odetodramas
This drama tells the story of several 'youths' who are honing their skills in the martial arts world, as well as the stories of their elders and the alliances and rivalries between different sects. Although there are a lot of characters throughout, I found myself interested in every single one of them. There wasn't a moment where I felt like anyone was filler. (And the powerful characters aren't all male either.) I don't usually pay much attention to fights in c-dramas but the ones here were very exciting to watch. The struggle between princes in Tianqi city becomes the primary plot later on, and it was a thrilling series of schemes that didn't drag on for too long.
40 episodes didn't feel long at all, and I enjoyed this from beginning to end.
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I enjoyed watching this so much that I didn't wait for the English subtitles and watched new episodes as soon as they were out. Episodes 5-7 were a bit slow, but afterwards the pacing picked up again. Liu Yi Jun had a really memorable performance here and I loved every moment that he was on screen. I really liked his (Too bad Liu Tao's role wasn't as memorable.)
This isn't a 10 for me because there were some unanswered questions (nothing too major) and some aspects I wanted to see more of, but overall I found this to be a very satisfying watch!
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Neglected by their father, these five siblings go through a lot and you can't help but root for them. There's the stubborn but devoted eldest brother Yi Cheng, who you simultaneously admire and want to shake—basically his cousin is 100% right about him every time they argue. The second brother Er Qiang is so simple and sweet, ambling through life trying to get things right. Third sister San Li is good-natured but will firmly stand up for herself. (I haven't been a fan of Mao Xiaotong in the past but I really loved her as San Li.) And ah, the youngest sister Si Mei. I loved her lively spirit and that she follows her heart... but sometimes she definitely needed some rationality. The quiet fifth brother Qi Qi has the least screentime but I especially liked his moments towards the end. And although their father is terrible, there are plenty of other contenders for worst human being! Ha.
The rate of marriage and divorce was quite high but this isn't a romance-centered drama. It's really about the bond between the siblings and how they're always there for each other. I only wish that there had been more heartwarming, quiet moments in between all the crises! It felt like Yi Cheng couldn't catch a break because there was always someone in the family who needed his help. I also would've loved to see more development of the relationship between certain pairs. This drama was (only) 36 episodes and I wouldn't have minded if it were longer!
The standout supporting character is Yi Cheng's colleague and friend Song Qing Yuan, who brings some levity to all his scenes. He's not only a loyal friend, he's direct and honest with Yi Cheng, not holding back on what needs to be said. This is the third supporting role I've seen Chang Long in and I hope he gets a bigger role in the future. Overall, every cast member in The Bond is great though.
Lastly, the theme song by Zhou Shen is so beautiful and perfect for this drama.
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Disappointing
I enjoy dramas centering around a group of friends, especially when they're relatable storylines about women in their 30s. Unfortunately, this one was a miss. The monologues at the end of each episode felt over-the-top in trying to be insightful, the pacing was uneven, and there was so much product placement (BMW, Oreo, that mobile game). The biggest thing this drama was successful at was making me want to go to the gym; I loved that the women were always working out together.I did like Victoria Song as the bubbly Sun Yi He. Of course, I wanted to yell at her because her relationship with Sam was clearly going to be a train wreck, but I loved her dedication to her job and her friendship with Yu Tian. She experiences a lot of growth throughout the drama. After seeing Tony Yang in All is Well last year, I was excited to see him here and loved all his scenes. Ren Ran was my second favorite and I loved that she was a successful career woman, but her romantic storyline was also an emotional rollercoaster. David Wang is really good at playing unlikable businessmen, I swear that's the only role I've ever seen him play.
Oh, Ding Ding. She has the most lighthearted romance storyline and I love enemies-to-lovers, but it quickly became annoying. He turned into a lovesick puppy so quickly and she was too immature. I couldn't take her job with managing the boy group seriously, and when things take a turn for her towards the end, I wondered why she didn't simply get a job?! The opposite of Ding Ding is Karen, the most mature of the four. She owns the gym where they're always working out at, and she's a divorced single mom so naturally she has a different perspective than the others. Her son is cute and there's an emotional storyline with her mother, but the writing just didn't resonate with me.
The ending didn't even feeling like an ending! I had to double-check that there wasn't another episode. Similar-ish dramas I enjoyed more than this are: Find Yourself (also starring Victoria Song), Be Melodramatic (Korean). I haven't watched Nothing But Thirty yet but hear good things about it.
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The short episodes of this drama make it a quick, easy, and fun watch but - as you would expect - the storylines are absolutely ridiculous. Just the first episode will give you an idea of what the rest will be like. (Their argument is just...I caaaan't. But they're young so I guess I should forgive their lack of maturity??) There are many classic drama tropes and cliches (many Meteor Garden references) and the drama moves quickly, often nonsensically and sometimes with weird continuity between episodes. The villainous character is so ridiculous I just couldn't believe it. So yeah, in conclusion, I simultaneously enjoyed it and thought it was absolutely awful.
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I found Li Hui Zhen to be too cringey and almost unbearable to watch. She perpetually looked confused and sounded nervous. (I really want to like Dilraba Dilmurat's dramas but I haven't liked any of her roles - Sweet Dreams, Eternal Love, The Flame's Daughter.) I did like that Li Hui Zhen's manager(?) Zhu Ying was really nice and that Li Hui Zhen pursued her dream. Peter Sheng's acting was so unexpressive I felt like I was watching a block of wood. I loved his phone calls with his friend.
Vin Zhang was a scene stealer and I love him, and thank goodness he's playing the main role in his upcoming dramas. Sierra Li did such a good of a job playing Xia Qiao that I can't watch her in anything else without thinking of how much I disliked her in this drama. I have such a hard time with that storyline because I really like themes of friendship in dramas, and this sort of lie is difficult for me to forgive.
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Heart Signal 5 is filled with many sweet and heartwarming moments, and I loved every member of the house. They all seemed very genuine and friendly, they pursued love so bravely, and they reflected on themselves and grew from it. Without spoiling any couple(s), my favorites were probably Li Wan Qian, Zhang Gen Yuan, and Sun Xin. Surprisingly, there weren't as many dates as I thought there'd be, but that's also fine because my favorite parts were when people cooked together or went to the grocery store together. I loved the awkward moments because it felt so real! I laughed so much at the randomly-drawn car assignments for the overnight trip.
The panelists were a fun group with some great insights, and often expressed exactly what I was thinking. Sometimes the part where they guess the messages felt a little too prolonged. There is much blatant product placement (definitely made me want some Oreos) but I can overlook it since the show was otherwise so enjoyable!
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The only reason I watched this so quickly is because I skimmed the scenes I didn't care about, and I never felt that invested in the romances to feel stressed out by their struggles... The acting was pretty average, and sometimes the editing was confusing.I was initially interested because this is a second chance romance between the main characters He Feng and Wang Xiao An. There were some legitimate issues that caused their breakup, and they both held regrets in their hearts. However, the chemistry between them just wasn't really there? It took He Feng way too long to see how his actions regarding Feng Yiyi affected Xiao An. Their storyline really focuses more on their pursuit of their individual dreams and others sabotaging them. Towards the end, I didn't feel like things like moving in together and getting married were addressed clearly? Why did we never see Xiao An talk to her parents? The scenes with He Feng's mom seemed meaningless. I was so surprised when the last episode centered around revealing a villain--I honestly thought that would occur sooner and would've preferred a final episode focused on the main characters.
The actress who played Xiao An's best friend Lin Jin Jin was too over the top. I basically skipped most of her scenes. Ye Nan was so cute and sweet. I also really liked He Jing Xiao for bringing some humor into the drama, but I feel like the casting was off. Yu Yi Jie (Jerry Yu) is pretty good at this sort of role, but he just looked too old that it was difficult to match him to his character's storyline.
Anyhow, you could give it a try if you're looking for a mindless, low-investment watch. At least both cases of unrequited love were dealt with pretty well. (One was super mature about it, and the other was annoying but at least eventually acknowledged their true feelings and moved on.)
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I was so intrigued by the idea of One and Only & Forever and Ever being a two-part drama with one set in historical times and one set in modern day. This review will only refer to One and Only on its own!It took some time for me to warm up to this drama because of the pacing in the very beginning. Shi Yi (Bai Lu) becomes Zhousheng Chen's (Ren Jia Lun) student when she's in her teenage years, and from the beginning she has a moony-eyed crush on him. This is totally understandable because Zhousheng Chen is intelligent, poised, considerate, an excellent general, and of course, he's handsome. (Ren Jia Lun really looks great in this role!) The drama skims over these initial years so quickly and makes me wonder, what did Shi Yi even do during these years? Did she learn anything as his student?! Bai Lu does an excellent job conveying her adoration of Zhousheng Chen from the beginning, which is exactly what annoyed me because it never felt like a student-shifu relationship. It's more like she entered his manor and he took care of her...
Anyways, I didn't drop this after the first 3-4 episodes because of the crown prince Liu Zi Xing (played by Wang Xing Yue, who is only 19! I'll definitely be looking out for his future dramas). Liu Zi Xing is such an interesting character because he's trapped in the palace with little hope of actually becoming the future emperor. An engagement was long arranged for him and Shi Yi, and he falls in love with her just from gazing at her portrait--she's a light at the end of the tunnel for him, something precious to look forward to since he's treated poorly in the palace. But of course, Shi Yi isn't just a portrait, she's a human being with different feelings about their engagement. Although perhaps I wanted him to become a more likable character, his storyline is very fitting, because he's someone who gets in over his head.
It was around episode 9, when the battle takes place, that One and Only finally hooked me. Things escalated quickly, and it's the storylines of all the other characters that I found intriguing. There's Shi Yi's cousin and General Hong, which was honestly my favorite pairing of the series. Their scenes together were so memorable and heartwrenching. I loved the other generals under Zhousheng Chen, too--Feng Qiao, Xie Yun, Zhou Tian Xing. They were all so lovable! And of course, the runaway prince/monk was my favorite. I loved the scenes in which he gave Zhousheng Chen advice, and saw right through his true feelings. I also loved Shi Yi's mother and how brave and intelligent she was. It's because I loved these characters so much that I was motivated to keep watching and I'm sad that they don't return in Forever and Ever.
As for the villains and the political scheming, I don't always enjoy this part of historical dramas but I thought it was well-done here. There wasn't *too* much screentime for this aspect of the drama, but enough that it kept tension and suspense high. The Empress Dowager was a real piece of work, and I shook my head at her son.
I wasn't expecting to see Daisy Dai in this drama but I liked her character and wish she'd had a bigger role. (Why doesn't Daisy Dai get bigger roles?!) Another surprise was Han Cheng Yu, who I liked in Love and Redemption and really does a great job with characters that are a little quirky.
Thankfully this drama is only 24 episodes and the entire cast was excellent, or I would've dropped it!
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First of all, please be aware that in the first episode (including the opening scene), a character dies by suicide. Throughout the drama, there are many scenes of grief and where the characters try to understand why. This drama is a beautiful reminder that sometimes you will have no idea about the struggles of those closest to you, that depression is an illness, and that life is precious.
The main characters are close friends who are from a small town in the northeast, and now live in Beijing. They work, struggle with money, have phone calls with their parents (honestly the things that some of the mothers said have been things my mom has said, almost word for word!), fall in love... Since this drama is only 12 episodes (they're each a little over an hour long), it really feels like there's no filler. There are heartbreaking moments and frustrating moments, but also warmth and humor. Even if Xu Yan was my least favorite character, she felt very realistic and she did experience growth. I admit that I adored Jian Yi Fan. His voice is so soothing and I can't believe I hadn't seen Bai Yu Fan (the actor) in anything before. Even though I dropped Begin Again, I do really like Zhou Yu Tong. Ren Su Xi is a new face for me but she was so great at portraying Nan Jia.
Lastly, I really enjoyed watching the deleted scenes because it's interesting to see what didn't make the final cut. It seems like a lot of them focused on supporting characters and I understood that their scenes were cut to focus more on the main characters. I do wish they'd kept some of Jing Jing's ex's scenes in though because the drama made their relationship seem so inconsequential.
Anyhow, this is a favorite of 2021 and probably an all-time favorite for me as well. Highly recommend!
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I was so excited when I saw that Wei Zhe Ming and Hu Yi Xuan were being paired together. He Qiao Yan is a workaholic CEO who is very logical and data-driven, but would also do anything for his son, nicknamed "Xiao Bao." Xiao Bao became mute after a traumatic event, but takes a liking to Qin Yi Yue, a child psychologist, and so He Qiao Yan proposes the marriage/work contract.
Hu Yi Xuan has such a sweet, charming smile and she's delightful to watch. Unfortunately, her character's earlier enthusiasm for her work is sidelined when she enters the contract. She's continually being guilt-tripped into caring for Xiao Bao, as He Qiao Yan becomes jealous and overbearing despite not even admitting his feelings for her. I never felt invested in their relationship; it was like I was just waiting for them to be together because they were the leads. Xiao Bao is so cute that he might be enough to distract you from the weaker plot points.
Ning Fang was a standout character--a caring friend who didn't overstep boundaries. As for the best friends of the leads, Yang Ruo Wei and Wen Gu, I was deeply disappointed. Their dynamic of smart & sharp woman who won't fall for the spoiled playboy's tricks is one I really like no matter how many times I see it in c-dramas, but it really felt flat in this case. I didn't think they truly got to know each other, and they were stronger characters just as friends of He Qiao Yan and Qin Yi Yue. (Their dynamic actually made me think of two side characters in You Complete Me that had a much better developed storyline.)
It really felt like the plot became weaker as the drama went on, certain storylines are rushed in the end, and Qin Yi Yue seems too easily pressured into a choice towards the end. I honestly sat there wondering if I missed something.
Overall disappointing but perhaps worth a watch if you like the cast.
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Mi Ka and Xing Kelei are both independent, brave, and driven people who love their careers, and they support and respect each other. They both lacked relationship experience and navigated obstacles together. It was a little dramatic that they faced so many intense, life-threatening situations, but I expected it.
I rated this lower because I didn't love the development of the second couple. They spent so much time in a frustrating situation that I lost interest in them completely. On the other hand, I wish there'd been more screen time for the third couple! I liked the contrast of their relationship because they're older and more mature. Aside from the couples, I loved the friendship between Mi Ka and Xiao Xia, and Xing Kelei and his team (Li Nian in particular had some hilarious moments). I also loved Xing Kelei and his sister! Xing Keyao is such a great character. This was a really enjoyable drama to watch and I eagerly awaited new episodes every day without losing interest. I do think the last two episodes were underwhelming and overwritten though.
P.S. I loved the OST, especially the ending song.
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I loved Li Yi Tong as Xia Ran Ran, who returns from abroad to take down her scheming stepmother while continuing her search for her missing mother. Xia Ran Ran is spoiled and impulsive, but also very upbeat and energetic. She reflects over her past actions, and I liked her relationship with Shao Ming Zhe because he helps her grow and learn. This is an age-gap romance, and I was never quite sure exactly how much older he was. (The one thing that bothered me was the timeline of his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, because she was in high school...) What won me over with their relationship is that they developed a friendship first and confided in each other about how they had been hurt in the past. They have great chemistry and I enjoyed their banter a lot, although at times I wished Xia Ran Ran could prove her ability without Shao Ming Zhe always helping her. I was only able to get through this drama because I liked them as a couple so much.
In the later portion of the drama, I couldn't stand that every single character learned a secret but left the person who it would hurt the most in the dark. When is that ever a good idea?! It felt like there was so much buildup for the moment this secret would finally be revealed, but when the moment came it was such a letdown because it was overshadowed by another storyline.
A big miss for this drama was Su Mo's character, because it felt like they couldn't decide what direction to go in. Sometimes the drama really made me hate her, but then it'd throw in a flashback that would make me sympathize and wish she and Xia Ran Ran could repair their broken friendship. These mixed signals from the writers ended up making her seem unlikable and untrustworthy, and her ending felt way too neat. Shao Ming Zhe's mother felt like an annoying, stereotypical character written just to set up some obstacles, and I wish there'd been more depth there. I didn't mind Peng Jing (the stepmother), because she was a formidable opponent for Xia Ran Ran, and her son was adorable - I wish there had been more scenes of Ran Ran and Chen Chen! Xia Ran Ran's father turned out to be more interesting than I expected, and his assistant Chen Luo was another potential love interest for Xia Ran Ran. I appreciated his character only because he made Shao Ming Zhe jealous, but otherwise Chen Luo was a pretty bland character.
This is definitely not the worst in the genre but prepare yourself with low expectations for the latter half.
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Aside from Yoo Jin, every other character is so poorly developed. While Ji Chang Wook's Kim Je Ha starts off as a promising character, he ends up with only two defining characteristics: the ability to win a fight against all odds and a tendency for saving/falling in love with the damsel in distress. Yikes. Aside from the reason he seeks revenge, he's given little backstory. His relationship with Yoo Jin is complicated and intriguing, and showed SO MUCH POTENTIAL, but it all went away when he suddenly fell in love with Anna. I can understand if they slowly built a friendship and fell in love as they got to know each other but that's not what happens. What do they even know about each other?
Even on her own, Anna's character is so flimsy. The relationship with Je Ha aside, her character could've been 10 years younger and had the same storyline. What has her life been like all these years? All we see are glimpses of her running away, but was she educated? Was she allowed to have hobbies? It didn't make any sense. (Compare her character to the main character in Graceful Family, who is sent away for years and heavily watched/guarded.)
Choi Yoo Jin's husband, the congressman, had a shockingly small role. I would have liked to see him make some of his own decisions as well as the backstory of how they met. Also, the JSS agents seemed so inept compared to Je Ha, which I always find unbelievable, but ESPECIALLY Mi Ran. I cannot believe that after making a huge mistake, Mi Ran didn't lose her job. She was the World's Worst Bodyguard, from beginning to end, and while her personality was meant for some comic relief, I just found it annoying. The most under-utilized character with potential might've been Chief Kim though. She was fierce and loyal, but we never learn why.
I really liked the ending theme song though - Today by Kim Bo Hyung.
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1) Crude Play. I loved the fictional band in The Liar and His Lover. I loved their friendship and the storyline about their struggle with their company. I also liked their songs and listened to them on Spotify for weeks after the show. They're still on my playlist. (Also, Kim Sung Joo plays the lead singer, which led me to discover his kpop/cpop group UNIQ.)
2) Shi Hyun (the aforementioned Kim Sung Joo) and Soo Yeon's storyline is SO CUTE and I have rewatched their clips on YouTube before.
3) I recall liking Yoo Na's storyline a lot. It was very emotional and I thought Hong Seo Young did a great job.
4) Most disappointing was the leads and their relationship. So Rim (Joy's character) was kind of silly and foolish, and Han Kyeol (Lee Hyun Woo) was a dummy. And then you had to feel bad for poor Chan Yeong because he was totally talented and deserved a chance to succeed.
So I wouldn't say this drama is a waste of time - I would totally watch the Crude Play and Shi Hyun/Soo Yeon parts again.
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