This review may contain spoilers
Night Vibe with a touch of K-Drama
I would like to start by saying that I‘m a serial dropper - so the fact that I was able to finish this drama within mere days means it had to be good or at least in some ways bingeable.
I had it on my watchlist for a long time for superficial reasons: the FL looked too webtoon-ish for me and the ML more business-handsome than the idol look I normally go for in dramas BUT I decided to give it a go after watching AvenueX‘s first impressions video.
My pros:
- leads have hot tension; and they act out on it; I wonder how this drama passed censorship but I am sooo happy it did
- Once they got together their relationship was very healthy and many little details were added that made their relationship feel believable and it goes down as one of my favorite cdrama portrayals of a healthy relationship
- ML is wipped for FL: I just love it when this happens
- ML is in his mid 30s and part of a bar band. Feels unique and cool
Cons:
- the supporting couples: I gotta be honest I completely skipped through their scenes because it felt so empty and no chemistry whatsoever; but it didn’t affect the main story one bit
- the exes coming back trope: it was alright since they were never too invasive and all their efforts failed since the leading couple was great at communicating; but still the ML ex was a bit too unreflective & selfish to have been his type at one point… it seems unbelievable that he once loved her knowing his character
From to the OST that reminded of "Adrenaline" from the K-Drama "Vincenzo", down to the romantic/intimate scenes and the rain & drunk scenes it often felt like a K-Drama. Both in cinematography, acting and style.
That was a nice surprise.
In addition I find the title "Love at Night" very fitting since the entire drama - even the day scenes - had a sensual night vibe.
I watched it at night too and I haven’t felt like that before while watching a drama.
Endnote: it’s a light but romantic tension filled drama between 2 mature people with a lot of daily and nightly romance.
If you’re sick of censorship in cdramas; then watch this because they literally have at least 3-4 intense kisses each episode once they get together. Their chemistry feels authentic and it’s satisfying to watch.
However I‘d recommend skipping the other 2 couples otherwise it might feel too long.
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A beautiful and wholesome love story in an uneven and somewhat boring drama.
It's one of the few dramas where the romance is fair, mature and wholesome, which is great and the only good thing about this drama, in my opinion. The female lead is smart, confident, competent, determined, thoughtful and at the same time cute and funny. The male lead is competent, a little cold on the outside but warm and funny on the inside and respectful of the FL.There is intensity, mutual understanding, lots of sexual tension, funny and touching moments between them.
However, the good stops there for me. The rest didn't interest me at all. The drama gives too much screen time to the other two couples while they are more cliché and therefore more boring. Even if I approve of certain reflections proposed.
The same goes for the two main rivals of the main couple (the exes of each). They are used as a tool for the main romance but their story is neither well developed nor really interesting. And given the time spent on the FL's ex, I would have liked a better conclusion to his storyline.
As for the work part, it is just as uninteresting, unfortunately. Too much time is spent on contracts or whatever that don't serve the plot and are just there to create working context but aren't well-written or in-depth to be relevant and just seem like a waste of time.
It's a pity.
I still recommend this drama for the leads, they are really worth it (only reason why I rate this drama so well). But feel free to use the fast forward button, like I did for half of the drama.
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Angst romance, angst sensuality, angst chemistry... all in Love at night!
This is the second review for me and even if I don't usually do it, I decided to comment only on those dramas that strike me in the heart, that break it in two - positively and negatively speaking - and that heal it. There are at least six dramas, for now, that will stay fixed in my heart and stay in my head. And I will rewatch them whenever I have dark thoughts, because they help me a lot. They would help anyone, imo. Having said that, I'm going to tell you what I think about it and what my purest sensations are. I warn you that I am writing these words after having just finished it again - the day before yesterday I finished it in a day and a half and now I feel the need to tell you everything.I'm not someone who is easily moved, nor does my heart melt when two people look at each other intensely, but watching Love at Night I felt embarrassed. In a positive way, that is. I felt understanding, warmth, interest, defiance, chemistry, sensuality and romance, as well as that non-violent, over-the-top angst from seeing the two main leads. And I mean the FL and the ML. Together they are passionate, wonderful and have really complex chemistry. Perfect. There is no better chemistry than this drama. Not even in the other five dramas in my heart do they reach the height of these two. What struck me most and that in a day and a half I wanted to continue without stopping and I even slept little, is that angst in the air whenever the two stared at each other. The FL could not, initially, because she had already been engaged to her high school boyfriend for at least 10 years and yet when she met the ML, a veil of tension was immediately established in the air. That veil which, however, puts tenderness on one side and makes your mouth water on the other. The ML is wonderful, arrogant, stubborn and would do anything for FL and even if love at first sight doesn't convince me because they have to be built really well, here there was no need to roll my eyes. So much so that I watched it again in less than 24 hours, because I missed the two protagonists.
I wanted to see the ML suffer again, to see the person he wanted with all of himself with another, with a 2ndML that he didn't like very much. I wanted to see FL admitting that with her current boyfriend and 2ndML nothing was going on anymore. I wanted to review how FL's character affected ML a lot, because she was stubborn and rigid almost to the end, up to the crucial and most important moment of the drama. Yet, at least to me, it seemed like the right thing to do. If she had "let go" in the first few episodes when the ML was already "cooked" of her, it would have been too easy, dodgy and the drama would have turned into something simpleton. Because both had to be really, really sure of their feelings and, even if for the ML it was love at first sight and okay, for her it wasn't. A wounded person, especially a woman, finds it difficult to regain the right trust. The hardships, the stiffness of the FL, the 2ndML being nasty to the ML and telling him to stay out of his relationship with the FL, had to be there. To make the TV series angst and romantic at the right point. To the point of having butterflies in your stomach, to the point of making you smile at every dialogue between the two main protagonists, to the point of not even being able to take your eyes off the screen. Or at least, that's how it was for me. Just enough that, at the conclusion for the second time just now, I now feel like I want to find another similar drama on the web. To have the same angst and romance of this again. But I know that every drama is different from each other, which is fine as a thought.
To conclude my review, I will still put the pros and cons.
About the pros:
- the excellent chemistry between the two protagonists - ML & FL of course;
- if you are looking for a drama with excellent sensuality, with romance that is not at all cheesy and an angst that will make your legs shake from the very first episodes and set at work, this will do for you;
- if you like love at first sight and a ML who would do anything for his partner, then this drama will do for you;
- if you are looking for a FL who almost always runs away, who is rather stiff, but who has the kindest heart in the world, it will do for you;
- if you like pairs of secondary characters where there's enough angst even there, it's for you;
- if you like happy endings, this is for you.
About the cons:
- there are some behaviors of the secondary characters that I didn't like, such as childishness, repeating superfluous arguments, running away from situations that could be concluded almost immediately and unnecessary back and forth;
- the 2ndFL didn't seem sincere enough to me with the 3rdML and, conversely, the latter seemed to me very silly at times, losing dignity for a person who often preferred to lie than to be sincere. There was no need for further angst issues between the 2ndFL and the 3rdML, as the 2ndFL did not have another suitor in life like the main FL. She could avoid hurting the 3rdML multiple times, making him feel inept;
- the ML ex could avoid certain attitudes to recover a long ended relationship and I have the feeling that she was cast as a character in the wrong way. In my opinion, she could have been avoided. The drama is based on the broken relationship between the FL and the 2ndML, not for this reason the ex-girlfriend of the ML had to enter as well to add the thorns to the main love. More different questions could have been put, since not everything revolves around triangles, or exes appearing from the past or even problems to do with couples. It could have been a work issue, in case, to divide the two protagonists;
- the fact that the ML in the second part had compromising behavior aimed at hurting the FL, despite the fact that she had repeated to him what she wants to have a healthy and strong relationship. I mean, what does it cost him to be honest with a percentage more than normal? Why have the usual excuse of "protecting the one I love"? It wouldn't work for me, in fact it would make me move further away and that's why it will never go down to me in reviewing those scenes.
Ps. I almost forgot: I'm not someone who gives 10 stars for chemistry between characters and 10 for an overall conclusion, as 10 is perfection in almost everything and is a very rare rating to give for dramas, TV series and movies, by my standards of observation. So please keep this in mind - if you ever read my review. I'm not joking.
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Nice enough!
It took me a while to start this as I wanted to distance myself from these lead actors due to my familiarity with the roles they had played in Love and Redemption. Years later with a fresh (or forgotten) mind I finally pressed play and I must say it’s certainly not bad at all!The leads are very likeable, both together and on their own. I liked the polar opposite personalities within Qing You, (her drunk and not drunk selves), and I liked the consistency in Mr. Mo’s personality no matter the circumstances. Their romance is very sweet and mature- no silly misunderstandings or needless temporary breakups. The side characters and side couples however are very disinteresting and I truly didn’t care for anything going on there.
It definitely could have done better with 24 episodes instead of 30, but overall I’d call it an average or fine show. I’d maybe only recommend it to people early into their drama-watching careers as it may fair better there. Once you’ve seen so much in this genre, shows like Love at Night can become/seem very disposable.
While it probably won’t stay in my mind for long, I was able to binge-watch it and enjoy it for the most part.
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I Would Like to Hate But....
This is one drama that I would like to hate, from the OST to the story and stuff in between, BUT there were a few sparks of potential that kept me engaged in the latter half of the series and the main leads did good with the material given. The first 15 episodes was literally the FL in a zombie like trance most of the time reeling from broken heart over her ex, the ex insisting on getting back together and the ML acting almost like a pervy stalker, add many coincidental meetings ... shake, stir and repeat. In the second half of the series everything perked up- from our leads, to the supporting cast, the ex dropped off the face of dramaland until the ending episodes but was replaced by another ex to stir the pot again. Even so, this was where this dramas potential should have been harnessed and released but no, the second leads romance got a lot of screen time. Nothing wrong with some second lead romance on the side but the main leads romance got half the screen time, thankfully there were some satisfying fluffy moments between the leads. Also, one thing going for the leads was their maturity, sure they still felt insecure about their relationship but they did not do any drastic immature moves, no annoying miscommunications in this drama. It was a happy ending but felt rushed, considering a lot time was wasted in unnecessary boring stuff I wish they had just done a wedding or a bit of married life instead. With all that, watch if you are tired of good dramas or want a change of pace for something cliche, this is okay.Was this review helpful to you?
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A good romantic drama
Watched for Lui Xue Yi ❤❤❤.The storyline is simple ; a hate-love between a FL manager (who discovers that her fiancé is cheating on her) and a CEO cold-face investor. This (secret) romance encounters obstacles: economic rivalries between companies, attempts by the fiancé to recover "his property", tricks from rivals, etc.
We are witnessing for once a love between adults, responsibles, who trust each other and protect their love. This nicely changes from the usual clichés: breaking up to protect the other, separation under family pressure, etc.
On the other hand, the 2nd couple (which, I agree with the other comments, takes too much time on the screen) is really not very credible. The brother is so childish !! He's supposed to be 22 years old, but behaves like a schoolboy ...
OSTs are remarkable (Chinese series keep improving) ... So much that I downloaded them :)
The production is neat, rhythmic, the images are beautiful and the framing well done.
A good romantic drama, that you will enjoy spending time on.
Something allways shocked me : the anorexia (volountarily or not) chinese actresses. The thinness of their legs is alarming. It would be nice to see on screen people with more weight, more ordinary...
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Underwhelming and shallow
Started off strong with an interesting story line and a wonderfully well depicted setting in an ecommerce world with an angel investor (ML) . The FL gave a single note shallow performance. Sorry to state but all the emphasis in her acting was on her dresses . Nobody in the startup space dresses the way they showed her to. And worst of all was her catwalk prancing. Every long shot of her walking ( and they had too many ) would show her walking her ramp walk-- very fake and distracting from the story. Her acting too lacked dept, emotionality. The ML did put in a decent effort and was sincere to the character .Add to that the tropes kept tumbling out every few minutes. The FL hurt her foot umpteen times and was carried about by the ML, very conveniently present. The FL tumbled into the ML's arms a number of times - the dreaded trope of unstable females, who haven't learnt the art of walking yet. The FL got wet in the rains few times with the ML ready to minister to her .
Even the ML offering his coat to the FL happened 4 times..... enough to keep the discerning viewer frustrated at the poor quality of writing.
Then ofc the problem of exes-- here we had 3 quite criminally inclined exes. Hullo anyone herd of graceful moving on? some dignity in face of a long lost love? The rest of the world manages to dt quite well, why does Cdrama world lack it?
The truth is the writers had story enough for 16 episodes and afterwards simply tried to fill up the gaps by repeating the story sequences.
Should you watch it? Ummm only if you are a fan of the leads. Nothing else justifies this ho-hum act where the sole shining points were A) the ML's acting B) the FL's dresses
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A so-so love
I am 26 episodes in and I think the only reason why I’m sticking with this series is the female lead Xu Qing You who is not your typical pathetic, jealous, needy type. Her relationship is pretty strong despite an ex girlfriend who pulls out all the stops to get the male lead (who is weak in my opinion) Some don’t like the relationship between Xu Qing You’s brother, Xu Wei and her best friend Fang Qi, but I find their romance somewhat endearing. As far as Chinese dramas go this one is not bad. It’s not bad but it’s not amazing either. There is some tragic past with the male lead Mo Ling Ze that needs resolving. Xu Qing You’s father is a total ass and is in kahoots with her cheating ex until finally he realizes he slept around on her. Her mom seems to be at least decent but her parents are story filler and serve no real purpose. It will be interesting how they wrap it up. Truthfully I’m not expecting much.Was this review helpful to you?
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What a bummer!!!
I just finished the series (just for the sake of finishing it, although I'm a big fan of the leads) and felt cheated because it started so promising and I really enjoyed the firsts episodes, but then the story became a real mess...Some characters that could be promising, like FL ex boyfriend - if he had developed as a real scoundrel, but he were used for the sole purpose of creating WEAK plots trying to take down ML. He appeared and disappeared without any linearity.
The other Ex from ML that appears later too, just a cliché trope...
And don't get me started with the side couples....none of them have any chemistry at all!!!!!!!
There wasn't any story, there was no character development (in the beginning you're rooting for FL to break free and become independent but, as the series goes by, many of hers achievements happen because ML helped. And in the last two episodes she ends up being left aside by him, who solves their crisis all alone, without any communication!!)
I'm really tired of this misogyny of CDramas - even more when they come in disguise on a promising and exciting start!
Anyway, another Mary Sue Drama...watch without any expectation and at your own risk!
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It is not a spicy melodramatic drama, but **GASP** a rom com!
Wrong marketing, but still a decent drama. If you are going into this drama expecting an adult spicy C drama (as spicy a C drama can get), I will let you know now... despite the1.) Title - Love a night
2.) Opening credit song as seductive and melodramatic
It is not a spicy melodramatic drama, but **GASP** a rom com! It's actually a typical c drama rom-com and I still liked it.
I liked the FL lead from Love and Redemption and I'm glad she got a main lead role. I do wished they used her own voice, but her acting is cute. Her wardrobe was amazing and they didn't reuse a lot of it which I really liked.
The ML was in Love and Redemption too, but I don't remember him. I thought he was fine in Love at Night and if you wanted to see abs, you will get a lot of that in this one.
I do wish they actually ate on the show. I don't like it when actors take one or two bites and call it a scene. I really appreciate the seasoned actors that truly eat during their roles. It just makes it more authentic, but I get it, you don't get abs by eating carbs.
The main couple and the second couple were the best to watch. They do get equal screen time, so go into the drama knowing that. I liked the second couple because the older woman / younger male storyline was cute. He was like a little puppy that followed her everywhere! Also the second couple storyline was so different from the main leads, it was fun to watch.
I didn't like the 3rd couple at all. I found her annoying and the guy dull, so I fast forwarded them.
I liked there was hardly any angst or miscommunication. It was a pretty mature and open relationship. A lot of kissing and hugging, but nothing really beyond that.
Overall, it was a cute rom-com.
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Thrust is more impotent
It is good drama Actor and Actors are nice in their characterThe scriptwriter knows the viewers breaking point
Some scenes nearly makes you shout out but it's gets gradual but in final episode last half hour
They can able to handle more better to not frustrate and kept the viewers in oscillations mode
I accept the director and scriptwriter are really clever this story had 30 episodes
There is no bad impression in 29 episodes they handled very well
I hope you can also enjoy this drama ------------>Thank you all<----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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