Annie
Big Reba and Leo fan!!
I was expecting a lot more romance scenes between Li Changge and Ashile Sun, because they have such a cute dynamic. I'd recommend this if you like the main couple and are willing to binge the drama in 2x speed while skipping through some unnecessary parts.I didn't read the manhua, so I'm not sure how much was changed, but I do feel some parts that made it into the real life drama should have been changed or cut out, as it either wasn't executed that great or it was just weird seeing it in real life vs had I read it in a book/cartoon.
I think this does play into why Li Changge and Ashile Sun didn't have too many scenes together, since the manhua was maybe less focused on your traditional romance?
Overall, there's definitely better dramas of this storyline/genre, but I am such a huge Dilreba fan I had to see her in this.
Pros:
- The storyline about war/peace/Chinese dynasties etc was simple enough to enjoy and digest.
- I'd honestly say the beginning of the drama was better than the end, just because there was a lot more action, seriousness, and "omg idk whats gonna happen next."
- Good looking idol actors. I'm gonna go ahead and give Leo Wulei some credit for portraying a manly aura at just the young age of 21. The kid's quite slender in frame but the way he carries himself was fitting for the role. The only actor I compare him to is Zhang Bin Bin, who was extremely masculine in King's Woman (which sucked as a drama but entertaining nonetheless) at the age of 24. So yeah, excited to see how Leo grows in the next few years.
Cons:
- If you're looking for a mind-blowing storyline, save your time and skip. A lot of the scenes were almost predictable and sadly corny.
Overall, I feel like this drama was hyped up to a degree, and I'd imagined it so differently in my head... No regrets watching it at the end of a long day of work as the episodes came out each week, but if I could choose a drama to watch of my own free will during a few days of vacation, I'd skip on this one.
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Story line: Nothing surprising or intriguing. I'd say it was rather boring. I won't spoil it, but the plot seemed interesting at first, but the plot just started slowing down and nothing was actually happening each episode.
Acting/Characters: I'd say everyone's acting was pretty decent, with Dilraba's being the weakest (I hope she continues growing as an actor though!). However, their characters were written in a way that didn't give them much to work with. For example, I think Zhang Bin Bin is a promising actor, but he was limited to the same, one-dimensional character during the whole drama. I was expecting the director to let him finally say/reveal something that would break my heart, but he really was like a stagnant river the whole drama (like, he was GOOD at the role he was given, but that role sucked!).
Idk. There was so much potential. Again, this is another example of a drama that could have really won the crowd over, if only it was a good drama in the first place.
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Did I enjoy it? Yes. Why? Because I'm a sucker for these type of dumb plots, which I admittedly seen quite a few times. By this, I'm talking about memory loss, falling in love again, emperors that must be cruel to secure their throne, kind of helpless female lead that can only cry and forgive, etc). There were beautiful moments that triggered my tear ducts, but there are also moments that made me just fast forward. Maybe I'm dumb or disinterested but the politics didn't stick with me too much so I had a 75% grasp of what was happening politically and was here more for the romantic scenes.
In terms of the emotional roller coaster for viewers, I felt frustrated during the majority of the drama rather than nodding along and saying "Yeah, predictable plot but totally believable and they sold it to me, I can keep watching this bs." For example, there were a few times I was frustrated that Xiaofeng was so oblivious to what was going on, even if that's what her character is supposed to be like, which is unfortunate because I think the actress did phenomenally in every scene.
Another point of personal frustration (aka not a flaw in the production but rather as a heads up for viewers), as I was watching, the sweet moments that did exist between Li Chingye and Xiaofeng were enough to give me hope that maybe this is all leading to the ending that we all, if not most of us, want. The ending was unsatisfying to say the least.
I can't put it into words and maybe it's because I wanted a happy ending very badly, but the whole exposition leading up to the ending just didn't explain why it ended the way it did. It's not that I don't want to accept the ending, but it didn't make enough sense.
Despite me going on and on about how I didn't like the way things ended, I enjoyed the drama and finished it until the end. It is going to be a rough 52 episodes with a rough ending that matches how it's made you felt the whole series.
Li Chingye and Xiaofeng's characters were acted out well, and they're honestly what I kept coming back for.
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If anything, just watch the main lead's scenes
I watched this drama purely for Dilreba, who happened to have great chemistry with her co-star Johnny Huang. The story line started out interesting at first (2 strangers meet, end up working in the same industry, crossing paths often, falling in love, etc), but as it got into their professional struggles and showed more of the second pairing, I lost interest.There was no suspenseful or compelling drama. The only enjoyable aspect of such a slow paced drama is the natural, mature relationship between the 2 main leads.
Otherwise, I dropped the drama about 70% of the way and only came back to watch Reba and Johnny Huang's scenes. Skipped most of everything else.
There just really wasn't much to this drama.
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Heart-warming storyline with realistic romance
I thought the setting in a small-town with "weird side characters" would bore me, but this is now one of my favorite dramas for it's realistic approach to how 2 individuals slowly get to know each other as well as what it takes to settle into a new home/community.Very heart-warming story with great romantic development between the main couple as well as nuanced side characters with their own backgrounds (i usually think the latter is a waste, but not a scene or line was wasted in this drama!).
Upon first glance, it doesn't seem like Shin Min Ah and Kim Seon Ho have chemistry, but you'll get small glimmers of his growing affection for her, which makes it such a satisfying slow burn. Additionally, they both judge each other off the bat but you'll watch them change their judgment of each other the more they get to know each other.
Both are warm-hearted, talented individuals who keep themselves guarded: one with a demeanor of a high maintenance ice-queen while the other keeps himself busy with work. Little by little, they become vulnerable with each other and realize that you don't have to be "whole" to genuinely be loved.
Additionally, each of the side characters have a story line that makes it easy to understand why they are the way they are.
tldr: If you want a drama that shows the power of a small community uplifting each other and how vulnerability can lead to love, this drama hits those points.
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Cute romance
I didn't expect to enjoy this drama, because I saw Song Wei Long's flat acting in Untouchable Lovers and I also didn't think Victoria Song would be a good actress because she was a k-pop star. Surprisingly, their chemistry and older-woman-younger-man romance worked out very well.Things I enjoyed:
1. Romance of the main leads: Fanxing is 32 y/o while Yuan Song is 22 y/o. Fanxing is mature so she stays as reasonable as she can, yet her innocence in love and dating comes out when she deals with things such as jealousy and minding what outsiders think of her relationshup. Meanwhile, Yuan Song is young, yet he is determined to be a man in his own right. I'd describe this as a very enjoyable masculine and feminine dynamic.
2. Other storylines: Every else also had their own relationship troubles, such as Fanxing's twin brother's relationship with his younger female student, Fanxing's two older friends (one struggling to deal with a cheating husband and one being too headstrong to readily accept a traditional female role), etc.
3. Characters: I loved the main characters as well as side characters, each having their own story or personality. The closest to annoyance I felt was with the 2nd male lead, but his "annoyingness" does have its place in the drama and story line.
4. COMEDY: I can't tell if I'm childish, but I have to admit there were so many scenes where I laughed out loud at how ridiculous/petty the humor was, yet it felt like very realistic things I've seen in day-to-day life. It feels like the writer of this drama is actually quite in touch with the current generation and dating scene and could thus throw in jokes at appropriate moments.
Overall, I would recommend this if you're interested in that older-woman-younger-male romantic dynamic. The drama did a great job in showing it's quite reasonable while also being fun and light to watch.
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Is it worth getting into? Nah.
Did I enjoy watching it? Somewhat.
Below is what led to my disappointment as well as what kept me watching until the last episode:
Story: The first few episodes oozed mystery, drama, and sex appeal, lead me to think that this was gonna be a heavy drama. I was excited to be watching something different from the usual light-hearted, cookie cutter "romance" dramas. However, the story line and weight of the issues/conflicts eventually trickled into the usual flat, stereotypical plot lines many K-drama viewer would be used to.
I really think the plot/director/screenplay is what ruined this drama. It seemed to attempt to build viewers up to some climax, but there was consistently no big shocker moment nor anything that glued together the pieces the previous episodes had laid out (just a heads up if you plan on watching and keep on expecting "the moment".)
The actors and actresses did their best with the script and characters they were given, but they're ultimately left powerless if the story itself can't come together.
Actors/Actresses (4):
1) Woo Do-Hwan: A new addition to my list of great actors that can carry a drama even if it was in tatters. He was so natural
2) Joy: She's definitely not bad, and she's improved a lot since "The Liar and His Lover," but there were moments her acting was just making me skip parts of the drama.
3) Moon Gayoung: She's a good actress, and portrayed the damaged mean girl very well. I liked her till the end and was only annoyed at parts where they dragged on her scenes, but again, that's due to the directing and story itself.
4) Kim Minjae: HONESTLY, MY FAVORITE. I'd last seen him in Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim (2016), and he seemed very young back then as well as didn't have the opportunity to showcase his acting chops due to his role. He wasn't the main character in any way, but whenever he showed up on screen, he made his scene count. His acting felt seamless for this role.
Overall, not too many regrets watching this drama, because I wanted to see how the actors and actresses delivered until the very end, and I'm glad I discovered Woo Do-Hwan as well as got a second look at Kim Minjae.
I would have told my future self to not waste time watching this drama though. If you decide to watch it, you may enjoy it for the first few episodes and eventually reach the plateau/disappointment I was talking about.
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