1
dramadisciple
Texas USA
Gu Man gives us another amazing drama & Yang Yang & Reba bring it to life
Novelist Gu Man has written yet another novel (You Are My Glory) that was turned into an amazing drama. If you haven’t watched her dramas or read her novels you’re missing out. Two of her dramas, Boss & Me and Love o2o will forever be in my top ten all time favorite cdramas. I love how endearing and touching her novels are. This drama is deep and very emotional so most actors would struggle with it. But not Yang Yang and Reba. Their acting blew me away and made this drama what it is.I expected this to be a cute romcom but was pleasantly surprised to find a rather deep drama with a unique story to tell. Even though it had a few cute and funny moments, it wasn’t something that made me laugh a lot. The drama mainly focuses on the leads and their struggles to achieve success in both their careers and in their private lives. In keeping with her other stellar dramas, Gu Man gives us a mature drama about adults working together to build a healthy relationship without all of the noble idiocy, stupid misunderstandings, love triangles, and unnecessary breakups. There are no second leads causing trouble nor is there anyone plotting against the leads at their workplace. This is more of a slice of life drama that has an underlying message and a lesson to teach.
I appreciate how much effort went into this drama. This is definitely a big budget drama. The set designs were elaborate, the wardrobe was gorgeous and many scenes were filmed in exotic locations. I especially loved the beautiful desert area they filmed in several times. The CGI for the games was really good too. They obviously went all out for this drama.
Some will say that this drama is not unique since the designer and gamer storylines have been done a lot lately. What makes this drama unique is not the setting the characters are put in. It’s how Gu Man wrote their characters and how those characters interact with others. This is a unique drama where the leads actually have a healthy relationship and communicate. And yet it’s not boring at all. She proves that you don’t have to have ridiculous misunderstandings, breakups, or obsessed second leads to make a drama interesting. That’s why this drama is so unique. And it’s why I like Gu Mans dramas so much.
There are no tripping and falling into the male leads arms, no accidental kisses, or drunk confessions. Everything is very normal and realistic so the drama was very relatable. The leads gradually fall in love over time and the issues they face aren’t silly misunderstandings but normal things many couples face in the real world. Their romance is very realistic and their chemistry is some of the best I’ve seen. If you prefer your romance dramas to have lots of kisses and skinship then you won’t be disappointed here. There’s lots of kisses, hugs, princess carrying, and cuddling. But it’s not cheesy at all, it’s very mature and realistic. The romance is what truly shines in this drama.
If I had a complaint, it would be that I wished there was a bit more tension and action in the drama. But slice of life dramas like this one don’t rely on evil antagonists or fast paced action scenes to move the plot along. They rely on well developed characters and the emotional journey they take to move us and get us invested in the drama. And this drama does that extremely well. Seeing the male lead work hard his whole life to achieve a dream he had since high school then reluctantly decide to give it up was heart wrenching. So when he decides to make one last effort to pursue his dreams, I won’t lie, I was out of my seat and cheering him on. And seeing both leads grow and mature in both their personal and professional lives was very satisfying. Their journey in life was quite endearing.
I’ve enjoyed watching Yang Yang and Reba mature and grow as actors over the years. I’ve watched many of their movies and dramas but this was probably the best I’ve seen from both of them. Their acting was amazing and their facial expressions blew me away. The whole cast did well but the main leads were spectacular.
Overall I’d say this was an amazing drama. It’s not cliche nor is it cheesy and the acting is incredible. The storyline is interesting as it delves into the world of online gaming, then we learn about aerospace engineering, and then we see what professional actors have to deal with. So it’s never boring or uninteresting. It’s one of the best slice of life dramas I’ve ever watched. If you don’t watch this drama then you’re missing out, I highly recommend it.
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Finally a drama that lives up to its hype!
I’ve watched tons of dramas including Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, etc. I like all types of dramas. But I prefer a drama that has it all; romance, unique storyline, character growth, comedy, and suspense. It’s rare that I find a drama that has all of the things I’m looking for but this is one of them.Story:
The story is quite unique. What would happen if a South Korean accidentally landed in North Korea? Not only do we get a look into what it might be like to live in North Korea, we also get to see some really gorgeous men in uniform. The story has lots of twists and turns so there’s never a dull moment. All of the scenarios are quite realistic and believable which helps the audience to really immerse themselves into the drama. And the romance moves at a normal pace. It doesn’t overwhelm the drama or become overly cheesy but it’s always there as a driving force behind the main leads actions. The drama is quite funny at times too. I loved the balance of romance, comedy, political intrigue, and suspense.
Cinematography:
We get lots of breathtaking scenery. I really enjoyed the rolling hills, the lush foliage of the forest, the quaint little villages, the scenic train rides, the campfires, and the picnics. They put a lot into the production of this drama. And when the FL is flying through the air paragliding, they did a great job of making you feel like you were right there with her. The cinematography was top notch.
Acting:
This was one of those rare dramas where I don’t have a complaint about one of the actors. Usually someone is a little wooden and stiff or they overdo it, but not in this drama. They all did a great job, especially the main leads. I rarely cry at movies or dramas but the acting was so good in this one I cried twice. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a sad drama, but the few sad parts they have really got to me.
Overall:
My overall opinion is that this drama is excellent. It’s right up there with Goblin and the other really good dramas. It’s already breaking viewership ratings and will definitely get lots of awards. Don’t miss this drama.
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A simple college romance done right
This is very similar to Put Your Head On My Shoulder. They are alike in that both leads secretly like each other for a long time without telling the other how they feel, both are set in a college, both leads are smart & attractive, both dramas are very low on angst, both dramas have height difference couples, and both are laid back slice of life dramas.It’s basically a simple, sweet, fluffy college romance that focuses completely on the romance of the main leads and little else. There’s no hidden identities, evil villains, childhood trauma, or hateful parents. And even though the second male and female leads chase after the main leads causing misunderstandings, I wouldn’t say that there’s a love triangle or love square. That’s because both main leads make it abundantly clear from the beginning that they aren’t interested in the second male and female leads. I found this quite refreshing since almost every drama out there has the main leads being super nice to those crushing on them which leads to false hope and hurt feelings.
The female lead is a very confident, optimistic, determined, and outgoing girl that draws people to her with her bubbly personality. But despite her intelligence, she’s very clumsy and constantly falls or bumps into things. This often results in awkward situations that are comedic gold and really makes the the drama more lighthearted and fun.
The male lead is a perfectionist that’s very blunt and straightforward. He speaks his mind with no filter whatsoever often hurting others feelings which he seems oblivious to. But when he observes how the female leads awkward clumsiness gets her into the funniest of predicaments, he’s quite amused and often finds himself laughing. She’s so cute and charming that he’s quickly smitten with her but has no idea how to pursue her and often makes a mess of things. Seeing him come out of his shell and learn how to interact better with others was really enjoyable.
The chemistry of this adorable height difference couple is pretty good. There’s lots of cute moments, especially the ones where he just picks her up or lifts her up like she’s a little doll that weighs nothing. They’re interactions are fun to watch. My main complaint would be that the story lacked depth and action. And I wish there were more romantic moments and skinship.
That being said, I still really enjoyed this drama and I’m glad I watched it. If it had more romantic moments and more depth to the story like Put Your Head On My Shoulder, I would have rated it similarly to that drama. But it’s still worth investing your time in. Don’t skip this drama, it’s just too cute.
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I loved all of the breathtaking outdoor scenes!
This drama is full of your usual cliche drama tropes. A rich arrogant chaebol goes undercover as a rescuer in a rustic country town and falls for a sweet innocent local doctor. And of course they’re forced to cohabitate. Then there’s also the cliche trauma in the past they both suffer from but can’t remember. What saves this drama is the talent of the two lead actors, their romance, and the amazing outdoor scenery.The two lead actors have some amazing chemistry with real kisses and lots of skinship. They do this romance right by not going too fast nor too slow. They slowly get to know one another and bond over their tragic pasts with their families. But along the way there’s lots of moments where you can feel the sparks.
Then there’s the lush green valleys, rolling hills, picturesque mountains, and clear streams that tons of the scenes are filmed in. The beautiful outdoor settings for this drama breathes life into it and really sets it apart. I loved the parts where they ride bikes through the beautiful trees and lush foliage. And they did a lot of that.
But not everything about this drama is good. The editing, especially in the beginning, was kind of choppy. In one scene it goes from rescuing someone on a mountain, to treating a patient in a helicopter, to suddenly being in the hospitals ER operating on some random patient. And all of this happened in about the span of 5 minutes. I was so confused I had to go back and look at it again to figure out what happened. But fortunately the editing improved vastly after that. Also, they tease the lost memory thing for way too long. And they don’t give you enough information about the lost memories and childhood trauma to keep your interest going. So about halfway through the drama I lost some of my excitement about it. Fortunately, if you can get past the slow part in the middle, the last 10-12 episodes get more interesting as time goes by. And since the episodes are only 30 minutes each it wasn’t too hard to push through and get to the good parts. So hang in there, it does get much better. And it’s definitely worth watching. There are car chases, kidnappings, pretty good fight scenes, and lots of political intrigue. And then all of the past memories resurface which is pretty interesting too.
I like that there was no annoying love triangle. And the side couple was really cute. Overall it’s a good drama. It won’t be in my top ten but it’s not at the bottom with the worst ones either. It’s just a pretty decent drama that I’m glad I watched. I would recommend watching it.
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You learn a lot about MMA fighting which was interesting and made the story unique (and it didn’t hurt seeing Park Seo Joon’s abs all the time). The fight scenes and competitions kept it fast paced and intriguing. I liked the underlying message about fighting for what you believe in and never giving up hope that things will get better. Both the main leads and the second leads never gave up on their dreams despite constant setbacks. And the friendship between these four is so touching and endearing.
As for the romance in the drama, the main leads have great chemistry with lots of skinship. And the kisses aren’t the boring fake ones, they’re the long, hot, steamy kisses. These actors are so good that they make you think they could be lovers in real life.
This drama also had great comedy that made me laugh out loud which I don’t do very often. And I liked that it has some interesting twists to the story that I didn’t see coming which was a pleasant surprise. And even though there is some angst and sad parts, nothing is over the top or taken too far. The angst level isn’t too high but there’s enough there to give the story some depth to draw you in.
I can’t really think of any negative things about this drama. It has a nice balance of romance, comedy, action, and friendship. It teaches a lesson about fighting for your dreams and never gets slow or boring. If you don’t watch this drama you’re missing out on something really special.
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Original storyline & epic romance
I really liked the originality of this story. It starts out with the male lead seeing brief glimpses into his future. They all revolve around the same woman who just so happens to have the same exact name as his ex girlfriend who left him at the alter. I’ve never seen a story quite like this. And the reason for his seeing the future is both unique and touching.The acting in this drama is excellent. The main leads, their family members, and even the side couples all do a great job. You can just feel the pain of the main leads over their past lover’s betrayal. And there are such rich entertaining side characters that bring great comedy to the table at just the right moment to keep things from getting too sad. The male leads sisters ordeal with the toilet just cracked me up.
The romance is really good and one of the most endearing parts of this drama. It’s very realistic and not cheesy at all. There are real kisses, piggy back rides, and lots of skinship. They have amazing chemistry.
The character growth is what really stands out in this drama. The female leads journey of seeing her self worth and stepping out of the other “Miss Oh’s” shadow was a joy to watch. And when the male lead let’s go of his past and decides to fight for his future I wanted to stand up and applaud.
There wasn’t too much I disliked about this drama. But the female lead forgiving her terrible ex was a disappointment. I can’t imagine forgiving and even dating a man that dumped me the day before our wedding. NO reason would be good enough for the pain and embarrassment he caused. Thankfully her bad decision only lasted briefly. But it did detract from an otherwise wonderful drama. That and the really annoying selfish mother of the male lead (and her poor acting) kept it from a perfect rating.
That being said, it’s a great drama definitely worth watching. In fact, I’ve watched it twice myself!
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Dig deeper & you’ll see the depth
At first glance this seems like a light fluffy romance drama without a lot of substance. And for many viewers that’s all they will see. But for veteran drama lovers that like to dig beneath the surface and reveal all of the subtle nuances and underlying themes of a drama, you’ll enjoy this. Because there are lots of layers that you get to peel away in this drama if you’re paying close attention. You’ll find that it deals with some very real modern day problems like gaslighting, manipulation, and misogyny. It also tackles the preconceived notions many people make about one another based on a persons appearance, their social status, or their income level.Listed below are the various social issues this drama tackles.
Gaslighting: The female leads ex fiancé cheats on her but makes her feel like the bad guy for not forgiving him. He says everyone makes mistakes and if she truly loved him she wouldn’t throw away the 10 years they had together. He insinuates that her feelings for him aren’t genuine if she leaves him. This is just one example but he gaslights her a lot.
Misogyny: Despite the female leads desire to continue working, the ex fiancé continually pushes her to quit her job. He expects his wife to stay at home and take care of the kids. He also gets involved in her personal life making big decisions for her without even consulting her because he feels that he knows what’s best for her like she’s a child. He brags about molding her into the ideal wife for himself as if she’s an object to be conformed to his needs.
Manipulation: The ex fiancé uses sympathy and guilt to manipulate the female lead. He convinces the female lead to take family photos with his mom (even though she’s already broken up with him) because she’s very ill and it’s her dying wish before her surgery. He constantly reminds her of how devastated both families will be if they don’t marry.
Preconceived notion’s: Most of the people surrounding the female lead (including her father) have preconceived notions about her fiancé. Like, since he’s very handsome he must be nice. Or he’s wealthy so he deserves our respect. Or he’s powerful so we should look up to him and admire him. Society as a whole tends to treat attractive or powerful people better. They just assume they’re superior to others whereas a less attractive or poor person is often looked down upon. These preconceived notions blind the female leads family and friends to her plight. They only make things worse by pushing her to stay with him. They don’t see her misery as the ex fiancé throws her into confusion and self doubt in order to manipulate her into marrying him. Fortunately her best friend and the male lead aren’t fooled. They see the fiancé for what he really is and endeavor to help her.
The ex fiancé’s actions are all classic tactics used by a narcissist. He’s always either gaslighting her, guilt tripping her, or using shady tactics behind the scenes to manipulate the situation. He never goes too far to where the angst and melodrama overwhelms things and makes it an emotional roller coaster. But his character did make the drama more interesting. And I especially enjoyed seeing the female lead learn how to handle him.
I also like that the female lead is strong, confident, and knows her worth. She never lets her personal life effect her job and she’s really good at what she does. She dresses superbly too. (I know that sounds very superficial but modern Chinese dramas tend to dress their female leads terribly which I find very annoying.) It’s difficult seeing her ex fiancé manipulate her but seeing her grow and learn from it and eventually stand up for herself is so worth it. I loved her character growth.
Some have said the male lead is overly aggressive with the female lead and is disrespectful by disregarding her personal space. I disagree. They are very attracted to each other and there’s obvious sexual tension between them. But she won’t acknowledge it and pretends there’s nothing there. This prods him to prove to her that there is definitely something sizzling between them by getting up close and personal. Plus he sees her ex fiancé’s true colors and wants to help her break free from him. It pains him to see her treated so badly. That’s why he’s always getting up close to her. It’s to get her to acknowledge and face her attraction to him. He knows they could be really happy together. He’s not being overly aggressive or overbearing, he’s trying to help her. What I really like about the male lead is his strength, self confidence, and unwavering loyalty. His character is very endearing.
Another thing I really liked about this drama was the main leads healthy relationship and sizzling romance. Once they get together they have a few issues pop up but like normal real life couples, they talk things over and work it out. It was so refreshing to see that because it’s a rarity in Asian dramas. And surprisingly I wasn’t bored after they got together even though it was midway through the drama. I think that’s because their relationship had such great chemistry. If you like romance dramas with lots of realistic kisses and skinship then you’ll love this drama because they kiss and cuddle a lot.
That being said, I have to address the mistakes this drama made. The biggest mistake was the amount of screen time they gave to the very boring secondary romance. Their characters lacked depth, their storyline wasn’t interesting, and they had zero chemistry. And they were given a lot of screen time too. So I was constantly hitting the forward button through their scenes.
The other big mistake was that there wasn’t much else going for this drama other than the romance. They didn’t give you enough information or background to make the office politics interesting. I know the male lead was an executive at a high end investment firm investing in the female leads company. But I’m still not sure what the female leads company actually did, I know she was a director with a team under her but they never gave a lot of details about the job itself. And you never really get to know the employees there either. So the office politics weren’t that interesting and added little to the story.
Therefore because they gave way too much screen time to a boring secondary romance and the only interesting thing in the drama was the main leads romance, I took 2 stars off in my rating. Since I love a good romance with chemistry I gave it an 8. It could have been perfect if they hadn’t given so much time to the second couple or if they had spent more time making the office politics more interesting. But the way they dealt with the misogyny, gaslighting, and manipulation by the ex fiancé did add a lot to the story. I enjoyed how they handled it. So overall it’s not the best drama ever but it’s cute, very romantic, it deals with some interesting social issues, and the acting is really good. I would recommend it for those that are into romance dramas.
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Adorable unique story with lots of laughs
When there’s lots of stress in my life I like to watch a drama that’s light sweet and happy with lots of laughs. That’s what I was looking for when I started watching “Be My Cat.” And it’s definitely a light fluffy romcom full of laughs and cuteness (for the most part.)The male lead totally nails the whole cat thing. From batting at dangling things, to being obsessed with stroking soft furry things, to being fastidiously clean and collecting stuff with feathers, he was as catlike as a human can be. His cuteness level was a ten out of ten. When watching “My Fantastic Mrs Right” one of my biggest complaints was that when the female lead turned into a cat it was an unattractive obese stubby legged animated cat which really took away from the drama. So I was really happy when this drama used a real cat that was super cute. This drama did the human/cat theme really well. And I loved the uniqueness of the storyline.
What I liked:
The storyline was unique and interesting and there’s a cute second couple that pops up about halfway through the drama that was fun to watch. I also liked the female leads cute spunky and smart personality. She was a breath of fresh air. The comedy was really good and had me cracking up all of the time. The romance was light fluffy and cute with several kisses. It wasn’t one of those romances that has steamy kisses and lots of skinship. It was more of a wholesome sweet romance with a few soft sweet kisses and lots of staring dreamily at each other which was perfect for this type of romcom. The story isn’t very believable and it’s a bit cheesy sometimes but the cuteness and great comedy are absolutely top notch.
What I didn’t like:
The storyline itself was a true romcom that was quite simple, light, and fluffy with lots of laughs. But about three fourths of the way through the drama they suddenly hit you with some heavy angst and melodrama. I was so disappointed! Chinese dramas like to do this so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I don’t mind some occasional mild to moderate angst in a romcom. But when a cute funny romcom goes full on melodrama with noble idiocy, with an unnecessary meanly worded breakup, and a new romantic rival pops up out of nowhere, it bothers me. I liked having some friction and story depth (it was a bit too light and fluffy) I just didn’t like how heavy the angst was.
Overall this is a very cute fluffy romcom. It reminded me a lot of “Meow The Secret Boy” with its cuteness and great comedy. You will laugh your butt off at the well timed comedy, you will melt over the cuteness of the male lead, and you will sigh over the sweet romance. If you don’t mind a little angst thrown in along with some plot twists towards the end of the drama, then you’ll love it. It’s not perfect but it I enjoyed it.
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Great acting & sweet romance saves this cliche drama
On the surface this looks like a drama about lying versus being honest but it’s really about so much more than that. It did touch on how important it is to have a balance between being painfully honest and not being honest enough. But at its core it’s really a story about an orphan girls journey from always having to suppress her true feelings and living to please others to finally standing up for herself. Her whole life she’s lied, not because she enjoyed it, but because it was her only choice. Pretending she was okay and covering over things with lies was the only way she could survive growing up, so it became a part of her personality. Seeing her overcome these issues and grow as a person was a pleasure to watch. I appreciated that she didn’t suddenly change and become perfect overnight which isn’t very realistic. It was a gradual process with many setbacks that really had me rooting for her. And when she finally confronts those who hurt her and stands up for herself, I was so happy!Another big part of the story is about a young man that was so traumatized by a terrible lie that it tore his family apart. As a result, he made a solemn vow to never lie to anyone no matter what. Unfortunately, that vow ends up alienating him from everyone, making him lonely and miserable. He learns that even though being honest is important, being brutally honest can be just as hurtful as being lied to. He also learns that love is about accepting not only your partners good qualities, but it’s about accepting their bad qualities too.
This storyline is full of cliches. There’s the second female lead who’s a longtime friend that’s obsessed with the male lead (even though he’s completely uninterested in her), which I’ve seen hundreds of times. Then there’s the cliche rich CEO that falls for the poor girl. And of course the second male lead is obsessed with the female lead too. And I can’t tell you how many times the female lead accidentally fell into the male leads arms. It also gets a little cheesy sometimes too. So why did I give this drama such a high rating? The acting is absolutely phenomenal in this drama, especially the main leads. When the female lead finally claps back at the bad guys, her acting was so good that I was cheering out loud. And when the male lead gives his speech about how he learned that loving someone means loving everything about them including their flaws, I was sincerely touched.
This drama also has some great side characters, like the male leads smart feisty little sister. She steals the show. And the female leads best friend is so cute and funny. This drama may be full of cliches but it’s also full of really cute funny moments. It was so cute how, when she thought he wasn’t looking, the female lead would stick her tongue out at the male lead not knowing he often saw her. Then his little smirk like he found it cute was so endearing. Being a fan of Marvel I really enjoyed the female leads nickname for the male lead being Thanos. And his face when he found out about the nickname was absolutely hilarious. I loved the comedy, it was really good.
The romance was one of the things that made this drama stand out. The leads are not only very attractive but they have great chemistry. I like how the male lead is so touchy feely with the female lead. I don’t think any other drama I’ve watched (and I’ve watched a LOT) has had as many hugs as this one. He’s always hugging on her and they’re long cuddly hugs too. And his jealousy is too cute. It was refreshing to see real kisses with lots of skinship that felt comfortable and realistic. I give top marks to the romance aspect of this drama.
Even though this drama is flawed with lots of cliche overused drama tropes and a predictable storyline, the acting, great side characters, and sweet romance make this drama worth watching. If you like sweet, light, fluffy romantic comedies that are low on angst and high on sweet touching moments, then this is the drama for you. None of the angst is too over the top or makes you scream at the tv. And I really like that once the leads get together there’s no noble idiocy or breakups over stupid misunderstandings. They have disagreements and ignore each other for a short time (with good reason) but never truly breakup. If there were less cliche drama tropes, the story was more original, and things weren’t quite so predictable, it would have been a perfect drama. Nonetheless, this drama was touching and memorable. I’m glad I watched it and would definitely recommend it to others.
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This drama accomplishes what others have been unable to do
This drama does something that I’ve never seen another drama do. And I’ve watched hundreds of Asian dramas of all types from all over Asia. This drama puts the main leads together fairly early on (by episode 10). But believe it or not, there are no messy breakups, no noble idiocy, no mean in-laws, and no love triangles. Yet it’s not boring at all! In fact, it’s one of the highest rated Chinese romcoms of all time. That’s because the whole cast are exceptionally good actors with great characters to portray and a fun story to tell. This drama proves that you don’t have to throw in a bunch of overused cliche drama tropes or make the main leads breakup or misunderstand each other to make a drama interesting. You really have to just watch this drama to truly appreciate what it has accomplished.The story:
This drama doesn’t use the typical cliche drama tropes like love triangles or misunderstandings to move its storyline along. It uses real life situations that we all encounter and can relate to to move the story along and make it more interesting. Many important issues are tackled amongst the main characters and their friends such as bullying, judging someone based on appearance, using social media to attack people, jealousy, etc. It also delves into the online gaming world which is pretty interesting. Seeing the leads and their friends in the game in their online personas was a nice refreshing touch not often seen in dramas. Then the business world and all of its pitfalls was explored. Seeing it all through the college students eyes made it more interesting. They face sabotage, a hacker, a spy, and impossible deadlines. There’s quite a bit of interesting twists going on to make the plot move along and keep things interesting. All of the characters are multi dimensional and have lots of character growth which adds to the richness of the story.
The acting:
The acting is exceptional here. I know it’s rare, but I really can’t fault anyone’s acting, they’re all really good. Some may mistakenly criticize the female leads woodenness in her first few kisses, but that’s how her character was written. She’s supposed to be extremely shy and inexperienced in romantic settings. And as the drama progresses, so do her kissing scenes which I think is more realistic. No one that’s never kissed before is super comfortable with it or good at it in the beginning. And the main leads chemistry is just phenomenal. Every time they kiss (which is a lot) you can’t help but be touched. I like how they take things slow and the romance develops at a normal pace so you can see why they feel about each other the way they do. The romance is done perfectly. It’s neither too slow nor too fast. As for the side characters, they are some of the best I’ve seen in a drama. From the adorable little nerd Erxi to the judgmental language genius Cao Guang, I wouldn’t change a thing. There’s some great sismance and amazing bromance going on that’s so endearing and one of the highlights of this drama. And the parents are just too cute.
Cinematography & Set Design:
The cinematography was perfect. There’s no choppy editing or confusing scenes. Everything flows seamlessly and smoothly. The set design was quite elaborate for the work scenes. And the costumes and fight scenes for the online gaming world were superb. Overall I would say this drama had a high budget and lots of time was put into making sure everything was perfect.
If you like slice of life dramas that teach a lesson and are light and fluffy with little angst then you’ll love this one. Many of us will readily identify with the bullying and jealousy the characters encounter. But it’s the close knit friendship with everyone having each other’s backs that makes this drama so endearing. If you prefer fast paced dramas with lots of action with twists and turns at every corner, then this is not the drama for you. As far as I’m concerned, this drama is about as close to perfect as you can get. It’s one of the few dramas that I’ve watched numerous times. I especially like to watch it when I’m feeling anxious or down. It’s such a fun, upbeat, uplifting drama. You can’t help but smile when watching it. I would definitely recommend this drama to anyone that’s looking for a light sweet romcom.
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Don’t let the crazy sounding storyline hold you back from this gem!
When I first read the storyline I skipped over this drama. It sounded too unbelievable and ridiculous. Thankfully the great reviews brought me back and made me decide to give it a try. I’m so glad I didn’t miss this gem!The storyline may seem a bit far fetched at first glance. But the drama takes its time developing the story in a way that makes it more believable and understandable. The two issues that most people have with the drama are the ML leaving his wife and the surrogate storyline. So I’ll address these issues first.
I thought I wouldn’t agree with the ML leaving his wife but after seeing what she put him through with all of her lies I completely agree with his decision. Finding out your spouse has been lying to you throughout your whole married life is devastating. A relationship can’t flourish on a foundation of lies. Her actions made him feel like she wanted him for his money. And his pain upon the demise of his marriage was so touching and realistic.
As for the surrogate storyline, neither of the two families are keen on the idea at first, in fact, both sides are appalled at the idea. That type of reaction made things seem more realistic. So when certain circumstances eventually force the families to go ahead with the surrogate idea it was easier to understand their decision. Also, I have no problem understanding why the ML’s mother wants her only son and heir to give her a grandchild to inherit their family’s fortune, especially considering his age and disposition. The romance develops at a reasonable pace and all of the side characters are very interesting. The comedy is just right, not too much or too little.
Acting:
The acting was above average for the main cast. I have nothing bad to say about them. It took me a while to warm up to the ML’s former mother in law. She overacted her parts a bit and I got tired of her screechy voice. Some of the other side characters were a bit too over the top with their acting. But the main cast were superb.
Overall impressions:
This is one of the best Thai dramas I’ve ever seen. I like all kinds of dramas. I’ve seen hundreds of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese dramas. But this was one of the sweetest, lightest, easiest to watch Thai dramas I’ve had the pleasure of watching. The story was deep enough to keep the interest going without going too far with the angst or sadness. It is a light sweet romance with a little bit of angst, drama, and comedy on the side. I would definitely recommend it.
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Mixed feelings about this one
I have really mixed feelings about this drama. It put me through a plethora of emotions including sadness, happiness, lots of second hand embarrassment, love, frustration, and irritation. It made me laugh a lot and it touched me too. There was a lot I disliked but there was a lot that I liked too.The male lead is referred to as the devil doctor not because he’s mean but because he’s rude. He’s so focused on helping his patients and being the best doctor ever that he has no time for anyone else. And if someone messes up and delays his patients recovery, (which is usually the female lead) he’s very critical of them. Finding out about his traumatic past which made him distance himself from people helps to understand him better. And seeing the female lead pull him out of his self imposed isolation is endearing.
The female lead is known as the warrior chick because of her unrelenting pursuit of the devil doctor. At first she seems very silly, insecure, and awkward, with no real focus in life other than pursuing the doctor. But as the drama continues she matures and becomes more confident. She’s still awkward but she realizes how important being a great nurse and helping people is to her. And her tenacity and genuine concern for people draws her coworkers to her as well as multiple suitors. It’s quite satisfying seeing her character growth as the drama progresses.
What I didn’t like about this drama was how stoic and cold the male lead was throughout the whole drama. I had hoped that once the main leads got together he would at least be sweet towards the female lead but he didn’t improve much in that area. Even though they were dating he didn’t tell her that he loved her, why he liked her, or what was going on in his mind. In fact, he didn’t really act like a boyfriend at all. It made me feel really sad for the female lead. I felt so much second hand embarrassment for her as she pursued him in the beginning and was repeatedly rejected and criticized. So when he wasn’t a very good boyfriend and she constantly felt insecure about him and their relationship I was really disappointed. I felt a lot of second hand embarrassment and sympathy for the female lead. That being said, I have to say that the leads did have good chemistry and there was some pretty sweet moments between them that were very touching.
This dramas strength is in the great acting skills of the cast, the character growth, and the sweetness between the leads in the last few episodes. The weakness of this drama is the male leads personality, his treatment of the female lead, and the weak storyline. If you liked “A love So Beautiful” or “Playful Kiss” whose male leads were similar in personality to this male lead then you’ll probably like this drama. But for me it was a painful watch at times. I’m torn because I was really touched by many of the characters and I loved the main leads chemistry. But even though I’m glad I watched it, I wouldn’t watch it again. Its a decent drama but not a great one.
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That being said, I completely agree with the female leads choice. The second male lead would do sweet things like personally handcraft jade earrings for her then push her away and reject her confession. Then he would again do things like buy her carrier pigeons to send notes to her or handcraft a flute for her but then again reject her. This went on for 3 years and the female lead was in constant emotional turmoil, often crying. Even though the second male lead rejected her for a noble reason, he should have drawn a line and made it clear he wanted to only be friends. But instead he chose to leave things very ambiguous and let her think they might be together. He lead her on and hurt her a lot for a long time.
But all along her ray of sunshine, the main male lead, would always appear to take her out to play and cheer her up. He supported her decision even though he loved her and never abandoned her despite her poor treatment of him. His devotion to her and their cute little arguments when he teased her was adorable. I was happy with her choice.
But then comes along the second male lead to start pursuing her and putting her into turmoil again. And again she’s crying over and over again because of him. She feels guilty towards him every time he does something nice for her which happens all the time. But it’s obvious that she’s now very much in love with the main male lead. But second lead just won’t let go which hurts both of them a lot.
Then comes along a lot of political intrigue and family drama. The palace drama gets pretty intense. What this drama teaches is that love doesn’t wait forever. And if someone leads you on or expects you to wait for them they may miss out. And finding the right person has a lot to do with timing and meeting the right person at the right time. It also teaches that letting go of the past with all of its hatred and moving on with your life is the only way to find true happiness.
In the beginning this drama reminded me a lot of The Story of Minglan. The love triangle was very similar in that the female lead starts out liking the second male lead first then later realizes that the main male lead is her true love. So if you like this one definitely go watch Minglan because not only is it similar but it’s better.
Overall, I liked this drama. It started out very sweet and cute. It got even cuter with lots of kisses and skinship. But towards the end it became very angsty with lots of sadness. The main leads have a happy ending and all of the loose ends are tied up. But it was hard to be happy for them when everyone around them suffered so much. And seeing that the bad guys got away with everything they did and even prospered while a lot of the good guys suffered or even died just killed me. My happiness for the main leads was dampened by all of this. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good drama, but it’s just a little too melodramatic and sad at the ending for me.
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Sassy FL + funny /clueless ML = touching romance
There’s a lot of things to like about this drama. I like that there’s no evil antagonists creating problems and misunderstandings. There’s no meddling parents getting in the way and creating issues. And even though the ML’s ex wants him back, she’s not evil or underhanded which is nice too. I’m so tired of the overused evil ex that’s obsessed with the main lead and that will do anything to get them back trope. So there was a lot to like about this drama.I also appreciated how light, funny and refreshing this drama was. It’s a very funny sweet and fluffy romance. The cooking scenes will make your mouth water and the chemistry between the leads as they cook together is a joy to watch. The side characters were well fleshed out and very likable. I really enjoyed seeing so many of them have such great character growth. From the best friend, to the coworkers to even the parents, there was lots of lessons learned and character growth. The underlying theme of not living in the past or letting past events dictate your future decisions was very clear. It also highlighted the importance of enjoying meals with those you love not because you’re hungry or it’s time to eat but because it gives you warm memories and creates a close bond with your loved ones.
The male lead seems very cold at first but then you realize he’s only that way at work. With his close friends he’s very silly, funny, and charming. I like that he wasn’t your stereotypical tsundere CEO that’s cold but has a soft spot for the female lead. So his character seemed unique and very likable. He has a lot to learn though. He has trouble communicating outside of work, even things like small talk around the dinner table is difficult for him. And he’s way too focused on work and doesn’t balance it well with his personal life. He doesn’t know how to get close to or connect with the female lead outside of their work environment. So their whole romance is tied into their work which causes problems for them later on. I did enjoy his character growth as he realized this and worked hard to do better.
The female lead is a super smart competent woman that wins everyone over at work with her amazing skills. She thinks outside of the box and saves them numerous times. She’s also a very skilled cook which melts the male leads heart despite his efforts to not fall in love and get hurt again. She isn’t weak and stands up for herself with some great comebacks to those disrespecting her. I really liked her strength and sassiness. But her weakness is her inability to balance her work life and home life. At first she’s all family oriented and neglects work. Then she becomes hyper focused on work and neglects her family. Then an unfortunate incident occurs and she reacts very badly. But over time she realizes her mistakes and corrects them. She learns how to be more balanced in both her personal life and at work. I really enjoyed her character growth.
So as I’ve said, there’s a lot to like about this drama. But unfortunately, there are several things I didn’t like about this drama. Firstly, there’s a breakup and if you’ve read any of my reviews you’ll know that I hate the overused breakup scenario dramas love to employ. It’s gotten to be a pet peeve of mine. It’s just too predictable and a clear attempt to add angst over some silly misunderstanding or miscommunication. So I deducted a star for that. Secondly, the leads are separated and have zero interactions with one another for over 2 years. So there’s several episodes that have nothing to do with their relationship and we just see them moping around all miserable. That’s no fun to me and makes the drama too sad for too long. So I deducted another star for that reason. They don’t get back together till literally the end of the last episode. Thirdly, after two years we are led to believe that they are suddenly madly in love again and ready to be together forever now. Originally they had only dated a few months after meeting each other. So now despite only having dated a few months, they are ready to skip the whole dating thing and go straight to the alter. Not only is it not fair to not get to see them together with all of their cute moments as they start dating again and reconnecting, but we are expected to believe those 2 years apart wasn’t a big deal and they can pick right back up where they left off as if nothing happened. So I had to deduct another star for this reason.
Now don’t get me wrong, despite the above issues, I liked this drama. And I’m glad I watched it. They have a lot of great characters that I loved and the character growth is really good. The warm family scenes, tasty meals, and camaraderie amongst family and friends was very heartwarming. That’s why it has such good ratings. And the acting is way above average. I also like that it had underlying messages and taught life lessons too. But if you’re a seasoned drama watcher like me, those overused tropes might get to you like they did me. If I’m watching a comedy I want to see lots of funny stuff. If I’m watching a horror show I want to be scared a lot. So if this is a romance, I should expect to see lots of romance, right? So why were they together such a short time before breaking up? And why did they stay apart for several episodes and not get back together till the very end? This is a romance so I want to see lots of romance, not angst. Yes there were lots of kisses and cute scenes in the few episodes they were together. And they kissed and hugged in the final episode too. But I just felt like the whole breakup thing messed up a really good drama. It could have been a 10 easily with such a great cast and such good acting.
In conclusion, it’s worth watching. There’s some great acting, lots of touching moments, and the main leads have great chemistry. But expect a breakup and expect angst and sadness those last few episodes. If you don’t mind those things you’ll love it. It’s a pretty good drama, it’s not amazing but it’s very endearing and worth the watch.
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One of the better youth sports dramas out there
After watching dozens of youth sports dramas I’ve become a bit jaded but I have to admit that this is one of the better ones out there. It’s not without its flaws, which I’ll talk about later, but overall it’s a pretty good drama. It reminds me a lot of Skate Into Love and Falling Into Your Smile, two of the best out there in my opinion. The romance is done well, it has some great comedy, the characters are well fleshed out, it’s interesting, and there’s lots of character growth.The female lead is confident, talented, outgoing, and very determined to reach her goals of becoming a world class speed skater. I liked that she was a strong confident person and not one of those weak females that always needs saving. And she has the sweetest cutest father that’s always got her back. Their interactions were pure gold. Her mom isn’t too great at first but her character growth was a joy to watch.
The male lead is a really good guy that’s nice to everyone and very charming. Even when he’s badly injured by someone else’s negligence he never gets angry or blames them. He’s just an overall really sweet person. I liked that even though he’s really laidback and easygoing he always drew the line with any females that got interested in him romantically. And once he’s in a relationship with the female lead, he communicates well and is a really good loyal boyfriend that lets everyone know he’s only interested in her. He becomes such a little puppy around her and it’s so cute. His relationship with his mom is a big focal point of the drama that I really liked. There’s lots of character growth in their relationship and I really enjoyed it.
The romance was very well balanced and didn’t overwhelm the drama nor was it just a side note either. I liked that once the leads got together there wasn’t a bunch of silly misunderstandings, there were no evil second leads scheming against them, there were no breakups, no noble idiocy and no long separations. They had a very healthy relationship, it had its ups and downs but it was more realistic and endearing than most. It’s not a spicy drama with bedroom scenes or anything like that. It’s more of a youthful romance with lots of hugs, handholding, and sweet kisses. You get more of a light sweet fluffy feel from their romance.
So why did I give it an 8 instead of a 10? For two reasons, the storyline and the side romance of the main leads best friends. The storyline had every typical cliche you would expect to see in a youth sports drama. And it was so predictable that I correctly guessed the outcome of every major event or dramatic storyline twist before it happened. So I took off one full point for this reason. The other reason is the secondary romance. First off they put a very average looking girl in the role of the female leads supposedly very pretty bff. Then they took one of the hottest guys in the drama and put him in the role of the not so attractive guy friend that she initially overlooks for someone better looking. But the guy she overlooks him for isn’t anywhere near as hot as he is. And she’s no raving beauty (no insult intended, just being honest.) So just based on that, their storyline isn’t too believable. Then she treats him really badly throughout most of the drama. And when they finally get together she hides it like she’s ashamed of him. The poor guy just can’t catch a break. I really disliked the whole secondary romance and they spent a lot of time on it, especially in the first half of the drama. So I took another point off for this reason. They cast the wrong people to play the characters and then spent way too much time on a couple with no chemistry and an awful storyline.
That being said, I still really liked the drama. Even though the storyline was very predictable, the acting was phenomenal. The characters were very relatable and just about everyone had a lot of character growth. It has the underlying messages that you’d expect of a youth sports drama like “never give up your dreams” and “if you believe in yourself enough you can do anything.” But it also taught some valuable lessons that were not cliche or expected. It teaches us to not judge others too harshly. Sometimes we are quick to blame others because we can’t accept our own shortcomings. So when the truth finally comes out we have to face the harsh reality of our own failings. So it’s best to not be too judgmental or quick to blame.
In conclusion, it’s very cliche but the superb acting, likable characters, sweet romance, and great comedy elevate this drama above the rest. My advice would be to use the fast forward button liberally when watching the secondary romance and you’ll like it even better. But even with its flaws it’s still a very sweet touching drama that you’ll enjoy watching. I definitely recommend it.
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