This is going to be a long review with parts that can be considered spoiler-ish.

The novel was written in Rococo style. What does that mean?
'...perhaps the most rebellious of design styles. It was exceptionally ornamental and theatrical – a style without rules. Compared to the refinement and seriousness of Classical style, Rococo was seen as superficial, degenerate and illogical..'

As the novel's synopsis states, '...In that year, she was beautiful and he was not old; after that year, she was eternally beautiful and he finally got old...' there's no more explanation of how this drama goes. At least the director/producer decided to at least take out/change the secondary EVIL male. The drama still ends up starting off nutso though.

From the first episodes, I wrote that this drama felt art nouveau due to the flowery sensual vibe of the scenery and cinematography. Towards the end, knowing this is based on a novel, I wanted a clearer understanding of what's happening that this drama isn't conveying well to me due to so many blank/black screen and poor choices in editing. I was utterly confused by any timeline or fullness of any particular scene. Majority of the time it felt like a scene left something missing. The fact that art nouveau was influenced by Rococo is not lost on me. I think this is why I find this drama to be a mess in many ways. Rococo is all about fantasy and illusions which this drama has in boatloads...topping it off with a grown ass alcoholic prancing her fantasies in front of a mirror rather than living in reality.

"The Rococo writing style is like lyrical poetry in which erotic, elegant and frivolous aspects are reinforced and exposed with dyes towards sensuality." The themes are based in more mischievous and festive aspects of daily life, using sensual pleasures that lack any seriousness or any particular etiquette or moralizations. To this style, the drama fit the novel to a "T". Jerry Yan, with the looks so many women seem to love, playing this main character along with a young actress who does fun-loving and flower sprite fairy so well doesn't surprise me that this drama got higher ratings than I'm willing to give. I have to admit, I am not one that has ever been in the Jerry Yan fan boat, however, I don't dislike his acting etc where appropriate. As Rococo style exemplifies, there wasn't much depth to Jerry's Xiao Han so I'm actually impressed how much more feeling he put into that character than I think was actually written on paper. High ratings go for the thousands of intimate scenes, touches, caresses, kisses, etc that all looked and felt REAL which is unusual in C-Drama territory. The OTP didn't shy away from being in each others arms very intimately. I also think this tickled a lot of girl's fantasies and bolstered the ratings.

I thought about giving this drama a higher rating than this because I watched it all the way through without FFWD any part of it. However, this drama actually did not illicit any emotions from me whatsoever. I felt more like I was watching a train wreck so I detached myself from being invested in pretty much anything the characters were doing.

I didn't understand why the family let that fool Han Yu go on and on obsessively like he did, almost encouraging it. Between her mother and Han Yu, 'family' relationships were so suffocating.

It took the drama too long to provide a background to why this family is so utterly broken. We get pieces here and there... Even worse Xiao Han doesn't even get all the pieces the viewer had gotten slowly until the very, VERY end. Xiao Han was too kind and good for the world this drama created. He Ran was too selfish to the very end. The only saving grace was her mom's psycho attitude got vindicated. We got to fully understand why she's such a broken person, but like her daughter's attitude to Xiao Han, even at the end I felt like she's the type to never believe anything happy should happen to her. That kind of depression is taxing on a human emotionally who is there trying to prove to them otherwise. I'd rather a boy live a fresh, clean life, with his lively, loving family and someone who properly fits into that happy world. He doesn't deserve the Rococo style of pure eroticism and superficial pleasure from a human who cannot ever give him anything more than that emotionally.

I stuck with the ending from the source material. If the way it was written was worthy of a drama, then let it be. I didn't get any emotional healing from it. I didn't see anyone grow emotionally. The choices were selfish. Having to make choices between happiness or suffering, being together to go through life's events, or crawl in a hole and everyone doing their own individual thing struggling on their own. The choices made weren't healing. They were torture and emotional abuse to everyone involved. There was absolutely NO peace in it whatsoever. She can go all the way to the highest altitude with him but he can't go with her on her journey? Made no sense. He is an esteemed horticulturalist despite his reasons for being a recluse. Are we saying he can't get a job internationally or something like that??? It's just archaic crazy talk. This is 2023 ffs.

The openness of the ending was to compensate for the fact that the story is a bitter train wreck where no one comes out of it truly okay. It was for those who watched not knowing the source material, like myself, to make up for having stuck it out watching this expecting to see a Silver Lining somewhere in it all...only to find none. I guess the best part was that the music 100% fit everything the drama took us through.

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This OTP had incredible chemistry.

I even felt she had more chemistry here than she did with Nam Joo Hyuk during their drama, and they were dating. I really, really liked this couple even when they were fighting with each other. They were so fun to watch.

I wasn't a particular fan of the 3-4 episodes they took the drama into a bit of melodrama and thriller, but everything else was fun to watch even if it could be considered cliche. The cast was worked so well together that, cliche or not, you still found it interesting and entertaining because the actors portrayed their characters in a really fun way 90% of the time.

Since it's been really hard to find a K-drama in the last couple years that was fun to watch, I really rated this high. ...the ending of the final episode, with the bts gave me all the vibes I felt I was getting watching this. This cast seemed to really, REALLY like each other, and it showed in the end results.I even felt she had more chemistry here than she did with Nam Joo Hyuk during their drama, and they were dating. I really, really liked this couple even when they were fighting with each other. They were so fun to watch.

I wasn't a particular fan of the 3-4 episodes they took the drama into a bit of melodrama and thriller, but everything else was fun to watch even if it could be considered cliche. The cast was worked so well together that, cliche or not, you still found it interesting and entertaining because the actors portrayed their characters in a really fun way 90% of the time.

Since it's been really hard to find a K-drama in the last couple years that was fun to watch, I really rated this high. ...the ending of the final episode, with the bts gave me all the vibes I felt I was getting watching this. This cast seemed to really, REALLY like each other, and it showed in the end results.

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There were entertaining moments but the totality was a drama that is a dime a dozen. Female lead wasn't really sassy but horny. Male lead was the saving grace. The rest of the cast did their part, but with a stale story and bad editing, this is forgettable.

I'm really not a fan of the noble idiocy. This drama ended up doing what every average Chinese Drama ends up doing, making things messy in the 11th hour with very little episode film time to give us anything but a quick end after dragging everything out and put every obstacle in front of the OTP, including the kitchen sink. So unnecessary.

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Not As Slow Burn As You Might Expect

I was mislead by a lot of comments. There was really a lot about slow burn, but in actuality, there is no more slow burn than any standard rom-com Kdrama.

The template of such a drama is the work up to the 7-8th episode for the confessions, and skinship to happen... this drama fits the templete so I'm not stressed about it. I expected it to be more like a Cdrama where you almost have to wait for the last second and then they're only happy for 1/2 a day, some tragedy or fight happens, and you don't see them together for the rest of the drama until the last 15 minutes. lol. This is no where near that kind of thing.

You don't get a lot of silliness once they start to grow up, get over their mental issues, open up to others, not just themselves, and start to become more and more emotionally healthy.

Also, the comments about them being way too immature for their age and that this was boring had the point of this drama go right over their heads. That WAS the point of the drama, hahaha. It is a testament on varying mental issues, how parents can make or break that, and set up their kids for success or failure despite their circumstances and how that affects your other interpersonal relationships, be they work related, friendships, or extended family. You can watch the entire Johnny Depp v Amber Heard trial to understand what this means. And this couple aren't anywhere near having the mental issues those two have, and he's in his 50s... So, yeah, the way things transpire in childhood has a serious affect on how you handle life in adulthood. If a rom-com based on this is boring to you, than avoid those topics.

As to how the drama handled the subject matter, for the most part, it was quaint and relatable. There were moments of cliche that made me sad they couldn't have made fresher interpersonal issues. The idea you actually need a 'degree' to grow creatively etc is too antiquated. It discounts folks like Steve Jobs et al. There's no One Size Fits All to maturity, growth, & creativity... but the Korean mindset just hasn't grasp that idea yet, it seems. I thought with Ung they almost got there, but they fell short in the end by doing him a bit dirty.

I wasn't really a fan of the forward backward then forward again flashes in time to tell the story. They used it to slowly unfold the truths behind each character. It was okay and effective at times. In others, it felt like they were trying to play you with forced "Ah,, ha" moments. After a while, it was a bit irritating.

So, weighing the pros and cons of this drama, I still think this is an above avg Kdrama, worth a solid watch.

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Old School Rom-Com Cliches

I really hate when they have last minute NEW drama they have to resolve halfway through the final episode. Even worse I hate the time slips and travel that make no sense.

This was 100% standard Kdrama rom-com cliche.

It was fun enough for a quick watch.

My honest opinion is that Kim Min Gue was the better actor in this drama and I really liked him as Cha Sung Hoon. I enjoyed the secondary couple much better, although they wrote Young Seo as having episodes of psycho chick in her. I didn't get it, because most 80% of the time she was a sweet, down-to-earth, rational person who is a loyal friend, but every once in a while she acted like she didn't know what was going on and got angry for BS reasons. Past that, I did love them as a couple.

The rest of it was pure cliche... that's all I can say... lol.

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Worst of the Bunch of Adaptations

This is definitely my least fav version of this adaptation. It doesn't help that they had to have a 3 year delay of this drama. It was totally understandable, considering Choi Tae Joon's close relationship with quite a number of the guys involved in the Burn Sun Scandal that started early 2018 and picked up steam towards the end of the year when this should have been broadcast. It also didn't help that the posters they choose got a lot of hate comments from female viewers for the way it looks totally misogynistic. A very poor choice considering the #MeToo movement was starting to get more hype.

The drama itself reflects the timeframe it was filmed in. The first 6 episodes, had this aired on time, would have had dozens of negative forum posts, I have no doubt in my mind. It was tone deaf on just how awful treating women, especially those who aren't considered "rich", "talented", or "pretty" by industry standards, and it doesn't sit any better knowing it's just for the drama either. After a while the poor treatment just grates on you.

The time allotted to characters was so out of line as well. The 2nd leads had FAR too much screen time and story than the OTP that I found myself fast forwarding through a majority of it because it was simply repeat after repeat of the same issues and arguments. Halfway through, I was like... I get it... there's jealousy and betrayal... now move on with the story.

The romance went from 0-100 in a nanosecond. Wasn't sure how all that emotion came about... Once there, it was cool. I liked the mid-half the best of this drama. But then the last 3 episodes ruined the whole vibe with this 2 episode forced 'distance' between them. Beyond cliche even if it mirrors the adaptive material. And now I feel like I wrote far more about this drama than the value I placed on watching it. It was fine for a quick one time watch just to know what this version was going to be after such a long wait...and to see Park Shin Hye's husband finally be in a "popular" drama where people know and remember who he is.... lol.

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Edited With A Serrated Knife

Tbh, this started out pretty good. I was enjoying it despite the rough editing cuts and a few other random flaws here and there.

But then all of a sudden around Ep. 10, one of the main police characters disappeared. It made the whole murder mystery situation a complete mess. The cops looked like fools who aren't out to seek justice but just to do the bidding of chaebols giving orders or placating the rest of society to pretend like they're actually trying to do a job they are not. Leaves a bad taste in your mouth....

Then after that the story fell apart into a rotating cycle of the same topic: they're hiding, they're lying around in each other's arms waiting for death, the bad guys find them, bad guys tell the cops, cops chase after them, catch them, then release them....and we just rinse and repeat this cycle until the show is over....

The end was a time skip, with stuff that made no sense.... we didn't see any of the hospital process, and why is the head nun giving medical advice and not a doctor??? There was nothing to cops doing their job... it was all 'in the background".... We just basically watch a group of people cry over each other when we already knew this shit would happen from the start... There was VERY little character development except for the OTP... and that was an aspect that was truly overlooked and lost as a potential to bolden this plot.... but this writer just wanted to do 'depressed and sad lives' and keep us there.... Hell, we don't even get to truly see the results of the bad guys... just a partial TV news report... which was just as weak as randomly cutting a main supporting actor playing a cop without any real rhyme or reason for it... don't believe me??? Go look at the comments to the ending... people STILL don't understand what happened and think he was written out for personal reasons, not because the writer wanted to do it for the plot... but there's no confirmation either way... which just proves the sloppy writing this had...

It's really sad because the actors, especially the grandma, acted the shit out of their characters and really truly tried to sell us the whole thing... but even with all of that, they couldn't save the final snooze fest of 3-4 episodes of nothingness the writer put into that script.

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Sorry, I didn't have the same reaction to this as I saw others.

So much of it I found cringy. It didn't help that it felt like every 15 minutes someone was giving a patronizing speech about some online issue, and much of the fan stuff was overdramatized and unrealistic. Inept managers, coaches, and sponsors that made me wonder how they are even remotely successful with all this going on. The focus was more about fandoms than playing the game. Like, ultimately, who cares?

I wasn't really a fan of the OTP and didn't find them persuasive. I actually enjoyed JinYang & Ai Jia's relationship a lot better, and felt they had better chemistry and were a more realistically portrayed couple. SiCheng treated TY like a 3 year old, and after the situation with her ex-b/f her accepting being treated like that seemed weird, especially when they're making it out to be male/female equality.

In the end, I thought the best character development and growth, although not given much screen time, was Jian Yang. For all the hate he was getting in each episodes comments, he ended up being the one who respected everyone the most. So, frankly, this drama was extremely disappointing to me, but still enough there to warrant a mid-tier rating.

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Best Female/Male Leads of a Campy Rom-Com

The beginning and the middle are loads of fun. The side characters can be on/off fun then irritating. For the most part, they're great additions to the show.

The "investigation" or "palace" part of the plot aren't some in-depth, elaborate plot. It's fairly insubstantial. That was fine by me, because, in this particular drama, that's what makes it great. It's just pure CAMPY fun, and it's meant to be that way.

The ML & FL are truly 100% likeable individuals in every way. There is nothing I can say negative about them. These two legit make me smile, they are adorable and wonderful whether together or apart. I mean, these two have great chemistry and skinship. Some of the best realistic intimate moments I've seen...but *that* is not why I like them so much. That's just the *cherry* on the top. They're both just really **good** people!!

Every character is clearly defined and there isn't any really any time that a character starts to act against their pre-set personal nature. The characters almost nearly stay consistent from beginning to end. In this way though, there aren't necessarily any *big* surprises, although they do manage to weave one in at the end, which was kind of interesting.

Unfortunately, I must sadly state that, the writer started to meander in the plot once the FL didn't have to hide as much, for reasons, and I'm trying to not spoil the show.

I'll say that for me, the ending really didn't do these characters justice. It's not like it was necessarily a 'dud' but the show just wandering off and then ended. I wanted all the bells and whistles of a "completed" story, and all the things that come with a couple being together, but they didn't give it to us.

What they gave us instead was a ML who, from start to finish, 100% respected women. Not only that, but *working* women. Jealousy? *slight* Domineering? *never* so, in that sense, giving her and him the ending they did, in its own way, was true to thier form.

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A Very Authentic BL Drama

1) This was some of the best acting I've ever seen in a BL drama. I felt every emotion in my gut. The aura they conveyed was genuine. That's not an easy task for any actor to do. This was The Untamed level of emoting, ngl.

2) Regardless of my personal feelings towards the choices each character made, the character directions were authentic, and the reasonings were valid.

3) The plot was intriguing and engaging. The dialogue was deeper than any Thai BL drama I've watched in a while. I think that the only comparable one would be OG S1 SOTUS, but the difference here is that this drama is focused solely on the OTP with supporting characters being just that, supporting. There are no secondary or tertiary stories within the base plot. I actually appreciated that, because, the script had enough engaging ideas about the OTP to drive the story forward without having to invest in other things in order to keep it from being boring and engaging to the viewers. That's the confidence of a good script.

I am truly happy there is going to be a Season 2 because a script like this deserves it, and I'm excited to see the character development between this OTP.

This drama shows what a BL could be if only a script writer, production staff, and actors invest in the quality. Count me impressed.

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This drama was surprisingly so good.

How the story unfolded kept you in suspense but didn't make you feel annoyed as if it was being dragged out. The reveals were purposeful and linear so that each preceding mystery to unravel felt appropriate.

Let's just say that this cast and the acting was definitely topnotch. Some of the best K-Drama acting you could find.

When new characters were added to the mix, they played a key role but not meant to distract or cause chaos to generate false intensity. The intensity always stayed on the core plot and didn't divert into any secondary stories, or triangles, or just plain stupid people doing stupid things, that you see in lazy writing. This writer had a story they wanted to tell and they told it well.

For a story about people lacking in emotions, there were far more emotions than you get in drama plots meant to be tearjerkers.

Lastly, the writer really did want to give a statement on the state of humanity with its gossip, quick judgments, misconceptions, and the influence of social media with its group think, and cancel culture tactics. How good people are driven to do certain things because they know this dynamic and want to avoid it at all costs. Topping this aura out with the mistrust and maltreatment of people who have mental health issues based in circumstances and genetics completely outside their own control and the unfairness of it all.

I really truly appreciate that the writer made these cases in the drama without wielding a heavy hammer in doing so. They were blunt yet sophisticated in their subtlety as well that you could choose to take this drama at face value or open the message within in it. This way, you attract the respect of more viewers with differing POVs. Well done by the writer. I'm certainly impressed.

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Quirky Take on Politics

This certainly wasn't a drama that was about taking itself seriously. I like the style of this drama but the execution of the plot was inconsistent at times. Being silly, in essence, gives the drama leeway on this fact.

I was onboard with the quirky female lead because it was a new take on the typical K-Drama Kongji & Patji dramas. She's a lot stronger FL than most, and not trampled on hardly at all. Her setbacks are all situational and manipulated but not from a specific case of those "out to get" her.

Towards the middle her character turns less dogmatic about the things that drove her choices which felt a bit out of character. Even the ML pointed it out in passing a few times. I was irked a bit, but they brought her back around to be more in character, and she never lost her passionate side or strength one time. Being quirky sort of meant spacy and she flies from one train of thought to the other but not in a ditzy or chaotic matter. It's just more messy at times.

The ML is stoic but with a heart of gold. He's the calm in the storm. The passion for doing the right thing match the FL, and they make great leads with wonderful interactions that come across genuine and natural. It's refreshing, and the drama around them drives them forwarding as characters rather than stymie them.

This was a fun ride although the ending felt as if they production didn't know how to end things. The time jumps were a bit awkward, and the characters either when in a strange direction or ended up, after all that forward movement, back to where their character's personality was before everything started. But, again, this is on the quirky side so it played to the style of the drama. I just prefer to have a more wrapped up ending.

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Focus On More Than 1 Element In This Drama

Focus On More Than 1 Element: Romance, Healing, Mental Health, Novels Within a Novel, Mystery, Non-Traditional Family

The sum of the parts of this drama are just so good that regardless of the lapses of certain elements of the writing, it still deserves tons of praise.

My favorite part of this drama, hands down, was the 3-way relationship of the OTP and brother. The way they evolved had so much preciousness to it, it was unbelievable.

The 1 point deduction is for the part that everyone seems to be stuck on, that doesn't make sense in the *real* world but is fine for *la-la-land*, regarding the mystery. Plausible or not, this does not take away from all of the other parts that were done so well, to me, that I just cannot fathom deducting more than 1 point.

Lastly, you know a drama's story is well told when I bother to go to an online Korean marketplace to purchase the novels within this drama, that are written in Korean, to be sent to me here in the USA during a pandemic. Shelling out $170 for a fantasy author, Moonyoung & illustrator, Sang Tae's REAL work is nothing to sneeze at! I enjoyed them so much I was truly willing to invest.

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