Reviews

When "Youth C-drama" Director and Writer wake up and decide to do something differently good

CLOSE TO YOU (2025) | CN DRAMA
Cast: Liu Xiao Bei, Zhu Lin Yu
Rating: 8.5(Ignore the current 7.4 rating and make your own judgement)

Hear me out...

Yes, I know. I said very loudly and confidently that I wasn’t watching another high school drama again. I’ve seen enough of those rinse-and-repeat arcs, carbon copy characters, where the writers repeat after themselves “we are not trying to be Lighter and Princess (2022) but we low-key are” setup like Forever Love (2020) or When I fly Towards You(Yes I skipped WIFTY,the same way I skipped Lovely Runner) that’s a rant for another review.

Yet here I am. Again. Why? Because I belong to that very niche group of people who can commit to 24 episodes based on a single 1-minute clip floating on the cursed but irresistible streets of social media. I even left a comment on the post: “If this drama flops, I’ll be back kicking and screaming.” Spoiler: I did not kick or scream. In fact, I quietly binged the whole thing.

So what made Close to You different from every other coming-of-age drama we’ve seen?

For starters,it’s not set in high school. (Pause for applause.) The writers actually upped their game and placed the story in a private college. Now, I don't fully understand the Chinese education system,maybe this is the A-Levels equivalent? Who knows. All I know is: we left behind the tired old tracksuits and stressful university entrance exam trope that make you hate every parent in C-dramas and upgraded to blazers, sports festivals, swimming pools, and fancy tuition fees.

Jiang Cai College is the setting of an elite private school where students are handpicked from upper-class families. There are music clubs, sports teams, and yes, a basketball squad that serves as the beating heart of the story. Our ML, Jiang Bo Han, is the team captain. Tall. Calm. Respected. Leadership unlocked.

Enter Yu Ming Xi, our FL. She’s not rich. She didn’t get in because of her bank account, but because of Plot Reasons and a mysterious backstory linked to the school. She’s backed by a bubbly and ride-or-die bestie Wang Chu Nian (SFL),who got plenty of spark but let’s be honest she's mostly in this school for one reason: the basketball boys. And I don’t blame her. At all.
Together, these two form a surprisingly balanced pair in a school full of pressure, privilege, and plot-relevant bullies. It’s like they live in their own little pocket universe inside Jiang Cai’s perfectly landscaped gates.

Our Leads' first meeting? No fireworks. No dreamy background music. Just a street brawl and one girl who refuses to mind her business. She jumps in to help, standing at maybe 5’5” and ready to throw hands. And folks..that’s how Jiang Bo Han met Yu Ming Xi. From that moment on, his world does a full 180 and begins to orbit around her.
He becomes her protector, not that she needs one, because sis can defend herself just fine but he fills in the cracks she can’t always seal up alone. Especially when a certain villain (yes, we have those, obviously) starts stirring the pot.

One thing I really appreciated about this drama: the leads broke out of the usual mold. Jiang Bo Han is not your average rich boy who folds every time his parents show up. No. This one argues back, stands firm, and will absolutely defy his mother for the girl he loves. And Yu Ming Xi? She’s no helpless kitten. She fights, speaks up, and works her tiny frame to the bone to stay afloat.
The side characters? Surprisingly useful. They actually did what they were meant to do: support the main storyline without hijacking it. Even the villains served a purpose and didn’t just exist for chaos points.

And don’t be fooled by the private school aesthetic and ¥1200 blazer(which is a story on its own)—these kids aren’t just walking Hedge Funds spoiled brats. They carry pain, trauma, and secrets. Each of them is fighting their own painful past and as they stand at the messy intersection between adolescence and adulthood, they’re forced to make choices that hurt more than they should.
If I could describe Close to You with one analogy, it’s an onion. The more layers you peel, the more it hits you in the feels. You’ll cry a little, not because it’s sad all the time, but because of how deeply some of their emotions are buried under all that schoolwork and basketball practice. (Also, none of these kids are visiting the school counselor, and it shows.)

OST:
Let me talk about the music. Whew. Someone in production got a blank check and used it wisely. The soundtrack? A banger. I haven’t made a playlist for a drama since… ever. And I’ve watched over a hundred. But this one? Had me in a chokehold. RIP my replay button. I’ll drop the link somewhere below. You’re welcome.

What could’ve been better?

– Each episode is just 18 minutes, which is cute until you realize some scenes were clearly cut short. Like we blink and suddenly we’re in a whole different vibe with zero transition.
– That twist near the end? Blame the writer for giving us a slap that we didn't see coming and also blame me for believing youth equals peace.
– The time skip... kinda flopped. Characters looked the same. Their future selves were just vaguely mentioned in passing. Not a single grown-up makeover or career montage in sight.
– The final 10 minutes? Unhinged. Old characters randomly reappeared for no reason, and the “ending” felt more like a deleted scene they threw in last minute.

Final Thoughts:
I went in expecting fluff, maybe a height difference and a few cute moments from two lesser-known leads. I came out emotionally invested, unexpectedly teary-eyed, and with a whole playlist. This was more than just another youth drama. Think Always Home, sprinkle in Hierarchy, and season with a dash of Weak Hero Class 2 energy.
Highly recommended if you’re stuck in a drama slump, craving something new, or just in the mood for an emotional but sweet ride through growing pains, love, and a whole lotta basketball.

EDIT:
As promised,It took me a second to put the playlist together but here it is.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6iKhX935lp2UYb9RNLIWJ1?si=bNC28tq7TMGvy8GjISdK4w&pi=qFbEFqnaTp-N2

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"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." - That one Asian guy.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is as the title implies - a story about vengeance and making us sympathize with the motives behind said vengeance, and it does it very well.

It shows us that the world isn't black and white, and while we may not agree with how things turn out - we can understand why they ended up that way.

The emotion from the actors in this film is very raw, even to the point of being intoxicating - which is one of its main charms, I think.

The pacing was one of the weaker points of the film, as it took around an hour to really get things rolling. Sure the hour had a lot of build up, but it was really quite unnecessary at times.
It isn't a film you really want to re-watch straight away - more like you'll watch it once then maybe watch it again after a year or so.

Once it started, though... It was quite beautiful.

Anyway, delightful movie.

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Pleasantly surprised

So before watching this film I read some of the reviews on here as well as other websites and honestly they weren't that great. People complained about the bad acting and terrible writing, so with reason I was reluctant to give this a try, but I did. As I watched I kept waiting for the "bad acting" and "terrible writing" many reviewers claimed was an issue. In my opinion the writing was pretty solid and the acting was actually very good, lowkey better than some of the acting in the most popular BL's. Yes the acting is very over the top and exaggerated but that's how it's supposed to come across as this is apparently adapted from a Manga. Long story short I think this was a really cute BL. The story could've used a little more substance but it did fairly well. I think this is a prime example of how you should not allow reviews discourage you from giving a film or series a chance and experiencing it for yourself.

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Worst drama of the year

Honestly the drama started well, watching for first 5 ep was quite fun, but what a mess it became after wards, looks like the writers are high on weed. Those people justifying the drama because of ji soo, i have one word to say i also love jisoo but the way he is portrayed seems like he is always trying to bang her sis in law. And the female lead ye ji i cant understand in the first half she says that she loves jin but later she says that she was never loved jin, Honestly i have no problem in such type story but it should not portray as jin is the negative one. And another thing it gives a very wrong msg to the society that if you are handicapped your spouse will leave you.

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Very touching movie told in compact episodes (i.e. events seem to be left hanging and then you find out how you got to the next bit by the use of back story, so you have to just carry on watching even if it may seem confusing) so it's all very well pieced together into a tight organic whole. Interesting background issues with China's modernization, Tiananmen etc. If you don't like movies with sad parts this, this may not be for you. I don't either, but of course I didn't know how the movie would turn out. But it's worth persevering for the moving story of how a relationship develops and is sustained over a long period. Fine acting and directing. I give re-watch values based on whether it justifies re-watching, although I must admit I'm inclined to skip sad ones - life's sad enough as it is!

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The Flame's Daughter really had so much potential going for it. An AMAZING cast, good production team, potentially great story, etc; but overall it just fell pretty flat for me and didn't have that pull and attraction that others (namely TMOPB) of it's type were able to give.

STORY:
The story itself was a fairly basic one (with a few twists here and there). The young and innocent daughter of a powerful sect for various reasons has to take up the responsibility that goes with her birth right. There are people who think she's incapable or think they would be better. There are those who side with her and want to help her succeed. There's the Big Bad who is the root cause of most/all of the problems that the characters go through. As fairly basic as the story was, that wasn't really my problem with the drama. Maybe it was because I didn't super binge watch it (mostly because I couldn't get invested in it enough to watch it endlessly and partially because it wasn't fully subbed when I started watching), but I found myself just coasting through watching it half the time - not really paying attention to what was going on because I wasn't that interested.

A lot of it also was probably that I didn't necessarily feel like the main leads had great chemistry together (and I love both Dilraba and Vic) so I didn't get invested in the drama because I didn't particularly care for the main romance.Nothing in the drama was particularly mind blowing or exciting. There were a few "Oh wow" moments, which thankfully they had or it'd be even less interesting, but overall I just really didn't care for this drama all that much.

ACTING:
Dilraba Dilmurat - though she's actually a favorite of mine, I'm starting to really agree that she's really only good at playing that cute, young, innocent girl character. This drama was focused on Lie Ru Ge growing up and taking over the reins of Lie Huo sect, but her character never really seemed to change for me. There was never that moment that I was like "oh snap, here's Ru Ge." Especially for her being so heavily associated with fire, her personality definitely never really moved past that young, naive girl for me.

Vic Zhou - probably one of the highlights of the drama (and being one of his returns to acting) but even so, I had mixed feelings about his character at the beginning (though I'm not sure if it was an acting choice or if it was because of how his character was written, While his playful personality was a good contrast to Zhang Bin Bin's cold personality, it just felt like a weird choice for a character who was supposed to be part of the immortal sect (and who had previously been a part of the Dark River sect). Might have just been me though.

Zhang Bin Bin - I always think Zhang Bin Bin does a good job at playing the character he's given. That being said, the actual character of Zhan Feng was definitely pretty one note the whole drama. He was just the quiet, cold "hero" type.

Overall:

I really just had very "meh" feelings about this drama. The story wasn't exciting enough to keep me intrigued and the chemistry between the actors wasn't intense enough for me to really invest myself into the drama. I wouldn't call it a bad drama, but it's a very unmemorable one for me.

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STORY: This guy has always thought he was ugly and accepted himself this way. Then he falls in love with a guy and the situations lead them to start a relationship, but his insecurities keep him from being happy as he overthinks about everything. Typical BL format with a lot of communication issues between the couple. Good part is that they fix their problems right away and manage to get some good interactions. Their relationship is sweet and they do get a happy ending.
ACTING/CAST: They managed to make the characters seem as they should, although the supporting characters were really shallow.
MUSIC: Regular
REWATCH VALUE: 6/7
OVERALL: I liked it and the story was pretty consistent. It's a typical japanese BL and the ending is quite warming.

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Twinkle, Twinkle But Not A Gem..

The Story; Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol ( roughly translated to ‘ Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ from Romanised Korean), tells the story of an affluent girl who is a dreadful pianist, Goo Ra- ra ( Go Ara). When her life hits rock bottom, she ends up running again into the mysteriously hardworking Lee Jae- wook (Sunwoo Joon). Together with Jae- wook and her new friends, Ra- ra might just find the answer to getting her life back on her feet through the kindness of strangers and new love.

The Characters; The show offered an odd mix of characters both endearing and lacking characterisation. As our main protagonists go, Ra- Ra was mostly driven as a weeping heroine with little emotional depth. Considering Ra- Ra lost her mother, father and has gone through Hell and Back, there was so much potential for the scriptwriters to induce a level of pity or teaching her character about the realities of life. Instead, any hope for Ra- Ra to be a realistic female lead is thrown out the window in pace of her romance with Jun. Even small actions regarding Ra- Ra by the scriptwriters such as her mysterious multitude of outfits ( and not considering even in the beginning of the show to perhaps sell them to help pay for Jun), the expenses of her hospital fees and her seemingly remaining oblivious to the Doctor and Jun’s secrets, added little to her character. Moving on to our main lead, it’s fair to say that he was perhaps slightly more tolerable for audiences as he seemed to realistically carry emotional burdens upon his back as well as mysterious secrets. Sadly, rather than trying to allow Jun to face his own demons by spending time with Ra- Ra , the scriptwriters tried too hard to add obstacles within their relationship through the strange plot twist near the ending of the show. Whilst this did help for Ra- Ra and Jun to explore their relationship, it seemed just to point out that none of the characters in the show were truly grounded in reality.

Relationships between characters; Perhaps my one appraisal for the show is the Mother- Daughter bond between Jin Sook-kyeong ( Ye Ji- Won) and Jin Ha-yeong ( Shin Eun Woo) . For a show grounded in romance, there was a surprisingly familial turn upon learning that the seemingly daft and flirtatious hair stylist , Jin Sook- kyeong, got a surprising moment of characterisation through learning of her hardships and her actual affection as a single mother for her daughter. Similarly, it was equally sweet that Sook-kyeong, Ha- Yeong and Ra-Ra developed a strong bond between one another as the show progressed. I have a couple of complaints, however, about the need for Sook-kyeong and Ha- yeong to have romantic interests in the show. Whilst there’s obviously nothing wrong with either character having their own love interest, it seemed out of character at times when there could have been more focus upon the characters as individuals. For me, this was seen especially with Ha- yeong. Whilst the scriptwriters dropped the hints, the ending seemed to deny a lot of Ha- yeong’s potential to continue with a successful career.

On other notes, there were other signs of familial love within the show such as Jun and his mother ( Seo Yi Sook) and , the child prodigy, Jae- Min who develops a familial bond with our characters. On a romance level, the show was a bit of a mixed bag. Once Jun’s secrets were exposed it did put a bit of edge for viewers between their relationship, but, perhaps one of the things which didn’t entirely add up for us as viewers, was the revelation towards Ra- Ra not recognising Jun from the past. Whilst it’s natural her memory might’ve been a bit hazy, it seemed a little strange that she didn’t even mildly recognise Jun at the concert hall or at the wedding either. Naturally, there is of course the ‘ second Male lead syndrome’ of the tired Doctor Eun- Seon ( Kim Joo- Hun) . Whilst there were a couple of factors which made Eun- Seon a little more appropriate for Ra- Ra, Eun- Seon came across as a little too forceful of Ra- Ra’s privacy at times, something which struck a nerve with me. The other evident factor was that once Jun swooped in, his “ fanatic feelings” seemed to mysteriously disappear. Whilst the scriptwriters evidently didn’t want to spend hours upon Eun- Seon falling out of love, it was another case and point of bad characterisation that we didn’t get to see Eun- Seon’s reactions as a human being.

Acting; Go Ara struck me as an unusual choice to play a romantic female lead. Typically taking on more gritty or melodramatic styles such as Black and Haechi, it wasn’t that Ara was necessarily bad within playing Ra-Ra, and in fact, exposed herself as an actress by not being typecasted as the action heroine. ( An ironic reversal for most female actresses). On the other hand, to put it simply, , she just didn’t add anything new or illuminating to her role. (Admittedly, this was also the fault of the scriptwriters as well) Moving onto our Male lead, Lee Jae- Wook has really been rising to providence as a romance actor after his appraised role in Extraordinary You. Whilst I wasn’t a great fan of the show, Jae- Wook’s acting did peak my interests as a potentially good actor. It was clear to see that Jae- Wook put his heart and soul into the drama within his role as Jun, however, in a similar manner to Ara, Wook didn’t bring anything new or exciting to his take on the Male lead. (Perhaps a personal thought upon Jae- Wook is that whilst he took the role on within the popular genre of romance, he should explore outwards into different genres in order to explore his boundaries of acting).

OST/ Cinematography ; Whilst the show plays upon classical music and standard panel shots, there was a lot which could’ve been explored with the usage of music and cinematography hand in hand.

Plot thoughts; In all honesty, the actual plot of the drama isn’t terrible. What it certainly isn’t is overwhelmingly impactful, original or intriguing for audiences. The cliches have simply been seen and done before; the sanguine and dippy rich girl who learns life lessons, the hardworking Male lead , illnesses and hidden pasts as well. The biggest fault within playing upon these cliches is that the audiences rarely get to see the characters as human beings, rather than merely plot devices. As a consequence, whilst sugary sweet with a bittersweet ending, the drama was overly unrealistic and easily forgettable for the next Korean Romance Drama succeeding this one. .

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In a word, "Another Parting" was weird. A good type of weird, but still weird. In fact, that's pretty much the only way I can describe "Another Parting".
Story: I felt like this could have been longer- if there was more plot and back-story involved "Another Parting" could have definitely been a normal 16 episode drama. AP felt too short and choppy- there wasn't enough reasoning behind certain events and actions, and it felt like I was being jerked around. The overall effect was entertaining, but the whole thing gave me whiplash. The story itself was original and new, with surprising bits of comic relief thrown in.
Acting: No surprises as far as Seo In Guk was concerned- I already knew he could act. I've never seen Wang Ji Won before, but she had nice chemistry with him and carried her character well. The other characters had so little screen time they were practically nonexistent, so I don't think I need to comment there.
Music: Since this drama was less than an hour long, total, the music wasn't really a huge part of it. I can vaguely recall some ballads, but that's about all I can remember.
Rewatch Value: As of now, I don't really have much reason to, but I definitely do want to skim over it again in the future.
Overall: A bit strange and choppy, but still interesting enough. I'd recommend "Another Parting" if you have some spare time or really love the cast.

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The King: Eternal Monarch was everything I could ever hope for in a drama. *chef's kiss* A masterpiece. I wish I could rewatch it again for the first time

Honestly if I had to recommend a kdrama for someone who had never watched one before, this would be it. A high budget, well-casted, well-written, exciting show that keeps you on the edge of your seat eager for more. It’s too good, too good!!

The romance was top tier. I'm aware it's been a topic of controversialness, but for me - Jung Tae Eul x Lee Gon are one of my new favourite couples. Especially the scene at the end of Ep 11. Had me on the edge of my seat!! That scene >>> any boring love scene ever made

Their dynamic was just so fun. A post to summarize (courtesy of @lavenderbyun):


Tae Eul: take your clothes off

Lee Gon: *undoes 1 button*

Tae Eul: I DIDN’T SAY STRIP YOU IGNORANT SLUT


Lmaoooo, they give me life ♡

And Lee Gon! My man. We love (1) romantic, skilled, handsome science nerd. Someone who travels across time and space for his love, asdfghjkl; A king worth stanning.

One of the highlights in the beginning? When we're in the Kingdom of Corea and people were just shocked cause no one is allowed to touch the king but he lets Tae Eul touch him HAHAHAHA

Considering his well-known 'I don’t like being touched by people', he is certainly shouting out loud here to everybody around him 'I'm crazy about this woman and I just want to touch her all the time!!!!'

I loved all the characters in this drama. Especially Jo Young & Eun Sup, their scenes were always a highlight. Woo Do Hwan has the range, give him all the awards

And his bromance with Lee Gon!! Love them sm

I will admit my brain started to hurt with all that time travel, multiple universes and that place where time doesn't flow. It is a lot to get your head around but just don't think about it too hard is my advice lol

Otherwise, this drama deserves all the praise. I could rave about it forever, please give it a shot!

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This is the worst they ruined a masterpiece

I would like to express my deep disappointment regarding the recent adaptation, which, in my opinion, does not reflect the essence of Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (ORV) at all. With all due respect to the cast whom I genuinely admire my frustration lies not with their performances, but with the way the adaptation has significantly altered the source material.
ORV is a beloved masterpiece, cherished by many readers, myself included. I first encountered this novel during my first year of high school, and now, as a college student, it continues to hold a special place in my heart. To see such a treasured story transformed beyond recognition is truly disheartening.
The extensive changes made in the adaptation stray so far from the original plot and characterizations that it no longer feels like ORV in any meaningful sense. It would have been more appropriate to present this project as a separate, original story rather than labeling it an adaptation of ORV. Calling it such does a disservice to the original work and its devoted fanbase. Watching the trailer left me feeling disillusioned and upset. This adaptation lacks the heart and integrity of the novel we came to love. I sincerely hope that future productions will treat the source material with the respect and authenticity it deserves.

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Hmmm.....I'm kind of disappointed with the movie and I liked it at the same time. Disappointed because I was very confused about the whole plot of the story. What were they trying to say? The whole story is supposed to be about how four best friends try to find their way of life after they graduate college but somehow they didn't really portray enough events to really make you understand what was going. It was kind of confusing too. I expected more since they said it was the korean version of Sex in the City. Although I was disappointed, I still very much liked the characters and how the actors and actresses played them. I envy the girls in the movie. It's nice to have someone there to talk to and share each others pain like what true best friends do. I still really expected more from the movie...

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I wasn’t initially interested in watching this due to my bad experience with “The World that They Live In” (dropped it after 4 episodes) but because I had liked a lot of the dramas On Air’s writer has done (Secret Garden, City Hall, Lovers) I added this to my list although, it wasn’t on my “got to watch anytime” soon list. Then, I started getting more familiar with Lee Bum Soo and wanted to see all his past dramas…

Story- Unexpectedly fascinating! Really the plot isn’t anything flashy but I still found myself glued to the screen from episode 1. The writer did such a great job of showing what it takes for a drama to be made in a way that is informative but not boring whatsoever. I will say the romance in this was quite weak. A lot of the good stuff only happens in the last 2 episodes. And even then the romance between LBS & Kim Ha Neul’s character was kind of disappointing. I mean there was no confession scene and its not definite whether they are a couple at the end. I did like that the loveliness were quite clear and everyone ended up with the right partner. The ending was satisfying.

Cast/Acting- It was perfect. The 4 main actors are veterans so I cant really say anything bad. They all had good chemistry with each other. Like the two female characters hate each other in the beginning so they made you believe they really hated each other. I liked the supporting cast they really added something to the show. I will say that the two main female characters are kind of unlikable at times but you’ll get used to it.

Music- I actually liked a lot of the songs enough to put them on my ipod to listen to every now and then.

Rewatch- I’ll watch this again but not for a few years just because it wasn’t heavy on the romance.

Overall, if you liked the writers past dramas or are a fan of any of the main actors I would definitely recommend On Air.

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An Academy Award deserving series!

This is the 4th Chinese drama that I’ve watched but it is by far the best. The professionalism and chemistry of all of the actors is hard to beat. Coming from the US, being a writer of fiction myself, I love the amazing character development. The directors and producers absolutely did a fantastic job with casting. I’m one of the few fans out there that do not view WYB and XZ or their characters as a couple though I understand that’s what the novel said. Instead, theirs is a brotherhood and bond rarely seen nowadays and brings memories of the 1940s and comrades in war (and I mean that for both the actors and their characters). The younger generations today aren’t used to this. I do wish there was better continuation within the series as many scenes were a bit out of whack. Thank you for a wonderful series Tencent that I can’t stop rewatching since mid-December! This series deserves an Oscar because it rivals many shows on TV from many countries especially here in the US. I can’t wait for Oath of Love, Legend of Fei, Doulou Continent, and every other production these young and talented young men will do. A million times thank you!

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