Reviews

Priest {Review}

It's been a long time since I binge watched a Kdrama and for some reason this one caught my attention. And no, it wasn't because I was searching for something similar to 'The Guest'.

I just wasn't in the mood to watch the regular rom-com dramas.

This time around I wanted to watch something darker. Like a drama with a dark concept minus the possibility of dwelling into an overly depressing plotline.

At the time I concluded this was the perfect fit.

I won't lie tho, at first I couldn't decide between this and 'The Guest'
since both appeared to be quite similar with the possession/hot priests elements. But trust me, they're not! (I checked at least 5 episodes of it after finishing this series).

And just by comparing the trailers I could immediately see one was way more obscure than the other. Which helped me choose.

I decided to take a risk and go for the less popular.

Top Questions most people ask about the 'Priest':

•Is it too scary to watch?

A: It depends. Personally, I didn't find it too scary. This drama for sure has its own creepy scenes. As a horror movies enthusiast I can say I've seen way more dreadful possessions and exorcism rituals than the ones that were portrayed here.


•Does the Medical genre overshadow the horror factor?

A: Definitely not! Obviously, it plays a role in the drama but it's not too significant. Don't expect to see business-like hospital politics/corruption or surgeries that last for far too long. The demon is the centre of it all.


•Can it be compared to 'The Guest'? Do they even reference it or do any special appearance?

A: I hate to bring it up again. But sadly 'Priest' comments' section is bombarded with questions of this kind. Which is comprehensible since it aired right after AND they're both from OCN. But the answer is NO. There's no comparisons to make besides the fact both are about priests, possessions and exorcisms. The approach and execution of the rituals is completely different.
Sadly, no. There's no special appearances. Nor do they make a reference whatsoever. Father Mateo does not show up (It would've been so cool tho!).


•DoEs It HAvE AnY ROmAnCe?

A: MaYbE. This was a surprise for me since I was avoiding that specific genre. You'd have to see for yourself.


•Is it worth to watch?

A: If you're into this genre I'd say go for it! This is not a masterpiece but I can assure you it's quite entertaining for what it is. I think it was a bold move to mix two opposite concepts: medical and supernatural possessions. It could've gone terribly wrong. It's one of the components that makes 'Priest' so unusual.


My Thoughts on:

-The Main Characters:

Oh Soo Min ( Yeon Woo Jin)

At first he seemed to be a bit inexperienced when it came to perform an actual exorcism. I was worried I wouldn't be able to take him seriously as an exorcist priest. But thankfully he went through a character growth.

He ends up having an unexpected bittersweet storyline (that caught me by surprise ).

Although he knew very well what his responsibilities as a Catholic priest meant he never forgot that at the end of the day he was only human.

Moon Ki Sun (Park Yong Woo)

Although I loved his bromance with Oh Soo Min a.k.a Father Michael, I couldn't help but feel like there was something missing about his character.

I don't know if it was just the way it was written but sometimes he would appear kind of dull. And I guess that's probably because we end up not knowing too much about him.

I don't recall seeing his backstory or getting to know the reason why he became a priest in the first place.

In my opinion there was so much that could have been added to his character. He deserved more development.

Side note: One of the few things we came to know about him is that he's great at Boxing. And for a Priest he's very athletic. Always in good shape.

Ham Eun Hi ( Jung Yoo Mi)

Well, I must say her skepticism annoyed me in the first two episodes. But I understood it was just part of her character. She's a doctor after all.

Even with proof right in front of her eyes she will disregard every supernatural occurrence as some psychotic disorder or a fuzzy illusion caused by fatigue.

Despite that, she gradually grew on me. I came to admire not only her personality but her strength to keep going.

She continuously fought for what she thought was right even when people said it didn't matter.

The Demon {Whose name we shall not mention} :

No, it's not Voldemort (Even though he's no demon. At least technically speaking). And no, it's not Park Il Do.

For the sake of spoiler alerts his name shall remain unknown.

What can I say... I wouldn't consider him particularly strong or undefeatable like he's supposedly portrayed. He's just, really really reaaaally sneaky. And loves to outsmart everyone. Like any demon would.

In the beginning I thought he was creepy and gave me the chills. With every passing episode the spooky factor was maintained but he gradually became less scary-looking (after his face reveal). I mean, it scared me more what he could do rather than his real appearence. If that makes sense.

Speaking of his looks, I seriously don't know why he looked like that. I also would like to know more about his origin.

-The Supporting Characters

Overall everyone was great! Even though I enjoyed watching the dynamics of the Regia 634 team (their team work strangely reminded me of the squad of 'Lookout' - if you watched it you'll know what I'm talking about).

I wasn't too fond of the medical staff only some characters here and there.

-The Writing:

The writing wasn't exceptional. As I previously stated, some characters weren't fully developed.

Somewhere in the middle there was a twist that I thought could be a disguised lazy writing tactic (or not, I'm just assuming). Fortunately, it worked out within the direction the plot was headed.

-The Exorcism Rituals :

In this, I liked the variety of rituals. It was not just splashes of Holy water, crosses above the forehead and holy sanctified shoutings. Although you will hear it, lots and lots of screams. Count in some evil laughter as well.

Final thoughts :

To be honest, I never expected to enjoy watching this drama so much. It got me completely hooked.

There was never a moment of boredom and the plot kept me interested. I was entertained until the very end.

Like I mentioned above, it isn't perfect. It definitely has some flaws. But those flaws don't turn it into an unwatchable mess.

The number one aspect that I appreciated the most was the unpredictability of the events and the main leads relationship.

Fun Fact: Did you know that Yeon Woo Jin and Jung Yoo Mi were the main leads in the Horror Movie 'The Tunnel 3D'?

Apparently this was not the first time they had worked together. They were reunited once again for another thriller.

Anyway, I hope this review helps you decide whether or not watching this might be worth of your time.

I wrote this review on another site but I decided that I should post it here as well.

Thank you for reading and happy binge watching!

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A Sweet, Warm, and Healing Romcom!

This is my first time writing a review for drama, I want to say that i really love the drama, it has been my mood booster & happy vitamin everyday ❤️

if you want to watch a lighthearted, sweet, warm, & healing romcom drama then this a good start for u!

At first, i watched the drama because of Xinxin. And i think just like Cnets say, i think Yu Shuxin really know how to pick a good drama❤️
YSX drama start from Youth, I've fallen for you, Find Yourself, Moonlight, Love Between Fairy and Devil, and A Romance of the Little Forest are all really good ❤️ .

The things i love from the drama:
- Yu Shuxin really smart picking character that suit her so much, the acting is very real & greatly believeable to the audience! Yu Meiren is perfectly written for Yu Shuxin! No one can play it perfectly Yu Meiren other than her! I love Yu Meiren character, she is such a smart, confidence, good at work, brave, can stand on herself, independent, hard working, and true to her heart! She is just so perfect so perfect example of a beauty with brain ❤️.
- Yu ShuXin used about 140 set outfit from 300 set outfit she prepared for this drama, i enjoyed looking all her beautiful & different outfit & style from YSX, She is such a fashionista, a beauty blogger indeed❤️
- Empowering woman, woman can also chase the man we like first ;).
- Yu Shuxin as Yu Meiren is still reborn as a flower this time too, she's a corn poppy flower this time and Zhang Binbin as Zhuang Yu is someone who expert in plant too, he is botanist professor, so much coincidence with LBFAD & Rattan :)))))!
- Zhang Binbin as Zhuang Yu is so great! At first he might looks cool and indifferent but he will melt to Yu Meiren along the way, really love his soft smile to Yu Meiren everytime she did cute/crazy things to him.
-It's a two-way crush/unrequired love thrope drama, which is my cup of tea, i really enjoy it!
- Brain power CP, both of the lead are intellectual people . The ML is Botanist Professor while the FML is Phd in Ornithology. The way sometime they make joke only they can understand it with the science reference :'). They are also not falling in love because the writer said so, they are truly are destined to be together, they are different souls that resonate together, they share the same brain cell, They both are such a cultural and literated smart couple ❤️
- Yu Shuxin and Zhang Binbin chemistry are overflowing and so top notch!❤️. I had to say that Yu Shuxin is really a Chemistry Queen, they way she always have a good chemistry with every of her costar! Mezhuangdan cp is not an exception! They gave a calm bf hyper gf vibe so strongly. Also their kiss scene is SOOOO GOOOOOOD!!! It's soooooooo PERFECT!!!*chef kiss :*
- A sweet, warm & healing enviromental protection campaign drama. Your eyes will be healed because so much green in the drama , a great cinematography of the little forest, plants, animal, small village, etc ❤️
- Original Story, which is rare in cdramaland these days
-The drama quiet gave a justice to the research background and it's also maybe due the fact that they had real experts and professional to guide them through the drama
- The adorable and sweet OSTs sang by our main lead Esther Yu and ZhangBinBin, they voice are really a honey to my ear ❤️
-Meizhuangdan cp behind the scenes are the sweetest and the funniest, they even much more in the behind the scene, go watch it y'all!

The things i don't like:
- too many unnecessary 2nd couple screentime
- the drama cut the Legendary iconic kiss scenes of the main cp

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About the story, from the anime series, the plot was changed. Which I will no longer mention what are the changes are to avoid spoiling the others. The fighting scenes were really awesome. How each scenes were directed was perfect or in detailed. The lighting they have used is well chosen and the places too. You can feel the presence of the past era (which I forgot what it is) to the modern. It's funny though that the cops back then are always too late in the scenes. But it is understandable since there are no cars yet that time.
I can say that this is really worth watching for. Even though I was little sad that there are scenes that I like that wasn't included. I guess they just give emphasize to the important ones. Also, my feelings wasn't totally moved. Maybe because I already know the story that's why I wasn't totally moved.


About actors~ Ohhhhhhhhh!! They are so great! I salute them! They really done a great job especially kenshin!!!! He is so cool, handsome and cute!!! Love him x)
The way he express is just right, love it. Same as the same characters, the expressions are totally right. Although kaoru and Megumi are cute unlike in anime which are matured. Kaoru and Megumi wasn't able to absorb the 100% characteristic in the anime. But they did their job well too :D Sano is not really tall, but with his big muscles I guess that's enough. Anyway, they were really great :D

Music, I love the music and background music. It suits the movie. the sound effects were great too.

Anyway, I give it all 10! It was great~ Worth watching~ ^-^

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All the world's a stage.

The Double is a dark and melodramatic soap opera about revenge and regret. It is a soap opera to end all soap operas in terms of high theatrics, spinning hussies, piercing death glares, shocking twists and the sweet, savage satisfaction of retribution. To best enjoy this, don't look too hard at it as the narrative is littered with logic and plot holes and absurdly dramatic, historically impossible scenes. The male lead Duke Su flirts with breaking the fourth wall repeatedly to urge us to just watch the play, a reminder that all the world's a stage and we should just suspend disbelief.

Xue Fangfei, the most elegant and cultured lady in the capital, is cruelly betrayed and dumped in a shallow grave. She is rescued by Jiang Li, the Chancellor's daughter who is wrongly condemned and banished by her family to a convent. Fangfei assumes Jiang Li's identity and returns to the capital; vowing to clear both their names and make their enemies pay. She is aided by the enigmatic and powerful Duke Su who helps her because she intrigues him and could prove useful to him down the road. The romance that develops between them unfolds at a leisurely pace as they each have high stakes agendas that predictably converge.

Duke Su must be be every scorned woman's ultimate fantasy "consolation" prize. This magnificent specimen of manhood is highly born, tall, dark, handsome, powerful, and with a diabolical mind to match Xue Fangfei's. The icing on the cake is this sexy beast that wields a fan more effectively than a sword does not come saddled with nasty in-laws. Wang Xingyue's potent portrayal of Duke Su is spot on from the tinge of humor that belies his stern expression, his double entendre laced dialogues to how in unguarded moments his eyes devour Xue Fangfei with almost indecent longing. Despite the seductive build up and combustive chemistry between the main leads, the ultimate pay-off to their slow burn courtship falls far short of wild and wicked and only delivers a chaste candle-gate moment.

Even though I shipped Duke Su and Xue Fangfei immediately, I appreciate how Fangfei takes the time to rage, to mourn her loss and to get closure so that she can properly move on. To me, Wu Jinyan obviously looks older than Wang Xingyue, butI think this casting makes sense. Xue Fangfei is a woman who lost everything; her reputation, her lover, her entire family. That kind of shocking devastation would age anyone tremendously and Wu Jinyan's ravaged, strained and wild wide-eyed expression in the early episodes is brilliantly in character. The narrative does not shy away from presenting her marriage as one that had depth and substance. Thus they are still in perfect unison when they play their haunting duet; a song of profound loss, resentment and regret. Wu Jinyan plays the avenging angel so perfectly I got unholy enjoyment out of watching Shen Yurong squirm knowing that Xue Fangfei, who knows him better than he knows himself, is coming for him.

Shen Yurong is a character that I find hard to be that angry with because as it turns out, his perfidy results in such a massive upgrade for Xue Fangfei. Liang Yongqi really slays in this complex role of a promising, rising young official who catches the eye of the wrong woman and ends up betraying his ideals. He is quite a pitiful creature who trades in domestic bliss for living dangerously at the beck and call of an abusive, insecure and bat-shit crazy spinning shrew that his own dear mother pimps him out to. I can't decide if I pity him or despise him more. Because in truth, he already lost the moment he chose to betray his muse and the love of his life. The moment of peak retribution is when it dawns upon him what a prize he lost and is forced to face the limits of his own character. I thoroughly enjoyed how the narrative peels away the many layers of hypocrisy, ambition, sophistry and duplicity to reveal a weak, impotent coward who lacked the courage of his convictions. To me, this is the most complex and best acted role in this drama.

Even though I have high praise for Li Meng's portrayal of the deranged Wanning, I have little sympathy for this character or her shocking villain origin story. Victimhood does not entitle her to help herself to someone else's husband or kill with such impunity. When she had power and free will, she chose to be King Cheng's pawn, no one forced her. Likewise, I have no sympathy for Ji Shuran or her choices. In general, I dislike these attempts to whitewash villains or somehow rationalize their wicked ways. Bad stuff happened to Xue Fangfei and Jiang Li as well. But they looked for justice without turning into monsters as a result. While Xue Fangfei's revenge, if you can even call it that is very satisfying, Jiang Li's left me feeling bereft. Ultimately Xue Fangfei is a character that lost nothing and gained everything. It is Jiang Li who is truly the injured party and even though she is vindicated, all the king's horses and all the king's men can't put her together again.

Despite the addictive start, this drama loses momentum by episode 30. The storytelling lingers too long on weakest Jiang family plots arcs. They are boring and unoriginal, borrowing heavily from what were also weak arcs in Princess Weiyoung. Jiang Li's cousins are archetypal characters that were not complicit in Jiang Shuran's treachery. I find it unfathomable the drama chose to focus on their tawdry squabble over a callow rogue instead of uncovering the many layers of the far more fascinating Duke Su. As a result, this character with so much early promise ends up not as well developed as Shen Yurong and Wanning. To add insult to the injury, almost as an after thought, he is featured front and center in a baffling truncated half episode final arc that serves up gratuitous angst and some unearned and unjustified pin-cushioning of good characters. It is nothing short of a grift to squeeze money from viewers for a mundane glimpse of domestic bliss. As far as I am concerned this drama ends where it should a bit past the halfway point of the final episode. All the rest is dross.

This is a super addictive soap opera that doesn't hold up under close scrutiny. Where it excels is in serving up high drama and angst with super cool and satisfying but absurd vignettes that don't necessarily advance the plot. Nonetheless I was happy to rate this better than 8.5 until it started to sag and waffled into a lame and wishy washy ending that leaves me no choice but to call it an 8.0/10.0.

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Definitely enjoyed it way better than I imagined. I was skeptical when I saw Netflix going for it but I decided to give it a try. It follows the manga more closely than other live actions. I wasn't disappointed. The cast were good too... really loved Peng Yu Chang as Lu Xia! My other favorite characters were Qiao Chen, Jia Le, Zhuo Zhi, and the dad. The "female" lead's character is still annoying to me. I mean it's expected but I still got annoyed. The matches were fun to watch I was actually nervous with the team every time they were nervous. I wished they were longer though. They could have gotten rid of those flashbacks and 'inspirational' moments for more match scenes.

Hopefully Netflix has season 2 that would be dope.
Would definitely rewatch it! 10/10 for me considering I binge-watched 40 episodes in 2 days!!!

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Never-Ending Summer, Never-Ending Misunderstanding

I finally finished Never-Ending Summer, and after reading so many comments, I honestly feel like a lot of people completely misunderstood the story.

Everyone keeps asking, "Why did Zhou Wan leave?" "Why didn't she chase after Lu Xixiao?" "The plot doesn't make sense."

But I don't think the problem is the writing.

I think people expect every romance to have simple answers and happy endings. This drama was never trying to be that. It was about trauma, guilt, impossible choices, and how love alone can't magically fix everything.

Let's start with Zhou Wan.

People judge her for the choices she made, but very few people stop to think about why she made them.

When she was only ten years old, her father died after his business failed. Then her own mother abandoned her and even took the insurance money that should have gone to Zhou Wan and her grandmother. Her grandmother became the only family she had left, and a few years later, she became seriously ill.

Imagine being fifteen or sixteen years old and realising the only person who has ever truly loved you might die because you can't afford surgery.

No teenager should have to carry that responsibility.

Zhou Wan was one of the smartest students in school. She always ranked near the top of her class, but she never really got to be a child. Her childhood ended the day her father died, and her mother walked away.

So yes, she became desperate.

When she discovered the connection between her mother and Lu Xixiao's father, she didn't immediately think, "Great, I'll use this."

She resisted it.

She kept telling herself she didn't want to become a bad person. She felt guilty before she even approached Lu Xixiao. She knew what she was considering wasn't right, but she also believed it was the only chance she had to save her grandmother.

Was it morally right?

No.

Was it understandable?

Absolutely.

Now let's talk about Lu Xixiao because people act like Zhou Wan ruined his life, when the drama itself tells us that isn't true.

His trauma didn't begin with Zhou Wan.

It began the day he watched his mother die by suicide right in front of him.

No child should ever witness something like that.

On top of that, the adults around him failed him completely. His father cheated on his mother, and instead of protecting her, the family cared more about maintaining appearances than her happiness. Their household never really felt like a family. It felt like a business empire where emotions always came second.

Of course, that would leave scars.

Then Zhou Wan entered his life.

For the first time since losing his mother, he slowly started smiling again. He trusted someone. He allowed himself to love someone. She became a place where he finally felt safe.

She didn't create his healing overnight, but she became a huge part of it.

Then came the stabbing incident.

People forget how much guilt Zhou Wan was already carrying before that happened. She blamed herself for approaching Lu Xixiao under false pretences, even if her reasons came from desperation rather than malice.

The stabbing only made that guilt worse.

Then his grandfather threatened her and made it very clear that she should leave Lu Xixiao alone.

At that point, Zhou Wan genuinely believed everyone's life would be better without her.

She looked at Lu Xixiao and saw someone who had money, status, opportunities, and a powerful family. She couldn't see that emotionally, he was just as broken as she was.

So she left.

Not because she stopped loving him.

Because she loved him enough to believe he'd be happier without her.

Was she wrong?

Yes.

But she didn't know she was wrong.

That's what makes the story tragic.

Then people ask why she didn't chase him after the 10-year reunion?
Honestly...why would she?

She was the one who walked away because she believed she was protecting him. If she suddenly came back acting as if nothing had happened, it would completely contradict everything her character believed.

One of my favourite moments in the drama is when Lu Xixiao finally tells Zhou Wan the truth.

He tells her that she was never the reason for his nightmares, his insomnia, or his emotional struggles.

Those began the day his mother died.

If anything, she was the one person who made those nightmares quieter. She wasn't the cause of his pain.

She was his healing.

When she disappeared, those old wounds simply reopened.

That's a huge difference, and I think a lot of viewers overlook it.

I also don't understand why some people insist on comparing this drama to other romances where the female lead spends years chasing the male lead. These are completely different characters in completely different situations. Zhou Wan leaving because of guilt and then refusing to come back because she still believed it was better for him is perfectly consistent with who she is.

Not every love story needs grand gestures.

Sometimes the biggest act of love is letting someone go because you truly believe they'll have a better life without you, even if you're completely wrong.

That's why the ending worked for me.

Love didn't magically erase ten years of pain.

It gave them the chance to finally understand each other.

Lu Xixiao understood why Zhou Wan left.

Zhou Wan finally understood that she had never been his burden.

She had always been his comfort.

Neither of them was perfect.

Both of them made mistakes.

Both of them hurt each other.

But that's exactly why they felt real.

This drama never asked me to agree with every decision the characters made.

It asked me to understand them.

And to me, that's what made Never-Ending Summer so unforgettable.

⭐ Rating: 10/10.

Sometimes the best stories aren't the ones where everyone makes the right choices.

They're the ones where every choice, even the wrong ones, makes perfect sense once you understand the people making them.

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My favorite vigilante gang ever

Going into this knowing it was thriller/romance, I already knew I would love it. But I wasn't prepared for how powerful the social message would be. In fact, I think this turned out to be more sociopolitical, and the thriller was kind of a side dish, but as someone who loves when there are stakes for the characters outside of themselves, it was perfect to see. It made the plot seem so much bigger than I expected without ever making it feel like the main characters were over-important or had plot armor.

Character-wise, I absolutely loved SeanWhite together and as individuals — it was beautiful to watch them fall in love while dealing with the looming secret identity reveal and the stress of starting a social movement. They’re definitely the best part of the show.

The side characters were really fleshed out as well: Yok, Dan, Gram, Gumpa, and even the female characters were generally good additions to the cast.

The only character I might’ve wanted to see more of would’ve been Black, who not only had such a powerful on-screen presence thanks to Gun’s amazing acting but also was probably one of the best-written characters in the show and the perfect example of how “things unsaid” can be the most heart-wrenching things ever if the writers do it well.

Black’s best scenes were with White (once again, amazing acting) and then Todd — call it toxic but but the chemistry between them was absolutely palpable. Black/Gram was absolutely something I became invested in straightaway and I’m still sad the show went in a different direction. It’s not a deal-breaker (nothing was, considering how much I still ended up loving this show) but it’s a shame the red herring turned out to be more intriguing than the truth.

I think that’s why some people having been saying the thriller part was predictable, but I personally don’t completely agree. I don’t think it was the most twisted whodunnit, but once White joined the group (basically episode 2) it became clear that there would be so much more to the story.

Overall, such a great watch. I'm so satisfied by the ending and there are definitely scenes I'll go back to. Also — the theme song is so good, I didn't skip it ONCE.

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Perfect match <3

I love how Weir acts as a gentleman in this lakorn, it makes me fall for him even more <3 This is the first time Weir and Thisa act together, and I can say their chemistry is off the charts!! The last episode really shows it. Aside from the main characters, the side characters are also well portrayed.

I really love the pace of this lakorn...it's a slow-burn romance, and I enjoyed most of the romantic scenes. However, I do think their moments in the island are much stronger.

The musics are great, they have good melodies and I like them.

Overall, I think this is a great lakorn considering that I usually watch revenge/ slap and kiss lakorns. It has a good production value and fantastic island scenes as well.

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"My Tommorow, Your Yesterday."

Watching Chinese dramas for a couple of years finally makes you realize what exactly is wrong with the plethora of them released every month: there is little to no uniqueness in many of their productions or even if it did hold up for a while, they somehow manage to make me lose interest halfway through.
For a country that is far behind when it comes to changing their game or shying away from neat finales, An Ancient Love Song satisfies all that I wanted: a no-nonsense story that sticks to its logic to the very end.
So, if you are looking for some regular, well paced drama with sweet fluff, this one might not be for you. "Reverse timelime" is quite serious. Meaning you know the ending before it even began.

An Ancient Love Song reminded me strongly of the Japanese movie, "Tomorrow, I Will Date Yesterday's You." Or the alternate title which is the same as my review's.
Both of them deal with the concept of reverse timelines, although, AALS is anchored to a plot with an objective: fighting your destiny.

Shen Bu Yan, a professor/writer, has released a hit novel he had written based on the few evidences and relics left behind regarding the "Kingdom of Sheng". Unfortunately, when he is pressured to write a sequel about the leading character, an obscure Demon Queen who plundered the Kingdom to ruins, inspite of lack of further information, he hits a dead end. While pondering about the future of his tale, he dreams of the so called Demon Queen and finds that he has time travelled to the past.
Whats more? Lu Yuan, the Demon Queen herself seems to be waiting for him.

While trying to piece together the truth of the events, Shen Buyan discovers that he plays a far greater role in determining Lu Yuan's fate… and that he was stuck in a reverse timeline. He decides to attempt to change destiny.

☆ The Story/Characters/Acting:
I have to mention, I felt that the writers messed up the timeline a bit: it's stated that he meets Lu Yuan after every 10 years into her past. Meaning that there is no way he could've met her at 21 and then at 18 again.
The run time of almost 25 to 30 minutes per episode was well utilized. The story did not stray away from the main leads and their missions.

Setting this aside, the story has a solid plot with strong characters, albeit not having many of them.
Lu Yuan is definitely the star of the show: Zhang Ya Qin manages to portray every single emotion convincingly. From the naive 18 - year - old to the 36 - year - old Empress, she did not falter. The scenes were she grieved for the dead were particularly striking.
Her character was a person of her own, intelligent, powerful and sharp.

Although Shen Bu Yan falls on the silent side of the crowd, I liked him as a person. Though, I would like to know who chose his wig in ancient times - he reminded me of the second senior in Love and Redemption.

The romance was just pure. [I can't find the right words to describe what I felt.] It's not overly passionate, but sincere and gentle. The time reversal does leave us with an unpleasant feeling once we lay down everything from both the leads' point of view, but it is this very feeling that makes the couple one who are not easily forgettable. If you have seen 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', you might get a feeling of deja vu at times.
The secondary couple had little time onscreen, but even the focus on them did not appear annoying.

The supporting cast were strong enough to appear believable and invoke emotions to varying degrees.

In a way, all the characters were tragic in their own right. Though, I found the portrayal of Prime Minister Li Yong's pivotal moments lacking. The time skip of 10 years into the past left several voids in the storytelling -- we are 'told', but never shown how things came to be. One another downside of seeing the story through Shen Bu Yuan's eye's.

☆ Soundtrack/Visuals:
After seeing some flamboyant dramas such as Till the end of the Moon, AALS doesn't have much. But, it did not really matter to me as the story was the one that had me hooked. The OST was plain simple. And the title An Ancient Love Song did not even strike until the end of the series.

Kudos to the bilibili video editor who is the reason why this drama exists. I hope other studios are inspired by this and start making content with quality and not quantity.
All in all, I will recommend this to anyone who seek something unique, romantic yet unfluffy, frustrating yet logical, and entertaining, yet emotional tale of love, loyalty and loss.

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It's a shame that some people didn't pay attention

I actually put off watching this series for so long because I read countless reviews on how the story is overwhelming and confusing... To those people I have to say: did y'all pay attention? There are even multiple scenes where characters are going through the "heart stopper" moment (using this phrase to avoid too many spoilers, but you should understand if you've seen it) and the voice-over of the doctor explains that they are going through the "4 minutes" where they go back in their memories to correct or retry scenes of their lives... It all became clear to me in that one moment with the MC and his mom that we shouldn't trust what we saw in the episodes prior. Then what came after was the real deal, what our "4 minute version" saw flashes of each line a minute passed. It was all so well thought out and planned, I'm definitely going to rewatch to see what I might've missed the first time around.

Now, the concept itself wasn't confusing... But I think the pacing and amount of characters are a bit of an issue. I don't mind being tricked as an audience, I know that was a critic for some other people, but for 8 1-hour episodes, I think a smaller cast would've tightened up the plot. That or they could've given us a couple more episodes so we can fully sit with each person or side-plot. I say this because, personally, I hate when the whole plot unfolds at the end. There were so many characters that we didn't see that miraculously appear to explain the history of the company and other aspects... we could've at least met these folks (specifically the MAIN ANTAGONIST) briefly in the beginning or something if we didn't spend so much time with the brother who ends up being so irrelevant in the grande scheme of everything? Which I thought was hella strange??? Idk. The plot leaves a little to be desired, but idk why everyone hates the ending so much?

TL;DR Could've been better, but it's not a terrible series by any margin. Deserves everyone to give it a fair chance, you won't love all the decisions but it's still fun and interesting and made me pause to theorize many times! That's a good thing I think.

Those are my thoughts :)

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Oh, what can I say about this movie! It had so many elements to it that made it so wonderful. It was very heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. It really gives a nice view on what family can really mean and people who have hard lives. Even though some would say that the storyline is not something very possible, it is. I've had people in my lifetime that I know go through similar situations as Jae Soo and his Mom, so it really made me feel somewhat attached to this movie and imprinted it in my mind. Although... I would have loved for it to have a different ending... I think if the movie didn't have the ending it did, then the movie would not quite be what it is and it wouldn't have the same meaning.

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Be careful when you comment on the internet

In only five episodes, this series managed to touch upon cyber bullying, which is a very sensitive topic, in a very delicate and realistic way. The series focuses on Papang, a top student, who is famous in her school, especially through her social media account. One day Papang takes her own life and the series portrays the happenings that led her to that decision.
The Comments deal with the impact that social media have on our lives and how our false social media persona can devour our true selves. The series is a social commentary, about the things that people post online with the sole purpose of judging another human being, without thinking or caring about the consequences. It also deals with the hate comments that celebrities receive and how much they can affect them. The acting is really good throughout the series and I would recommend it to anyone interested in this subject. However, it is not that easy to watch, especially the last episode, so take this into consideration. I liked the fact that I was able to read the comments that the viewers made, while watching the series on YouTube. In that way it is even more impactful, because even though the characters are fictional, the situation was very realistic and the comments were concerning to say the least.
What I loved most about the series, is how the character of Papang is depicted. She is not just the victim of cyber bullying and she is not there to play that role. Papang made some selfish decisions, humiliated her friends and she definitely wasn't the most likable character ever. She was inconsiderate about her friends and maybe if she acted in another way, everything would have turned out differently. However, Papang was also a human being with her own feelings and she didn't deserve the hateful comments she got, no matter how she acted. She didn't deserve to lose her life like that and she definitely didn't deserve to feel that hopeless. This series is about the complexity of human emotions that can lead people to extreme actions. The moral is that social media can be used in a harmful, but also in a helpful way. There is always a choice and in the end it is our own decision if we will use them to hurt or help others.

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