Reviews

A Captivating Blend of Romance, Fantasy, and Law. Give it a try.

"Destined with You" is a mesmerizing Korean drama that effortlessly weaves together elements of romance, fantasy, drama, and law to create a truly unique and engaging viewing experience. While some may dismiss it as boring, this series offers a refreshing departure from conventional K-drama narratives, making it a must-watch for those looking for something different.

One of the most striking aspects of "Destined with You" is its ability to merge seemingly unrelated themes - the mundane life of a civil servant and a centuries-old curse - into a captivating storyline. Lee Hong Jo, portrayed brilliantly by Jo Bo Ah, is a character who embodies the strength and resilience of an ordinary person faced with extraordinary circumstances. Her journey from a lonely, low-grade civil servant to the possessor of a mysterious wooden chest key is both heartwarming and relatable. Jo Bo Ah's performance brings a genuine and endearing quality to her character, making viewers empathize with her struggles and root for her success.

On the other hand, Rowoon's portrayal of Jang Shin Yu, a charismatic and talented lawyer plagued by an unexplained family curse, is equally captivating. Rowoon effortlessly brings out the layers of complexity in Shin Yu's character, from his outwardly successful persona to his inner turmoil. His chemistry with Jo Bo Ah is undeniable and adds a layer of authenticity to their budding romance.

The fantasy element in "Destined with You" is a breath of fresh air, adding a unique twist to the story. The curse that binds Shin Yu's family for generations adds a layer of intrigue and mystery, making each episode a revelation. As the characters work together to uncover the secrets of the curse, the plot takes unexpected twists and turns, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.

Moreover, the legal backdrop of the drama adds depth and complexity to the storyline. It provides a glimpse into the challenges and dilemmas faced by lawyers while offering a realistic portrayal of the legal world. The legal cases in the series are not just a backdrop but are intricately woven into the narrative, creating a seamless blend of law and romance.

In summary, "Destined with You" is far from boring; it's a hidden gem in the world of Korean dramas. It boasts strong performances from its lead actors, a unique and captivating storyline, and a perfect balance of romance, fantasy, drama, and law. So, ignore the haters and give this series a chance. It's a fantastic and definitely worth watching drama that will leave you eagerly awaiting each new episode.

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Cliched but still fun to watch

I guess I'm still old school when it comes to romances, so I'd say this series still clicked with me.

It took me a while before deciding to watch this, thinking it's another boring series. This has been streaming for long on Netflix. Others say this is kind of outdated, same same old, but this kind of plot never ceases to get old for me. It never fails to leave that heartwarming and lighthearted feel for me in every watch.

Outrageous and unbelievably ridiculous in some, but still fun to watch. What I liked most here is the ML falling for FL first, holding on and fighting for her. I'm not into women chasing their men, or men pushing away or letting go. I got so frustrated with the series YOUNG LADY AND A GENTLEMAN, so I'm really good with this one. Kind of refreshed me.

Final scene left me feeling lacking and unsatisfied though. Nevertheless a fun, enjoyable series to watch.

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Short Stereotype Drama with quality

I think this is my first review.

First, you can watch this drama in full on YT. I really enjoyed this drama because 1, strong female lead who doesn't back down. 2. male lead regrets and trying to win back FL. I've watched plenty of short romance C-dramas, a lot of them are between 3 to 10 minutes, and most of them are cringey in acting.

However, "Love from Divorce" is a very stereotypical plot with evil stepmom, evil step sis, plus annoying cute girl obsessing with ML. lol.

I really like the FL, and was surprised that this is her first work, I would love to see what roles she'll do next. ML was quite suitable at being serious but still be able to be comedic at times.

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The reasons to see for 7 times, love you seven times

Love you seven times is really a beautiful drama that you need to see, especially if you like deep stories, with a lot of fun, and a little touch of anguish, I highly recommend to watch this cdrama especially for the newest in the world of xianxia cdrama

If you are tired of seeing so much cliché, well, love you seven times basically takes it to another level since they handle the cliche very well and give another twist to the established clichés, really for me, it was a tremendous joy

Something that is not talked about much and I think I should highlight it in letters even in italics is this: FL and ML here make such a healthy couple, I mean, their relationship is really healthy, tender and beautiful, it's rare to see this in cdrama, normally the couple only matures at the end of the series, but in love you seven times it is different, from the first moment they have a healthy relationship and that is beautifully divine to see ?

In terms of visual effects and scenery, it was a delight to the eye, I feel that it was the best cgi I've seen because visually it looks beautiful, especially the scenes in the celestial kingdom

As for costumes and makeup, it's really beautiful to see their costumes, I think they put so much love into those costumes, I really love it! And of course, seeing Ding Yuxi in blue costumes is just beautiful ?

Now, the cast and performances, I really don't have a single complaint, they are all really amazing, it's good to bring in lesser-known faces, let new little talents have their time to shine ✨ The cast shows a good dynamic and relationship, which makes for a very nice work environment to watch, the cast is led by Miss Chaoyue, in love you seven times, she shows a really great acting progress, and I must also say that this It's her first leading role where I see her really immersed in her character, I really like her acting, I feel that they should give her more roles as FL in this drama, she needs to improve a little in emotional scenes, but she has improved a lot actually, well by Miss Chaoyue!
On the other hand, Ding Yuxi is really cool, and gorgeous in this drama, oh my red thread! I really enjoyed his role as Chu Kong, this is the first drama I've seen of him and it's really to be a fan of him, his acting is simply beautiful, his eyes can convey all kinds of emotions ?, the secondary characters and those of support also has its moment to shine which I love, and some even include more comedy to the story which is refreshing.

As for ost and bgm, it's the best I've heard, it gives the drama more emotions which is very important, 10/10, without a doubt the opening song sung by faye will be remembered for this drama!

In conclusion:

I highly recommend this drama if you are new to the world of xianxia cdrama and also for those who, like me, want to see something refreshing, new and fluffy content most of the time, it is possible that at least in the first episodes some feel it very slow and cliché or heavy, however this arc is important so that they understand the whole story behind

I don't recommend this drama to people who can't let go of their prejudices, either because of Miss Chaoyue or because of story cliches, or who really think that love you seven times is a mature or dark plot because That's definitely not what it's about in the drama, the drama has received a lot of hate mainly due to these two things, too bad, because they shouldn't be so hard on this beautiful drama.

Oh of course, most importantly, it has HE, in fact most of the characters have he, and the main couple too, so breathe easy and look safe, maybe it was a very short HE but at least unlike many others dramas, here there is an explicit happy ending, so be encouraged to discover the love of the protagonists for 7 lifes~


With that being said, thanks for reading this review!

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A mix between Worth it & Not worth it

I mean, where do I even start? Hum..

I'd say the story is really good, the acting is extremely convincing, the FL is highly likeable, there's no way you can hate her, and ofc... our Male lead. I really enjoyed his character and their romance, omg, how can they have so much chemistry like that? They worked perfectly well together.
So yeah, I really really really liked the Kdrama BUT, as I said, it's a mix between Worth watching it and a not worth watching it. I mean, if you go for the romance so yeah, totally recommended. But if you go looking for a well made and written story so you may be losing your time with this one.
There's some blank spaces and no answered questions within the storyline and the ending is kinda messy too, and kinda fast. As like most kdrama, they go around the brush in the entire story and the ending is always messy and fast, leaving you with a feeling that you were expecting more than you got...

I don't regret watching it tho, This show became one of my favorites because I really liked their love story, but in other parts I felt like I've wasted my time...

Btw, I'd recommend this kdrama to anyone but I'd warning the person that the story has a lot of blank spaces and it might disappoint sometimes, but seeing their love story journey is at the same time worth giving this kdrama a try.

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Wasted potential

I have not read the source material, but from what I can tell, the drama has been so watered down/altered that it really cannot be considered a faithful adaptation. If you're hoping for a sophisticated, nuanced revenge drama, be prepared to be disappointed. There are some nice moments of drama interspersed throughout, and I did not mind some of the more comedic parts, but the drama as a whole seems disjointed in tone and lacking in a strong backbone of story and character for me to give it more than a 7. Not the worst I have seen, but definitely far from a masterpiece.

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Brutaly real

A two-and-a-half-hour Filipino film, and it's a blast. Anyone who likes dramatic stories will find something to their liking. And also an excellent concert of well-known Filipino actors (and very nice!!) in the main roles ... and in general, the first part - the prison part - was played very well by the other actors. Cruel, raw, real. Dirt, betrayal, violence. Friendship, feeling, tenderness, love. Dismemberment, death, hatred. So much goes into few films, only the child victims bothered me there, and therefore a step lower than the highest rating ... Very good, Rommel (Sid Lucero) and Esteban (Emilio Garcia) ... the film is absolutely BRUTALLY REAL, portrays life without embellishments in this island nation, which is also a Christian island in a sea of Islam and Buddhism, and that just got me, even though I'm more of a lover of romance and non-violence. And the fact that the film lacks a higher meaning is something we who want to understand Asian or Pinoy productions have to get used to, that's just the way it is ...

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Cute drama and give different vibe other than college love story

First thing I’m disappointed with the users reviews why the hell they are giving less ratings than 6? I came across most of the series which are rubbish they only give bed scenes and story and few of them same stories college series but this drama is actually good in kind of stories, lead actors , scripts I really enjoyed it all 7 episodes lead actors were cute and great at acting I hope I can see them again in new series and story also was really good a new theme of love story and there was gl couple also although I’m not fan of gl stories but may be one day I would fall for it too like I did for bl series step by step everybody can fall for gl just my opinion and so far this story was amazing from beginning comedy wise , cute and sweet moments, and the Lom pursuing nuea was really heart touching moments, when u want another person but can’t be with him those kind of emotions were filled in this story but somewhere I felt when he went to village for nuea they should have given more scripts to another couple but unfortunately they didn’t may be because of 7 episodes but anyway I’m happy with this series guys don’t see other reviews you will not regrets it although it doesn’t have much spicy story like fight between leads, jealous moments, or triangle love story but this is cute story if u have been watched only college stories then this could be your new bait just watch it and enjoy I would wait for Wednesday every week finally it’s done happy hope to see them again

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A classic series, nice, even if it is not the drama of the century.

A good historical-romantic drama with Bai Lu (in FL, always excellent) and Lay Yi (in ML for once, not in an evil or supporting role).
Plot: meeting between a noble and rich silk merchant & the leader of one of the 9 gangs. They will confront each other, get to know each other and do business together, then fall in love (despite the tricks of a persistent love rival, helped by his corrupt & ambitious father). The continuation of their adventures will lead them to the imperial court.

PROS:
+ well-written, coherent story (a bit "dramaland" though :)
+ Very good actors, including the secondary characters.
+ a strong, independent and intelligent FL
+ good chemistry in the CL
+ well-suited OST

CONS:
- lots of cliches: stubborn-obsessive rival, unwanted arranged marriage, court plots, corruption, poisoning, etc.
- lengths in the narration (2nd part)

I watched the 2nd half of this series at speed 1,5, thus i don't think that I would rewatch it one day.
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Bon drama historico-romantique avec Bai Lu (en FL, toujours excellente) et Lay Yi (en ML pour une fois, pas dans un rôle de evil ou support).
Plot : rencontre entre un noble et riche marchand de soie & la dirigeante d'un des 9 gangs. Ils vont s'affronter, apprendre à se connaître et à faire des affaires ensemble, puis s'aimer (malgré les tricks d'1 love rival persistante, aidée par son père, corrompu & ambitieux). La suite de leurs aventures les conduira à la cour.

PROS :
+ histoire bien écrite, cohérente (un peu dramaland quand même :)
+ De très bons acteurs, y compris les personnages 2aires.
+ une FL strong, indépendante et intelligente
+ bonne alchimie dans le CL
+ OST bien adaptées

CONS :
- beaucoup de clichés : rivale obstinée-obsessionnelle, mariage arrangé indésiré, complots de cour, corruption, empoisonnement, etc.
- des longueurs dans la narration (2eme partie)

=> Une série classique, sympa, même si ce n'est pas le drama du siècle.

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I enjoyed Season 1 much more than Season 2.

I found myself FFing through the FL villain’s scenes. I get that she wanted revenge against all of them but I didn’t get why she killed the Chairman. He should’ve stayed alive at least to watch his company get ruined. I didn’t care for the FL actress in another drama and I cared for her even less in this drama.

Spoiled rich kids fighting over daddy’s I’ll begotten money and power is a bore.

I kept checking the cast and crew during the first couple episodes because Lawyer Joe seemed like a completely different person. I finally warmed up to him and his new team.

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Largely tedious with lazy writing

I'll start with negatives and end on positives.

This is poorly written. There are way too many extraneous scenes and endless blocks of dialog that accomplish nothing. If a scene doesn't advance the plot or develop a character, it should be cut. If a scene repeats the same idea over and over, it should be edited down. For example, in the last episode Lom is flirty with Nuea, Nuea rejects him with a comment like "you're getting sneaky". But they did it three times in one (loonnnnnggg) scene. The dialog in general is weak and repetitive, and too much of it is pointless.

The entire plot rests on a completely ridiculous understanding that is so simple to clear up that you want to light things on fire by Ep 5. Then when it's finally cleared up, the main character behaves like it's not cleared up for no apparent reason. It just makes no sense.

The directing is lackluster with a lot of scenes lacking the energy they should have, both comedic and dramatic, although there were some good moments. It also needed a much more disciplined editor.

The acting is just OK. Sunny does a solid job with an uninteresting character, and Pak is about equal playing an even less interesting character. Nuea would have made a good side character, but I just don't think Pak has the charisma for a leading role. He does have intensity, and I can see him being excellent in a villain role. The chemistry was so-so. The actors weren't afraid of inimacy, but their love scenes still had that distance between their bodies that makes most BL sex scenes weird.

A lot of people were greatly put off by Lom & Yiwa's plan, but it's easy to object if you haven't lived in a conservative and unaccepting society with huge familial and social pressures crushing you. What they did made perfect sense, and everyone involved knew the score and consented to it, so why all the judgment? If you're gay a great portion of your life is keeping things secret to avoid minor inconveniences like getting fired, beaten to death, or disowned by your family. There are safe spaces, like your friends, and there are places where you hide who you are, or at least don't volunteer it. People at work mention their wives and children all the time - I can't do that, because even if 90% of people are OK with gay, 10% is still enough to ruin you.

There are some strong points, too. The lakorn mothers were hysterical and the editing around them was brilliant, like the ominous music whenever they appeared. Their fight scene at the wedding was funny, although like so much of this series, it went on too long.

Whoever was in charge of wardrobe should be given a raise, because it was all perfect. Both Lom and Nuea have a personal style and their outfits were beautiful.

The camerawork was good and dynamic - the visuals were beautiful and helped make the series bearable.

Sunny (Lom) has his shirt of a LOT, and has clearly been hitting the gym hard, and that never got tiresome.

I wouldn't recommend either watching this or not watching it. If you enjoy a pile of fluff and are not bothered by ridiculous and frustrating plots, you'll enjoy it. I'm not one of those people, but I still watched it to the end for the positives I mentioned above.

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A Great Lesson About Friendship & Life

I eventually gave this drama a try because of Xiao Zhan and I also heard that the drama had great ratings in China. It was a bit slow in the first 3 episodes, but it gets a lot more exciting once you get past that part. I don't usually watch dramas that take place in this time period or the Republican time period but it was quite fun to watch unlike what I expected. You learn a lot about what China was like back in the 1970s.

The story was very interesting for the most part but I did start skipping a bit of the other supporting roles' scenes like 3/4 way into the drama. Chen Hong Jun and Ye Guo Hua's scenes near the end were just not as interesting. I won't explain in detail to not spoil the story. I really like how you see how Chun Sheng's relationship with all his buddies changes over time and how each of his buddies changes themselves. To be honest, I didn't like his childhood friends as much as his friends in the military. Duan Lei and Amao were very insightful characters and they were nice to watch. They made a lot of great points through the drama. The different conflict arcs were also interesting, though some were frustrating to watch. However, you can understand why Hong Jun and Guo Hua made the decisions they did. I can't forgive them but I can see what place they are coming from. Chun Sheng is too perfect of a character- too loyal, honest, friendly, and smart. Like the drama said, he really shines without much effort. I think I would find it hard to be his friend although he would be so loyal.

The acting is also great! All supporting roles and main roles did a wonderful job at pulling off their characters. Xiao Zhan really showed me again through Chun Sheng that he is a versatile actor. He really pulled on my heartstrings and I shed quite some tears when he was in his rough time out of the military and recovering. I hope to see Xiao Zhan in more roles like this one. This is the second time I watched Li Qin in a drama and I can also see why she is a top-rated actress. All the supporting roles did great too. I especially loved the actor who played Chun Sheng's dad. His acting was so natural and heartwarming. I loved his scenes with Chun Sheng and Hong Ling.

The love lines between Chun Sheng and Xiao Mei were pretty cute too. I liked how you see that Chun Sheng did not like her in the beginning but over time, they ended up together. It was pretty emotional how supportive Xiao Mei was during the times Chun Sheng needed someone by his side. They were also cute from the beginning. I also can't completely hate on Hong Ling since her dilemma is reasonable and I would have struggled too. There is also a reasonable amount of romantic scenes mixed throughout the drama. As it takes place in 1970s, it was nice that it was not too cheesy and had a moderate amount of smiley warm scenes.

Overall, a great story to teach you about friendship and growth. You just have to ignore all the propaganda scenes since those are quite obvious. The propaganda got stronger towards the end so I just skipped more over it.

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Definitely a highlight

Geats is a show which aims to do a lot but sadly doesn't follow through with everything it promises. Nontheless Geats is an engaging show with a fun premise and really enjoyable characters. The driver gimmick makes every new episode exciting as Geats or another rider can find a new power at any time so it keeps the fights interesting. Geat's action is often over loaded with explosions and effects that make it difficult to trace everyone's movements but the gimmicks keep them conceptually interesting. The story is aims to do a lot and while it doesn't hit every note it needs to, it still ends in a satisfying way.
Overall, an exciting show that keeps your attention even through some of the more meandering arcs. Defenitely worth the highlight.

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It's not bad, however not great. Still watchable....

If you are looking for a short drama but I would say 3 hour film then this is definately for you....

I am a big Zhao Yiqin fan, when this guy started out he was a revelation however as a fan I know he has hit limitations to be in that top 10 which gets the best scripts, gets big name female leads.... He will have to compromise for lessor scripts and not high profile female leads ....

I got excited because I have seen Daisy Li in many dramas in the past, mostly as a second Lead rather that first, she to me actually not bad actress and good pairing for ZYQ....

This is a low budget drama/film, good story line but not great, limited film locations but hey story held out....

You will feel the connection between the male and female lead. For something that is about 3 hours long I say give it a try....

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