justjacky

Unique story. Mature themed. Slow paced. Stunning performances.

Lost You Forever season 1 tells the story of the FL who believes she has been abandoned by her family. She lives in a small town as a man and heals people with her medicine while hiding her real identity. Her peaceful life is turned upside down as she meets three men. The first man, she rescues and helps him heal his injuries that have been inflicted after years of torture. The second man she accidentally meets, he blackmails her into giving him medicine otherwise he threatens to kill her. The third one, is her long lost cousin that's been searching for her for a very long time. The first 16 episodes introduce all the characters, the world and the backstories. Afterwards the FL decides to reveal her identity and join her cousin in claiming the King's throne.

POSITIVE:
- The cinematography is top-notch.
- All the fantasy places are stunning, the costumes are beautiful, the CGI animals look very real.
- Magical fight scenes look impressive.
- Acting is fantastic from all the actors.
- All characters felt real and three dimensional.
- Realistic make-up and bruises. We have characters that are shown to be tortured and their look is very, very realistic.
- Unique story with a realistic and mature feel to it.

NEGATIVE:
- Only one negative but it's quite a big one for me. The pacing is very, very slow for my taste. The drama likes to show a lot of details in each scene, characters talking slowly so something simple like a dinner can be a very, very long scene, a lot of slow motion scenes etc which makes the drama feel draggy and boring at times.

CHARACTERS (MINOR SPOILERS):
The story has a reverse-harem trope so you have one FL and four male love interests. Her relationship with each of the four males is very different. Having said that, the drama clearly shows that FL only likes romantically two guys and early on decides to choose only one of them.
- FL is Xiao Yao, without revealing her identity, I'll only say that abandonment and loneliness are the main themes that the FL is struggling with from the start till the end of season 1.
- ML 1 is Cang Xuan, FL's cousin (not blood related). He is a prince and his story is the centrepiece of the dramas as he fights his way to become a King. He is ruthless, calculating and secretly in love with the FL.
- ML 2 is Tushan Jing, FL's chosen lover. He comes from one of the richest clans and has big obligations to his father. He is soft-hearted, kind, artistic and devotedly in love with the FL.
- ML 3 is Xiang Liu, FL's enemy. He is a general and loyal to the man who's saved his life... who also happens to be FL's enemy. At first he is very cruel and abusive to FL but later becomes her silent protector, secretly loving her.
- ML4 is Chishui Feng Long, He is Cang Xuan's closest friend and helper. He comes in later in the story. He likes the FL (mostly because of her status but doesn't love her).

OVERALL:
The first 16 episodes were very slow for me as they introduced all the characters and world. Afterwards I definitely became more invested in the story and some episodes were good others just ok. Last 10 episodes were definitely the best and the season wrapped up very well with no annoying cliffhangers. I'm definitely looking forward to season 2 and seeing how the story will unfold.

If you want a unique, mature, slow paced story with multiple love interests, great acting and beautiful visuals - this drama is for you.

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A romantic, cozy watch

POSITIVE:
The best vibe I can describe for this drama is a romantic, cozy watch. It's perfect if you've had a long day and want to watch something to relax in the evening. It's not too emotional or too comedic, more like a mild, steady tone. The story is mainly about the love between the male leads and it has Romeo and Juliette vibes. CGI/Visuals are done well. The drama has five major plot points: ep 1-10 is academy life (magic school vibes), ep 11-17 devil realm life (married couple vibes), ep 18-25 past life (purely a historical vibe with no magic), ep 26-29 mortal/heaven realm life (mix of things) and ep 30-36 demon life (demon + heaven realms). I really liked that each plot point introduced different settings/places and storyline so there was always something new to see.

NEGATIVE:
The problem with this drama is that it didn't have "the spark". Many things happen in the drama and it has good plot twists but for some reason it all felt a bit bland. I can't truly describe it but it felt like many plot points were thrown in the drama to make it more interesting but they somehow ended up being disjointed and forced without a massive emotional impact. In conclusion the drama didn't feel it had this "wow, I'm addicted" factor.

CHARACTERS:
FL reminded me of Cinderella. A shy maid with a kind-heart that's bullied by two spoiled/mean girls. I found her likeable from beginning to end. ML is the typical reserved and shy heavenly prince. At first ML looked quite unremarkable and in the later episodes the actor truly shined when playing other characters. Especially during the past life arc (ep 18-25) I almost felt like another actor was playing him because he was that good. SML also had a strong storyline.

MUSIC:
I need to give a special attention to the OST because if you don't watch the drama, at least you have to listen to the beautiful OST which has become one of my top favourites.

ENDING:
I'd say episode 29 wrapped up really nicely and I almost feel it would have been a perfect ending if it was the last episode. But the true ending of the drama in the final episode is quite a twisty one and a little difficult to understand at first. It's not a bad ending at all though. In fact the best way I can describe it is that it has multiple endings which is not something I've seen in another drama.

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Lighthearted drama with a flirty, bad boy lead

The drama started off great. We were quickly immersed in the world and characters. There are two love interests (but not really a love triangle) and a mystery plot. The first 30 episodes were really strong. There was no dull moment. The main couple had lots of cute scenes together, all the characters had assigned roles and were interesting within the story. We have a side couple that's super cute. No jealousy and bickering between the female leads which was a breath of fresh air.

However the last 10 episodes were quite disappointing and the drama went downhill for me. The plot didn't make sense. The characters' motives and decisions made no sense (especially the female lead). One of the tags for this drama is 'character development', well I saw no development on her part which was such a waste. The whole premise of the drama is about finding true love and yet I felt like that wasn't explored enough. We spend more time with the second male lead (who turned out to be a very boring character) than the first male lead and somehow by the end of the series the love between the main couple didn't feel deep to me. The mystery plot was dragged on for too long and the ending was pretty much underwhelming.

The drama is low budget which was clearly seen because the fight scenes were too short and especially the end fight was disappointing. The wigs were really bad and I usually don't pay too much attention to that.

Overall I think it's still worth the watch but viewers shouldn't have too high of expectations. The male lead is flirty, bad boy with a good heart while the female lead is innocent and naive. There are lots of kissing scenes between them. So if that's the vibe you are looking for, you will enjoy this drama.

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The Soldier, the Spider, and the Script that forgot their romance

This drama had the potential to be the best Fox Spirit Matchmaker… until the writers messed up and made me so pissed off… I was on the verge of rating this 1 star and calling it the worst FSM (it’s not). But the title is extremely misleading.

The drama is about the male lead, a nameless soldier whose purpose is to kill demons. Void of emotions, forced to live a lonely life, he diligently complied with what he was told to do. Until the day he met the female lead, an insignificant, kind and innocent spider demon.

The first half of the drama was perfect. A blend of beautiful emotional moments, stunning fight scenes and heartwarming relationships. The second half of the drama shifted the focus on the secondary characters and expanded the world, but also created inconsistencies and a lot of irritation.

✨WATCH OR SKIP LOVE IN PAVILION AND RED MOON PACT?
Yes and no. Sword and Beloved (SnB) is made as a stand alone and can be watched on its own. However, it is also a direct continuation of Love in the Pavilion (LIP). Although the drama shows flashbacks of LIP and explains things well, I still recommend watching LIP first because of the bigger emotional payoff you will receive. There are details in LIP that make SnB more meaningful, such as Black Fox (main villain) origin story, the evil Uncle, Spider Queen, and the significance of the Bamboo Pavilion. On the other hand, I do not recommend Red Moon Pact (unless you love the cast), as the drama feels disconnected from the other two installments, and (for me) felt like a waste of a watch.

✨COUPLES / ACTORS PAIRS

Cheng Yi & Li Yi Tong (Human Soldier & Spider Demon, main couple)
I loved their chemistry. In the first half of the drama, they seemed to be the rare couple who loved quietly. A couple that you wouldn’t expect grand proclamations of love or passionate kisses. Their love seemed to be in the little gestures, unspoken but seen through their actions. However, I was extremely disappointed because in the end, this couple turned out to be more like friends/master-disciple relationship. There was nothing romantic about them (more in the negative points).

Guo Jun Chen & He Rui Xian (Human Swordsman & Dragon Demon, second couple)
This controversial couple had me questioning my drama choses. He met her when he was a kid and grew up living with her. But if we ignore that weird fact, I wanted them to work out because I simply loved Rumu. I didn’t particularly like her, she was too cold and mean for my taste. But I end up appreciating her in the end.

Chang Hua Sen & Zhang Kai Ying (Fox Demon & Human General, third couple)
My favourite foxy, who could even resist him! Honestly it wasn’t so much that I loved their romance but I simply loved watching Foxy as a character. This couple was fun and light-hearted but I can’t say they made a huge impact on me.

✨POSITIVE:
- Bromance. The best thing for me was the relationship of the three male characters - Fugui (the reserved leader), Rumu (a jack of all trades troublemaker) and Yunfei (an innocent cinnamon roll puppy). I love their interactions, their playfulness with each other, I could watch 40 episodes with just these three.
- Stunning visuals. The fight scenes, costumes, styling, settings. Everything was a feast for the eyes, especially the unique Western Region.
- Secondary romance. The second and third couple’s romance was developed really well. In fact, the second couple fit perfectly the title Sword and Beloved. However, at some point it felt like they did have too much screen time.

✨NEGATIVE:
- Main couple’s romance. In the first half of the drama, the plot seems to be connected to their romance. It was emotional, it was heartwarming, it was perfect. But in the second half, it’s like the writers switched and changed the characters. She promised to always be there for him and yet the writers separated them. Worse, when she met him again, she had dumb reasons to leave him again (without even speaking to him). Their reunion later was mega anti-climatic, pretending to be strangers for dumb reasons. Afterwards, their relationship completely digressed. In the end, it looked like they were just friends/master-disciple. There was zero romance between them which was extremely weird and disappointing.

- Main lead’s inconsistencies. This kind of covers my previous point. The leads became different characters in the second half of the drama. It’s like another writer had taken over, but he didn't understand their characters so he made up some stuff. It made no sense that she was hell bent on dealing with her brother alone because she thought Fugui would kill him. It made no sense that Fugui took 10k swords for her, but later didn’t even blink while sacrificing her. The male lead in particular felt like a shell of himself in some parts of the drama. The writers took away his sword, his beloved, and he ended up just showing up to drive the plot forward and that’s it.

- Father issue. Wangquan Hongye was one of my favourite characters in Love in Pavillion. I knew at the start that I would not like this new version of him. Part of me understood him. Part of me accepted him and his abusive behaviour. However, I expected growth, some sort of redemption. I suppose it’s realistic that he kind of stayed the same. Sure, he admitted his mistake in the end and gave a half ass apology to the main leads, but it wasn’t enough for me. I ended up disliking his character and wished he was killed off at the start and the male lead had a Shifu instead.

- Villains. They actually had the potential but weren’t fully utilised. The evil Uncle was pretty good at the start, but it was incredibly lame when the writers brought him back for the final episodes, as it made the heroes look dumb and weak. The Scepter Woman was mega hot but of course the writers killed her off quick. The Black Fox was fine but this is my third drama with her and I’m just thinking “does bish have 9 lives because she KEEPS coming back”. Overall, not impressive.

- Evil Brother. Unpopular opinion here but I didn’t mind his arc. However it was definitely too draggy.

✨OVERALL:
The early episodes of the drama promised a male centric story with heartwarming romance + bromance but ended up delivering only a portion of that. The first half of the drama was a solid 10/10 but then it felt like the writers had switched. The character’s inconsistencies were evident, as well as the main couple’s romance being changed to friendship/master-disciple. Some parts of the plot were brilliant, others a headache. I do have mixed feelings. It was kind of good but also quite disappointing. I guess if you are going in for the plot and the side couple’s romance, you might enjoy it. But if you are going in for Cheng Yi and the main couple’s romance, you’ll probably end up disappointed.

✨QUOTES:
“Lately, I’ve felt my heart growing warm. That warmth comes from bonds. The bond with family, friends, and even nature.” Fugui (male lead)
“Power is not right or wrong. It’s what you do with it.” Qing Tong (female lead)

P.S. I might reduce my rating later (depending on my mood).

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Addictive romance ruined by noble idiocy

The drama is about the love story between the two main leads, who spend some of their childhood years living as non-blood related siblings. Yes, this dynamic would understandably put off some people from watching however this would be the least of your problems. In fact, the drama makes them look more like childhood friends than actual siblings, and when they meet as adults, that’s a non-issue in the drama.

The first 19 episodes of the drama captivated me with addictive romance, beautiful visuals and a story that’s all about the sexy vibes. The real plot of the drama was indeed the romance and that’s the main reason this drama hooked me up so bad that I’d be totally obsessed with it. The angsty car racing scenes were the cherry on top.

However, the last 10 episodes completely shifted the tone and story of the drama, making it unrecognisable. It truly felt like I was watching something else, and if it wasn’t for the hot chemistry between the leads, I wouldn’t have been able to push through the episodes, especially because of the atrocious noble idiocy inserted.

POSITIVE:
- Stunning cinematography.
- Fantastic car racing scenes.
- Hot chemistry between the leads.
- Delicious kiss and intimate scenes.

NEGATIVE:
- Noble idiocy pretty much ruined it for me. I read many opinions about the male lead and the reasons behind his actions. And yet for me they felt like excuses. The male lead’s response when asked why he ghosted her for 6 years and made everyone lie to her was simply “she was too young”. I hated how the male lead made all the decisions for her. I hate how he stole her dream of opening a cafe, and stole her dog (that he originally didn’t even want to keep). I found none of these things romantic. I also didn’t like how Mumu kept chasing him until the end. If it wasn’t for her, they definitely wouldn’t have ended together. I did pity Jin Zhao, but I didn’t like him as a male lead. I watched for entertainment and there was nothing entertaining or touching about his behaviour. To me, he was self-protecting, masking it as “it’s for her own good”. He ran away, felt unworthy, and actually his behaviour was quite selfish. He kept saying how he wanted her to be happy and yet he was the one that hurt her the most. I hated how he kept everything hidden for 6 years and even when they met in adulthood, he still kept it all hidden and didn’t let her support her, didn’t let her CHOOSE for herself how she feels, until she relentlessly pushed through him.

- The last 10 episodes totally shifted the tone and story. It felt like I was watching a completely different drama that I didn’t sign up for. The spark and special magic from the first half was gone. It was very boring and I found myself skipping stuff.

OVERALL:
This drama had the potential to be one of my top favourites this year but the sudden shift in the last 10 episodes, toppled with noble idiocy, really ruined it for me. My high rating is only because I absolutely loved and was addictively obsessed with the first half of the drama. I really wish the drama had happily ended at ep 20. The romance and chemistry between the leads was such top tier!

EP 1-19: 100/10
Ep 20-29: 2/10
Final: 7.5-8

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Had the potential but something was missing. Second couple stole the spotlight.

This drama is about the female lead who is seeking immortality and gets entangled with the male lead, a Demon Lord, when she unexpectedly absorbs his contemplation stone. Bound by fate, together they embark on a journey to collect all five contemplations: kindness, killing, love, hate and greed, while in the process revealing past secrets and forgotten memories.

POSITIVE:
- Second couple stole the spotlight. Their chemistry was great and their relationship developed beautifully.
- Queen Bai Lu. Her acting was on a totally new level and worth the praise.
- Healthy main’s relationship. The drama stirred clear from the typical misunderstanding trope.
- Second female lead was captivating to watch. I loved her acting performance and how her story and character was written. She was hands down the best part of the drama.
- Vicious villains that are real villains with cool backstories. This was definitely one of the highlights of the drama.
- Well written brother and sister’s relationship. One of the best bits of the drama.
- Lots of kiss scenes (for a cdrama).
- Balance between sweet and angsty vibes.
- Captivating OST that elevated the drama (except one big flaw from the production).
- Nice CGI (at least for the most part).
- Resentment arc was the best, followed by the Divine Realm arc.

NEGATIVE:
- Male lead issue. I love the actor but unfortunately I couldn’t fall in love with his character. I felt like he didn’t have the domineering presence of a Demon Lord that I was expecting. His aura was just too sweet. He tried his best but his strength lies more in being playful and cute rather than threatening. His character also felt more of a love interest than a well fleshed out male lead. Many times, he was written as very weak, in favor of making the female lead appear stronger. The most annoying part was towards the end, when he repetitively kept “dying” and coming back.

- Main couple issue. I couldn’t get emotionally invested, despite loving the actors. Even though they were nice to watch, I felt their chemistry was more of friends than lovers. Their last two kisses, though, looked visually really nice.

- Overused OST. I totally LOVE the main song but it was used in literally every episode, in every scene which made it feel less impactful and just cheap. The main song should have been used only for the major emotional moments between the main leads, not for everyone and everything.

- Visuals issue. I have mixed feelings about the set designs, costumes and CGI. Sometimes they looked really good and I was definitely impressed but other times it was too colourful and tacky. The green screen scenes looked too digital and made the drama cheap for me. Even though the director had toned down the blinding lights (SOKP), there were other issues that made the drama lose its quality.

OVERALL:
I feel like the plot of the drama didn’t follow the usual xianxia route which gave it a fresh take but at the same time, it wasn’t executed that well. Collecting all the contemplations felt repetitive at times even though there were some good twists along the way. The main couple lacked the spark but the red flag second couple kind of made up for it. There are some really impactful moments in the drama that made me emotional but at the same time I always felt something was missing. In conclusion, this drama was a mix of hit and miss. It wasn't bad but it didn't become a favourite of mine. But if you love xianxia, I still recommend to try it out.

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Addictive & Unique with Toxic Red Flags

This is my first uncensored BL and with it being an omegaverse, I can definitely say it was a wild ride.

POSITIVE:
- Black flag male lead. More than a red flag, Hua Yong was the unhinged, possessive, manipulative, sexy, toxic, unpredictable, multi-layered character that I love to watch. It’s extremely rare to find a lead like him and he has easily become one of my all time favourites.
- Main lead’s relationships. The chemistry, development and execution of the scenes such as the lie reveal and forgiveness were done fantastic. From beginning till the end, their story was captivating and fun to watch.
- Unique concept. The omegaverse made this hella interesting with the pheromones, ruts, heats and all that. In the past I’ve been a big fan of werewolves so it was relatively easy to understand the concept.
- Relationship pairs. One of my favourite things was the unusual pairings. The seemingly masculine men turned out to be the “wives” while the more gentle and lean looking turned out to be the husbands. The angst between the couples was great too!
- Fight scenes. They were absolutely a ridiculous clown show and guess what. I was entertained SO MUCH. Yes, if you crack me up that much, I’ll put you in the positive pile.

NEGATIVE:
- Second couple - a massive wasted potential. Their development was non-existent. From the start till the end it was the same miscommunication again and again and again and again. Their ending was extremely unsatisfying, especially having learnt from others how it was in the novel. I don’t know why the writers couldn’t spare at least 5 minutes for them to have a normal conversation and lay out their feelings. Their open ending was a poor choice and it made me feel like their relationship was a waste of a watch. There was no regret, no reflection of the consequences of their choices. No proper backstory of why Shen Wenlang was so hostile (I only learnt bits and pieces from novel readers). Don’t get me started on the zero brain cells this man had. If they had inserted a flashback of him having a head trauma, it would have made more sense why he was the dumbest, of the dumbest, of the dumbest characters ever.
- Voice over narration. It was very out of place and made the scenes comical rathar than emotional.
- Bad editing.
- R*pe scenes a.k.a unexpected rut/heat encounters. These sensitive scenes were not done with care and their execution was extremely poor. Again, I had to learn from novel readers why some things were the way they were to make it easier to stomach this.
- Ending. It was very rushed, too much black to fade transitions that make the episode super choppy and of course, the second couple’s unfinished storyline made it VERY unsatisfying.

OVERALL:
I’m glad I gave this drama a chance because I was hooked from the very first minute of episode 1. Watching this while airing (1 episode a week) was absolute torture and it made it very addictive and obsessed. I loved the concept of mpreg, the character’s dynamics, and of course Hua Yong, who was the star of the show for me. The last few episodes did lose some steam, still up until the finale it was a solid 9.5. But the ending made me lower my rating, which is a shame. Choices were made and they were poor. Having said that, it was still an enjoyable ride. I recommend this and hope to see more cdramas like this (in terms of concept and characters).

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Fluffy, healing, romantic. Zhang Linghe is the star of the show.

This drama is about the female lead who goes to a TCM (traditional chinese medicine) doctor (the male lead), in order to cure her insomnia. The story follows their daily lives and love story. The big focus of the drama is the female lead’s job and insomnia (due to emotional stress from her ex-boyfriend). We also get a glimpse of the male lead’s job and his strained relationship with his dad (more of a side plot).

POSITIVE:
- Fluffy, cozy, romantic and healing.
- Zhang Linghe looked sexy as always. I loved the calm, secure and protective presence his character gave off here.
- Dreamy cinematography. Vibrant colours and many stunning flower landscape shots.
- Sweet and sexy kiss scenes.
- No break up, no misunderstandings, no drama. This is a very stress-free show.
- Nice OST.
- Traditional chinese medicine highlights that got me interested in the topic.
- Cute ending that puts a smile on your face.

NEGATIVE:
- The second half was boring at times, especially as the leads got together. Somehow I needed more skinship/romance as a couple.
- Mother’s sickness. I hated the sickness plotline so much, it almost ruined the drama for me. I didn’t like the resolution either. I could do without these two episodes.
- Lackluster ending. Ok, the wedding was super cute and all but at the same time I felt bored and kept thinking “when is it going to end”. The last two episodes were nice montages but I expected actual dialogue with you know, heartwarming words and all.

OVERALL:
This is the perfect drama to watch if you have a stressful life and need something sweet and uncomplicated to relax your mind with. It’s cute, it’s cozy, it’s romantic. If you love Zhang Linghe, it's definitely a must watch especially as this is his best modern drama so far. If you don’t know the male actor, well… you will LOVE HIM. He is the perfect boyfriend here, charming, calm, sexy, caring. Basically every girl’s dream. And the drama is just that. Dreamy. You won’t find mindblowing dialogue or deep plot. But if you want sweet vibes, with a healthy relationship and beautiful spring settings, watch this.

FAVOURITE QUOTE:
Loving you is the best thing I've ever done! (ep 28 / male lead)

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Second male lead stole the show. The rest is too much filler and repetition.

There is much praise about this drama and it did not quite deliver for me. I loved the cinematography, visual effects, the acting was top notch but the actual story fell flat for me. It started off well and even though it had interesting premises I wasn't captivated by the plot. Too much filler and too many characters doing exactly the same thing again and again and again. Too many convenient plot devices and people doing things only to move forward the plot. Oh and by the end of the drama, almost all the characters had (without spoiling) the same type of trauma. It just felt like lazy writing.

My main issue with the drama was that as much as heartbreaking the romance is for the main leads, I never connected with them. It was actually very instant love for me considering one of them couldn't even feel love. And romance is my main focus when watching dramas. In fact I was so invested in the second male lead story that by episode 35 I was happy if they dropped the romance and it was only about his journey. He was actually what saved the show and made me finish it. In fact around episode 50 I found myself skipping lots of scenes because I just wanted to finish it.

Second male lead stole the show for me. His story was so well done. His character development is so well done. The main male lead is an excellent actor but unfortunately I found after the first half of the drama his personality was reduced to "being in love with the female lead" and "occasionally a cool warrior". It's like the whole purpose for him being in the drama was to be the love puppy of the female lead. There is so much more it could have been done in terms of writing.

Overall I feel it's a good drama but not for me. Too much focus was put on the love triangle which wasn't even a love triangle. I didn't like the ending of the second male lead and how they turned his character so probably that's why I wasn't happy with this drama. But I did enjoy lots of moments and definitely cried a lot. The drama moved me emotionally, especially the second male lead story which was worth watching.

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Did the letters really matter?

The drama follows two timelines connected through cross-travel letter exchange. In 1991, we follow the main leads, who are teenagers suffering from daily hardships and injustice. In 2026, we follow two adults whose lives are directly connected to the leads.

POSITIVE:
- Romance. The relationship development was natural and so was the chemistry. I only wish we would have gotten a bit more fluffy scenes with them.
- Realistic story. If you remove the fantasy element with the letters, everything felt raw and real.
- Episode 8 was the best. In fact if it was the final episode, it would have impacted me greatly.
- All characters in 1991 were fleshed out well and felt like real people.

NEGATIVE:
- Side characters. The drama spent too much time on the 1991 bullies instead of the 2026 son and daughter (who for me were more important for the plot). My issue was especially with the little screen time the 2026 son received, because he played an important factor in the final episode and yet his character was so one dimension that I couldn’t really care about.
- Too much abuse. From start till the end. I get the set up and why it was important to show it, but at one point it was too much.
- The letters. My main reason for starting the drama was this fantasy aspect and yet in the end I felt like the letters didn’t really matter. It was just a “what if” scenario.
- Final episode. I expected something way, way more epic but it felt unfinished. I was quite disappointed and definitely knocked out a few points from my rating because of it.

OVERALL:
I went in completely blind, not reading the synopsis or watching the trailer. I knew this wasn’t my typical watch but still wanted to try it out. Objectively, it’s a good script and production but subjectively, I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. I’d be hesitant to recommend it because of how extremely emotionally heavy it is. I watch for entertainment and most of the episodes stressed me out too much. I actually love angsty historical cdramas, but modern hits too close to home. The final episode unfortunately didn’t give me the pay off that I needed to make me feel the stress was truly worth it.

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Delulu girl dates a virtual boyfriend but with a twist. Loved Zhang Ling He and everything else.

I started this drama for Zhang Ling He but I stayed for the awesome characters, plot and romance. I initially thought this was going to be a mindless fluff (a cute romance and nothing more). But the drama surprised me with it’s multi-layered plot and emotional depth. We have themes of family, real vs virtual love, friendships and romantic relationships. All characters have depth and a meaningful backstory.

The drama is about the female lead who buys glasses which allows her to have a virtual boyfriend/husband. She can touch him and have imagery talks/scenarios in her head with him. One day her delulu mind gets even crazier when she meets the male lead who looks just like her virtual boyfriend.

The beginning of the drama is pure comedy. You see many delulu girls, walking on the streets and interacting with their invisible (virtual) boyfriends. The middle of the drama is emotional. You see the backstory of the main characters, and the very real struggles they experience in the world. The end of the drama is mystery/suspense with many unexpected plot twists. The romance is a running theme in the drama so if you are a hopeless romantic, you will enjoy this for sure.

This drama is a rare gem in many aspects but especially in the romantic department. The main and secondary couple shared equal screen time and I loved them both equally. The couples are different enough to make the drama interesting but as a group of four friends they compliment each other well.

POSITIVE:
- Many awesome plot twists (one of the best I’ve ever seen!)
- Comedy is top-notch (especially if you love the “girl is delulu” trend).
- Characters are well developed. Even the side characters have a meaningful and realistic story.
- No annoying characters (which is very rare to see).
- Self-aware writers. The characters do something ridiculous and then call themselves out on that.
- Fluffy romance for both couples (I loved both couples equally which is rare).
- Worth to watch this for Zhang Ling He. His character has an important role and if you love the actor you will enjoy this.
- Grumpy and Sunshine romance trope (main leads).
- Female chases male (main couple) vs male chases female (second couple).
- Side characters (like the granny and the famous singer are relevant to the plot, not just fillers).
- No fillers. Every scene that was not about the romance felt meaningful and important for the plot.

NEGATIVE:
- Some episodes felt a little draggy. But that could be because I was binge-watching and eager to see how it all ended.

OVERALL:
Personally, the drama made me FEEL so much. My heart warmed when I was watching the romance. My heart ached when I was watching the sad backstories and struggles of the characters. My heart beat fast with excitement when I was watching the plot twists and suspense! This drama may not be perfect, it may be cliche at times but it made me feel, and that's why it has become one of my all time favourites.

I started this drama only for Zhang Ling He and he ended up being the bonus factor not the main reason to continue to watch as I loved everything!

If you want a fluffy romance with characters that have emotional depth, a meaningful story with cool plot twists and an air of mystery - watch this drama.

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A love story about childhood sweethearts that's 100% comedy with no sad moments

The drama tells the love story of two childhood sweethearts and their lives from school to adulthood. The story starts slowly in terms of romance. The main leads act as siblings and around episode 12 (which is halfway through the drama) we start to see them liking each other. The best episodes for me were 12-20 as this is where the male lead chases the female lead and their early stages of dating during their university years. The ending episodes of the drama are filled with lots of kiss scenes and romance and the ending is wrapped up well.

Female lead is bubbly, independent, not a boy crazy girl who likes to dress more sporty. Her attitude is more boyish but still cute. She knows how to speak up. Male lead is a reserved, introverted, top of the class guy who secretly has a crush on the female lead. She is his one and only love. Together they go through the stages from sibling vibes, to best friends, to lovers. The best thing about them is that their attitude of teasing and protecting each other stays the same throughout the whole drama and the romance is just an added sweet bonus for them. None of the other characters really stand out to me however that's not an issue in which most of the screen time is given to the main leads.

POSITIVE:
- Lots of sweet and sexy kiss scenes especially towards the end of the drama.
- Lots and lots of hilarious moments. Comedy is sometimes exaggerated but the way it is done is 10/10 for me. You will smile, you will laugh, your mood will be uplifted for sure.
- No stupid break-up. When the leads get together they stay together till the end.
- No in-law problems. The parents of the leads are best friends and are in fact rooting for their children to get together.
- FL actress has perfect comedy timing and is truly the star of the drama for me.
- Main leads as characters felt well developed and real.
- The love story felt organic and developed well.
- Very light-hearted, funny and easy to watch drama.
- Cute chemistry between the leads.

NEGATIVE:
In general there are three points that bugged me. ML acting was the most prominent issue. The other two points are just small things that over all didn't stop me from enjoying this drama:
- ML acting was underwhelming which affected my enjoyment of the romance. The actor is great at flirty and more playful scenes but needs more practice when he is trying to act introverted and reserved. Especially in some scenes I could clearly tell he was reading from a script. I think he would play better as an extrovert character in general.
- Not a huge thing but this part of FL character bugged me as it made zero sense. FL knows taekwondo, she always jumps in front to protect everyone, she even throws ML into the water. And yet, when she was harassed by a guy, she couldn't do anything and had to be saved by the ML (in a very cliche way). I know the idea was to show a cute scene of a guy who is " knight in shining armour" coming to save the "princess" but it's extremely inconsistent writing with her character who is a strong and independent girl.
- Second couple were cute at the start but later were quite boring. They didn't really add anything to the story for me.

OVERALL:
If you want to watch an easy-going, super funny drama with no sad moments or a cute drama about childhood sweethearts, this will be perfect for you.

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Hidden Gem

This drama is about the love story between an ordinary girl and and AI idol (actor and singer). It's filled with tons of romance, cuteness and fluff. At first I wasn't sure about watching this since the male lead is an artificial intelligence, meaning he is not human but I gave it a chance since I like the actor. And I'm glad I did because the way the drama has portrayed him, he very much acts like a human. He has human emotions, can cry, feel pain, eats, sleeps, gets tired. It is explained that he is pretty much human aside from the chip in his brain. In fact, a lot of times I truly forgot he is an AI, his non-human identity is used more as a comedy and obstacle for the main leads than anything else.

The drama mostly focuses on the main leads so there are no fillers or unnecessary side stories. There is a second female lead that is at first annoying but as the plot progresses she becomes a very lovely character. There is a second couple with her and the other idol. Aside from the cute romance, the plot is always engaging and there is always something going on so each episode feels exciting to watch and never boring.

Overall, if you are looking for a light-hearted drama with tons and tons of fluffy romance and a male lead that loves to kiss and cuddle, this drama is for you.

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When your favourite wuxia bad boy male lead comes to your modern world

This is my first modern cdrama that I've watched and it has exceeded my expectations. The storyline is clever and very realistic even with the fantasy elements. The comedy is top notch and the male lead is fantastic in his role of wuxia bad boy with a soft heart. All the characters are very well written and fleshed out. There is good character development too.

The main tone of the drama is lighthearted cute rom-com but surprisingly there is a mix of thriller vibes which made it quite unique. I love that everything in the drama makes sense, even the fantasy aspects of it. I'm a big lover of Wuxia so having that small bit of magic shown in the modern world was super fun to watch. There is a second couple who at first appeared to be boring but turned out to have quite an enduring storyline.

Certainly the best parts of the show are the romance, the unexpected plot twists and the chemistry between the main leads. It's absolutely worth watching if you are looking for a drama to warm your heart and crave a little bit of Wuxia magic.

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The ultimate love story between a fairy and devil who's tribes are enemies.

My second c-drama after 'The Starry Love'. If you enjoyed the second lead couple from that drama, I feel that you will really like this one. We have an innocent girl and a bad boy with a good heart type of vibes. The main focus of the drama is the relationship between the main couple so if you are craving lots of cute romance - this drama is perfect for you. I absolutely loved the chemistry between the lead couple and all their romantic scenes + over all development of their relationship. There is so much humour in this drama which I very much appreciated but it also delivers well the key sad/emotional moments.

The beginning of the story is a bit strange so you really have to give it at least 3-4 episodes to really shine. I read that some people find the female lead's voices annoying and I must say it's a little odd at first but you get used to it. Besides, it really fits her character and the vibes.

In terms of plot, I find it a bit confusing after episode 31 - it seems like everything was suddenly rushed and that's why it's not a full 10 stars for me. But overall it's a beautiful story visually and emotionally and totally worth the watch.

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