Will make your heart flutter and your brain turn to mush

THIS DRAMA. I am blown away. First off, I am an avid reader and absolutely love that this is set in a publishing company with authors and editors thrown into our character pool. Chu Li is the most determined, strong willed, main female lead ever. She is someone that just spews girl boss energy.

The chemistry between the two main leads is off the chart!!! All the mini story arcs and how they dealt with them/interacted...I am blown away.

Would watch this drama again and again. If I could erase it all from memory and rewatch it, I would sell my soul to do it.

WATCH THIS.

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TR;DR: If you get annoyed but ridiculousness that only happens in tv shows and not irl, don't watch. However, if you can overlook it for some cuteness and squeal happy moments, WATCH IT!

Not gonna lie, there were parts where the logic just made ZERO sense. HOWEVER, overall, it was still really very cute. I enjoyed the three couples that ended up forming, the redemption arcs for one of the side characters, and of course all the really cute scenes.

It felt a bit draggy in the middle, but slowly regained momentum and started being interesting again. Overall, the flashbacks and little reveals throughout kept the plot going. All the side characters added bits of comical relief as well as increased my enjoyment.

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I have put off watching this drama for the longest time, mostly because of how cold Hu Yi Tian's character comes across. I caved because of how shuai Hu Yi Tian is + I wanted something that was light and easy to watch. Overall, it was entertaining and I was able to finish the drama in two days.

Likes:
- Even though I felt that Jiang Chen had zero emotion and was mostly stoic throughout the series, Chen Xiao Xi was really able to be the exact opposite, making the chemistry and overall partnering of the two really work.
- I thought it was quite comical overall and could really resonate with many of their high school antics. Reminded me a lot of the movie Our Times, which I absolutely adored!

Dislikes:
- Time jump that was not really explored enough? I just felt like there wasn't enough substance
- The triangle that was kind of stupid and almost nonexistent because it was so obvious from day one that Cheng Xiao Xi really liked Jiang Chen only (?) but I guess that's the point of the love triangle? I just felt that there was zero chemistry between her and Wu Bo Song!

WATCH BECAUSE HU YI TIAN HAHA (even though tbh his character is sometimes a dumbass MAN who is just stupid and thinks dumbly)

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I had really high hopes for this one after hearing my sister give it rave reviews. And it wasn't horrible! It definitely did not disappoint (that much). However, I am really someone that is very critical of any thriller themed material I consume be it TV show, movie, books etc.

Likes:
- The story was really very solid and the piecing together was exciting. I was intrigued and shocked every time some parts were revealed and bits of the story slowly came together
- The two main leads had great chemistry and I was really glad that no romance transpired between them! The side characters were also so wonderful and you find yourself suspecting them but also rooting for them at the same time :P
- It was not too long and the pace was good. I didn't feel like I was forced to sit through anything or that any parts were draggy.

Dislikes:
- Even though the final reveal made sense and was pretty cool, I was a bit disappointed.
- There were lots of elements and I think there were moments of confusion that weren't explained. I think there were also too many red herrings and this definitely was not going to be a mystery that as an audience you could have pieced together because you aren't given all the clues.

If you like thrilling/mystery themed dramas and want a break from the rom com life, I highly recommend this!

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I regret watching this one because it was a bit too long and also kind of messy. BUT there were also some redeeming qualities overall.

Likes:
- I liked the fantastical elements even though the graphic effects were bad. I enjoyed that there was some mystery to it as well as mayhem. Was it done well? Not super, but it was cool that it was there
- Soundtrack was not too bad, props for creativity on storyline and the mythology as well!

Dislikes:
- The reveal of the villains :( Not worth it as I rooted for them at the beginning
- Main female lead was a bit annoying and at times watching her and listening to her was insufferable, but it got better towards the end when she found her footing.

Watch if you're bored, but tbh can skip. If you want a run down of the story, PM me lol.

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So I don't feel like the marketing of this movie as well as the trailer really does the story justice. I think it misses the mark of what the real message of the movie was about.

Likes:
- the deep exploration into relationships and how people can change and move on while also not really moving on. How hard it can be to let go of people, but also the idea of a person in your life. What really hit home for me was the idea that sometimes as much as you want to be with someone, if it's not healthy for you, you really should let it go.
- the characters had good chemistry, the acting was on point, i definitely cried.
- soundtrack was great! Listened to Ti Mian on repeat after I watched this movie

Dislikes:
- the ending felt unsatisfactory, but at the same time I had to accept it because it made sense

I didn't watch any of the previous movies in this series, so I feel you can definitely watch this as a stand alone.

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I watched this movie in college for a class I was in about food. I think overall it got very good rating and critics mostly due to the way the storyline was weaved together.

Likes:
- The storyline, very well written, a good story that was told through great characters.
- I really enjoyed how multi layered the story was, and how the characters got along with one another. It was a really good look into the intricacies of people's relationships with one another and how it is okay to challenge the status quo while eating really good food because someone in your life can cook!

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This movie was really heart breaking and beautiful. It was such a brutal imagining of an extremely difficult time period in history. The pain and strife that was portrayed on screen was extremely heart wrenching. I cried. and then I cried again. There was just something so beautiful about how all the characters came together in such a difficult time period.

Likes
- the music really fit the ambience of the scenes and added a lot of value to the cinematography
- great actresses and actors. Acted so well. Were true to the context and the emotions were so raw, I could feel for them.
- the white guy made sense. For once.

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I originally had not planned to write a review for this because there are already so many. However, I just wanted to say how much I LOVE LOVE this story and how many times I've seen it (10? 20?) The rewatch value on this one is very high.

Likes:
- the story is so effortless! It flows so well. I think the characters all have such great on screen chemistry and they play their parts so well that even though it's a movie, I really felt that each character really grew into the roles so well.
- I love the different story arcs and the way each of them fit together
- its so cute, yet thought provoking, yet lovable, yet tears inducing, but also laugh out loud funny. This movie has everything!!!!
- THE SOUNDTRACK IS JUST <3

No dislikes. JUST WATCH. and then WATCH AGAIN <3 and then listen to the sound track on repeat multiple times even though you can't really sing the high notes, you try anyways.

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Ok this was not good. Not good at all. I don't think there's enough likes for me to even want to make a list.

Dislikes:
- They changed the entire cast (well most of the cast)! And it just DIDN'T work. Unlike in the Lost Tomb series where they have also changed the cast multiple times, this one just did not work! The characters lost all their chemistry with one another. It was very flat and it felt like they were not portrayed as well. Character growth that happened in the previous two series was not carried forward and everything overall just felt very OFF.

I think don't watch this. Let season 2's ending be the series finale. You'll be a much happier human.

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Ok as everyone has been saying, whatever you do, do not compare this to the original, otherwise you will feel much regrets.

Likes:
- It's just as funny, the characters are just as fun to follow on screen and through their little adventures.
- Even though the entire cast has changed, they all have really great chemistry and watching them grow on screen over the series is really fun
- Costumes are still great!!

So the big dislike and the reason for my extremely LOW 6.5 rating is really because of the PRESENCE OF THE WHITE MAN that I feel had no reason being in the show and was written in for NO REASON at all. I feel like it was unnecessary and he was annoying and why did he speak such good Chinese and IDK I just could not get over the ridiculousness of it all. the end.

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These series and the characters are one of my favorites. I grew up watching this series and it was really what got me interested in Chinese dramas, history, and culture.

Likes:
- One of my all time favorite things about this drama was the friendship/sisterhood of the two main female leads. Their loyalty to one another, their love for each other, their willingness to die for each other. THIS is what female empowerment and support looks like! So excited that I got to watch this growing up and had it role modeled to me as a kid.
- The story is HILARIOUS, featuring very humorous characters!
- Enjoy the costumes A LOT. I used to want to own my very own hat thing because I thought they were just so beautiful. And the shoes are kind of ridiculous but I definitely wanted my own pair when I was a kid!

WATCHHHH! A bit dated now, but honestly, worth it

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I love love love this series and all the characters. This drama was one of the first Chinese dramas I have ever watched. I was probably 3/4 years of age when I watched this series for the first time. I definitely prefer this season over season one.

Likes
- There were more plot arcs in this season featuring cool characters and lots of growth and development
- I think the mean characters (aka the empress) really stepped up her game and brought a lot of drama to this season.
- I also really liked the grandma and her sidekick (who was really nice! and I just wanted her to have a happy ending of her own)
- As always the sound track is amazing and I will forever listen to the songs.
- Our main character is so inspiring. She doesn't let anyone or anything hold her back from what she is trying to achieve. She's also hilarious and many of the laugh points come from Vicki's great acting chops!

Dislikes:
- Honestly, none!

Highly recommend this one if you want a palace drama with amazing costumes and hilarious story. It's definitely very old though, so I wouldn't watch it if you're used to modern palace dramas.

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This drama was okay for me. I enjoyed the elements of law, suspense, and the way the story was crafted. I have not seen the original K-drama story, but I've heard this remake doesn't do the original justice.

Liked:
- The sinister plot and suspense was really good as were the different cases that were weaved into the story.
- I think this drama really did some justice to strong female friendships
- There was an interesting almost flashback type element that was used where the main characters could talk to other main characters but when they were younger. I thought this was a really interesting story device.

Disliked:
- A bit long, I don't think it needed to be 32 episodes
- Romantic elements were lacking, but then the story also wasn't as suspenseful as I hoped it would be
- I think that Zhang Xiao Yang's character wasn't developed enough

Watch if you want. But tbh can skip/watch the Korean version instead!

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