Healing Romance!!

Story - A slice of life with a unique premise and well-written story were one the strongest points of this c-drama. The pacing of the story was slow yet soothing and healing. It was full of life and will make your heart ache in a tragic way at the same time. The balance between the sombre and happy moments makes it stand out!
The dialogues and conversations between the leads healed something in me that they never broke!

Acting - Li Xian's portrayal of Chen Mai Dong and Zhou Yu Tong as Zhuang Jie was exemplary. Both ML and FL have an undeniable and ineffable - charm and chemistry.  The gradual affection with a lot of simmering tension between them was such a treat for the eyes.
Both the leads were not perfect, had flaws but were brave enough to acknowledge and deal with them. The acting had realism.
Chen Mai Dong truly defined "Healing yourself is connected with healing others!" And MY MAN DID THAT. Zhuang Jie was a bit indecisive and selfish at times but self-realisation dawns on her rather soon rather than dragging it, putting healthy dynamics on display. At times she was sheer embodiment of "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!".
The side characters contributed to the story well. I liked the bond between the FL and her siblings and how CMD's grandmother played Cupid in the initial episodes. I liked how all the characters were pinning and conspiring for the leads to stay together (FL's mother was a hard cookie but joined the party).

The ending was on a happier note but a bit open-ended but also makes you realise how short life is to hold grudges!
The cinematography of the drama is noteworthy especially the location and the painting at the end was done beautifully! Though the editing and dubbing were a bit choppy in a few instances but wasn't distracting enough.

Overall, a heartwarming drama I would rewatch and recommend.

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Not my cup of tea!!

Okay so contrary of popular opinion, personally I did not like the drama. I watched it after falling into your smile because of the same gaming - romance genre but I was disappointed.

Story wise it lacked character development on the male lead's side. Like at one point it kinda became frustrating. The gaming sequence was also tad bit boring and tbh I just skipped most part.

The main problem for me here was chemistry between leads was just too forgettable and forced for me.
The OST was nice though.

Honestly this wasn't my cup of tea but again I would understand if anyone else loved it. :))

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Not your typical BL!

First thing first , the intro of this series was MASTERPIECE!
If you are expecting this to be your typical BL , it will disappoint you. I understand the rating on MDL. This is not a cup of tea for everyone.

The story does seem fragmentary at points leaving you with many unanswered plot holes but it has clever presentation.
The symbolism , the contrasting color frames , the angst , the hurt - You can feel it all in this 5 episode drama.
The acting by both the leads was convincing enough.

Not a fan of open endings but in this case it was justifiable. 
The conversation after their dinner was cruel yet realistically hopeful.
Yoon Dae needed to understand that " If you never heal from what hurt you, you'll bleed on people who didn't cut you."
For him to be Soo Hyuk's home and vice versa, he has to ground himself first. Finally someone teaching him self love without manipulating and scarring him.
Soo Hyuk was torn but held his ground this time. He wanted Yoon Dae to really be his home rather than being a liability.

The ending depicted they both finally broke from their same pattern and that counts as "sort of" happy ending (At least for me).
Though it's not a perfect 10 for me but still very close to it. I hope there is season 2 with longer run time.

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Finally a good action romance drama!!

I watched this drama as a part of recommendation challenge and I literally have to thank them for introducing me to this.

To outline the drama it was an absolutely wonderful and interesting watch.
There was a bit of everything for me that worked here - action, romance with both strong male and female lead and a bit of suspense and drama. The story kept me intrigued and invested till the very end. Each and every detail or clues in every episode somehow made sense at the end. I couldn't find any story loopholes. Tbh story isn't very unique but it is put together to almost perfection. You would really have to nitpick (which I am not gonna do :D)

The acting by all the cast members were perfect! The romance arc between the ML and FL is simply beautiful. The chemistry between them is FIRE! No nonsense! Just 2 adults trying their best to be together and handle things maturely. The OST was decent too. 

All is all , a great watch!

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Cliche but Enjoyable!

The story was a bit cliche and inspired from all the other supernatural dramas but it is definitely a enjoyable watch. The supernatural fantasy moments are good though. The editing and VFX does adds upto the pros for this drama

But I think the main selling point of this drama are the visual appeal of the leads !! OH MY GOD ! The chemistry between them is comfortable, natural and sizzling.
The cute interactions does make you smile.

SONG KANG was exceptional in this. I watched some behind the scenes of both Song Kang and Kim You Jung and loved it. I really liked how Kim You Jung was improvising while shooting and gently directly Song Kang as well.
The villian does give you creeps.

Though the story was nothing extraordinary but the acting and chemistry does make it a very enjoyable watch. I would definitely watch it again.

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Mixed feelings!

Well honestly I am not sure how I feel about this. When I read the synopsis and went to the drama I was expecting mystery and that amnesia plot but both of it lasted for few episodes.
The story kinda felt dragged to me like it could have ended 5-10 episodes before making it an interesting watch. The character of female lead went from independent strong headed individual to dependant and it did mess up the story for me.

The acting both of the leads are good. The romance is there , the kind of you expect from Luo Yunxi ( love is sweet , TTEOTM) was missing. Again their love story was sweet but it felt disconnecting at times when female lead decided to be ignorant most of the times.
I liked their past mountain experience and how they connected that to when she was buying the painting. A small moment but it did make me smile.

Antagonists were the suprise element for me in this story as to how FL'S sister and best friend were framed and it felt suprising but rushed and unnecessary.

I went into the drama with alot of expectations but was slightly disappointed.

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Disappointment should be another synonym for this drama!!

Well I watched this drama with alot of expectations and it was holding on to that untill the last few episodes!
Pros:

The chemistry between the leads was refreshing and entertaining to watch despite the age gap!
The side character's story were good and their friendship also worked in favor for this drama.

Cons:

This is one of the few dramas where I would prefer sad ending over this called "happy ending" that we got.
I kept replaying the last episode to see if I missed any episodes inbetween because everything looked out of place and directionless.

Him returning back after years and FL being so calm and understanding baffled me.
It looked like writers were onto something at the start of the drama and guess what "IT WAS DISASTER."

The acting from both the leads just couldn't save the story!

I am trying not to sound rude but it gave me "11 year old wrote her first Wattpad story !" vibe. I would literally sign petition for Netflix to remove the last episode of this drama.

I would recommend this drama till episode 12 or 13 and then I would suggest to imagine a better ending ( I bet - If the multiverse exists, most of imagined endings would be better than what we got) and then drop the drama!

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Just couldn't finish it!!

Well I started this drama with alot of expectations and sadly it just couldn't deliver for me. I dropped it after 21 episodes.

The main issue for me here was the story. The writing was extremely lazy - plot holes , slow pacing of the story and how the character arc went. I do love a slow burn romance but this seemed rushed and slow at the time like I know it doesn't make sense but from leads meeting to their interactions and their journey to love was just not organic.

The only thing I liked about this drama was the male lead and his acting. It is what made me push till 21 episodes ngl. That 8.0 in acting is just for him to be honest. The female lead kind of infuriated me at times. I just couldn't relate to her not being honest with male lead about something life threatening , assuming things and having the clueless same expression in almost every scene. The writing for her part was way worse than the whole story.

The chemistry between the leads looked a little forced to me. I kinda liked the story of second leads better than the main's.
Usually when stories don't work for me, its the acting / chemistry that saves the day! But this drama literally was 'NO' for me in both the departments.

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Amazing script and execution!!

This drama had ticked all the right boxes for me.

Story - I think this is the strongest point of this drama. It is well written and it isn't a cliche. The depth in each character just uncovers episode by episode and keeps you hooked as to what will happen next.

Acting - All the actors portrayed their part beautifully. You will go from hating FL's mother to admiring her. You will realise how one action's affects the life of all the others around.
The chemistry between ML and FL was comforting to watch.

But the main catch of this drama is it's title. You kind of have to watch it to understand it.

Honestly, this drama's uniqueness makes me it stand out!

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Too Many Cooks/Troupes Spoil The Broth!!

For me, this drama "almost" lived up to its hype. The premise was strong and beautifully executed. The visuals in the drama were so scenic and beautiful making me want to visit Germany! The characters in the story had flaws and it was reasoned well.

But from episode 13, the messy and lazy writing sank the ship. Too many unnecessary troupes were introduced in the later stage of drama where we should have been resolving issues from the previous episodes. Hyun Woo getting into an accident in the penultimate episode and the antagonist arc stretched till the last episode was nail in the coffin for people like me who have been religiously following the drama from its teaser and were waiting for the "Rom" in the said Romcom!!
For the last episode, too many questions and drama were left to unfold leading to a rushed and unsatisfactory ending. It was sort of bittersweet for me. I understand death is a natural phenomenon but showing in the last few minutes instead of them living a healthy life together is a grudge I am willing to hold with the writer for a long long time.

Acting was exceptional. Even If I nitpick I can't find faults. Despite how shambled the writing was, their acting made it convincing. All the aegyos made me laugh. Hyun Woo crying and breaking down when Hae In was hurt made my hurt heart. Hae In from being cold-hearted and emotionless at times made me angry but once her story was out you couldn't help but sympathize. The one kiss (Germany) gave me butterflies.
I wish they work together again in a drama where the script does them justice to their commitment till the very end! The other supporting characters also did a great job!

The OST's are one of the best that I have heard. It matched the story and theme perfectly! The placement of the OST in the drama is done well making them more enjoyable and memorable.

Overall this was a 9.5 for me from episodes 1-12 but so many NEEDLESS twists/turns in the last few episodes led it to 8.5. If it wasn't for the extraordinary acting of leads and the great and intriguing premise I would have rated this somewhere between 7.5-8. (I know it's biased but it is what it is!)
But again, a drama I would recommend to everyone with a fair warning of the strenched antagonist's arc! Still one of the finest Kdrama for me till episode 12!

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