Magical

I first watched this drama back in 2022, and really liked it. Though I found the plot a little confusing at first, I absolutely loved the male lead and the romance between him and Tae Eul. Personally, I love Tae Eul as a female lead and I would let her kick me if she really needed to. Maybeee her character seemed a little fiercer in the initial episodes, but she didn't turn into a complete damsel at all. I really loved the bickering and banter between her and Lee Gon, who is super funny himself. I loved Lee Min Ho's delivery of his lines in the show. Sometimes, it could be a little cheesy, but overall, I have rewatched this show twice, and loved it again and again. Both times, I only watched the romance between the leads to be honest, but it really hits😭💞 Even if the love story starts rather abruptly, especially from the female lead's side, I still love it so much. I mean, Lee Gon literally went through every universe to find Tae Eul... that's commitment!

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Not for me

Oh, this was not it. Everything that worked in “Love Me, Love My Voice” did not work here, I fear. This was not for me, and I feel like everyone was doing too much and nothing at all at the same time. Why does the male lead immediately care so much for a girl he doesn’t know? To the point that she literally moves in with him, like? Girl, he could be a freak, aren’t you scared of getting offed?? LYY was also just too intense for me. Bro loved looking at Yin Guo like this 👁️👄👁️, it made me uncomfortable😭😭. When she put that band aid on his leg… I thought I was going to 🤯 because why were they doing that much over a scratch?? I thought I could push through to get to their dating era, but the episodes just drag and drag – the leads just looking at each other wide-eyed, doing too much and yet nothing at all. It wasn’t for me, moving on to the next drama.

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Finally, it's over!

Finally done with this… show. Was CLOY’s plot this messy too?? It started out so nice, but fell flatter than a pancake. I made the mistake of taking a two-week break between episode 12 and 15, so I had to catch up episodes 12-15 in one day because I wanted to finish it with everyone else. Thank the Lord for double speed and skipping.

The show was successful due to a handful of factors: the screenwriter, regardless whether one likes her or not, has created many successful dramas. The amazing leads that are known for their skills. KSH and KJW were great, though I find KSH had less to show in the first 10 or so episodes. KJW had a much more consistent performance in my opinion. The insanity of the plot. And the OST/any technicality such as cinematography, styling etc. The plot of this show was pure dogshit. It got worse with every episode especially after episode 12 (for me).

Now, me personally, I hated BaekHong! 😊 I did not like Hyun Woo as a male lead. I could never fully sympathize with him, which I did easier with Hae In. HW was just kind of unlikable to me, and I’m also quite annoyed that Hae In had to start the mature conversation at the very end of the last episode (even when she apologized for being mean after her surgery?? Girl, it is NOT your fault). How they argued over trivial matters etc. and how that was the reason they grew apart. On one hand you can argue that she takes agency to speak up (especially when you consider how YES took her autonomy the second he appeared on screen until his last breath. That man was obsessed with her and wanted full control over her. He disguised himself as a nice guy, but he was never able to hide that little psychotic sparkle in his eyes. When he wanted to have dinner with her, he chose everything: the plates, the wine glasses, the food, the wine. When he showed up as her guardian at the hospital, when he kidnapped her, when she wanted to collaborate with this dude to be part of the Trillion Club thing, etc.) , on the other it is once again her who takes accountability. Throughout the whole drama, I felt that HHI was sidelined – despite being the female lead. Her feelings, point of view, thoughts… all felt like a second-thought. Both from the POV of the other characters, but especially from the writer. HHI never felt like the priority, it seemed like she had to compromise and put herself second in order to make others “happy” or whatever, and that was annoying. Kim Ji Won is such a stunning actress, capable of giving a nuanced performance of a character that could have been so interesting. However, she gave her best with what she was given – which wasn’t much in my opinion.

The villains. You guys, I laughed so hard when Eun Seong died. Lmao. Anyway, these villains were so over the top that I could not stand it after a certain point. They felt too cartoonish. They got their karma, so that’s good.

This drama could have been a nice little character-driven story – had the writer given the characters more depth. Instead, we got a mix of insanity, barely any (good) romance, lots of trauma, annoying villains… To be very straightforward: this was a clusterfuck of a drama, and I’m happy it’s over.

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“Annoyed that Hae In apologizes to Hyun Woo about her treatment towards him after surgery. Not her fault she didn’t remember him, why must she take accountability… also, when has his ass ever apologized to her? Seems like she compromises all the time for him throughout the show – oh, finally an apology at the end for forgetting his promise to always love her. Instead, he caused her pain.” – live commentary/thoughts while I was watching the last episode LOL.

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Epic and tragic tale

Bai Qian and Ye Hua aka chronic gatekeepers of vital information and their true feelings for one another. Ye Hua – King of gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss 🎀 Also… justice for my man Mo Yuan 😔✊🏻.

Well… I finished this show. I understand why it is considered a classic. It’s an epic tale of a fated yet heartbreaking love. I thoroughly enjoyed it despite skipping through some parts I didn’t care about (the Winged Tribe lmao). Ye Hua is a male lead that I loved and hated if I’m being honest. This man never properly communicated with Su Su/Bai Qian, which was so annoying. He also forced himself onto her several times, which is… not great.

My girl Su Su/BQ went through so much pain in this show, and it really pissed me off how her pain was constantly invalidated and how her person was vilified. The Heavenly Tribe is one pretentious, hypocritical and annoying tribe. Ye Hua’s mother is on my hit list because she had the audacity to downplay my Qian Qian’s pain as if didn’t matter at all. As if didn’t matter how badly they treated her when she was a mortal, and how she lost her eyes simply because she was falsely accused (this made no sense: how would she 1) know where the Immortal Execution Platform even is? She was always locked away. 2) She was pregnant, ready to give birth. Why would she start beef with that witch Su Jin and push her down the platform? How would she, as a mortal, have the strength to fight the immortal SJ? Made no sense, and everyone lowkey knew. But they regarded her as less because she was a human.). Even when they found out that she was Su Su, they didn’t feel bad for their physical and emotional mistreatment and abuse. No, they feared that she might harm their darling Crown Prince. Always seen as the bad woman. The disrespect the Heavenly Tribe showed Green Hill will always piss me off.

I’m also so sad that my babes Dong Hua and Feng Jiu didn’t have a happy end ☹. I will have to watch their spin-off to cleanse my soul because their conclusion was so upsetting.

Another upsetting thing is the fact that we did not get a wedding?? I mean, yay, Ye Hua is back from sleeping, but give me the wedding you’ve been talking about for the last 30 episodes😭😭🎀… oh well.

The OST is iconic, I absolutely love it. Anyway, this was a rollercoaster of emotions: I laughed, I cried, and I yelled (anger and surprise because Ye Hua might have been a 70.000-year-old virgin when he fell in love with Su Su, but he was one horny Prince!). I can see myself rewatching certain scenes, but might have to skip the sad (and annoying) stuff... farewell peach blossoms🪷🌸.

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Quite nice!

I finally watched this – been wanting to do it since it first aired! Overall, this was an acting masterclass from Shin Hae Sun, she was so marvelous to watch; the best performance of the show to be honest. I don’t mind the ending all that much because Ji Eum finding peace and happiness without the burden of her past lives felt very right and important to me. This show also made me cry so much!! The first 3 episodes were really nice, but after that… the middle did not feel as good anymore, it picked up again towards the end. I am overall a little bummed that I didn’t love it, but it is not a bad show by any means. Brownie points for the stunning cinematography and the beautiful OST!

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Cute!

Giving this show a cute 7 stars because Ying Luo made me cry at the end. She didn't want to let go of her daughter😭😭 Anyway, this was not as sharp as the parent story, and the plot and characters felt quite juvenile - no surprise since the characters are younger -, but this was nonetheless nice. I think I enjoyed this even more because I loved SOYP so much, it's literally my Roman Empire; saying goodbye to Ying Luo and co for a second time is just cruel. Her scenes ate as always, she literally mothered. I loved that we got to see her playful and scheming side, and how she let Zhao Hua do her own things after gently getting her on the right track. The story itself is honestly kind of crazy (ha!), but it's a cute little 6-episode show that won't hurt you. It's nothing extraordinary, but it delivers nice sets, costumes, decent acting, nice music and a dash of madness. Overall, cute show with some of my favorite characters💞.

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Good, but expected more

I finally finished this after a month! Overall, this was good, but I expected a little more. Some parts felt long and draggy because I didn’t care too much about certain characters after a while.

The acting of the leads was amazing though. I loved their chemistry a lot, and understand why everyone went crazy over them🤭🥹. I wasn’t a big fan of our Black Dragon because 1) he was kind of bad at his job, 2) kind of dumb and 3) we never saw him as a dragon except for, like, two times. That’s so annoying. I also didn’t like Jie Li to be honest. Her character was really annoying.

The cinematography and CGI were amazing though. Such a feast for my eyes, I really loved it. The OST is also so beautiful and catchy!!

Now, where can I get a Dongfang Qing Cang for myself?

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Nothing lasts forever

Kim Tae Ri needs to pay for her crimes. This is my second show from her, and she made me cry AGAIN. I understand why it ended the way it did. Also, the realization that nothing lasts forever, despite thinking the opposite. A moment could feel endless, but chances are… we won’t remember it. Hee Do is such a comfort character, and I LOVED KTR playing her. She was such a bean, so expressive and straightforward. Always so loud, always had such big feelings, and I loved her so much. This show… the cast, acting, cinematography, OST!!! Simply so good, and so worth the hype. Ahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’M SAD NOW THOUGH! (Also, lowkey... the definition of "How do you know everything at 18, and nothing at 22", or whatever Taylor Swift said - so true)

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Mildly Disappointing - Not Good, But Not Bad

This was mildly disappointing? I don’t know what sets this show apart from other historical dramas centered around power struggles and scheming, but this was only okay. Jo Jung Seok and Lee Kyu Hoe both delivered the best performances of the show and were generally delightful to watch. Especially JJS has great screen presence and created tense atmospheres out of nothing. One second, the scene is normal and in the next he’s scary and intimidating.

I liked his chemistry with SSK whose performance was alright. I liked her crying scenes a lot (which… she had a lot for some reason 😭🤭), her tears were like diamonds rolling down her cheeks, I can’t explain it. The female lead’s revenge was… I don’t know. Lacking? So-so? Wishy-washy? Can’t put it into words. I think the lack of character development (for all characters) at the end of the show also disappointed me. Did anyone change or grow? I don’t really think so… meh. Also… the fact that everyone believed that MW was actually a man… honestly a bigger plot armor than my girl Ying Luo ever had. The writers decided that her dressing as a man was believable to every single character when it really wasn’t lol. It was believable in “Coffee Prince” for example, but here??? It’s because the writers wanted it lol.

The show generally has left 0 impact on me, and I probably won’t really think about it now that I finished it. It did pull me in – ultimately, it was the tension between Mong Woo and the king that kept me going and made me finish the show. The last episode was a whole lot of nothing that kind of dragged and felt a little useless not going to lie. Overall, “Captivating the King” was alright, but not crazy good!

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Disappointing sequel

😔… Oops. I’m surprised how much I didn’t like this drama to be honest. I skipped a lot in the second half of this, and the final showdown in episode 28 was just absolutely ridiculous and over the top. It felt like a hysterical soap opera and I did not enjoy it.

“One and Only” was a masterpiece and I loved every second of it, but I dislike “Forever and Ever” with the same intensity I would use to describe its prequel. Had I watched F&E on its own, I would have never understood why the characters like each other and why they feel any kind of attraction to one another. I loved the male lead in O&O, but here?? He was so painfully ALOOF, it made me mad sometimes. At first, I liked how awkward he was, but after a while I was so annoyed. Shi Yi is probably the only person on earth to have this much patience and to love the man – no one else would want to put up with someone this … dense (sometimes). The characters were also so… prudish for their ages. Like, you already slept with each other, but then can’t sleep in the same bed or change clothes in front of each other? The male lead really stood in the rain while Shi Yi changed her shirt, as if he couldn’t have just turned around IN THE CAR. Like, that is just too much. Also, wtf was his deal with timing her night routine?? So weird, and to do it standing outside her apartment. That’s creepy, not romantic lol.

I also heavily disliked the script. I don’t think it did Bai Lu or Ren Jia Lun any favors – it rather led to me thinking that these two talented and capable actors were only delivering a sub-par performance. Interactions between characters felt wooden, stiff, awkward and uncomfortable. While O&O had a nice rhythm and flow, F&E felt weird and choppy. This series felt like… a series – in the sense that it just felt like I knew this was being filmed. It didn’t feel like I or the actors fully immersed themselves into it and became the characters (because this is what O&O felt like: I was fully immersed and believed everything I saw/it was convincing).

The family drama…. Bro, wtf was that. I felt like it was so much more dramatic, intricate (not the good kind) and hysterical than it could have EVER been in the prequel. Too many (old) people – I didn’t CARE, sorry.

I loved the cinematography, locations/sets, coloring, OST and styling for this show though. The leads also shared some really nice moments that made me hopeful, but … eh. Most of the time, I felt let-down. Overall, quite disappointing and not worthy of being O&O sequel.

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Utterly destroyed

I actually died with them. Yes, I did. I am utterly destroyed and can only feel agony, my head hurts. This was absolutely amazing. I liked how this show gave us different angles on how each character questions their own identity and nationality, where they belong to or not. I loved how Ae Sin represented Korea, and how Hui Seong, Eugene and Dong Mae stood for the different relationships they have with their country. The cinematography, OST, acting – it was all so splendid and rich, an absolute delight to watch this show. The simple, quiet things between Eugene and Ae Sin, how their actions spoke louder than words. Their relationship was always at its best when it was just the two, enjoying mundane things. Sometimes, the show could be a little slow, and I also didn’t quite understand Kudo Hina as a character to be honest. But overall, this was amazing. But I still have a headache…

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Healing

The last 15 minutes made me so inexplicably sad and made me cry, I don’t know why🥹. This show was really comforting and served as a means to let go of some of my feelings, which makes me appreciate this gem a lot. Liu Yi Fei is incredibly natural in her acting in this show, she easily conveyed any emotions and really touched me with her performance. Li Xian: I only know him from some clips of “Go Go Squid”, and in those he looked rather stiff, so I didn’t know what to expect. He quickly proved to be very charming, fun and expressive (key word: eye acting😏) on screen, and I enjoyed all the interactions his character had.

I think the show had too many sub-plots though. Too many stories to be told, and at one point I started losing interest and only cared about Hong Dou, granny, A’Yao, and the girl trio (girl friendships 🥰🐥🍓🌸🌷🌞🌈💜💕❣️), basically anything that involved our main leads.


The OST and cinematography were also simply sublime and so pretty!

Overall, a beautiful healing series that goes right into your heart with a dash of romance!

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Finding your own happiness

Kang Ji Won taking her revenge, growing and finding her own peace and happiness is all very dear to me. Her character was just so wonderful and wholesome, I am so happy she found her happiness and took back control of her own life. This show was really good from start to finish, even if episode 12 was maybe a little rough for our couple – I didn’t care and it wasn’t even as bad as people said, honestly, some were incredibly dramatic lmao.

Ji Won finding two new girl-friends was just so pure and beautiful, and all three of them being happy in the end fulfilled me too! I wish we would have gotten more of Eun Ho x Hee Yeon and Mr. Lee x Mrs. Yang because they were all so cute in their own way, but the show didn’t give them as much room 😔. I also think that BoA is not very suitable as an actress for this role, her acting was really bland compared to Song Ha Yoon and Park Min Young, who acted like rent was due. Overall, very satisfied with this show, I am happy to know that it was successful and that we got the most beautiful K-Drama wedding ever!❣️

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This rant is from a couple weeks ago lol, anyway:

One thing that has bothered me a lot while reading the comments on this page, is that people seem to be too focused on the "taking revenge" part of the story. In my opinion this show isn't about revenge, it's about self-discovery and self-growth. It's about finding peace, and getting rid of something that has ruined you before but that you won't let define you this time. In her previous life, Ji Won put herself last, not even second or third, but last. She was never her own priority, people walked all over her, she got sick and then she was accidentally killed (but how much longer until MH and SM actually killed her?). In her second life she gets a new chance. She gets to get rid of SM and MH, yes, but she also gets to change her appearance, she gets to learn and do new things, she gets to enjoy life, she gets to meet new people who truly appreciate her, she gets to find her inner peace without needing anyone's apology in order to get it.

Her newly found self isn't perfect, and we see how it's a slow progress because she was abused (twice) after all. People complaining why she didn't leave MH once she travelled back are so... annoying? Are you watching the show? Do you understand the characters? SM is a scumbag because she likes taking things and people away from Ji Won. It happened with Eun Ho in highschool and it happened again when she stole her "other half's" husband. If MH isn't Ji Won's, there is no fun is stealing him from Ji Won. Because THAT is the catch. SM is truly a deranged and nasty woman because she does everything in her power to isolate JW from anyone so that she is the only person ever (which is, surprise, pretty abusive).

Ji Won is playing mind games, planting insecurity and at the same time a sense of superiority into SM and MH's minds. They THINK she has no idea, but of course she does. That's the whole plan. Ji Won is not a weak woman here, she's a victim of abuse - several kinds of abuse actually: domestic, emotional, physical. Like, she's BEEN through it. And you want her to be normal about it? Do you think she's healed in 2 seconds just because she took revenge and found a decent man? You don't heal from stuff like this that quickly. Sometimes, it comes back. And we get to see that from time to time.

That's it, anyway, the show is great. I like the visuals and the acting as well as the OST! The cinematography is also great, especially in E11 when JW and JH went to the beach 🥰🥹 I'll go more in depth once the show is over.

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Absolutely Amazing

I am in tears. I cannot believe that I actually watched this monstrosity (I say this with love) of a show in less than a month. It was worth every second, every minute that I invested into it. Such an elaborate, intricate show with twists and revelations around every corner.

Wei Ying Luo was such a smart and interesting female lead! She got shit done in no time and also stood her ground (I ignore the strong plot armor)💅🏻. She even planned her own downfall on purpose, who does that?? Her relationship with Fuca Rong Yin was so beautiful. Both women saw something in each other and depended on one another greatly. RY was like a big sister and mother figure and YL represented freedom. I absolutely adored the development of YL and Ming Yu’s friendship and sisterhood. Ming Yu was such a childish and petty girl in the beginning but grew into YL greatest confidante. I wept like a baby when she died (I’m still upset about this)😭👶🏻. About that sneaky snake Yuan Chun Wang: I never liked him!! He was so incredibly weird towards YL from the beginning. I always felt like he had a very weird claim towards the female lead, a sort of entitlement to *have* her. It was so uncomfortable🧍🏻‍♀️.

Despite her nasty nature, I also loved Noble Consort Gao. I think she left us too early (though the show did not lack drama – even without her). It would have been nice to have a deeper dive into her character/family since she was so interesting but not explored enough. Her loving the emperor so much was her downfall – as was all those women’s downfall. YL played the long game by never explicitly saying "I love you" to Hong Li lol. Though she did admit it in her own way in my opinion. I also would have loved to have more of Chen Bi, not going to lie!

I liked YL with both Fu Heng and the emperor to be honest. Her first love was sweeter while her second was more teasing and chaotic. But I loved the scenes with the emperor, they were such a fun couple to watch on screen😅💞.

Hoifa-Nara Shu Shen💅🏻. The woman that you are. I don’t blame her one bit for all the things she did. She did everything so smartly and proved again and again how cunning she is. She never *really* got her hands dirty, she just made her enemies feel insecure and they’d ruin themselves. I also liked how she and YL were on eye-level. They respected each other’s wits and it went well for 10 years until Shu Shen kind of lost her mind a little lol (aging is a little annoying when the emperor has 7123918320 other wives that are younger than you (and especially when he favors your enemy – I get it)).

The last two episodes were… chef’s kiss. The twists, the emotions, the revelations were amazing. Only thing… if they really needed to kill my man Fu Heng (mind you, his existence was already sad since he married Er Qing – if delusion was a person – and thus lost his real love), then they could have done so on the battlefield. Why did he die of Malaria😭😭

The OST was also great! Both the songs and the instrumental greatly supported the scenes and made everything feel grand. I never skipped a single second of this drama. When I first stumbled upon this show, I wasn’t really that deep into C-Dramas. I thought “Damn, what are you going to tell me in 70 episodes?! As if that won’t get boring!!”. I was proven more than wrong. I had a marvelous time. I laughed, I bawled my eyes out, I cheered, I got mad. This show made me feel all the emotions, and I can actually see myself sitting down for a rewatch.

Standout episodes from the top of my head:
- Episode 19 because that is the very first episode that YL and the emperor spend the majority of the episode together with little interruption.
- Episode 40… Rong Yin ☹
- Episode 54 Er Qing dies, YIPPIE
- Episode 59 because YL and the emperor finally reunited again after he found out she was on birth control
- Episode 61… I cried buckets of tears when Ming Yu died
- Episode 64 because YL successfully planned her own downfall to uncover Chen Bi, plus her reunion with the emperor, who had already understood her plan. The way they teased each other and finally were back together just 💞 I believe the emperor was always 100% confident that YL would be able to get out of ANY situation, which is why he always let her do whatever!
- Episode 69/70 simply iconic. Simply amazing. When Shu Shen cut her hair… I had seen that scene several times in edits and had been waiting (!!) for it to happen because the actress had perfected hatred, betrayal and defeat all visible on her face and man… it did not disappoint. So good.

Overall, a 10/10 show, I will miss it so much😭😭😭

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Quite fun

This was cute and fun! I liked how bright and colorful the show was, it felt like an easy watch.

CCIR sheds light on the competitive educational system, and how it negatively affects students in terms of mental health and behavior towards others (their parents or classmates). Su Ah, for example, may have a nasty personality for most of the drama, but I couldn't hate her because it was clearly a result of the academic pressure she has on her shoulders in order to be consistently high achieving in class. I also blame her mother and any other adult in this show lol. Seon Jae's mom... Su Ah's mental health drastically deteriorated: she had hallucinations and even fantasies about harming Hae Yi. Due to the pressure she felt, she viewed HY as an enemy that needed to be eliminated but we could see that she felt bad and that she was self-conscious. Hee Jae is another example of how academic pressure (and parents) can destroy a person mentally, especially because his mom continued to make the same mistake with Seon Jae.

The found family trope in this show is strong and great, I really liked it. Chi Yeol finally found his people, and Haeng Son's little circle was so wholesome. And I loved it whenever she'd say "Anyway" 🥹. However, I found the episodes a tad too long, I watched the second half of the show in double speed and also skipped a little. I thought I would enjoy it a little more than I did to be honest. The show is overall 'alright' - I don't know what it is, but it didn't catch me 100%. The OST was okay - average, there wasn't really a song that stood out to me. But: I really enjoyed the relationship between the leads. It offers some sweet and fun moments between all the teasing and bickering and is also overall quite mature. I didn't like how it was never clarified that Hae Yi didn't attempt suicide though. That was bad writing... my girl was kidnapped!

In conclusion: a cute little show that offers an insight into education and its dark sides and impact on mental health, but also a show with fun romance, friendship and found family.

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