Reviews

This was a strong melodrama with an extremely thin plot but a talented cast. What I found most compelling was the intimate, jazzy mood that was created. I just wish there was a more compelling storyline to go with it. The show really runs out of steam at the end and it suffers pretty badly from some tired drama tropes.

What was good:
- The chemistry of the lead couple. They were completely believable as a couple in love. If seeing two people snuggle and kiss for 14 episodes is your jam, then this is your show. I also found their journey in love pretty believable, until the end. It was flawed and realistic... except for the end, which was terrible.
- Showing tough issues like workplace harassment, domestic abuse, and what filial piety looks like in modern times. What was most frustrating was that the issues didn’t all get the discussions they deserved.
- The mood and direction. In contrast to a lot of Kdramas that are shown to be bathed in blinding white light, everything in this show was shot with warmth and intimacy. There were a lot of scenes that were shot to seem like you were intruding on an intimate moment and a lot of silent scenes where you could see the characters processing their emotions. I thought it was really beautiful and resonant.

What was not good:
- The writing. There are a lot of interesting side characters in the show and I kept on wanting to learn about their motivations and was pretty disappointed. The mom was pretty frustrating and I don’t blame the actress. The story just didn’t give her much to work with beyond being “oppisitional”... but why? Her logic made some sense but was so extreme it didn’t warrant 10 episodes of plot. Hers was just one example of the story not being handled well.
- Clumsy resolution. Without giving things away the ending was pretty cliche. There are last minute obstacles that could have been resolved with communication and then a quick resolution at the very very end.

Overall, I recommend the drama but caution expecting much from the story. Clearly the drama was more character rather than plot driven. I just feel like this couple deserved more.

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Maybe this review is not just as viewer but as the reader of the original novel.. The novel is one of my top five esport novel so I was so excited for the drama adaptation .. but honestly the drama not as good as I expected..

Many scenes in the novel not included in the drama, even though it was very funny and the highlight that give sense to the romance development between Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao.. so the drama feel very clipped, as some feel just really lost..
And in the story one of the main joke is that Tong Yao is a shorty with childlike appearance, and this will attributed how Lu Sicheng teased for dating an underage etc.. but the actress is obviously a beauty with long legs. Well physically is not important I guess as long as Tong Yao is well potrayed, but honestly Tong Yao in drama is very stiff and expresionless most of the time.

But Xu Kai really did a good job as Lu Sicheng, maybe because he is veteran actor. So the chemistry is not very bad, but maybe because Tong Yao in my mind is a very spirited, witty, and an adorkable so the drama version feel uncomfortable to wacth, and many Tong Yao's scenes changed or clipped to accomodate the drama so it contributed to the feel as well

Third is the animation, though its very good CSI, but if the viewers doesn't had understanding in the game, not knowing the difference of heroes and skills, and not even know who is who the player was.. then the animation just very confusing to watch..

But to be fair though not as exciting as reading the original novel this drama still one of my rewacth list, because im sucker for any esport and atleast FIYS is still acceptable and exciting rom-com esport in term of plot..

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This show is not going to win awards for the CGI, cinematography, music, or fight scenes. It's obviously low budget, and as such set your expectations with that in mind. However, I ENJOYED it for what it was. It is no masterpiece, but I loved the main characters. I did skip some stuff with the main baddies, but I kept along with the plot and I didn't find it as dragging as some other c-dramas I have tried to watch.
Lin Chen and Qi Ling, you either will love them or hate them. Qi Ling starts out as your plucky goofy young lead but he does have a character arc, and slowly matures. Some people might find him grating, I thought he was adorable. Yin Chen, beautiful ice queen of my HEART. Love him, Qi Ling does melt that frosty interior slowly. Their bond drives the show. I liked the ladies Shen Lin, Lian Quan, and You Hua. The plot was decent. Not mind blowing, but I enjoyed it
Give it a try, maybe you are like me, and can see a gem amongst all that bad stone!

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So teeeeechnically, I have one episode of this left, but my thoughts and feelings about this drama are totally set at this point, and I know the last episode isn't going to change them, because I know the last episode is going to be just as superb as the rest of the series has been, so I'm writing my review now.

And yes. That is the sum up of my review. I think this series is superb.

Why do I think that? It's very, very simple.

Tian Qing is a compelling character, struggling with questions about her identity and coming to terms with the answers she ends up discovering. Her journey to understanding and acceptance is heartfelt and truthful and speaks deeply to that desire in all of us to know who we really are. Cheng Nuo's journey of dealing with his past and allowing himself to heal from it and forgive his family for their mistakes and failures provides so many lessons on what it really means to love those around us and let ourselves live a full and meaningful life. And Tian Qing's adoptive father, Jia He, the foundation upon which the entire story is built, is so honorable and upright and kind that you love him immediately. You understand just what a profound impact he has had on the people around him and feel compelled to emulate him in your own life, to be that kind of person yourself.

This is a drama about healing and forgiveness, identity and knowing who you are, being true to yourself and true to what you know is right, living a life of service to others, and doing the right thing even when it's hard. It's a drama about truth, and that is why I love it so much and think it so incredibly superb. (The cinematography is also absolutely stunning and lush and vibrant, a character in and of itself. The drama's worth watching solely for that if none of the other reasons compel you.)

The only thing that is going to push people away, and I hate that I have to make this caveat, but here we are...

Is that this drama is slow.

It's an unfortunate reality in Asian drama world, that slower dramas that focus more on character and story then creating thrills and excitement simply do not get the praise and recognition they deserve. Instead, they're called boring, or uninteresting, or poorly written, or some other unfair and unflattering insult. And as I'm sure you can see from some of the comments and other reviews here, this drama has received it's fair share of those insults as well. But believe me when I say, those are not fair critiques. A slow drama is not a bad drama, and to rate a slow drama as bad simply because it is slow is poor reasoning. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and as I said in my review for another similarly paced drama, Andante, they aren't typically mine either.

But I watched this, and I felt something. I watched this, and I appreciated the characters and the story. I watched this, and I'm glad I did.

Now this is technically where the actual review ends, but I have some further, broader thoughts I want to share that aren't directed solely at this drama, so if you're interested in reading them, well then here they are, lol.

Minus Fated to Love You (my first ever drama) and the Started with a Kiss series, I didn't watch any Taiwanese dramas for the first however many years of my drama watching life, preferring Korean over pretty much every other country (for context, I've been watching dramas about ten years, maybe longer). However many years ago though, I dipped my toes into Taiwanese dramas again with Just You, and loving it to pieces, decided to give some other Taiwanese dramas a try. There was Office Girls (high marks from me, even if I did find the female lead frustrating), Aim High (very strong and enjoyable start that got me invested, but then devolved into obnoxious, annoying, uninteresting drama about one of the secondary romantic couples and completely ignored everything else the drama was Supposed to be about), Miss Rose (dropped without even meaning to, because the story stopped being interesting, and I can't even remember anything that happened now), King Flower (I tried so hard with this one and just couldn't make it through), Easy Fortune Happy Life (Hate It), P.S. Man (also Hate It), I Do2 (they got one decent episode in before completely ruining the entire thing), Rock n' Road (I wrote an entire blog post where I re-wrote the drama to make it actually good), and Pleasantly Surprised (it...bored me? I guess?). Which the exception of three dramas, I dropped all of these. And one of the three I finished (Rock n' Road), I did so out of obligation.

So as you can see, I had very little luck with Taiwanese dramas the last time I tried to get into them, and because of it, ultimately stopped attempting to watch them altogether. They didn't seem to be very good, I wasn't enjoying them at all, Korean dramas were checking off all the boxes on my drama needs list, and there are so many dramas out there anyways that why waste my time on ones I clearly am destined to not like?

Well, I think I can unequivocally say that if this is the direction Taiwanese dramas are going in now, count me back in, because this was a compelling story from start to finish, and I like being compelled to watch something because it's good.

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REFRESHING to see in cdramas!

I support cdramas going into new genres vs. the often over hyped costume dramas or over produced rom-com. I also love shorter dramas like these because they don't drag and waste your time. Yes the story is not perfect, mostly because they had to edit and cut a lot in order to get pass censorship but this director Leste Chen at least tried. I also love his filming style. All the actors are well cast and gave solid performances. Song Weilong is able to prove his versatility and show depth in his acting with this new look and character. Vicky Chen is young and talented creating great chemistry with the male lead. I think it's about time cdramas do something different and I give them a lot of credit for it.

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As someone who's grown up in a Chinese family, I've watched my fair share of mainland dramas. For me, the newer ones generally fall into one of two categories: nostalgia or just-plain-frustrating. I would put the second label all over this drama.



Let me first say that how this drama was marketed made it incredibly misleading. The summary and the promotional posters make it appear as if this is a show that's at least partially about our main protagonist achieving stardom despite all the obstacles that can get in her way. Spoiler alert (one for potential viewers' benefit): it's not. The plot is instead a disgusting mess of irrational decisions made by barely-likable characters that had me mentally writhing in my seat for 40 minutes at a time. There are predictable stories that can still be amusing to watch, and then there are stories like this that are just outright maddening. This whole show I was waiting for the promised moment when our main character would show her talent to the world and I was brutally disappointed.



The cast was possibly the least of all the evils that this show had to offer, and I ask that people take this even with a grain of salt. The reason for that is because no matter how in-character these actors were, the characters they played all were so unbearable by the end of this show that I wondered what on earth was going on in the writers' heads. Take for example Victoria's character, Mei Li. The drama shoves her in your face as the innocent, selfless, embodiment-of-kindness protagonist who, when she does something wrong, was righteous in doing so. Over the period of 40 episodes, this gets old pretty fast and a previously likable character becomes someone so unrealistically depicted that I was left astounded.



Admittedly, the only thing that saved this show from bombing even more than it did with me was the acting. Especially with some of the older actors, they portrayed some of the more emotional parts with enough persuasion that I did feel some sympathy.



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tl;dr: This show was a combination of irritation and crying from boredom.

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It is definitely a BL.

There's a scene where they're sitting on a swing. Watch it and tell me if bros sit that close, look at each other that way, the body language, and Oat even does the stretch-the-arm-behind-the-movie-theater-seat thing (adapted for swings).

Also, remember, mother had put up a sign banning romance between staff and guests - what happened to the sign was significant, and even more important is the question Nabdao asks Keptawan when Kep gives him what he gives him at the end. That question is open acknowledgement by Nabdao himself that this is not a bromance situation.

Anyway, this is a 10/10 for me. I have to rate it for what it is, a short film, not a full series, and I've never seen a short BL as good as this. I was actually in tears all the way through the second part (in a good way, don't worry, the White Truck of Death doesn't show up and run anyone over in the last scene.)

The acting is wonderful - it's so natural, even Oak's OTT character is totally believable and sincere. Mon is just plain gorgeous, and this shows what can be accomplished when you get someone who is beautiful AND can act. What a difference a year can make at that age. The supporting characters were all well-acted too.

The story is tight and economical, and manages to really address rural problems and symbolically indicate what the solutions are - by showing us, not telling us.

I have nothing negative to say about this - I can't think of any criticisms - except maybe in a few spots the sound quality was a little off. The editing was tight, the writing respected the audience, and the romance was subtle and realistic given who they were and where they were. The technical quality of this is way above Wayu's previous works, which to me means they're learning and getting better, and I'm really looking foward to their next project.

I think they've mastered the short story - maybe it's time for a second attempt at a longer series.

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I am not fond of sageuks, but this one... this one took my breath away. If all sageuks were like this, I would never hesitate watching them. From the story to the acting to the music, this is one of the few dramas that got almost everything (if not everything) right. I loved everything about it. Excellent story, brilliant actors, great music. It was intriguing to watch how a daughter could turn her back on her father in order to stand up for what is right. Also, it was touching to see what real friendship was all about despite all the betrayals and such. But most of all, it was endearing to witness how one great love could withstand everything that came in its way; it makes me wonder if such love does exist in this world.

Three words: Stunning. Poignant. Unforgettable.

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It's a shame that Beyond the Cloud isn't doing better in Korea. The plot unfolds beautifully and is well-crafted throughout the entire series. It remains concise and true to the main storyline with no thoughts of the storyline dragging at any point during the story.

The chemistry between the whistle couple, Jung Se-ro and Han Young-Won, and their eagerness to overcome depression highlight the finest aspects of the plot. The characters are portrayed by Yoon Kye-sang and Han Ji-Hye respectively whom had done an excellent job representing their persona with such raw emotions, making viewers even anxious at times.

The ending does fall short of expectations however, as it does comes off a bit too clean. The pride that withholds the logic behind the actions of Tae Oh and Kang Jae becomes questionable near the end but nonetheless captures the essence of the storyline.

The OST for Above the Clouds also deserves some recognition but "The Full Sun" by Yangpa remains the most memorable as it describes their hardships as well as their struggling relationship as a couple.

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This would have been a perfect 10 if the second half of the story had been shorter. The intrigue in the first half was unrelenting. The crosses and double crosses were great. You had to figure out who was siding with who in the family and the business.

The romance was just a small part of the story, but it was essential for the storyine. There was one smoking hot scene in the motel between Jan Hyuk and Lee Ming Jung that should not be missed.

The goofy scenes with the father and stepbrother should have been left out entirely. The comedy aspect totally detracted from the serious wheeling and dealing.

This is Jang Hyuk's best acting, in my opinion, and made me really respect him as an actor. Of course he is superb in everything he's been in. There's a little quirky part to his personality that he brings to his characters that is unique.

The acting was fantastic by all the characters, especially No Min Woo and Kim Hee Ae.

My husband hates Kdramas, but he watched this and loved it. A lot of drama viewers, like myself, veer towards the romantic themes and totally miss great serious dramas. This one should not be bypassed. The suspense will keep you in the game.

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An Entierly Different Show, And Not For The Better

Let me start by saying Ever Night season 1 was and still is my favorite wuxia drama of all time. I've never been more disappointed and let down by a season 2. If this didn't have the name "Ever Night" on it and Irenie Song, I would have dropped this after a few episodes.

I don't know what happened between seasons 1 and 2, maybe it was cost issues, or investors/sponsors pushing them to finish fast and cheap, maybe there wasn't enough story to tell to fill a season 2, or filming schedules and conflicts and having to replace a significant amount of the cast, maybe the censors and govt got involved to change the story... I have no idea. All I know is season 2 is like an entirely different show, and not for the better.

First of all, the recasting of the ML with Dylan Wang. This was a jarring choice. He is a very different actor from Chen Fei Yu and therefore a very different character from season 1. This dramatic change could have been minimized had they kept the same production style and feel from the first season. Even if they just kept the same storylines and plot from season 1, Dylan Wang could have eventually made a decent run with his own version of Ning Que, but neither of those was left intact.

Those weren't the only changes. Gone is the lush and cinematic camerawork from season 1. That vast and expansive world full of interesting locations and eclectic characters they built up in the previous season? Gone. Now we only have a few characters and are limited to a few locations, often only seen in small sets. Remember those dynamic and exhilarating fight scenes? Those are gone too. Now we have generic wuxia from the 90's style, with cheap-looking VFX.

Not to mention a significant portion of the cast, several of them major players from season 1 were recast. Not only were the actors different but their character's personalities changed as well. Even the actors they managed to keep from season 1 behave like they're from some bizarre alternate universe. I think this leads to the biggest issue of Ever Night season 2: the writing. The writing is atrocious. I honestly feel bad for the actors. It's as if the writers wrote out all the dialogue of what needed to be said, then randomly distributed the lines to different characters. They aren't saying things the characters would say, they're just reading lines. Not only is the dialogue noncorporeal, awkward and unusual, but they also use this terrible dialogue to fill long and drawn-out scenes, often shot in a small 1 room set with just 2 actors spewing exposition at each other, most of it full of unnecessary or repeated information that does nothing to move the plot forward. There were many episodes full of them with just scene after scene of 2 people in a room talking about nothing. I get that this is a cost-saving measure and a tool to stretch a thin plot but this was painfully dull and excruciating to get through. This basically takes up 60-70% of season 2 so brace yourself.

The overall plot also falls victim to odd and nonsensical choices. Characters do things completely out of character, sometimes even with no explainable motivation. They just do things abruptly without reason. Instances happen just to happen. There's an entire arc of 5-10 episodes that could be completely taken out without any consequence to the characters or story. It's like some useless side quest in a game. And the decision to spend a large amount of time with an entirely new actor and character is questionable. Spending long stretches of the season with the ML and FL apart from each other is baffling. Not continuing any of the previously set-up storylines from season 1 and giving us ridiculous narratives that don't go anywhere? Ludicrous. I could say more but that would wander into spoiler territory. I think you get the idea.

I hate to be entirely negative so let me highlight what I did like. Ireine Song. I could watch her watch paint dry. She is the lone saving grace to this travesty of a dumpster fire. She has such range as an actress that there were times when I almost forgot about the shoddy backdrops and painful dialogue and just watched her stretch her acting wings. Season 2 definitely gives her more to do and there is a decided focus on her character. I also warmed up to Dylan Wang's alternate version of Ning Que, which is why I think they could've salvaged season 2 had they kept the preexisting storylines from season 1.

Luckily for those who loved the previous season, Ever Night season 1 stands well on its own. We can just throw this bizzaro alternate universe season 2 straight into the garbage and appreciate what we got in season 1.

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So firstly i want to say that i have watched all  seasons, and i was kinda not sure on which one should i write the review.
However lets begin.
First of all the story  was really cool, i  really liked the  crime part of it . The idea of having an organisation  full of murderers is just PERFECT. This drama kept me interested till the end. You never know how the story is going to  unfold.The thing that really attracted me at the begining was the portray of the female lead- she is not a typical chinese or any kind of drama lead. She is a  strong and undepedandant woman, who can fight for herself and the people she loves and really importat wasnt annoying which could have happened really easy . Not to forget all the murderers were fantastic presented , their charectrer and why they became criminals  was really good made.
So i am going to recommend this drama to all people who enjoy crime ,mystery with lots of love elements in it. It is definitely not the typical crime drama.And if you are looking for somthing with less drama in it ( i mean love drama,however  a lot of love figures were involved hahahah it was definitely not only a triangle hahaha) this is the perfect example - there is none hahaha
My rating is around 8.5~9  out of 10.
Highly enjoyable .

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I can’t believe that this show is already over. Just Between Lovers will be forever one of those dramas I would kill for. I’ve mostly cried my eyes but I'm so grateful for all the emotions I could feel when watching the episodes.

STORY
The story of this drama feels very realistic and unique. The cinematography was beautiful and I enjoyed the aesthetically pleasing scenes more than it's even possible. You could see that every character was actually very deeply developed and the creators really made an excellent work concentrating on small details. It was amazing how you could feel all the emotions coming from the characters and you could easily empathise with them. There weren't really any "good or bad" characters. They were only people struggling with life and their fears and it made an incredible impression on me. The connection was also definitely very strong between the main leads and not to mention the chemistry between them! Oh boy, my heart is thanks to this drama really heart-broken and overwhelmed at the same time.

ACTING/CAST
I have legitimately no words. The acting was incredible. I’m so proud of the whole cast for doing such a great job. The main leads really killed it. Lee Kang Doo portrayed by Lee Jun Ho is a character who I would protect at all costs. He suffered so much and I still can't believe that Lee Jun Ho was able to portray him so realistically. He didn't have to say anything and you could already feel the character's emotions through his eyes. The same goes for Won Jin Ah. She also did an incredible job and the fact that she's a starting actress, wow.  Lastly, I have to mention the chemistry again. Their relationship was obviously very important in the storyline and I loved the story behind their connection. I couldn't be more satisfied with their passionate performances.

MUSIC
I always forget to notice music in dramas but this was so painful to watch that I heard the music in my ears louder than ever. The songs definitely made a big impact on the scenes and also on my weak heart.

OVERALL
Honestly, I don’t have all the proper words to fully describe my thoughts about this drama. It was so tragically sad and realistic and I’m so amazed by this. I’m amazed about the plot, about the cast, about everything. How I said before, the acting was in my point of view incredible and the characters made the plot even more unique. Even though I emotionally suffered so much, I'd love to rewatch this when I get the chance to.

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Before I begin, I would like to warn that this review is biased because I enjoyed the story, the entertainment value, the antics, the acting, and I read things into the characters' faces and actions to give more analysis to the story and plot. I also love Honoka Miki since Love in Tokyo days, as well as Furukawa Yuki (and the entire cast really) so they can't do any wrong with me. So let's begin...

This IMO, is a true dramatization of Itazura na Kiss the manga. Irie-kun is not sweet and loving like They Kiss Again, and the story is very true to the original story. So true that I loved it very much. Honoka Miki's expressions and loudness is also very close to the manga. Some people may not like her outrageous and overboard expressions, but I loved her 100%. Irie-kun was cold, but you could still see his love for his wife. I admit, I didn't like his character, but I didn't mind because I never like any Irie-kun characters. I always think Kotoko deserves a better man, one who treats her better and adores her. But actually, Irie-kun always is aware of Kotoko and her wants and needs. Always.

What helped me understand Irie's character better was this video entitled "Why we Japanese can seem robotic" by a Japanese guy whose married to a foreigner in Japan. The link... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7diGxLECF4

It explains so much about the average Japanese and helped me understand Irie's character better. I still think he should have been more considerate of Kotoko early in their marriage, but I forgive him. Kotoko makes you keep your attention on her and not her husband's behaviour. In fact, I like the love she has for him. She's too dependent yes, but he relishes that dependence and actually drives it sometimes because which guy doesn't like his wife needing him? He loved her love for him. And also, yes, she shapes her life for him, but you have to realise, he shaped his for her too. The guy does whatever she tells him to, even the big, life changing decisions. He does it all quietly. Yes, he pulls a face sometimes, but that's just for posterity because he thinks he has to be cool. The guy is happy to follow her directions. Kotoko is so full of life and love that yo can't help but love them together. She is the main one in that marriage lol, the one that is loved, though she shows her love for him more - her character is more flamboyant.

I adored the rest of the cast - Kinosuke, mom, dad, other dad, the little brother, Christine, her best friends and their boyfriends ... every character had something to love and I was interested in all of them. Every single time. The best parts was where Irie-kun's mom always stuck up for Kotoko - even against Irie lol. Best mom-in-law award goes to her. I want a mom-in-law like her. And honourable mention goes to Kinnosuke for his vibrant, emotional, love. The acting is on point as always. This lead pairing never disappoints. Miki Honoka is fabulously talented for such a young girl. Hope to see her in more lead roles. Honestly, sometimes the music is inappropriate for the scene, but the beginning and ending themes I really liked. Found myself bobbing my head and singing along. Rewatch value of *sigh* over and over and over again.

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