I really liked the story and how original it was. How many dramas/movies have you seen where a girl accidentally calls the wrong person and has phone sex? I know I haven't seen any of that sort.
The acting was very professional. I honestly don't know how they can act some of those scenes with a straight face. It shows how much they take this seriously.
The music was pretty good and the main actor has a really good voice. I have seen him in a few dramas and never knew he could sing.
There are a bit of graphic scenes so don't watch this with any kids around. If you are a kid, don't let your parents catch you haha.
I really think you will enjoy this movie like I did. If you are debating on watching it, just give in. It is too great of a movie to pass up.
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From the very beginning you are rooting for Jang Geum, our heroine. And a heroine of her time is something she truly was!
She faces every problem with a strong will and pure heart, she is a true fighter in the sense that she never gives up.
I recommend this drama to anyone who likes historical dramas that also contain drama, a well developed plot and a broad cast of characters that will make you laugh, cry, be infuriated and much, much more!!!
I hope that anyone considering this series will give it a go because anyone who doesn't watch this will have missed a great show!!
It will always be warmly recommended by me and I hope others will feel the magic of this show as well...
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Mini-show with the vibe of “Love Between Fairy and Devil” - in a good way
This is an amazing mini-show. The storyline is interesting and exciting. Only problem is that the limited time creates a couple of plot holes that would have otherwise helped the show feel more complete and the characters more interesting to watch. I have to reduce the rating a bit because of that.This show has the vibe of “Love Between Fairy and Devil” - in a good way I mean.
Acting wise this is one of the best mini-shows I have watched.
Even if I normally hate an open ending, this one is ok for me. Perhaps we will have the honor of a second season. I truly hope so.
So, if you like a romantic and interesting (fantasy) mini-show, this is a “Must Watch”.
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An absolutely delightful story!
I read many comments about the acting of the FL and people stopped watching because of it. I believe she acted exactly as needed when necessary given the story line. I found this show delightful in it's comedic moments! The ending ties up the story nicely. I highly recommend watching the entire series, it was worth my time!Was this review helpful to you?
Dark, toxic love with obsessive & abusive male lead
What the hell did I just finish watching, was my first thought as the end credits rolled. This is the darkest and most disturbing cdrama I’ve ever seen. You are not only getting an angsty, toxic love story but a full on psychological thriller.The drama is about the female lead who pretends to be a Princess to avenge her family and the male lead, a Prince who is mysteriously scheming behind the scenes.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
- Love-hate relationship. In fact it’s more of a lovers to enemies trope.
- Beautiful aesthetics and cinematography.
- Strong-willed female lead.
- The epitome of red flag, toxic, obsessive, abusive and pretty much psychotic male lead.
- 1000% angst. Check the trigger warnings below. Nothing is sugar coated here and not many can stomach it.
- Republican era cdrama vibes but in historical style.
- Fantastic acting from the main leads. I watched this for He Xuan Lin and she didn’t disappoint with her fantastic aura on screen.
- Hot kisses (only those that were consensual). The male actor looks like a great kisser.
- Sped up politics/revenge. The focus is on the love story so the actual plot stuff is kind of glossed over.
- A very fitting ending that brought me to tears.
- A big contrast between the first and second half of the drama. After ep 12 the plot turns 180.
OVERALL:
Horrible things happen in this drama and yet it’s written well for the most part. Only the last few episodes felt quite draggy. I loved the aesthetics and the female lead as a character. My big complaint is that I didn’t truly understand why the male lead became so deeply obsessed and toxic with her but who knows, I might have missed that detail. Anyway, to be honest if I knew how dark the story would get, I probably wouldn’t have even started it.
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Disturbing scenes of abuse, r*pe and forced kisses.
FAVOURITE QUOTE:
“I hope you never meet someone like me again” by the male lead.
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A little light in the dark
Misfortune, of late, has been my sole companion, and I, wearied to the bone, did long for any fleeting solace to dull the ache within. It was then that "Duang with You" entered my life, as if summoned by fate's own hand to mend what the cruel world had torn asunderWithin the unfolding of each episode, I found my solace. And as the narrative progressed, so too did my understanding of TeeTeePor's genuine love and devotion. A fire smoldered between the two men, you see. Equal they stood, and together they passed through the corridors of passion. They had no use for the coarse mechanics of words, when they were taught a nobler language: the silent script of stolen glances, the electric grace of fingertips tracing sonnets upon bare flesh, and the solemn vow of kisses laid with pious care on willing lips that answered in kind. So precious was their union, that I could not but rejoice alongside them at their joyous culmination
I am grateful to TeeTeePor and the production team, whose enlightened minds and genius have conjured a work of art both humane and restorative. They have left an enduring impression on me and the world of storytelling, and for this, I thank them heartily
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A one hour plot stretched to a four hour snooze fest.
As Thai BL goes, the production values are good. And a nice set of attractive actors.But the BL is only skin-deep.
It suffers from unimaginative writing with a minimum of plot. There is an hour's worth of plot stretched to four hours, hardly the first time this has happened in Thai BL, but still.... As usual, the first few episodes are somewhat engaging, and then they just keep stretching and stretching until you beg for it to PLEASE BE OVER.
Second, I had trouble figuring out who the target audience would be. The portrayal of human relationships seems really limited. Idealized grandmother-ness. Jealousy. Friends are forever. Even most tweens would want more than that.
Third, as the time is stretched, I found myself paying attention to extraneous details. As an example, anyone who has ever visited a bakery or coffee shop know that they are fairly busy places. But in this world, the kitchen has a few listless pretty boys on their smart phones while one takes forever to twiddle with one cake. And then they all meet up to take a chunk out of the ONE cake they've spent hours making for tasting purposes. I totally get the need to build a fantasy world, but when hardly anything happens the ancillary things start becoming more interesting than whatever counts for plot/character development and it becomes harder to suspend disbelief to live in the fantasy world.
Finally, they've managed to take a BL and remove any sense of LGBTQ, queerness, freedom or even gender. Many fans of BL / Yaoi come because this genre offers an escape from a reality in which everyone / everything is stuck in some cultural role / expectation. This offers none of it.
I'm definitely going to watch some Japanese, Korean or Taiwanese BL next. I need something with some life to it.
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What I didn’t enjoy was how the female lead was written to be so friendly with Su ho’s ex best friend. That dynamic felt unnecessary and took away from the relationship I actually cared about. I would’ve preferred to see her story focus more on Su‑ho instead of building connections with someone who had such a painful history with him.
Overall, I loved the main couple, but I really wish the drama had shown more of their romance and growth together. I’d love to see these two reunite in another drama or movie someday.
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Cast: my favorite character in this drama was Kim Sung Soo (Lee Sang Woo) I found him to be the most loving, compassionate, hurt person during this drama, of course he too has his flaws and has made similar mistakes - but he has learned from them and tries to be a better man - even through his struggle of whether or not he should get a divorce.
My second favorite character was: Song Mi Kyung - she was the wife to the other male lead on the drama - she struggled with being "perfect" and that of course never let her show her hurts and true self - basically she lived beating herself up inside everyday while trying to show a happy appearance - which is what she thought everyone wanted her to show. I found her character to be strong, wise but yet foolish, hurt and desiring love.
There was also Kim Sung Soo & Na Eun Jin's daughter whom I loved very much.
As for the other 2 main characters I didn't like them much as they never really felt "apologetic" for their sins they committed against their spouses - one (the woman) was way too "pity me" type and that got on my nerves a lot (but she made up for herself in the end) the other character (the guy) was way to arrogant and always thought he was right - he basically never sincerely apologized for his actions - he believed he was right and no one should judge him for it - that angered me a lot - I never really liked him at all.
Side Characters: there was Mi Kyung's brother and Na Eun Jin's sister who formed a relationship - as you can imagine there would be a struggle with their relationship - but I really loved it - they were special to me. Plus Na Eun Jin's parents relationship was really great to see.
Music: was really good - although a couple of times I thought the song was inappropriate for some scenes they added the song to - my favorite song (that I still listen to) is: I Love You by (the girl from Clazziquai)
Basically if you are interested in dramas that show things very uniquely and from all perspectives then you should watch this show - but don't be too biased when doing so - or you may hate people wrongly.
Re-watch value: for me it is a 10 - I will definitely re-watch this drama someday and even buy it if it becomes available.
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Story: Too long, messy, draggy. I felt uncomfortable watching at times just because the romance was too weird. It really pissed me off. The ending was kind of dumb. In all honesty I didnt like it at all but it was watchable enough that I didn't fast forward.
Acting/Cast: I thought the casting for most characters were spot on. However, Park Shi Hoo's acting was a bit bland. I dodn't know if its the fact I hated his character or if his acting really was bad back then but yeah didnt like it one bit. I also wanted to mention my distaste for the way the writers changed Bae Doo Na's character. She started off as this tough chick but by the end of the drama she turned weak even willing to be a mistress! I was just shocked and very annoyed at that.
Music: Don't remember it but i dont think it affected anything.
Rewatch: I could never watch this again or Id have to rip my hair out.
Overall, I'd say this drama is watchable but you might not enjoy it.
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My expectations were too high.
I get why everyone is obsessed with this show, I really do… it just wasn’t for me. There’s nothing wrong with it; it’s adorable and the characters are funny and the songs are catchy, I was just so bored the entire time. I almost dropped it twice but I didn’t and I kept watching, but overall I was really underwhelmed.I don’t know if it has to do with the fact I watched Moonlight Chicken first and fell in love with HeartLiMing, but I could just not get as invested with msp. I’m more disappointed than anything that I didn’t love it.
But Fourth slayed as always and I really liked Sound and Win, they were the highlight for me and I needed more of them.
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The Great Idol Drama Detox
Post-2022 idol costume dramas have gradually convinced me that ancient China was inhabited almost exclusively by three types of people:Perfect porcelain-faced aristocrats.
Individuals who fall deeply in love after approximately two meaningful glances and one accidental rescue.
Political masterminds whose greatest strategic weapon is refusing to explain anything until Episode 36.
The First Jasmine quietly declines all three invitations.
First of all...
The pores.
Ladies and gentlemen, the pores have returned.
I cannot believe one of my biggest compliments of 2026 is simply this:
The actors look like people.
Skin texture. Tiny imperfections. Faces that have apparently encountered weather instead of being digitally moisturized into another dimension. After years of idol dramas resembling luxury skincare campaigns with occasional palace conspiracies, this felt absurdly refreshing.
Even the muted colour grading deserves applause. The world finally feels lived in instead of permanently illuminated. Oddly enough, realism became the most luxurious production value of all.
The same philosophy extends to the writing.
Recent idol dramas sometimes confuse complicated plotting with complicated people. The First Jasmine remembers that the second one matters more. Characters make decisions shaped by trauma, loyalty, responsibility, and political reality rather than conveniently forgetting their intelligence whenever the plot needs another misunderstanding. Ye Li's psychological trauma and Mo Xiuyao's condition aren't decorative tragedies waiting to be healed by love. They fundamentally shape who these people are.
Which brings me to the most divisive part of the drama: The romance.
If you're expecting explosive chemistry, endless longing stares, enough slow motion to qualify as a weather event, and romantic tension capable of overheating your screen...
...this probably isn't your drama.
Because this isn't really about falling in love. It's about learning to trust. Those are not the same thing.
Their relationship grows through reliability, mutual respect, shared burdens, and slowly earned trust. Watching two emotionally exhausted people become each other's safest place may not produce fireworks every episode. It does produce something rarer. A marriage that actually feels earned.
Personally, I never found the chemistry lacking.
Its idea of intimacy feels quietly old-fashioned in the best possible way. Trust matters more than butterflies. Reliability matters more than grand declarations.
Rather than constantly explaining every emotion or spelling out every revelation the moment it happens, it trusts subtext, quiet observations, and conversations that often reveal more than they explicitly say. The writing quietly trusts the audience to connect the dots instead of drawing the entire picture for them.
This is one of the rare dramas where conversations build relationships more often than kisses do.
Ironically, the very restraint that makes those relationships so believable also becomes the drama's biggest weakness.
The First Jasmine consistently chooses psychological realism over immediate emotional gratification. Most of the time, I appreciated that decision. Occasionally, I wished it trusted emotion just a little more. Not because it takes its time, but because a few scenes remain longer than they need to after they've already said what they came to say.
More than once, I found myself admiring what a scene was trying to do rather than being swept away by it.
I understood exactly what a character was feeling. I just didn't always feel it alongside them.
That distinction ultimately keeps this from becoming truly exceptional.
The political storyline follows the same philosophy.
It rewards attention more than adrenaline.
Names matter.
Family histories matter.
Your attention span matters too.
I appreciated that.
Still, patience alone doesn't automatically create momentum. More than once I admired the architecture of the story while wishing the rooms felt a little more lived in.
Performance-wise Bai Lu won me over.
Her restraint will undoubtedly divide audiences, but I believed Ye Li precisely because she rarely announced her emotions. Trauma doesn't always arrive as dramatic speeches. More often, it settles into habits, silences, hesitation, and quiet calculation.
Bai Lu understood that.
So did Cheng Lei.
The First Jasmine won't work for everyone.
It whispers where many dramas shout. It values emotional accumulation over emotional spectacle. Some viewers will call that boring. Others will call it refreshing.
I somehow landed comfortably between those two camps.
I never completely fell in love with this drama.
But I found myself appreciating almost every creative decision it made. In an era increasingly convinced that louder automatically means better, The First Jasmine quietly argues the opposite.
Real faces.
Believable motivations.
A marriage built on trust instead of spectacle.
It doesn't always reach the emotional heights it aims for. But it reminded me that the most refreshing thing this drama brought back wasn't the pores. It was people who behaved like people.
Best suited for viewers who enjoy psychologically grounded characters, mature relationships, restrained cinematography, and dramas that reward patience more than adrenaline.
Less suited for viewers looking for fast pacing, explosive chemistry, constant twists, or highly melodramatic romance.
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A Gentle, Magical Start That Feels Both Refreshing and Emotional
After 1/4 of the year is gone, finally our first Taiwanese BL for 2026 did not disappoint. Wishing upon the Shooting Stars is already proving to be one of those series you just feel connected to from the very first episode. This series has completely drawn me in with its soft, emotional storytelling and unique concept.The premise is honestly one of the most refreshing I have seen in a while. A simple wish turning into something so life changing adds this quiet magical layer to the story. Watching Xiang Yong live under a second identity as Zhong Xiao You is not just interesting, it feels deeply personal. It is less about fantasy and more about rediscovering yourself, your worth, and what you truly want in life.
What makes this even more special is the setting. No flashy city lights, no over the top luxury, just a peaceful hometown that feels warm and real. It is such a nice change from the usual BL settings, and it makes every moment feel more genuine and heartfelt.
And then we have the romance. The return of the high school crush already has me invested. There is something so soft and nostalgic about their dynamic, like unfinished feelings slowly finding their way back. It is subtle, but you can feel the chemistry building, and it makes you want to keep watching just to see how it all unfolds.
The acting so far has been really solid, especially in the quieter scenes where emotions speak louder than words. The music fits perfectly too, adding to that dreamy, slightly magical atmosphere without overpowering the story.
And we can we talk about episode 8 is my favourite episode so far. They cleared up their misunderstanding so quickly instead of dragging it out for a few episodes.
You can really tell how much they love each other during their NC scene. It was filmed so beautifully, one of the best Taiwanese NC scenes I’ve ever seen. I’m honestly speechless.
Unique plot, strong emotions, comforting vibes, and a romance that already has my heart.
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It's beautiful
It makes me sad that this drama is getting so little attention + a lot of attention that it is getting is negative because apparently these days every character has to be flawless & every relationship has to be 100% healthy which is so annoying.What I liked about this drama:
- The cinematography in this show is so beautiful!!!
- Fell in love with the music, the end credit song is a bop.
- Didn't even notice how the episodes went by (I often struggle with getting bored even with 20min eps) which means that I was really invested in them.
- The animated scenes when starting Hira's & Kiyoi's POV were well done.
- The dynamic between Hira and Kiyoi is just interesting to me because you don't see it often in series.
- Flawed characters who have a lot of growing and maturing to do (and no Hira isn't an innocent baby who's just being abused by Kiyoi, they both got issues + Kiyoi treats Hira better than everyone else in that high school, sure he calls him names sometimes but he also talks to him and spends time with him without expecting something in return unlike others who either ignore him, make fun of him or uses him.)
- Despite what some people say I don't think it's "romanticizing toxic relationships", I'm pretty sure the characters know that they have issues and they're trying to deal with them, that's the whole point.
- I also have to mention that I love the acting!! Especially watching Kiyoi I really saw and felt his inner conflict and frustration while trying to understand his own feelings.
Overall I really enjoyed this drama and have rewatched every episode multiple times (which is not what I was expecting when starting it since I'm not a fan of high school stories, especially ones that deal with bullying but that's only first 3 eps)
You should give this series a try but don't expect it to be light & fluffy, that's just not what this show is about, it's like the polar opposite of Kieta Hatsukoi.
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I was actually confused what the rating should I give this show. I kept switching between 7 and 8. As I thought I will finally give an 8, I decided I will give it a 7.
I don't want to say I am disappointed with this drama, but it didn't really meet my expectation. I honestly DO NOT like horror. I avoid them as much as I could, but because of the reviews and people continued to say to watch this, I gave in.
I liked the first episode a lot. There are parts of the show that made me surprise and got scared a little, but one of the people who watched this did say as the story progresses, you wouldn't mind the ghost at all and she is right! I didn't get THAT scared as I thought I would, but I am still happy I watched this with my aunt and cousin. xD
Few of the stories of the ghost made me sad and cry a little (especially the first episodes). Erhm I thought the ending would be bad because my cousin and aunt told me it had a terrible ending, but I didn't think it was horrible at all. It wasn't spectacular though. (You might be wondering why I didn't watch the ending with them. We watched this show for 2 days, but for the last episode, I couldn't take it anymore and fell asleep so I just finished this drama.)
I really LOVE Kang Woo and Yi-Ryeong. They look good together! I enjoyed watching them. The other couples look cute too and I enjoyed looking at them as well. As for the main leads, they weren't amazing for me. I thought they were okay.
Lastly, you probably caught glimpse of why I rated it with this score, but the main reason it is a good drama for me but not very good or great or whatever is because there are parts where it dragged and parts where I got bored. I was really tempted at times to skip it. When we reached around episode 11, we almost decided to just jump into episode 17 to see what is the ending (I am glad we didn't though. We wouldn't know the answer of what we are looking for because it is not in that episode - if you know what I mean).
Recommend this drama or not? I think that if you guys want to watch other dramas, watch those first before this one. You wouldn't miss a great deal if you wouldn't watch this at all. If you really want to watch it though, go right ahead. It will make you laugh, at least in the first part of the show :)
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