Unexpectedly Good!!

I would have to say for a short web drama, I didn't expect I would love this drama so much!! It is really like a chinese ancient remake of Mr&Mrs Smith. Although I binged and waited for this drama (even watched it raw), I will remove my rose-tinted glasses to give an objective review.

This drama is hilarious, it knows how to push my humor buttons, but soon it loses the novelty and comedy effect as the jokes become a little repetive. The drama also does a good job in balancing humor and seriousness, the first few episodes leading up focused on it being funny, but after the climax, it tones that down.

As it is a 10-15min drama for each episode, the story is jam packed without any dull moments.
***SPOILER***
However, I do think the part on politics and motivations for their mission could be written better, it seems a little underwhelming and weird to me (or it could be that I didn't understand the politics part using my limited chinese vocabulary).
***END SPOILER***

The chemistry between the two leads was amazing, I hope we can see them paired up in another drama. And their kissess oh gosh!!
***SPOILER***
Their kisses were unlike 2 wooden sticks, it was deep and intense, they didn't shy away!
***END SPOILER***

All the characters even supporting characters like the aunty who sells kite were very lovable except for wen fang. I have this love hate relationship towards him. I think its the way that he was written as a dumb but also very pure character so can't really blame him. So just be warned that he can be annoying, but also cute at times.

The production also seem high for a 180min drama. This drama seemed to have a variety of costumes, pretty good soundtracks and I also do like how the scriptwriter uses the fl occupation to discuss about certain topics. The camera language and editing was decent except for this one / two scenes which the episode ending scene and beginning scene didn't connect, it really takes people out of the story... Apart from that I think the production team did a good job in producing this drama.

Nonetheless, this drama really has exceeded my expectations, I laughed a lot and I recommend watching it after a stressful day, super enjoyable! Its really a hidden gem and should deserve more hype, sometimes all you need is a simple and light hearted story. Definitely recommend! Overall, I would rate it 8.3, so rounding it up would be an 8.5!

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I don’t want to run away anymore

A movie that tells a story about a teenage boy who ends up in prison, meets a boxer champion and grow as a person.

This movie is actually based on a Webtoon which I’m a fan of, which is why I felt that the movie fell short in comparison to it.

One reason was how they edited the story setup. Without much spoilers, I felt that the character of cha woo sol in the movie is slightly different than the Webtoon in terms of how he got himself into jail. But if you didn’t read the Webtoon, you would be fine! Though, there are other changes which I like, which is giving my man wi ha joon more screentime, loved his backstory!! Overall, apart from mc setup, the rest of the plot stayed true to the Webtoon. And all the actors did an awesome job portraying their characters and most of them look like the characters in the Webtoon. It really felt like the characters came to life which is ????!

However, I felt that the scenes in the movie were way too short, and I couldn’t feel myself immerse in it. Like once I got in, it was time to move on to the next cut/ scene, takes me out of the story. Maybe because it’s a movie, they packed a lot of scenes so to make it less boring. But I would appreciate if the scenes were longer so I can invest my emotions to the characters.

The actions scenes were great! I liked how it was shot, the sound effects made me wince in pain (with the characters) and I loved the background music while they fight. Though it can be more gruesome given the tone of the movie and plot. And there are a few actions scenes that were cut awkwardly and didn’t really connect leaving me confused. But overall a decent movie with good action scenes!!

This movie illustrates the first arc in the Webtoon, I wondered how they would end it in the movie. And I’m satisfied they ended it in this way!

Although the movie fell short in comparison to the Webtoon, the movie delivers a tightly woven story with good acting, action scenes, a little humor and heartwarming in a place like prison. Probably won’t rewatch it in the future, but if they ever have a 2nd movie, I would be the first to watch ?! Thank you for reading until the end, hope you enjoy the movie!!

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Possibly the best cdrama

This drama stands out among it’s peers. It is a very well written one, with tightly woven plots and yet executed with perfection. Very rare in the cdrama scene, which is why the high score. There are little to no plot holes, and I love how the drama answers my questions a few seconds/ minutes later. It keeps you from assuming things. There are no unwanted characters/ characters that serve as backdrop. I like how each of them have a purpose. Also, the characters logic and decisions are very logical and realistic. Not to mention each and everyone’s acting was phenomenal! A stellar performance ?? Though a time loop, each loop varies from each other and it will grip your attention. There is no dull moment. So if you like a drama that deals with time loops, mystery, and a little hint of romance (good chemistry I must say), stop scrolling through the reviews and watch it now! You won’t regret it ?

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Interesting premise but...

There are a lot of dramas that focused on the lives of students but this was one of my first c-drama that focused on the teachers, which was such an interesting premise! However the execution could be better.

The first 10 episodes was a pain to get through, I had no connection with the the main leads one bit, the only thing that was powering me through was lin sheng (sml). However, after the 10 episodes, the main leads start growing, I could understand their thoughts and actions more and at episode 20 ish, I see the development of the female lead.

The chemistry between male lead and sml was fun to see, but it bugs me that we were not given backstory on why sml was so devoted to male lead. The only leads we have is that they are cousins, they always depend on each other and sml calls ml father yi fu (which means godfather - you don't call your cousin father yi fu). I wish their relationship could have been more fleshed out.

Also, I mentioned earlier that sml is one of my favourite characters in the show, but until the last episode, I still don't have a clue what he works as. It seems that he plays the role of ml assistant (but since ml has left the industry, what's the need for him to play ml assistant which does not really make sense) and the drama really made it seem that sml is just for driving people around. Apart from these holes that were not filled by the scriptwriter, I feel that they had written sml to be a very intelligent and meticulous in planning character which I enjoy watching him flaunt his knowledge.

Another issue I had with this drama was the background music. They play it too abruptly and it really ruins the moment. And also, not too sure if its my country, but teachers don't get too close to students where students would go to where the teachers are staying. A little weird to me...

Despite binge watching all the episodes in 2 days, tbvh, I skip alot of scenes especially Mu Chen. You can understand the story even without him on screen. I felt no sympathy for him to the last bit.

Lastly, the last 6 episodes was also a struggle to watch. The proposal came out of nowhere and the breakup was so hard to watch (i honestly skip straight to the last episode at this point). This drama took 20+ episodes for the main leads to get together and after a few days they were official, they had to break up... The last episode didn't even feel satisfying. For one, I was waiting for ml to write a song since episode 1 since he gained so much inspiration from his students and love, but he only wrote one love song and thats it. It would great if he could end it with a bang, as well as clear the ghost writer issue which made him exit the entertainment business in the first place. The ending was honestly underwhelming.

But aside from all these negatives, there were some aspects of the drama I did enjoy.

The drama is hilarious, some jokes can be cringey and try hard but there are some which are pretty funny too that I laugh out loud.

All the characters seem to have great chemistry with each other too even the security guards. Initially I personally like the friendship between gezi and the smart guy, but soon fell in love with the entire group and class. The problems they face are relatable for teens.

The women in the drama are very strong and capable women, who have their own ideals and not serve as accessories beside man. I really came to like Wei Lai who at first seems she would be an obstacle to the main lead romance and a spoilt rich brat. However she really prove me wrong that she was anything but that. Her attitude towards relationship and frienship was very realistic in that she gave up loosing a once in a lifetime friend over a one-sided love. She also very supportive of her ex-crush and guides them as well. Her friendship with main lead was very sibling like and its entertaining to watch them bicker or joke around. She is also not written as an empty headed rich celebrity, although she might be slow but she works hard and I relate to this a lot, so Wei Lai is really my comfort person.

I really do like how the drama addresses topics such as how sometimes students do not really see the effort teachers put in for them and judge them for that (so guilty of this), discussing about the discrimination of music and academic classes and also how we should act now than wait for the worst to come and worrying would be too late (they won't have a future then).

Overall, a decent drama despite its flaws, but I don't think it will be a memorable drama. I don't think I will ever watch this drama again due to its length (they could shorten it to 30 ep honestly). If you are considering whether to watch or not, I think its a drama to past time or if you like any of those actors/ actresses and I recommend to watch it at 2x the speed, but even if you don't watch, you won't miss out anything either.

Sorry for this long review, hope it benefited some way or another.

ps: gezi voice is really pure, cute and very unique to listen to.

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If you were to know how it ends, will you live your life again?

I watched More Than Blue (the tw version) twice and with this drama series it is my 3rd time watching. Even if I knew how the story goes, I still shed tears like a leaking tap (prepare tissues!).

Initially, when I first saw this drama on Netflix, I thought it would be repetitive. Moreover, the movie played by jasper and ivy remains superior in my opinion. But I was hell wrong. I was captured in the 1st episode.

The drama was written so carefully and added new elements to the plot. It gave the characters more background information, and I would be able to understand the motivation/ reason behind each character action (which I wasn’t able to see in the movie). It is interesting to see how the story interlinked with the movie version, and how they connected/ made parallels to each and every character in the show.

I also loved how they used similar sets in the movies, and the way it was shot was very stunning as well. The editing between two timelines are very smooth, and easy to follow too!

I would like to praise on all the actors acting! Their eyes are filled with so much emotions. It was that good! ?? I just want to say I absolutely adore the side characters po han, ahn chi yi and her son. They stole the whole show!! I want to commend on po han and chi yi acting. It was phenomenal!! They had chemistry right at the beginning despite not being main leads. Especially her son ke le!! ?I can totally see his potential!! I just love this trio together!! The mother son due is so cute too!! I would rewatch this entire drama just to see them again ?

Not to mention, I love love love the soundtracks, it fits the storyline so well. It’s gonna be on repeat the next few days.

Although there were some things I didn’t like about the show or didn’t sit well with me.

*Spoiler alert*

I feel that k and cream look too young, maybe they retained their image when they were in highschool? But at the end, it got kinda better.

The dentist and photographer relationship. It’s too complicated for me to understand, and doesn’t really sit well with my morals.

K who stole a kiss when cream is sleeping (without her consent). And when he is on the verge of dying, kissed cream again even though she is married. I get that they love each other, but… it just doesn’t feel right. ??‍♀️

Thank you for reading until the very end of this messy unorganised review. I binged watch this drama in one sitting. A very well-paced, written and compelling story. There were so many lessons I learnt about relationships (be it from a parent or from a lover), death, goodbyes, love and sadness. I cried in all episodes, a drama you should not miss! It earns two thumbs up from me. :)

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Interesting premise but...

When I knew the script writer for Someday or One Day wrote this piece, I immediately purchased iQiYi VIP subscription so I could watched the episodes as soon as it was release!

The premise was very interesting, touching on folktales I've never heard before and environmental issues. BUT, I would say this was a little lacking compared to what I had expected from this piece.

Firstly, the femal lead character could be the most hypocritical and annoying character ever. She was great at the start, but towards the end she makes questionable choices and I couldn't feel anything for her but annoyance and frustration.

Second, the chemistry between the main leads felt flat. They felt more like siblings, and/or partners.

Lastly, the ending, what intrigue me in the beginning was the topic about the environment. But that topic was somehow forgotten and miraculously solved towards the end of the drama.

Nonetheless, I still watched all episodes every week despite it flaws. To all those still considering whether to watch or not, I would say just go for it! The story setup is interesting, and the plot twist is quite mind boggling as well. All the other character are very interesting to watch except the main leads. I would say set your expectations low to enjoy this drama to the maximum. I'm just disappointed that this drama did not hit me like how Someday or One Day did...

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Cute but guilty of watching in 2x speed

I think this drama is a very cute but as the title suggest, I'm guilty of watching this in 2x speed. I skipped a lot of scenes especially the first 10 episodes. Like many others, I too felt the fl was very much like a stalker, over idealistic and it was just very uncomfortable to watch. Although it gets better when the ml soften at her attempts (i.e. treats her nicer), they both had some sort of chemistry. I do enjoy how the main couple acted around each other, especially ml. I find it very cute how he buys a lot of things for fl and how he becomes very playful with her. I'm very guilty of skipping a lot of other scenes so that I can faster watch this couple. Can I just say that the actor who plays ml, when he smiles, he becomes like a little fluff ball!! I also enjoyed watching the flashbacks, but I admit I also fast forward. Even by watching the first few seconds of the flashback, I'm still able to get attach to solo team. There were also many characters which I came to like and wished they had more screentime, xiao mi and yaya, hsy step-mother, grandpa and wu bai! wu bai is seriously a gem, he is a man of a few words, but when he speaks it ... wow!

However, there are many things which I didn't like about this drama. The drama feels very flat. My emotions throughout is just happy. The angst didn't really affect me in anyway... and I'm really an emotional person who cries at little things, but I was straight face throughout this drama. I also didn't like the fl dress sense. Some outfits were atrocious, I wouldn't even consider buying them. And if these clothes were to make fl look younger in comparison to ml, it didn't work for me. I found out her age through their conversations. Moreover, people now don't dress like their age, so I see no point in associating clothes to age. Another thing about the drama which I didn't enjoy is how they potrayed CTF. I don't know much about CTF, but as someone who studies IT, I know a little about programming and hacking. I seriously can't believe they played CTF using only 1 hand and a few fingers, it seems like they are treating CTF as a game when you are supposed to write lines of codes to hack. And I find it funny how both fl and ml who are technically in the same field, and they said they don't understand each other major. This don't make sense because the fl literally hacked ml computer. I did a brief research on what CTF is, and it requires knowledge of some scripting languages that fl potentially might have use when programing her games/ website. So yes, this aspect of the drama trigggers me a bit, annoyed that the drama team didn't do their research properly. I do like how the actors use their real voice but hate it when they dubbed over certain parts, it just pulls me out of the story. The last 2 episodes were a bummer, the competition for games were edited so confusingly. One moment everybody was nervous and next moment the team suddenly won. I was so confuse if I missed any scenes but it was just the editing. They also cut out the part where solo team suppose to play together, when I had waited since the beginning like the fans who want to see them play at least once.

So in conclusion, this drama could have been a better production if the script was more well written. Although I'm guilty of binge watching in 24hours at 2x speed. There are some interesting characters and the couples are cute to watch. The younger players were a blur to me (literally look the same half the drama), but provided comedy relief. However, I do want these main leads to reunite again with a more mature character because their chemistry was off the charts in this one! I suggest watching this drama if you are super bored and have nothing to watch, but just want some fluffy romance to past time. My rating is a 7.5 and I still think its a bit high, but I'll close one eye as I do like how ml potrayed hsy, especially the softer hsy.

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