An epic love story meets time travel and destiny

A multilayer love story like this truly breathtaking. A modern man, Shen Buyan, is transported back to Ancient Sheng and watches the death of Demon Queen Lu Yuan, hated by the commoners but loved by her adopted son the Emperor. Upon her death, a jade pendant is smashed into five parts, each part giving Shen Buyan the opportunity to relive a different part of Lu Yuan's life. He quickly realizes history is not what was written and she is a woman motivated to protect her country, even at this risk of her own life and love.

What's really unique about this is the freshness of the romance storyline. When Lu Yuan loves Shen Buyan the most, he treats her like a stranger. By the time Shen Buyan can't leave her and chose to protect her silently, she no longer remembers him. They symbolically layer flashbacks, mementos, and music to heighten the bittersweet love story. On rewatch, I bet more of these hidden nuggets will surface.

Although a low budget drama, the costumes, production quality, and cinematography were impeccable. The acting of Zhang Ya Qin as Lu Yuan was phenomenal - she played across a 30 year lifespan and somehow played each age convincingly. The ML started off a little weak but by the end, I was fully bought in to his role as a time traveling historian who fell utterly in love with a young peasant girl destined to be queen. Every lesson he taught pushed her closer to her destiny, despite his intention to merely protecting her from harm. Each time he travels he re-learns that he cannot change history and Lu Yuan will always chose protecting her country over her life and love.

Read More

The drama gods deemed it so

Flight to You is a workplace romance drama. Our leading lady, Cheng Xiao, is one of the only female pilots in the company and she gets put with a flight instructor, Gu Nanting, who has a cold and emotionless exterior. while they get off on the wrong foot at first, Cheng Xiao slowly discovers that Gu Nanting is actually a warm and caring person through various workplace trials and tribulations, and falls in love with him. Gu Nanting struggles with his own past and must decide whether he will continue to shut out his growing feelings for Cheng Xiao or confidently walk towards her.

Tan Songyun and Wang Kai have such stellar chemistry. even with the age difference and difference in positions, they made you believe that these two people really cared for each other. The cheek kiss in episode 24 and first kiss in episode 38 were sizzling! Wang Kai has certainly aged like fine wine and this type of slow burn romance suits him as his microexpressions are so on point.

The main characters are wonderful people, and it's clear that they respect and are willing to learn from one another. The second male lead and second female lead bowed out gracefully, as it becomes obvious that Cheng Xiao and Gu Nanting do want to be with one another so it doesn't create unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts. My main gripe with the story is yet again, the FL's mom is written as a terrible human being, unable to deal with her own trauma so takes it out on her child (similar to Go Ahead, anyone?). And because the script writers wanted to wrap everything thing up with a happy bow, major plot points were debuted and resolved so quickly in the last three episodes (Cheng Xiao's mom's PTSD, Gu Nanting's macular degeneration, Song Song and Xia's relationship) without any true consequences that would happen in real life. The drama gods deemed it so.

CGI of the flight scenes were well done, production values were high. I would watch again just to follow Wang Kai and Tan Songyun's chemistry, though I might skip all the side character shenanigans.

Read More

A love for Altay

Stunning cinematography, heartwarming story, and stellar acting. I really loved this drama - watching Wenxiu evolve from a timid rabbit, watching the love between Batay and Wenxiu develop, and tender heartbreak that followed. It's a clear view into Kazakh nomad lifestyle and you feel not as an outsider, but part of the village, celebrating weddings through song and dance, small joys in finding wood ear, and family discussions on remarriage and who the children should follow.

I adore Wenxiu and Batay separately and together. They needed that three years apart to grow strong as individuals and experience their own dreams. I'm also so glad the drama ended with a happy ending for the couple. First drama of 2024 that had me so invested in the story and characters. What a joy to watch!

Read More

A tale of two children

I usually don't watch dramas as they are still airing but I simply couldn't resist given how much I loved the book. Although marketed as a romantic fantasy, this is as much Cang Xuan's story as Xiao Yao's. They are royal cousins who have lost all their blood kin due to massive political events. Xiao Yao grows up hidden in the world amongst human and small deities, while Cang Xuan grows up as a hostage in another country. They cross paths but don't recognize one another, and while Xiao Yao meets the two other loves of her life, nine-tailed fox Tushan Jing / Ye Shiqi and nine-headed demon Xiang Liu, Cang Xuan starts consolidating his power and scheme against his royal uncles. We see the world through Xiao Yao's eyes, the up and down of her relationship with Jing, her protecting Cang Xuan with her life, and her carefree water adventures and archery lessons with Xiang Liu. The one constant in her life is her sweet and protective relationship with Cang Xuan.

Acting and casting are phenomenal - Zhang Wanyi's longing gaze and Tan Jianci's cold demeanor with a warm crinkle only for Xiao Yao are the standout performances for me. Yang Zi's star power and chemistry with all her co-stars is the glue that keeps you at the edge of your seat. Set design is lovely, a tad too fake-looking aesthetically for me, but still remarkably beautiful. I wish they picked a more memorable intro song, though the overall OST is very good at evoking emotions. Lastly, the story artfully follows the book and while some parts of the pacing could be improved, the overall experience was very good.

Highly recommend watching this gem! I have already rewatched some of the episodes and will continue to wait with bated breath for Season 2. 9.5/10.

Read More

What is Love, Actually?

Wow. What a lovely family drama. Each of the four main Qiao children are explored - their strengths, their flaws, and their growth. Yicheng ("Success") is the eldest and most responsible child, and took on the burden of raising and protecting his younger siblings from a young age. He wants to protect people from making mistakes so much that the people around him are stifled and he never gets to do what he wants to do. Erqiang ("Strength") is the second brother - quiet, honest, and hardworking. He falls in love with his teacher earlier on and remains dedicated to her despite disapproval and judgement from all sides. He hones his craft, cooking, slowly but steadily and owns up to his mistakes, endearing himself to those around him. Sanli ("Pretty") is the third child and eldest daughter. She's patient, careful and loyal, but skittish around others as she was molested in childhood. Simei ("Beautiful") is the rambunctious, passionate fourth child and youngest daughter. She says what's on her mind and lives life like an adventure, often to her elder siblings' chagrin. Qiqi ("Seven") is the baby of the family but raised separately with a reserved personality. He often feels like he's watching live unfold rather than living it.

The characterization, story, music, and pacing of this drama is phenomenal. You will love almost all the characters - yes, even the selfish dad has a slight redemption arc. The theme is that a family bond, if nurtured and prioritized, is stronger than all else. The unfortunate part is that not all characters get the same screentime, with Simei's forgettable love story repeating itself over and over again when I wanted to learn more about Erqiang's trials and tribulations. I can't be the only one who laughed when Simei saw Qi Chenggang and was stunned by his so-called beauty when her own brothers are much more handsome. I also wish we had more time to explore the cousin's love story and how his relationship with his siblings deteriorated to this point. Throughout the story, you explore the different facets of love and what love actually means to each of the Qiao family members.

This is one of the only dramas I wish there were more episodes, rather than less. That is how engaging the story is. Highly recommend!

Read More

Cat and mouse, but who's the prey?

When a stop for help turns to an attempted rape and murder scene, Ke Ying's peaceful life is turned upside down. Seven months later, she is approached by a man with eyes eerily similar to the head honcho from that night, Shen Shijie. She quickly learns that this man is actually Feng Xiaosheng, the executive director of the Feng Corporation and a member of the largest crime family in her city. Feng Xiaosheng quickly develops an interest in her, beginning to set up some cat and mouse games with her and revealing his true identity as Shen Shijie to her. He threatens her, her fiancee, her family and her students but soon learns that Ke Ying is also a wild one and cannot be fully controlled, despite her meek and docile exterior.

What an intense drama - if the fighting and action scenes don't get your heart rate up, Peng Guan Ying's smouldering gaze certainly will! The chemistry between Peng Guan Ying and Cai Wen Jing is on fire and all three lead roles are well acted. Xiao Wu provides just the right amount of humor so this drama doesn't seem too dark and abusive, despite the undercurrent of rape and death. Ke Ying is the strong FL that you never knew was possible; calculating and intelligent; but willing to drop little suggestive hints, just to keep Feng Xiaosheng yearning for more. Peng Guan Ying is certainly the star of the show - his dark gaze flashing from intense hatred; emotionless disintrest; calculating suspicion; and gentle affection / desire for his one and only Ke Ying.

The story is well written, with some really interesting nuggets that I picked up on a second watch. For example, in multiple scenes, they show which car Feng Xiaosheng is using as a indicator of what type of mission. He only drives the white VW SUV when he doesn't want to be tracked (e.g. murder, evidence disposal, etc). Similarly, the show alludes to him having a secret hidden room, as they show him early on watching Ke Ying on camera from that room. They also shows his dissatisfaction with being a puppet in the Feng Corporation, and getting cut off when speaking but one of his executives. We later see that executive with a broken arm and hear that he was attacked in the garage, with Feng Xiaosheng flashing a small grin. With the small hidden nuggets, drama watchers will enjoy the rewatch.

My major complaint is that they should have cut of some of the side characters that really don't add value. Lian Lian was an illogical second female lead- she was hand fed every news lead she investigated but still managed to butcher them all, and she wasn't even loyal to her best friend, liking both of Ke Ying's fiance's. Chen Miaomiao got herself in trouble multiple times and drifted out of the story, ending up as just a convenient plot device.

Overall a strong story with a well resolved ending. There was no way Shen Shijie would have stayed docile in jail. Ke Ying would have lived her life on tenterhooks if he didn't die, knowing how devious and calculating he is. Similarly, we see both Ke Ying and Xiao Wu going back to their normal lives. When Ke Ying See's Xiao Wu, she just smiles and goes their separate ways. No longer partners to take down the crime boss Feng Xiaosheng, they are just strangers once again.

Read More

The Four Musketeers of Emergency Medicine

Wang Yang Ming and Liu Fei are two newly graduated doctors who compete for one full time position at the prestigious An Kang Hospital. Liu Fei is taken under the wing of even-tempered and careful Dr. Zu while Wang Yang Ming is shoved at the curmudgeonly Dr. Lu, who is minutes away from quitting for a much better paying private hospital job. Under the tutelage of these mentors, Wang Yang Ming and Liu Fei grow their skills, learn to overcome hospital politics, and become top emergency room doctors.

My favorite character is Dr. Lu Yi (Louis). He's both an old grouch, extremely dedicated doctor, and the comedian of the group. His character growth really stems from empathy. He starts off as a brash, highly skilled but hard to get along with doctor with a massive chip on his shoulder for not getting promoted, to an understanding, confident man who is willing to sacrifice his career but not his morals for those he cares about. Wang Yang Ming and him make a dynamic duo, but Lu Yi always felt realistic while Wang Yang Ming felt a little too idealistic. All four main characters and the supporting characters were all solid, thought Dr. Guan (Big Boss Guan) is worth a particular shout-out. She was an teacher and manager to the four, giving life lessons and pushing at the right times to make these four better.

This drama could have cut down 10 episodes, as it started dragging around Ep 26. They inflated the story by adding three side romances and varying degrees of drama. My biggest criticism is that Meng Jiaoyang, Dr Bao, and Wang Huan didn't become their own strong characters - they just helped push the storyline forward and became enablers to the men in their lives. I would cut most of the romance because the medical drama and brotherhood between the four main characters really didn't need it to sustain interest in the story. The medical cases themselves also became less interesting in the second half of the drama.

Overall, one of the best medical dramas I've seen since With You (2020). Highly recommend for a pleasant mix of lighthearted comedy, drama, and brotherhood.

Read More

Sometimes giving up is more brave than trudging along

Liang Youan is an early 30s professional woman who has been stuck in her role as an Executive Assistant for years. Extremely competent, her boss loathes to let her leave and grow in her career because she's so valuable. She meets Song Sanchuan, a young 20s badminton player, whose athleticism and kind heart strikes her, but he's consumed by his own demons and is not able to break out of a losing rut.

Together, they decide to revitalize an unprofitable tennis club, with Song Sanchuan changing professions from badminton to tennis at the ripe age of 22, unheard of as a professional athlete. They slowly but steadily fall in love, and overcome the perceived divide that their 10 year age gap causes.

This is a lovely story with high production quality and well-written, memorable lines. I really enjoyed the first 30 episodes, as the pacing was good and story developed in a way that kept you interested. However, I think the story would have been better with just 30 episodes and filler content about side couples and Liang Youan's boss cut out.

The acting is superb, Wu Lei and Zhou Yutong looked so natural, especially in the sweet romantic scenes. My favorite supporting character is Song Sanchuan's dad though, as he provided sage advice and comic relief, and supported their romance from the very beginning. What was refreshing was that even though there were flawed, dislikeable characters (e.g. Liang Youan's mom), the leads were cognizant of those faults and biases, and did not let misunderstandings develop between them instigated by these flawed characters.

As a sports drama, I did wish that the tennis scenes were better. I got tired of seeing cuts of Wu Lei hitting a tennis ball and then another cut directly to him waving the trophy. I felt like Ping Pong with Bai Jing Ting was able to shoot the actual competition much better, and you actually saw significant growth in technique as an athlete. Overall, very good nianxia (older woman younger man) drama that I would recommend to slice of life and romance fans alike.

Read More

A lifetime of sacrifices, an enduring friendship

A prince of ping pong meets his match. Arrogant Yu Ke Nan grows up under the pressure of his father to become a world champion in Ping Pong. Meanwhile, reserved Xu Tan's family pressures him to use his brain and talents elsewhere. The two polar opposites personalities meet at the provincial training, and Xu Tan slowly becomes friends with Yu Ke Nan, supporting each other through training. Yu Ke Nan teaches Xu Tan to fight for the things he wants, while Xu Tan teaches him a love for ping pong and drive for self improvement he didn't know he had.

The two friends grow up, face extensive mental and physical challenges, and become world athletes, learning to deal with challenges both individually and together. It's a wholesome drama that has you cheering for Xu Tan.

The not so great things:
The main villain (Coach Zheng Hao) gets off quite lightly after lying about and mentally / physically abusing the athletes under his care. It seems like the drama would rather put the coach / mentee relationship on a pedestal than punish bad coaches.
Yu Ke Nan and Xu Tan's romantic storylines were quite boring. I understand why they were included - to nail home that champions often have to deprioritize everything else, including romantic love, to hone their craft.
Set design was pretty cheap. You could tell that the hospital room was the same as Lei Lei's room, just with some different furniture. Same with some of the homes / hotel rooms.

Read More

Hang Yunxian is an aspiring female doctor in a time where women were under lock and key to keep their "virtue" intact. Her grandma secretly taught her medical skills and she learned by absorbing by those around her, regardless if they are well known doctors or poor witches. She combines all this knowledge and applies it to the rich, the poor and everyone in between to become one of the top doctors of her era.

This is a mix of political drama, history, inner palace intrigue, romance, and fantasy. The story, while not well written due to character inconsistencies and character depth and pacing issues, kept the story interesting enough to keep watching. Liu Shishi had a lot of chemistry with Wallace Huo, made obvious in the last episodes where his yearning just makes your heart tremble.

By the end, I truly hated Zhu Qiyu. He had no redeeming qualities after he forced himself on Hang Yunxian. The writers glossed over it and tried giving him a redemption arc that really fell flat to me. Zhu Qizheng was an interesting male lead but both him and Hang Yunxian were too hard-headed to be compatible as a couple. Yexian would have been an interesting option but he appeared too late in the game and Yunxian was clearly never interested.

I was actually quite happy with the ending. It felt realistic because Zhu Qizheng put the good of the people before his own desires and Yunxian put herself and medicine first before love. Only when the kingdom was stable and after his wife passed could Qizheng go and find the person he had yearned for those twenty years. I probably wouldn't rewatch, but if you are a fan of historical dramas or the actors Liu Shishi and Wallace Huo, this is certainly a worthwhile watch.

Read More

Steamy scenes and tropes galore

Steamy short series draws you in quickly, but the plot falls apart especially in the latter half. Gu Meng is the young miss of powerful family who gets slaughtered on her wedding night. She focuses her revenge on her almost husband, Xiao Hongye, who quickly rises through the ranks after that fateful night. However, she loses her memory after an failed assassination attempt and becomes his maid, slowly uncovering the truth to that night.

A+ acting and chemistry from the ML and FL. FL nails the subtle expressions like shyness, defiance, and affection. The second ML Zhou Zichen, although very easy on the eyes, had a habit of overacting.

The plot was convoluted and contrived, but I was able to suspend my disbelief to continue watch the chemistry on screen. How many times did Gu Meng get amnesia? How many times was Jiao Jiao going to beg Xiao Hongye for his affection? Obviously tropes galore. This could have been rated slightly higher, of they didn't cop out on the ending and give us a nonsensical "two years later" scene that shows our FL and ML reuniting after they clearly all died at the church shootout.

My recommendation: skip this in favor of rewatching Maid's Revenge.

Read More

An easy dose of sugar

Duan Yu Cheng is an aspiring high jump athlete who meets Luo Na, an assistant coach at a university, when she comes to his high school to scout potential athletes. She finds his energy and talent blazing, but the head coach vetos him on the basis of his height. Proudly, Duan Yu Cheng vows to get into the university anyway.

A few months later, Duan Yu Cheng arrives at the University as an economics major, having tested into the university through academics instead of athletics. Luo Na, seeing his talent and persistence, begins to train with him, finding opportunities for him until the coaches agree to have him join the professional high jump team. Over the next few years, he grows and handles challenges in his athletic career, but Luo Na is always there to strategize and support him. He finds himself in love with her, but will she accept him as a lover given their age difference and professional relationship?

What can I say? The chemistry of Wang Anyu and Gina Jin really brings you into the story and makes you root for them, and the sweet moments are done in a very artful way. The athletic scenes are also done well - I could watch Wang Anyu run and jump for hours. Acting is very good, with Wang Anyu knocking his roles of love-sick puppy and focused athlete out of the park. Gina acted on pay with what I expected, but I had a harder time buying into her role as coach. Supporting cast was decent, with a notable shout-out to Chi Jia as Luo Na's childhood friend, senior, and fellow coach.

Areas of improvement include the post-production filters (omg so blurry and people's skin was glowing), a rushed last few episodes and overall theme. This was a romance drama masquerading as a sports drama. Challenges were resolved quickly, but in an almost forgettable way. Why else does this drama exist but to give us a an easy dose of sugar?

Read More

Saving the world, one stitch at a time

Yu Wuxia is your perfect heroine with a sad back story: abandoned at a nunnery by her family, cursed to bring misfortune to her father, and married to someone she didn't love to save that same family who abandoned her. Funny enough, she's naturally just very talented at embroidery, which is also the family business.

Through trails and tribulations, often through her embroidery, she learns to love and grows in independence. Her husband, Huo Dongqing realizes that he has a gem at his side and fall in love with her, while her jealous and hateful sister festers at their side. Their family is upended by the Japanese invasion and her husband does, leaving her to become the matriarch of a scattered family.

The good: lovely costumes, epic music, and decent acting. The weakest link is Hawick Lau, whose pretty face is his main value add. Tan Kai as Luo Zhixiang made me swoon and his dedication to Yu Wuxia despite her enduring loyalty to Dongqing.

The bad: nonsensical story writing (why would Dongqing, who was so weak that he couldn't even chew his own food, make a move on his wife in a cold cave? Like what?!), big female lead storyline and tropes galore, and weird pacing. Somehow ten years passed in the last few episodes without anyone mentioning it or aging.

The ugly: the dubbing.

I enjoyed the rewatch after 10 years, but the story did not age well.

Read More

Skip if you want to keep your sanity as a modern woman

Marketed at a romantic comedy, but quickly devolves into a poorly written family drama.

All characters are written to be caricatures with over exaggerated characteristics that don't make sense given their backgrounds. Smart working woman - an ace at her job but doesn't know how to date or find a good man. Easily convinced out of her values. Workaholic, chauvinistic computer programmer - thinks women should take care of the home while he brings home the dough, even though he was raised by a single mom with a career. Sees love as a programmable compatibility exercise. Young, rebellious sister - thinks that her older half-brother should just take care of her since her parents both died, despite that her father left him to be with her xiaosan mom. Older retired and divorced mom - lives life with a chip on her shoulder as she was left for a younger, prettier woman. Seeming strong and independent, but still holds a weird emotional tie to her ex and allows her son to disparage women's work.

Where's the logic? Why are these types of characters still written in 2022?! Dropped at episode 15 because the workplace harassment arc was too problematic to even touch with a 10 ft pole. The writers should be ashamed of themselves.

Read More