Story: A sweet and light love story. The difference? The focus on online games which gave the drama some fantasy element and the interaction between friends living in the campus. If you are saturated with too many complicated love stories, this is the drama that will give you a breath of fresh air. You'll find yourself smiling most of the time. One smile = alluring. Many smiles = Excellent! My congratulations to the writer who also happened to author Shan Shan Comes to Eat - another nice sweet romance drama worth your time. I'm off to re-watch it now!

Acting/Cast: At first I was a bit worried when Zheng Shuan was cast in the role of Wei Wei. The novel described Wei Wei as a beautiful young woman with the perfect body and frankly speaking, Zheng Shuan's not the best around when it comes to having curves where curves should be. The movie version of this drama cast Angelababy as Wei Wei which was closer to the description of Wei Wei in the novel. So, having watched the movie first - I had to adjust to seeing a mediocre-looking Wei Wei in the drama but after a few episodes, it became a non-issue as the story took precedence. The shining star here is Yang Yang. His boyish charm shone through. He alone pulled through the chemistry with his leading lady when Zheng Shuan was a little stiff to start with. Watch out for those scenic and romantic scenes....and kisses! The dialogues were also excellent!

Music: Passable but it is not the music that attracts. It's the sweet love story.

Rewatch value: Highly re-watchable. Lots of sweet scenes.

Overall: Addictive. Sweet. Smile inducing. Makes me wanna re-live my younger days in Uni and fall in love again. Highly recommended.

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Story: The plot in this story is pretty straightforward. It's all about love. How some people love but couldn't let go even when that love ended. How others love but for the sake of that person, had to let go. It's about love and how each of us love differently. There's the sort of love that transcends death. There's the sort of love that became stories of legend, but how much of it is true? There's the sort of love that thrives in simplicity - in the everyday life together, in the smiles of your loved ones, in the silly and petty arguments. There's the sort of love that forms from adversity -having faced life and death together. There's the sort of love that comes from familiarity - being comfortable with that person and having him or her beside you for the rest of your life. And there's the sort of love that stem from compassion, friendship and trust. The female lead in this story is married to a man who became a simpleton because of a poisoning episode. At first, she disliked her husband and the predicament she was in, but slowly came to appreciate the simple and innocent kind of love her husband has for her. Into this picture entered a young man who had loved her since childhood. He had always cherished the memories of their childhood and had always wanted to marry her. For her, he would do anything, including giving his life away for her - just to see her smile. Faced with the dilemma of an innocent love and a passionate love, our female lead is truly stuck in between these two men. There are also the love stories of side couples that will keep you rooting for them too. Even the evil mastermind in this story has a love story to tell - which is the reason why he became what he is. This drama tells a story about love from so many different perspectives. I like the 'maturity' in message about love in this drama. To those of you who is wondering if it's a happy ending - well, it depends who you are rooting for. The female lead has to choose between two perfectly good examples of men. It is no wonder she's confused and frustrated. I would be too! However, I do agree with her choice. Love is not about doing all sorts of things for that person, but to trust that what you and that person had experienced together is enough to secure his or her love for a lifetime. On another note, I love the comedy in this drama. It's not the at-your-face- type comedy. It's nicely weaved into the story and its characters.

Cast/Acting: I do not know any of the actors and actresses in this drama. They are all newbies. However, they can act. At least sufficiently to bring the emotions across. What I find problematic is how the drama is edited in some parts - you can clearly see it's an edited part as it didn't flow as smoothly from the previous scene. This is no fault of the acting crew - it's the lack of experience of the editing and production crew. It's a waste but these odd parts of the drama are few - so it's tolerable. Another problem I noticed is how some of the fighting/action scenes came across as awkward and unpolished. Again - not the fault of the acting crew. This is the fault of the directing and production crew. Perhaps they lack the funding to employ a good and experienced action director - hence, had to rely on simple action scenes.

Music: Not much to comment here. Some people like the ending OST, but it's just average to me.

Re-watch value: There are many romantic and sad scenes between the female lead and the two men. I also like the scenes between her and her husband's second brother - who I believe, had a secret crush on her as well, but did not act on it. It's in his actions and the way he looked at her, but he had to stay away from her coz she's his sister-in-law. They ended up as besties, which I think is another good conclusion to love. I actually like their chemistry better and I think the second brother is actually the handsomest actor among all the actors in this drama. This drama has a strong re-watch value. With only 24 episodes and every episode has a sweet or sad love scene with no draggy story telling, it won't be long when I would re-watch this drama again.

Overall: I give this drama a 8.5 out of 10. It's a surprisingly good drama, despite the many directing and editing faults. The story and script writers are clearly the strength of this drama's crew. Witty conversations and comedy mixed well with some deep truths about relationships and love. I would recommend you to watch this drama. It may not be the excellent type drama or a big production, and has a rather weird and nonsensical title, but it is surprisingly good.

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Story: This drama has a rather 'dark' message. It is about how the society is biased - biased against those who are not born into the right family. The main character is a woman who believes that through hard work, she could make it in life. Despite being really good in her studies and a hardworker, she was constantly side-lined because she did not graduate from an overseas University and she is practically a nobody. After suffering a long and turbulent relationship with a man who comes from the same background as hers, she learned that the only way to the top is through connections and by snatching a rich husband. Hence, begun her Alice in Wonderland-like story. This story is a look at "the other side of the coin". It is easy for us to hate gold-diggers and call them names, but this story brings you the 'justification' why certain women became gold-diggers. At the end of it all, you'll find yourself cheering for the woman to succeed in snaring a rich husband and agreeing to all of her rationale for doing so. This is why, this drama has a 'dark' side to it. Younger viewers watch with care. You need not be a gold-digger to succeed in life. Heck - Tommy Hong (in the drama) did it and he did not marry a rich wife! One just need to be smart and not a straight arrow.

Acting/Cast: I was really excited for the drama when it first started showing but the biggest disappointment, unfortunately, is the acting. There is hardly any chemistry between the male and female leads. Hello! This is supposed to be a romantic love drama - not "let's have a big brotherly and sisterly hug and a very polite kiss and call that a chemistry" drama! I know that there are many ppl out there who likes MGY and thinks of her as a great actress but I am not one of them. I knew long ago, that she has her limitations in acting and for some reason, I do not consider her a beauty. Her acting in this drama is the worst so far. The male lead, PSH, was a saving grace with his ability to act childish at one moment and dead serious at another. He has proven that he is a versatile actor. Unfortunately, even he could not manufacture that sort of romantic chemistry with the "sad or happy-fake-smile-only" MGY. The drama could benefit from getting an older and more versatile actress. The other casts did great, but the extreme lack of chemistry between the leads killed it for me.

Music: The music is passable.

Rewatch value: For me, the first time is the last time. Glad I finished it, but don't think I would be re-watching it.

Overall: Passable entertainment. The IDEA of the story is interesting and has great potential but the lack of chemistry between the leads killed it.

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Story: A classic storyline that starts off with a frown, then a smile, then sadness and ending with a sigh. For all of you romantics out there, this is a movie to watch. My only warning is:- keep a box of tissue next to you. You'll need it -guaranteed!

Acting/Cast: Full marks for acting. All veteran actors and actresses; so you can expect mature and professional acting.

Music: Sombre, sweet but most times, reminiscence of love won and lost. The music reflects nicely the feel of this movie.

Rewatch value: Personally, I am the sort of romatic who would go for comedy romance as I love to de-stress while watching a movie or drama. This movie is a wonderful movie; the re-watch value simply reflects my personal preference for only re-watching something that is light and sweet that helps me to relax. This movie makes me cry out like a baby; so I won't be re-watching it anytime soon. However, for those of you who loves tragic romance type of movie, this one here is a winner for you!

Overall: A good movie. Certainly worth the recommendation. However, I would include my recommendation with a warning for keeping a box of tissue next to you before you hit the play button. Trust me - you'll need it!

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Story: This is the story of Wu Xin - a man with many pasts, an immortal body but with no inkling of who or what he is. The story started off with Wu Xin wandering around as a poor, starving monk. Through an accident where he fell into a ravine, he met Yue Ya - a woman who was fleeing home in order to escape an arranged marriage to an old man. Out of the goodness of her heart, Yue Ya shared half of her bun with the starving Wu Xin. In order to repay her kindness, Wu Xin followed her around and created opportunities for the both of them to make money from fighting supernatural beings. Along the way, they became fast friends with a loud-mouthed, ambitious but well-meaning Lord Gu, and a cowardly and prideful Taoist priest. Wu Xin also makes an eternal enemy out of a powerful and immortal female demon, Yue Qi Ruo and her loyal partner-in-crime who loves her, Zhang Xian Zong. This drama aired two episodes per week and each week, Wu Xin and gang will be dealing with one case of a supernatural being while juggling harassments from Yue Qi Ruo and her cahoots. I enjoyed the 'fighting supernatural beings' premise of this drama and would have given the story a higher rating if not for the rather abrupt open ending. I felt that in the end, there are still many things about Wu Xin that were not explained. In one final episode, important characters were killed off and everything was essentially back to the starting point. The ending did leave a rather poignant feel, especially with the ending credits and OST running - you cannot help but sigh heavily, feel a little sad, cheated and a little stumped. Until episode 18, the story was going well and then suddenly, bam! it ends. It certainly felt as if the funding for this drama ran out and they absolutely have to end it at episode 20. A little more thought and a gradual entry into the end would have help improve the storyline and the overall rating of this drama. Maybe another 2-4 episodes more, definitely more revelation of what or who Wu Xin is and a more dramatic showdown with big bad girl Yue Qi Ruo would have been good. If you are after a romance drama, you will be disappointed as the romance is not the main focus of the drama. The main focus is the lead character himself: Wu Xin.

Acting/Cast: My favourite character besides Wu Xin is Lord Gu. The interactions between the two of them (aka Bromance) is downright funny. Lord Gu is a loveable character and I am sure many who had watched this drama would remember his character well above others. My least favourite character is ironically, the female lead, Yue Ya. This is purely personal preference as I don't quite like Yue Ya's practical, no nonsense, bickering, bossy and some what annoying character. Although I like dominant female characters, for reasons unknown, I dislike Yue Ya's character. I feel Yue Ya has a rather boring, flat and one-dimensional character and to build an epic romance story around such a character does not make sense nor did it appeal to me. Granted, she and Wu Xin do share some touching scenes together and some of their interaction is quite entertaining, the chemistry that I get from them is more of a long-time good friend rather than the passionate and hot attraction of lovers. In fact, the evil Yue Qi Ruo exhibits more passion and chemistry towards Wu Xin than Yue Ya. Too bad she's evil and suck people's spirits to maintain her youth and beauty or I'll be in camp Qi Ruo and Wu Xin. And to those of you who got suckered in by Mike D'Angelo's beautiful pose in the poster, Mike has a very small and minimal role in this drama - only appearing occasionally at the last 2.5 episodes of the drama. His appearance is so sudden that one could even call his character as an afterthought to prepare for the abrupt ending.

Music: Some people might like the slow and poignant music. I am impartial to it. As far as I'm concerned, it suited the feel of the drama.

Rewatch value: No hurry to re-watch. No unforgettable romantic scenes to re-wind to. Although the demon and monster fighting parts are nice, I do not know anyone who would re-wind back to those scenes unless they get their kicks out of watching supernatural beings running amok and people getting murdered?

Overall: Despite the weak ending and the lack of lovers' chemistry between Wu Xin and Yue Ya, I did enjoy this drama for the monster killing, the mystery and the investigative parts. And although the mystery of Wu Xin hangs in the air like an unsolved mystery even to the end, I liked the character Wu Xin and the potential for a Season 2 (if they want to continue with it). Otherwise, this is the end and life just continues to go on (forever) for our monster killing hero, Wu Xin.

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Can't believe I haven't written a review on this gem! Here we go....!

Story: Simple, comical, romantic and to a point - mature. Love the 4 dudes and their antics. If "I Need Romance" is the female equivalent of "Sex & the City", then this here is the male equivalent of "101 ways of how to get under a woman's skirt - the blokey guide".... minus the emphasis on sex, of course. I love the little 'prologues' at the beginning of each episode. They are proof that men are just overgrown boys and they will always be up to something naughty! A well put together drama that ends well for everyone.

Acting/Cast: Whatdaya expect from veteran actors & actresses? Quality and believable acting of course! Even the young idol actors are not too stiff, but I must say that I am very relieved that they are not the main focus of this drama. They add a comical dimension to the drama without looking as if the writer was trying too hard on the comedy part of things. Well done!

Music: Nice OSTs worth downloading.

Rewatch value: High - simply because the episodes can be stand alones but they all contribute to the overall picture of the story. So, if there is a favourite episode or scene that you want to replay over and over again, you can! Furthermore, this drama gives off a nice relaxing feeling and a venue for women to nod their heads off in agreement at all the silly things and behaviour men engage in! Definitely a keeper!

Overall: Full marks. Highly recommended. Time to fall in love, people!... unrequitted, of course! ;)

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Story: First, this drama focuses mostly on martial art competitions and the journey of the female lead towards achieving the status of the best Yuanwudao martial artist. Therefore, if you are after a romance drama, this is not it and you will be sorely disappointed. Instead, watch this if you are interested in watching martial art competitions and the ups and downs a person faces when preparing for a competition. This drama also emphasises on the concept of family, friendship, diligence and loyalty. It's more of a self-discovery journey of the female lead character. There's the development of triangle romance but that is not the focus of this drama. Again, a fair warning - this is a NOT a romance drama (although romance was part of the journey of 'growing up' of the female character) but a sports & friendship-themed drama. The story stayed loyal to its original style despite the change in the main characters from Whirlwind Girl 1. However, I feel its a bit lengthy and that certain parts of the drama could have been presented more concisely. In fact the last 2 episodes were a total waste of time with lots of flashbacks. I would have rated the story 9/10 if not for all the flashbacks in the last 2 episodes. Also, the way it ended....are they planning for a Season 3?

Acting/Cast: Everyone acted well.

Music: Suitable.

Rewatch value: Not a candidate for re-watch though there are some scenes between the female lead and male lead that may be nice to go back to.

Overall: Watchable entertainment but with some lengthy scenes that could have been cut short. If they are aiming for a Season 3, I hope they will stop trying to drag the story out...but this is the Chinese we are talking about. They'll probably milk this cow and bleed it dry until it can no longer walk and the audience drop like flies as time passes! Compared to Whirlwind Girl 1, this drama is comparable but slightly on the lesser side.

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Story: This is an example of a drama that started out brilliantly with promises of hours of drama intrigue and entertainment only to fall flat on its face half way through. The result? An ending that makes you slap your own face and pull your hair out in frustration. The frustration is not for the story for the direction of doom the story was taking was pretty obvious 5 episodes into the drama, but rather for the fact that you were such an idiot to have watched it to the end! (Yes, me guilty!) >_< The story started out with Jin Da Hua, an ugly woman with a heart of gold. In an attempt to resolve her father's gambling debts, she was given an opportunity to be beautiful through the misfortune of a woman who resembles her. For one year, she is to be the fiancee of a rich man. Unfortunately, the real fiancee died and Jin Da Hua was left with the task of consoling the man. In the process, they fell in love. Throw in a childhood sweetheart and a couple of meddling women - you get yourself a drama. It could have been such a good drama, except that the important characters in the drama suddenly have a change in heart and.. well.. character. Since then, the entire story went down the bin. One has to wonder if they changed writer half way through or whether the writer hit a roadblock with the story and never recovered. Anyho... if you plan to take this drama up, do not expect a good storyline and satisfying ending.

Acting/Cast: No complains about the acting. Everyone in this drama are experienced actors and actresses. A pity that the storyline flopped half way through.

Music: Literally the saving grace of this drama. I absolutely looooove the OSTs, especially Olivia Ong's "Unchangeable". Looking forward to her new album with the OST in it!!

Rewatch value: Not worth rewatching. Seriously.

Overall: Watch if you ran out of drama to watch but do not expect much despite the great start to the drama. Lots of nice memorable scenes in the drama with the wonderful OSTs playing BUT that's just all it is - great looks, OSTs, classic romantic scenes (eg: kissing in the rain, unveiling of the bride etc). The drama simply lacked substance from the storyline point of view. Absolute disappointment... but at least, we leave with a great set of OSTs.

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Story: Where should I begin? The story started out promising with its time travelling theme but progressively falls flat on its face and ended with an ambivalent ending that not only disappoints but defied logic. It definitely felt like the writer left the drama somewhere after episode 6 and never got back on set. Good ideas were introduced but not explored. Explanations were given but later something happens that defy the logic of the explanation given earlier. In short, a big mess! And a big waste of time! If you are after a good romance, this drama will not fulfill that for you. If you are after a good storyline with logical outcomes, this drama will not fulfill it for you either. It tried to do too many things, explored too many ideas that it ended up a flop. In its last few episodes, it has spiralled down to oblivion and placed itself in the same par as Heirs - a HUGE disappointment!

Acting/Cast: No complains in the acting department. Even Yong Hwa had polished up a bit in his acting.... just a bit.

Music: Nothing that sticks. Hence, none made it into my MP3 player.

Rewatch value: A waste of time. A waste of $$. You will not miss anything if you have not watched this.

Overall: This drama serves to remind me why I had stopped watching KDramas over a year ago. My decision is justified. Still waiting for the next best thing.

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Another one of those Hong sisters' work and like all of their past work (eg: You Are Beautiful etc), it has all the humour, creative storyline and likeable characters. However, this drama is not without its weaknesses. Here's my review of this drama:



Story: Overall, a fun and creative story involving a love story between a fairytale creature and a human. Lots of funny and memorable scenes and interesting characters (eg: the action director and dae wong's aunt, dae wong's grandfather etc). Pretty straight forward storyline and we all know by now that the Hong sisters ALWAYS write happy endings, so no surprise there. If you love fairytales and happily ever after sort of theme with fun, this is the drama for you. However, the biggest weakness of a Hong sisters' work is the ending. In my opinion, the ending is a weak ending. They should have spent more time expanding the events and rationale leading towards the ending. The drama would have benefited from an extra episode or another 30 mins to set things in motion towards the ending. As it is, the ending felt forced as if the writers just wanted a happy ending for the characters forgoing the work that is needed towards building this happily ever after. Like I'd said before, endings are not the Hong sisters' strength. My advice for those who are planning to watch this drama:- Just enjoy the journey. It is hilarous, good entertainment with the occassional tear-jerking moments.



Acting/Cast: Lee Seung Gi's a good actor and I think we have pretty much establised this by now based on his past work. It is no wonder he draws in the ratings despite his not-so-good looks (that's just my opinion!). My biggest brownie points, however, goes to the drama new comer Shin Min Ah. This particular young lady has in the past done work on CFs, modelling and movies, but with this drama, she made a fantastic debut as the naive and loveable gumiho. All I can say is she shined in this drama!! The rest of the cast was brilliant as well. I love the actor that played the action director and Dae Wong's aunt, not to mention the actors and actresses playing Dae Wong's grandfather, friends and first love interest (yes! even that annoying woman was well portrayed by actress Park Soo Jin!).



Music: Lovely OSTs worth downloading.



Rewatch value: Good rewatch value, especially when you just needed entertainment without wasting too much brain cells to figure things out. Lots of funny scenes that are guaranteed to entertain you.



Overall, time well spent on the coach. Do not let the hurried ending spoil your mood or decision to watch this drama. If anything, it is highly entertaining.

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Story: What is fated love? This drama explores this well with an excellent backdrop of history and action. There is never a boring scene in this drama. The fighting scenes are phenomenal and they are actually my favourites - they are not too complicated or fancy like the chinese kungfu series but energetic and very real, hence the beauty of them. I like it that the writer had choosen to depict a romance story amidst a time of turmoil in Korean history when there were struggles between slaves and aristrocats while being under the rule of a weak king. I like it that the story did not overly dwell in the political scenarios but used the political scenarios as a backdrop to what is to be a "dramatic" love story.



Acting/Cast: What can I say? I fell in love with Jang Hyuk through this drama. He bears the mark of a true actor in his role as the angst-revenge driven Dae Gil. His was a very challenging character and he pulled it off PERFECTLY! He spoke with his eyes, his expressions and his intonations had thoroughly pulled me into his world of slave hunters and his misery of loving and yet being unable to love. Oh Ji Hoo as Tae Ha (righteous, dutiful, loyal) and Lee Dae Hae as Hye Won (meek, fearful and a woman with a secret) were also perfect choices. Even the dudes who acted as slave hunters, mountain brigands, slave rebels and evil ministers were wonderful in their roles. I seriously could not find any fault in the acting and cast of this drama.



Music: I absolutely love the OSTs in this drama. I listen to them frequently in my walkman. I think this in itself tells you how wonderful I think of them. What I absolutely love was how each OSTs are perfectly coordinated with the scenes and feelings in the drama. Whenever I listen to the OSTs, they reminded me of the drama and the unforgettable scenes in the drama.



Rewatch value: I had rewatched parts of this drama twice. I am not a fan of rewatching dramas as I am a very time poor person but for this drama, I actually rewatched a number of parts that I absolutely love. I must admit that I had never rewatched any dramas entirely, not because they are not worth rewatching (how I wish I have the time and luxury to rewatch dramas!).



Overall: This is my advice to you who had not watched this drama..... go and get a bag of chips or popcorn, a box of tissue and maybe a pillow (because it is quite addictive and you might just decide to skip sleep to finish this drama in one go) and just WATCH THIS DRAMA. You'll never regret it! :)

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Story: A simple love story. If you are saturated with all those personality disorder, psychological thriller, alien, ghost,action, historical and mystery type romances that are all the rage nowadays and just want to get back to a simple straight-forward modern romance with a happy ending, this movie is the one for you. Kang In-Jun is a simple man who works hard to afford a home in Busan. He dreams of one day settling down and spending his days growing old with his girlfriend in that house. However, his girlfriend - a traveling photojournalist, hopes to spend the rest of her life traveling with her love one. Due to this incompatibility in life direction, one day his girlfriend packed her bags and left to see the world without him. Her first stop - Shanghai. Still very much in love, he travels to Shanghai in hopes of finding and conciliating with her. While in Shanghai, he meets Zhu-Lie - a woman who is about to get engaged but found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her. Through an accident, Kang In-Jun and Zhu-Lie ended up living together. Hence, begins a love story between the two.

Acting/Cast: I have no complains for the acting of the main couple. Zhu-Lie seems to exhibit more emotion towards In-Jun who seems to be the naive, honest-to-goodness Busan boy type character. The only person with acting problem is the guy who plays the role of Zhu-Lie's friend who can speak Korean...it was obvious he's new and his acting was odd at places. Other than that, everyone's done a good job. There were a couple of odd 'bridging' scenes where ppl do not speak (or speak little) and just look at each other with multiple expressions on their faces. I put that down to the awkwardness of communication when one is speaking Mandarin and another, Korean. That can be interpreted as a natural scene in real life when you have ppl speaking different languages trying to communicate to each other. You'll end up using nonverbal communication and one letter words instead. The actors and actresses in this movie use 3 languages:- Korean, Mandarin and English. If you ask me, where international romances are involved, this is a very normal situation.

Music: Love the OST sung by Park Si-Hoo and the faster beat ending OST.

Rewatch value: I give this a pretty high rewatch value simply because it's a movie. This is an easy watch -simple love story and just require 1 hour and 45 mins of your time. Some ppl complain about the slower pace but I find the pace acceptable. I've watched many melodramas, a bit of an expert in Chinese movies (hence used to their style of story-telling) and trust me when I say the pace of this movie is much better than a typical melodrama. Everything flows nicely towards an ending that did not feel rushed. If you are bored out in a weekend and just want to watch something passable and uncomplicated, this is the movie for you.

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A mix of fantasy and romance that actually worked!

Story: It's complicated but it's also quite straightforward. In a nutshell, this is a fantasy story about a guy who could travel between "dimensions" - which were essentially stories from many different novels. His mission when travelling to the different stories was to collect "spiritual energy" by completing missions given to him by the "system". Once he had collected enough "spiritual energy", he would be able to return to his own world. The female lead was a college student who may seemed at first, un-connected to whatever the male lead's doing - but by accident, found herself in a story where the male lead had just completed. In order to bring her back to her own world, the male lead decided to enter the story again to help her complete her mission. Hence, begun a fantasy joyride of jumping from one story to another - from sci-fi to ancient to modern. The romance between the male lead and female lead developed as they completed missions together. My personal favourite was the ancient story part. :) There was also the underlying sarcasm about how many of these stories featured predictable romance between a female lead (who's always given the character of a victim and requiring help) and despicable male characters who took advantage of the female lead. There were also scenes and things the book characters did that were "standard" that provided some comedic relief.

Acting/Cast: Mostly new actors. The female lead acted well. The male lead's a bit stiff but his character will slowly grow on you. Side characters all acted well.

Music: Standard music.

Re-watch value: With only 12 episodes and with each episode adding to the progression of the story with no boring bits, it has excellent re-watch value for when you run out of good dramas to watch. You can very easily marathon this in one day.

Overall: If you want to be really picky and question things like, "What was the identity of the male lead and why could he travel between dimensions? The Book Spirit merely mentioned that "Master is different"- what did that mean? Was he even human? Which world did he came from? What was the logic of collecting "spiritual energy" to send the male lead home? How did that work? Which world did the female lead belong to? Was "the real world" where she came from actually part of a story as well? etc etc etc - then you will struggle to understand and enjoy this drama. Personally, I think the answers to these questions are not important for the enjoyment of this drama. The fantasy bits were merely settings. What this drama did really well was merging the idea of a fantasy story with a smooth progression of romance. It's really a weirdly successful formula despite the many potholes in story and acting. Overall, this was a worthy watch -much to my dumbfounded surprise!

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Story: This is the 3rd series of the popular Chinese Paladin franchise that was popularised by Hu Ge. Having watched all three Chinese Paladin series, I'll just summarise by saying that they are all worth your time watching. CP5 is an entirely different story. It even has an entirely different cast. No Hu Ge. To some, this might be a disappointment, but to others, this is a breath of fresh air - an opportunity for budding actors to try and prove their worth. Did Elvis Han manage to fill Hu Ge's big shoes? To be fair, it's hard to compare since Elvis' and Hu Ge's characters in the CP franchise are quite different! I'll also go out on a limp here by saying that in CP5, we have TWO male lead characters and not one as per the past CPs. Joe Cheng who acted as the Demon Prince Long You is an equally commanding, charismatic (perhaps more charismatic) and important character in CP5 as Elvis' half-human-half-demon Yun Fan. There are times in the series where Yun Fan's story took the backseat and Long You shone through. In fact, it got me questioning if Long You's the main male lead and not Yun Fan! Long You certainly has a much more interesting story arc. I am sure there are many Long You fans out there as there are for Yun Fan! The bromance between Yun Fan and Long You is another reason for watching this series. Unlike the past two series, this series focuses more on the relationship between humans and demons. The fairies or gods hardly make an appearance (if you count the 3 brief CGI appearances of Nuwa goddess as the 'fairy' part!).

Romance-wise, I am more in favour of the Long You-Xiao Man pairing. The romance between Yun Fan and Yu Rou is pretty one-dimensional and straightforward. I am also not entirely sold on the chemistry between Yun Fan and Yu Rou. Gulnezer or Gu Li Na Zha is a pretty woman but she is not suited to this role. She's either staring blank with her large eyes or crying tears with her large eyes. Nothing more. The chemistry is lacking between her and Elvis - which was a disappointment. It got to the point that I did not feel sorry for her when it's time for her to leave the scene (ahem!). The chemistry between Ling Ying and Long You was believable; not to mention the rather hot kissing scene (those of you who'd watched it know which one I'm referring to!)... but I was somewhat glad that Long You choose Xiao Man instead. Theirs is a relationship that started with platonic friendship and slowly grew into love as they supported each other and experienced all the hardships and challenges together. There is so much possibility for the relationship to grow but unfortunately, the series had to end! And the ending is....without giving spoilers away, I can only summarise it in one word: HOPE.

Acting/Cast: Generally, acting was good but I am not impressed with Gulnezer's acting. Unfortunately, this series would have been a much better one if they replace Gulnezer. My favourite actors are those who played the bandits. They provided the much needed comedic relief in this series.

Music: The OSTs are good and appropriate.

Rewatch value: I am more biased towards Long You's story; so if I rewatch this, I will only watch the parts concerning Long You. Thankfully, there are plenty of it!

Overall: Not as amazing as CP1 & 3, but it is still worth your time watching. Interesting story that manage to capture audiences' imagination. I rate this 8.5/10.

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Story: This is the Korean version of the popular Nodame Cantabile. Where adaptations go, this one retains some of the important scenes from the original Nodame but also expanded and created a more diverse branch of story involving people to people relationships. Side characters were given more screen time, including the exaggeration of one side character (2nd male lead) that was not in the original Nodame. Needless to say, the Korean version of Nodame stuck to the Korean's formula for drama success - triangle love; hence the need for a more prominent 2nd male lead character. It has all the charms and signature of a Korean production, less exaggeration of actions and facial expressions, a very small dose of 'makjang' where stories on relationships (including those of the older generation) are expanded and has a more realistic feel to it.

When I was writing this review, I considered my review of the original Nodame Cantabile and my knowledge of the manga. For the original Nodame, I gave the story and overall score as 9/10. It was entertaining and stuck to the overall feel of the manga as intended by its original author. For this Korean version, I scored it slightly lower 8.5/10 because I felt that the the expansion of the stories of side-characters have reduced the impact somewhat for the storyline of the main couple, their victories and failures. The story of Nodame is special because of this unique and comical interaction and relationship between a handsome, straight-laced, no-nonsense genius conductor with a quirky, messy and 'autistic' young lady who happens to be a genius at the piano. It is also a celebration of the grandeur and beauty of classical music. Somehow, the Korean version did not make my heart race when it comes to the classical music parts as the original Japanese version did. Perhaps, it all comes down to selection of pieces and the situations they were played - it is my opinion that they could have gone with better coordination of the music to produce a better wow! and inspirational effect. In fact, there are parts when the orchestra was playing and the music was cut short, diverted or tapered off (especially when it is near its crescendo)- a no-no for me for a classical music-themed drama.

Despite its weaknesses, this Korean version has its strengths as it has a more well rounded overall story. It's just a pity that the role of Nodame was muted to some point where the Korean Nodame could be deemed as quite a normal young lady with a good understanding of how to function in a normal society (eg: except for the first time, there were no indication that she continued to keep a messy room, she was able to keep a proper job, she behaved like a normal person in a relationship etc). I feel that Nodame (as the title suggests) should be the shining character and at par in relevance with the character of Chiaki. This however, was sacrificed for the more rounded overall story.

Acting/Cast: Joo Won did a great job as Yoo-Jin (Chiaki's character) but he was definitely less resistant towards Nae-Il (Nodame's character). In fact, half way through the drama, he knew he was in love with Nae-Il, simply hid the fact whereas with Chiaki, he did not realise it until towards the end when Nodame left him. Even then, Chiaki had trouble accepting that he actually likes Nodame.

As for Nae-Il's character, played by Eun-Kyung, is definitely hands down, a less impressive and less stand-out character compared with the Japanese Nodame played by Ueno Juri. So far, Ueno Juri tops the Nodame character hands down. Nae-Il is a much watered down Nodame character to the point that she is actually quite normal - which in turn, took away the uniqueness of Nodame's 'autistic genius' character.

The rest of the cast did well. Special mention for Go Kyung-Pyu as Il-Rak. He has an energetic and endearing acting style in this drama. A total likeable character and definitely an experienced actor. I'll be keeping an eye out for him.

Music: I love all of the classical pieces in this drama as I did for Nodame Cantabile. My only complain was the poorer music coordination for the scenes and how certain pieces were cut short and fell flat before its climax.

Rewatch value: Personally, Nodame Cantabile was a much easier re-watch drama because it is more entertaining (as it follows the manga with its exaggerated facial expressions), has fantastic classical musics at the right time and mood and it is shorter in duration. It would be quite tiresome for me to re-watch this Korean version as I would have to know exactly which 'draggy' scenes (the ones involving the side stories of others and talking) to fast forward to get to the interesting parts. Therefore, I will not be in a hurry to be re-watching this anytime soon.

Overall: Considering its strengths and weaknesses, I gave it an overall 8.5/10. This version is certainly a different product that the Japanese Nodame Cantabile and should be watched as such. I made comparisons to the original above so that those of you who had not watched the Japanese version will know exactly where it differs. Rest assured I had evaluated this drama as a stand alone and an entirely different product. It is a good enough drama that it is not a waste of time to watch but it is not a wow! drama.

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