₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎ Favourite Dramas/Movies ഒ

Favourite Character: Princess Qing Ping

Favourite Ost: Perfect Harmony

Short Review: The first movie I've seen that felt like reading a well-written novel and to make it all even better, the cinematography made every scene seem like a beautiful Ink wash painting/水墨画. Watching this on a rainy day was one of a kind experience. 

Favourite Character: Po Xiao & Feng Reng

Favourite Ost: None, the bk music was cool but it's just a short movie so the main ost wasn't really memorable (at least to me) 

Short Review: I don't usually cry because mama didn't raised no bitch... but this movie made me apologise to my mom for suddenly wailing at 3:00am and making her think that our house might be haunted.

Favourite Character: Fang Xian, Lin Wan'er, Li Chengze [2nd Prince], Fan Sizhe & The smartass Emperor

Favourite Ost: One Life, One Thought + Bonus: my favourite fmv

Short Review: There's nothing new I can say about this drama because everything has already been said. The only original thought I have is that I'm glad they shorted out Fang Xian's harem to just Lin Wan'er, dude had girls falling for him left and right in the original novel and being the generous protagonist he is, he took them all... 

Favourite Character: Shangguan Qian, I loved others too but she was THE BEST

Favourite Ost: Cloud and Mud + Bonus (contains a few spoilers)

Short Review: This was the most immersive drama I've watched so far, the visual storyline and world-building was the most brilliant aspect imo. It shed light on many unique details that I've often seen being overlooked in similar works: why Wufeng chose to train women, what was the difference between assassins from older generations vs newer ones, what they used to keep so many people 'loyal' to them, how they could threaten other sects and weren't wiped out at once, how hierarchy worked in Wufeng, & how they were taught to not only fight but also to manipulate — it was mentioned in a passing (merely taking up one dialogue during the main couple's casual conversation) that they were given harsh trainings to lie, even under influence so they can keep their stories straight, it's a small detail but it adds A LOT of depth to this fictional world. It makes sense why all the assassins were so quick to think of ways to defend themselves whenever they were on the verge of being exposed; they were so capable that they'd remember a single casual remark from some character and create the perfect alibi for themselves based on it, within just a few moments. I've read plenty of novels with assassin organisations but this simple detail was never mentioned in any of them, so it stood out here.

Along with this, I loved the complex dynamics between characters and how focus was on more than just romantic relationships. I also think the distribution of screen time was perfect for telling the story, I really enjoyed that we got to see the development and the backstories of other characters. I hope we get another season.

Favourite Character: Almost all of the main cast! Zhang Ping's often called boring since he's way too simple, stubborn and foolishly honest at times, not really as calculative as the rest, but I honestly liked him too. He reminds me of main characters in old wuxia novels, such as Linghu Chong from 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer'

Favourite Ost: Zhao Liangqi — 洪罗/Hong Luo (it's so catchy at 1.5x speed)

Short Review: Aside from the fact that LONM had a wide range of characters, each with different perspectives and personalities (plus they were fleshed-out), what I also loved about this drama was its meaningful, unique in a psychedelic-way visuals. I've always been fond of dramas with heavy visual storytelling, where cinematography has more to do than just be pleasing to the eyes, and this drama did it right; each shot was of a thousand meanings, sometimes foreshadowing what's about to occur, other times expressing the state of mind of the characters (if you're watching it, I would really recommend you to focus on the inner world/trees of the people Zhang Ping used his ability on).

And to make it even better, that supernatural-heavy atmosphere in some scenes, despite this drama not actually having supernatural elements, was masterfully done. Even the soundtracks were like a drop of ink in a cup of water, they blended so well with the scenes.

Favourite Character: Xiao Wei

Favourite Ost: None

Short Review: I wasn't expecting much from this short movie so little did I know that it would turn out to be even better than most of high-budget 60+ episodes long dramas I've seen. I've watched the original movie it was adapted from and I'm surprised to find that despite being an adaption, this movie is actually much more well-written and intriguing than the original. The ending also leaves you begging for more and I believe it's something that Xiao Wei, who's a clever and greedy by nature fox spirit, would rather do than sacrifice himself like in the original Painted Skin.  

Also, I prefer this over Wuliang but that movie is higher on this list just because I liked its poster. The funny thing is, I was the one who submitted the poster for this movie lol. 

Favourite Character: Mugino Minato & Hoshikawa Yori

Favourite Ost: None, but the background music was on-point

Short Review: Watched it on a whim. Didn't read the reviews. Didn't read the comments (that are unfortunately filled with unmarked spoilers). Didn't even bother with the synopsis. And all I can say is —  the risk of going blind into this was totally worth it. Monster is a movie that needs to be experienced yourself, without letting spoilers or anyone else's views get in the way. That's the reason why I'm being vague here, I know I wouldn't have wondered about so many things during the first half of the movie if someone had already told me the latter half. Curiosity is a good thing... yet something we don't get to feel enough times after our childhood, because it seems like every information is just one google search away. So, I'd say allow yourself to feel curious once in a while if you can.

In a non-spoilerish way (you wouldn't see the resemblance unless you've watched the movie), this movie reminded me of 銀河鉄道の夜/Night on the Galactic Railroad and I think it might be inspired by it, which is great since it's one of my favourite piece of literature. 'Night on the Galactic Railroad' to me, was probably what 'The Little Prince' is to those who had grown up reading it. As I remember someone saying before, I guess the books we read during our childhood do sometimes shape our tastes later on.

Favourite Character: All of the main cast, these kids are talented as hell

Favourite Ost: Human Hell

Short Review: I love how the writers managed to keep the drama interesting till the very last episode without making it unrealistic in any way, It didn't even feel like a fictional story to me tbh. The symbolism-heavy visuals were also mind-blowing, it made up for the everything they had to remove due to the censorship and completely changed my perspective on the main characters. My brain still shuts down whenever I think about the ending to this day. 

Favourite Character: Wan Mei, Chang'an & Cha Luo 

Favourite Ost: A Lifetime Waiting For You

Short Review: "If she needs me, I'll protect her. If she wants to fly, I'll lend her a hand. I've never once wanted to restrain her. She doesn't belong to me or you, she only belongs to herself." - ml to the second ml. 

I believe this quote alone is enough of an explanation. I understand that liking a drama just because it has a sane ml—who's aware that the fl is her own person instead of an object to compete with other men over—might look like I'm setting the bar 'too low' but we can't deny that they're as rare as laws of gravity in cdrama fighting scenes. It isn't the only reason though, I've tried reading the original novel, which is basically and literally an erotica but couldn't comprehend how the writers even managed to squeeze out the main story out of it... I swear there was like 90% smut and only 10% plot in the novel. Not complaining or belittling the original author because BR wouldn't even exist without him/her, I'm just genuinely impressed by the drama writers. 

Favourite Character: Lu—Apostle of Cats, Conqueror of Asthma, Chosen One of the Light—Di, Li Shiqing, Xiao Heyun, Zhang Cheng & Du Ju

Favourite Ost: Rebound

Short Review: Some people might say that this drama isn't perfect, I agree. It's not perfect. It's beyond perfection. I've used the phrase "it kept me on the edge of my seat till the very end" to describe many dramas, but for the first time ever, I actually experienced that.

There was no emotion I didn't feel while watching this; anger, sadness, happiness, frustration, relief - this drama managed to make me feel all of them with such EASE. I also admire the way both writers kept it grounded into reality, they actually showed how grief changes a person, how just because someone grew up in cage doesn't mean they can't feel the cage anymore, how going through the same incident over and over again affected the main characters' mental health, etc.

Favourite Character: Li Bi

Favourite Ost: Let it burn (mood) & Long Lovesickness

Short Review: This drama was a wild-but-unforgettable ride. I went from rooting for the protagonists to save Chang'an to rooting for the 'antagonists' to let the hell break loose upon the incompetent Emperor and his greedy officials. It's simply my most favourite historical of all time.

Favourite Character: Huang Yuxuan & Li Ziwei/Wang Quansheng

Favourite Ost: Come Away

Short Review: I didn't knew it was possible for a drama to have no plot-holes at all. Like not even a SINGLE ONE. Everything makes sense despite it being a fantasy and purely fictional story. The title is also quite smart because the original Taiwanese title translates to 'Want to see you' so if we combine it with the English title it goes like 'Want to see you someday or one day'. 

Favourite Character: It's like someone's asking me to pick a favourite out of a bunch of kittens, it's hard to choose just one. (ㅠㅡㅠ)

Favourite Ost: Our Adventure

Short Review: It was equal parts emotional and funny, inspiring but not didactic, uplifting but not fanciful. I loved how real and relatable all the characters were. They all failed, at least once in their lives, but their mistakes didn't make them strive for perfection, it only motivated them to be the best version of themselves. Almost everyone was older than me yet I felt like such a proud parent to see their growth lol. 

Favourite Character: How am I supposed to choose when all the girls were such a mood?

Favourite Ost: None

Short Review: 

"This town is a highway to nowhere."

"I don’t know what the other three are thinking. I’ll never know. We share the same fear. That’s what friendship is." 

After watching so many dramas and movies about people trying their hardest to live a peaceful and ordinary life, it was refreshing to watch something completely opposite in which the main characters find a peaceful life boring and consider themselves no different than a 'living zombie'. I could find myself relating to each and every dialogue, and almost all of the main characters in someway. 

Favourite Character: The Teacher

Favourite Ost: None

Short Review: Literal definition of the term 'plot-twist' and also the reason why you shouldn't judge a whole movie by the first few minutes. It's like a roller-coaster ride, a bit slow in the beginning but that's what makes it so exciting when everything goes down in the end. 

Favourite Character: All of them because everyone in this drama is a fluffball (꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ)

Favourite Ost: Birth (the English title seems weird and awkward but trust me, the song is really good and actually has nothing to do with the title) 

Short Review: While the whole magic thing was far from realistic this drama did portray a gay relationship most realistically. A gay relationship is just a relationship, it's only two people in love who genuinely care about each other, communicate to avoid misunderstandings, try to understand and respect their partner's boundaries. Nothing more, nothing less. Most of bls make gay relationships seem like something unusual and different than heterosexual relationships, when they're absolutely not. I also loved how relatable and well written each character was, whether they're the main character or a side character, the writer didn't make them and their struggles seem any less significant. 

Favourite Character: Ning Que, Sang Sang, the Emperor along with the Empress of Tang & Princess Liyu - She's a brat, not denying that, but I also have an annoying lil brother (who belongs in a freaking zoo) to handle so I can't help sympathising with her as a fellow older sister. We don't get paid enough for this shit ₍._.₎

Favourite Ost: Darkness

Short Review: You might've been wondering why I still gave it a 8.5 despite including in it my list of favourites, well there's indeed a few things that gave me mixed feelings about this drama and also affected my ratings:

↪The horses in this drama were malnourished and treated really terribly during stunts. 

↪The sfl's feelings were basically used by the ml to give him a character development and make him 'realise' that he actually loves the fl. The sfl wasn't the spoiled or unreasonable type either, she was super nice, smart, and likable. I also loved Sang Sang and preferred her with Ning Que but it annoys me to no end to see a side character get reduced to a stepping stone just for the mc's progress. 

↪THIS. 

Favourite Character: Oyumino Sayoko

Favourite Ost: None

Short Review: If you're looking for something silly, cute, lighthearted & funny to de-stress then you might enjoy it. But If you're expecting a serious story then not. I love it because I could relate to the fl on a spiritual level since I'm also a bath addict (yep that also plays a part in why it's my favourite :ᴾ), it's weirdly relaxing to watch as if I'm watching someone's personal vlogs or talking to a friend with whom I share the same hobby. 

Favourite Character: Origuchi Yaichi | Ryouji, Mike Flanagan, Hirata Natsuki, Origuchi Kana and her friends

Favourite Ost: None

Short Review: Natural character development at its finest, and the way this drama tackled at 'subtle' homophobia while maintaining overall lightheartness was amazing. Many people in this world believe that homophobia is only physically assaulting a gay person and having biased views, disgust, or hatred toward the community, or gay individuals that they personally know, isn't 'harming' anyone; the main character also used to think the same, but the few months he spent with an actual gay person, once he truly get to know and understand him, that changed him for the better and made him realise that he doesn't need to relate to understand — since he, as a straight person, can never relate to having same-sex attraction towards anyone but he can always offer his understanding and respect to those who do.