Tanky Toon

8 versions????? Like 3 isn't enough ,,,😅😅😅

It's available iQiyi under "A Season For Love"
https://www.iq.com/share-short/zch5uc627s?isShort=1&lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4

The synopsis of this drama looked promising, so I watched it, not expecting much from a low-budget, short length drama.

While it started out hot and heavy, the show veered into a territory that is toxic for my taste. I enjoy noona romances if done well, but I dislike them when they show the couple’s incompatibility, particularly if the male lead is too immature for the older female. Don’t get me wrong: their chemistry is sizzling on screen, but that does not justify a union that lasts. Although the quick development of their relationship is due to the show’s short length, I’ve seen other dramas do it better in the same time frame.

Instead of open communication, they gaslight each other and play stupid mind games. Not one character here is likeable, and though I know humans are flawed and are not perfect, but there’s nothing savory about trying to control another by using dirty tactics. I think it’s unfair to criticize Jiang Nan’s ex-boyfriend for being obsessive and stalker-y, but excuse Shi Jie for behaving similarly just because he’s attractive and the main lead.

In my opinion, the fundamental issue here is cramming too many story arcs into a short drama, preventing proper character and plot development. A more effective approach would have been to focus on two or three key aspects and delve deeper into them.

Although Jiang Nan and Shi Jie might have redeemed themselves towards the end, it wasn’t enough for me to applaud them. Otherwise, this drama is mainly for the eye candy and gratuitous intrigue.

While this drama slowly started as a woman trying to shirk her filial duty into marrying into a noble family, it became so much more than this. Zhuo Hua rose from being an unrecognizable member of her large family, to becoming one of the highest-ranking officials in the land, through sheer effort and cunning capabilities.  

Early on, Zhuo Hua meets the formidable, unemotive general Liu Yan, who seemed old enough to be her father. While I was initially dubious about their pairing, their quirky interactions are adorable that I can’t stop smiling throughout their courtship. My initial worry that the ML would be controlling was unfounded as the show depicted him allowing the FL to grow independently.  

That worry later turned into fear when Liu Yan looks like he's at death’s door and would croak at any moment's notice. I wasn’t even sure if he will last another episode, so when he dies halfway through, I was resigned to the fact that he will stay dead. So with Liu Yan out of the way, I’d begun to root for Zhuo Hua and the Crown Prince, hoping they’d get together, though I knew that typical plot devices would likely prevent it. 

Disregarding the plot, the cast delivers a respectable performance in this drama. Though she turns out to be a righteous villain, Wang Li Kun embodied the Princess Ruo Jia perfectly, that I could not even hate her when she veered off the path. It was such a satisfying watch seeing how everyone try to outwit each other to achieve their goals.  

The only thing that disappointed me is the loosely wrapped arcs of the other princes and Yun Yun’s, as if they faded into obscurity without getting their just deserts. But otherwise, this drama is an engaging watch if you don’t mind age-gap romance.

Review Summary:

While this drama slowly started as a woman trying to shirk her filial duty into marrying into a noble family, it became so much more than this. Zhuo Hua rose from being an unrecognizable member of her large family to becoming one of the highest-ranking officials in the land, through sheer effort and cunning capabilities.

Review Detail in the Spoiler below:

Harlequin/ M&Be were so addictive especially in the eyes of a sheltered teen not allowed to be consuming such scandalous material. ,😅😅😅

I watch these short ones in transition between long dramas. Though I prefer the longer, regular format more due to the world-building and intricate plot lines, these short dramas provide a break from long dramas when I need to wind down. And they are easy to binge. Like snacks between full meals.

I usually stay away from dramas where the Female chases the Male first, (thanks to the ISWAK series), but I forgot to check the tag this time. After all, it’s a delicate balance between the annoyingly aggressive FL reeking with desperation, versus the beguilingly belligerent FL filled with enthusiasm. Especially if the FL does not have a lot to offer, is clueless about her shortcomings, and is clingy to boot.

But this show escapes that trope by presenting the Female Lead as a go-getter, who despite her naivete with romance, puts her faith in a younger man whom she fell in love with because of his looks. She shows her innocence by taking guidance from her equally clueless secretary or from reading manga, surely abundant with sage advice.

Their intertwined business rivalry and familial connections illustrate the “small world” theme common in dramas. The overuse of a common trope to create a “fated destiny” romance unexpectedly worked for the main couple, but the secondary pairing failed to benefit from this approach. Despite having quirky interactions, the fate of the second couple seems doomed from the beginning.

Despite its low budget and short length, this drama’s production team made the most of their resources, and I was pleasantly surprised by the cast’s performance, particularly Yang Ze’s. So I would look forward to his other works.

To add, what I find disturbing is the portrayal of the child Mikoto wearing a similar outfit as the HS student Mikoto when they were doing flashbacks in the forest.

What was supposed to incite a "Fated Meeting" story became a "So It's not a Mere Coincidence" story. While it may look admirable on the outset, the child Mikoto saving Jin's life, it became an "I'm glad I Met You as a Child when you saved me, so I will save you when You Grow Up" type of deal. I would have liked the premise of the first season of Haiba Jin paying it forward a better excuse.

Although I enjoyed this drama, this did not quite pack the same punch as the first. It was a watered-down version of the original premise I loved, although no less significant. Here, we see the stronger individuals that the MCs have become, but they could still rely on each other.

I am quite unsure how I feel about the brother arc, though. I am not saying that it was an unnecessary addition to the plot, but I would have liked it expanded to include the parents’ role in Mikoto’s abandonment.

While the first season was very self-aware of the implications of presenting a taboo relationship, the second season pushed the envelope further by uncovering their past entanglement. During the first installment, we can excuse this as a mentor preventing a mentee from attempting suicide, as a life-changing lesson, but it is harder to prove the naysayers wrong with this problematic second season.

However, the drama is still very cognizant of the fact that this is a taboo relationship when Mikoto rejects all of Haiba Jin’s advances. She explicitly says she will wait until they are no longer in a teacher-student relationship before being intimate. To this end, we can say that the production is doing their due diligence by not showing any type of skin-ship between the two.

Having said the above, this drama is still a decent watch, although unnecessary. I would have been satisfied if the show had ended with the first season. This is more of a filler for the staunch fans of the pair.

Not sure if you are talking to me or Erebusrising, but if it's me, I just googled "androgynous anime character with blue hair" and this image is one of them that popped up. I used this to replace the Konata Izumi picture that I had for close to 20 years, because some people in MDL have implied that my previous profile pic looked predatory especially when used by a person who is "old" as if I was thirsting for a comic book character. SMH.

The romance is not as prominent as in Chugakusei Nikki (Meet Me after school) or Hajimete Koi wo Shita Hi ni Yomu Hanashi, it's more about encouraging the dreams of the band.

Others that are not in Sun Oh's list are these dramas but they are not as good as Meet Me After School, but you can check them out

https://mydramalist.com/722389-murai-no-koi
https://mydramalist.com/776095-watashi-no-machi-no-chiba-kun-wa
https://mydramalist.com/764995-omukae-shibuya-kun
https://mydramalist.com/727281-kimi-no-hana-ni-naru

There's a lot of good recs on this list. When it comes to Student-teacher relationships (where the woman is the teacher) I agree that Chugakusei Nikki is one of the best. Another one of my faves is Hajimete Koi wo Shita Hi ni Yomu Hanashi.
https://mydramalist.com/31556-hajimete-koi-o-shita-hi-ni-yomu-hanashi
And rounding up the 3rd is Secret Love Affair.

Watching or Liking a series or movie does not mean condoning the actions in it.

Because by your logic, then crime shows shouldn't even be enjoyed by many people. I love "How To Get Away with Murder" but it doesn't mean I agree with people killing each other.

People should be able to separate fiction from reality. My taste in the books I read, the shows I watch does not dictate the moral standard I hold in my personal life. This would be a very restricted view in life.

Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule for example, those who actually consume child p0®n, where it is explicitly illegal and punishable by law, should not be even considered.

Well, I'm only 2 episodes in and I already used a full box of tissues.
I don't know how I can handle the rest. I need to take a day break and watch something else before coming back to this. 😅

Normally, I don’t pick up dramas with lackluster reviews, but the premise intrigued me. But I’m such a sucker for noona-romance, so I took the obvious bait, and it didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed the fluff that pandered to my taste, because occasionally I need to take a break from the heavy, sprawling, thousand-lifetimes drama and giggle at silly, trope-y shows to wind down.  

This fits the bill, with its cliched meet-cute, and then eventually meet-don‘t (or rather, meet-rewind); from online-friends, to let-down rivals that feel like a little cradle-robbery, to I-hate-you-boss-type of relationship. And of course, who could ever forget the what-a-small-world-scenario in nearly every drama, in where this MC, knows this MC, who knows this other MC, who happens to be this MC, and you’ve got a recipe of coincidences!  

Preventing me from fully relishing this drama is Ju Yeon’s grandma, who is so horrible that she makes Maleficent look kind. But at least there’s that bad-hair-wig-band that Ju Yeon’s rocking to, as their songs gave him solace and an outlet to tap out his frustrations.  

Not to be outdone in the chemistry department is the other pairing of Sin Won and Ha Jin. Their attempts at trying to separate the OTP are interesting to watch.  

All in all, I cannot dive too deep into a drama that is clearly not meant for any Baeksang awards, but if the goal is to provide an escape from reality for at least twelve hours, then this drama certainly has done its job.

I did not watch "The Time we were not in Love" because I already watched the Original Taiwan drama "In Time With You" and the Japanese remake "I don't Love You Yet," that I don't feel the need to watch 5 versions of the same drama. Also both of the versions I watched are in the top 5 of my favorite Jap and Taiwan dramas that I don't think any other version will replace these two. But that's just me.

I have these recommendations.

For Korean Dramas: She Would Never Know (2021), Imitation (2021), That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013), So I Married an Anti-Fan (2021), I need Romance 3 (2014), Goong (2006), My Girl (2005), Personal Taste (2010), Full House (2004)

For Japanese Shows: 5-ji Kara 9-ji Made (2015), Switch Girl (2011), Zettai Kareshi (2008), Eye Love You (2024), Ousama ni Sasagu Kusuriyubi (2023), Proposal Daisakusen (2007)

For Chinese Shows: Accidentally In Love (2018), Find Yourself (2020)

Some of them are older titles. Not sure why, but I find that perhaps the "older" generation, me being part of it, is more stringent and give away less 9 and 10s. But nonetheless, worthy to look at if you have the time.

I admit that I do use the ratings on MDL to weed out what to watch and not to watch. Back in the day, when there are fewer offerings of dramas, I would care less about ratings but because of the abundance of shows cropping up each year, I have to be more discriminate. So for the last 3 or 4 years, I put a limit of not watching dramas under 8.2 with some exceptions (and MDN is one of them).

Depending on the country too or the genre, I will drop the limit. I find, for example, that Japanese titles are rated lower so I will watch something that's 7.8. As for me, rather than watching "mediocre" shows, I expand my library to watch drama offerings from other countries that I don't have the time to watch those rated below the threshold I set for myself.

If you are expecting romance in this drama, don’t count on it. A few hints toward the end mean nothing. Although the premise of the show is of an investigative nature, its primary goal is to provide different perspectives on why people lie, and Iwai Soma, as a character, provides this insight in each episode.

Though destitute, Soma does not lack empathy. His astuteness and broad-minded view allow him to understand people’s motivations for lying. He comforts Kanoko, welcoming her abilities instead of shunning them. As each story progress, Kanoko becomes more self-reliant, and realizes that her ability to detect lies only tells one side of the truth (which is what she sees at face-value). Her powers do not guarantee as a deterrent to be duped. The drama tells us that when someone lies, we need context; and lying may not always be self-serving, but as a protection of a loved one.

This show is more than the supernatural, as it also teaches about the trust and faith we put in people, despite not knowing their reasons for lying. It also paints a contrast on how some become a pariah just because they are different, while others welcome strangers with open arms, expecting nothing in return. This drama provides life lessons in 11 episodes that are easy to watch and not over-preachy. A tad slow in some parts, but nevertheless decent.