Reviews

Something refreshing and unique – a must watch!

“Lovestruck in the City” brings some fresh energy into the world of K-Dramas. The story follows the love life of six people, who participate in a show where they get asked several questions regarding their view of love and their love life. Their stories are visualised with throwbacks till the drama reaches the point where the actions actually take part in the presence.

The format of the drama may seem a bit odd at the beginning or may even scare off from continuing watching. It is in an interview format, which I personally normally don't like. But they managed to really make something good out of it, which is super fun to watch and not even a bit weird or annoying. I really did enjoy it and since it is something different from all the other dramas out there, it felt like something fresh. The characters actions are understandable most of the time. I feel like they all struggle with things a lot of people can relate to in one way or another. The drama did a really nice job in showing those feelings. I also really liked the friendship between Kang Gun, Rin Yi and Eun Oh. Who doesn't want a friendship like that?

I won't go into too much detail when it comes to the actors, because I think they all did a great job. Ji Chang Wook did a excellent job in portraying Park Jae Won and I personally really loved the role of Ryu Kyung Soo as Kang Gun. I haven't seen many characters like Kang Gun or Oh Sun Young in other dramas. In general, seeing the different characters of each was very interesting because they are all so different.

The soundtrack of the drama is excellent. I have been watching the drama while it was ongoing, and was desperately waiting for the soundtrack titles to be released. The choice of the songs in each scenes is really good and there was not one time I thought it was not matching the scene and feelings.

The last episode showed a bit more of the support role portrayed by Choi Min Ho. It was interesting, but I wished they had shown a bit more of the main characters in the last episode. There are some things that I feel are not yet figured out in their stories, so I was a bit confused. It may be they wanted to introduce the side character in order to make a second season – which I hope they will do.

“Lovestruck in the City” offers you something fresh, interesting characters, some laughter and a lot of joy if you are willed to give it a try and not let yourself be scared off of the format or the bad comments about it you might have read! Must watch for me and I will definitely re-watch!

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Tan Song Yun and Three Labradors Made It Passed the NRTA Review

I titled my review above because I swear there is a supernatural element in this movie (will give some examples). And if you watch a lot of Chinese shows you know that NRTA (Chinese censorship agency) banned modern shows with supernatural themes and deemed it as superstitious. But the cute actress and her cute labradors (yes there are three of them) were able to wring the hearts and tears of the NRTA reviewers and viewers alike.

STORY:

The movie is based on a novel titled "Dad is a 'Dog'" written by Wang Xiao Lie. The story is simple, and the synopsis provided on MDL tells the whole plot. The native title is Good Bye, Li Ke Le (再见，李可乐). Li Ke Le is the name of the pup, so we know in the end the female lead Li Yan (Tan Song Yun) loses her dog. So no surprises here. But it is a beautiful movie about mother and daughter's mended relationship past the death of the head of the family. How to let go of regrets and attachments after pain? How to learn love and courage while growing up? When the difficulties of the past reappear, will they have a regret-free choice in their lives?

Now I want to explain why I think this drama contains a supernatural element, in which Ke Le is the incarnation of Li Yan's dad. On the day Li Yan and Mom went back from the hospital after Dad passed away, Ke Le showed up and was adamant about being adopted into the family. Ke Le's habits mimic Dad's habits, including drinking soda (although the dog definitely cannot drink soda). That's why it was named Ke Le, since 可乐 means soda. The English sub called the dog Coke or Cola. And Ke Le knows some Dad's secrets, too.

ACTING/CHARACTER:

The acting of Tan So Yun and veteran actress Yan Ni (who played Li Yan's mom) portraying the estranged relationship between mother and daughter is worth watching by itself. But the three Labradors who played Kele ought to have their introduction as well. Xiao Ke Le is the young pup who becomes Li Yan's companion during her mourning period. Ping An is the adult Ke Le. The dog also showed up in the 2023 drama "A Date With the Future". The adult Ke Le oversees the grown-up Li Yan, including her choice of a special friend who will be her future husband, and also accompanies Mom when Li Yan leaves the house to attend university. And lastly, the elderly Ke Le is played by Xiao Qi, who gives away Li Yan during her wedding.

DIRECTING/EDITING:

Kudo to the director and the editor who managed to execute a life story of Li Yan from teenager to adulthood, and of Ke Le from puppy to end of its life. There is not much dialogue as we see in dramas, but the actors and the actresses use a lot of facial expressions only well-experienced ones can show. All three dogs definitely are well-trained and able to act, including showing their facial expressions (especially Xiao Qi with its sad look).

And guess what? Wang Xiao Lie, the novel author, is also the director of this movie.

VISUALS:

I love the filming set in a small town. Wang Xiao Lie, besides being a director, is also a photographer. Thus we were able to see the simple yet beautiful cinematography captured in this movie.

OST:
The main theme is "We Have a Deal" by Diamond Zhang/Zhang Bi Chen

ENDING: (Scroll down, skip if don't want to be spoiled)
























Li Yan and Mom mended their relationship. Li Yan married her high school sweetheart Zhang Huai Jun (Jiang Long), but as usual Chinese shows, they don't date in high school but later in the university. Mom gets a new man, Uncle Zhang Ping. As for Li Ke Le, he becomes elderly, gets a brain tumor and the family has to put him to sleep. The movie ends with Li Yan snowboarding again. Dad and Ke Le are watching her from the hilltop, smiling.

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Miles ahead of season 1, much more interesting and hot

I was not sold on season 1, when i watched i thought Yu Mi was a pitiful character that only cared about men's approval. this couldn't have been further from the truth, i realised as i was watching. She undergoes an amazing character development and she gets you to root for her with all your heart.

Story
her personal story is tied with her relationships. i didn't care for woong last season, but i'm glad i gave it anothe rechance, cause in this one she gets together with Babi and they have a mature, loving relationship full of respect and trust. i loved their romantic moments as well as Babi's unwavering support of Yumi' s dreams that helped her be a writer.

overall
it was a delight. i never thought i'd be so invested in a female lead with such a bad haircut, but kim yu mi won me over with her spark and personality

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An Epic Historical Drama

KING'S WAR (Legend of Chu and Han// Chu Han Chuan Qi) was a fantastic C-drama series from the makers of the "Three Kingdoms". Like it's predecessor, it was epic, brutal, historical, romantic and full of complicated story lines and an amazing cast of characters. If you are unfamiliar with the era or with Chinese historical dramas, you might be a bit confused going into this series, so I'd recommend freshening up on Chinese history beforehand.

King's War was inspired by the historical events in the Chu-Han Contention, an interregnum between the fall of the Qin Dynasty and the founding of the Han Dynasty. This series is very interesting because of its usage of the word "legend" in its title "Legend of Chu and Han", which belies some of the events are part of ancient legend and folklore rather than only the facts. I found it to be really well made drama regardless.

This series had a huge budget and it really shows in its realistic sets and landscapes, in the costumes, acting and story. The series spans an amazing length of 80 episodes and all are so well done. After binge watching this series I now feel compelled to rewatch Three Kingdoms.

This was an amazing watch and full of drama, adventure, intrigue, battle, and a little romance. The cast was extraordinary, especially Lui Bang (Chen Daoming) who played his role fantastically. Everything was beautiful. Just an amazingly well made production. Loved it.

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A MUST WATCH.

I got hooked since episode 1 and I cannot stop watching. It exceeded my expectations tbh. It has definitely been added to my all time favorite series. This is the kind of drama that no matter how many times you have watched it, you will still be entertained. The story telling, cinematography and casts, everything is just amazing. I love the chemistry between the leads. Acting wise? Dang! It was superb! Even the child actors are really great and deserves an award. It was not awkward at all, it was soooo natural.

Rewatch value? If I can give a rating higher than 10, I will gladly do so. After I finished writing this review, I will go back again to watch the drama.

Story wise - we all know that this is an adaptation from a manga however it amazes me how they incorporate the chinese culture within the series.


Over all, this made my 2020 complete. Yes, it may feel like you are watching a BL drama however for me, it shows us that the chemistry between all the characters are top-notch. It felt like you are watching your neighbor doing something, it felt like you are in their world bcos their acting was phenomenal. It also gave us life lessons about our dreams in life - no matter how hard it is,there will always be someone who will support us. And as long as you have faith and determination, you can do it!!!

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Entertaining comedy-action heist movie!

I never really have high expectations for this movie when I decided to watch. I know that there would be awesome casts and that the movie’s highly awaited, seeing how it’s promoted here and there (on Jessi Show and Running Man). So, why not watch it?

This movie begins with Dong Gu, a tomb raider who has a revenge on “someone” (so it wouldn’t be much of a spoiler) after burying him when he was little and his dad alive. He eventually forms a troop of his own (everyone with different specialties) to fulfill the main mission (which is to steal a Joseon King’s original sword located in a fully secured tomb.

This movie is incredibly funny. Unlike The Thieves which focuses mainly on spy things, like climbing buildings or hacking systems, which could be so boring so predictable so illogically impossible, Collectors focuses more on the “planning” which is waaay more interesting in my opinion. Added with the right amount of real funny comedy, and NO betrayals, this is definitely my favorite Korean heist movie! Although the storyline is pretty much simple, even the ending was so simple, but it was yet again, unpredictable, topped with a comedic plot twist, this movie is SURPRISINGLY very good!

Jo Woo Jin and Im Won Hee’s character were my favorite characters. Super duper funny acting, not over the top, just the perfect amount of comedy. Shin Hye Sun’s character a total baddie, and judging by the ending... ⚠️ SPOILER: there’s a possibility of a season 2 where Shin Hye Sun would be helping Dong Goo and his team. ⚠️

Overall, an entertaining movie I would like to recommend all of you. No serious conflicts, no pointless fighting scenes, just pure teamwork and happy endings! A 9/10 for me! Definitely recommended! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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When 2007 Kdrama Vibes Meet 2025

Honestly, this kdrama was both cute and enjoyable to follow, offering a rather light form of entertainment. At the same time, it attempted to touch on weightier themes such as sexual exploitation in the entertainment industry, systemic corruption, and the challenges faced by older professionals who often find themselves sidelined despite once having a brilliant career. However, these topics were only superficially addressed, most likely because the drama had too few episodes to properly explore them while juggling multiple subplots.

One of the highlights was seeing veteran actors in a project of this nature. Their experience brought a certain maturity to the performances, but what stood out most was the sense of ease and enjoyment they radiated. The BTS footage included in the finale underscored this, but even on screen their performances carried a lightness that suggested they were not only working but genuinely HAVING FUN.

The chemistry between Uhm Jung Hwa and Song Seung Heon deserves special mention. Their interactions felt organic and fluid, making the relationship between Lim Se Ra and Detective Dokgo Cheol both believable and touching. Even with the 25 year gap during which the characters had not seen each other, the drama managed to convincingly convey the affection and admiration they still held for one another after all this time (and through all this time).

As for the storyline, it was consistently engaging, though not without its flaws. I was surprised to see some viewers raising questions that had already been addressed early on (for example, whether the protagonist had lost her memory for 25 years... When the first two episodes had clearly established that it was her second accident). Such oversights show that while the drama doesn't demand intense attention, it does reward viewers who follow closely.

As a whole, My Troublesome Star works well as entertainment and carries a nostalgic tone reminiscent of the kdramas of the late 2000s. However, it should be noted that this "old-school" vibe also brings with it certain drawbacks. The drama reproduces outdated stereotypes that feel out of place in today's landscape, such as presenting curly hair and darker skin tones negatively. While these choices may reflect cultural attitudes still prevalent in Korean Society, they remain disappointing, especially when other global industries have moved forward in challenging such portrayals.

In conclusion, My Troublesome Star is far from flawless, but it offers a charming, nostalgic experience for viewers who long for the feel of 2007–2010 kdramas. What the narrative lacks is more than compensated for by uniformly strong performances, with both veterans and newcomers leaving a mark.

Rating: 7.5/10 – recommended.

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Too much and not enough.

Oh boy, this might end up being more of a long rant than a review. I’ve had a lot of thoughts over the run of the series, and most of them aren’t very favorable.

Some background: I started watching this drama without reading the source material first. I read the manhwa between epsiode 6 and epsiode 7 airing because I was really curious about what everyone was saying about changes made to the plot and characters. I really enjoyed the first 3 episodes, but hated episode 4, and for me that was where the problems started that tanked the whole series for me.

So I’ll start with the few things I did like.

I liked the overall production value of the series. It was clear that it had a decent budget, the sets - like the characters bedrooms - were well done, the cinematography was generally nice, and the animated title sequence was lovely. I wasn’t crazy about the way the drama was edited, but other than that, the production value was quite high.

I liked the casting of Heesu. I think that Ahn Ji Ho portrayed the character very well. I had some minor issues with acting from other characters, but overall the acting was better than average.

I liked Heesu’s noonas. They were funny and they all had a fun family dynamic.

I liked Ji Yu and Seung Won’s friendship. And I liked that Seung Won’s moms were kept in the adaptation, even if I also felt that their family story was underutilized.

As previously mentioned, I liked the first few episodes and had high hopes for the series as a whole up until it became clear that it wouldn’t be what I expected.

Now for the many things I didn’t like.

First of all, I felt like this drama was way too long for what they did with the extra time. A KBL drama with 10 45-minute episodes is a rarity, which was an exciting prospect at first. But the writers did not use that time well.

There were far too many extraneous subplots that had little substance to them.

I counted 7 side storylines:

Chan young and his tennis playing
Ji Yu secretly releasing music as “Summer”
Chan Young and Ji Yu’s relationship
Heesu’s sisters and their various relationship drama
Ho Sik and his knitter crush
“Carrot” and the counseling message board
The text blackmailer

Here’s the problem: almost all of these storylines were underdeveloped and unsatisfying as written on the show. Overall, the writing for the subplots on this series was inconsistent and poorly integrated into the main plot.

Either they were given outsized importance and then ended abruptly (the blackmailer and “carrot”). Or they were entirely composed of disjointed scenes seemingly randomly placed throughout the run of the series (Heesu’s sisters’ relationships, Ho Sik and his crush). Or they were completely written as plot devices to impel action from other characters but never given any intrinsic emotional resonance (“Summer”). Or they were simply written in a way that was cliche and simplistic, giving viewers no real reason to care (Ji Yu/Chan Young and the tennis plot).

There was just way too much going on and no reason that it had to be that way. If they had just expanded on a couple of these storylines instead of trying to do all of them, the pacing could have been much better and the project as a whole would have felt more successful. But instead they just kept throwing things at us without giving us any reason to care, which in turn made all of these scenes feel like draggy bits of filler instead of important pieces of the story.

So in the end, we get all of these unsatisfying threads of storylines pulling us in 7 different directions away from what should have been the main plot of the drama - Heesu and Seung Won’s developing attraction and relationship.

Which, for me, caused issues with that main relationship plot too. Because it dragged on and on with very little progress to the point that I was no longer feeling the chemistry between Heesu and Seung Won in the last few episodes. That chemistry only started to re-emerge at the very end of the series. Overall it didn’t feel like a “slow burn” to me. More like a sad fizzle.

In a “slow burn” I expect the romantic tension to build as the characters get to know each other. In episode 5, we got a good taste of what a good slow burn *could have* felt like. Heesu and Seung Won genuinely became closer and learned more about each other in ways that were unrelated to Heesu trying to hook Seung Won and Ji Yu up. They should have been consistently be having scenes like that where they share more about themselves and their lives. Ideally, they should be talking about their passions, goals and worries with each other. They should be shown taking care of each other in small ways and should be experiencing moments of intensity that show that they’re passionate about each other - whether those are heart fluttering moments or moments of pure frustration or anger.

I’m not saying that there was none of that in this drama, but it wasn’t at all consistent. Instead we got a collection of stilted scenes between them that were frequently cut off to switch gears to one of the many random, unsatisfying subplots.

I think the worst of these subplots were Chan Young and Ji Yu’s relationship, Chan Young’s tennis story, as Ji Yu’s “Summer” story.

The problem with the Chan Young/Ji Yu pairing is that it’s completely superficial. We don’t dive into what they like about each other and they aren’t shown having any meaningful conversations.

Chan Young is shown to be passionate about tennis despite his dad not wanting him to pursue it. But the problem is that we never actually hear him talk about it except in short scenes with coaches. It feels poorly integrated into the drama because despite the fact that Ji Yu is the only other important character who knows and supports what he’s doing, he doesn’t even have deep conversations with her about what drives his passion, what his goals are, or about the difficulties with his family. That kind of depth would bring so much more intrigue to the story and would also support the romantic development between him and Ji Yu.

Similarly, Ji Yu never talks at all about what’s driving her to make music. How did she get started singing and songwriting? How does she feel about it? When and why did she start her YouTube channel? What are her goals? We barely ever touch any of this. She goes to the audition in episode 8, but we aren’t really told anything about it. What is it for? Why does she want to do it? What is she hoping to accomplish? She doesn’t discuss these things with anyone, and again, Chan Young is seemingly the primary person in her life who knows and supports her, but they never talk about these things at all except through short texts.

That’s why these storylines feel so bland, superficial, and poorly integrated. Because we’re being told that these are the things these characters are passionate about, but the way it’s shown simply isn’t convincing.

And yet Chan Young’s dull tennis playing is treated as one of the main storylines of the show that appears in almost every episode. Ji Yu’s “Summer” storyline is also given inflated importance despite it feeling like a pure plot device that only exists to compel action from other characters.

Even worse is the way Chan Young’s character was written in general. He’s just *so selfish.* He admits that he knows nothing about his best friend of several years, but then blames Heesu for that? He publicly shames his friends for silly reasons (Heesu not telling him who he likes, Seung Won “liking” Ji Yu) but doesn’t even seem to care enough to ask questions about their lives. And then his reaction to Heesu’s confession is to run away, then blame Heesu for the fact that he ran away? And Heesu is forced into apologizing while Chan Young never apologized?? Infuriating.

They completely ruined his characterization from the manhwa. But frankly, you don’t even need to read the manhwa to see that he’s a bad friend in this series.

It was how his character behaved (and how the writers seemed to give him an inflated sense of importance despite never giving us a good reason to care about him) that brought his drama down from a mediocre 5.5 to an abysmal 3.5 for me.

I was also just generally unhappy with how many creative decisions seemed to be made with the goal of appeasing straight viewers. From the addition of the straight couple that didn’t exist in the manhwa, to the way Heesu and Chan Young’s friendship was changed, to the way that Heesu’s coming out was treated in general. It just didn’t connect for me, and I feel like that’s because I, as a queer person, was not the intended audience.

So yeah…I’ll leave it there. I kept watching this drama to the end because I still had hopes of it improving, but those hopes gradually shrunk from episodes 7 through 10. At this point I’m just glad it’s over and now I’m going to rewatch a decent KBL to cleanse my brain of this.

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It is very rare that I watch a Chinese movie that's not a historical and even more rare that I watch a Chinese BL. Why? Well, they always wound up ripping my heart out and leaving me angry I'd fallen for that mess again. I mean, it's been a couple of years (I think) and I'm still salty about ADVANCE BRAVELY.

Anyway, this movie came across my feed on youtube and I wasn't going to watch because of the above reason but they got me with Li Quing Ke. He was adorable and I was clicking on it before I even knew what was happening.

I'm so glad I did. This was an amazing premise which I got behind quickly. The storyline can get a little confusing in some parts but I watched this more than once and it gets easier with each view.

I adore Bai and fell so hard for Song, I don't even know what to do with myself.

There was a softness about this movie, a purity in the love between the characters that surprised me. I mean, Chinese BL movies and dramas tend to lean toward the heartbreaking side--the kind of heartbreak a person could never recover from. Usually, these would lead to everyone dying or someone denying their homosexuality to marry a woman--the endings are usually harsh enough to ruin you.

This ending was peaceful and beautiful and loving - and I cried for an entire different reason. This movie deserves more love that it has gotten.

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I was fully immersed in drama from the start, as I was impressed by the introduction. Although wuxia elements were very typical but sufficient to keep me engaged, and the extremely likable female lead from the very start... mysterious male lead, action-packed sequences... everything sold it out. Then episode by episode I started to love all interactions between leads, development in their relationship, sizzling chemistry, cuteness overload moments, and before I knew romance was the only thing that kept me around... as apart from it everything become quite a lot of mess in the end.

Drama can be categorized into three parts politics, the martial arts world, and war. A huge ounce of the drama revolves around politics (of course its title has 'rule' in it) that shouldn't be a problem but it's not clever or even smart, kinda illogical at some points over the top, and repetitive. I was bored by schemes circling one after another with the most annoying, bratty characters with a lot of screentime. My most beloved part in the martial arts world (expect the tianshuang sect *if you know*), it has thrill, excitement, and interesting enough concepts to keep one stick but to the disappointment, it's too brief, I would prefer it over boring politics 100 times... then comes the war part: most condensed one, with choppy editing, dizzy camerawork, inconsistent transitions, and not bad CGI. Everything is rushed here, many things don't have proper closure... no explanation at all, we just have to imagine many things in our head to reach the conclusion given the situation.

Apart from terrible CG at some places, it's high budget production.. aesthetics, costumes were beautiful, and sets were extravagant. Keeping spinning fight scenes... cinematography was impressive, love the grandness... yet simplicity whenever needed.

Have to say Bai Feng Hei Xi has become my most beloved couple in c-dramaland... firstly they both are extremely likable as individual characters, they compliment very well, they are very well aware of each other's needs, and they have 'conversation' (damn isn't it very unlikely when leads talk with each other in dramas)... though their story has some stereotypical elements it stayed a mile away from stupid misunderstandings, noble idiocy, greater good... blah blah blad, thus romance brightens everything.

Nonetheless, drama is the victim of crappy writing in some arcs, screentime distribution doesn't give justice to everyone except Yang Yang, there's less Zhou Lusi in some parts, where annoying, spoiled characters get loads of time to annoy us to death but interesting characters whose arc should have been way more interesting with good setup given a pinch of screentime that they don't get flushed up. Some characters appear and vanish as per the convenience of the storyline and it is so bothering.

After a long time, I can really say that BFX is an example of a strong female lead, whose intellectual doesn't come and go as the story needs.. who is consistent throughout the drama. Lovable, carefree, bright as the sun, smart... and I love she's a foodie. Literally, there wasn't a single moment where I didn't like her.

I hoped they should have kept little darkness in HFX's character from the book... firstly it confuses as hell viewers BFH's attitude towards him in the beginning, secondly he's just too perfect, fitting in that 'I don't have any cons' mold accurately, which brings us two nothing but perfect leads which don't really lead to any character development in them.

And damn that identity reveal was so underwhelming considering I waited for it a long time, it was bland as water.

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This drama was fun, interesting, a bit different but it lacked in some ways.

I will start with what I liked about this drama. The beginning isn't dragged out. The main characters are quickly introduced and the time travel “reset” begins within the first 30 minutes. While the pacing is fast, the story never feels rushed. It is good with the mystery, suspense, and kept you at the edge of your seat, guessing and wondering about what comes next. Ji Hyung Joo is easy to empathize with and brings moments of playfulness to an otherwise intense story. Lee Joon Hyuk portrayed him perfectly. I can't imagine another actor playing his role. What really intrigued/surprised me was that the female lead isn't stupid and can sacrifice herself. She played a huge role to find the killer and helped the Ml. Both of the leads are intelligent and work great together. Every action has a reason. All of the supporting cast has a background and we get to see their story. They have a role and aren't there just to be there.

What I didn't like about this drama: Their way too many plot twists. Due to the plot twists, it became hard to focus and the climax didn't feel that surprising anymore. The impact kinda disappeared and I just wanted it to end so i could figure everything out. The sci-fi element has no explanations-can't say I was surprised. The villain's reasons for doing what they did didn't cut it for me. The villains lacked motive and felt bland. Same old, same old. Both of the villains needed a better backstory, explanation, and development. The only explanation was literally: boredom. I didn't like how they introduced the romance but did something with it in the last episodes. It would've been better with no romance at all or at least developed it a bit more in the earlier episodes. I just felt that something about their romance was missing and I didn't feel satisfied with the ending. Moreover, making only one of them remember the past was a cliche move. I wondered what happened to the rest of the characters in the end, but that wasn't shown. There wasn't a lot of OST in this drama so I missed music.

Overall, it was an interesting watch and this drama is by no means bad. It has a great pace, despite being only 12 episodes. I recommend this drama to people who like suspense, thriller, plot twists, and arent that focused on explanations and convincing villains.

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The most beautiful Xianxia drama

Yes I am not refraining from giving that title despite it's minimum flaws. Because when I watch other Xianxia dramas each has it's own flaws, but I am always turned off by acting especially by main leads, but Ancient Love Poetry for the first time a xianxia drama that don't have this flaws.

Acting
Haters said Zhou Dongyu is not pretty enough for Xianxia, well I don't care if she is pretty or not but she is one of the best actress out there, very natural and raw in her emotions. She carried her character to the fullest potential and I cannot see any other actress who can pull off what she did in Ancient Love Poetry. Her portrayal left a deep impression on me in every progress of the plot, that no weird costume design or make up could take me away from understanding her character's growth and the twist and turn of emotions. Sometimes in the plot the concept appeared simple but she acted it out so delicately and convincingly that the scene became impactful.

Another actor being targeted by haters by calling him fat and paralyzed face acting. An obvious sign that those who said this did not watch the drama at all. Xu Kai played the three character Bai Jue, Qing Mu and Bo Xuan so distinctively that you felt like this are different actors but at the same time as the plot progress there is a need for the combination of some traits from different character he made it possible. His gift is his eyes expression, he can emote so well with eyes to differentiate between the three character. He blew me away in the last scene, solidified that he is a young actor that I would be closely watching from now on.

Storyline
I always long for a storyline that did not create crisis for the sake of settling it as soon as it appeared. No background no reason why it happened. But Ancient Love Poetry storyline intertwined it's plot so well connecting the early episodes plot to the later plot and they string this together using character growth, significance weapon and supporting character's involvement. I appreciate that they included in some nostalgia in some scenes, it makes this drama more unique compared to other dramas.

I really recommend everyone to check this drama out. It brings out a different presentation of Xianxia drama on the table.

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Don't let the title of the drama fool you - I thought it was going to be just another tawdry Grey's Anatomy-esque romantic-melodrama-with-hospital-backdrop and the first two episodes kind of leave you with that impression. In the beginning, it feels like they're trying a little bit too hard to be sexy and scandalous, but that soon takes a backseat as the real plots begin to unravel.

I ended up falling love with every main and supporting character, and becoming invested in every subplot running throughout the show. Every storyline is strong without convoluting the overarching story or making it clunky. The interwoven relationships in this story take precedence but the eventual main conflict is career-based with a dash of social commentary; the fact that their work also takes part of the centre focus is exactly what made it more than just a romantic melodrama.

Most of all, the conclusions that are drawn in the end are both realistic and satisfying, which is normally such a hard balance to strike. Every character, even the main antagonist, is done justly without oversimplifying the end of their respective arcs.

Ishitachi no Renai Jijou is by no means a flawless drama - it has its own tendencies to fall into the regular Japanese drama tropes at times - but overall it's clever, modern, presents us with complex characters and a refreshing outlook on love and work without being too preachy.

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Whelp this is gonna be long, but I like to express my thoughts and I have a lot to say about this. I think this is the first lakorn I've watched mainly for the story and curiosity of how it all ends. That doesn’t mean the romance is not a big factor here, and there were lots of cute OTP moments that kept me going on and accumulating into their well deserved HEA, though not without some bumps along the way.
This lakorn is divided into three timelines, with the second being the main storyline. I'd like to review each timeline as a means for better organizing my thoughts.

Timeline 1: This was a weird one for me because it felt kind of rushed, with the love story between Tan Chai and Maan Kaew not developed properly. I felt like I missed out on the development of their relationship (mainly on Maan Kaew's part) and was caught off guard by the sudden devotion both had for each other. This was a love at first sight thing for Tan Chai, which I suppose explains his passion but also feels like a cop-out (tho I admired him for fighting for his love, breaking off his engagement and never yielding to his mom's demands). Maan Kaew was kinda boring and I felt she didn't really offer anything in the relationship. What I liked about this timeline was how the hate/misinformation you give people creates this negative domino effect (think Tupac's THUG LIFE). This is apparent in the mom engaging her son to some girl he never met; because of her selfish actions, she lost everything and unwittingly unleashed two lifetimes worth of misery. I'd say all the terrible things that occur in this lakorn started because of her, tho she couldn't have imagined that the girl she thought was ideal for her son would turn out to be a total monster.

Timeline 2: Tan Chai is still here tho he is a ghost, while Maan Kaew is reborn as Rachawadee (R). Honestly I love R's character so much; she is assertive but still sweet, and for the most part is smart about what's going on around her (don't even talk about the part where she got sick, I was really disappointed there). I especially love that she stood up for herself in front of Tan Ying and told her off for being such a b****. Ghost/human love stories tend to be doomed from the start, but here that added to how precious and sweet the two lead's relationship was. Every moment between them was lovely and were the breadcrumbs that kept me watching. However, him being a ghost meant that he couldn’t do much so it was mainly R that was carrying this timeline.
What surprised me about this timeline was how the characters were straightforward with their thoughts and actions eg Tan Chai commenting on Chai Yuths indecisiveness, R not immediately going to serve Tan Ying because she knew she hated her, and Tan Ying telling Ying Wan to be patient in getting Chai Yuth or she’ll lose everything (in front of Chai Yuth). Like I’m surprised the characters aren’t too dumb? This made the episodes easier to zip through and engaging, the story not losing its momentum or being boring (for the most part). Having said that tho, there was way too much time spent in this timeline; I felt like everything could’ve been resolved in less episodes and more should have been spent on developing the third timeline instead of the draggy “who dunnit” parts. I felt like it would've been more interesting to see how the leads find each other and their past in the third timeline since the male lead is a ghost and not much can be done. Also Tan Chai wasn’t as great here as he was in the first timeline; granted he’s a ghost but seriously, he asked for forgiveness way too much for someone who doesn’t deserve it.
I also have to talk about Tan Ying. Honestly, I felt sorry for her at first since her honor and rep was basically destroyed because of Tan Chai’s mom and no one would want to marry her because of that. But instead of moving on with her life, she obsessively tried to make everyone around her miserable and is driven to crazy revenge. She’s incredibly short-sighted and self-absorbed and it boggles my mind that Tan Chai, his descendant and R’s descendant all beg her for forgiveness. I mean she killed you all! Granted she didn’t live a good life and didn’t reincarnate when she died, but even till the end, she only saw her suffering couldn’t look past it to see how it was making others suffer.

Timeline 3: I really wish more time was spent here, and tbh I wasn’t into these reincarnations as I was with Tan Chai and R. What pissed me off the most was that they still begged for forgiveness from Tan Ying’s ghost, saying they’ll do merit and all but she killed your previous life forms!!! I don’t think they owe her anything, but I guess it all had to come full circle here. I do like that the Tan Chai and R of this timeline were finally able to be together and certainly didn’t disappoint with the chemistry and affection. Like dang, I really want another lakorn with these two leads.

Overall I liked the story and the two leads. The music was pretty good here and although there wasn’t much OTP moments as I would’ve liked, I felt like the story made up for it. I don’t think I’d rewatch this except for some moments. Would recommend to watch.

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