly murdered which aroused fear and suspicion. Yang Caiwei soon learned about her 'own death' and vowed to find the culprit and uphold justice for Shangguan Zhi despite the latter's treatment towards her.

In order to investigate her murder, Yang Caiwei had to work with Pan Yue in the county yamen. Originally, they were at odds because Pan Yue didn't like Shangguan Zhi before, not knowing that the latter has swapped her face with Yang Caiwei. Thus, their sweet love story began.

So far, the plot is woven in intrigue and mystery, which can attract the audiences to skim in, especially mystery and thriller lovers. However, after the case of Gu Shan, I started to fast forward and skipped a lot of the main leads' scenes. Don't get me started at the capital arc. That arc was rather boring and dull. Even with skipping, I could still grab some details of the case and in short, I didn't lose anything from skipping here and there.

The acting is so-so. This is my third time watching Liu Xueyi after 'The Blood of Youth' and 'Love and Redemption'. I think he did pretty well in this drama and his persistent love towards Yang Caiwei was one of the best aspects of him. You could see him conveying his eye expression when he was staring at Yang Caiwei and you'll know why. Meanwhile, Ju Jingyi's acting is a bit of lackluster. Like other reviewers, I also prefer Zheng He Hui Zi's portrayal as the real Yang Caiwei. Ju Jingyi's Yang Caiwei is a little spoiled but thank goodness they didn't make her into a damsel-in-distress (she's still as intelligent as her old self).

Personally, I'm rooting for the second couple (Zhuo Lanjiang and Bai Xiaosheng) than the main couple. They're a cute bickering couple and help the leads to solve cases too. My only complaint is why should they KILL OFF Ah Jiang. He didn't deserve it and should have got a happy ending with Bai Xiaosheng.

OSTs are nothing special, but still commendable.

Is there any rewatch value? Nah, that will depend on yourselves. The plot is good in the first half but falls in the second half. I myself won't be rewatching this drama as this is a one-time watch for me. Nonetheless, I'll give this nine out of ten stars for the great plot and the case solving. Give this a try if you want some case-solving drama, but you can skip the rest of the scenes if they've arrived at the capital. Happy watching!!!

SPOILER ALERT:
The real murderer of Yang Caiwei points to Shangguan Zhi's brother, Shangguan Lan. I'm not entirely sure of this, but given that the Shangguan family has good connection, a private army, and witches, everything is possible for them. To please Shangguan Zhi, her brother must have intended to kill off Yang Caiwei from the beginning so that Shangguan Zhi can marry Pan Yue - and that's the only reasonable thing to do (in my opinion).

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Fighting for the freedom of innocent people amidst the chaos in the 3 realms

I've been anticipating this drama since its filming wrapped up. Xuanhuan has been one of my favorite genres and this drama surpassed my expectation. It isn't your ordinary Xuanhuan drama, but an EXTRAORDINARY one.

In the next paragraphs, I will explain every arc in this drama (note this as a MAJOR SPOILER). If you don't want to be spoiled, you can skip the whole part regarding the plot. Here we go...

1) Xin Country arc
The first arc mainly introduces the main characters and the first war between humans and immortals. This war was spearheaded by Wu Geng's parents - Xin King and Xinyue Hu. Unfortunately, both of them sacrificed themselves for the country to fight Hei Long. Before his mother died, she transported Wu Geng's soul to A Gou's body. For your information, A Gou is a shred of Wu Geng's divine power and he currently stayed together with a mortal girl called Bai Cai.

2) Bloodstone Mine arc
Wu Geng and Bai Cai accidentally got caught in the capital when he took her for some treatment. Then, they were forced to labour jobs/enslaved with numerous unwilling citizens in the bloodstone mine. Together with other slaves, they healed each other's wound and became to understand each other's feelings. Finally, Wu Geng succeeded in helping the slaves escaping from the mine.

3) Shenyin Village arc
Wu Geng and Bai Cai were taken to Shenyin Village by his grandpa Fu Xi. There, they met many immortals who previously rebelled against the immortal realm. This is the arc where Bai Cai's real identity started to leak. The immortals ambushed the village because of the cackle queen Xinyue Kui and Bai Cai was kidnapped by the hell immortal, Shi Xing. Wu Geng together with his mentor, Ah Lan, set out to save Bai Cai.

4) King's City arc
Wu Geng confronted Shi Xing and he won against him. Bai Cai managed to lift a curse out of Shi Xing after their battle. Shi Xing's backstory is explained here and it is indeed heart-wrenching. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. This is also the place where Wu Geng reunited with his uncle, Zi Yu.

5) Demon Realm arc
Wu Geng, Bai Cai, and Ah Lan were invited to the demon realm, shortly after the thunder god Zhui Ri attacked Wu Geng. At the demon realm, Wu Geng stroke up a friendship bond with the grand marshal of the demon clan, Ni Tian Er Xing and also helped the demons got rid of their petrification sickness.

6) Bai Country arc
Wu Geng and his friends returned to their home and found that many things have happened recently. In this arc, the cackle queen kept trying to possess Bai Cai due to Bai Cai's ancient divine power which could be of good use to the immortals. Bai Cai soon lost control and became the dark Bai Cai.

7) Sea Realm arc
Wu Geng was saved by a mermaid called Bei Er after Bai Cai threw him off the cliff. In the sea ream, Wu Geng was acknowledged by the ancestor of the Sea Spirit Clan.

8) Illusion Island arc
To prepare for the second war against the immortals, Wu Geng took his soldiers to cultivate qi at the Illusion Island under the guidance of Uncle Zi Yu.

9) Immortal Realm arc
Yes, this is the ending of the drama. There are a lot of heavy casualties at both sides. As usual, hero will always win in the end. After Hei Long died, the war was finished. As for the wedding, it was unnecessary. Nobody in their right mind would marry a dying person, right? (just teasing)

Romance is just a subplot in this drama as it focuses more on the characters' growth and development. The leads have siblings-like chemistry and it's already enough to my liking.

Wu Geng can be considered as a good leader who always put his people on top of himself. Despite his good leadership, fighting courage and resilience, he's also a cunning trickster who can easily manipulate and trick people into believing fake evidences.

The only aspect that I like from Bai Cai is her cheerful personality. Aside from that, I think she's a damsel in distress, always whining A Gou until I got tired of it. At first glance, she appeared as a sunny and headstrong girl. But, as the story progresses, she becomes you-know-what. Anyway, the evil Bai Cai is the best, I must say.

To save this review from being a long essay, I will just skip the rest of the characters. Just in case, I'm going to list out the MVP of this drama below:
1. Ni Tian Er Xing (he's slaying very much and I watch this to support him, haha)
2. Shi Xing (his backstory is the best)
3. Hei Long (turning the world upside down just tor revive his beloved. Well, he's slaying too. I love his styling)
4. Xinyue Kui (the cackle queen that people hate the most)
5. Uncle Zi Yu (one of the key figures who encourage Wu Geng to become stronger)

The OSTs are chef's kiss and I can't help but playing it on and on at my Spotify. The lyrics are very meaningful compared to those energetic K-Pop songs I used to listen.

Overall, a 10 out of 10. Give this a shot and you won't regret investing your time in this drama. Despite some minor flaws, it still deserves a 10 from me. Don't forget to rate it if you've completed, because this drama deserves more than 8.0 rating.

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Why do I feel that everything is copied pasted from other dramas?

I'm not expecting much of a drama which aired anonymously. I accidentally found this amongst a bunch of upcoming dramas in a MDL voting list. I read the synopsis and was quite invested in the story, given that I'm all out for enemies-to-lovers trope. Considering this drama had been shelved for 3 years before finally airing without any promotions, nobody would be expecting much of it. Since I'm Zhang Yuxi's fan, I decided to give this a try. So, how's it going? Check out my review below.

In this drama, a story is told within a story (you know what I mean, right?). In real life, FL (Song Yao) was a novelist who was on the verge of project rejection. Using her brilliant and quirky method, she succeeded in convincing the director of the publishing company and was given 3-months worth of time to make a new project. After examining a crystal glass, she started to write her story... and became the main character herself.

In the story, FL had a supernatural ability to see through the rich people's lies and helped the innocents to get what was theirs from the rich ones. On one occasion, her supernatural ability didn't work in front of the director-to-be of Chengtian Group, Ji Chengchuan aka Qin Hao. At first, both of them never saw eye to eye and constantly bickered for trivial matters. Actually, Qin Hao had a hidden agenda for coming back to China, which was to suspect the death of Ji Chengchuan and his mom - and the only evidence was a cufflink emblazoned with Chengtian Group's symbol.

I'm not going to rant about the plot anymore as this review will be more than just a spoiler. There is indeed a little plot twist at the last episodes and if you're curious, you can check it out yourself. My only complaint is that everything seemed to be copied pasted from other dramas as the title suggested. Let's see, transmigration and contract marriage are nothing new in c-drama land - the only saving grace is that it is not overused in this drama. Childhood sweetheart and PTSD trope are present too. The Ji family is kinda similar with the Fu family of 'South Wind Knows' (Zhang Yuxi's other dramas). Also, the scene when they were trapped inside a cargo is no different than the scene when the main leads were stuck in a cave (still about 'South Wind Knows'). The kidnapping scene looks like copied from 'My Demon' whereas FL's supernatural ability is similar to that of the FL in 'My Lovely Liar', except in different circumstances.

Third-wheeler is here too; there are two of them, Liang Jingyi and Sheng Silin respectively. Fortunately, Sheng Silin wasn't quite toxic and he became one of the main leads' ally too, which is very refreshing rather than keep pursuing FL. Liang Jingyi is more toxic and a bit possessive. From the first time she met FL, she had hated her and wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible. In the second half of the drama, she suddenly disappeared or perhaps she has found somebody who won her heart - Ji Chengan, for he had a crush on her for a long time.

Illogical story is inevitable in a rom-com. However, given that this is a story written by the FL, anything can happen according to her own will, so that won't be much of a trouble to me.

This is my first drama of Wang Ziqi and CEO roles are nothing new to him. He handles his part well as his role is not challenging. As for Zhang Yuxi, I like her role as the bold and justice-driven Song Yao. The second and third couple are cute and funny too - I guess I'm going to ship both couples instead of the main couple.

OSTs are nothing memorable and I easily skimmed through it.

Overall, a worthwhile watch for a rom-com with a mix of thriller and fantasy genre. But, I don't think I'm going to rewatch this anymore. Good luck in watching. Bye bye!!

P.S.
Why do they always kiss in front of the reporters everytime there is a scandal involving both of them? This has happened three times already and can't they just explain that everything is just a stupid misunderstanding?

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When a lunatic psychopath and a former assassin form an unlikely duo

So, how am I going to start my review? For your information, I've dropped this on ep 5 before I picked up where I left off. As I continued further, the story became more and more interesting. So, let's just begin!!!

Alright, let me explain the plot first. It revolved around the former head of the Window of Heaven who stepped down from his position due to his own reasons - Zhou Zishu and the head of the Ghost Valley - Wen Kexing. As you can see, the both of them had very different personalities and it would be too UNLIKELY for the both of them becoming soul mates. After experiencing the ups and downs amidst the chaos in the martial arts world, they became more attached and decided to trust each other for this lifetime (just like those sworn brothers did, but I guess soul mates are on a more intense relationship, considering this is a censored BL).

I also want to specially mention a very important property which contributes to the story - the Glazed Armor. The Glazed Armor was made by the 5 righteous sects in the martial arts world. It was rumored to be keeping all sorts of martial arts techniques and manuals which have been hunted by lots of people. However, the actual KEY is the jade hairpin that Wen Kexing always wore - not the Glazed Armor.

I just can't help it, but I really root on Wen Kexing also known as the Lunatic Wen. He's a real psychopath and had deep hatred engraved in his heart. The last thing he wanted to do was to destroy the world and then pay for the sins he had committed. However, after he encountered Zhou Zishu, he changed his perspective and tried to cherish his life as possible.

Adding the depth of the story are Gu Xiang (Wen Kexing's loyal subordinate), Cao Weining (Gu Xiang's lover), and Zhang Chengling (an orphan who was defected by the Ghost Valley's ambush which killed his family in the process and also Zhou Zishu's beloved disciple). By the way, the sad ending for Gu Xiang and Cao Weining was unnecessary at all. Why should you kill them off and causing bloodshed again? That double-faced master of Cao Weining - he shouldn't have trusted him or this kind of accident wouldn't happen at all.

The acting is... WOW!!! Sometimes, I just can feel the main leads' bromance. I'm not a great fan of BL, but this drama has made into one. Shout out to Gong Jun who portrayed Wen Kexing flawlessly. I hope he will get more psychopathic roles in the future. Zhou Ye did marvellously too and it is where she showcased and utilized her full acting skills which helped her gaining popularity. Not a great fan of Zhang Zhehan, but his acting is commendable, I would say.

The set, CGI, and cinematography is quite nice to me. I don't understand why people said everything was fake and cheap-made. Overall, a ten out of ten and will probably rewatch when I'm in the drama slump.

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This is the best depiction of a BADASS & SHAMELESS couple

I've never expected much of this drama, but after reading the synopsis, I was hooked up entirely. Assassin-themed plot is my favorite and given the visuals of the supporting casts, I was more than encouraged to start this. Alright, let's just begin, shall we?

A Journey to Love was set in two fiction neighboring countries, An and Wu, who have borne longtime grudge. Okay, so the reckless Emperor of Wu decided to attack the An and look what it had become... he was kidnapped by the An who put a bounty on his head.

Meanwhile, a retired leader of Liu Dao Hall - Ning Yuanzhou, was requested to seize back his position and immediately lead the Wu diplomatic team to negotiate with the An with the hope of getting back their emperor. Aside from that, Ning Yuanzhou also encountered a badass yet shameless former An assassin (Scarlet Guard), Ren Ruyi aka Ren Xin. She grudgingly agreed to become the part of the diplomatic team after he ensured that she could leave wherever she wanted as long as she explained all sorts of things regarding the An.

Eventually, their teams consisted of the flirty Yu Shisan, the clever teenager Yuan Lu, the stoic Qian Zhao, the cheerful Sun Lang, and also the lonely princess of the Wu, Yang Ying. Together, they embarked on a journey and shared the moments of joy and sorrow together. At the country of An, their band expanded to the brave Chu Yue and the delulu Li Tongguang.

Eventually, the mastermind would be the Emperor of An and the second prince of An whose mother was Ruyi's former superior. It is quite predictable, but of course, we need evidence and proves to make sure they're the culprit. Nonetheless, it's still very twisty, though.

The bloodbath in the last episodes was unnecessary at all. Why should you kill those characters who only had their developments after venturing into An? To me, it's unacceptable. However, the writers perhaps thought that they've died as patriotic heroes and have no regrets to die for the country. In my opinion, Ruyi and Yuanzhou could've been dead after the attack of the Beipan. I previously thought that they were going to live in seclusion after everything was settled. But fate was playing a cruel joke on them. That's my only disappointment, though.

Acting is bearable and I've got no trouble regarding it. In fact, I didn't feel the main leads' chemistry despite their flirty actions. On the other hand, I would like to appreciate Liu Shishi for playing such a badass girl like Ruyi. She is fit for this kind of character and I'll will be waiting for her in 'Kill My Sins' and 'Fox Spirit Matchmaker 2'. Liu Yuning did perfectly in his first ever lead role and he looked charismatic too. The MVP here might be Yang Ying, portrayed flawlessly by He Landou. She has the most character development here, from the shy and lonely princess to a brave and decisive prince. Special mention for Chang Huasen who played the delusional Li Tongguang too perfectly. I really rooted on him and couldn't help to like him. The master-disciple dynamic between Ruyi and him is one of the good aspects of this drama. I can even feel their chemistry. :)

Opening OST is the best, which is sung by Liu Yuning (aside from beautiful voice, he's good in acting. He's an excellent all-rounder (reminded me of Mo Qingcheng in Love Me, Love My Voice)).

Despite the bloodbath, I still love this series. Overall, a ten out of ten. However, I need to use fast-forward button in order to watch quickly (due to my tight schedule and exam last year). If you love this kind of plot, you won't regret this. My suggestion is to give this a shot and you'll be entertained in no time. Good luck in watching.

P.S.
Surprisingly, I didn't use the fast forward button in Li Tongguang's scene. He's just too pitiful to be skipped forward. Wkwkwkwkwk.

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The pain of betrayal and how to regain your dignity after having experience the brink of death

Back From the Brink is one of my favorite xianxia dramas. I admit that there's a little loophole in the plot, but it doesn't defect me from enjoying it. So, now let us venture into the intriguing plot and characters!

Back From the Brink is adapted from one of Jiu Lu Fei Xiang's novel 'Hu Xin' which literally means protect the heart. It tells the interspecies romance of Tian Yao (once a legendary and ancient dragon) and Yan Hui (a freshly expelled Taoist cultivator). On Tian Yao's wedding day, his lover (Su Ying) dismembered him and sealed the entire parts of his body separately. In a final despair attempt, Tian Yao managed to gouge his dragon heart and sent it away before Su Ying could take action. He later died and possessed a body of a dead boy, trying to get back his body parts by hook or by crooks. Not long after that, Tian Yao encountered a bold yet cheerful former Taoist cultivator, Yan Hui, who coincidentally possessed Tian Yao's dragon heart. At first, they seemingly played the cat-and-mouse game as Yan Hui was adamant of Tian Yao's plan to use her with the purpose of getting his body. As the story progressed, Yan Hui slowly started to be attracted by Tian Yao and so did he. Just like the saying goes, if you've never encountered failure, how could you move on to become the better you? So, this drama depicts this saying in an excellent way. Nevertheless, the leads regained their dignities after encountering a lot of dangers in their adventure and nearly being in the slump of death multiple times.

As a novel reader, the story doesn't deviate very much except for the introduction of the shadow ghost (Bai Xiaosheng). At first, he might seem to be freaking annoying due to his interference of the main leads' relationship. Thank God I'm proved wrong. He was the CATALYST that would lead Tian Yao and Yan Hui to form a deeper bond which is more than just friends and companions. Also, he had numerous antics which would make me laugh like a lunatic. If I'm not mistaken, there was no Fu Yin (lord of the dark aura) in the novel. I guess it was made up for this drama. I'm not sure but I didn't like his character very much. Moreover, his backstory wasn't properly explained which led to the confusion of the watchers. I get that Fu Yin was a lonely person with only Xue Lin (a former Taoist cultivator who would eventually marry the fox king) as his companion. After Xue Lin got married, he began to resent everything in this world and turned evil. Is that all the writers have got? I wish we could see more about Fu Yin's flashback and how he transformed into the lord of dark aura.

Don't get me started at the ending! It was a SUPER LACKLUSTER! After a series of twist and turn, the writers decided to cram everything into the last episode and the KISS in the last scene was the prove of a happy ending?? Come on, we need more than just a kiss. At least, you can explain how Yan Hui was reincarnated again and found Tian Yao in the mortal world. Because of this reason and the above one, I will have to dock one point off the story.

Actings and chemistry are all fine. I've got no problem with that. What I like the most is the bickering relationship between Tian Yao and Yan Hui - there's always something they could debate of. Meanwhile, second couple (Xian Ge and Feng Qianshuo) have a more mature relationship and constantly support each other either financially or emotionally. Third couple (Huan Xiaoyan and Zhu Li) has a worse bickering relationship than the first couple and they seem to be pretty chaotic when they're together. Special mention to the fourth couple (Su Ying and Lu Musheng) who has one-sided love effect and the latter doesn't reciprocate thingy.

Guess I will end my rant until here. Although there're several cons, you can still watch it peacefully since it's a light-hearted xianxia compared to the angsty one (for instance, Till the End of the Moon). Happy watching and good luck.

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The impossible heck with the most impossible main leads

Truth to be told, I've dropped this drama ages ago, but I just got my time to write a review due to tight schedule and exam. Thank god I get a lot of spare time today to start on this review.

As usual, I will delve into the plot and storyline to begin my review. The premise of chaebol family is one of my favorite tropes in K-drama. After looking through the synopsis, I myself predicted that this is gonna be a blockbuster hit. But, it's a big NO-NO. Not long after the fourth episode was released, the rating started to go downhill - I was too disheartened/discouraged and decided to no longer watch it before I regretted my decision. Now, let's get back to the business and I will explain to why this drama becomes a total flop.

The story revolved around 3 childhood friends - Han Tae Oh, Kang In Ha, and Na Hye Won. Each of them had difficult family background and bumped into each other in their college days. Basically, they were just using each other to get what they wanted and desired - all in all, they had a win-win situation which would benefit all of them. After graduating, Han Tae Oh crawled his way to become the secretary of the chairman of Kang Oh Group - Kang Joong Mo. In Ha didn't do much and still lazed around as usual whereas Hye Won started working at a reporter station. The three of them formed a friendship bond despite being aware of each other's motives. Now, their main mission was to usurp the throne of Kang Oh Group by overthrowing the current chairman and defeating In Ha's legitimate elder brothers. As how they will accomplish this risky mission, I didn't know any longer since I dropped it long ago.

Don't get me started at the main leads. I actually love morally gray characters, but the main leads just came off as more than gray characters - they were shockingly crazy and more than ordinary ambiguous. Especially the FL, Na Hye Won. Till this second, I still didn't know which side she took - Tae Oh's or In Ha's. At midnight, she often had secret meetings with Tae Oh. However, she suddenly kissed In Ha and said that she wanted to marry him badly. I was like... WTF had you done!!! You only tried to create chaotic atmosphere by playing along with the MLs. In the end, both MLs would fight for you and get jealous of each other. I also didn't feel the chemistry of the main leads. I know she wanted to get everything using her relationships with the MLs by any means. However, you would only break somebody else's heart when you decided to stop using him someday. The actress of the FL, Hong Su Zu, has that wooden facial expression in every scene she did. She really needed to improve herself. Lee Jae Wook and Lee Jun Young had a strong bromance at the start, but it slowly dissipated after FL entered their world. Supporting characters are no better. Other than Kang Hui Ju (In Ha's sister), everyone only acts as background/filter characters.

NO REWATCH VALUE AND DO NOT TRY THIS AT ANY COST. THE RATING OF 7.4 DID JUSTICE FOR THIS DRAMA. GO AND FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO WATCH. TT

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Fighting for justice in an injustice world

Vigilante is based on a webtoon with the same name. Prior to watching this, I've read the webtoon to get better understanding but stopped halfway after I completed the series.

To date, this is, perhaps, one of the best miniseries in k-drama land. It blends action, thriller, psychological, and crime genre perfectly. It uses 'fighting for justice in my own way even though it's wrong' trope heavily. We see the ML (Kim Ji-yong) had a traumatic past as his mother was murdered and the murderer got a short-sentence in prison. After ML grew up, he came across the murderer again and beat him brutally. At last, he made up his mind to become a vigilante (a serial killer, to be precise) - to protect the world and the innocent people from injustice by dealing with the criminals with his own hands since the law couldn't be trusted anymore.

Nam Joo-hyuk portrays Kim Jiyong seamlessly and expresses various emotions versatilely - he's as good as a pyscho, I really love it. Yoo Ji-tae also does well as Cho Heon - a detective who was sent to arrest the vigilante. I'm really impressed by Kim So-jin - the one who acts as Choi Mi-ryeo - she's maybe some kind of lunatic, but she still got her own sense of justice and was willing to help the vigilante as she could as possible. Lastly, Lee Joon-hyuk as Cho Kang-ok is a great fan and a big support of vigilante as well - like his funny banter with Ji-yong...

I've no more words to describe it anymore - but yes, this dark tale deserves more attention from the public and the rating could've gone higher. After Vigilante, another miniseries, which is 'A Killer Paradox', tries to duplicate it, but falls short compared to this one. If you love pyscho plot with a blend of action thriller genre, you can give this a shot. Warning: Lots of bloody and violent scenes, don't try it at home.

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Similar with part 1 but much better

Before starting this series, I've read the synopsis back and forth - wondering whether I should give it a try or not. The answer is yes, I do give in. After watching the first episode, I didn't feel anything worthy and only watched ML's scene. Even I skipped lots of scenes involving the FL (she's a bit of hypocritical, I must say).

Other characters are not worthy to be mentioned. I just jump all of their scenes because they have a high amount of screentime.

Considering this is one of Jiu Lu Fei Xiang's works, it should be a breakout - but sadly, due to the bad script and supporting characters' high screentime, it falls short in every aspect.

Edit for part 2: The storyline is much better compared to the first part. I like the torturing part the best. Other than that, the ending does satisfy me. However, the others are meh.

If you want to watch something better, you can try The Legends, Love Between Fairy and Devil (although it's not my cup of tea), Back From the Brink, Love You Seven Times, The Legend of Shen Li (which will be airing next week).

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Watch it only for the ML... and the rest... you can skip or fast forward

Before starting this series, I've read the synopsis back and forth - wondering whether I should give it a try or not. The answer is yes, I do give in. After watching the first episode, I didn't feel anything worthy and only watched ML's scene. Even I skipped lots of scenes involving the FL (she's a bit of hypocritical, I must say).

Other characters are not worthy to be mentioned. I just jump all of their scenes because they have a high amount of screentime.

Considering this is one of Jiu Lu Fei Xiang's works, it should be a breakout - but sadly, due to the bad script and supporting characters' high screentime, it falls short in every aspect.

If you want to watch something better, you can try The Legends, Love Between Fairy and Devil (although it's not my cup of tea), Back From the Brink, Love You Seven Times, The Legend of Shen Li (which will be airing next week).

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An unexpected good watch

Firstly, I came here without any high expectation and only watched this to kill my time as there was nothing to watch back in January (after I dropped Sword and Fairy 6). I only find my time tonight to work on this review. So, this is a live adaptation based on 'Cream-Flavored Unrequited Love' by Zhu Yi who also writes Hidden Love, When I Fly Towards You, and First Frost.

The story is set in the college times of Lin Xichi (FL) and Xu Fang (ML). Both of them attend the same university but taking different majors. FL is a veterinary medicine majoring whereas ML enters the university with special admission due to him being an archer. The plot is a simple one, exploring the love life of the leads and how insecure they feel on the inside. You will expect all of the college drama tropes used here, so there's no surprise as this is a typical college drama. I love the bickering and banters of the main leads - also feel the superb chemistry and have butterflies in my stomach. (giggle... giggle...)

We have SML (Ye Shaowen) pursuing the FL and SFL (Xin Zhidan) doing the same to the ML. At first, they may come off toxic, but fortunately, the leads state that they only like each other and reject them outright. After getting rejected, they realize the truth and acknowledge and become supportive of their relationship. It solves pretty fast after 2 or 3 episodes - they're not annoying out of my hell, anyway.

Second couple (Jiang Zhengxu and Nie Yue) has a healthy relationship and support each other when one of them is in the darkest moment of his/her life. I'm moved by how Nie Yue defending Jiang Zhengxu from those debt collectors - it's just so, so heartwarming. Also like the way he proposes to Nie Yue before they graduate.

Third couple (Lin Xigeng and He Liyang) get off on the wrong foot when they first meet but slowly begin to attract each other. He's just so protective towards his girlfriend and his sister too. He's a good husband material. The girl is quite independent too, however after a motorbike crash, she will be a cripple, but that doesn't stop her from wanting to become a professional racer.

Annoying parents trope is played heavily if you notice the unstable relationship of the FL's dad and mom. I hate both of them and skip their scenes. Thank goodness, ML has more supportive parents and they immediately accept the FL without further ado.

This is one of the best college dramas I've ever seen even though the rating is kinda low in MDL. Happy watching and you can also check out Zhu Yi's other works (I will be waiting for First Frost - maybe until 2025 or longer than that TT).

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Rating makes me drop this show

It's going to be a rather short review since I've got nothing to say at all. I'm really, really sorry and have no intention to bash out at this show. But, the rating tempted me to drop this show. I've never stand low rating before - 7.8, that too outrageous for a high-budget drama.

The story itself is pretty complex to me and people said that there was no single villain/antagonist, so don't expect one - as usual, everyone was driven by their own greed and dignity that they decided to do anything possible so as to achieve their selfish goals. I actually love the friendship of the 6 main characters - Yue Jinzhao, Yue Qi, Luo Zhaoyan, Xian Qing, Ming Xiu, and Ju Shifang. They have very contrast personality and yet they manage to deepen their bonds and becoming sworn friends through the lifetime.

I have no trouble with the acting. Surprisingly, Esther Yu's voice didn't bother me and I really adore her character. Xu Kai did excellent as usual - I'm impressed of how he managed to portray two characters at the same time. Kudos to the other actors/actresses as well.

OSTs are heartwarming and I begin to grow on the opening song - 奇迹 sung by JS.

Okay, it's time to end my review. I apologize if my review is offensive in some ways. Happy watching for those who haven't watched. Good luck.

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Great plot + dumb characters = A HOT MESS

I came across this drama when I was scrolling through an article last year, plus I'm Zhang Linghe's fan. Since then, I have been awaiting for this drama to release. At first, the story was rather promising, but it went downhill in the middle and the ending was... pretty bad enough.

The plot is nothing new in terms of xianxia dramas, considering that it is a demon-hunting-themed drama. I truly loved demon-hunting stuffs and even read the manhwa before starting this series so that I could understand much better when I watched it.

Also, the 2MLs (Hu Zi and Qi Xiaoxuan) had subtle bromance which I liked the most. I can really feel the chemistry between both of them - if it hadn't been the censorship, it could've been much better and perhaps turned into a BL series. LOL!!

The other main leads (Zhao Xintong and Wang Yuqian) were nice enough and added the depth of their friendship. Later, they faced a life-and-death situation and sacrificed their lives for the future of the human mankind. However, their deaths were totally unnecessary to me - I have been hoping to see the four of them to have an adventure across the world together - and... the way they died was a tad ridiculous. I didn't even shed tears when they were dying.

In the last episodes before the ending, there was a little plot twist about the main villain in the story. I was quite surprised to see the Qi's family ancestor was the culprit behind all these evil forces. Yi Mei only served as a secondary antagonist, if you ask me. Her arc wasn't even needed and everything would still be alright without her meddling around. And her reason for avenging her master was nonexistent. Her servant didn't help much too.

Special mentions to the elders of the Fulong Capital and QXX's dad and sister. They made an absolute hot mess in the story - I really wish I could knock some senses into their heads - all they cared about was power, money, and greed. Cheng Jinian was quite infuriating too - believing that his father was one of the elders, so that he could use his authority to manipulate people (but, he got a redemption arc, though).

Anyway, the opening OST is one of the best OSTs amongst the historical c-dramas. It evokes our spirit with its powerful instruments and nice vocal work by Faye Zhan.

Will I rewatch it again? NO and NEVER. I really regret watching this drama. If it hadn't been the fast-forward button, I would've dropped it a long time ago. If you're a fan of one of the leads, you can give it a try. If you find it boring, look elsewhere. Good luck!!!

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Overly cringy, tons of cliche tropes, and illogical story

I've never expected much of this drama - and yes, my expectation is not worth it. I accidentally found this in a bunch of upcoming dramas of 2024, so I decided to give it a try. However, everything went as if the table had turned over.

The drama itself is a typical office rom-com with gaming as a side theme. There's nothing memorable about it. I feel the plot is dragging. It could've been better if it had been cut down to thirty-minute long per episode, considering this is a twenty-four-episode drama. In terms of China's censorship rules, it is quite a short drama, but forty-nine-minute long per episode is absolutely outrageous for this type of drama.

Plus, the acting is cringeworthy. I didn't like how the FL pretended to be dumb and naive when she wasn't one. If I were her, I would speak according to my personal views and be a straightforward person rather than dilly dallying my time. It stretched for 6 episodes until the FL found out that this method didn't work - I kinda think that her actions were forced and unnatural. I don't want to know what solution she might come up again as I'm afraid it will make her more obsessive towards her crush (ML). Her roommate needed to clear out so that the FL could make her own decision which will benefit her more. I was impressed by Zhou Ye's acting in Back From the Brink and Word of Honor - however, this is the second modern drama of her that I drop after Love Me, Love My Voice. I don't know why, but I just can't stand her acting as a cute naive girl. She will end up becoming a delulu if she's not careful.

I understand that the ML is an indifferent and cold type of guy, but could he just reject the FL gentler and nicer? In here, he was being overly rude and kept 'bullying' the FL for no reason. In YAMG, the FL was also rejected outright by the ML, but in a more polite way, so why couldn't they do the same? This is my first drama of Lin Yi, so I have nothing more to say except his acting is so-so.

The plot is a very, very ILLOGICAL one and I can't stand it anymore. Let me list it out. Firstly, the FL had a crush on the ML and the ML had a crush on his gaming partner, which was the FL. It is impossible to create this kind of relationship in the real life - there's nothing such as fate or coincidence - in fact, you may get the wrong person at the online platform. Secondly, the ML and his sidekick immediately became the manager of 9th business unit without further ado. In real life, at least we have to pass the internship and begin from 0% until we rise to the top position. How they were supposed to become lead managers when they hadn't even graduated from the university? Even if you have family connection inside the company, there's only 25%-50% you can reach the top. If HC Game were a start-up company, it would be more logical - but, in here, the company is already a prosperous and well-known one.

Edit: Someone pointed out that the plot isn't entirely illogical and I may have missed several key points of the story. So, the ML and his friend actually made a deal with the board directors - in 3 years' time, they will make an extraordinary machine which can enhance/boost the gameplay. It's no wonder why the directors appointed them as lead managers. I've never heard anything called triple-A game before - however, I'm pretty sure that it must be a complicated game and hard-developed. This idea seems to be the most sensible one, I think.

The gaming graphics are sucking too - even FreeFire has better graphics than this. Why should they make the setting in rainbow-ish color? I feel as if my screen is oily or something - and it's not a wonderful experience.

The OSTs and sound effects are perfect and I will play the OSTs when I have the chance to. Kudos to the singer for such wonderful OSTs.

So, if you want to watch this drama, you will have to think twice before giving it a try. Afterall, this drama kills the logic and tons of unnecessary things will happen in the future, who knows? This drama also happens to chip-chop from other gaming-themed dramas - for instance, Falling Into Your Smile, The King's Avatar, You Are My Glory, Love 020, and etc. I won't rewatch in the future. Guess I will have to wait for another dramas releasing this year. Good luck and have a good watch.

P.S.
This is just my POV. So, don't get disheartened by my review and I'm not having any hate towards the actors/actresses. Perhaps, it's not my cup of tea. I apologize if my review is offensive in some ways. Don't say I don't remind you, though. I have a lesson learned from this drama - NEVER believe in online romance as it tends to leave us heartbroken. Who knows if the person behind the screen is a love scammer?

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Watch Vigilante instead

This show is a recycled plot of 'Vigilante', another antihero K-drama which aired before this one. It has the same plot with Vigilante, but with different circumstances. You can expect they copy paste every single idea of Vigilante.

To be honest, the first three episodes were disappointing. I felt really bad for watching it. If I hadn't watched Vigilante, perhaps it can satisfy me.

If you wish to watch this show, try to think twice before deciding or you can try Vigilante instead. It's super boring and the writer seemed to have watched through Vigilante back and forth, given that both have identical plots. Happy watching for those who haven't watched. I will try to cover Vigilante's review next time.

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