SarahD

Does not really follow on from Go Go Squid (GGS)

The title of this drama is misleading as although there are a sprinkling of characters from the first GGS, only about 4 of them are played by the original actors and the plot line follows the one from that drama a lot of the time.
If you ignore the original, then this drama stands ok on its own but if you are expecting a story that weaves into and is intertwined with GGS then you will be disappointed.
Wu Bai is still played by Hu Yitian (Li Xian is still Han Shanghai and Yang Zi plays Squid) but both Solo and Appledog are played by different actors so the feel of the plot is very different even though the characters they play have similar traits to GGS (but they ARE played by different actors so no matter how hard you squint they’re not the same). Additionally, K&K and SP compete in a very different arena - that of robot wars. Additionally the buildings they operate out of are completely different so again this highlights the difference.
The acting is believable and you feel for them as they go through the ups and downs of their relationships. For example, Appledog’s manager (before she joins SP) is brilliantly flaky and slimy so for me his is a stand out performance as he brown noses anyone that he thinks will earn him brownie points and/or a promotion. Hu Yitian as Wu Bai conveys so much with just his facial expressions as, just like in GGS he says very little, but you really know what he is thinking just from his body language etc.
I first found Li Yitong in Dream within a Dream and in this story she doesn’t disappoint either. She has great chemistry with Wu Bai and still has to deal with conflicts created when Team Solo splits up (though for different reasons).

Would I watch this again? Probably not as for me GGS had so much more to offer and I found this plot lacking as on the whole the wonderfully funny antics of the original Team K&K weren’t there to pick up the tempo (probably a budget constraint lead to this much smaller team) That said the way the boys keep tabs on their captain’s burgeoning romance and subsequent proposal fails are funny and endearing but with less characters it all felt a bit lonely somehow.

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Fabulous story but rushed at the end

There is a lot to enjoy about this story but the ending is extremely rushed with no real understanding of “what just happened’.
The chemistry between FL & ML is realistic and beautiful and the supporting cast play their parts brilliantly in a drama that has it all - great emotions, twists and turns, costumes, fight scenes and production values. The house FL lives in is insane and the other buildings have great attention to detail too.
The closing love scenes are beautiful as the two leads say their goodbyes in a heartwarming yet heartbreaking way - I teared up as I thought about what was going to happen, but then bam! The fight scene lasted mere moments and then in the next scene 3 of the main characters are reminiscing. Seconds later FL is out shopping and meets up with ML under an umbrella. Where had he been? What actually happened? Terrible ending to what had been a wonderful story.
Would I watch again? Probably

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Lots to love and hate about this drama

The twist, windy, curveball filled plot follows two characters who seem to love and hate each other with equal passion yet the plot only starts to make any sense once the FL (Hua Ru Yue, AKA the Grandmaster of the Yinlian Sect AKA immortal goddess Siling) steps out from behind her poor quality junior cultivator disguise (Li Qing Yue) and the viewer realises they’ve met before and that there is a huge amount of baggage between them.
Her love interest / arch nemesis Bai Juisi ( AKA Immortal Lord of Dacheng) knows who she is even disguised as the helpless yet adorably naive Li Qing Yue and eventually forces her to admit who she really is. Once the truth is out, this sets the storyline for several of the characters who love or hate her depending on how they first met her, mostly these views never change.
The supporting actors are brilliant and there are some fantastic and often funny one liners from them (especially in the beginning when half of the Yinlian Sect head honchos can’t recall Bai Lu’s character and even her master has almost no idea who she is!).

What to love: phenomenal acting from every member of the cast, beautiful costumes with great production values and excellent choreographed fight scenes. The emotions that the characters experience are so raw, honest and believable. There is excellent attention to detail in terms of what supporting cast are up to when the main characters in a scene are doing their thing. For example, ML turns into a petulant child that can be seen kicking furniture with boredom as the ‘grown ups’ discuss how to deal with the baddie!

What to get frustrated about: The story is told piece meal, flitting back and forth between present day and flashbacks which keeps the viewer guessing though at times this does tend to confuse somewhat until more of the puzzle pieces emerge. Additionally, although everything turns out well in the end the final scenes are a little confusing and the viewer has to rack their brains to understand the refences made by Hua Ru Yue and put them into context. Also at the end the baddie gets a complete change of fate and therefore has no need to turn evil but this absolute 180 doesn’t make sense as there should have been some sort of butterfly effect and there isn’t..

Overall a great watch and the music is wonderful. Would I watch it again? Absolutely, even if just for Joseph Zeng’ puppy dog eyes 😍

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Lots of epic scenes and a barrage of emotion

I binge watched this but due to not having a subscription to Youku many of the scenes (often pivotal) were missing so I’ve had to scrabble around on YouTube to fill in some (but sadly not all) of the gaps. It would probably pay to subscribe to get the complete picture.
The story while complex and brilliant is sometimes frustrating when the main characters put themselves in harm’s way without proper backup.
As the chapters pass the main characters grow and develop beautifully so that when some of them die, it is both heartbreaking and memorable. The lad who plays Shrimp is an incredible actor and I hope he goes on to other things.
The ending was open so that although we know ML is dying, we do not know exactly what happened. Did he really leave to die alone? Difficult to say although his SiC is absent from the last few scenes. I hope he didn’t as she begged him not to but that’s just my take on things.
Cannot fault any of the acting but as usual Zhao Lusi and Liu Yuning were exemplary and had incredible chemistry.
Would I watch this again? Absolutely, provided I could get the complete storyline with every scene included

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Should be called manipulative mother takes over

Very surprised by this drama as most things with Xu Kai and Yang Zi in are fabulous but this was very disappointing.
Plot was very thin and if her mother had been in my life I would have excommunicated her in about chapter 6. Who arranges an engagement party behind their daughter’s back to a man she broke up with months before and is surprised when it does down about as well as a pork pie in a synagogue.
The love story between FL and ML is flimsy at best although both Xu Kai and Yang Zi act their socks off, especially in the sadder parts of this story when some of the characters die.
That said most of the actors and their acting skills are believable and there are a few amusing moments (mainly at the expense of Xu Kai) even though the plot is terrible.
Wouldn’t bother again, sadly

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A believable BL story that will have you rooting for the main characters

Not sure how I stumbled upon this drama but I’m glad I stayed to the end because the characters were so believable and the plot was (mainly) really good.
This is, simply put, a story about redemption, trust and love.
The story starts out as simple revenge where the innocent and naive male protagonist (Wu Suowei) is dumped by his gold digger of a girlfriend (Yue Yue) who is dissatisfied by his financial status. She then goes hunting for a wealthy boyfriend and hones in on Chi Cheng the jaded, bored gay son of a wealthy chairman who is being pressured into marriage by his unsuspecting parents. Wu Suowei decides to break her heart by pretending to be interested in Chi Cheng in the hopes of splitting them up and goes from a straight man to a man who “I don’t know if I like men or not, but I like you”. The story not only covers these two men, but another couple Jiang Xiao Shuai (Wu Suowei’s best friend) and Guo Chengyu (Chi Chang’s bestie) and their developing relationship.
There are plot twists and turns, funny bits, sad bits as well as a few more characters who try to muddy the waters between Wu Suowei and Chi Cheng. Their developing feelings and reactions to these situations all add honesty and credibility to both this story and the characters they portray.
The only part of the plot that I found ludicrous was when Chi Chang’s father decided to kidnap Wu Suowei. The ensuing scenes may have made more sense in the mother tongue but certainly were of little value to the overall plot when google translate ( or whatever software they used - it clearly wasn’t translated by a human) got involved. I deducted points for this bizarre chapter, although I’m guessing the father was trying to persuade Wu Suowei to stay away from his son.
Would I watch this again? Absolutely but with headphones on and no one else around to see the seriously steamy ‘sex’ scenes. Kudos to the straight actors for making it all so believable.

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I hate the script writers who had me sobbing like a baby at the end! In my top 5

I stumbled across this little gem quite by chance and nearly didn’t bother with it as the reviews are really mixed.

The plot follows a hapless actress who picks up tiny bit parts here and there, her manager, a fellow actress at the top of her game and 2 boys who she interacts with briefly in her childhood who re-enter her life and change it forever.
Both of the boys adore her for her bravery and courage from the moment they first meet one fateful day. One comes from a broken home and he directs his heartbreak first into being an aggressive bully and then later into a savvy yet shallow businessman. The image of the little girl who fought him off ‘that day’ stays with him and when they meet up again as adults he is determined to make her his. The other has a life limiting congenital heart problem who morphs from timid victim into a wealthy business genius knowing he is running out of time. His one aim is to repay the kindness shown to him by the little girl who protects him from the bully on ‘that day’.
As the story progresses the FL realises her strength lies in playing action characters and she becomes an overnight sensation when she takes on a role that could have been written for her and her life intertwines with the 2 men mentioned earlier without her knowing that they are from her past.

The drama starts off quite happily, bumbling along and by the time I reached the 3rd episode I wondered why I was bothering to continue watching as it all seemed a bit dull and pedestrian and the weird shaggy hairdo of the FL was really off putting (she’s so beautiful and call me shallow if you will, but her natural hair is gorgeous) but I don’t like to put a book or drama down so I persevered. I’m so glad I did as the actors were brilliant and I fell in love with both Connie Kang who played Zheng Ying and Zhang Chen Xiao (who looks like Xu Kai’s younger brother, they’re even the same height) who played Shen Yi Fan. The supporting actors were also very well cast and the little lad who played the actress’s son was such a cutie and pretty believable for one so young.
Production values, costumes and scenery were top notch too.
By the time I reached episode 22 I was sobbing (literally) and even with less than 30 seconds left of the final episode tears were literally running down my face.
Bravo script writer! I hate you and love you at the same time.
By the way, when you watch this on iQIYI you won’t be able to leave comments hence there doesn’t seem to be many people who’ve seen this production.
Would I watch this again? ABSOLUTELY

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Absolute powerhouse of a story

This story is one filled with intrigue, manipulation, bravery and loyalty.
There are lighthearted moments through to ones where the depths of despair and personal sacrifice come through loud and clear.
The characters are flawed and believable and the story develops layer by layer and very early on it is evident that not all is as it seems.
The chemistry between Zhang Linghe and Bai Lu is a slow burn but by the end the sparks fly spectacularly and these two, like all of the other actors really showcase their talents.
The set is incredible with amazing attention to detail & sumptuous costumes and the fight scenes are realistic and at times funny (qins do not make good weapons).
It needs to be watched (at least) twice as there is so much to take in and quite a few subtle prompts that I missed the first time.

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Boy, what a ride of emotions

I sobbed my way through this from about half way through!
This is a powerful story of love, honour and sacrifice that had me hooked from early on. Although the main characters took a while to warm up, by the end you’ll be rooting for them so much.
Set across two main plot lines (that involve the same characters) over a long period of time, it gets interesting in the second half as the FL gains snippets of information from what happened earlier in her life.
ML plays 2 distinct characters and it takes a while for the truth to be uncovered but when it is, boy will the tears start again.
Been a while since I watched this and I think it may be time to watch it again
UPDATE:
Absolutely my favourite c drama ever. This is the second time of watching it and it was even better than the first time. It was the first c drama I ever came across and I only watched it a second time as I wondered if my lingering positive feelings were OTT - first drama rose coloured spectacles and all that - they weren’t. From start to finish this was breathtaking, silly, funny, frustrating, anger inducing, poignant and powerful. Everyone should watch this at least once ❤😍😍

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Started really strongly but faded at the back end, disappointingly.

I came because of the darkness of the teasers and stayed because I genuinely liked the characters.

The story follows Jane Patrick (P’Jane), an uber wealthy and rather scary young man with a hazy backstory and the love affair he has with his polar opposite Little Jane, a sunny, slightly naive fellow university student from a fairly humble background. One of the reasons people tend to stay clear of P’Jane is the rumours surrounding the ‘favours’ he grants. Most people do not understand the exact mechanics of what he does but everyone knows that if you cross him you will come to a sticky end. Over time and thanks to Little Jane, P’Jane starts to understand how dangerous these favours really are when Little Jane’s baby brother asks for his help. Will their love survive the fallout from this favour turning sour?

The first few chapters were brilliant, tense, angsty and full of red flags so large that they could be seen from outer space and I was hoping the drama would continue with the same intensity.

Unfortunately not.

The last couple of chapters lost this drive and for some reason the script writers even introduced several s*x scenes in quick succession that added little value to the overall. For example, earlier in the drama, the nc scene in P’Jane’s art gallery was raw, intense, meaningful and necessary to the story whereas the bath scene from the penultimate episode was truly anticlimactic and pointless and I get that they’re BL actors not porn stars but seriously, how could the scene from the first half of the drama be so much more powerful than the one in the second half? Did the same script writers and director own both halves of this drama? My final criticism is actually to do with the ending of the final scene which was just terrible and made me wonder exactly what the point of it was - did they need to add a few more minutes to the viewing experience perhaps?

On the whole the actors were really suited to their characters and I felt really connected to the emotions they were portraying. The lead pairing had fantastic chemistry, some nc scenes aside. The plot was clever and engaging but I did feel that it would have been so much better if the director had had the passion to ensure that the strength of the beginning was carried all the way to the end.

Would I watch it again? Disappointingly not but there were several scenes that I really, really enjoyed.

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Cute little follow on story

Great little follow on story that tied up a few loose endings though why Phut took the complete and overwhelming blame for Vee’s overdramatic toxic behaviour (once his affair had surfaced in the main drama) baffled me. She should have dumped him back then, not tied him to her side with a leash so tight it was frightening and borderline psychotic. I don’t condone what he did but the way the writers handled it was lazy and sloppy.

My favourite scene had to be when Sorn handled Jun’s stalker by leaving the phone open so that he could clearly hear him and Jun having s*x. Priceless.

Would I watch it again? Nah, but a cute couple of hours worth of Boat and Oat

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PWP…

I’m really not sure of how I feel about this drama as there’s so much to like but it didn’t really get me the way, for example, Love in the Air did so I’ve come away glad I watched it but somehow slightly deflated.

The story follows Sorn, a stoic slightly older alpha male and Jun a mischievous younger twink who meet again after two years apart when Jun joins the firm Sorn works at as an intern. The first scene from two years before the internship sets the initial tone for their relationship, that is to say, physical, but over time their feelings deepen. Through their journey, and due to a lack of communication, they experience bone deep jealousy, unreasonable need for dominance and control but after a mini break up and once they talk, really talk, they move to a better place emotionally and mentally.

There’s lots to like about this drama but, but and I can’t believe I’m writing this, the nc scenes are sometimes too long especially as it becomes painfully obvious that these guys (and gals) are actors not porn stars . For example, the second male relationship is really well acted and believable until we get to the s*x scenes where they turn into stilted marionettes and you can almost hear the director yelling “put your hand here, tilt your head to the right, bend your knee a little more more, that’s it, closer!”

Boat and Oat’s characters are cute, funny, annoying, judgmental, jealous, insecure and downright scared but totally believable in this drama and play their roles with raw honesty as their characters fight to protect themselves from failure. They’re never going to win, or even be nominated for an Oscar for their performances but they work so well together.

For some reason there’s a bit of gl action too but I didn’t think the sub plot added anything to the drama and was more of a tick box exercise but the rest of the characters added depth and realism to this cute drama even though we got the mandatory overly theatrical ‘screaming queen’ gossip monger and a couple of thugs doing violent things (snore).

Production values, sets, were great and the camera angles and lighting were put to great use too.

Would I watch this again? Probably not as whichever way you slice it, this duo still doesn’t set itself up quite as well as P’Payu and Rain

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So much potential, sadly no chemistry

I came for the intriguing drama name but only stayed because it was so short and I had run out of chores to do.

The BL story is simple, a lonely man makes a wish at a shrine and suddenly he finds himself in a parallel world - the perfect version of his own life. Here he is a valued member of the sales team that in his previous life he’d only stood at the periphery of. The man he has feelings for returns them and his customers respect his knowledge and understanding. However, it doesn’t take him too long to realise that he misses the life he had before and that with a little mindset change he could have exactly what he wants if he returned. But can he return? Will he step up and be the man he needs to be to get what he wants?

The concept is excellent but the shortness of this series prevents any real plot development or depth to the characters. The acting is fairly ok, but there is absolutely no chemistry between the two main male leads and the kissing is so poorly executed that even if they director had used clever camera angles and lighting it would still have looked like a young man greeting a favourite uncle.

Would I watch this again? It’s a no from me.

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