Reviews

It's not THAT great

Why The Prisoner of Beauty Isn’t as Great as It’s Hyped to Be

Uneven pacing. The show drags in the middle with too many filler scenes, especially those involving the generals and unnecessary political talk. It slows down the story’s momentum.

Wasted potential. The premise is interesting: beauty, power, and deception but it never fully commits to exploring those themes deeply or cleverly.

Predictable script. You can almost guess what’s going to happen next. Twists feel forced rather than earned, and some character decisions don’t make sense.

Unbalanced screen time. The supporting characters, especially the villains, could’ve been more developed. Instead, too much focus goes to less important subplots.

Weak romantic chemistry. The main couple’s connection feels surface-level. There’s no real spark or tension that keeps viewers rooting for them.

Inconsistent tone. It can’t seem to decide if it wants to be a political thriller, a romance, or a melodrama. The constant shifting weakens the emotional impact.

Lack of emotional payoff. Major scenes that should hit hard just… don’t. They’re either rushed or underwhelmingly executed.

Flat dialogue. The lines often sound generic or repetitive, without the depth or sharpness to make moments memorable.

Too polished, not enough grit. The cinematography is nice, but everything feels too staged and “clean,” making the story feel less real or immersive.

Low rewatch value. Once you know how it ends, there’s little reason to revisit it: no hidden layers, foreshadowing, or emotional depth to discover the second time around.

Underutilized cast. Some strong actors don’t get enough to do, while weaker performances get more screen time than they should.

Unclear motivations. Especially among the antagonists you’re left wondering why they’re doing what they’re doing. The lack of depth makes them forgettable.

Missed dramatic tension. Key conflicts resolve too easily or are skipped over entirely, leaving viewers unsatisfied.

Overuse of flashbacks. Instead of deepening the story, they start to feel like lazy storytelling tools.

Emotionally distant storytelling. It’s hard to truly care about the characters because the writing keeps viewers at arm’s length.

Leia Mais

A werid but unique experience

_____Story_____
Pros: The plot was unique, and so were the characters. The portrayal of people's internal conflicts astounded me. Ae Jin was so helpless at school that she pretended to be someone other than herself most of the time. She found pleasure in her second identity that she couldn't find in herself. The plot moved quickly, and the way things were revealed was intriguing.
Cons: The beginning was a lot of fun, but by the time we got to the middle, the drama had sunk. I won't say why because doing so would be a spoiler.
I really liked the idea that this drama was attempting to convey.

______Acting_____
Shim Dal Gi (Koo Ae Jin) and Choi Bo Min performed admirably (Kim Ho In). Dal Gi's performance as Ae Jin was superb, and Bo Min was successful in giving Ho In a psycho yet attractive vibe. He made a favourable first impression on me, and I was encouraged to watch his other dramas. The one flaw in Dal Gi's acting was that she exaggerated her performance. But, at times, I felt it was necessary because she was behaving like a mentally ill person.

_____Rewatch Value_____
The main reason why the rewatch value for this drama is high is because of the amount of episodes and its duration.

______Overall______
Shadow Beauty is neither a good nor a bad web series on the whole. This drama has its own set of weak and strong points. Some may enjoy it, while others may not. It all depends on how you look at it. Personally, I enjoyed it. I won't say it's a must-watch, but it's definitely worth watching, and I recommend it to everyone who reads this.

Leia Mais

I loved this drama. I find it so sad and telling that so many people didn't. I'm sorry that it's so hard to follow for some people. Perhaps it shows the dismal literary education given in public schools nowadays...
As another person said, this tale is reminiscent of the Bronte sisters - as of course the writers throw in viewers' faces through out LOL I wonder how many of those watching EVER read Wuthering Heights?
At any rate, those pretending our heroine didn't grow weren't paying attention. She was misled from the very beginning about the characters of both these men, which led to her making the original choices she did. Her original self never questioned her perception of reality, dying without truly understanding either man.
I have to interject here that I think the 1980s version of our detective, despite what we find out in the last episode, was basically a good, decent man who would have been horrified by his reincarnated self's actions. In fact, when that prosecutor decides to redeem himself, I think it's because he did get his memories of his previous incarnation back. I had been totally in sympathy with our 1980s detective, but when he reappeared as that self-righteous prosecutor, so willing to bend the rules and manufacture evidence just because HE had decided someone was guilty? Oh, no. Hated him and even wondered if HE was the reincarnation of the supposed serial killer.
Speaking of that tortured soul of a '2nd lead' ? Well, HE had been led around by the nose by that father of his! I'd been convinced that he'd hallucinated his father, at first - that he'd killed his abusive father & then developed 2 personalities. I kept that idea for at least a third of the drama because the writers did a very good job of leading us down that rabbit hole! Another red herring - at first it seemed as if our heroine had gotten the heart OF that 'murderer'.
Now, our leading lady is not as quick to judge as her previous self. She does think about things more thoroughly, without accepting everything at face value. She lets herself get drawn in by our prosecutor, but she hasn't a clue about his real character in the present. With our reincarnated 'murderer', however, she does gradually find out what he's like - she's drawn to him because she feels pain & pity every time she sees him.
Those people whining about 'stalker stalker' - BOTH these guys 'stalked' this woman, you know. Also, it was out of fear for her safety, not out of some 'stalker perversion'. But some people simply fail to see nuances at all.
Bottom line, the entire drama shows how the main female lead slowly figures out the TRUE characters of both these men, and also which one cares deepest for her, and also which one SHE truly cares most for! I found this journey to be somewhat hard to follow at times, and some questions remain unanswered (our detective from the 1980s didn't die from being knifed - those guys in black suits came & dragged him off somewhere, & bashed his head in with a rock - this NEVER gets addressed properly). Also the whole 'switching of the artificial insemination donor' is just brushed off a bit too easily.
However, I did indeed like the ending - found it satisfying. Our reincarnated heroine put her past behind her, knowing that she'd not been fully informed in that life, and faced the future with the man who truly loved her enough to die for her (while giving her to his rival). That's just soul-fulfilling.

Leia Mais

A Brilliantly Written Republican Drama on Financial Warfare at Macau During WWII

THE PREMISE

The story set in Macau during WWII spesifically after the Pearl Harbour bombing on how our male lead: He Xian, on his efforts in saving the economy of Macau from collapsing. What made this drama different from other Republican dramas are due to its focus on the financial and economy side of war in the battle of getting resources, maintaining value of currency and also exchange of intelligence at Macau at that time.

And what made Macau such an interesting place? This is because Macau is an 'isolated island' that are not occupaid by Japanese Imperialism. Thus it maintain a free market and law and due to its 'free' statue, lots of Chinese refugees find refuge on this Island during the war which made the Island's population tripled at that time.

UNITED FRONT

Another reasons on what made the drama so interesting due to how openly the people there practice their political ideologies. Usually, in Republican dramas, most people are so secretive whether they are Communist or Nationalist but here, they are very open even in front of Japan army and they can even openly conduct events to collect donation for war funds. This is because Macau is a 'free' nation under the Portuguese during that time which allowed this kind of free dynamics that are so different than rest of China at that time.

I think what makes me appreciate this drama the most is that it's not the usual Communist VS Nationalist political ideology but simply a united Chinese people fighting oppression by the Japanese Imperial Army. Mostly all of the war resources they get in this drama are given to the nationalist front army that fought the war at that time. No prejudice, no shade and no propaganda to show who is right and who is wrong.

HISTORICAL ACCURACY

The historical accuracy that the production team wanted to potray in this drama is simply amazing. They constructed 20 old buildings for the shooting of this drama. The writer also went to Macau 20 times in order to study the events that happened during that time and also interviewed the remaining descendants of He Xian which is our male protagonist in this drama. Since this drama based on his life and how he saved Macau at that time, the writer ensures that he properly wrote his life story during this period accurately to preserve his legacy and contribution he did that earned him the title of 'King of Macau' by the people there.

THE ACTING

This is the first time Ren Jialun is acting in this kind of role. He usually playing the cool, aloof and restrained characters but here he is just a banker and a normal citizen getting caught in war and fighting to survive with his family. And he gave He Xian such layers and emotional depth and narrative that we truly see him as He Xian instead of Ren Jialun the actor. The way he actually trembles when gun are pointed towards his head, how you can actually see fears in his eyes on many critical situations to how his whole body trembling with fatigue after carrying 1 whole boat of grain are simply amazing. He embodied the character to the fullest -- he made He Xian so human, yet so extraordinary at the same time. Then we have Lan Ying Ying as Yin Wan. She is playing the same resilient and strong woman role as she did in This Thriving Land and she did it so well. So can see the strength in her resolution and how she is so calm and steadfast even in difficult situations. She made Yin Wan such an intelligent character and it's so easy to root for her. Then we have Li Chun as the sweet and lovely Qi Wen. So so beautiful despite all the tears that she shed and she has this silent strength in her that is so admirable. She play the passionate wife so delicately that you can see her love for her husband in everything that she does - - standing beside him unwavering no matter how impossible are the situations. She is a scene stealer everytime she appears on screen. I love how the writer made her so lovely despite having her own mind.

THE CONFLICTS & COMPLEX CHARACTERS

I truly love the conflicts! It is just so nerve wrecking as the stakes are always so high and very realistic based on real life situations. I love how all characters even the Japanese are written with nuance as they all felt very human and complex. Everyone has their own troubles, goals, and objectives. He Xian has his own worries that he faced with ensuring the survival of his family to staying true to his principles to the later part in the drama where he is trying to save the economy of Macau from collapsing. Then we have the brotherhood gang with their own goal to capture their traitors and He Xian seemed to unintentionally assist the said traitor. Then the officer who took bribes and was caught and his own way of seeking justice. Then we have the espionage side of the whole political sides of the Chinese people. Then add to the mixed of the neutral Portuguese government who in charge of Macau. And this didn't include the Japanese who is the biggest enemy of them all. This drama covers the depiction of lives of people during the war from the elite, merchant, authority, police, spy, resistance army and normal citizen.

THE AMAZING WRITING FULL OF SILVER LININGS

I love how everything just seamlessly woven together between all these parties. The drama opens with He Xian applying for banking license at Macau and how his lives intertwined with all these people later. I like how the drama established from the first episode how brilliant is He Xian with the forex exchange scene since we need to know that and understand why he is able to open his own bank despite his unprevileged background. And I feel bad for him regarding the US dollar plot since it did paint him in bad light especially among his peers. Then add the destruction of his bank which makes him penniless at the end with 4 mouths to feed. So many thing happened yet there are silver lining in all these conflicts since he touched people everywhere with his kind and good hearts. And the scene where the boat dweller people comes and saved them, how awesome is that scene? This is usually a very good indication of well written dramas where the writer mixed happiness and tragedy equally that made watching experience highly satisfying.

I like how they show us the brutality of war and how it affect different people. Like how the British people used prisoners to do really dangerous stuffs or how they just left Hong Kong to fend on its own after the bombing. Or how the banking people cope with the Japanese takeover of Hong Kong and their failure in destroying all the notes and it ended up with Japanese getting 100 millions of cash for free just like that. To how useless is the Portugal government when they supposed to be neutral. Then add the foreign businessman that only interested to get more profit in the war.

I also like how the women are written here. The main characters are still men but despite that, they are not written as simply in support roles but active roles. Whether it's the female lead; Yin Wan and her help in getting funds for the war to He Xian's wife; Qi Wen which is written as more than simply his backbone. Her worries, her attempt to ask him not to go for the last day to hand over the last deposits, to asking him to help her in preparing to move to Macau made her simply human with her own thoughts despite her lovely and supportive nature as a wife. And how she has her own money, knowing how to manage the difficult situations and how she is ready to defend her husband even in front of hooligans -- and most of all, her trust in him has never weaver even at the the lowest point of their lives. It made sense why He Xian can affort to be 'reckless' sometimes since he has a really reliable wife to support him physically and emotionally.

And everytime I thought He Xian can't go anymore low (like how his son got sick due to malnourishment), then the drama gave us another scene that makes us question the brutality of war and how it affect normal people. When Mr. Ma comes to his house and see what his family prepared for New Year dinner, I swear my heart sank with him. 😢 He must feel very guilty how the small favour he asked from He Xian makes him hits rock bottom like that.

Then the scene where He Xian broke down in front of all his friends and family, I think many of us didn't realized how horrible the things he had to go through that day. Having to go through mass grave to find Xiao Yu, the girl who saved his entire family and later run away from his house due to his inability to provide for her and her mother is some crazy stuff you can't get over with. That kind of rock bottom place you reached in your life that basically kill all your desire to live. And that's whats war did to normal people.

I love how everytime they show rock bottom scenes like this, the writer never fail to write silver linings to the whole tragedy and make the drama so uplifting and full of hope at the same time. Amazing amazing writing.

THE ROMANCE

I love He Xian little family. ❤️ I love how He Xian always tell his wife everything - - or even when he wants to make any business decision that will effect the family, he always tell her as well and ask her permissions.

In one of the episodes, you can know how Qi Wen was worried to death for He Xian. She always had her eyes on him before he leaves then when he comes back, she just burst to tears with how relief she is.

Usually in Republican dramas, husband and wife always have kind of distant relationship but I love how the writer portrayed He Xian and Qi Wen as such affectionate couple. They always holds hand, they always hold each other's hands lol, reassuring each other and despite having 2 small kids, they still seemed like a newly married couple when they are alone together.

And even when they are with friends eating together at different table, He Xian will look at Qi Wen and smile at her. I just love all this tender and soft gestures they always reserve for each other. Their relationship makes the turbulence time they are facing at that time seemed bearable.

CONCLUSION

Everything about the drama has been amazing so far especially the acting, writing and directing. Don't miss this gem of a drama if you want to watch soemthing truly well written that made you gain knowledge whether in history or finance while watching this.

Leia Mais

So you have heard this show is good, but you are wondering whether a 12 episode show about a famous chef will be interesting for you. However, this show is about so much more than just cooking and is definitely one of the best Japanese drama’s out there. I’ll explain why in this spoiler free review :) .

Story: The show is based on the true story of Akiyama, a young man who shows little potential to be successful in life, but will somehow become the emperor’s chef someday. The story is the main strong point of this drama. The story is not about ‘just cooking’, but focuses on Akiyama and his family and friends who have to overcome various obstacles. It is hard to explain why the story is interesting without spoiling, but let's just say the story is more about pursuing a dream/ family problems/love/etc and not about 'kitchen trouble'.
It is made clear from the beginning that Akiyama will be the emperor’s chef, so the question is not whether he will succeed, but how. Akiyama must make a lot of sacrifices to pursue his dream and that’s where the drama aspect comes in. The story is about how we need the help of other’s to be successful, but simultaneously can be slowed down by getting too attached to these same people. This forces Akiyama to make hard and dramatic decisions.
Akiyama is a bit selfish, doesn’t mind bending some rules and has a quick temper, which makes his character very interesting. There are various side-characters, who all have their own problems, ambitions and agenda. The screen time is well divided and they all get their moments to shine, which will make you care about their fates as well.
Moreover, the story is well divided over the twelve episodes. Some might think that the first episode is slow, but after that the story makes progress every episode. Around episode 3 / 4 I was already hooked. The ending is also well written and is likely to have a lasting impact. The show is sometimes funny, often dramatic and continuously inspiring.

What makes this show truly great, is that the good story is combined with flawless acting. Takeru Sato shines as his role and deserves all the recognition he got for this part. As time progresses Akiyama’s personality matures. Sato aptly portrays all the different Akiyama’s through changes in posture / voice / expression very naturally so you will hardly notice it. Moreover, he is able to play both the funny and the dramatic scenes very well.
Kuroki Haru does a great job as Toshiko with the use of some subtle but great acting. She has great chemistry with Takeru. Suzuki Ryohei was the biggest surprise for me. In this show he proves he can also play a different role than the usual brute type he plays. He played his emotional older brother role very well. Hopefully this will make him play more varied roles in the future. Most of the secondary characters are portrayed quite well by the actors, who are able to give their characters personality with only limited screen time (BANZAI!).Furthermore, I really liked the acting of the French girl and the old shop owner. Besides the French girl, there are various foreign actors in this show, but I was not very impressed by their acting. Two secondary characters even annoyed me with their poor acting skills. But it was probably hard to find good acting for the various smaller foreign roles. They were not in many episodes, so it didn’t bother me that much. The main cast (that also includes a foreign actor)did a great job.

The music was quite good. There were nice sound effects, and some good tunes. They complemented the show nicely.
Rewatch value: I do not usually rewatch shows, but I will probably rewatch this one someday if I crave for some good story telling.

I normally do not give 10’s (other than 1 Litre of Tears), but this show has a brilliant story, combined with great acting. Besides some very small complaints, this show was just perfect. This will remain the one of the best Japanese shows for a very long time. Give this show a chance, you will not regret it. BANZAI!

Leia Mais

A cut above.

This is a wonderfully produced drama that deserves a lot more attention. It is a riveting tale of sibling rivalry that spans a time of rapid change and turbulence in modern Chinese history. Jiang Mosheng and Lu Yuanzhi are both adopted and apprenticed by Master Su Jingan of Sancai (Triple Cut) House, couturier of the Qing Imperial Court. Sancai House routinely outshines other rival houses in the workmanship, symbolism and design of the intricate ornamentation of the Dowager Empress' court robes, allegedly due to their seamless stitch, a tradecraft that is passed down from one generation to another. Master Su's most bitter rival is his former fellow apprentice, Master Bai Henian of Sihe House.

Jiang Mosheng is the older, steady, responsible brother and heir apparent, whose great talent is meaningfully enhanced by his passion and dedication. Lu Yuanzhi is the hot headed, audacious and visionary brother; a rare talent whose brilliance is nothing short of genius. His recklessness however lands him in serious trouble. To save him, Mosheng cuts ties with Sancai House, defects to Sihe House and accepts Master Bai as his foster father. This sets the brothers down a complicated path of reluctant rivalry, conflicting loyalties, mutual friendships, convenient alliances, mistrust, betrayal and forgiveness. The most prominent feature of this drama is the Abel and Cain relationship between the brothers and it is well written, consistent and riveting. Both of them are flawed characters and neither is completely blameless for how things play out between them. Although Yuanzhi learns to rein in his recklessness and temper as he matures, it still manages to get the better of him. His culpability over Mosheng's sacrifice constantly lingers in the air between them. Even though he can be such an ass, I have to sympathise with Mosheng's battle with his own worst instincts in the shadow of someone who is perpetually a cut above. Both Zhang Haowei and Hong Yao delivered excellent, empathetic performances, alternately frustrating, enraging and beguiling me at all the right moments.

How the design of the cheongsam or qipao evolves to reflect the changing attitudes of times is the main, fascinating centrepiece of the drama. While not in the same league as the more modern and sophisticated qipaos of Wong Kar Wai's iconic In The Mood for Love, all of the outfits from the Qing court robes to the Western flapper dresses are simply gorgeous and I truly enjoyed the mini history of Chinese costume. How the female characters are dressed is also symbolic of who they are - Yaoyao is a remnant of the past at sharp contrast with Lijun, the ultimate, progressive modern woman. Kang Ning sits in the middle - she embraces change in a way that marries it with tradition; and thus she is truly Yuanzhi's muse. True to character, both Kang Ning and Lijun have a very refreshing attitude towards relationships and love that I truly enjoy and they fight to write their own stories even when events conspire against them. The only character I didn't like is Yaoyao who is your typical c-drama archetype but she is written that way as a foil for the other two. There are enough dimensional, grey and consequential characters in this drama that I am very satisfied with the character aspects of it. Most of these key roles are performed by veteran actors whose acting often surpasses the quality of the dialogue. I laughed my head off at the dynamics between Lijun, Feiyu and her father.

This is largely a character driven drama where the main characters have to cope with the changing times as they transition from the Qing era to the Republican era and Japanese incursion. While the pace is fast with many exciting and unexpected turns along the way, not all of the sub plots and arcs are consistently well written. Some of the stressing events that the main characters face are a bit contrived, can be lazily written and at times defy logic. But between excellent acting and all the interesting character developments, I found the plot holes quite easy to forgive. I do appreciate how all of the characters go through rough times, experience loss, how actions have consequences and justice is often blind. The villains are decent but less interesting than the characters themselves, some of whom are quite grey if not outright vile.

I am happy to recommend this as a very enjoyable watch with some good fresh takes on old tropes. Overall for me this is an 8.0.

Leia Mais

First of all, I'm currently reading the manga and I'm a big fan of Miike, so I went to watch it with quite high expectations. Aaand it was good, really good.

The bad points:
- The dialogues sometimes were sooo very cheesy
- Sometimes the acting was a bit...er...too much

And now the good:
- the story is totally crazy and over the top, but it never takes itself seriously. Yeah, even all the people in the movie think everything happening on screen is absurd.
- same goes for special effects: you know it's not just badly done CGI, but something that was meant to be so cartoonish.
- there's some gore, but not too much to be unbearable (mind it, the movie is still far from family-friendly, but there's no Koroshiya Ichi-style stuff)
- good looking actors everywhere, everywhere!
- the characters get some backside stories without being overly dramatic
- you can never, never tell what's going to happen next.
- it's fast paced, funny and full of suspense from beginning to end!

All in all, it's a good take on survival games horror, and I am soo much waiting for a follow up! Not for the fainthearted but I would recommend it to everyone else!

Leia Mais

I loved this movie, the months I was waiting to watch it were not wasted...
Han Hyo-Joo confirmed one more time her acting talent and bringing tears to my eyes.
If somebody asks me to tell them about this movie in two words, I'll say 'warm sun'... This movie gave so many warm feelings...
Director's and cameraman's work is brilliant... The game of lights in this movie, in my opinion, is one of the main positive effects... Because of the light in the movie... everything is printed in the smallest details in my brain... the girls clothes... the guys hair... the sun in the room... the beautiful kiss... the family feeling with the dog... the massage...the drama watching time...their field full of the yellowest flowers...her, touching his face to 'see' him... (I can go on, until I've told the whole movie..thehe).
Though the plot is not something brilliant and new for a Korean movie, actors and the crew makes the movie unforgettable, in my opinion..
Watch it, you won't regret!

Leia Mais

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

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

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

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

Leia Mais

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

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

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

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

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

Leia Mais

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

Leia Mais

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

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

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

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

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

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

Is that this drama is slow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leia Mais

Loved the individuals, did not like the couples.

Am I the only one who was far more happy and entertained when I was watching the group moments and interaction between participants that were completely not romantically involved? Too many times I wanted to skip the dates and just watch them hang out in the house. I like them all as individuals, I like them all in the group setting, but I could not vibe with any of the couples at the end.

And I feel like this is why the show failed me - I had no pair to truly root for. I felt like none of the exes would work out, since they just danced around each other, but never truly try to solved their previous issues. The new couples were easily shaken by the past relationships, which made me think they would not last anyway, so what's the point?

I actually loved first few episodes, but the more romantically involved everyone became, the less I cared. That said, I still like the whole cast a lot, especially the best girl Da Hye. Wish her all the healing and happiness she needs.

Overall, I have barely any thoughts. I think I just truly don't care.

Leia Mais

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



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



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



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



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

Leia Mais