Circle of Love (2023)

Thin line between love and hate.

In an uncannily similar vein with Maid's Revenge, this mini drama is just a chock full of the worst red flags. So if you are going to be triggered by a toxic alpha male and an intense but abusive love-hate relationship best steer clear of this drama. If however you can suspend moral outrage and present social norms for ~240 minutes then you are in for one helluva hot and wild ride.

Plot-wise, Circle of Love must be part of Youku's addictive toxic trilogy which rehashes the dark Republican era Romeo and Juliet revenge trope we saw in both Maid's Revenge and Bride's Revenge. Determined to avenge her family, Gu Meng ambushes her former fiancé, the formidable warlord Xiao Hongye. Her pathetic attack is foiled and she finds herself captured and conscripted as a maid in his household. She conveniently experiences memory loss, allowing herself to fall in love with her nemesis over and over again as he domineeringly uses and abuses her in the most thrilling... ahem..., I mean unacceptable, completely unacceptable ways. What I like about this version is that Gu Meng is smart and she has a plan. She can go toe to toe with Hongye and it is literally tit for tat in terms of these star-crossed lovers' ability to do terrible things to each other. The actors light up the screen with their intense, sensuous chemistry and do an amazing job showing us their gut wrenching internal struggle as they explore the thin line beween love and hate.

I could tell you that I watched this for the tight plot, which is actually well designed and has a nice twist. But that would be a lie. This is all about Li Jiulin's dark, complex and masculine good looks, his amorous smouldering gaze and his taut tanned chest. His steamy portrayal of the controlling, possessive, passionate, cruel and yet oddly vulnerable Hongye had me giggling and cringing at the same time. And the way he manhandles the inflamed and writhing Gu Meng who obviously loves to hate him had me chanting unconvincingly to myself "This is so not ok!!!". If there is any takeaway from this short, dark and titilating tale of love and hate it is that if your enemy is a smoking hot man beast, satiate yourself thoroughly before giving him a few bullets to remember you by. I found the ending a bit mean spirited but ultimately satisfying and appropriate.

This is a classic dark and thrilling bodice ripper romance that comes with all kinds of health warnings over outdated gender norms and inappropriate behavior. This is not the kind of thing to try at home but it can still be enjoyed vicariously with the air con switched on high and a nice glass of wine. Don't judge me for enjoying this enough to rate this 8.0/10.0; the best of the three in my opinion.

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I want the main leads together in another show!!!

This is was great show. I wish it would've been longer than 12-13 minutes. The ML is an asshole but it's been so long since i have seen such characters in dramas.. it's my guilty pleasure?

The Acting was GREAT. The cast is top notch. The chemistry between the main leads is the main thing that keeps you watching this drama till the end.

i LOVE the OST.

The ending scene of two years later didn't even make sense so i will pretend it did not happen. But i wish FL would've known the truth about the actual culprit of her family's death and the true villian is zhou zichen. BUT THEN AGAIN, she would've been guilty of killing the ML and kill herself out of guilt rather than loving ML too much to stay alive. So i guess it made sense for her to die first.

And this way... FL actually is the one that kills ML... and i so wanted this to happen. ML deserved to die from FL's hands!!!!

I hope we get to see both main leads together in another show, probably a modern day office romance drama! Their chemistry is reallyyyyy good and they'll look even better together in Modern day dramas!!!

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A Terrible and Well Executed Drama.

If Maid's Revenge is a wattpad story, this one is those young adult romance novels that we read purely for guilty pleasure, sometimes even wondering why we were sticking with it.

It's a terrible story indeed. It has a mix of all tropes that make me despise a character, but it's so well done and neatly portrayed that we can't help, but watch more. [Gaslighting, lying, manipulation, abuse.]

The purpose of the story is simple: the daughter of an influential household that was exterminated by her fiancé returns after a long hiatus for revenge. But, an accident during her mission ends up with her falling right into the arms of the perpetrator, who is now a respected and ruthless Governor. Trouble was that she had lost her memories.

As much as this drama is a mix of brutality and insanity, I have to say, it's well written and logical. Unlike many short dramas, the events make sense and secrets unfold in logical ways. Plus point? The female lead Gu Meng is never a pushover. She fights back tooth and nail, schemes when necessary and stays low when she needs to.
The male lead was abhorrent, but he was portrayed beautifully.
There was a genuine reason for each characters' actions and motivesm

Both the leading actors, whom I've not yet seen in any other works, were the real heart of the show. They were intensely emotional without appearing overdone and their chemistry was excellent.
The OST is surprisingly good for a short mini-series and the leads had adequate costume changes, so I suspect that this one had a slightly bigger budget.

The ending would've been perfect but they fumbled at it and the final result was plain stupid in my opinion. So, I'll forget the last two minutes of it and rate this a solid 8.

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HOT ML ALERT!!! ROMANTIC KISSES AND MAKING OUT IN YOUR AREA!!!!

The plot revolves around our female lead (FL) and male lead (ML), and how they transitioned from being young and affectionate lovers to experiencing a tragic adult romance filled with misunderstandings. FL mistakenly believes that ML murdered her entire family when in reality, it was Z, a deceptive and unsuccessful man, who committed the crime. ML, on the other hand, misunderstands FL and her family, believing that her relatives were responsible for his parent's death and the ruin of his life.

ML and FL find themselves entangled in a war of emotions, with FL frequently losing and regaining her memories. ML initially treats FL with a mixture of coldness and warmth, making their relationship tumultuous. As is common in many love dramas, after enduring various hardships (such as ML nearly being killed and FL partially saving him), ML and FL begin to appreciate, care for, and love each other more deeply.

Gradually, ML and FL genuinely develop romantic feelings for each other. However, FL loses her memories, prompting ML to be exceptionally kind and promise eternal love.

Eventually, ML kills Z, the person responsible for FL's family's tragedy. FL regains her memories and harbors immense hatred towards ML, leading her to shoot multiple bullets at him. She then attempts to end her own life but miraculously survives. Similarly, ML survives the attack. When ML encounters FL again on the battlefield, they exchange a loving smile. The story concludes on this note.

The male lead's actor is widely regarded as attractive - HOT HOT HOT ? . The End.

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Guilty pleasure

And another short c drama under my belt. They are something else, these short c dramas! As someone who resolutely refused to watch c dramas (length, language, dubbing, censorship) I am feeling my resolve weakening. These short dramas are to blame. I think they found a perfect format for today's drama viewing audience fed up with endless drama filled with unnecessary side characters and with a lot of time to fill so they end up losing the plot. With these short dramas, they are forced to give us a solid, logical plot without fillers and straight forward.

Circle of Love had all of this and every single revenge melodrama trope was in evidence. Soulmate lovers torn apart by a revenge meet again but then there are a lot of mind games and amnesias (3 I think: every time she hits her head she gets amnesia and the plot restarts! Brilliant!) involved, crazy ex and her even crazier brother pulling the strings from behind until the final showdown where the main triangle kill each other. And then they meet each other two years later: I guess they had been reincarnated, or their souls like ghosts possessing other people looking like their twins. Completely illogical and incomprehensible but we do kind of get a happy ending or a promise of one!

It is messy, hot, convoluted, ridiculous, a lot of fun to watch and full of toxicity. But that is what makes it a great watch when you do not want to be aware or correct or care but are just looking for some mindless fun.

The drama is a well made product: writing, cinematography, music, acting- everything is top notch. It is not realistic or woke but it is a drama full of drama made for our viewing pleasure. And on that account it delivers as promised.

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A beautiful tragic masterpiece.

I created this account just to rate this drama 10/10. If you want a sign to watch this, this is it!

The leads are the best.
Their chemistry is 100000000/10?
Despite the the toxic plot their chemistry is just on fire that I cannot miss a single episode.
They are the only reason I completed this.
Those sizzling scenes are just ????
The OST is so good that I desperately searched the entire internet just to find it. It's difficult to search for the English title.

The plot is toxic, but that's the overall idea behind the title: 'Circle of Love - Three Lifetimes of Love and Hatred.' We can't defeat the plot armor, lol.

Many may find the ending hilarious but I think it is just their way of making things quicker to digest. They want us to smile after those heavy scenes.

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WTAF

Seriously. Wtaf, China? Is this the kind of story that is popular over there? The lead male is a freaking psychopath!! A bonafide abusive, obsessive, insane psychopath! Oh sure, he's hot as hell, but come on! How in the heck would ANY woman fall for him after what he puts her through?! Over and over again, at that? He literally beats her up, sticks a gun to her head when she tries to leave him AND makes her drink an abortive! Wtaf?!

The lead female does stick up for herself sometines, at least and in the end, she shoots his ass. So there is that. Then again, she gets amnesia on top of amnesia on top of amnesia. Jeez! >_< I kean, the ONLY trope they didn't have was the crazy mother, but they were dead so. Then the ending. Wtf?! Makes no sense! Literally does not at all.

I do admot that I binged the last half all night because I had never seen a drama so.outright ridiculous and offensive. Btw, MDL, this drama needs a trigger warning. just, wow.

The only good things were that music was nice, the cinematics were well dpne and, despite their characters being insane, the actors were pretty. That is pretty much it.

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Entertaining wild ride and one of the stronger short Republican era dramas

Two things to note about this drama:
1) This is Republican era drama, which usually means there will be a lot of deaths, angst, and tragedy. Why? The Republican Era was a very unstable time in China between 1910s-1940s. It was after the last dynasty and before the Cultural Revolution. There were a lot of corruption, a lot of warlords fighting for territories, and a lot of social issues. So, dramas set in this time period usually have a tragic tone.
2) Male lead is a walking red flag--which is also typical for Republican era dramas, but this male lead really does a lot of things that are irredeemable. So, if you don't like male leads who are super flawed and horrible, then you should probably skip this drama. (If you enjoyed "Goodbye My Princess," you will probably like this one!)

Now, with that out of the way, this drama is one of my favorite Republican era dramas! I think this drama does the best of its genre when compared to other ones like "Maid's Revenge." I think the characterization and story for "Circle of Love" were more compelling story-wise with more complex characters, which was well acted by the main cast, especially the two leads. Truly, the main leads' acting and their chemistry were a huge part of why I enjoyed this show. The actors were able to portray such conflicting, intense emotions of love and hate. Incredible performances from the two leads!

The premise: Gu Meng loses her entire family during her wedding night because of her husband Xiao Hongye. Turns out, he wanted revenge this whole time because the Gu Family destroyed his own family. In a rage, Gu Meng tries to kill him but falls into a river and disappears. That was the end of their "first" life together. When she reappears two years later, she tries to kill Xiao Hongye but is captured. In that moment, her head accidentally hits a pillar and she loses her memory. Xiao Hongye doesn't believe her and forces her to become a servant of his mansion so he can keep an eye on her. Thus, begin their "second" life, in a sense, and their lives become more entangled as they become emotionally attached to one another. Can a relationship based on lies and deceit survive?

One of my favorite things about this show is that the male lead is undoubtedly bad and the female lead doesn't forget that (well, she has amnesia, but once she remembers, she doesn't forgive him so easily). Usually, in Chinese dramas, they try to make the male lead redeemable at the last second so that you feel better about having the male lead be with the female lead. However, Xiao Hongye is very bad in this drama. He does a lot of stuff that can't be reversed or forgiven!

Essentially, this is "Goodbye My Princess" speedrun Republican era version, lol. It's tragic, it's kind of funny because of how many times she loses/gains her memories, but also really sad because she's in this horrible cycle of love and hate with the man that she wishes she could love, but could never.

Highly recommend for those interested in tragedies and knows how to enjoy a show like this. (I've seen way too many people complaining about the toxicity of the show. That's the point?! This is a fictional TV show exploring complex situations like blood feuds and karma and love and hate.)

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Not for the faint of heart

Never have I ever expected this level of quality from a web series!

The production, be it, the cinematography, editing, locations, sets, dresses or soundtrack, everything was just spectacular! This is a period drama and they made you feel the period literally. The environment is very well setup and we can easily see that no expenses were spared while making this. Maybe due to short length they were able to flesh out each episode much much more.
On that note, don't get me started on episode length itself. Despite having only 12 mins of runtime, every episode is so well directed and edited that you won't feel that its only been 12 minutes! The pacing is really well done. No complaints in production, absolute phenomenal job by the team responsible. Straight up 9.5/10 for production.

The storyline, is unconventional, to say the least, but very gripping nonetheless. Let me warn you here though, the story is not your usual one, its filled with toxicity, angst, revenge and whatnots but everything is written beautifully. Go with an open mind, not expecting anything or maybe expecting something unique or something different. This drama will surprise you. For those expecting same old story or same character development, you will be sorely disappointed. The ending is a bit weird, but satisfactory still. Just take it as it is without nitpicking. And a note to nitpickers: "We have a conclusion and there's no point in contemplating how it happened or doubting it rather. There could have been a thousands, if not more, events that could have led us there. If something's not shown doesn't mean it didn't happen."

As for the romance, damn! The main leads outdid themselves tbh! Absolutely brilliant acting and amazing chemistry. Loved every single moment they were together, even when they were hating each other. And of course, there is fluff, and there is a lot of it too.

I binge watched the entirety in one sitting, so easily a 8.5/10 for story for me.

The music, much more so, was mesmerizing! Especially that "You are a storm, not a sunshine" by "Liu Yi Xin", what a track! Such a beautiful voice and such a unforgettable melody. Every single scene this OST was played in became a moment in itself. A clear cut 9.5/10 for music!

As for acting, everyone, even the side characters, did a good job. Main leads, ML and FL, did an extraordinarily amazing job. No complaints here too. Easily a 9/10 for acting/cast.

Overall, a great watch. Despite its flaws and some slight problems, absolutely loved it. A very well produced, directed and acted series which was totally engaging throughout. 9/10

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This drama is worth it to watch just for eye candy alone. The ML is handsome with a great body and that look that makes you want to melt. If you decide to watch this, don't analyze or even think too much about the story. I got confused here and there and thought that I'm missing something. But I guess it's just because it's a shortened episode. But doesn't bother me that much. I can still understand the whole story. The short episode is another positive of this drama actually. I watched this as it aired, and it only took 20-25 minutes of my time each day to continue watching. The darn thing is the majority of the episodes kinda ended in a cliffhanger, so you're left wondering until the next episode aired the following day (I guess this wouldn't be a problem if you're watching in one sitting).

The major blow of this drama is the ENDING. What kind of ending is that?!?!?!!?!?!? I have so many questions afterwards about the ending. How and How and How come and How come?!?!?!?!

Anyway, this is a thrilling watch if you're just looking for something easy to watch, yet fast paced and short. You will enjoy it. The eye candy and the OST is a bonus. I really like the songs on this drama but have trouble finding it on either Apple Music or Spotify.

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Absurd Ending

Major Problem - The Ending [-]
At the ending, FL shoots herself in the head and nobody even bothers to call a doctor. It seems like there's no way she could survive, but somehow she's still alive two years later and crosses paths with the ML on a battlefield. How on earth does she cheat death? Moreover, when they meet, she looks at ML and smiles at him. How is it possible that their unresolved misunderstandings, which drove her to attempt suicide, are brushed aside? The 2nd ML who is the only other person who knows that ML didn't trigger the bomb that killed FL's entire family has also died. No one can possibly tells FL the truth.

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Acting [-]
The acting of the ML and FL is decent, but the second ML and second FL (especially the second ML) are way below par.

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Story in General [-]
There's a lot of physical and mental torture, abuse, and assault, and to top it all off, they're the actions by the ML. I'm not a fan of this direction the story took. For the storyline where the FL loses her memories three times, though not much creative but the details are still interesting.

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Funny Scene [-]
Okay, let me tell you about this scene that was supposed to be all erotically romantic, but it ended up being hilarious for me. Imagine this: ML and FL having sex in a car parked under the bright lights at the ML's mansion that is full of servants. The car's windows are also very clear - not tinted to obstruct the view. And guess what? The whole scene reminds me so much of that iconic sex-in-the-car scene from Titanic. I was half-expecting the FL's hand to smack against the car window, and guess what? She actually did it, mimicking that ecstasy moment. It was supposed to be romantic, but it turned into more of a parody, making it even funnier for those who've watched Titanic before.

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