1
dramadisciple
Texas USA
Lighthearted feel good romcom
When I first started watching this drama I felt like it was too silly and way too unrealistic. And the story had no depth either. And then both the male lead and second male lead fall head over heels in love with the female lead very quickly and for no apparent reason since they barely knew her. So I thought I wasn’t going to like this drama very much. Boy was I wrong! It wasn’t perfect but it ended up being awfully cute and funny.The storyline:
If you stick with it past the first few episodes the story gains some strength and gets much deeper and more interesting. It ends up that there’s a reason both men like the female lead so intensely and so quickly. There are hidden pasts, amnesia, political intrigue, hidden identities, and lots of great comedy. It does get a bit confusing on the four clans and their past and present issues with one another. But overall I enjoyed the uniqueness of the storyline.
Set design, costumes, & CGI:
The sets were very elaborate and realistic. And the costumes were quite elegant and attractive. It looked like they had a generous budget for this drama. There were beautiful gardens, impressive homes, lovely rivers, and quaint old villages to enjoy throughout the drama. The CGI was okay but nothing amazing. They chose an obese, unattractive, stubby legged, animated cat instead of a real one and it was a poor choice. Many compare it to Garfield but I don’t agree. Because even though Garfield is chubby he’s super cute. This cat just wasn’t attractive at all. The way he stood up to run or walk was just weird and not catlike or cute at all. And since the cat was a big part of the drama, it did detract from the overall experience.
Romance:
The romance is what really shines in this drama. The lead couple have great chemistry. There’s lots of kisses, cuddles, hand holding, and skinship. And even though there are some misunderstandings, nothing drags out for too long. The romance can be a bit cheesy sometimes but I still found it touching.
My verdict:
This isn’t for everyone. It’s a lighthearted feel good romcom that doesn’t take itself seriously. So if you’re looking for something with some depth or something serious and realistic, then this isn’t the drama for you. Yes it does get deeper as it goes on with some angst and sadness. But it still has a very silly funny lighthearted feel to it. And the romance gets a bit cheesy sometimes. But I still found myself enjoying it and looking forward to watching the next episode. If they had chosen a better cat, if the romance wasn’t quite so cheesy, and if there wasn’t a disappointing 10 year time jump, then this would have been a much much better drama. But that being said, I still have to say that this is a good drama worth watching.
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Light hearted feel good romcom
When I first started this drama it was silly and way too unrealistic. And the story had no depth either. Then both the male lead and the second male lead fall head over heels in love with the female lead very quickly for no reason when they hardly even know her. I thought I wasn’t going to like this drama very much. Boy was I wrong. It wasn’t perfect, but it ended up being awfully cute and funny.Storyline:
If you stick with it past the first few episodes the story gains some strength and gets deeper and more interesting. It ends up that there’s a reason both men like the female lead so intensely and so quickly. There are hidden pasts, amnesia, political intrigue, hidden identities, and lots of great comedy. It does get a bit confusing on the four clans and their past and present issues with one another. But overall I enjoyed the uniqueness of the storyline.
Set design, costumes & CGI:
The sets were very elaborate and realistic. And the costumes were quite elegant and attractive. It looked like they had a generous budget for this drama. There were beautiful gardens, impressive homes, lovely rivers, and quaint old villages to enjoy throughout the drama. The CGI was okay but nothing amazing. They chose an obese, unattractive, stubby legged animated cat instead of a real one and it was a bad choice. Many compare it to Garfield but I don’t agree because even though Garfield is chubby he’s super cute. This cat just wasn’t attractive at all. The way he stood up to walk or run was just weird and not catlike at all. And since the cat was a big part of the drama it did detract from the overall experience.
The romance:
The romance is what really shines in this drama. The lead couple have great chemistry. There’s lots of kisses, cuddles, hand holding, and skinship. And even though there are some misunderstandings, nothing drags out for too long. The romance is a bit cheesy sometimes but I still found it touching.
My verdict:
This isn’t for everyone. It’s a lighthearted feel good romcom that doesn’t take itself too seriously. So if you’re looking for something with some depth or something realistic then this isn’t the drama for you. Yes it does get deeper as it goes on with some angst and sadness. But it still has a very silly funny lighthearted feel to it. And the romance is a bit cheesy. But I still found myself enjoying it and looking forward to the next episode. If they had chosen a better cat, if the romance wasn’t quite so cheesy, and if there wasn’t a disappointing 10 year time jump, then it would have been perfect. But it’s still a cute drama worth watching.
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Excellent acting, great story, & sweet romance
I’m not usually one to watch college romance dramas because (since the actors are so young) they often cut out kissing scenes, the romance tends to be a slow burn and the actors are sometimes a bit stiff and inexperienced. But there are a few college romance dramas that have a perfect blend of some great acting, an epic romance that sizzles, some hilarious comedy, and memorable characters that touch your heart. This is one of those dramas.I was surprised at how funny this was. The male lead is very quiet, serious, and focused. So when he’s put into awkward situations, his facial expressions are absolutely hilarious. In one really funny scene he uses a toothbrush to fish something out of a dish of soapy water only to realize, to his horror, that it is a bra. The look on his face was priceless! Then, when he has to explain to the female lead why her toothbrush is laying in that dish, I just about died laughing.
Even though this is a slice of life type of drama it’s not boring because the characters are refreshingly different and the story is interesting. I like that the male lead has a unique personality. He’s not your typical wealthy, arrogant heir that’s cold and aloof. He has many facets to his personality which is quite appealing. One minute he’s all cool and sexy. The next minute he’s this nerdy little genius scientist thats always creating or fixing things. Then he will show this sweet confused little puppy side. And the way he was always googling things on his phone because he was so clueless on how to handle most social situations was adorable. His acting was really very good too.
The female lead is outgoing, confident, hardworking, and loyal. She may be tiny but she’s feisty and always stands up for herself. As she’s about to graduate she realizes accounting isn’t really what she wants to do. The male lead encourages her to follow her heart and do what makes her happy. So she switches to advertising which really excites her. I really liked her characters growth and her acting was great.
What makes this drama so good (other than the great romance which I’ll get to later) are the really great side characters. Like the male leads classmate that was always throwing tantrums or pouting because the male lead was better than him at everything. His childish antics were hilarious. And it was so refreshing to hear the female leads mom tell her that she didn’t have high expectations for her in her career, she just wants her to be happy. It’s not often you see a parent in an Asian drama make that kind of statement. And watching her hilarious attempts at matchmaking the leads and getting them together was too cute. Then there was the Easter egg at the end of each episode with some behind the scenes stuff that I always looked forward to.
The romance here was just perfect. It wasn’t a slow burn but it wasn’t super fast insta love either. It was just right. There are some cute kisses, piggyback rides, cuddles, lots of handholding, and lots of sweet moments. And (thankfully) there aren’t any ridiculous breakups or noble idiocy either. They go through issues like any normal couple but they work through them together in a very normal realistic way.
This is a slice of life drama so you won’t see any evil devious characters, there aren’t any action scenes like car chases or kidnappings, and it’s not super sad or filled with angst. But it does have some super interesting characters, a sweet romance, a touching storyline, and hopefully you’ll walk away from it feeling all fuzzy inside like I did. This cute height difference couple will always be one of my favorite drama couples.
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Short, racy, & super sweet
This is not for everyone. If you compared dramas to food this would probably be in the junk food category. Junk food has no nutritional value and there are better choices out there, but you can’t help but gobble it up because it’s so tasty. And this drama is just like that. It has no value in that the story isn’t very deep, and there’s certainly a lot of higher rated dramas out there. But you can’t help watching this whole drama in one evening because it’s so sweet and endearing. It’s basically a very toned down version of “50 Shades of Gray.” There’s lots of kissing, skinship, and racy bedroom scenes. It reminds me a lot of “Coffee and Vanilla.”This drama is a straight forward slice of life story about two people that, because of some unusual circumstances, end up getting married without even knowing each other. There’s not a lot of angst, the reasons for their suddenly deciding to marry a stranger wasn’t very believable, and there’s not a lot to the story. So why is it getting such good ratings? Because after watching so many dramas where you have to watch three fourths of the drama before the couple confesses or gets together, you can’t help but get excited when a drama jumps right into some pretty intense skinship on the very first episode. It’s kind of refreshing to see a drama that boldly shows the affection between a couple right away without teasing us for dozens of episodes.
What is so appealing about this drama is the unique storyline that goes somewhat backwards. They start with marriage, then they flirt and fall in love, then they get to know each other, and work through their misunderstandings. It’s very unusual that events are in such a weird order, but it works. It’s also pretty cute how the male lead likes to tease the female lead. Even though he’s crazy about her from the start, he holds back from telling her because he loves it when she acts cute and tries to seduce him. Both leads are very attractive and their chemistry is on fire. This is definitely much racier than your typical Asian drama.
Overall, if you turn off your brain, don’t think too much, and just sit back and enjoy yourself I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s just a very short, light, fluffy slice of life drama that gets pretty racy right away. But, like I said, it’s not for everyone. If you like deep dramas, dramas with a lot of action, or lengthy dramas, this is definitely not your cup of tea. But if you’re looking for a quick cute little drama that’s light and sweet after watching a deep melodrama that tied you up in knots, then this is perfect. And that’s probably what I’ll use it for. It’s nice to have something super sweet, yet short and easy to watch after a really angsty emotionally draining drama.
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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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Perfect blend of mystery & suspense & romance
Usually mystery and suspense dramas have little romance or don’t put the proper time and energy into the romance for it to touch the audience. And romance dramas often try to incorporate mystery and suspense into the storyline but fail miserably because so much focus is put on the romance. But this drama somehow fuses both mystery & suspense and romance seamlessly into an intoxicating drama you will binge watch.The male lead is a genius criminal profiler that can take one look at a crime scene and tell you all about the person that perpetrated the crime including his personality and lifestyle. He specializes in catching serial killers so he needs to stay focused with no distractions so further deaths can be prevented. But despite his high IQ he has problems interacting with others due to his low EQ. So when the female lead steps in as his assistant to help deal with people and handle all of the small tasks for him, they find that they work really well together. Watching the male lead learn so much about himself and grow as a character was touching. And I loved how the female lead was strong, smart, and loyal instead of the silly and dumb female leads we often see. There are some really great side characters that you’ll love like the male leads best friend and their great bromance. Or the female leads childhood friend whose loyalty is so touching. Then there’s the bad guys that are just so great in their acting with their over the top crazy evil villains they portray so well that I just can’t even put it into words. I was really impressed with the acting in this drama.
The storyline and suspense in this drama will not disappoint you. There are so many twists and turns you will never guess who is good and who is bad and who is behind it all till the very end. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. So it was nice when the sweet romantic moments would periodically pop up and slow things down so I could relax a bit. There are some nice kisses, hugs, and touching scenes between the leads. You could feel their chemistry and their romance was very endearing.
The one thing that might put off some would be the grisly crime scenes and murders. When the male lead is figuring out what happened at a crime scene he often imagines himself as the criminal and re-enacts the crime in his head. So we often see these re-enactments which are gruesome and detailed. It didn’t really bother me but it might bother you so be forewarned.
Overall this is an amazing drama that seamlessly fuses two genres together into one cohesive and addicting show that’s hard to stop watching. If there were less blood, gore, violence and disturbing crime scene footage I would have given it ten stars. But if you’re okay with that type of stuff then this is the drama for you. It has a unique storyline, excellent acting, a good romance, and lots of character growth. I don’t often rewatch shows but I had to go back and enjoy this one again.
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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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Unique story with excellent acting
This is one of my favorite dramas. It has great acting, a unique storyline, it’s fast paced with lots of action, the leads have great chemistry and a touching romance, and all of the side characters are well fleshed out with depth and growth.Storyline:
I’ve watched hundreds of dramas and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a plot similar to this one. The male lead is a specialized courier that transports highly sensitive goods at a premium price. He’s extremely talented and is similar to James Bond in his skills. There’s a lot of scenes that will remind you of James Bond or Mission Impossible. One of his jobs requires him to get close to the female lead who is a rookie reporter. When they find out that not only do they have a shared past but that murder was involved, they decide to solve the mysteries of their past together which puts their lives in danger. The action scenes are really good, there are some great side characters, the romance is touching, and there’s lots of character growth.
Acting:
The male lead (Ji Chang Wook- a favorite of mine) pulls off the wounded, unwanted orphan that wants to be left alone really well. He draws you in with his sad and lonely life. And as you see him go from a tough badass to a sweet little puppy so seamlessly, you can’t help but be impressed with his acting skills. The female lead with her quirky little dances and spunky personality endears you to her. This is early on in Park Min Young’s career but you can already see her great acting skills shining through. From the female leads dad, to the genius hacker, to their madly successful reporter friend, the acting stands out in this drama.
Romance:
The romance is done so well in this drama. They fall in love gradually, at a realistic pace. But once they finally get together their chemistry is explosive. They never doubt one another and always have each other’s back. There’s lots of kisses, hugs, cuddles, and skinship. And yes, the kisses are realistic and steamy.
This drama will take you on a journey of emotions from sad and crying to laughing to being on the edge of your seat. It has just the right amount of sadness and angst too. There’s just enough to get you interested without being too over the top and upsetting you. And the mystery and suspense is really good. If there was anything I found fault with it was how convoluted and complicated the story was which was hard to follow sometimes. If it weren’t for that it would be a perfect 10. But it’s still an excellent drama worthy of watching multiple times.
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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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Big budget drama with superb cast
This drama has a little bit of everything. It’s got great romance, hilarious comedy, office politics, great fight scenes, and intriguing side characters. It’s not super light and fluffy but it’s not a real angst ridden melodrama either. It’s somewhere in between.Storyline:
This drama has the most original first meeting of the main leads I’ve ever seen. The male lead is performing a military operation in the middle of the jungle and ends up risking his life and his teams whole operation to save the female lead from her kidnappers. He quickly disappears after saving her and she can’t identify him since he had his face covered the whole time. It’s the sweetest moment when she finally realizes, after being thrown together in the business world for some time, that he’s the one who saved her. The main plot revolves around the rivalry between businesses in the fashion world. It’s very interesting but the constant sabotaging, stealing ideas, and ruthlessness in the business world is overdone and gets a bit irritating. But the great romance between the main leads and the second leads along with some great side characters saves this drama. The male leads friendship with his military buddies was touching as they were obviously closer to each other than even family members would be. I also adored the female leads sweet protective older brother and wished I could have seen more of his story.
Acting:
The female lead is the same one from “The Story Of Minglan” which is one of my favorite dramas so I knew she would rock this drama and she did. Her acting was amazing. I was pleasantly surprised by the male leads acting, he’s really good and his fight scenes were awesome. I usually have at least one or two actors whose acting I’m not impressed with, but not with this drama. They’re all really good.
Romance:
The main couple have an amazing romance. I like that they take their time getting to know each other and gradually fall in love because it made it seem more realistic. It was a nice touch having them workout together which was really cute with her sitting on him while he did sit-ups and push-ups. There’s princess carrying, piggyback rides, and lots of cute romantic moments. My only complaint is that the kissing scenes weren’t very realistic with the just touching lips and staring into each other’s eyes type of kissing. There are several other couples in this drama that are fun to watch too. The romance is done right and really shines in this drama.
Cinematography & Set Design:
This was obviously a big budget production because the sets were very elaborate. The scenes in the jungle with all of the fighting, bombs going off, vehicles blowing up, and guns blasting away looked like something out of a big blockbuster movie. And the wardrobe worn by the actors were all very elaborate and quite fashionable. The editing was smooth and seamless with no choppy or confusing scenes. Even though there were some timeline jumps I was never confused or lost at any time. So I would say that the cinematography and set design were top notch.
My overall thoughts:
This is a big budget high end production with a superb cast of great actors and a good storyline. What detracts points for me would be the great length of the drama and how the backstabbing and rivalry of the businesses is taken too far. If the drama were shorter and if the business rivalry hadn’t gotten so nasty and hadn’t been drawn out for so long, then the drama would have been perfect. But I do like how everyone came together in the end to defeat an outsider that wanted to monopolize China’s designer clothing industry. It was a nice twist to what could have been a boring and predictable ending. This is a good drama worth watching. I don’t rewatch dramas very often but surprisingly this one drew me back and made me watch it again.
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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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I’ve included a review of the English subs available
Chinese romance dramas used to always be either melodramas full of angst and sorrow or they would be over the top silly comedies. But lately they’ve been putting out some really good romantic comedies that are just the right combination of romance, comedy, and intrigue. This drama falls into that category. It’s not perfect but it’s a pretty decent drama.Acting: It’s a rarity for me but I have no complaints about any of the actors in this drama. They all did a good job. But the main leads did a much better than average job. Let me explain.
The male lead:
When it starts out he reminds me a lot of a typical second male lead. He’s very sweet, kind, and charming. I like how, as the drama progresses, the male lead draws us in by slowly revealing everything his character has had to endure and why he’s so grateful for the little things in life. And as his character grows and matures into a much more confident and forceful person, you can’t help being touched.
The female lead:
The female leads portrayal of a cold and arrogant CEO is spot on. But when she gradually shows glimpses of the soft heart she hides beneath that tough cold exterior, that’s when you really start to understand and connect with her character. You can’t help but feel for her as she slowly reveals how tortured she is over her past. I liked how well she portrayed her characters immense growth and maturity too.
Cinematography and set design:
There was no weird camera angles or choppy editing. It flowed smoothly and seamlessly. I was never confused about what was happening. The set design was really nice and for once I have no complaints about the wardrobe (Chinese dramas tend to put really baggy or weird clothes on the female leads in modern romcoms). The music was perfect for each occasion never taking away from the scenes or getting too loud and drowning out the actors voices.
Storyline:
Taking the typical drama plot and reversing it by having a cold rich female CEO chase after the male lead was a refreshing take on an old cliche. The comedy was perfectly timed and the characters were entertaining. But after a while you get tired of seeing the female lead continually chasing after the male lead only to get coldly rejected every time. I started to feel embarrassed for her. And the silly goofy over the top antics her “frenemy” resorted to when pursuing the male lead was not only annoying but it didn’t sit well with me since he was married. These things go on for almost 16 straight episodes which was just too long. It was cute and funny in the beginning but after a while it became repetitive and predictable. I found myself hoping for something different or more interesting to happen. Fortunately the chasing ends and the annoying “frenemy” has lots of character growth and I even started liking her. Then they even put in some intriguing plot twists midway through the drama, breathing fresh life into it. But one of the plot twists didn’t make sense and hurt rather than helped the drama. It’s never a good idea when a drama makes the audience angry at one of the leads for doing something stupid and hurtful. There’s lots of ways of making a drama more interesting without making one of the main leads hurt the other one even if it’s with noble intentions. Nothing irritates me more than noble idiocy. It’s one drama trope that’s been way over used lately. If they hadn’t dragged things out for so long in the beginning and if they hadn’t made a main character do the noble idiocy thing, it would have been a perfect drama.
For those watching it with English subs:
There aren’t a lot of good English subs out there for this drama. The best I could find were on Daily Motion by Carmon Eng Sub, but be forewarned that they aren’t perfect. The subs would be pretty good for a while then there would be short periods where the conjugation and sentence structure would be way off. During these periods the basic thoughts are there but you have to reconstruct the sentences in your head for it to make sense, which got tiresome. The depth of emotion and deeper essence of what’s being conveyed is missing during these periods. I’m still not 100% sure what exactly happened with some of the business aspects of the drama because of this. These subs are much better than the google translate subs, they're the best out there for this drama, and they’re definitely worth watching. And I really do appreciate this nice subbers hard work. But just be prepared for brief periods where the subs aren’t conjugated properly requiring you to pause everything so you can figure it out.
Overall thoughts:
Does this drama have flaws? Yes. Was I irritated at times? Yes. But I have to say that the main leads chemistry and romance really stood out in this drama. They have great kissing scenes, lots of hugs, piggyback rides, cuddles, etc. And the secondary couple are pretty cute too. There are a lot of lovable characters in this drama that you will root for. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty darn sweet and memorable.
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This review may contain spoilers
You’ll love it and hate it. But it’s worth the watch.
I’ve watched hundreds of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Thai dramas but I’ve never seen one with such diverse reviews. One reviewer tears it apart while another raves about how great it is. So I didn’t really know what to expect when I watched it. But I can honestly say I understand both the love and hate for this drama. You really get pulled in both directions. I’ll try to explain my thoughts on why I think this happened. There’s slight spoilers but no names are given and most situations are alluded to so that you kind of know where it’s going but not who, how , or when. So it doesn’t really spoil too much.Why some hated it:
Throughout the drama it’s repeated numerous times that one of the main leads will sacrifice themselves to save the other one. So everyone expected an ending like Goblin, Gu Family Book, or A Korean Odyssey. And let’s be honest, this type of drama usually ends with an open or sad ending. So when the drama took an unexpected turn and let the main leads have their happy ending but killed someone else off (that was quite popular), a lot of people were understandably upset. And I honestly felt their pain. Not only was a popular character killed off but the ending for the main leads seemed too good to be true for a lot of those drama lovers that like sad (or open) but realistic endings. That paired along with some inconsistencies in the plot was upsetting for many viewers.
Why Some Loved it:
There is a sacrifice but it’s not who you would expect it to be. But I have to say, having a villainous type of character have a change of heart to the point of sacrificing themselves for someone else shows tremendous character growth and it really touched my heart. I was sad, then happy, then angry, then very touched all in the span of a few minutes. This unexpected twist along with a happy ending for the main leads sent us all on a very emotional journey. Some loved it, some hated it, and some were just very touched and enjoyed the ride (like me). Even though there were some unexplained situations with the plot leaving some confused, the character growth in this drama along with some great acting saved this drama and made it worth watching in my opinion.
Story:
He’s a nine tailed fox and powerful mountain god that has become quite jaded with the world. His first love was a human that sacrificed herself to save him. Since foxes mate for life he’s tormented by her death and pays a high price to have her reincarnated. After 600 years she is reincarnated but does not remember him. Instead, she is obsessed with finding out what happened to her parents on the night they disappeared. But this isn’t just about their love story. It’s much more than that. This is about the battle between evil and good. It’s about how much we are willing to sacrifice to protect innocent people from an evil threat. It’s about breaking the rules to do the right thing. And it’s about how family has each other’s backs. I like that this drama had a little bit of everything. There was horror, comedy, romance, fantasy, mystery, and suspense.
Cinematography:
The fight scenes were well executed. And when the male lead leaps off of a rooftop to save the female lead, it was well done and very realistic. They put a lot into the production of this drama and it shows. From the costumes, to the scenery, to the action scenes, it was all top notch.
Acting:
This is 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 someone is a little over the top and over does it, but not this drama. Everyone did a great job, especially the main characters. Lee Dong Wook somehow pulled off being powerful and godlike one moment then a sweet ice cream loving puppy the next moment so well. I loved the complexity of his character. Jo Bo Ah had me rooting for her sassy, courageous, and super clever character too.
Overall thoughts:
The acting is great, the romance is decent, there’s lots of character growth with some really great side characters and it was really touching. But my main complaint is that while it starts out with some really riveting episodes in the beginning, it soon starts to falter. By episode four I found myself getting irritated at being repeatedly teased with snippets of the past but not being given enough information to know what’s going on. Several episodes seemed to consist mostly of hints at hidden identities and past secrets with lots of mysterious new characters being introduced. It got repetitive and confusing. Fortunately, by episode 8 everything comes together and the action picks up considerably. Also, in two different scenes where the female lead is standing in pouring rain, her hair stays perfectly dry. I was disappointed at their lack of attention to detail in some scenes like this. And there were some minor inconsistencies with the plot. But if you can get through those few episodes and you’re okay with the unexpected happily ever after fairytale ending, then you’ll like it. It’s not the best drama I’ve ever seen but it’s not a bad one either. But it touched me and I’m glad I watched it.
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Silly name, seriously great drama
Don’t let the title fool you, this is not a silly fantasy drama. It’s a great slice of life romcom with a good storyline and great characters. It follows the lives of a top notch college swim team and their trials. The hidden past of the male lead and who drugged his drink and got him banned from swimming four years ago is what the story is centered around. And when a comatose patient wakes up after four years, things get dicey.There’s a lot of cliche drama tropes here like amnesia, a hidden past, tripping right into the male leads arms several times, and staring longingly at one another for several minutes numerous times. But despite these typical drama scenes I was drawn in by the chemistry of the lead couple and the colorful side characters. The swim team members were hilarious. I loved how they always had each other’s backs. And the male leads mom was absolutely adorable. Her crazy antics trying to get her son to date the female lead (not knowing he already liked her) were too cute and I loved her bubbly personality.
This drama has a lot of heartwarming moments between the characters that are so endearing. I also like how there was so much maturity and character growth throughout the show. The underlying message of fighting for your dreams and never giving up no matter how bad things get resonated with me.
And getting to watch all of the really hot actors walk around in their swim trunks flashing us their abs all the time made this an easy and pleasant watch. Every single swim team member had amazing abs. I also like that even though there’s angst and sadness, nothing is overdone or lasts too long.
If you like cute romcoms that are low on angst, high on romance, with lots of sweet touching moments and some nice side couples then this is for you.
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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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