Make it a drinking game

I have to say that the only thing I liked about this drama was the OST. The english song "With Light Inside" grew on me. The song didn't made sense but Chen Xueran voice was so dreamy in this and the melody was bubbly and upbeat. Good enough to play on repeat.

The story has a lot of "ick" factor. ML was 5 and FL was 7 when they became family, and he's been into her since then? and he has been the one to guide her back to bed every time she sleepwalks. SINCE HE WAS 5! They were raised as siblings since young even if she's known she was adopted from the beginning, the ick factor is huge. It would be better if
1. They didn't change her name
2. The parents were helping raise best friends kid coz best friends are in Antarctica or something.
3. They were neighbors instead of siblings.

Plus, her academic improvements were just too great too fast. From 400th++ place to being accepted into Medical school. Then there was medical school, part time job, medical intern, bakery business owner. The writer just couldn't decide what to do with this girl. The medical trope was just unnecessary. FL going into culinary field would have been much better.

Drinking game recommendation:
1. Drink a shot every time somebody carries the the FL.
2. Drink a shot every time FL gets a new job

Now lets get into the Ouyang siblings. Sister Ouyang has an "ick" factor obsession with her brother. While brother Ouyang can't manage his brain damage sister. He should have sat down with her and told her that if FL knew of their connection to FL parents death, things with their family could go really bad. Sister Ouyang was basically going all out to destroy her own family.

(out of topic) FL's kind of friend Liu ZheHui looks a little like korean actress Kim So Hyun when she wears the long hair wig.

I think the drama could be fleshed out more, the story told so far barely scratched the surfaced. I'm not that mad at this drama, I basically had it playing in the background while I was working. I can't watch this with full attention. I think I would strain my eyes with the number of time I'd roll my eyes.

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The trailer was the best part.

I was misled by the trailer into watching this. The trailer provided lots of potential of how the story could go. However, a year of waiting later....

The main characters are around their late 20's early 30's yet the actors casted to play them are babies. If production was set on casting kim you jung then they should have changed the ages of the character to suit. It a very discombobulated way of telling a story especially at the end when she has a child of around 5 years old which would make the character in her mid 30's at least. It's the same weird feeling you get at the finale of Harry Potter.

For someone who was born blind and gained sight at 8/9 years old, I'd expect that she would have the right etiquette when interacting with a blind person. Then again, the blind person is an astrologer (insert eye roll).

There were a lot of aspects that were never explained, like the role of the goblin. Was his part in the entire series was just to insert magical energy to the painter to produce a magical painting? There were so much more that could have been explored.

The script can hardly be called a script, the main actress goes around repeating "sunbeanim" like a 5 second gold fish in every episode. Plus a blind man that was apparently joseon version of daredevil.

I enjoyed Kim you jung's older works, it is unfortunate that there are very few good meaty roles for her to sink her teeth into now that she's a young adult.

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Good premise, execution needs work

It has good premise but lacked what it needed to grab my attention. I didn't watch the drama with dying anticipation for the next episode. Maybe because it only has 12 episode, there too much information to cram in (500 years is a lot to cram into 12 episode) so the writer has to pick and choose what makes it. In the end, i didn't care much about their backstory, it wasn't developed enough for me to buy into it. This drama would have been much better as a seguek instead of flashback.
All in all, this was a drama I watched to kill time and not one i will remember in 2 weeks.

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Predictable

Contrary to popular beliefs, it wasn't that great. It was predictable and held very little surprise factor. The only surprise factor was the annoying lady didn't get killed for not being picked to play in the couple game being the odd person out. The most annoying character in the series.

I called it on the old man in the first episode. Scenes of people getting killed were repetitive and that reduces the shock and disgust factor. On top of that, the main character is unlikeable. Then again, every character in the series are less than honourable. It's hard to root for useless people. The sad attempt to sell the sad North Korean story line didn't have much of an impact with me. It didn't matter to me as to who lived or die. I just wanted to know how it ends.

The detective story line could have been interesting but the writing was lazy when they revealed who the game master was. Which I also guess who it was when the detective looked through past years' files.

The supposed international VIP brought on another level of 'ick' factor. To think that these people were "friends" of the game creator. Birds of a feather right? The acting was so bad it brought down the seriousness of the scene and somewhat came across as a skit.

I felt the ending was stupid. Wasting 1 year was stupid. Dying his hair red was stupid. The whole holier than thou attitude and vowing to hunt down the game makers etc etc was stupid.

On the bright side, it had great cinematography and acting. Kudos on the acting, I really hated ALL of them.

Perhaps this would have been better as a movie.

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My most annoying drama for 2020

The writers screwed up. It could have been a nice fluffy drama but they decided to put in a bunch of characters who are apparently still hormonal and has not mastered the art of communication. Their way of solving problems is to run away. The only adult character in the whole drama is the VP, the Mother & the Agent lady. The president himself is childish and immature.
For 2 broke actresses who can only land background roles apparently can afford to live in a luxury condo, 1 floor below the President himself. Insert eye roll here. The main female character is extremely full of herself. She thinks that everything that goes wrong is her fault.
- The drama she acted in not getting good review = her fault. (Production, Director, Writer apparently are absolved of any responsibility)
- The male lead in her drama going on strike = also her fault. (I have no idea how to even respond sarcastically to this stupid plot)
Nuan Nuan started the off being smart & spunky but along the way her brain melted. Same goes for President Ye Fei Mo. Apparently falling in love melts your brain.

The main message the drama wants to tell the viewers is that women should never choose career over love or you'll end up alone forever. This drama must have been written by a women hater chauvinist.

I feel sad for the actors having acted in such a ridiculous drama.

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Peaceful watch, no heartache, no dreaminess

There isn't a major drama that goes on, the relationship build between the characters seemed quiet natural. I did like how adult their relationship was. The part about gaming and the specific about space went over my head so I skipped those parts. I don't think the viewers needed such in depth explanation on the game. The Sponsorship fee must have been very very high to be featured in so many episodes.

I watched this live and followed it every week and this was a drama I didn't think about after the episode ended. There are certain dramas where I obsessed on what's going to happen next but it didn't happen with this.

There are a few funny scene peppered in that kept me watching. Like thee AI girlfriend, the desert WiFi, meeting the parents for the first time.

I think this the the first Yang Yang drama that I tolerated. What is with him and game related dramas anyway... Somehow, the chemistry between them didn't come across to me. Yang Yang was way to stoic.

In conclusion, an okay watch. Something I won't watch again. Ask me what the characters' names are in a few weeks and I'm guessing I won't remember.

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A drama that won't give an anxiety attack

Story
It's an old story of a CEO and his PA. The twist is she's divorced and has child. The CEO himself is also very young. The female lead isn't overly clumsy to churn out some cringe worthy scenes. She puts efforts into learning her job she begged for and doing it to the best of her ability. Just because someone has not worked before, it doesn't mean that they are a total idiot, they just need a lot of catch up. This is nice fluffy drama without stupid/wasted characters. People are there for a reason and not to help push things along. They get a story line but not so much that you'd get impatient. Her son not being featured much doesn't bother me as it's about her journey after her divorce. The second leads are also very good in helping the leads get together. Some of the plot could have been stretched a little and some seemed unnecessary.

Acting/Cast
The actors did very well playing their characters. You can feel that they connected instead of just playing a part. It's very pleasant to watch them and smile with them.

Music
The english song was refreshing

Rewatch Value
I'd totally rewatch this for the fluff, no stress, no crazy mother in law, no crazy ex.

Overall
It's a solid fluff drama. Not too dramatic, not too stressful, lots of cute and kisses.

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Slow burn slice of life

I would categorise this drama as 'slice of life'. It takes it's time to develop each scene and shows the characters life as it is, their struggles and frustrations.
We can see the male lead's frustration. A sprinter who is fighting the hierarchy system in the sports industry where seniors bullying juniors is the norm. He tries to go against the system and fight with the abilities that he has while upholding his beliefs which could end his sports career. He exhibits extreme control over his emotions, I feel it's more like he feels dead inside probably due to his upbringing with an absent superstar actress mum and an oppressive dictating politician dad.

I do appreciate that almost everyone behaves like an adult. The don't go off the rails at any misunderstanding and do speak their mind when it calls for it. There isn't an instant love at first sight, this drama takes its' time to develop friendships and relationships. Although each episode runs around 1 hour, it does feel longer than that. Despite it's slow pace, it isn't boring.
If you're ok with slow burn dramas then this is right for you. I liked Run On, but i wasn't obsessed with. I enjoyed watching it but I don't think I'll crave watching it again.

As for the acting, I think this is the first Shin Se Kyung work that I liked and I think she should pick more of these strong adult roles although script availability is another matter.

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Super Dad and Deadbeat mom

A lot of stories are told of deadbeat dads, it's very refreshing to see Dads who do the best they can to raise their kids. The actual main character in this is Li Hai Chao, Noodle Dad. He’s the dad that holds everyone together. It was extremely heart breaking when he broke down when drunk expelling his thoughts of unwelcomed teachings from unconcerned individuals while defending his love for his son.

The two dads built a perfect non-marriage marriage. They communicate with each other, keeping the other abreast of news of the children. They love and spoil the kids all equally, and the kids all call both of them Dad. Cop dad isn't without fault, but he does come around to acknowledging his shortcomings. They prove that Dads can raise good kids too.

The female lead is kind, cheerful, thoughtful etc. She channeled her sadness and heartache into something positive instead wallowing in self-pity like any other drama. I liked that she is the most successful in her career in their circle of friends and exert her authority as boss when she feels it requires it. The relationships in this is well built and told. There isn't any throw away characters. All the characters in this drama all serve a purpose (except Feng Xixi). The story telling pacing was good and flowed well from the first episode to the last.

The abandonment issues the 2 male leads has to deal with is really heartbreaking. The pain can be felt by the audience when Zhi Siew asks "Why is it that I'm the one who's always being abandoned?"

The actors were all very good in bringing their characters to life. I felt every pain, sadness, and the very realistic fights.

The Opening and Ending songs were perfect. The moment the song "Fearless" starts to play, Pavlovian's Conditioning kicks in and tears will start to roll. This drama gets you crying from very early on.
The only thing I did not like was that ML Ling Xiao is almost always dressed in clothes that look like pajamas. No guy in their non-metrosexual life would wear out of the house.

This drama reminds me of my all time favorite manga/anime Fruits Basket. The same premise of kids with very painful past trying to forge their own happiness.

I will definitely watch this drama again.

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Drama so sweet you'll get diabetes.

I accidently stumbled upon this gem. Nothing new with the story premise - contractual marriage. However, this drama was well written, no childish antics or evil side characters.

I did find the female lead's way of talking too nasally and childish but it got better and stopped being a bother. There's a natural development in their relationship. No one had to change themselves for the other. No one was forced into doing anything they didn't want. There's lots of respect, skinship, back hugs and kisses. The leads act very naturally, so it's an easy buy in. In certain angles, the female lead reminds me to korean singer/actor Suzy in the olden days. Relationship with grandpa is also very cute, like when he addresses his grandpa as academic Zhang, and grandpa calls him asst. Prof Zhang.
Although there isn't much of a plot to pick apart, the only thing I couldn't buy into was how the scald on her ankle can render her immobile. It would have been better to give her a sprained ankle.
The costume department should get claps as well for not dressing the female lead like an overgrown doll like most other drama. Her clothes suits her very well and her wedding dress was divine. Other drama put their actors in the ugliest dress possible and telling the audience that it's dreamy. The innuendos are also appropriate and funny. There are a few things in the plot that don't make sense but considering that this is a fluff drama, it's forgiven. I didn't like the ending but it won't stop me from rewatching. I could not help smiling while watching the leads.
I did somehow notice that the running color theme is mossy green. House, car, clothes. Mostly mossy green.

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Makjang melodrama

This story ventures into the makjang teritory. The villain is clearly the villain. There were things that clearly could have been handled better by the characters but the writers chose not to go that route. There are lots of sweet moments in the beginning before the makjang and the cry fest starts. Some parts felt too rushed especially the ending. I somewhat felt a little cheated with the ending.

I noticed that this is the first project for a lot of the cast. The female lead herself would have been 17/18 when she filmed this. The production did really well casting these 1st time actors. The cast did very well in their role. I liked the characters I was supposed to love and was annoyed with the ones I was supposed to be annoyed with.

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Story
This drama is very well written and tight. There's appropriate amount of cuteness and enough background on the supporting characters to not be annoying and draggy. The usage of flashbacks are well executed and the ending was wrapped up nicely.

Acting/Cast
When the chemistry of the actors come through to the audience, it shows how great an actors' capabilities are for the audience to be able to see and feel what they are projecting and how they tell a story. I believed the characters' feelings for each other, the pain they experience, joy, annoyance etc. I only watched this because of Kim So Hyun but noticed Jang Dong Yoon instead. Another actor I've added into my "to watch out for" list.

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