Reviews

Fortune Favours The Bold: Subverting All Expectations

I. The Good
There's an unequivocal happy ending.

The plot is fantabulous. It's a refreshing take on the 'cannon fodder realises they're merely fictional characters; hugs big thigh to survive' trope. The FL refuses to succumb to her role as the evil cannon fodder, and stubbornly pits her wits against the Fortune Author once she discovers that she can push the storyline so long as the ink is not dry yet. The plot doesn't whitewash the FL as a misunderstood 'good' person. She is no meek, timid, mealy-mouthed damsel in distress. She is pragmatic, conniving, and arrogant, and will lie, cheat, and steal as means to an end. The FL commits all kinds of evilry to get the Big Thigh ML on her side and to ensure her own survival. Mr Big Thigh ML falls in love with the FL, sins and all, recognising that everyone has their good side and their bad, and she's just more honest about hers. The storyline constantly subverts expectations (e.g., the FL really isn't a 'good' person, the 2FL isn't really a 'bad' person, the various pot shots at cliche tropes).

I really, really loved the swipes taken at cliche tropes. In episode 9, the FL questions the need for people to hide in bathtubs. In episode 11, the doctor complains "Don't you think accidents happen to you too often? Two days ago she was poisoned, and today she's been shot!". In episode 13, when they were unable to feed the passed out ML medicine, and the 2FL is about to feed the medicine via mouth-to-mouth, the FL says "You couldn't get it in using your hand, but you can using you mouth? Do you think he has a special mouth-opening switch that turns on with a kiss?"

The costumes are gorgeous and intricate, even when the FL is dressed like Minnie Mouse in a few scenes. The details in the sets are superb, e.g., the delicate painting of cherry blossoms behind the ML and the exquisite lamp designs. The production team committed their entire music budget to one song, and it produced a beautiful, poignant melody with melancholic tailored lyrics that really elevated the scenes to full-length drama level.

LMC's acting as the FL has improved significantly, although she struggled in some scenes to emote sufficiently. Surprisingly, YSJ made a believable ML, which is a credit to his acting chops because his babyface was really difficult to get past, which leads me to the bad.

II. The Bad
YSJ's babyface had me struggling to believe he was supposed to be the merciless and ruthless ML. However, the combination of his acting skills and the strategic camera angles helped to glaze over this, especially during the steamy scenes (otherwise the audience would uncomfortably feel the need to sit in jail).

ZMY's acting as the 2FL was hard to watch. I get that she's supposed to play the ingénue role, but all she did was stand there widening her eyes and pouting her lips for every scene. The only time she came to life was in the last episode, when she and the FL are huffing at each other.

III. The Ugly
This drama is not for the liberals and for those who are triggered by some events due to some plot devices. The FL fakes a rape attack to trick the ML into taking her home with him. The FL physically harms herself and threatens suicide more than once.

There are also missing plot points, e.g., why or how did the Fate Book fall into the FL's hands, how did the ML break out of the Fortune Author's hold, when or why did the ML regain his memories.

IV. Verdict
I really enjoyed the constant subversion of expectations and will definitely rewatch this. For this drama to be pleasurable, you must not think too hard. It does make you examine why you think that only 'good' people deserve happy endings when really, most of us have our deep, dark thoughts that we never share because we're afraid of being marginalised and in all actuality, we would do the same as the FL.

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The drama isn’t honestly that bad, I’m only dropping this because I’m close to the end and they’ve already gotten together and I just don’t have a lot of time to finish the rest of the drama.

In my opinion, the plot of the story is pretty good and fast moving. With our male lead having a crush on an online friend d but also not knowing his online friend also likes him back but in reality. The cast for this show for this show is pretty good.

My biggest issue with this show is it kinda of feels like an e-sports drama. I understand that they never actually play any video games in the drama but there are lots of scenes where it involves the main leads having obstacles on their game app that are launching. I’m here for the romance and not their idea for coming up with ideas on the game so you kinda have to skip around.

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Inspirational and Thrilling Series!

@20 episodes in...I am amazed by this series. Every cast member is giving the performance of their lives. We have loved every section of this story and there are many! The cast is enormous...so large you may lose track of faces...so pay close attention.

It is a multi-faceted tale...but primarily it is about the Hua family.
They have been a powerful and prestigious family for many generations. Both grandparents are renown and revered for their character and kindness. Both have led exemplary and very public lives. The family is huge and not only well-known but also well-loved.

That is ...until they lose everything!!
The men are exiled and the women and small children must survive alone. Shunned by the ppl who once sought their favor, this family must learn to endure by themselves with very little help.
It will not be easy to do ...but they will learn.

What I Loved:

The Female Lead: Zhang Jing Yi

Zhang Jing Yi is becoming a major star. Here she plays the role of Hua Zhin who was the grandfathers most beloved granddaughter. She has her grandfathers keen brain so she naturally become his shadow and learned to soak up everything she could. But her independent and dauntless spirit came from her grandmother, who was equally bold and decisive while growing up. Recognizing her granddaughter's abilities ....the grandmother pushes her to take over her role. This group of women would not have adjusted nearly so well if they had not had her. Her character is strong and adventurous and you will love her.

The Male Lead: Hu Yi Tian

Hu Yi Tian is also excellent here. He plays a complex role as Gu Yan Xi who is nephew to the emperor and his incognito role as the head of the security dept. He is watched/brooded over by his uncle, whether because he fears he may become a threat or simply because he likes to control ppl..it is too opaque to see yet......but GYT straddles the line between obedience to his uncle and maintaining his own independence. Not easy to do.. so we will see how that goes. But I am loving his character and the sincerity with which he cares for her is lovely.

Inspirational Watch:

These women will try many things, some will succeed, others not so much....but they will learn from both. Seeing these different women (some more spoiled than others) adapt to these life changes and elect to work and pull together is absolutely stunning. Many scenes are so sweet..that you catch your breath and it brings tears to your eyes. It has been a sincere joy watching this unusual series.

Quick Resolutions to Problems:

I owe this one to a friend rajv...she noticed before I did how lovely that it was that when a problem came up, there was often a discussion and a quick resolution, even between the two leads.
Rarely are misunderstandings allowed to linger...instead it is quickly dealt with. This is a much better plot device than letting it simmer for 5 or 10 episodes causing a great angst in the viewer. So a very refreshing change and we loved that. So thanks rajv!

Trope Less Love Relationship:

Both leads are great together..it has been thrilling to watch them fall in love . All the feels are there...and you will love this romantic part of the story. It is central to the main story, not pushed to one side and it is a very satisfying love affair.

Finally this is a long one @40...but one I think you will find riveting enough to hang with it. I confess I am watching it in a watch party atmosphere..but we like it so well that block off times where we can watch 3 or 4 at a time..is that nuts or what? Lol, but even then we can barely stop. So we are in LOVE with this drama..and I think you will be too.


Happy Watching!

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A tender, delicately crafted story of healing through found family

This drama has so few reviews I decided to copy my feed post from a month ago to the page as a review; other reviews give you the story details, so I feel okay just gushing in my stream of consciousness fashion here. :) (It is a given that not many titles are still at the forefront of my brain a month later for being so wonderful-only the wretched titles tend to lurk that long!)

The short summary: This is a highly emotional slice of life with performances that are a balance of charming, funny, and naturally sad at times as 9 people who’ve lost the people they love most in the world are faced with a world that doesn’t understand what they are dealing with and makes them want to be further isolated as no amount of “stay strong”isms will do any good… Those people come together and find a place they can breathe, people they don’t have to pretend to be okay around and eventually get okay around. Tearjerker moments paired with gentle humor, character growth and the best example of a true “found family” story I’ve seen… that is what you are signing up for if you watch this drama which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

The lengthy version (my brain splatting out its thoughts without censorship-pardon the mess):

I hovered between 9.5 and 10 for the rating here, but I really can’t find fault in it, especially since I had to naturally watch some pretty compressed video (it was uploaded long before the era of full HD gigabyte plus episode files being common) that lost a lot of the color in it but still found myself crying a bit, smiling, and crying again for all the pain and happiness alike… yeah, this deserves a 10. It is a heavily character-centered slice of life about found family (admittedly a weakness of mine that will warm my heart more than almost every other trope when it is done well, and man, this is your platinum star for that!), so instead of plot twists and turns or intense feuds of family dramas that have scheming at the forefront, this is bringing together people who are as different as you will find but who share one crucial thing: they all just lost the most important people to them because of the same tragic accident.

Granted, you need to WANT something that explores grief, loss, and pain from MANY perspectives and showcases a really complex set of character dynamics as they cope with trauma, loneliness (to extremes), survivor guilt (a couple of them weren’t there at the scene of the accident at all, but their guilt, while a little different, is no less intense, and their isolation and alienation no less saddening).

Stunning performances across the board. This managed, in 9 hours, to let me see deeper into the stories of the characters (despite there being several to peer into, some more deeply than others) than most dramas can in 20 hours, but unlike many (most) quick works that aim for the same “tell a lot with little time” result, it never felt like they were just gluing together tiny skits. It flowed exceptionally well, and I ended up deeply loving the characters thanks to how thoughtful I found both the writing and portrayal of them.

Emotional train wreckage, yep, and it is beautifully handled. I feel both amazing warmth and a tiny bit of exhaustion from so much emotion pulled from me as I couldn’t stop watching after a point. I didn’t want to let go of them, any of them. They really managed to end it pretty perfectly while leaving a big part of me wanting to forget much I’d just seen so I could watch it for the first time again even though it is not throwing a thrilling twist-filled plot that justifies forgetting before rewatching. I want to see their initial encounters and growth from the start with no knowledge of it. I want to watch them grow together and heal together in this gentle haven. The blend of heart, humor, pain, and characters who grow to trust and feel truly comfortable like family, real lasting family, with one another is worth anyone watching who wants to throw their hearts into something. (I am really glad I watched it far in advance of the Korean adaptation coming out-the Kdrama has only cast 3 potential house members, and I am excited for it, but I think it’ll be very different… still, what a fantastic title to remake in HD, hopefully with all the charm of the house this one features which really is just a perfect setting for this story!)

This is certainly not for people primarily looking for pretty faces and sharp cinematography. It is 20 years old this year and what is online, fan subbed, is compressed to under 1/5 the file size it would be if released now. I didn’t actually find it detracted too much after a brief adjustment for my eyes since I was there for the characters’ story, story, and more story and it fully delivered. The OST, while the start and end are consistent, has some fitting songs. In particular, a couple of instrumental numbers threw my brain back to an album I had, might still have, that I think was the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. At least that is the cover that is in my head (it is not at all a weird song of theirs-they have lots that are non-traditional-just one that I remember the flute player’s sound from and think this might be that same player). No huge wow factor anywhere… but that is why it shines. It is delicately handled, full of tiny details (both through setting/cast/prop visuals and in character traits and dynamics), and nuanced, and it feels deeply honest, authentic, in terms of the emotions of every character.

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I was disappointed with this japanese BL

While the first episode did hype me up, it does go down till the finale.
I would have know more about their past, I would have skipped the assistants love interest and I would concentrated more on charater growing because this series was so short and had too much unnecessary stuff in it, it does not explain Miyatas change very well. The chemistry between the grown up leads was medicore at best, the "young" ones had a more believable chemistry imho. Senpai did well, but Miyata lacked a lot. Also the kissing and "hot scenes" were not that believable for me.
While production value was good, the story and it's execution lacked too much for me, which makes me disappointing in this japanse BL. It's not bad, but it could have been so much more.

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Not a BL

The most positive thing I can say is, it does speak about LBGQT issues but only very superficial without much depth. The show was not a BL nor does it include much of any romance. While the struggling of Idol trainees included some entertainment, overall it was very bland.

This show only makes the point that the excessive alcohol abuse is a bad thing, but nobody needs a show to know this. And maybe that friends do things for their friends even if they don't like to? I am a bit confused about that. If someone is forced to do something he doesn't want and has an emotinal outbreak about it, but then decides to do it anyways because of his friends, I don't get it. Yes friends are important, but to self-sacrifice himself for his friends is not a good solution either and does not lead to his happyness overall.

As a BL fan u can skip this show for sure and for anyone else it does not offer much besides light entertaiment, but you won't miss a thing if you have skipped it.

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Watching this in 2024...

Definitely not worth your time - I just watched it bc I do like Park Min Young, TOP, and Lee Min Ho.

The only thing I enjoyed about this were the comical moments and just how far we have come in kdramas.

I definitely think they could have made a better ending - it was not satisfying.. it really should have ended around episode 14 or so...

There are some deep quotes/poetries around but overall nothing too deep or moving. Really played along the silver line with the love-interests and honestly was shipping more for the Park Min Young and TOP.

I had to skim through and play this on 1.25 speed bc there were so many slow moments/episodes...

Overall - once is enough and was entertaining enough to keep in the background but nothing to really focus and dive into.

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Please, please don't judge this one by the rating...

The trolls and haters are at it again- they've successfully degraded this show to a 7.8 rating for honestly pretty minuscule reasons. Yet, sitting yourself down and understanding why the characters are the way they are- watching this show for what it was intended to be by the screenwriters- will leave you pretty impressed. Here's a brief rundown of all the things that seem controversial about the show:

1. THE MOM. Got to start with the FL's mom, and honestly, I think some of the viewers misunderstand her role here. If not for her misguided antics, MCH would never have found the incentive to seek her own path and independence. The obstacles that the mom places in front of MCH ultimately help her grow and become her own person, the ENTIRE POINT of this drama. Secondly, the mom sadly does reflect some realities; MCH's family lives in stifling poverty. Mothers in those states will do whatever it takes to 'do the best for their child', often ignoring basic rationality (see Mrs. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice). I Yet, throughout the drama, she's anticipated to grow, and the funeral of the grandmother does foreshadow the learning curve the mom could achieve throughout the show. Also, the actress plays her SO SO well; you feel the annoyance, the anger, and the irrationality, but also the love she clearly has for her family and children.

If you can't get past the mom, that's fine. But for future viewers hesitant because of the skewed rating, I don't think it's too bad at all. Certainly, the mom is much better than Professor Umbridge in Harry Potter and similar to Song Qian in 'A Little Reunion' (also so good; definitely recommend it).

2. XU KAI'S LACK OF SCREEN-TIME. I like Xu Kai like everyone else here, but I truly think his character has appeared where it is needed and not too many other places. Sure, you could argue that YZM needs more appearances, but I think his character development has been fine as well as the fact that other characters such as the grandma and MCH do keep me entertained.
For those watching only for Xu Kai, I understand some disappointment- you don't see too much of him until post episode 16 or so.

3. THE LACK OF ROMANCE. This drama was not intended to be a full-on romance rather than a realistic family story, and I think it accomplishes its goals. Its characters are realistic and portrayed beautifully by the actors and actresses (especially the grandma, mom and MCH- this is Yang Zi's magnum opus). Objectively speaking, I think this drama has been better than the vast majority of romances I've watched in many aspects from realism to character development. It is a truly slow-burn though, so for romance-chasers, this MAY NOT be for you, and that's totally okay.

BUT, why would I write such a long review and urge everyone to watch it regardless?

1. THE CHARACTERS. They are written so, so well, especially MCH (FL character). Unlike other dramas obsessed with adding lines like, "She's so smart and pretty," into the script, this drama SHOWS and doesn't TELL. Mai Chenghuan is the only truly strong female lead I have seen throughout all the shows I have watched that is realistic and mature in her actions. She will get over herself and help others, she stands up for herself, and has her flaws (which she acknowledges and grows from). Truly, she is my FAVORITE female protagonist in any drama I've seen so far. Her character dips more than a toe into the water; the script does a wonderful job. Also, YZM, the ML, isn't just a cold, rich boss. He has a backstory and a development arc- kind of rare in C-dramas.

2. THE ACTING. So, so good. There's literally no need to mention it when you've seen it, but Yang Zi's attempts to hold back tears at the funeral (so realistic) and her flustered-ness arguing with Xu Kai really resemble MCH and build together a cohesive character. Other support characters are wonderful too; I'm not even a super-fan of any of these cast members but this drama has made me look for their other projects.

3. THE LESSONS. This is not just a story. It's a huge master-class on how to live life, especially from Grandma (cool character actually). Beyond the humorous and sad moments and everything in between, the lessons learned by each of the characters do translate to real life and make logical sense to me (doesn't happen a lot in dramas).

Overall, I thought I'd leave this review here. Otherwise, too many people would miss out over 'the mom', 'no Xu Kai,' etc; they would miss out on what's a genuine story- sadly far too rare these days.

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Completely Unexpected

This show was absolutely what the synopsis said it was.... However, it was also the complete opposite! From episode one, I did not expect this story to be so exciting. I read the synopsis, saw it had 28 episodes and completely judged a "book" by its cover!


The cast really sold this story well. From the beginning, I only knew about 3-4 actors/actresses throughout the entire show; however, as I continued watching it truly was the cast of wonderful actors and actresses that made this story so fantastic. I laughed, cried, got angry (i've never disliked a character so fast lol), was scared, and even held my breath in some spots. Each episode was a surprise. The story seemed to move pretty quickly, though it didn't feel like there was any cliffhanger moment or any questions left unanswered.


This story is great for a binge day or if you're just starting out watching Japanese dramas, since it has a little bit of every genre in one story. I do wish they had more than 28 episodes, honestly; I would really like to see more of Kanaka, Masa, and everyone! This show is the definition of "dont judge a book by its cover"... I hope you give it a chance!

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IN SEARCH OF THE WONDERFUL WORLD...

I think the best way to praise this drama is to say that it was a competent and well-built drama. None of the episodes were irrelevant or unimportant; all episodes were complementary to each other. In other words, we had an excellent execution here.

The conclusion was very conclusive and without loopholes. My last doubt was regarding the gate video and what an irony of fate, it was the controversial Soo Ho protecting his wife from the certainty that he had closed the gate. I found this explanation excellent and very consistent.

I will praise Cha EunWoo for accepting to play a character completely outside of his comfort zone and I confess that I saw positive acting points in the last episodes. I hope he continues on this path and challenges himself as an actor.

In a final analysis, the drama taught that the WONDERFUL WORLD is built daily and with small achievements. After all, life is not built only of victories and happiness.

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A program that can improve but is wachtable

Overal I enjoyed watching this dance program, Love the concept eventough it looks like many other dance programs, but it's the style they are going for in korea which isn't nesserly bad.

I do like how they did the battle ground.. I would definitely watch another season but probably won't rewatch this season.
I feel it cab grow into a better program.

I do really want someone in the jury who doesn't have any print in the music or dance scene to give a bystanders oppion and a viewer perspective, with a professional dansers perspective, an artist's perspective, a produceren and choreography perspective. so it has more demantion, I Feel for a street fighter program they judge to much on choreography It needs to be judged in more aspects I feel and also at the same time by someone unbaiest, because as a viewer I felt things different, saw things differently, because I don't look at the techniek and the fine details or the styles I personally know nothing about. I look at people that draw my eyes, make me exited, and make it seem effortless when it's really hard, to me something that looks less Neat or strict can look way better at times because of feel and vibes and enotions it draws out, so a more indept judgement and reasoning would be appreciated, not that the jury that where there where bad, but I feel they should add either more judges or more guest specialist that stick around troughout the season or swiches up.. for me some of the dances especially with the battles felt hard to watch or get exited about because they did to much of the same movements to often that it didn't add anything for me from my point of view or to many tricks that destracted me from the overal dance movements.. which made me like the teams that lost over another team alot more.. but the judges had a complete other option than mine which is fare, but it did made me feel dissapointed because I felt it was lacking a bit and taste will always win over quality unfortunately.. for me none off the crew/dancers where truly bad or good they all flurished in there own ways and all have different strengstes, for me really I didn't know any of the dance groups or dancers exept I reconized Hoja because I enjoyed Infinite, I felt that the atmosphere was very harse and bold in the beginning didn't always enjoy the editude of some members in the crews, but they did grow on me over time and became somewhat Humble and more respectful towards each other groups and dansers.. I do like how they did things battle wise and competition wise, there's always room to improve.. battle wise I would have liked if they changed the battle sequence to be more anonymously, they would always announce who would battel who before beginning the battle.. I would have liked it to be like everyone looking ready to battle and dance but then one or multiple members would step out and start dancing.. so it would have been more exiting for me and like a battle on the streets, also would have liked to see a in one go battle, meaning they will create a order before hand and do all the sequence and stages of the battle rounds in one go.. so the judge have to evaluatie the who battle overal battle in one go, or choose to have them re- battle and have them choose who they want to see and have fate decide who will start trough a coin flip or something so they can comfirm the end result.

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A Mini that does not disappoint!

I went into this with zero expectations and I was not disappointed.
I'm not going to recap the show because the synopsis is pretty accurate. I want to start off with Leo Yang. From his looks, to his voice, to his effortlessly cool idgaf attitude, this man is TAILOR MADE for these types of roles. Not only is he a fantastic actor, he kills the action scenes, and I'm pretty sure he could have chemistry with a rock. He has major bedroom eyes and he's just so nice to watch. Even tho A Sen seems cocky and rather dubious, his true nature is very loving and protective. At one point in the show, Ling Yi is injured and unconscious in the hospital. A Sen has a devastating breakdown. Leo does an excellent job at portraying the desperation A Sen is feeling as he's begging her to wake up. It was a beautiful scene.

Ling Yi is an interesting FL. She's very socially awkward and timid. At least, she appears timid. She's actually extremely strong and determined. She doesn't let herself be intimidated by the dangerous people around her who are a constant threat to her safety. She's not your typical naive girl who needs to be saved. Does A Sen save her? Yes lol. But Ling Yi would throw herself in harms way just as quickly for him, and she does just that several times. Ling Yi is a girl who had to grow up very quickly and that's definitely why she meshes so well with A Sen. Obviously, their lives and experiences are very different. A Sen has spent a decade of his life going to great pains to maintain his identity within the group which means that for a decade, his life has been on the line 24/7. Ling Yi lost the only family she had after an already traumatic childhood and has been alone ever since. They both had very hard lives for different reasons but that's what made them work so well together.

Being that this is a 10 minute per episode mini, there are going to be plot holes and illogical turns of events. If you're an an avid mini watcher like I am then you'll know that this is just the norm. In this case, none of the inconsistencies hindered the plot imo. A Sen magically showing up to save Ling Yi just became funny to me at some point, in a good way. Our leads got together fairly quickly. Their kisses were a delight to watch and there are plenty! There is (kind of?) a 2ML, he's Ling Yi's ex. She has no desire to be with him and is completely devoted to A Sen. And our 2ML is respectful of their relationship (mostly because he's scared of A Sen). He never tries to interfere. So, if you hate love triangle's as much as I do, you're safe from that in this show. Another dreaded enemy of mine, noble idiocy, is not present here. A Sen tried it. He really did. But Ling Yi knew him too well by this point and figured out his plan and was not about to let him put his life at risk by himself.

With angsty mini's, you never know until the final episode if you're going to end up happy of heartbroken. Here, I was left very happy and satisfied.

So, with all that being said...... Go! Watch it! Right now! :)

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