Great Production, Decent Storyline, Max Enjoyability

I had high hopes coming into this drama. I usually don't start watching dramas until they're completed, but I took a chance on this and yep, I have no regrets.

First of all, the production value of this drama was top notch. Everything looked great - loved all the different costumes and the sets, and it really helped set the mood throughout the whole series.

Second of all, I absolutely loved the FL. Honestly, if you're a fan of strong FLs, I would give this drama a chance because this definitely fits the bill. FL isn't the type of "strong" FL where they claim she's strong and then somehow somewhere down the line, 10 episodes in, you have the ML having to save her every other episode (an exaggeration, but you get my point). Nope, this FL holds her own throughout the whole drama, and is on par with the ML every step of the way, whether it's physically or intellectually. There were times where I thought, oh no, they're going to have her fall into the trap or oh, she's going to get saved by someone, but NOPE, she actually fucking figures it out and gets the job done herself.

This has now become my favourite drama of Yang Yang and Lusi so far. Yang Yang especially, stood out for me in this show and now I need him to do 500 other wuxia/xianxia because he is perfect in these types of roles. Chemistry between him and Lusi was great, so much so that I could deal with some Very Questionable Plot Points just because I was so invested in the two of them lol.

Also, bonus points for NO LOVE TRIANGLE. Hell yeah. There was a point where I thought they were headed to one with Feng Xiwu, but she became best friends with FL instead and was actually so genuinely supportive and kind to FL. A miracle!

All in all, it's a fantastic drama for me, highly enjoyable with engaging characters that I loved. Worth my time, and worth the watch.

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Had potential.. if only the storyline wasn't so terrible

I'm trying (read: struggling) to continue watching this but all I'm thinking about is how Crystal and Zheng Ye Cheng's chemistry is completed wasted on this drama lol. I'm literally so disappointed because the two of them definitely deserve a better script/story than ... whatever this is, because their chemistry is A+.

I actually liked the FL lead at first, but then she got super annoying when she devolved into a clingy, lovesick puppy. I have no problems with a straight-forward FL who goes after what she wants (and in fact, this is what made it refreshing when I watched the beginning eps) but FL's whole personality is chasing after the ML and being in love with him. One of the things that also really grated me was the progression of their relationship. There was, what felt like, absolutely no buildup to their relationship, and I don't know if it's because they cut out a lot of scenes (seeing as this is only 22 eps), but their relationship went from 0 to 100 real quick. It's like one day the ML is telling her to bugger off and the next they're in love with each other and spilling their traumatic past to each other. Like... what LOL.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just not the target demographic? I wouldn't completely dismiss this drama if you're looking for a fun, romantic drama to watch (the two leads have a ton of great romantic scenes with each other) but not if you're looking for something with more substance.

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Decent drama

This was a surprisingly realistic (or as realistic you can get when one of the characters is a hugely famous pop star..), not over-the-top drama. The problems ML had in the beginning I could definitely empathize with. It had an easy-to-watch storyline and no dramatic conflicts with unrealistic villains and terrible communication. Both of the leads were mature, knew what they wanted, and really made their relationship work. While Yang Yang improved from his Love O2O days, his acting always felt very wooden to me. However, he had great chemistry with Dilraba and their relationship carried the show. I'm not sure if I would ever rewatch this but it was a sweet, romantic drama that wasn't too serious and fairly light-hearted.

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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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Fantastic comedy rom com

Absolutely love a good comedy rom com and this was no exception. The story was probably a max 7.5/10 but the overall enjoy-ability of the show was close to a 10/10. I loved how it didn't take itself seriously, the refreshing take on all the cliches and tropes present in rom coms, and the chemistry between all the characters. The story and vibe of the show kind of petered off near the end where they tried to go a more serious route and it felt kind of rushed, but overall I was satisfied with the ending and thought it wrapped everything up nicely. This is the perfect show for when you just want to wind down after a long day at work, and want to watch something funny and light-hearted.

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Heartwarming, Charming, Hilarious

This was one of the most charming, feel good kdramas I've ever watched, and I cannot believe it took me 5 years to finally watch it.

So, so many good things about this drama, but the one that stands out the most to me was the chemistry between the two leads because .... y'all. Bok Joo and Joon Hyung are seriously SO cute. I can't even count the amount of times I smiled and laughed like an idiot because of these two. Cutest couple ever. I think what really got me was how natural their relationship was, nothing felt forced, and there was definitely more skinship than I expected for a kdrama.

There were some things about the drama that I was kind of iffy on, such as the way they dealt with weight/diet/disordered eating etc. and the uh.... questionable coaching methods, but I did feel like the issues I had with the show were minor gripes in comparison to how happy this drama made me feel while watching it. I loved pretty much all the relationships they had with each other, especially Bok Joo's relationship with her two best friends and with her dad, as well as Joon Hyung's relationship with his aunt and uncle.

A+, would definitely consider watching again.

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I'm seriously looking at all these high rated reviews and I feel like we've just been watching two completely different dramas. Maybe my expectations were too high, or I have different tastes, or the drama is just genuinely.... not good. If you're looking for a fast-paced, super romantic drama, look away because this is not for you.

And I gotta be honest, I feel next to nothing for most of these characters. Like, almost apathetic. The acting, the characters, the plot line - nothing was engaging and real enough for me to feel invested.

First of all - the Emperor. I'm sorry, but he is straight up trash. He sexually, emotionally, and physically abuses Tilan until she's so scared of him that she flinches away whenever he even approaches her, and the show tries to excuse all of this because of his past trauma. HELLO. EXCUSE ME. I don't care WHAT tragic past you have, because absolutely nobody deserves the shit that Tilan went through. I swear, she got strangled by him at least like... three times. Wtf. And then all of a sudden, everything is okay because the Emperor sees the light! He understands what he did was wrong, and Tilan is so understanding! And even comforts him! .... People. If someone treats you like this in real life, please leave them. You cannot be their savior, what they need is therapy.

Second of all - Jiangming, the ML. This emotionless rock. Even the rare times that he showed emotion, I just wasn't into it, and I'm not sure if it's just an issue of me just not jiving with the character at all or what. He keeps the FL in the dark about literally .... everything. Just ups and decides the rest of FL's life for her, under the guise of "protecting her" without ever asking her about what she wants - actually, FL told him multiple times what she wants, but no, he decides to ignore all of that because he loves her so he gets to decide how things go. Lmao. Okay.

Now - Haishi. Y'all. I feel like her life just revolves around the ML, I literally don't know how she would be able to live her life outside of him. I get having a love interest, but I also feel like she needs her own character, her own hobbies, you know? Right now, I'm just not getting that at all.

The acting - I wasn't impressed, to be honest. The acting for the Emperor was especially not doing it for me, kind of felt like the same 3 wide eyed, angry expression throughout the whole show.

The chemistry - not feeling it. I felt like if I could feel genuine chemistry between the two leads, I would be so much more invested in the show. I haven't watched any of William Chan's dramas but I've watched Yang Mi in Fuyao and Eternal Love and the chemistry between the leads in both of those shows were off the charts. This one? Definitely can't say the same, and I don't know if it's because of the ML's character in the show or ???? I also feel like it might be how they shot 90% of these romantic scenes where it's SUPER CORNY - they slow down and zoom in on everything and it just makes the whole scene feel unnatural.

Another (lol) complaint I had was also the terrible wigs for some of the guys, like the wig for Duo Luo made me not take him seriously at all because every time I looked at him in that curly wig, I couldn't help but laugh.

Anyway. Not to say there weren't good things - I liked the OST, I enjoyed the relationship between Haishi and Zhuoying, and Zhouying and Zheliu. I liked Tilan, I guess. I've spent a lot of time watching most of this drama already, so I'll finish it up at least, but I don't think my review on this show will change much.

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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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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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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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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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