You gotta stick with it to get to the good stuff!
I'll admit, I'm a big fan of Shen Yue and that's the reason I was excited to watch Smile Code. The clips and trailers make it look like it's a typical rom-com, but it's not. After watching 8 episodes, I can say that It has more depth and heart than almost anything I've seen lately. I wasn't sure of what was happening the 1st two or three shows. Their meeting is not a "meetcute". The lighting is dark and sometimes scary as we get to see what Liang Daiwen dreams about. He suffers from Alexithymia, a condition that renders the person unable to feel or express emotions. This is from a past childhood trauma. In the 1st three episodes we see his trauma, but you can't really tell what it is.GuYi's life is also somewhat dark and scary. She shares a place with 3 others. Things are weird there. By the end of episode 3, it changes. Liang Daiwen moves her into his house for her safety and she gets to see his world. I've only watched 8 episodes, but I can see that there are reactions he has been showing since episode 1, you just don't realize what you are seeing.
This show has 30 episodes. It will take a while to open Liang Daiwen up, but I have no doubt that GuYi is the one to do it! Along the way, we meeting others in both if their lives. Even these don't follow the same rom-com pattern.
For Meteor Garden fans, I can absolutely see a parallel with Liang Dai Wen and Dao Ming Si. Both are lost little boys until Gu Yi and Shancai open them up. I can say this because I am watching Meteor Garden concurrently with Smile Code. I'm doing that because MG is my all time favorite and it's going away from Netflix in 2 weeks. Because I'm watching it for the 6th and last time, I can say they both give me the same feelings.
So, please don't stop watching Smile Code to early because it seems dark, scary and boring at times. If you leave early you will miss some absolutely amazing moments and storylines!!
So watch Smile Code, stick with ut when its tough at the beginning and trust that It will absolutely be well worth your time! Pretty soon, you too will be on the edge of your seat waiting for the next episode, just like the rest of us!
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Loved it, but have a couple of boxes of Kleenex handy!
I really loved this drama! The cast is amazing! Loved all the main leads. Loved the relationship between the sisters! Loved the intermixing between the 4 realms. Loved all the couples, loved the 3 Masters. Loved that the writers found a wonderful way to show that the mortal Emperor loved Tan all along with the gifts under the table. In fact, that might have been one of my favorite surprises! Loved the songs and the beautiful settings. Now, about the writing... I never cried so much in any drama before!! I was not the only one either! Those of us commenting were all crying! We cried because we were invested in these characters. That is the power of a well written drama. I went through a box and a half of Kleenex during this show! That being said, as well written as I thought it was, I was also upset with the ending. We all love a happy ending and we all felt sad that we didnt get to see one! It was absolutely heart breaking when Kui sacrificed herself for Tan. God, but it was hard to get past! But when Tan did the same and we never got to see them return, it was pretty disappointing, I'm not going to lie. Just about everyone was unhappy with the ending. The writers did a great job, except for the ending, where I felt they dropped the ball. Or They ran out of episodes. Either way, it could have been better planned. But, 95% of this drama was written extremely well. I thought the finding of the 3 versions of Xuan Shang took too long, but each version was kind of entertaining.Some commenters were really, really vocal about how they felt about the bad guys in this drama! I was really angry as well which means the actors playing those characters acted well! I loved all the couples! I was happy to see Wudai with the snake princess. She was awesome for him! Would have liked to see her win him over though. Btw, loved Wudai in general! He is such a lovable character! So well played! My favorite character was 3rd Void Prince, Chao Feng. His character arc was my favorite. I loved watching him and his 2nd, Hai Chao. Hai Chao was a great character! I loved watching him fall for Qing Kui. Watching him lose her was heartbreaking. Loved Di Lan Jue! Having him turn into a puppy and end up wearing a diaper was comedic genius! Loved him and ZiWu. Loved Qeng Heng. Was very sorry to see him not get a love interest at the end.
Well, I would definitely recommend this drama! Just have more than 1 box of Kleenex, you are gonna need it!
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This review may contain spoilers
This series isnt what you think it is...and that is what makes it so amazing!
Wow! Just got done with "See You in My 19th Life" and I immediately want to watch it again!!! Wow, this series isnt a straight forward rom com or a straight forward show about past lives. There are so many different storylines and just when you think you know what is going on, its like they put the show in a box and vigorously shake it up to where suddenly you realize its a whole new ball game!The writing was just spectacular! Dang this story is SO good! It left me wanting more! Will there be a season 2 where other things happen, maybe to the guy with the 23 lives?
I loved watching every minute of this show! I loved watching the end because it echoes the way Ji-eum first approaches Seo-ha. I love how the writers interweaved Ji-eum's many lives in and out of this story. I could watch many more shows written like this and never get bored! I loved how we got to see glimpses of her past lives and how they make her the person she is today!
The director, Lee Na Jung did a beautiful job of bringing the scenes to life. Some of my favorite scenes were the flashback ones. I love how she gave you only enough information to think you know what is happening, only to be shown more if the story in later episodes.
The acting was simply SUPERB! I was particularly impressed with the scenes where Ji-eum, played by Shin Hye Sun, is reliving a past life while holding the bells. Likewise, the scenes where Seo-ha, played by Ahn Bo Hyun, relives his painful childhood memories are also very riveting. These two did an outstanding job! The other two lead actors, Ahn Dong Goo (Ha Do Yoon) and Ha Yoon Kyung (Yoon Cho Won) were also fantastic at their roles. I had watched Ha Yoon Hyun in The Extraordinary Attorney Woo and she played my favorite suport role (Choi Soo Yeon), so it was no surprise how she brought Cho Won to life.
Not to be outdone, all the kids in this drama were fantastic! Especially Kim Shi Ah who played Yoon Joo Won in the 18th life. Shi Ah was particularly believable as a 12 year old girl who was older than she seemed due to having remembered all her past lives. Yes, THAT girl deserves an award of some kind!
I always love it when I see seasoned actors in dramas. Cha Chung Hwa is just spectacular in every role she plays! I have seen her in Hotel Del Luna and Crash Landing on You, but my favorite character was in the drama Hometown Cha Cha Cha. I am happy to see that she will be in 2 others I had on my list to watch, Iteawon Class and Kokdu: Seadon of Deity.
Lastly, another person who deserves some kind of award is the person who did the musical score. The music that went along with each scene was so well done, I often had a visceral reaction, particularly with the "creepy" music that went along with Ji-eum's flashback scenes that involve the death of her sister in life 1.
All in all, this is not only a Must See drama, it might very well be a Must See Again drama for you, too!
Enjoy!
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