Aya

A Beautiful Journey

As far as Xianxia dramas go, this one has the full package.

It's visually stunning with beautiful costumes, sets, cinematography and CGI. The OST is beautiful and memorable. The cast is perfect. And most importantly, the story is engaging and dramatic. I really like the progression of this drama, with everything being interconnected and at the same time the story and the stakes get grander and grander towards the end of the drama.

Bai Lu and Ao Rui Peng are breathtaking together. The relationship of the main couple evolves very naturally and their trust in each other is so deep that they never doubt each other. They are both very honest and sincere and are ready to protect each other and face life and death together. It's a very beautiful love that you can't help but root for.

The second couple was also great. Chong Zhao and Fu Ling have a very turbulent relationship that is rather toxic in the beginning, but grows sincere with the revelations that follow. After everything both of them have gone through, you also can't help but root for them as well.

After 40 episodes of tears and laughter, I absolutely LOVE this drama and sometime in the future I will rewatch it and go on this amazing journey once again.

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Beautiful, philosophical and poetic

This is definitely one of the dramas that I looked forward to watching, mainly because of the cast, but also because the story seemed interesting.

For the most part, it didn't disappoint.

Tang Li Ci's journey is very beautiful and profound and by the end of the drama he comes full circle. His journey is complete and so is his character growth. This drama is clearly all about him. The other character don't really get to shine as much or at all in some cases. The biggest problem there is that there are a LOT of characters that this drama focuses on at some point or other, so they never really get enough time to develop properly. In some cases the characters are rather boring or their story is bland. This is not only true for the supporting characters (which would be normal as they don't get as much screen time anyway), but also for some of the characters that are labelled as main.

While I liked the story, I didn't always like how it was told. The pacing is uneven, the story was a bit repetitive and the revelations lacked dramatic tension, most of the time because of the predictability or timing. That being said, the story itself is beautiful, philosophical and poetic.

This drama is impeccably cast. Luo Yun Xi absolutely shined as Tang Li Ci. Ao Zi Yi was the perfect bright, bubbly and loyal sidekick. Xiao Shun Yao was great as the silent, but observant assassin. The three shared amazing chemistry. I loved watching them just walking around in the woods and bickering. Fang Yi Lun was a perfect fit for Liu Yan, a character that you can't outright hate even though the are plenty of times when he makes you angry. Jeremy Tsui was magnetic. Whoever cast this drama did an amazing job.

This drama is also a visual feast. It's very beautiful and colourful and the costumes were gorgeous.

All in all, it managed to keep me entertained and I loved the overall story.

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Endearing Characters

Just like that the journey is over and what a journey it was.
This was one of my most anticipated dramas this year and despite it's flaws it didn't disappoint me.
It's visually stunning with gorgeous costumes and beautiful cinematography. The OST is moving and memorable. The fight scenes are elegant and well executed. But above all else, we have a team of endearing and interesting main characters we can root for to overcome all obstacles thrown their way.

You will either love or dislike this drama, because like all dramas out there it has its flaws. Whether you can ignore the flaws and enjoy the drama is subjective.

The biggest flaws in this drama for me were the lack of explanation regarding some important details as well as some illogical choices regarding the plot.

Did those flaws ruin the drama for me? No, not at all. It left me with questions and a head shake here and there, but overall I still enjoyed this drama immensely.

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Amazing Journey

This review might be a bit late, since the drama already aired a while ago, but I just had to write one.

I have a habit of waiting till the drama is complete before watching, because I'm not patient enough to wait for each episode and I'm so glad that I didn't start this while it was airing.

As dramas go, this is one of the longer ones with 49 episodes, but it is definitely worth your time.

Let's start with the actual review then!

Story:

The story starts off with our heroine leading a carefree life as a Princess, but in a matter of episodes her world is turned upside down, when her uncle kills her whole family and brands them as rebels. She barely escapes with her life and vows revenge. On her journey she matures and learns many things and eventually lets go of her hate for the sake of her country. The beautiful thing about this story is the growth and development of each character as individuals as well as their relationships with each other. Each and every character evolves and it's beautiful to see and exciting to follow.

Acting/Cast:

It's definitely one of the dramas that is perfectly cast, from the older cast to the tiny babies. When initial reports came out that Wu Lei was going to act opposite Dilraba Dilmurat, I was one of the sceptics. I never doubted his ability to act, because I have seen him in other dramas and I know he's a terrific actor despite his young age. What worried me was the fact that the two might not share any chemistry. I'll admit, I was wrong. So wrong. They were entrancing together.

The whole cast of this drama did an amazing job, but here are the standouts for me:

- Dilraba Dilmurat as Chang Ge: Obviously, she's the main character and we're are practically following her story. Dilraba never disappoints. Whether Chang Ge is being mischievous, emotional, serious or deadly, it's all believable and she delivers an amazing performance, playing a character that's complex and ever changing. Chang Ge is one of the characters that changes and matures throughout her journey so much, but somehow still holds on to her values. She's a very strong character and Dilraba did a great job portraying her.

- Wu Lei as Ahile Sun: Absolutely magnetic. I never doubted Wu Lei could act, but he's outdone himself as Sun. Strong, brave and loyal, this character was an absolute delight to watch. I can't imagine any other actor playing this role now. Just like Dilraba, Wu Lei performed each scene to perfection. I was very impressed with the amount of emotion he can portray. A simple gaze seemed to tell a whole story.

- Zhao Lu Si as Leyan: Zhao Lu Si is adorable and that's the side that people are most familiar with from her previous dramas, but as Le Yan she can finally show off her range. Her character's journey is one of the most interesting to watch on the show and the way she changed from the sheltered, weak princess into a mature and formidable woman was one of the highlights of the drama.

- Liu Yu Ning as Hao Du: This is the first time I've ever seen his act and it's a breath of fresh air. From the cold Hao Du in the beginning of the drama to the warm ball of light at the end, Liu Yu Ning did such an amazing job portraying his character that I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was able to portray emotion with tiny changes in his expression. I'm looking forward to seeing him in other projects.

- Kudousi Jiang Ainiwaer as Ashile She'er: Another character who's reveals more and more of himself as the episodes go by, She'er is complex, misunderstood and lonely. This is another actor that I'm seeing act for the first time and I was really impressed by the range of emotion he can portray. He was able to make us feel whatever we needed to feel towards his character whenever he appeared. Great performance.

- Geng Le as Li Shimin: From the generation of the parents, Geng Le's Li Shimin stands out above the rest. The sheer emotion this man can portray is enough to move mountains. His relationship with Le Yan and Chang Ge was heartwarming to watch. As the Emperor he's brave, majestic, intelligent, kind and fair. As a father, he dotes on both Le Yan and Chang Ge and his desire to protect both of them is an absolute pleasure to witness.

Music:

The soundtrack of this drama matches it so perfectly. The instrumental music complements each scene and the songs are absolutely amazing and unforgettable. I'm in love with this soundtrack.

Favourite Scenes (no in any particular order):

- The duel between Sun and She'er. It was absolutely breathtaking. I could hardly take my eyes off the screen. I've rewatched this scene many, many times.

- The duel between Hao Du and She'er. The high stakes, Le Yan's outburst of emotion and Hao Du's unshakable determination. Another scene I have rewatched.

- Sun and Chang Ge rolling off the roof. Cute and exciting.

- Sun telling Chang Ge what his first wish is. This was basically his confession moment and I absolutely loved the wording of it. He wasn't demanding anything, but giving his all to her instead.

- A Dou's death and the battle outside the gates afterwards. This is one of the scenes that absolutely killed me. I was not prepared for it.

- Hao Du and Le Yan confessing to each other after his duel with She'er. This was the cutest thing to watch. And a scene I was waiting for since the moment Hao Du picked up the little pouch that Le Yan dropped.

- Le Yan slapping Hao Du. This was a scene that absolutely needed to happen and when it does, it's everything you wanted.

- Sun saving Chang Ge after she's kidnapped by Khatun's men. The way he just charges in with his arrows!!!!

- When Sun takes off his mask and Chang Ge finds out his Ashile Sun. Besides being and absolutely stunning scene visually, the emotion is everything.

- The scene between Chang Ge and Li Shimin when she finally calls him Second Uncle again.

- The death of Sun's foster mother and the following outburst.

There are more, but I think I need to stop now, before the whole drama is written down here.

If you're still doubting whether to watch this, stop doubting and just watch it. The moment you start, you won't be able to stop and you'll actually wish there were more episodes.

This is one of the dramas that I'll be rewatching in the future.

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Beautiful and Heartbreaking

As a rule I always keep my reviews as short as possible and try not to include many spoilers.

First if all, I recommend this to anyone who hasn't watched it yet, but be prepared for some heartbreak.

Visually this drama is stunning.

The music is absolutely beautiful.

The cast is impeccably chosen.

The female lead is a very interesting character. The difference between the innocent Xuan Ji and her powerful alter ego is so well acted that you don't even doubt it.

The eternally self sacrificing male lead whose name is mentioned so many times in the drama that you'll never forget it is an absolute delight to watch. The actor did such an amazing job that even a slight change in his gaze portrayed so much emotion it was hard to look away.

I absolutely loved all the secrets and twists. All the characters were interesting to follow. Even the villains were fun to watch. You keep wanting to see more. You keep wanting to know more and unravel all the mysteries.

All in all, this is a very entertaining watch.

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A little trust goes a long way!

After reading some comments and reviews which were not as positive, I decided to give this a go anyway. Partly because of the cast and partly because the plot sounded interesting.

There were obviously things about this drama that I liked and things that I didn't.

Let's start off with the positive and begin with the things I liked:

- I actually liked the female lead in this one. I'm not sure whether it's Zhao Lusi who seems to be able to bring life to any character or the character itself. I did appreciate that she wasn't a boring and weak damsel in distress type. Sang Qi was very independent and yes that sometimes led to her being reckless and impulsive, but it wasn't over the top.

- I liked the male lead. Yan Yun Zhi was very confident and straightforward and knew what he wanted, but at the same time he always seemed to respect Sang Qi as an equal and respected her decisions.

- I loved Yan Yan. I think a lot of people who watched this drama will agree. Yan Yan was a character that lit up the screen and stole the scene. Silly and adorable, kindhearted and loyal. He was the perfect best friend.

- Another character I absolutely loved was Sang Wei. He was such a loving father. And his interactions with his daughter were absolutely endearing to watch.

- I really liked the relationship between the main couple. I was a bit on the fence in the beginning, because he was basically her teacher, but right from the start the focus was never on their teacher/student relationship as both never treated each other as such. There didn't really seem to be an imbalance of power. I also liked how quickly he turned into the Xiao Bai that her brother described right after the got together. It was cute to see. Another thing I appreciated about their relationship was that they trusted each other unconditionally, so there were no infuriating misunderstandings.

- The majority of this drama is fluffy and cute and I really liked that they tackled getting females the right to study at the Imperial College.

- I liked the acting in this. It was convincing. Every actor did their part justice.

Now let's move on to things I didn't like:

- To be honest, I would have preferred if the drama was just about Sang Qi's journey of being the first female student and making all those changes, without the background death and mayhem. The investigation into the smuggling and poisoning was what made the drama a bit chaotic in the last 7 or so episodes.

- I really hated Zhuo Wen Yuan. I didn't really care that he was doing some shady business. I also didn't really mind that he got a lot of power very quickly. What I hated was his personality and the way he treated Sang Qi, his so called childhood friend and the girl he has been in love with forever. Obviously the feelings he had for her were never love to begin with. I understand that he was traumatised, because of what happened to his father and he wanted to rise to power to show everyone who looked down on him that he was a capable person, but the more episodes I watched, the more it became clear that he's clearly a sociopath. He only ever cared about himself, his feelings and his pain. He never cared about what Sang Qi was feeling and thinking. He didn't hesitate to hurt her. Never asked for her opinion. Went from "I'm going to have you whether you want it or not" to "if I can't have you, no one can". That's clearly insane. He actually poisoned the woman he "loved" and burned her corpse. I'm not really sure what the writers were thinking. If they hoped that the viewers would relate to him or feel sorry for him, it didn't work. He's despicable and creepy. The funny thing is, I would have liked his character if he had stayed the way he was before they revealed his connection to the Xizhao. He seemed laidback and fun to be around. Someone who wouldn't push his feelings onto Sang Qi if they were not reciprocated. Instead he turned into a disgusting characters that I wanted to stab every time he appeared on screen and I wanted to slap him whenever he called her "A Qi" shamelessly even after poisoning her. Such a creep.

- I didn't like Su Jie Yu either. Yes, she wasn't as bad as Wen Yuan in terms of despicable things, but in the guise of elegance, grace, intelligence, kindness and honesty, she was a backstabbing and selfish person. Just because she had met and fell in love with Yun Zhi first she seemed to think that she was the only one who had the right to his love. Even though she was rejected firmly so many times, she still went behind Yun Zhi's back to make his parents force him to marry her and eventually even got the Emperor to bestow a marriage. She even lied to Sang Qi that Yun Zhi only cared for her as a little sister and she shouldn't confess. I never understood characters like Jie Yu and Wen Yuan. What's the point of making a person who clearly has no feelings for you, marry you. Do they really think that after all the despicable things they did, that person will magically fall in love with them after marriage?

- Song Jia Yin was annoying, arrogant and spoiled, but she didn't deserve the ending she got. Wen Yuan didn't deserve her love.


All in all, I think this drama would have benefited from a more focused plot instead of adding too many unnecessary storylines and characters. I still did enjoy this. It was entertaining and funny. The best way to enjoy this drama is to not expect it to be something it's not. It's not a drama with a complicated plot, a lot of intrigue and drama. It's just a fun, light and entertaining drama with (for the most part) lovely characters.

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Fun and lovely

I watched all 30 episodes in a matter of days and I couldn't stop. When it was over, I was very sad to let it go.

There are so many things I liked about this drama:

- Female lead is funny, independent, brave and intelligent. She's very mischievous and a little childish sometimes, but you will definitely love her

- The male lead is PERFECT. Handsome, brave, smart, gentle and affectionate.

- the interactions between the couple are gold. Whether they're fighting, teasing or being affectionate, you won't be able to tear your eyes off of them.

- the misunderstandings are resolved quickly. You don't have to watch in pain for episodes on end

- The royal family is actually fair and good. The emperor is a capable ruler

- all the couples (there are a lot) are adorable

- the cast (main leads and supporting characters) did an amazing job portraying their characters.

- there were sooooo many funny moments. This is a drama that has made me laugh the most recently

- you don't see too much of the villains. There weren't that many to begin with, but at least you don't have to see them all that much

All in all, this drama is very easy to watch and you will definitely enjoy it. If you haven't watched it yet, give it a go. You'll fall in love with it during the first episode.

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Standard Xianxia

The delay of this drama was very unfortunate and it's very obvious that it had an impact on the quality. The CGI is outdated, some scenes look weird and the editing has definitely suffered a bit, but I must admit that they did make an effort to salvage this and for the most part I wasn't bothered by these issues.

The thing that bothered me most was how monotone this drama is. It's almost devoid of any dramatic tension. This is especially noticeable in a Xianxia setting, because of how high the stakes are. Because of the way the story is told and what the writers decided to focus on makes some of the things that are happening illogical and forced. The resolutions are anticlimactic.

I did end up liking the main leads for the most part. The recasting of the FL definitely didn't hurt this drama at all. Hu Yi Xuan perfectly fits this role. She's effortlessly adorable when needed and projects strength when required. Liu Xue Yi is another great fit. Jin Xiu is fittingly ethereal and despite his role as the Punisher, there's a very gentle aura that he projects throughout the drama that sets Jin Xiu apart. The chemistry between the two of them is not the fiery, passionate kind. It's more cute, warm and gentle.

Among the supporting cast, Ao Rui Peng definitely stands out. Kun Lun is his brothers opposite in so many ways and his mischievous demeanor and laid back attitude do light up ths screen. While Liu Xue Yi projects gentleness, Ao Rui Pen projects warmth (in direct opposition to his true form of ice). The relationship between the two brothers is also very admirable, especially given the setting and the expectation that the two need to compete for the throne.

Another notable performance was Wang Shi Meng as Empress Yi He. For the limited time she's on screen, her performance does captivate and I would have liked to see more of her soft side, which we only got a glimpse of.

Xu Xiao Nuo was a bit of a disappointment for me. The character was not developed well, but her acting also didn't do anything to save the character. Her screen presence was lacking as well for a character like that. The saving grace could have been her chemistry with Ao Rui Peng, but unfortunately they didn't really share any.

Jing Yan Jun also gave an uneven performance. A lot of misplaced intensity lead to a lot of overacting. Thankfully for the most part Lu Jiu is a very cute and loyal companion.

However, the biggest disappointment among the cast has to be James Yang. Admittedly, his character has to be the most useless to the story and if removed, wouldn't really impact the core story much, but there was a lot to work with. He decided that overacting was the way to go when quiet and creepy would have worked much better.

Overall, I'd say this story could have been told in 30 episodes instead of 40 and I will most likely not rewatch it, but it had it's moments and I did enjoy most it.

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No Impact

I came across this movie in my recommendations on Youtube and decided to give it a try.

Let's start with the story. It's interesting enough, as there seem to be some layers to be uncovered, but the editing is all over the place and all the scenes lose any impact. They fall in love supposedly deeply, but you can't feel any of it. The emotional scenes lack any impact, because once again the editing make them seem out of the blue. Even the fight scenes, while pretty, eventually end up lacking any excitement.

Most of that is due to editing, but I must also mention the acting. Unfortunately, not that great. Also unfortunately, it goes for the whole cast. Whether it was the directing or the acting ability, none of the actors had any presence on screen. The ML is expressionless. Even if the character is written as a cold snake demon, you would at least expect him to show some expressions once he warms up and falls in love, but his face literally didn't move. At all. Throughout the whole movie. It was like looking at a picture. The female lead, while a bit better, didn't really do that great either. Their chemistry was also non-existent, so with the two of them in the most scenes, you end up watching a very boring couple. The SML is just there. No real impact. Very bland.

The music didn't really help either and seemed out of place sometimes. It didn't always match with the scene you were watching.

All in all, none of the aspects of the story had any impact. The story had potential and with better editing and a more charismatic cast might have been much better, but it ended up being on the boring side.

This story may actually work better as a drama. Giving the characters more time to develop and adding a bit more background. As a movie, it's a bit lacking.

There's also a part two, but I'm not sure if I'll be watching that.

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Too much

This drama felt like four separate dramas, which is just too much.

Lets start off with the things I liked:

- visually beautiful
- the cast is not too bad
- the dragon king was fun to watch
- the second couple was the saving grace of this drama. Their story was coherent and the way they gradually and naturally fell in love was fun to watch
- the first life is fun to watch
- the third life was also interesting

Things I didn't like:

- the female lead was four completely different people in all her lives, so there was a disconnect. She looked like the same person, but her personality was completely different, making it hard to make a connection between the original girl that met and fell in love with the dragon.

- lots of cliches and previously done storylines

- the chemistry between the main leads was almost non existant. Not sure if it's the writing, making the female fall in love with the male lead over and over again in 4 lives or just the fact that the actors didn't have any chemistry to begin with

- repetitive and predictable storyline

All in all, it's not too bad, but there are many dramas out there that are much better.

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Intensely Red

I ended up enjoying this drama a lot. It's very entertaining, it's visually stunning and the cast did well portraying their characters.

The pacing is a bit uneven, which wasn't that big of an issue, because it was expected given the shorter number of episodes.

The bigger issue for me was that I didn't always like the FL. She's definitely a flawed character, which would be a good thing if she actually learned to overcome her shortcomings. The trauma of what happened in her past life should have been a trigger, but instead throughout the whole drama she remains stubborn, impulsive and full of unearned confidence, which ends up putting people in danger. While I do say that I didn't always like her, most of the time I did. I also liked the ML and the relationship between the two of them. There's a very gentle chemistry between them, which does work in a drama that's mostly very intense. I do have to admit that XYL suffers when compared to XYF and DY, because they are much more interesting characters.

All in all, I enjoyed this drama very much.

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Adorable

The Eternal Love series is all about the adorable main couple and this season is not an exception. It was funny, cute and romantic.

The actors did a good job portraying their characters, but with a drama like this where the focus is heavily on the main couple, the other characters suffer loss of screentime and therefore aren't developed well. It was true in all of the seasons and even more so in this one. I didn't really have a problem with it though, because I'm mainly here for the fun and cuteness of the main couple and they always deliver.

I loved the visuals of this seasons. The scenes are beautifully filmed and the costumes are gorgeous.

All in all, I'll definitely be rewatching the whole series again.

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Perfect Opposites can make a Perfect Pair

I was really looking forward to watching this drama and overall I ended up enjoying it.

I will have to admit that while there were many things about this drama that I liked, there were also a few things I didn't.

One of the bigger things that I found lacking was the world building. The reason for that is because it's the foundation on which the story is built and if it's lacking or incomplete, it can easily ruin the whole story. In this drama what bothered me most was the lack of detail in explaining the immortal world. For example, by the end of the drama the whole world is in peril, but no other immortals even appear to help. The Heavenly Emissary constantly harps on the importance of the Infinite Stele, but no one lifts a finger to help protect it. But hey, they are always ready with their punishments. The only other immortals we get to see are the Four Venerables, but they are useless and a complete waste of screen time. Why were they even included? The problem I have with this is that we're never really given an explanation on the structure of the immortal world, it's rules, the hierarchy, ...

Another big problem I had was that I couldn't warm up to a lot of the supporting characters. They just didn't get enough screen time to develop into much more than caricatures. Admittedly, I also never warmed up to Zhang Suan, who did get enough screen time, but remained bland throughout the drama.

If there were a few more episodes these things might have been executed better.

That being said, the saving grace of this drama for me was the main couple. The two main leads had great chemistry and portrayed the characters convincingly. The thing I liked about them the most though was their dynamic. The two are perfect opposites right from their birth. And from the beginning to almost the end we are shown just how different they really are from superficial things to core values. When together they both clash and stubbornly try to prove that they are right. The most beautiful thing is that they are both not wrong. They just see the world from a different perspective. They both value different things and they are both right. Eventually, we are also shown the things they have in common and they both learn to see things from the other's perspective and find a balance, because right from the beginning while they may be perfect opposites, they are also a perfect pair once they find that balance. They are stronger together. That part of the story is executed beautifully.

In relation to the development of the two main characters, I liked the moral and philosophical themes that were explored.

Another thing that I liked was how visually beautiful this drama is. Everything looked stunning.

All in all, I enjoyed this rollercoaster journey.

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Everything for Love

As far as short dramas go, this is definitely among the best I have ever watched.

Obviously, given the shorter format, it shares some of the issues all short drama inevitably have. There are some editing and pacing issues, but overall I wasn't really bothered by it, because it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. The story is still coherent and easy to follow.

Visually, it is gorgeous. Beautiful costumes, sets and cinematography. The CGI was good too, except for the final fight between Ye Zhao and Hua Hui, which was a bit underwhelming.

I really liked the story and how it was all brought together in the end. It was very interesting, dramatic and intense with plenty of cute and funny scenes.

The writers cleverly focused on a small number of characters to follow. Given the shorter format, adding more characters would have had a negative impact.

The cast was also very well chosen. Yan Zi Xian doesn't disappoint. He was perfectly cast and did a great job embodying Ye Zhao. He has a very strong and charismatic screen presence, which was a great fit for this role. Wu Ri Li Ge was also impeccably cast. She did a great job portraying the different sides of He Xi/Chu Xi He as well as Hua Hui.

The supporting cast, while they had less screen time, also made their mark.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable short drama.

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One of the most likeable Main Teams I've seen in a drama

I feel like I just started watching this drama , but in the blink of an eye it's I already finished watching the last episode.

This was one of those dramas that I anticipated the most, because I loved the novel and I really liked the cast. My expectations were high and this drama delivered. I absolutely LOVED it.

The cast did an amazing job with their characters. They were exactly what I expected. And above everything else, they were all likeable. The main five (yes, I'm including Cui Cui), are among the most likeable main 'teams' I've seen in dramas so far. I really loved their dynamic.

The story moves at a fast pace and there are almost no dull moments. The story itself is interesting and engaging. It's a nice blend of funny, cute and bright with emotional heavier themes. Love and affection in different forms is presented very nicely and it's definitely a thread connecting all the stories aside from the obvious connection to the overall mystery of the overarching plot.

This drama has made my rewatch list, which is probably the highest praise I can bestow on a drama.

I'm going to miss these characters until my next rewatch.

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