This c drama has themes of youth, popular guy and not so popular girl, high school, college, friendship, fashion, architecture, and the cutest little jealousy scenes ever!
Out of the probably 80 c dramas I’ve watched (and counted), this drama goes into my top 5 for c drama youth. This type of drama is exactly what I’m looking for when I think of a youth drama. And yes, there IS a happy ending!
Just keep in mind that the cast is 18 years or younger, so there isn’t much to the drama than your middle school romance lololol. Still recommend!
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The story about Chang Ge and Ashile Sun lack “edge”, maybe because Dilraba isn’t a really good fit as a main lead. The male main lead doesn’t quite fit his role either.
The story about Leyan and Hao Du is less predictable and more interesting, although it’s not feasible that someone who is supposed to be good at embroidery would mess up weaving yarn the way Leyan does in the story.
Chinese historical dramas have a lot of “shang tian” and “lao tian” which westernized translators misleadingly translates as “g#d”. It doesn’t correspond the associated biblical “g#d”.
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Lazy writer
I watched episode 15 last night and thought, "Wow, I haven't seen a Korean drama adopt an Indian soap opera style before." I had been watching patiently week by week, hoping the writing would improve, but it didn't. It mixed up everything: divorce, a mean mother-in-law, cancer, memory loss, etc.—you name it. I thought the writer was being creative in offering something new because people said the writer was a big deal. However, it turns out the writing is just like a story created by a middle-schooler on Wattapp.I know for sure this drama will be successful in terms of viewership since the writer went back to basics by having good-looking casts and glamorous styles. This recipe guarantees ratings. But, it makes the work look cheap. No wonder the Baeksang tossed this drama out of the window by only giving it one nomination (even though the committee might regret this later and wish they had given zero nominations to this series).
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Anti-hero Dark Lord Meets Insufferably Stupid Fairy
I finally got through all the episodes. Phew, almost dropped it a few times.LIKES:
Beautiful sets and cinematography.
Special FX were good, same with CGI use.
Music was appropriate, but nothing stood out.
WRITING: The heavenly tribes aren’t as purely good as they seem. I liked that they showed the heavenly ones as being flawed. Also liked that the dark tribe/hell fire came across as stronger than the heavenly fire. Don’t see that often.
COSTUMES: Embroidery was nice, the dark/devil ML had a better costume than most.
ACTING: ML did very good and has matured as an actor. When they did the body switch parts, ML was good & FL did okay too. FL did best as the Goddess parts.
DISLIKES:
WRITING: Orchid Fairy (FL) is just too dumb and very whiney. It wasn’t like she’s just naive or innocent, more that she’s purely stupid. I found her ignorant too. (That all could be the actress’s fault or the directing, not sure which.) Typical tropes and cliches of this fantasy drama genre. Also the 2nd couple (Jie Li and Shang Que) wasn't necessary and the ending was disappointing. Also for all of the characters, other than Dongfang Qing Cang & his brother, there was no character growth.
PRODUCTION/EDITING: During flying moments or falling, it is so obvious that they are in harness with ropes.
FX: The swords all look like children’s halloween costume props. “Fight scenes” were very lame looking.
ACTING: FL was over the top cutesy and not in a good way. Some stand out performances, but the rest was just average. Even though ML & 2ML (Changheng) tried their best, there was just no chemistry with FL at all. FL (Orchid) had over the top cute fairy acting but just too much and got annoying fast. You can be sweet without a stupid voice, it was like a tooth ache eating cotton candy. Just terrible. From episode 12 and on I had to mute FL’s parts, because I just couldn’t take listening to her anymore. I read subtitles instead.
COSTUMES: The “crowns” or head gear looked laughably plastic. Not very creative in the costume department and if they hadn’t constantly told us she’s from the fairy realm, you wouldn’t know it. [Not by costumes, other than the pastel colours.]
OVERALL: So far very over rated, unless you are just starting out watching shows from this genre. As a starter Fantasy Drama I would recommend it, for those of us who have watched a lot of these types of dramas I don't recommend it (unless you are a child or a teenager). I watched it until the end, but was tempted to drop it often. Dylan Wang did a great job acting as Dongfang, enough for me to check out some of his other roles. (Originally I wasn't impressed but that was after watching Meteor Garden.) I'm glad this drama is over though.
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1I laughed, alright, but that's about it!
The main genres listed for this drama are comedy and romance, and to be very honest, it tanked in both. I was expecting a light, rom-com with some gym aesthetics here and there but what I got instead was a drama that tried too hard to be funny that it left the romance somewhere in a forgotten side plot, only to dust it off right towards the end (literally!)Do Hyeon Jung is a gym manager/trainer and is portrayed as someone who is obsessed with health and fitness while his business is actually sinking. His entire personality is this loud bloke with exaggerated facial expressions, comedic timing and a baffling lack of professional boundaries. And while I get it is all for the laughs, I was constantly teetering between what he meant well and what was wildly inappropriate. In a real-world context, If I had a gym trainer like that it would be uncomfortable for me.
I won't lie but I did enjoy the slapstick humour in the initial 3-4 episodes but after turning my brains off. He was fun and more of a comedic relief without any depth.
Coming to Lee Mi Ran, our FL had a food-loving or should I say junk food-loving personality. From the initial episodes, I was expecting her to be a bit more layered, someone who could balance the humor out in the drama with the depth of being unapologetically herself. But unfortunately, she was reduced to surface-level traits. I felt like her character was always orbiting around other character arcs. There were moments of vulnerability that could have been explored more deeply to give both the story and her character a bit more depth.
Also, I was searching and kind of expecting some body positivity message while advocating to maintain a healthy lifestyle and realistic take on fitness but the writers clearly decided to use the same "tired stereotypes" because this message might be too heavy! Because the FL really went 2 dress sizes down in like what 2 episodes?!! No. Sorry!
The romance in the drama felt like a forgotten gym membership, where it was paid in full and never used and is only activated towards the end out of sheer guilt. For a drama marketed as a rom-com, you better not blink because you will miss it. Every week I kept waiting for the actual sparks to fly, the emotional tension to build, anything... but instead, I got fitness montages, expected supporting characters' bizarre subplots out of nowhere. I felt both the leads had better chemistry with their ex than each other. By the time, it was "finally" happening, I had checked out of their romance. In the journey of pumping up the healthy love, love was lost along the way!
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind a comedy series with a bit of last-minute romance, but if I see a romcom ( see the main genre listed), I expect equal parts of comedy and romance in the driver's seat, not a setup where I have to wait 10 weeks for it to even begin and it still doesn't feel convincing till the end.
Coming to the supporting characters, they felt a bit blurry to me. Sure, each of them had their moments, but none of them really contributed to the main leads’ storyline, whether it was romantic or personal.
Lee Ji Ran and her boyfriend were just silly and I don't know if they were supposed to be the second couple but I am 100% sure the story will remain the same without both of them, that is the impact they had.
Honestly, you could branch out a whole different drama for each character: the gossip ladies who decide what to eat the moment they step into the gym, the young gym trainer with family issues or the female trainer who suddenly realizes she can be more. Individually, all these arcs are equally interesting, but the cohesiveness was kind of a mess. The way new arcs were introduced felt random like their relevance and timing just didn’t land right.
Acting-wise, I came from Weak Hero class 2 to watch Mr. Jun Young but was a little disappointed with the overall experience. He wasn't bad at all but the writing didn't support or uplift his acting. It was nothing I would run home about. Jung Eun Ji as Lee Mi Ran did a decent job based on what was given to her. Supporting characters stole the show for me in terms of acting.
Also, whoever designed the intro song should take a voluntary pay cut because it was just bizarre and if someone picks up the drama seeing the opening credits, I am sure they will decide otherwise.
Overall, despite my heavy-handed critique, this is a fun drama if you are in the mood for some over-the-top comedy. But if are expecting romance, please be very patient and do not be afraid of disappointment. I would personally not recommend this.
Also food for thought : Does it not rain in SK ? Will machines not malfunction if they are kept in open ??!!!
( Sorry had to say this outloud)
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Hermès! Served exactly as intended: a (rarely pure) rom-com delight.
Most romance stories, in my experience as a lover of the romance genre (and as somebody who aspires to write in the genre), will follow a very specific pattern. It typically seems to go something like:-two people who are well-suited to one another meet
-who want to be together
-and share moments of growing emotional, and often physical, intimacy
-but who struggle against internal and external obstacles
-that build up until there's a major complication
-which gets resolved happily.
Romance, as a whole, does not tend to deviate much from this structure; it's why a lot of people return to it, time and time over again. And in terms of being exactly this – a very, very sweet, wholesome, lighthearted and funny romance, in my opinion, this drama excelled.
There is no secret serial killer or hardcore thriller plotline, and in this way, it feels like a "pure" rom-com – most misunderstandings are easily resolved, and a lot of the drama consists of different scenarios involving the leads being sweet and falling deeper in love with each other, supporting each other when the relationship is tested.
The drama wastes no time in having the leads fall for and get with each other – it's certainly no slow-burn where the characters' hands brushing against each other will leave you gasping for air, but I personally found a lot of beauty in this drama's simplicity. Rather than missing the aching slowburn, or yearning for the higher stakes, this drama's low stakes kept me focused on the relationship, kept me believing in the strength of its foundations, and got me attached to them. Though these are perhaps not the most complex or layered characters, I found them well drawn out, acted, and lovable. In a lot of ways, it became my weekly injection of sunshine.
I admired how much it kept to its theme and heart in the pro-worker throughline. The ways that (especially service) workers are often mistreated, and especially how that interplays with the power/wealth disparity between the two leads as boss and employee felt like it was given the kind of treatment I'm not used to seeing just yet. I ended up liking how I felt the respect the female lead got in her romantic relationship was not only extended to her in her professional life, but to the professional lives of many in her line of service work.
To some, it might be slow, boring – I've even seen "lazy" tossed around, but to me, I don't think it was lazy at all. There were bits of symbolism, love shown in small, almost unnoticeable acts (like him closing the gate up to her apartment behind her, or them saving their names as stars and angels) that all add to the larger picture – there are themes and undercurrents of pro-worker sentiment and of the role of women, the links between their personal and professional lives (exploitation at work, and exploitation in the home – divorce, too, as a cultural taboo that threatens a woman's professional life) rippling throughout. There was meaning in their names – the male lead's full name, Gu Won, meaning "salvation" – a part of her name, Sa-Rang, meaning "love" (I'm not sure how the context/meaning is changed with her family name Cheon) – with salvation and love being the foundation of their mature, adult relationship. I found a great deal of small personal meaning in this drama.
Overall, in terms of the acting (Lee Jun-Ho's acting especially; I look forward to digging into his acting from before too – but Im Yoon-A I felt like did a very believable job of a woman working in service and of selling the chemistry too – the side cast of characters, and especially the woman who played the villainess Hwa-Ran, Kim Sun Young, who gave dimension to a character I feel like could have fallen quite flat, the direction, the writing, the music (my personal favourite from the OST being 'Confess To You' by Lim Kim) – I feel like they did a very very good job in delivering exactly what they promised: a fluffy rom-com.
While in terms of other, more complex and nuanced dramas that have captured my heart, it might not compare with my other 10/10s, which is why I will not rate it as such, but within its own genre, I think it deserves to be seen as extremely well crafted, and I do not believe it deserves a low rating for being what it is. For the other people this kind of lighthearted story will appeal to, I hope they feel just as well served as I do.
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Simple and Refreshing
I just don't understand why people are hating on this drama for being smooth and not having any kind on twists..... This is a smooth sailing drama.... and I perfectly love it.... if you want twists so badly then I guess this drama is not for you.... try watching some thriller...... This is the perfect blend on Romance and Comedy..... I just love the chemistry of both the leads and everything is going soo perfectly.... I don't want any kind of heart breaks.... breakups etc etc like any other drama.... even if they are included in the upcoming episodes.... I will be okay.... bt seriously..... what kind of twists do you want in this drama.... The storyline is just going straight.... and it is the best for the ones who just finished watching some serious thriller or dark dramas or with many heartbreaks.... I guess then they need something refreshing and this drama serves that....I personally loved it and will recommend it to the ones who loves RomCom with simple story lines..... The actors did a great job.
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What was the finale?
While I watched the show, it was the typical stuff I expected from such a show. We had the evil dad, who turns out to be gay in the finale, we have misunderstandings and we have even two gay and one lesbian couple... And because any show needs drama, we have the bullying. So far, so good.But the finale... WTF? The both stand of the rocks and watch the broken up comet which were toooooo far away to have any impact directly, but of course could have made a tsunami is they would have hit water. Normally they should have the comet up their faces and then ok, they both die - for what is the question? Xu giving in so willingly did also not make much sense. When you are already out, you should not care about others anymore. Period.
So for me, the finale did ruin the whole series, because for me it makes no sense whatsoever. Dad being outed as being gay came too late, that would have had more impact if we had seen his past also. That he then turned 180 degrees also makes no sense. When you are in denial for DECADES, you do not change over night, It would have made more sense, when Wang had beaten him up about it, but no. But I guess they did not think about that or they run out of time (and budget) becauase they wasted it through the whole story. The series did have it's lengths, they could have compacted the story and put in some other focus like the dad to have much more impact.
And because the finale ruins everything I don't get the high praise from some reviews... what is wrong with you people? While the acting of the MLs was fine, the acting of the side couple was weak. They did not feel natural in the series, but when you see them in private they have the chemistry which is missing in this series. Production quality was also fine, but that can't save any series. Because of all the factors I deducted my rating heavily... it could have been a 7.5 with a proper finale, but this felt rushed and imprudent. And I don't like it.
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was mostly a 10/10, but sigh….
was mostly a 10/10, but sigh the plot went downhill after ep 30. I’ll separate my reviews in parts I think1) first off, in general
- I think the coloring, scenery and cinematography was good and beautiful
- I loved the costume and I really like the hairstyle on FL
- I loved the music
- everyone’s acting was good
- CGi was good to me and fighting scenes too
2) eps 1-29 :
I was hooked at their first encounter. I liked their fighting scene too
Cold ML, that will fall hard and soften, more bubbly flirty FL. Totally my type.
The development and the interactions between the leads was very good to me. How she was following him, flirting with him, him wanting to go way. Them slowly falling for each other. I think their chemistry was very good, their dynamic was also perfect
When ML fell, he fell hard. He would do anything for her.
- After she was imprisoned in that cold prison and they wanted to kill her, hated her. He defended her, went against the other, claiming she was one of Snow city people (one of his people). She was ready to die for him, but no he was gonna save her at all cost. And he did, he took out the demoniac power in her and make her gain spiritual power back. Even the people in snow city, accepted her back
- I have to say, I really loved ML smile and how he looked at her❤️
- She hurt him many times (even if it was intentional or she wasn’t herself). He was never mad at her, he never gave up on her, he knew she wasn’t like that. After she forgot all emotions, he did everything to get her emotions back. It was a bit reversed here it was funny, now it was her who wanted to go away and him not letting her go. Even without her emotions, her heart didn’t forget him, that was good how she had some heartache because of him.
- when she died, that made me so emotional. When he was climbing the stairs, I honestly started crying. He loved her so bad, was ready to do everything to get her back. And then, he sacrificed himself for her, I also cried here. Even the divine dude cry, that was something
FL too, she was ready to die for him and how she literally died for him, giving him the talisman from SMl because she wanted him to live… another heartbreaking moment
In general, their love story really touched me. How much they loved each other, how much they wanted to protect and do anything for each other, even sacrificing their life for each other. I was really feeling their love for each other. They also understood each other. She understood his duty and how important it was for him to protect the world. She wanted to continu protecting the world for him after he died. That episode when Sang Qi when to get her in snow city, he went back to save the village instead of saving FL right away. She understood. Like him, knew what she wanted
At the beginning I liked the friendship with SML even if later on I hated this guy… No one can make me like him
Bao was so cute, I loved every interaction with FL
Never really dislike the SFL and I liked the development and how they formed a friendship. We didn’t get much, but I like the little love story with Fu Lang
I think the story was flowing nicely and well writing, I think the plot was engaging for the most part, maybe a bit more slow in snow city, but still enjoyed it.
There was really good other parts to me, like :
- How they went with FL being the caos pearl, that episode where they revealed this and the flashbacks, I really loved that episode, think it was well written
- the time travel was well done
- how it was ML all along, when we saw it was him that went back in the past to meet FL when she was a kid and he was her ge ge all along. How it was actually her who saved his life too in the past
- Sang Qi : I liked his story later on, I truly felt bad for him when we learned what happened. the betrayal and the misunderstanding… a tragic love story. She ended her life because she thought he was dead and didn’t wanna be forced to marry someone else. When he learned she never betrayed him… Then he sacrificed himself for FL, he was like a father to her even if he did hurt her more than once, can’t deny that. I liked this ending for him
- Fu Lang parents : I liked how they showed a bit their story and spend some screentime on them. They were bickering and all that, but in the end, truly loved each other. Their last few moments make me emotional and cry a bit, another tragic love story…
- the other couple in the forest : that was seriously such a depressing story. Her, reliving the same day forever ? him, her shadow accompanying her all the time, but never being able to see each other. How she never knew he actually loved her. A misunderstanding from the past that will not be solve… how they introduced the the dude and how you can go there and make a wish, how it all link to later on when he went there to save FL.
3) ZM and pearl (past life)
That was definitely too long…
There was some cute moments between the leads, but don’t think it was well written to really feel their story. Screentime wasted on more useless things too
Interesting how ZM personality was
I like the little time on second couple, tragic end. How they were also like fated and meet again/fell in love in their second life. How what they wished for the other came true.
Probably exaggerating😅😅 but too much importance on FL and SML story that I honestly didn’t give a damn about, could have cut some moments of that. I’m the last 10 eps, felt more like FL and SML story than FL and ML
Only thing that I think was somehow interesting in this was how everything was fake, the fake memories regarding ZM actions in the book of fate and in ZM + everyone memories. Also FL going over there and crashing out killing all of them after ZM imprisonment was cool😎 and then giving like f**k you to SML was satisfying
Will finish the last arc another day, the most disappointing part of the drama…
4) last arc in the present + ending :
Weeks later ahaha should I finally finish this review 😂 what did I even wanted to say, gonna go in general, it’s far in my mind
They changed the sypnosis, wish it was this one since the beginning, it was misleading… it was something like « she uses the power of love to blah blah blah… after ML comes back as the demon Lord » this is not what happened. This was something that really disappointed me : they really separated past and present. Mu Xuan Ling and Pearl never became one, just like both version of ML (even if maybe they did at the very end…). I thought this would be about both of them like merge, being both and loving both of the other lead version. But no, after XXC died and his soul got back to ZM, she was like he his dead, etc… I thought she would go to the demon world to help him, fight for him because in the end he is still XXC and both of the version her 2 self loved, but that never happened. Don’t know if I am being clear😂😂 I was excited about demon ML, but that was disappointing in the end. Didn’t like how they went with the plot in the last few episodes and the sparks and love for the romance between the leads I was loving was mostly gone
SML was still annoying as hell. When she saved him by giving him half her power🙄🙄 I know why she did it, but just no girl. He’s still the one who did all that in the past and literally caused your death and the death of the person you love. it’s also like she could somehow recognized/accept him as NXY and TMS, but not XXC and ZM? Why again making the SML have some kind of hero dead, rolling my eyes… Cdramas writers have been doing this lately when the SML doesn’t deserve it.
Classic annoying 5 min happy ending that gives nothing. Honestly when she said « who are you » (I think that’s what she said, it’s been a while), I rolled my eyes again, it shouldn’t matter, but showing again how they really separate the characters. This could have been at the middle of the episode, I can agree it was still a beautiful scene under the tree and the come back to the tree blossoming and then could have giving us an aftermath… like them living happily, a wedding, I don’t know anything!!!!! Most writers have 0 imagination and don’t wanna give what watchers actually want
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I'm totally not convinced by the main roles Yamashita Tomohisa and Komatsu Nana in this movie. The acting was just soso. It could have had lot's of more feeling. If you're watching this movie for Yamashita Tomohisa's appearance then you should watch this, handsome in every scene. Yamamoto Mizuki did a great job as a supporting character! I want to see more of her.
Also a very very cliché story..Don't expect something unique. A typical manga love story.
I liked the music!
Watch this if you're bored and don't expect much, then maybe it's good for you!
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Missunderstood and underrated Masterpiece
I normaly do not bother to write reviews after watching beautifull but "brain dead" dramas. But now after finding a hidden gem with a very deep meaning and message beeing utterly missunderstoood and underrated, I had to write one.First off, watch the drama and continue to read this review after watching it! You will not be dissapointed. Even without understanding it completely, it is a fun and crazy ride with good acting and a good cast. But only by understanding the story and message it will be really good.
If you have thought this drama is all about aliens, friendship and cults you are wrong and most likely one of those persons depicted in the drama itself as, blindly trusting belivers and following their leaders "cult leaders/papas" all the way to the end, untill you are told into dying for your believes.
Are you a leader? Are you a believer?
Or are you one of those beautifull but unique " Bo Ra" beings that knew there was something hidden and at least searched for the real meaning by thinking against the "norm". Or maybe are you the one who was shure to know the story untill waking up at some point by understanding the real meaning, like the FL did wake up from her "boring" predestined life?
"It is not about aliens, friendship or cults but about what people believe and how societies work. By whom and how the meaning of craziness or norm is defined and what characters people choose to be. A believer, a leader, a beautifull and unique person, or the messiah."
I choose to be crazy...
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How to suffer successfully.
This is a truly epic fantasy xianxia romance spanning three realms that is heavily imbued with characters, cosmic rules and hierarchies, black and white magic and other elements from Chinese mythology and legend. Even though many of the themes are familiar, they are brilliantly woven into a riveting and memorable fantasy fairy-tale of how all beings - deities, demons and humans are capable of good and evil; no one is immune from love and hate and all the emotions in between. We are all different and yet still the same.After an devastating war, both the demon lord and god of war disappear and peace returns to the realms. A thousand years later, Chu Xuanji is born into the Chaoyang Sect; one of the righteous cultivating sects. At an elite martial arts tournament, she meets Yu Sifeng, the rising star and heir apparent of the mysterious Lize Palace. A strong bond of friendship is formed between the younger generation that leads them on many adventures as they pledge to help Xuanji recover shards of a magical artifact that can restore her six senses. In doing so, they set in motion a chain of events that can lead to the return of both the god of war and the demon lord and once again bring chaos to the realms. They also uncover secrets of their past incarnations and conspiracies that follow them to the present.
Where this xianxia stands out from the other huge xianxia hits of past years is that there is a very well written external plot that is not just there to facilitate the love story. Both the internal and external plot are very well woven together and are mostly evenly paced so that both plot lines converge into a very satisfying and climatic ending. In fact, the external plot is much more intriguing and balanced than the love story so I urge you to resist spoilers and just enjoy the gradual reveal of the backstory and the way it impacts many of the main characters. Although this director still cannot seem to restrain his excessive love of angst, at least in this drama the internal plot did not manage to destroy the external plot as it did in Under the Power. Indeed I personally enjoyed the external plot and colorful surrounding characters much more than the love story notwithstanding the sparkle between the leads.
As for the love story, well it has all the hallmarks of a xianxia hit - it is an extreme and obsessive love story that transcends many lifetimes and thousands of years and is undaunted in the face of challenges by more powerful beings from the three realms. Phew! Exhausting! The chemistry between the OTP is undeniably both sizzling and moving. It does not hurt at all that both actors smooch with an enthusiasm rarely seen in these kinds of shows. But the way the relationship is written is too unbalanced with Sifeng taking way too many hits for Xuanji. Most of the angst takes place in episodes ~40s+ which is late in the game and after the couple already goes through many experiences that should cement their mutual trust. So for Xuanji to be so easily swayed and manipulated makes her character regress and seem just not smart (as opposed to heartless). To deal with her so shabbily just so that Sifeng (who had already gone through so much), can spit blood a few more times is unnecessary and excessive. Within the most angsty arc, the drama indulges in flashbacks and digresses into boring one dimensional characters (e.g. Yanran) with little plot advancement. Everything comes together again in the final 6 episodes that culminates in one of the most engaging and strongest finishes I have seen in a long time. It would have been much better had they explored some of the threads in the last 6 episodes earlier and in greater depth.
As the backstory is revealed, it is evident that Xuanji is an old soul that experienced a lot of trauma that still echoes from her past incarnations and restrains her emotional development. This doesn't really come out until the end because while the main cast is really quite exceptional, Yuan Bingyan is the weak link. She did an amazing job as the young and artless Xuanji and as Xuanji in love with Sifeng but was not able to mature the character or convey some of the rage, torment from her past incarnations that haunts her character nor can she fully convey the inner conflict Xuanji experiences when forced into heart wrenching choices. This becomes most apparent at the end when stacked up against the more nuanced and compelling portrayals by Cheng Yi, Li Xinze and of course Liu Xueyi as the drama draws to an emotionally epic climax at the end.
I know Cheng Yi is by far the fan favorite and is in a completely different league in terms of his acting skills and his unforgettable portrayal of Sifeng's indomitable love and the unthinkable suffering he goes through for Xuanji. This character and this actor is a true example of how to suffer successfully, spitting blood so painfully beautifully time after time that it never fails to fan the flames of rabid fandom to new heights. While he is a truly amazing actor, I think it is actually Liu Xueyi's Haochen that is the anchor of the entire production. I know this is an unpopular and uncommon view but the truth is this drama begins and ends with this character. He must be one of the most manipulative, duplicitous, hypocritical and universally hated villains out there that I still can't help feeling pity for. Liu Xueyi's acting is truly phenomenal from his portrayal of an arrogant high deity who can't even see that he has fallen in love to his conscious acknowledgement that he has strayed from the right path but keeps on going nonetheless. The complexity of his emotions, the suppressed fury when he is thwarted and the inner conflicts he experiences is effortlessly and subtly conveyed with the twitch of a facial muscle, a flicker of an eyelid or a tiny tightening of the lips. In his own way, he suffers as much as Sifeng but obviously not as successfully - probably because he swallows and bottles up all that venom and suffering instead of spitting it right out like our Sifeng. I will leave you with one final thought - love him or hate him, we must thank Haochen. Because if he did the right thing to begin with, there would be no love story.
While for me this falls short of a masterpiece, there is so much more to it than a smoking hot love story and it is so rare to get such a good villain that is complemented by such an outstanding cast. The production value is very high and they did a fabulous job with the CGI. When I finished watching it, I felt like it was a 9.0 but unfortunately a year later, I was never even tempted to re-watch any part of it so I downgraded this to an 8.5/10.0.
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Story: what was the story? What were we to gather from all these stories moving parts. Too many moving parts, no value characters, and stuff that still has me perplexed. Key point: No character development at all for 90% of characters!
Acting: not infuriate reviewers. FL has minor acting improvement from previous roles however she was perfect for this airhead role - no acting stretch required or needed. ML has a swagger, smexiness, and carried the FL. Admittedly, the combo was sizzling chemistry. The rest of cast were flat and uninteresting.
Music: ML song was decent
RW: please don’t ask me to do this!
Beware don’t get sucked in by the leads chemistry, it sizzles! It keeps you coming back. This could have been a 18eps of sizzling chemistry and solid story rather than 45eps of musical chairs and delving into the rabbit hole only to find slime.
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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 is still very much an idol drama. It simply 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.
That 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.
On paper, Ye Li should have triggered my internal "this is getting ridiculous" alarm. She never did. The difference is that The First Jasmine never mistakes competence for character. It doesn't ask us to admire an impossibly capable woman. It asks us to understand the cost of becoming one.
Did I believe everything the plot asked Ye Li to survive and accomplish? No. But I believed enough of the emotional logic behind her choices that she never felt artificial to me.
The drama never seemed particularly interested in impressing me with Ye Li's competence. Instead, it kept asking a much more uncomfortable question:
What kind of life produces a woman who needs this much self-control just to survive?
That question follows Ye Li through almost every scene, which is precisely why her restraint never felt like emotional emptiness to me. It felt learned.
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 continuity 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.
She understood that Ye Li's silence isn't the absence of emotion. It's how she has learned to survive. Trauma doesn't always announce itself through dramatic breakdowns. Sometimes it simply becomes the way a person speaks, hesitates and carries themselves.
Bai Lu never overplays that.
Neither does 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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This drama is bonkers on so many levels, and I love it so damn much for it.
I don't write reviews but I wanted to at least for my favorite drama, and Vincenzo has a special place in my heart <3FYI: Long one (like REALLY long)—Just dumping my love letter for the show here to show some more appreciation amidst all the negative reviews & misjudgment. Rarely do I love a show so much I wish for amnesia to experience it all over again.
Vincenzo is an eventful, fast-paced dark comedy that had me at the edge of my seat anticipating or dreading what's to come, crying of either laughter or sadness, or simply wanting to applaud at the sheer audacity of its plot (happened a lot). While there's an abundance of corruption, broken bones and back and forth between protagonists and antagonists, there's also a large chunk of comedy and lightheartedness. Add in some romance & just the right amount of emotional depth and you have a perfect mix.
I myself didn't find the start slow at all; it's true that in ep. 4 things truly pick up (thanks to one of the best reveals I've ever seen in a show), but the beginning is just as fun and crucial in setting up the story—Hong Yu-chan is a central character that lays the foundation for Vincenzo and Cha-young's motivation to take on the fight against Babel. From then on it's a rollercoaster of a K-Drama; the story constantly keeping you busy with barely a dull moment as lots of twists & turns keep it interesting. The ending is the definition of cathartic and shows again that this drama, despite the funny exterior, has no problem becoming unflinchingly dark with its approach on retribution and justice.
You just can't wait to find out what shenanigans the characters will be up to next, and when you do find out, it's a joy to watch. Many of the schemes that Vincenzo, Cha-young and the tenants pull against Babel range from absolute tomfoolery to well-thought-out, meticulous plans. The scenarios are yes, over the top, but at the same time ironically believable and more importantly, fun! You can tell how much fun the writer, actors and production team had with this project; tons of creative choices feel like they were handled with some sense of wild abandon, which might as well be the secret as to why the show is such a blast.
Considering all the improv, this rings quite true. Many of the characters' mannerisms/quirks and some entire scenes were completely adlibbed (after consuming copious amounts of BTS content, I can genuinely confirm this). It's something I really loved about the show and which tells you just how well the cast and director collaborated.
I feel like many people don't understand it for what it essentially is and thus kind of miss the whole point of it. They claim it's bad for example, due to its absurdist comedy which of course isn't everyone's cup of tea, but that doesn't make it a bad drama, just a matter of preference. Without the jarring contrast of silliness and seriousness, Vincenzo wouldn't be what it's supposed to be. The show works so well precisely *because* it's not a single bit afraid to take the piss out of anything or anyone, be it villains or protagonists—no one gets spared. It's about relishing in the ridiculousness of it all and one has to be willing to do that in order to really enjoy it.
So yes, this show is very contradictory and lots of people did not like or even hated that, but I loved it all the more. It's both parody and homage in the way it blends the tropes of anti-corruption K-Drama, ensemble comedies and gangster movies alike. It can be funny and satirical but also knows when to be badass or tense. And while it's true that it's a blatant combination of so many things, it proves through the way it navigates its script & characters that it's really not that derivative after all, but something much more engaging, original and worthy of paying attention to than the sum of its parts would lead you to believe.
In the end, this drama does have its own style and you do need to vibe with the writer's humor or intentions, so it's natural that it might be too much for those with different tastes or who don't see eye to eye with his execution etc. But this show is unrealistic on purpose! The protagonist comes out on top all the time on purpose! I've read some say they liked the show but drew the line at a certain scene in episode 15 for being too unrealistic, which is funny, considering it's a drama about a mafia lawyer who accidentally fights for justice while trying to get some gold bars out of a basement. It's bizarre, ridiculous and in-your-face on purpose! It is The Whole Point Of It All™. When we get tired of the whole corrupt, capitalist hellhole that we live in, this show wants to offer some escapism and makes it fun while it's at it.
This quirky setting of a K-Drama is pretty damn important, and it's why Vincenzo as a character feels so fresh. At first, he expectedly does his business in-between lavish Italian manors and cobblestone alleyways, but writer Park Jae Bum has other ideas, and decides to kick him out of his grand mafia epic and straight into a Korean drama. A different world, one where no one takes him seriously at first but where he quickly realizes that it too, is capable of being as sinister as the "faded newspaper" he may have escaped out of. That's the point PJB wants to prove—he didn't just pick a guy like Vincenzo for no reason. Because to realize his furious what-if-scenario, what better than to take a notorious movie-like supercriminal, a representative of classic evil, pit him against the modern evils of our own society, and let them step on each other's toes?
The result of this is one hell of an entertaining show, and one of the most unique takes on a mobster character I've ever seen. Here, Vincenzo is allowed to subvert his own archetype. Unlike others who often face doom or damn themselves to some catholic hell, he not only gets to live, but gets to continue on his work through buddhist words of wisdom. He gets peace and identity and community. You'd be hard pressed to find something like this anywhere else, no matter how much you tried.
Regarding the what-if-scenario, Vincenzo himself represents what the drama wants to convey to the audience. It's an answer to the kind of feeling when keeping up with the news and being angry at whatever unscrupulous business is being conducted, yet again. and you sit there, not being able to do anything about it. not that it's impossible in general—the collective societal power of the little guy is something this drama tries to highlight in particular—but in such moments we just want to see the worst of society be punished for their actions, "whether it is legal or not", as Hong Yu-chan said.
An activist through and through, his character is proof that even the most righteous people can't do much more than just try their best, yet they too may harbor a desire to go beyond their own means to win. In a perfect world, it would have been him to fight tirelessly and successfully against the antagonists, achieving justice by the book. But that sadly isn't the world we, or the characters, live in. Sometimes just "fighting the good fight" isn't enough, the efforts of the virtuous and pure are trampled on without remorse, and the corrupt system resembles an indestructible wall.
And so we wish to see it collapse fully and we want to feel good about seeing that, want to feel vindicated in our desire to rid the world of The Powers That Be. Like many other protagonists of this K-Drama category locals like to call 사이다 (="Cider", as in slang for "refreshing pay-off"), Vincenzo wants to scratch exactly that itch, through an anti-hero without qualms or strict moral compass that hold him back in anything. He's the personification of what none of us can ever allow ourselves to be because in reality we've got laws and morals and couldn't ever justify what he does to be of actual reasoning. Thankfully this isn't reality! He allows us to live vicariously through his persona, who stops at nothing to deliver retribution—whether or not it's a viable solution to corruption & crime—and maybe leaves us a bit of romantic hope for a better future, albeit in his own darkly twisted way.
An interesting point that Song Joong-ki once made is how he found the audience's unwavering support of Vincenzo to be quite sad. So while this show isn't supposed to offer any solution, I think it offers an interesting observation; how easily, and maybe even desperately, we want to cling to outlandish and fictional escapism like this. How bad is our own reality, that we're able to cheer on even a character like Vincenzo with all his brazen, reckless vigilantism, and not even bat an eye—what does that say about us? The show makes us root for him all the way up until the end, then turns the mirror at us and literally and figuratively looks us in the eye. Yes, evil in its many forms is prevalent and vehement and will always be, but what we choose to do with it is ultimately our choice.
You might somewhat agree with the show's ideology—that when all else is lost, the only way to fight a monster is another monster—or strongly oppose it. Either way, by the end, you’ve likely understood the societal lamentations echoing through the narrative, and maybe even have felt a tiny bit of satisfaction and relief in watching Vincenzo be unapologetically himself. I know I did.
Besides him, there's lots to be said about Hong Cha-young because people just don't seem to get her. It was intended for her to be "annoying" at the start and Jeon Yeo-been knew she'd get judged for that, yet she took on the role and made it her own. She nailed all her traits, from her weirdness, ambition and anger up to her loneliness and kind heart. Cha-young, like Vincenzo himself, hides her utmost vulnerabilities behind a razor-sharp gaze and only opens up to those she's truly comfortable with. Yet her soft side isn't a contradiction to her loud one at all; both are two sides of the same coin. She too doesn't compromise and is always the most unapologetic version of herself—a rarity in a world that deems types like her "too out there" or "too much", and she looks past such criticisms with but a glance and blows you a kiss while donning expensive sunglasses. If you paid attention, you'd know her character isn't one-dimensional. She's an amazing female lead and one of the most unique out there, fight me at 3 AM in a parking lot about this. Technically, you'd have to fight Vincenzo first.
Both are morally complex protagonists that don't fall into clichés and instead boast a healthy, respectful relationship. It's riveting to watch them go from strangers to partners in crime to genuine friends and self-proclaimed soulmates by the end. The moment they meet they complement each other, in their joint revenge (it helps they're both relentless opportunists) as in all other things. Their connection ran so deep; excessive skinship or dramatic confessions weren't needed.
I'm biased, but they're the best example of "soulmates" I know. Despite what some dramas tell you, soulmates are born of choice, not fate, and they made that choice for themselves. And above all, they're just fun to watch! They have some of the best chemistry between two leads I've ever seen and I've yet to find a pair I love just as much as them.
They and the rest of the cast know how to act believably in even the most preposterous situations, another reason why I love this show so much: While it's very farcical, it stays grounded in the way characters react emotionally and accordingly to their goals or motivations. And so you can't help but cheer along with—or against—them as they go through all of these ridiculous, unbelievable things. By the end, I got so attached that I just sat in disbelief as the end-credits ran and didn't want to believe it was really over. With any good story ending, you don't want to let go, want to spend more time in its world, but are instead left with a giant, bloody hole in your heart. Then again that should be par for the course.
Everyone has a drama that left a big impression on them and for me it was this crime-comedy about a Korean-Italian Mafia lawyer who has arson and murder on his daily schedule, yet is at his wit's end because of a pigeon on his windowsill. I sure didn't expect that when watching ep. 1 with the hope of trying to stay awake during nightshift (needless to say it woke me the fuck up), but the best shows come to you when you least expect it.
TLDR; Vincenzo has much to offer for those who want to be fully engrossed by a show, without sacrificing one genre for the other. But in no way does it play it safe, it 100% goes all in. And if you like to have fun with TV, then it's definitely something you shouldn't miss!
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