Interesting drama with suspenseful aspect. I wish it could be shorter to 30 episodes instead of 38.

The production quality of Unexpected Falling is not bad; at least it doesn't feel like everyone is so white like Tencent dramas always do. It is unnatural.

The storyline is not bad as it unfolds, and I am curious about who the real Gao Jun is and his real motive with Ruan Zhen Zhen.

It is also good to see that Ruan Zhen Zhen is getting smarter and trying to figure out things as she goes along and keeps the information to herself. However, sometimes, I find her demeanor and the character that she plays annoying. I hoped she would speak up and be more forceful when fishing for information.

I have watched 29 episodes already, and I wonder what will happen to her bestie, Su Wen. I don't like her in-laws, who are mean and only care about money, and the cousin, You Gang, is a useless man and not a value added to the story.

The drama would have a much better flow if it were shortened to 30 episodes instead of 38. It is getting draggy with many uninterested filler scenes. I wanted to wrap it up soon, but I have to wait for 9 more episodes to see the ending.

There is no romance at all in this drama. I am giving it a 6.5 rating out of 10.

Read More

Predictable and typical Republican period drama, with bad acting and propaganda.

"The Last Princess" is another mediocre and bad Republic of China period drama. How many dramas do China needs to make about this era? I understand it is part of history, but every year there are too many replicas of this type of drama, and it is gotten old and boring.

The drama is set during the early years of the Republic of China. The story follows a fallen noblewoman, an aspiring doctor during the Qing dynasty, and the son of a great family who becomes a soldier.

Zhang: He looks young for his age and is another one-dimensional actor who can't act. His onscreen chemistry with Rain Wang is not great, either. The entire ensemble's acting ability is also bad.

Actress Rain Wang couldn't act either; her crying was awkward and showed no emotion. She appeared to laugh rather than cry in most scenes, especially from episode 20 onward. Her character, Yurong, is annoying, too self-righteous, stubborn, and her husband is also weak. He can’t control or put his foot down when she is stubborn and stupid. The plot is also predictably stupid.

I have watched 26 episodes already and want to see the ending since I have invested so much time in it. I am giving this drama a 4.5 rating. Predictable ending where he miraculously recovered from amnesia and join the communist party.

Read More

This crime drama is bad on so many levels, don't waste your time and energy with it.

"Chase the Truth" is a crime drama starting Wang Zi Qi and Su Xiao Tong.

The Synopsis: Police detective Chu Yi Han goes undercover to infiltrate a criminal organization, hoping to find his mother. By chance, he encounters Gu Lin Na.

This drama is bad on so many levels I wasted time watching it.
1. Bad production quality. The resolution is so bad with fuzzy blue for desert scenes.
2. How can the main characters, ML/FL, survive a big explosion without major injuries or death? Unreal. The hospital stays for both characters were short, and they were back in action. Stupid and unreal.
3. I like the ML, but he acted better in the Romcom Genre, but not in the action-adventure type.
4. The FL can't act; the same goes for the supporting cast.
5. Sha Xiao Fei (played by Zhao Xun) is really annoying. All he did was yell to make himself appear as a tough guy. He played the same role in "Chasing the Undercurrent."
6. Everyone in the ensemble, including the ML, yells to appear tough. I don't think you need to do that to show the character is tough. It can be done through facial expressions and body language.
7. No romance between the main CP.

I gave it a 3.5 rating; don't waste your time.

Read More

Nothing special about the plot, and Zhai Zi Lu did an exceptional job with his character.

"We Go Fast on Trust" is another Rom-Com about a smart female engineer and a professional grand pix driver.

I am watching this drama because it is short, and I like the ML, Zhai Zi Lu. He is a good actor who can act well. I like him a lot, especially in My Calorie Boy. He has acting talents and has great potential. I know little about the FL, Ke Jia Yang, except in Copycat Killer and this drama.

I have mixed feelings about her character, Shen Xi. I like that she is smart and an engineer with no emotion regarding her love for Chen Mo Bai. One could argue that she has done a good job portraying the character, but I am unique, and I was hoping that she shows some emotion when he expresses his love for her.

There is definitely not much romance between them compared to other RomCom dramas. Kudos to Zhai Zi Lu for acting so great during emotional scenes, especially when he found out that he was the cause of his mother's dad. It was a tear-jerker scene.

Some of the supporting cast do not act well, like James Lee, who played Lin Shao Qian, Ma Yin Yin, who played Chen Mo Fei, and Jojo Chen, who played Zhao Ying Ning.

I enjoyed the drama, and Zhai Zi Lu did well leading the ensemble, and kudos for his acting ability. I gave it a 7.5 rating because I didn't like the ending.

Read More

Not much romance between the main CP, but it’s a decent Republican era drama.

Thin Ice is a Republican spy drama in Shanghai in 1943, starting with Peng Guan Ying as Chen Qian and Chen Yu Qi as Yu Chun Yang as the main CP. Fu Da Long, Gao Han Yu, and Chen Xiao Yun as the 2nd leads.

Republican drama is not my genre either because of too much propaganda about the communist party and the fighting of the Japanese. Too many dramas have been done in this era, so it is predictable, boring, and too much of a rehashing of the past.

However, I like Peng Guang Ying because I think he is a good decent actor, and in this drama, his character disguised as a Japanese envoy and went deep into the enemy's camp. It would be interesting to see how his relationship develops with Yu Chun Yang and Wu Ruo Nan throughout his spy duty.

One of the things that annoys me is the fake Chinese/Japanese accent of his character and other Japanese characters.

I think Chinese dramas should move away from this genre or not create repetitive dramas about the 1930s and the 1940s because every drama is about the same plot, fighting the Japanese, the civil unrest, and the Communist party. Too boring.

This is one of the decent Republican era drama that I have watched.

Read More

Decent drama, the elder and seasoned actors were better than Z. Tao and Sun Yi

New Vanity Fair has good acting from Wu Gang and Liu Bei, but at the same time, the characters that they play are very annoying.

Ding Ke Mang is annoying and a weak man who does not speak up, defend himself, and put his wife in her place when needed, especially when he is an excellent stage actor and teacher. It was frustrating to watch him.

Jiang Ye, his wife, is annoying because she is a stubborn, headstrong, and self-fish person who only thinks of herself. She makes trouble for everyone and worries about her face and aging in the entertainment industry. She has no respect for her husband, and especially she is the breadwinner of the family.

Z. Tao is a one-dimension actor, and I have watched many dramas where he showed the same emotion of anger and frustration without shedding tears.

Sun Yi played a supporting role in this drama. Ding Ke Mang got recognition as the story progressed, and his wife still wanted to divorce him in episode 32.

The onscreen chemistry between Z. Tao and Sun Yi was not good. Ding Momo's character is better off with An Lun than Song Yang.

I am giving this drama a 7.0 rating.

Read More

Bad portrayed of Asperger behavior. The director did a lousy job in this drama. Grrr......

Fantastic Doctor is a medical drama focused on an Asperger's genius doctor. It is based on a Kdrama and American drama called "The Good Doctor," with Zhang Wan Yi and Jiang Pei Yao.

I am disappointed in this drama because the director, Lu Chuan, did not do justice to it. Zhang Wan Yi is a good actor, but the way he portrayed the Asperger's doctor was wrong in so many ways.

Asperger's has social anxiety and does not like affection. Still, in this drama, too many people hug him, and he does not react to it. Secondly, he came across as stupid with his facial demeanor instead of someone who was a genius.

The director and Zhang Wan Yi need to watch "The Good Doctor" and see how the actor portrayed the character or watch "Extraordinary Attorney Woo." to see how these two actors portray Asperger's.

The drama's title is "Fantastic Doctors," which is plural of multiple doctors and does not really focus on the genius doctor.

It is very frustrating to watch this drama, and the way Zhang Wan Yi portrayed this character was so bad. I don't think it is the actor's fault. I blame the director for doing a lousy job.

I gave it a 6.0 rating because the drama did not do justice to the Asperger community. I have a nephew who is Asperger, and he does not behave like what was portrayed in the drama.

Read More

Mediocre story but good acting from the cast. To me it is more of brotherhood story than romance

The Youth Memories is A melodrama in the 70s with a group of high school friends. Xiao Chun Sheng and his two buddies Ye Guo Hua and Chen Hong Jun, are children of military families and government workers who grew up in the same courtyard. They share many experiences, like joining the army, taking the gaokao, going out to sea, and starting a business while supporting each other the entire way. They also meet Tong Xiao Mei, a Beijing girl pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor. This is an inspirational story of the growth and transformation of ordinary people during the 1970s reform era in China as the country was opening up to the world.

To me, this drama is about brotherhood, where the focus is on the male characters, especially Chúng Sheng, and his relationship with others. The acting of the entire ensemble is good, especially Xiao Zhan, the ML of this drama.

I feel bad for Li Qin, the FL of this drama, but she has less screen time in the first almost 20 episodes than the supporting actress who played Chúng Sheng's first girlfriend. Her character didn't show up much until halfway through the drama. In addition, there are no romantic scenes between the two leads, which is disappointing.

I enjoyed the drama overall but didn't like the script much. I give it a 7.5 rating.

Read More

Don't waste your time. Bad script, bad acting, and non-existent romance.

Our Interpreter is a romantic comedy about rekindling Lin Xi's and Yi Cheng's love after they broke up 10 years ago. The plot is too boring, and nothing is exciting. I watch it to kill time while waiting for a better drama to air.

The Synopsis: Lin Xi, known as the "witch" in the translation industry, reunites with her ex-boyfriend Xiao Yi Cheng. Eight years ago, she broke up with him to fulfill her mother's wish for her to become a professional interpreter for the United Nations.

Eight years later, Lin Xi became the youngest chief interpreter at Huasheng. In contrast, her ex Xiao Yi Cheng has become a communications company's chief technology officer, making him her potential client.

To land a contract with Xiao Yi Cheng, Lin Xi has no choice but to keep dealing with him. She helps his company go public, and even though it seems that Xiao Yi Cheng is out to get revenge on Lin Xi, he doesn't have the heart to be mean to her. Work rekindles their passionate relationship, and Xiao Yi Cheng gradually understands why she broke up with him. Together, they work hard to realize their dream of "speaking for the country."

Pang Hong Mei and Ji Dan Yang fought a life-and-death battle with enemy agents in Lumen, thwarted the enemy's conspiracy, protected the "Water Drop Project," and achieved the expected success. The couple who went through the test of life and death also realized their dreams and firm ideals.

My Reviews:
1. At the beginning of each episode, they recited quotes from famous people in English, French, and Spanish, which was a distraction and annoying insert. The pronunciations were awful.
2. The plot is stupid and tries to show the dramatic and broken relationship of a well-known family whose business is in the interpretation field.
3. Victoria Song and Chen Xing Xu are typecast for the same boring role where they both play cold, bossy, prideful characters. It is also predictable when you know the drama's ending, so it does not require 36 episodes.
4. These two actors are decent, but they need better roles and/or scripts instead of playing the same type of role, which is draggy and boring.
5. The 2nd and 3rd CPs are boring plot fillers. The onscreen chemistry of all three CPs is nonexistent.
6. It has too much propaganda about China's self-made products on the international stage.
7. Stupid ending. She put her career above her happiness, and her BF goes along with it.

I have watched 27 episodes and will finish it as a background noise filler since there is nothing good in Cdrama for January 2024. I give it a 5.0 rating, which is generous.

Read More

If you enjoy crime solving murder mysteries in WuXia setting, you may enjoy this drama.

"Mysterious Lotus Casebook" is a Wuxia CSI drama that involves solving murder mysteries of various clans in a historical setting.

The Synopsis: Ten years ago, Li Xiang Yi, the master of the Sigu Sect, dominated with his superior swordsmanship and was a symbol of light in the martial arts world. However, he suddenly disappeared along with Di Fei Sheng, the leader of the Jinyuan Alliance, after they arranged to battle in the East Sea. Ten years later, Li Lian Hua is a countryside doctor who travels dragging around a lotus tower. Li Lian Hua, Di Fei Sheng, and Fang Duo Bing gradually formed a deep friendship and joined hands in solving mysterious cases to uphold justice.

The acting and the kung fu in this drama were good; however, the first 30 episodes were about solving murders. I found it boring, fell asleep watching it, and even skipped around. It only got interesting from episode 32 onward, and the ending is a cliffhanger.

I don't enjoy it much, so I give it a 7.0 rating. The production quality was not good either; the background was too white.

Read More

A mediocre romantic drama and on-screen chemistry of main CP is not good.

"Sweet and Cold" is a RomCom series about the relationship between Meng Hao Tian (played by Wang Zi Wen) and Leng Si Ming (played by Jin Han).

Meng Hao Tian is a woman of strength, beauty, and an entrepreneur who met Leng Si Ming, a CTO, at a wedding and how their relationship started.

I have not been able to finish anything that Jin Han has done since he played the bad guy in "Princess Wei Young."

He and Ava Wang's onscreen chemistry is okay but sometimes seems awkward. The script is mediocre. Her bestie is a divorcee and a grown woman but acts like a child, and Meng Hao Tian always comes to the rescue whenever she is in trouble.

As she moves forward with her life, I hope she grows up and is independent, and does not rely on her friends that much.

The drama is mediocre and watchable, but definitely not the best of 2023 Cdramas.

I give it a 6.0 rating.

Read More

Cliche and cheesy romance drama, and the acting is worse than first season.

"Love Replica" is the second season of "Mysterious Love" with the same cast and director. I wish the script to continue the previous one where the story was more believable and interesting.

"Love Replica" has a completely different story, and this drama's acting is worse than the previous one. It is cliche and cheesy, so I'm not fond of it. I would not waste my time in this drama; the ending is so stupid; it revealed that XiXi is a robot and AnYue, a human supposed to save the robot with a brain transplant. WTF, how stupid is that, and the father, Xu Yong Yu, is willing to sacrifice his real daughter, An Yue, to save a robot, XiXi.

The director and cast members are 90% the same as in the Mysterious Love drama. That drama has a better plot and is more believable than this stupid one. I give it a 4.5 rating.

Read More

Watchable Romcom with mediocre acting skills from the cast.

The Science of Falling in Love is a college students' RomCom drama that tries to prove the existence of love with scientific methods.

It is an unrealistic plot, but I gave them a good effort to try. The acting is mediocre; the ML, Liu Yi Chang, is better than the FL, Wu Jia Yi.

The supporting cast is not bad, and I like 2nd CP better. Their onscreen chemistry is better connected than the main CP.

The dynamic and strict relationship between the ML and his mother is toxic that screwed his outlook on connecting and building relationships with people.

Overall is not a bad drama, and I am giving it a 6.0 rating. What is up with the bright light in the production quality around the kissing scenes? It was so bad and annoying.

Read More

Fantastic sisterly and family bonding drama - A tear jerking worthy, to watch drama

"Hello Beautiful Life" is a story about siblings and the family bond as they go through life.

I am watching about 25 episodes already, and I like this drama, and I think Rachel Mao did a good job in carrying this drama. The character she played, Sun Xiang, was adorable, lovable, passionate about cooking, and innocent. Her sister Sun Xin is a career-driven person who protects her sister but also financially provides for and supports her family.

Zhang Kai-Li is a seasoned actress who played motherly supported roles in many dramas; however, I was not too fond of the character she played in this drama because her character is an overbearing mother who thinks she has her daughter's best interests in mind. She is also a tough and strict mother and wife to her husband. She has no respect for her husband, and I don't blame her because her husband is a weak and useless man.

As the story progresses and they faced adversities but the bond of sisterly and family love unwavering. The acting of the entire ensemble was phenomenal, especially the two FL actresses. Overall, I enjoy the drama, and it is a bit slow and draggy but engaging at the same time. I am giving it a 8.0 rating.

Read More