Reviews

There are better ones out there...

Although I have enjoyed this drama's main leads in other productions, I didn't so much in this one. The costumes, sets and story were okay, but the acting here was terrible, particularly in out ML. I didn't't have a problem with Alan Yu in TLTWTMPB and he was okay in Legend of White Snake, but I just could not tolerate his acting in this one. He was the main lead in a romantic drama and he failed miserably. He gets the award for best impersonation of a plank of wood. He has perfected the blank, emotionless stare, and it hurt this show tremendously. When it comes to romance, the couples have to be believable or it just doesn't work. We, as an audience, don't feel invested in them and can't feel for them. This was the main problem here. The FL was better but he, especially, was not believable. Because of his stick-in-the-mud personality, I just could not enjoy this drama as much as I should have. The supporting cast was better compared with the performance of our male lead.

Some of the plot line was implausible and I found myself disappointed in the choices some of the characters made. It didn't seem to fit with their personalities. The OST was the best part of this entire production. I heard the theme song over a year ago and I wanted to see the drama from whence it came. I finally found it, and was disappointed in the production, but still love the song. There are better performed romance dramas that turn your heart inside out. This isn't it.

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A Grown-Up Love Story

No silly, giggling females - hooray! No stone-faced male fending off unwanted advances then falling for the silliness. The relationship between the lead couple was refreshingly mature, even though there was supposed to be a big age difference between them, I really didn't notice it. The development of their romance was so satisfying, and I totally agree with another review I read, that the banter was entertaining, witty, and even a little suggestive in parts. Loved it! This actress is not one of my favorites, but she did a good job in this drama.

I liked the camaraderie of the Lord and his two aides Zhimo and Zhi Jian. I wish that Juli had been a little more romantic with Zhimo, however. She was just short of being the silly character I find annoying in these dramas, but she was quite endearing. The first dowager empress was just evil, and I couldn't wait for her to get her comeuppance. The members of the court were, as in all these dramas, ignorant as hell! Princess Roujia - the character I hated the most was superbly played by Wang Li Kun. She really was perfect for this part. My heart broke for Shen Jing Hong - he gave everything for love and got precious little in return. I loved the young emperor and wished he could have ended up a little happier and not quite so alone. The cast really did a great job even with the little side groups.

But the heart of the whole drama for me - Liu Yan. I absolutely love Feng Shao Feng. This sexy, mature, regal, confident character is perfect for him. He plays right into the heart of this lead role. I loved every scene with him and Jing Tian (Mu Zhuohua) - he was so tender and loving and expressive. I love this actor and could watch him all day long! Let me correct myself - I loved every scene with HIM! *wink*

Now, the thing that almost spoiled this series for me. The makeup was dreadful - it made the actors look pasty and washed out. The extra thick and dark eyebrows stood out glaringly because the faces were so shockingly white. The make up on the women looked garish. And the lighting was terrible also. With such a beautiful OST, such great performances by the actors, and a reasonably interesting and compelling story, those two elements really spoiled the aesthetics.

40 episodes was a little much - but it didn't drag too badly, and I didn't use fast-forward near as much as I thought I would. I probably wouldn't rewatch because of the length, but if I did (to get some FSF eye candy) I would probably fast forward through the unnecessary parts just to see him.

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A nice, short, no heavy drama, fluffy story.

It was enjoyable and well done. It defiantly needed more time for the story to flow naturally rather than randomly speed up to fit the time limit. Also, I'm unsure if it's just the copy I watched but there were random small scene cuts, maybe 10 seconds here and there that were missing.
If you have about an 1.5hrs to watch something light-hearted that also provides an easy on the eyes experience than I suggest you go for it :)

I'm gonna have to try the movie version next time, though I'm pretty sure it's not different and everything is just edited together. Great rewatch value anyways so it works out none-the-less haha

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I guess I'm the odd one out - I loved this Series

This series got very low ratings... and I get it!

This series has a LOT of toxicity - especially the uncut version. If that is not something you can deal with, please don't even try to watch this, you may end up very upset.

While I didn't care for a few of the abusive scenes, they made their point vividly. While I would never want to see anyone behave this way for real, I could accept it for this drama. I think the storyline was well put together, although the end was a bit too "cinderella" for me.

What I didn't really care for were some of the many flashbacks. Some were necessary, some could have been cut.

What I liked - all of the characters - and I felt they were well matched. Honestly, I felt some of the reviews were really harsh. Not everyone likes the same shows (I don't like the silly bl's or the fluffy ones). I prefer the ones with more serious undertones. I feel like there have been a lot of over the top silly bl's this year, with little to no rewatch value. I am sure I will rewatch this one in the future.

One thing I wish they had done was instead of some of the unnecessary flashbacks was to put a storyline of how Day and Itt became lovers.

I like the OST, it's been used before, but it emphasizes the feelings of love.

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Enjoyable & Lots Of Wonderful Hugs

Acting 9.5, story 7, script 8, good chemistry, kisses short and simple but lots of skinship & tons of wonderful hugs, music 5 (one main song used for almost all big scenes and there were times when the music didn't match the nuances of a scene's mood and pulled me out of it a bit).

Very cute and sweet (a couple slightly cheesy moments but they didn't detract) and straight-forward.

The pacing of the main relationship and plot was great all the way through the 10 episodes. Well-crafted tension and a nice long arc of light to medium angst that was resolved satisfactorily.

The lead actors where great in their roles and gave really distinct energies to their characters.
It was also different and interesting having one of the leads being a professional potter.

I will likely rewatch at some point.

GENERAL SPOILERS:
I didn't understand the crux of the issue that continued to hold the second couple back. I did like the actors and how they portrayed their characters though.

I really appreciated how it took a while for trust to be rebuilt between the main characters (not fixed in just one episode); it felt more realistic and was ultimately more satisfying when they reconciled.

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Sammo takes on a hopping vampire!

Sammo Hung took on all sorts of things that go bump in the night in Spooky Encounters. This was a combination of horror, comedy, and kung fu with mixed results.

Bold Cheung’s wife is having an affair with the local wealthy guy, Master Tam. Unwilling to share or be exposed Tam hires Chin Hoi, an immoral priest to kill Cheung by magical means. Chin Hoi’s apprentice, Priest Tsui, refuses to go along with the murderous plot and secretly helps Cheung. Another of Chin Hoi’s apprentices tricks Cheung into spending the night not once, but twice in a locked temple. Not scary, you say? Locked inside is a hopping vampire! When the hopping vampire fails to kill him, the bad guys frame Cheung for the murder of his very much alive wife. Eventually the simple Cheung is convinced that the man he trusts and the wife he loves are plotting to kill him. It will all come down to a no spells barred priest against priest and Sammo against the rest ultimate magical fight.

This is considered a kung fu horror classic and many people love it. I struggled to connect with it. I love a good hopping vampire story and this one scored on that account. But if Sammo is in the movie, I want more action. The first fight didn’t take place until 43 minutes into the movie. And most of the action took place after the 1-hour mark. The story wasn’t compelling enough to keep me interested during the first half. I was happy to see Lam Ching Ying, one of the martial arts directors, have a nice little fight against his own men when they were possessed. Chung Fat played a lot of bad guys early in his career so it was fun for him to play a heroic character. The final fight had Sammo possessed by different characters including the Monkey King. The action and dialogue were cranked high in fast motion. Once Sammo started fighting the film took on more interest for me. Fair warning there were some gruesome images-insects, rodents, a decomposed corpse, and a decapitated chicken.

Encounter of the Spooky Kind was one of the first movies to combine kung fu, comedy, and horror. It started out slow, finally finding its footing. The humor could be hit or miss, but when it came to fighting, Sammo rarely missed.

10/4/23

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24 chapters for justice

Overall, it was a series that I liked very much. I watched it with pleasure. Of course, there were some parts where I got angry and emotional, and there were places where I said "Is this possible? It shouldn't happen." In places that I liked very much and said yes, now it is. It was good as a story. While writing the script, of course, mistakes were made, simplifications were made, there were places that were left dragging on, and there were places that needed to be resolved by prolonging and only being completed in the end. For example, if it was that easy to decide, why wasn't it made by others? I think Imperial edicts had some influence. Since the imperial edicts were given. Why was Wu Lian.a Embroidery Directorate approved? This is a contradiction, fortunately, the Judge said that the Emperor gave me the authority and sent the criminal to prison and sentenced him to death. So, if there were no imperial edicts, this judgment would not have been reached. While the incident is very clear, if one of his assistants had been caught, investigated, including torture, and made to confess to these crimes, the incident could have been resolved from the very beginning. Supposedly, a contract was made for all servants and employees, I don't know what would happen if the contract was violated. They would probably be killed. If a person dies at a person's workplace, an investigation is conducted. Criminals are punished. Nothing happens to the man. He says he came to steal, we shot him and then he died. How simply put. The judiciary cannot do anything. But ultimately he did.
For example, the wife he married was disreputable. Because her virginity was broken when they got married. You know this, get divorced. No. I need his noble lineage. He discredits the woman the very night she gets married. He does not give a face and does not even look at her during the time they are married. How can such a woman live with this man and not speak out? He doesn't care about events. There is no intervention even from outside. On the contrary, she works on behalf of her criminal husband. Amazed. There cannot be such a character. I couldn't like this character. The man who talks about his wife's disrepute discredits many women working in his workshop. Didn't the man who carried out this reputation assassination report himself somewhere? He also threatens his wife. He threatens his mother-in-law. For example, Miss Ning, who protects him, is a noble woman. He has acquaintances from the Empire. He protects the man knowing what he did. Then she gives up. When Meng Wan says he will take revenge, he again supports Wu Lian. How ridiculous. In fact, he continues this claim until the last episode and asks himself whether it is true or not. However, he relaxes after the Imperial edict. He could only understand this when Meng Wan complained about the person with the petition he attached to the back of the embroidery sent to the Empress and the Imperial edicts were published accordingly. I couldn't understand these. Wrong, incomplete, I found it. These could have been explained in other ways. Because in the conclusion, judgment, justice and good things were mentioned, but they committed injustices in the wrong way until the end. So, in my opinion, the scriptwriter's prediction was wrong. There were too many disagreements. There may be mistakes and mistakes in the plot, but a good lesson was learned from a good story. In the end, justice was served, albeit incompletely.
The actors were nice. They played well. I liked them all. Janice Wu showed a monotonous performance, but she never changed her face, she played with the same face for 24 episodes. He looked older than his age. But he suits this role. Especially Hu Yi Xuan was very successful. She portrayed the character of Ru Lan, who was treated unfairly, beautifully. I like it. It gives beautiful pictures. Li Jia Hang and Qiao Zhen Yu. are also successful performers. Tang Jing Mei was particularly successful. She added a role to her role and played it. I like it a lot. The veteran players were also very good. The cast was solid. The characters were portrayed beautifully. I can recommend it to those who haven't watched it. I had my criticisms, but when you look at it in general, you watched a good series. It's a good watch if you don't worry too much about mistakes and things you don't want to happen.

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Better than you think

I've read some of the other reviews and I think some people don't enjoy this show because it's not relatable to them. The story is intricate and well written, a rare combination. And the acting and production do the writing justice. The story is concerned with themes of empathy (or lackthereof), revenge, and ethics. If these themes do not relate to you, you likely won't enjoy this show. If they do, you're in for a good time.

The only complaints I have are: (1) the blatant product placements (it's not too annoying though) and (2) the explanations of the various plots of the characters are sometimes delayed to the detriment of the story. However, do not let this deter you from watching it, I still highly recommend it to anyone interested.

Stories of romance sometimes revel in sentimentality a little too much but this one is an exception.
In the interest of brevity, I'll end my review with this: give it a shot.

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Old wine in new bottle

So the writer had 2 different scripts for the same scenario and Netflix decided to experiment with the what ifs?
1st season was better, especially the first 8 episodes after that it was a downhill
And the second season is mediocre at best, there's no flow to it.

It's the same story done differently and they still managed to do it shabbily.

The direction is such that they're trying to fix and experiment with whatever they can in the 2nd season, hoping it will go right.
which is so wrong.
They could've done better with this one, especially after the audience's response.

The actors did their best with whatever they could, with plenty of flashy scenes like those imaginative temptation ones, again something which is unique for this one.

You know what, they can reboot it once again and do a better job.
The plot has potential.

As a frequent drama watcher, it stings when I see such good scenarios just wither away with mediocre everything.
The Chinese have so much potential but waste it more often.
Learn from your neighbours, the Koreans.
Anyway.

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SILLIEST SURGEON EVER

This is what I call the most unprofessional immature silliest doctor that comes with one of most difficult profession that requires so much education, professionalism, training, maturity and critical thinking but this woman blew it all by her ridiculous stupidity. I don't buy it...seriously...She's beautiful but so annoying acting...ugh! Drama was full exaggeration bad acting, so much sighing/panting, dialog delivered loud.

Story line was ridiculous, beyond dense fantasy imagination:
Oh Sung Moo the comic creator famous 'W', the father of residence cardiothoracic surgeon Oh Yeon Joo, mysteriously went missing while writing the last chapter of his webtoon "W". Yeon Joo went to his office looking, but a hand from his monitor suddenly pulled her in, and she found herself on the rooftop of a hotel, next to a bloodied man (Lee Jong-Suk). She managed to save the person, only to realized that he's Kang Cheol, the main character of her father's webtoon as she's transferred to the different dimension of comic life. Yeon Joo later discovered she can only enter and leave the webtoon depending on Kang Cheol's feelings. Some twists and adding plots, Kang Cheol went in to the reality world and learned that her father was the one who's been trying to kill him by any means to end webtoon. Some more twists and changing plots, they're together as married couple, then it wasn't - back and forth in both world.

Kang Cheol (Park Jung-Suk)
He's the eye candy, gorgeous young single rich man who looked for the murderer of his family, been through much in his younger self as he's being accused and jailed as the main suspect of murder. As a perfect sharpshooter, he gained his wealth by doing many businesses, life was great luxuries. He just didn't understand much when he did something he felt like the urge without sense, why someone kept trying to end his life without indication of traces. He then realized he's actually the main character of comic, authored by Oh Sung Moo whose intention to end the story as he wanted to stop getting pull into the comic himself. Mysteriously the comic created itself without the author knowing how and it kept 'to be continue' for the next chapter again and again magically. Some other intervention from different (ghostly) 'being' recreating this comic.....I would know if I'd continue watching. I think only Park Jung-Suk that wasn't yelling when he delivered his dialog, that's his positive beside his good look.

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Healing from Toxicity!

I love how short the series is. It means fast character progress without dragging.

I admit I was really frustrated with Hira here. How he constantly said sorry, self depracating and esp hate how he worship Kiyoi like God. It just gets annoying at some point.

But, what's beautiful is exactly how Kiyoi has been supportive of Hira

I love how our rude Kiyoi in S1 has grown to become a man who is supportive of Hira, encouraging him to pursue his dream, taking the effort to cook for Hira despite not knowing how. I especially love how Kiyoi says "Don't look up to me but face me"

Its amazing watching Kiyoi grow, and thanks God..it doesn't come to a waste

I'm also proud by progress of Hira when he finally decided that he can be in the same spot with Kiyoi. That's a huge progress from where he was.

I appreciate how each character grows individually as well as a couple.

The relationship isn't perfect (but none is)! Given the context they started out in high school and it's their first love, I'd say cut them some slack before slapping this as toxic.

They are thriving and healing from the toxicity, that's what is important. Many relationship sometimes start out as healthy but also ends up as toxic.

What's important is that they are not falling deeper into more toxicity, but rather slowly coming out of it.

That's how healing work and I can't wait to see the movie now!

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here comes the spoiler

I hate to use this show as an example........but it is long in coming...

This could have been a good drama, I like the stars and was looking forward to it………..…but, the scrip writers did a horrible job…..the whole story is about how to screw one another….and….of course, it is always someone else’s fault. …….Now, Even the mothers are villains...they are atrocious, ruthless and conniving. They interfere ruthlessly and manipulate the lives of their children …bad mamas. I think this is where I lost my taste for this drama.

what is this story about? A textbook on how to be obnoxious in public and methods you can use to screw others?

It had been a while many dramas had been using the same blueprints….Slapping, beating is the immediate first reactions……either ruin that person's reputation by spreading the hateful rumors , or threaten harms to their loved ones ….......if all else failed, killing them is a good final solution……….

Is this the only approach writers know how to scripted the dramas these days? Is this how they set examples for us to behave in public? Ruthless, violent, brutal ways to bend and control others to get what you want.?..... Is the formula for success is to eliminate all those standing within your path?….........It is very sad and disappointing.

I will continue watching this drama because I like the actor and actress, not because it is a good drama…..I do not recommend nor do I advise not to watch. It is of personal taste and we all have our preferences………some might think it is wonderful for their own reasons….but, it is not my cup of tea.

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EITHER YOU LOVE OR DISLIKE IT.

This is a complex story, so complex that it needs a slow burn. What? A slow-paced series and stil a complex one? Yes. Two reasons, the director wants the viewers to immerse themselves on how each of the character feels. It won't be easy for someone that is not an empathy, or somebody who can related easily with other's emotions. The other is the time travel is what make things a lot complicated.

A viewer needs to understand, and feel, how an older person will get involved with someone younger. It is easy to forget that the young person is the other's first love. And coming from the future with an uncertain tomorrow, the older person is feeling both relieved and sacred. Despite what is inevitable in the timeline, you will cherish, protect and live in the moment. For the younger person, it is feeling of familiarity, as if he knows the older one somewhere, sometime.

The laying the groundwork to the youngers' timeline is exhaustively portrayed, much more than needs. Yes, much more than it needs. The director's thought process though if for the viewers to have that gut-wrenching emotion that you will be torn apart every single moment. Torn apart between interfering or letting things as it is, or it was?

It will take 5 episode to tell the "prequel" to Episode 1.

Keep in mind that there is one theory in time travel called butterfly effect. This concept is about changing something so small in the past can have a big change in the future, a snowball effect.

This is a make or break story for Thai BLs.

As for the actors, I only knew Mix from Until We Meet Again as Dean's younger brother, and he is an excellent freestyle dancer. Aside from, I knew Ongsa parents as the mother appears also a mother to Peeranut of The Miracle of Teddy Bear. While the father appeared in a lot of BL series as well.

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