Love and Hate are two sides of the same coin

I had low expectations going into this. This is not a stereotypical light romantic KDrama. I would consider it an adult comedy, a story about what happens to a couple in the real world after the youth romantic stage of the relationship ends. It is a mature comedy about immature people. The ML and FL were college sweethearts who were together for more than 10 years before the ML supposedly commits the big I (Infidelity) word and they divorce. They end up working together in the same law firm specializing in divorce law. As expected, their testy working relationship is muddled with the emotional baggage of their divorce and how it all went down with his infidelity. At times they reluctantly work together because winning the case trumps their personal grievances, other times the FL is so stirred up for revenge; she takes the opposing side. To make matters even more questionable, the ML sets up his ex-wife on a blind date with his good friend with the intention she may marry and he can get out of paying alimony to her. Expect some comedy, adult like jokes, and conflicting messages between the ML and FL on where they stand with each other and with other romantic interests.

The ML character does not fit into the box of the typical KDrama romantic ML:

- At times he is weak, wimpy, emotionally conflicted, lacks direction and conviction in his life.
- He's no rich chaebol heir, his career is in the crap can, he's broke and desperate to the point it leaves you wondering if he'll join the Squid Game.
- He is a divorcee
- While he is slim and seems fit, he looks to be about middle age (there is nothing wrong with that). He doesn't look like a Kpop idol turned Kdrama star. No pale pink lips and airbrushed flawless youthful dewy skin. He's got bags under his eyes and he looks real for his part. In the episodes so far, don't expect scenes of him showing off his chest and six pack abs.

The FL is the opposite of the ML, she's the standard KDrama pretty FL and is at the ascent of her law career. She's a feisty strong willed woman who wants what she wants, so please get the hell out of her way. After two years, the FL is still stunted relationship wise by the divorce and seems to have more trouble getting over the ML compared to the ML with her.

The first episode was so-so, it really picks up by the second episode and I found myself drawn into the relationship of the characters and each divorce case they take on. There's a level of realism they add to the complexity of marriages and human beings, what leads up to their failure, and the aftermath that ensues for everyone involved. There are some pretty good dialog and moments such as the scene between the senior CEO female mentor who gives the FL advice when the FL throws a pity party for herself in her meeting with her mentor. While the story shows the selfishness and not so good sides of the main leads, they do humanize them and you develop a level of compassion for how they got to the point they did in their relationship. I felt conflicted; at times a small part of me wanted them to end up together again or at least want the ML to have some re-ignited passion for the FL instead of his nonchalant manner towards her. Other times I want to slam my fists on the table and shout DAMMIT you guys need to cut this crap out and get the hell out of each other's lives completely.

So far it has defied my expectations, I may update the rating as I watch more episodes.

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Wish it was better

I was excited to see this show with these expectations:

- The FL is the same one from Goodbye My Princess and she is a pretty good actress and beautiful.
- It seemed to have the initial vibes of Goodbye My Princess and as some of the discussion postings had mentioned, she kinda wears the same sort of outfits and the tribe/kingdom she belongs to gives off the same vibes YAAASSSSS!!!
- Morally grey emperor ML with complex motivations and dysfunctional love for the FL
- It seems to have a compelling SML that one could root for and while I'm not fond of love tris, a good well told and well done angsty love tri is enjoyable.

The costumes and sets are excellent; the FL is lovely but she is underutilized in this drama. It seems to have missed the mark, some of the reasons so far:

- Cheesy Special Effects and Action sequences, the Wolf King scene was extra corny.
- Sismance between FL and Princess was two dimensional and could have been developed better instead of just a plot device to lead up to FL being held hostage by the ML.
- The pairing of the FL to the emperor was mismatched, the chemistry between them was lacking and it was hard to feel vested in the development of the relationship between them.
- The acting is kinda off and not that great. Several of the actors and actresses seem to be just reading their lines and going through the motions, they were stiff.
- The SML has good visuals, his character wasn't written well and as a viewer you can't quite connect with his character. Nothing on the actor himself, the script itself could do with some improvement.
-The editing and the way the scenes transitioned were kind of abrupt, it didn't have a smooth quality to it.

Did not want to give up on this too early but after 17 episodes I decided I couldn't go on with it and dropped it.

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Who does she pick?

I planned to watch the first two episodes and hours later I had finished all 15 of the available episodes in one sitting. It is binge worthy. I wasn't a fan of Yang Zi's dramas but this one is a standout drama for her. She doesn't act too immature and the role suits her well. Initially she is a man but her true form is of course all woman :). She is an orphan who is a brassy village physician who can be petty at times in a humorous way. Her true background is a princess who had a deep childhood connection with Cang Xuan, they become separated during childhood. She later encounters the MLs, one she nurses back to health from the torture he endured; the other is a nine tailed demon who drinks her blood to replenish his health, and the other childhood love is her frenemy.

Each ML has a different romantic relationship with her and has a compelling enough personality, you become invested in them . What I thought was unique about this is she doesn't become committed to her one true love. She acknowledges the complexities in attraction and bond to other love interests such as Xiang Liu who was pretty abusive towards her in the beginning but that is the draw of bad boys. At first, I wasn't really feeling it with Xiang Liu with the FL but it really develops later on. The boat scene between them where he poses as a woman so the FL could let her guard down makes your heart flutter a bit. I saw the trailers for future episodes of future interactions between them, Xiang Liu flirts and sucks her into his web.

Cang Xuan is really handsome and the actor does such a good job portraying the longing he had for her. Just looking at him in those scenes is enough to send butterflies everywhere. He is really good in his role with the complexity of his character, you never got the sense he was a straight up good guy but had a combination of self interest, darkness, and thirst for power. He probably isn't good for the FL either, his attraction for her really develops after she transitions back to her original gender and he sees her beauty when she is back to her true form. Why couldn't he love her in that way before? The other two MLs developed their love for her before they saw her true form.

It may of been intentional of the story, as a viewer I found myself drawn all over the place to the different relationships between the FL and the three MLs. You just couldn't commit to one, I guess its good to be a player!

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It takes a while to get into it but I came to like it

Initially I was not impressed when I watched the first five episodes; I'm not a big Xianxia fan. Since then this it has really grown on me. Patience was rewarded. The special effects are cheesy and the acting for some of the characters were so-so. I started this because I've seen the ML in Goodbye My Princess and the FL in Dreaming Back to Qing Dynasty. The realms in this fantasy are between the Immortals, Mortals, Beasts, and Void. The Immortals and Void are enemies.

The ML is an upright and uptight immortal prince destined to save the Immortal Kingdom, he was supposed to marry the FL's sister who is the SFL. The FL is a rebellious princess mortal meant to be married off as a Void bride. The SFL is the proper naive mortal princess who plays by the rules and she was meant to be married off as an Immortal bride. An identity switch happens during the marriage ceremony which leads the sisters to switch identities. The SML is a scheming outcast third prince in the Void royal family; he lies, cheats, and takes big risks to scheme his way with his family members and with the SFL.

I am probably in the minority on this but the SML and SFL's storyline really stood out in the episodes so far, it is a good pairing between the two. In most dramas I don't really get that into the SML and SFL's storyline but for some reason they took the torch in this drama for me. I really slugged it through the first 10 episodes because of that. You will get some slapstick laughs when it comes to the competition for the SFL's affection between the SML and his first brother. One funny scene is when his first brother tries to get the SFL to teach him her special technique to disable an opponent in a fight with her medical skills. It causes the SML to become jealous and the antics to payback his brother ensues. The mortal and beast realm storyline with the ML and FL was good and one of the best between them even though I found myself more drawn to the SML and SFL's story.

It's a light youth fantasy with some comedy, its worth a watch and I plan to finish this one.

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Historical Mystery Detective Bromance

Finally this was released in 2023! There's been plenty of CDramas held up for whatever reasons and glad this one made it out alive. I saw the trailer for this last year and it seemed good which floated up to the top of the watch list. It looked like a high quality mystery detective drama coupled with a serious darker storyline. I hate getting excited about the trailer and then being disappointed once I start watching the drama.

So far it has lived up to expectations. The first few episodes really started to pick up with the mystery of the first ML who is the Minister of Rites. The other ML is entangled in the intrigue as a scholar amateur detective trying to figure out the murder of a member in the acting troupe. Imperial palace politics are weaved in, the empress does a good job carrying her role as the one who is in charge and with the power. The cinematography is excellent and high quality, attention was paid to the details of the costumes and settings, and the details within the story have been developed pretty well. As each clue is being discovered by Zhang Ping, it feels like the story tellers are carefully unwinding the puzzles of the case for the viewers as it is being solved by the amateur detective. Are there a few situations where it is a bit far fetched? Yes but the positives of the show outweigh those.

The ML played by Jing Boran, the Minister of Rites acted pretty well in his part, an official who is a son of a traitor embroiled in intrigue due to his desire to solve the mystery of his past but has to hide and be deceiving of his true intentions. The other ML is the amateur detective played by Song Weilong. He is so-so in his role. I have seen him in other dramas, I found him to to be on the stiffer side and not quite on point with his acting abilities in his roles. A fair number of viewers find him eye catching in the eye candy department and he doesn't disappoint in that area.

No M/F romance so far and not really expecting it. There isn't too much action involving martial arts, the heavy hitting part of the drama relies on the detective storyline with cases that are investigated and the developing bro-love between the MLs and other SML characters in a male centric drama.

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Had High Hopes for this

It is a unique dark and gory folklore fantasy supernatural drama about immortality where the characters reincarnate through time. The characters either were related or have interacted with each other. I was enthralled in the first half of the drama, it was sufficiently dark with excellent cinematography with an OST that was so good. The acting was good as I had seen some of the S. Korean actors and actresses in other series before and they are talented. The Villain Dark Hole stood out where he layered aspects of childish desperation, insatiable greed, and centuries of hatred for the ML and FL. The film artistry with the historical scenes, settings, and costumes were excellent.

This is a big budget drama but it didn't save it from the bad plotting and scattered storyline that really unraveled in the second half of this. Why??? Noooooo... It kinda broke me a little when the storyline started to fall apart and got messy. It felt rushed towards the end sort of like GoT's final season. I watched this to the end and refused to drop it but it did hurt a bit when it could have been executed a lot better.

We need more unique dramas like this but with a tighter narrative storyline.

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Fascinating Study of an Antihero Demon and the Heroic Immortal

Wow, this blew me away with how good it is so far even though I'm not a Xianxia die hard. This is no fluffy youth drama and even the romance is not really emphasized in the initial episodes. It's high budget with big name stars that live up to its expectations of an engaging storyline that is a complex character study of the ML. The relationship between the ML and FL is also complicated as she needs to save him to prevent future calamity even though he had harmed her immortal family and sect. The storyline, plotting, and pacing are done fairly well and my hope is the quality will be maintained for future episodes.

The initial episodes are dedicated to examining how the Antihero ML was bullied, was considered an outcast and a harbinger of bad omens. He is shunned and tossed off by his father who is the king of the Jing Kingdom and becomes a hostage prince in the Sheng Kingdom. I've seen the ML in Love like Ashes and he knocks his role out of the park with this one. He fits the Bryonic antihero character like a glove. His mannerisms and facial expressions reflecting the darkness, moodiness and the numbness from the betrayals and lack of love in his life. The morally grey leanings and his pale physical appearance of being emaciated paves the path for his eventual rise to become the Demon Lord. I've also been impressed with Bai Lu the FL, she seems to have picked some good projects in the last few years (one or two bad ones) with storylines that have depth and are not conventional (Arsenal Military Academy, Beautiful Bones).

A must watch in 2023 for Xianxia Cdrama fans who like dark storylines.

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Cat and Mouse Game Continues

I will keep this short, S2 does not disappoint and it is SO GOOD. S2 is just as high octane as S1. I watched S1 and the original Money Heist Spain so this is a well loved series. Yes, the plot is absolutely over the top and the rationality of some of the decisions and situations are questionable but they do a good job keeping you on the edge of your seat and there's no time to be bored. The plot twists and turns in many ways with some completely unexpected, the viewer doesn't get lost and its a testament to the story tellers doing a good job with the execution of the story. The actresses and actors were top notch in their acting and played their parts very well, the back story development of some of the characters keeps you emotionally vested in them and when some don't make it, you feel the loss. The cinematography is top notch, there are slow motion bullet effects in some of the action sequences.

Very worthy watch!

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The Final Move

What story would your possessions tell upon your passing?

The characters in this drama attempt to answer this question in their jobs as trauma cleaners when they are hired to clean up a site after someone passes. Han Geu Roo unflinchingly like a detective gathers clues to answer those questions and helps bring some kind of closure to the deceased unresolved issues. Juxtaposed to some of the deceased lives and what they experienced while they were living, the cleaners treat each of the deceased possessions with care and compassion. The stories are heartbreaking, the team behind this drama deftly handle it delicately and with humanity. For some of the deceased, there's quite a bit of bitterness in their lives before their passing; the final moments of their lives were punctuated with loneliness and callous treatment by society. The drama was inspired by Kim Shae-byeol's essay Ddeonan Hooe Namgyeojin Geotdeul The Things Left Behind. It is a well written and acted thoughtful drama on what it means to be a family, friendships that goes beyond society's label of disabilities and difference, and a reflection on the worthiness of each person's life no matter where they fall on the social status ladder.

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Samantha and Rachel, the Twins

Funny Cliché Story much much tamer than the Webtoon

I did a major eye roll when starting this with GF, it was going to be another cold good looking Chaebol Heir falling head over heels with poor or average girl because she's so special. I mean that is soooo gonna happen right?

It turned out to be better than expected. No thinking required for this type of cliché drama. It pokes fun of typical Asian drama clichés and at itself. There were some absolutely hilarious scenes in the first half of the show. The first blind date was pee in your pants funny. That scene really nailed it. Samantha and Rachel? Who was the writer who thought of that? Let's just say the FL violated every proper and conservative S. Korean blind date etiquette. WOWZA for the FL's clothing choices in the dates. The drunken scene of the two FLs was pretty comedic, they are two really cute girls. The chemistry between the leads was good for the most part.

I would say probably about 3/4 of it was funny and kept your attention. As it got down to the last few episodes, it wasn't that great and felt like the gas ran out. Things felt kind of forced for closure and between the leads.

It's a light hearted funny show that is worth watching for some laughs and to lighten one's mood.

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Tragic At All Levels

Be prepared, this is a tragic story that is gut wrenching. I heard it was released as a web series, the actors and actresses were unknown at the time and it became a surprise hit. They spent a large portion of the budget on the cinematography, production, costumes, and settings . The beginning scenes with the princess in her red wedding garb and her red scarf flowing in the wind was beautiful. The settings and costumes that reflect the Eastern Palace were beautifully done and stood in contrast to the princess's home land. Also the OST was unique and on point for some of the scenes.

The ML is a complex and morally challenged character, he doesn't go around killing for the fun of it but he will be ruthless if necessary to consolidate his power to become the Crown Prince and to survive. He's ruthless to the point where he doesn't truly understand the pain he inflicts on his "true love". He sees she is in pain and he desperately wants her to love him but he doesn't have a full comprehension of why she cannot be with him. He is so obsessed with her he pushes things to a point where he hurts all the people around the FL and traps her.

The acting is decent, the ML overacts in some of the scenes which may cause a little bit of an eye roll. He does manage to pull it off, your jaw may drop with his villainous behavior but the writer and director layer and provide some depth to the character where you feel some level of emotion for the tragic love or whatever you want to call it between the ML and FL. The FL is supposed to be naïve and not too bright, she's kind and likeable enough that it solicits some level of empathy for her situation. I felt the FL did a better job acting than the ML. They did have good chemistry, enough to believe in their on screen attraction for each other.

Some parts did drag on which required fast forwarding, they could have easily removed some of those filler parts to tighten the storyline.

Overall its a wickedly twisted tragic story that is beautifully told.

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Slice of Life Drama that is pretty realistic

It's one of the better modern day CDramas I have seen. It definitely gives the KDramas a run for their money. When I was watching this with my girlfriend, we both agreed the acting, cinematography, story line, and writing is top notch for a modern day CDrama. It's a big budget production so everything is done to make it feel extremely realistic. I wasn't sure about this drama because of Dylan Wang. My girlfriend made me watch Meteor Garden with her; I couldn't even stomach past the second episode of that show and dropped it. He did a pretty good job portraying his character in this series, in my opinion he's a *little too perfect* with being there for the main FL and anticipating her needs. That's a separate gripe I have with CDramas and KDramas in general on these "perfect" BFs.

It starts off fairly slow in the beginning and took a while for me to get into it, it's a slice of life drama that highlights the sexism and hostility women face in the workplace, expectations placed on them to conform, and the concept of "left over" women. The show also depicts how men such as Dylan Wang's character do not need to embrace standard norms of masculinity. He can cook, clean, sew, design jewelry, wash women's hair, take care of his widowed mother, and be an assistant to a woman who is strong willed and independent without feeling his manhood is threatened. He falls in love with a woman older than him. It challenges the general roles and norms what it is to be a man and what masculinity means.

While I didn't really get the vibes of a deep or gripping love story, I enjoyed most of the characters in this series, relationship portrayals, growth, and realistic issues in the workplace and society.

Some highlights:

The mother of the main FL, initially she was annoying which I think the show intended her to be. however the relationship between them evolves and while she's not a bubbly friendly character, she's a straight shooter who has a good read on people.

The romantic relationship that develops between the ML's friend and supporting female character was fairly realistic in how it shows the pressures faced by young professionals who don't have a financial foothold yet and are reluctant to get into a romantic relationship when they can barely afford to survive in a big city.

The main FL's boss who is the head of the EV division, did a wonderful job with his character. If I was an actor I would clamor for that role mainly because of how that character was written and how good the actor played that role. His character is not a good guy nor bad guy per se, he represents the side of masculinity that is the opposite of MLs personality and demeanor. One of my favorite scenes is where he spins the wooden top at a workplace dinner and gives his meaning for it.

Overall a good watch, not exciting but a slow slice of life thoughtful drama on society, norms, and toxic workplace culture.

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Average Wuxia with Big Budget and Big Name Leads

If I were to grade this, I would give it a B- to a B. There was quite a bit of hype surrounding this series and looks like big bucks was thrown at it. The set, cinematography, and hanfu costumes were pretty good and seems there was thought put into the details.

The story is ok, it has a some amount of political intrigue and scheming although not to the level of The Rise of the Phoenixes. The hero and heroine start off as competitors in the martial arts world. The hero and heroine are a bit too perfect: martial arts skills that are unparalleled, high morals, stunning good looks, and IQ levels that may beat Johanne Goethe and William Sidis. Are they even mortals? The ML seems to figure out how to get out of every sticky situation because of his supreme intelligence. The ML has been a big deal ever since Love O2O even though his acting wasn't great in it and I didn't watch the series past the 5th episode. His acting hasn't improved much in this, it was kind of stiff. The FL is one of the new "It" actresses so she seems to be in every big budget CDrama right now whether or not she fits the part. I personally like her role in this more than Love Like the Galaxy. Her character seems to be older, far more mature and there's less drama personality wise. The chemistry between the ML and FL wasn't great. Not sure if its how the story is originally written or if the actor and actress themselves weren't connecting in their roles.

Some of the wuxia martial arts scenes were decent and watchable although nothing remarkable. It was ok enough that I got through to 34th episode eventually putting it on hold, may resume it again one day to find out who ends up ruling the world.

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Mellow Light Hearted RomCom

I initially thought this was a medically focused drama but it turns out its focused on the buildup of the romantic relationship between the Hospital President and a Pediatrician. It is a light breezy romance comedy which so far doesn't have any heavy drama or serious angst. I've seen the FL in other dramas and she is a good actress who mostly picks pretty good dramas to be in. I haven't seen the ML before, he has the looks of some popular idol who transitioned into acting. His acting is decent enough as a young wealthy Hospital President who through fate crosses paths with the Pediatrician FL. He doesn't realize his true romantic feelings for her until later on. They start off in somewhat bad terms when he is stranded in a rural small village in China and the FL grudgingly helps him but mistakenly thinks he is a swindler . Later on, the FL transfers back to the hospital and becomes the ML's assistant. At first it seems like the ML is going to get his revenge but turns out he is not that petty and their relationship develops further.

What is there to like about this?

-ML's character doesn't seem to be the typical distant cold rich CEO that is played out way too much in cookie cutter "basic" Asian Romcoms. He is accessible to some extent and is the one who initiates developing the relationship with the FL further. First as work colleagues, later as friends, and as predicted and expected: The Kissy couple.
-FL is a pretty good actress, she's cute and doesn't look plastic. She plays a strong character who can also be vulnerable.
-It doesn't shy away from portraying toxic hostile sexist work environments. The FL endures that with her boss who is the head of the Pediatrics unit. He is a complete jerk who forces his subordinates to suck up to him 拍马屁 .
-Sismance between the FL and best friend SML 闺蜜 is good, the SML character is funny and cute

What could be improved?
-Pace of the drama is a bit slow, the initial episodes of the ML meeting the FL in the rural village were good but after that the story kind of plods along

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So-so Big Budget Historical Soap Opera with 大木头

It's a so -so story with a big focus on slice of life and family dynamics. It isn't very plot driven, mostly revolves around family issues and romance. The FL has been neglected by her parents due to their responsibilities for the kingdom as military officials which required them to leave their home. The FL is treated poorly by her grandmother and extended family while her parents are away. She is smart and has a strong personality which is great especially when it comes to standing up against people who are bullies. At times I found it to be too impulsive, abrasive, and overdone. I understand it is a part of the story and the novel as the FL is supposed to be fairly young but it was too much at times and it was grating. Her parents played their roles beautifully. The general is stuck between his daughter, wife, and mother; it makes a man want to run and hide from all the drama but the general handles it deftly and with humor. The wife has also been a part of the military campaigns with her husband so she is strong willed and feisty. She clashes with the FL repeatedly and at times is pretty harsh with her treatment of her daughter to rein in her behavior.

The ML was pretty wooden and stiff in his acting abilities, not sure who takes the Big Wooden (大木头) Acting Award for 2022 but he's a top runner for it. His role is to be the good looking stiff cold general ML who keeps saving the FL and has lovey dovey puppy eyes only for her. He was slightly better in his acting in The Long Ballad but he had more chemistry with this FL than the FL in The Long Ballad.

The FL acting is good and she plays the character well. There were repeated references to the FL's extraordinary beauty in the show, from a male perspective I would say she's cute girl next door in terms of looks but not an extraordinary beauty. When the series pushes that narrative to tell you versus to show you, it demonstrates a lack of proper story telling and heavy handed tactics.

Didn't really like the instalove thing with the male suitors, it was too quick with how the ML falls in love with her. Even the SMLs had this instalove thing going with the FL. They meet her for the first time, she solves some puzzle, and BIM BAM BOOM I'm so in love with her and ready to devote myself wholeheartedly? There is a love triangle and reverse harem with her three suitors, it isn't over the top which is good, not big on the love tri and quad thing.

At times it was slow and tested my patience but its watchable for most of the characters. Its a big budget series so the settings, historical costumes, production, editing, and cinematography are excellent.

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