NattyA

the story keeps going in circles like this; it’s just too much to bear.

For anyone who feels it’s dragging, you could watch up to Episode 9 and then skip straight to Episode 19 until the end. You’ll still catch the whole story, as the earlier details are revealed in the second half anyway.

A little tease for Neo Hou (Hou Minghao)—if he’s not being stood up at the altar or having a ruined wedding, he’s getting a one-night stand only for the girl to run away. Poor guy! The fate of a Chinese drama lead is truly tragic. At least, luckily, no one died in his arms this time.

There were stretches where Hong Ye completely vanished—like, actually gone for so long it felt strange. Fortunately, Xiao Yao stayed present; otherwise, the connection would have been totally lost.

The plot is a bit too "muddy" (messy/convoluted). They could have cut out the parts that don't impact the main storyline. Honestly, this could have been a 25-episode series.

The leads did a great job, but it’s a shame the storytelling was unnecessarily dragged out.

Read More

Zhao Yanzhou is the most inconsistent and fickle character, completely irresponsible toward others.

When it comes to love, he feigns ignorance and tricks someone into loving him, even though his ultimate goal is to die. He makes no effort to survive to take care of the one he loves. Yet, when his lover and others are in a life-or-death situation, he suddenly starts to cherish his own life—isn’t that a bit too late? If a person is truly bound to die, they shouldn’t form emotional bonds, fall in love, or court someone just to leave them heartbroken upon their death. I absolutely cannot stand this.

I dislike the excessive crying of the characters. It might look aesthetically pleasing, but it is completely unnecessary. They just cry over and over until tears lose their value.

Watching this drama, I can't help but feel an attempt to glorify the beautiful masculinity of the two male characters, while the female character seems to be treated as mere window dressing.

It's a shame for the highly talented cast. The show should have delved deeper into relationships and developed the characters in a more defined direction.

Xiao Zhuo's role was intentionally written to stand out, yet he couldn't fully shine because they still had to defer to the male lead. Sigh...

Read More

It gives off a vibe similar to Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, but feels even more fulfilling.

We can feel that the female lead is fragile on the inside, while the male lead is incredibly strong.

I love the scene where the female lead cries over her friend’s passing, and the male lead comforts her by saying she doesn't have to maintain high standards for everything. This ties back to how she holds such high standards in her service business; when it comes to grief, you don't need to overthink whether it's time to stop feeling sad. If people are sad, they should just let themselves feel it.

He doesn't expect anything and doesn't hold her back, but that doesn't mean he doesn't miss her or isn't waiting. He is waiting quietly, without putting any pressure on her.

Read More

I’m a fan of Hou Minghao, but it turned out to be a really enjoyable rom-com.

My only criticism of this show is that even when angry, no one would kiss with their eyes wide open and staring blankly like that, while completely freezing their body and posture. It just looked entirely stiff. Even the camera rotation didn't help make it look romantic. That said, I'm still rooting for him [ Xiao Hou ], as he's probably gotten much better at kissing scenes by now.

According to the novel, the female lead is a radiant, dazzling beauty—the kind who looks stunning in vibrant, bold colors or a striking red. The male lead, on the other hand, is the reserved type—a brilliant and cunning strategist who lived a solitary life and never once considered marriage.

Their story begins with him investigating something, but as he finds her endearing and amusing, they gradually grow closer. He is quite the mastermind, though; he didn't just get close to her, but cleverly won over her entire family.

Once he is captivated by her liveliness and vibrant spirit, there is no turning back. He falls head over heels, becoming utterly obsessed and doting on her to the extreme. He pampers her constantly, wanting to shield her from any hardship—even though, when the situation calls for it, she is more than tough enough to handle anything. While she is hopeless at domestic chores, she is a formidable warrior with exceptional martial arts prowess.

They are truly a perfect match. He never feels that her straightforwardness or her bold, high-spirited nature is embarrassing; instead, he admires and takes great pride in her. She, in turn, deeply respects his scholarly side—his mastery of literature, poetry, and painting—only to discover that this elegant scholar is also a hidden master of martial arts.

In their relationship, he possesses every skill she has, plus all the scholarly talents she lacks. When she worries about being "suitable" enough for him, he reassures her:

"This is more than enough. In this lifetime, you shall marry only me, and only once. No one in this world is a better match for you than I am."
----------------------
Watching it as a rom-com makes you root for the male lead. You feel a sense of "playful frustration" for him because he’s fallen for such a spunky, feisty girl. In reality, Rong Xia (the male lead) is subconsciously bored with his lonely life. Despite his hidden agenda to investigate his family’s history and navigate the political shifts of the new Emperor, he secretly fell for Hua Hua almost from their first meeting.

As he grew closer to her and her family, he found her charming, funny, and refreshingly authentic. Beyond that, she is skilled in martial arts, resilient, and fiercely protective of her loved ones. If it wasn't her beauty that captured him, it was certainly her goodness and distinct character. Even though he usually maintains a cool and poised exterior, he is clearly amused and deeply endeared by her. The way he teases or tricks her—sometimes like an older brother playing with a ten-year-old sister—really highlights how much he adores her.

Read More

The main couple were adorable and had the perfect chemistry for a main pairing.

However, when it comes to emotional depth, mutual sacrifice, and deeply touching moments, Couple 2 felt much more endearing.

Even though Ao Ruipeng looked a bit dorky due to his costume, he portrayed his character brilliantly. He was sharp, analytical, and highly strategic, especially when it came to his clever schemes to win his wife’s heart and stop her from running away. His playful, teasing, and slightly deceptive nature was executed so charmingly that the audience found it completely endearing rather than objectionable, recognizing it as a plan born out of love.

Come to think of it, the matchmakers in this story did a terrible job. They paired people up based solely on their profiles rather than their personalities, without truly knowing the individuals involved. Originally, Couple 1 was supposed to be a match between two wealthy elites, while Couple 2 was meant to pair a military general with a martial artist. In real life, those original pairings would have clashed constantly because they shared the exact same dominant traits and backgrounds.

However, the accidental switch turned out to be a blessing, as they perfectly complemented each other:

The general, who possessed military might, benefited from the merchant’s daughter's financial savvy to secure funds and supplies.

The wealthy son found his life re-energized by the courage, vibrance, and fighting spirit of the martial arts school master’s daughter.

Ultimately, it was the mentors of both couples who ended up acting as the true, successful matchmakers.

Read More

I started watching this with zero expectations, but surprisingly, it's so entertaining!

I am deeply impressed by the eldest sister and the Tanhua scholar (the third-place imperial graduate) couple. Initially, he felt forced into the marriage, yet he actually adores every single one of her qualities—whether it's managing the household, painting, calligraphy, or taking excellent care of both his mother and himself. When he faces danger, she also comes up with great ideas to help him. She is such an impressive, wonderful woman. However, because it was sort of an arranged marriage combined with a last-minute bride swap, he felt cornered and showed signs of resistance. Seeing him come back to win her over after surviving his ordeal is absolutely adorable.

The court debate scene regarding filial piety and parental debt serves as a perfect slap in the face to a dysfunctional Confucian society that degrades women. It makes me feel that Confucius had a terrible personality and a lot of complexes to have despised women and suppressed them to such a low status.

Read More

The male lead is supposed to look much older than the female lead, but he looks so young.

I really love this series. I feel like the male lead is kinder than his usual nature dictates—he is genuinely and deeply in love, to the point of doing things he normally wouldn't do. But I have a small critique: if a man is older and in a superior position, saying he's going to court her doesn't mean he can just sexually harass her like in the drama. It’s bad communication. For instance, even after being rejected, he still tries to kiss her. Knowing where she lives, he just goes there and forces a kiss on her. It's no surprise she rejects him, because she could easily think he only visits when he's horny. Is this really okay?

Even though the female lead kissed him first, that was because she was drunk and she doesn't even remember it. He shouldn't use that to justify to himself that she likes him. Luckily, in the drama, she actually does. Speaking as a woman, even if a woman likes someone, she still needs time to think. They haven't even entered a relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend yet, because a woman wouldn't just date everyone she likes at first sight, right? On the flip side, if she didn't like him, this guy could literally face sexual harassment charges (starting right from when he went to see her at the factory). He acts like he's 18.

As I said, it contradicts the true nature of the male lead, who is a boss at a multinational corporation.

Ultimately, though, he proves himself to be a good enough person—even too good. I like that the female lead refuses to accept what he offers, viewing it as inappropriate to take and just too much. It shows she is a good person. If she had accepted it, he could have gone bankrupt because he probably would have had to take out a loan. Logically, the business must be worth hundreds of millions; holding a 51% stake would mean at least hundreds of millions.

Read More

The audience was coldly betrayed, and the communication was totally unclear.

Let me tell you straight up: the male lead dies. He dies completely without reason. He didn't even put himself in any danger—he was just minding his own business, walking in the market. Despite his tall and large build, he was swarmed, captured, and killed just because they wanted to steal his camera. It makes absolutely no sense for a doctor on an international mission. Normally, they are well-protected by security agencies and would never go to a high-risk area or do anything risky.

The male lead's decision-making makes it feel like he practically committed suicide, but the drama didn't dare to tell the story based on actual facts.

Read More

The best husband for both this life and the next is definitely Yan Chi.

I absolutely love his character. He's not naive, just incredibly straightforward—when he’s in love, he just says it. It's so fun to watch.

There's this one scene where Yan Li asks the male lead, 'Since you aren't interested in anyone and don't visit brothels, are you saving your virginity for your beloved?' The male lead just fires back, 'Why? What’s wrong with saving my virginity?' His younger brother was completely speechless. In reality, the younger brother doesn't visit brothels either; he just tags along to drink and pretend.

Another adorable scene is when the female lead rejects his love because she doesn't want to accept his feelings under a fake identity. But the male lead straight up tells her, 'I already know who you really are, so don't worry.' He then keeps looking out for her, gives her his command token for protection, and helps her with everything. In the end, she even comes to help him investigate a case.

The male lead says he loves everything about her just the way she is—whether she's doing autopsies, working as a doctor, being fierce, or being jealous, he loves it all. It’s truly so cute. Not to mention, Ao Ruipeng is incredibly handsome, and the female lead is both lovely and elegant.

Read More

I feel like the male lead should have told the female lead more than this.

At the very least, understanding herself is important. What if he died taking the secret with him? What would she do if she ended up with a member of the royal family who turned out to be her sibling? Besides, if he died under suspicious circumstances, she would definitely have doubts, and letting her live with those doubts for the rest of her life is quite cruel.

"Honestly, with the male lead's capabilities, he should have been able to switch back to being the emperor and make the female lead his empress. There are plenty of ways to pull it off. Even if people doubted it, once he held supreme power, those non-believers wouldn't be able to do anything anyway. The real issue is that he just doesn't want her to find out she’s the descendant of the fallen dynasty. But it's so baffling why he has to hide it from her—she’s bound to find out sooner or later anyway."

Read More

I would classify this drama as a comedy, romance, drama, and fantasy.

Actually, I really love this show, but I feel like the later part and the ending were poorly executed. I wanted a touching finale that truly cared about the audience, letting us feel the beautiful moment when the long-separated characters finally reunited.

Given his personality, Tian Yao is someone whose love is firm and unwavering. He is a man of few words and subtle expressions, yet he does show his feelings. He really deserved some time to just enjoy being in love. As for Yanhui, she is straightforward, bold, and has a bit of a tomboyish charm, so she doesn't need any pushing when it comes to expressing herself. I wanted them both to deeply immerse themselves in their love, but those moments never came, which is deeply disappointing. Other than that, everything else was good. I love this drama mainly because of Zhou Ye and Xiao Hou. Yanhui was so adorable when she helped Tian Yao even before falling for him. It’s no surprise Tian Yao fell for her once he realized that behind her harsh exterior, she was actually a good person. However, Tian Yao trapped himself in the mindset that love would only bring trouble, leading him to make wrong choices that he later regretted. Once he had time to reflect, he realized his past heartbreak was simply because he loved the wrong person—loving Yanhui would never be a problem.

I have a minor grievance. Why did they have to portray Yan Hui as a fool? Is there a way to make a drama funny without making the characters look stupid? Yan Hui is a kind-hearted person, and she is good to everyone, not just Tian Yao. This is actually part of why Tian Yao loves her.

Read More

I am a fan of Xiao Ding, but this drama definitely has some issues.

The show tries too hard to keep the audience guessing who the villain is. Honestly, there are better ways to do this—like having multiple villains ranging from small fry to the big boss, or introducing different subplots to keep things interesting. It shouldn't just mislead the audience by throwing in a red herring villain who appears out of nowhere and then vanishes. It really muddies the waters.

The female lead is still a teenager, so it makes sense for her to be stubborn and headstrong. However, it's hard to understand why someone with no real skills is so unafraid of death. Where does her courage even come from? The drama should have given her an unusually strong motive for her obsession with justice. I say 'unusually' because she constantly takes pointless risks without even having any guards.

The male lead does a great job carrying all the drama, whether it makes sense or not. The part near the end feels particularly bizarre, almost like they just wanted to drag the story out for another 2–3 episodes.

As for the romance, the male lead should have guessed by now that the female lead is his childhood friend. The drama handled this subplot poorly by failing to drop proper hints for him to notice, causing him to find out way too late.

Read More

It’s like a teen movie, just set in ancient costumes.

In this world, there are no sports or cheerleading teams; instead, martial arts sects serve as the sports teams, which is quite fun. There’s a sweet, youthful romance building in the background, and both the male and female leads are beautiful and lovely. It’s a bit of a shame that there are so many characters it gets a little dizzying. After looking into and trying all three series in the same universe, I found that Dashing Youth is the most enjoyable. The overall tone is bright, and the storytelling is well-paced.

Spoiler alert!
The storytelling isn't very concise. Given the 40-episode length, they could have covered much more content, especially since there are still many unresolved plotlines—such as the story of Baili Dongjun and Yue Yao, who ultimately didn't end up getting married. I guess they didn't know how to wrap everything up, so they just ended it like this for now.

Read More