SarahD

Rom com at its finest

Great but simple plot line that is filled with humour, love, intrigue and the odd battle or two.
From the get go the cast were brilliant and very believable. Production values were also good (even if there were only about 30 soldiers per side for a ‘major’ battle… 🤭)
I’d never watched Song Weilong in anything before so wasn’t sure what to expect but he successfully plays the part of a quiet prince who uses few words and his eyes to convey many of the emotions that he feels. He may be eye candy, but in my book he epitomised the character of Prince Dingbei so brilliantly I can say he has depth and breadth in his acting.
I’d never heard of Bao Sheng En before and so again I found her utterly captivating. Big doe eyes and a fairy like quality that captured the ML’s heart very quickly and most of the single men around her (without her realising how special she was).
The two other pairs of love interest helped to make the story more rounded and added a wee bit more intensity to the overall drama.
Overall a lovely watch, would I watch again. Probably not as there is so much I have yet to see

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Real blockbuster of a tale with two sets of strong ML & FL

I’m not normally a fan of Dilraba as she mostly leaves me cold but I felt she did really well in this even though the plot line was a little predictable as she leapfrogged over everyone in her path (just by being an ‘awfully nice’ person) to become the most important ‘saviour’ to complete strangers who trusted her completely despite knowing nothing about her.
Leo Wu was brilliant as the main ML, smouldering and dark one moment, adoring of his FL and fiercely protective the next.

I will admit that my favourite characters were played by Zhao Lusi and Lui Yuning. They were a fantastic match and I love everything both of these actors have been in and their chemistry as Hao Du and Le Li A did not disappoint. It was off the charts as they went from hating each other to being unable to live without each other. They were incredibly watchable and their character development was subtle at times but so beautiful to watch.
The storyline was excellent, the acting, production values and costumes amazing but I don’t understand why there always has to be a main support character that gets killed off - I didn’t think this added anything to the plot.

Wonderful all rounder but probably not one I’d watch again

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Great story - can’t wait for the sequel

From the get go I was invested in this drama and pleased to see that Yang Zi and Li Xian work just as well together as they did in Go Go Squid.
FL & ML are so good together and the chemistry is excellent even though this is not a typical romance story in the beginning. He quietly watches from a distance and readies himself to step in even as she solves her problems on her own, each success she achieves makes him more and more proud of her as well as fiercely protective. In the beginning she sees him as an irrelevant playboy wastrel but by halfway through the series she begins to realise all is not as it seems and becomes intrigued as to what he is up to. Theirs is a slow build romance that develops naturally as they realise that they are stronger together than apart and start to notice each others strong points rather than perceived flaws.
Miles Wei is brilliant as Lui Chang, the pathetic, down trodden ex husband of the FL. He is bulldozed into marrying the spoilt princess Yu Zhen. Yu Zhen spends most of her time trying to sabotage FL rather than work on the sham of a marriage she has forced upon a man who suddenly realises he should have stuck with bride #1 which leads to several of the problems FL faces. By the end ML, who has a real problem with Yu Zhen’s father, realises he has to deal with the whole family not just the patriarch which makes his mission even more complicated.

Can’t wait for the sequel and would happily watch this again.

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Xu Kai acts his cotton socks off in this drama

What I love about this drama is how the main characters grow and develop.
Xu Kai plays 2 roles brilliantly. The first, Yue Jin Zhao, is an innocent who is very protective of the FL and the second Bian Luo Huan is his maker. At one point I was sobbing at the sacrifice Bian Luo Huan makes in order to save everyone.
Ester Yu is typecast as Yue Qi a sweet and adorable girl who loves to eat noodles and is endlessly hungry. Unfortunately, for me, she’s just a bit too sickly sweet - I’d have loved to see her tone it all down a bit, to be honest.
The story follows the FL and ML as they investigate where they’ve come from and along the way they not only uncover their beginnings but help to restore law and order across their land.
The support cast are really good and Jia Nai Na, who plays a demon, and another one (who has worked with XK in the past) is Liu Min and they were firm favourites of mine.
Production, costumes and action were all brilliant but Ester Yu was too sickly sweet for me.

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Not Ester Yu’s usual character type - hurray!

Originally I began watching this because of ZLH but was pleasantly surprised that EY was not playing an airhead which was very refreshing and her character was totally believable.

The plot follows two female spies from the evil and vicious Wufeng sect that infiltrate an introverted and mysterious sect controlled by the Gongs who specialise in lotions, potions and poisons only to find that the second son has suddenly become the sect leader upon the death of his father and heir apparent elder brother. Their aim is to destroy Gong so that Wufeng can proceed with its plan for world domination.

The FL starts to fall for the ML as she helps him to conquer physical obstacles, his family members and the elders who don’t want him as their leader. He gains in confidence and their relationship grows and she confesses to being by his side with a mission to kill him and help destroy the sect. Due to their honesty (he lets her see how little confidence he has, how unhappy he was to be made the ruler and how he longs to return to being the ‘spare’. She tells him how she longs for her freedom and to break free from her contract with Wufeng) they build not just deep feelings but absolute trust in each other and there is abundant chemistry as they fall in love.

The second spy manages to build a relationship with MLs cousin but lies and cheats her way into his bed and yet despite their relationship being built on lust not love, there are still feelings between them, no matter how conflicted, and the actors really bring to life their complex characters and the situations they find themselves in.

Although this seems like a really dark tale, there are some amusing moments as MLs sister chases after his body guard in subtle and not so subtle ways.

My only criticism is that this story finishes on a bit of a cliffy but I’m not sure if there will ever be a second series to tie up the large number of loose ends which is a shame as the chemistry between the main characters is so good and there is enough content to put into a sequel.

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Great cast, great story

This is a heartwarming love story between an emotionally wrecked and jaded 30 year old fallen hero of the esport arena known as CTF (capture the flag) and a 21(?) year old female computer genius whose sunny disposition slowly brings his heart back to life.
The ML, known for being a fierce, scary and demanding boss, heads up a gaming team called K&K where he mentors a group of young men and ‘bullies’ them to become the best of the best (but they all worship and adore him).
The FL is a child prodigy studying IT at university who also makes money from a sideline in singing and she is known as Baby Squid by her many fans.
Obviously there is a happy ending but along the way several broken relationships get fixed as the ML comes to terms with his past and the fallout that occurred.
I loved the chemistry between the characters and the forgiveness and healing that occurs and an added bonus is that the K&K team provide plenty of very funny, chaotic and playful moments especially as they are the front row audience as the clumsy and adorable love story develops. (By the way the building they operate out of is fantastic- I would love to work in this space where the kids can get to the ground floor down firemen’s poles or slides!)
Would I watch this again? Absolutely

UPDATE:

Wanted something light hearted to watch again and I’m so glad I chose this drama. I’d forgotten how funny the main characters were as they stumbled into love with each other. He’s totally non-plussed by her and she’s just so in love with him that she forgets to think like a rational human being so there’s plenty of chances for humour (plus team K&K is made up of children who’s subtly levels are that of a low flying piano) and the script writers must have had a field day writing this. At certain points, how any any acting took place is anyone’s guess as the scenes were hilarious and so innocent.
Bravo, please note, I’ve upped the overall score from 9 to 9.5 😍

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Short, sweet and very cute

The storyline is very simple, downtrodden young seamstress goes back in time to right the wrongs of 5 years earlier.
Ding Yuxi is very convincing as the hero both in the future and the past and manages to pull off the cute boy next door falling for the female lead really well. From cute college boy giving her shy glances to alpha male, fierce protector he is very believable.
I’d not come across Li Yingying before but she is very adaptable and the two versions of herself are poles apart, both in terms of character and physical appearance. Bravo young lady
Would I watch again? If I just wanted to kill a few hours, absolutely

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Fabulous ‘kids break up and fall in love again as adults’ drama

I really enjoyed the chemistry between the Fl & ML though I will admit I find Tang Sonyun a little bit mumsy but the ML is totally ‘Mr tall, dark and handsome’.
The plot follows 2 kids that meet and fall in love at high school (he’s the school heart throb and she’s just miss normal and sweet). She has a stable, loving middle class family and his is unstable, difficult and working class yet despite their backgrounds they fall deeply in love and when they meet up again 10 years later they realise they never got over their romance and just pick up where they left off.
The plot is sweet and at times absolutely hilarious (the marriage proposal of his best friend was priceless and the reaction of the SWAT team really memorable) and the support cast really add extra dimension to the whole plot.
I need to visit the place they went for their camping trip.
If you want a feel good storyline then I can’t recommend this one enough.

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Great story but can’t see the chemistry

Great story and some of the supporting cast have better acting skills (chemistry) than the main characters.
Xu Kai acts his little cotton socks off as usual but I just can’t always see the chemistry between him and Tan Songyun though there are plenty of sweet, intimate moments that are on point (the shaving scene for example).
The struggle to build a strong fledgling business is really obvious and the team the FL has around her are brilliant, especially the actors He Rui Xian and Tang Zhen Chao and you feel their struggles with both their private and corporate lives.
Cute little story but doesn’t pack a punch (for me) the way some of Xu Kai’s other work does. Perhaps it’s because it doesn’t run through all the emotions we often get in a c-drama or perhaps it’s because I just didn’t feel Tan Songyun was as good as he was.
Would I watch this again? No

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10 episodes in and I still can’t decide how this will turn out

Up to and including episode 10:

I’ve never read the story (haven’t been able to find it in English yet) but every part of the story line has me feeling sick with frustration that these two characters seem destined to rip each other’s hearts out again and again yet naively I’m praying they get their happy ending.

The acting is utterly brilliant and painfully real so that you quickly become invested in a plot which follows the two main characters as they fall deeply in love while at school but are ripped apart by family expectations and loyalty. Toxic parents, sacrifice, guilt and jealousy, you name it, this drama has it all. Will their love survive the trials it is being put under and will their siblings actually accept them for who they are? 10 episodes in and I’m so desperate for them to get their happy ending even though right now, new road blocks block their paths back to each other. This is chef’s kiss angst.

The supporting cast are equally well acted and compelling and although I hate Yichen’s mother, I can see why she piled on the massive guilt trip that led to him sacrificing his own happiness for his younger brother. I can also see why Lu Feng’s sister is equally determined to make him conform to their father’s expectations. Additionally the second male leads are also on point - well cast and with depth to their characters. They portray flawed and complex humans and although initially Yichen’s brother is his biggest supporter and determined that he also deserves to be happy as time goes on I can see him doing a complete 180 as circumstances change in this roller coaster ride.

I’ve only ever binge watched BL stories before and it’s killing me that I’m having to wait a week for the next two episodes.

Will I watch this again? Absolutely bl**dy right I will

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What’s not to like about this drama

Took me a while to find it but I did so on UK’s YouTube channel ‘kk cdrama’.

The story follows four icons of the student body at MingDu University and international champions of the bridge card game, who call themselves collectively F4. A bookish, slightly autistic and very talented musician (Hua Ze Lei), a playboy with a hidden past who loves tea (Zi Men Yan), a fun and flirty boy with cute looks and a penchant for older women (Feng Mai Zuo) and the most drooled over of them all, a bad boy who is very protective of those he cares about with a monster for a mother (Dao Ming Si). Life is an easy one for these guys - all over 6 foot tall, with brains, big hearts and even bigger bank balances - until they cross paths with a female pint sized whirlwind (Dong Shan Cai) and her motley crew. She’s not impressed by their fan base or their aloof attitude and turns the world of at least one of these young men on its head.

There are twists and turns, high and lows, laugh out loud moments and tears aplenty in a story of how a pairing of complete opposites go from absolute haters to a couple so deeply in love that they are prepared to sacrifice themselves for each other.

The story takes us from the uber rich elite lifestyle of Shanghai to the impoverished one-step-above-the-breadline daily grind of musicians in London, from the lower working class areas of Shanghai to a sleepy little fishing village in rural China and the beauty of the best of London landmarks. (However the London pad of the Daoming dynasty was probably shot in rural Surrey but let’s not let the facts get the way of a good story).

The production values are first class, the songs beautiful and appropriate to the scenes and the actors utterly brilliant though I do think that the scriptwriter could have given sister Yu more of a backbone and thus a more interesting part to play in the drama.

Would I watch it again? Absolutely as the chemistry between the characters and the ‘will they, won’t they’ plots of the main characters and their love interests was so well written.

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Delivered everything I was hoping for

It was refreshing to see a different side of Ester Yu and she was paired brilliantly with He Yu who was the reason I came to this drama.

I knew from what she said at the outset on the plane that this was going to be good. Everything she described him as was so polar opposite to what she found and this drama did not disappoint as they clashed and crashed their way through their mental and emotional issues to seek out their happy ending which was great to see in a plot that made me laugh, cry and want to bash their heads together. Perfect Romcom

Would I watch again? Absolutely

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