Reviews

When Love Gets Messy and Real

I started Mr. Plankton out of pure curiosity, drawn by the title and a familiar cast. I was expecting a simple romance, maybe a guy running errands who meets a girl along the way. But I was in for a surprise—the story had far more depth than I imagined. After one episode, I couldn’t stop and ended up watching seven in a row.

The story kicks off with an ending scene, leaving us to figure out how it all fits together. Instead of a typical boy-meets-girl scenario, we learn the leads are ex-lovers, both orphans, with an intense past that ended without real closure. Their chemistry caught me off guard. The lead actress usually plays cutesy roles, and the lead actor leans more toward action, yet they bring a fresh, raw connection to the screen. His character is definitely a “red flag” type, but it’s understandable given his tough background, abandoned and left to fend for himself.

Things really heat up when he suddenly returns to her life, just as she’s about to marry someone else, sparking an unexpected love triangle. While his intentions are protective (especially around her secret medical condition), he pulls her along on a road trip to find his birth father without giving her the full story. This journey is full of tension, close calls, and moments where she tries to escape before ultimately deciding to stay by his side.

One of the most touching elements is how the title, Mr. Plankton, ties to his character’s sense of identity. In a quiet but powerful moment, he compares himself to plankton—seemingly insignificant and unnoticed, like mere accessories in the vast sea. But plankton, he explains, actually sustain life in the ocean by producing oxygen, a contribution people overlook as they focus only on their sparkling glow. Through this metaphor, he sees himself as someone who may be overlooked but who still has a role and purpose, even if the world fails to see it. It’s a quietly beautiful symbol that resonates throughout the series, shaping our understanding of him as a character.

Watching their road trip was exciting, though I would have loved to see more of the female lead’s perspective on her choices, especially as she reconnects with her ex. Her impulsive decisions can be frustrating, but her backstory makes it understandable. Her ex-fiancé also surprised me; he respected her decisions and even supported her ex in the end, which added a layer of maturity to the story.

Overall, Mr. Plankton was an engaging watch. I even teared up during the lead’s breakdown about his illness and his struggle with feelings of abandonment and unfairness. The ending is simply a return to the opening scene, but it’s beautifully done but bittersweet, leaving me pensive. This drama isn’t something I’d watch twice, as it really makes you think about love, loss, and purpose. But it’s definitely worth watching once, especially if you’re ready for a fresh, emotional take on love and closure.

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Sweet romance met with dark background/past

Good thing this drama is 25 episodes, any longer and it would of gotten draggy. Overall this is a good watch but it wasnt my most favorite. The song intro portrayed a lot of cute and sweet scenes.( which there were), but it isnt your average cute love story. I would say the backstory is some what dark. I mean the female lead had a trauma past incident , when she gets scared she goes into sleepwalking phase where she basically is not conscious. Her only medicine is the main male lead.

Male lead is a ceo of a film company. Female lead is an voice actress. Through an incident she believes that the person who can help cure her is the second male lead , aka male lead's brother. Second male lead is a famous idol, that's how she gets to know the male lead. The mom tricks the female lead to become the maid for male lead, but she though it was for the idol ( which he could help her if she gets scared.) the cure is for them to hug or kiss lol . Male lead ceo is step up rules in his house and if you break them, you have to pay a fine. Thus beginning their bickering and eventually developing into love :)

Romance- First of all the female and male are so cute together. They have really cute and sweet scenes. They have a good chemistry with each other. Their kisses are also believable and passionate. They also are shy to show that they are in love . The second male lead also ends up liking the female lead ( no big surprise)

To me the development of the relationship between the male and female lead was kinda slow, i think like 14 episodes in/after that they are actually together. Also the latter half focused on her getting her memory back about what happen to her and the kidnapping when she was young. The kidnapping part of the story is where i minus some points. Some parts didnt really make sense... like they were like young when it happened but the story portrays it like its couple years ago that happen. Maybe for the flashbacks they didnt do it obvious enough... im like what? In the process of her finding our what happen during the kidnapping is when it turns a little more dramatic. its no longer the cute love story... so just be aware.

One annoying character I could not stand, was how that character knew that when the female lead sees something scary it triggers her sleepwalking and annoying evil side character did that like many times... to mess with her and mess her voice acting screen ....

I would say romance is half of the story and the other half is finding out what happened in the past.

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I was very, very excited for this drama ever since it was announced because it is Joo Won's first sageuk. And when I watched the first episode, I just knew that it would definitely not reach my personal expectations.

Overall this one is a lightweight sageuk residing in the comedy genre with a slice of sketchy corruption. That pretty much describes it all.

Tastes usually differ, especially with rom-coms and it always depends on what the viewers expect of it. Since this one also belongs to that genre, the drama delivered that part well enough if you want to enjoy something lighthearted (even though I myself didn't feel that much emotion between the leads because it felt rushed to me).

My complains about the story are that the corruption plot staggered alot in the middle and the story didn't seem to move forward at all - while the finale seemed very rushed again. The villains were shallow and only loosely defined. And I really wish that they had given the (current) queen more depth - I don't mean some excursion into the past that justifies her actions but more sides to her character in the present. She was so lopsided. I would have liked to see if she indeed genuinely cared for the prince, for example.

Other than that I enjoyed the side characters quite alot. They were essential for the comedy part and did a really good job. I also loved the costumes, the colors and the music in this. And they even had some really pretty and artistic scenes, especially in the beginning.

Despite my own divided impression on this, I would still recommend it to people who look for a lighthearted romance with a side plot that doesn't put them into much agony. If you still can't decide whether to watch it or not then try to imagine putting historical costumes on modern day people and throw them onto a sageuk stage. You have fancy cafés, a manicure salon and all the values people nowadays cherish.

(btw, I can't compare this to its original since I haven't seen that one)

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This movie showcases how a person can be connected to his feelings while doing a sexual act and how disconnected he can also be. What I like about this movie is the play on the emotions of the main character. He controls his feelings depending on the situation and he gets more involved as he matures and experience life.

As expected , this Japanese movie can be viewed as weird and it is not for normal audiences. However, I find the movie very engaging not only because of the “actions” of the main character but also the possible psychology of a prostitute.

It is a hard to talk about the world of prostitution but it explains why some people get into that act. I am not sure how close this movie to reality but it got into me in terms of how deep the main character thinks.

Some people might find this movie very disturbing but I hope they will focus on the message and human perspectives on sex and its connection to emotions.

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*drops this right in the list of the favourites*

To start honestly, I was not so sure I was going to watch this drama, as lately I was all for youth dramas and was avoiding watching dramas with adult (over 25) actors, that is why I didn't watch it while it was airing... You know what? I am glad I didn't watch it while it was airing, this is one of those dramas that need to be devoured, that put you in the mood of this drama. While I was watching it, I didn't want to watch anything else, I haven't watched the aired episodes of the dramas I am currently watching, I just DIDN'T CARE~! This drama deserves all the positive and wonderful reviews I have read and much more. I am honestly in love with this drama, with the cast, with the characters, with the story. It presented me with absolutely wonderful moments, with a lot of smiles and laughter out loud, with a lot of cringingly cute moments... and much more.

At first it may seem you are going to watch a drama about adults who are finding their ways to deal with their lives - you'll be quite wrong, this is a drama about men who are finding ways to become the adults mentally while their bodies are already adult, their mind is absolutely childish, they are spontaneous, sometimes hysterical, will give a man their business card to call them next time the man decides to touch their woman, by claiming the woman's all body parts belong to them, will hit the car before them (their beloved car, by the way) if they think the owner of the other car is talking to intimately with their beloved woman, they'll reject a woman they love if they think their friendship will be affected by the relationship, they will abandon the most important meeting and fly to their friend's help, they will cry with tears out loud if their friend is in shock and can't cry for himself, they'll shout 'Do you wanna die? I love you! Into my arms!', will propose every day with presents if the woman they love doesn't answer positively... they will make you absolutely adore them and their friendship~ how can they not?

The cast has done a brilliant job, and I wouldn't want to point them out separately. I am fascinated with every character that has been created in this drama, the most real, funny, humanly, childish and at the same time adult characters, I promise I'll be rewatching this one not once.

Absolutely recommended~!

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The Story is As Crazy As the Title!

Here’s my review without spoilers:

1. Your initial thoughts would be “this looks cliché”, “the story starts slow”, “the main couple looks weird and crazy”, etc. You may feel like the drama starts off slow have no idea where the story is heading to.

2. But as the story progresses, you’ll see that the writer is playing with our hearts. This drama is full of twists, becoming anti-cliché with each episode, and giving us unexpected moves. Even the episodes that you think is “boring” actually have some important details.

3. Because of the crazy relationship & chemistry between the main couple, the dark mystery circling around the male lead and the misunderstandings that actually help with the plot progression, this drama gets more interesting with each episode. So rather than it getting more boring & bland, it’s actually getting more intriguing & engaging.

4. Although some of the plot seem ridiculous at first, but they’re actually needed for the plot. You’ll find them reasonable, realistic and relatable at some point.

5. The romance is not cringy like most romcom dramas. It’s very well executed in its own pace, not rushing or slowing down too much. The ML/FL don’t change overnight just because they start falling in love with each other.

NOTE: What I love the most is how mature their relationship is shown after they officially date. The transition from enemies-to-lovers, from them physically & mentally hurting each other, to understanding & supporting each other for better, for worse, in sickness and health, till death do them part - PERFECT!

6. The comedy doesn’t feel forced. Sometimes the comedy is dark, but it’s the kind of funny that doesn’t make you cringe. You’ll find yourself thinking “yes, this is how romcom is supposed to be”.

NOTE: The comedy may not “click” with you like some viewers, especially if you’re not used to “breaking the 4th wall narrative” and “dark humour”. But like some other viewers, maybe you’ll start finding the humour funny when you rewatch after you know the direction of the story. :)

7. Sometimes it gives us emotional damage, especially with the ML’s backstory. His life is so sad it makes us hope he’ll get the happy ending he deserves.

8. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS ONE OF THE BEST HERE. It’s like “character development” is the genre itself with this drama.

The ML’s character is not new in Kdrama world, but the difference is this drama writer really addressed his asshole-ness in details. ML characters in typical romcom dramas would change drastically after falling in love and after that, they act like they weren’t an asshole in the past. XD

Of course the FL plays a part in it, but the writer wants us to witness his realistic character development, the real and painful causes, impacts & process of it, not drastic solely because of love. And the FL becomes his biggest supporter for that. <3

That’s what I love about CL. The writer takes this matter seriously (EP14 is the peak), though the development is slow compared to usual romcom dramas.

9. “Underwhelming mystery/villain arc”? If you considered the fact that CL is originally a romcom so it needs to maintain its lightweight, then the underwhelming mystery/villain arc wouldn’t affect you that much to the point that you rate it low. It’s still one of a kind, a refreshing romcom drama that defies cliché tropes! ^^

10. This drama conveys messages around character development, healing process & and second chances. This story is not as dramatic as usual dramas, no black & white. “Human beings are prone to make mistakes”. It’s more mature & realistic. :’D

11. IMO, compared to most romcom Kdramas, Crazy Love has the best satisfying & unproblematic ending so far, after enough of unsatisfying endings in romcom Kdrama. You hear me? I’m not saying “one of the best”, but “the best” here! XD

NOTE: If you ever think that the ending is rushed, think again. Because the mystery arc was pretty much being hinted since EP1. The writer/director dropped bombs little by little in each episode, then the heaviest bomb was dropped in EP14-EP15. Just need us to pay more attention to details (I even rewatched it more than once to notice a lot of Easter Eggs that they left for viewers).

Along with the hints, the story focuses on the ML’s character development & the relationship dynamics between our main couple. In the end, everything was wrapped up in a nice way with many relatable lessons to learn.

12. All OSTs for this drama are absolute bliss to your ears. My top favourites are “Dive into You” by JayB & “Maybe” by DAVII.

13. The more I rewatch, the more I appreciate the drama, the brilliant writing & directing. I love how the writer had everything and every character planned & built well from the start. It makes me wanna check out other works from the scriptwriter. :)

14. CONCLUSION: “Crazy Love” is not a pure romcom, has a mixed of many genres (mystery, psychological). It’s not that light, but also not that heavy.

15. What are you waiting for? Still sleeping on this drama? You’re missing out!

I hope these points will help you jump into watching Crazy Love! :)

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The biggest plot twist ever in history...continue reading to find out!!!!!!

Story: (SPOILER)
It starts out with the physician and his assistant visiting the King's chamber. The next day, news broke out that the King is gravely ill, upon hearing the news CP Lee Chang decides to visit to see his father. Upon getting there, the Queen forbids him from seeing him and tells him that if he catches the flu who would be the nation's next King. He later sneaks into the chamber and discovered something gruesome; a shadow-like a beast follows by a foul stench and the smell of blood that could not be described. The thin paper bamboo door suddenly slides open with the guards outside questioning him why he is there. He follows with that there is a beast in the chamber and proceeds to persuade everyone. The head guard tells him there is no such thing and that it must be the tiredness. CP heads on to see his father, but again failed to meet as he was stopped by an official. CP tells about the sighting of the beast and to his amused the official replied back with saying he's seen it too, a son who pretends to be concern about his father but really he wants to see his father dead so he can guarantee his safety to the throne was the monster he has seen (referring to the prince). CP is escorted back and finds out that the last physician to see his father lives in Dongnae and so the journey to see the physician embarks. The next morning, all the official gets together to plot a scheme to kill the CP, and so he was going to be arrested for treason. Meanwhile at Jiyulheon, as the physician returns with the dead body of his assistant, those who was close to the boy was confused and lost about how he had died. Seo Bi, a woman who's also a physician returns from her daily findings of herbs to see all the sick patients happily eating. Confused as there is shortage on food and nothing to eat she rushes to the kitchen and sees this guy (honestly I can't remember his name or did he even have a name, can someone confirm with me cause I really can't remember/ gonna call him GUY1) Seo Bi asked him where he got the food from and he tells her that he hunted a deer. Pleased that everyone gets to eat meat, she was asked to refill another bowl of delicious meat soup and so she proceeds to do so to find out it wasn't a deer. The soup was made from a dead body. Shooketh, not shocked but shooketh, because I was shooketh too, she confronts GUY1 about it, meanwhile, the start of the epidemic starts to happen. CP and his trusted body guard arrives to see the place locked up from the inside and looking like a mess. They get inside and discover the bodies of the dead and sends them to the magistrate. When all hope was lost guys, GUY1 & Seo Bi did not die, yes they did not die and is friggen alive. CP and body guard finds Seo Bi in the mountain looking for a herb that can cure the dead, she finds out that the body has been moved to the magistrate and tells them that the bodies are not dead. They were literally like girl what you on about, but she keeps insisting them that the body will start to rise at night. CP slowing believing her asked her if the creature has a foul stench and blood smells and she said yes, and with this, it proves the theory CP has. CP sends his bodyguard and seo bi to the magistrate to check out what's happening. Seo Bi and GUY1 starts explaining about what the bodies do but no one believed them and they both end up in the jail. As night fall, the bodies starts to become alive and the village becomes the walking dead. The epidemic starts to spread and at this point in time, everyone finds out about the CP. This is basically the story, the CP ends up helping the people and everyone ends up at this city call Sangju, there with the help of his former teacher and his people, they start to build forts and trenches and traps to kill the zombies. As this was unfolding Seo Bi discovers the herb that can cure the epidemic. Back to the traps, they waited all night and nothing showed up, relieved they killed off the fire and everyone was ready to go and rest...and then...as the CP looked into the distance, a disturbance in the wood had set off the bird and the ground was trembling and trees was literally shaking!!!!! Seo Bi hears something and turns around to see that there are the zombies standing behind them,- you can see it in the reflection of the water...BIGGEST FRIGGEN PLOT TWIST she realises that they do not rise during the night but to the temperature, yes temperature. THE END. Another plot twist, the Queen is not pregnant, repeat she is not pregnant. & now the wait for season 2. I literally watched this when I found out it was on netflix via IG and I literally stopped watching my current drama because I was that excited to see it. I can't even explain it lmao, but like each episodes had it's own feels like my siblings and I we were so into it that like we commentate the whole series cause we didn't want bad things to happen t the good people and we were rooting for the bads to get eaten by the zombies. haha. But check it out.

Acting/Cast:
It was soooooo good, like props to everyone who has to run like that like yalls MVP of the year already.

Rewatch:
I would definitely rewatch this and rewatch it when season 2 comes out.

Overall:
Everyone has to watch it like its sooo good, like I could not find any fault with it. Like its amazing. Shoutout to NETFLIX for being MVP and subbing this.

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Overrated

I feel compelled to write a review for Goblin because I'm finding all the perfect 10s to be misleading and, if I can be honest, completely confounding. Let me first say the best thing about Goblin is the acting. The cast is fantastic. The worst is the age gap. I know most people talk about the age of the actors; however, the issue to those of us that have a problem with the age isn't the actors, it's the characters. The lead female character is a 19 year old girl. The lead male (taking out the fantasy of his living 938 years) is a grown man who appears almost 40. Personally, I find that the Korean's have been dancing too close to the line in the young girls with adult men in dramas for at least a year now and I'm not a fan. They're more daddy issue characters.

There are many times when the relationship between the 2 leads are most like Father & daughter. She speaks to him like a father figure. And he speaks to her as a child. It's off putting when it becomes clear that he has fallen for this high school girl. Part of me believes the part of Kim Shin (the Goblin) was written for a younger man. Considering the life expectancy of the period and his postion, in his late 30s he should have had a wife (and concubines I would guess) and children. I think the character should have been at least 10 years younger (again the 900 years undead aside). The romance of the leads just did not work for me on any level. Conversely, the romance between the supports is a completely different story. It was endearing and very moving. I rooted for them.

The writing was inconsistent. It was great in some parts and just passable in others. Toward the end it almost turned into melodramatic schlock. Goblin works best as a bromance. The scenes between Goblin, Reaper(s), and the male humans were precious golden nuggets to hold onto until the next time 2 or 3 of them were in a scene together. Had the writers held on to that chemistry and nourished it, Goblin would have been much better.

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When karma slaps back.

Blossom (九重紫) stands out in a year where too many highly anticipated period costume dramas implode and self destruct pass the mid-point. This is short drama director Zheng Jingjie's debut long form drama where he once again compels with his brand of immersive storytelling. This drama avoids naming the dynasty as the narrative takes liberties with history and is quite critical of the emperor but it should be loosely set in mid-Ming dynasty, during the reign of the Chenghua emperor. The rebirth premise is straightforward and the business and palace conspiracy plot arcs while often done, are transformed by innovative takes on tired themes, a masterful build up in tension, suspense and relief and brisk pacing overall. There is nothing really that special about the plot or the acting, it is once again mostly about this director's captivating camera language and narrative panache that turned multiple low budget short dramas into memorable mini hits that punch above their production values. His foray into long form dramas should hopefully shake up the complacent and lazy storytelling characteristic of the well established long form directors.

Dou Zhao is the capable, long suffering wife of Wei Tingyu, the profligate Marquis of Jining. She chooses the cold and snowy night that vengeful butcher general Song Mo helps Prince Qing depose the crown prince and seize the throne, to dump her husband's sloppy ass. As she flees the capital, she is rescued by an injured Song Mo and they take refuge at the temple of a mysterious monk Yuantong. Cornered and betrayed, they fall into an abyss through time and space, inextricably bound through Yuantong's cryptic book of divination. Dou Zhao wakes up as if from a dream, as a young girl again, clutching the prophetic book like a lifeline. She is immediately thrust into one of the turning points in her life, where she painfully learns that forewarned is not necessarily forearmed. Nonetheless, she determinedly sets out to get it right this time around; to make herself financially independent and to avoid her past disastrous marriage. One of the story's strengths is that when karma slaps back, jeopardy is at play and Dou Zhao's book of riddles is far from a roadmap of the future. As the ripple effects of the changes she makes snowball, her world increasingly deviates from the past and the path ahead is murky and no less treacherous.

As for Song Mo, he has the hero halo and is the total package as far as physical appearances go but that is about it. As it turns out, his impressive muscles extend all the way up between his ears. This is an all bravado, all heart, kind of character that allows his rage and impulses to dictate his actions. As Ji Yong mockingly points out over and over again, he is a mantis with little insight or awareness even of who is moving the chess pieces around him and is easily manipulated into being someone else's pawn. His reckless, selfish and misguided quest for justice for one person, puts the wrong person on the throne and upsets the order of the universe, resulting in injustice for many people. So much so that 閻王/Yanwang the King of Hell himself must have rejected him and sent him back for a reboot. He does not get smarter, he is simply Dou Zhao's pawn the second time around and not the chess player. She is the inner voice of caution he does not possess that saves him time and again from his worst instincts. Dou Zhao's mature styling gives her gravitas as a business woman but it also makes her look visibly older than Song Mo. Leaving a few grey streaks in his hair may have negated this impression somewhat. Needless to say, even though I enjoyed the plot, I am lukewarm about this kind of CP and was not bowled over by their romance or chemistry. In fact, I find Dou Zhao has better chemistry with Ji Yong, who is her intellectual equal and her soul mate and confidante. But yeah, I get it, I'd probably also pick the hot general over the chess grandmaster. Being shallow is so much more fun!

The cast in this drama are all up and coming actors whose acting skills are still works in progress. Nonetheless, this director is accustomed to working with C-grade actors and adroitly papers over all their flaws with his brilliant visual narrative style. The best decision this production made was to invest in good voice actors that were able to give definition to all the roles that mattered. This is a case study for how in some cases, it is better not to rely on original voice. While I always like the storytelling approach of making certain supporting roles main characters of their own arcs, this was hit or miss in terms of execution. I enjoyed Wei Tingyu and Dou Ming's sub-plot best, but both characters did not get an ending they deserved. This was so that a tropey villain like Wei Xingyue got her own super unoriginal and overly melodramatic arc. It was a race to the bottom with the completely ridiculous and boring Song Han and Miao Ansu arc, which highlights the two most atrociously bad actors in the cast. There are more interesting character stories played by more charismatic actors including Chen Jia and Zhao Zhangru, Gu Yu and Wu Shan that they could be better explored. I really enjoyed Gu Yu and hope to see more of this very humorous and charming young actor Fu Weilun. Unlike Dou Zhao who has Ji Yong, Song Mo doesn't have a really good sidekick and Gu Yu could have been better utilised in this capacity. While there is no shortage of petty and not so original villain archetypes, this story lacks a really good villain with a compelling motive. The only ones that had real mastermind potential got whitewashed in the finale to deliver one twist too many.

Despite a few arcs that could have been better, a few missed opportunities, some sloppy logic and messy edits, the story finishes strongly at the plot climax and ends in a satisfying way. It is a very solid production that made the best of its limited resources. It got noticed and won well deserved praises not only because it is truly quite good but because so many other dramas with superior resources ended up bombing out so badly in 2024. As someone who was long ago bored with the romance genre, I enjoyed this enough to rate it 8.5/10.0

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Brilliant drama, absolutely a gold medal winning series of 2017! It captured my heart right from the beginning and held the strong feelings inside right until the very last episode!

It's one of those dramas that is filled with emotion. Showing the real and quite awful education system in South Korea, the realness factor was why I became interested in watching. Of course, I have to mention the other "School" series but unfortunately, I can't compare any them to this drama, since this is my first "School" series that I've watched. Nevertheless, the actors really put on a great show! As far as I know, the majority of them are amateurs in acting, I just have to give them cool points. Furthermore, the characters were relatable, totally "best friend" and "best couple" goals! After each and every episode, I had to tell my friends what kind of a great drama this is. Not only does it make you feel kinda cool, brave and happy after watching it, but also concerned and shocked about some of the school related things. To add, the music made a hugely positive impact. The OST is very fitting and there are a couple songs that piqued my interest.

A wonderful drama for back to school or to reminisce the good old high school days. This drama will take you on a diverse emotion trip and leave you feeling chilled! Definitely re-watching it after I complete the other "School" series!

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Yangyang Shines in The Immortal Ascension

okay, well, i'm sorry before-hand, but i only know and here for YANGYANG in this drama, so this review is gonna be me simping over him throughout cause he is just fantastic in the drama. Firstly, Yangyang delivers a captivating performance in the ongoing C-drama *The Immortal Ascension*, effortlessly embodying the complex duality of strength and vulnerability in his character. His on-screen presence is magnetic, blending stoic elegance with emotional depth, making every scene he’s in unforgettable. I am especially praising his intense fight sequences and the nuanced way he portrays his character’s internal struggle with destiny and morality. With each episode, Yangyang proves he’s not just a visual standout but a truly versatile actor carrying the emotional weight of this xianxia epic.
Overall, As The Immortal Ascension continues to unfold, Yangyang's performance remains a highlight, drawing me and everyone watching or gonna watch deeper into the mystical world of cultivation and sacrifice. With his compelling portrayal and undeniable charisma, he’s not just winning battles on screen—he’s winning hearts off screen too. I can’t wait to see where his journey takes him next. I LOVE YOU YANGYANG

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I wish I could give it a higher rating, but I just can't. It started off promising, but then the story turned into a complete mess of bad story arc choices and pacing, with irrelevant side characters given way too much screen time at the expense of main characters. Also, the end makes you feel completely cheated.



The romance was... messy. It was as if the production team couldn't decide what they were trying to film-- an historical political drama, or a romance drama, and kept flip-flopping between the two. I felt like I was watching an half-arsed political drama half the time with irrelevant characters who don't contribute to Chu Qiao's storyline at all, and an underdeveloped love triangle between Chu Xiao, Yan Xun, and Yuwen Yue the other time.



The title "Legend of Chu Qiao" is pretty much a lie. There's hints at CQ having an incredibly interesting backstory, but that's shoehorned in at random times and isn't revealed until way too late, and never utilised to make an interesting story. CQ has very little agency, and the story isn't even about her bringing down the institution of slavery. It's first about her under the command of YWY, then her under the command of YX, and trying to outsmart a bunch of YWY/YX-related people want to kill her.



Her relationship with YX could've been one of the strongest emotional arcs, and while to some extent I did think it worked, it could have been much stronger. I found CQ's romance with YWY very underdeveloped and flat for the majority of the drama, although it started off okay, and got better near the end.



In terms of acting and characters, Dou Xiao (Yan Xun), Li Qin (Chun'er), and Niu Junfeng (Yuan Song) stood out to me the most. It probably helped that their characters had complete arcs, and had significantly changed from the start to the end. DX completely stole the show for me, and his portrayal of YX from a happy-go-lucky princeling to a person filled with hate was amazing. I wouldn't say CQ didn't have a character arc, but her storyline felt like one befitting a supporting character rather than the main character-- as such, I found ZLY's performance adequate, with a few great emotional scenes, but didn't wow me in the same way as DX or LQ. In the same way, I thought Lin Gengxin was watchable, but there were no real 'wow' moments for me.



Another highlight would be Deng Lun (Xiao Ce) whose foxy prince was amazing, but unfortunately, under-utilised.



The music was great, but I don't think I'll be rewatching this drama again. There's just way too much I'll have to fast-forward through.

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