Fatefully sweet and touchin

If you thought you are in for the usual fluff, then you're mistaken.

For all the cute previews and fluff fanservice, you find someone stick a hand in your chest and squeezed your heart. First was Im Sol after she lost mobility. The helplessness and lost of hope. Then theres ML and his depression and that moment he gave in and lost the will to live. Man, how I ache for them.

Then my greatest surprise was the curveball at the last 5mins of ep2. Didnt see that coming. That was d ML point of view I didnt know I needed but was so glad director/writer gave us this.

Then theres the onpoint acting. Always a fan of Kim Hye Yoon. We wouldnt be this hook without the good acting and the leads' chemistry.

Ps: Keeping this at 9 overall for now. Loving the music, the acting and the story. Depends on how to plot goes, the rating will be adjusted again.

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Warm and refreshing

Late to the party but this was so good to binge-watch!

This is a story you never knew you needed to see. There's so many new perspectives I took away after the last credits roll. It's a new combination: deafness, a child of deaf parents without the disability and time travelling to the past. This unexpected mix is thoroughly refreshing and unexpected.

More than just the mystery behind who and why while fulfiling the true mission of travelling back in time, the heart of the story is actually family. Yi Chan and his grandma. Eun Gyeol and young Yi Chan. Eun Gyeol and his parents in the present. Cheong Ah and her dad (even though we didnt get as much of him as I would like).

Eun Gyeol's story was very heartwrenching and moving at the same time. Who would have thought that the one who hears and speaks in a family where everyone else is deaf, is lonely and felt left out? At the same time he puts a lot of pressure on himself, taking every burden himself and not really sharing his thoughts and feeling. His POV tugs at your heartstrings but its the opposite side of it thats really eyeopening. I wont divulge further to not spoil it.

Choi Hyun Wook's Yi Chan really stole the show. He has this vivacious charm and boundless energy. He draws you in to his character and makes you cheer for him, his dreams and his youth.

If you havnt watch it back while it was airing, like me, its not too late. Put aside 16h for a wonderful story.

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Watch for the cast, stayed for the story

This was my first airing C-drama in 2024 that I watch diligently live, waiting for new episodes with bated breath. That means theres sometging grippling about the plot that makes me come back for more.

I thk I have a thg for female coroners. *Cue.. one of my favs: The imperial coroner. I like when FL have brains and wits in historical China. Then there's this face swap thg that reminded me of ..*Cue another great drama: A familiar stranger.

We have a strong cast but Liu Xue Yi's Pan Yue was bang on the money. He is so commanding on the screen, and brings so much to the character. It wouldnt be rash to say he's a great big part of why the drama is so popular. JJY's Yang Cai Wei was okay, she did remind me of some of her other period characters. Shes probably more memorable as the obsessed Shangguan zhi. The leads have chemistry and I enjoy the push pull in their relationship when the secret wasnt reveal yet. Li Ge Yang was a great casting too and he had lots of chemistry with 2FL Wu Jia Yi. I felt like I wanted her character to do more than just being there for 2ML.

For the reasons above i nearly rated this at 9 but rationally I thk an 8 is more deserving. The biggest reason being overly convenient and glaring plotholes. Evidence no1 both ML and 2ML are great in fighting but they stand around and let the resource person (imp on revealing the secrets they were trying to solve) to be killed right under their noses. Evidence no2 they make the leads a bit out of touch with the rest of the world. We were first shown ML and FL who upholds and values justice but the writing makes them brush past and move too fast from the deaths and sacrifices of ppl around them. This kind of writing is just careless imo. Because I've watched other C dramas execute this much better, I cant help penalising.

For rewatch I would only do so with clips and shorts. It has been a good enjoyable watch for 80% of the time and among the better historical dramas offered this year.

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Each other's "other half"

A driven plot, convincing actors, beautiful love stor(ies), sweet length, no fillers.

The screenwriter really created sweet and thoughtful ML and SML- the kind of men women dream of. Case in point: 1. ML wishes he can take sth to share the burden of his pregnant wife. He says its unjust that creation of a child, the pain of pregnancy and childbirth is only borne by the mother. 2. SML whose both a noble and a general helps SFL wash her stained clothes. He says doing laundry doesnt matter male or female. Even a female can wield the sword.
(_^-^) Im a sucker for men who respects women and cherishes their women.

Back to the story. I love the intrique and I love the kind of romance potrayed. The main CP has been married for 3yrs so theres this kind of simple everyday couple normalcy and then theres also this intimacy. Which Zhao Yi Qin and Rain does beautifully. Then theres the second CP, between a cold general with own motives and a kind princess. Her personality and kindness is just right to melt this general. I wanna say both female leads are so pretty and natural in their acting.

Lastly a short drama does not mean cutting corners on quality. The story flow seamlessly, no weird edits, the costume and setting all are lovely. Wish we have more of this kind of dramas produced- a riveting story, touching romance without wasting time on stupid misunderstanding or fillers. As of July, its my favorite short drama this year.

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Each other's happy pill

"RangRang" I sure will miss hearing FL calling out to ML. Seriously best youth romance Ive watched in awhile.

FL's love is so unreserved, unpretentious and passionately sincere. I love how ML has always felt her sincerity and his gaze never left her face. This has the best development in terms of first meet to actual start of relationship. Big green flag in how healthy their relationship is. How I wish all FL in other dramas can take a leaf out of Zaizai's book. You can be sweet and direct without being greasy or annoying. Great selfawareness and always given so much positivity to ML.

Infact I find the drama adaptation to be even better than the novel. Director has removed some of their conundrums and I believe its better without them.

Last but not least, second leads were thoroughly cute too. Their friend GuanFang and his grandma tugs at my heartstrings.

Im already rewatching just as soon as I completed this drama. Thats how lovely it is and how much its worth spending time with my fav characters.

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Hardcore Rainbow Taxi member

S2 celebrates the kinship among the Rainbow taxi members. They are the core of the entire season. Its also where it shines brightest and helps you oversee the flaw and some holes in the story.

Where it pales to Season1:
Not as gritty. Season1 was drippling with suspense and often at the edge of your seat thriller. Season1 tiltering between black white and grey had this intensity that couldnt be reciprocated in Season2.

Where it's better in Season2:
Camaderie among the taxi driver members. Their rapport and always having each others back. Their loyalty and love is just really sweet.
The individual cases are much more fleshed out and the variety and scope of the cases were really good.

Highlights
The linking cases and big bad boss. The audacity of the moves Do Gi and the team makes. The subtle flirting between Do Gi and Go Eun. The cameo from Nam Goong Min and Kim So Yeon (very well used imo). The character of Oh Ha Jun who initially irked me and yet evoked sympathy later.

Issues
Some of the infiltration was orchestrated alittle too easily. It feels like you have to defy belief to just roll with it. And Do Gi's been protrayed like superhuman and Go eun a superhacker. There are also glaring plotholes here and there. Theres also alot of product placements that you and I may not care for.

Why I rate it higher than S1
The same reason why I tune in to watch. Ive formed an attachment to Taxi driver the series and its characters. Its almost like watching your child graduate from highschool and enter university. A new chapter, stronger kinship but different experience. S1 was alittle too gory and often I debated in dropping it as I couldnt agree with the punishment Do Gi belted out against the wrong doers. He almost seem like a grim reaper. Here S2 is a fairer vigilante. Most of their methods of punishment is less cruel, not as violent and non fatal.

S3 I pray they dont harm this series and the love I have for each of the cast. Plus it wouldnt feel the same if we are missing any of the core members.

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Eventful

If you've watched S1, then by all means pls watch S2. If you have not seen S1, I would say this season is perhaps more eventful

Hot guys and girls. Diff types. Pretty onscreen and som do have chemistry. Theres slightly less camefa hogging where all scrwentime goes to 1female (biggest issue last season)

Editing needs some serious work. Some scenes were rather short and abrupt. Unaired scenes on Scoop should have been aired imo.

Took more than 6-7 episodes to get more depth into the participants. More than half of the seasons episodes were all on appearance, looks, feeble conversations. Not sure was it contestants took a long time to converse in depth or the editing. Only last few episodes finally felt more aubstance to them. They arw then more relatable.

Overall entertaining. I do hope they can hit it off post-inferno.

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Cup of flower tea

This is a drama you'll watch with special fondness. One I'll archive under watch again.

From the opening theme, it already hints of what comes next: calm, pleasant, ingenuous.

FL checks a lot of the neither box. Simple but not backwards. Innocent but not naive. Lively but not obnoxiois. Silly but not stupid. She treats people with a genuine heart and that attitude wins people over. Shes one that draws and keeps people around her. Its just one of her many charming qualities.

ML is sharp minded but not manipulative. Strategic but not greedy. Noble but not arrogant. A bit sickly but able to fight and defend. He lacked love and warmth from his parents. But theres not a bone of meanness on him. He mostly masked his ability to safeguard himself in a palace riffed with powerplay, particularly those in cahoots or bowed to the 2nd prince.

ML-FL had a genuinely believable, well-paced relationship. From minor misunderstanding develops to an understanding, forming a cordial employer-employee existence. But far from mundane their interaction and day to day lives are peppered with hilarity and warm moments. That reliable companionship is almost like a form of courtship unique to them. Textbook case of "Familiarity breeds fondness".

My greatest praise for him would be how respectful he is of her. He learn that her valies are different to what is typical of his country. He does not force her to follow in his ways, instead every step of the way he lets her choose, gives her as much freedom as possible and backs her up even as it goes against palace norms and rules.

My greatest praise for her is her genuine personality. Whether it is ML or others, she stays true to herself but also treats others fairly. She can answer ML honestly and he can count on her for being truthful. I love how to takes her time in considering the ML and their possibilities. Entrusting your heart and the rest of your life to another is not sth done at a whim.

My greatest praise for the drama is the entirety of the casts and the stories they rell together. Unlike other palace dramas that can be hair pulling or super angsty but this one is done jus right. FL has this huge gang of sisterhood that was so remarkable and heart warming. Sisters of no blood relation that supports and helps out one another. Than theres the prince brotherhood that reluctantly forms through the ladies. Not to forget the head butler and chef of the 6th Prince that provided a lot of comedy. So many of them had such great comedic timing.

If you've not watched cause of the tag 'slow-burn', dont be. Its like a cup of flower tea. Enjoy the steaming and beautiful fragrance. And when steep just nice, enjoy the sweet cleansing taste and lastly savor the aftertaste.

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Dragged in a loop

The premise was interesting. A shared space for past and present at a fixed time.

It started fine but after the initial both parties found out about it, the plot stagnates. It could not sustain the whole intrique of what happen to the female star was jus too slow. Seriously draggy. I start and stop so many times, it was a chore getting to the finishin line. And dont get me started on the syspect so obvious, i was jus waiting for the story to call him out.

As with time fantasy, loopholes often becomes an issue in the plot. How FL for over half the drama never question abt her present self especially since she knew in the present the ML lives in her apartment. I also find it odd that when the past is changed the memories go to the present male, but all the other characters who are in the present arent affected.

The actors for ML and FL i like them both and enjoyed their previous work. I kind of blame the plot and direction of the drama that affected me enjoying their romance. I jus dont quite buy how they went from enemies to being in love. It felt so "written on paper" and not something that should have been tangible and torrid. I guess this is me feeling maybe expecting too much cause I enjoyed W. And this is a far cry from W.

Watch only if you are a fan of both leads. But as a fantasy/time riff drama, it lacks in proper plot execution and intrique. As a romance drama, it lacked intensity and soulfulness.

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Vanilla

Perfectly palatable romance drama missing some zest.

ML is nice and cordial. He falls first bt is a more passive personality with some hidden black belly character. But overall if you are to define him as a flavor: Hes mild.

FL is one track mind and comes off as a lil clumsy. Overall she gives off a cutesy vibe. But theres something missing and I had a hard time forming a rapport with her.

The nephew/ god son: hes the gem. Truly adorable similar to his other drama. His cheekiness translates through the screen. Hes the one adding fuel to main couple's engine

Other loveline: sister's story was nice, good juxtapose to MC and also written to be linked to ML's backstory.

Overall plot and flow: Mixed reviews

The good: Started well. Desserts are beautiful and created with story and meaning. ML finally lead his own drama, he has this gentle boy next door vibe and his acting never came off obstentacious. FL is new to me, she did fine, some minor overacting.

The Hmmm: The way its written wasnt engaging. Meanin I watch a few episodes, didnt felt the need to bingewatch, watch something else and after awhile pick up when i remember. Acting wise, FL also not reciprocating enough onscreen so the im-deeply-in-love with you vibe is missing. Hence the chemistry does not come off as that strong. After you finish you realise theres nothing that memorable about this drama. Its jus vanilla, nice, kinda sweet but lacks any punch.

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Best season so far

9 participants. 5 lads and 4 beauties. 1 house. Multiple personalities and background in Shanghai.

First, I would say this season the casting director did their job. Not jus scandal free participants, but good attitude, successful, good-looking, hard working peeps and very tall males. The bar's been raised, makes me very worried for next season.

Without spoiling anything, the dynamics between guys and girls, among the guys and among the girls are nice. Nothing catty or rude. You honestly feel they bond and are comfortable towards the end of the show.

In terms of the panel, Angelababy return. She didnt do much last season but this season she seemed more open in sharing. Lee Seung Hyun was interesting, hes more direct and he doesnt hide what he feels, all on his facial expression. Guest panel Chen Li Nong was funny.

I like the girls of this season, different in personality and demeanor. Wan Yi and Qiu Yi are my favorites. Girls who can speak their mind, has good EQ, level-headed, considerate to others and overall comfortable on the eyes.

Fav guys would be Yang Yang, Zhong Lun and Geng Yuan. The former two are more shy and slow on conveying themselves. Geng Yuan has a direct, CEO style that works well with the girl hes interested in.

Last episode has me tearing. Theres some truly moving actions by the participants. Im a sucker for those who knows how they feel, are loyal and only have eyes for that special person. I too hope the ones who found each other thru this show, reap a bountiful and lasting relationship.

My only complaint is wishing for an extra 2 episodes, hoping the participants had more time together. Pls if you watch raw, every week theres an extra clip, cut scenese that didnt make the episode. Some are worth watching too.

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Reap Real Friendship

This season was markedly different from previous seasons. For one it gave a more steady environment and time for the house members. There werent too much upheaval or drastic last minute introduction.

Then coming to the people. Suffice to say dont judge a book by its cover. My initial perception of some of them were not accurate. Evyone had more sides and layers to them. Some took time to warm up. Some are so straight forward, they came off as pushy. But again only a small part of them. Everyone had lots of good points yet to be slowly seen.

The most beautiful and heartfelt are the friendships. I like how everyone is more cordial and some are extra considerate and thoughtful. Very confrontational character stresses me out and Im glad it wasnt too bad here.

The promise of romance more or less delivered. But this time around theres 1pair that I wished were more impulsive and less logical. Theres peeps who loves the feeling of falling in love. And love seeing other people find love. I count myself and Annie Yi among them. Il be back for the next season and hope the selection of cast and house members would be as awesome as this season's.

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Yumi: Journey of self love

Great marriage of animation and drama.

Yumi's animated cells, every single one of them, we didnt know we need them until we saw them and love them so much. Lust cell cracks me up. Hunger cell is too cute. Interestingly my fav cell is rational cell. What makes it good is how relatable it is. Everyone has many sides to them. Similar with yumi, today fashion cell takes over and she makes a splurge. Or emotion cell takes over and she does a reactive reaction that she may regret. Even how the weather reflects yumi's feelings.

What makes it good is seeing the journey of the cells which infers yumi herself learns from experiences- every fall, every heartbreak. And seeing how the cells lobby for her happiness.. its really a journey of self love. Learning how to open up, how to take intiative, how to flirt/be coquetish, how to give, how to stand up for herself and ultimately how to let go.

Romantic interest wise comic readers knows Woong and Yumi's rollercoaster. He may not be perfect but both him and yumi shared alot, experienced new things together and were once very happy. Hes definitely in a few volumes of encyclopedia in yumi's central library and forever will be up on her wall of special moments. He helped unlocked alot of things in Yumi's heart. I was glad he entered Yumi's life.

Lastly I noticed Kim Go Eun seems much more carefree in her acting here. Both her and Ahn Bo Hyun were truly great in their roles and played off each other so well. There may not be that much of Woong in the sequel but I still hope to see him.

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Could have been better if fleshed out

The editor literally put evythg at 1.5x speed

There are a lot of dramas with thin plots that are 25 to 40mins long, and 24episodes or more. Then heres one with a plot and two leads with gd visuals but on a 2-3min length for 34episodes. Do the math.

You hav a FL with a mom who has been duped and a horrible stepfather. But she doesnt cowers. Intelligent and courageous. Plus shes really pretty and cute and suited her role vy much. The ML lost quite a bit of weight aft recently watchin him in another drama. He has the chiseled good looks and suited the role with the cold aura. But surprise he can charm your socks off and becomes a natural flirt where the FL is concern. I thk you can count him on those that really put aside face to pursue what he wants.

Like i said someone came down with the decision for the length of this drama and hence some scenes are very choppy and skipped ahead a lil too much. It affected the continuity of it.

For what is worth it was enjoyable for a really quick watch.

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Real. Painful. Moving. Wholesome

The first 5mins may make you turn away. That cruel moment of seeing someone losing the will to live and seek death can be too much for some viewers.

Yet theres so much this drama offered beyond what I expect. For one it tackles real issues. There's JingJing who pulled a Robin Williams on all her loved ones including her 3 besties. She shouldered a lot of things and hid it so well. In a depressive state, she made a drastic choice.

The 3 remaining ladies like Jing Jing faces many struggles as North drifters, slang for people who left their hometown to go to the big city in the north trying to make a better living. During bad times, Beijing is a city so fast paced, one can feel like you are swallowed whole. Nan Jia is a strong character, a career woman with her own business. She too faced a lot of hurt in the city, faced issues with health and in love. Qiao Xi Chen who works hard, lives like a miser, struggled to be successful and wronged by backstabbers at office. Xu Yan who has a lot of insecurity and often too wrapped up in people's comments, had a lot of growing up to do in life and love.

With the ladies are 3 love interests and fortunately for us all 3 lads are good guys. That helped to balance off the sad elephant in the room. Its a story showing growth and more so in the courage and hard work the ladies put into living their life.

Wholesome are the great parents. The ones who love their children and tell them the words one need to hear. This sounds easy but is not often dobe. Sometimes parents set too high expectations or say the wrong words that can hurt their children. Xi Chen's parents words to her were so touching. Wholesome are the friendship among the ladies. Wholesome was when the 3 ladies care for JingJing's parents.

The acting is top notch. Ren Su Xi, Zhou Yu Tong and Sun Qian at different points of the drama moved me to tears. I felt their sincerity across the screen. Chinese dramas should do more lengths like this: 12episodes of moving story, poignant, meaningful and leaves us hopeful.

Parting words from JingJing: Even after the darkest of night, there'll be sunrise. Even after the longest journey, there is an end.

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