The One Who Can Stay With Her Forever
The chemistry of all the three male leads with Xiaoyao begins with... "because I was once all alone and abandoned and you stayed with me. And even if the world hates my dark side, is after my royal position, you like me for me..." Be it Cang Xuan or Tushan Jing or Xiang Liu, all three first found a great companion in Xiaoyao for their loneliness. While Xiaoyao herself, was on the search of someone who would accompany her till the end.Lost You forever is a compelling, intriguing narrative spanning over hundreds of years set in kingdom Dahuang where deities are struggling over power and these ambitious or least-interested-in-power characters are struggling to stay alive or do as they like among the harsh palace and wordly walls.
Half of the plot is about how these main characters have merely one percent control over there own lives and that's what made them selfish, desperate and cold. Ngl their struggles never end and no single soul has happiness in the whole Dahuang. More than liking or hate I've a truckload of pity for them... The male protagonists only see the leading lady Xiaoyao as their light of hope and Xiaoyao who is almost numb to the world, sceptical, she wants a man who can be kind to her forever without breaking her heart or promises... the rest half plot is about some fast paced politics where Cang Xuan is trying to make a name for himself.
Lost you forever has to be the most fast paced, polished, top tier production quality palace drama I've watched this year. The direction and acting are worthy of praises. Tbh I was reluctant to start this earlier but Yang Zi's performance here surprised me eminently. Scattered scenes like her visiting her father in Haoling after long, getting injured by thousands of incoming petals and her staring at stairs looking back at what she has been through, all these scenes made me as heartbroken as she was. Would dare to say that this might be her best work as an actress where she got to show her range in her craft.
Being a historical where female lead stays as a 'Male' for half of the drama, Yang Zi was far impressive in her part. her Wen Xiao Liu was so convincing that it took me some episodes to digest that she's a woman now. I often saw a man in her face after she transformed xDDD... But this was the reason Xiaoyao got along well with all four male leads in the first place (expect Fenglong who fell at first sight for her feminine side, but he later admitted how comfortable he was with her as a buddy indicating that he also liked her straightforward cool-bro nature)
Let me introduce you to the options, Princess of Haoling, Haoling Jiu Yao (Xiaoyao) has —
1. Cang Xuan (I'm far ambitious but I'm doing this so that I'm powerful enough to protect her. I'm so in love with her that I don't mind being her brother for life if I get to stay by her side)... Zhang Wanyi has crazy eyes that have accurate longing and helplessness this complex role needs. He's both a psycho and a heartwarming brother favored by ladies. He was so impressive that I kinda want him in more darker roles in future.
2. Tushan Jing (I like her but I'm also too kind, I'm good at strategies but I still fail in life becoz I'm too gentle for this world)... Deng Wei's face suits the nice male lead trope but he felt a bit off in some scenes. Maybe its about experience that he will gain slowly, even so he was good. his chemistry with FL is all mushy and cute type where they talk and paint and I'm blushing hahaha
3. Xiang Liu (yes I'm that white haired guy most of you were swooning over. I would kill and not kill for her. I wander the world in white robes but go back to tease or bite her once every episode)... Picking Tan Jianci for Xiang Liu is epic!!!!!!!! (He looks great( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)) He's scheming, maybe an extremist but damnnn his deep talks, nonsense bickering, drowning in water has hell lot of chemistry with Xiaoyao.
4. Chishui Fenglong (I met her late but I've power I can promise to stay with her for longer so who knows?)... In front of the three above, he obviously seemed less charming and like a supporting character instead but I'm excited to see his growth in S2.
While almost all the viewers have already picked up their ships and started rooting for them, I'm more like Xiaoyao and just enjoying it with the flow lol (maybe I'm heartless too :))... I was once all into Jing's puppy love, then I got swayed by TCJ's Xiang Liu and now I'm not choosing anymore haha. Just excited for season 2 and can they please release it tomorrow? Like waiting for 6 months means I'll lose this emotional build up I've for this drama right now.
The song I loved the most from the huge OST list has to be the theme song ♪Nothing Can Be Compared to You♪ (万物不如你) sung by Zhang Jie.
To sum it up, lost you forever is an addictive, thought provoking, melancholic romantic historical that keeps you entertained for sure. The exceptional setup and dramatic music is something you get in handy.
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1
1This review may contain spoilers
Romance?? Action?? Logic?? This Drama Said No Thanks..
Disclaimer: This might sound like a rant.. Because it is one.. If you somehow enjoyed this drama.. Good for you..Script?? Bad.. Acting?? Bad.. Action?? Bad.. Romance?? Bad.. Character Development?? None.. VFX?? Worst.. Not one scene had good CGI.. I sat through this drama for SWL and what a disappointment.. It felt like the entire production team lazily put this together.. Apart from the costumes everything else felt completely half assed.. Like the team just threw things together and hoped for the best..
Angela Baby.. I hope you take some acting classes because seriously, what happened?? This was painful to watch..
The ML was supposed to be the next Wolf Lord or something but instead he spent the first half of the drama getting hurt, stabbed, hurt again, stabbed again by the FL and her minion.. And he still wagged his tail like a lovesick puppy while she kept taking advantage of him.. Where was his brain?? His dignity?? His revenge for his parents?? At one point he even got stabbed on purpose just to stop her from leaving.. That’s not devotion, that’s a suicide attempt you fool.. And then, after all that, he goes and gets shot with an arrow to protect her..
The script was all over the place.. Like the writer forgot what they wrote five minutes earlier.. The ML gets stabbed with a sword and yet wakes up the next morning like he is ready to go and win the La Liga.. And man he was so happy becase he saw the FL sitting by his bed.. Dude, she was literally applying medicine and touching another Guy's leg in the previous episode while she didnt even bother to prepare medicine for you.. That didn’t tell you anything?? And to top it off she was shamelessly ready to give away the locket or whatever that was that you gave her.. And you still didn’t realize you meant nothing to her?? At least not at that moment??
And the princess?? Dumb as a rock.. Another infuriating character..
Ep 13 was actually decent and I thought maybe things were turning around.. Then Ep14 happened.. The FL, in her infinite wisdom decided to protect her minion who literally tried to kill the ML by threatening to kill herself if anyone harmed him.. And the ML?? He had to tell his soldiers who had just watched their comrades die, to lower their weapons because his love interest was having a meltdown over the guy who tried to murder him.. What kind of joke is this??
Then somehow in the next scene the ML and FL end up in bed together.. She just threatened to kill herself over another man who tried to kill him and now they are suddenly sleeping together?? So all those soldiers died Just so he could end up in bed with her?? Unbelievable..
Even if she did love him which is questionable, she manipulated him the entire way.. She never once did anything for him.. Yet he kept crawling back like a fool.. She faked her death, ran back to her hometown, and started living her life while he was left depressed thinking she was gone.. She never once made an effort for him.. Not.. One.. Thing.. Meanwhile he spent the entire drama begging for her love..
What a complete waste of time.. Even the conclusion was unsatisfactory.. After everything it didn’t feel meaningful.. Just another half baked ending that failed to justify the mess before it.. I don’t know, maybe I had high expectations.. But for me this was just another drama with a mediocre storyline and wasted potential..
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Eun-ho (SYJ) and Dong-jin’s (KWS) views in narration on their life and love are inspiring and can be lessons for most people. Their views can be useful for any person-any age, those who are in love, those who were in love and especially those who yet to be in love!
Acting/cast:
Almost everyone was A+ in acting including guest roles!
Gong Hyung-Jin is brilliant and funny as an unconfident gynecologist and played an important role as best friend of main lead.
Son Ye-Jin: I don’t need to talk about her. She’s proven actress. She is flawless throughout whole show but her best performance was in the last two episodes.
Lee Ha-Na: I’m very very impressed by this actress! This was her first role in her career still she managed to perform it brilliantly. She was very natural, great expressions and dialogue delivery. Sometimes she was suppressed by the presence of Son Ye-Jin but still she outclassed SYJ in many scenes! She definitely deserved her New Star award.
Kam Woo Sung: Poor guy, every other actor in this drama got acknowledgement for their acting by getting either best actress; top excellence, New Star or supporting actor-actress awards but this poor man missed it! I think his acting was best in the whole cast! Clever dialogue delivery! BEST!
Music:
Music was mesmerizing. I couldn't find OST album yet so I don't know specific track names to point out but I loved the music!
Pros:
-Very realistic
-Romantic!
-No angst and typical Asian show riddles
-Excellent combination of all emotions
-Perfect casting & acting!
-Strong and likable characters
-No idols
-0% nonsense
-No annoying characters
-Stable pace
Cons:
None, still I couldn't find anything negative except this was highly addictive. It felt like a 16 hour long movie!
Who should watch this?
As I said it’s mature so it'll definitely suit mature audience but I think it’s more advisable to recommend it to younger audience (I'm also in this group!) to give slight idea about love! So in short everyone! Highly recommended for everyone!
If someone wants to watch a Korean show and wants to watch only one then I'd recommend Alone in Love. I'd easily sideline my previous joint #1 Salaryman and Evasive Inquiry Agency!
Who should avoid this?
-Those who want adrenaline rush in everything.
-Those who want to live in fantasy.
-Those who want to watch mushy, kiddo’s, ‘Love @ 1st sight’, “I love you…I love you too!”/”I can't live without you…” kind of romance.
-Those who want to watch kissing scenes should totally avoid this. There aren't any actual kissing scenes.
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acting is outstanding and sizzling and chemistry between lead actors is going to make you crazy.
OST is a definite 10. this is a music which is going to stay with you for many years.
No summary can do it justice then watch it.
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Words of other reviewer, “It’s no exaggeration to say that its background music is another main character. Even if you hate soft music, once you try to listen to its music, it would begin to wear down your defenses. It won't let your ears close even for a minute.”
A reviewer said, “If you miss this movie, it would be one of the goofiest things you've done throughout your life as a movie-goer.” And I'm agree with him/her.
Before starting this movie I thought this movie is going to be average but surprisingly it was far beyond my expectations and now I placed this movie in my permanent favorites list including all Hollywood, Bollywood & all other non-Asian movies.
Don’t think that it’s a typical school romance with tearjerker moments, it’s more than that. I’d say it is beautiful, intelligent and a chiller thriller in a way. It is full of romance and mystery, blending of many genres like School, Youth, Melodrama, Comedy, Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery and Horror (Not horror but listen ‘The Flashback’ and you’ll know what I want to say).
And about ending; it’ll leave you thinking. Story needs some thinking to be able to understand it fully. You’ll probably think that there are many flaws in the story but there aren’t any because you’ve to think and most of things are logical in movie point of view. I know what happened in the end but whenever I watch it again it makes me confuse. I’m still confused about ending.
Visually it is more than satisfying. Its coloring is awesome and special effects are also good (Don’t expect effects like big budget Hollywood movies).
Lun Mei Kwai is beautiful and did brilliant job. She is lovely and charming.
And bow to “Singer/Songwriter/Composer/Actor/Producer/Director” Jay Chou. Before I thought he’s just another guy who looks cool and sings and because of obsessed fans he’s popular but now I take my words back. Now he is ahead of all those ‘SHOWCASE’ actors but still behind those ‘ACTOR’ actors. Now, I’m a fan of Jay (It’s surprising that he’s actually popular in India!).
Overall this movie is a must watch and after watching you’ll know that this movie will stay in your heart forever.
BTW Secret 2 is announced and currently in production. I hope Secret 2 will be as great as Secret and I also hope that it’ll be a sequel to Secret.
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Diplomatic impunity.
Go East starts out as a fresh and interesting workplace comedy about Sifang Pavilion 四方馆, which was an institution that hosted guests and envoys from all four directions 四方/sìfāng during the Tang dynasty. Sifang Pavillion is essentially a Ministry of Foreign Affairs; they handle diplomatic issues from issuing visas, facilitating trade, solving diplomatic cases to negotiating treaties. Yuan Mo is loosely attached to Sifang Pavilion and helps oversea foreign visitors at the city gates, under the indulgent eye of Director Ye Deshui. He is a clever fellow with a predisposition for wine, snakes and bird brains but he lacks ambition and shirks responsibility. Alas, he spots a real strange bird, Ashu, at the gates and makes the mistake of his life by stopping her. She invades his personal space, poisons him, bullies him, frames him, helps herself to his hard earned money and turns his life upside down. This poor man is so alone and lonely that he sucks it all up as if he was deprived of attention his whole life. As it turns out, the Man in White, the deadly leader of the Faceless assassins are after her. To help her, Yuan Mo gets co-opted taking on a proper role at the Sifang Pavilion, where he proves himself by solving a few tricky diplomatic cases.Ashu as a character did not work for me from the get go. She debuts as an entitled bully who blames the hapless Yuan Mo for all her issues, makes unreasonable demands and causes no end of trouble for him. She doesn't bat an eye when her servants openly disrespect him and never apologizes or feels a smidgeon of remorse. She puts herself in harm's way repeatedly with her noble idiocy and half baked schemes, endangering everyone that has to rescue her. This is an ungrateful creature that tramples all over the male lead and is so lacking in intelligence and survival instincts that it is a miracle she didn't perish long ago. I never connected with any Zhou Yiran's roles and her portrayal of Ashu is callous and supercilious to the point that I didn't root for her. Her piteous and repetitive crying scenes made me yawn and roll my eyes. For sure, these scenes are exaggerated for comedic effect but her constant smug expression made her seem mean instead of endearing or comical. None of the female characters are written in a flattering way. Yuchi Hua is also a termagant and is a cliché gender bender character whose only contribution is as token muscle. But at least she softens up and she shows she genuinely respects and cares for Wang Kunwu. This is the latest in a disturbing trend of dramas where the female characters get a free pass for toxic behavior towards male characters who pretty much just roll over and play dead. When did it become so unfashionable to have balanced relationships where men and women just treat each other well?
The only thing that salvaged this drama for me is Tan Jianci's incredibly funny and moving performance as Yuan Mo. This is a refreshing role for him and his comedic timing and expressions are spot on. The character itself is not super well written either; he fell for Ashu too quickly and I remain baffled as to why; he lets her walk all over him and he is super intelligent but ultimately only applies himself for her. The gaping difference between Tan Jianci and Zhou Yiran is that he made me love his goofy, slightly wimpy, deeply wounded Yuan Mo flaws and all; a character who seemed to not quite dare to live until he had to find himself for an ungrateful wretch with the brain the size of a watermelon seed. (Why didn't I live thousands of years ago so he could have found me instead?) Even though they looked cute together, the chemistry between them seemed more friendly than passionate so as a couple, they didn't move me. All those wasted Tan Jianci kiss scenes! But I enjoyed the camaraderie between both couples and the broader Sifang Pavilion team and the hilarious rivalry between the East Court and the West Court. Ye Deshui was MVP for me; he delivered as many comedy gold moments as Yuan Mo did and I loved the hilariously pragmatic way in which he ran Sifang Pavilion and appeased domestic and foreign conflicts.
Plot-wise this drama starts out well as I was genuinely intrigued by the foreign relations premise of the story. The first two cases are interesting and tight and the satire made me invested in the team. After that, the romances starts to take center stage and the to-ing and fro-ing between couples I didn't really care for was not funny enough to keep me engaged. That is also when progressively larger holes in the plot emerges and it snowballs into an avalanche at the end. Along the way, the tone of the drama shifts from silly and hilarious to one where the writer kills off good characters with diplomatic impunity. There was only one good twist in the entire plot, which was who saved the Yanle princess. The identity of the princess was too obvious you couldn't have missed it. Likewise, they cast an actor with an unmistakably prominent feature as the mysterious Man in White. He was flagged early on as a suspect in the Red Lotus case and his identity was just given away during Ashilan's kidnapping. Both these reveals were too early, erasing any sense of suspense. I thought Ashu was as dumb as bricks until they get back to Yanle which is when I realized that in the land of the blind, the one eyed woman is queen. The final reveal of the Man in White's motive contradicts the entire plot because given his identity, he never needed any Yanle princess; in fact a cooperative fake one is much better than the real thing. The smart thing for him to do would have been to eliminate her from the start. This is also what Long Tuqi should have done but Yanle is the land of the dumb after all. Even though it ends in a satisfying way, it was a hollow victory because they won because they were out-dumbed by the antagonists. It is this drama's most unique feature; a race to the bottom where the protagonists and antagonists vie to under smart each other.
Overall, the first half of this drama can be enjoyed as a spoof kind of along the lines of the Austin Powers movies but lacking any underlying intelligence. It is worth watching just to see Tan Jianci do comedy and romance watchers who can ship the couple may enjoy it more than I did. I found it a very mediocre watch, one that feels like a 7.0 more often than not. But I am going to throw in a 0.5 for the fresh premise and Tan Jianci's phenomenal, funny and moving acting to call it 7.5/10.0 overall.
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I really liked most of the characters. Female leads were really awesome and that doesn't happen too often in dramas. I really love Ja Eun - she is one of my most favorite heroines now, Soo Young was also adorable - hard on the outside, but very soft and warm inside.
Only characters that I didn't like too much was Soo Young's parents, maybe most of their scenes were there for humor but I've found them a bit annoying.
And I really love, love, love Ja Eun and Tae Hee story! If you like romance, I suggest watching this just for them.
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The Fiery Priest
47 people found this review helpful
Divine Wrath strikes with unabashed humor, yet healing wounded souls of black, gray + shorn sheep
"The Fiery Priest" is all about Korean humor. You might have to get used to it. At least I did. The first time I approached the series I probably wasn't ready and possibly not in the right mood for such cheerful, tongue-in-cheek fun à la Korean style. I gave up quite early (probably after the first episode). On the second try tough, everything just fell into place. And by now I can say from experience: "The Fiery Priest" is ideal for repeat offenders. I had even more fun then... (And that probably wasn´t the last time I watched...)Nonetheless. Korean humor is special, especially when it comes to the fascination of the intestines - often enough they are gladly celebrated in a wide variety. Here as well. Utter confusion and frenzy are also a must. Instead of tried and tested bar fights and brawls of the western type however, the focus here is rather on choreographed martial arts.
Humor reigns supreme in "The Fiery Priest". Humor determines the pace, the timing, the nuances and the ambience. Slapstick, situation comedy, dialogue jokes, parody, irony - hardly anything is left out. "The Fiery Priest" doesn't take itself too seriously. The central storyline says it all: in the robes of a priest a former NIS agent ensures order and justice. Even the Pope has his brief appearance here. But also the 'sects' with self-appointed saviors flourishing in the country.
And yet, the "The Fiery Priest" has some serious tones to offer, too - besides and in the middle of all the slapstick. The plot background is once again fueled by South Korean backroom liaisons between executive, judiciary, politics and crime. With regard to the personality development of the individual characters, touching emotional moments also come along here and there - comparatively modestly, but nevertheless with impact.
Finally, "The Fiery Priest" also plays out another strength of KDrama: Here you can experience a lot of cheerfully and yet subtly touchingly executed bromance and womance. (However, there's no romance. But nobody has to miss it.) Bromance and womance as well as the variety of embedded side plots inspirit dramaturgical facets, that may touch the heart, having quite something to offer between soft touch and punch. It is simply a pleasure to watch the various dynamic personality developments. (Outstanding actors all along, by the way!)
"The Fiery Priest" spectacularly succeeds in balancing a tightrope act - good-humoredly and mischievously dancing above an unspeakable swamp of injustice, bribery, abuse of power and human greed.
Divine Wrath strikes with unabashed humor, thus along the way healing the wounded souls of the black, gray, and shorn sheep.
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This review may contain spoilers
Everlasting Love
I started this drama with no expectation because it was a recommendation from YouTube and I decided to give it a try. Here I am being grateful that I found this gem, a drama with pure and innocent love everyone needs^^STORY: The drama started with Xia Lin Xi a very bright and intelligent high school girl who was given the task to make sure all her classmates were on class,and that was when she met Jiang Zheng Han. Xia Lin Xi managed to make him come back to school and somehow Zheng Han became her tutor just to earn money but he ended falling for her. Later,something happened and Jiang Zheng Han had to leave with telling her about it and Xia Lin Xi thought he broke their promise and was heart broken.
A year passed by and both Jiang Zheng Han and Xia Lin Xi reunited in university and they both became a couple after so many pleas and confession from Jiang Zheng Han and that led to their Forever Love.
ACTING/CAST: Most important reason why I loved and enjoyed this drama was because of the characters acting,it was amazing they displayed and pulled off an amazing acting. Zhang Huai Wu( principal's son) acting was just great,whenever he was on screen I would laugh so much simply because he is so funny just like his father lol.
Jiang Zheng Han and Xia Lin Xi chemistry was great,their scenes were just so sweet and all the time Xia Lin Xi stood beside Zheng Han when he was a nobody despite her mother telling her to break up with him made my heart flutter. They're just the cutest^^
Chen Yu Chuan bragging about being the second best always was just so cute too lol.
The OST used is so beautiful,calming,relaxing and goes well with the scenes.
Overall I would say,this drama is definitely a must watch for those who love college dramas and those who don't too hehe
It's a light drama,just give it a try
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A Winter Sun Wakes the Wind in Spring Hills' Dream
84 people found this review helpful
by NLE 
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2 2 1 1 1 A Heart Healing Romance Among Beautiful Mountains, Where Love, Freedom & Fate Unite Two Hearts
There is something incredibly exciting about discovering a BL that feels completely different from anything else out there, and A Winter Sun Wakes the Wind in Spring Hills’ Dream delivered that feeling from the very beginning. With 16 full length episodes, a rarity in the BL world, I was already excited to start this series on GagaOOLala. But I never expected to become this invested. From the opening moments to the very end, I was completely hooked. Even the title itself is unforgettable, but what makes this BL truly special is just how unique, ambitious and different it feels.What immediately sets this series apart is its breathtaking setting. Instead of the usual busy city backdrop, the story takes us through lush green mountains, endless tea fields, peaceful forests, and stunning natural landscapes. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. Every frame feels carefully composed, almost like a painting, and the scenery creates such a peaceful, refreshing, almost magical atmosphere.
The romance is just as captivating. Qinglang comes from the glamorous world of fame, while Changyang is a free spirited tea farmer who belongs among the mountains. Their completely different lifestyles create such an interesting dynamic, and watching them slowly grow closer feels incredibly natural.
And the chemistry between these two is EVERYTHING. Their interactions feel effortless, warm, and genuine. Changyang is especially lovable. He cooks for Qinglang, feeds him, lets him use his lap as a pillow, and constantly takes care of him. He is the definition of boyfriend and husband material. From his cute and gorgeous looks to the way he treats Qinglang like a princess, he is basically the perfect man. Honestly, if I had Changyang as my boyfriend, I would turn from straight to gay in a heartbeat.
But what really made me fall in love with this series is the writing.
In Episode 3, after Qinglang kissed Changyang, he asked, "Do you like men?" Changyang did not answer yes or no. Instead, he simply replied, "Is it important?"
Then in Episode 4, Qinglang asked again, "Do you like men?" This time, Changyang answered, "Is your name Men?"
There is so much meaning hidden in those few words.
If Qinglang's name were "Men," then the answer would be yes. Changyang was not saying he likes men in general. He was saying that the only person he likes is Qinglang. That is the beauty of poetic writing. Sometimes a single sentence can carry the weight of an entire love confession without ever directly saying it.
And then they kiss. That kiss scene is honestly one of the most beautiful BL kisses I have ever seen. Instead of showing the kiss directly, the series captures their shadows moving across the ocean waves. The water seems to carry the moment across the shore, creating something incredibly artistic and romantic. I have seen plenty of creative kiss scenes, but I had never seen a shadow kiss executed quite like this. It was beautiful and unforgettable.
This series reminds me that great romance is not built on kisses alone. Sometimes it is in the words left unsaid, the meaning hidden between conversations, the small gestures, and the emotions that slowly build between two people.
And speaking of kisses...
If you are watching on GagaOOLala, STAY AFTER THE CREDITS! There are additional scenes at the end of the episodes that you absolutely do not want to miss. Episode 4 even has a post credit kiss by the car overlooking that stunning lake.
Also, make sure you watch the additional Small Theater version on GagaOOLala because WOW. I genuinely do not think I have ever watched a BL with this many kissing scenes. I binge watched all 15 episodes and these two were basically kissing nonstop. It is crazy, hot, intense, and I am completely obsessed. 😭
Another thing I cannot stop talking about is the cinematography. Almost every shot looks like it could be turned into wall art. The camera angles, scenery, lighting, and background music all give the series such a distinctive identity. I have watched so many BLs, but the visual style here genuinely stands out.
Even something as simple as a car driving up a mountain road, filmed from a distance against those enormous green landscapes, becomes incredibly memorable. Every frame feels intentional.
Not only is the title long and unique, but A Winter Sun Wakes the Wind in Spring Hills’ Dream has also given me an engaging story, beautiful music, strong performances, breathtaking cinematography, and a romance that feels both sweet and deeply emotional.
It has such a unique atmosphere that makes it stand out from other BLs airing right now. If you love slow burn romance, gorgeous scenery, poetic dialogue, meaningful little gestures, and couples with undeniable chemistry, please put this one on your watchlist. ❤️
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This review may contain spoilers
If he says "cute" one more time...
Maybe there are two ways to watch fluffy romance series. One is dressed in your onesie, wearing pink slippers, clipping your toenails with one eye on the screen to admire the soft pout of the FL, or the ML's big brown eyes, and there's nothing wrong with that.The other is actually paying attention to the story, because you like romance, but this story, I assure you, will reach the opposite effect, in more than one way.
First, there's this FL who rarely leaves her house because she works her head off.
Second, she only goes out because her boss orders her to do so with the command to find the necessary inspiration for her job.
Third, the only guy she meets is a hairdresser who falls instantly in love with her, just because WHAT exactly...because he can't resist a makeover? Or because he is a closet-masochist who likes her disinterest in him? She falls asleep when he does her hair, he's stood up by her...and all he can say is she's CUTE? I know this is the typical male compliment to a female in Japanese series, and he says it at least seven times each episode.
Added bonus seems to be she's a workaholic just like him, and still a virgin, and the very first time they actually did it, she reaches for her note book at her bed side to take notes on her new experience. Not to cherish a beautiful memory, but to store information for her new manga.
I'm so happy this is pure fiction, because in reality, the Japanese birth rate would dip to an all time low with unromantic people like that.
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" I'll like you alot from here on, I'll be good to you for real..." Moon Chae Won
IN SHORT:It's an amazing humane drama with an incredibly beautiful narrative. The dialogues are so well versed they hit right into the heart! The quiet heartwarming background piano (sometimes violin mixed too) makes the past flashbacks scenes very alluring and majestic. Those first scenes (the flashbacks) are one of my top favorite bits of each episode!
The production was the definition of perfection till the drama's last breath! Kudos to Directors, Screenwriters, Composers and Actors, especially our beloved Moon Chae Won and LEE JOON GI. They did an outstanding job bringing the characters to life, Do Hyun Su's character was an especially hard one to pull, he truly deserves much love!
IN LENGTH:
The story takes it's time to develop the characters in the first few episodes, and the situation quickly escalates! You'll be surprised how much you're invested by the time the tragic strings of events begin!
The plot is about one man who wants to find the meaning of happiness for once, after dress rehearsing tragedy, in his entire life before! And a woman who wants such happiness for the man she is head over heels in love with!
After turning over his life, 18 years later in the present, he is pretty much what a perfect husband is expected to be! Doing too well to say! Everything is about to get ruined by a sudden turn of event that leads to uncovering his past! which seems to be filled up with misfortunes in more than one way!
The drama takes it's time to develop the main characters in present, while hinting about what could have happened in the past without giving too much spoiler early to fuel our adrenaline secretion, then suddenly we are thrown back to the past to only realize what actually is important is not what we were looking forward to the most! It's a whole different disheartening story that takes a creative take on self-inflicted misery, taking blame, and finding a middle ground for one's well being and happiness!
Acting is top notch! Lee Joon Gi as Baek Hee Seong is top notch! He looks totally dependable, manly and more than anything, a lovely dad! Whereas portraying Do Hyun Su couldn't be better executed! He looks so much younger now, and has a gaze that says the world about him, adorable and painfully cool in his yellow hair style!
Moon Chae Won is doing wonder with her acting! She has the kind of shaky, mellow voice that has emotions breathing out while she talks! She is an amazing actress who wonderfully fills the role of a very caring strong woman, Cha Ji Won, seeking happiness above all else for her family! She looks beautiful and mature, it's always great to see her again in a new drama!
I'm just gonna say! the music is just too perfect! From the incredibly suspenseful tracks "Flower of Evil" and "Switched Destiny" to the melo tracks "Upcoming Shadow" "Hard Relationship" to my most favorite track in this album "Cherry Blossom Kiss" which starts weird, mysterious and full of anxiety and emptiness, then it paces up to a sweeter tone then a more joyful and bright tone, which goes perfectly with Do Hyun Soo's character journey within the drama
We also have the feel nostalgic poetic piano track "Someone to Be Remembered" by Jung Se Rin (I noticed he has also composed the unbelievably beautiful track "When Mind Wants to Rest" from Naui Ahjussi)
There are only three songs on the entire album. (One of them "Psycho" by DOKO, being used only as an ending theme for the episodes and it's very catchy and goes well with the epic clifhangers.)
I have to say the remaining two are the most beautiful songs released in a drama this year! They aren't ever overused and it only plays when you really start to crave a song! They have that kinda impact!
"Feel You" by Shin Yong Jae is one of those two songs and it really deserves all the awards! Mark my words! An unexpressed love confession with lyrics beautifully wording out the feelings he has no idea sorting out for himself!
The melody is especially sad yet thrilling and makes our heart skipping beats! You can't tell what it exactly makes you feel, probably to reflect how Hyun Su can't distinguish between his own emotions, even in those moments his heart races like he is in pain!
"In My Heart" by LIM YEON is also a wonderful love poem, describing what Ji Won is feeling towards Hyun Su, and how even if her heart comes crashing down, she will face it, as long as it's love, she will be there, for her love!
I would probably re-watch this drama many times! It's that good. Tho the mystery element will be gone, it still has lots of suspense and drama to enjoy.
Highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers and those who enjoy subtle romance plot-lines! A Must Watch Definitely.
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Unexpectedly good drama
It is a great drama with cute and good chemistry between the main characters.Not gonna lie but this is one of my favourite drama.Even though the leads seem a little childish.At a point it was a little serious with tae sung's past and revenge plot.I loved the part were GTS pick on OHB because of his embarrassment.
The people in the story works very hard to create good image of the actors and this also shows a good amount of problems faced in the entertaiment industry.
STORYLINE/PLOT
Like other romcom it is based on entertainment industry.The male is an actor and female lead is a PR head who cleans up the mess.It has a lawyer working together with FL who likes FL.Both fl and ml were college mates and have love/hate relationship.There are Ml's manager and another manager working in the same company.Ml's manager has a great relationship with the ml except for a point where their relationship becomes little strained.
And there are characters who work on the drama in which ml is the main actor.There is some relationship problem between ml and his mom who is an ex actress who wants to resolve their issues from the past as she becomes ill.
There are some other plots where some people who hate ml try to sabotage his acting career.Some scenes you will be laughing like a hell and many times you will feel sad for th MC.
CAST
Honestly I didn't expect much from this and started this because I had free time and ended up loving this show. I saw Kim young dae in Penthouse and lee sung kyung in dr romantic 2 .I felt like they were tailor made for this drama
REASONS TO WATCH
-Good chemistry between the leads
-Slight bromance
-Good friendship
-Funny
-Some quirky humors
REASONS TO NOT WATCH
-Annoying family plot
-Unwanted revenge plot
-Scheming housekeeper
This drama is definitely worth watching with good chemistry between the ml and fl lead .It had a good amount of humor , family relationship and show a side of suffering for main actors.I think you won't regret watching it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Not sure what happened here, but if anyone is looking for some advice whether to watch this drama or not....don't bother. I literally made an account on mydramalist JUST to vent how frustrated I was with this drama. Aint going to lie, the first 12 episodes are pretty good and suspenseful. But then it just went downhill. It's as if the director/writer of this drama either changed to some freak and decided to kill off the entire cast. I'm sorry but that is just a lazy excuse of any creative writer could think of.
First the villain is way over powered, absolutely making no sense whatsoever. Then introduce some Jedi S**t, where he can control everything and everyone. Then make him invincible and to top it off after spending 12 hours watching the first 12 episodes, start killing the entire cast.
The writer is a sadistic freak that needs help. Shake my head....have you even looked at that genre? It's almost everything in the list. I feel like the producers just wanted to check off everything on the list. Love - check, Comedy - check, Crime - check, Thriller - check , then after, kill everyone; now you get tragedy thrown in the mix too. What makes it even more stupid is that, not 1 person decided to outsmart the villain. Really??? Honestly, if this guy was as evil as everyone makes him out to be, then why would anyone even trust him.
Don't waste your time with this. I'm just so angry I wasted my time with this.
Music and Cast are pretty good. Everything else...is a flop.
I'm done my rant, have a good day. Hope other agrees with me.
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This review may contain spoilers
Beautiful Forbidden Love
Love Between Fairy and Devil is a xianxia drama, which narrates the story of forbidden love between a devil and a fairy. The drama has everything a xianxia drama has: forbidden love, reincarnation, a cold male lead falling in love with the warm and bubbly female lead making it his only weakness, female lead with hidden identity and more. But what makes this drama stands out from other xianxia drama is that it has a VERY BEAUTIFUL visual sequence, graphics, and cinematography. Love Between Fairy and Devil successfully brought the 仙（fairy） element into their drama, and I think the drama has raised the standard high for the next xianxia drama.The narrative of Love Between Fairy and Devil is straightforward, about a fairy unaccidentally saving the demon lord and they gradually fell in love. The screenwriter managed to write a very cohesive and compelling story, also with a coherent storyline making it easy for the audience to understand. The drama also manages to seamlessly combine comedy, romance, also angst in the latter part. Every character in the drama also has their own background story with their own personal motive, each character is there not only for the sake of getting the male and female lead together nor just to make the drama plot more lively, but each character is there making their own decision which gradually leads and builds up to the whole drama plot.
What makes Love Between Fairy and Devil distinctive from other xianxia is definitely its art department and how well they articulate it. The drama manages to articulate the vision of the fantasy world and everything that comes with it. It is beautifully and enchantingly portrayed that you would actually believe the presence of such world, where there are pink skies with whales, a pavilion full of flowers, a castle on top of a hill, and more. It has been a while since there is such beautiful and mesmerizing graphics in a drama. You can see that the drama spends most of its budget on its art department, starting from costumes, CGI, graphics, more (IQIYI also offers the drama in 4k quality!).
Firstly, the drama costumes are very beautiful, the costume department puts a lot of thought and effort into their costume. Everyone's outfit is fitting to their character and demeanour. DongFang QingCang’s outfit is mostly black but also with a hint of gold, showing his sovereignty as the moon supreme. Xiao Lan Hua’s outfit is in bright pastel colours fitting with her character and personality as a fairy with a bright and bubbly personality. Other than the main characters, the side characters also have very pretty costumes, such as Chang Heng’s war costume. Moreover, the drama also has very beautiful headpieces, especially for the male characters, which are rarely seen in other historical dramas.
Secondly, the graphics and CGI of each realm, location, and power special effects are rendered so smooth that it resulted in an ethereal and mind-blowing result. Such as DongFang QingCang’s hell flame, when he summoned the dragon, the arbiter hall, and more. The drama is meticulous in every aspect from its colour palette, visual art, CGI, and lighting, everything is well thought. I especially love the scene where Rong Hao and Chang Heng entered the painting, they really ook like they're in a painting, they look 2d, which beautifully reflects the beauty of China's culture.
Thirdly, I also love how the drama sets a certain persona and design for each tribe and realm meticulously. For instance, in the fairy realm, the gods use bright and light outfits and headpieces with overexposure to the lighting. The fairy realm has a very heavy element of the Chinese culture, meanwhile, the demon/ moon realm has a hint of medieval elements in its location, outfits and more. The drama team also paid attention to those small actors/extras like the guards, their outfit is not sloppy, it is fitting to the overall persona they set. Such as the moon palace guards has dark and big outfit which looks intricate!
Yu Shuxin plays Xiao Lan Hua (the orchid fairy), but she’s also Xi Yun, the goddess. I think she did a really good job in acting as Xiao Lan Hua, a character like Xiao Lan Hua can be easy to hate since she might come out as being too fake or too flamboyant, but Esther Yu manages to pull off the character effortlessly. She is able to radiate different energy in different situations but still remembers the essence of her character, a warm and bubbly fairy. Some may dislike her character because she is a damsel in distress, often waiting for others to save her, but it’s understandable since she is only a “lowly fairy” with limited power. Other than acting as Xiao Lan Hua, Yu Shuxin also acted as DongFang QingCang and the goddess, and she's able to pull off the three characters flawlessly. She is versatile, she is able to change her demeanour and articulation according to each character. Yu Shuxin also used her own voice here, I personally love her voice, I find her voice very fitting to the character. I am definitely looking forward to her future work!
Wang Hedi showed tremendous improvement since Miss The Dragon. His acting is much more natural here, he is able to show real expressions and blend into the character. Despite being the moon supreme with no emotions, he’s still able to show slight emotions and show how his icy heart sea slowly melts. I think he did a great job portraying the emotionless moon supreme, DongFang QingCang, through his body and eye language, he is especially good when he is being majestic and when he is attacking others. As he is also slowly transitioning into someone with emotions, he gradually makes more micro-expressions and gestures to show how he’s gradually starting to fall in love, have empathy and more. His crying scenes are also very infectious, you would empathize with him and feel what he's feeling as well because that is how good his crying scenes are.
Moreover, Love Between Fairy and Devil also has a very beautiful soundtrack and background music. The soundtracks are very ethereal and fitting to the drama, it is stunningly beautiful that it will make you think of all the magic, beautiful places and situations in drama. The drama also has notable music scoring, the music scoring used in the drama intensifies each and every scene.
Another special mention to the whole production team of Love Between Fairy and Devil. The actors, production team, and marketing team, all have done a very outstanding job, they are passionate, putting in all their heart into it, thus producing such a best drama! The production team doesn't hesitate to spend money to where it should be spent, such as the special effect, outfits, music scoring and more. The production team also spend a lot of effort and thought on the drama's posters and artwork. The drama soundtrack artwork is STUNNING, unlike other dramas where they just used background or a picture of the couple with some borders and stick the title on it, Love Between Fairy and Devil has some really meticulous and well-thought album artwork. The soundtrack's artwork is paintings of their character with very beautiful scenery, if you haven’t seen it, I am highly suggesting you take a look at it because it will definitely render you breathless.
One thing that I find a pity is that the ending is too rushed, I would love to see more of DongFang QingCang and Xiao Lanhua's happy life :"))
Overall, do give this drama a try! Love Between Fairy and Devil is definitely a top-tier xianxia drama, there isn't any dull moment in it, and the drama will definitely make you hooked and render you breathless.
P.s. do check out their behind the scenes video!
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