Teasing or Pleasing

Oh joy, another office romcom from Taiwan. This time with a serious undertone, Hello Again! is about the distinction between teasing that draws us closer, and teasing that pushes us apart.

The plot
Year after year the nice but serious bluestocking Chang Ke Ai (played by Amber An) ends first of all students at her local school. She has friends and is generally admired. Still there’s one person, rich boy Yang Zi Hao (played by Bruce Hung) who goes out of his way to tease her whenever he can. However Ke Ai keeps her cool, completely ignoring him when she passes him at school.
One day Zi Hao intentionally disturbs her class while Ke Ai is giving training course to fellow students for college entrance examination. This time she gets very angry, commenting on his easy life style, saying his rich family will help him anyway, urging him to think of other people for once, because “not everyone is as fortunate as you”. Knowing this is true Zi Hao gets also furious. Wanting to proof himself in front of everybody he swears he’ll get the same results as Ke Ai. Laughingly she makes a bet to carry his schoolbooks all year long if he’ll ever succeed.
After that Zi Hao works his head off, and of course, he succeeds.
Full of teasing intentions Zi Hao starts at university in the business management department, eagerly awaiting Ke Ai to join him, until he discovers she isn't there. For mysterious reasons she gave up her education and decided to stay with her mother.
Ten years later, the two meet again, the gap between their worlds has become even bigger. Yang Zi Hao is now the executive vice president of his family business "Gorgeous Department Store", while Chang Ke Ai is a market vendor. Their story unfolds...Hello Again.

Cons
This show has the usual, fluffy officeromance but the first half was really depressing. I like to escape the daily struggle for life by looking at beautiful actors, but this time I felt confronted with the constant sorrows of the female lead. Of course the makers have to proof she’s completely worn out, out of luck for the past ten years, but it didn’t make her attractive. Also given the fact that actress Amber An is five years senior to actor Bruce Hung didn’t help, it just showed. It made me wonder why the male lead would fall for her, other than the urge to tease her, which made him even more immature, and younger than her.
Another thing is the unneeded love triangle with the good looking friend she met in front of college. Themes as loan sharks, team building, family business are really enough.

Pros
However, I like the theme of a rich male lead who is driven by comments of a poor girl in his youth. In return I would love to see he has a purpose for her as well, in other ways than good looks and status, but that will be another story.

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In Need of Scissors

Watching Decreed By Fate is both a delight and relieve. Yay. Here's to Chinese historical romcom that has good script writing! No loop holes, dragging or missing scenes, just 16 episodes Korean style including the cliff hanger that will guarantee an audience for the next season.

Story
This series has classic tropes like the straightforward, feisty heroine and two cool, tall, good-looking guys who fall in love with her at first sight. There are some unexpected turns as well. I like the idea of a heroine who sets up a divorce agency right after her forced marriage. It felt good to watch her respect and defend freedom rights, to admire the beauty of people, male or female. The love triangle is not the usual battle of love where someone comes out in smiles and the other has to lick his wounds in private. This trope is used to explore the many faces of love, and its origins. In that respect it makes perfectly sense why the ML ends up with the girl.

Acting/Cast
Chen Fang Tong is a good choice for the role of Rong Er. She combines huge Bamby eyes with a sturdy character, sharp wit. I like her chemistry with both ML's. Li Jiu Lin is born to play the classic ML. Really, this actor has the perfect visual and physique. He's believably able to carry the heroine, better than some actors who border anorexia to keep their assignments with fashion labels. Kudos also for Wu Cheng Xu, Cheng Yu Feng and Jia Yi, I hope to see more of them in future series.

Music
There's some nice music that fits the atmosphere in the series. I downloaded the beginning- and ending tunes for memory keep sake.

Rewatch Value
As soon as I finished this series I wanted to watch it again. The falling in love process is both hilarious and romantic, also there were some clues that I missed before. The script is that inventful.

Overall
Are there any faults in this production? Not really imo. Just one thing stood out for me like a sore thumb, the stringy bangs of the general's wig. Jeez, they looked like mucus strands to me that made me run to my scissors to ease the kissing scene. Anyway, I really recommend this gem.

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Sexual Education & Product Placement

Always eager to watch romcom that test some boundaries I watched Love and Leashes until the very end. I saw the FL/ML frolicking on a comfy bed; she with Timotei wavy hair, he with a cutie pie smile on his face uttering "Saranghaeyo Ju-in", and I just sat there on my couch, thinking WHAT?!

Story
I THOUGHT I was going to see an office romcom with two colleagues exploring their sexual wishes, a BDSM version of the wonderful phonesex romcom Whatcha' Wearin? (2012). I expected they would use the Korean office hierarchy as the perfect breeding ground for humiliation kinks, but what I SAW was a sexual education class; a BDSM kiddy version with commercial incentives. This time no rings, shoes or designer bags, but collars, dildos, candles, leashes. I do admire the Korean business attitude, but really, I expected less toys, more arthouse, and creative kinkiness.

The Good
Love & Leashes isn't romcom, it's a warm and sweet opinion on sexual self-exploration. Ji-woo does research on the internet, and the audience looks over her shoulder. Kinks are explained in voice-overs, distinctions are made between D/S and SM play, we see the use of safe words, aftercare, and the whole shebang.

The Bad
What I personally wanted to see though, is the BDSM psychology. What makes it good to feel pain, why do people love to bound someone literally, is BDSM in our nature or is it nurture? There were some hints to the answers, but not much, and not really funny.

Overall
BDSM can be interpreted in romcom style, and there are good examples from more than 20 years ago. Try Pedro Almodóvar's "Tie me Up! Tie Me Down" (1989) with young Antonio Banderas; or Secretary (2002). The only newness I could find in Love and Leashes was that it is Korean, with product placements in style.

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Revenge has many faces

This series can be seen on YouTube with English subs. The heroine is Zao Er, a cute but spunky girl who’s revengeful and endearing at the same time.

Synopsis
Zhao Er decides to crossdress as a male doctor to enter the house of the prestigious Family Ji to find out who was responsible for the demise of her parents. Her father was once the respected family doctor, but when she was still young he was wrongly accused for poisoning a concubine, and soon after murdered together with his wife. When Zhao Er finally makes it into the Ji manor under the disguise name of doctor Tian Qi, a series of murders and conspiracies unfold. Will she be able to revenge herself?

The Cast
I’ve seen actress Sun Qian in Take my Brother away. She was a cutie then and now, really expressive in her facial features. Huang Jun Jie is more than just handsome. I’ve read some complaints about his stiff acting, but I disagree. He has to play a stickler-for-the-rules kind of guy, so it’s kind of fitting, and they both are more compatible that way. Of course there are others at the cast, but I tend to forget them since I’m completely absorbed by the fluffy romance of the leading couple.

The Story
I know it’s silly to watch a girl playing a boy, and a boy who doesn’t recognize her at all. Imagine this boy is a bully too, and you’ve got all the drama cliches bound together from the past ten years. Still I love this stuff, knowing she’ll have her revenge later on.

The Music
This drama has some catchy tunes, but not too memorable. Thank g*d they didn’t fade out the songs due to copyright issues like some other series on YouTube.

Verdict
The good thing about this drama is there’s each for every one. Some traditional romcom with crossdressing, hate turning into love, a love triangle. Some who-done-it episodes for thriller lovers, and melodrama for couch potatoes with a tissue box aside. Of course, the heartbreaking moment arrives when our leads discover they've known each other from youth, only to be teared apart by their dark past, each on opposite sides. So, will they have a happy ending? Just watch the closure theme, and you'll know.

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Living with Debt or Guilt

Being warned by earlier reviews not to waste my time on Hi Flower/Ugly Girl Hai Ru Hua I still couldn't resist watching this series. I like the actors, both played in Ten Miles Of Peach Blossom, I love romcoms about student life, and I don't mind if the story gets darker as long as I can relate to the characters. Just like watching Moon Lovers Scarlet Heart Ryeo. This k-drama started very light, but before I knew it, I could only watch it with a tissue box at hand. Still I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Synopsis
Hi Flower is a romcom/drama about growing pains at campus and living with debt, or guilt. Female lead Lu Ruhua (Zhu Xudan) suffers from heavy debts of her family and high medical bills due to the heart disease of her twin brother. Eager to earn every penny she can get she's a jack-of-all-trades, selling all kind of services at her university "except for my body". One day she encounters the male lead, wealthy heir Wen Chu (Lai Yi) who immediately clashes with her because of her materialistic attitude. Eventually his hate turns into love. Still their budding relationship is full of misunderstandings and unlucky events. Will they find happiness together, or do they have to live separately, feeling guilty for the rest of their life?

The good
I know there are a lot of complaints about the characters. The female lead is too much of a saint...the male lead is immature, self centered...the girls are either highly naive or mean...the boys are lazy, a bunch of users. Yes, agreed to all that, but isn't this picture quite realistic too? Naturally we like to see kick-ass heroines, relatable boyfriends, understanding parents and such, but my experience is this takes a long haul in real life, with obstacles and unruliness along the way, and the end not yet in sight. I found myself drawn into the story, it had a nice flow as well. Also I loved the chemistry between the actors.

The Bad
This drama contains a lot of clichés like in Boys over Flowers. There's this poor, hard working girl, troubled by the debt of her family, she's loved and admired by several men, and she likes this rich, arrogant boy, against all odds, despite of his antagonistic family. Moreover the light and funny events in the first season change into angsty, tear jerking moments in the second.

Still...if you like a student life romcom blended with melodrama this is for you. The ending isn't all that bad.

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I've Fallen For Fluff

As soon as I read the synopsis I was sold on this story, and I'm sure I am not the only one. Trust iQiyi with series like I've Fallen For You, and you know they do well without much investment or advertising.

Story

Two cute, little kids, a village girl and a rich boy with a mysterious background, share many romantic moments, they promise to marry each other when they've become adults. Alas, they get separated when the boy mysteriously disappears.
The village girl, Tian San Qi, becomes a forensic assistant to the local police, until she is suddenly ordered by the Lord of the country to marry his only son. The whole village waves her goodbye when she steps into the carriage in bridal clothes, and she suddenly becomes a stunner for all to see. She never arrives at her destiny, because she runs away to stay true to her vow. She swaps places with another forced bride who doesn't want to be married to the rascal son of local Magistrate Zhao. Tian San Qi decides to take her place beside this bridegroom, Zhao Cuo, because she has already seen him , and she's convinced he's her sweetheart from the past.
Somehow Zhao Cuo doesn't share her memories, moreover, he's reluctant to marry. However, it doesn't take long before she wins the hearts of her in-laws and eventually Zhao Cuo himself. Nothing seems to be in the way of a happily ever after for the young pair, until the Young Lord shows up to claim his intended bride. It's the starting point for a strange and dangerous adventure, that will lead to the mysterious past of everybody involved.

Acting/Cast

The main actors look beautiful, they have chemistry, but they both need more acting lessons. Still, I could relate to them and to all the characters involved. They really form a winning team put together.

Music

The soundtrack has some catchy songs and beautiful dreamy tunes that start playing in the background when childhood memories are shown from the leading couple.

Rewatch Value

The story may be unbelievable, but I've Fallen For this Fluff alright, and I will definitely rewatch this series.

Verdict

If you like light-hearted romance like me, with a bit of friendship, family, love, suspense, intrigue, and action, this is for you. Don't miss this heart warming story about a nice girl whose firm believe in a roguish boy makes him a strong and reliable man in the end.

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Love or Hate, That is The Question

Under The Power a.k.a. Beneath the Brocade Robes refers to the brocade-clad secret police during the Ming Dynasty. The series has a total amount of 55 episodes based on a historical thriller by Lan Se Shi and can be seen on YouTube.

Story
Our heroine is the tomboyish Yuan Jinxia (Song Yun Tan) an orphan who’s brought up by a detective policeman and his son. She works as a private detective with her foster brother, both can get along very well. During a chase Jinxia clashes with an officer from the secret police, the cold and ruthless Lu Yi (Allen Ren). Once again she meets him by chance when searching for imperial funds that has gone missing. Lu Yi is also set on the case, and reluctantly they begin working together. Gradually they develop feelings for each other, until Jinxia discovers the secret police has been responsible for the demise of her family. Question is what will prevail, love or hate? Will she be able to love a man who wears the brocade robe or should she go on the path of revenge?

Acting/Cast
Series are made or broken by the cast. In this case the leading actors, and their chemistry, are on point. Allen Ren (Glory of Tang Dynasty) and Tan Song Yun (The Fox 's Summer) both have a unique screen presence despite not being mainstream handsome. She has this spunky tomboyish attitude, with underneath a bright observant mind. He has this imposing personality, quiet but vicious. They start off in a clearly servant-boss relationship but soon they complement each other so well, they can't do without. Also jealousy enters whenever one of them interacts with a potential lover. It's a pleasure to see both can act, their facial expressions are priceless. Last but not least, kudos to Han Dong who plays a villain you love to hate.

Music
The opening theme is beautiful but a bit on the melancholy side, and there's the usual music at the back ground, but nothing special. They've faded out a lot of tunes during the episodes, especially when there's a lovey-dovey scene. Perhaps this is a license issue? IDK.

Rewatch Value
Both the music in the background and the CGI effects are badly done. Still I like to rewatch this drama. There are clues to the mysterious past of the leading couple, interesting side stories, and slow burn romance. You better not miss it.

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My Little Sadness

When I saw the hash tags of My Little Happiness I was sold immediately. Childhood friends, height difference, fated love, count me in! Alas, after the first 10 episodes my endorphins started to decrease, reaching an all time low at episode 20, making this My Little Sadness.

Story

Favorite tropes are one thing, a sound story, and fleshed-out characters another. In my opinion the female lead character, Cong Rong, is messed up. They've made her so childish, and stubborn in the wrong way, she's more adult in her youth than in the present time. How can she be honest, and strong in her childhood, and a little liar in her twenties? First against her mom, second, against her own feelings, third, against Wen Shao Qing who loves her. I couldn't relate to her character at all when she acted jealous, and pushed him away to another girl, like he's some kind of chocolate box.
Also the male lead is inconsistent. Wen Shao Qing seems to be a character with a strong sense of purpose. In stead, he waits way too long to tell the truth, and he uses petty tricks to reign in Cong Rong. What kept me hooked however was the subplot with the secondary couple. Their story made me angry, but in an empathic way.


Acting Cast

Kudos to the cast. My Little Happiness is watchable thanks to them. I love the flirting scenes with Fair Xing and Daddi Tang, he surely can act up on his name, in a sensual way. I felt myself drawn to the character of Huang U.Lin. It's no surprise Leon Li plays her love interest since he has proven his worth as the grumpy, suspicious general in the Legend of Hao Lan. Even Deng Xin is as good as it gets. She made me think of Wang Yibo, a calm face with subtle micro expressions.

Music

I can't remember the theme of this series, only piano music at the background and crescendos in line with the dramatics, nothing spectacular. Perhaps this could have been different if I felt moved by the story.

Verdict

My Little Happiness gets points thanks to the actors. If you like homely scenes with people kissing while doing the dishes, or fighting and getting back together, you probably like this series.

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The Height Difference Champions League

Watching Professional Single is a guilty pleasure for people like me with a "height difference kink". I wish I could say extremely tall men like to date extra short women, but I'm afraid it's the other way around. Females have a thing for tall males, they stand out in the crowd, like a billboard for power and protection.

Enter Ireine Song and Aaron Deng and you're basically watching The Height Difference Champions League. They are beautiful, natural actors. It's a pleasure to watch those two in action, both in comedy and romance scenes.

Story
The focus on first love is both the strength and weakness of this series. Forget family drama, crimes, misdemeanors or other story arcs. The many clichés can also be annoying. I felt some irritation when I watched the heroine stumbling for the nth time into the arms of her lover. Why oh why can't it be him doing the stumbling for a change?

Acting/Cast
The entire cast is good. They are the same age as students in real life, and their acting is on point.

Rewatch Value
Like I said, the story isn't very original, but it has a nice flow in story telling. The Darcy and Elizabeth trope is strong in this one. I also laughed out loud sometimes, so I will definitely rewatch this series.

Overall
If you are a sucker for old fashioned romcom and campus life, this is for you. There are plenty of times to think, but also times to feel. This is one of those moments. Enjoy.

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What is Love Anyway?

There are a lot of Japanese BL movies, also a homosexual office romance Doushitemo Furetakunai (No Touching at all) but to my knowledge Ossan’s Love is the first and only BL dramaseries that is mainstream broadcasted in Japan, so I was very curious.

True Love
Just like the other BL movies Ossan’s Love is based on a manga, and it shows. There are a lot of cartoon-like characters, and scenes, that made me laugh and eager to follow the story until the end. Perhaps because of this I started to stare and compare with another BL dramaseries, Diary of Tootsies (Thailand 2016)
Both series follow a couple of friends in their search for true love. The Thais series has a more western touch like Sex &The City, the leads are very straight forward in their desires with hilarious sex scenes. Ossan’s Love is more asian in the willingness to remain aloof in a traditional society. The chemistry between the leading couple is absolutely there, but the emphasis is on platonic love until the very last episode when their days of holding back seem over.

Summary
Ossan’s Love, literally the love of a middle-aged man, is about the love life of Haruta Soichi and his colleagues at an estate office.
Haruta is a good looking 33 year old man, also well hung if we have to believe the stares he gets at the men’s room, but with a goofy personality. He’s always ready to please everyone, perhaps because he’s too lazy to fight, which brings him in awkward situations. To make things worse he’s also lacking in social skills. That’s why he’s unlucky in group dating, but he enjoys a small circle of good friends.
Haruta still lives with his mother, until she gets fed up with him and leaves. Since Haruta can’t do any basic housework he asks co-worker Maki Ryouta to live with him. To his surprise Maki is the best partner he could dream of, but it seems life has more for him in stock. One day both his roommate Maki and his middle aged boss Musashi Kurosawa confess their ardent love to him. Also one of his female friends, Chizu Arai, goes into love mode. This is really too much for Haruta to handle. As his roller coaster journey to love begins, Haruta is constantly screaming and falling all over the place. Just like his friends and colleagues, who turn out to be exactly as ignorant on love and their desires as he is.

The Pros
Ossan’s Love is watchable for everyone, a warm and sweet opinion on humans and theirs struggles in life. Themes like group pressure, status in life, keeping up appearances, marriage, divorce, midlife crisis, it’s all there. The homosexuality makes it only more gripping. The cast is superb, not only the leading couple who gave me the feels. I also could relate to other characters, sympathized with the slighted lovers.

The Cons
This series is simply too short and way too platonic. Just like other fans I’m waiting for the sequel, what will happen to the relation of the male leads, and everybody involved?

The Verdict
I could see five seasons of Ossan’s Love and still be hooked, I guess. Please let this be the Modern Family Series of Japan.

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Man gets a Harem

Let me start with saying I just can't get enough from time travel shows, so perhaps I'm biased with this series. Still I recommend Man Comes to Tang Dynasty. The time traveling aspect is more about adapting to life in the past, and less about changing, or going back to, the future.

The Good

Just like the female leads in Faith, Scarlet Heart, and Cinderella Chef, the star of this show earns a lot of respect and love by using his modern knowledge for solutions to ancient problems. It's very funny to see how he develops from some kind of loser in present times to an intelligent hero in the past. He's also adept in living the ancient life of officials and people at court. He takes in concubines, he dabbles in ancient politics and schemes, which is very refreshing in comparison to other heroines of time travel shows. Those girls were always on the verge of a nervous breakdown, because of these nasty pastimes of the past.

The Bad

Okay, this is not an elaborate or luxurious production, so don't expect authentic costumes and such. The intro-music is modern too, sounding like a smooth singing boy band surrounded by girls, which is actually compatible with the harem-theme of the show.

I don't know if this show is somewhere to watch with English subs. Last time was on Viki, but these episodes have been deleted. The raw version is still on YouTube and there are subs available on Subscene. Anyway, if you like a lighthearted romcom that is set in ancient China, this is for you.

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Love and Pain

Bloody Romance kept me hooked till the end. I knew this would be a heart wrenching story, but the plot unfolded beautifully. No one is really good or bad in this series, several characters change under endurance or by unhappy events. They all make mistakes and exactly this makes them human. I won't say too much about the storyline, just watch it for yourself, but I have to say this: there are a lot of scenes where love is mixed with pain. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the original novel seems to be a bit on the SM side, I don't know. I'll give you one example of these twisted feelings, the scene where Gong Zi is forced to torture Wan Mei by carving her face. Although he intends to be his very levelheaded, calculating self Zing looses himself in the end. It's like a love scene he's never experienced before: https://youtu.be/RW2For449-8?t=18m38s

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Gourmet & Tang can Tango!

This speedy historical romcom attracted my attention with favorite tropes like time travel, body swap, food, unlikely romance. Soon I was drawn into the story.

Story

In the first episode we meet a modern plus size heroine, Xiao Xiao, who curses the social norm to be lean and mean; she loves her food and longs to live in a tv drama set in the Tang Dynasty, where voluptuous women seemed to be the rage. One day she chokes on her food and her soul is swapped with a girl in the Tang Dynasty, Yuan Wan' er, making her wish come true.
At first Xiao Xiao is delighted, but soon trouble is ahead. Wan'er isn't voluptuous at all, even ugly in the eyes of people from her era. Her older sister, a big dominating woman who manages a tavern and a slender husband, positively hates her; Wan'er seems to be engaged herself to a good-looking fiancé, Bai Yi Ming, but he's angry too, demanding the return of his bride price; and her brother-in-law is worried about some object she seems to have stolen from him. Xiao Xiao realizes there's work to be done. She puts all her positive energy into her new ancient life. Will she succeed in getting her memory back, giving people the things they want, while enjoying her stay with cooking, eating and real life drama adventures?

Acting/Cast

The whole cast seems to enjoy this production, and it pays off. All actors have good chemistry; the result is very agreeable, light-hearted comedy in an un-Chinese fast pace. I only knew Li Zixuan as Wang Yibo's heartthrob, but she deserves making a name for herself. She's perfect for the role of Wan'er that demands a quick silver attitude, light footing and cutie-pie insta-pouts in close-up camera. Liu Run Nan nails it as her grumpy fiancé who knowingly lets himself led by the nose, because he's already head over heels for her. The scenes between the older sister and her husband are a story on their own, just watch episode 13 to know what I mean. In short, I laughed out loud, a lot.

Music

The OST is easy to the ear, following the pace of the series.

Rewatch Value

The choice for 10 minute episodes is a risky one. I wonder if people stay tuned if they aren’t paying for a streaming service. This influences the rewatch value as well.

Overall

Gourmet in Tang Dynasty has an interesting theme that pays homage to the ideal of enjoying food and accepting whatever body size. It's a modern day dilemma. On one hand, there's the abundance of deli food, but on the other hand, there's this development of body ideals over time; and we all know, It Takes Two To Tango.

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Hong Kong Action & Mainland Fantasy

A Chinese Odyssey Part 3 is an odd joint (ad) venture of the typically Hong Kong action movie and the traditional fantasy drama of China Mainland. This third part of the saga feels like sitting in a roller coaster, the scenes are fast and furious, perhaps difficult to follow if you didn't see the previous Odyssey parts, or if you aren't familiar with Chinese myths.

Story
This movie is actually a revised version of the traditional Monkey King story, starting with fairy Zixia (Tiffany Tang) who uses Pandora's Box to look into the future. She sees a war between mankind and the gods. Desperate to prevent this from happening, she travels back in time, also hoping to try and stop Joker, the current human form of the Monkey King (Han Geng) from falling for her and to push him towards his supposed true love Bai Jingjing (Karen Mok). Things don’t work out according to plan, with the Longevity Monk (Wu Jing) needing protection and various secrets and complicated relationships coming to light. Main question is, will her plan work out for the best in the end?

Acting/cast
Chinese Odyssey #3 has an all-star cast, so the acting is quite good. Moreover, among the support cast is pop idol Wang Yi Bo. He plays Red Kid, the son of the Bull Demon King. This divine youth flies through the air with his feet on spinning-tops, dashing fire red snot from his nose to his enemies. Something new in comparison to the super farts from the Monkey King.

Rewatch value & Verdict
Among the Chinese sense of humor are a lot references to American pop & Hollywood movies (f.e. Michael Jackson & Avatar puns). Some of these jokes work, others don’t, but it gave me good vibes. So I think I will rewatch this movie, and if you didn't see it, just give it a try.

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Romantic Comedy of Errors

From the very first episode I got drawn into this sweeping romance of a general's daughter and a young king in a fantasy realm of ancient China. The story begins with a young girl running away from home, because she wants to evade a forced marriage into the royal family. Her older sister swaps places with her, eager to marry one of the royal princes, but she gets married to the reigning prince in stead. The girl feels sorry for her sister, tries to rescue her, and meets her sister's husband under disguise, on the road. Without knowing each other's identity, the couple falls in love and a comedy of errors unfold.

Story

The first episodes were really entertaining, romantic and funny. Midway the pacing went downhill by too many side stories, but in the end everything got wrapped up nicely with a sound closure.

Cast

The leading couple was good looking and adorable, they made it worthwhile to watch the series till the end, although the moments of their yes-or-no kisses were milked to the hilt. Also, how many times do I have to watch the classic female clutch falling into the arms of the ML? I'm still waiting for a reversed version! That's why I liked the side story about the willful, foreign princess who has to marry the young king, but falls for his introvert guard in stead.

Music

The background music blended well with the story, with dreamy music at the night market in the beginning, and dramatic piano during the emotional scenes.

Rewatch value

If you're into romantic clichés you definitely want to rewatch this series, it's a real treat with cross dressing, stumbling girls, possessive males, the wrist grab, extended close ups of lovers staring into each others eyes, a love triangle, drunkenness, sickness, raining scenes, the back hug, piggy ride, you name it.

Overall

So if you are in the mood for classic fluff, beautiful faces and a love-against-will-story, you'll love this series.

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