2ndLeadsBest
infront of a computer screen
Supporting cast Song Zi Qi was the only reason to watch this
HS drama trope overload but 2nd and 3rd pairing were entertaining to watch.FL was the typical acting like a 12 yr old without a clue & needs ML's constant support.
ML somehow liked that. This pairing has zero chemistry.
I only watch this drama for Wang Ze Xuan's supporting role as Song Zi Qi.
His character is exceptionally funny and Wang Ze Xuan is such an underrated actor. He pulls off every supporting role wonderfully. Hands down he's the only reason to watch this.
Series seriously slow down after they graduate HS and Wang Ze Xuan's scenes were limited.....leading to the expected ending.
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Incredible story telling
I couldn't help myself as I've already watch this title 10x. Currently all the dramas with big names are stuck in never ending drama trope. This short semi low budget drama outshines all of them (imo for those who care about storyline > big name eye candies)Short 14 episodes (30 min per ep) with no time to waste on filler scenes. Seamless narrative follows a love that transcends time. Outstanding character development of FL, ML & Li Yong.
FL (Zhang Ya Qin) I only saw her in Love in Between but this role Lu Yu An (Demon Queen) really showcased her acting. She's compelling at every age. The moment you meet her, you can see the love & pain in her eyes and later on the 18 year old her ever so cute & innocent.
ML took awhile to warm up. By the 3rd encounter is when I felt he was fully in character so overall he was pretty good.
Lesser known supporting cast: Lu Shi / Emperor / Li Yong were all good in their roles.
The unavoidable ending came to a full circle!
The story, script is refreshing & unique. It's even worth watching every recap in the beginning as the storytelling is so captivating. It's worth while watching this 2nd time in reverse order.
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That sheep sound will always be in my head
I honestly don't know why I waited so long to watch this. Maybe I had to be in the 80s mood.I didn't find the drama realistic at all but it was so enjoyable on so many levels
The cast was amazing that it was hard to pick a favorite. I honestly loved every single character
Now that it's finished (but this is definitely on the rewatch list) What I will miss the most:
1. The sheep sound. I loved it!
2. Purest of the kids friendships. Being 18 in the 80s isn't the same as being 18 now. Things felt simpler....
3. Every kid character was unique and likable. There isn't that one sided antagonist in this
4. Parents, all crazy but loving parents in their own ways. Highly exaggerated but also funny at the same time
5. Everything funny about the 80s!!! ridiculous curls, Crazy funky 80s Dance, phone w/ cord, old looking TV with that rainbow stand by screen, tapes, 80s pop culture: Tom Cruise! Night Rider! A Better Tomorrow! Maggie Cheung! Ok yeah I am old.
6. Everything lovely about the 80s: friendly neighbors, purest of 1st loves, 1st heart breaks, 1st friendship betrayal, 1st everything ....
7. Every monologue about youth and life
I am going to miss 1988
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Speed version Rom Com
Rom Com with all the classic moments but in a less cheesy wayRefreshing Rom Com:
1. FL is a bad ass that apparently can do anything and everything
2. FL runs like an athlete. Fight stunts well choreographed. I laughed so hard they were exaggerating the running awkwardly part.
3. ML speaks English fluently, adds to his sexiness
4. Manager guy reminds me of a Korean Judd Nelson (hair & vibe not actual features of course) <--- Anyone else think so?
5. There's still the classic piggy back ride but not cheesy: She's legit was injured and not like "opps I fell because I didn't know how to tie my shoes right so ML needs to tie shoe lace & carry her"
6. There's still the fish lip kissing scene but at least characters not a middle age still experiencing her 1st kiss story line
7. The shooting of a movie scene was a throw back to 80s Asian Gangster movie. They even got familiar Cantonese Song in the background. Reminds me of "A Better Tomorrow" movie with Leslie Cheung song?
8. The non talking director. His facial expressions cracked me up
What could've been better:
It's only 10 episodes so everything had to be sped up so you if you like more character development then just watch at .5 speed..... Like kissing usually is in ep 7 of your standard 16 ep dramas but got to speed that up.
Her Bestie, I am not sure her character worked for me at all. A good supporting side story had zero time to really develop.
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Ancient Detective Once More!
Ever since The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty (2020) I've been loving ancient detective dramas. Most however are not big budget production. Although this does not beat Sleuth of Ming Dynasty on every level, its a solid pick.If you enjoy dramas like:
Sleuth of Ming Dynasty
Ancient Detective
The Imperial coroner
Miss Truth
Then you'll enjoy this one as well
Positives
Quality production
Great casting from MLs to supporting cast
Interesting cases if you like crime dramas
Good pace - not to fast in solving each case
There's a bigger mystery to be solved as well as short cases to keep the audience engaged
Could've been better
Drama is overly serious with only hints of humor
Bromance was only decent, not sure if the pairing really worked for me although both are very good actors
Rather short drama, each episode is ~34min x 29 episodes. I definitely could use more cases or wouldn't mind a S2!
I am still waiting for the next drama that can match up to Sleuth of Ming Dynasty
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Surprisingly Funny
Story is nothing new but this was such a enjoyable watch for anyone that likes school stories. I couldn't stop watching and end up finishing this series in 3 days..... Oops!Positives:
1. FL / ML chemistry - they are exceptionally cute , one of the best pairings I've seen
The back & forth comebacks are so fun to watch so I hope it won't get lost in the translations
Well done over exaggeration, animated facial expressions in a good way
Well written lead characters with strength and flaws
Relationship development is natural and sweet
2. Good looking school cast - quite a few familiar faces
3. Dialogue - witty back & forth especially between ML/FL & FL's parents
4. Stellar few supporting cast like FL's parents (probably my favorite), Female teacher & Male PE teacher. Her 2 besties
5. Positive friendship vibe in the class. They help each other even through misunderstandings
6. Hope & Idealistic -- some people may not like this but I think it's always a positive for school series
7. Girl power? more like equality.
Negatives:
1. Many negative characters with too much screen time. Seriously they could've shaved off a few episodes. I don't need all that repetitive negativity plus I got other dramas to get to.
2. Jing Jing's character. Could've used an actor with more convincing dance skill set.
3. Gaps in scenes. How come drawing of ML wasn't shown somewhere to him later on? What happened to V day dinner? It literally felt like they just skipped what should've followed. Boom years of gap and no hair change? They could've shortened all those silent study scenes and use the minutes for something else.
4. Rushed ending with minimal romance. Couple's too cute to just end it like that.
Hope to see this pairing again somewhere else!
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Even great for non math lovers!
Yes all that math goes over my head but the story is genuinely heart warming with so many likeable characters.Best part for me is the Dad in both worlds (with or with out that rock star hair) & if you love father daughter relationships this will definitely be a must watch.
Ep 1-9 were most people's favorite episodes because the kid actors are so good & darling, worth rewatching.
Ep 28-34 picked up at the end for a nice ending and a hint of romance
Few flaws:
After EP 10:
Adult Lin Zhao Xi didn't have the same tenacity other than a few scenes.
Cheese world Pei Zhi wasn't happy as his father described so definitely they should've matched the characters a bit better.
Overall a great drama out of the ordinary and might help you reflect on life & relationships.
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Good story but a bit too fast paced
The story itself is interesting with some veteran actors. 20 short episodes that could've been longer if they spend more on character development or spent more time on the supporting actors. There were quite a few potentially interesting supporting characters but they hardly had any screen time.Shen Yi (Artist) & Du Cheng started off as enemies but a bit too quickly Du Cheng's 7 years worth of anger towards him resolved?? ..... It felt rather instant so the subsequent bromance wasn't strong. It still worked well enough for the story line as it focused mainly on cases. Each case went by fast w/o many twists. It would've been better if they slow the pace down a bit.
The last 2 episode circles back to the original murder from 7 years ago to resolve unanswered questions.
Overall a great crime drama well worth the time for any viewers that enjoys this genre!
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Suprisingly good for a short Drama
Typically these short dramas are low budget with no name actors. Acting could be cheesy or over the top but occasionally it's easy to watch on the side. So going into this drama I had zero expectations but did NOT see this coming.Great Story filled with mystery and twists definitely good enough to be a longer series.
Great acting by the cast especially the 4 main leads. Chemistry was on fire between the ML and FL. In addition there were some interesting supporting actors, notability Yuanbao the little girl and ML's military advisor. Both offered periodic humorous lines.
The cinematography feel reminded me a bit like Love like Galaxy, beautiful and magical.
Music was also really good.
Only flaws:
1. They left some lose ends w/ the ending
2. Interesting stories like this should continue.........................................
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It's really good if you ignore the obvious plot flaws
The concept is very interesting, and the cast & acting is top notch. However earlier on you'll be asking WHYYYYYY would you .... WHYYYYYY wouldn't you. I can't even with this absurd logic.What I loved:
The entire cast from the leads the supporting cast
Jang Pan Seok (the fact that he's NOT playing a bad character for once) Literally every drama if he's in it he's the bad guy.
Lost souls in this village finding meaning of their new existence and new life -- family friends, love they never received during their living life etc. Heartwarming
The detective <-- why isn't he in more ML roles? His acting is fantastic
What I've hated: (don't read it if you don't want any possible spoilers)
Beginning of the story already with major illogical plot holes like why didn't ML report the girl being kidnapped? That would've been more logical to explain why HE was kidnapped in the process?
So many times, to tell ML about the girl (just the kidnapping part) and yet NOT?
Not so mysterious turn of events. 90% predictable.
Questionable ages . ML witness something 27 years ago and he looked 7ish ? 27 years later he supposed to be 30 but looking 40? Like really doesn't make much sense
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Watch for the laughs but skip the fans
Cliché executed pretty well overallThings that didn't work:
1. FL - her big blank eyes with zero expressions. She's lucky ML and supporting cast offset her inability to act.
2. Fans - Excessive nastiness. It got exhausting after ep 20 and felt super repetitive. Pretty sure you can fast through 10 ep of fan hate.
3. eSports - I see many complaints since this is more about Romance and less about accurate portray of eSports it really doesn't bother me
4. Relationship growth - if this was more focused on the romance they should've played on how they developed. It was ok just could've been better
5. Character growth - it's a fun fluffy drama so don't expect this
What worked:
1. Humor -- Lots of comical dialogue and short jokes which short girls will appreciate the struggles. Of course the subtle ones may be lost in translation
2. Supporting Cast -- Good supporting cast over all especially little fatty, he offers endless comical relief. I see some of the same cast in supporting roles in Love like Galaxy too.
3. Xu Kai -- Strong ML that executed his never exist in real world unattainable drama bf character flawlessly.
4. eSports graphics - Pretty cool graphics
5. Fun Fluffy Cringy all at the same time. There are plenty of people that enjoys this kind of stuff.
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Important Learnings
The FL was such a interesting character in her other drama on Netflix "Tomorrow" that I wanted to watch this drama.At first it was intriguing what this master plan was but then it was like "o that's it?".
Lessons I've learned from this script:
1. Daddy issues will lead to a sociopath daughter
2. Revenge can work if:
---You have a rich cheobol heir for an ex BF that still wants to get back with you and will help you no matter what.
---You have a new rich suitor who wants to be with you and help you no matter what.
Else your only grand revenge is to make a speech in a dating social to expose what the evil woman did to your dead husband.
8 short episodes of this and the story of the husband's death was repeated at least 4x. That's 1 repetitive script.
Few highlights of the drama:
Evil FL: watched her in numerous other supporting roles and this role was completely different from all her prior roles. She pulled it off perfectly. Loved her crazy eye death stares!
Rich Ex BF & Rich Suitor, both characters are quite attractive personality wise. They should've focused more on character growth instead.
Rich Ex BF's stepmom - potential interesting character. Should be a spin off on her character in future drama.
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Was strong until ep 25
The story started strong: Casting/acting/set/costume/fight scenes-- All that you hoped for in a big budget drama. I was excited and can't wait to watch more.After ep 20, it started to slow down. The drama seemed to have lost its luster. Introduction of new characters non related to the plot seem to occupy too much screen time. Meanwhile they could've used the screen time to develop a more convincing love story between the ML and FL. That connection was rushed and the dialogue between the two wasn't convincing that they would just risk their lives for each other.
The drama continued to be anti climatic. & some of the plot twists didn't even make any sense. Ending was highly disappointing. It's still a worthwhile drama until midway at least.
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Incredible cast!
Action packed with some expected twist and turns. I can't say the storyline is all that unique but I enjoyed it because so many other factors were perfect:1. Casting:
Han so Hee, I've seen her in many beautiful girl roles but here she's fierce, broken, angry, mysterious all at the same time. They had to use make up to tone down her beauty. Amazing acting and you can tell she trained hard for the role.
Park Hee Soon, ruthless gangster you'll just love. His expressions ever so captivating borderline psychotics
Anh BoHyun, I usually see him playing some jerk character so it was nice to see him in this role and he definitely pulled off the part.
Lee Hak Joo, Gangster's right hand man. Loved his character & a great supporting role
2. Production: action packed, great stunts and fight scenes. It wasn't a cheap production that's for sure but maybe that's why it was only 8 episodes.
3. Music, cinematography. Happy there was no super white light making actors pearl white. No shaky hand syndrome during fight scenes.
Sadly it could've been so much more:
There were some "ummm ok? that just happened moments"
Like how she got caught? what? How she walked away ? what? & how ML just what?
Only 8 episodes, could've used a lot more development. Dialogue between FL / ML to build that connection. They rushed through and that relationship really needed some more slow burn
Ending was less than desirable. Such a strong start then ended like that. I felt like they were trying to pull a Monster boy + Night in paradise style but didn't quite work
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Hooked till midway then series fell flat
The series started off strong. Character relationship development was interesting and all 3 couples were likeable. Supporting cast was good as well. Unfortunately like many other dramas mid way through the story got kind of sloppy. FL went from smarter than everyone to can't figure out anything. Some misunderstandings felt forced, some episodes felt draggy with too many flashbacks.What I enjoyed:
1. Wen Si Yuan's character. By far my favorite character. The way he talks is distinct and his acting just grows on you. Same feeling as when he played Mu Ci in Ashes of Love.
2. Zhu Yan - before he became his other self. Very lovable
3. Overall story
4. Initial parts had really good classic wu xia fight scenes peaked at the tournament and then..... feels like the fight choreographer quit or something.
5. Chemistry between all 3 couples.
6. Bromance between Zhu Yan & Yin Chang Ge
Downfalls:
1. 2nd 1/2 of the drama
2. Non stop crying and flashbacks
3. Anti climatic out comes
4. Ending that really logically didn't make sense on how the story was progressing. I even tried googling how and why and no answer..... ???
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