Reviews

I'm gonna confess, I'm not the perfect viewer to chinese dramas but this really make me realize two things:
1. I have no problem focusing in long dramas
2. I can be patient with the right plot and drama.

Since the first episode to the end, gonna say is cute, lovely, and NORMAL. And yes when I say normal, I mean about two people falling in love (ofc, in this case is a drama and always will be a drama) as a normal couple. Without dramatic plot twist, or mean people around (well, I'm not saying they decided delete all the stereotypes haha). And that's what I was waiting for, because sometimes even when I want to run away from my real life and escape to dramaland , in others I also need to watch a realistic and cute couple thing, as all these living in harmony around us.

I you want a refreshing and lightly drama, This is your drama!!!

Story 9/10
CHdrama needs to be better producing a drama.
But overall, the drama is good , the plot is plain but refreshing, and the leads have a good chemistry.

Gamers on board,
See ya!

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A hero’s journey through personal growth, love and friendship

Don’t let the first episodes fool you into believing that this is a childish drama. Yes, the drama starts off as goofy and light-hearted but from episode 13 the tone completely changes to serious and mature and it stays that way until the end. The drama is about the male lead who has lived in isolation all his life until he meets the female lead. Together, with their two newfound friends, they go on a journey to find the truth about the male lead’s parents and the mystical sword left to him by his father.

This drama is based on a video game of the same name thus the atmosphere and script feel quite different from the usual wuxia cdramas (in fact I believe it’s xuanhuan genre). All Sword and Fairy dramas are stand alone, they take place in the same world but have different stories.

PLOT:
This is a plot driven drama with some romance on the side. The first 6 episodes are extremely goofy and lighthearted. Until episode 12 the story is at the setting stage, we discover about the world, get introduced to the four main leads and see their adventure side quests with other side characters.

Episode 13 is when the main story begins. The tone is changed from lighthearted to more serious and mature. The main conflict is addressed and we begin to learn the truth of what has happened 19 years ago (which all characters are involved with). The good guys meet the bad guys and the angst begins. Here the drama does a fantastic job showing the characters growth and the many wise life lessons they learn.

MAIN LEADS + ACTING:
The male lead appears dumb at the start but is actually uneducated as he has spent all his life in isolation. Despite that he adapts very quickly and shows us the wisdom he has learned from his father. He is kind-hearted, brave and protective. He has tremendous character growth throughout the drama. The actor Chen Zhe Yuan showed brilliant performance as always. He is the reason I started to watch this and his on screen presence did not disappoint me. The actor has such expressive eyes that all his emotional scenes HIT ME HARD.

The female lead is confident, outspoken, perceptively and brave without being annoying. She appears tough on the outside but is actually soft-hearted. She is quite unique from the typical female leads that I’ve watched. She has fantastic character growth from being morally conflicted and somewhat selfish to becoming the most supportive friend who is the glue of the friendship group. The actress Ju Jing Yi shines brightly like a diamond in this role, her on screen presence is fantastic and her acting radiant.

The second male and female lead are both more reserved and their stories are directly connected to the main leads. The male lead is called an Ice Cube. Despite his cold nature, he has the warmest heart. The actor is fantastic in his performance with micro-expressions and has a strong on screen presence. The female lead is kind but firm.

POSITIVE:
- A fantastic execution of a hero’s journey - from zero to hero.
- Engaging main plot. From episode 13 the plot was executed fantastically and I didn’t find a single episode boring or having the urge to skip parts.
- Villains are usually boring and evil for the purpose of being evil but in this drama the characters were well developed and a delight to watch. Everyone in this drama has a strong purpose and legitimate reason for what they were doing.
- Chen Zhe Yuan and Ju Jing Yi shone bright on screen with their brilliant acting and fabulous character’s growth. Both actors really stood out to me and pulled me into the story. Their performance was wonderful to watch.
- Pacing of the drama was perfect. The mystery and plot was built very well. With each episode the stakes were higher and higher and I could feel the angst towards the approaching end. Until the finale episode, I couldn’t guess what would happen.
- Cute romantic moments.
- Nice visual fight scenes especially towards the end of the drama.
- Great chemistry between the main leads. I was rooting for them from the start. I loved their banter and bickering.
- Many morally grey characters (including the female lead at the start) which I loved to see.
- Fantastic character growth for all important characters.
- Wise life lessons shown.
- Epic adventure vibes.

NEGATIVE:
- The first 12 episodes gave a wrong impression of the drama and were not particularly strong which is a shame as it made a lot of people drop this. There were side stories of side characters that I found boring. The main leads would help side characters and receive a small amount of information which meant it wasn’t a filler but at the same time the actual stories didn’t add any value to the plot. However the guest appearance of these side characters were done by actors that I knew and their acting was really good.
- At the start of the drama there was focus on the romance which made me believe that it would be a huge part of the drama but it wasn’t. In most episodes the romance was completely gone and the plot took the driver’s seat. The hopeless romantic in me needed more romance.
- One sided love stories that I wish weren’t there at all. Not really love triangles but both the second male and female lead fell for the main leads. They didn’t interfere in their relationship and were very respectful so I’ll give them that but I felt it kind of ruined the friendship aspect of the drama. Whenever the main leads would have a romantic moment, the director would always zoom in on the second male and female lead’s unhappy faces which didn’t sit right with me. I wish the focus was more on developing their friendship with each other rather than them falling in love with each other.
- I didn’t like the second female lead most of the time. Her character’s reserved personality was quite boring for me and I found her acting wooden at times especially compared to the rest of the cast. However she did improve towards the end of the drama. Despite what I said, many people loved her character so this is just a personal preference.
- Second male lead stole all romantic moments with the female lead. I honestly didn’t understand why the writers did it this way. But the female lead had so many emotional bonding scenes with the second male lead that were very impactful compared to her scenes with the male lead. I wish the writers focused on writing platonic friendships between them.

OVERALL:
If you are looking for a well executed plot driven drama about a hero’s journey through many trials and emotional growths with morally grey villans + you love Chen Zhe Yuan, give this drama a chance.

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This is how you do a gay musical

“My School President” might not be an original soundtrack; two boys in high school, one has a secret crush and chases the other. Been there, done that. I mean after more than a hundred gay romance shows (I'm not even joking, check my stats) you'd think I've seen it all. Yes, I have seen everything in My School President before, but not like this.

MSP takes all the tried and worn tropes, weaves them together seamlessly into this epic gay musical. The show has an energy to it which I cannot put into words. For the most of it, MSP is a really fun show: friendship, family and slice-of-life youth drama, but there are moments of grief and sadness which binds the story. And MSP reminds us time and again, that when it seems everything is lost and grey, you will find the purest emotion left: love.

The main arc is of Tinn and Gun. Nerdy Tinn, son of school principal and perfectionist has comitted the ultimate crime: fallen in love with a backbencher, and a boy nonetheless. After (several) repeated attempts to get Gun's attention, Tinn finally comes into the spotlight when he runs for school president. But wait! It has now set him as an enemy to Gun! For the school is trying to shut down the Music Club which Gun leads. With the excuse of "bringing glory to the school", Tinn pairs up with a reluctant Gun to try and win the Hot Wave and the rest, you know it :)

Not everything goes perfect in this story. There are many, many downs. MSP deals with topics like failure, grief of death, homophobia and the fear of first love. In this also, MSP has set itself apart from other dramas. Any misunderstanding or event is dealt in withing the episode itself, without letting it drag to the next episode and viewers are always left with the expectation of something fresh and delightful.

There are few stories where I can say that there were no moments which I found to be extra but MSP truly has no "filler moments". It does not lag, it does not take up a sloth speed at episode 8 (which most bl dramas tend to do), it is never boring.

Apart from Gun and Tinn, a major part of the story are their family and friends. The Hot Wave takes centre stage in episode 10, 11 as Gun and his friends battle three stages to reach their destination. The boys and their relationship with their families is so heartwarming to watch, their mothers both approach their sons so differently. There are a few unexpectedly cute side couples too. At the end of the day, MSP is a show about love and all its different forms.

It is evident that the production teams really put their efforts into this. Each character, even the side characters, have been crafted uniquely. They went all out with all the love songs here and it's obvious that a lot of work has been put into it. As far as chemistry goes, Gemini and Fourth are a match made in heaven. I say this not because I ship them, but some pairings just click you know? My main inhibition regarding MSP is that I dislike school shows and the tragic boring uniforms they have on all the freaking time. The show makers however put extra effort into everything with a stylish wardrobe for everybody (and I have to point this out because it's one of my sore points with most others school/uni shows).

Each actor and actress has done well in their role, and this is really important because MSP is one of those character centric shows. The dialogue is well written without the cliche replies. It gets especially fun when Gun teases Tinn! I love how Tinn is like this confident gay until Gun does something even minutely flirtatious. Gemini and Fourth brought them to life and I wait (not so patiently) for their future projects. And the OSTs! The Holy Chinzhilla in its Greatness has blessed us with the best songs, and so easy to sing along too that I cannot get them out of my head!

MSP has been a delight to watch. The secrecy of having a first crush, the innocence of first love, the buoyancy of being seen and recognised, if only for a moment, by the one who makes your heartbeat pick up. MSP will make your heart race and wish for that romance you haven't had yet or remember the cherishable memories you have experienced.

And while it is not an original soundtrack, it is the one of the most genuinely hearwarming songs, an ode if you will, to love. As they say, “love songs we listen to in high school are the best love songs ever”, and MSP is proof of that. One word for this show: fluff. 9.5/10.

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This review is intended to offer you an opinion of what I thought about this drama. It is not intended to sway you in anyways.

SPOILERS:

OMG YES!!! What a satisfying ending to such an interesting drama. This drama is interesting to watch, but you must have an open mind. If you aren't into cheating, pseudo incest-relationships (that is Nira and her uncle-in-law kissing etc), gender identity/transgender identity, revenge for the sake of revenge, etc...you will not enjoy this. However, we should always remember that there are lessons to learn from dramas like this.

WARNING:

This drama deals with lots of human issues.
1) transgender identities/gender identities
2) cheating
3) domestic violence
4) Mental Illness
5) Suicide
6) Cross dressing
7) Niece (who used to be a nephew) falling in love with uncle-in-law

You name it, it has it. It was a very well acted drama and every single actor did well in bringing their characters to life. MY GOD, that young woman playing Nira was amazing. I have never seen any of her work, but I have read from others how good she is, and I must say she really gave Nira a voice.

My second favorite character, believe it or not, was her father. He was introduced as an abusive, narcissistic, shallow and bigoted person. He was for intents and purpose a character you hated through the whole series until before the last two episodes, where he was humbled by learning the secret of who Nira was. Yes, as a viewer we are led to hating such a person, but his entire flawed nature as well as his realizing how horrible he had been showed how much range and development that character had. He was brought down from his high horse so to speak. I really loved the way his character did a complete 180 and became someone I actually sort of felt pity for. True he was a cheater and abusive to his wife and child, but losing his son did hurt him in some way. And then to find out he was now Nira, but still lost her when she left, left him as a shell of a man.

I was also surprised with the aunt. She was so unlikable and really selfish, just like her brother, but it was sort of sweet how she took care of him in the end and how she also felt sadness for what she did to Nira. It doesn't completely erase how horrible she had been initially, but again just like her brother's character, she too grew and showed more sides of her.

I was completely HAPPY with the ending we got. I was all for Nira either being alone, but happy with herself, than together with her uncle. Their relationship was doomed from the start. IT was obvious.

Nira had some deep seeded hate and her mental illness did not help. She needed to find herself and who she wanted to be, before even thinking of having a healthy normal relationship with ANYONE. I am so glad, that despite her suicide attempt, the drama ended with her staying alive and learning to love herself.

Supporting cast was also great!

Fantastic cast.

Music was nice and nostalgic

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Lazy ending

This is usually my favorite kind of plot: a female lead transported into a novel or the past, so I was genuinely excited, especially since the male lead is quite talented. Unfortunately, while the story had potential, it was painfully slow. I kept watching, hoping it would pick up, but it never did. Nothing about the drama felt exciting, which is disappointing because this type of plot has huge potential to be genuinely funny...and it wasn’t.

The ending didn’t help either. I could predict it from miles away, since this isn’t the first Chinese drama to use the “writing the story” loophole to get around the transmigration ban ( wink a dream within a dream which did this way better ). The conclusion felt extremely lazy : “how he comes into her world is a story for another time” just sounds like the writers didn’t know how to end their own script.

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In a unique way affectionately told. Critically nuanced. Not off-the-shelf. Still easy to digest.

I might have easily missed “Not Others”, if I hadn't volunteered to help out with the German subtitling. I'm glad I didn´t miss it, because "Not Others" turned out to be an unorthodox surprise - being unexpectedly substantial and also pleasantly true to life, thus rooted in a rather simple, normal, everyday world. It is the story of a family, above all of a single mother and her daughter, but there are also a few contemporaries who are related by blood or by choice.

The story goes on and on as life goes on and we go with it as a matter of course (and gladly so). (Well, at least that's how it was for me.) There was nothing particularly extraordinary and exciting about it. Just normal madness.

Well, admittedly, a bit more than normal madness... after all, the mother herself is still a teenager when she has her child and doesn't want to give up on some of the youthful pleasures in life - regardless of responsibility for the child. However, the script and the two leads find a good pitch for this very special, unusual and inherently difficult relationship dynamic with all its challenges. A clearly structured 'I'm the grown up and you're the little one' doesn´t exist. It is rather upside down here. Instead of the classic authoritarian hierarchy between parent and child, they both ended up bonding as allies sort of, in a world from which they have fallen. Due to the unusual role constellations, the arguments between mother and daughter often have a slightly funny touch. Behind this, however, lurks a rather unconscious overburdening on both sides. And this earnest approach of this emotionally tricky situation shines through again and again in the strategy of both of them trying to cope with everyday life. However, mother and daughter are overall impressing with their casual authenticity as well as pleasant directness and openness - a communication style that clearly sets them apart from so many others in the story. Choi Soo-young shines here, but especially Jeon Hye-jin, who can show herself from a completely different side in the role of the still youthful mother...).

At some point it's about a criminal case - eventually almost symbolic for the unwanted and eventually professionalized role of the daughter within the mother-daughter-relationship: the need to/the urge to look after her mother. And at some point it's also about romantic love - symbolic for the very human longing to rely on a partner on eye level, to lean on a shoulder... This human need actually concerns mother and grown-up daughter alike. But can there even be a place for 'outsiders' within the mother-daughter relationship?

Please don't take "Not Others" as a crime thriller or even as a RomCom. (The men in particular come along rather secondary...) Ultimately, it is the complicated emotional behavior patterns that characterize the family life of mother and daughter in the context of their very close and extraordinary relationship. This makes the KDrama breathe in and breathe out in its very unique pacing. It is primarily about this uncommon family, with an affectionate, yet critically nuanced look at their very special relationship dynamics. "Not Others" is cautiously questioning established (conservative) family models, too...

Overall, “Not Others” is no off-the-shelf KDrama (like so many others in 2023...).

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It started out AWESOME. I was super addicted. I'm a big fan of this genre, especially when it's done well and I felt like a lot of that was there at first: the story was interesting, there was a lot of chemistry between the leads (and holy molly those kisses....), the cinematography was pleasant to look at....

But that all quickly went downhill when the Big Misunderstanding that plagues many dramas hit and not only was it really not executed well, but suddenly everything just kind of fell apart. The writing was mediocre at best, the acting was cringe-worthy, the story was less than exciting, and I really did not care much for the leads anymore. Such a pity! There were still a few shining moments in the later episodes that tried to bring back a little of that initial charm this drama had but overall: I was over it.

I was also not a fan of the ending. It was a really frustrating and confusing last episode that did not leave me satisfied at all. The very end itself was awkward and didn't make sense. Whatever.

I can't completely say it isn't worth a watch, since as mentioned before the first half was really, really good. It might also be a little better if you can just binge your way through it in it's entirety without having to break for new episodes later on as I did. *insert shrugging emoji here*

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"Did I become a butterfly in my dream or did I become me in a butterfly's dream."

For a moment, I thought it's going to be one of those cheesy and sensational plotlines with the usual stuck-up chaebol, the very reason that has dissuaded me from watching this till now.

But Beauty Inside deserves much better than that. Beneath all of the Hallyu star and rich chaebol glamour, the drama explores the dark side of media and social perceptions in a nouveau and refreshing context. It proves that inner beauty MATTERS as we witness the female protagonist battling her identity crisis in a society full of piranhas that are constantly preying on her, all while scandalously saving the day by protecting those in need.

The pairing is irrefutably perfect, like that of My Love from the Star or What's Wrong with Secretary Kim. It is cynical at first but, because of that, it has the opportunity to become extremely sweet and charming. For once, a rom-com is able to survive and flourish without a love-triangle to pull the tension.

After having seen the slice-of-life Because This is My First Life, I'm shocked by Lee Min Ki's transformation, to say the least. He was able to shed his quirky guy-next-door vibe and become such a slick executive. On the other hand, the chic Seo Hyun Jin that we have come to know from Dr. Romantic and Another Miss Oh has made me fall even deeper in love with her gorgeous fashion and even sassier attitude. And when you start questioning how to survive all of this, you'll be hit with the stunning and wholesome second couple, Lee Da Hee and Ahn Jae Hyun no less.

The OSTs are to die for with K.Will's explosive vocal, Davichi's wistful melody and a slight momentous twist featuring up-and-coming artists like Rothy, Vincent and 2morro.

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A plot as thick as Dao Ming Si's eyebrows

Only real trash connoisseurs will understand the true value of this masterpiece. The most irritating finale i've ever seen but would this show really be as entertaining with an average vanilla finale that doesn't feel like you're tripping on LSD ? Think again... Like a river, the plot flows and flows. Not a single dull moment except for the whole episode exploring the unnecessary drama between Mei Zuo and Caina. You can skip it without feeling guilty.

Last but not least: Thomas powerful, gripping and iconic performance at the London restaurant will never be forgotten.

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A Drama to Be Savored and Remembered..

There are many female centric dramas that explore themes of women's freedom and feminism but few have achieved what FP has in terms of depth, execution, impact and the sheer quality of acting and production.. Everything about this drama is exceptional.. The cinematography and costumes, the intelligent main leads with undeniable chemistry and a slow burn romance.. Even the supporting characters were stellar.. Well written and not over dramatic not too slow.. This is how a drama should be done.. The acting, pacing and background score are all perfectly balanced.. Yang Zi’s acting was pure brilliance.. Effortless, heartfelt and completely immersive.. She was simply outstanding.. Li Xian complimented her perfectly.. Effortlessly matching her energy and helping her carry the show.. His nonchalant attitude and performance were nothing short of brilliant..

I loved Li Xian's characted Jiang Chang Yang.. He wasn’t the typical ' I will protect you from everything ' hero.. Instead he recognized Mu Dan’s strength and character and treated her accordingly.. He only stepped in when she absolutely needed it.. But more importantly he rooted for her like no one else.. What truly set him apart was the way he treated her as an equal.. He never underestimated her.. Respected her decisions and stood by her as a true partner.. Never forcing his own ' This is what I think is right for you ' mantra onto her..

It was sad to see Miles in his role.. Pathetic and whiny.. But he got exactly what he deserved.. You can’t blame others for your own spinelessness.. That said its not the end of the road for him.. He might return as one of the antagonists next season.. But the real question is how impactful will he be??

When the drama was airing it faced attacks from another actress’s fans.. Rating it low and trying to bring it down.. But in the end haters can only do so much.. A good script, strong performances and quality storytelling will always win..

Now I have high hopes for Season 2.. I really hope they finally share their true feelings and get together in the first half of the show instead of making us wait another 20+ episodes.. It would be great to see more of their moments rather than just the buildup because we had more that enough of that in the first season..

Overall FP delivered an exceptional story with brilliant performances and compelling themes.. Despite the challenges it faced the drama won.. With Season 2 coming soon the expectations are high.. And hopefully it will give us the satisfying moments we are waiting for.. I read somewhere that this drama is truly a tribute to women and I couldn’t agree more..

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I want to begin this review first by addressing it in relation to "A Love So Beautiful."
With the popularity of "A Love So Beautiful", I see a lot of people hoping to find a similar drama to fill the void now that it has ended. There are similarities in the two dramas in the sense that they are set in high school for a majority of the run time and take place during the same time period. However, outside of those similarities, the two dramas set out to fulfill different purposes. With "A Love So Beautiful," I feel that it is a love story first and foremost and the life of a student is given secondary focus but "With You" focuses more on a student's life and how those formative years in high school set the foundation on who we become as we grow older. Of course, love is one of the things that students first start to experience in high school but that is just one of the many items that preoccupy a student's time.

For instance, this drama also looked at how students are tasked with huge responsibility at a young age to make a choice that can very well affect the rest of their lives, deciding to focus on liberal arts or STEM. However, instead of leaning one way, it is implied that one should do their best to be well versed in both in order to be a well rounded individual. We come across many different characters (students, teachers and parents) throughout this drama, each with their own hopes, desires,  fears and dreams. And just like in real life, they will come and go but there will be those that leave an impression on you or impact you in some way.
What I also liked about this drama is how helpful and supportive everyone was to one another whether they were friends or "only" classmates. There was a real sense that high school is just one of many stops in your life and how it prepares you to learn and grow throughout life.

Next, I will speak about the Romance portion of this drama which is what I think most people are curious about. And once again I will speak on this in relation to ALSB. In ALSB there are more displays of physical affection and because in that drama they have known each other since childhood they are more comfortable with one another right from the start of the drama. However, in "With You," I enjoyed seeing Yu Hai and Geng Geng's relationship develop over time especially with the way they got off on the wrong foot in their initial encounter.  It's not to say one drama is better than the other in the way they portray love but that they portray different forms of love. In "With You," I feel that the writer wanted to portray how blissful it is to simply be together with the person you like/love. Whether that means being "desk buddies" and helping each other with math/physics problems or playing video games together. No matter what the activity/event was, as long as they were able to do it together, made it all worthwhile.  Similarly, both characters had their own strengths and weaknesses and complemented each other well and were each other's pillar of support when they needed it. This drama is not really about the grand gestures (at least in Yu Hai's case) but about the little ones. For instance, risking the chance of incurring a strict teacher's wrath by asking him to repeat his explanation of a problem that you already understand because you notice that the person you like is having a difficult time catching up but is too afraid to ask.

Ultimately, if you're looking for a drama replacement for ALSB, I suggest you look elsewhere. However, if you're looking for a drama that primarily focuses on youth/school and the growing pains associated with that time period of our lives, I think you would be hard pressed to find a better one than this one.

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I’ll cut to the chase. Uncontrollably fond is melodrama 101 and while I can see how this translates into “this sucks” for some people, for others this initially means “this is daebak”. The drama features a lot of one dimensional characters who don’t think rationally most of the time, a lot of nerve-wrecking and heart-wrenching situations, while the direction of the whole thing can be easily seen as unnecessarily overdramatic. But as I told you, this is melodrama 101, all those are to be expected so people who cannot tolerate heavily overdramatic melodrama it’s time you left.

Story
Introduction to melodrama. One character is a self-hating guy with mommy and daddy issues who is dying from a terminal illness, one character is seemingly the knight in the shining armor who is a coward and makes the wrong choices for noble reasons, one is a bad raging bitch who things she owns the world, and lastly one is a fighting hero who tries her best to stay sane and survive but fails miserably furthering the overdramatic nature of the whole thing.

The backstory and plot here is probably the best thing this drama has to offer but will probably be appreciated only by the melo fans; others will find it rather stretched and too fake and I won’t say it isn’t. However, in all its greatness it is nothing new. It gathers all the clichés, car crashes, illegitimate children, hit and runs, terminal illnesses, rich vs poor people, and lastly the legendary –at this point- cycle of the leads chasing each other. Female lead wants male lead but he’s a bastard and 5 episodes later male lead wants female lead but she’s a bitch while they love each other like crazy and they have barely any reasons to act this way. This is probably the worst part of the drama imo but then again it takes a special viewer to appreciate it.

The story has nothing new to offer, and the plot gets heavily dragged midway due to the chasing around, but does this mean this is the worst drama ever? No. Does this mean this is totally unwatchable? No. It is just addressed to a certain type of viewer who will love it and its flaws completely. That’s all. If you like usual melodrama you’ll like this, there is no funny side character, there is no comedic relief, there is scarcely any rationality in the writing, and the whole plot is over the top, but to be honest that is melodrama’s charm. Take it or leave it.

Acting
Stellar performances by everyone; however Kim Woo Bin is probably the only memorable actor in this one. His acting was very emotional and he was very pleasant to look at.

Syzy won’t be winning any awards for her performance but her acting was way better than expected and didn’t bring the show down at all.

Recommend/rewatch
We all know what melodrama means. If you like overly emotional and depressing stories, you want to cry and watch a doomed romance then go ahead. This not the best melodrama i've ever watched but it isn’t bad at all, on the contrary i'd say. However if you expect smiles, fluffiness, butterflies and funny cute situations give this a pass. I will never rewatch this.

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One of the best melodrama I've ever seen and also one of the best dramas period. To be honest when I first started watching it, I dropped it at the first episode because it bored me, but then I tried it again after reading the reviews and right then and there I was hooked. I pretty much finished in 2 days and didnt even skip a second of it. Everything about this drama is perfect, from the cast to the acting, to the story, the romance and the chemistry between the leads were incredible Hwang jung eum's acting was on a different level. I actually cried every time she cried. (lots of crying in this one) That was how convincing she was. Ji sung was amazing too but I feel like his talent is showing more on KMHM. In the end of it all, this drama broke me into little tiny pieces but I will never regret watching it and re-watching it over and over again.

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Definetly exceeded my expectations....

"Sniper Butterfly" became a late-year surprise for me,

I've been hooked! It's a "noona" romance, an older woman/younger man story, and I'm absolutely loving it. Before I dive into the show itself, I have to address something that consistently baffles me: the obsession with age gaps. Personally, as long as everyone's an adult, it's a non-issue. Chemistry and acting are what draw me in. I've seen comments on MDL (MyDramaList) calling out the age difference between the leads, and honestly, I wonder if those people are even watching the show. The female lead doesn't appear significantly older, and even if she did... what's the big deal? It's rare to see this level of scrutiny when the roles are reversed. If the age gap bothers you, don't watch, but please, spare us the unnecessary negativity.

Now, onto the show itself! "Sniper Butterfly" is a second-chance romance, and while I'm not usually a fan of that trope, this one is beautifully done. The story flows seamlessly between two timelines, 2016 and the present, which could be confusing, but it's not. The transitions are clear, and the past and present are cleverly interwoven, connecting past events to the present day. We see the beginning of their relationship in the past, and then jump to the present, where time has passed and their connection is tested.

The show is heartwarming, with emotional undertones that make you feel all the feels. The acting is phenomenal, especially the eye contact and body language between the leads. Their chemistry is undeniable. Their relationship starts with a guardian-sibling dynamic, as she takes him in, which is incredibly touching, especially knowing he's never had anyone. That caring and protective nature evolves into something more, with the emotions, tension, and challenges that come with the transition. It's cute, it's romantic, it gives you butterflies, and they just look great together. The romance is delicate and well-written.

The characters are interesting too. The female lead is refreshing, calm, soft-spoken, and mature. She's not a "badass," nor is she weak. She stands up for herself but also shows vulnerability. I love her and her wardrobe!

The male lead is cute, although I'm a little concerned about how slim the actor is. But the show addresses it, with characters constantly encouraging him to eat more.


I disagree with the notion that the male lead is sluggish. It seems people are stuck on a stereotype for male leads, and anything outside of that is unacceptable. His past, where he was quiet, timid, and slow, actually fit the character's background and what he was going through. We see him evolve; he grows from being closed off to open, and his confidence increases. So, no, he isn't sloppy. It's time to accept that male lead characters can have diverse personalities instead of clinging to a single version.

Conclusively,

THIS show was incredibly beautiful, emotionally charged, and profound, yet it also managed to be funny and heartwarming a truly pleasant surprise!

Walking into a show with no expectations and being completely swept away is the best feeling. This has instantly become one of my favorite jie jie romance shows and is definitely in my top romance cdramas of all time.

It was riveting, with such well-developed characters, not just the leads but even the supporting cast.

The female lead was my favorite, with her maturity, calmness, and wisdom. I also have to commend the male lead for his incredible character development. Watching him grow from being impulsive and timid to confident and understanding was so fulfilling.

These two complemented each other perfectly, and their natural chemistry was a delight. The kiss scenes were incredibly sensual, and I'm now a huge fan of both the leads...I loved everything about this show and highly recommend it.

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