The story is incredibly simple, boring, forgetable, not to mention kind of all over the place. It's as if the writer had a few ideas, but didn't bother working out the details at all. You never really learn much on the background story (but what you do learn is --snooooooooooooooore) and the "bad guy" and his little helpers are a joke and just randomly thrown in as if the writers were like "Oh yeah, totally forgot about the count, ha, well here have 2 seconds of screen time, now onto some more ZZZzzzzZZZzz!".
The worst part is the romance though, which is so forced (especially on the guy's side, it's like he suddenly switches personality after a few episodes) and ridiculously told, not to mention there's no chemistry whatsoever. Chemistry is what the characters lacked in general because the entire interaction is just so awkward and the funny scenes are mostly really cringeworthy. The dialogues are plain and empty, and not even the sad scenes were really moving. The acting is mediocre at best, none of the actors really seemed into it, but I can't blame them with the dialogues given. The low budget isn't even the problem as this could have been an okay-watch if it had been written and planned out better, but all potential basically went to waste.
Not rewatching ever, nope. Satoshi Tomiura was adorable as always though (I just felt like saying something positive).
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ONE OF THE BEST ASIAN DRAMAS EVER MADE AND A MASTERPIECE
TharnType The Series is not only THE BEST BL DRAMA I've ever seen but also one of the best and unforgettable stories ever, be it a TV series, a movie or a book.I've been watching Asian dramas for 14 years now and lately, each year, it has become increasingly difficult for me to find something which would make me addicted and engage me emotionally. And then TharnType came out of nowhere and it has become my favourite TV series/movie of all time.
The writing, acting, chemistry, directing, editing and music are out of this world. But most importanly, the story and the characters are complex, relatable, realistic and authentic. Something you rarely encounter in Asian dramas. There is so much nuance to be found.
What sets TharnType The Series apart from other Thai BL dramas is it’s willingness to address uncomfortable and negative aspects of relationships, be it Tharn kissing Type without his permission or Type’s hateful harrassment of him. Portraying them doesn’t diminish the quality of the drama, on the contrary, it elevates it above the rest of the genre.
Tharn and Type are hurting each other and there is a huge conflict between them, with a misunderstanding and emotional baggage at the center of it. They are not perfect, they both make mistakes and that's what makes them human because real people and their relationships are flawed, imperfect, messy and problematic with many misunderstandings. However, they can also admit to their mistakes, learn from them, apologize and forgive each other. You can imagine a person reacting in real life like Type did and you can also see another person react like Tharn if treated the same way because even the most patient and tolerant people have their limits. Yet, neither of them did something truly unforgivable, moreover forgiveness is not an equal exchange or something you receive only when you deserve it.
Some people are judging the characters by some impossible standards of human perfection that don’t even exist in the real world. The characters and relationships in TharnType The Series are not picture-perfect, just like they are not picture-perfect in the real world.
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Classic Rom-com
This cute love story has 3 arcs as to when SZ met DJX: middle school, HS and College. The pre-teen yrs to teenage was shown from ep 1-7 where she displays puppy love/crush. Ep 7-25 is the adult arc. They met again when SZ is already an adult and attended university in DJX hometown. This drama depicts one-sided hidden love on SZ side. Just to be clear they got together when she was of legal age.How is this different from other rom-com or coming of age dramas:
- focus briefly on school but instead the challenges of young love
-pure and innocent love that flourished to real love
- matured teenager, she basically knows what she is fighting for but at the same time she is not aggressive.
Pros:
ahhh-mazing chemistry of the leads, sibbling and family relationships
ML background did not lead him to go astray but responsible and loving
Great acting, directing and novel adaptations
Cons:
As much as I love ZLS, the first 7 episodes where she is acting as a teenager still attached to her stuff toys with her childish vocals was quite overdone. Not sure if it’s per the novel or director’s call. But her character devt was amazing.
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This review may contain spoilers
Story of how to create a toxic romance
5/10. I’m mad as hell that this type of abusive relationship is romanticized as true love. The plot is weak and got lost along the way.- FL traveled back in time (same period, not from our future) to correct her evil ambition on becoming queen and the lives she cost doing so. She decided to change her ways. She wanted to right her wrongs and also change the fates of those around her. Sounds like a great plot, right? It is.. if they didn’t lose focus half way through.
- The first half focused on the FL. Long story short, she decided to be a better person. She couldn’t help but get involve in the royal family’s bloody war so to survive, she had to be smarter and less ambitious.
- Wtf happened with the plot after leading our heroine up to this? They shifted the focus on XW the ML. The FL followed him around like a lost puppy while he helped her save all the people she wanted to save but couldn’t. They then decided to give ML this crazy back story with trauma, medical issues, evil schemes, backstabbing, revenge, all of it!
- The evil villain they fought against was dumb af. He got caught in all the traps they laid out. Even when we thought the villain finally did something, it turned out the ML somehow planned it all. Take this formula, repeat it 10x , and you got the main plot. It was boring and too predictable. The endless political battles were childish and overplayed. They tried to be smart about it but it was redundantly mediocre.
Now onto the toxic “romance.”
- She had 3 suitors. The first 2 she turned down were GREAT men. Both were kind, loving, and treated her with the utmost respect. She chose the one who abused her mentally and physically
- ML was the biggest red flag.
- He obsessively claimed her. This was fine for his own delusions but she repeatedly told him, she belonged only to herself. When he couldn’t have her, control her or felt like she didn’t listen to him, he became a psychotic manipulator.
- He got physical with her on multiple occasions and rarely was he respectful towards her. He repeatedly grabbed her by the throat (the throat!!), by the arm, wrist, and made verbal threats to her.
- He became madly possessive. She couldn’t look at another man before he choked her and threatened her.
-Their kisses were grossly forced upon her by him. When he asked her to be intimate, she gave in but left me wondering WTF and HTF did we get here?! This man manipulated her and it was romanticized as love?!
-She told 3 people she loved him before she even told him. Another WTF moment for me.
-The ending.. when he deliberately stepped on his son’s shirt to trip him and then kicked the poor boy after? Was that supposed to be funny and playful? Because it failed to be funny and playful to me. Even his daughter was shook. I watched 30 episodes and waited for the romance between the leads to start. I endured her giving up two potential great men for the ML only to be given 8 episodes of chaos.
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When your high school love turn real
Made me giggly like a high school girl thinking about her first crush. But also bawling like a girl that just breaking up with her first love.The main couple both are sweet human being and the biggest green flags ever. Their love is so pure, and I love that they really respect and rely to each other in a very healthy manner.
FL's family is a model family with believable moral compass. I really adore this family relationship with each other.
Setting, costume, OST, and direction is so well thought. And the last but definitely not the least, the acting! All cast working so well and looks very natural. I never watch these casts work before, but I think Lu Si and Zhe Yuan are romance monster. They are so good. Really good. Whoever has first idea to put them together should get an award😂
I'm gonna give shout out to Victor Ma. He is the most believable brother in drama land. He reminds me with my own brothers and several other stories about my friends brother. And he looks like he deserves his own story, I bet he will be very charming. But the rumored spinoff will use different actor, it's okay, but I still want to give shout out to him, haha.
I'm such a Kdrama girl before. But I should say well made Cdrama are superior. I really appreciate that they not afraid of 'cliché' ending and forcing plot twist. Well made cliché is good. I mean, so many people living similar life, yet so different.
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This review may contain spoilers
The problem with this drama is it was extremely boring and frustrating. The whole of this drama is made to make us question the MC actions however there are numerous SC who show us that they are wrong. First of all, the premise of this drama is that the guy is a pimp and how after someone finds about this everything just goes into a downward spiral. There are numerous problems with the fact that this drama is boring. Let's start with one of the main problems. The characters seem to not have many motivations and are doing things for only one viable reason. This makes them appear quite flat and bland. They have little to no ambitions and the whole point of this was to make the characters be simple but their life complex. This idea sounds good on paper but when it is executed there is just a big old mess of ideas and themes they want to take up. To show so many problems make it unclear what direction the drama wants to go and makes the whole ride a bit messy.
This can be shown within the characters themselves. For example, Seo Minhee is a girl who offers compensated dating and gets one bad experience which ruins the way she views the business. She grows from this experience and views the world differently due to this incident. She becomes closer to Mr.Lee and genuinely wants to pursue a better life. Now, this premise sounds interesting and it could've been interesting however they make her a truly flat character who doesn't seem to have any motivation to do what she does. There seem to be no reasons for her offering services like that at such a young age it's just forgotten about. The only reason that is shown is that she loves her boyfriend though there never seems to be any evidence of this to follow through.
Another good example is Seo Minhee's Boyfriend, Kwak Kitae. This is the classic school bully trope who has an army of cronies under him. They show him as smart, quick, strong and an egoist. This is another example of an extremely interesting character who's gone to waste. I must admit I am a bit favourable to the actor of Kwak Ki Tae but the way they presented him was extremely one-note. He's just pure evil, there are no motivations, no ambitions. It's just that he's a bully and he's obsessed with his pride. Though he seems to have a soft spot for his girlfriend they never expand on that and instead shut it down by saying he's doing it for his pride though it doesn't expand on why. The problem with this character is that he's such a one-note bully and that would be fine if the drama presented itself as a Makjang however it didn't so this character becomes flat and boring.
The MC themselves are not people without problems and they probably have the most. While you do eventually get used to these characters, they both are extremely frustrating to watch and also have little to no motivations. They are presented as the ACE of their schools however we never see anything to back up that claim. Throughout the show, they seem to be doing extremely stupid actions that will land them in trouble. However, I did like the romance arc as their chemistry was natural and it was charming when they showed hints of their feelings. They both aren't interesting enough to carry the show or be in most of the scenes and this wasn't the actor's fault it was more of the script that gave this problem.
The ending is one of the most frustrating scenes I've ever seen as they just wanted to continue this for a new season. As almost everything is tied up but they still needed a few strings loose for a new season. It doesn't truly make sense why this happens and why they couldn't wrap up everything and make it end. This move was more to make sure this drama would renew for another season than just end it once and for all.
This drama was frustrating and missed a lot of great things it could've done. It had an interesting premise, fantastic promotions but was done badly. I wouldn't recommend you to watch this drama and wholly agree with the rating I have given!
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Main couple- Kevin was actually pretty good, I liked his character and Su Yu was the only male character here who fought and protected the girl selflessly even with the price of losing his own life but the main girl was really bad in acting and I couldn't feel a bit of chemistry between them, they seemed too fake.
Some of the supporting characters who were there I don't know why, too much of idiocy and stupid acting from them, actually drama could be better without them.
Three main couples in each part of the story- I liked all of them, I felt sorry for most of them and I felt love between all of them.
First couple Shen An and Song Ning I loved the most, what angst, passion, what extremely proud people, how they destroyed one each other only cause of misunderstandings, cowardly attitude and pride. Shen An the biggest coward ever and such a stupid man but still how much he loved her, we could see that and feel that. Song Ning- the best female character in here and one of the best I've met, definitely goes on my list dearest characters. It's so rare to see a woman like her, so intelligent, smart, brave, strong with golden heart, unselfish, simply admirable. Jiang Xin and Justin had freaking sizzling chemistry, I have to see them in some other drama together, such talented actors.
Second couple- they were the most realistic, so full of understanding, so cute and sweet while doing some trivial ordinary things which couples do, Ying Ge was such a tormented soul, I pitied her the most in whole drama and still she succeeded to fall in love and be happy even for a short while, Rong Yuan was my fav. male character here cause the man is just too great, he didn't want to hear anything, he believed in her actions, her eyes, her feelings, he didn't listen to anyone and that's why there wasn't some stupid misunderstanding coming from his side, amount of love he had for her was without limit, what a loyal and gran man he was, a real king. Also the actor is very beautiful. ;)
Third couple- personally I was too subjective cause I love the actor, he is so attractive and I love his acting, always full of passion, his character Su Heng and Murong An had the most beautiful scenes together, I loved their scenes in forest, their kisses, their conversations, he was so ambitious, ruthless and selfish cause he wanted to be a king yes but in the end he never loved anyone else beside her and he protected her no matter what. Npt that I approve his actions, I don't and I would run away sooner from him but still I could understand him sometimes.She was a goddess, how beautiful, how gracious, how graceful, a real forest goddess, i was staring at her all the time plus she was so unselfish and powerful in her mind and heart.
All these couples were destructive and in all of them male characters were most guilty for tragic ends and with less love towards their loved ones, women were giving more love, their own lives, more understanding and they were much more powerful and stronger than them.
That's why I loved this drama. And with wonderful OST, the ending song became my favourite song from Chinese dramas, it fits perfectly here with words, characters and their actions, I'm still listening song at least once in a day. Whole ost is really great with many capturing melodies, I enjoyed even more.
I wouldn't recommend this drama to anyone who appreciate the most high budget production, decent effects and good acting from main characters but I'd still recommend to those who look for original idea, great chemistry and more interesting and important side couples with good acting coming from them.
In some way I did enjoy although I really couldn't stand what I already pointed out as bad, these side couples and amazing music managed to keep me going all the way till the end.
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Left in a state of confusion
Poor production/directing .The first 5 episodes were great but then i don't understand what happened next. There's too much story within a story without any conclusive consistency.
I still don't quite get what happened. It could be that my observational skills were lacking or the poor directing or both. Either way this drama was very much confusing, the last episode did not make much sense either.
However, i must commend the cast they did an excellent job in portraying their characters.
I would only recommend This drama for people who just want to pass time.
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This review may contain spoilers
I started watching K-dramas two years ago and this being my very first maiden drama review on this site speaks volume about "Rooftop Prince" and the impression it has left on me. Three days had passed since I completed the show and the touching scenes within the show kept flashing in my mind even when I am writing this review.Story:
At the beginning, it seems to have the making to be just a pure comedy given the ridiculous time travel element and yes, the first few episodes were very light hearted but they did a superb job in introducing the bigger scheme of things to come as well as set the stage for an epic romance between Lee Gak/Tae Yong and Park Ha that transcend the test of time and space. There were lots of heart-warming as well as heart-wrenching moments between those two. I witnessed my wife cried like a baby on several ocassions :)
Without revealing any potential spoilers, I personally like the last two episodes and I thought it was a beautiful and poetic way to end such a wonderful show even though it does leave you with a tinge of sadness. I think the message here is love will stand the test of time and to be together is worth celebrating no matter what may happen in the future.
Cast:
I can't find a single fault with any of the actors and actresses. They were totally into their roles. I like Mickey ever since I watched him in Sungkunkwan Scandal and I thought he was already very good then. In this show, he more than better his own performance. As for Han Ji Min, well, what can I say, this is the first time I ever watched her and I am already a fully converted fan of her after this show. Everytime she cries, she has the ability to make you feel really sad for Park Ha. I am already planning to watch her Padam Padam and Yi San after this show.
Music:
The OST for this drama is simply stunning especially the main theme song (not the funny one but the sad one, those who watched the show will know which one I am referring to). The lyrics brought out the essence of the entire show perfectly. If you listen to the song together with the lyrics especially during those heart-wrenching moments, it does makes u feel like crying.
Rewatch Value:
Usually I won't rewatch dramas because you already know the plot but this is one which I will definitely rewatch again within the next 3 months. It was that good!
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This review may contain spoilers
A reel featuring Yang Zi & Xu Kai got me here. It is nice but a bit boring.
I usually tend to avoid Xu Kai's dramas not because I think he isn't a good actor but because Ancient Love Poetry did me in. I hated his character in it. But I also loved him in "Falling Into Your Smile" in which his character was so damn sweet, so although I'm a bit wary about his dramas, I still didn't hesitate to watch this one, especially because he has been paired with Yang Zi, the cutest adorable sprite. Now, that I saw them together, the chemistry is good. They are both stunning and can light up the screen for me.This is going to be a slow burn and I'm going to enjoy it. Like one another review said that they liked FL's bf initially, I had the same thought that he was adorable. Only to have had my eyes opened to the lies. The FL is a pretty independent woman who wants to earn things herself, knowing this the guy still couldn't muster up the courage to fess up. Even if he had to be forgiven because FL is a nice person, he couldn't even say no the blind date when he already had a gf. Damn it, I understand that is hard to untangle from relationships that you have invested years in but the guy doesn't learn. He'll continue to lie about things and they are bound to break up. The bf had very little presence in ep 7 & 8, it was focused mostly on the parents and grandma.
The ML is clearly trying to some business espionage, his goals are still unclear but doesn't seem that far gone to harm people. I don't think he'll be able to harm the lovely grandma or her step granddaughter. So, the whole truth is out in the open and the ML did frame FL, leading to her demotion. This was when she asked for a transfer to a place far from him and he agreed, only to show up in that place again.
The FL's mother is so damn irritating. Why on the earth does she not care about her daughter's happiness, she decided to forgive the guy because she found out that he has money. She is not getting any better even in the newer episodes. I'll be skipping most of the scenes with her in it and continue watching it for the leads.
The FL breaks up with her boyfriend in episode 11 and it is a sad. It was a hard decision for her to make, but they just weren't right and she so clearly brought up all the points that didn't work in their favor. The bf didn't really have anything to say and didn't try hard to get her to change her mind. Thankfully, her mama was a bit understanding about it and not her usual self. Her brother and father are both such green flags. Now, we finally get some scenes with FL and ML focused on each other and they have started with bickering.
Despite the breakup and the dynamics between the family, the drama is pretty light hearted and lacks depth. Not that I mind, I like it well enough. It was just different from most of Yang Zi's dramas that are very emotionally charged. Yang Zi's character has more depth compared to Xu Kai's character, I hope that changes in the future to keep things interesting.
Ep 15 & 16: Wow, the mom wins the mug for the most self centered mom in the world. She pushes her daughter so hard to marry a guy just because his family has money. She is not even willing to think about how he would make her daughter miserable by continuing the same cycle they were stuck in. As a daughter of an Asian mother, Mai Chen Huan's words to her mother were so resonating. You put on put foot out of the line and you get labeled a disobedient daughter who deserves to be cut off. The entire family enables that woman, even her son saying you are not to blame. Come on people, if she hadn't tried to take the bait set by the Jia Liang's family, all this mess wouldn't have happened. She can't just let her daughter be.
Ep 19 & Ep 20: Wasn't expecting that! Will miss the adorable grandma for sure. I initially thought that she would leave the hotel to both Chen Huan and Zhi Ming. It is hard to guess what's going on in Zhi Ming's head, he is probably thinking how to get the hotel without affecting Chen Huan in any way. Here's to hoping they work together instead of fighting against each other.
Ep 21 & 22: So far so good. They are working together and Zhi Ming has pretty much shared everything he planned to do with Chen Huan, let's hope there isn't anything he has left out. I wonder though if he might have to leave the country once they start to get along.
Ep 22 to Ep 30: They got together and things are going smoothly with just a little hitches. The mom is the same, I'm surprised the Yao Zhi Ming gets along with her so well. It is a nice to watch, but even with two such powerful actors it might not have much of rewatch value. Xu Kai's "Falling into your smile" is a much better watch.
Ep 31 to 37: Skipped a lot of scenes, and watched the final episode without subtitles. (Just curious as to how it ended). The ending seems fine but it failed to evoke any feelings out of me. It was not a drama that you can be immersed into.
I'm a teensy bit disappointed with the drama, especially because it has such a good cast. I hope we see them all in better projects in the future, where all of their acting skills would be appreciated.
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As I watch this movie, well, let me spell out here….. OMG Teng Huatao how can this movie failed because LUHAN? You must be crazy!! You out of your mind man!!
Now, I kind off agreed with some comments earlier from viewers from various article since this movie came out. This movie is a flop based on my review and comment! No offence to anybody, just an honest comments.
1. Opening of this movie, The Director too eager, to show-off his first time sci-fic movie. Rushing until we do not know what is happening and what? This movie supposed to be Sic-fic/Romance right? What is going on here? OMG!!
2. Yes very true the storyline is totally poor, this I must say. OMG! What a waste.
3. The Sci-fic that Teng Huatao trying to present …. Totally nothing special. Anything and everything in this movie, seen in other movie before. Bottom line… nothing to shout about. OMG terrible project you did Teng Huatao.
My question here, on whatever reason, this movie flop because of Luhan? OMG totally nothing to do with him. Totally nothing. Wake up Teng Huatao.
Let me re-cap, back in August 20, 2019. Based in one article with the headline, “Shanghai Fortress” Director Under Fire for Throwing Luhan Under The Bus”. In this article, during Teng Huatao earlier interview, he commented about one of the reason why his movie fail is because Luhan and because of this, Luhan’s fan get upset. I’m not so his fan but YES I’M UPSET TOO!! OMG. In this article, Teng Huatao commented earlier (in some other article & said):
1. He had no comment on Luhan’s acting skills. However, he also said this, “But I overlooked in difference in actor types. I used Luhan wrongly in a role wasn’t suitable for him”.
My comment: If Luhan not suitable than who suitable? Arnold Schwarzeneggar? OMG, Teng Huatao, in your movie, Luhan’s character is a 20 years old college student, who falls for an older woman. What you talking about! What about Shu Qi? She do not even have a leadership or charismatic character in her. There are tans of charismatic female actress out there and why her? OMG Teng Huatao, you blind.
2. Also pointed out Luhan’s styling in the movie might have also contributed to the poor ratings.
My comment: OMG WHAT!! You are the director of this movie, you should know this better than anybody else. But anybody never comment about Shu Qi styling? As a high rank officer, while on duty, she let go off her hair freely? Why? Why no comment about this?
3. He also clarified that Luhan’s salary for this movie wasn’t high, shooting down rumors that he had accepted the role based on his high paycheck.
My comment: This, Teng Huatao, I can say just stop the crap. Luhan is an Idol and he has so many fans in China, Korea and almost everywhere in this world. Teng Huatao, stop joking if you do not know how.
Conclusion:
1. The movie fail totally because of TENG HUATAO, one and only.
2. The movie is such a boring movie. Rating for the movie, I give 2 out of 5.
3. Rating for Luhan’s acting & facial expression, I give 5 out of 5. Because, I can see his improvement in expressing his facial compare to his other dramas & movies before. Other Directors out there, you can cast Luhan on a Romantic movie or drama after this, and I can guaranty your BOX will explode.
4. As for Teng Huatao, I’ve no comment for you except you can start planning for your retirement in this industry and maybe you attend night class and learn on basic moral education as I notice that you can’t excepted your failure.
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"What the heck?" is the sentence I said after watching the last episode.
I don't know about the Hong Sister's intention concerning this drama but I somehow felt mocked after finishing this drama.
You might ask why.
Well, this drama started pretty good. The plot was new and interesting. A typical work of the Hong Sisters. But then it somehow became...well, it didn't meet my expectations.
The ending was so bad that you might get angry about that as you wasted time on this drama and just stayed till the end because of the actors.
The only good thing about this drama are the male and female lead. Both were convincing in their roles whereas the singer of Miss A...maybe it was just because of her role ( not because of her acting) that she was annoying in my eyes. Every time she appeared, I rolled my eyes and thought: "Not her again!" I guess, I like her as a singer better than as an actor.
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surprisingly good
Having watched #HiddenLove brought back a lot of youthful memories. I remember having a huge crush on my best friend’s older brother in secret and the giggly feelings .The story of Hidden Love is so heartwarming and lighthearted at the same time. I love the goodness shown in this drama that when you are well loved you pay it forward too. Moreover I just love the family dynamics as well as how SZ developed into a mature young lady. Both Zhao Lusi and Chen Shueyan delivered their portrayal of their respective role effectively plus Victor Ma wow what a pleasant surprise he did great too!
THE LOVE STORY! What can I say ‘chef’s kiss’ . I wish everybody can have this type of loving and healthy relationship .
I highly recommend this drama and it’s a drama for all ages👌🏻👌🏻
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is not big or anything alike that but is simple and so Realistic and that's is the point here, the plot is so easy to relate
Cast :
a lot new face here but trust me they all can act their character well and im kinda surprised because...
Acting:
their ACTING is very good! not all but almost, it really making me into the story
Music: is soo good! my god. i keep repeating some scene just because the soundtrack so nice and perfectly placed
Rewatch Value : damn this thing is so useful, i definitely will rewatch this again to make sure im not making many mistake in dating later in life hahaha
OVERALL VERY NICE WEB DRAMA, WORTH EVERY SECOND!
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