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Supporting Cast Stole the Show

L&R introduced me to some wonderful characters. Hao Chen was the self-righteous ruler of the heavens, covering up his fear, resentment, and covetous nature with a beautiful face and pretty words. Teng She, with his head movements and sibilant speech, was perfection as a snake beast. Wu Tong was dark and menacing, but he managed to evoke my sympathy, although not nearly enough to overcome my repulsion!

I've got to admit that the supporting cast carried this drama for me, as I wasn't invested in the FL (she was easily manipulated and didn't trust the man she claimed to love) or the ML (he was self-sacrificing to the point of not having his own identity).

As for the bad, there was a heavy ratio of angst to bliss. The misunderstandings were epically bad. There were so many instances where one sentence of explanation would have changed the entire outcome, but lazy writing struck again! It was frustrating to watch the ML lie to the FL, then feel all butt-hurt when she believed his lies.

I added a half star for the supporting characters and a nice OST.

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This is NOT Go Go Squid!

I had higher expectations. I enjoyed Go Go Squid! It was sweet to watch a girl break down the walls of a cold, angry man. Squid 2 had some good things going for it. I enjoy Hu Yi Tian and Wang An Yu on screen. The group blind date was original and had me laughing out loud. The family and friends' relationships were warm. The OST was enjoyable and featured some of Go Go Squid's music; listening felt like meeting an old friend, and it made me smile.

But that's pretty much where the good stuff ended. There was little conflict or growth. The drama was basically two people soulfully staring at one another, interspersed with a few scenes of battle robots. Seriously! If you'd edited down the cringy eye contact between the ML and FL, the drama would have been cut in half and not dragged as hard.

For being so sugary, Squid 2 left a bad taste in my mouth. The ML was the greenest flag of all time—to the point of not having a personality. The FL took advantage of him in numerous ways. The one that was unforgiveable to me was that she willingly became his opponent. When a couple is dedicated to one another, they're loyal. They support one another. They don't join the enemy (which was the company of her ex!). They don't undermine one another. They build a life together.

I admit I probably have defective romance genes. If you like romance, this may be your cup of tea. Just don't expect anything much other than insipid romance. I took lots of breaks in the last episodes, as the romance was painfully dull to me.

I awarded an extra half star for the blind date scene, the music, and Wang An Yu's portrayal of an immature Shen Zhe.

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Hou Ming Hao is Anime Pretty

I enjoyed the initial push and pull of the leads trying to outsmart and outmaneuver one another in charming and amusing ways. Both leads were attractive and exuded chemistry with one another.

Once they knew one another, the drama suffered a bit in trying to manufacture conflict that wasn't sensible and only served to pad the episode. Noble idiocy struck often and hard. Misunderstandings abounded when just one sentence could have cleared everything up. Thankfully, the leads started to work together and actually communicate without massively lying to one another, but it was frustrating getting to that point.

The OST was good, the costumes were attractive, and the cast was beautiful.

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Sweet, Wealthy Mother of ML Breaks the Mold

The drama was short and sweet. It touched on childhood trauma, medical illness, and evil capitalists, but it stayed light and concentrated on the relationship of the stoic ML and the bubbly FL. Due to its mini-status, it didn't have time to do in-depth stories or be innovative. Having said that, the ML's mother was a breath of fresh air. She was supportive of the FL to the point of pushing their relationship. No fat envelopes of money or water dashed in the face! This mother removed the extra sleeping bag on a camping trip and brought out photos of the FL cavorting with the ML to show to his fiancée. That's worth an extra half star from me.

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It's Good Until It Goes Horribly Bad, But I'm Not Mad

I don't expect as much from itty-bitty series, so I grade on a curve. The drama started well, and I thought I was going to be pleasantly surprised. Midway through, it began to meander and not always make sense, but I was still entertained and rooting for the beleaguered couple. I considered it one of the better itty-bitty dramas: the leads were appealing, and the story was engaging. Then the last episode hit, and things got bizarre in a hurry. I can only speculate that drugs and a preschooler were involved with coming up with that finish.

Director: "Hey kid, what would make a cool ending?"

Kid: "Make a lady eat centipedes! And she'll grow Wolverine claws. Her name is BLACK WOLF. Good, huh? She's a bad guy and will fight the good guys with her claws and ninja powers!"

Director: "Sounds super cool! There's no budget for a fight scene, though. How about I do a story time with Black Wolf instead?"

Kid: "Boring! Does Black Wolf die in the fight?"

Director: "For some reason unknown to anyone, Black Wolf must have been defeated, and now she is the Story Time Lady."

Kid: "That's stupid."

The kid is right. That was stupid. Stupid ending for a drama that started out well. The leads deserved better.

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Dental Hygiene is Obviously Important, But There is a Limit!

I'm accustomed to product placement in Asian dramas, but great googly moogly, this was beyond obnoxious. I think this was supposed to be a censored boy love story about overcoming mental blocks, but it was really about dental hygiene: floss, toothbrushes and their sanitizers, mouthwash, and breath spray. I recommend this for people in the dental industry only.

I added an extra star, because my Rewatch Value was extremely low (I would never rewatch unless I was incarcerated with no other entertainment; hence, the one star), and the leads didn't deserve such a low score, being such sweet boys.

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Kiss the Cousin, Married Man, or Your Student?

Harumi Junko became 32 without going to the university of her choice, getting a good job, or finding a husband. As often happens in dramaland, she went from a complete dearth of romantic partners to three, all with Western taboos: a married man, a cousin, and a 17-year-old student she was teaching. The drama is highly rated, but I couldn't cheer on any of the relationships, even though I liked all three MLs. They were decent people as rivals, which is rare to find in dramas. The problem, for me, was with the heroine. She was exceptionally dense and used noble idiocy as an excuse to lie and use people. Yes, she was fairy beautiful, and I realize men are sight stimulated, but 32 is a bit late in life to have the awareness of a potato.

I've allotted an extra star for a love square involving sweet, kind people.

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An Engaging Fairytale about a Dragon and a Spunky Girl

The leads were anime-pretty, especially Hou Ming Hao's eyes. The story suffered a bit from too many episodes, loose ends, and unanswered situations. The ending made little sense. It had been 15 years, yet when ML met Xian Ge, her oldest child was about seven years old; she'd been heavily pregnant the last time he saw her! This could have been an 8.5, but it lost its way.

Still, it was worth the watch to see Hou Min Hao as a baby dragon in an adult male's body: the look of innocence mingled with indignation and ire, culminated in tiny spurts of dragon flame shooting from his mouth. I'd watch the drama just for that. I've awarded a half star for that cute baby dragon.

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Light, Funny, and Sweet

I needed a short, funny drama, and this fit the bill. Was it silly and nonsensical? Absolutely. And I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. I realize my rating is too high, but I derived that much pleasure from it, so judge away (or wait to judge me further, because I'm going to discuss Bruce as one of my cats again).

Bruce Hung played the merman, and his performance was delectable. I'd seen him as a sweet, adorable romantic figure in Hello Again! As a merman, he was fierce, irritable, and clueless. Excuse me, while my brain goes wacky here, and I reveal I think he's the embodiment of my cats. My review for Hello Again! stated he reminded me of my most beautiful cat. As a merman, he evoked memories of my most simple-minded cat, S. He, too, didn't understand human actions or interactions. He didn't understand personal space or respectable behavior. He'd walk across the back of the sofa and decide my head looked like a good spot to land, or he'd jump up next to me and stick his butt an inch from my face (my cat, not the merman). So when the merman climbed on the back of the ML while he was at his computer, I had flashbacks of my cat S doing the same. I could never stay annoyed with S, because, like the merman, he was so adorable. The scene where the merman was eating hotpot in the bathtub with the anticipation and enjoyment of each bite was exactly like my S looking forward to his treats.

Besides the merman's dimples and attractive torso, watch for the wonderful chemistry between the MLs. The story arc had them both growing and learning, and the bond they forged was pleasurable to watch. The supporting cast was warm and supportive. All in all, a life-affirming drama.

I've added a half star for the sweet memories Bruce evoked of my ridiculous cat.

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A Game That Teaches a Philosophy about Life

I've never played Go, but I was drawn into the competitive world of that game by the endearing characters of this drama. Shi Guang was a naughty, lazy child when the spirit of Chu Ying came into his life and introduced him to Go. Shi Guang naturally rebelled and rebuffed Chu Ying's attempts to teach him. Their interactions and growing relationship were rewarding to watch develop.

All of the relationships were realistic, as were the villains—which were run-of-the-mill bullies and trash talkers. The viewers watched the leads grow from young children to seniors in high school, and the character growth of each was gratifying to watch. With such a large cast, it would have been easy for some to be filler cardboard characters, but most were developed and distinctive.

I had put off viewing because it had 36 episodes. Sixteen hours is generally my sweet spot, but I would have happily watched at least 40 with this cast and story. The drama could have used more episodes to tie up loose ends: Hong He's love interest and his future; why the monk was so unhelpful; explanations surrounding Chu Ying; I would have liked to have been shown some championship wins of the two MLs together.

I highly recommend for those who like slice of life, rich relationships, and universal lessons about dreams, loss, and adaptation. I also recommend watching with a box of tissues at hand, because it's surprisingly touching.

I added an extra half star for the pure enjoyment factor.

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Obsessive Detective and Mysterious Woman Carry the Show

A maverick detective and a mysterious woman with an organized crime background joined together to take on cold cases. The detective was haunted by the brutal death of his junior partner; the woman was working towards an unknown goal, which maintained tension, as no one was sure whose side she was really on.

The leads were exceptional in their parts. I'll look for more of their dramas. The criminals were over the top, like comic book villains. The poor police force seemed inept and perpetually late. But it was a well-paced paced show, and I was never bored.

Added a half star for Takahashi Issei and Shibasaki Ko's acting.

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Bad Wigs, Worse CGI, and Icky Ending

For the most part, it's a lighthearted romcom with a cold man and lively girl: perfectly fine for a mindless romp. Both leads were enjoyable to watch, especially their interactions with one another.

The wigs were bad—think Halloween costume quality. I would buy that when a person gets a shot of magic that her hair could turn silver, but I find it hard to believe her bangs would grow six inches into a really bad wig where I can see the cap beneath the thin tresses.

The cat in the story was cute but, obviously, not a compliant actor, so much CGI was needed. Such bad CGI. I'm usually not one to complain about sets being really phony (like that ridiculous peach tree that had "fruit" year 'round), but, even I couldn't overlook such cartoonish CGI.

The ending? It nearly sucked all the joy out of the show for me. I've rewritten it in my head as two adults reuniting for a happily ever after. I suggest skipping the last minute of the show as it makes no sense and is unnecessarily stupid. If time travel makes sense, we can choose at which point in time we want to arrive, can't we?

I'd subtract an entire star off for that ending, but I like cats and the leads, so I'm letting it slide.

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Smart Women Face Their Fears

A modern story about women and their relationships isn't my usual fare, but Viki showed this as a "leaving soon,"; it had high ratings and was short, so I gave it a try after a long, heavy drama. I used it as a palate cleanser of sorts, and I was pleasantly surprised.

In a limited amount of time, the drama introduced characters, set up the story, and came to a satisfying end with a healing journey taken by both FLs. The leads were attractive and intelligent (and dimples galore) and played their roles well. The shots of the cocktails were enticing; I wanted to try them all! It also had an OST that suited the vibe. Can't ask for more than that in such a short offering.

As I said, this isn't generally my cup of tea, so let me give an extra half star for enjoying something outside of my comfort zone (I generally avoid anything tagged with "infidelity").

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