There is something rotten in Kaifeng.
Riverside Code at Qingming Festival/清明上河图密码 is adapted from Ye Wenbiao's popular suspense novel of the same name. One of the highest rated popular novels on Douban, it draws inspiration from Zhang Zeduan's epic 11th century scroll painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival/清明上河图. This panoramic masterpiece meticulously depicts 814 figures, 60 animals, 122 houses, 28 ships, 15 vehicles, over 30 buildings and 8 sedan chairs going about their daily lives along the grand canal. It is an eerily vibrant, intricate and authentic snapshot of Kaifeng (then known as Bianjing) at the peak of its cultural and economic significance; not long before the city was invaded, captured and largely destroyed by the Jurchens in 1127. It is a miracle that this iconic and magnificent record of the city's urban infrastructure, military instalments, industry and commerce and citizens from all walks of life survived. This visually immersive drama virtually restores the sweeping grandeur and prosperity of Kaifeng when it was believed to be the largest city in the ancient world and brings it to life. The drama opens with the mysterious disappearance of the Mei ship sailing under the Rainbow Bridge, which is the centrepiece of the painting.This narrative examines what lies beneath the glittering facade of prosperity and the elated bustle along the Bian River as the citizens of Kaifeng celebrate the Qingming Festival via the eyes of a common family of five. This ties in with the Confucian concept of the family as a microcosm of the state 家国一体; thus the wellbeing of the family is intricately linked with the success of the state. For fifteen years, Zhao Buyou languished as a lowly assistant scribe at Dàlǐsì, the Court of Judicial Review. Even though he doesn't have everything, he is content; happily married to Wen Yue, a filial son to his eccentric father Zhao Li and a good elder brother to his much younger siblings Mo'er and Ban'er. Wen Yue however thinks they need a bigger house so she makes umbrellas to supplement their income. Their world fractures when Buyou is unfairly dismissed from Dàlǐsì while Wen Yue is extorted and harassed by a corrupt official. Pushed into a corner, they discover each other’s hidden secrets and race to protect each other and their family. Soon the entire family uses their special talents to assist Gu Zhen and Wan Fu of the Kaifeng Court solve a series of mysterious cases beginning with the Mei ship case. As the cases unfold, it becomes obvious that something is rotten in Kaifeng, and his name is Zou Mian.
The design of the overarching plot is fresh and interesting; the main villain Zou Mian is so powerful he appears to be above the law and his identity is known from the get go. But the true antagonist hides in plain sight and uses ruthless means to expose Zou Mian's corruption and misdeeds, including threatening the Zhao family. All of the cases are linked to the overarching plot, which is well designed and ties everything together in a satisfying way. The cases are very dark and disturbing and some of the antagonists are unnecessarily depraved and cruel. A unifying theme is that good people can become radicalised and driven to do terrible, desperate and extreme things when they lose faith in a system that fails them repeatedly. While the cases start out well, possibly because of how daringly they push the boundaries in terms of justifying vigilante justice, the conclusions seem to suffer from heavy cuts that leave logic gaps and loose ends. There is some level of just too much going on with the Zhao family drama unfolding alongside the cases. While I enjoyed their family dynamics and learning their backstories, these scenes could have been tightened. In particular Wen Yue going solo was based on shaky logic and her mid-life crisis was not well articulated and detracted from the cases at hand. I always get excited to see c-dramas attempt dark comedy but in this case, while there were some really funny moments, half the time it just didn't land. Overall, for something adapted from such a highly regarded novel, the screenplay does not do justice to the high production values, the exquisite set and the stellar cast.
As for the cast, it is a veteran dream team. I couldn't ask for a better lineup of favorite actors who deliver commanding performances in supporting roles notably Li Naiwen's disingenuous Dilun, Zhang Xinyu's wicked Qiniang and Hai Yitian's slightly unhinged Xiao Yishui. As expected, Zhang Songwen delivers an empathetic and nuanced performance as a flawed, miserable and oppressed character who just sucks it up while his talent is ignored until his harmonious family is threatened. He is more of a coward than a hero and his motives are selfish but relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed his humorous banter with Gu Zhen and Wan Fu and but was shocked by how cynically and ruthlessly they navigate a system that is so broken from within to find their own brand of justice. While Bai Baihe delivers a few exceptional moments as Wen Yue, she doesn't consistently convey the complexity of the role and the inner conflicts that Wen Yue struggled with. The weakest link by far however is Zhang Yao's Mo'er. This is an important role that is meant to illustrate the poisoning of the well. Unfortunately this young actor who struck me as promising years ago in Love in Between, was not ready for this role. He failed to convincingly portray how Mo'er's sorrow, disillusionment and budding resentment made him susceptible to manipulation. This made his darkening from an idealistic young scholar who wanted to reform the system from within seem abrupt and out of character. After all the build-up, I was also surprised by what a lame, wimp Zou Mian turned out to be. There were many fantastic wild, wicked and intimidating villains in this drama but sadly, the "Big Boss" did not live up to his reputation.
Even though this drama ends satisfyingly shortly after the plot climaxes with the reveal of a well-acted and well-hidden mastermind, Zou Mian's take down was anti-climactic. After all the vigilante justice, it makes sense for rule of law and procedural justice to win the day. However, I would have better enjoyed a more exciting denouement and preferably one that does not bypass the question of whether the ends justify the means. As much as I appreciate the meticulous attention to historical detail and the high production values, this drama falters enough in the writing and execution that I can't rate it better than 8.5/10.0. It is still a riveting suspense drama that is entertaining and engaging enough that it deserves another season, hopefully with a better writing team.
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Very deep and touching
After reading the mixed reviews saying it was either terrible or the best drama ever, I really didn’t know what to expect. But I figured with only 10 episodes I didn’t have much to lose. I was pleasantly surprised at how really good this drama is. But looking at a lot of the comments I suspect many people rated it low and even dropped it because the female lead didn’t choose the guy they wanted her to. Too many dramas nowadays choose a super handsome actor to play the second male lead and then make his character unbelievably perfect. Then the dramas ratings suffer because of it. But don’t fall into that trap. This drama is really good. And even though the romance is great, there’s much more to it than the love triangle (which really isn’t a true love triangle since the FL never shows any romantic interest in the SML).This show has great comedy, sweet romance, tremendous character growth, and delves into some pretty deep subjects. It deals with forgiving a parents past betrayal, the hardships of dealing with a mentally ill parent, the pain of divorce, and the devastating effect infertility can have on a relationship. It teaches us that even though you can be surrounded by people you can still be very lonely. And that happiness isn’t something that you chase after because it’s already in you. You just have to find and nurture it.
The premise of this drama is that there are several men and women living together in a co-living house where they have their own separate apartments but share all meals together in the shared kitchen/dining area. They also share a laundry room, living room and library. So there’s lots of shared living spaces to interact with one another. The story follows their lives. They are all emotionally damaged. Some were hurt by failed marriages. Some were hurt by their parents or family members. But their friendships with one another are what heals them.
They realize that eating with each other isn’t just about filling hunger. It’s about sharing warmth with another person and filling the lonely void within themselves. And when the male lead said he put the smiley face sticker on his door and looked at it every morning in order to practice smiling at everyone, it really touched me. He had moved into the shared home to learn how to interact with others and to try to be happy. So when he tells the female lead that he doesn’t have to practice smiling anymore since he met her because now it comes naturally, I just melted.
The other thing that really stood out in this drama is the bromance. The two male leads were just too cute together. They bonded over their mutual crush on the female lead. This isn’t your typical love triangle where the two men hate each other and do sneaky underhanded things to each other. In fact, their bromance was so good I got boy love vibes from them. Their little chases around the room and late night chat sessions in bed were adorable. (They end up rooming together for a while.)
Overall I would highly recommend this drama. It’s both deep and touching yet refreshing at the same time. It should definitely be rated much higher. Ignore the mixed reviews and watch it. You won’t regrets it.
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funny!
after few years, finally this drama released by last month. ITS such a funny drama, eventough sy said that the comedy gonna be old fashioned, but it doesnt matter, still make me laugh. all the characters are so funny, except the basket girl, I think she's kinda annoying but its getting better. I do really like the tone of cinematography, old but refreshing, its screaming bright as the drama really make me laugh... if you like comedy drama, you can try watch the comic bang, gonna be on my comfort drama list 'cause I will watch it again when it endsWas this review helpful to you?
romanticizes SA
How this TV series passed censorship is a mistery to me. As a short series from Tencent with cold CEO as male lead, I expected something closed to SA or mild SA but this one just got the crown among all. Listening to romantic music while watching the ML corner the FL in a corner or throw her very hardshly against a wall and force kiss after kiss to a very scared FL who cannot move (Very clearly being SA) it just sits so wrong with me and make me question how f**ked up we are as an audience to like this to be in the second position of most viewed series on wetv this week.The storyline looks great so far. The actors are great too and the picture makes everything eveything an eye candy. except it’s…romanticized SA.
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A lovely healing drama with bonus puppies
The meet-cute is the usual enemy-to-lover trope. The initial impressions of the leads are also quite stereotypical. Ambitious FL with a chip on her shoulder meets a cold, talented ML. We soon find out that they are actually decent people but both have damaged psyches. They might display a brave front, but their wounds run deep and they suffer in silence. There is a vulnerable individual behind the tough exterior.The Show could have taken the easy road and rely on tropey plots and cliché characters but thankfully it didn’t. It does stray close to some timeworn scenarios at times, but it managed to use them to its advantage.
I appreciate that the story is more complex than at first glance. The writing is layered which makes the narrative more engaging and thought provoking. The characters also have more depth and they are relatable. With only 23 x 30 minutes episodes, the pacing is good and there is no lag.
I won’t give away the interesting plot twists. Let’s just say that it is a nice mix of romance, humour and angst. The found family theme runs deep and resurface again and again.
The chemistry of the leads is very good. The romance appears to grow organically, and not artificially sweetened. There are some skinship. It is not very passionate but it is good enough.
It is not all smooth sailing though and there are some misunderstandings and rash decisions. They are resolved relatively quickly and are not allowed to fester. The best part is that the two leads complemented each other so well and each provide the other half what they longed for. The other CP's are the usual pairing of secondary characters but at least you don't feel that they have been forced together for no reason.
Acting is solid. There are no big-name actors here. The ML is a new idol turn actor with this show being his first starrer. I have to say that he impressed me. It is a measured performance. His role is made a little easier by being stoic and reserved in the beginning but he does expand his range as the show progresses. The FL also did well and turned in a decent, anchoring performance. The support cast generally pull their weight and rounded out the ensemble nicely.
The Show also shares duty as a docudrama about aging traditional artisans and the accelerated decline of their arts in the age of fast fashions. It did get a bit jingoistic towards the end but at least it is self-aware enough not to push through a flag waving but illogical resolution. The ending is balanced and consistent with the overall narrative flow. The added bonus of a decent amount of fan service is appreciated. I also like the fact that neither of the leads have to give up their dream/ambition. There is a middle ground as long as both parties are willing to work hard at it. I admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the nuanced writing so kudos to the writer!
While it is not a high budget production, they did used their resources wisely. The rural locations are beautiful and full of character. The post production and cinematography combined to give us some memorable and poetic scenes. It certainly exceeded my expectations. The OST is pleasant and worked well with the ebb and flow of the scenes.
The Show is a surprisingly good healing journey and an ode to the aging master crafts people. Both the journey and the destination are enjoyable. Recommended.
P.S. The puppies are so cute, but someone should have told them they don’t stay puppies forever. But hey, who wants to be a killjoy. ;)
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Non linear storytelling at its best (with few "flops").
Undoubtedly thrilling and unique story that does not give you a minute of a break - fast paced, well packed with both the plot and the action. Cleverly showing you just bits and pieces of a larger context, uncovering the whole story with each and every episode. While A Shop for Killers had a few issues, it’s still a title worth checking out - perfect for weekend binge watch.One could say it opens like a fish out of the water type of scenario. Not quite. From the start we can see that Jung Ji Ahn is far from being a defenseless young woman, even if she herself is not quite aware of it. Personally, I found the story of her growing up under the careful watch of Jeong Jin Man the best out of the whole show. The bizarre, but obviously strong bond they had, the silent understanding. It was amazing to watch her connect the weird training from the past with her current situation, and use said lessons to survive.
At the same time, Jeong Jin Man’s past seemed a bit messy and did not get the conclusion that fitted the initial tense atmosphere surrounding it. By the end of episode 8, I had to rewatch certain scenes just to make sure I did not miss anything. Where are the answers? Nowhere, just more piling up questions.
Another aspect that was a bit frustrating was how they at times utilized the non linear storytelling by repetitive usage of scenes. The show was short. There were some scenes that truly expanded on what was previously shown - giving us the whole context and full story. At the same time, there were some moments where the “already shown” part was simply too long. I’ve already watched these scenes one episode ago, you do not need to show it to me from start again. I could not stop myself from skipping minutes of the drama, just to get to the point where the story moves forward.
Performance wise? Amazing. Some actors were a bit typecast, which made it easier to guess the their intentions and possible actions, nonetheless - everyone delivered. Personally, I am a fan of Lee Dong Wook in dark roles, so this one hits the spot perfectly. Jung Jin Man is obviously not a good person, not a good character, but there is good in him and that’s what differentiates him from some of his, let’s say “co-workers”. Seeing these detailed differences was an interesting experience. They are both bad, but are they equally bad? How much of someone's actions is understandable, can be explained and excused, where is the line that should not be crossed?
Kim Hye Joon was amazing as Ji Ahn. Well executed character development. Loved the strong and raw emotions she was able to present when Ji Ahn was cornered and truly exhausted with the dangerous situation she got dragged into. Loved the more soft scenes of her as a carefree child and teenager. Loved how Kim Hye Joon was able to present the duality of the character in such a great manner.
Shout-out to the cute guy who helped Ji Ahn when she was a child, if you watched, you know.
Production was great - the soundtrack was full of bops, the fighting scenes had amazing choreographies, the practical effects of blood and other painful “things” were on point.
Overall, left a lot to explore, by the end felt like a borderline bait for possible second season with quite a few aspects not being fully explored. And yet, I’m not mad. It was highly entertaining, had many interesting characters on both the good and the bad side (and let me tell you, the bad side is BAD). Keeps you interested and engaged from episode one till the last scene of episode eight.
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This review may contain spoilers
Not from the novel, rushed ending
If you thought it is an continuation of "Addicted" and have read the novels you will get disappointed. This version has nothing to do with the novels at all. It's a story of what might have happened. The story is a bit confusing and till the end there is no resolution especially with the woman who "drove Yoki to the ground".Instead of wasting 6 minutes with a long intro and credits they should have invested more time in the actual story telling. Because they did, especially the last two episodes felt rushed, even when the finale got 11 extra minutes or so. I still have no idea what the contract was with the village chief because the translation was not clear enough. Also the subtitles had timing issues, so sometimes they subs where only shown for a second or two which is annoying because you have to stop the playback and go back and stop at the right moment.
The most positive about the show are the actors which did a really good job and the music. The negative is, that the show in a show did not feel like it... Normally you have tons of crew. multiple cameras, boom microphones and lights and nothing was present. I guess they had budget constraints, but they could have build in their own crew/stuff into the scenes to make it believable. Overall, this is an ok show, but nothing special.
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It never dragged or got boring, each episode had it's own excitement - the story progressed very nicely. There was one character I hated but he never got on my last nerve like some characters in dramas do (a.k.a My Daughter the Flower killer girl) - even though he was a hateful character - you just somehow knew he couldn't win...This drama is filled with optimism and looking at a persons best along with the worst - to see the human - it's truly beautiful <3 I loved every other character on this drama (well...maybe a few episodes in the beginning I wasn't that fond of Do Hui's step-mom but I warmed up to her later; & Ju Yeong's mom was a bit irritating until the last 10-15 episodes where I started to like her too -) I didn't much care for Jin Ju & Chul Su - she annoyed me a LOT in the earlier episodes & he to be honest wasn't much of a 'man' he was too wimpy. I loved Na Ri - she was adorable throughout the entire drama <3 I loved 4 characters the most: Jun Su, Do Hui, Hyeon Suk & Ju Yeong - I didn't know much about HS or JY early on so I was really fond of JS and DH but somewhere into the drama I started to like HS and JY a little more than the other 2 characters lol and oh boy does Hyeon Suk ever look really handsome when he smiles (it lights up his whole face) <3 oh and I Loved the 'teacher' In Joo (?) she always looked like a fashion statement lol - she was pretty funny too ;)
Music: Really good - I can remember about 4-5 songs :D
Re-watch Value: 8.5 - I would love to re-watch it again - but it is a bit long - I may skip around if I do ;)
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This review may contain spoilers
Entertaining
I feel this series deserves a perfect 10 although many have thought otherwise.The reason is Jing Chao's outstanding performance as Mu Ze (MZ), the Machiavellian. He was willing to sacrifice his son, wife's family, father and brothers for the sake of the throne.
Xing Fei is relatively unknown to me as I hardly watch modern Chinese TV series. But, I feel XF delivered her line well in this series as Lu An Ran (LAR).
Zhai Zi Lu, as Mu Chuan (MC), is a young actor we should watch from now. His character matured over time in this series which made me feel ZZL deserve a credit for his acting. Although Jing Chao overshadowed him completely in this series.
The storyline is very interesting: LAR time travelled from the moment she died in the fire in her palace. back to her encounter with MZ. This time, she tried to kill MZ by pretending as if he was a river bandit. The attempt failed.
In this life, LAR went straight to the point by proposing to MZ that she was willing to marry him to help him achieve his ambitions. And, he fell for her trick. Her revenge began.
In short, I love watching the scenes between MZ and LAR from Episode 4 onwards. MZ is like a beast to LAR while MC is like a morning dew to her.
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For those of you who don't know it, this drama is supposedly based on the Hans Christian Andersen book "The Snow Queen", but I didn't feel it that way. Although the characters are alike, the story is very loosely based, but it did have the feeling of magic, and fairy tale, which I guess was the idea.
The story starts years back, and the whole first episode is like a prologue, or a prelude to the real story, it's used as a tool to make you understand the characters and their background. So, don't make up your mind about this drama in the first episode, although I do have to admit that I did it and made up my mind to love it.
When I started watching this I was expecting a tragic story, but it really isn't that much. I mean, yes, the main characters are screwed up, and yes they aren't happy, but it doesn't feel tragic because you actually think "if I were them I'd be the same". And it does mix very well drama with comedy, there are scenes that had me laughing real hard, specially in the first half. Besides, you are in suspense the whole time, waiting, dreading, to see when will all the secrets come out and how will the characters react.
I think the cast is really good. The leads have a lot of chemistry together. Not explosive, like Hyun Bin and Son Hye Kyo on Worlds Within, but it is the kind of chemistry required for this story. The second leads did exactly what every second lead is supposed to, although they didn't really stand out, just became a little annoying. I fell in love with the actor who plays Kim Bo Ra's father in City Hunter, so I think he really did his part well.
The music although it wasn't extraordinary, it really was according to the drama, and very well used, specially the main theme, which reminded me of a ballet, like The Nutcracker, it was just so magical.
Overall, if you like dramatic love stories, with deeper characters who aren't perfect and like to see them evolving, this is definitely your drama. I, personally, liked it a lot, although I wouldn't say that it is one of my favorites, and I'd like to see it again someday with a friend.
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Therapeutic dating show
I'm not a fan of dating shows, but I loved this one. I started watching it because it was compared to His Man. In my opinion, this one is much better. It may not have such a spectacular love story, but it has so much more.The participants were surprising. They were completely different from the first impression they gave.
One who looked boring and rough, but was actually hiding so much emotion.
One who seemed confident and sociable, but actually felt inferior to the others.
One who seemed so perfect that others didn't dare enter into a relationship with him.
One who acted friendly and like a big kid, but looked after others all the time.
One who seemed to have nothing to hide from other people, but was in fact shy.
One who seemed too direct to others, but deep down was lost.
One who was still very young, but surpassed everyone else in maturity and put too much pressure on himself.
One who seemed carefree and sociable to everyone, but experienced loneliness in such a way that others did not notice.
Watching each episode, I felt like I was attending a therapy session where I was taught to love myself.
At one point in my viewing, I noticed that I stopped caring at all about who would form a couple with whom. I only cared about how the bond between the participants developed. Watching the friendship form between them was the most important part of the show.
It was therapeutic, relaxing and brought me peace of mind.
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Constant Barrage of New Characters
I like this show but it was a bit difficult for me to follow at first. It was a bit confusing because there were constantly new characters coming in... like almost every single episode there's someone new. Actually when I was on Ep 3, I had to go back to Ep 1 and rewatch the small monologue in the beginning to make sure it was actually related to the show I was watching.It's a bit like this:
-There's introductions and then fighting and then someone thinks they'll win but the evil ppl are like, "We're gonna kill you", but no one really dies (until much later), and ppl lose and then they flee or the other person lets them go and then they meet someone new and then there's fighting and then there's fleeing, then there's more threats and someone lost again... Someone is always either praising the other fighter or the fighters are overestimating or underestimating each other as one describes or narrates their martial art prowess or weapons. Wash, rinse, repeat.
-Then there's the ML, Xiao Se, who either does an inner dialogue and we learn what's going on or he's telling someone what's what and who's who, or he'll say, "There's a rumor or story about this person or this event and I think that it's related..." So basically after 16 episodes, the ML is like a narrator rather than a real ML. He's basically narrating, fleeing, watching, directing the fight or bluffing or being stupidly chase by a lady acting like a little girl chasing after him. (The romance between these two is so dumb btw. He calls QianLuo "pretty" once and next thing you know she's constantly chasing him for "sparing", when really she's just stalking him. You have no idea why they like each other.)
Other things that are kinda repetitive are the same special effects like the firecrackers and fireworks and spraying sparkles and more flying swords and more flying knives. Let's not forget spraying fountains of water. How many times do we have to see two sword tips meeting at the center and then being frozen in place behind these magic barriers? And just as you're learning all these new characters, you realize that someone or everyone is a "Deity" of something like swords or knives (blades) or wine-making or fleeing... lol. If names of the constant new characters aren't confusing enough, don't forget the sword names too. Seems like everyone has one of the top 10 swords and each sword gets their own introduction. If it's not the sword names then it's each fighter's signature martial arts move or what phase they've reached or how long they've been training.
-Then there's the same constant clothing. Everyone wears the same thing day in and day out majority of the time or the same colours. With the exception of Tang Lian, the bad guys are usually clad in black.
-Seems like all the guys are falling for the women like "love at first sight" because they're beautiful like "fairies" but most of them average in looks so it's a bit overrated and hard to find the chemistry in all these love plots believeable or to feel anything towards them. All the love plots are awkward. I can't ship any of them. (I feel like it's a common cdrama thing, where the majority of male actors are always better looking than their female counterparts.)
-It's also confusing trying to follow the name of the clans and where they'll traveling to because really, there's no navigation or like map for viewers to see this "world". Like where is Tianqi or the Beili Kingdom exactly to all these places? And exactly how many Princes are there?
-Every time someone gets injured they spit out blood... Every. Single. Time.
-The dialogue and subtitles can go really fast sometimes that I have to rewind it back and pause it to read what they said. I feel like by now it should be more explained in depth what exactly kind of treason did Prince Langya commit? There should be more background story as to what unfolded by now and more hints or possibilities of who framed Prince Langya. So during his time in exile, Xiao Se didn't try to uncover the truth but rather just twiddled his thumbs as the owner of a villa?
- I also feel like Lei Wujie is more of a ML because he's done majority of the fighting. The problem I have with Lei Wujie is that he hasn't shown any character growth. His fighting improves throughout the show but he still just rushes into all the fights and hasn't show any maturity each time he faces a new adversary. Xiao Se says this every time they fight.
-Overall, the acting is just okay but I feel like we're just constantly waiting to see if the ML, Xiao Se, will recover from his injury and actually start fighting.
I finished this a while back and came back to update my rating but it remains the same. By the time the ML started fighting, the show was almost over.
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Best dramas I’ve seen in a long time
This drama is one of those rare gems that completely pulls you in from the very first episode and doesn’t let go. I genuinely loved everything about it: the plot, the pacing, the emotional tension, and especially the two leads. This is the kind of drama that makes you fall in love with storytelling all over again.There's no filler, no unnecessary scenes, no dragging episodes. Every moment has weight, and everything ties together in the most satisfying way. The story flows beautifully from start to finish, and I never once felt bored or confused. It’s full of heart, intrigue, and just the right amount of drama. You know how sometimes dramas throw in misunderstandings just to stretch the conflict? This doesn't do that. When misunderstandings happen, they’re handled thoughtfully and resolved in such sweet, believable ways. It makes the emotional payoff so much more real.
And let’s talk about character development—because wow. The growth of both leads is written with such care. You get to see them struggle, reflect, change, and become better versions of themselves, all without losing who they truly are. Their relationship evolves slowly but naturally, and it’s so satisfying to watch. It never feels forced or rushed, just perfectly timed and deeply emotional.
For the acting, I honestly don’t even know where to begin because everyone delivered. But let me scream about Liu Yuning and Song Zuer for a second—they were phenomenal. I mean it. Their chemistry is unreal. You feel everything between them—the tension, the longing, the heartbreak, the quiet affection. Liu Yuning brought such depth and quiet strength to his character, and Song Zuer balanced it out with vulnerability, charm, and fierce determination. I really, really hope they get cast together again, maybe even in a film. They’ve got that once-in-a-generation dynamic.
Another thing I loved: the aesthetic of the drama. The cinematography was gorgeous, the soundtrack was perfectly matched, and everything felt polished without being overdone.
This is easily one of the best dramas I’ve seen in a long time—and one I’ll absolutely rewatch.
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More of the Adorable stuff that made us love Season 1!
Like Season 1, the viewers also had a lot to enjoy in season 2!I was expecting a lot of fluff, and that is exactly what this show delivered. This is a show with lots of heart, cute romance, and on-point comedy, one that is guaranteed to be a mood booster. It's cheesy, it's fun, it's tropey, and I enjoyed it!
Despite the expected light-heartedness, the show balanced scenes of poignancy and melodrama with humor well, and everything was tied up nicely in the end. It is definitely a bingeable show now that it is fully subbed.
Where the show excelled was the great chemistry among the cast and watching how everyone made the story come alive was time well spent! Continuing the love story of our main Lengqi CP - Bie as Fang Leng and Wang Peng as Xiao Qi, season 2 added two more couples for our entertainment. The relationships may have developed differently for the other couples, but their path to being together was also a fun watch. One couple was so dorkable and the other one was a more mature kind but sweet nonetheless. The supporting cast like Shi Yi, the SML, and Fang Lie's mother also deserved credit for adding flavor to the story. Assistant Han was one of my favorite characters with his outrageous outfits and played a big role in helping our leads learn more about love and progress in their relationship.
Everyone was great in their roles, and I can really feel the warmth they had on-screen. Yes, I did cringe a lot but in a good way.
There was so much that I liked about this show, and to be shamelessly honest, much of that has to do with Bie. That man is just so hot and attractive and he played so many sides of Fang Leng so well. I practically had to un-swoon myself off the floor every single episode after watching him. It is really too bad that he does not act in more dramas and that most of his Thai ones are not subbed.
Wang Peng has an interesting visual - attractive but not your typical classic good looks. Her look seemed fitting for a character who was not from this planet and she portrayed Wiao Qi perfectly, a bumbling, clumsy but endearing female lead who was also kind of adorably clueless. My only minor complaint is that she could improve in the kissing department =D
Music-wise, the tracks were great. The opening song, which was used in Season 1 was as catchy as before but my favorite was Don't Forget by Jin Wenqi, the romantic song that heightened the emotional scenes for me. Bie also showed more of his talent by adding a song to the track. For posterity, I have listed those songs below.
I do recommend that you try this drama out and see for yourself. Whether you need to cure bad-day blues or just a distraction, this drama might do the trick.
不忘 (Don't Forget) - 金玟岐 (Jin Wenqi)
youtube.com/watch?v=Vdx1m7g2Z4M
https://open.spotify.com/track/7pbZVBFnHrHyq3VOoMT1dX?si=24e2db5be34c4004
专属星空 (Starry Sky) - 陈卓璇 (Chen Zhuoxuan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mm1-uPReNg
https://open.spotify.com/track/1drTVQpmPoC7k2v87fvON7?si=6e32af1a137443bb
"Destiny Lover" by Thassapak Hsu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGdvym6pa_Q
https://open.spotify.com/track/0MIfLnjXDdhCPapiz21cV0?si=5a167628ae8d4e91
万有引力 (Gravity) - 李子璇 (Li Zi Xuan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niz0Wmig2XQ
https://open.spotify.com/track/6YHmCkAYWP97X2trI6R6Th?si=5e247f4a5e224436
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