You cannot convince me that I didn't like this drama. Yes, there were a lot of plot holes and there was a lot of repetitiveness, but you cannot convince me that I didn't like it. I always knew about this drama because I am a huge fan of Janice Wu and I started getting into actor Zhang Yu Jian after his role in Please Love Me and knew that they were both in Le Coup de Foudre. I think what scared me away was not knowing if Yu Jian was the main love interest in this drama as well as not wanting to sit through 50 episodes trying to find out. So I ultimately put it aside, until about a week ago when I saw a clip on Instagram between Janice Wu and Zheng Ye Cheng and was like...wait....is that Mo Zha Ta from Love020? And for anyone who knows me, I had such a huge crush on him in that drama and wanted to see him in more things. So I decided, hey, I am already in a drama slump, what is the worse that can happen?

I had okay expectations with this drama, but I wanted to give it a chance because of these three actors, and honestly, this drama was EVERYTHING I needed. It had the elements of a historical drama with a touch of magic (and everyone knows I am a sucker for fantasy love stories). It had Janice Wu being her normal spunky self. And I watched it on Youtube so I am not sure if the subtitles were different from Viki, but the script was so bizarre and funny. I needed a good laugh at the end of the workday and this is where I went. Honestly, I was scared that this drama would take me months to finish, but I binged this drama in a few days because I was so obsessed.

And the only fair way to talk about this drama is in two different parts because it did seem like there were two different stories -

The first 30-something episodes take place in Tang. We are introduced to a spunky girl named Yuan'an who is the daughter of the head of the treasury. We are also introduced to a young police officer named Lan Zhi. Lanzhi, after having a complicated past, has moved up in the ranks and proved himself worthy to be the right hand of the Queen. Together (off the books), Yuan'an and Lanzhi find that even though they have different motivations and morals that guide them, they work well together in order to solve crimes. One mission brings them to a black market where we are introduced to a man named Mu Le who has no memories and is (for a time) mute, which is where Yuan'an decides to buy him as a slave in order to save him from an abusive life. Then for the remaining 30-something episodes, the three of them work together to solve crimes and this evil of the 9 beads.

Then after some time and everything starts to become normal, Mu Le recovers his memories at the cost of losing the ones he made in Tang, which results in this 9 beads evil cycle restarting again but in a new kingdom that is completely fueled by dark magic.

It was this completely new drama after this point, but no one seemed phased. And I have read so many reviews and comments of people saying that this drama should have ended in Tang in 30 episodes, but I would have to disagree. Yes, the first 30-something episodes were very simple and fun, and I feel like after Yuan'an left for this new kingdom on a new quest, she lost her fun and spunky spirit and became this new character altogether. But I do feel that this was necessary and we needed Yuan'an, after everything that happened, to mature and decide what was most important. She was passionate about the people in her life, but she was very young and impressionable and needed something to kick her booty in gear to handle important issues. Not going to lie, even though she would risk her life for her people, she somehow kept hurting Mu Le's feelings over and over again.

Going back to the beginning and talking about the romance in this and how I was scared about starting this because I didn't know who the main love interest was - in a way they both were. I like to believe that deep down she had feelings for both men and obviously they had feelings for her as well, but Yuan'an was very young and her love for both men came out naturally and without realizing that she loved them romantically. But it was obvious who the directors were trying to make end game for Yuan'an just based on conversations that she was having with both men. I also saw a lot of split opinions in the comments about who reviewers wanted her to end up with. In my opinion, I was on team Mu Le, but after he regained his memories. I loved him as well when he was Yuan'an's slave because they had this relationship where they 100% had one another's backs regardless of their statuses, and he never questioned her decisions, but something was missing and he just came off like a devoted slave. It wasn't until after his memories came back that he gained this confidence and this aura that he was his own person that I was like...yes...that yo man. It got to a point where I didn't care if Mu Le ever turned evil, I would probably support him until the end. I just loved his character that much. And don't get me wrong, I also loved the relationship that Yuan'an had with Lanzhi , but I think they would be better as friends. The best way to describe them both is, Lanzhi put the law above everything, where you are guilty until proven innocent, where Yuan'an took the side of you are innocent until proven guilty, which is where they disagreed a lot. Also, Lanzhi knew that Yuan'an was a strong woman, but there were many times where he always wanted her to stay at home and live a happy life as someone's wife, specifically his, while he went into the battlefield and did the hard work. This ultimately strained their relationship, I think, where their highs were high, but their lows were really low. I liked Mu Le because he never questioned Yuan'an and saw her more as a partner.

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And this is where the spoilers come in -

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My favorite part of this drama was in the second half where Yuan'an's mission was to go to this other kingdom and steal back the 9 beads that Mu Le or Prince Ying stolen and ultimately kill him. Yes, the whole element of the drama changed and we are now introduced to a very stubborn and serious Yuan'an who just wants to get revenge from a man that she risked her life for over and over again, who basically put her and her family's life in danger when he stole the beads. Yes, it was annoying at times how clouded her mind was for a good part of the second half, but I loved his new magical world and I loved how we got to see Yuan'an and Mu Le switch places in this new kingdom. But my ULTIMATE favorite part was Yuan'an meeting Prince Ying for the first time again, with no memories of her or their past, and him basically falling in love with her all over again without her trying and with the mission of killing him. AND THEN, when things start to go south and people start to get wind of her plan, she is sent back in time (yes...you heard that right) to before he leaves for Tang, in order to kill him in hopes that if he never went to Tang, he would have never stolen the beads and met Yuan'an. Instead, Yuan'an and Prince Ying get to know one another, before all the corruption of the 9 beds, and they learn about this evil plot against the prince and ultimately helps him survive and once again, they fall in love with one another.

This is why I LOVED this drama. Her going back into the past was weird and out of place with this whole drama, but it ended up being my favorite part. Also, kudos to Zheng Ye Cheng for playing 3 different versions of the same character. You made me fall in love with this tan soft boy prince who had nothing but devotion for Yuan'an. Which is another reason why I picked team Mu Le and not Lanzhi. After everything that happened, Yuan'an and Mu Le went through so many character changes, but their love for one another never faltered. Lanzhi, I felt, didn't go through change, and if anything, as the drama progressed, I started to hate him. Yes, this also routed from my hatred of Ming Hui, but I lost complete respect for Lanzhi when he ultimately gave up the fight and fell in love with Ming Hui. I didn't realize his internal battle was about him not knowing if she truly cared about him or just used him as a pawn. I thought, the whole drama, that his fight was about her just being a terrible person who blackmailed him into marriage and threw tantrums when she didn't get her way which included multiple attempts on Yuan'an's life.

Finally, with the big topic of the ending that everyone is still trying to decipher, here are my only thoughts. I was upset with the ending even though Mu Le kept on foreshadowing it, but the writer did us dirty and I knocked off half a point from the review. BUT, I will say this:

In a world full of dark possession puppet magic, 9 beads controlling the world, people becoming magical animals when exposed to their blood, and time travel....I am 100% positive that Mu Le can find a way back to Yuan'an. The prophet said true love can conquer anything in this world...so I am positive that this open ending is a postitive ending.

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This one was a bit quicker and easier to get through than the last couple of series. I liked how there was an outside plot that was separate from their living arrangement. I probably would have disliked this drama if the four episodes were them mainly building their relationship behind closed doors. I enjoyed how there was some behind closed door stuff as Rene, who is gorgeous btw, was a young novelist and worked mainly at home, but she would go out a lot because Dash, who is also fine as all hell, would take her to his kitchen, or grocery shopping, or to his events. I'm happy we got to see a little of their past - Rene with her plagiarism and Dash with his family - and seeing them face those challenges face on.

Going off of that though, I feel like both characters went through character development, but Rene moreso. I almost didn't finish this drama due to my dislike for Rene's personality, but regardless, I feel like Dash gave her, her confidence. Dash on the other hand did go through some development, but moreso Rene taught him to be open. In terms of everything else, I feel like Dash was already trying to achieve his goal and face his past regardless, but I guess he was a grump in the beginning. I would be too, though. Rene was all over the place.

Overall, I actually enjoyed their chemistry, even if it was just a little. I felt like they had a lot more chemistry than the two previous chapters, Geologist and Vet.

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Because this is a Netflix drama, I thought that this would be over the top with a huge budget, so I didn't expect much except for a classic Western plot that was extremely flashy. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. I really need to stop doubting Netflix's asian drama originals. Yes, it seemed to have a big budget, but not as much as a lot of the original action dramas. It was simple, but the plot was complex, and the relationship between So Yun, Nan Do, and Holo was really solid. So Yun, due to her face blindness, doesn't trust people off the bat, and they always need to earn her trust. Nan Do, was a man who didn't believe in love and really any emotion after his mother's death when he was young. He didn't believe in creating positive relationship with people except for Holo.
It was extremely interesting to see how Holo's existence influenced both So Yun and Nan Do and ultimately became almost a middle man - expressing both So Yun and Nan Do's better emotional traits. He took the best parts of both of them and became this confidant to both of them.
Yes, this drama had a lot of cringy and cheesy Asian drama tropes, but they were easy to look past with everything going on. I think the one I hated the most was how So Yun had thought she was in love with Holo and acted like such an idiot with her imaginary boyfriend. Yes, I have watched My Absolute Boyfriend and have seen a relationship between a robot and a human and totally shipped them, but this one was weird. Holo was such a great influence on So Yun, and he had brought her out of her shell and helped her become confident in herself, but her sudden development of feelings for him was super odd. Even Holo looked extremely uncomfortable while trying to go along with all her date plans. In the beginning, So Yun was a sheltered woman who was great at her job and terrible with starting any kind of relationship. But when she first met Holo, she was quirky, intelligent, and cautious when she needed to be. She just needed a little kick. Then when she fell in love with Holo, she was still all of those things, but it ended up being this cycle where her happiness depended on Holo's existence and him being by her side always. It never seemed healthy. In the middle of the drama, I actually started to dislike So Yun's character, but she came through at the end.
Nan Do was a funny character. Even though he was trying to "teach So Yun as lesson" but ruining her life...all I really saw him as, was a butthead. He was wilding out in the beginning, but when it mattered, he would do the right thing. It took a little while to get out of his ways (with a little help from a crush developing for So Yun), and he expressed some annoying drama tropes, but all in all, it was understandable. Not reasonable, but understandable.

I think my favorite part of this whole drama, even though it was cheesy and obvious, was Holo's "backstory" and who he was and the people who created him, and what they wanted to be. I think the only time I sad cried in this drama, was when So Yun and Nan Do finally realized why Holo's personality was programmed the way it was...because there was a specific reason. Plus, it hit home for me personally understanding how hard it is being the person you want to be, but honestly scared to be that person.

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When this drama first started releasing episodes, I was excited, but also a little scared. Excited because I loved
Park Min Young in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim. One of my favorite all time drams. Also, I loved the idea of her being an aspiring art museum director by day, but super kpop fan at night - it was something completely new to me and was excited what she did with the role. PLUS; I did see a few clips on instagram and they looked super romantic and cozy. Which plays into why I was scared. I loved her role as Kim Mi So in Sec Kim so much that I had a hard time seeing her play the love interest of someone who wasn't Park Seo Joon.

My final thoughts? I thought that this drama was VERY cookie-cutter. Even though the idea of Sung Duk Mi being this mature curator by day, but super fan by night, was a completely new idea for me, the plot was very obvious and followed a typical korean drama outline. It was safe. It's the same how I felt about Touch My Heart. It was boring. It was cute and good, but boring. I think the only thing that did catch me off guard was that their relationship started off fake as a way for Ryan Gold to protect Duk Mi from the cruel world that keeps punching her in the face...literally. That most of those cute romantic scenes I watched on instagram weren't even "real."

I think this drama had a lot of different drama tropes that made it extremely obvious. It had the random "small world" trope where they had met each other before as kids, but don't remember (and the audience doesn't truly realize until the last few eps of the drama, unless you watch the flashbacks closely). This drama also reminded me of Weightlifting Fairy (Ryan as Kim Bok Joo and Duk Mi as Jung Joon Hyeong). We have Joon Hyeong's character helping Bok Joo's character throughout the drama helping them learn to love themselves as well as find their true self, and then in the last few eps, we get a whole new plot (My Mr Mermaid was also like this - random) with no background information from the previous eps to lead into it, where Joon Hyeong finds out something that literally tears their world apart. I think that is why I liked Duk Mi. Her character was very positive, that it came out a little ditsy, but it was almost like her superpower. She didn't need to do extravagant things to help Ryan with his identity crisis, just being around one another seemed to brighten up their days.

I think my favorite part of this whole drama was the romance between Ryan and Duk Mi. Even though it was a little tiresome in the beginning, and I was totally team Nam Eun Gi, once they got together it was super sweet. It reminded me of my all time favorite cdrama, Love O2O. - once they were together, they refused to get one another go. Given they didn't really have major issues that affected their relationship, but it reminded me of Nai and Wei Wei's relationship where they had complete faith in one another and tag teamed each other's problems. My favorite thing was the little journey they both had when they were falling in love with one another. I think my absolute favorite part (besides Ryan going to a fan event to see Duk Mi's alter ego and falling in love with this side of her) was when they went on a overnight business trip and Ryan got to know Duk Mi, the photographer. He realizes that she isn't this helpless curator who takes the bullet for everything, but a strong artist who knows who she is as a person and no one can take that away from her. Ryan's character was irritating at first - just because you have an identity crisis 3 year prior doesn't give you the right to treat people poorly. Typical trope. But I guess he isn't as bad as some other characters. What confused me was when him and Duk Mi started officially dating, his character COMPLETELY changed where I thought I was watching a different drama. Like even when him and Duk Mi were fake dating, but falling for one another, they didn't act like when they started to officially date. I guess once you have a confession, you start to act differently? You cold and serious demeanor turns to one of a high school boy experiencing first love for the first time?

BUT! I will say, I actually loved Ryan Gold's character more than I liked Duk Mi. I think it might have come from watching her in Sec Kim, but I didn't believe her feelings for Ryan one but. I think Ryan loved her more than she liked him. Maybe it is because I have nothing to compare him with, with his other works, but I don't think it would have mattered. I think this drama was so PG cookie cutter that it shouldn't be compared to the passion in Sec Kim.

Overall, I am happy I finally got to see this drama, but I think I over-hyped it for myself. I loved Ryan Gold, loved Nam Eun Gi as well as felt extremely bad for him for realizing his feelings late, and was shook by Cha Shi An. Which was another decent surprise from this drama. I thought Cha Shi An was super cute (like a kid brother) and wanted to see if he was an idol in real life....to find out that Shi An is played by ONE...one of my favorite artists back in November.

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This drama came to me at a little bit of a surprise - I need to stop going into shows with only seeing one clip and without reading the biography, but honestly, I don't think I would have put it high on my list if I did that. The single clip I watched, that made me really want to watch this, was when Tami and Scarlet went to town destroying a car with some bats. I thought that this drama was going to be about two (or 3) bad ass women who go around kicking ass and taking names. And don't get me wrong, this drama was that, but not in the way I thought.

This drama was very mature yet had all the elements of what I look for in a drama. I think it was one of the more mature dramas I have ever watched on Viki, that I would 100% recommend to anyone who doesn't like the typical cookie cutter kdrama feel and story. Yes it did have the swoooooooony-est romances I have ever watched, but this drama wasn't about the romance. For the first time, I went into a romance drama...not wanting to skip the plot to get to all the kissing scenes. I loved how Tami picked herself up and knew that she was a boss ass woman, even after being unfairly fired from Unicon, to help build her new empire at Barro with Scarlet (her previous competitor) and their team mixed with Barro and ex Unicon employees. I loved the loyalty and the friendships and how much faith Ellie and Joseph had in her, willing to start a whole new career at their competitor's company. I also loved the hate to love friendship Tami and Scarlet built throughout the drama . This drama hit all the feels and the ending honestly gave me goosebumps how they tied in the title of this drama. The one thing I disliked about the main plot, though, was Song Ga Kyung. Yes, we come to understand that she became a cruel person due of her mother-in-law and what she had to do in order to get to her dream of being director as well as being able to be her own person, but as the story goes on, we start to realize that her mother-in-law actually just brought to light Song's true personality (as we saw in flashbacks in the drama). And yes, we can go back and forth debating if it was really her true colors or something she developed from her mother-in-law, but she had an evil inside her that ate at her so much that she took out on others. We did see a little evil in Tami in the beginning, but it was an evil that she didn't take out on people - she always followed her moral compass and if she needed to take someone out, she would expose someone who committed evil acts rather than Song who would take anyone out that was in her way regardless if they were innocent. I am happy that everyone got their happy ending, including Song, but I only seemed to care about Tami and Scarlet and thought that they were more bad ass than Song was.

Now going into the romance in this drama -
As I said previously, I loved the romance between Park Morgan and Tami. It was one of the most mature relationships as well as passionate ones I have ever seen in a drama. It broke my heart every time they would break up (because there were a lot), but at the same time, it was hard to be mad because all the reasons why they broke up were logical. Plus, I enjoyed how they didn't just break up and run away, they sat down and talked about how they were feeling every bump in the road, even if it resulted in a break up. They would both take a day or two and think about if that reason was enough to keep them apart. At the end, they both just decided, even though they both have conflicting ideas about their futures and how they want to spend it, they decided to stop thinking about the future and live in the now. Which, is very scary if I am being completely honest, but in a sense...it is very romantic. I know so many people who break off relationships because they always think about the future before they think of the present and their current happiness. I loved how Park Morgan and Tami chose to live in the present and not the future because they were happy in this moment and wanted to live in that happiness, not caring if there wasn't a future. Not how a cookie cutter kdrama would normally end, but I liked that it more more "realistic" in that sense.
Then we have Scarlet. To be completely honest, when we first met her, I thought her romance was going to go in a completely different direction. I thought that her and Song had been high school lovers, the way the flashbacks were going, but then we realize it was more of a friendship that came to be because Song always felt some kind of guilt towards Scarlet as she believes she took away Scarlet's first dream. Instead, half way into the drama, Scarlet meets and falls for her "soap opera"/drama idol, Seol Ji Hwan. She helps him as a step-in-manager to help build his fame. There relationship was a very cookie-cutter kdrama romance and it almost acted as a comedic relief to the drama as it was the only scenes that didn't really follow the same mood and style. They acted as giddy teenagers who were experiencing first love and it was super romantic. I've been wanting to see actor Lee Jae Wook in more dramas after seeing his minor role in Memories of Alhambra as well as watching clips of him in Extraordinary You as one of the love interests, and I fell in love with his cutesy character in this. One of my favorite couples of this drama.
And I guess I have to talk about Song too. Not that I really "cared" about her character, but I did feel bad for her husband Oh Jin Woo who felt responsible for Song's unhappiness. He is the same as Song in terms of having this evil and willing to throw anyone under the bus if he does not like them, but he did it to always protect her. He didn't care if he had to ruin Tami's reputation and career if Song would not be miserable for a day. We also learn that he had always loved her, but didn't show it knowing that his family was hurting her and her family the longer she stayed married to him. Unlike the other characters, Song and Oh Jin Woo didn't have a traditional happy ending, but the ending was open that there could be a possibility to one.

Overall, this drama took me by surprise, and I wanted to give it a 10/10 so badly, but I couldn't. Even though I loved Park Morgan and Tami's relationship, I hated how they broke up every other episode. They literally waited until the last scene for them to decide that they didn't care about the future and wanted to be together now. Given, this drama was not about the romance, it was still...painful. Yes, I would watch this drama again 100 times over, but damn...every break up hurt...all 50 of them. So no 10/10.

Ps: This drama had one of the BEST soundtracks - Elaine's Follow as well as Mamamoo's OST song, instant favorites and added to my playlist.

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I don't know what made me think this was going to be a spooky season drama about cops that hunt down ghosts that cause chaos on the subway, but I think it rooted from confusing this drama with the one I watch before - Bring It On, Ghost. Both great dramas, but both completely different. I think I found this one solely because The Rose's Woosung sang on this drama's OST, so I had to watch it in order to jam out at the end of every ep.

The drama started off with a simple mission; the subway team needed to find the Grasshoppers (who were a team of pickpockets that have never been seen) and the metro team was in charge of finding the Subway Killer (serial killer to lured individuals by stealing their wallets, contacting them to get their wallets, strangle them to death, and then hide their bodies under the seat cushions in the subway). We have the chief of the subway team - Go Ji Suk, a promising young metro officer who quit the force to solve petty crimes to help pay and take care of his mother who was diagnosed with alzheimers; and Yoo Ryung, a fiery officer trying to find a way into one of the crime unit teams to use their resources to help further the search of her twin sister who disappeared 2 years ago (and a possible victim of the Subway Killer.) Yoo Ryung finds herself joining the Subway Team as Go Ji Suk's partner, but are always at each other's throats due to their conflicting ideals.

I did love the relationship between the two mains, but I felt like Ji Suk trusted too easily and Yoo Ryung was extremely selfish and secretive. Once we find out why it is, it makes sense why she did what she did, but it was painful to watch the process of it all. I must say though, once everything comes together and Ji Suk connected all the dots, there is a touching scene of him sticking up for her. It was my favorite scene in the whole drama.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching this drama. It surprised me how light and comedic is was in the beginning, and how dark it got whenever they got a clue about the Subway Killer. The drama only got better and better as it went on. The only thing that I wasn't a fan of, was that even though the drama took a dark turn, the relationship between Ji Suk and Yoo Ryung was very...PG...or really G rated throughout the drama. They did have some moments, but if you are wanting to watch a romance drama, it wasn't very satisfying. Yes, we get the happily ever after between the mains, but instead of a huge love gesture at the end...it was more like, the mains finally agreed to go out. It makes sense why it ended the way it did (given Yoo Ryung and all the stuff she needed to figure out before thinking about a romance), but I am very content with how Ji Suk came through, once he figured out Yoo Ryung and why she did what she did in the past. I wasn't in love with the characters in this drama (they were both extreme people on opposite sides,) but I did enjoy how the writer made them come together with both unexpected and tragic backstories, that were completely different, but somehow, the experiences they both went through made them into similar people.

Also, I was in love with how dark the drama was as well as it kept you guessing on who the killer was. Once you think you know, they throw in another curve ball. It was a little messy at times and there seemed to be a few plot holes, but overall, I was very entertained and I loved how everything made sense at the end. I almost want to rewatch this whole drama again, to see if I could figure out from the get go, just by the obvious clues they do give you, that I missed the first time, who the killer was. PS, I thought it was a little worth mentioning, but even though he messed up one time and I apologize for thinking you were the killer (in the beginning), Kim Woo Hyuk was kind of bae. After no one wanted to help Yoo Ryung find her missing sister, he decided to break the rules in order to help her. Unfortunately, Yoo Ryung had already made up her mind on him 2 years prior when his partner, Ha Ma Ri, wouldn't help her with her sister's disappearance. And speaking of Ha Ma Ri (as well as looking at all the comments and reviews, who all seem to have a similar view point), I am not sure if it is all the roles that she plays, but I am not a fan of any of Jung Yoo Jin's characters. She always plays this second lead (from the dramas I have seen) who somehow believes she always has the upper ground and does not let anyone forget it. In this drama, she was a great detective, but had had zero empathy towards people and she followed EVERYTHING by the book in order to impress her mother, the director. Unfortunately, her mother always seemed to admire great cops who showed empathy towards people - Ji Suk when he decided to take a demotion in the beginning of his prime in order to be there for his mother and Yoo Ryung, who decided in the middle of the Grasshopper investigation (if they followed, they could have caught them) to save a baker's son who had been kidnapped. Plus, Ha Ma Ri, after 2 years, still was hung up on Ji Suk and made missions personal when she saw his relationship with Yoo Ryung. I think that was one of the better scenes, when Yoo Ryung and Ji Suk switched partners during an investigation and we saw how Yoo Ryung effected Ji Suk in terms of what truly mattered during an investigation. He noticed it and so did Ha Ma Ri, and it was a turning point fo everyone.

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This drama caught me off guard; I didn't think that I would love this drama as much as I did. As weird as it is to say out loud (or write it in a review on a well known public website), I was so invested in this drama, that I would dream about it at night (continuing where I left off) so when I woke up in the morning, I forgot where I really left off and what I made up. It's never happened before, so it was a weird experience. I thought this was going to be a cute drama to fill the time - I was on vacation in Indonesia during October, so I spent my Spooky Season in 90 degree weather, and I desperately wanted to watch all my Spooky Season dramas when I came back. Regardless if Spooky Season was over. I wanted my ghost dramas! And yes, this drama was extremely cute, but it was so much more. Actually, I thought this drama was so well done that 50% of it was a cute and silly story about a "ghost" and human learning to to trust one another as well as let other in (and fall in love of course) and the other 50% was them fighting "bad ghosts" together, and let me tell you, whoever did their make up deserves all the awards. I liked how light this drama was when it was about the two mains and their friends, but when they would start ghost hunting, the drama got extremely dark and a little terrifying. I honestly think I teared up a couple of times because the writer really went into the story of each of the ghosts they hunted and overall helped move on to the other side. It was a story about understanding other people and letting others in as well as finding out who you were vs who you wanted to be. Also, the villain in this story was wilding out the whole drama, but you couldn't help (I couldn't help) feeling bad for him. Especially at the end of the drama, it made me sad how everything happened to him to get him to the place he was.

But as much as I loved this drama (and the HUGE, but obvious, twist in episode 10/11), there were little things here and there that annoyed me. I said before that 50% was silly and the other 50% was terrifying ghost hunting, but around a good 80% of the first 50, was a lot of filler. The drama was about Bong Pal, the human who could see and hunt ghosts for cash, and Hyun Ji, a ghost who teams up with Bong Pal to pay off a small debt, BUT it was also about Cheon Sang and In Rang's desire to have a successful exorcist business, Seo Yeon's crush on her professor Hye Sung while rejecting Bong Pal's advances, Joo Hye Sung being hella sketchy; and finally Monk Myung Chul trying to solve the mystery of Bong Pal's father's disappearance. Honestly, there was too much going on and so many people to follow, when all I wanted was to see Bong Pal and Hyun Ji's story progress and maybe some minor scenes from everyone else. I eventually got used to Cheon Sang and In Rang's airheadedness, but they really didn't need all those random scenes. Also, there was too much of Hye Sung. I didn't care for her or her little story. She was not a strong character and did not understand why Bong Pal was super obsessed with her. I didn't the vibe that Bong Pal was attracted to only looks, so it confused me that he was into her. She had zero personality. I did, however, love all the scenes with Professor Hye Sung. He was the perfect combination of good and evil. Along with all the filler, I felt like it also had a lot to do with how the main characters were smart people, but THEY NEVER CONNECTED ANY DOTS. I guess it added to the plot that these were normal people who never jumped to conclusions...except for the few times when Bong Pal did with Hyun Ji cause of his trust issues and a secret hatred for ghosts. But there were some scenes where I was like, come on...so and so is literally telling you what to do. Do it. The WHOLE drama was literally about finding this object that will literally kill the evil, so why aren't you using it and just staring while hella people are dying!!? The final battle scene was obviously not up to my standards. But I think the one thing that bothered me the most was the off and on of Bong Pal and Hyun Ji's romance. Once it started, it was amazing, but of course there were going to be people who would tell them that it was impossible which ultimately planted a seed of doubt. First it was Hyun Ji, but whenever she had any doubt, Bong Pal stepped up and was absolutely perfect, but eventually Hyun Ji needed to figure herself out before she could fully let Bong Pal in. Then once she solved her internal struggle, Bong Pal started to battle his. At least with his it was short, but I was annoyed. Like that was the one thing I loved about Bong Pal - how much he loved Hyun Ji and how he would never let her go, even when she left. Homie looked for her day and night until he got sick and still looked for her, and then all of a sudden, he just gives up because someone told him the same thing someone else told her in the beginning. He already knew this information, but all of sudden when he is finally able to break through a little, he stops. Plus, with Bong Pal, it doesn't happen once...it's happens twice. After, when it seems like they are unbreakable, there is an unfortunate incident, and he shuts everyone out, but especially Hyun Ji, for really no logical reason. And he SHUTS HER OUT. It is heartbreaking and I disliked how it literally took something terrible to happen to her for him to snap out of it and act like he wasn't a huge butt. Those are the things I dislike in dramas, this back and forth, hurting the other person instead of talking it out. If ya'll decide to break things off after that, then do that. Relationships are between two people, so one person shouldn't make a decision and implement it without the other's knowledge of the situation. Maybe this drama was too young for me, or maybe I am just a grandma. But I guess a good thing about this drama is that when these scenes happened, the recovery time was appropriately quick instead of lasting a few episodes.

Overall, I think this drama is def my favorite Spooky Time drama and will 100% be on my list next Halloween. Even though there were little things here and there that I didn't like, overall, the drama was unexpectedly really good and the ending is super sweet (even if we have no idea if she recovered her memories or not).

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I don't know how to start this review. I originally started this drama way back in January, on the first night I officially moved into my cousin and I's first apartment in Newark. Technically, she had officially moved in, and I was camping out in her room until the next day when my bed was supposed to come. Earlier that day, we had dinner at BJ's where we were talking about the dramas that we were currently watching - I was probably behind on watching My Mr. Mermaid (which she had recommended to be previously, and I have still yet to finish) and she started telling me about this show called Sweet Dreams that was way different than any drama she had watched before.

Sweets Dreams follows a young girl, a recent college graduate who studied veterinary science, named Ling Lingqi (QiQi). After having one of the most happiest days of her life where she thought she knew what love was, her boyfriend dropped her off and told her that he was in love with someone else and took off. Qi Qi was crushed until a mysterious man gave her a bouquet of flowers with an encouraging note from a place called FlowerPlus. After this incident, she found out that Bo Hai, the CEO of FlowerPlus was the mysterious man on the street that day and decided that she was going to become a florist and make him fall in love with her. But year after year she gets rejected from the florist internship program at FlowerPlus. It isn't until one day when they post a position for a sales associate at one of their flower shops that Qi Qi finally has a chance to get her foot in the door, even a little one, to prove that she is a great florist. During this time, Qi Qi is trying to make extra money and decides to test this new Sweet Dreams bracelet which is supposed to help her sleep, but what she doesn't know is that her bracelet is faulty and actually connects her with someone else wearing the bracelet and they are put into a dream together. At first, when she meets Bo Hai in her dream, she thinks that it is a sign that she will do great things at the company, but when she starts to dream about him over and over again, she realizes that there is more going on. In fact, she finds out that Bo Hai also is testing the Sweet Dreams bracelet, but unlike her, he remembers the dreams, but doesn't remember her face. We also find out that Bo Hai was given the bracelet from one of his friends because he has issues sleeping and thinks that this bracelet will help him as well as reduce anxiety. But Bo Hai is a complex character. After a traumatic childhood which left him an orphan, whenever Bo Hai gets extremely stressed, he becomes colorblind for a random amount of time. It could last a few minutes to a few weeks at a time. We also learn that whenever Bo Hai stresses about something, it reflects in his dreams. After a few dreams, Qi Qi realizes that this dragon that keeps trying to hurt Prince Bo Hai (the first series of dreams is fairy-tail themed) must symbolize something and she decides to to step in and be Bo Hai's knight in shining amour, and soon realizes, when the "monster" is defeated in his dreams, so does the "monster" in his real life. This continues on until the moment Qi Qi finally meets Bo Hai in person and realizes that he isn't the sweet and charming prince from their dreams, a cold boss who only seems to have a healthy relationship with his work.
The series continues with Qi Qi and Bo Hai getting to know one another and honestly just taking on the world together. It is a rocky start to say the least and it doesn't get better for a while and Bo Hai did test my nerves A LOT, but honestly they are the definition was fated love.

I was going back and forth between giving this series a 4 and a 5. I watched this show religiously back in January when I first started it that night. I would come back from work and just plop down at the dinner table and just watch as much as I could. I think I made it to episode...35 until I stopped watching because of two reasons. 1) I didn't want this show to end. It was so unique than any other Chinese drama I have ever watched before. Honestly, usually Chinese dramas have a lightness to them. Even when something crazy is happening, it isn't too crazy. You actually see crazier plots in Korean dramas and I think Sweet Dreams was a nice median of the two cultures. Which feeds into the second reason. 2) My roommate had binge watched the hell out of this drama. She was obsessed. Which meant that she needed to talk to someone about it...which meant I got spoilers. I knew that around the time that the two mains finally got together, they would soon break up because of this CRAZY insane plot point which reminded me of something crazy I would see in a Korean drama. And after this crazy plot point, something inside Bo Hai just broke and he was never the same after. I was scared by this. I had finally watched 35 episodes of this drama and finally the two mains got together and after 2 or 3 eps, it would just end. I couldn't deal. So I stopped watching for about 2 months and watched a bunch of other dramas. I always had Sweet Dreams in the back of my mind because Qi Qi and Bo Hai went through so much and I wanted to see how everything ended; how they would somehow find each other again and defeat the monster of the world together. So I started watching it again and after...a few episodes, my roommate decided to tell me that there was this WILD ending and knowing myself...I needed to know what happened and she wasn't telling me anything. Which is at that moment that I got into my head and thought...someone must have died at the end. There is no way that anything else could be as wild as that, and when she didn't respond to me...I just knew. Not saying that this did or did not happen, but the ending reminded me of Love @ Seventeen. That's all I'm saying.

Honestly, this drama really messed me up. I even lost sleep over it which wild and the moment you know that you are way too deep. After thinking about it, there has only been one other drama that I was completely messed up after...and it was Boys Over Flowers (the Korean adaptation of Meteor Garden.) Even thought I gave that show a 4/5, I was completely invested that I watched all 40-50 something episodes over the course of a week...and that is literally all I did. That show messed me up that I needed to watch more and more and once it was done....I didn't know what to do with my life. That series was wild and emotional af. Much like that show, the characters played a huge part in it being emotional. I am not going to lie, there was a love hate relationship between me and the two mains. In the beginning, Qi Qi was this annoying lovesick girl who was honestly wilding out over this guy that she made up in her head. She had her moments when she found out that Bo Hai was a jerk and she decided to show him that she was a smart and passionate person and was actually a boss at her job. When FlowerPlus was in trouble when their rose shipments were lesser quality, and people were trying to sue the company, Qi Qi came out of it all and told everyone that she would personally make everyone's valentines day bouquets without the roses, but be just as romantic. She basically saved his ass and all while she only trying to prove to herself that she was passionate about her job and not because she wanted to prove to him and she was good enough. I think I liked how Qi Qi matured over the course of this series. I love when Qi Qi is romantic, but I also love when she is a boss ass bitch and saving Bo Hai's booty. Bo Hai on the other hand...oh man...he tested me. Don't get me wrong, I understand why Bo Hai is the way he is. He had a really tragic backstory and an enemy from his past that would not give up trying to bring him and his company down. That was literally what this show about about besides the romance. It was about this villain who would just not leave Bo Hai alone and honestly did some CRAZY stuff to try and ruin him. Bo Hai, instead of trying to open himself up to love or any form of relationship with anyone, he was incredibly rude to everyone. Once he meets Qi Qi, he starts to open up little by little and then close up completely again, and then little by little. I understand his fears, and towards the end, Bo Hai realizes that these things make him weak, but the thing I didn't like about Bo Hai is that even though he knew he was being weak and he hated himself for being weak, he did nothing about it. He would rather run away and hate himself for being weak, than try to find the courage to at least try to solve the issue at hand. I mean, he comes around eventually, but it takes him a WHILE. At some point, I just really wanted them to be together because I don't think there would be anyone else in their world that would be able to put up with either one of them.

After finishing off this series, I would say that this is definitely one of my favorites. This drama makes you feel every kind of emotion possible and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Especially the last episode with that WILD ending. I hated it, but I also thought it was perfect.

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Believe me, I love manga as much as the next person, especially romance. I also LOVE when they create "live-action" dramas from manga as I have loved all the other adaptions I've watched. But this one. Not my cup of tea. I never read the manga and went into this blind, but knew it was one of the top anticipated adaptations this fall. My roommate and I binged all 10 episodes in one go and it was a funny watch as everything Fukami said to Risa could have come off romantic (the way she took it) or...something one would say before he killed you. We found ourselves asking questions back and forth, "if you dated a guy and he said that to you, what would you do?" which were mostly answered with "run." 5 stars was being generous, but because it entertained us and because I do like the actor who plays Fukami, I will be generous. Maybe it is just the lead actress - I have not liked her in any of the dramas she has been in, that I have watched. Not sure if it is her, or the rolls she picks. But every roll she has played, I have no enjoyed her character. I wasn't sure if we were supposed to connect or feel for her character because I did not. Maybe if she had some character development, she would have been bearable, but literally...she started off as an insecure college student with no love, to an insecure college student who found love, but not for herself. Fukami was borderline creepy and possessive, but I guess it is very much a Christian Grey character who went through SOME development.

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Well, at least it was better than the first? But still just meh. At the end of season one, Chu Xia had been tricked during her college's campus beauty contest and was kidnapped, while a familiar face is introduced this season, Han Qi Lu's ex, Xiang Man Kui. This season, Chu Xia is finally comfortable in her own skin and knows her worth, and has no time for BS. Han Qi Lu now struggles this season know that he knows he likes Chu Xia and finally knows he has to put in an effort to try to win her over (none of this random confession bull in the middle of arguments) as well as trying to figure out his feelings for Xiang Man Kui. I did enjoy in this one that he always knew that he liked Chu Xia, and only wanted Xiang Man Kui is just a friend (after Chu Xia told him that it wasn't healthy to hold a grudge against her), but I also hated that Han Qi Lu was ignorant of the fact of how Chu Xia might feel about his relationship with her. I mean Han Qi Lu is just an oblivious guy so I didn't expect much from him, which is why he was so low on my "suitor" list in my last review, but I thought he was have a little common sense. Chu Xia is a nice girl who puts everyone's happiness in front of her own - When Xiang Man Kui came back, she saw how much she was struggling and how she used to be in Chu Xia's shoes, the Han family taking care of her when her family died. She struggled with not wanting to help Xiang Man Kui, afraid that Han Qi Lu and her would rekindle their romance, but knowing that she couldn't be selfish. But I also don't blame Chu Xia for being in a terrible way - Han Qi Lu gave her ZERO confirmation that him and he was not into Xiang Man Kui. To me, it is like if some guy tells me they like me, but out of nowhere their first love comes back and they start hanging out at school and after school and they start to extend invites to me to hangout with them and during those hangouts, they treat you like a third wheel. Then the guy getting mad at me, when I start to decline hangouts. But the one thing I hated to most, was when people confronted Han Qi Lu about it and asked who he liked, and he couldn't answer. If you can't answer that simple question, you have no right to get mad at Chu Xia for not wanting to be on a threesome date and wanting to hangout with her friends. Regardless if she is hanging out with other guys, at least she had the audacity to tell them that she didn't like them and that they were only friends. It wasn't fair for Chu Xia always having to explain herself and go out of her way to tell Han Qi Lu not to worry because she didn't like people more than friends, but he couldn't do the same for her.

Also, I think I am also a little bias because I am not a fan of the actress who plays Xiang Man Kui, Yang Zhi Ying. And it is nothing personal against her. I just feel that she pops out of nowhere in dramas I watch, and I just dislike her characters. In The Brightest Star In The Sky, she played Kexin, who just did not get a clue when Boxu did not like her, but she still bothered him acting like she was going to get a proposal. Then against in My Amazing Boyfriend 2, Bai Lu, being this emotionless character who was obviously a spy for an organization that was bad news, and knew about it, but played along because she was in love with the organizer. Yes, she always seems to redeem herself at the end, including this one, but I hated the journey to get there. In this drama, in the first season, she seemed like the perfect girlfriend to Han Qi Lu, until the day she just disappeared on him, but in this season we learn a lot more about her and about her departure. We also learn that she is willing to do anything to get Han Qi Lu back into her life.

Even though I said that this drama was the better than the first, I gave it the same review because of the ending. Not to spoil anything, but I would like to let everyone know what they are getting into before they watch this. If you want to watch 2 seasons, 23 eps a piece, around 20-25 minutes long, about a boy and a girl finally admitting to one another that they like one another, than this is for you. No, "I love you" or "I want to be with you forever" or "marry me?" Nope, just a "I like you," and then end credits. Like....really? cool. So now what? Everything that caused issues in the beginning of the ep haven't been solved. Also, the reason to chase after her at the end was because you found out that she made a deal to save your family from bankruptcy...like she hadn't been helping you with the issue in little ways throughout season two. Did you not...care? Side note, one of the things I hated about Han Qi Lu is how he ALWAYS went to Xiang Man Kui when he needed help with his family business or he just needed someone to hangout with or talk to, but got mad when Chu Xia didn't go to him for the same thing. Such a double standard, there is no way I would have fallen in love with Han Qi Lu.

But I would have to change my list now. I mean for obvious reasons too without spoiling anything. Honestly, the only two people that could be on my list are Han Qi Lu and Ling Han Yu. I do love Feng Shao, but he made it 100% clear that he was completely over Chu Xia when he started to date another girl in season one, and seems head over heels for her even though we only see her in random scenes. It also seemed that Han Qi Lu's only competition this season would be Jiang Chen Chuan, but for obvious reasons, that would never work out. Honestly, poor Jiang Chen Chuan. He was head over heels for Chu Xia, and would have made a much better boyfriend, but that is a bridge that could never morally be crossed. Such a weird twist. Wasn't expecting it at all. As for Ling Han Yu, he kind of disappeared this season, but when he was around, he had completely accepted the fact that Chu Xia would not chose him and would try to help out his boy Han Qi Lu and Chu Xia be together. Such a homie, and more of a dreamboat than Han Qi Lu.

This drama was needed though. After watching so many dramas, I have found patterns and differences between Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese dramas as well as the big budget dramas vs webdramas. I am sure that there are so much different genres in this drama universe as well, but I have found little charms in each of these sub genres and a webdrama is always a great cure after a big budget.

Would I rewatch this drama? Nah. Would I recommend it? Probably not. Was it needed as a simple and cute filler drama? Yea.

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I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. It was just a solid, "I liked that" drama. I was a little iffy after they recast the main characters, but honestly, Mike and Esther did a fantastic job playing the two mains and keeping that original essence that we saw in season 1. One of the things I didn't love about this drama was seeing Tian Jing Zhi struggle with her love for Xue Ling Qiao and ultimately self sabotaging herself. I totally get it to an extent - homeboy left her at the end of season one and there was nothing that would make him stay, but he ended up moving in across the street when he finds out she is pregnant. Plus he wasn't all that "upfront" when his love for her evolved and he wanted to stay for her as well. I get it to an extent why it was harder for her to open up and accept any love from him because he left once before. But literally this drama dragged on for so long that I needed to take break after break. Nothing was happening and I was only watching his drama to see when Xue Ling Qiao would just put his foot down and confess. I also watched to see my two favorite side characters which I will not name because both actually played a HUGE part in this whole drama. One ended up being the villain (we don't find out who it is until the last 5 episode, but it was so obvious in the beginning) and one ended up sacrificing themselves to save Xue Chang'an. They were my favorites because they were both given backstories that were super emotional. It was the reason why I couldn't hate the dark coated villain in this drama; they had such a tragic backstory and death in their human life and all they wanted was some kind of redemption from it and after hundreds of years, they got lost and went down a dark path. But I don't think you were supposed to dislike anyone in this drama. I feel like this drama was filmed and written as if it were through the eyes of Tian Jing Zhi - over the top, fun, silly, sad and angry at times, but learn to forgive. I didn't hate this drama, but I didn't love it. It felt like it just dragged on and it made me dislike Tian Jing Zhi as a character. There were a few grouped episodes at the end that I really liked her in once she was serious, but then the last two episodes showed a 3 year time jump and...she was back to her annoying self. Plus because there were so many episodes, a lot of situations were dragged out and fully explained in 2 or 3 episodes. But then you get the final 2 episodes that were extremely rushed and the one wedding scene that I basically watched this whole series to see...wasn't satisfying. Such as, before the time jump there were still a few issues that hadn't been solved and weren't until exactly 3 years later and we have no idea how they were solved, but they just were. An example being, the death of my favorite character. When they died, it took 2 or 3 episodes for everyone to mourn them...including me...I was very upset, but then RANDOMLY in the final episode he gets brought back to life. No explanation how it was possible after 3 years. Happy they brought them back, but upset how they went about it. Actually the last 2 episodes, I was upset how they went about it all. The only thing that redeemed it whatsoever was the final, final episode of the drama. It was quirky and cute and very My Amazing Boyfriend.

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This was a VERY simple drama. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. I was entertained, yet it was something I've already seen before. I was expecting this drama was amazing chemistry and what I got was just meh. I wasn't a huge fan of these characters - I am glad that they both went through some character development. Jung Rok started off as this grouchy guy who never smiled and let anyone in until he fell in love with Yoon Seo and honestly became this dorky person who liked to incorporate his knowledge on the law to crack jokes. Yoon Seo on the other hand developed into a more mature person who stood up for herself more. She still remained quirky and loud, but now she could share her quirkiness with a dork. I wanted more chemistry between the characters because they had worked with one another before, but maybe it was just their acting that threw me off. Jung Rok literally had zero emotions throughout this drama so you had no idea what he was thinking or feeling, and I felt Yoon Seo's pain whenever she was conflicted about Jung Rok's feelings. I loved when Jung Rok became this complete dork around Yoon Seo, but his character tested me a little bit. I understand why he felt the need to break things off with her (because he loved her and didn't want their relationship to be the scandal that ruins her comeback), but he broke up with her in such a confusing and heartbreaking way and then continued to be a dick to her whenever she tried to reach out. Then we had the make-up scene which wasn't satisfying whatsoever. All I have to say about this relationship is that Jung Rok is one lucky guy to have a girl that loved him so much even after all the harsh things he said to her after the break up. verall, I wasn't super sold with the main characters, but for the simple drama it was (compared to the last dramas I have seen that have been intense af) it was really cute and charming and dorky. I think I was disappointed because I expected this amazing drama because of all the hype around it, but it was just another drama that didn't have any new element to it. Plus, I "like" how the drama seemed to be slow to some extent and then literally the last 10 minutes of the last episode jumped around from one day to the next as if it was trying to rush everything before the ending. Which is something I didn't enjoy because we had a whole episode where they were trying to spend their last 20 hours together before she would be traveling internationally for her drama. PLUS, I "love" how they were so sad about her traveling as if she was going to be gone for a a few months to a year yet, it was literally a week that she would be gone. Their romance was cute, don't get me wrong, but they both were way to obsessed with the other. Then we get an ending that we are supposed to be satisfied with - literally the reason why they broke up in the first place. Yoon Seo and Jung Rok made their couple debut and literally no one cared like they thought they were going to. It was very...anti-climatic. I am happy that they were able to debut as a couple...but this was the huge plot point in their relationship where Jung Rok was told that if they did, her reputation would be dragged through the dirt and went as far as breaking her heart to protect her...but literally no one cared at the end and it seemed like such an unnecessary plot point. Like they both should have known better.

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This drama is basically about how two people fueled by revenge fall in love with one another, but have to make the decision of what their revenge will cost them and if it is worth it in the end.

And this drama is so hard to watch for that reason.

At first, when I watched this drama, everyone seemed to have a double and it was hard to figure out what was going on. Such as how Jocelyn's mentor and friend at Fancy looks identical to James's cousin and still to this day, I can't tell them apart. I also got James's step mom and Gao Hui confused for such a long time as well as James's mother and Jocelyn's mother who look nothing alike, but I still got them confused. So for a solid few episodes, I thought that James and Jocelyn were secret siblings, and how he thought that his mother was dead, but was actually alive and hidden away by his step mother (so she could marry into the family) and lived with her daughter Jocelyn which a brain injury. You can tell that I have been watching way too many dramas. But the idea wasn't so far-fetched. I came up with the idea because his step mother seemed to know something that no one else does and she is connected to both James and Jocelyn. Instead, we finally figure out that James's step mother who he hates with a passion and is seeking revenge against, is Jocelyn's blood related aunt (sisters with her mother) who she loves deeply because she basically raised her as her own daughter. Which....will cause a lot of issues at the end. Or...the beginning -

This drama opens up episode 1 with a scene from the present at James's and Jocelyn's engagement ceremony. After walking across the stage, James announces to everyone that Jocelyn and his step mother have been scheming to take down the company from the inside for years and how they should both be fired and hates Jocelyn with every inch of his being and how she is a shitty designer. We get zero context about what happened and a few minutes later, we are taken back to the past 8 months prior where their romance began in Thailand. So now we know that all the episodes that lead up to this broken engagement is the past, and the viewer already know what this huge plot point is going to be which will happen around ep 34/35.

And to be honest, I kind of HATE knowing about the broken engagement from the beginning. It makes watching this drama super cringy. We know that the broken engagement will come from James finding out before their engagement ceremony Jocelyn's relationship to his step mother. Also, just watching the past 32 episodes is cringy and stressful because when they are together, they whisper these sweet things to one another such as James saying that she is his everything and nothing in their world will tear them apart or make him fall out of love with her...yet...we all know that there is something that will make James think it is okay to put Jocelyn on BLAST at their engagement ceremony. To be honest, I kind of hate both mains in this drama...actually...that is a lie. I hate everyone in this drama and it is soooooo hard to figure out who's side to be on. I hate Guo Hui because she is obsessed with James and thinks that Jocelyn broke them up and got engaged to him to prove that she is better than her, even though James and her never dated and only pretended to be somewhat close to try and sell their "love" collection. That is one of the reasons why I hate James too, he doesn't have the guts to stand up for Jocelyn whenever Guo Hui is making her life hell. But going back to Guo Hui, ever since the beginning at the competition where her mother had to sabotage Jocelyn in order for Guo Hui to win, Guo Hui HATES Jocelyn. Even though Hui Hui was brought up with a silver spoon, a perfect family, and every opportunity handed to her, when she sees her half sister becoming a great designer from the ground up, everything is thrown out the window and Hui Hui wants to completely and fully ruin Jocelyn's life. Honestly, even though Jocelyn's mom has the EQ of an 8 year old, she still acts more mature than Hui Hui. Which makes it so hard for me as a viewer to want to root for Yu Yi who is completely in love with Hui Hui. I also know because of his love for her, he is going to sacrifice revenge to do anything Hui Hui asks him to do.

Jocelyn is a badass designer, such as QiQi was in Sweet Dreams whenever she would focus on her work and not follow Bo Hai like a little puppy dog, but that is where the similarities end. I think Jocelyn is becoming a great designer through her experiences and the people she is meeting, but she is sooooo deep in revenge that she is willing to give up anything to prove her mom is innocent, which includes her career and her relationship with James. At around ep 32, after so much back and forth with their relationship, they are finally at a place where they are completely honest with one another except for Jocelyn not telling him her relationship with his step mother. Believe me, she wants to tell him their relationship, but she is so scared that he'll hate her if she tells him. It has nothing to do with the secret benefiting her and her revenge plan, but of course, when he finds out their relationship in the next few eps, he will think that. I think that Jocelyn is a little bit of a coward when it comes to love, and she is definitely putting her revenge above everything else, including her love for James. That is why I dislike Jocelyn and it is so hard for me to root for her. I want her to succeed in her plans to find justice for her mother, but it is so hard to follow her because she is wild when it comes to her revenge. There are so many times when I get annoyed because something will effect James if she goes through with it.

James on the other hand I dislike for different reasons. Even though James is fueled for revenge for his mother, you can see that he will never put anyone he loves in the crossfire and if he does, it is a complete accident where he didn't think of all the different avenues it could backfire. He is very prideful and emotional as well. He basically wears all his emotions on his sleeve which is honestly terrifying. If he is mad, he goes full on beast mode and throws a tantrum (such as his reaction at the engagement party). If he is in love, he will act like a complete goober. If he is jealous, he will mope around and throw a fit. Basically, he believes that his feelings are completely justified and whatever emotion comes out during the time of an event is the correct emotion and he should amplify it 100000%. I think a lot of the men in this drama are honestly very aggressive while the women are all very good at scheming, and it honestly makes me extremely nervous. Of course everything will be blown out of proportion when you have men who don't think before they act and women who think that everything bad that happens to them is because another woman is scheming against them.

It makes it super hard to watch this drama, especially when one plot point can take 4 episodes to completely ride out the idea and still NOTHING major happens. It is a lot of fluff at times and all I want as a viewer to get to the engagement scene already and see how the two mains will somehow get back together and see if it is actually realistic.

Now if you have stayed with me this whole time and are actually reading this right now, I think this drama is worth the watch. Yes the episodes leading up to the engagement scene were cringy to watch because you didn't believe all the sweet things James told Jocelyn about trusting her and loving her, but it adds so much to the episodes after. After the engagement, we see a shift in everyone's character. Jocelyn realizes what her revenge cost her and knows what she did was wrong, but she also knows that if James loved her like he said he did, he would have sought out the truth and realize that she didn't do what he accused her of. Regardless, she now wants to live a simple life with her mother away from everyone, now that she has lost the two things she loves (James and 1 other thing that I will not spoil). James is James and starts to act out as James does, but it is a lot worse because he is still in love with Jocelyn yet doesn't want to be because of something he found out that he thinks is the truth. But once they are back in each other's lives, it is a very bumpy start, but once James finds out the truth, this drama finally became something I wanted to watch. All the bull crap from before became worth the watch, to see James realize he was completely wrong and needed to change in order to get the love of his life. After that point, they become relationship goals. Jocelyn remains very calm and very determined to reach her goals, while James turns into this completely different person. James ended up mellowing out and because of the past he has completely opened his heart and 100% puts his trust in Jocelyn. It was amazing and heartwarming to see them actually open up and talk things out with one another especially when it came to her mom getting justice from Hui Hui and her mother. They both became mature and actually smart with their plans. James and Jocelyn now share a common goal instead of their separated revenge.

This drama has such a great ending - the only thing that didn't make me give this a 10/10 was because the episodes before the drama made me cringe and dislike all the characters. I believe that I only started liking the mains was after the engagement when they both got a big slap to the face and realized that both of their actions were unacceptable.

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Light & Fun

This film came out of nowhere - I got a notification from Netflix saying they think I would enjoy it, so I put it on last night and it did not disappoint. Given, I didn't have high expectations of it, but I still had a good time watching it.

It has a basic and simple plot, with an adventure twist with monsters. Both the mains were mediocre people - a small-time monster hunter, trying to live up to his famous monster-hunting brother's name and a girl who was thought to be insane for being the only person who could see monsters but ended up being super powerful and the next gatekeeper. Together, they try to survive the next 3 days until Ji Wei's powers settle into her body and she takes on her new role.

The film was only an hour and 45 minutes, so I didn't expect a lot of world-building and expected the relationship between the two mains to be instant through a quick montage. But I will say those were my two favorite things about this film. For as much world-building that they did give us, it was pretty. I applaud whoever decided on how to build the sets - especially the labyrinth tunnel. The colors were all super vibrant, and I was pulled in. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Meng Ge and Ji Wei, even though it seemed more like an older brother looking out for a younger sister relationship. I was a little disappointed as I wanted more emotion from Ji Wei because I didn't know how she would have acted in certain situations. I would like to think that she is a brave soul and fights for the people she trusts, but she gave up super quickly when she was "given" the chance to have a normal life. It kind of made it come off like Ji Wei was very young and was put in an adult situation, but in what Ji Wei lacked, Meng Ge made up for, which is why I really liked his character. Even though everything was against him, he wanted to protect Ji Wei the way his older brother protected him. He was honestly the real hero of this film.

Everything with the plot was super generic and nothing special, but sometimes it is really nice watching a film that you know how it going to play out. I also really liked how it wasn't a story about normal people doing extravagant things to save the world - it was a story about 2 normal to mediocre people who even though might not have been the strongest physically, but had common sense and one another (and heart because that is always important).

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Maybe I am a fan of the actors, or maybe I am obsessed with the genre of this movie, but frankly, I loved this movie. Maybe I don't have a lot of experience with Korean drama movies, but I was entertained from start to finish. It was cheesy at times, and the Yong Hoo was wilding out for blaming his father's death solely on God, but I understand how someone's faith would waver after the death of his mother and father. Especially as a young child. And it made it seem like the darkness started "possessing" him the moment his faith wavered, whereas they started controlling his anger. So I assumed that him renewing his faith would take more than him getting this divine power to defeat demons and I am glad that it wasn't this instant thing. The actors who were possessed did an AMAZING job. That little orphan boy deserved an Oscar. Overall, I would watch it again.

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