An Emotionally Moving Journey, That Is More Than Just Skin Deep

"Fangs of Fortune" or also known by its native title as "Da Meng Gui Li" which translates to "The Big Dream Returns" is a fantasy drama which incorporates Chinese mythology from the 'Classics of Mountains and Seas'. It's an adventure that revolves around mythological creatures ; demons versus mortals. Leading to action packed scenes with visually pleasing CGIs, eye-candy visuals and delicately detailed costumes. Not to forget the banger ost titled 'Unintentional Big Dream' which adds to the excitement as it rings for an eventful scene. This is the first initial impression, but as we dive more into the storyline and if you ask me how I perceive it on a deeper level, here is what I would tell you...

Fangs of Fortune is a tale that is more than just skin deep. It's an emotionally evoking journey that touches meaningful themes about life, death, love, hate, friendship, family, growth and dreams. This is definitely not just a mere demon versus mortals story, but it's an intricately woven story about self discovery and what makes one's life worthwhile. The underlying meaning of the title is about the acceptance of fate and the defiance of fate, that concludes to one word: willingness. It tells you how powerful that one word is when faced with life choices or when devoid from having a choice.

STORYLINE
The first half of the story began on a light hearted tone with comedic scenes inserted. Although, this might come as an unexpected surprise for those who thought this drama to be heavily dark theme and gloomy. I thought otherwise, the addition of the comedic aspect didn't add as a mere filler or entertainment, I saw it as another layer that adds to the complexity of the characters. The first half tells more about the coming together of the demon hunting team as they venture out solving one case after another, however, their relationship among each other is still at the state of testing the waters due to the fact that the well-renowned vicious great demon Zhao Yuanzhou who everyone fears or hates the most ; except for Wen Xiao, turned up to be part of their team.

As the story progresses more, the characters who seemed to be one-dimensional in the beginning have started to have complex layers upon the small revelations that were revealed about them through the use of flashbacks. Slowly, the story had started to touch grey areas that is more than just black and white, or in other words good and bad. The flashbacks weren't thrown in one full blow but instilled into the storyline parts by parts, therefore incorporating a mysterious effect which I found intriguing. The inclusion of backstories for the side characters - demons who were the prime suspects in the cases they were solving, added depth to the storyline. Furthermore, these flashbacks and backstories serves essential as they contain the key details that would play a role in the latter part of the story.

The second half of the story is where a complete tonal shift from the previous part takes a turn, despite the consistency in insertion of a few comedic scenes, the emotional heaviness and angst played a pivotal role here. After the long journey of the demon hunting team, the revelation of the truth took a toll on everyone, but this toll became the fuel that served for the fruition of their newly formed bond. What I like about how their bond was formed is that it wasn't handled in an abrupt way, but rather the complex characters were given time to sit with their own feelings, it allowed them to self-reflect and process acceptance of the truth in their hearts, as a result, it led to a more genuine formation of their bond ; it's realistic and well-thought of.

The romance aspect between Zhao Yuanzhou and Wen Xiao isn't heavily the focus of this drama, it was rather balanced with the friendship aspect and other themes. Despite this fact, it didn't hinder me from actually feeling the romantic chemistry between the two leads, their romantic story is convincing enough. I truly loved their scenes together and found every moment of theirs heartwarming. The playful banters, the bold flirty remarks, to the heartfelt conversations. The slow burn trope. It was all conveyed well.

The ending of the story (including the special episode) is absolutely phenomenal. While it was all painfully heartbreaking and tragically sad, it was a very meaningful and touching end that does justice for the underlying message of this drama ; the willingness to accept their fate, and the willingness to defy their fate.

The cinematography for this drama is aesthetically pleasing, it is definitely one of the things I love about it. Apart from this, I find the slow-motion effects on the action scenes as a great way to highlight its stunning details and movements, hence making it more impactful. While I didn't really have much problems with these areas, I did notice at least two scenes that were abruptly cut but I found them minor so they didn't really affect me to the extent that made me dislike it.

CHARACTERS & ACTING

Neo Hou as Zhu Yan/ Zhao Yuanzhou
Zhao Yuanzhou is a heavily misunderstood character in the drama. He had spent his life in seclusion, surrounded with constant loneliness and tormented by guilt. He lived life awaiting his deathbed. Upon seeking for death, he unexpectedly found friendship, love and felt happiness for a while. He's an extremely selfless character that lived up to his name as a great demon, not because he is powerful, but because he has the biggest heart. He is the epitome of willingness, which is why I found the drama centering about him to be touching.

Neo Hou gave a stellar performance in his portrayal of the great demon Zhao Yuanzhou, he brought complete justice to his role. He didn't shine in this drama because of his action scenes alone, his emotionally impactful expressions of all the complex emotions of Zhao Yuanzhou in different intensities, from the light-hearted to heavy scenes made him really stood out. In addition, he nailed the comedic side of his character. I must say that this is his best role to date, this is the first time in a long while that I actually liked a character he played. He truly carried his role here.

Chen Duling as Wen Xiao / Evil Wen Xiao
Wen Xiao is a mortal who possesses the power of the Baize Goddess but even with such powers, she has been presented to be a physically weak character. Despite her physical weakness, her strength lies in her cleverness, her ability to strategize, her strong determination, and resilience. She's a character that served as a pillar who brings the team of misfits together. In the storyline, she is utilized in a way that adds balance to the demon hunting team, at the same time she served as both a moral compass and a light of hope for those who lived in complete darkness ; ZYZ & ZYC. She might not be an over powering character, but she's an essential character.

Chen Duling proved her versatility as an actress in this drama. Her portrayal of Wen Xiao and the Evil Wen Xiao deserves praise. She's definitely talented and can pull both roles very well. Her crying scenes is heart wrenching, I cried so much whenever she cried. Her character was well-written, and she had her shining moments. I did think she deserved more screen time and wished her character was given a bit more focus in the storyline. However, I still did appreciate Chen Duling's portrayal of Wen Xiao.

Tian Jia Rui as Zhou Yichen
Zhou Yichen is a righteous character who lived his life awaiting for the day he could avenge his family. He seemed like an aloof character who is bad at expressing himself at first, but he is actually a very soft hearted character. His character development throughout the drama proved how he is truly the roof of the demon hunting team.

Tian Jia Rui had pulled off his role as Zhou Yichen really well. He definitely has the potential of being a male lead in a drama. As much as I loved his Gong Yuanzhi in MJTY, I think it has now been officially replaced by his character here as Zhou Yichen.

Others
At first, Zhen Xuan's Ying Lei and Lester Lin's Bai Jiu portrayal threw me a bit because of how anime-like they both were, eventually though I did manage to get used them. As for Cheng Xiao's portrayal of Pei Si Jing, I had a bit of a similar experience but in a different aspect, I knew she was written to be a cold and strong character, but I found the first crying scenes of Cheng Xiao lacking, thankfully she did improved in the latter episodes in this aspect. Meanwhile, Yanan's villain role as Li Lun is commendable.

OSTs
The songs that were mixed into this drama were meaningful, as they not only made the whole watching experience better, but each of these songs were perfectly tailored to match each of the characters stories and the casts personally singing them adds as a cherry on top. My favorites are definitely 'Yuanzhou's youth', 'Heaven and Earth Are Unrivaled' and 'Spring Breeze Does Not Ask'.

OVERALL IMPRESSION
This drama has left a lasting impression for me. The overall experience has been an enjoyable little adventure which I will definitely remember. The compelling storyline and well-rounded characters which crafts the underlying message of this drama is certainly what adds color to the dark and gloomy cinematography style. As someone who doesn't mind angst and sad endings, I can say that the whole journey from beginning to end has been of value, all emotions spent regardless whether they were laughters or tears shed definitely didn't go to waste. Fantasy dramas like this don't come by often, Fangs of Fortune is a gem of its own.

The actors hard work and effort put into this drama has certainly paid off. The chemistry between Chen Duling and Neo Hou. The brotherhood between Neo Hou, Tian Jia Rui and Yan An. The formed little family of misfits in the demon hunting bureau. I am surely going to miss all these.

FAVE SCENES
- Zhao Yuanzhou's big dream revelation at the peach blossom house
- Wen Xiao's 300 years in the sundial
- Wen Xiao and Zhao Yuanzhou's "one day"
- Wen Xiao and Li Lun's game of questions
- Tian Xiang Pavillion scene
- Lord Bingyi and Yinglong backstory
- Bai Jiu and Ying Lei's almond cheese
- Li Lun, Zhao Yuanzhou and Zhou Yichen's collaboration
- Zhao Yuanzhou's last moment of hesitation

"There are thousands of laws in the world but none of them can defeat a single word of willingness" - Qing Geng

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A Beautifully Written Story That Warms The Heart & Brings Comfort To Those Exhausted In Life

'Love Next Door' or also known by its native title as 'My Mom's Friend's Son' is not your typical romantic comedy k-drama that is a no-brainer and whose plot is only filled with the usual fluff, cliches, and scenes that will make you cringe to the core, while having the typical one-dimensional perfect romcom main lead characters. This drama offers a whole lot more which had completely exceeded my expectations.

The storyline of Love Next Door is simple yet very thought-provoking as it captured the essence of real life in its full color, not just merely black and white, but the greyness of it. It is not poorly written but rather well-written, and should be perceived well as it has a lot of depth to it. The story does not solely focus on the romance aspect alone but tackles real life struggles which most viewers — especially, those who come from an asian family or culture, can relate to. Apart from that, the storyline highlighted the importance of relationships in any forms and how certain life decisions or perceptions greatly affects it. The pace of the storyline might seem slow but it is at perfect temperature which burns the slow-burn romance trope in this drama satisfyingly. This drama will give you the slice of life feels, with some melo and bearable angst that blends together with the romance and comedy in just the right amount. Love Next Door might not fit certain peoples' cup of tea which is normal as everyone has a different taste. Fortunately for me, it filled my cup to the extent it overflowed.

Some of the tropes in the storyline might seem overused, however, this has long been a norm in all dramas and doesn't necessarily equate to them being carbon-copies of each other. The execution of such tropes is what sets them all apart. This is where I would love to praise the writer of Love Next Door because of the way she had used and executed such tropes in a new and refreshing way, it is definitely not lazy writing on her part. The cancer trope which almost everyone had dreaded the most actually turned out to be a cancer survivor trope that adds depth to the storyline, and clearly it stands out differently from all the other k-dramas that had used the same trope in this aspect. For the first time such illness is not being linked to instant death but rather the after effect of it, the impact it had on the lives of both the person who had experienced cancer themself and the loved ones who stood by their side along the battle. Another notable thing which I would praise the writer for, is how the issues or problems aren't dragged all throughout, instead are resolved either by the same episode or the next. They were also not merely just brought up out of the blue, most scenes had already foreshadowed them, the characters dialogues or simply who they are as a character gave the hints away too. The writer laid out certain life challenges as a pivotal element for the storyline and characters development. The neatness in how each loose ends (hardships & struggles) are woven together (resolved) as the storyline progresses leaves a meaningful impact and conveys life lessons, therefore, bringing comfort and healing too.

The characters here are realistic and definitely not one-dimensional, they are all flawed in their own ways. The realism of the characters in the storyline depicted the rawness of human emotions and the different ways certain people in real life deal with life itself. The characters reactions are animated, exaggerated, immature, ignorant and expressive making them very complex with lots of layers. Yes, the characters who are in their 30s had acted immature and this is something which can be considered realistic too. Maturity is not set on age, there is no such thing as the older you get the more mature you become, in reality it has to do more with ones life experiences and lessons, the same applies to these characters. The storyline gave these realistic characters a lot of space to make mistakes, be confused, be miserable, to learn valuable life lessons and grow, while also allowing them to hold on to what they want in life despite not being at their best selves. This is exactly what I found beautiful about Love Next Door, because I was able to find the entire range of human emotions in this drama alone. I was able to relate, understand, sympathize and empathize with the characters. It had also opened my mind to certain things that I might have not known before. Just exactly like what Jung Haein had said, we have to see the characters in Love Next Door as real people not simply as characters. We also have to open our mind and allow ourselves to step into the shoes of each characters in order to get a full grasps of who they are and why they made such decisions in life, because each of the characters here come from a reasonable stance.

Bae Seokryu is the character whom I relate to the most in this drama. She is a character written to be the 'eldest-daughter of an asian family household'. She had always been ambitious ever since she was young and she takes pride in her achievements. She values her mother's opinions and had always tried her best to be a filial daughter to her family. She is strong-willed and had shown her mature side since she was young. The flashbacks when they were children had shown sides of her maturity with how she takes care of Choi Seunghyo. She is an extremely selfless person who cares too much about her loved ones to the point she often neglects herself as an expense of trying to carry everything around her shoulder for the sole purpose of not becoming a burden or worry anyone whom she holds dear to her heart. Her questionable and easily misunderstood life decisions at certain times are due to her selfless-ness. Her cancer, workplace bullying and depression which she had suffered from made her hit rock bottom. It was an awakening for her that finally made her realize that she wasn't truly living for herself. To Bae Seokryu who fell into a slump, Choi Seunghyo became her compass that helped her navigate to the new life she had decided to live for herself. For Bae Seokryu, Choi Seunghyo is the rainbow in her life. Choi Seunghyo on the other hand is a character written to be the complete opposite of Seokryu. He has his own selfish side and may have had flaws due to his abandonment issues. He lacked familial love but still was able to grow up successfully into a kind and loving person. He isn't a completely immature character, he has his mature side too which he often brings out when him and Seokryu have their serious moments, away from the banters. His character never once annoyed me. Instead, I felt for him. While he might not have been the typical romcom male lead, he is a green forest in his own way I must say. To Choi Seunghyo who lacks familial love as a child, it was Bae Seokryu who helped him get through life as she was always there for him in his sickness and important life events. For Choi Seunghyo, Bae Seokryu is the gold medal in his life.

Their love story had never felt one sided to me as I was able to understand where both of them was coming from and how they both have a completely different way of loving. Seunghyo is more expressive with his love and Seokryu is the silent lover type. Seunghyo is willing to go through rock bottom with Seokryu no matter how uncertain their future is, while Seokryu is willing to carry all the pain to lessen the damage for Seunghyo, both are very selfless acts of love. The resilience of Seunghyo's love for Seokryu that withstood all the storms truly speaks volumes of how he is the right person for her. Seokryu's braveness to open the doors to her heart to allow love in her life again despite her past traumas and fears tells how Seunghyo really means to her. No love outweighs the other. Sometimes when life knocks you down, it isn't about who pulls you back up, it's more about who stays with you in the dark, who lets you cry and rant and rage. Accepting you in all your life's phases, even the ugly and worst one but still wholeheartedly loving you in every way. Sometimes love isn't only about building things up but about gathering the broken glass and making sure none of the pieces get lost. Their love story and many of their moments will surely remain unforgettable for me.

The transition of their romance from being childhood friends to lovers was done smoothly in a well-detailed manner. I love how it wasn't rushed and they showed the awkward phase in their relationship. They gave justice to the childhood friends to lovers trope by giving it a proper execution. Although they had a rough start due to certain past misunderstandings and the unresolved traumas each of them still carried. What I love even more about the development of their relationship is the fact that they were only brought together when they are already in the phase of healing rather than hurting. Their relationship wasn't always smooth sailing, through the moments of their arguments we got to see them slowly growing and showing maturity with how they handle their problems together as a couple. I especially love the way Seokryu and Seunghyo had both professed their love to each other. It was done in a unique way that is tailored for the two of them only, the details to their confessions makes it even more romantic. Their confessions sounded so poetic and the fact that their token of love for each other weren't merely wedding rings but things that connects to their childhood and holds sentimental value to them. I cannot pick a favorite dialogue or scene from their confessions, as I love everything including the banana milk expiration scene.

This is Jung Haein's first romcom k-drama and I have so much praise for the spectacular performance he had delivered. His micro expressions and how his eyes act alone is enough to move me. It is so refreshing to see this new side of him and this will definitely go down as one of my favorite roles of his. I would absolutely love it if he ventures more into this type of genre. Jung Somin gave a wonderful performance too. I love her. They both did great at bringing life to their characters as Bae Seokryu and Choi Seunghyo respectively. Without a doubt the two of them had delivered the childhood friends to lovers trope convincingly. Their chemistry is truly insane and the best of the best, either on or off screen. As for the heavy and emotional scenes, their performance and ability to portray a wide range of emotions didn't fall short and surely left an impact as they stirred up my emotions too and made me cry with them. Every other actors in this drama are deserving of praise too. I am so thankful that Jung Haein and Jung Somin were casted in this drama.

While watching Love Next Door, you have to completely allow yourself to be immersed in its storyline. To sit back and enjoy the flow of where the story is taking you, not where you want the story to be taken. Which I am glad I did because I was fully able to appreciate and enjoy watching this drama. The storyline might have some minor flaws but the amount of good qualities it had made me overlook such flaws. I love almost every single thing about this drama. From the story about their families, friendship and neighborhood to the wholesome friendships portrayed here between Seokryu, Seunghyo, Moeum, Danho, Yeondu...their dads and the lavender group. There were so many memorable and note-worthy dialogues and scenes that easily became my favorite. It is sad that the nuances in most dialogues had been lost with translation errors because it definitely has a deeper meaning in Korean. The title and its changes after each episode is something which I liked too but again, lost its deep meaning due to translations. The ending might have been left open-ended which I usually don't prefer, but for the first time I found myself satisfied as it was meaningful and very SeungRyu coded. A heartwarming happy ending indeed. This drama left a deep emotional impact and valuable message about ordinary human life through each of the characters experiences.

Overall, Love Next Door is the best romcom k-drama that had been released this year for me. The amount of happiness, comfort, tears, healing and warmth it brought to me with its beautiful storyline makes it all worth it. I agree when Jung Somin said that there is something heartwarming about the way the writer sees people. I don't think I will ever get this attached to a drama ever again. It will be so hard for me to move on from this. I wish Jung Haein and Jung Somin could reunite in another drama again and maintain the friendship they have. I have so much love for Love Next Door.

"Just find what's valuable to you in your life. That's more than enough" — Bae Seokryu

"Who cares if we fall? who cares if things crumble? we can hit rock bottom together. Then we can get back up again" —Choi Seunghyo

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"everything in this world is ever-changing, except for love"

What if the fate that brought you together turns out to be the same fate which you had to fight against, in order to change an inevitable ending of separation between life and death?

Will you still fight with all your might despite knowing that the ending would still be the same?

or, let me just ask again...

Would you turn that fate as your own as long as your beloved one could be safe and happy, even if it means your end?

"Love Between Fairy and Devil" is that xianxia/fantasy drama which dwells into such intertwining fate. Who would have thought that the biggest devil of them all wasn't the ancient evil god named Tai Sui, but, the FATE that played a huge part in bringing the both of them together. Yet, such kind of fate has been used as a trope over who knows how many dramas/movies already...and to be very honest... a devil falling in love with a fairy or rather someone from a heavenly good side then ending up to be a good guy with huge character development? oh! that reminds me of the body switching soul stuff! Like these aren't brand new, practically speaking these are the very same tropes which we had seen from the previous dramas/movies we've watched before. I'm pretty sure there are quite a lot more similar scenarios in LBFAD that had been seen before, so why bother watching it right? WELL, if such a question or thought ever pops up in your head. I'm telling you right now, forget it immediately! GO AND WATCH LBFAD! or else you will always be in doubt and left in the dark, not unless you give it a try because this drama is worth every second and every emotion that you will ever spend on. Love Between Fairy and Devil is not only a fantasy, romantic, comedic, and refreshing drama but it is a unique and top-tier quality drama blended together with a beautiful epic storyline (I'm not even exaggerating).

I don't even know where to begin.

In terms of the quality production for this drama, there is no doubt that a high quality budget was spent in not just its CGI effects but with the costumes worn by each different characters in the three realms and not to forget the props that were used too. It's really evident that a huge sum of money was spent here and that includes huge amount of effort and time as well for the crew and actors. The trailer already gave us a glance of how breathtaking the scenes are, and the drama itself totally blasted off cinematic vibes which made every episode that we watch feel as if we were watching a movie rather than a drama. It's actually crazy. When you start to get used to such good quality, you would have this urge to try and find other dramas with such quality as well. This is one of the reasons which makes LBFAD unique, not every xianxia drama we watch would end up with gorgeous effects. My personal favorite places in this drama are: arbiter hall, the ruins of xilan and the moon tribe. For the costumes, Dong Fang Qing Cang's outfits throughout the whole episodes were top-tier for me and following that is when Xiao Lan Hua was dressed in moon tribe clothings. They were definitely eye-catching that I had to not only replay the cute, funny or sweet scenes between DFQC and XLH, but to also see more pretty details of each costumes they are wearing. Another thing I would like to point out is the fact that their depiction of the three realms, mostly between heaven realm and demon realm (moon tribe) were completely different here. Not entirely though, it's more about the costumes and set-up from the usual heaven and demon realm we used to see. So, an excellent job well done for all the production staff and crew behind this.

For the storyline, I have so much I want to write but I think it is best to keep it as short as possible. To be honest, at the very beginning I had no expectations for it because I thought it would be like what I said earlier, be the same as other dramas with familiar or well-known tropes. That was what I initially thought at the beginning. I also confess that during the first episode of LBFAD, I was quite annoyed with Xiao Lan Hua's voice and character because I am one of those who aren't a fan of actresses with cute voices to the point where it makes me cringe. So, I was planning on dropping it. Fortunately though for me, I didn't let my initial judgment about this drama get in the way of me discovering such a gem. As I continued watching at some point, XLH's character naturally grew on me and just like that I didn't find her annoying anymore. I guess this is one proof that no matter the prejudice of an audience, a good, talented, and skilled actor/actress can always find a way to change ones prejudice through their hard work. Thus, I stayed through the entire 36 episodes without skipping any single scene. It was the actors and characters that made me stay but what made me kept going further is the well-developed and heartfelt storyline. Like I said, I won't say much so let me just point out what I had loved most from the storyline of LBFAD. I loved the natural pacing of romance between DFQC and XLH, it wasn't love at first sight or the slap and kiss kind of romance, it developed gradually and naturally from the "from now on, you're mine. your life belongs to me, your breathing belongs to me, your heartbeat belongs to me, every drop of blood in your body belongs to me", to "you are as precious as my life" to "she's the only one who loves me" to "I will change her fate for her". Their romance that was foretold in the storyline itself is so beautiful and warming. Every moment of theirs and the emotions portrayed by each character just pulls through your heartstrings. Then there comes the comedic part, I find the whole body-switching thing so entertaining, it was so funny whenever the both of them switched bodies especially when XLH in DFQC had to attend moon tribe meetings as the moon supreme lord. Though, surprisingly enough, not every funny scene was focused on the body-switch, there were a decent amount of comedic scenes at the right moment so it wasn't dull but entertaining rather, plus the scenes goes well together. Even DFQC's character has his own comedic moments which I loved too. Lastly, the heartbreaking and tragic scenes that made me shed tears and feel pain, this is exactly where I found the gem of this drama. As much as they were hurtful, they weren't pointless and each scenes opened a door for character development and it also became an eye-opener for the deeper emotions and feelings between each of the characters which the human eyes of the audience can't see but rather just feel from the heart. In conclusion for the storyline, as much as it gives you that genuine love feels, it also gives you an inner deep feeling for each character in the story. Despite the ending seeming quite like a rush with DFQC and XLH reuniting on the last few seconds with only just a kiss, no wedding or any thing else, it was satisfactory at some point and it is indeed a happy ending after all.

Before I end this, let me just praise Dylan Wang for his amazing portrayal of DFQC, he ate the character alone especially during his emotional scenes. His emotional scenes where he cried is honestly the best for me apart from his powerful fighting scenes. Ofcourse, Esther Yu had done a great job as XLH and the goddess of Xi Yun. I'm sure a lot is in store for the both of them in the future. I will never get over the overflowing chemistry they showed us both in the drama and when they were shooting the scenes. I would definitely love to see more of them, not just as DFQC and XLH but in a modern drama as well in the future.

Hopefully, one day we can meet DFQC and XLH again.

"Do you believe in miracles?
Everything in this world is ever-changing,
except for love. "

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The End shouldn't define the story, but the Beginning that started the beautiful journey.

We, as viewers often or rather frequently tend to overlook and miss out on all the good stuff when it comes to genres that are angst, sappy or simply tragic, in other words, ones that we know that have a bittersweet, sappy or heartbreaking end. Because why go through all those painful emotions when the sole purpose of watching, be it drama or movie, is to take a break from the reality that we are all living in, and thus, we seek the ever so famous 'happy endings'. We want to be happy watchers not ones who turned dimmed with both our reality and this escape of ours eating us up to dwell in sadness. So, we dare not watch something, like this. I used to have views like that before. The moment I see a tragedy tag on a drama or movie, I would not watch it, but through the years of being a kdrama and cdrama fan, after being able to watch a lot of very good and memorable dramas or movies which mostly had a happy ending, I tried giving sad endings a chance. The first sad ending I ever watched was 'uncontrollably fond', then afterwards, I watched a few more, like 'scarlet heart ryeo', 'youth of may' or c-dramas like 'goodbye my princess', I even got to venture into j-dramas like 'I give my first love to you' or 'Koizora'. Then, as time passed and the more I watched such type of ending, they grew in me, that regardless of the fact if I knew it wasn't a happy ending, I found the value of learning to accept all those kinds of emotions even if I cried dozens over them, because I know for a fact that not all stories are meant to always have that 'happiness' in their endings, and that such an 'end' doesn't make the quality or the beauty of the stories any lesser, because if we keep looking at the 'end' or 'how it ends', we forget the most important part in a drama or movie, it is none other than 'The Beginning' that started all the wonderful and beautiful journey. Just as to how we placed importance to every 'end', the same importance should be placed to every 'beginning' that held the entire journey of the story.

The beginning of 'The Red Sleeve' for me was like a fairytale, how Deok Im and San met when they were younger, walking through the lamps and how the young Deok Im even back then was a brave and sweet person who wiped little San's tears, then the first time they ever met as an adult, Deok Im came rolling in to San's life. They had always been meant to be, since the very start. Their fate had always led them to each other. I won't say much or reminisce through every moments they had together. I had finished watching this 3 days ago, and only managed to write a review now because I had a hard time facing reality that such a great saeguk drama as TRS had officially ended (not to be overreacting). All that I will ever write in this review of mine is regarding their love, their heart-wrenching yet touching love for one another.

For me, King Jeongjo and Consort Uibin's love story is a beautiful, heart-burning and touching one (both in reality and drama)....

'The Red Sleeve' is a drama that proved that one should not lose themselves in the process of falling inlove, and Deok Im completely held onto that until her last breath. She was a female lead who knew how important self-worth is, she loved herself and placed value on herself more, which is refreshing to see because there are not many female leads like her. In the drama, she didn't easily give in to love despite how Yi San had already grown a special place in her heart, she stood her ground and turned him down quite a number of times. The only time she ever gave in to him was finally at the latter part, after going through a lot of events throughout the years she had spent in the palace as a court maid, there were also times that she nearly lost her life. I guess we could say, she grew and Yi San had grown in her heart deeply. From the very beginning, she did a lot of things for him, in order to protect him, it was thanks to her that Yi San got to live to adulthood, if she had not torn the forbidden page on the banned book or had she not talked and asked for help from others (mostly from Queen Jungsoon) to help Yi San etc. There would be no story to tell. It was her courageousness, kindness and her loyalty not just as a court maid but as a person, and maybe at some point her blossoming feelings for Yi San developed there too in the process of those actions of hers. She already knew she loved him, and Court Lady Seo knew of her feelings, but Deok Im never wanted to be a royal concubine, she doesn't want to go through the pain, she said it herself during their conversation that "the king is dear, but myself is dearer" and "if I can't have it to myself, i'd rather not have it at all", she clearly knew what she will lose and go through when she said those words to Court Lady Seo. Despite that, in the latter part, she held onto his sleeves, then onto his hand, she knew that she can't live a life not seeing Yi San. They subtly showed Deok Im's real feelings for Yi San during the time she was freed from the palace, what i'm referring to is when she made a pouch for Yi San. Her feelings were so evident there. The other time was when she returned to the palace as a court maid for Princess Hwabin, when she saw how San was with Princess Hwabin, her expression and the emotions painted in her eyes were so evident. She kept tucking her feelings in and pushing him aside, but only for her to give in at the end, she knew her love for Yi San was great but at the same time she loves herself too. She sacrificed a lot, herself, her freedom, her happiness etc. All she ever got to do as a royal concubine, was wait for him to come to her, and the only happiness she ever gained was his love and their times together alone plus when Prince Munhyo was born. She had nothing else. She lost most of herself as she became the royal concubine, the only thing that she held onto were Yi San's love and her love for him which she had kept until her very last breath, her "I Love You" that Yi San never got to hear when they were both still alive. It was shown in those episodes, how her life was like, how it became when she became a royal concubine, she wasn't completely happy but she chose it because she loved. She chose to be Royal Noble Consort Uibin, because she loves Yi San and she chose to seal her love for him, even from him, because she loves herself too. She may seem selfish, but she was actually self-less. It's quite ironic but at the same time that was the only choice she ever had as the man she loved is the most powerful person in Joseon. She loved him, but she didn't give all of herself to him in order not to lose her whole self, that was how much she valued her self-worth and I admire her for that.

On the other hand, some might say that Deok Im or Consort Uibin deserved to be loved by a better man who can give his whole self to her and only her. As much as I agree with such opinion, I also disagree with it too. I don't think there is any other man better than Yi San for Deok Im. Yi San had shown us countless of times how much he had loved Deok Im regardless of her status as a court maid, he loved her for who she is as a person. Like Deok Im, Yi San was also courageous and kind, but what stood out for me the most is his perseverance and patience. He loved her so much despite how many times he got rejected. He didn't force his feelings or himself onto her, he respected her as a woman and still gave her a choice and confessed his love to her a number of times which became chances for their love. He was willing enough to let her go, if that was what she had wanted. He waited and even put her first before his own feelings, specifically the time when he purposely lost the game to Deok Im when they were playing stone-skipping as that time they had a bet with each other, that whoever wins will grant the wish of the other. He loved her dearly, for him she was precious and the only person he had ever loved in his life. Deok Im was his pillar in the harsh life he had to go through as a crown prince and as a king. After their hug at the first part of episode 16, Yi San asked Deok Im if she would be his if he commanded her and Deok Im told him that she would if it was his command, then Yi San asked her if that would be what she wished (what she wanted), to that Deok Im said perhaps it is what she desired (wanted) but she wants to remain at her place meaning she wants to remain as a court maid. From those questions Yi San had asked Deok Im during that scene, we could see how much he truly cared about her, as much as he had valued Deok Im's feelings, he valued her thoughts as a person as well. He must have wanted to respect her decision to remain as a court maid then, but due to the incident which almost caused Deok Im to lose her life, if Court Lady Seo had not seeked help from Lady Hyebin. Although Yi San had trust in Deok Im and knew that she wasn't such a person, the fact that Deok Im had almost lost her life played a huge role in his decision to make her his concubine. Though he did such, he still gave her a choice to run away then, he was willing to let her go if he can't keep her but Deok Im held onto his hand. They both loved each other greatly. Yi San or King Jeongjo might not have been able to give his whole self completely to Deok Im but we cannot overlook the fact that he gave his complete genuine love to Deok Im, only her, no one else, and how he had never truly forgotten her even during the last moments of his life.

In their last moments together, as Deok Im tells him to pass by her if they ever meet each other in their next life, I believe that what she told him wasn't meant to hurt him as she only wanted to be with the man she loved and whom she can have completely as a whole for herself and be able to live the way she wanted to. Although she had said those hurtful words, I take it that in the end which showed them in the afterlife, she chose to wait for him there, because she truly loved him and he chose to stay and join her because he truly loved her as well. The ending of their story is really bittersweet or sappy. The time that they had finally fallen in love into the arms of each other, the time when they finally got to be a family was so short lived. What hurts more is that none of their children had ever survived. Yi San lived devoting the rest of his life to being a good king who completed his responsibilities to his people but he became an empty shell after losing Deok Im. He lived as a great king and died as a great king when he could have lived as both a great king and husband with a happy family. He also never got to hear the words "I love you" from Deok Im, the only time he ever got to know of Deok Im's feelings must have been perhaps when Deok Im told him before she had died that it's not that she didn't like or hate him, she could have ran away but she stayed or the time when he saw the belongings that Deok Im had left behind, the yellow pouch she made that she never got to give but he put that aside because he didn't know, so maybe it was the apology letters which she had wrote the first time they met and which he had constantly rejected and marked wrong. That was the proof of her love but he never affirmed it as what he had always been longing to hear is for Deok Im to say the words he had wanted to hear but never got to hear ever, so maybe he never truly knew, not until the time they reunited in the afterlife.

The fate of their love was so sad and unfortunate, if they were just ordinary people, if they hadn't been born as a king or a court maid trapped in the palace maybe things would have been different. Deok Im went through a lot as she had to share Yi San to others including Joseon itself, all her children died and even her beloved friends, she wasn't truly able to be happy at the same time Yi San went through a lot as well too, ever since he was young he had been scarred because of what had happened to his father, Prince Sado. He had been deemed unworthy of the throne and called as a son of a traitor, many people had wished for him to fail and plotted to kill him. Even his grandfather at some point had emotionally and physically hurted him for he fears that San might become like his son, Prince Sado. Deok Im was the only person who eased Yi San's ache and the only one whom he could truly open up his true self and heart to. He carried a lot on his shoulders ever since he was young up to when he grew up, most especially during the time when he lost Deok Im forever. He was still a good king and she was a good person. During their early years together, Deok Im as a court maid had long knew that Yi San would be a good king one day, and he did became one. Regardless of all that happened, there was still beauty and something touching about their love for one another. I can't imagine Yi San or Deok Im as an ordinary person, being a king and court maid suited them more. Aside from all the sad and tragic stuff they had gone through in the palace, they still had their happy moments and they did gain something along the process too. They gained that one great genuine love which they have for each other. If they were ordinary people, I doubt their love would be that great. Yes, they would have been much happier but they wouldn't have been able to experience the hurdles that enabled not only their love to be strong but also themselves. All in all, i'm glad they stuck with reality because the love of the real king jeongjo and consort uibin is very touching.

Before I end my review, i'd like to commend all the actors especially Lee Seyoung and Lee Junho who gave so much life to this drama. I don't know what else to say but both of them are such brilliant actors, they are a true talent. The fact that some of the scenes from TRS were brought to life by them through their adlibs. I would never forget how amazing they are for being able to immerse fully into their character as if they were really Yi San and Deok Im, plus how they were able to connect the audience through the emotions they had portrayed throughout the drama, making us all feel the roller coaster of emotions and shed tons of tears especially at the end. This is the first time I witnessed Junho as an Actor and I could say that he indeed is a very bright actor and he deserves every bit of recognition, as for Seyoung, I was able to watch her past projects before so i've always knew she was a good actress but her role here as Deok Im really stood out for me out of all the roles she had played before, Deok Im was her best and she deserves tons of praises for that. Ofcourse, I love the rest of the cast too plus writernim for the wonderful storyline. I'm proud of TRS team, they are truly talented people who captured many peoples hearts. I will never forget this drama, 'The Red Sleeve' is the best saeguk drama to have ever come to existence for me. If only I could give them a higher rating, I would have done so but it is sadly only up to 10/10 here in mdl. I don't think i'll ever find such a wonderful drama as TRS. The plot not only revolved about romance but also the realities faced by women during those times which we never really saw in majority of the Saeguk dramas or movies that existed as they had only and always highlighted the kings struggles or the power struggles. I guess, it is also one of the many reasons that made TRS so unique. Also, this is honestly the only drama that made me cry even more and where I felt immense pain like I was the one going through it all. This might not be the best of the best for some but it is definitely worthy of every time and emotions spent. TRS will always have a special place in my heart, even if there will be other great new dramas coming this year or the next next years to come.

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"But behind us are extremely solid mountains"

"We are like the waters from a river, continuously flowing straight from the upstream and never looking behind to see the scenery......but behind us are extremely solid mountains" - Hu Yixuan (21/09/06).

'A River Runs Through It', this Chinese drama is another one of those dramas that revolved around youth, school, romance and comedy. At first, people will have second thoughts and automatically compare it to the other c-dramas of the same genre which they have watched before. Given all the plot tropes, clichés and all the other elements which most of us c-drama fanatics had seen before, it will make us second guess if these 36 episodes are truly worth it, well YES! i'm answering right now, this drama is worth every second of our time as viewers as there is not a single boring episode.

I honestly don't know where to begin, since I have a lot in mind about this drama. I'll start first with its biggest take and what I think made it so worth spending every single second of time on. The first is the scenery or the setting of the drama, it earned such a big applause for me and i'm extremely glad that the production team of ARRTI managed to pull through every single detail, even the smallest ones to make it really look like the drama is set way before the year 2000s. It took them such huge efforts, I mean even the intro of this drama itself with the miniatures is already so appealing. Each scenes perfectly blended with the setting of the drama, making us feel as if we jumped back through time, so it really helped the viewers be completely immersed into every episode. The second would be about the friendship and bond between our precious five (Xiaoju, Shiyi, Chenglang, Letao and Baobao), I won't go through every single detail but get to the main points since it's too long for that, these five have completely proven that a genuine friendship between a girl and a boy or a man and a woman is possible. Although, the rest were a couple except for Chenglang, but let's go way back first to the early days when Xiaoju and Baobao are just simply competing with each other on who will place last or during their beach trip in order to cheer Chenglang up after their college entrance examinations. The friendship of the five of them is so solid, they were there for each other through ups and downs, even if there are misunderstandings between them that arose at the latter episodes, particularly for Xiaoju, Shiyi and Chenglang because of love, despite that, it was evidently shown to us how strong the bond they have is, like when Xiaoju and Shiyi genuinely cared for Chenglang when he got heartbroken by Lin You and etc. The third would be about family, during the early episodes, we have seen how Xiaoju's relationship is like with her mother. In some ways, she was treated unfairly because she had a younger brother whom her mother used to favor more than her. Most viewers who have siblings could easily relate to this. I just love how the rocky relationship between Xiaoju and her mother was dealt with afterwards, the scene between them at Xiaoju's dormitory made me cry, their reconciliation was so heartwarming and proves how important communication is between parents and children. The other heartwarming moment for me was with Chenglang and his mother. His mother here became a strong woman for her child. When Chenglang had an accident when he was about to take the entrance examination for college, it was so touching that I cried buckets, that touching scene i'm referring to is when Xiaoju and Shiyi's dads including their homeroom teacher was there like a father for Chenglang. Ofcourse, not to forget Shiyi's parents, especially his adorable relationship with his dad (always the best and most hilarious) and his pretty mom the referee for the two.. I love how supportive they are although at first his dad was firmly against him becoming a doctor because of what had happened in his past, but seeing how he supported his son, especially at the time when Shiyi was suffering from a blood phobia, although they only showed us a scene of them eating together and talking, that was the most touching moment between a father and son.

The last would be about love (placed it on a new paragraph since this will be longer it seems). I'm a person who easily relates to Xia Xiaoju the most, an unrequited first love is always the hardest to go through and move on from, despite how there is really nothing to move on from since the relationship was never established to begin with. I honestly get why people got mad or annoyed by Xiaoju at times, since she did became a fool and completely blinded for the love she had for Chenglang. I mean, let's be honest here, Chenglang is the typical male lead that every female lead usually falls for, so even at first I thought he really was the male lead. He had so many good traits in him. Both Shiyi and him are complete opposites but both have their own good and unique qualities so it is useless to keep comparing both. Yes, it took Xiaoju a lot of episodes before she finally realized her true feelings, and yes, such things can happen in real life. In real life, we can be like Xiaoju too (admit it or not, we've all gone through unrequited love or unrequited first love at worst). So, we can't truly put all the blame on Xiaoju for hurting Shiyi at times. Shiyi has some faults too, since no one is perfect. The fate of how Shiyi and Xiaoju first met played such a big role, all thanks to those firecrackers blasting off on Shiyi's butt lol. Anyway, first impressions are just as important as last impressions. During their highschool days, Shiyi and Xiaoju were always bickering with each other, they always bully one another even until they reach college. Their usual bickering became so normal for both of them, most especially for Xiaoju so she regarded Shiyi easily as a bro or friend and nothing more but that. Whereas, Xiaoju and Chenglang always gets along with one another, the big contrast was easily painted and thus, Xiaoju had a more harder time to decipher and realize her real feelings for Shiyi as she had always regarded him as a friend and her love for Chenglang clouded her visions. But, we can't blame Shiyi too since he is who he is. Blame it on the writer lol jk!. Xia Xiaoju in this drama is honestly better than the one on the novel, she was more selfish there and so Shiyi and her never ended up together but here she's a lot different. The realization of her love for Shiyi might have been too late and the times she had disappointed Shiyi might have been a lot, so in my opinion, the time and distance between them is what was completely needed for her love for Shiyi to grow stronger. Although, it could have been a disaster if Shiyi moved on and loved someone else, which thankfully he did not. We can see how Shiyi leaving had impacted Xiaoju a lot, to a point she is unable to be in a relationship as what she had said to Baobao. Her feelings for Shiyi became stronger, it was further shown to us when the word pain was painted on her face when Shiyi told her he was going to propose to his girlfriend, also when she saved Shiyi from the pool or when she kept shouting his name in a burst of tears at the beach, she really fell too deeply. On the other hand, Shiyi might not have been our typical male lead and everyone must have expected him to be just the second lead. To be honest, this was the biggest turn on in the drama for me, because it is so refreshing to see a new male lead who is not the usual-usual that we have seen in majority of the dramas. The sad reality hurts though, because Lu Shiyi is just a fictional character. I really love his relationship with Xia Xiaoju and I love his character the most. At first, he might have been a bully who always picks on Xiaoju, but we saw a lot of colorful and warm scenes where he had proven time and time again how much of a perfect man he is for Xiaoju. He might be quite childish in a lot of times and would easily let out his temper when he gets annoyed or jealous, but every aspect of him is so loveable and adorable. He is a complete embodiment of patience, persistence, warmth, effort, encouragement, and love. He was the one who was always there for Xiaoju from the very start until the end, despite how many times he was let down, he persisted and he was most of all patient, he didn't push his feelings for Xiaoju, when he knew how hurt Xiaoju still is because of Chenglang, he tucked his feelings in and was there to be her biggest comfort. Most importantly, he made Xiaoju realize what her 'real dream' really is at the times when Xiaoju herself was lost. Shiyi was there giving her encouragement in every step of the way, he is one of the biggest factors in Xiaoju's life that turned her into who she was. Ofcourse, Xiaoju was there for him too. At the time he suffered from blood phobia, she spent a great effort in searching for ways to help him overcome it, so in a way she helped him with his dreams too. In conclusion, they both helped each other with their dreams and supported one another every step of the way. I completely love how despite some of their moments might be cliché, but it wasn't over the top, rather it was so refreshing and sweet. Both of them are so perfect for each other and they compliment each other well.

Both Hu Yixuan and Richard Wang's chemistry in this drama is way over the top. They both acted so naturally that at times their scenes together felt so so real. Both of them deserves to get more recognition as they both are well skilled and very talented actors. Wang Ruichang deserves to have more dramas as a male lead, i'm a fan of his and had always followed all his works ever since I first saw him on the eternal love. I watched almost all his dramas, each time he never fails to amaze me at how perfect he can deliver and bring life to his character. I must say that among the characters/roles he had played, Lu Shiyi is his best and I could never see him the same way again without Lu Shiyi popping in my head. The rest of the actors were amazing too, their parents were wonderful actors and actresses. It's a shame we didn't get to see the reaction of Xiaoju and Shiyi's parents when Shiyi proposed, I was honestly looking forward to seeing Shiyi's mom reaction the most. It is sad that such a good and a rare gem drama has ended. I doubt that i'll be able to find another drama as good as this, so will definitely re-watch again in future.


"but behind us are extremely solid mountains"
That extremely solid mountain for Xia Xiaoju is Shiyi and her friends Chenglang, Le tao, Baobao as well as her parents.

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Only a genuine love will lasts for a lifetime

I had anticipated Love and Redemptions official airing since the moment I stumbled upon its trailer, although to be honest during those times I was a bit hesitant because I was unfamiliar with the actors and actress (Cheng Yi and Crystal Yuan). This is the very first time I watched their work and my expectations didn't disappoint, instead they set the bar so high for me (I'm a hardcore ashes of love fan).

From the very beginning until the end of love and redemption, there are no words that could best describe the love that both Xi Feng and Xuan Ji had shared. It is so beautiful and moving, I have watched a lot of romantic dramas/movies before but this is the first time I witnessed this kind of love that is close to perfection and knows no boundaries so it left a deep impression on me. The male leads love aka Si Feng's love for Xuan Ji is so genuine and brave to the point he became too selfless that he would go through so much length in order to protect Xuan Ji, even if the price he has to pay is with his own life. He was the one who had no prejudice over the good and the evil, he believed in goodness no matter what form or difference and when it comes to Xuan Ji, he is the first until the end to believe in her, even after knowing her heart was made of glass. He filled it up and never gave up. There is no other character that can compare to Si Feng, he has it all, a complete angel. As for Xuan Ji, for once I had never hated or got annoyed with her character because I saw how much she had suffered and had been manipulated and it was understandable how slow she was since she used to be as clean as a blank paper, but her character progressed a lot when she finally learnt what love is and her love for Si Feng is so pure and colorful.

The storyline of Love and Redemption has depicted so much emotions in a span of 59 episodes. It is so fresh and there were a lot of memorable and meaningful scenes. Cheng Yi has now become one of my fave actors same for Crystal Yuan. Cheng Yi's portrayal of Si Feng went beyond and sometimes it felts as if he were a real person. He displayed so much emotions in every scenes, including the scenes were he vomited countless of blood. Would love to commend him for that. On a side note, he is very handsome as well... I couldn't stop staring at him all throughout and there were scenes I repeated countless of times just to appreciate his visuals even more. Crystal Yuan on the other hand gave so much life to Xuan Ji, she perfectly displayed her innocence and when it came to her GOD OF WAR scenes, I can't help but be amaze at how badass she looked. She is a very impressive actress, and I am so proud of her because her character wasn't easy to play. For the side characters, Teng She, Zi Hu, Brother Liu, Wu Zhi Qi and Ting Nu are my top faves because they weren't like the rests who turned their backs easily on others, they stayed by Xi Feng and Xuan Ji's side no matter what. Lastly, the villains I hated the most was Hao chen, though I would commend the actor who gave life to him because he did well too.

Now that love and redemption has ended, I am hoping that SEASON 2 would happen with the same casts, I can't imagine it without Cheng Yi and Crystal Yuan. I need those two in another project together. Overall, this is the first drama I gave an almost perfect score to, and is now the top 1 xianxia drama for me. It will be so hard to find a drama as good as this.

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The Most Satisfying Revenge Arc in C-Drama History

I have finished watching this months ago but thought I might write a review about it. When I started watching this, I completely had no idea who both the lead actors were, so I was a bit hesitant at first but pushed through with it because of the dramas trailer that caught me.

I started with zero expectations only to be met with so much greater. As someone who had been watching c-dramas for years now, the storyline for this has been a fresh breath of air for me despite it being not a fairly new revenge drama. I had completely become fond of both the leading actors, especially the female lead who was able to successfully bring her role to life. A strong and smart female lead. It is not everyday we get this type of female lead characters in c-dramas, as the norm would usually be damsel in distress or be it strong at the beginning then writers would usually tone them down towards the end, making the male lead's character knight in shining armor always. This drama proved to be different.

Despite the male leads character being there to save her at some point in the storyline, I really loved how the writer balanced them both out making them equal and making the female lead's character someone who can stand on her own two feet. The revenge arc in this drama perfectly proved how great the characters of both the leads were and despite all the angst and frustrations pent up at the beginning of the drama because of the evil doers, the plot for the revenge arc was so well written and very satisfying.

What I also loved about this drama is the chemistry between both the leads, even if, there weren't a lot of romantic scenes in this. I'd like to applaud both leading actors and rest of the actors (the evil doers too) for magnificently portraying their roles and bringing such a great storyline to life.

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Mastermind in Disguise of a Pawn

The storyline for this drama was a bit slow in its pace, especially for the romance between Ning er and Juan. So, it would not be a wonder if this drama will not be everyones cup of tea, fortunately, it is well written and the revenge arc was perfectly executed. Each of the characters apart from the leads had their own depth in them which clearly showed their importance in key plots, some of the characters were amusing but some were just plain annoying (special mention to Xue Shu). As for the characters of the main leads, i'd praise how bravely and smart the female lead was written and most especially Xie Juan for being such a calculating genius, a pawn turned into a real dark horse. Despite how Xie Juan is a walking red flag in the real world, I really love how badass he is but to an extent that his darkness balances with light. Clearly, this drama isn't solely carried by how well written the storyline is, the way all the actors and actresses had given life to their characters played a major part in its success. Every scene had my heart pulled in strings, especially during the intense ones and even more so at sad scenes. As for the chemistry between both leads, I have no words because I am completely drawn into every single scene they had. Like, they could have just been standing still and staring at each other's eyes and it is enough to feel tension there. They are indeed oozing with chemistry and I swear their kissing scenes are to die for, there are not many c-dramas with that kind of kissing scenes filled with so much intensity. Bai Lu really is the 'Queen of Chemistry'. I've watched all of her dramas already and her chemistry with her co-stars are always topnotch, however, after watching this drama I must say her chemistry with Zhang Linghe is on top over all the co-stars she ever had. Zhang Linghe on the other hand surprised me with his role in this drama, I have started liking him even more. He definitely nailed his role here. I have so much praise for this drama. I can't believe I almost missed out on it. 'The Story Of Kunning Palace' is definitely worth every time spent watching it. The stellar casting of actors and actresses was a brilliant move from the directors and producers.

If there is one thing I regret, it is the fact that I almost missed out on this drama. It is such a gem and deserves every praise and recognition it gets. I had actually watched this last year when it was still airing but decided to drop on earlier episodes and I no longer even remember why I did lol. My first reason for watching this last year was because of Bai Lu as she is my fave actress then there is Zhang Linghe who I started liking too after watching 'My Journey to You'. I picked this drama back up again because of Wang Xin Yue, I just finished watching 'The Double' and couldn't find any other c-drama to get over it until someone suggested this to me again and i'm glad I actually watched this.

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A love that bloomed through the coldness of winter, but never made it to the warmth of spring

'Snowdrop', I was one of those who had anticipated this drama for Jung Haein and ofcourse, one who got caught by the trailer that was almost fairytale-like, but was it ever? The answer is a straight NO. It wasn't a fairytale where the prince and princess would dance romantically on the middle of the dance floor wearing a suit and a pink dress, it was rather a tragic and cruel tale of two people who fell in love with each other when their hands briefly brushed against one another, meeting eye to eye, all to save a tower of matchsticks from falling. How innocent and pure their love could, would, should have been if they were just living as ordinary people who fell in love at first sight. But no, their love just had to be out of the ordinary, a welcoming door for tragedy to knock on. Their love was never given any chances, or perhaps, their cruel fate deemed them undeserving of any since the beginning. Maybe, all this time it was just the two of them against the world or it is because of how much they genuinely love each other so they bravely fought against their cruel fate all for the love they both dreamed to achieve, to the point they were willing to become human shields for one another. Nope, they weren't the Romeo and Juliet of Korea's 1987, but just simply Lim Sooho and Eun Youngro of Korea's 1987. The love between the both of them wasn't like the Titanic where even before Jack died in order to save Rose, they still got a shot at love. Sooho and Youngro's love was a different case, their love was like a snowdrop flower that bloomed through the coldness of late winter, but their love never made it to the warmth of early spring. It ended in coldness and its warmth could only be a memory. They had loved the right person but at the wrong time. So, in the end they were separated by life and death. Although, their end was so heart wrenching and sad, I still found beauty behind all their sufferings, as what lies behind is true love that tried to fight through until the end. It was tragically cruel but it was beautiful and worthy. Love is really powerful, Sooho and Youngro's love for each other is.

I'm not really fond of politics nor one who has complete knowledge about korean history. I have only managed to pick up some ideas here and there after being an avid k-drama fan for years, watching dramas after dramas, though at times I did my own little research as what has been depicted on dramas were far from the real reality or truth after all. I started to become interested in 'Snowdrop' not only for the star-studded line-up of cast it had, but with its plot which I found interesting and felt quite familiar with, i'm actually very fond of 'Youth Of May'. Yes, I felt a bit of familiarity but I don't find them completely similar in a sense. Both dramas were set around the 1980's time in Korea, a time where a lot of innocent people had greatly suffered under the hands of people who were greedy for power and they both involved romance. It was just the vibe that got me. So, I dived deeply into 'Snowdrop' and is one of those who would excitedly anticipate each episodes. The first half of 'Snowdrop' really heightened my interest in the drama, from seeing an innocent, kind, and lovely Youngro who fell in love at first sight during a group date, to when she bravely helped hide Sooho who was being chased by the ANSP agents, and to the beginning of the hostage scene. Then the second half of the drama came and I know most found it so draggy in which I don't quite agree with, I only found the second half slow-paced as every thing had been continuously revolving around the hostage scene at the dorm, like literally 90% of the drama is centered there. Regardless of that, I never felt it was boring or draggy instead i've only been frustrated. Frustrated because of all the hardships and suffering they each had to go through because of the ill-intentions of majority of the characters and those who had such hidden under their sleeves. It got heavy like a baggage with so many things happening that are out of favor for the main leads. Still, I never felt the urge to drop it, I continued and honestly enjoyed even if it became mainly about politics. I won't get into discussing about the politics part but just write based on the feelings this drama had made me felt.

I'm in the minority who never felt that the romance between the leads was lacking. I was fine with it and found it enough given the situation that they were in. Their romance wasn't little and it wasn't bold in words but rather in actions. The actions which I was referring to is not the usual lovey-dovey we see on other romance dramas, it is the actions in terms of the things they were willing to do for each other. How despite all the things that had happened between them from the revelation of Sooho being an NK spy and him pointing a gun over Youngro's head to Youngro deceiving him in order to snatch the detonator away from him or the time she made herself a bait in order for them to be able to escape, the love they had felt for each other since the first time that they had met remained in their hearts and they knew themselves they fell. Many may argue how such a thing as love at first sight might be ridiculous or not completely realistic to the point one would be willing to go through so much for the other, like the fact that Youngro and Sooho's relationship had never even started, they were never a couple. I thought differently about that. Despite how Youngro and Sooho never really became a couple like what they both had wanted to be, they truly loved each other, their love was evident with how they held one another through the look in their eyes, how they comforted with words or hugs and protected one another. Just how they had constantly been there for each other, I felt their romance. Our views about love are very vast and different, my view about it is as long as they truly love one another and is willing to go through so much for the person they cherish regardless of how long they have known each other or if they were a couple or not, love is love and it conquers all, the strong love both Youngro and Sooho had for each other conquered all. So, it was not lacking, for me at least.

Then came the ending of the drama which I had actually expected even before 'Snowdrop' officially began to air, and there were scenes that had foreshadowed what will come. I never had hopes for a happy ending as I was certain it will be a sad one. Even if I had already expected it, I still cried a bucket because of the pain, seeing how brutally Sooho died. Adding to that pain is the fact that he died at the dorms rooftop attic, which was once their safe haven, a door to their other world where it was only the two of them, where they could open their hearts to each other as just Eun Youngro and Lim Sooho, away from all the sufferings, and that exact same place also hold their beautiful memories. It was torturing to see and think that the last moment they would ever share together and the last memory that they would ever have at that attic, that very place that was once their own is now a place filled with blood, pain and tears. As if those weren't enough, Sooho's last words to Youngro, how he told her to continue living even if it is hard and his sincere confession which he recorded on a cassette tape as he knew he would never get a chance to confess. It was all too painful and cruel. Lim Sooho didn't lie when he said he was superman and the sad thing about it is that he can't fly to be free. His life has always been cold, he was an abandoned son to his mother, a sharpened weapon for his adoptive father. He had never received love, he was betrayed, and constantly used. It was only through Youngro did he finally receive the love he deserves and he protected that love until his last breath. That was the last straw for me. He was so self-less and so was Youngro. And as I had written on the first paragraph, their love is truly like a snowdrop.

Lastly, in terms of the acting, i'm not being biased although it may seem so, but there were just so many scenes where Jung Haein left me completely speechless and gave me a thousand of emotions with how amazing he had brought not only life but color into his role as Lim Sooho. His insane micro expressions, especially his eye acting that completely awed the whole of me. His eye acting is one of the things that could be considered rare, there are not many korean actors who could hold a thousand emotions in their eyes alone, in like a split second, yet be able to deliver them to the audience and make them completely immersed and connected to those emotions like he does. Jung Haein is truly a commendable actor, he is a great actor who is not only talented but skilled as well. He is an actor who doesn't act for the sake of acting but acts his roles to life. I have watched many of his dramas before and I must say that among all the roles he had played, Lim Sooho is his role which I loved most and I think is his best performance as it completely showcased his ability and range as an Actor. As for Jisoo, I do think she had done a great job considering this is her first drama and debut as an actress. The rest of the other actors, Kim Hyeyoon, Yoo Inna and the others did a great job too and deserved praises for their hard work. I honestly, found no problems with how each actors and actresses acted their characters. I'm glad they were casted to play their roles, all of them were very suitable for those roles. I hope to see the future projects of each of the cast, most especially Jung Haein. I probably won't be rewatching this drama, it will take years for me to do so. Also, I can't say it is the best drama out there or a perfect 10/10 for me, but it was worthwhile.

"Lim Sooho"
"as in 'protecting my love'?"

and so, he lived up to his name.

p.s Lim Sooho's confession to Youngro will always be touching and beautiful, "you bloomed flowers inside me who was so cold".

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The magic of crab roe rice turns enemies to lovers

An enemy to lovers trope which I am a total sucker for. The way the story began for this drama totally caught me on a hook. A once powerful bandit, "Lu Wen" known for cleverness, skills and scheming falls in the hands of the one and only persistent, cunning and strong "Lord Huai Yang", who turns out to be even more scheming. He planned a fake marriage scheme without knowing that the fake wife whom he thought was one of Lu Wen's dear concubine is actually his mortal enemy whom he had spent all his time chasing. This was how interesting the beginning of the drama was that I couldn't stop watching it.

It took quite a lot of time before "Lu Wen" aka Liu Mian Tang was actually able to regain her full memories. During the time she spent together with Lord Huai Yang disguised as her fake husband "Cui Jiu", little did they both know that they were slowly falling in love with each other amidst the lies. There is quite a lot to say about Liu Mian Tang's character, when she lost all her memories, she was a remarkable wife to Cui Jiu, she remained faithful to him despite knowing his so-called short comings as a husband, she was very good at doing business and was so clever that she could make a life of her own to feed her family. In short, she kind of stood as a bread winner. I admire her good qualities as a wife to Cui Jiu. Certainly, this was one of the many reasons why Lord Huai Yang was deeply charmed by her, simply because of her personality. Then, when she finally regained all her memories as Lu Wen, there was a quick but very evident shift in her character. We were shown how truly clever and skilled she is.

Cui Jiu or Lord Huai Yang on the other hand, was a character that set the standard. Regardless of his lies and schemes. As the storyline progressed, we were able to be shown a softer and comedic side of him compared to his usual strong upfront. However, what remarkably caught most viewers attention, even mine, was his extreme cleverness. Especially with how he dealt with things at court and between the two lords (forgot their names lol) while at the same time chasing after Liu Mian Tang after their fake marriage had ended. By the time the two of them had finally let their strong feelings for each other break free, with Lord Huai Yang's persistence and consistent 'chasing' after Liu Mian Tang, we were finally given the powerful couple who complimented each other so well. An addition to that would be their lovey-dovey scenes.

This is where I would have to give the drama an 8.5 instead of a solid 10. Somehow for me, the storyline became a bit bland during the second half and mostly towards the end. I did enjoy the first half so much and I am glad that they focused on their romantic scenes, but the second half of the storyline underdelivered for me. I find the villain Prince Sui to be completely weak and nothing but a fool. The other so-called 'chief instructor' didn't do much to help make it look like they were really against a strong and cunning opponent. It would have been much nicer if the 'villain' was at par with our beloved powerful couple. The ending of the villain dissatisfied me and all it took was his own mother 'empress dowager' for him to fall from his high horse. I do get that it was also all thanks to Liu Mian Tang and Lord Huai Yang's genius masterplan, but I wished they showed us more of them and their fight scenes. Honestly, that fight scene at the last episode when they were breaking out of prison was the best scene for the second half of the drama, apart from their adorable and well-detailed wedding.

I also had this thought, maybe if the director was going to focus on their romance, wouldn't it had been better if they started the drama by showing us more of Lu Wen and Lord Huai Yang fighting against each other then inserting their fake marriage and then them falling in love. If they did such, Lu Wen's character would be less vague and have much more dimension. It would have been much more interesting if we got to explore more about their past together when they were enemies. Regardless, I still enjoyed this drama because of the actors. Wang Churan truly suited her character as Liu Mian Tang and Lu Wen, she is a beautiful actress and would love to see her in more baddass roles like Lu Wen, as it suited her so much. Zhang Wan Yi's portrayal of Lord Huai Yang, Cui Jiu and Cui Xing Zhou on the other hand, with his comedic facial expression, strong facial expression, and emotional facial expression during heavy scenes deserves an applause. He has his own charm in completely captivating eyes of viewers, specially in scenes where he dominates at court or at war. They both did a great job that I still got to enjoy this drama because of them in the end. I also love the cute chemistry between them.

For the supporting characters, I honestly only liked Xueji the most. At first I thought her character would annoy me like Yun er's character but she was the complete opposite. I loved her character apart from the main leads and wished she had more romantic scenes with Ziyu. As for the second couple, He Zhen and Zhao Quan, I didn't feel much chemistry between them, although I did find Zhao Quan funny.

Overall, all the cast did a great job. I am looking forward to more of Zhang Wan Yi and Wang Churan's future project.

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Love is not general liking, love is infinite liking

The first drama i've watched from Steven Zhang was 'Skate into love' where I met him and completely fell in love with how great of an actor he is. This is my second drama of his which i've managed to finish. Although, i've watched his other dramas...I just couldn't bear finish all of them and dropped them after some time as they didn't fill my interest. I've waited for this drama to be released the moment I found out he is going to star alongside Liang Jie and tbh, I had set high expectations on this as both my favorite actors are going to work together.

I'm not going to write a super long review but get straight to the point. First of all, I had to put the actors acting on the top because both Steven Zhang and Liang Jie's skills in acting is without a doubt amazing. I completely have no complain because they portrayed their characters so well and I want to praise both of them so much because 'body switching' required another level of acting but both of them filled those gaps which other dramas that had body switching couldn't do. They set every thing so well that I couldn't help be immersed on their good acting and fantastic chemistry. Ofc, side characters were good too. Pei Jia Shu is my fave apart from the main couple. Secondly, regarding the whole storyline...honestly, for me every thing was so well during the first episodes where they weren't together in a relationship but the latter part of the drama where they got together, must admit it got sort of quite draggy but I understand why they had to extend that part especially with the issue between Jiang Yi's parents which badly needed to be resolved (i'm glad he reconciled with his mother though because I hated his father so much who had only been using him as an atm machine). So, the latter episodes did quite made me want to drop the drama out but I fought it through because of how good their acting is. Lastly, about the ending. It seemed many didn't like how it ended because it turned out that all Jiang Yi and Yu ShengSheng's story all this while with the whole body switching thing is just a written novel by the real Yu ShengSheng in the real world. For this, I had to disagree. I like how they gave the drama a realistic ending rather than a fictional one.

This drama really made me laugh and cry and cringe in a lot at scenes especially when they were body switching. Overall, it was an enjoyable ride and I am grateful that I decided to stick until the end and finish it. I'll definitely re-watch this again in another year. Badly hoping that Steven can work with Liang Jie again because both their chemistry is top-notch and idk if it is just me but they suit each other well.

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