Humorous and Heartwarming

If you're looking for a super romance-y drama, this is not for you. But other than that, this was such a refreshing drama! I know next to nothing about publishing, so this was a nice insight to the behind the scenes (which I'm assuming is pretty accurate to real life) - I initially thought the premise would be boring, but the story was actually pretty interesting with lots of humorous moments that made me literally laugh out loud, and without being over the top.

Also, I loved the FL! She was spunky and energetic, but I never found her annoying. She's the epitome of how hard work and persistence pays off, and I love how she always took her work seriously because she was truly so passionate about it. Another thing I loved - she's respectful, but also just doesn't take shit from other people lying down without standing up for herself and the people she loves.

As mentioned before, romance between the two leads played a part in the drama, but I definitely wouldn't say it was the main focus. Honestly speaking, I found Ryan to have had more chemistry with other FLs and the kissing was uh.... a bit wooden, let's say. They had their cute moments, but my favourite part was most definitely the various friendships the ML and FL had. Loved the ML and his best friend; they were competitive, but was always genuinely happy for the other's success. No secret backstabbing, badmouthing, or whatever other plots dramas tend to like to throw at you, just great friendship and support. Awesome.

Near the end, the plot did get kind of boring and predictable, but solid drama overall and I'm glad I gave it a chance.

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Fun, Short Drama

Pacing was slow at first, and I wasn't sure what to think of the ML since he really didn't speak much and the side characters also annoyed the hell out of me. The humour in the beginning also felt really forced, but I stuck it out because it usually takes a while for cdramas to grow on me - and tbh, I'm glad I did! There was an age difference between the two main characters, but their progression to affection towards each other felt very natural. The side characters also grew on me, which I guess really spoke to their growth in character throughout the series.

Also, one thing I really loved about this drama was how mature the ML was; sure, he gets jealous and petty, but when it really came down to it, he never doubted the FL and was always willing to apologize when he knew he was in the wrong.

This was only 24 episodes, so it didn't take me long to get through and pretty enjoyable to watch! Bonus: if you love food like me, you'll enjoy the pretty closeup shots of the food dishes too lol.

Edit: Forgot to mention ... how does she have so much time on her hands when she works as a chef at a 5-star hotel??

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Worth the Watch

I initially avoided this drama because historicals weren't really my thing, and I grew up watching Charmaine Sheh in HK dramas so... it just felt kind of weird to watch her in a cdrama now, but after heavy recommendation from a friend, I decided to give this a shot.

I'm really glad I did! It pulled me in right from the very first episode, and I loved all the devious scheming and plotting that never made an episode boring. However, I felt near the end, maybe last 10-15 episodes or so it definitely began to drag a bit and I did lose a bit of interest. I'm sorry, but I really did not care enough about the Empress and Prince He to warrant having to watch that many scenes with the both of them lol.

The relationship between Wingluo and the Emperor I'm still a bit iffy about considering all the shit he had her go through before and that one totally shady noncon scene that could have went even more south if Wingluo didn't scheme her way out of it, but they do have an interesting dynamic.

Anyway, this was 70 episodes but it definitely felt shorter because it was, for the most part, an enjoyable show to watch and I can totally see how it got so many views when it first aired.

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Failed execution

Y'all... I tried to finish this, I really did, but after maybe 7 or so episodes, I just had enough.

Actually, when I first started watching this, I was really invested because it had such an interesting premise, and I liked the two main leads (never watched any of ML's drama's I think but I watched HYJ's from like... 10 years ago lol). However, after the FL revealed to the ML the secret, it all just went downhill for me.

Everything just felt forced, and the more I watched on, the more it was evident to me that the two main leads just did not have any chemistry, which was a serious pain because they apparently already fell in love by the 7th episode and we weren't even halfway through the series yet (which normally, is totally fine, but again, no chemistry = painful to watch). The FL really grated on my nerves with her bumbling personality and her constant shocked/worried face and after watching one more episode, I was done with her antics.

I personally wouldn't recommend this, but maybe a good time waster for those that want to go for it.

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Less serious than expected

Started watching this maybe around a couple of months ago due to all the rave reviews, watched episode 1 and it didn't catch my interest so I dropped it. I decided to give it one more try, and I'm glad I did.

Highly unrealistic plot, but somehow still manages to be very entertaining. Almost perfect mix of comedy and seriousness, and the acting and cast was top notch. The villain storyline definitely dragged on a bit near the second half of the show, but nothing unwatchable and I felt the everything was wrapped up nicely in the end.

And while I loved all the cast (even the villains), I'm going to be honest, Vincenzo/Song Joong Ki absolutely carried the show for me. The character of Cha Young I felt like they could have done more with... I really wanted her to show off her skills (I mean, she's supposed to be a great lawyer!) but I didn't see much of that at all. In fact, the court scenes were almost non-existent lol. Also, the romantic storyline between Vincenzo and CY... I don't know how popular this opinion is but I definitely did not feel any romantic chemistry between the both of them. I loved their friendship, though! Seeing the two of them kick ass together was A++.

Overall, great production, cinematography, OST, cast, etc etc.

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Frustrating Female Lead

Saw great review reviews for this drama and I wanted something a bit more light-hearted so I decided to give this a try - at first, I really loved it! It was funny seeing the FL navigate this new world and the FL and ML had great chemistry.

However, as the drama went on, it lost its charming point (mainly: the comedy and the fact that it didn't take itself too seriously) and my frustration grew the longer the FL kept going on about the "original story" and made extremely stupid decisions again and again.

One of the things that really annoyed me was how she wanted to keep the ML alive and loves him so much, yet still continues to treat him like one of her fictional characters and keeps him in the dark about absolutely everything - even right after making him promise that they'll keep no secrets from each other. Lady, are you okay?

This is a relatively short drama so I'll finish it but as of right now... it's a struggle to watch.

Edit: Lmao.. they consummated IN PRISON. AND THE ML FOUND OUT SHE WROTE THE WHOLE STORYLINE AND MANIPULATED HIM AND WAS STILL TOTALLY OK WITH IT NBD. WTF LOL.

Edit: Finished. Ridiculous. Lol.

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Worth Watching

I actually wasn't planning to watch this until a friend highly recommended it and I was like okay, I'll try a few eps first and see whether I like it, and if worst comes to worst, I'll just drop it (even though I hate dropping series halfway).

Well... turns out I ended up loving it, and is definitely up there as one of the best cdramas I've seen so far. The pacing for this was great - I know I've said this in other reviews before, but for fantasy dramas, it usually takes me around 10 or so eps before I become interested and the plot even becomes interesting, but right off the bat for this drama, I was pulled in.

The acting was top notch for the most part, especially for the two main leads, and the chemistry between them was undeniable. In fact, I didn't expect to, but I grew attached to almost all characters and couples on the show, which is surprising for me because usually it's one or the other. However, there were times when the misunderstandings between the characters made me want to rip my hair out from frustration (hello... episode 42 which took me forever and a half to finish) but the payoff in the end was worth it.

I didn't have many issues with this show, but maybe with the character and acting for Ruo Yu which was uh... not great and not believable. Luohou Jidu acting as Xuanji also completely took me out (as in it gave me major LOLs) and made that whole last arc maybe a bit unintentionally funny for me.

All in all, this show is definitely worth a watch, and the hype is well deserved.

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I watched most of this series during my winter holidays (no work, just binging dramas!) and I'm going to be honest, if it were not for the fact that I rarely drop shows I have started already (unless they're absolutely terrible), then I probably would have dropped this halfway through.

Maybe it's just not my thing in dramas, but the pacing for this was absolutely snail-like. It also didn't help that a lot of the scenes were just eerily quiet with no background music at all. I struggled to get through the beginning episodes, and while it did get better and vaguely more interesting, the whole plot just wasn't engaging enough for me.

Ling Xi and Jiuchen were mainly what I kept watching for and kept my interest for the most part, but I just was not as invested in their relationship compared to the main couples in other shows I've watched. I liked how Ling Xi eventually stopped relying on Jiuchen so much and stood her ground on things, but what irritated me was that she was kept in the dark about most things from basically everyone around her. Side characters I found mildly entertaining, but all other side character relationships, again, I didn't care for, nor did I care about the Shanling tribe which they really pushed in the beginning.

All in all, definitely not a show I would ever rewatch (not even certain scenes), but it was mildly entertaining enough for me to watch 60 episodes of during the holidays.

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Okay.... I'm really not sure what to think of this drama. I found Bai Qian annoying at the beginning, and it definitely took a while before the drama picks up (which, to be fair, is typical of cdramas of this length). Excellent acting, cast, but the storyline definitely left something to be desired.

The most enjoyable part for me was definitely the latter half. The most red-flagged part of this whole drama was when BQ was in the mortal world and basically couldn't remember everything and Ye Hua met her and they fell in love. Is it just me that felt this whole arc was extremely shady and dubious? Do people not find this whole arc highly problematic? YH basically lied to her the whole time while she was unaware and vulnerable, they fell in love, and then soon after, they even had a kid while she was still completely oblivious as to her true self. Not to mention, not once did I find the two of them to be on equal footing while BQ was mortal, where she was meek and constantly needed saving and help. This basically tainted the basis of their whole relationship for me, where I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth.

Overall, it was still an interesting drama - I don't get the extreme hype it got, but I get why people liked it. The two main leads had great chemistry, and I also enjoyed the side couple (Feng Jiu and Dong Hua) as well, which kept me going. Also! The amazing OST, which was definitely one of the best parts of this drama.

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First 34 Episodes

This drama got me hooked right from the very first episode. I was thrilled to have a FL that was strong, smart, and knew what she wanted. There was never any damsel in distress and she and the ML truly made the perfect power couple.

The production was amazing and the whole cast did a great job of making the audience laugh and cry. It had characters that you could really empathize with and root for. Loved the friendships between the characters, but especially the 4 friends with the ML. Also, the OST was stellar, seriously one of the best I've heard and it really elevated certain scenes.

Some minor gripes would be the dead fish kisses (which I kind of thought we were past), iffy acting on some side characters, and how at least 90% of the storyline was centred on one goal and felt like an overly long trip.

But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

However, I'm basing my review solely based on the first 34 episodes. I don't know if I plan on watching the remaining 6 episodes, but I feel like it would be unfair to lower my rating too much even if I did as I really did enjoy a majority of the show.

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What

I was going to watch this for Lusi but the FL is a complete airhead and she just kissed her "brother" .............. I've read a lot of reviews where the complete lack of storyline/plot made up for it in chemistry between the two leads, but right now the FL is annoying the hell out of me with how weak and dumb she is and this whole fake brother/sister storyline is lowkey weirding me out LOL. Like, FL, do you think all real blood-related siblings kiss each other like that ????? Girl, what ?????

Anyway, considering whether to drop this or someone please give me a sign or some incentive to continue on watching haha. ;_____;

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Still in the process of watching, and will give it around 10 episodes or so before I decide whether to drop this show or not - however, right now, the female is truly preventing me from enjoying this show. I can't say I'm the biggest fan of Yang Zi, but I liked her enough in Ashes of Love. I'm totally okay with overly cutesy female leads, but not if 99% of their character is focused on chasing after the ML.

Right off the bat, she presumably falls in love at first sight with the ML, secretly gets his contact information without his knowledge, and proceeds to basically stalk him. She was even late to her event because she was busy chasing after him! The whole thing just gave me creepy, obsessive fan vibes.

Based on some of the reviews, it seems that her personality and background never really gets fleshed out and her supposed intelligence is not really put to use either, which is a damn shame. I'm just hoping the chemistry between all the characters is enough for me to continue watching until the end.

Will change my rating/review as I watch on.

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