Reviews

This drama is one of my favs. I came to watch it because of some gifs I saw on Tumblr. I recommend this to everyone. However, this drama is pretty heavy. I cried several times. It was a mystery thriller romance done right. It's nothing comedic and the romantic moments are true / realistic. The drama feels real because it could happen to anyone. At the same time, you'd hate to think that this could be happening to anyone around you.

The scenery was beautiful. Long shots of the entire setting allows us to feel like we're watching things happen from a far. Although the shots seem 3rd person point of view, you are still connected to each character. They are all encouraging characters with clear motives. Each one is given a good amount of time in every episode to tell their side of the story. You may grow to hate a character but also understand why a character would do such a thing. It makes you really think not just of the mystery, but what it's like to be human. You grow as the characters grow.

The story / events aren't shown in chronological order. It jumps from time to time - but it was a perfect way to transition into things. The soundtrack is just beautiful! When you listen to certain songs you can definitely link it to a precise moment in the drama. They are also played at the perfect moments.

When you complete the drama you'll feel like you've witnessed someone's entire life and that kind of made me feel complete. What made me love the drama even more was how it presented hints to the mystery all along but I didn't find them until my second time watching. On my second watching, it felt familiar but also shocking. I was baffled by how subjective I was. It amused me to see how arrogant I could be just like some of the characters.

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Wonderful characters/relationships, no stupid misunderstandings, satisfying ending, best of 2023

I’m super stingy with giving 9s, but after more than 250 dramas, I’m handing out my first 10. For me, this is definitely the best drama of 2023, and possibly my all-time favourite.

Destined was wonderful, entertaining and had everything I love -- swoony romance, a perfect amount of angst and humour, slice of life, palace intrigue, bromance, great secondary couples, heartwarming family/in-law dynamics, excellent pacing, multi-genre, no annoying characters (except for maybe one...) and green flags everywhere.

The relationships in this drama -- between couples, friends, parent and child (Edit: OK, maybe just the moms, lol), employer and employee, sworn brothers, sworn sisters -- were all beautiful portrayed and ridiculously healthy: open, trusting, communicative, respectful, warm, and loyal.

I almost hesitate to review this for fear my enthusiasm will fuel unrealistic expectations, leading to inevitable disappointment, but this drama was about as close to perfection as I’ve ever seen. Elements that are hit and miss in other shows were done consistently well here, with none of the annoying and frustrating trope-y plot devices or foolish misunderstandings. Our primary villain is complex and multi-dimensional; war/battles scenes were exciting, filled with dramatic tension, conveying the enormous stakes involved and the David vs Goliath nature of the fight (I ordinarily find a lot of battle scenes a bit boring); the emperors were among the most sympathetic and heartbreaking I’ve ever seen portrayed.

THE PACING

The pacing is well-done in this drama, which is divided into several major arcs. There were times I found myself smiling, laughing, crying, and stressed — all within the span of a tight, 40 minutes. Even the episodes that clearly served as "breathers" before the next major plotline were still interesting. It never felt draggy and flashbacks were effective and kept to a minimum. Those who don't like "slice of life" moments, however, might find those episodes spoil the momentum, especially given the excitement that came before.

THE ENDING

Asian dramas can be notorious for slaughtering their endings, but Director Yin Tao (who also helmed The Blood of Youth among many other notable dramas), and screenwriter Bai Jinjin (who helped pen Love Between Fairy and Devil) exceeded even my hopeful expectations. (For those who have watched Yin Tao’s previous works, you will also recognize many beloved and familiar faces.)

OUR MAIN HERO AND HEROINE

The drama does an excellent job showing the selflessness, support, open communication, trust, and utter devotion Liu Yuru and Gu Juisi have toward one another. The evolution of their relationship from mutual dislike to mutual respect is organic and natural, but moves along swiftly. Yuru’s opinion toward her husband shifts as she discovers the real Gu Jiusi, while Juisi — inspired and moved by his wife's kindness, loyalty, and a desire to make up for the “joke” that led to their unwanted marriage — becomes a doting and devoted husband, working hard to become worthy of his formidable new wife.

Their relationship was also a perfect example of how a drama can have fantastic character and plot development without resorting to the overused and cliche-ridden tropes of frustrating miscommunications, unnecessary secrets, and idiotic misunderstandings. You can have swoony romance, healthy supportive relationships, and excellent communication and *still* tell complex and compelling stories.

Prior to Destined, I was generally unfamiliar with Song Yi’s work, but I thought she did a wonderful job as Yuru. Some viewers complained early on about her portrayal, but I thought she did a great job acting simultaneously demure yet strong, capturing the character's quiet strength and poise. Conveying and embodying that complicated dichotomy convincingly is no easy feat.

Yuru spent her entire life trying to be the “perfect lady”, living her life with enormous restraint in order to ensure her and her mother's security by marrying well. The way she carried herself, the repressed and “delicate” way she shed tears, were all part of her exhausting efforts to carve a better future. She had to consistently maintain a prim, proper, and reticent demeanor, suppress her emotions and reign in her opinions, because that was how “well-bred” ladies were supposed to comport themselves. This perhaps made it difficult for some viewers to connect with her emotionally. But Yuru demonstrated her ability to withstand enormous obstacles and upheaval, that she would not be easily defeated. As her character evolved and was accepted into a family that allowed her to be her true self, her behaviour relaxed. The delicate sniffles disappeared, the emotions became more heartfelt, her actions and opinions more fearless and decisive.

Yuru also makes for a striking contrast with Jiusi who is more straightforward: he was a dandy with a heart of gold — a big softy. He was rather childish and playful initially, but matured into a commanding and wise strategist and advisor. Unlike Yuru’s character, he had an easy life (and is male!), so he is naturally more relaxed, open, opinionated and unreserved in his actions and speech.

Both leads were genuinely excellent in their respective roles, but I think it's easy to mistake Song Yi’s restrained and carefully balanced portrayal as somehow lacking, when in fact, it is the opposite.

Bai Jingting’s last several dramas have been consistently excellent, though I was relatively neutral about the actor himself prior to Destined. This drama really showcased his emotional range and comedic timing.

THE VILLAIN

I don't recall ever shedding a tear for a villain, let alone one this despicable, ruthless, and irredeemable. And yet.

The screenwriter and actor did a great job bringing Luo Zishang’s character and tragic story to life. Oftentimes, the Big Bad Villain in a drama is just evil for the sake of being evil, or loathsome because of the clichéd hunger for power and greed. In Destined, our villain, played by Liu Xueyi, is enigmatic, multifaceted — even sympathetic — despite being unequivocally unforgivable. Yes, his hatred toward Gu Jiusi and his family was absolutely disproportionate, the atrocities he committed in the name of vengeance were utterly irrational and indefensible, and the underlying reason its own well-worn cliché, but it was somehow still difficult to not feel sorrow in the end for the tragedy of his entire, wasted life. In the hands of another actor, it is quite possible that the weak premise behind what motivated his hatred would have derailed the entire plot. Luo Zishang’s feelings towards Yuru conveyed all the "what ifs" of his character, and the show beautifully captured those “what ifs” in the final two episodes.

Liu Xueyi is great when he plays the hero, but he is also excellent at portraying villains and morally ambiguous characters. I hope he will continue to balance his roles between being a lead and taking on interesting supporting roles like he has here and in other previous dramas.

I really appreciated how the show also made time to tell a bit of Ming Yi’s story. Throughout the drama, he seemed like your typical disposable background character, the almost-invisible right-hand man who unquestioningly did his master’s bidding, no matter how heinous. But the writer and director even granted *him!* satisfying closure, making time at the end to give him a voice so he could tell his own story and voice his own hopes.

There was some viewer frustration that a pivotal character did nothing to stop the chaos created by the Luo Zishang earlier. While his intervention could have made an enormous difference for the fate of countless lives, in my view, he was always morally ambiguous — his shrewd ability to navigate the treacherous schemes of the previous royal court speaks to this aspect of his character.

BUT…?

I don’t have many buts, to be honest. I think we could all quibble about a few details here and there, small plot holes (some of which were eventually answered), but given the complexity of the source material, I thought they did an incredible job packing what they could into the new 40-episode limitation and telling a tight, well-paced story.

There was one notable death near the end that I wished didn’t happen, but at the same time, given the character’s personality, it was perhaps a fitting and honourable end for them. Their future, had they survived, would have been bittersweet in other ways because it would not have been the life they wanted. Their death also served another purpose: it bolsters the underlying theme that it is lonely at the top, even in the best of circumstances.

Arguably, there were no genuinely annoying characters, except for maybe one, but I have yet to decide if the character was annoying in a way that was organic to the story, or in a way that faulted the writing and/or acting.

For some of those who read the original web novel by Mo Shubai , this adaptation was apparently disappointing, particularly in the later arcs as key details were changed or left out. Others were frustrated by the fates of two notable characters — one beloved and another much hated; both did not get the ending they deserved (I sympathize with the criticism, but also understood why the less palatable ending was chosen).

For me, the overall strengths of this drama far outweighed any of the issues. As another viewer commented, “This is not perfect, but it’s perfect for me.”

NERDY OBSERVATIONS

-- Hurray for live audio! Undubbed costume dramas still feel like a rarity and adds another layer of pleasure

-- I love the brief scenes early on with the accountants -- I found the clacking of the abacuses/abaci very soothing and meditative

-- Liu Yuru’s first cosmetics store was absolutely gorgeous

-- I saw a behind-the-scenes clip of the construction of the beautiful mansion the Gu family moved into when they first arrived in Youzhou, so I couldn’t get over how little actual screentime such an elaborately-made set received

-- What happened to Yuru's half brother? I'm sure he was still around, but it would've been a nice touch to see him interacting with his little nephew at the end.

-- Last but not least, a shout-out to the cinematography, especially during the dramatic battle scene with Yuru standing high on the ramparts, passionately striking the war drum to rally her husband and the soldiers, her bright red gown a beacon against the sandy desert battleground

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*Inserts the reversed horse drawing meme*

It started as a cringe is the best way possible. I cannot believe I enjoyed something that brought me so much 2nd hand embarrassment. And yet, I liked every second of it. All the awkward situations that have no place in reality, but that put a smile on my face. All the moments that made Seon Ho question his sexuality, and me question my sanity. If only the show stayed on the path of silly comedy and did not venture into the miscommunication and misunderstanding hell, burning both the souls and brains of all the viewers.

It’s not like the plot did not have a potential to be a really fun and light BL. We had all the elements needed to deliver a perfect mutual pining romance with some over the top, but enjoyable comedy. So why, oh why was most of the show based on the most ridiculously easy to explain misunderstanding? Mental gymnastics the writer had to go through to come up with the ways for the characters NOT TO find out the truth deserve a golden medal in the Olympics.

Still, there were things I enjoyed.

First of all, Seon Ho was a great character. Sweet, caring, hardworking, honest and open minded. He had a cute puppy-like demeanor and it was impossible not to like him.

The few scenes between Seon Ho and Gu Mu Yeong that were not focused on the misunderstanding were also truly fun. The way Mu Yeong gave a few soft smiles because of Seon Ho was just cotton candy warm marshmallow sweet. I even enjoyed Han Joon Seok and thought he would serve as a better reason for the conflict than what we actually got.

The acting was also nice. I was not thrilled with Ko Chan Bin’s performance, but overall the character was such a mess… How does one even deliver anything decent based on that writing? Song Seung Hyun, Lee Do Ha and Seo Min Seo honestly did well in their respective roles.

One thing though - even Park Shin Hye had more realistic kisses in the beginnings of her career...

Production value had its ups and downs. Overall, the quality was good. A bit over the average for the short k-bls. One scene in episode 7 thought… If you watched the show you know which one I am talking about. Who thought that was good enough quality to be included in the final product?

Overall… It just left me feeling disappointed. I went from hyped excitement after the first 2 episodes, to complete resignation after the last two. It got progressively worse with each episode and if it was a full length drama, I would definitely drop it half way through…

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Reviewing a drama like Before We Get Married is difficult since - like a lot of Taiwanese dramas - there is the drama it's trying to be and the drama it's being forced to be.

Unfortunately, Taiwanese dramas have a mould. Sometimes what comes out of that mould can be flavoured differently. But it is, unfortunately, a somewhat superficial change.

So let's talk first about what this drama is trying to be. It's trying to be an intelligent and nuanced conversation about two unhappy people maintaining relationships out of habit and obligation whose mutual attraction shocks them into re-evaluating their lives. And in many aspects, Before We Get Married succeeds admirably. The core story underpinning it is good with strong characterisation, excellent performances and fine writing. Taiwanese dramas are known for having real people having real conversations in realistic ways and this drama is no exception. How it begins and how it ends are good and the ways in which the characters move around each other within the text is generally good too. Some of the emotional beats between Weiwei and her fiancé, for example, are utterly perfect. Painful and frustrating but perfect. Puff Gao and Jasper Liu have extraordinary chemistry and it's not hard to believe they want to tear each other's clothes off throughout.

So, then, it's the execution that becomes a problem. And this is where that Taiwanese drama mould comes in. The show is marketed as a sexy infidelity drama but ultimately the cheating is meant to be a mere impetus to the character's development. As such, the show struggled with how to deal with incorporating cheating while not alienating an audience that was likely to respond negatively to it. Like a lot of infidelity dramas it tried to have its cake and eat it too, metaphorically speaking. Weiwei had to have an affair while not actually having an affair. Weiwei and Kehuan's respective others had to be progressively terrible so we'd feel the infidelity was justified. Both partners were obsessive and controlling but it seems as though this was deemed insufficient to justify the emotional affair to the audience and so greater sins were thrown into the pot, often in random and frustrating ways.

The show's first episode and THAT scene was the perfect example. The conversations between Weiwei and Kehuan in episode 2 show that this incident was supposed to be consensual; the first volley in an affair. Instead it was a disturbing non-consensual incident that framed Kehuan as a potential abuser and possible rapist. I have no idea what it's doing in this show or what we were supposed to think about it. That also goes for the camping incident, which did neither lead any favours.

As the show progressed it began to opt for cliched Taiwanese romcom scenarios to portray our couple as being destined for each other. At the same time it tied itself up in knots to make sure that Weiwei could deny a sexual relationship when the time came. And it's true - Weiwei wasn't leaving her boyfriend for another man, she was leaving him for reasons that were entirely her own. Trying to do this plotline within the context of an active affair probably seemed too complex and too difficult for writers of a 13-episode Taiwanese show. Especially when they were no doubt pressured to imply that this new relationship was in fact Twu Wuv when instead it was about two people who just really wanted to bone each other.

Whether this show falls down by not delivering on the sexy it teased or whether it falls down because it made the leads unlikeable due to their infidelity is a matter of personal preference for the average viewer. Either way, it was a frustrating and sometimes tedious watch as Weiwei prevaricates and dithers and recommits to the wrong man and Kehuan turns from a complicated win-at-all-costs manipulator into the Perfect Male Lead and everyone starts working together for reasons that make no sense except that Taiwanese writers need new scenarios, stat. The last thing this needed to be was a workplace drama.

Overall, what this drama was trying to do was very good, original and interesting. A new flavour if you will. But what it actually needed was a whole new mould.

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Might disapoint you if you believe everyone saying it's a masterpiece

Hear me out, I'm not saying this was crap. I liked it, it was a nice watch and I looked forward to it every thursday.

But I kinda believe that the reason the rating is so high is because of 1: The NC scenes, 2: The popularity of the original manga/anime, 3: the acting

I have to say, the NC scenes were truly incredible. Not only because they were explicit or special (Use of Honey as lube, crying s*x...), but because the rythm and camera shots truly made us dive into their intimacy. The acting was also amazing, specifically from Boom as Akin who killed it all the way.

Now, the story itself was a bit all over the place. Specifically in the beginning before they get together, Akin keeps going back and forth in the way he treats Jin, both their actions kinda come out of nowhere and the evolution of the romance doesn't really make sense. It gets better after they become a couple though.
In general, it isn't that much different from any other BL in term of process and storyline.

For the adapation aspect of it, I have to say I'm SO GLAD for how it turned out. They were pretty loyal to the original plot, but they took the amazing initiative to change Jin's character for the better. If you haven't watched the anime or read the manga, you might have been taken aback by the nonconsensual kiss in the beginning, or the slight toxic treatment when Jin ignored Akin cuz he was sick. Well, I agree it wasn't the best, but oh god how happy I was this was the only aspect to be worried about, when you know Jin in the original story constantly r*pes Akin and is overall a controling piece of sh*t that sometimes has a sweet smile which apparently is enough to forgive him. So yeah, this was such a good choice from the screen writer/director of the drama.
On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised in the beginning when I saw they had decided to change point of view and take Jin as a main character instead of Akin. But then it seems they forgot about this whole idea as the story went on. It was disapointing how everything was always about Akin and we rarely got to dig deeper into Jin's character. It makes sense in the manga since Akin is the main character, but since they took that initiative of change in the drama, I wish they had gone all the way.

So yeah, overall worth it, but I definitely wouldn't call it a masterpiece

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It's all mess here

So it was all mess. Nothing particularly good I would say kind of a waste of time. Thank god it was short series or it would have been the worst outcome. Though genres are romance, comedy in the end it turned out to be a real headache. The FLs character isn't likable or I'll say I didn't like her decisions. The main love story between leads is the failure of the show and wait what? twisting rom-com like a thriller, action isn't a good thing at all. I mean the last twist damn I was frustrated because of it.

The things I liked were the second couple (I would have loved if they were leads) well they definitely were show-stealer, the friendship of the trio was admirable. Liked the character development of some characters. So there wasn't anything better than this for me. Well yeah, it does have visuals so you can watch it for it.

So overall it wasn't that good though it's a short drama, I won't recommend it for sure!

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Awesome ?

Okay so i bet everyone has noticed in ep1 that this isnt a continuation of S1 HOWEVER,

Yes its a different plot for the villains but the main 3 couples (Ling boss, wen li and chuyan) still have the small little details from season 1. Like the drunk driving, contract marriage, pi dan (doggo), the swimming pool thing and all the other small little things.
From this drama, it is super obvious that their chemistry is way better than season 1 and that this season is as funny or even slightly funnier than season 1. the ONLY thing that is lacking is the plot for the bad guys. Jiang jie did almost nothing but childish acts to destroy ling yi zhou via xialin and soon enough shes out of the game. then fu weining... all he does is says that the weather is hot 24/7 and ends up locking them in a cooler warehouse.. and end of story for the bad guys. Unlike season 1 where the little girl and the half brother of ling yi zhou scheming with xialin's new assistant, season 2 is just 2 people tryna destroy them and almost passing the 'bad guy' plot..
Anyways, the theme song is the same. Only 1 or 2 songs are introduced in season 2 and the ending is short but satisfying.
Worth the watch, most likely gonna watch again!

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'One day, just one day, if only I could see you again. Farther, deeper, take me away, pull me.'

In one word this drama is raw. I am writing this review a minute after finishing the drama and there are all these emotions that I need to let out. It has been an amazing journey, and by the end I could truly tell how attached I got to the characters.

STORY: 8.5/10
We follow Gil Soo Hyun, an FBI officer whom is back in his home country and receives an offer from the police to join a special investigation team. He joins Oh Dae Yeong and Jin Seo Joon as they embark on solving missing cases with special circumstances. I can't say much about the story since the drama is episodic, which means we are met with a new case in (almost) every episode. I would also point out that Soo Hyun's background story is a key point, and slowly unfolded as the drama proceeds.

My rating is not higher because it's difficult to rate a drama with a different setting for each episode. I found some episodes to be extremely intriguing, while one or two in the middle of the drama were rather predictable. The beginning however, was phenomenal, as we got a two episode cameo from the very talented Kang Ha Neul who brought so much life to drama. Some cases are very unique, like the painting one. Watch the drama to find out what that's all about ;)

ACTING/CAST: 10/10
My gem, the great Kim Kang Woo. I cannot praise this man's acting enough. Somehow I feel like he's an unappreciated actor in the Korean industry - correct me if I'm wrong. I first 'met' him in Haeundae Lovers, where he played the role of a prosecutor. That is obviously where I fell for him, and I have been anticipating his upcoming projects ever since. Kim did a phenomenal job in Missing Noir M as he portrayed a strong and competent character despite his wounds. Would the drama be the same without him? Probably not.

Park Hee Soon portrayed the talented police officer Oh Dae Yeong. This is the character that brought life to the drama, through his 'feeling like feeling' and phone ringtone. Overall the impression you'll get of him will be one of delight. He also has the cutest relationship with his wife, which also brings colour to a dark themed show. I also loved him for loving the victims with all he had.I like that he went from All About My Romance to OCN's Missing Noir M. It was nice to see him in a new light.

Jin Seo Joon was portrayed by the rising actress Jo Bo Ah (congratulations on the dating news!). Jin (as officer Oh calls her) is a hacker, and you can tell the team wouldn't get too far without her. She is highly intelligent, and I loved seeing her. The only complaint I have is that I wanted to see more of her. In a very male dominating drama, I wish she would've have gotten more spotlight. She deserves all the praise, and Jo Bo Ah as an actress has come a very long way since Shut Up! Flower Boy Band.

Another lady is the medical examiner Kang Yoo Yeong (Park So Hyun). We also see very little of her, but again - she plays a vital role as she is the one who conducts autopsies.

For the side characters who played a big part in each story, you'll find them in the cast list. Among the known actors and actresses is the very cute Shim Yi Young (Ji Yeon, officer Oh's wife), Yoon Ye Joo (Ellie from SBS' Angel Eyes), L.Joe (from the boy band Teen Top) and Park Hae Joon (Mr. Chun from Misaeng).

MUSIC: 10/10
Their main OST called Lucid Dream (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzF4DODg-K0) by Kim Yuna, and featuring rapper Olltii has seriously become one of my favourites ones. I listened to this while waiting for new episodes. I'm also an avid supporter of Korean rappers, and knowing that Olltii (Show Me The Money 3) featured in this song was very exciting. Lucid Dream is dark, filled with amazing vocals. It fits the drama perfectly.

REWATCH VALUE: 9/10
I think I'll rewatch this drama when the withdrawal symptoms arrive. Being episodic, it is quite simple to click on whatever episode and watch. Though you need to watch the whole drama the first time since you'll miss out on the protagonist's story if you don't.

OVERALL: 9/10
I cannot recommend this enough. My sister always tells me Korean dramas are boring and repetitive, and for people like her, this drama is a definite counterargument.

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Pour some sugar on me.

This is one of those delicious "pour some sugar on me" romance dramas where you just have to go with the flow and not be a prude. It is best watched gasping for breath on the treadmill trying to break a 9-minute mile. With a shortage of air to the brain, you will easily filter out the small stuff like how quickly they fall in love, whether she has hormonal issues, if she is schizophrenic and other logic or character gaps and focus on the only thing worth getting hot and bothered by, which is how hot the two male leads are.

Liu Ling is the most improper Princess Changle; a hoyden who does as she pleases without regard to social conventions. When commander of the embroidered guard Shen Yan crosses her path, she takes an instant liking to him and pursues him with reckless abandon. I find the sheer audacity of her shameless overtures to him absolutely uproarious. While this may sound wanton and unseemly, it is a very original and refreshing way to write a female character. More importantly Yuan Bingyan pulls it off so engagingly and inoffensively she deserves high praise for such a controversial characterization. I understand that in the novel (which I did not read), Liu Ling was deeply troubled by her traumatic childhood but a lot of that got cut out of the drama, which unfortunately makes her actions at times seem capricious and maddeningly inconsistent. As it turns out, she becomes a pawn in a high stakes power play between multiple states with links to an old conspiracy that brought down her best friend Xu Shijin's family. Can the Shen brothers, both dashing embroidered guards untangle the web of old lies and win the day?

I was swooning the moment I spied Zheng Yecheng on the cast list; throw in Merxat and it is just like a double upgrade from economy to first class. But I had reservations over Yuan Bingyan, whom I found lacking in Love and Redemption. As it turns out, she has fabulous screen chemistry with Zheng Yecheng and delivers a winsome and hilarious performance as Liu Ling. As for Zheng Yecheng, he must be the ultimate ideal of the romantic hero with his brooding deep stares and overwhelming masculine beauty. This is a not to be missed opportunity to evaluate his reputation of being the best kisser in c-dramaland. Its all, ahem... research on such an important topic to womankind. And let me just say that the kiss scenes were so scorching that evidently a bunch of them had to be cut out. That said, it is quite dismaying to see Zheng Yechen becoming typecast in these sorts of roles. He is a fantastic actor that deserves a shot at more complex roles.

Merxat is another fine actor that just doesn't seem to get enough good roles. He has great rapport with Zheng Yecheng and I had to reduce the speed on my treadmill whenever the Shen brothers shared scenes to properly drool over their combined hotness. I find Shen Yu and Xu Shijin's storyline more interesting probably because it is left largely intact by the censors. Shen Yu and Shijin are both so intelligent and just such a marvelous couple from the way they solve problems together and go all out for their friends and family. I root for them more because their romance faces a giant obstacle that is difficult to overcome without deep consequences. Despite the obvious cuts, there is clearly a well written story with some depth behind it. The over-arching conspiracy and the sub-lots that feed into that are all well written and unfolds at a very nice pace. This is overall a very well produced and high quality drama despite some odd edits and clear impression that some things were left out, notably with Liu LIng's backstory. It would not be fair to rate it that highly for that reason so this is a 7.5 for me but I find is as enjoyable as many dramas I rated 8.0/8.5.

Finally, while Yuan Bingyan is not one of my favorite actresses, she really shines in this drama. How she was essentially cold shouldered for changing agencies is disgraceful and I am so happy that for once, c-drama fandom did the right thing by her by supporting her. Kudos to Zheng Yecheng and the rest of the cast as well. They acted their hearts out and it shows - it is no hardship, indeed it is a pleasure to watch and support this drama.

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I've never written a review for anything before, nor, am i very good at writing them, but, i just had to say something about this movie...

This movie, was beautiful, it brought me to tears. It's a bittersweet love story about a girl, in 2008, who drops her cell phone during an earthquake, and a boy from 1912 finds it. They are able to talk on the phone, and start to have feelings for each other.

There was this one scene in particular, that really moved me, and not to give away any spoilers, i will call it "the gift from Erizen and the old lady/little girl scene" when you watch the movie, you will understand. It was beautiful, and very touching. I've re-watched that scene a few times, and it still makes me tear up...


I'm going to end my review by saying that you should definitely watch this movie, you will not regret it.

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Cutest Couple - Great Acting by Main Leads - Little Cliffhanger

Let's start : I was thinking that whether should I write the review about "No Boundary" or not! But (yeah) here I am. Sorry I won't beat around the bush and will get right back to review. Many of you people or there might be all of you prior to watching the drama may have went through the comment section well there was a time where I dropped some great dramas while going through the comment section. So, let's do it.
1. Story : (9.0)
As the descriptions say the drama is exactly the same. But elaborate more I would say the story is about love between {Zhang Yi Shang} God (heavenly maiden) who was once a general and {Darren Chen} a soldier who fights with demons to protect his city. I won't spoil to much but the story consists of too cute moments between them and some crime cases which they both solve together and there's another part of the story that has to be completed in the Season 2 which will be hopefully air in the future. So for me (9/10) for the story.
2. Acting/Cast: (10/10)
When I watched the trailer and I didn't know about Zhang Yi Shang and Darren Chem, I have never watched their single drama! That may sound confusing but I have really wasted my time in lots of drama till to date. That's 750+ dramas in total. The main cast acting was astonishing, there wasn't a single moment I regretted watching this drama besides the story only thing that kept me going and wants me to wait for the next season is Darren Chen's and Zhang Yi Shang's acting. That was flawless till the end. Well other cast also did well but the main lead was perfect. They are also my favourite couple right now. So (10/10) for acting.
3. Music : (9.5/10)
I am not big fan of Chinese Soundtracks but the intro of the drama is really thrilling and the violin instrument is mesmerising when the drama kicks off. In drama soundtracks also fit to the scenarios. So (9.5) :)
4. Rewatch Value : (9.0)
I would give it 9.0 cause I have just downloaded the drama up to Episode 18 from the site. I will download the rest of it in coming days.
In the end I would say if you are not a fan of Zhang Yi Shang and Darren Chen then I would say just give it a try if you don't like then simply check not interest in the rating section cause that will not effect the rating of the drama. For me it was also the first drama to watch of them but they both got me stick to screen till the last moment of the drama. They have less screen time together in Episode 29-31 so that really hurt me anyways that's all to my review.
Thanks for reading :) Give big love to this drama. Love Yourself. PEACE.

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Not for the faint of heart !

This is absolutely a story where the female population is depicted as weak due to her emotional entanglements. The emotional and mental torture is too much to bear while watching the story unfold. I am surprised that aside from PTSD, she did not go insane. Unnecessary scenes such as letting the FL watch her husband being intimate in bed with another woman just horrifies me to the core, I understand that Chinese drama themes most often than not runs along the same lines. Even if she is the most forgiving and kind person, why would she subject herself to such disrespect.FL keeps saying they cannot go back to where they were before but then in the end she did the opposite ( I am rolling my eyes). I cannot imagine these are scenes and personal heartbreaking experience can be easily erased or forgotten just because the ML says he is regretting everything that happened. Anyway, enter this story at your own emotional risk and sanity. After all, each one has their own take of this kind of drama and we all can agree to disagree.

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A Journey to Love, to Life, to Freedom, to Growth, and to Loss.

(Review has been edited based on new developments): Watched this solely for LYN's first real ML role and he killed it. I've also seen Alen Fang and several others before but they played different genres and personalities so this was nice. But theoretically the possibility was there that it didn't kill ML's character (I will actually start my review in the pros with explaining the ending as I saw it because there's a lot of confusion it seems there). LYN did fracture his foot during the last few months of filming this last year but that's the extent of his or anyone else's injuries thankfully. The rest of the cast for the most part and the story was very well done. Great story though the ambiguous ending wasn't needed.

Pros: Ok let's get into this ending. Here's why I firmly believe the leads were still alive (even though we now know officially that they aren't). The entire show we were shown of RY's and NYZ's insane skills and internal power. We were also shown RY's GoT version of Game of Faces mastered by Arya Stark. She was able to have a new face, new voice, new everything and the Fab 4 did too. Like the time one of them pretended to be NYZ who's way taller but the face was there. Or when NYZ pretended to be Emperor Wu, who's obviously shorter than him but it still worked. Not to mention, how many times did RY fake her death? 3 at least? Plus the pill to save from all injuries that QZ gave NYZ during their last parting. Also the antidote to that poison from the prime minister; our man had a lot to hold him over. Why would the show give you all of these extra nuisances if they didn't want you to put 2+2 together at the end? Don't forget the son of theirs at the end. 10 plus years had passed. He was not a hallucination because that doesn't make sense. If CY did have one, it would be of YSS and not some random kid on a horse. Then you have the kid himself; his name is Ning Shi San while his sister is named Ren Lu. Only living parents can give their kids their last names; now first names can be used to honor the dead. He goes into so much detail about his family including confirming that mom's last name is in fact Ren when asked by CY and plus dad doting on sister and includes how his mother can perform a beautiful sword dance and we know RY is awesome at them. No, we didn't actually see them all together, but it is beyond inferred at that point both to me and many others.

None of us saw their dead bodies; but I figured out something fishy when NYZ leaped out got harpooned and then just sat there and people assumed he's dead. I figured he hid in the chaos as per their oath and waited for her. Also, think about it, how fast between his fake death and her deciding to go that same route? She could have waited a bit, but no she did it right away because she knew he was waiting for her and it was time for them to disappear. They knew that if they didn't stage their deaths and flee to seclusion, they'd never make it. Neither were military (though NYZ claimed he was a military chef which explains how he's mastered wine making now); one was an assassin and one a martial arts spy. Another thought; the world's best assassin doesn't escape the explosion that she herself set off? Even though she in the beginning of the show was able to find a corpse to replicate her so even the white sparrows thought she was dead for years? That's high grade intelligence you don't just throw away. That's my theoretical logic. So that is why, I firmly believe (even now, that the possibility is very realistic) both were still alive and living in seclusion until their son brought CY home. I think they may be ready to come out of seclusion and maybe tell those that love them like Ah Ying and maybe even LTG, since they finally got along at the end. I'm sure many people will disagree with me but that's ok.

Now let's get into the rest of this review. Losing the Fab 4 and so close together was very hard. Your heart just broke because this series just did such a great job making you fall in love with these clowns and that was their intention; the comedy, the ball busting, each with a personality of his own. They became our brothers so to lose them so heartbreakingly was hard but also understandable. This series wasn't a happy go lucky, everyone survives one; in actuality just about everyone we love perishes. A Journey to Love, to Life, to Freedom, to growth, and to loss. And it was done well. By the way, what happened to Mr. Du? He literally vanished lol; that was a plot hole.

There wasn't a character from the delegation or many otherwise that didn't belong. Until 40 I didn't think the fruit loop aka LTG was able to mature but even he got his redemption arc though this one I understand. That said I do feel that he was partially responsible for the leads deaths because had he not gone all hot head to try to kill the king of Baipen, they wouldn't have put themselves in such danger. All of the fab 4 deaths were tragic but QZ's probably hit me the hardest because he had hid the burden of CM being his younger brother from everyone and how he mistreated him only to have him die protecting the pompous emperor before he had a chance to get close to him.

Most of the story was of the Wu delegation traveling to An state. But it's also mostly the growth of the princess that we focused on too. She went from afraid of everything to being a badass that went toe to toe with that asswipe An dy. Loved her evolution! CY tamed YSS and though that's not a happy ending, he did end up saving her life. Wu dy came to his senses and cleared the names of Luidohall. So much happened both surprised you and you knew what was happening.

I'll praise the storytelling team as for most of it they did very well. Btw Alen Fang is like the Sean Bean of cdramas; only one I've seen him survive in was TLB lol! The OSTs were wonderful, costumes, sets, the fights were off the chain! Phenomenal! I hope that LTG and Ah Ying truly learn how to love each other not just respect each other.

Cons: I gave it a 9 and not higher because there were several things I had issues with like cramming the meat, potatoes, and the kitchen sink into the last 6 episodes. It went from 0 to 100 quick. Should have been more spaced out with the deaths, war, and of course the ending that everyone is fighting over. Had they used 10 episodes instead of 6 it wouldn't have felt so rushed. We lost 3 brothers in the span of like 3 episodes and weren't even given time to grieve before we got hit with the next one. Was the cripple and his scheme so necessary? Seemed like an afterthought in an already robust chunk of events. Could have been done without.

I'm completely unfamiliar with LSS as an actress and thought though 98% of what she did here was awesome; her upper face still didn't move even in the saddest or tragic moments. She cried but eyebrows and forehead went nowhere. Is this normal or just for this role? It just confused me is all and didn't always jive with what was happening. Absolutely nothing against the actress and I feel she did quite well, just that part for me personally was off.

Of course the rushed and unfleshed out ending was lackluster; it's also why it gave many the unnecessary hope of at least someone surviving. Too ambiguous and poorly executed. In my logic based alternate universe, I'm glad to know the leads are well with kids that NYZ promised RY; but it would have been better to have them reunite as opposed to just that image of the Fab 4 and the leads on horses because that did look really out of place and like CY was imagining them. Because the leads named their kids after two of the brothers, it makes sense that their spirits are watching over the family. That whole ending could have been either not added or just had the brotherhood plus leads as spirits riding in a field and it would have made a lot more sense and a fitting end for this drama without the unrealistic CGI, CY, and even the kid.

Would I recommend it? Totally. However, I do ask future audiences not focus so much on the last 5 minutes of the series but on the series itself because that's what made you enjoy it in the first place. Great job overall cast and crew! Thank you very much!

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Yes, from the very first episode the main female lead, Go cheok Hee will come off as a bratty and annoying person, however that's how most of the time dramas start off with characters. It is very obvious that the person will start to grow and learn to be better. therefore its better not to jump to conclusions by watching only the first few episodes.

Overall, the whole story is actually pretty interesting, funny, and many scenes make you squeal. It's nice and light, not too dramatic, like the second female lead isn't your cliche evil person who plays dirty tricks on the main female lead. same for the second male lead.

The music is really nice and goes well with the moments. I personally really liked this drama, finishing a drama is really hard for me, and I usually drop them when I don't like them or I think they're dragging, but this drama wasn't like that. It's really enjoyable. I love all the characters and I hope you will too.

Short review but hope it helped.

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