I loved everything about this! A few weeks ago I was cruising through Viki and found this drama with great recommendations and reviews, so I started playing it and super happy I did. This drama makes you feel every emotion - you are sad and hurt one moment and then the next you are pumped, motivated, and happy! I honestly thought that this would easily be a 4/5 drama, but it went over and above. I loved the main character how regardless what was happening in her life, she knew that it is ok to be sad for a second and cry it out, but she also knew that eventually she would need to get out of that funk and work towards her happiness. Honestly, I would love to have an ounce of her positiveness and motivation. I loved her outlook in life, that no matter what happens, you can achieve anything. She had a catchphrase that she would always tell John Kim - If you are only baring it, you haven't reached your limit. That hit home for me and it is the perfect motivation booster. I loved the slow burning romance between the two mains especially when John Kim, the cool strong personal trainer guy that was a hardass with everyone, turns into this guy with this sweet middle school crush on our main girl. It was super sweet to see them interact and honestly their chemistry was through the roof. Not only was their (romance) chemistry through the roof, but I loved the chemistry overall between John Kim and his little friend group. You could tell how much love they all had for one another, especially through some VERY difficult times as you will see int he drama. I believe that one of my favorite things about dramas is not only loving the main characters, but also falling in love with the minor ones as well. I remember when I first started getting into dramas and how I fell in love with LoveO2O not only because of how much love Nai had for WeiWei, but also the love that Nai's roommates had for one another. I have yet to watch another drama where I have seen this much love and closeness between friends, until I watched this one. They had me giggling one moment and tearing up the next because of how much they support one another. But of course, like every drama, there were a few things I didn't enjoy, but try weren't enough for me to give this drama a lower score. I didn't like how John Kim had zero relationship with his step mother and half brother. Like yes, you are sad over your mother's death when you were a child, and you haven't seen your family for A WHILE, but they are family. Your stepmom just wants to be part of the family, and your half brother literally just wants to be a son and a brother. No reason for you to ignore them. Another thing I didn't like was how whenever John was at his absolute lowest points, he didn't want Kang Joo-Eun near him. I get it, he doesn't want her to see him hurting because he couldn't bare to see her cry, especially since he has been alone facing everything on his own his whole life. So I am not mad at him, but there was one scene in this drama that I wasn't super excited about and I don't know how I would have reacted if I was the main girl. The last thing I wasn't super pumped about was how we were kind of following multiple love stories, one of them involving Kang Joo-Eun's ex boyfriend of 15 years and Kang Joo-Eun's childhood friend who we believe in the beginning broke them up. I was happy they got their happily ever after, but I disliked how much the writers wanted us to care about their relationship. I'm still not sold on Kang Joo-Eun's ex boyfriend because I felt like even after he did so many things, he was forgiven automatically. He didn't do crazy things, but he helped some crazy people do them. Overall, loved this drama and I recommend this to anyone and everyone!! It's a great drama about friendship, family, romance, and finding what motivates you most in the world and using that to be the best person you can be! Honestly, it made me stop and think about myself and what I am working towards and how to get there.

Read More

This drama was nothing like I was expecting - I kept on seeing this drama advertised via instagram and it honestly made it seem like this silly drama about a celebrity and a middle/lower class woman who accidentally cross paths during an unfortunate incident (kidnapping), and while they are both trying to figure out how to explain themselves and get out of it, they learn about each other's lives and learn to step out of their boxes and realize that not everyone has it easy. That and of course, perhaps falling in love? And, we got that...but we got something so much more and different. This show actually somehow mixed to genres together - a dark story about an actual plot to kidnap and kill Kang Joon Hyuk, as well as a quirky love story. And even though I thoroughly enjoyed this drama, I didn't think that it was done the best it could have been. Maybe it was because there were only 10 episodes, or maybe it was because I felt like some parts dragged on, while other's were really quick. Also, the romance seemed a little Stockholm Syndrome-y to me, but I understand that this drama was supposed to be a funny and quirky and over the top. It was one of those dramas where you needed to accept the situation and just run with it. I loved how secretly dark this drama was, underneath all the over the top acting (which I am not complaining about, it was very fun to watch). I loved how it started off with an internal monologue from Lee Yeon Seo and how it seemed like she did have some darkness in her heart. I loved how as the drama went on, these intros to the episodes threw me off and I actually thought that Lee Yeon Seo might have had some internal darkness in her and she was going to use that somehow while "picking up a celebrity on the street." That's what I liked about this drama. It threw you off, whereas I thought for a second that I was watching the wrong drama, but then it would go into this over the top scene with a panicked Lee Yeon Seo trying to figure out how she got herself in this situation because homegirl really just was at the wrong place at the wrong time, in the wrong mindset, drunk. But later we find out that being there was actually a blessing for Kang Joon Hyuk. I think the theme to this drama was just don't misunderstand a situation - not everything is what is seems at first glance? And because of the darkness of this drama, I loved the build up in every plot, but then, once it hit it's climax, it became this huge thing, that the writers gave a silly solution to. I understand it is a write style to fit the drama, but I wasn't sold. Don't get me wrong, I loved watching this drama and I will probably watch it again, but it wasn't my favorite. To be honest, I was kind of rooting for Hwang Nam Goo at the end, but I also understand that is not how dramas work. But if there was one thing I loved about Nam Goo's part in all of this, is his compassion towards Yeon Seo, and his bromance with Joon Hyuk. The 3 of them, even though they always got into trouble, always found a quirky solution to everything. Yes, the two guys were competing for Yeon Seo, but it was kind of a cute competition. I think out of all the characters in this drama, it was Nam Goo and Mir that were my favorite. Even though Mir was a supporting role, everyone misunderstood him and he was just timid and wanted a friend in this crazy business (going back to things I loved about this drama were Yeon Seo and Joon Hyuk's friendship where she was always trying to "bring him back to Earth" and step in someone else's shoes - especially with the Mir plot) . And finally, I loved Nam Goon because he secretly went through his own character development. Like most of the characters who went through their own change, Nam Goo literally sat down and thought about how he wanted to be be a better person without anyone telling him to do so. Plus, underneath all his "annoying neighbor-ness" in the beginning, he was a compassionate person who always took care of Yeon Seo (in his own way) and when it mattered, he confessed his feelings. He deserved better.

Read More

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.

Read More

There was NEVER a dull moment in this drama. I had to give myself a few days just to recover from certain episodes because this drama HAD NO CHILL. But that isn't a bad thing. I loved everyone in this drama even though everyone was somehow associated with Jiang's murder and Ke's downfall. Plus, whenever you thought that everyone was in the clear, the drama would throw in a twist and screw you over and before you or any of the characters could recover, they would throw another twist and then another one!! NO CHILL. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and I was super stressed out because you think you figured everything out and who the murderer is, but then the show would be like...NOPE, you're wrong, nice try! I am usually not into crime dramas, but this one might actually get me into them. It was insane though how much death was in this drama and they didn't like like it was causal. Nope. They made it super intense and emotional. It made you love and hate the same character and you just sit there sad because you want your favorite character to be a homie and help the case, but instead they just wreck it. Plus, I was so right about actors who are in multiple dramas together - they have so much chemistry, you will never look at your favorite drama couple the same again. Like how my favorite drama couple was probably WeiWei and Nai from Love020 or the two mains from Strong Woman who showed those two up. But Ke and Cheng Jia Le showed up all of them!! I think it is part because they know one another and are comfortable with one another, but right from the beginning when they didn't like one another, you could see their connection. And once Cheng Jia Le gave into her love for Ke...dude...their love makes me want to believe there is someone out there for everyone and fate and destiny exists. Regardless how the world wants to break you two apart, these two loved one another so much and you could see the intimacy and love they both had for one another, especially in the INSANE plot twist that happened around ep 21 which I am STILL super salty about! Plus that insane plot twist that happened in episode 25!! Like literally the second to last episode! But the thing is...even though I was heartbroken, I understand that it was the only logical thing that could have happened to give us the AMAZING ending that we got. Honestly, this drama will go down as one of my top favorite dramas, and it is the TOP Taiwanese drama on my list.

Read More

This was a type of drama where you had to just accept it for what it was and play along with it. It was super cheesy which added to the charm. Hong Xiao Dong's character was WILD and in a normal drama, I wouldn't have liked him, but in this drama, his one-liners were really funny and dorky and I couldn't stop laughing. It was honestly the perfect cure to a stressful week of work - it was something light and silly to watch. After saying that, I gave this drama a 3/5 simply because even though the plot was actually really interesting), the execution was so random. It just didn't flow. I was super invested in the first 18 episodes because the plot was Hong Xiao Dong and Zhang Xian Ting kicking some ass. Even though they are from two different worlds, they somehow always seem to get into trouble together and helping out the two brother guards. The first half episodes were them bickering but learning how to work together and figure out why all of a sudden, when these two guards came into their time that Hong Xiao Dong now has this weird superpower to read other people's minds and turns into a different person when triggered by a sound who is a master of martial arts. These two end up falling for one another, but won't tell the other until the all to classic "someone gets really hurt" scene and that's when they feel is the appropriate time to confess their feelings. It was really cheesy...and terrible, but I was invested. Then out of nowhere, after we get some kind of hope that they will be together, the next 5-7 episodes they aren't even in!! It turns into this completely different drama where all the minor characters become mains. I did like in the first 18 ep that it was about the blossoming romance between our two mains as well as the two brothers learning more about themselves as individuals and not just their emperor's mindless guards. I would say these two pairs got equal screentime. I got invested in their characters and knew that they would kickass and save the world at the end of this drama. Nope. Instead, after this huge event which lands one of the mains in the hospital, the drama shifts, and Mo Han ends of being the main character alongside a completely new character, professor Sun Yan Jun (a childhood friend and historian) who gets introduced randomly around ep 18 and we are expected to be completely invested in his character. Ke Shang comes back and helps Sun try to figure out who the Black Suit boss is and how they are connected to the Ming Dynasty after finding out the drug that the boss uses to control the back suited bodyguards is the same that was given to brother Tian in his time. Mo Han becomes the main character and her story is just her being heartbroken after seeing Hong Xiao Dong and Ting together all the time. While Sun and Ke Shang work together on figuring out the bad guy, they are fighting against each other for Mo Han's heart while trying to comfort her. I honestly didn't like any of the side characters, except for Ke Shang simply because Professor Sun was sus and Ke Shang (was homeboy Peter) was this simple cop who was in love with a down to earth girl. The ending threw me off too. I wanted the two mains to come back and kick some ass, but instead, only Ting came back while Hong Xiao Dong was working behind the scenes (and we never saw him) we assume, kicking ass? Don't get me wrong, Ting had some awesome one-liners, but both she and Dong Xiao Dong started off this drama being badasses - Ting this reporter that would sacrifice her life to know the truth, and Dong Xiao Dong, just being a badass solving crime and defending his woman. After they disappeared, they came back and Ting never went back to her job which was supposed to be her passion in life and Dong Xiao Dong never had a cool fighting scene again!! Like what is the point of having this alter ego who was a martial arts master and never fighting? Even at the final boss battle in ep 28...he was NOWHERE. Yeah, he was given the mission to save the mayor, but no one else could have done that?? He's the main character....why wasn't he at the final battle?? But one of my favorite things about this drama was when Hong Xiao Dong found out how he was connected to his alter ego and how Zhang Xian Ting was connected to it as well, and their love story that technically survived hundreds of years. I think if this was a better drama, they could have done so much more with this romance story, but for what this show was, it was pretty damn cute.

Read More

If you like soapy dramas with every cliche imaginable...and I mean every cliche (cancer, a marriage contact, comas [yes more than one], memory loss, hypnotism, falsifying medical records, a fake death, kidnapping, a secret brother, pregnancy etc) then this show will be right up your alley. And it isn't that I didn't like it. I actually could't stop watching it and stayed up til 2am one night trying to end on a good note, but this drama would not. I wanted to like the characters, but it was so hard liking the mains.

Xia Lin is an aspiring 21 year old actress that finds out that she has leukemia after not landing a role as the spokesperson for a company. In order to receive bone marrow transplant sooner and to continue her career as an actress, Xia Lin enters into a secret marriage with Ling Yi Zhou, the CEO of a company.

That's the foundation of the drama and I thought this was going to be a cute story about two people who are using one another (Xia Lin needing a transplant to live and Ling Yi Zhou wanting a marriage to make his grandmother happy before passing) but end up falling in love. Instead we got this insane drama with everything imaginable. Which is why it was hard to like the main characters. I feel like Xia Lin's character wasn't consistent and I am 100% with Chu Yan in the beginning; why the hell does everyone like her and keep falling for her...even though he eventually fell in love with her too. Then we have Ling Yi Zhou. I wanted to like him so bad and wanted to blame his upbringing, but homeboy was a very aggressive person who will not take no for an answer. I am happy that Xia Lin called him out on it and left him until he changed. But it wasn't like he was doing it on purpose, he just didn't know that his obsessive possessive actions towards her was bad because he was never told otherwise. I honestly loved him in the beginning of the drama when they are starting off their marriage and Ling Yi Zhou was treating her like they were already in love and that they've been together for years. My favorite scene was definitely when they went out to celebrate both their birthdays. But then it started to go downhill for me liking him. Secrets come out about all the stuff he has done and it made me think that I was watching one of those "I love you, but if you don't love me, I will lock you away until you do," dramas. He redeemed himself because he wanted to be better for her, but it wasn't perfect.

One of the only characters I enjoyed in this drama was Chu Yan. I loved how this drama started off as Xia Lin and her roommate thinking that there was this love triangle between Ling Yi Zhou, his assistant Wen Li, and Chu Yan. I honestly thought that Chu Yan was a tad in love with Ling Yi Zhou, but then we find out that, that isn't the case whatsoever. The 3 of them are actually just not good with women and chose to do their own thing. I loved Chu Yan because he almost became an enemy of Xia Lin and would mess with her a little, but also protected her because she was Ling Yi Zhou's wife. The two had a rocky start, but then after seeing Xia Lin's affection towards everyone and everything including his rude ass, he fell in love with her. And at that moment, I was like...shit...poor guy. They would have made a really cute couple too because their friendship was honestly goals. They had such intimate friend scenes that I don't blame him for falling in love with her. He was her rock whenever Ling Yi Zhou did something incredibly stupid which was most of the time and every time she was in trouble, he would always be the first one to the scene, but always called Ling Yi Zhou because bros before hoes. Double plus, I loved the brotherly love Chu Yan and Ling Yi Zhou had for one another that even though Ling Yi Zhou knew that Chu Yan was in love with his wife, he never held it against him and didn't shun him. He just told him that they were brothers and regardless of what happens, they would remain close. Chu Yan went through so much character development and he honestly deserved way better. I'm writing that in my list. Yes, he found someone at the end, but it was honestly so random and happened in the last few episodes of the drama like the writers expected me to care about his new girl. Like even she knew that he was still in love with Xia Lin and then you expect me to ship them after a time jump? His character makes me want to give this drama a higher rating...and dammit...fine...I will...but only a fraction higher. I can't give it a full 4/5...but it deserves more than a 3.5. Even just writing this review, even though it wasn't the best drama I have every watched, I kind of want to watch it again because 2 times is definitely not enough.

Read More

This drama made me start to think about all the dramas I have watched in the past, especially the ones I have rated 5/5. And yesterday was the day that Xiao Nai had been overthrown by Ahn Min Hyuk as my drama boyfriend. It was a hard decision and Nai will always hold a place in my heart, but Ahn Min Hyuk was everything. He was funny and silly and when he needed to be serious, he was one of the most professional CEO I have ever seen. But most importantly, from the moment he saw Do Bong Soon, he knew that she was his soulmate. And I am not going to lie, In Guk Doo deserved sooooo much better than what he got, and I did tear up during most of his scenes towards the end when finally realized that he's always liked Do Bong Soon, but at that point, she was already in love with another man. It was heartbreaking, and I want him to find his happily ever after, but he can't have Do Bong Soon because her and Anh Min Hyuk were soulmates. After I finished binge watching this drama, I went into this little depression knowing that I had to say goodbye to perfect Anh Min Hyuk. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE deserves to find someone like him in their lives. Yes, he was a little childish at some points, but it added to his charm. He was who is was because of a broken family, and once he found out what real love was, he didn't want to let go. He was super extra and honestly an amazing hype-man and I mean all of this in a good way. I've watched dramas where there has been a dramatic and extra character that I found annoying, but I don't know if it was because of the writing or the actor, but I didn't find this character annoying whatsoever and thought it added to his charm. Also, you knew how in love he was with Bong Soon. It wasn't a fall hard fast and get bored with you in a few months or years. Anh Min Hyuk, solely based off of the looks he would give her...it was EVERYTHING. You could read him like a book. He was so in love with Bong Soon. Plus, the things he would say to her when they were alone were super romantic and he opened up his entire soul to her. I still remember, and cried, the words he spoke when he asked for her father's permission to marry her. When he asked Min Hyuk what he liked about his daughter, he said something so simple, yet so moving. That he loved her because she was simply Do Bong Soon. "The feeling that I only exist when she does, and I don't if she doesn't." Yes...I am super deep in this korean drama hole, but honestly, I don't care. And yes, it sounds super extra and cheesy, but after watching this drama, I fully believe him with my entire soul. Throughout this whole drama, he gave her his entire soul and even knowing that she had this super strength, he still told her that he would protect with with his entire being, either be emotionally or physically. And let me tell you, homeboy kicks some serious ass. He shines in multiple, different ways in this drama. And don't be fooled - he is not all talk.

I also believe that this drama has some of the most emotional scenes in any drama I have ever watched, including a lot of american dramas. There is one scene in particular (ep 14), it was super heartbreaking, where he did everything in his power to try to save her and when he failed, he didn't run away to try and save himself. He still tried to emotionally comfort her and told her that she was not alone and he wouldn't leave her side. And I wish I could tell you more about this scary af scene that broke my heart but also showed me what being completely in love with someone looks like, but it would spoil how raw this scene was.

Honestly, I am super jealous of everyone who hasn't seen this drama yet because the moment you do, you will experience everything in this show for the first time. You will fall in love with Min Hyuk for the first time. You will experience hating Buk Doo and then learning to love him. You will experience Bong Soon's struggle with learning how to love herself and learning that she wasn't born with a curse, but a gift. And you will experience how fucked up the villain of this drama was. Such a solid villain - one thing that can make or break a story is a villain.

I loved how the romance in this drama did take up a chunk of the story line, but it wasn't the main plot of the drama. I loved how this was a coming to age story for Bong Soon about learning how to love herself and loving her gift. There was this emotional and powerful scene with Bong Soon and her mother and grandmother and they talked about how the women were gifted with this strength because they are the leaders of their households and the communities and they, as woman, were born to protect the people they love from harm, and then pass this strength onto their daughters and teach them to be strong. It was such a girl power type of drama, but it was also great because it didn't belittle men at all. This drama showed that men and women were both strong in many different as well as in the same ways. But I must say, poor Buk Doo, somehow was the smartest, yet dumbest cop I have ever seen. His character annoyed me, but this drama was so good that even though I didn't like him because of the way he treated Bong Soon and how he never stopped to think about how his actions affected other people, I stilled cried for him at the end when you learn more about his character and how much love he also had to Bong Soon. He he def on the top of my "they deserved better" team.

One last thing, over the course of a few months, I have watched a few dramas, and for the first time in a long while, I didn't hate the main character. Going back thinking about Weightlifting Fairy, Hot Girl, Love @ Seventeen, and even Sweet Combat, this is the first time that I was completely on homegirl's side. Yes, I thought she was being annoying when she was in love with Buk Doo and not Min Hyuk, but I think that is the beauty of this show. When Min Hyuk saw her one-sided love that wasn't one-sided, he didn't shove himself in the middle and make her fall in love with him. He just continued to act like himself and knew that eventually she would fall for him. Or maybe she wouldn't, but he didn't try to pretend to be anyone he wasn't. He knew that he was this broken person, but he wanted to be a better person for himself as well as a better person for the woman who stole his heart. And I loved the slow burning romance of Bong Soon realizing that the guy that has always been on her side, helping her, accepting her fully, was the guy she loved. And you got to experience that shift with her which is why I loved her so much. There was this one half episode where I was like...homegirl...wtf...why are you pushing him away, but Min Hyuk stayed by her side and kept his promise that he would always protect her, even if she was too stubborn and didn't think she needed to be protected. He took the time to understand her and her situation but also treat her like a normal girl.

Read More

Have you ever watched a show where you just hated the main character?? This was that show for me. Kim Bok Joon came off a a smart girl in the beginning; it seemed that everyone in her department was just a meathead, while she actually had some common sense, but the more we got into the show, she's proved to me that she was just a different kind of dumb. She seemed very motivated by her dreams, until the day she met the doctor. After, she went on this WILD journey thinking that she would get away with (1) losing all this weight through the doctor's program and still be able to compete without anyone noticing that she was lost a ton of weight, and (2) form a healthy relationship with a man who thinks that she is a classical music major and basically stalking him. Nothing about this was going to end up going well, and I was annoyed that Jung Joon Hyung helped her. I didn't like his character at the beginning. Jung Joon Hyung has a really messed up past and after finding out a huge secret that his "parents" kept from him (and no, not that they weren't his real parents, he has always known that they were his aunt and uncle), he started experiencing temporary deafness whenever he got anxious which ultimately made his swimming suffer. But instead of trying to fix it, he become bored and careless which is why I think he got super involved with Kim Bok Joon's life and drama. Other than that, he is a caring guy who loves his parents and brother, but he doesn't seem to have any motivation with anything else until he meets Kim Bok Joon. Once he figures out that he cares about Kim Bok Joon as more than a sister, this is where the story started to take off for me. Everything up to that point was honestly painful to watch, and til this day, I'm still super confused why Jung Joon Hyung liked Kim Bok Joon so much because she was kind of an entitled asshole (as seemed to be everyone in this drama tbh). But, once you get past that, this drama was honestly a really cute story about first love. And maybe it was because that these two are a couple in real life, but their chemistry was probably one of the best I've seen in a drama. I don't know how I feel about this drama. I think that it doesn't deserve a 9.7/10, but it did have it's moments. Episode 15 was honestly the only episode I enjoyed because shit hit the fan for Jung Joon Hyung. He ended up being the only character I truly liked about this show because even when he was his bored self, he was super bubbly and always cracking a joke and I really enjoyed his acting style. It seemed very personable and I would honestly love to be his friend. Even when he was an asshole, you couldn't help but giggle. Which sounds weird now that I am saying it out loud. Even though Jung Joon Hyung struggled a lot (he decided to take his brother's advice and see a therapist), throughout the show, we always see him taking care of his family and Kim Bok Joon. It wasn't until episode 15 when all of his fears came to light and we got to see him in a completely new light and it was everything I honestly wanted in this show. Not saying I wanted to see him hit rock bottom, but it made his character more relate-able and real and it honestly showed a different side to Kim Bok Joon that we haven't seen before. Then we got episode 16 which was complete crap until the the final 10 minutes. It's like, we went through episode 15 together, and honestly nothing can break you two, and then you are going to play out this stupid scenario and it actually have it get to you Kim? Really? But besides Jung Joo Hyung being a total dork and babe, the ending was really sweet between the two of them at graduation. I am not sure if I enjoyed the last few minutes of this show or if it was because I suffer from "the last episode" curse, where even if I am watching to stupidest thing, the last episode will always make me tear up because...well...it is the last episode!! But it was really cute thinking about if he had never ran into her that day and dropped that lace scarf, they probably would have never "met" and they wouldn't be chasing each other on the grass at their graduation talking about their goals which included winning gold at the 2020 Olympics in swimming and weightlifting as well as getting married

Read More

Honestly, I didn't hate this drama, but I didn't love it either. The acting was...not good. The story was alright. But the cinematography was honestly super beautiful and it was honestly a good laugh because of how bad the acting was. The romance was really cute especially when you find out at the very end why Zhi Hao's aura was special to Shi Ya. Everything tied up perfectly at the end and that is all we could hope for in this drama. It was cool watching something with a supernatural flare, plus it was all really pretty to watch, but that was the only thing this drama had going for it. I think I might have given this drama a higher score because my roommates and I had a good laugh. I don't understand, honestly, why this drama is currently a 9.1/10 on Viki, which is a higher score than Sweet Dreams, which blows my mind!! I wasn't a fan of any of the side characters except for Simba's...human...friend. I only say that because I was unsure what Simba's relationship was with this guy. I feel bad because I don't even remember his name. Basically, Simba is in a C-pop boy group and we are not sure if it is a duo group with him and this other guy, or if there are more guys in the group that we just don't see. His "friend" knows about vampires, and becomes almost like Simba's lapdog so he doesn't have to go out and hunt for human aura. I only really liked him as a side character because whenever there was an issue, he would stay super neutral and try to understand both sides, while everyone else picked one side and wouldn't budge. He was Shi Ya and Zhi Hao's biggest supporter and didn't care who knew. It was funny how someone who willingly wanted to be Simba's lapdog would be the only one with any moral compass in this drama. Other than that, maybe Shi Ya's younger brother was the second favorite, but we only saw him for a little bit in a couple of episodes. He was funny and he would go off an do his own thing and dated a human girl. Everyone else...Shi Ya's sister was too proud and thought she was better than everyone else, but changed her mind a lot and we were expected not to notice; Shi Ya's manager was super oblivious and didn't realize the guy she loved was a half-vampire who was the bad guy in season one; and even the two mains were a tad annoying. Once Zhi Hao became cured of his germaphobia, he became obsessed with Shi Ya. It was cute how much he loved her and how he rejected the thought of Shi Ya using him and she didn't love him, but homeboy got really stalkery. Shi Ya on the other hand refused the thought of maybe Zhi Hao just didn't like her and she chased him until he loved her, but then once she finds out this huge secret, she shuns the hell out of him. Like...homegirl, really? I understand you don't want to hurt him, but throughout this whole drama, you were trying to prove to everyone that because of your love for him, you wanted to find a way to make it work, even it that meant cutting back on your make out sessions.But randomly, in season two you decide that it ain't worth it and you basically gave fake promises to your man. But it was fun seeing Zhi Hao have some life in him and do the chasing in that season. I just didn't like how she was selfish and didn't care if loving her would change his life completely, but then reject him when he proposed to you and break up with him.

Read More

Honestly, I didn't hate this drama, but I didn't love it either. The acting was...not good. The story was alright. But the cinematography was honestly super beautiful and it was honestly a good laugh because of how bad the acting was. The romance was really cute especially when you find out at the very end why Zhi Hao's aura was special to Shi Ya. Everything tied up perfectly at the end and that is all we could hope for in this drama. It was cool watching something with a supernatural flare, plus it was all really pretty to watch, but that was the only thing this drama had going for it. I think I might have given this drama a higher score because my roommates and I had a good laugh. I don't understand, honestly, why this drama is currently a 9.1/10 on Viki, which is a higher score than Sweet Dreams, which blows my mind!! I wasn't a fan of any of the side characters except for Simba's...human...friend. I only say that because I was unsure what Simba's relationship was with this guy. I feel bad because I don't even remember his name. Basically, Simba is in a C-pop boy group and we are not sure if it is a duo group with him and this other guy, or if there are more guys in the group that we just don't see. His "friend" knows about vampires, and becomes almost like Simba's lapdog so he doesn't have to go out and hunt for human aura. I only really liked him as a side character because whenever there was an issue, he would stay super neutral and try to understand both sides, while everyone else picked one side and wouldn't budge. He was Shi Ya and Zhi Hao's biggest supporter and didn't care who knew. It was funny how someone who willingly wanted to be Simba's lapdog would be the only one with any moral compass in this drama. Other than that, maybe Shi Ya's younger brother was the second favorite, but we only saw him for a little bit in a couple of episodes. He was funny and he would go off an do his own thing and dated a human girl. Everyone else...Shi Ya's sister was too proud and thought she was better than everyone else, but changed her mind a lot and we were expected not to notice; Shi Ya's manager was super oblivious and didn't realize the guy she loved was a half-vampire who was the bad guy in season one; and even the two mains were a tad annoying. Once Zhi Hao became cured of his germaphobia, he became obsessed with Shi Ya. It was cute how much he loved her and how he rejected the thought of Shi Ya using him and she didn't love him, but homeboy got really stalkery. Shi Ya on the other hand refused the thought of maybe Zhi Hao just didn't like her and she chased him until he loved her, but then once she finds out this huge secret, she shuns the hell out of him. Like...homegirl, really? I understand you don't want to hurt him, but throughout this whole drama, you were trying to prove to everyone that because of your love for him, you wanted to find a way to make it work, even it that meant cutting back on your make out sessions.But randomly, in season two you decide that it ain't worth it and you basically gave fake promises to your man. But it was fun seeing Zhi Hao have some life in him and do the chasing in that season. I just didn't like how she was selfish and didn't care if loving her would change his life completely, but then reject him when he proposed to you and break up with him.

Read More

This drama had everything and It was extremely wild! You learn that the boy from Kim Mi So's childhood was a boy she met once, who had saved her when they were both kidnapped (when you get to the episode, it was an emotional rollercoaster). After that traumatizing night, the young boy that saved her never returned, and she has been searching for him ever since. On the other hand, we have Vice Chairman Lee, who we find out is the young boy who was kidnapped with Kim Mi So, and after saving Kim Mi So and going back home, never recovered from the incident. Lee would have nightmares about the woman who had captured both of them and because of this, was never able to form a connection with another woman. But there is one thing on his mind ever since he got home and it was to go back and find the little girl to see if she was ok or if she was suffering like he was. Unfortunately, her house was soon demolished and he was never able to keep her promise and come back for her. Lee then spent his whole life trying to figure out where the little girl went until one day he recognizes her interning at his family's company and hires her to be his secretary. Unfortunately, Kim Mi So doesn't recognize him, but Lee takes this as a great sign that she wasn't suffering like he was and decides to not tell her who he was.

This drama was so much more than just two coworkers falling in love with each other. It was a story about a boy who had fallen in love with a girl when he was young and searching his whole life to be with her, even if it wasn't romantic, and always protect her. This story was about a man who wanted Kim Mi So to live in a world filled with love even if he couldn't tell her who he was to her.

Also, one little note. Whoever wrote to script for this show...especially the person who wrote all of Vice Chairman's lines should deserve an Oscar or whatever award is given for this position. Even though Vice Chairman Lee came off as this arrogant self-centered butt at the beginning of this series, after watching every episode and going back, you realize that it was all strategically written. We chose to interpret it one way when it could be interpreted in many. Lee, by far, is one of my favorite drama boyfriends. Not going to lie, he def is giving my bae, Xiao Nai from Love020 a run for his money. You realize his arrogance is actually not completely real and it is just part of his charm and humor. And I know, I know, drama boyfriends are not real and watching these dramas are giving men this unattainable expectation, but honestly, every girl deserves to find someone in their life as much as Vice Chairman Lee loved Kim Mi So. Like, it is not fair.

Read More

I wanted to like this so much because of my girl Dilraba, but this show was bad. Entertaining to watch after a long day at work and sitting in traffic, but bad. And I know, I know not every drama I am going to watch it going to be a romance, but don't introduce a romance and then have this HUGE plot twist that breaks them up, and then NEVER address again even after the plot twist was solved in a single episode after. But that's the thing about this show. Literally, and I am not joking, EVERYONE and their mom had cancer in this show. Not only that, but EVERYONE who had cancer somehow got cured by the end, EXCEPT for the moms who died from it. Besides that, the reason why I didn't like this show is that (1) everyone was a TERRIBLE bodyguard except for homegirl who carried the whole team every time and (2) nothing made sense. Literally, the characters would say one thing, and then they would go and do another thing as if that is what they discussed. At some point, I gave up and just started watching the show and skimming the subtitles because either there was terrible writing for this show or the team who translated everything, did a terrible job. Plus, the cuts were terrible towards the end (i feel like this show gradually got wilder and then worse) and the plot made no sense and I felt like this series (at 37 episodes, 45 minutes each) could have been cut down because there was too much filler. Honestly, if more of the plot happened, I would have loved more episodes, but it was just filled with random missions that Firewolf Girl dominated at. Yes, it was important for her character growth, but I really didn't need 10 episodes of random missions in the middle when all I wanted to know was to see White Shark do research on this HUGE plot twist to see if it was actually true and if it was what that would mean for him and Firewolf Girl. But of course, he figures out the truth in the beginning which ultimately affected him more than Firewolf Girl, and then he disappeared from hella episodes and I just wanted to see how everyone would react to his findings. Overall, without giving out spoilers, I absolutely hated Pink Panther, she was extremely selfish and drove a wedge between homegirl and homeboy; I felt extremely bad for Big Bear, even though he was this huge dumb jock who didn't know how to deal with rejection in the correct way; White Shark was ok, I liked his determination to get his girl (especially after that hospital scene), but he didn't know how to step back and let the girl breath; and finally Firewolf Girl was SUCH A BADASS, but he also needed to step back and get a reality check.

Read More

I ultimately decided on a 3.5/5 star rating for this show because this show made me feel a lot of things. I HATED Lei Lei and Liu Xiao Fen at 17 and 30, even when they realized that they were wrong and were at fault, I still didn't care for them. I loved Peter because he wanted to protect Ai Li Si from everything in her past that gave her pain, even if it meant getting revenge on Lei Lei. I loved Ho Hao Yi and his dedication. Once reunited with her, he wouldn't let go of her. He promised that he wouldn't run away again and put 100% of his trust in her. That 13 years away from her was karma for him not showing up at 17. A little extreme, but homeboy was dedicated and knew that she was his only true love and he always known about it, but realized it a few hours too late at 17.I loved Ai Li Si, even though she tested me throughout the series, but I loved her character development and it made her pain feel that much more real. She was in a 13 year debate with herself, not knowing who she should be and if she should trust anyone. I felt her pain and let me tell you, it made this drama super emotional and hard to watch. Plus, that ending had me and my roommate ugly crying in our new apartment. I couldn't give this drama a 5 simply because each episode felt like 3 hours, and I am not sure if I was ever supposed to "feel" for Lei Lei and her struggles, but I didn't. I felt like it glorified Lei Lei and Liu Xiao Fen after they learned about Ai Li Si's past, and honestly, they were just horrible people. If they had a little bit of respect and faith in their friendship with Ai Li Si, none of this would have happened.

Read More

I decided that I really wanted to watch this not only because it was one of the most highly anticipated Chinese dramas of 2019, but because of the actors/actresses. I really wanted to see ZTao (Boxu) in a drama because I was very curious about him in an active role and to be honest, I enjoyed every second of his character. I loved watching his growth from this misunderstood c-pop star who hid behind his popularity to this soft and funny man who learned what was most important in his life and it was one of the things I loved most about this drama - the chemistry between the two leads.

I loved their back and forth banter that was 100% flirting, but both didn't realize it. Their relationship seemed extremely comfortable and natural, which made me ship them from the beginning.

Sorry, Yu Zi Rui. This brings me to my next actor - Niu Jun Feng who placed Yu Zi Rui. It was the second time I had seen him in a drama and he was one of my favorite characters in the first one. When I found out that he was a major-minor character again in this drama, I had to watch. Especially since he was playing the caring and gentle (first) love interest of our main character. Was I a little disappointed in the character he played? Yea, but I think he did an amazing job playing his character. I loved watching his internal struggle trying to figure out what he thought was most important in his life and what he was willing to do to get there. Similar to Boxu, but almost an opposite result, which broke a lot of people's hearts, but made others full.

Finally, there is Janice Wu. I don't know how it happened, but I somehow ended up watching two dramas at the same time, not knowing she was the lead in both. I love what she brings to every role that she is in and ended up being one of my top favorite actresses. I loved that she played this hard-working woman who was not scared of Boxu and always was true to herself and in her relationships with others. We also got to see her in some down moments, but she always bounced back with the support of the people she built strong relationships with.

I enjoyed this drama a lot more than I thought I was going to, but there were a few things that I couldn't get over. The first being the consistency and the flow of every episode. It seemed as if one episode was cut into 2 or 3 parts, so when you watched it, at the end of these eps were abrupt and in the middle of a sentence. I also wasn't a fan of ANYONE that worked at Star Entertainment. Some people had their moments, but it wasn't enough. I honestly wanted Boxu's contract to be terminated so he could go somewhere else. BUT, Star Entertainment did seem like a family....a dysfunctional family.

BUT, the one person I disliked the most, and idk if she just enjoys playing these types of characters, was Xia Yuan, Zhen Zhen's best friend and roommate. I felt like she was too much. I'm glad she did a lot of growing in the drama as a whole, but she was a mess in the middle and took it out of Zhen Zhen for something he has no power over. Especially when she decided that she was in love with Yu Zi Rui for no reason really, but I appreciate the ending that they gave her and Zi Rui.

Overall, I would love to see Z.Tao act in more dramas as well as continue to watch Janice Wu in the future. I hope they collaborate again. I was also in LOVE with every song in Boxu had written, that was in this drama, and extremely happy that they were real songs by Z.Tao and downloaded them all.

Read More

How to review this one...I found this drama via a recommendation from an instagram account I follow that recommends dramas. And overall, just based on season 1, I could have lived without watching this. I was exited to see that Seven Tan was in this drama because I LOVED her in My Mr Mermaid, and I do like her in this drama as well. She plays her character well, but I also didn't like her character Li Yan Shu. Yes, she has a sad past and has a fear of abandonment, so she doesn't let anyone close to her, but that doesn't mean you are allowed to be hella extra when interacting with people, almost everything coming out of your mouth is a sarcastic remark. Then we have Gu Cheng Ze who has the same mentality - he doesn't let anyone close to him but unlike Li Yan Shu, he never tells a lie and almost has this weird ability to catch people when they are lying. He always has this un-amused look on his face and is quiet most of the time unless he is working. PLUS, we have the "very original" plot of of Li Yan Shu being a total slob (seriously, it made me feel squirm watching her throw trash on the floor) while Gu Cheng Ze was germaphobic. Together, they always bicker and annoy one another. Regardless that Li Yan Shu is amazing at her job as a fashion designer, and Gu Cheng Ze is very good as CEO of his adoptive grandmother's company, their personalities are kind of trash. I was cringing while watching this, but I was super curious to see how it would all play out - After 7 years Li Yan Shu coming back to her hometown (no one knows what happened to her during these 7 years) and seeing how everyone reacted. Now being in the middle of season 2, I can say that this season was basically an appetizer or an introduction about how these two fell in love. Season 2 is the meat of this drama when everything we learn about in season 1 comes to light to test everyone's relationships. Other than the characters, I found this drama to be a little extra and VERY predictable. As we continue watching though, once Li Yan Shu and Gu Cheng Ze start to fall for one another, their personalities become a lot more bearable. Also, when Gu Cheng Ze finally smiles, IT WILL MELT YOUR HEART. HIS SMILE IS EVERYTHING. Other than that, this drama had a very typical mother or grandmother not liking the woman their son or grandson loves, so they do everything in their power to break them up such as Meteor Garden or Boys Over Flowers. This grandma doesn't measure up to those mothers, but she is a close second. Plus, it seemed like there were a lot more villains in this drama. The mother who abandoned her daughter, but still wanted to control her life; the step sister that that hates both step sister and step mother and is open about trying to ruin their lives; the ex boyfriend that is your boss that not only gives you a hard time about the past, but also at work; and of course the grandma that tries to drive you out of town.

Read More