Drama Watchlist of 2023

What I liked: A beautiful sendoff to the series. No tears here! 

What could've been better: I think that there should've been a healthy balance between Naksu showcasing the powerful side of her that we know and love and her relationship/adoration for Jang Uk. I feel like we got so much romance that we lost a bit of what made Naksu special, strong and fearless from season 1. 

Recommend: ✅

Dropped: I want to love this because of the great reviews and actors but it moves so terribly slow and I’m not interested in where the plot is going. Not sure if I can finish this even for Bai Lu. 

What I liked: Interesting take on time travel that kept my attention within every episode. I enjoyed finding out more from the characters and how they added to the story.

What I disliked: There were some instances in the plot that were not explained and unfortunately are left up to theories. 

Recommend: ✅

What I liked: I loved how strong the FL was and I absolutely adored all of her outfits/wardrobe. Qin Shi was a character that I aspire to be: smart, determined, and focused. 

What I disliked: The big climax that I was looking forward to, fell flat and also felt rushed compared to other elements of the drama. I also didn't care for or like the secondary/side couple. Very toxic and reminds me of the drama: Why Women Love.

Recommend: ✅

What I liked: The idea of time traveling to the past and seeing how our FL adjusts to the difference.

What I disliked: The FL remembers history + future but doesn’t use it to her advantage, too many princes falling for the FL without a sensible reason, the insufferable second male lead, and plot holes/scenes that are not explained and we have to assume to make our own conclusions.

Spoiler:  (40 episodes is plenty of time for the characters to have a dialogue to show both leads getting their memory back, ML recovering from a fatal leg injury and telling the truth about where the FL is from and unless I missed something, they skipped over all of this and let us assume it happened behind the scenes).

Recommend?: ❌ 

What I liked: The comedic efforts of the drama. I needed a break from more serious dramas, and this is a good drama to literally shut your brain off to and not take too seriously (otherwise you'll more than likely hate it). 

What I disliked: It's not a good drama in terms of plot and acting. The plot is very weak in theory (revenge plots are cool but it doesn't really sell me on why the background of the revenge happened in the first place). 

Recommend:  ❌ 

What I liked: The strong female leads. I enjoyed watching the story unfold for Ye Tan and Qing Kui. They are both strong in their individual ways and have someone there for them to protect as necessary

What I disliked: Story can be predictable, as it follows the typical format of dramas of this genre. I also wish the last episode gave us more of the sisters present form (for lack of spoil) but as a whole I enjoyed the show for the laughs and adventure.  

Recommend:  ✅

What I liked: The undying love that Sang Zhi had for Jiaxu. I love that she showed her love in such small but beautiful gestures that make this a really good and heart fluttering drama. This drama didn't have any serious arguments or angst that lasted multiple episodes, it's a relaxing and comforting drama to sit back and watch the story unfold. 

What I disliked: Sometimes I felt Sang Zhi's character was a bit too childish even as an adult.

Recommend:  ✅

What I liked: How strong the female characters were in this show. It wasn't just one but there were multiple, fighting their own battles and not relying on the male characters for help. 

What I disliked: Towards the end of the drama it just felt like the writers were creating any type of drama to prolong the show which is a huge dislike from me. Additionally, the pacing was all over the place and I didn't feel like the drama truly "started" until about halfway through the show. 

Recommend:  ❌ (Unless you truly want to see Reba in another drama)

What I liked: CGI, acting & fighting scenes were very well executed. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I enjoyed seeing more of it within the story. I also liked the growth of the ML’s characters as we could see how his emotions finally started to blossom. The OST was so good as well. 

What I disliked: There is so many PREDICTABLE communication issues that i wish the leads would’ve surprised me and given each other the benefit of a doubt or a conversation instead of playing into the normal angst. But anything to harp on the drama for the show..

Recommend: ❌