Watch it for ML (Chen Zhe Yuan). Light-hearted, goofy, a bit of beauty and the beast vibes.

The plot is Chen Zhe Yuan. Not really but he is phenomenal in this role and the drama is worth the watch for him. If you want to see the most loving, patient, protective, kind, loyal and unconditional loving ML, this drama is for you.

PLOT:
Most of the plot is how the ML tries to win over the FL so he can receive her true love kiss and get his pearl back meanwhile the FL keeps making elaborate schemes and crazy plans to escape from him. The backstory is that ML is the King of a hidden place called the Beast City. Every character in that clan has animal characteristics. ML is searching for the Holy Pearl which will help him regain his powers and continue to protect his clan. While escaping his enemies with the newly obtained Holy Pearl he opens a portal to the FL’s world. He accidentally clashes into FL and she absorbs his Holy Pearl. 5 years later, he finds the FL and kidnaps her. And this is where the first episode really starts.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
- ML is playing two roles. A day (handsome version) of Li Xiong that pretends to be a palace guard and protects the FL and a night (beast version) of Kui Mulang that is the King and FL’s kidnapper. His day version is his real look but his night version is his real identity. His character is loyal, endearing and protective. He is a wolf and only loves one person in his life. For the majority of the episodes the FL believes there are two different people. She first falls for his day version and towards the end of the drama for his night version.
- FL is a Princess from a mortal kingdom. Smart and well-spoken, her background also makes her a quirky character. The prequel tells us that her mother was a man that was transported from the modern times to historical. His soul (as a man) went into her mother’s female body, fell in love with a man and had the FL. So FL has a modern outlook on life, speaks english and uses modern terminology. She definitely brings in the comedy aspect in the drama.


POSITIVE:
- Chen Zhe Yuan - honestly, he is the highlight of the drama, his character is so endearing and loving. I’m repeating myself but he is worth the watch.
- Acting is 10/10 for everyone and especially ML as he fantastically plays two different characters and I’m guilty for falling in love with his beast look more.
- Goofy and very light-hearted drama, it doesn't take itself too seriously and I like that. The humour is done well.
- A bit of beauty and the beast retelling vibes which I love.
- Romance is slow burn, playful and cute.
- 4 side couples (which is the most I’ve ever seen in a cdrama) but they are all really cute and don’t take too much screen time.
- The drama has a happy ending for the main leads and a nice conclusion to the story (almost the whole final episode is the epilogue of them being together).

NEGATIVE:
- FL’s plans to escape are hilarious and the highlight of the drama however there is not much plot beyond that. Her trying to escape takes more than half of the drama which makes it a little draggy.
- The reveal of ML being the same person happens towards the end of the drama so I feel the leads don’t get enough opportunities to spend time together as their true selves. I loved his beast look more and I wished FL had more romantic moments with him.
- Villains are very weak and they add nothing to the story. However their screen time is also very short so they don’t really annoy you.

OVERALL:
Watch it if you want to see more of Chen Zhe Yuan as he is a heart candy and if you need a drama to lift up your spirits after a long and stressful day as it will definitely make you laugh and keep you entertained.

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A hero’s journey through personal growth, love and friendship

Don’t let the first episodes fool you into believing that this is a childish drama. Yes, the drama starts off as goofy and light-hearted but from episode 13 the tone completely changes to serious and mature and it stays that way until the end. The drama is about the male lead who has lived in isolation all his life until he meets the female lead. Together, with their two newfound friends, they go on a journey to find the truth about the male lead’s parents and the mystical sword left to him by his father.

This drama is based on a video game of the same name thus the atmosphere and script feel quite different from the usual wuxia cdramas (in fact I believe it’s xuanhuan genre). All Sword and Fairy dramas are stand alone, they take place in the same world but have different stories.

PLOT:
This is a plot driven drama with some romance on the side. The first 6 episodes are extremely goofy and lighthearted. Until episode 12 the story is at the setting stage, we discover about the world, get introduced to the four main leads and see their adventure side quests with other side characters.

Episode 13 is when the main story begins. The tone is changed from lighthearted to more serious and mature. The main conflict is addressed and we begin to learn the truth of what has happened 19 years ago (which all characters are involved with). The good guys meet the bad guys and the angst begins. Here the drama does a fantastic job showing the characters growth and the many wise life lessons they learn.

MAIN LEADS + ACTING:
The male lead appears dumb at the start but is actually uneducated as he has spent all his life in isolation. Despite that he adapts very quickly and shows us the wisdom he has learned from his father. He is kind-hearted, brave and protective. He has tremendous character growth throughout the drama. The actor Chen Zhe Yuan showed brilliant performance as always. He is the reason I started to watch this and his on screen presence did not disappoint me. The actor has such expressive eyes that all his emotional scenes HIT ME HARD.

The female lead is confident, outspoken, perceptively and brave without being annoying. She appears tough on the outside but is actually soft-hearted. She is quite unique from the typical female leads that I’ve watched. She has fantastic character growth from being morally conflicted and somewhat selfish to becoming the most supportive friend who is the glue of the friendship group. The actress Ju Jing Yi shines brightly like a diamond in this role, her on screen presence is fantastic and her acting radiant.

The second male and female lead are both more reserved and their stories are directly connected to the main leads. The male lead is called an Ice Cube. Despite his cold nature, he has the warmest heart. The actor is fantastic in his performance with micro-expressions and has a strong on screen presence. The female lead is kind but firm.

POSITIVE:
- A fantastic execution of a hero’s journey - from zero to hero.
- Engaging main plot. From episode 13 the plot was executed fantastically and I didn’t find a single episode boring or having the urge to skip parts.
- Villains are usually boring and evil for the purpose of being evil but in this drama the characters were well developed and a delight to watch. Everyone in this drama has a strong purpose and legitimate reason for what they were doing.
- Chen Zhe Yuan and Ju Jing Yi shone bright on screen with their brilliant acting and fabulous character’s growth. Both actors really stood out to me and pulled me into the story. Their performance was wonderful to watch.
- Pacing of the drama was perfect. The mystery and plot was built very well. With each episode the stakes were higher and higher and I could feel the angst towards the approaching end. Until the finale episode, I couldn’t guess what would happen.
- Cute romantic moments.
- Nice visual fight scenes especially towards the end of the drama.
- Great chemistry between the main leads. I was rooting for them from the start. I loved their banter and bickering.
- Many morally grey characters (including the female lead at the start) which I loved to see.
- Fantastic character growth for all important characters.
- Wise life lessons shown.
- Epic adventure vibes.

NEGATIVE:
- The first 12 episodes gave a wrong impression of the drama and were not particularly strong which is a shame as it made a lot of people drop this. There were side stories of side characters that I found boring. The main leads would help side characters and receive a small amount of information which meant it wasn’t a filler but at the same time the actual stories didn’t add any value to the plot. However the guest appearance of these side characters were done by actors that I knew and their acting was really good.
- At the start of the drama there was focus on the romance which made me believe that it would be a huge part of the drama but it wasn’t. In most episodes the romance was completely gone and the plot took the driver’s seat. The hopeless romantic in me needed more romance.
- One sided love stories that I wish weren’t there at all. Not really love triangles but both the second male and female lead fell for the main leads. They didn’t interfere in their relationship and were very respectful so I’ll give them that but I felt it kind of ruined the friendship aspect of the drama. Whenever the main leads would have a romantic moment, the director would always zoom in on the second male and female lead’s unhappy faces which didn’t sit right with me. I wish the focus was more on developing their friendship with each other rather than them falling in love with each other.
- I didn’t like the second female lead most of the time. Her character’s reserved personality was quite boring for me and I found her acting wooden at times especially compared to the rest of the cast. However she did improve towards the end of the drama. Despite what I said, many people loved her character so this is just a personal preference.
- Second male lead stole all romantic moments with the female lead. I honestly didn’t understand why the writers did it this way. But the female lead had so many emotional bonding scenes with the second male lead that were very impactful compared to her scenes with the male lead. I wish the writers focused on writing platonic friendships between them.

OVERALL:
If you are looking for a well executed plot driven drama about a hero’s journey through many trials and emotional growths with morally grey villans + you love Chen Zhe Yuan, give this drama a chance.

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Sweet xianxia with seven beautiful interconnected lives

The drama tells the love story between the God of War and a Fairy and their seven lives together. Due to accidentally entangling each other with a love thread, the main leads are tasked to go through seven love tribulations together in order to repair the male lead's primordial spirit. But with each passing tribulation, secrets of the past begin to surface and a long forgotten truth is finally revealed.

POSITIVE:
- The story has tons and I mean TONS of parallels in between all lives and tribulations that the main leads experience. Everything is woven together to perfection. All the characters have meaningful roles in each tribulation, all little details like a simple hairpin are connected through all tribulations and this is very, very difficult to do so I'm absolutely blown away how it was all put together. And there are NO plot holes.
- I was sceptical at first as seven lives seemed like it might get repetitive and boring but there are not the typical 3 lives xianxia style. All lives are connected but at the same time move the plot forward in a very clever way. Each life is very different, with different settings and length of episodes. Some of the lives only FL remembers her present self, others only ML, and we also have lives where they both remember so it gives a unique experience in each one.
- I absolutely loved, loved, loved ML performance in the drama. He really brought all of his characters to life, when he was happy, I was happy, when he was in pain, I was in pain, when he was crying, I was crying. Even when I felt the script was lacking in certain scenes his brilliant performance really moved me and made up for it. I've only seen his other drama with Lusi and I have to say he has now become one of my favourite actors.
- Beautiful costumes and settings (they are done by the same production team as LBFAD).
- Secondary couple has an interesting plot twist so it's quite unique to watch.
- Happy ending for everyone (well except the bad guys lol).

NEGATIVE:
- Doesn't have that addictive factor where you totally obsess over the drama. Like there was something missing, perhaps the lack of emotional impact I was looking for.
- FL acting is very lacking. I rarely discuss acting but unfortunately this one was very obviously bad in comparison to the brilliant job that the ML actor did. I felt the FL actress was specifically bad in delivering scenes where she was supposed to be scared, distressed and in extreme pain. She was making all the facial expressions, I could see the tears but somehow there was no real emotion behind it especially compared to the ML.
- It has a slow start and the 2nd tribulation (the first human one) is the longest one so it feels very dragged out.
- The ending is quite.. well boring. Lots of unnecessary talks and excessive weird effects (almost like they ran out of budget). Without spoiling it, I feel there is a very interesting plot line relating to the tribulations that's very unique and would have made an epic final however it was brushed off and instead we were given a very typical xianxia ending.
- SML has a very typical "I'm obsessively in love with the FL" syndrome at the beginning but he gets very much redeemed in my eyes. He does get a lot of screen time and very much feels like a main character so that might be positive or negative depending how much you like his character. In general the actor did a great job and I didn't mind his scenes however in certain episodes he got more screen time than the male lead which I didn't like.
- Editing feels choppy and weird at times.
- Effects and CGI in the last episodes are a bit weird.

OVERALL:
The drama is a sweet xianxia with beautiful interconnecting themes and parallels, lots of interesting characters and some character's growth. The main focus is the love story between the leads so it's a nice comfort drama to watch. Great rewatch value because of the mystery and all parallels.

GUIDE:
Read my short episodes guide (with minor spoilers) about the 7 tribulations:
https://mydramalist.com/discussions/the-seventh-generation/110999-all-tribulation-lives-brief-info-with-minor-spoilers

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Your Inner Beauty Speaks to Me

Face swap. Murder investigations. Blossoming romance. Gothic cinematography. These are the four ingredients that create this stunning drama. The story is about the female lead who has a scar on her face. On her wedding day, a beautiful and obsessed woman swaps her face with the female lead, in order to marry her husband (the male lead). But ends up being killed the same day. With a new face and body, the female lead begins to investigate her death in the sinful city, alongside her husband who doesn’t know her true identity.

It’s important to mention that the first two episodes are unusual as they give all the screen time to the guest actress who portrays the original body of the female lead (scar face). This is a great exposition in establishing the relationship between the main leads and enhancing their love story. However, the drawback is that when the main actress shows up at episode three, it feels a little off and it takes a few episodes to get used to seeing the same character portrayed by someone else. (I discuss more about this below).

The biggest highlight for me is the wonderful writing of the male lead who truly makes us all believe that he falls in love with the female lead’s personality and that no matter what face or body she possesses, he will always choose her and love her unconditionally. I loved seeing their blossoming romance, which was kind of slow burn but more like steadily built up in a realistic and mature way.

What truly surprised me in this drama is the intricate murder investigation cases which felt real, raw and well developed. They had the right amount of mystery and cool twists to keep the audience engaged. They never felt like filler scenes as they always connected to the main conflict of the plot. The fact is that I absolutely loved the cases despite being someone who rarely watches investigation dramas or even likes them.

MAIN CHARACTERS/ACTORS:
- Pan Yue (male lead) is written to perfection. You cannot not fall in love with him. He puts personality above looks. He is a great fighter, great poet and probably great lover (hello kiss scenes). The actor Liu Xue Yi has such a strong on-screen presence, he is smoking hot and totally underrated. His character felt well developed especially in showing how he falls in love with the female lead. Perhaps his only flaw is that he might be too perfect but I ain’t complaining.
- Yang Cai Wei / Shangguan Zhi (female lead) is shown as strong-willed, brave, intelligent with a unique forensic skill. My only issue with the way the character is written is the slight inconsistency of her personality after her face is swapped (I’ll discuss in more detail the negative points below). The main actress Ju Jing Yi was fantastic in her role and especially her acting impressed me massively when she portrayed the villain in the first two episodes. I feel she did really well in playing two distinctly different characters and I was easily convinced of the face swap.

POSITIVE:
- Blossoming romance that’s built well and steadily (like a mature and realistic relationship).
- Devilishly handsome male lead with strong on-screen presence.
- Dark and mysterious murder cases that are well written and show the brutality of humanity.
- Male lead falls in love with the female lead’s personality, not her physical looks.
- Smart female lead with unique forensic skills.
- Hot shirtless scenes (yes I said it).
- Hot kiss scene (one but worth the watch).
- Perfect balance between the romance story and the investigation plot. I never felt one overpowered the other.
- Gothic and sexy cinematography.
- Liu Xue Yi (male lead) brilliant acting in every possible way. The way he speaks, the way he moves, the way he walks. He is simply captivating to watch.
- Ju Jing Yi (female lead) portrays two characters beautifully. Her villainous role, although short, is a total scene stealer.
- Engaging and well executed plot.
- Beautiful OST.
- Great support cast and guest actors that stand out with their acting.
- Nice push and pull dynamic between the leads (at the start).

NEGATIVE:
!!! No drama is without flaws and although there are negative points here, none of them took away from my enjoyment. The main issue I had was how the face swap was handled at the beginning of the drama.

- The drama gives all the screen time in the first two episodes to the guest actress (who portrays the original female lead) which creates an awkward emotional bond with the audience when she is suddenly replaced by the main lead at episode three (after the face swap). In terms of the love story, this is great as it emphasised the male lead’s love for the female lead and clearly showed the audience that he did not fall in love with her because she suddenly had a nice face and body. However I feel the actual female lead JJY suffered since the audience had to get used to seeing the same character as her. What would have made it better is, if they had started the drama with JJY (as the villain) and given her more screen time to establish her as the main lead.
- The actual face swap remained a mystery in the whole drama. It was never explained how it was done. In fact it felt very unrealistic that the characters kept referring to it as a face swap when it is very clear that the two actresses have different body types, weight and skin tone. I feel it would have been better if they had chosen an actress similar to JJY or just called it a body/soul swap.
- Personality switch. The original YCW (main character) is shown as mature, calm and level-headed but after the face swap she oddly becomes extremely carefree as SZ. We are told that the character is trying to pretend to be SZ but even when she is alone, we don’t really see her as the original YCW from the first two episodes. Having said that, in the later episodes and especially when her identity is revealed, her personality does appear very similar to the original YCW. So I do blame the writers for this inconsistency. I believe the reason they made her carefree after the switch was to give us light-hearted scenes (especially with the male lead) which meant they sacrificed logic for cuteness.
- Although the drama wraps up well and resolves the main conflict related to the leads, it still leaves it open for a second season. But we all know chinese dramas rarely do second seasons so I kind of wish the last 10 seconds of the drama were cut.

OVERALL:
This is the Best 2024 Historical drama for me so far. Even better, it’s the best 2024 drama for Youku so far too. It has gathered millions of views with a 10,000 heat index by day three of its release. In fact, it became such a huge success that Youku upgraded it to S+ treatment (promotion and live events). I’m very much impressed by what the production has done with an A level (low budget) drama.

If you are looking for a drama with blossoming romance, murder investigations, beautiful gothic cinematography with smart and skillful main leads + a male lead who falls for the female lead’s personality not her looks, watch this drama now.

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Hilarious & chaotic love story of two con-artists

This drama is one of the most hilarious and chaotic rom-coms I’ve seen! It’s truly underrated. The drama is a story within a story. The female lead begins to write her novel and the story is her novel (this was only done to pass censorship). The story is about the female lead who has the power to make any rich man fall in love with her as long as he gazes into her eyes. She is a con-artist, and a good one, until she meets her match, the male lead. He is also a con-artist, a fake rich man. As they try to one up each other (think cat and mouse game) and untangle the mysteries of their past, they end up falling in love.

The drama blends seamlessly the comedy, romance and very light thriller vibes. The chemistry between the leads is fire and their supportive friends/partners in crime are the most endearing! There is no stupid love triangle, no annoying characters, no boring work stuff, no filler scenes. Only tons of romance, cuteness and laughter.

POSITIVE:
- Hot chemistry between the leads.
- Tons of cute romantic scenes.
- Sweet kiss scenes.
- Top notch comedy. Seriously, this is one of the most hilarious modern cdramas I’ve watched!
- Great support cast. A perfect blend of friendship/partners in crime/cute side couples.
- Main leads who are always shamelessly trying to one up each other in the best way possible.
- No love triangles.
- No annoying characters.
- No boring work stuff/ filler scenes.
- Fast paced (never a dull moment).
- Fun bickering scenes balanced with heartwarming moments.
- Tragic past for both main leads which adds more depth to their characters.
- One of the most satisfying and well wrapped up endings!

NEGATIVE:
- There are some scenes where logic has left the room. However, that's what makes this drama so hilarious. The writers are aware of that and they shamelessly say “this drama is ridiculous and crazy, and that’s the point”. Basically, this negative point did not take away from my enjoyment at all!

OVERALL:
If you want a highly entertaining, hilarious and silly rom-com with hot chemistry between the leads and strong friendship bonds, watch this drama!

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Best 2023 feel good drama. Sweet & innocent romance with singing, travel, food and friendship.

It’s rare to find a drama like this. This drama is perfect if you are struggling with stress and difficulties in life and need something to warm your heart and put a big smile on your face at the end of your day. Every single episode contains an overflow of sugary romance with zero toxicity, no conflicts, no misunderstandings, no stupid love triangles, no angst, no break ups. The romance is so good you will definitely feel like a third wheel while watching.

The drama is about the daily lives of the main leads and their friends and work colleagues. There is no unnecessary drama or side stories that you don’t care about. Male lead is a doctor (but we don’t see much of his job), and a voice actor (which is the main focus of his character), he is also an amazing cook (which he shows us often with amazing recipes) and total green flag boyfriend. Female lead is a university student who composes music in her spare time. They fall in love with each other's voices and personality first instead of their physical looks.

POSITIVE:
- Every episode makes you smile like a teenager in love for the first time.
- Sizzling chemistry between the leads. Their eye contact is enough to ship them instantly.
- Stage performances with singing and acting that are absolutely phenomenal and feel like you are watching a live concert.
- Fantastic travel episodes that feel like an awesome variety show/video blog.
- Many cooking scenes with delicious food.
- Every episode you are immersed in the story, like you are living with the characters and are part of their fun daily lives.
- Teasing, hilarious and supportive group of friends with very natural and organic interactions.
- Unique pairing: introverted male lead with a shy female lead.
- Fluffy romance that is all about innocence and first love.
- Story is about the main leads. There are no unnecessary side plots about side characters that ain’t nobody cares about.
- No stupid drama, no misunderstandings, no breakups, no annoying characters that try to break apart the main leads.
- Second couple is just as adorable and the second male lead and brings in all the comedy.
- Main leads fall in love with each other’s voices first rather than physical appearance.
- 100% green flag male and female lead.

NEGATIVE:
- Diabetes alert. The drama is so sweet you might get a sugar overload.
- Hungry alert. The characters are always cooking or eating food so you must bring snacks in order to survive watching.
P.S. The two points above are obviously jokes. I couldn’t find a single negative thing about this drama!

OST:
The music in this drama deserves special attention as it’s one of the most heartwarming and beautiful I’ve ever heard.

OVERALL:
If you want to see an innocent, fluffy romance and healthy relationships with travel, music, food and adorable friendship groups AND If you need a drama to make you smile and warm your heart after a stressful day, WATCH THIS DRAMA.

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Best 2023 Modern Drama. Realistic, non-cliche story, slow burn romance & fantastic cinematography

This drama tells the story of a female lead who is a spoiled princess until her father dies and she loses everything, and a male lead who is a ruthless investor but despite all odds, decides to help her revive her father’s old shoe company. The drama shows the realistic side of life and starting a business, with morally grey and flawed characters who make mistakes but learn from them. Both male and female leads go through a major character development, from a spoiled princess the female lead becomes a hard-working business woman and from a ruthless investor the male lead opens up emotionally and becomes more caring and loving towards others, realising that money and making the most profitable deals is not the most important thing in life.

The drama executed fantastically many important life lessons such as never giving up, no matter how much challenges life throws at you, that money is not everything, about selfless love and sticking to your morals and promises no matter what.

POSITIVE:
- Realistic drama about the struggles of life and starting a new business
- Morally grey characters that feel like real human beings (make mistakes and are not perfect).
- Non-cliche/predictable storylines.
- Hot chemistry between the main leads.
- Platonic relationships between men and women are done well (which is very rare to see in cdramas).
- Breathtaking cinematography - the aesthetics from colours to buildings and people’s wardrobe is on point.
- Exceptionally well done directing - when characters are experiencing internal struggles, it's visually represented very well.
- Stella cast with brilliant acting (especially the female lead).
- Slow burn romance.
- Cute dog scenes.
- Great pacing, engaging plot, no filler episodes or boring parts.
- Business talks are part of the plot and meaningful compared to other dramas that feel more like filler scenes.
- Male and female lead that are both strong willed and determined.
- Happy ending for both couples.

NEGATIVE:
- The first 8-10 episodes of the drama are quite heavy on business talks. If you don’t know anything about business you might find it hard to follow. But the talks are done really well and easy to digest. I especially learned a lot from this drama so it's not a hard negative but personal preference.

OVERALL:
This is one of the best modern cdramas that I’ve watched with fantastic cast, meaningful storyline and beautiful cinematography and OST. If you want to watch a realistic drama that feels like a biography, with an engaging and non-cliche/predictable story about reviving a business and a slow burn romance with characters that are human and real, this drama is for you.

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A beautiful story about a woman’s growth journey of love and life

This drama tells the story of a villainous type female lead who, due to her love obsession, ends up causing the death of her family. Before her seemingly final breath of life, she loses consciousness, only to suddenly wake up two years prior to all events that had happened. Convinced she is living a second life, she decides to do everything in her power to fix her mistakes and change her family’s fate.

The drama is not a love story but about the female lead’s growth journey as she learns valuable lessons about life and love. A strong message about unconditional love is shown in this drama as well as how every person could be good or bad, depending on the perspective. There are three love interests. No kiss scenes however the intense, fire chemistry between the main leads makes up for it.

POSITIVE:
- All characters are morally grey. No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes and learns their lessons.
- Well written perspective for each character. At every moment the viewer clearly understands everyone’s motives (good or bad) which makes the drama very human and realistic.
- No predictable, draggy parts or cliche plot lines.
- No love triangles. Even though there are three love interests there is no typical love rivery and cliche jealousy shown.
- Conflicts are resolved quickly. Mystery aspects are done well and the audience learns everything alongside the female lead.
- All characters are well-developed and fleshed out, nobody does stupid things without a reason.
- Fantastic execution of seeing the flashbacks of the female lead’s first life that are parallel to the second life. We clearly get to see how she is acting differently and changing things in the second life.
- Beautiful message about unconditional love at the end of the drama.

NEGATIVE:
- I would have loved it if there were more romantic scenes between the male and female lead.
- Second male lead (who is the husband) does get quite a lot of screen time at the start compared to the male lead which can annoy some people.

LOVE INTERESTS:
- Male lead - a Lord, who secretly loves the female lead.
- Second male lead - female lead’s husband and the man she is obsessed with at the start of the drama.
- Third male lead - an orphan who the female lead helps and later becomes her loyal guard.

OVERALL:
If you are looking for a mature, slow paced, historical drama about a woman’s growth journey related to love, with morally grey characters (no one is just good or bad) and beautiful messages about all types of love (unconditional love, selfless love and self-love), this drama is for you.

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Best 2023 Historical Drama. Brilliant palace politics with dark romance

This drama tells the story of a female lead who goes back in time 2 years prior to her death to change her fate. In her first life, she is a selfish and manipulative woman who uses all means necessary to achieve her goal of becoming an Empress. In her second life, she realises the many mistakes she has made and tries everything in her power to change her fate and right her wrongs.

Note, the main focus of this story is the palace politics (female lead’s redemption and male lead’s revenge). The romance is a secondary focus but definitely worth it especially in the last 8 episodes. It’s reverse harem so there are three love interests. The female lead loves them for different reasons but only one is her perfect match/true love.

POSITIVE:
- Reverse harem romance is done right! We don't see the female lead jumping from one man to another or loving them at the same time. Each love interest has his own time to shine. We are first introduced to her childhood friend that loves her, then the second man who she admires for his righteousness and goodness, and then the third man who represents the perfect enemies to lovers trope.
- No love triangles or stupid misunderstandings/miscommunications.
- Dark romance with VERY hot kiss scenes.
- Main lead chemistry is hot, hot, hot. Did I say hot!
- Brilliant palace politics talks.
- Morally grey female and male lead that are both smart, cunning and wicked in their own ways.
- Male lead who achieves his goals through his intelligence rather than muscles. It’s rare in costume dramas to see a male lead who destroys his enemies with badass strategies without lifting a weapon.
- The most satisfying happy ending. The story wrapped up well and everyone gets what they deserve.
- Top-notch performance from all the cast and especially the main leads Bai Lu and Zhang Ling He.
- Slow burn romance for the main couple that is totally worth it and all the wait pays off!
- No annoying characters, no unnecessary fillers or draggy plot lines.
- Flashbacks and parallels between the first and second life were fantastically woven into the story.
- Great character development for all characters, main and support. Everyone’s motive for what they did and why made sense!

NEGATIVE:
- Cinematography is a let down but it still does not take away my enjoyment! The director really went crazy with the camera lights which irritated many viewers including me. Especially towards the end of the drama where there are many flashbacks, the blinding lights were showing up every 5 minutes which felt very, very excessive. Also, there were weird spinning effects, pink hue filters and unflattering angles as well as random “wind” blowing the actor’s hair even when they were indoors.
- As a hopeless romantic I would have loved to see more romance between main leads (or at least in earlier episodes) as their chemistry was off the charts however with how the story is set up, it makes sense why it was a very slow burn.

OVERALL:
For me this is THE BEST historical cdrama I’ve ever watched. The political plot is executed brilliantly, the dark romance is chef’s kiss and most importantly the drama portrays beautifully the female’s lead story of redemption and the male lead’s story of revenge. You will miss out a lot if you don’t give this a chance!

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Silly rom-com with bickering main leads & slow burn romance

The main leads Zhou Ye and Lin Yi definitely carried the drama. The script was lacking but their chemistry and strong on-screen presence made up for it. The drama is about the female lead who fakes her personality in order to catch the attention of the male lead. She confesses to him and he rejects her, only for him to find out that she is also the gaming girl he’s had a secret crush on. Their love story includes the gaming world, where they work together to create a new generation of gaming experience.

The start of the drama is not the strongest. The female lead spends the first few episodes chasing the male lead with a fake personality and pretty much becoming a doormat for him. As soon as he rejects her at episode 7, the drama begins to get real good, with now the male lead chasing her and trying to win her back. The main lead’s bickering dynamic is top-notch and the highlight of this drama, as well as the many cute and silly interactions between them.

The drama fell short for me in the final episodes (19-24) that focused on unnecessary work problems instead of seeing the main leads go on romantic dates. The romance is slow burn which I usually love, however I feel the script didn’t allow for the audience to truly experience their dating era as they only became a couple in the last few episodes. Even though the main leads had many cute and romantic interactions between them throughout the drama, when they became a couple we didn’t see them go on an actual date or see any grand romantic gestures.

POSITIVE:
- Silly and light-hearted vibes.
- Top-notch bickering dynamic and fun comedy moments between the main leads.
- Zhou Ye and Lin Yi had natural on-screen chemistry with fantastic acting. They were the star of the drama and carried the whole show.
- Good push and pull dynamic between the leads.
- Cute/romantic scenes.
- No love triangles. The main leads only have eyes for each other. (Note, there are two love rivals that try to get with the female lead).
- No annoying side characters.
- Female lead acting like a delulu girl in the first episodes.
- Male lead chasing her for the longest time in the best way possible.
- Fun gaming scenes that didn’t take too much screen time.
- Work scenes in the first half of the drama provided good character development for the female lead.
- Approving and supportive parents (that’s a huge plus for me).

NEGATIVE:
- First 6 episodes were not strong.
- Ordinary plot. The script doesn’t bring anything new to the table.
- Not enough spark. I felt something was always missing in this drama.
- Dating era didn’t fully deliver. There was a lot of build up and yet the execution was lacking. We don’t see the main leads go on an actual date or have any grand romantic gestures.
- Episodes 19-24 felt underwhelming, the plot was draggy and the romance didn’t fully deliver.

OVERALL:
This is a silly and light-hearted rom-com with cute, bickering main leads. It’s perfect for those who want to watch a fun and entertaining drama after a long day to unwind.

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Fire chemistry with plenty of romantic tension between the leads

This drama is about the fake dating trope. The female lead takes her twin sister's place as an actress after she goes missing. The twin sister has a contractual relationship with the male lead and has to pretend to be his girlfriend/fiancee in the public eye. The two twin sisters are very different. The female lead is strong-willed and independent whereas her sister is told to be sensitive and timid. The male lead has no romantic feelings for her twin sister and only falls in love with the female lead.

POSITIVE:
- The chemistry between the main leads is what makes the drama worth the watch. There is plenty of romantic tension and I-like-you-but-I-pretend-I-don't vibes which I absolutely love.
- Story is mainly about the main leads and their fake dating.
- Comedy is top-notch. 10/10
- Male lead is a sexy, protective CEO and the female lead is a badass, independent geologist (pretending to be an actress). They not only connect physically but share a common interest in geology which creates a more mature dynamic. Both are kind of workaholics and don't have much experience in terms of love.
- I don't usually pay significant attention to the wardrobe but the female lead has one of the most stunning outfits I've ever seen in a drama.
- Not many business/work scenes which is good because let's be real, we only care about the romance.

NEGATIVE:
- Second couple is a bit underwhelming. Second male lead is mature and lovely but the second female lead is childish and immature.
- Last few episodes were a bit dull because they focused on more emotional and mature themes which didn't fit with the lighthearted and fun vibes from the beginning. I believe the story should have stuck with the comedy aspect until the end which would have made it a 10 for me.
- Subtitles are pretty bad at the beginning but you get used to it. The only hard thing to follow were the business explanations but there weren't that many and didn't make a huge impact on the story.

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Murder crimes with slow burn romance. Modern girl falls for the villain of her story.

This drama is about a modern day girl who travels to her novel but has to change the ending of her original story where the villain wins (and in the process totally falls in love with him). At first glance this drama to me looked like a typical light-hearted transmigration novel with not much substance. But I was pleasantly surprised. The main plot of the drama is solving complex murder cases which are all related to the main characters. These cases and the mystery around them truly elevated the plot and kept me engaged until the end. The fact that the female lead was changing her novel story from the inside provided great character development, especially for the male lead. I truly feel like if the drama had a more famous cast, it would have become a hit. Regardless of that, all the actors did a good job.

However, I do have mixed feelings about this drama or rather the ending of it. I loved the plot, characters and how everything was executed until the final episode. I didn’t have any expectations about the ending and yet somehow I felt dissatisfied. In my head I kept thinking “Is that it…?”. The ending made sense which is important but at the same time I wasn’t happy with how the story wrapped up for the characters and couples. I just needed something more and the fact that it kind of has a happy ending but it’s not really happy, doesn't sit well with me.

POSITIVE:
- Male lead is an actual villain. His personality doesn’t drastically change from a bad guy to a total sweetheart. He stays true to his villain personality however his perspective changes. I truly appreciated how he was written and his character development was perfect.
- Engaging crime investigation cases that directly connect to the characters and don’t feel like side stories/fillers.
- Great mix of comedy, romance with mystery and suspense.
- Slow burn romance.
- No love triangles. Despite the male and second male lead both liking the female lead, there was no stupid drama about it.
- Awesome plot twists. The story takes unexpected turns and always surprises you.
- Side couple (Princess and Medicine guy) became my favourite. Their story could seriously be a separate mini drama because it’s THAT good.
- Real villain is well written. Most villains in cdramas are kind of meh but this one here was an actual threat which I appreciated.
- Supporting cast and the side couples are fun to watch.
- Revenge plot done well.
- Awesome OST (I never skipped the opening and closing credits).

NEGATIVE:
- Annoying mother character that made my blood boil like crazy. I had to fast forward through all of her scenes because I literally couldn’t stand her squeaky voice and ridiculous mannerisms. Thankfully she is gone about halfway through the drama so I didn’t have to suffer till the end.
- Unsatisfying ending. As mentioned above, I didn’t like the final episode and how the story wrapped up for the characters and couples.
- Side couple (the original male and female lead in the novel story) was not executed well. Instead of focusing his story on falling in love with his girl, he was turned into a second male lead that liked the female lead. Their relationship felt quite one-sided all the time.

OVERALL:
If you are looking for a transmigration drama with murder crimes as a main plot and romance on the side, where the male lead is a very cool and sexy villain, watch this drama.

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Entertaining rom-com with great skinship and hot kisses

The drama tells the story of the female lead who has been in love with her boss (male lead) for the past four years. One day she decides to confess her love, only to be rejected by him. But this is not the end of their love story.

Male lead is your typical CEO. Female lead is a writer who also becomes a scriptwriter to her upcoming movie (adapted from her novel). Second couple is male lead’s younger sister who becomes the actress in the movie and her love interest is the director.

THE REJECTION (episode 4)
Some people might be apprehensive to start this drama because how could the male lead suddenly like her after he rejected her and how could the female lead accept him after that. Well, I personally found the drama handled that storyline quite well. The female lead is a prideful and closed off woman so when confessing she gave him only superficial reasons for why she liked him (for his money and looks) instead of the truth. This didn’t sit well with the male lead and he rejected her. The female lead cried all night and the next day quitted her job and moved on from him. The male lead on the other hand had initial prejudice against her (believing she indeed only liked him for his money and looks) and was blind to his feelings for her until it was too late. As soon as he rejected her, we saw him instantly sad and regretful. He realised his mistake and hence began to pursue the female lead for many, many episodes.

POSITIVE:
- One of the best skinship and hot kiss scenes in a cdrama (seriously you need to watch this drama to know what I mean).
- Fun, relaxing and light-hearted rom-com vibe.
- No stupid love triangles or second male/female leads that try to break them up.
- No break ups. Male lead does take his time to pursue her but once they get together there is no separation.
- Great chemistry between the main leads. I could always feel the tension, angst and love between them.
- Healthy and supportive parents of both leads which is rare in a cdrama.
- Adorable cat pet.

NEGATIVE:
- Second half of the drama can feel a little draggy.
- Female lead force kisses the male lead. This scene can upset more sensitive people. I’m ok with it since it’s a drama not real life but people complained about it so I thought it’s worth pointing it out for those that are more sensitive to these things.

OVERALL:
If you are looking for a light-hearted rom-com where male chases the female, with very hot skinship and kiss scenes, you will enjoy this drama.

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Overhyped. Quite disappointing. Mostly boring.

I was excited to watch this drama because of the high praise and rating on here. However I was quite disappointed. The story had great potential but fell flat for me. Most of the episodes felt like fillers as nothing much happened to advance the plot. You could probably condense the story into 10 episodes and still get the whole plot. In fact, that would have probably made me enjoy it a lot more.

ML story is the best part of the drama and I enjoyed seeing his journey. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the FL. Known as the greatest assassin, we spend all episodes watching her be a maid - clean, cook and run errands. She does have a sharp mind which she occasionally uses well but even that wasn't enough to make her an exciting character to watch. Their love story is sadly not convincing as I felt little chemistry and most of their romantic scenes were cringy. I actually loved the FL with the SML more and the fact that they had a connection since childhood made their relationship more real, sweet and wholesome. Even the older couple's love story was more enjoyable to watch than the main lead's.

Acting was good. Settings looked awesome. Fight & magic scenes were done nice but not enough. Overall, I would personally not recommend this drama to a fantasy lover. Cdramas (xianxia) are a much better choice in my personal opinion.

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The perfect winter romance with billiards as sub-plot

This is the perfect winter romance to watch on a cold night, wrapped up in a blanket and drinking hot cocoa. It’s one of those rare green flag dramas that can easily warm your heart with love while watching. The drama is about how two sports players meet on a snowstorm night in Finland and fall in love. Every episode is filled with fluffy, sugary romance and beautiful snow landscapes. The episodes are slow paced, we follow the daily lives of the main leads and how they fall in love with each other which means the audience spends extra time watching them cuddle, eat and walk around the city. The chemistry between the leads is so hot that you always feel like you are peeing into their most intimate and private moments in the best way possible.

The first half of the drama is focused on the relationship build up and mostly takes place in Finland. I preferred this half more as it had the perfect sugary romance.The second half of the drama is focused more on the plot as it revolves around the sports competitions in the field of billiards (snooker and nine-ball). This half is more serious with some sadder moments and mostly takes place in China.

POSITIVE:
- Natural and hot chemistry between the leads. Their eye contact, hair touching, hand caressing is EVERYTHING. I always feel I’m peeping into their most intimate moments as if I'm watching a real life couple.
- Hot kisses. Yes this needs a separate point because the way male lead is pulling her for a kiss is FIRE.
- Romance that makes you swoon, squeal and blush like crazy.
- No stupid love triangles.
- No annoying break-ups.
- No annoying characters.
- Beautiful snow/winter cinematography.
- Support cast shines as much as the main leads.
- Top-notch winter romance that’s perfect to watch on a cold night with hot cocoa in hand.
- One small misunderstanding that was resolved quickly.
- Heartwarming vibes all the way.
- Main leads that have small normal flaws instead of being unrealistically perfect. They still make mistakes like all humans and learn from them.

NEGATIVE: (4 small things that bugged me but they didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the drama)
- Plot in the second half of the drama (revolving around sports competitions) wasn’t the most exciting to watch.
- 2 sad/depressing episodes. I didn’t care about that particular plot line and I felt it had too much screen time. I would have preferred if the drama had only happy moments without sad parts like one of my favourites dramas (I won’t name it here).
- No second couple. Before the drama started I read that the actor WXY will have a love interest so I was excited to see that. But he didn’t have much screen time and his love story wasn’t explored. In fact it ended up being unfinished.
- I feel too single after finishing this drama (this is more of a joke but you get me right).

OVERALL:
The drama is perfect if you are a hopeless romantic who wants a slow paced romance that will feel you with heartwarming vibes, butterflies in your stomach and wants a male lead whose gaze is so hot it can literally melt Antarctica.

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