A strong plot with impeccable performances from the leads make it worth the watch

Li Changge originally, or The Long Ballad was one drama I wasn't sure about upon watching the trailer the very first time. It seemed like battles and bloodshed and I wasn't too sure about wanting to watch something like that. I literally went in with 0 expectations and knowledge about the manhua and yet, it managed to impress me and keep me hooked. I have to say the credit mostly goes to Dilraba and Leo Wu for making this such an enjoyable ride.

PLOT:
Honestly, this drama was quite bloody and at times melodramatic for me. The story moved about very quickly and remained engaging for the most part. The revenge aspect and the slow burn romance were the best things about it. The main pull throughout the plot are the intelligent leads, especially Li Changge and Ashile Sun. I loved the battle talk, scheming until it became slightly dragged and dull towards the end. A lot of people called it a masterpiece, but I think it's just an amazing drama with flaws.

CHARACTERS:
Li Changge is a great heroine, but also a bit frustrating at times. She was cunning but also headstrong at times which let her make mistakes, which was okay for most part. Ashile Sun seemed conniving but he had a heart of gold. Le Yan's journey was also great as she falls and picks herself over and over. Hao Du was also fun for me as he we see his softer side over time- he made me go from hate to genuinely finding him cute (although flawed). I couldn't care that much about rest of the characters but there were a lot of cool supporting ones.

CAST & ROMANNCE:
No surprise here but of course Dilraba and Leo steal the show. The others did a good job as well but let's be honest that people loved this dram due to their visuals and acting. Both are extremely good-looking and had amazing chemistry. I really didn't know about their age gap at all but they played it very respectfully without any cringey skinship between the two. I personally wouldn't have minded it, but maybe the actors wanted it that way. The same goes for Zhao Lu Si and the guys who played her love interests. The chemistry was cute with long stares and warm hugs. For once I am not complaining due to the lack of kisses.

OTHER ASPECTS + ENDING :
After ep 30-something the focus on revenge sort of waned. There were some subplots with the Great Khan, his wife, Sher, the plague, etc. that I didn't care about and skipped a few scenes. I wanted more romance but it was mostly through dialogues. I'm glad we got what we got else they could have just made it a boring war drama too. The ending was sort of unsatisfactory and I thought that they could have had 2-3 more to wrap it up nicely. It's fine I guess as I heard the manhua itself isn't finished yet? Lot of people complained about the animated battle scenes and Dilraba's hair and none of that bothered me. Any more bloodshed and I would have been out.

OVERALL:
A very nice drama and definitely one of the best historical ones I've watched till now. It had its flaws but the journey was great and I will definitely consider the lead pairing as one of the best I've seen till date. It's amazing how Dilraba has great chemistry with all of her male co-stars and just improves every time. She was so convincing as a boy and looked like she worked very hard for this role.

Lowkey excited to check out You Are My Glory after this as I definitely want to watch more of Dilraba. She just improves and surprises me every time.

Read More

Look elsewhere if you are searching for a historical romance drama

The Sword and the Brocade was very high on my to-watch list since the day they released the teaser images. This drama stars two of the better (if not best) category actors in China. I thought there was no way they could go wrong because the synopsis and the BTS clips were all too good for me to expect that this drama would end up not delivering. Heck, I wish I went in with lower expectations and I wouldn't come out with such mixed feelings.

PLOT:
I thought to expect a lot of politics and scheming since the synopsis mentions "a girl with a low birth status". But the promise of the FL reaching up high in the ranks was what caught my interest. The drama reads like a typical harem drama and for most part- it is. The harem politics is what kept me engaged and enjoying uptil ep 30 (with some glitches in the process) or so after which it started going downhill. The drama was absolutely phenomenal upto 30-something episodes and after that I just started getting bored. I would be lying if I don't say at times I struggled or even went to the skip button to get past some irrelevant plots.

WHAT WORKS:
Harem politics might not be everyone's thing but here it wasn't that heavy. I enjoyed the cattiness of the concubines but it became a bit too unrealistic by the end. Qianfeng was annoying but she actually made the drama more fun for me.
The next and main highlight are the leads. I've not seen such amazing brainy, calm and level headed leads in a drama since a long time. The FL is like a modern women who keeps her wits and knows how to survive in a cruel or challenging situations. The ML seems cold but is more tsundere as the story progresses. It was a bit cringey with him having so many women around him but his doting and dedication towards the FL was brilliant. Both leads have issues and go through the misunderstanding trope a few times but it never drags. I loved how they always resolved problems and their romance build up is enjoyable in spite of the age gap between the leads. However, I did wish for it to not lost steam later on. For still making it work, I give kudos to Wallace and Seven because they play their parts pretty well. I admit the slow/lack of romance was disappointing but the maturity of both and their little interactions were enough for me.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
The boring and draggy second-half. I wonder where that enjoyment went. This drama went downhill the moment they got rid of the main "villain". Later it made me realize that until then the harem and romance were the only things that could hold the drama. Unfortunately the drama chose to focus on other plots which I didn't care so much about. The leads getting together was acted well but should have been way earlier. Even the ending was underwhelming at best as the events leading up to it made me lose all my earlier excitement.

OST:
The OST and music of this drama is quite nice. I recommend a listen.

OVERALL:
This drama could have been my absolute favourite but I am sad it didn't work out that way by the end. Nonetheless, it's a good one-time watch with some skipping to make it more bearable. Wallace Chung and Seven Tan do not disappoint but I wish they had better scripts to work with. I still believe this story could have focused on other things and have been more enjoyable. I still don't hesitate to recommend it because I quite enjoyed the good parts of the drama.

Read More

They should rename it to "Immature Youth"

I went into this drama thinking it would be terrible, but I kept watching it out of my love for Wu Jin Yan. I was excited to see her as an Office Lady in a modern drama. But the poster of the drama and the actual story were rather contradictory. The title of the drama is not fitting at all. Firstly- none of the cast seem "youthful" nor are they that young. They just confused me as a viewer a lot of times. I maintained a love-hate relationship with this drama from beginning to the end.

STORY:
Like many stories, it started out great. The story was a little farfetched and unbelievable right from the get-go but, why complain when watching fiction? This drama started as a rookie salesgirl with a lot of talent to a plot with backstabbing, office politics and boring romance lines. I remember reading a comment as this drama being a modern wannabe of Yanxi Palace drama and that fits the description of this drama somewhat. I think its main flaw was its length. It was unnecessarily draggy, repetitive and uninteresting towards the end. Had it been shorter, I would have appreciated it a lot more. The 47 episodes are a stretch and it would been decent as 30 episodes maximum.

ACTING:
I think this is one area this drama is strong in. I don't think Wu Jin Yan did an awesome job but she is a charming lady no matter how annoying her character was. I'd blame the writing and characterization here. The actress who played Lin Rui was awesome and she had me dreaming of being a badass boss lady like her at her age. All the other supporting cast was fine as well. I was surprised to see Peter Ho in this drama and looking as young and suave as ever. I think he will make the viewers have a SLS although he is much older than Wu Jin Yan in age. Her chemistry with Dan Ding was a lot more believable and I think it's due to the two stars dating irl.

WHAT WORKS:
The cast, some interesting plots till episodes 30ish, women being main players in the workforce and the premise. I really like the sisterhood between Xiao Yu and Lin Rui but Xiao Yu was unbearably immature and ruined their dynamics a lot of times. Peter Ho's portrayal was nice and funny- almost like a parody of CEO characters in dramas. His character never really fit in the drama storywise but still did his best as an actor.

WHAT SUCKED:
Lead girl was immature (her way of talking was very funny), bad people turned out good in an unbelievable way, the romance was meh after few interactions and the plot dragged on forever. It was a struggle to finish this drama.

OST:
Nice opening theme. Rest of OST was forgettable.

OVERALL:
Like I said- it was a challenging watch. It wasn't rewarding in the end but not completely pointless. I had some enjoyable moments and a lot of boring ones. I'd say it is not worth a watch but if you don't mind skipping some scenes, it isn't that bad. In the end, it is never a bad thing to see women being successful in real life or in fiction.

Read More

One of the better Chinese dramas this year

Storm Eye has been an awaited drama for many fans of Yang Mi and Zhang Bin Bin. Let's be honest that it isn't the kind of genre one would watch without being a fan of the leads. I was waiting for this for the longest time and glad that I got to watch it- as most "awaited" ones never even premiere.

STORY/PLOT:
The idea of Storm Eye is cool. I like FBI/National Intelligence Agency kind of dramas- where the leads are cool and smart. There is always a thrill in chasing the bad guy and the main characters getting to act out interesting scenarios like spies/leading double lives. This drama is somehow different. It wasn't really thrilling- the bad guys were ok, the main plot of some technology being stolen from China was sort of meh (and highly ironic), the leads characters were just okay and so was the team. The interesting bad guy was awfully under-utilized and the real ones were sort of satirical.

WHAT WORKS:
The leads and the main cast- Yang Mi, Zhang Bin Bin, the guy who played Qiao Xiuchan(?) and Daisy Dai were wonderful in their roles. They really kept me interested and kept the story going. I would have to say Bin Bin did amazing and Daisy was just beautiful. Yang Mi's role was nice and suited her pretty well. Some plots of the story were fun and the violence or thriller side never got too overwhelming. Even the direction was pretty decent.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
The plot about the ores, company secrets and technology being on the threat of "getting stolen" was unconvincing. Most of it sounded make-belief and I wished the main "threat" itself was stronger. The bad guys were fun until they weren't and the pacing of the drama was very inconsistent. I also got tired of the Miao sisters getting deceived and crying all the time. Also, ironically I thought the Intelligence guys were pretty incompetent. All they did was theorize and depend on the surveillance guys and what I found funniest was them sucking at fights. Perhaps I am used to Hollywood, but this was just a mild version in comparison,

ROMANCE:
I liked the little touch of the romance. Yang Mi and Bin Bin have very good, believable chemistry and their interactions were fun. I didn't expect this at all so I won't complain about the lack of it.

ACTING:
Very decent. ZBB steals the show.

OVERALL:
I can see a lot of episodes were cut and some scenes often felt rushed / incomplete. I wished we dedicated more time to certain plots more than the others. The ending scene was okay but I felt like there was more scope and it even left things open for a Season 2. I will watch if they ever made it.

Read More

Slow but satisfying watch- one of the best endings ever

I super happy I gave some time to this drama because it was worth it. No matter how different it was from Season 1, I'd still consider this Go Go Squid 2 although here the "Squid" has little to no importance. The story still has heart, the characters are incredibly nice, the cast fits well and the romance got even better.

PLOT:
It's fairly simple. It was fairly refreshing to see Wu Bai chasing Ai Qing as S1 was all about Tong Nian pursuing Han Shangyan. I did skip some gaming sub plots but other than that the drama was pretty consistent. It was less comedy and more drawn-out, slow burn romance. But this version was undoubtedly more romantic in some ways and the main two couples complimented each other. My favourite part was the ending because it gave a good closure to S1 and 2 both and I was elated to see Tong Nian and Han Shangyan make appearances again (yes!).

ROMANCE:
It was both the best and also somewhat flawed part of the drama. The romance took me some to get into because it was very, very slow. The long stares and gazes were somewhat boring but because Wu Bai and Ai Qing were so serious about each other- they made it work. I wanted to drop this but glad I held on because they had a genuinely sweet relationship. At times I favoured the second couple more because their chemistry was more natural and the interactions were more fun. The romance wasn't what I usually like but the actors made it work.

ACTING:
Everyone did a decent job but for me the star was Li Yi Tong. She played her part with a lot of poise and made her character seem very chill and mature. Hu Yi Tian wasn't ever in my list of good actors but he did great here. I also want to mention Wang An Yu because this role suited him a lot. He seems youthful and playful and he got the perfect role here. I also like Ai Qing's sister- she was very likable too. I'll also mention Li Xian and Yang Zi doing their cameos well and still being as interesting as they were in S1.

OVERALL:
I did skip some boring game talk but it was handled better than some other sports/e-sports dramas I have seen. This drama could have been shorter but in a way the slow burn is satisfying to watch. Maybe it would have been best for a 24-28 episode drama but since we get the perfect happy ending for our main couples for S1 and S2, I cannot complain.

I recommend this to people who have time because it is a very slow-ass drama and even seems draggy and pointless at times. But if you like the leads, it's probably worth it.

Read More

Don't expect, just enjoy the ride

Unlike most of Xiao Zhan fans, Douluo Continent has never been my most anticipated dramas out of his. I went into this drama not knowing anything about the story nor the cast except Xiao Zhan himself and Xuan Yi from WJSN.

STORY:
The story is a regular fantasy tale about a hero who goes on a journey to self-discovery and meeting friends and foes along the way. I feel the drama was too short and I couldn't properly ever understand the lore in it. Seems like a lot of it was either edited out or just not included in the script. That is obvious as the source material seems to be a novel which might hold more answers to my questions. It was a decent story with a nice male protagonist but the script could have been better. The starting was nice, a strong middle and a dissatisfying end.

CHARACTERS:
Tang San was a cool guy but I felt like we never really saw the full potential of his powers or character. I should have enjoyed his character more but something felt flat till towards the end. But he was likable guy enough. My only complaint is Xiao Wu. She was cute in the beginning and I can handle cutesy Cdrama female leads but she remained too juvenile till the end. I would have liked to see more development from her. She was good at fighting and a loyal friend/sister to Tang San which I appreciated- they had a genuinely deep bond. My other favourites were the Master and the Headmaster. They were both quite nice but the Master was bit know-it-all at times.

ROMANCE:
I was never invested in it in spite of the small hints they kept dropping all along. For me, I liked Tang San- Xiao Wu more as siblings or just good friends. The romance territory was just unnecessary and I am glad it wasn't the main focus. The friendships were much more interesting. Not to mention - the ending kiss was just forgettable as heck.

ACTING:
Xiao Zhan is mighty himself- a very beautiful person and a good actor. At times I was in awe of his beauty, but a better hairstyle would have made more difference to his visuals. I feel his performance here lacked compared to The Untamed. Don't get me wrong- it was still very good but maybe just not the best role as he has already acted in a masterpiece in his career, which is hard to beat. Xuan Yi was fine and I was skeptical of her playing a dumb character because she is actually a funny and witty person in real life but she did quite decently in this drama. I feel like the story's development and plots didn't leave her with much to show. I've missed Calvin Chen and he is still likable as ever (them abs!). The rest of the cast was also fine and I didn't feel like there was any miscasting.

OST:
I like Xiao Zhan's songs. The OST is good.

OVERALL:
I've heard about most novel and anime fans hating it so maybe it isn't really a good adaptation. The story is incomplete, often times fun but more times draggy or confusing. In spite of that this is a decent drama on its own. The cast and the CGI really enhance the viewing experience of its otherwise low/cheap-looking sets and costumes. Looking at it now seems like something we'll probably never see Xiao Zhan again in because he's a top star now, but even here his passion for acting has always been evident.

I recommend to watch this drama if you're into fantasy and adventure. Other than that this drama doesn't offer much, but at least I don't regret watching it.

Read More

Better than so many teen dramas and not as shallow as it sounds

True Beauty has been a popular webtoon for a few years now. I've always put it off, thinking I would pick it up someday but I ended up watching the drama before. I read a few chapters of the webtoon only and discontinued after being warned that the drama wasn't really following the original plot closely. It figures since the original is a love triangle and this is just a high school drama. I wouldn't call it the best drama ever, but hey- it's fun and has some good messages.

STORY/PLOT:
Its idea is a lot like like older animes/mangas- Kare Kano or Switch Girl. This premise is hilarious but unbelievable. From the beginning we pity Ju Kyung for being labelled as 'ugly' and getting bullied and teased to no end. I am not sure how realistic it is, because I've never seen anything like this in real life. I liked Ju Kyung getting her confidence when she put on makeup but ultimately that was a facade. It brought her temporary relief and denial, but she had to accept what or how she really was physically. I believe the process of her becoming more confident should have been focused on more than they liked to talk about it in the drama. However I do love the message of people will love you for you - those who love you for your looks aren't real people. Also 'True Beauty' is a fitting title because throughout we see the stark contrast between the 'ugly' Ju Kyung and the 'pretty' bullies, which I really liked.

ROMANCE & LOVE TRIANGLE:
I must say, I was disappointed with how Seo Jun was written. He acted and did all the things the ML would, but we were being cheated. Su Ho was a great character but let's be real- he was the ML just because it is a Korean drama. Throwback to Western stories/series and only characters like Seo Jun ever win in the end. Well, we all knew it deep down, didn't we? I would say the romance didn't matter much to me. It was cute but more cliche than anything I've seen in a while. It had all the standard tropes of a Kdrama thrown in till the end. *eye roll at hospital visits 3000 times*

FRIENDSHIP:
Meh. It was super cute until cliches kicked in and it sort of cheapened the story for me. However the people who remained loyal, stayed so even after Ju Kyung's 'reveal'.

ACTING:
Moon Ga Young is a pretty decent actress. I was so skeptical of her playing a school girl but she did her job wonderfully. Rest of the cast is pretty decent too but I'm bored of Cha Eun Woo playing the pretty but reserved boy again and again.

OST:
Forgettable but still nice. The SML actor is talented at singing.

OVERALL:
I think it was such a nice high school drama. I miss that Korea doesn't make much of these but when they do, they are usually quite good. I'd say this drama is enjoyable if one doesn't get into the shipping stuff. That takes away from the comedy and heartwarming moments shared between many of its characters. I wish this drama hadn't gotten boring because it was amazing till ep 6-7 and from then on it had its high and low moments but never stayed high. The episodes could have been shorter tbh. But I want to ask those who didn't have faith the drama would be good because the webtoon "didn't have a plot" would be surprised that this is actually decent.

I recommend watching this.

Read More

A boring, polarized mess of fun and frustration

Start Up was surely one of my anticipated dramas of recent times. The cast looked good and the story seemed quite promising. I was sold to the idea of independent youth with dreams, trying to make it big. But what I watched was somehow very different.

PLOT:
I am not sure if the drama was marketed the right away. They kept focusing on the FL wanting to be a young female CEO. I thought, "Great. Although it's Suzy, I'm willing to give it a try". Oh I did, okay? This drama started out wonderfully. The child actors were amazing at the beginning was probably the best thing in the drama.

Contrary to most people who were a fan of this writer, I've dropped all her dramas in the past. Somehow I didn't drop this one and kept watching it out of boredom. I don't think the writer did even a remotely acceptable job of the plot. Initial build ups failed, the main AND side characters were a snooze till they became MORE annoying and the romance fell flat before eventually drowning in an endless ditch. There were more pointless plotlines than I can count. The unnecessary ones were shoved down our throat and the ones with potential were all forgotten or abandoned by the writer midway.

This drama is more discouraging than encouraging but it depends on how one takes it. What they've shown in this drama was incredibly naive, unrealistic and seemed to have been written by someone who's never worked in a corporate or start-up company before. The issues were laughably bad and this is the biggest peeve for me with this drama. It had a sort of realistic take in the beginning but it was a laughable mess by the end.

The other peeve was the sudden melodramatic angle. I say again that it is discouraging, because it shows that only bad things happen to the good people. It's message is: good people are never meant to be happy and misery will follow them till the end. The plot with the Grandmother was incredibly sad. Nothing is right in her life. The other pitiful person was OF COURSE the second lead Han Ji Pyeong. He's also portrayed as an orphan who was born to be alone and no one would ever love him. I tell you, this drama looks spunky but it was incredibly depressing to me. It wasn't about finding your dreams, but about living in nightmares. I wouldn't have complained if they had marketed it as a dark melodrama because these characters were contradicting the supposed main plot.

CHARACTERS:
A shout out to Grandma and Dad. They were the only wholly nice and kind people in the drama.The FL had spark in the beginning which I loved. She kind of swayed because her journey was itself a mess. Also, she wasn't as empathetic as she was supposed to be because she is plainly cold to the SML. She is blind for the ML. The ML was kind of cute and naive in the beginning but comes off as selfish and scheming later. The SML is lonely, abandoned and no hope in his life. The sister In Jae had amazing potential as a tsundere character but they didn't even bother with giving the actress enough of a plot to be central to the plot. I'm not going to comment on the side characters because majority of the time they were in a competition for being the most annoying.

ACTING:
Not a fan of Suzy but I find her charming. I was very impressed with her in the first 10 episodes of the drama but her acting went back to mediocre in the later parts. Nam Joo Hyuk was okay at best, there wasn't much he could have done with his weird character. Kim Han Na did amazing as Won In Jae. Kim Seon Ho was great and he translated perfectly from the younger to older version of the character. He had incredible chemistry with everyone and I will be glad to see his future works.

OST:
The OST is golden. I love almost all the songs and highly recommend listening to it.

OVERALL:
A dumb, pointless drama. It's got some YAYYY fun moments, decent kisses and amazing lines. The problem is the plot fizzled out hopelessly and there was no saving it. The casting isn't as bad as they ended up being here. I think I will tread with caution for this writer's future dramas as my record has been BAD. I'm out with the memorable OST and won't ever bother to give this drama a second watch.

Read More

Wasn't Worth the time

I went into this drama not expecting much. However the initial few episodes were quite cute and funny. However by the end somehow the writer managed to ruin it all.

PLOT:
It was alright for a cute watch but some of the writing is the laziest and most pointless ever. The female lead is cute and male lead is a typical tsundere. Had it been just a plain romance drama without any crazy drama like it was initially- it would have become my favourite. However with the introduction of the stalker, weird ass 2nd leads, insufferable side characters, cancer plot and time separation - I would have rated it higher. I thought the beginning made no sense but the last few episodes got worse. The ending was downright horrible and all of it was crazy writing. I wonder why the production companies can't cut the dramas shorter or make some side story episodes if they ran out of things to write in the story instead of this mess I watched?

ACTING:
If it wasn't for the leads the drama would be annoying to no end. Go Ara somehow passes off well as a young female in her 20's and manages to look pretty throughout. The character suited her better than some of her older roles. Not the biggest fan of Lee Jae Wook but he is quite promising. I think given he's so young, he is a good actor and can surely mature in the future. He has a bright future given he chooses the right projects. My favourite was Shin Eun Soo who blew me away with her cuteness. I would kill to see her in more school/college type of dramas as she is so young and cute too. Rest of the side characters were forgettable.

OST:
It has some nice songs but none that became my fave yet.

REWATCH VALUE:
This doesn't exist for an already-difficult-to-watch-once type of drama. Next.

OVERALL:
I won't be recommending this drama unless you are a diehard stan of either of the leads. If you are looking for a good story, maybe look elsewhere. If you just want the fuzzies and don't care about the actual plot then dive right in at your own discretion. I am giving it a pity 6 just for the few laughs I got in the beginning episodes.

Read More

A flawed yet intriguing watch

I was very neutral going into this drama because I had no background on this drama. I had tried Legend of Yun Xi so the only thing familiar with me were the leads and not the writer herself. I wish I knew that because my expectations would have been lower as Yun Xi wasn't a drama that worked for me at all.

STORY:
This drama started well, but I still felt the draw into its world wasn't enough. The script wasn't the best neither was the editing, but this drama had a charm that kept me keep going. There are some interesting aspects to it and some very boring and frustrating ones. I feel like I needed more closure or wanted to watch more of certain aspects which weren't fully covered. The drama's weak and strong point are the politics, mystery and the romance. It's like the drama did things very well only to make it a bore after a few episodes and only to become interesting again. It was like someone switching on and off my interest in the plot. There are still some underused plotlines and some got set up well only to waste the potential. I'll spare it some criticism due to its editing given the Censorship rules but I don't think it would have made too great of a difference.

ROMANCE & CHARACTERS:
I was intrigued by the romance and tried my best to enjoy the slow burn. The main couple are sweet and have good chemistry, but the plot made their romance seem forced. Honestly it could have not been there and it would have made no difference. The OTP's romance were never central to the plot at all. The skinship and kisses were lacking for both couples. The secondary couple had some excellent potential but it fell flat by the end too as there wasn't much story left there either. The problem was the writing and mediocre characterization. Fu Rong was cute with a potential to grow only to become flat and unimpressive. She became an unrecognizable version of herself after ep 18ish and was inconsistent as heck. Duke An was alright and loved Fu Rong but the script didn't leave much for him to do. There was practically no growth in his character. Prince An made for lovely eye candy and a decent 'evil guy'. Wu Bai Qi was more layered than other characters and I loved his dedication and loyalty for Fu Xuan. Fu Xuan gets saved thanks to her interactions with Wu Bai Qi so I'll spare her the criticism.

ACTING:
This drama is similar to The Legends in one aspect. It gets saved thanks to its cast. They all suited the roles they got and gave it their best. I am oddly impressed by Ju Jing Yi and Zhang Zhe Han because they aren't good actors but somehow their acting skills were sufficient for this drama. Kiki Xu had a decent attempt as well and I'm impressed at her. It was my first time seeing Wu Bai Qi and Prince An actors but I really loved them. They definitely have better potential and emoted better than the others.

REWATCH VALUE:
No way. It's one-time watch at best with challenges.

OVERALL:
In the end there are no memorable moments but I enjoyed its run. It never had me obsessed but intrigued enough to keep going. The writing towards the end was a cop out and the ending made little sense. I am likely to forget some side characters but the charm of the actors and their interactions is what I will remember of this drama.

Read More

"Being powerful is better than relying on those in power. "

Story of Yanxi Palace is one of the best-known dramas to have been produced in Mainland China. I was scared to pick it up- there were too many episodes, sounded too dramatic, bald guys, controversies, etc. I have never watched a drama with harem politics so this was completely unknown territory for me. I'm super glad I gave this so much of my time as this drama is nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.

PLOT:
It's complicated as heck. I was rooting for the female lead- Wei Ying Luo right from the get go. It reminded me a lot of Empress Ki in the aspect of a palace maid becoming the Empress of China. However, here the focus was more on her survival than the journey to royalty itself. The female lead is one of the best I have seen in any drama and she was badass, smart, witty and fearless. She's a modern woman by mind stuck in an older era. It was amazing to see how she navigated grueling circumstances and braved the storm. She has a cold heart as she values herself over others but possesses a keen sense of justice and her own way of viewing the world. Her character was deeply complex and it was interesting to her many sides. She was a protective sister, a loyal servant, a calculated lover and a fierce friend. I loved her relationship with Fuheng and also with the Empress, Empress Dowager and the Emperor himself. I couldn't hold back celebrating every time she triumphed over evildoers. She is really never scared of anything nor does she run away from any challenge.

CHARACTERS:
I've already described Ying Luo quite a bit. My next favourite characters were easily Ming Yu and Fu Heng. Ming Yu had an excellent development from evil to a supporting friend. Fu Heng was typical second lead and he succeeded in making me feel sorry for him the end. The Empress is a saint but a fool, however I loved how much she valued our female lead's service to her. The Emperor was funny at times but he was always authoritative and manipulative. I couldn't really get invested in the love story as him bedding several women made me uncomfortable as heck. I've seen Concubines in other dramas too, but never as many as in this one. The other enjoyable characters were Consort Gao and Xian- who were wonderfully wicked and never fell short of tricks to play.

ACTING:
The cast all did an excellent job at their roles. I'm super impressed with Wu Jin Yan as she played Ying Luo with perfection and no one could have done better. I was surprised to see Charmaine's role being major in this drama. She nailed the emotions and many sides to her character also - especially the twisted one. Xu Kai was lovable as Fu Heng and I'm glad he shot to stardom with such a good role in the start of his career. The others were also quite good- including the Emperor, Empress, etc.

OTHER THOUGHTS:
I know this is a historical story, but the portrayal of women in general was a little heartbreaking. They portrayed everyone as evil in the harem and there was a dialogue about self-interest being the only interest in the Forbidden City. The women are all cunning, scheming and ready to backstab each other. The Emperor treats women as object of desire and eyes our female lead as " has to made attainable by any means". Thankfully, the female lead manages to find people who give her comfort but it shows those times very bleak. It was also inspiring to see a woman stand up for herself and gives a good message about being independent and standing tall among men. It's a very feminist take on the historical times. The creative liberty the writers took clearly shows. I wish Fu Heng didn't go through what he had to because Er Qing was an evil witch. He and Ying Luo come out most memorable out of this drama.

OVERALL:
I cannot convince anyone to pick up a drama of 70 episodes. However, this is fast-paced, there are always twistsand the plot keeps progressing every episode. It became repetitive after the 58th episode and it could have done without the last arc of the new Concubine. I also wish the drama focused a bit more on the female lead as the Empress, however it continued to be about her survival in the crazy world of deranged Forbidden City inhabitants. I am quite impressed at how it maintained its quality and came out as a top-notch drama. It was well worth my time and effort.

Read More

An overrated drama that's worth a watch

I was eagerly waiting for this drama's subs ever since it came out. I saw some clips posted on Instagram which looked cute and the people couldn't stop raving about it. However I am coming out with a disappointment - maybe my expectations out of this were too high. It was also a struggle watching this drama with very subpar subtitles but I'd like to thank the subber who gave us the subs out of their goodwill.

STORY + CHARACTERS:
It's a run of the mill contract marriage story. However the professor and student twist was something new and for once the girl isn't treated badly by the male lead. The leads have decent chemistry and are quite natural with each other, which is hands down the highlight of this drama. The supporting characters were all nice and cute but the spark was missing for me. I cannot pinpoint to what was missing but this drama didn't leave me satisfied by the end. The slow burn between the leads was nice but Yun Shu was a very average character. Her sister was annoying at first and I couldn't care less about her romance with the actor dude. I think I rather preferred the storyline of her best friends. Sadly I am not the biggest fan of the male character either - he was a typical tsundere but albeit a little less likable. For example- he reminded me of the male lead from Intense Love who was far more lovable and cute. Zhang Shinan's character and childhood were cliches. I did appreciate the relationship he (and Yunshu; later) shared with the grandfather.

ACTING:
The biggest issue for me with this drama was the main actress. I understand this is her debut drama and she is very, very pretty but she just fell absolutely flat for me. Miles was alright- he had some cute moments but sadly his character was very cliche. The supporting cast was also just ok- nothing that great as is the case with most C-dramas. Maybe if the casting was better this drama would have been upped in quality as the writer at least tried to make it a bit different.

REWATCH VALUE:
Won't be rewatching this. No parts were that memorable for me. The kisses were sweet and became better towards the end.

OVERALL:
Meh. Like I said - it's cute but terribly missing out on a lot. I think good thing is that there aren't overbearingly annoying second leads. They back off rather quickly. There was also nothing too sad in this drama so it retains its airy atmosphere till the end. Even the ending is full of hope and positivity with the grandfather which I liked.

I can recommend to the people who are looking for something where they wish to turn off their brains and enjoy the romance. Romance is quite alright and the male lead is getting quite popular from what I understand. I'd tell people to give it a try although I'm in the minority who didn't really enjoy this one much. Time to move to the next drama.

Read More

FINALLY a drama that I was stoked about and didn't let me down. Love is Sweet is hands down the best modern C-drama I have watched till date. From end to finish, it kept me hooked and I managed to stay invested in a currently airing drama. This drama has its shortcomings but makes for a very entertaining romance drama. It retains the light and comedic moments throughout and the romance made me swoon in all the episodes.

PLOT + CHARACTERS:
The plot was very interesting to me. Most dramas revolve around childhood lovers with tragedy. Here it had to do with misunderstandings and giving your old friend/ lover another chance. There were times this drama was too cool and other times when it was laughable. Our ML is an all-round perfect guy and the best dramaland boyfriend that can exist. Yuan Shuai is good at everything and loves selflessly. There were times he needed to grow and that is where this drama both hit and didn't hit the mark. However our leads have a very natural chemistry and remain somewhat stable after getting together which is the highlight of the drama. The supporting cast was good but I'd like to mention Qiao Na here specifically who started off as a jealous 2nd FL but grows and becomes one of the best characters. In fact there were times when the FL was not that fun because she was a basic girl. However, I like the fact that she wanted to make herself into a successful person and worked hard.

ACTING:
Leo Luo takes the spotlight here. He was immensely charming, good-looking and displayed the emotions quite right. He has been deserving of being a ML for a while and I am glad to see him shine here finally. Bai Lu was cute as usual and I loved her chemistry with Leo. It kind of made me forget her chemistry with Xu Kai lol. Rest of the cast was alright but Riley wasn't that great. It's my first time seeing Kido Gao here and he was okay but maybe not the best.

ROMANCE:
Watch this drama for romance! The stares, holding hands, kisses - lots and LOTS of them gave me butterflies in the stomach. I have not seen such great skinship and natural interactions between the leads in a modern C-drama. It was awesome and raised the bar for other dramas for me. Everything from the first meeting to the "first time"- everything was downright perfect.

OST:
It was a nice OST and the songs blended well with the mood of the drama.

REWATCH:
Very much rewatchable. The leads are legendary for me. <3

OVERALL:
Don't let the corporate side or the silly "disability" of the heroine put you off. This drama is a modern romance gem and I don't think any other drama will live up to it for a while. I had a few issues with certain side characters or sub-plots but all was forgettable because the good and funny parts are THAT good. The comedy was a main factor and that helped the drama retain its light mood till the end. I highly recommend this drama and this is coming from someone who is very choosy and critical of romance dramas in general.

Hope you give this drama a chance.

Read More

Arsenal Military Academy was on my to-watch list for some time. This is one quality drama among countless other cross-dressing dramas. However what sets this apart is the era which it is set in and the premise of 1930s/40s China. One of its key attractions was the cast - Bai Lu and Xu Kai who both happen to be my favourites. I came for Bai Lu and stayed for Xu Kai and Toby Lee.

PLOT:
Initially it was challenging for me to get invested in the drama. I have no prior knowledge of Chinese history nor had any interest in it before I watched this drama. The set-up was a huge bore for me but with good storytelling and a compelling cast, it managed to lure me in and I am glad I stuck with it. The premise is a little basic and in some ways - senseless. However, being a weakling for cross-dressing plots, I wanted to watch it. I usually forgo of my intelligence when it comes watching such dramas. With this drama I found myself relating to these characters who were fighting for the independence / against an enemy ruler as it was very similar to some incidents from my home country's struggle in the past. I also appreciated that the drama was really funny and didn't bore me of with independence/revolt talks all the time. The action / violence was well-balanced and only towards the end did it become a little bloody and messy.

CHARACTERS:
The characters are all their own individuals and very well-rounded. What also stands out in this drama is the friendship and bond between our main characters. Gu Yanzhen, Liancheng, Huang Song, Qu Man Ting, Xiaojun and Shen Junshuan will always remain memorable to me. They were excellent characters and their friendship was very deep. It was really nice to see strong females who stood up for themselves and the free-spirited attitude of Qu Man Ting really stole the show for me. Apart from this Gu Yanzhen was unbelievably funny and cute - he was mostly playful but displayed a badass side when it came to protecting his loved ones in the need of the hour. Plus,Xu Kai is pure eye candy which helps. Junshuan was the typical uptight guy but I loved his portrayal by Toby Lee. He was very handsome. I had a hard time connecting with Liang Chen because there were times her actions made sense and at times she frustrated me. In fact the weakest part of the story was her. There's also a few villains who were okay but Xianrong was nicely done on her part.

ROMANCE + ACTING:
Now let me get to the ranting. Xu Kai and Toby Lee steal the show. I can't decide who was better because they were both that good and convincing. However as I am a Xu Kai fangirl, I'll just praise him some more. I couldn't get enough of his cute moments. He was the typical playful yet jealous boyfriend who is ready to do anything to get the attention of the girl. There was moments which had me laughing like crazy and some where I was sad when his heart was breaking. What frustrated me here was the lack of reciprocation from our female lead. The love triangle/quadrangle is long drawn and I am not sure if I am fully in agreement with it. Liang Chen seemed more invested in the 2nd ML and frankly, they were better suited. I also felt super bad for Qu Man Ting as I believe that she sincerely loved our ML and they also good chemistry with each other. It's just my heart kept breaking for Yanzhen (thanks to Xu Kai) repeatedly and I honestly would have written a hate review if the FL handn't woken up. Thankfully I knew of its happy ending, else my patience would have run out. She doesn't show much emotion towards him till the last few episodes which was frankly a long wait (although she did show some feelings in the middle). I wonder if it was the script or Bai Lu's weak sides of acting showing through as she was outperformed by her other cast members. I was sad to know that most of the romance was edited out and the slight LGBTQ+ tones were also smoothed out.

OST:
The opening theme is quite cool.

REWATCH VALUE:
Maybe one day I'll watch it again. The funny Xu Kai scenes are 100% rewatchable lol.

OVERALL:
In its essence, this drama is about people- friendship and love really does endure all. It also has some great messages about appreciating the sacrifices of our older generation and being loyal to one's own country. The cast did a solid job and this drama is one of the best C-dramas I have watched till date. It was well made with the only lacking things being the editing of some romance scenes and Bai Lu's acting not being at par with the others, which was forgivable. At least we get a female lead who can fight and hold her own. She didn't need to be rescued at every step. The cast is quite nice and the story fits in as well. The ending was a bit average but I was glad to see most of my favourites make it through.

I recommend watching this drama if you can get past the era it is set in. The cast will compel you to stay and the moments of frienship and humour won't make you regret picking it up.

Read More

Love Designer was one of my anticipated releases for 2020. Initially I waited for it to be over so that I could binge watch it put I kept putting it off due to the negative comments I read. I can see why people weren't pleased with this - I am not happy either. However I am glad I gave this drama a chance because at least the first 20-ish episodes were well made and I discovered Johnny Huang thanks to this.

STORY:
Oh lord. Was there even a story, a plot? I cannot pinpoint to what the drama was about. All the characters do are talk about dreams and yet everything is underwhelming and a bore. There are some nice moments and some fluttery romantic scenes. The main problem of this drama is that nothing fits. It's like putting too much to eat on your plate, and you end up tasting a bit of everything, but by the end you can't tell what was what. None of the sub-plots fit or compliment each other. Characters drop in and drop out at random times. Some random "problems" arise which make no sense or seem like they were written just because they had to. This drama has good actors and shallow plots with stories that go nowhere. There was nothing that could keep me interested enough to appreciate even a single plot/struggle/growth of any single character.

This drama tries to play it smart but it fails- there is no depth or enjoyment in it. The writing is lazy and I feel like it was written by a bunch of people who all had their own ideas. The end result was that it went nowhere and left me underwhelmed to a great degree. The half-assed ending was thrown into the mix as a formality because they wanted this to end finally.

ACTORS:
Now this is why I ended up finishing the drama. This drama has one of the better main and supporting casts I have seen in a modern C-drama. Dilraba isn't the best actress but the character of Zhou Fang really suited her. She is really beautiful and sometimes left me in awe of her visuals. Johnny Huang is perfect as Song Lin and did an amazing job of his otherwise maybe an "okay at best" character. He is really manly and super charming. He was really good at holding my attention. The others- the friends, family and Song Luo were all good to watch but unfortunately the plot didn't leave them much to do with.

ROMANCE:
This was really nice. Johnny played his part perfectly and his pursuit and the dedication towards Zhou Fang remained strong till the end. The main female lead was confusing at times. Their romance was super cute and only got boring towards the end. Their interactions, skinship and chemistry felt very natural to me. There are secondary couples also which you could either care or not care for - I didn't.

OVERALL:
The worst part of this drama was it that I had so much I wanted to watch but those parts never materialized. It was like a bunch of unresolved plots till the end. The episodes are pointlessly long and dragged out. This drama was best suited for 24 episodes. More time should have been dedicated to our leads and there should have been more challenging subplots/arcs for Zhou Fang. I felt like Dilraba really tried this time but the it didn't show as her character remained the same throughout. Johnny managed a good job due to his exuding charm but even that fell flat by the end.

This drama is one giant mess. There are beautiful people in it and other than that I say there isn't much reason to watch this. Maybe if you have nothing to do and wish to appreciate the beauty our leads - it's the drama for you.

Read More