Reviews

Apple+ hit the trend with best intentions.

The reasons I had anticipations for this mini drama were:
1. It's Apple+
2. The amazing cast
3. The storyline

The fears I had:
1. It's a debut for Apple+
2. The drama is only 6 episodes
3. The director's debut in drama

And overcoming all my expectations as well as doubts, Dr. Brain has been able to present itself as a series of quality and it's an absolute treat, I want to aasure y'all that.

Dr. Brain (브레인) is adapted from the webtoon with the same title writhen by Artist Hong Jac Ga (홍자가).

Dr. Brain is basically a sci-fi plus investigative mystery thriller keeping Koh Se Won (Lee Sun Kyun) at the center of the story. He's a brain scientist who has been working on syncing two brains for a long to establish communication through memories. Born with peculiar brain characteristics he has had a horrible past yet manages to make family and do excellently well in his career. One day his world breaks apart as his family falls victim to terrific accidents in a short span of time, but being an emotional man, he rather invests even more time in his research. And oweing to his inventions he now start accessing memories of his wife as well as the people around her to get to the root of everything. He puts the best of his efforts to combine the fragmented memories together in order to draw a complete figure. And while doing all these, he gets to unveil the conspiracies and the biggest culprits who have made him miserable.

I must say, the plot development is absolutely wow in here. For a 6 episode mini-drama, it is very important that each and every part should impress the audience, which was successfully achieved by the drama. I personally wasn't much intrigued by the 1st episode (except the neuroscience research stuffs, since I am a post-grad guy in zoology) but the 2nd one got me awestruck, ngl. The suspense buildup throughout the series is indeed marvelous and the progression is well executed. The way everything unfolds bit by bit using the pieces memories from various different persons is really very intriguing as the story progresses. The revelations have been made at appropriate timings and the pacing of the entire show couldn't be more perfect.

I can't help but praise so much about the acting area of the drama. Not just that the drama has several master actors, also we saw their acting graphs rising to some other level than before. Ahhhhhhhh! The feelings of witnessing their plays is something unexplainable. Apart from Lee Sun Kyun at the top, we also have here: Park Hee Soon (Lee Kang Mu) as a private investigator, Lee Yoo Young (Jung Jae Yi) as Sewon's wife, Lee Jae Won (Hong Nam Il) as Sewon's colleague and Seo Ji Hye as Lieutenant Cho.

We also have amazing actors like Uhm Tae Goo and Kim Joo Hun as guest actors. Among other seemingly minor yet important characters are: Moon Seung Keun as Dr. Myung and Jo Bok Rae as Sergeant Park. I am particularly held back by Seung Keun ahjussi's acting in last 2 episodes. His pronunciations and dialogue delivery made my eyes to bawl out.

Kim Jee Woon PDnim is a very familiar face when it comes to Korean movies and he's proved his worth long back. However, Dr. Brain is his directorial debut in Kdramas and this is the fact that made me doubt about the results. But to my surprise and utter satisfaction, he has done so so so well that I can't help but applaud for him. If you see the storyline is almost like a movie's but still 6 hours is too long for making a movie. And he's successfully proved his experience despite that.

Cinematography is an aspect that's been taken care of very well. The camera movements as well as capture angles perfectly showcase the scenarios involving the puzzles put forth by the entanglement of various sets of memories inside Koh Se Won's brain, his interaction with multiple consciousnesses and his visions. The CGI is also very nice for the hallucinations, imaginations and dreams that Sewon was having as side effects. The sound production too is perfectly done to suit the moods and vibes of the drama.

Scripts involving brain and neuroscience is nothing new for Kdramas and moreover this is fiction. The theories of brain sync, put forth here doesn't make sense at all, at least for the year 2021 but the execution is so very good that it almost feels real, even to biologists like me, haha. I guess that's the magic of science fictions. Who knows these theories might become possible after a century or two.

Despite the mixed feelings, I honestly wanted the drama to do well. And for a matter of fact, my biggest fear was how the entire world is now immensely interested in investing in Kdramas. It's some sort of insecurity that I have developed recently which make me afraid about the originality of Kdramas, which is slowly becoming diluted by mediocre Netflix series. But Dr. Brain has come to my rescue as a beam of hope and I wish it continues to prosper and burn even brighter in the future.

Overally, Dr. Brain is thrilling, enraging, captivating and intriguing at the same time and in my opinion, it is a must watch. Please please please don't pass it down thinking it's apple+ debut in Korea. It's an amazing show as it is.

Leia Mais

Wake up in the midst of sobering contemporary everyday life issues of 3 women in their 30s and 1 man

With "Work Later, Drink Now", KDrama tackles a sensitive South Korean social issue. What starts as a cheerful, cool FeelGood series turns out to be serious business. Viewers are taken by the hand in a clever, light-hearted way, only to wake up suddenly in the midst of sobering contemporary topics, as we accompany the protagonists in their everyday life, work, family and friendship issues - here in particular: three unique young women in their 30s and one offbeat man.

The KDrama points at a topic in which South Korea (though small as it may seem) is once again at the forefront of the world: alcohol consumption. There is so much drinking (and eating, because it's so common) on this show that just watching it can make you dizzy and a little nauseous. To the western eye, that may be WAY too much over the limit. For the Korean eye, it might have to be be sooo much for the audience to even notice that it is/could be too much.

The focus of the story is on three girlfriends in their prime who are hard-drinking and happy to drink. With their personality, they may at first glance be a little off the norm, but then again they aren't. They are (from each other) fundamentally different in their professional situations, socialization and life plans. But it is precisely in this way that they also offer viewers all kinds a sophisticated projection while following each one of them in their everyday life and various challenges they face. The dialogues are razor-sharp, the entertainment high value, the episodes compact. There's also wit, humor and music. This mixture plus the pace are obviously just right to pick up the broad masses of +/- 20 to 40 year olds and to present a mirror of their own living environment in an easily digestible way. The second season will definitely come...




------------ SIDE NOTE: --- Alcohol consumption in South Korea ---
Per capita consumption of converted pure alcohol in South Korea is world class. And rising. The World Health Organization certifies South Korea to be the leading country in the consumption of high-proof spirits. Drinking has established itself outside of private life, especially professionally at company dinners after work. These team dinners often degenerate into a veritable drinking spree (practically prescribed professionally).

After beer, soju is the second most consumed alcoholic drink - a colorless distillate made from rice and added wheat, sweet potatoes or barley, which is on the one hand quite cheap in price and on the other hand, at around 20 percent, is somewhere between beer and high-proof spirits (schnapps, vodka, rum or whiskey ) is located. So it can be consumed in large quantities, especially in combination with beer - and the hangover the next morning is inevitable. South Korea's national drink, soju, is the world's best-selling 'liquor' with around 90 million cases sold each year. Yet, the beer market is also happy about South Korea, which, (in spite of its comparatively small country size) is currently one of the largest and most dynamically growing beer markets on the Asian continent.

What begins as party fun usually ends sadly. In the short term, it may be a hangover. But if you practice this form of alcohol consumption at a high level over a long period of time, the damage to your physical health is enormous in the medium to long term. There are studies that show that even among South Korean students (male), every third (!) drinks to the point of unconsciousness (!) for more than half the week. It doesn't get any better in professional life. And if you don't have a job, there's another reason to get drunk. This has inevitable consequences not only for people and their physical/mental health, but also for the health system. The country pays the price of an enormous pressure to perform taken granted in the context of its own turbo capitalism - with the health of its population and moneywise with billions, too .

Leia Mais

Its been awhile since I watched this drama. So I just write down what I remember. But then again, most of the time you only remember the important stuff. ^_^ I really liked the story because it isnt your usual love story and you cant really predict what's gonna happen next. (It surely isnt a comedy.)

Something special about this drama is certainly the scenery they used for some scences. Just Beautiful. (Next to other awards this drama got Best Picture Award). Some thing else that is special about this drama is the ending (which I loved). I am sure you cried while watching a movie before, not because you're actually sad but because it was so emotional. And when the movie ended so did your tears. Here, I cried because I was actually sad. That's how attached you get to the characters.



But dont let that keep you from watching it. It has a great male lead. good story that keeps you interested.

Leia Mais

Story: After reading the summary, you might think that this is just another cliche love story; and it is. There are many movies and TV shows that deal with romance with a supernatural element. It's been done before, many times, but this drama is much different from what you'd expect. I didn't expect much depth within the plot, but there was. There was so much emotion that as a person who never cries, I got a bit teary eyed at the ending. The first few episodes were great, I found it quite interesting to see Tak run around like that and trying to deal with what was happening. It gets a bit boring for an episode or 2 there, but then it picks right back up again and really starts to get serious as it's then starts to focus on the relationship between the two leads. This mini series shows not a light hearted romance, but a great love story with a good lesson learned, which I enjoyed to see. A bad ending usually ruins good shows for me, but there was none of that. I was completely satisfied with the ending, which can be hard to come by. It ended happily and there were no loose ends. To clear one thing up though, one other review said that the plot was confusing, but in my opinion, it was quite easy to follow along if you really pay attention. The show is more complex than it seems.

Acting/Cast: The acting done by the cast was better than I've seen in most dramas. To say it was good is an understatement, there was such genuine emotion in each scene and it all felt very real. L and Yoon So Hee did such a great job with their characters and their relationship. The only thing that actually bugged me was about Taks character. At first, I really wasn't into Tak. I wasn't sure how he could turn into a complete jerk, even through such stress. It did frustrate me, but it was nice to see an imperfect character get knocked back to his senses.

Music: I'm really not trying to overdo this review with more compliments than it deserves, but the OST in this mini series was so note worthy. The soundtrack was so great to listen to, and it fit the band and the vibe of the show very well. I especially liked the last song, One More Time, I felt that song was absolutely perfect to finish the drama off.

Re-watch Value: I don't re-watch dramas a lot, especially ones with complex stories. I'd rather re-watch shows where all you have to do is laugh and smile. As good as this was, I might just save it as a memory, I don't think I'll re-watch it all by myself. With a friend however, I can totally do that.

Overall: I wanted to give this drama a 9.5 for how I felt about it after just watching it, but after some thinking, I gave it a 9 for everything I said above. With the ratings and the other review, you might think on skipping this one, but I'm here to say that this is a mini series worth watching. It's a 4 hour long ride, so if you feel like it's not you're thing early on, give it a chance to prove itself.

Leia Mais

"Woman of Dignity became one of the highest rated Korean dramas in cable television history"

to be honest when I first read this title it didn't really affect me because I never believed that high ratings = great drama but since I love KHS I thought why not watch at least I'll enjoy KHS beauty & I'm happy I didn't miss this great drama I'll get into details with no spoilers at all so read it with no worries :)

What I liked about this drama:

1- It's not your typical drama in terms of story, acting or even characters. we have two female leads that are the main story in the drama with supporting characters that each have a story of their own just as fun as the main story with everything connected to each other I usually get bored of dramas that focus mainly on the female & male leads so this was such a fun drama for me.

2- It gets better with time, 20 Ep was a scary thing for me since usually the last episodes would get draggy but that wasn't the case with this drama thankfully, it gets better and it's just so fun that you won't be skipping anything.

3- I liked the light comedy that was added to the story mainly by Jung Sang Hoon, the humor was such a breath of fresh air in this somehow tense drama

I feel like if I write more I would end up with spoiler so that's it a small review about Woman of Dignity I hope you enjoyed reading it .

Leia Mais

"ITS NEVER TOO LATE TO START A GOOD DRAMA"

A Sweet Love Story A Must Watch for All CDRAMA Fan.
The Story is Good and Like any Other Office Romance but
Some plus point:
+ The chemistry between lead is Super-Duper on/off-screen (if you have seen the bts videos).
+ Bai Lu has always been my favorite.
+ First time to watch *Good-Looking LEO* and I'm Quite Impressed.
+ Kido and Riley Wang Are such EYE-CANDY.
+ Adorable Secondary Couple.
+ Supportive Friend like Xu Li (Xiao Yan) and Qiao Na.
+ Wealth.
+ All the actors have done a good job portraying the characters.
I don't watch many ongoing shows but couldn't resist this one
A DRAMA YOU WILL MISS AFTER ENDING It. T_T

Leia Mais

I was hesitating whether to write a review or not these past few days because of my feelings towards the ending, I decided to.

Where do I begin with this drama? this drama had me hooked since episode one, I fell in love instantly with the aesthetic of the whole world and costumes and not to mention Feng Tian Yi, he is one beautiful hypnotizing man, I wasn't expecting much starting it but then before I knew it I was going insane waiting for the next episodes to the point I watched a lot of them raw, I even made Youtube videos and gifs of them and I do not make those things so it's pretty apparent I fell in love with this drama.

Feng Tian Yi was definitely my favourite character and a reason to watch this, he has a fiery temper and attitude but a kind heart underneath who is willing to put everything at stake to protect who he loves, Zhang Ruo Yun's acting was the best in the drama, I was impressed and so drawn by his graceful yet fiery way of portraying Tian Yi. I could feel all of Tian Yi's emotions just from the look in his eyes. As for Fu Ling, I really liked her too, she was sincere, kind and stood up for herself and what she believed in and never liked to see someone put themselves at risk for her sake, as for her acting, I think it could have been better but it's fine. There is many characters in this you will hate, my god is there lol and a lot of the story could have been avoided had this imbecile characters stayed out of the way but a drama is a drama after all.

Music was really nice too, though the end theme forever has me going wth because it's kind of random lol but oh well it's catchy.

In short the story is basically about fated lovers and what they have to overcome in all of their lives, will history repeat itself? or will something worse happen? or something better? watch to find out ;)

I give this drama 10 because I truly loved it even if I am upset about the ending (the ending is heartbreaking bad, I love a good tragic end as much as the next masochist but this was just BAD) despite this, I was hooked for the past month on this, this is my favourite drama of 2016 and I don't see a drama topping it this year. If you love romance and fantasy and action this is for you, beware there is a lot of sadness in this drama too throughout, but the love story between them will have you smiling, honestly the drama is so visually stunning you would watch for that alone! The CGI also had me surprised considering how cringe worthy many drama CGI is but I think it was all good.

I'm going to miss this drama and Tian Yi and Fu Ling, I wish for a second season, if only :)

EDIT: while originally heartbroken over the horrific unjustified illogical ending, there is an alternative ending and it makes much sense and all is well :) it is happy and now I can breathe again lol. Make sure to skip episode 28 and watch episode 29 instead, episode 29 is the same as 28 but with the better ending instead.

Leia Mais

A MASTERPIECE FOREVER

If you are a c-drama lover Do Not Miss this series highly recommended it is simply a masterpiece the story of yanpoyue from an arrogant highlyselfconfident army boy who thinks that he is and has to be the best bcz he has to rely only on himself in his life and doesnt know the importance of his comrades to a mature soldier who eventually becomes down to earth understands the meaning of teamwork and learned to value his comrades the character development of yanpoyue is great
This drama has shown every aspect of a soldier's life with a great perfection and detail
This is package full of:- bromance courage,selfconfidence,teamwork, hardwork,passion,motivation and many more amazing life lessons are conveyed very well through this drama
Yang yang has given his 1000% for this drama the hardwork he has put in for his dream role is really commendable
All the actor and supporting actor did a fantastic job in giving justice to thier roles i got connected to every character of this drama
One of the best work of yang yang so far and the best military drama till date
This drama does'nt have and does'nt need any romance its bromance love respect care for the comrades is more than enough to make people connect and fall in love with this drama
This One is surely one of my Forever favourite

Leia Mais

Page turner, the drama that told the most wonderful story in only 3 episodes. So simple, so straighforward, so uncomplicated, and yet so compelling, so beautiful, and so deep!

STORY
The concept of this marvelous piece of drama, that was too small but will stay indelibly marked in our memories, is life dreams and aspirations. How important it is for us to follow our dreams no matter how stupid or unrealistic they may seem. How important it is to do what we want for us, and for nobody else, how significant it is for us to believe in ourselves even when everyone else is against us, how essential is for us to fight for them even when they seem completely unnatainable. A story about life decisions and choices, about growing up, about fighting our inner demons, overcoming obstacles, chasing dreams or giving them up, finding reasons to live and dream and ultimately how to understand and love ourselves. A perfect coming of age story that everyone should watch. The secondary concept of the show is to showcase different types of parent-children relationships, how they intefere with our dreams (and our life in general), and how we need to confront them.

The story is pretty straightforward, it centers on three teenagers. The story is set in a high school and the background is piano-playing. Embedded in the story we get to see each protagonist struggling with their demons and through their heartwarming story they learn how to face their fears, grow up, forgive, become better people. The drama, as expected, never gets dragged, it has a point and goes for it from the very beginning. It is funny, whithout being superficial, it manages to be emotional, without being melodramatic, and most importantly it is serious without getting boring. I seriously have no drawback to point out as this was simple and yet beautifully written and thought out.

ACTING
Kim So Hyun, never fails to impress and she was impeccable once again. She pulls of her character greatly, she is kinda bitchy with a quirky personality, yet she is loveable and a great leading character and actress.

Ji Soo was luscious to watch, so fun, yet so sentimental. A great performance.

Shin Jae Ha completes the wonderful leading trio with another exquisite performance. All 3 actors presented their unique and realistic characters perfectly.

The supporting cast was brilliant, namely Ye Ji Won and Hwang Yeon Hee played their respective roles amazingly, being moms, they felt very realistic. Congrats

RECOMMEND/REWATCH
This is one of those dramas which can be watched and appreciated by everyone. Definately worth watching, it is just 3 memorable and well spent hours here. Teenagers will get great life lessons, and as for the older kdrama fans, as did i, you will feel a warming deja-vu feeling of your school years, longing feelings about those times, the good, the bad and the ugly everything is presented here in the best way possible. Definately worth a watch, and certainly rewatch-worthy.

Leia Mais

This Drama was heavy, heavy, heavy. For a sageuk themed drama, with the glamour of a King and his followers... this had a fantastic story to tell.

Before checking this out, you, the viewer need the proper mindset before committing yourself into watching this drama (unless you are already into this kind of drama). Why? Because this is too far away from being romcom or light. There are witty scenes where you find the "funny" but not so much, because it would be obliterated in a second by the realism of the situation the characters are in. Watching this drama was heart racing, mind boggling and most of all tear jerking if you get to finish this in one go.

It was also frustrating being in the perspective of the king - because a person with so much wealth and power could be so helpless at the same time. *sigh*

My favorite character here was King Sejong - Han Seok Kyu's portrayal of him was so convincing that my heart was moved every time he does or say something. His decisions throughout the drama was really something, because it amounts to the lives that revolve around him, one mistake means the death of someone and one right thing could lead to the abundance of the entire nation. His role was really something and his acting was so deep into the character, I tend to forget that he was only acting about the agony of a king who cherished his people.

Then here comes the King's person: Kang Chae Yoon and So Yi.
These characters were portrayed by high fantastic artists - Jang Hyuk and Shin Se Kyung. Their roles were vital and important for the success of the king's plan and well... the ending was very dreary but there's that sense of fulfillment despite everything they have gone through. All in all their characters made this drama an unforgettable one.

The music isn't that catchy or is something that would stick to your head forever, but it does add to the drama. As for the re-watch value, I would not want to re-watch this lest I want to depress myself or stress myself all over again, but over all this drama is still dear to my heart. I loved this drama and would highly recommend it to those who love watching sageuks involving historical documentations.

Tree With Deep Roots - will move you, haunt you and make you change your outlook about your given language. Because this drama depicts history and the people who sacrificed a lot to make things possible.

Leia Mais

Okay, my review of this drama will only be about the BL part. I did not bother watching it for the other couples-(too many and some were annoying), so please keep in mind that it will only reflect some aspect of the drama. I'm sure that the other couples' stories were interesting (not to me), but I could not get into them at all. I tried and gave up and ended up just watching Pete and Kao's relationship.

Onto that part then. If you like BL dramas (I actually like any drama, but lately BLs have been taking over my life) then you will definitely like the way Pete and Kao's relationship evolves. It's the typical "I hate you to then I like you" story line, but it was nice to see. Pete's cockiness and his bad boy attitude wanted me to punch him at times, but he made it up with the way he would look at Kao, not realizing that he was falling for him. I also liked Kao's way of putting himself and his feelings first and making it clear to Pete that he could not play with him and his feelings. It was so refreshing to see a character that put their needs and feelings first in order to protect themselves.

Aside from that, I also liked the way the ex-girlfriend was not made into a villain in the end. She was a bit needed and manipulative, but she also had some moments were you could empathize with her and realize that people are not just bad, they can be good and they can also change for the better.

I still don't see how this series flows into Kiss me, because it seemed like here June was aware of Pete and Kao's attraction, but in Kiss me, he was totally clueless. We also didn't see much of Sandee who was the only person to know their relationship (what the hell happened to Sandee btw?) The fact that Pete's father found out, albeit though the evil scheme of the ex-girlfriend-was a good touch, because the boys had someone else on their side. I also believe that Kao's mother was hinting at her knowing they liked each other and it's nice to see parents support their children.

If you want to see the drama for just the BL, then you won't be disappointed (I suggest Lazysubber as she is the only one who has the BL parts in order and translated). If you want to see it for the other couples, then go head and watch it. This drama suffered from too many characters syndrome and I just couldn't commit to the other couples because they were not to my liking. Some of the pairings were super annoying from the bit that I watched and that's why I stopped following the whole thing.

Cons: MY GOD those long a&& commercial promos in the drama. Why were they always given to Pete and Kao? That soup company truly invested a lot of money into that drama. Pete and Kao spent on average two minutes just making that soup and slurping it--2 minutes we could have had of more character development.

Leia Mais

An impressively touching love story. Performed with passion. However, It´s makjang. Be prepared.

The biggest impetus for the KWave came from "Winter Sonata" - this KDrama is almost a blockbuster among KDramas. Its success was enormous. The series sparked its own fan tourism to filming locations on Nami Island, Geojie Island and Chuncheon that continues to this day. The soundtrack also wrote history. In the meantime there is an anime version of the story, a musical production as well as a manga and a Playtstation version...

The love story is told in an impressively touching way and performed with passion. In beautiful pictures and with plenty of dramatic twists. The chemistry between the two main actors is perfectly tuned. Bae Yong Joon even shines in two roles at the same time.

However. It is makjang! Twists and turns awaiting around each and every corner. Be prepared for sorrow. You might get angry more than once. The protagonist´s can get on your nerves. For sure. Don´t complain. I told you. It is truely astonishing that still (if you are ready to sympathize to some extent) you will ´enjoy´ the show. ... whereas ´joy´ might not exactly hit the spot... :-)

In case you are not aware (as I wasn´t at first):
Since the story begins in the youth of the main characters, you also get an impression of the Korean lifestyle and everyday life in the late 1980s and 1990s, with true ´democracy´ in South Korea still being in diapers and a conservative, strict, authoritarian aura dominating everyday life. When I saw the series for the first time, I didn´t know much about the political and social conditions. Plus from my German background those morals, values and virtues all seemed old fashioned and in my life rather outdated - it reminded me more of the world of the old black and white movies of the 1930s and 40s: hierarchies and manners, the decisions of the protagonists, the prevailing moral concepts, all of which I - today, far away in Germany - could only shake my head at. Now, as I have learned more about South Korean culture, I know better, where this is coming from... Sympathy and compassion are thus enhanced.

Leia Mais

needed to see more Nail Him (watch suggestions)

Overall: started off strong but there were a ton of pointless flashbacks/stretching the thin plot to 12 episodes. I'm going with NailHim because that's the best ship name ever :P I can see how people would rate this lower, but I enjoyed the black nail polish in ep 12, NSFW scenes, and some things were so bad they were entertaining. Aired 12 episodes about 35 minutes uncut on iQIYI. Later re-aired on Y. Entertainment's YouTube channel but they cut out NSFW scenes. Y.Entertainment also created Unforgotten Night. Note that towards the end of the original airing, several actors posted on social media about non/delayed payment and harassment.

Watch Suggestions
- watch eps 1-3
- episode 4 watch the beginning to 12 minutes and then 33-34:30 minutes
- episode 5 watch 30-32 minutes for the side couple kissing
- skip episode 6
- episode 7 stop at 8 minutes, then pick it back up at 28 minutes
- episode 8 start at 32 minutes with the mom (note major content warnings if you watch the first 8 minutes)
- episode 9 watch the beginning to 6 minutes, then 14:20 to the end
- episode 10 watch 10-24 minutes
- episode 11 skip from when the credits start to 25 minutes
- watch episode 12
(if this watch order makes zero sense, know that watching everything likely still won't make a ton of sense)

Content Warnings: suicide (beginning of ep 8), self harm, violence, parental abuse/slap, homophobia, manhandling, mental health struggles, harassment, fight, non con picture taking

What I Liked
- Nail was awesome (especially at the beginning), he was assertive, sassy, intelligent, flirty, honest, he knew what he wanted and went for it, he tried to give Him space to talk to him when he was comfortable
- Nail's accessories and black nail polish (ep 12)
- cute moments
- NSFW scenes were pretty well done (except for eyes open during kissing and a flash of underwear where they shouldn't have been any)
- Nail mentioned having mental health struggles, sought medical help and continued to got to doctor appointments (thankful we didn't have a 'love cures mental health' trope)
- Nail's supportive mom
- the girl squad
- the het couple
- (neutral) comedy sound effects

Room For Improvement
- the start was confusing (it was a flash forward)
- choppy editing, a ton of flashbacks (scenes jumped from one to another in non-logical sequences at times)
- the 2nd m/m couple due to not nice relationship games and the other character's clinging/harassment
- it was odd that a certain character was all lovey-dovey and then the next minute went scorched earth and then the next day he apologized, pick a lane dude
- continuity errors such as ever changing root length and a character who gets a tattoo but no tattoo is shown
- nonsense actions like Him asked Nail to go somewhere where his friends were and he knew they would ask questions
- slow pacing starting in episode 4, should have been 6-8 episodes instead of 12
- lack of consequences for absolutely awful and abusive parents
- the extremely long behind the scenes to pad episode length
- Te was obsessed and then suddenly did a 180, all was well and he instantly got a new love interest?
- resolving extremely important things off screen and characters just saying what happened
- teasing NSFW scenes in episode 11 but not showing anything

Leia Mais

Humorous & Witty

OK, I admit, I came to watch this drama because of XiaoZhan. After the drama Chenqing Ling (The Untamed), I started to search for dramas by Xiao Zhan, and this drama is one of them. (By the way, if you haven’t watched The Untamed yet, you might want to check it out.)

Initially, at episode 1, I almost gave it up because it started off as a modern-day drama, so I thought; I had expected a historical wuxia drama. But very quickly within the first episode, it moves into historical settings and I was totally hooked since then.

Accordingly, this drama is adapted from a novel whose popular author has also written many other works including Ever Night. I have not read this particular novel (Joy of Life), but I understand that it is a super long novel, and the drama adaptation is planning for a five-year 3-season run, and we are currently in season 1. Whether the following seasons would run into any unforeseeable issues is anybody’s guess (such as the change of actors etc).

In the actual novel, it is supposedly a time travel story. But because such stories (time travel) are banned in China film production (I don’t understand why China wants to stymie such creativity), the production team has cleverly adapted the story by cutting out the time travel part hence passing censorship.

I must say, unexpectedly, this drama is so good! The story is interesting. The dialogues are funny and unexpected. The play of words and homophones, puns and use of chenyu (idioms) are hilarious, and yet witty, deep, meaningful and cultured. Too bad many of these wonderful characters (Chinese words) are lost in the translation and non-Chinese native speakers may not find the dialogues as wonderful as the native speakers do. Seemingly a light-hearted drama, but when it comes to emotional moments, the director has successfully squeezed out a tear or two from me. The acting is immaculate! I love the relationship Fan Xian has with his siblings and with others whom he considers as friends; it’s deep and genuine. Unlike most actors who act in historical dramas, Zhang Ruoyun has a presence day physique making him a perfect Fan Xian as he is supposed to be a modern man; his etiquettes are simply hilarious and Zhang delivers 100%. The supporting cast is equally good, in particular Guo Qilin who plays Fan Xian’s little brother; he is adorable and amazing. I hope to see more of him. I love the opening and ending OSTs, with the ending song being sung by Xiao Zhan, another talented actor and singer.

33 episodes in, I still haven’t seen a whiff of Xiao Zhan. Nonetheless, this hasn’t reduced the enjoyment I have got out from this delightful drama. Xiao Zhan plays a supporting role and for marketing purposes, his name is being displayed or used prominently to attract attention. I can understand why the team is doing this (Xiao Zhan is currently the hottest Chinese actor in China), but I find it deceiving and I can't say I appreciate it. This drama should receive the attention it duly deserves if being marketed properly, because it is indeed a great drama.

Updates:

Finally Xiao Zhan appears at the end of episode 38. His screen time is so little that I haven't had enough time to make out of his character, and hence provide a correct assessment of his acting. Nonetheless, at the end of season 1 (episode 46), as expected, there are still tons of unsolved mysteries, new twists, plots within plots -- getting the viewers all hooked up for the next season.

If you are checking this drama out, do watch it. It’s amazingly wonderful. This is truly a wuxia story and the fighting choreography and qing gong are done beautifully. I can’t emphasize enough: it’s a MUST-WATCH!

Two thumbs up!!

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