Reviews

I'm gonna say this straight up: this is probably the best wuxia/fantasy/adventure/epic drama I've watched. Multiple factors add to this such as cast, script, BEAUTIFUL cinematography, actually good CGI and so on.

Story: The story was very fleshed out and complex, and did the novel justice. Each character, even the minor ones felt like they were placed wherever they were for a purpose and not just as a tool for the plot to move on. The plot was a little draggy in some parts but as I don't really pay attention to these things I didn't take any points off for it. One thing I can say is that I never felt like I wanted to take a break from the series (as I do with a LOT of Chinese and Korean dramas) or drop it. In fact, if I ever missed something accidentally, I would go back and rewatch it in case I missed something important. I also fast forward and speed up my other dramas, but I didn't for this one which I think expresses my devotion haha. The plot is also quite original and there are certain things that set it apart from other wuxia fantasy shows. For example, the fight scenes are very realistic. The opening scene really shocked me as you can see the work the crew and actors have done to make it look and feel real (it worked). Also, the regular tropes that other dramas used are completely changed in this drama. For example, in one of the scenes, the Emperor says (I can't remember exactly what he said oops) "A child born of royalty can live and take revenge, but the child of a doorkeeper can't? What sort of rubbish idea is this?" And this actually made me think...

Acting/Cast: Chen Feiyu, being quite young, filled the shoes of the complicated NingQue very well. He was good at expressing happiness, shamelessness, and quick-fire retaliation with his words. His smug face when he won something from someone is so endearing. I would give him personally a 9.5 for acting as just a few scenes (mostly of negative emotions) felt off. Song Yiren was absolutely amazing, and I would say she is the best main character of the show, She was perfect at expressing child-like dependence and admiration for NingQue as SangSang. She also showed off SangSang's practicality and work ethic very well, as well as her underlying love for NingQue. The romance between the two is extremely subtle in the first half, but from episode 40 or so when NingQue returns with Mo ShanShan, it begins to show as the two are forced to confront each other with what they really want from each other. I loved the endearing way NingQue treated SangSang, you could tell that even though he made fun of her and treated her as a maid sometimes, he really cared for her and would do anything for her. In one scene, he says "SangSang isn't the door to my life, she is my life." Oh God. The other side characters did very well in their roles. I found YanSe and WeiGuangMing particularly astounding, and I'm glad some veteran actors had big roles in the drama (unlike some dramas which only focus on the young actors to attract more audiences). Other characters I loved were ChenPiPi (and his bromance with NingQue and his cuteness), YeHongYu (as NingQue said: "You are THE strongest woman I've ever met."), LiYu (the princess of Tang, an ambitious woman) and every person in the Upper Story.

Music: I like most of the songs in the OST and some of them are very suited to a particular character or setting. For example back in the army they would sing the song "Take your life" and so on. However there would be a song for a particular character but then used for another character which was awkward (but it was a nice song so I didn't mind).

Rewatch value: Okay so the only reason I won't rewatch this is because it's kinda long. Also there's a second season, so I'll just wait for that. BUT the second season won't have Chen Feiyu, which is a shame as I grew used to his face and acting style. The romance and other relationships won't be the same... I've heard news that the main lead in the second season is going to be Dylan Wang, who played DaoMingSi in Meteor Garden. I found his character childish in that and kind of restricted to a few emotions (I didn't even finish, stopped at episode 30) so we'll see how it goes.

10/10 recommend!!

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?????

this film has many problems, perhaps some viewers (mainly men) did not notice. the fact that Rei during the film says that she lost her virginity only at the age of 29 and that she had a relationship with a woman, there was probably sex in him too, as if her virginity was intact just because she hadn't had sex with men, that it is a view mostly present in men. another thing that bothered me a lot was Rei having quoted and thinking that she could only "complete" Nanae sexually if she had a penis, extremely nonsense. the obsession that Rei felt for Nanae doesn’t make sense either, killing someone who didn’t keep in touch for 10 years and who NEVER showed an affective interest in her .... in fact, during the entire film Nanae only showed romantic interest in Rei last 15 minutes of film, the most beautiful scene in the film is just one of the final scenes where Rei is in the cabin with Nanae and they talk about the past. the sex scenes in the movie are very long, I had to stop the movie several times because I couldn't stand watching it without saying that Rei spends half the movie fucking men even though she always says it is LESBIC, the scene she has with the taxi driver seems that was introduced in the film just to perform sexual fetish of the men who watched it, it does not make sense and there is no plausible explanation of the reason for the sex, at first I thought it was for money, but when the man offered money to Rei, her face makes us think the opposite. Nanae clearly uses Rei's feelings for her own benefit, it gets disgusting, and it seems that Rei's only life goal was to have sex with Nanae ... Rei knew that Nanae used her and left it just to keep her close, that it is noticeable when Nanae said that she called the police for Rei to surrender and Rei did not question whether it was a joke or not, she simply knew that Nanae was capable of doing such a thing! hitting a woman who suffered domestic violence? ..... this film is problematic in so many ways .... it is two hours of film made only for men to satisfy their fetishes, a lot of boobs, a lot of nudity, although the movie " The Handmaiden "also having sex and nudity scenes is completely different from this: the handmaiden scenes are more artistic and visibly beautiful, while in" She "it looks like porn.
If you want to watch a good LGBT-themed film see "The Handmaiden" this is a true masterpiece.

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I am not rating this an 8 to balance poor reviews. I really liked it.

There are a few qualities to this show that I think are special, and I'll put it in list form to respect your time.

1. There are no toxic female characters. In fact the female character is very strong. She handles getting dumped like a boss.
2. The lead is openly and unselfconsciously gay from the start.
3. There are no manufactured crises thrown in for drama. The drama is all in the interaction between the characters. Although a real life crisis in the form of COVID torpedoes the ship and they needed to patch it up as best they could.
4. While there are screeching predatory trans characters, They're only in the first two episodes then disappear forever. I assume the producer sent back the script with a note to add more screeching predatory trans characters "because that's how it's done", and the writer hoped he wouldn't read the revised version past the opening eps.
5. No fem shaming. When there are screeching trans characters, the attractive boys are polite to them, and there doesn't appear to be any opprobrium attached to femininity.
6. People actually communicate when they have problems and conflicts, and they talk things through and find a way to forgive and remain friends. There's a character that likes another, then finds out the guy was in a secret relationship with someone else. The character's reaction was "If I had known, I wouldn't have burdened anyone with unwanted attention." I almost choked to death on a cookie when he said that. Nobody ever acts like an adult in these situations. Or, two guys are dating, a third boy that one of the couple knows walks by and there's a brief and awkward conversation. The other boy in the couple can tell there's something between them so he asks, and the first one tells him the full truth that he's a guy he used to have a crush on. I almost choked to death on another cookie. The usual formula would mandate a lie which is soon discovered followed by insane jealousy, sulking, and a montage of good times spent together with a sappy ballade blaring. The new bf is happy the explanation is so harmless and that's it. The exception to the authenticity of conversations is that people don't seem terribly curious about the god that lives in their house - I might have some questions about god life, and god friends & stuff.
7. Absolutely zero seme/uke dynamic - just two guys. It's so refreshing that they don't pigeonhole the characters.
8. No tropes. (a couple of them, but limited) No accidental kisses, no "I'm not gay, I only love one single guy (forever)", no agonizing over liking a man, no parents agonizing over their son liking a man, no falling so their faces end up too close together and they stare at each until they turn gay (it does happen once, but it's subversive), no evil girlfriend, no insane jealousy over their gay bf talking to a woman. Actually, there's almost no jealousy at all.
8. There are NO ENGINEERS.
9. Plenty of cuteness.
10. The main character has a certain something. Sort of an effortless manliness while still being boyish. He's a good actor - not a huge range, but he does what he does well, and he's never cringey. He also looks unusually good with his shirt off. He's a reserved character, but when he needs affection, he's adorable. And he has a moment of romantic aggression that's very wow.
11. It's not completely predictable. There is no possible way you could predict how it ends unless you read spoilers or have superpowers. Even the beginning parts - you think it's going to go a certain way, then you realize it's not, but it makes sense how it went.
12. When he's feeling heartbroken, Tae does something that a normal person might do, and has a normal-person reaction afterwards.
13. There's some funny use of classical music, especially Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King.

The bad qualities:

1. The production is average. Better than most low-budget series, but not to the standards of the mainline shows.
2. The acting is uneven. One of the main characters is good, a few of the other characters are good, but overall pretty meh. Cupid is such a naive doofus that he's charming and cute, but not a lot going on in the acting. He's not the same actor that was in the initial promos, so something went wrong somewhere.
3. The directing is not too good. It's fine for scenery, and it's clear the Chiang Mai chamber of commerce is a sponsor of the show, and maybe the tourism board, because there is a LOT of time spent walking around and going into random stores. But they also visit temples, which are interesting. You learn how to ff through things that bore you.
4. The subtitles are OK, but maybe take more effort to read than they should. It's not a dealbreaker, and it's 10 times better than So Much In Love, where I never did come to understand why the principal wanted to destroy a volleyball team.
5. Editing is not great. There are scenes that are too long.
6. The first episode is bad. They're lucky that many people stayed with the series. Confessing my shallowness, there's a good fifteen minutes of the main character showering and walking around in a towel, or I might have dropped it.

Not exactly a bad quality, but if you watch it, it's better to be prepared, You can skip this section if you want to just be surprised:

This was filmed some time ago, and was interrupted by COVID in a major way. It was originally supposed to be 10 eps, not 12, and sure enough, the main crisis happens in Ep 8, and then "poof!" They resumed production months later, and apparently a lot of actors were unavailable, so they had to make some big adjustments. They way they resolved the problem will not be to everyone's taste. As it was airing, some people were upset, but other people thought it was much better than before.

The acting and the production are better in the last four eps. The main character's hair is a lot different, but I liked it. He also wears more flattering clothes and it's a bit of a shirtless goldmine. A new character joins the cast who is super-cute and a good actor, with a lot of charm - he won most people over. The ending is not what you were expecting when you started watching, but it does actually fit perfectly into the story. This series is about the main character finding his soulmate, and there are suspects that aren't really viable and what the production chose to do gave it a lovely human quality.

Recommendation

So do I recommend it? Definitely, with some caveats. If you don't like it by the third or fourth ep, you probably won't enjoy it, but if that's the case, you can abandon it and move on to Ep 9, because the last 4 eps will make sense as a stand-alone romance that is sweet and special. But Ep 1 is pretty bad, so you have to look past that if you want to give it a chance. The people who liked this REALLY liked it - I've bonded with some fans over it. To me, Tae is gorgeous - not just his body, his face, those beauty marks, lips, personality, everything. In the last 4 eps you'll probably see it, due to the changes in his appearance. And I'll be 100% honest - I know that 1,000 Stars is roughly 100 times better than this show, but I looked forward to this more, because it just has a unique pleasant quality and 1,000 Stars stresses me out.

There are really wonderful and unique elements in this show, and if the next production by this company can fit them together in a more expert way, they could have a top-tier series.

Explanation of Ratings

Story: The plot doesn't deserve a 7, but the avoidance of tropes and the skillful post-COVID shift were impressive.
Acting: It's heavily focused on Tae, who is good & there's a good actor in the last 4 eps. Otherwise I would have rated it lower.
Music: Generally standard, a couple of good moments here and there that stood out.
Rewatch Value: I've rewatched a lot of scenes, so I gave it a high score.
Overall: The ratings suggest a 7.5, but I gave it an 8 because I liked it so much - that it drew me in and made me happy is a good thing.

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Fortune favors the bold.

Flourished Peony 国色芳华 is the first part of a sweeping two part story about a woman's quest to restore her mother's legacy and control her own destiny. It is set during China's cultural golden age when peonies were sought after as the "Queen of Flowers", a symbol of beauty and prosperity. He Weifang or Mudan (Peony) is a merchant's daughter with a rare talent for cultivating exquisite peonies. She is exploited by her grasping in-laws who have designs on her dowry and disdained by her husband Liu Chang, who pines for a county princess. She intrigues corrupt Flower Envoy Jiang Changyang when he overhears her wickedly praying her husband be plagued with piles, baldness, unfaithful concubines and bomb out in the imperial exams. Amused and empathetic, he helps her end her loveless marriage and finances her business ventures. Cheering her on from the sidelines, he lends the rare helping hand when she is in over her head. She gets him out of a tight spot and an unspoken trust, friendship and romance flowers between them.

Mudan’s journey—from a submissive daughter-in-law to an independent businesswoman—unfolds amidst feudal Tang society, where class divisions, filial piety, and arranged marriages were societal constraints on both men and women. While the narrative highlights the systematic nature of women's subjugation and their lack of legal rights and agency, it is framed in the context of a feudal society where no one truly has free will. Thus, a promising scholar from an official family cannot hope to marry a county princess, a county princess can no more choose her husband than a merchant's daughter, and even an insouciant Flower Envoy must entertain a union not of his choosing. I really appreciate this kind of social commentary that is sharp, yet balanced and contextual.

Mudan has fantastic business instincts and is a confident, persuasive, and a savvy risk-taker that dares to seize the moment.She is ahead of her time and champions modern values in terms of women's rights and roles. While the obstacles women faced are realistically depicted, fortune favors the bold and Mudan overcomes them confidently and resourcefully. This kind of too capable, superwoman character would be suffocating and alienating if Mudan's resourcefulness and confidence were not also flaws that drive the plot. Anyone else would keep a low profile upon learning that Liu Chang and his dreadful parents are in Chang'an. Not Mudan!. With a misplaced sense of invincibility, she glories in her success and growing reputation, inevitably bringing herself to the vengful Lius and the jealous Youzhen's attention. Fear not, her plot armor is so thick that some poor patsy inevitably pops up just in time run into the white truck of doom for her! Thus she never truly suffers the consequences of her miscalculations and over-confidence.

Even though Sheng Yi's arc could have been tighter, her story is moving, realistic and compellingly portrayed. She is the most miserable and oppressed character in this story as a result of both her low status, her gender and her upbringing. Even though her actions are controversial and frustrating, I empathised with and rooted for her the whole way. Unlike Mudan, Sheng Yi is a product of her times; it is natural for her goals to be aligned with prevailing social norms. Whereas Mudan's modern values and opinions don't quite fit with the ancient Tang society. Sheng Yi makes a passionate case that not every woman wants or needs to be Mudan. Sadly, Mudan cannot fathom how given a chance to be free, a woman would choose to cling to traditional roles. Her tone deaf conversation with Sheng Yi where they both talk past each other highlights how two people can care deeply for each other without understanding one another. This is one of Mudan's blind spots as learning nothing from Sheng Yi, she blithely steamrollers Lv Gengchun into turning her medical practice into a for profit business.

This storyline unfolds at a slow pace that is barely noticeable as the atmospheric set and costumes, the rich dialogue and the tension between the deep and complex characters is immersive. Even though many plot arcs are quite cliche, the characters are captivatingly written, with flaws that can lead to significant setbacks and/or their downfalls. Both Liu Chang and Youzhen are insufferably arrogant characters who go to extreme lengths to get what they want only to learn they don't want what they get. Wei Zheming is persuasive as Liu Chang, an erudite but weak character who genuinely believes himself to be a better man than her really is. While the antagonists are smart or powerful enough to pose a credible threat, they spiral downhill into cliched obsessive archetypes for the convenience of the plot or to elevate Mudan or Changyang. But their stories are not over and there could be a reversal in the second part of the story that delivers a more nuanced and complex antagonist than what we have seen so far.

As someone who is no fan of romance, I find the delightful slow-burn connection between Mudan and Changyang to be the highlight of the drama. Unlike too many other stories that rush into love, this relationship develops organically and leisurely. The chemistry between Yang Zi and Li Xian is palpable and their bond feels deep, mature and authentic. They are both consummate actors that skilfully convey how their characters are savoring that delicious, giddy moment where they know they will be lovers but they are in no hurry to take that next step. Instead they are just basking in the strong foundation of their mutual trust and friendship while anticipating the passion that lies ahead. I love how Yang Zi has disappeared into this role and is not just Yang Zi being Yang Zi. And it has been too long since I have seen Li Xian's crooked smile and how he effortlessly conveys that there a lot more to Jiang Changyang than what meets the eye with just a few subtle expressions. I can't wait for the second part, which should reveal more of our enigmatic Flower Envoys and take his relationship with Mudan from confidantes to lovers.

The first part of the story ends somewhat anti-climatically with Mudan almost too effortlessly accomplishing what she sets out to do and with many sub-plots left open. The profound social insight, engaging storytelling and fantastic acting papers over some of the more predictable sub-plots. Unlike most empowerment dramas, it avoids separating the male and female lead but still indulges in some contrived plot points just to prove that women can make it with minimal help from men. Even though Mudan and Changyang's story is unfinished, I like it well enough so far to rate it an 8.5/10.0. If everything ties up well, my final rating for this story can be a 9.0 or even better.

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Sequel??? I hope so. This drama has a fresh story line. It has almost anything a person could want in a drama. It has suspense, romance, comedy, action, and a bit of melodrama. The chemistry between the actors is excellent. There is consistent character development. The writing and directing is so well done. The best part is that I enjoyed each and every episode. That has been hard to find this year in dramaland.

All of the acting was good. I will just point out a few things. Love him or hate him (I happen to love him), Lee Seung Gi can kiss. I had no idea that Go Ah Ra that plays Na Jung in Reply 1994 was the same person as Eu Soo Sun. She just shot up the ranks of actress that I like. I love Cha Seung Won's dorky characters. He is just too cute. Is Jeong Dong Hwan going to play freakishly scary characters in every drama from now on? He seriously gives me the creeps when he does that smile. BBBRRR!!!

The music is appropriate and sometimes funny.

I will rewatch this at some point. I'm tempted to rewatch it right now. Seriously.

I highly recommend this drama.

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"Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, STAR-CROSSED LOVERS- ME & YOU"

2 INDIVIDUALS, 3 LIFE TIMES, 10000 YEAR.

ITS THE STORY OF angst, love, pain, miscommunication, jealousy, sadness, sacrifice, helplessness, and betrayal.
IT THE STORY OF EMOTIONS, DESTINY and FATE!!!

We have heard of enemies to lover but have you heard of star crossed lovers?
Imagine the universe bringing them together but also throwing them apart!!!
"SHE WAS BORN SO HE COULD DIE"

HONESTLY, NO one should be reading a review to watch it.
People should watch it and decide if its worth it, cuz i know once you start watching episode 1 you will be hooked like an addict!!!
WHERE DO I START?? This drama is one of the best drama made in the history of C-drama, dare i say the best xianxia!

The CGI is TOP CLASS, it screams money and beauty. The plot is just crazy, it full of angst, literally never a dull moment. The music is not repetitive and a collection of many OST, the main OST grows on you as the episodes pass. The cinematography and camera angle are AMAZING.
It is fast paced but its not rushing. I love the pacing, less filler scene and cringe moment. For the first time watching a C-drama i never once cringed in second hand embarrassment. IT'S STRAIGHT PLOT.
The starting and ending credits on start of each episode are so beautiful that I don't skip them, those are one of the best intro i have ever seen.
The costumes, jewellery , hairstyles are amazinggg!!! I MEAN they look like a million bucks!! YOU CAN SEE THE MONEY.
The fight scenes SLAP YOU on your face, they are insane. You can see the work and dedication in them. But the craziest thing is that LYX did them all on his own without a body double.

ACTING/ACTORS-
When a character either make you want to KILL them or SAVE them from the world it means the ACTORS are outdoing themself!! Here each and every actor may it be the main leads or a simple maid has done such exceptional job in portraying their characters, you actually connect to the emotions of the story.

PSYCHOTIC, RUTHLESS, COLD-BLOODED, EMOTIONLESS, UNHINGED, PITIFUL AND SINFULLY INSANE, that's what our MALE LEAD is!!

TANTAI JIN is not your common ML that changes in blink of a eye as soon as the female character comes into the play.
HE IS EVIL. He was born evil. YOU KNOW IT, HE KNOWS IT but you can't stop loving him and defending him.
We see him go from an bullied and tortured individual to the DEMON GOD/GOD OF WAR/KING OF JING/SECTOR BROTHER everyone FEAR and ADMIRE, we see his journey.
You see and understand why he is like that. THEY [the world] made him like that, they sowed the seeds if their doom in form of Tantai jin. They made the DEMON GOD by their action. THEY digged their own grave and they were the one lying into it!!
I had hoped they don't whitewash his evilness!!! I know it was nearly impossible to show him as evil as in the novel but i wanted them to keep his origin as much as they could with censorship and all, AND THEY DID!!! THEY MADE HIM UNAPOLOGETIC, not unhinged but still the perfect amount of evil.
There's just something believably sinister, unhinge, creepy and scary about him.
Tantai jin is soooo creepy!!! I can't explain in but the way that man looks, moves his body, flickering his hands and speaks is soo strangely different, still you cant stop watching him. His face changes from innocently handsome to creepy af handsome in SECONDS according to his mood.
AND OMG HIS SMIRKS AND SMILES WHEN HE LOOKS AT THE 'Female lead' OR IS 'PLANNING MURDER' make me fall on my knees.
Some scenes when i watch them I get the feeling like I'm watching a gothic horror.

Even SUSU is not your common FL. She's not helpless, it's so refreshing to actually have a strong female lead in a xianxia!!! At some incidents you will find her too CRUEL for the things she does to the ML and you won't like it but at the end of the day you get her, she is doing that from the world and even for him to an extend. God, her actions pissed me off so much but you know how it has always been.

LYX I HAIL YOU SIR. YOU WERE INSANE FOR DOING THIS!!
LYX changes his personality in a blink. He literally played 4 characters [THE ANCIENT DEVIL GOD, MINGYE, TANTAIJIN, CANGJIU MIN]and you can differentiate those character by the way they speak and carry themselves. There is something about LYX voice, its so soft but goes soo well with his characters. And for once i thank the universe that they didn't dub his voice which makes it even better!! LYX was made for this role OR i should say this role was made for LYX. His fight sequences, his smirks, his eyebrow raise will make you week.
I am on my knees of that man.🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️

LEO LUO x BAI LU-
LYX and BL CHEMISTRY IS CHEMISTRYING. I swear you can't move your eyes off them. The eye contact they have, the touches they steal, the kissed they share, the intimate scenes they slay. the mocking glances they send each other, the way they see each other make you SCREAM!!! Their CHEMISTRY is CHEMISTRY-ING.

THE OTHER MAIN LEADS-
I am not actually very interested in the 2nd CP, the 2nd FL is just so bland and evil. Watchers on MDL called nicknamed her BITCH-ang [you will know why and get it when u watch it].
Honestly i literally wanted to skip their scenes. The 2nd FL is sooo frustrating that i wanna shout and scream and punch. The 2nd ML suffers from HERO COMPLEX and has a thing for evil damsel in distress.
But holy hell the 3rd CP has me on my toes!!! The demon fox is a freaking seductress. She screams seduction in every action she does, may it be talking or fighting or seducing!! Our poor 3rd ML didn't have any chance.

THE ONLY NEGATIVE THING-
Firstly it will be the makeup in some of the closeup scene in earlier episodes. Due to the high camera quality you find it cakey.
Secondly due to the new censorship they had to make a 56 episode drama into 40 episode so sometimes the editing seem choppy [though honestly it wont matter].

OVERALL, THIS DRAMA IS WORTH YOUR EVERY HOUR, EVERY MINUTE AND EVERY SECOND!!!
It may not be perfect but its definitely the best out there.

I laughed. I cried. I got angry. I got sad. I mourned.

LAST EPISODE HAD ME SOBBING. UGLY CRYING IS TOO SMALL A WORD TO SAY WHAT I FELT. This series is a masterpiece.

"It all started with tantaijin and it all ended with him"- BAILU, A BTS INTERVIEW.
NOW I UNDERSTOOD WHY THE TITLE WAS-
"Until the end of the moon".
[TANTAI JIN=🌕]

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A Beautifully Haunting Love Story

Love Beyond the Grave opens with a striking and immersive introduction. The first few episodes immediately establish its mystique, fantasy, and emotional depth in a way that engages and draws viewers in. The storytelling unfolds smoothly, steadily building toward a larger, more intricate narrative.

At the heart of the drama are He Simu, the powerful yet emotionally restrained Sovereign of the Spirits, and Duan Xu, an admirable and skilled general with secrets of his own. Their connection—through the sharing of senses—adds a unique dimension to the story. Simu, who has never truly experienced the world, and Duan Xu, who becomes her bridge to it, are written with a level of nuance that makes their relationship especially compelling. It isn’t driven by grand declarations, but by unspoken understanding—Mòqì (默契). The way he instinctively senses her presence, the way she always knows when he needs her, the quiet gestures between them, and their sacrifices for each other—these moments carry a surprising emotional weight.

What makes their bond so captivating, for me, is the subtle undercurrent of sadness running through it. Even in their happiest moments, there’s a lingering sense that something is just out of reach, that their time together is fragile.

The pacing stays remarkably consistent throughout. Rather than slowing down, the story steadily builds momentum, layering in tension and emotion as it moves toward a rewarding final stretch.

Visually, the drama is a standout. The cinematography, costumes, and settings are beautiful, with thoughtful composition and color tones that enhance the ethereal quality of the spiritual world. The special effects support the fantasy elements well, and the action scenes are well done. The OST is another highlight—it blends seamlessly into the narrative and elevates many of the key emotional scenes. Many of the songs will remain on my playlist.

The performances are what really bring everything together. The leads share a chemistry that feels both natural and intense at the same time. Dilraba and Arthur Chen fully embody their roles, to the point where it’s easy to forget you’re watching actors—they are Simu and Duan Xu.

As a couple, they’re incredibly endearing. I find myself rooting for them from the very beginning, holding onto every small moment they share because of how fragile their happiness feels. Their connection is built on strong, unwavering devotion, which makes their relationship all the more affecting. At the same time, as individual characters, both are likable, with their own strengths and vulnerabilities that make me invested in their journeys beyond just the romance.

What impressed me most is how well both actors emote. They don’t rely on dramatic lines to convey feeling—so much is expressed through their eyes, their facial expressions, and even the smallest shifts in body language. Whether it’s longing, gratitude for the time they share, or heartbreak, they make me feel it without overplaying it. It’s their excellent and emotionally rich performances that make the story resonate as deeply as it does.

The supporting cast also leaves a strong impression. Zhang Li and Miles Wei, in particular, stand out—especially Miles Wei, whose character is layered enough to be both evocative and deeply frustrating in the way a well-written antagonist should be.

Characters like Chen Ying, Feng Yi bring a welcome sense of warmth and humor, helping to balance the heavier emotional moments of the story. And beyond Simu and Duan Xu, there’s another tragic relationship that I found myself unexpectedly invested in.

By the final episodes, the emotional weight fully settles in. The drama leans into themes of obsession, love, sacrifice, and fate, and for the most part, it delivers. The ending strikes a balance between bittersweet and satisfying. Even without the special episode, the original conclusion felt complete to me, offering a sense of closure for our lead couple. The special episode simply gives a little extra for the romantic in me who wants something more complete and definitive.

Despite a few loose ends, Love Beyond the Grave succeeds in what it sets out to do. It’s a story carried by strong performances, a gripping love story, and a blend of worlds that feels both beautiful and melancholic.

This is a drama that will remain on my rewatch list.

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This drama is so Skiptastic! In the beginning I was so excited by the possibilities, but by the end I pretty much forced myself to finish. How do you mess up a romcom with two popular leads? Bore the audience with a completely scattered and uninteresting plot! Instead of being called the "Undateables" it should be called the "Unwatchables".

Let's start with the main couple, handsome Hoon Nam and Jung Eum. I'm used to having mixed feelings about Hwang Jung Eum's performance, but I thought matching her in a romcom with Nam Goong Min would be awesome! I was a fan of Can You Hear My Heart , so it's nice to see these two reunited as co-leads. I will admit that Goong Min hasn't been the romantic lead in a drama that has impressed me yet, I prefer his darker side, so maybe this isn't all Jung Eum's fault. Either way, their chemistry started off great, building up to romance pretty quickly, but then their story became incredibly boring. She would get hurt and stare blankly into space. He would do his weird smile to charm her into taking him back. Then insert flashbacks, silly side characters, and obnoxious product placements, and that is literally the whole show.

There is one saving grace for this whole drama and that is Choi Tae Joon as Jun Soo. He deserved his own spin-off show, he was so good! He definitely justifies second lead syndrome. His character was the only character I really cared about at all.

The rest of the cast is mostly silly, annoying, cliché, and unnecessary. Besides Jung Eum's dad, and maybe her supervisor, I was completely uninterested in their stories. You know it's bad when seeing what the supervisor would wear with that ugly jacket started to become the highlight of the show. The couples looking for love had such superficial stories that insulted my intelligence more than it made me laugh. Maybe I don't get Korean humor sometimes, but some of the moments that were supposed to be funny felt too corny, and even sometimes mean. The coach/best friend and cousin, had way too much screen time (The Coach was also the worst friend). Susie and Jun Soo didn't have enough screentime together (I was hoping they would distract me from the boring lead couple, but their story went nowhere)

I would talk more about what went wrong with this plot, but it was so forgettable, I have a hard time remembering everything I hated.

The soundtrack is pretty cute, but every time I heard "Slowly, Slowly..." I was reminded of how much of my time was being wasted by stubbornly watching this drama until the end.

So was watching the end worth it? NO! They basically forced a bunch of the characters together for a random event, and tried to give some characters "closure", but it's hard to have a clean ending to a drama that is such a random mess. Would I watch this again? Bahahahahahaaa! No Thanks. I'll pass.

Obviously I would not recommend this one. Some of you will watch it anyway, but heed my warning. I went from not being able to wait for the next episode to not caring that it was finally over. If I skipped the last 8-10 episodes I would have missed nothing important. Yes, It's THAT boring.

But if you really like commercials, watch all the inventive product placement moments, which made me laugh the most... like that app, which I clearly need to download. Sigh... I gotta learn how to drop dramas more often!

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A bustling place, or a battleground, a life of absurdity, a story of mistakes and regrets - KUNNING

Story of kunning palace is an intriguing spin about Jiang xuening, daughter of a minister official who made her way to being an empress with the price of betrayal towards her loved ones. Her greed lead to her own demise, with woes and regrets. By the grace of God, she gets another chance to turn the wheels of fate, prevent the mishaps, and change her mistakes from past life.
And coming back to main review:
- the plot is fabulous. The acting, dialogue delivery it was all beyond my expectations. The chemistry between all the leads is no joke. It has dynamics between " fl- male bestfriend" " evil lady- upright official", and "enemies to lovers" troupe! And guys, we have ANGST, one of my super fav genre. Romance isn't the main genre since it's a slow burn, but whenever it's there, it's insane level!

The ambigious atmosphere is once again no joke. Some scenes are insanely hot and seducing, gosh, my heart still can't calm down. The fact that she has ambigious vibe with literally all the leads is even more insanely heart fluttering. ( I hope my constant use of the word 'insane' can explain how good this is)

I love the opening in the drama, it kinda sums up the whole angsty past life which answers lots of question in our mind and makes the first few episodes less confusing. The style of using dialogues in opening song is new, and I am loving it.
The story contains lots of twists and turns, revenge, unopened secrets and plottings etc etc etc. it's not just romance guys, there's a lot of more than that to it. The tension of revenge in each scene. The anxiety of being caught or betrayed, the excitement of plotting against enemies, is so satisfying. It's not only well written but also a well delivered plot. I personally did not find plotholes, everything was well covered (ofc unless you are curious about lots of things). Each and every little action serves as great potential for further plot developement.

Most importantly, the growth of each character is so beautifully sketched and that doesn't just include the main leads, but many of the supporting character too. It's a tearjerking yet satisfying revenge.

The rebirth may not have changed some of their fates, but it has given them the happiness and satisfaction of being needed, loved, and gave them the oppurtunity of finding their real selves and holding the mirror to them, the themselves that deserved to be shown to the world.
The acting doesn't need questioning to it, so I won't be wasting time on it.
The costumes were so well planned with their character and personality. I will be writing a spoiler with spoiler alert on it at the very end. It's not exactly a spoiler, but more of costume analysis with character sketch. You can choose to read or not.

Negative points of drama:
1) Not a fan of director's camera. Either the camera angles are weird at few scenes and the blinding lights take away your attention. And also there's green and pink filter making its way home. Hope that could be amended in his new works. But don't worry, that doesn't affect the thrill and excitement much. You are still gonna fall in love with this drama.
2) A certain death did not convince me, not gonna say much about this point since it could become a major spoiler again. But once again these two points are minute points. So you better not hesitate to watch the drama just because of these two points.

So to sum it all up if your are fan of following genre:
- smart, quirky and black bellied fl
- domineering, yandre and black bellied ml
- reverse harem
- angst
- well plot revenge
- power struggles
- best retribution to evil character
This is exactly your type! Congratulations you have a recommendation in your 'must watch list'. Trust me, you wouldn't wanna miss this!
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COSTUME ANALYSIS
Jiang xuening: She mostly wears blue costume with a hint of orange shade which signifies her wish to live a peaceful and serene life, yet her witty, spontaneous and bold personality.

Jiang Xuehui: She is often seen wearing purple which depicts that even though she is a girl who looks calm outside, she has a stubborn personality in her. In the last episode, she is shown wearing light red colour dress which telss us her current life is filled with happiness and the feeling of abundance.

Xie Wei: In the former episodes, he is shown wearing dark black or blue colours which represents him as a sad, evil, mystery, cunning, and rebellious character who is willing to die for his revenge. But in latter episodes after he starts falling for JXN and acknowledges his trusted and close family, he starts realising that revenge and death aren't his only goal in life, he must live with and for his loved ones, he starts letting go of his burdens, and hence with his changing beliefs and growth, his clothes colour change to a lighter shade of blue signifying his wish to live a peaceful life.

Zhangzhe: is mostly shown wearing red official costume signifying his morale and upright personality. He is also shown in light shades of grey and green showing his calm and reliable personality.

Xue shu: She is often shown wearing that unlikeable pink colour which looks pretty from outside, when seen as a small object to huge background of grasses and stones, but looking at it up close could annoy you and disturb your emotions psychologically to the point that you would feel like tearing it off. After you start cohabiting with that colour, it series and disgusts you, giving you vibe of fake superficialness. The pink gives a colour of graceful, kind and compassion to her personality from outside, but interacting her could make you realise that she is exactly that shade of pink which disgusts you after you get acquainted with it, depicting exactly that character of novel, whose mere sight disgusts you, you would feel like slapping everytime you look at her.

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the disappointment meter is broken

7 years.... of love?
the title must be a joke because i did not see much of the development of the main couple's relationship.

when i thought season 1 was bad, this was just sad to watch. after seven years of being together, one picture of their gay partner and a woman somehow set alarming signals for type's side. instead of being mature and talk to tharn about it, he takes it upon himself to sAve tHe dAy. oh don't get me started with the misogynistic remarks type made and the tiresome bl line that was rearranged but still means the same thing.

where is the trust in this relationship?
definitely not in episode 10 when tharn gets hella pissed because type supposedly kiSsEd fiat when it's so evident type pushed the guy away? again, i ask: WHERE is the TRUST in this relationship?

after seven whole years, both of these grown ass men can't sit down and talk on how to fix the flaws in their relationship.
now... you may think: this can't get any worse, right?
you're in for a surprise because it can get worse! type, a whole grown ass person literally thought it's a good idea to kidnap fiat and threaten to break his leg. am i watching a romance drama or a thriller drama?

i couldn't find myself rooting for leo and fiat because of how unlikeable fiat's character was. the writer failed to give us any proper backstory of why we should root for fiat. yes, his father left him when he was a kid and so leo took him in but what else is there? your past trauma doesn't mean you can be an A+ asshole.
leo could've been a tolerable character but it frustrated me to see him continuously forgive fiat's actions even though he knew damn well it's not right. it was so annoying to see him take fiat back in when he should've left him be. episode 11 was just sO bad with us being clowned with the whole "i aCtUaLLy loVeD yoU tHe wHole tiMe" and leo actually agreeing to type's idiotic plan from episode 10.

what's more disappointing is that this could've been a story with focus on tharn and type figuring about each other's remaining insecurities, finding ways to understand each other and also an explanation on why type refused on marrying tharn. put aside the multiple couples, filler scenes of unnecessary characters like the creepy eavesdropping guy and the failed k-idol trainee. instead, show us glimpses of the past seven years (not just from s1) and how much this relationship developed, make us believe that these two were truly together for seven years and also show us actual maturity between these two.

i was willing to watch this second season with a clean slate and no recollection of first season... the final episode looked like the perfect beginning for the drama but sadly, this drama didn't make a redeeming comeback. some scenes of tharntype and other couples being cute were nice but that's about it.

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Let me ask you a question.

Are you sure you want to watch this drama? Chongmalyo?

Kure.

Then you need a few things: a mind that understands, a heart that feels and loads upon loads of tissue paper.

As any Korean drama, Scent of a Woman starts of with the cliches: an indifferent chaebol (Kang Ji Wook) falls for a poor spinster (Lee Yeon Jae--who looks like she's in desperate need of a make-over) who turns out to have a terminal illness. The supporting male lead (Dr. Cha Eun Suk) has eyes for the heroine but could not confess his feelings, and there's the secondary female lead (Im Sae Kyung) who is a b*tchy daughter of a rich businessman and is arranged to marry the chaebol.
However what makes this drama special is how it successfully weaved its exceptional story to the growth of the characters episode by episode.

Yeon Jae develops a determined outlook in life to fulfill the things she had only dreamed of as a lowly desk employee of a touring agency and starts a bucket list of 20 things she wants to accomplish before she dies of gall bladder cancer. From her meek and docile character she learns how to appreciate herself and live life in search of her happiness. She develops a romantic relationship with Ji Wook and tries to stay away to prevent him from heartache in the future, but soon realizes that his love runs deep.

Kang Ji Wook, for his part, was painted as a mature and understanding person. From the meaningless and routinary life that he led, Ji Wook learns to appreciate life and to live life diligently. For all his worth, Ji Wook became Yeon Jae's pillar of strength and the most stable source of love she is able to draw from.

Secondary contradictions and side-stories also developed well in the drama--this makes for an air-tight storyline, with each side-story supporting the main one. Best parts are Hee Joo and her mom (this convinces Yeon Jae to confess to her mom), Ji Wook and his dad (he fights for his love and the right to be with Yeon Jae), Dr. Cha Eun Suk's character development (from a cold, detached doctor to a person who feels), Yeon Jae's mom and seongsangnim Kim Dong Min (she says sorry and lets her mom re-marry).

Prepare to cry your eyes out by the latter episodes from heartaches. However these heartaches are necessary to drive at resolutions at the end. I found the heaviest part when Yeon Jae finally confesses to her mom of her condition. Her mother's wail, tears and 'Eottoke' lines delivered like she was going crazy drove ME crazy. Interestingly, I felt this was the climax, not scenes with Ji Wook as their reconciliation was resolved earlier.

I could not have asked for a better ending. Like many others I was cringing at the end because I knew from the start that it was a tragedy and death was inevitable. And yet, Scent of a Woman chose not to end with a tragic note. It provided closure to unresolved relations, uplifts us and leaves us with a strong desire to do the same with life. Fighting and living it to the fullest.

Great writing, great cast, awesome soundtrack although I can't say I'd like to watch and go through this pain all over again.

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Ms. Incognito or should I say, Ms. Inconsistent?

A badly written interactive fiction game, that’s what this drama felt like. The production team gathered an amazing cast, built such promising characters… and then decided to throw it all away after just two episodes. YES, two episodes!

It’s honestly ridiculous how lazy the writing got. The story started so strong, and then nosedived into chaos with zero logic. Yet, because those first two episodes hook you in, you somehow keep watching, like, “Okay, maybe they’ll fix it?” Spoiler: they don’t.

My biggest disappointment was the female lead. She started out with personality, confidence, and potential, but somewhere along the way, she just turned into a punching bag for the antagonist. While the antagonist had all the power, our supposedly rich AF FL didn’t have a single bodyguard or a competent team around her. Just the poor lawyer who’s apparently a one man army, multitasking through every crisis.

Also the title Ms. Incognito? Be so for real. She wasn’t incognito for even five minutes. This woman’s enemies found her faster than I find spoilers on Twitter.

I can’t emphasize enough how much potential this drama had. The characters were unique, layered, and played by such talented actors. And they just… wasted it. Ughhh.

Like I said, it’s basically a badly written interactive fiction game that you can’t stop playing, not because it’s good, but because you need to see how the trainwreck ends.

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Soooo boring

Honestly, I've seen slower paced shows than this one, without being this bored.

Throughout the entire show, all I remember is constantly checking which episode I was on and thinking "How is it only episode 8??" or "How am I supposed to make it through another 20 of these?!"

The cast was good, the music was okay, the plot seemed interesting. All the ingredients were there. And then you start watching and you don't really care about the FL, and you get tired of all the marriage talks, and you're no longer sure whether the characters have chemistry or not, and the only interesting person ends up being the CEO.

And then that ending. That stupid ass ending. What's the point of deciding to never get married if you're going to exchange the couple rings. And then hold the ceremony where you exchange promises to each other. And proclaim your love and announce your life plans to your entire extended circle of friends and family. That's exactly what weddings are, dammit!!

Just. Skip this.

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Nunbal just wrecked me out. It was a powerful movie that left me with a heavy heart.

The story contained a lot of lessons, which are realistic, and it was not only focused with the two young student, who happened to get to know each other unexpectedly. I like how the ending left a strong impact to its viewers and somehow it successfully made me feel how weary and guilty the characters are.

The theme of the story was truly melodramatic which was given justice by the cinematography, music, dialogues and even the characters. Everything just fits well, great enough to make me feel what the director and actors were trying to portrait. Probably the reason why I was deeply affected and bruised at the end, so a great kudos for that!

The story was meaningful and realistic to this generation specially to the young ones. Romance was just right, enough to make the viewers feel the connection behind the Minsik and Yejoo. I'm glad it wasn't overly done like a typical romantic movie to attract most of the viewers taste. Like I said, romance was just right for the story plot.

The acting was great! I guess I wouldn't feel as wrecked as this if the actors/actress did not give justice to their characters. Yejoo's character was on point. An isolated girl, who only wanted an acquaintance and comfort. She was only being tough to everyone but she's really a soft and kind hearted. I love to see her smiling at most parts. And, I really like the way she opened up with Minsik. I felt relieved somehow. Minsik's character was also on point. Although, it's somewhat hard for me to describe his personality, I personally think he was locked with his own self, which caused him to restraint his actions, making him like a coward. Most of the viewers will probably hate him, and I did because he just triggered my every nerve! But I honestly felt bad at him more than how I felt bad at Yejoo. The ending was impactful to the viewers and it was strongly addressed to Minsik...


I think the story wanted us to step forward and act ourselves because no one will act for us. Guilt will forever serve us if we acted too late. Also, it tells us that attending Church meetings wouldn't cleanse our souls if we do not act and think accordingly to what was being preached there.

I don't know what else I am missing but this story is too meaningful!

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Girl Who Got Loved In A Painful Way

This was a very unique, creative and well acted black comedy psychological thriller series. There are three departments where i absolutely adored the show.


Firstly, the production quality is visual stunning and stellar. Starting from cinematography, background music, editing, lighting, color grading, styling, set pieces to locations. Everything was refreshing and eye pleasing.


Secondly, the acting here is award winning, amazing and heartwrenching. Each and every character be it positive or negative has left a mark of their acting chops on me. I personally loved everybody's performance. Yes it was damm amazing to watch such a star studded show.


Thirdly, the storytelling is very unique and engaging. The X factor about this show is that each character here be it positive or negative is always a protagonist of their own story. The characters are extremely complex and the narration shows that very well through giving equal screenspace to every character.


Every episode shows different kind of drama. There is office drama, school drama, prison drama, sex drama, family drama. Each episode tells a different story keeping one protagonist in constant but with 3 different faces. So i would like to applaud the webtoon writer for being so creative and Mask Girl team for being so unique with their visualization that they presented such a highly dark and gritty psychological story through elements of adult and black comedy.


Overall i simply loved and enjoyed. For me this is a sheer masterpiece. I only wish this had more episodes so i could have enjoyed it a little more.

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