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Short and enjoyable watch with good development between the leads
This show is a decent, short watch. The FL gets a forced face swap- not body, brain, or anything else, it’s still her (somehow that kept tripping me up)- and marries into the ML’s household. A big part of the story is the development of their relationship, which I thought is really sweet and cute, and made me smile a lot as I watched. I like that he respects her boundaries and is always just waiting for her consent. The show is above-average spicy / explicit, though that’s not really saying much.
Actually their backstory is as fairy tale as it gets- they secretly pined over each other for years only to be coincidentally brought together again now. It’s practically the definition of “only in movies”. We see some of said backstory but never how it resolved, so I’m not sure why the two didn’t just exchange information back then. But you know what, it’s ok, it’s a drama meant to make us feel good, so fairy tale it is.
The characters themselves are likable, though not particularly special. The ML is a general and of course impressive, also very supportive of her; the FL needs to be protected but is not useless, overall a kind, normal, and likable person. She’s pretty relatable and her actions make sense. She is also an artist, which factors into the plot, but her skill level is not a particular focus.
As for the villains... do the SML and SFL count? They are not good people, but also not as evil as villains often are. Throughout the show, I at various times felt extremely frustrated at one or the other of them- they are both way too obsessive for reasons I cannot understand. The SML, especially, really pushed my buttons with the way he just wants what he can’t get, while failing to appreciate what he does have. What an idiot. But I also at various times felt sorry for both of them, and secretly hoped everything would work out.
The plot is not overscoped and moves along at a good pace. I was never bored, and even my annoyance at some of the behaviors was short-lived because the show quickly moves on. It’s too short to have developed side characters, but the few I saw were likable (eg the ML’s advisor, the FL’s best friend). There is a background of politics and some plotting involved, but I’d say the main focus is the development of the romance, which I enjoyed. There is also a pretty great twist towards the end.
For the acting, I thought it’s quite good. This is Cheng Lei before he got famous- I actually thought it’s a better performance than some of his later well-known dramas, but maybe I just have lower standards for short dramas. Everyone is believable.
The production is alright. Styling is ok, not the best and not the worst. For music, the OST at four tracks is longer than most short dramas, though I wasn’t a huge fan of the songs personally. But I think they and the BGM are used pretty well to set moods, and I did like some of the BGM. A lot of the sound effects were too loud though, like footsteps and peoples’ breathy little noises.
Overall I liked the show- quick and complete without other short-drama pitfalls like lack of development or being too disjointed. I found the villain situation a bit annoying and wish those characters had more depth, but I was invested enough in the main leads’ development to not mind so much. I’d give it a 7.5-8 but rounded up for being nice and short- watchable in one sitting with moderate binging skills.
ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS
I think it’s a pretty happy ending. It works out well for the main leads and they form a happy little family. The SML and SFL both meet tragic ends, though they were both so unrelatably obsessive that I stopped caring that much. There is a flash sighting of them at the end which I did not understand.
Actually their backstory is as fairy tale as it gets- they secretly pined over each other for years only to be coincidentally brought together again now. It’s practically the definition of “only in movies”. We see some of said backstory but never how it resolved, so I’m not sure why the two didn’t just exchange information back then. But you know what, it’s ok, it’s a drama meant to make us feel good, so fairy tale it is.
The characters themselves are likable, though not particularly special. The ML is a general and of course impressive, also very supportive of her; the FL needs to be protected but is not useless, overall a kind, normal, and likable person. She’s pretty relatable and her actions make sense. She is also an artist, which factors into the plot, but her skill level is not a particular focus.
As for the villains... do the SML and SFL count? They are not good people, but also not as evil as villains often are. Throughout the show, I at various times felt extremely frustrated at one or the other of them- they are both way too obsessive for reasons I cannot understand. The SML, especially, really pushed my buttons with the way he just wants what he can’t get, while failing to appreciate what he does have. What an idiot. But I also at various times felt sorry for both of them, and secretly hoped everything would work out.
The plot is not overscoped and moves along at a good pace. I was never bored, and even my annoyance at some of the behaviors was short-lived because the show quickly moves on. It’s too short to have developed side characters, but the few I saw were likable (eg the ML’s advisor, the FL’s best friend). There is a background of politics and some plotting involved, but I’d say the main focus is the development of the romance, which I enjoyed. There is also a pretty great twist towards the end.
For the acting, I thought it’s quite good. This is Cheng Lei before he got famous- I actually thought it’s a better performance than some of his later well-known dramas, but maybe I just have lower standards for short dramas. Everyone is believable.
The production is alright. Styling is ok, not the best and not the worst. For music, the OST at four tracks is longer than most short dramas, though I wasn’t a huge fan of the songs personally. But I think they and the BGM are used pretty well to set moods, and I did like some of the BGM. A lot of the sound effects were too loud though, like footsteps and peoples’ breathy little noises.
Overall I liked the show- quick and complete without other short-drama pitfalls like lack of development or being too disjointed. I found the villain situation a bit annoying and wish those characters had more depth, but I was invested enough in the main leads’ development to not mind so much. I’d give it a 7.5-8 but rounded up for being nice and short- watchable in one sitting with moderate binging skills.
ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS
I think it’s a pretty happy ending. It works out well for the main leads and they form a happy little family. The SML and SFL both meet tragic ends, though they were both so unrelatably obsessive that I stopped caring that much. There is a flash sighting of them at the end which I did not understand.
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