Reviews

A story with several meanings

Although Tae-in reluctantly took in the young girl, Cho-hee, to stay at his place, they eventually started gaining trust and opening up to each other. To me, this shows symptoms of Stockholm syndrome, which is a psychological connection formed with their captors during captivity. Although Tae-in did not intend to abduct Cho-hee, ultimately he is still a kidnapper who hid her away from the public eye and stopped her escape attempts. Cho-hee bonded well with Tae-in’s younger sister, and at times, it indeed felt like she was truly happy there and did not want to leave the place. Although we don’t know much about her family, but it was brought up several times in the movie that her family obviously doted on the son more, and she was actually not the intended kidnap target as well, highlighting the issue of patriarchy in her family.

However, at times the line between whether if Cho-hee is suffering from Stockholm syndrome or not is quite blurred, as both Tae-in and Cho-hee could not make up their minds on how they perceived each other. For Tae-in, he just wanted to quickly get the job done and send Cho-hee away, however he still had a conscience when he knew that Cho-hee’s life was in danger. As for Cho-hee, she couldn’t decide to trust Tae-in or not, but ultimately, she makes her decision at the ending, which I will not spoil here.

Since Yoo Ah In has no lines in the movie at all, his actions and body languages are quite obvious and easy to understand, without being too exaggerated. From his expressions, ranging from joy, to worry and desperation, his character, Tae-in was able to communicate well and relate his thoughts with the on-screen characters and with the audience watching the movie. In an interview, Yoo Ah In described his character as such, “Tae-in doesn’t speak. I don’t think he is unable to speak at all as he makes some noises sometimes. He refuses to communicate with the world for some reasons.”


Overall, this movie has various blurred lines, on the overarching theme of good and evil – for the audience to interpret in their own ways, such as the lead characters working in a job that is essentially a crime, but what they do could also be rationalised as okay; and if Tae-in and Chang-bok are actually good or bad, as they are kidnappers, albeit kind-hearted ones who actually looked after their abductee. The movie ending itself is something that we did not really expect, but it does match the overall theme well.

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This drama is simple, straightforward and easy to watch. It's perfect for those days you just want uncomplicated comic relief. That said, although its meant to be a light rom-com, the drama still manages to touch on heavier themes such as: abusive relationships, single motherhood, compassion for the elderly, making sacrifices, and facing your fears. And don't skip the ending credits or you'll miss the storyline teasers!

The characters, if not all fully developed, were funny...often silly at times. Matsuda Shota as Dr. Kota was a juxtaposition of a bumbling lovestruck goofball with that of an efficient genius doctor. Matsuda is really such a versatile actor--he never fails to entertain me. Takei Emi as Mako also didn't disappoint. She was the opposite of Dr. Kota in personality and helped to ground his character whenever his eccentricities went overboard. I especially loved Dr. Kota and Mako's chats at the end of each episode--everytime Dr. Kota said anything inappropriate, Mako would mysteriously produce a "blue slipper" and smack him on the head with it. Hah. The supporting characters were also nice to watch--sometimes adding insightful words of wisdom; more often just providing comedic relief with their antics.

This show has a great song that was a perfect episode ender - Taiyou no Megami by Leo Ieiry. Very upbeat and optimistic, like the show.

I doubt I would re-watch this drama from start to finish. But I would definitely replay the funny parts where Matsuda is being geeky and adorkable.

Pros
With only 11 episodes (gotta love jdramas for this), you can easily marathon this in a couple of days. The other plus is its renzoku format--each episode concludes a storyline, so it's unnecessary to watch each episode to get the jist of the show. However, you may miss out on some of the storyline and character development that continues from episode to episode.

Cons
Some of the situations and events are a bit unrealistic in how they are addressed and/or resolved. And just about every episode is a cliche. But I think that's part of the show's charm. And I'll also admit to being guilty of fast-forwarding to the more entertaining parts whenever some of the episodes dragged along.

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a cut above your typical run of the mill boys over flowers reverse harem story

If you had told me that i would genuinely enjoy a reverse harem drama w four suitors, one of whom is basically a vampire, i would've never believed you.

on principle i don't particularly enjoy love triangles unless like, there is a clear endgame and one of the options just exists for the main character to learn from (for ex. fuheng in yanxi palace). this is because usually they exist in dramas for melodrama and fantasy scenarios of what if these two different hot boys were into you lol. maybe i just haven't seen that many but i've just always written them off as understandably popular for a reason but generally silly and cringey dog blood.

lost you forever/chang xiang si was very immersive because it offered a similar reverse harem formula or structure, but the basis and core of WHY there are multiple options is a cut above the typical boys over flowers reverse harem story. it is not simply that xiaoyao is a stand in for the audience, and her options are a good boy and a bad boy please choose which one u like more, y'know? xiaoyao is a multi faceted character who has been deeply traumatized and has a host of abandonment issues that affect her relationships as an adult. her two main options, tushan jing and xiang liu, represent two different pathways for her to progress- and the reasons why she likes them are also informed by her trauma and experiences. tsj offers her kindness, softness and gentleness, unquestioned support and care, he represents way for her to truly heal and learn to trust other people again, to grow in a positive manner. while xl’s coldness, darkness and danger are attractive to her because he is a kindred spirit, and also what she knows and understands. xiang liu's love on the other hand doesn't push her personal growth, but rather supports who she is in the present. he abandons her, pushes her away, never allows her to know how he loves her, and puts the bigger political picture above her. he teaches her archery so that she can continue to stand alone without relying on others to protect her. but tsj will come to prove that she CAN rely on others (or should at least in s2). it makes complete sense why narratively tsj is endgame, but her storyline with xl is equally, if not more compelling exactly because it makes complete sense why they love each other, but ultimately won't be together. not even gonna touch on cx because he’s a non-option whose relationship with her represents the worst possible route you can go post trauma. congrats y’all actually got me to enjoy a love triangle!!!! sort of pentagonal!!

the strengths of the story are the character and relationship writing. the doomed trauma bonded siblings, xiaoyao and cangxuan are the core relationship of the story and both characters are nicely done. i particularly like cx, what an ambitious little freak who got his wires crossed and is too weird about his sister! zhang wanyi is really excellent, i enjoyed watching his acting SO much... his tight little smile that never reaches his eyes…LOL yang zi is also great and particularly committed, especially as wen xiaoliu. xl and tsj are generally well written too, as is chenrong xinyue, and even the minor support character sang tian'er was well written and so memorable (honestly her role as a former sex worker was more progressive than the entirely of a dream of splendor). However you can really tell the writer only cared about Some characters while others only exist to cause conflict, namely fangfeng yiying is just Evil for like no good reason, and tushan hou is similarly just senselessly evil. i think the writer definitely struggles with villains and they are pretty one dimensional. generally however, the characters are pretty good, and good character writing can really drive home the themes and take a story so far! AND YET......

the plot........ my absolute biggest gripe with cxs is the PLOT. i find the plot so incredibly inept at supporting its characters, and unable to push the narrative forward. the story is extremely character lead, to the point where most of the show is just conversations, with very little Events Happening. why does cx achieve the throne at the end? HOW does he even achieve the throne at the end? because grandpa said so. thats why. as an avid lover of political court dramas and little plots and schemes, this show was so disappointingly short of that. and like, i'm not asking for nirvana in fire or rise of phoenixes, because that would just be a different show, but like.... just a little bit of plotting please.... just more sense as to HOW cx is power hungry and ambitious, cunning and calculating instead of just telling us over and over again. mainly all i saw was him getting hooked on drugs and building good relationships with the right people. i wanted him to take down his uncles and enemies one by one!!! doing more and more dastardly things to do so!! it just felt like the crown was given to him instead of him having worked to achieve it. i get that the author seems to mainly just want cx to represent this kind of classic cold, ruthless, power hungry character, and doesn't actually care for politics itself but like i can't help but feel kind of cheated out of what was promised in the first episode and the premise of his character. china's political drama genre is very popular and there are plenty of sources to pull from!! the princes’ struggle for power is a classic! as a result the story feels flat and like the characters are just existing in a blurry aesthetic background. these parts are just SO weak. like i don’t know who cx is as a ruler, i don’t know what his relationship is like with the common people, has he done anything for them? a ruler doesn’t exist without citizens, idg why we aren’t shown the ways cx built up power and support from the people. literally it’s just him interacting w the same ass two nobles who are already committed to him. similarly, tsj’s family is literally CARTOONISHLY evil, from torture to rape they’ve fuckin done it all!! they exist to purely just be evil and it doesn’t even make sense, why are they forcing him to be clan leader and marry ffyy when tsh and ffyy want to KILL him so she can openly be w tsh and he can be clan leader. idk maybe it will be explained next season but so far it’s just weak and lazy story telling. there are ways to tell a story about an abusive family that uses confucian values like filial piety and duty to manipulate its members and make it resonate in a real way- the same way that xy’s fear of abandonment resonates. if the writing was stronger they would be able to explore how they keep tsj trapped in this toxic family without resorting to the most outlandishly evil dog blood tropes. and xl too!!! his relationship w the chenrong army is SO WEAK and poorly written. like everything is for his adopted dad, but it just doesn’t feel enough, esp when the army others him for being a yao. if they had more scenes that developed his relationship with them, his devotion would be so much more believable. a scene of them singing around some burning bodies does not communicate the strength of their bond or conviction. nobody in the army is even NAMED. like if we actually got to know them and hear their stories, see how xl came to bond with them, it would just be so much more believable. in general this is the issue with the scriptwriting. cx, tsj and xl are all pretty well written by themselves, but they don’t have support from the plot to make it all make sense.

Not only is the plot writing weak, at times it is pure dog blood trash. for example, the entire plot abt xy getting tortured and killed by some complete RANDOM. clearly this random guy who we have basically NEVER met or heard of was being influenced by 5 wang and 7 wang who wanted to get rid of xy to get at cx, but there was so little build up, so little development. when it happens it feels like it's out of nowhere, and just happens in order to plant the seed that she's chi chen's daughter and to compare how our three leading men will react. i wanted it to be much more clearer why xy is a target politically, instead of like, just this random guy's revenge. just felt SOOO out of nowhere, shitty writing, poor development, and really took the quality of the story down sooo much. even worse tsj’s rape and forced marriage.... i have too many frustrations, the way they handled the rape was so abysmal i don’t even wanna talk about it lmao.

i found everything more successful and enjoyable in the first arc when they were still in qingshui town and xy was wxl. honestly i am also just a sucker for stories about the common people with common every day problems so that also contributed, but it truly felt so much stronger. i think that when the stakes are lower, more grounded, the writer is much more adept at creating a plot that can support its characters. the little political things that happened felt reasonable and believable, rather than later on when the stage is bigger and stakes are higher. i loved wxl’s found family, his everyday problems, and his relationship with xl and tsj was already well developed and fully communicated the themes and messages of the story. once wxl becomes xy and we are now in princesses and nobility and palace world it loses so much of the heart and charm it had originally. also all of the gender stuff! i appreciate that tsj often takes a narratively feminine role, but nothin’s gonna come close to how fun and queer and trans the first arc was.

on the whole this show boasts some strong characters in a weak plot. a reverse harem being used to examine the different paths one can take after trauma gives this show substance that most reverse harems don’t have, if only everything could be backed up by a carefully cared for plot. excited to see how things develop season 2!

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Peak Time is what every idol show should be!

I have never watched a survival show because they all seemed really "reality-ish" and toxic which I hate and I only decided to give this a chance because I really like many of the judges and I have to say I love this. From the concept to the way the participants treat each other and how the production and judges seemed to treat them is all really amazing.

The K-pop scene is a very cutthroat business and with so many idols debuting is really hard to make an impact, so what this show does is really amazing. Giving all these idols a second chance or a chance to be recognized is really amazing.

The first elimination was really heartbreaking but what the production did for the teams that did not make it is amazing! Giving them the songs/ choreography & clothes that they did not get to perform in is such a thoughtful gesture! Given that many of them come form really small agencies with little to no support, all those lessons they received can go a long way. I also noticed that they gave them the opportunity to showcase some of their talents and skills either by having to play some games, allowing some participants to MC something or participate in some outside segments. This will allow them to be noticed by some producers and maybe get casted in a variety show or maybe secure an MC position in a show further increasing their exposure in the future.

Peak Time really is what every idol show should be. It should put the idols first and give them all the necessary tools they need to succeed and make it!

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Where the Moon Rises: A princess with a plan and a soft-hearted hero

🔹 Would I rewatch? Yes,

✨ What happens when a determined princess meets the kindest man in the kingdom, and they discover how love can change their paths?

📕 Overview 🎬
🔹 20 episodes, historical romance
🔹 At the time of this review, all episodes have aired
🔹 Adapted from the novel Princess Pyeonggang by Choi Sa Gyu
🔹 Kim So Hyun portrays Princess Pyeonggang, a character who is brave and dedicated to her country.
🔹 Na In Woo plays the character On Dal, who is gentle, loyal, and braver than he realizes.
🔹 The story begins when a princess loses her memory after a royal tour incident, grows up as Yeom Ga Jin, and later meets a peace-first young man.
🔹 Ideal for historical romance enthusiasts who enjoy court politics combined with a tender storyline.

🌸 How It Felt Watching 💙
🔹 Setup: a palace filled with tension, where a determined heroine is on a mission, and a quiet hero steps up to help her out, all while keeping his heart intact.
🔹 Viewing feel: warm romance intertwined with the stakes of a palace setting, with a few heavier moments introduced later on.
🔹 Themes explored include love, duty, and courage.
🔹 I liked their chemistry. Even when things slowed down later on, I kept tuning in to see what they were up to.

✨ Cast & Acting
🔹Kim So Hyun as Pyeonggang felt right from the first scene, strong yet tender.
🔹 Na In Woo portrays On Dal as a calm character who grows into his courage, showcasing strong chemistry.
🔹 Supporting cast: a well-balanced mix of allies and rivals that holds the drama together.

🎶OST
🔹 "I Become Love To You" by Zia
🔹 "Against The Wind" by Ahn Ye Eun
🔹 "Tears Of The Moon" by Kang Tae Kwan

🎞️ Production Style
🔹 Setting and mood: forest paths, rivers, and court halls that feel lived-in and authentic.
🔹 Costumes and sets: period armor and robes that are clearly visible on screen.
🔹 The rhythm is generally steady, but it slows down to a softer pace later in the run.

☕ Tea Notes
🔹 What worked well was that the characters felt authentic together, and she took the initiative in the story.
🔹 What didn't: I felt some repetition in the palace arc, and the pace slowed near the end for me
🔹 Would I rewatch? Yes

☕ SpillTheDramaTea's Rating: 8/10
🌿 Tea-Scale: A nice brew, I enjoyed it

✏️ As SpillTheDramaTea, I really loved getting cozy with a classic historical K-drama.

✨ In the mood for a brave princess and a kind-hearted hero who learns to stand up for himself?

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I could barely wait a second to review this drama! I started watching this while reading reaction posts on the feed, and I just had to know what would inspire those posts... now I do! I marathon-ed through this drama in 3 days, because I was that hooked from the very beginning. I love a drama that gives me a good dose of "the feels", and although I didn't cry at all (which is very unlike me), this drama took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions. There is nothing mellow about this melodrama. There are plenty of punches thrown, lots of ugly tears, overloads of jealousy, mistaken identity (of course), and an daebak star crossed love relationship. I guess I can officially say I am a melodrama fan, but only when it's done right, and "That Winter, The Wind Blows" does it right!

I loved all the cast, and characters. I loved that all of them were flawed in some way, and that even minor characters had depth, and were complicated. I especially loved the chemistry between Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo! From their very first scene together, I saw the spark of what would become my three day obsession. Jo In Sung's charm is undeniable, which makes him perfect as a womanizing conman, but he also has this incredible sweetness that makes viewers *swoon* (I know I did with every smirk). Song Hye Kyo seems to be typecast as irrationally stubborn and kinda conceited (qualities that make me want to punch her character in "Descendants of the Sun"), but in this role it makes complete sense, and makes her character seem strong, and not just a pitiful victim with a disability - and YAY lady Chaebol! Yeoung is smart, and often a step ahead, which I liked most about her. She also did a pretty good job convincing me she was blind. The normal melodramatic KDrama romance back and forth was much less frustrating than it usually is for me, because their romantic tension was seriously epic! I won't say why, because it's a large part of the story, but when two people with abandonment issues, who can't admit how they feel, start falling for each other, it's gonna cause epic tension. Sure, if you replaced the music with a horror soundtrack, the show could suddenly seem like a frightening tale about a guy seriously stalking a blind girl, but we all know stalking means saranghae in KDramaland. It also helps that they are quite easy on the eyes, and that she's tiny enough to carry (ok, maybe that could be creepy too).

There are too many great performances by minor characters to name them all, but I will name a few. Kim Bum is always great, and adorbs, so the fact that he's so good is no surprise. Jung Eun Ji grew on me, and I liked her spunk. Bae Jong Ok, as the secretary, was super chilling, and surprisingly empathetic. I don't necessarily like how her actions are dealt with in this drama, but that has nothing to do with her performance, which was great. Seo Hyo Rim's annoying face is perfectly cast as super cray cray. Her character is so unhinged, that it was borderline comedic, but she truly pulled the character off. And then there is Kim Tae Woo as Moo Cheol, who was my favorite kind of villain. He's the kind of villain who is not only empathetic, but I couldn't help but root for him a little, because he was so good at being bad. He also pulled off being bad@ss very well, considering the fact that he looks like asian Spock. I only lowered the score slightly for those extra over the top moments, but in this genre, that's acceptable.

I truly think the writer and director did an amazing job putting all the pieces together. Sometimes it was confusing keeping track of certain rivalries, so I lowered my story rating a little, but it eventually all became pretty clear. The writer & director are the same team that made "Padam Padam", another tragic love story with Kim Bum as an epic sidekick, and disappointing kiss scenes (Though TWTWB isn't nearly as bad with the kiss scenes). Both stories are sweet, intriguing, frustrating, heartbreaking, and inspiring. With this drama in particular, I loved the imaginative way they chose to show memories, and her blindness, which kept me guessing as a viewer without it feeling gimmicky. I was also very confused by the ending, at first, which could be interpreted as open-ended, but I think it was very beautifully done, and not as unresolved as others may think. I took a deep satisfying sigh after it was all done.

The music was great, and fit the story well, but the lyrics were so literal I think I actually laughed at a few of them. I still liked it, I just wouldn't add it to my KDrama OST playlist.

Would I watch it again? Definitely. The suspense made the episodes seem to fly by, and kept me watching waaaaaaay past my bedtime. It may lose some of that thrill on a second viewing, but the performances are worth watching again, and I may catch something in the plot I missed the first time.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this as a must see for fans of romance and melodrama. There is also some action, and suspense, with enough humor thrown in to stop it from being too depressing. You may want to have plenty of tissues handy, just in case. You also have to sometimes give in to "KDrama logic", but who watches melodramas for their realism?

TWTWB made me glad to be an only child - siblings have so many rules lol! It also made me think about forgiveness, holding grudges, and what really matters. In my search to find a show that could remind me I have feelings... mission accomplished! My favorite drama list just got a little longer too.

I know I will probably never be able to hear a tiny bell again without thinking about this show.

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This short web film was much better than what I was expecting! There is also a very interesting plot twist, which leaves you to wanting more of the story. Besides, the story was much different and unique than what Playlist Global comes up with. It has youthful theme with fantasy and romance.
At the beginning, you will find yourself getting confused but it all starts to make perfect sense and the story comes all together in the mid-way.

In terms of acting, the acting was done nicely by the actors. There's not much characters in the short film but the actors did really great with their given roles!

For music, it was pretty mellow and it complimented the scenes really well.

Therefore, this web film is pretty worth watching! I recommend it if you're looking for something short and heart-warming!

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Touch Your Love

Listen, Jiang ShaoPeng's love language is touch, and I respect him for that. My man got himself a boyfriend, and we found his innocent face was just a facade, cuz every second he was lifting his lover up, then it was kisses here, touches there, and ignoring that his parents are in the house. Homeboy was wild, and I loved him for it.

"I can't hear, but I can see how you say you love me." -- And they showed us how he saw that love, in this very beautiful 13 episodes drama. See You Love is one of the best dramas that released in 2024. Arguable, it's one of the best bls out there. The drama is about two lost souls, one spoiled rich kid with a kind heart, who found love and realised he was not useless or weak, and shouldn't live for the approval of others, and about a loving deaf boy who never thought he was enough because of his disability, but learned to love himself and accept his limitation did not define him.

This drama made me laugh, cry, and in some cases, annoyed the hell out of me. Let me explain.

I CRIED When:
= Jiang Shaopeng couldn't find a job, although he's been working so hard and was more than qualify. People suck.
= When Yang Zi Xiang was explaining to Shaopeng that he's useless and weak in his family's eyes, and basically saw himself as someone who was worthless. Baby looked so small, and that fake smile had me tearing.
= When we found out Zixiang slept in that closet. Poor boy.
= When Jiang Shaopeng broke down after his mother was hospitalised, admitting that because he was deaf he has to rely on others for help, care and sympathy. 'Haven't I tried hard enough, haven't I been patient enough' made me sob.
= When Jiang Shaopeng's hopelessness and sadness made him fight with Yang Zi Xiang. When Zi Xiang was yelling at him for pretending to be strong, I had to pause the drama for a bit and get myself together.
= When the next day, Yang Zi Xiang wrote him that letter/phone note but said he wasn't going to apologies for what he said during their fight, and that being strong did not mean that Jiang Shaopeng couldn't also be weak. And although he himself is weaker, he want Jiang Shaopeng to let himself be weak and show his vulnerability when they were together, cuz he'd be there for him.
= When we found out how Jiang Shaopeng's friend Shu He blamed him and his disability for what happened to her. Girl how does that make sense? Why was it his fault?
= When Jiang Shaopeng finally gave in, rushed to Yang Zi Xiang in the hospital, hugged and kissed him. I clapped and cried happy tears when they finally got together.
= When I saw Jiang Shaopeng finally working where he wanted too and being happy about it.
= When Jiang Shaopeng said Yang Zixiang was part of his family. That was as good as getting married.
= When Jiang Shaopeng put his hand on Yang Zi Xiang's throat/vocal cord to hear/feel him say his name over and over again, while they cried. That scene emotionally broke me.
= When Shaopeng said that 'If in the future I become a burden to you, just tell me you want to break up, no need for any reason.' I yelled at my screen like, 'Boy dafug you saying?' Was so glad Zixiang reassured him, cuz dude was out there talking nonsense and making me angry sad.
= When Yang Zixiang wanted to sacrificed himself for his love and cousin. That boy is so pure, I love him so much.
= When Zixiang slept in the closet/wardrobe again, but Shaopeng said it was okay and they had lots of time to work through his issue together.
= When I saw that ring on their ringers in the post credit scene. They're married y'all.

I LAUGHED When:
= Yang Zi Xiang thought Jiang Shaopeng was the perfect hire cuz he was deaf, but Shaopeng was not having it, quitting when he saw through Zixiang's bullsh!t. Lmao, the way he aggressively quit and refused to come back had me rolling.
= When the second leads, Wang Xinjia was trying to kidnap and kill Jonathan, but my man ended up in his bed instead, and proceeded to fail miserably, until he even moved in with them and started working for them. Lmao, you call that being an assassin? he sucked so bad, it was funny.
= When we found out how WILD Jiang Shaopeng was after the two got together. Dude had zero shame, was always ready for a kiss, and did not care his parents were home, and could hear them. My man was on, and I respect that. But like in the scene when Zixiang first visited Shaopeng's room and immediately started rolling on the bed, sniffing his pillow, boy was just asking to be eaten, so I don't blame Shaopeng for losing control.
= When Jiang Shaopeng got jealous of the cousin, and then tried to run and hide his face cuz he was embarrassed.
= During that shower scene I was swooning and going... awww he has to step on his feet, ooofff hot, the chemistry is chemistrying, but before that I was laughing cuz poor Zi Xiang was like, let me take a shower, and Shaopeng was like, sure... but that doesn't mean we have to stop what we are doing. Boy, Shaopeng's innocent face had me in the first half. WILD.
= Not laughing, but I coo and smile whenever I see the size different between our two leads. Shaopeng is so tall, and it's so cute whenever he sits on Zi Xiang's lap. They are soooo adorable!
= When Jiang Shaopeng's father tried to fight Zi Xiang after he found out they were dating but immediately broke his back. LOL, that dude was so cureless, he didn't get a hint that whole time??
= When Zixiang was trying to figure out what he should bring as a bride price for Shaopeng. I was like, nothing, that boy is so gone for you he'd marry you on the spot.
= When Shaopeng looked pissed off and annoyed for being kidnap. The way he was calmly writing back his answers.
= When Shaopeng's dad was like, 'nope, ain't telling those love boys to break up. But thank you for the second son, I can see you don't want yours, I'll take care of him.' Goated, and I loved it.
= When Xin Jia's drunk arse thought he was in control and sober. LMAO, the whole time he actually believed that lie.


I ROLLED my eyes in Annoyance when:
= Shaopeng's female friend started getting jealous and wanted to cause trouble. The audacity after what she did.
= The slow build of the second lead, or I guess they're going backwards build, cuz they did the deal and now they just sort of roommates? Like are they supposed to be a couple or not? I've waited so long and nothing is happening with them.
= That random fiancée showing up and trying to start sh!t. Why were the females in this show so annoying?
= When Shaopeng's female friend was warning Zixiang not to hurt him or else. That girl seriously have too much audacity.
= Whenever that cousin of Shaopeng showed up. He was unnecessary mean for no reason, literally what the hell did he want? Shaopeng didn't even want the business and dude was still planning to assassinate him.
- That Cousin. Waste of screen time.

Plot wise, the story wasn't something new, but the execution and the chemistry of the leads carried the show. The main focus was on the two leads, and I hoped the secondary characters could have been well developed and have more scenes, but with 30mins episodes, it wasn't possible to give everyone the screen-time they deserved, nonetheless, they got their point across. Personally, I enjoyed almost everything about this show. The main couple were amazing in their roles, Raiden Lin and Jin Yun had such an amazing chemistry, and played off each other very well. They were able to convey the emotions the plot needed for us audience to connect with the characters, which made me enjoy it more.

All in all, although it wasn't perfect, it was a great show with lots of emotions and laughter. I'll highly recommend this to all bl and drama lovers. This was among my top 3 most favourite dramas of 2024, so yeah, give it a watch you'd like it. I really hope to see Raiden and Jin Yun in a drama together again. I'm gonna rewatch this one a lot this year, cuz it simply stole my heart.

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As a fan of Zhang Han, it has already been written in the stars that I would watch the drama that launched his career. It really made me wonder why this unofficial Chinese adaptation of Hana Yori Dango had such a low score here and also negative comments in different blogs. As I watched every episode of the drama, it also made me wonder how it became an unofficial adaptation when it followed the basic elements of the original story. Although I completely agree with others when they said that this was more like an adaptation of Meteor Garden compared to Hana Yori Dango. So we can basically call this an adaptception (I hope you'd get what I was trying to say here ;). I have also long accepted the fact that I would definitely come to love any version of Hana Yori Dango because I'm just so in love with the story no matter how cliche it is already now. I can honestly say that the first few episodes were quite boring and ridiculous (in terms of acting maybe) and definitely different from all HYD adaptations.

However, one must be patient in watching in order to enjoy it fully. One major thing that made me love this drama was the chemistry of our main leads, Chu Yu Xun and Murong Yun Hai. No wonder Zhang Han and Zheng Shuang ended up dating in real life! In terms of acting, Zhang Han playing the Domyouji character really made my fangirl heart jump out of happiness. I believe he played it so well next to Jerry Yan's Dao Ming Si. I also can't believe that Zheng Shuang was just around 18 or maybe even younger when she acted in this drama and she was just really adorable and fierce at the same time. The only thing that I could complain about her was that she was just too pretty to play the Makino character but this is hardly even a complaint. I have always been a fan of Hanazawa Rui (both in MG and HYD) but the one here really disappointed me in terms of acting and looks (sorry for being shallow!) but he just grew on me as I continued watching. I also found the other F4 members really cute and they actually had decent storylines.

I gave the music section a perfect score because I really love the OSTs that I'm even listening to them now as I type this. My favorite ones are Love's Waltz, Let Me Sing A Song For You, I Want to Soar, etc and most of them were sang by the cast members! It was a chance for me to actually listen to their real voices as they were all dubbed in this drama.

I gave a low score to the rewatch value because I feel that it would be dragging to rewatch everything all over again. I would also be unfair and say that nothing can beat the rewatch value of Meteor Garden which is why I gave such a low score. My apologies for writing such a long review but it only means that I'm very passionate because I believe that more people should give this drama a chance. A bit of chance that would entail just enjoying the drama alone and forgetting the other adaptations even just for awhile!

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Definitely not something you'd expect in a regular drama!

Honestly my first reaction when I reads the synopsis for this drama was...….. WTF!!!!!??? Why? Because I've watched tons of drama and they've never been this direct and on the nose before. Especially one that is centered around high school kids. Other than that I really love the drama cause it realistically speaks on what any hs kid goes through/will go through. Having passed through this myself and looking back as adult I can laugh because even though some of the stuff are exaggerated for comedic purposes (like being able to see super long distance clearly when you quit masturbation for just a mere 5 days lol). I'm looking forward to this drama the acting is good. Storyline is interesting and the characters are fun. Definitely will recommend

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GREAT DRAMA

Who knew this drama was so good to watch, the main theme was Yellow River and huge flood during Qing dynasty that killed people and destroyed properties, but also the portrayal of political situation during KangXi dynasty. This drama is from actual historical background, many characters were real people, real tragedy, political concentration and challenges. A very casual acting for all actors, not strict to the Imperial rules and bend to have some funny scenes. I love Luo Jin here, he's very casual Emperor KangXi, very ambitious and smart, determined and focused, devoted to his people and country, understand the politic and his officials. He couldn't find solution with the river, he decided to recruit talented people by Scholar national examination for idea to manage the division of the Yellow River with no luck. By chance he met Chen Huang and was selected to work together with Jin Fu - the governor from a province that affected by the flood and experiencing first hand of the tragedy.

What's so great about this drama? None of the actors were beautiful or handsome, none childish, all were just ordinary looking people, minimum make up, realistic events with appropriate responses, nobody straining their face just to get expression out, no romance, no cringe. Acting was great, collaboration between actors were excellent, soundtrack was amazing, articulating literacy brilliantly. Probably, not the most flattering drama that would 'hit' the roof but nonetheless it's a great watch. KangXi as a young Emperor was way ahead of his time, developing Navy and introduced canons, trading with foreigners. I love it when he consulted monetary need to Grandmother which she apparently responsible with Treasury. Although there're mentioning Taiwan, like to reminded people that Taiwan ancestry belonged to China, it relates to the political situation between China-Taiwan continuous conflict since early on. Asides from that, KangXi proved to be ambitious as well as firmed to his vision of the country. Lots of corrupt officials, kissing ass officials to their superiors, bureaucracy, opposition. Some glory and victories, regret and sadness, hopelessness and failures, funny and snarky comments.

So much aggravation on my part for watching those officials who abused their power and corruption, last few episodes- an Emperor who made a wrong decision by insisting to stop building the dam and punished TianJi and Gov Jin when it finally revealed his appointed people for the wrong job and caused final flood disaster that killed (again) thousand people and properties. Looking at additional support actors (as refugees/citizen) as they claimed the people were hungry and resolved in cannibalism but none that I saw skinny enough to portray famine or starved to death situation. Look at them to be well fed.

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“If there’s a chance that I’ll be reborn, I’ll make sure I”ll be healthy in my next life and I will love you much more and much longer than I did in this life. Then I’ll be the one who’ll protect you.”
Finally got around to watching dramas again. Real life is so demanding sometimes, however I’m so pleased that I chose to continue and finish this drama. I had watched a few episodes while it was airing but like I said real life had gotten in my way and I wasn’t able to finish it till now. If you have read my reviews before, you know that I’m a huge melodrama fan, and though this isn’t strictly a melodrama..it had all the aspects I love about melodramatic dramas. I found myself crying in almost every episodes, and I love that. I love the fact that the writing in this drama actually made me care about the characters, all of them, and worry about what would happen in the end. I must say though, that I was a little worried about watching this drama in the first place. It seems I’m always a little cautious about drama with idols in them. I had never watched any other dramas where SNSD’s Sooyoung was the main female, so I was a little hesitant to say the least, since many of the SNSD girls have kind of disappointed me in their dramas.

Cellular Memory, the thought that maybe the organs donated by people may retain the memories and feelings of those who have passed, will be passed on to those who receive the transplant is a really interesting concept. I am no stranger to this, and have seen many movies, and read up on the subject. It is an interesting theory, and it depends on who you ask when they come to believe this. A drama set somewhat around this premise was something that really drew me to it. However, the drama is more about love, life, and death, and how donating can change a person’s life since it was stated in this drama that Korea has one of the lowest percentages of donors in the world. Though the drama starts with the nation of Cellular Memory and some hints of medical, we do stray away from those theories and medical related content for most of the drama, in my opinion. This drama leans way towards the romance aspect of its genre and there isn’t anything wrong with that. Romance between large age gaps, can sometimes be a complicated thing to film, and show especially since Sooyoung is a idol, but I thought they did it justice. They didn’t nee to me physical to show the love and emotions they had for each other, and it showed how they were connected on a much deeper level than just that, and I think it worked out so well for this drama.

I thought the acting in this drama was so good. I really appreciated the cast in this drama. They gave it their all, for the level they were up to acting wise, and I never thought to myself that they seemed awkward or out of place in the drama, which can happen from time to time in many dramas (even those that are good). Kam Woo Sung did a great job as the leading male, he was charming and he played the character well. I could see why someone would fall in love with him, his rustic charms came through perfectly in his portrayal of the character and he seemed realistic, and not fake and that could come from both his acting skills and the writing. Sooyoung surprised me a lot in this drama. I didn’t know how I would feel about her, but I think she fit the role perfectly. Is her acting mind-blowing, no, but she did the role justice and that’s all I can really ask of her for right now. She hasn’t been the MAIN in a drama that many times, and I think she did a great job for the character she was portraying. It was great to see Lee Jun Hyuk again, though he is second leading male and that makes me sad. I want him to be leading male so bad, because I think he is such a great actor and deserves it. I haven’t seen him in a drama where he was, so that kind of bothers me..not saying I have seen all his work..but from what I have seen he does a really good job and this drama is no exception. Though many people may not be on board with his actions, as a character, I think he had good intentions and he does actually care for Bom Yi..maybe not in a romantic way per-say but he does care for her. I thought he put on rather great emotional scene and he made me feel for him. I thought he fit perfectly in this role and I love seeing him in dramas. I may be a little bit of a fangirl..forgive me. I would love to talk more about the cast, however this review is getting a little long, but I thought the cast was amazing. They had some really talented actors and actresses in this drama that spans many ages and I enjoyed them all!

Overall I thought this drama was great. It really hit my heartstrings hard and tried to pull me apart. The OST and cinematography in this drama was beautiful and helped elevate the great writing and acting in this drama as well. The ending however, is up for debate on what actually happens. It is an open-ending and I know many people do not like that, however I do enjoy them. It is up to you to maybe put the pieces together and figure out what really happens in the end. However the answer is not set in stone, and many people like to point in a certain direction and say yes THIS IS what happened however, unless the write comes out and says “well this is actually what happened” I think its fair to say that you may interpret it however you want, just be aware that the ending may not satisfy everyone, though I was very much okay with it. I think this drama was beautiful and it had me in tears through most of it. If you enjoy romances, which this is such a sweet one, and melodrama (which are my life) I think you would most likely enjoy this drama. It may not be an outstanding melodramatic drama, no, but it gets the job done and I cant fault it for that because it did take me on a emotional journey and I will definitely remember it for that.

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