Reviews

Stayed only for plot

When i started the series, maybe it was fine a few episodes since i was trying to adjust to the story and environment. But then it just felt like the story is going in circles.

Some actors did a good job, and it was hard to tolerate some actors.

But the direction, the execution needed solid improvement. Someone said that this series doesn't make you feel scared and i could totally relate. The bloody night didn't feel scary as a viewer. The fight scenes were very poorly executed, it felt like watching my school classmates fighting with each other.

I gained some interest after Supremo and Zein started getting more screen time and their story developed. I was keeping up only for the plot.

I gotta say, i wasn't very disappointed. I liked the plot twist. So it wasn't a complete waste series for me.

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Very Recommended!!!

I don't know why most of you doesn't like this drama. Because, when I watched it, in my opinion it is much better then the OG (doesn't mean I don't like the OG). This drama seem more realistic and understandable, so I dont't feel like this is a incest, because they always said from the start that they aren't a REAL family. That 2 brothers also have a different gestured form the start, like the romance gesture and sibling gesture. Also, you have to reminded that they already separated for 10 years. ITS A LONG TIME!!! they also get awkward after a long time bcs of that.

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Interesting to pathetic plot

Alright the first episodes were realistic and interesting. Loads and loads of drama, and even though some parts were cringe, they were pretty realistic so i watched it.
But after 7th episode, the story just went overboard.
I was like "what's with the pathetic excuse of a plot" it's like they were trying extra hard to make things worse in the story.
People with weak heart don't watch it. The plot is very dark and i felt it was full of unnecessary grief and all other negative emotions u could name of.
Anyways, i thought it was a waste of time and i could've just avoided feeling all heavy.
But things to be appreciated, the chemistry between the couples are super good. The actors are veryyyyy handsome and attractive and I loved their acting and almost everything..... except the PLOT 😭.

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The MASTERPIECE

after last twilight this is the one i got too involved wholly in this beautifully series main leads especially jj who have carried the more weighted/content on his full fledged series is wonderful had lot of emotions to reflect and net no words to appreciate his acting we all know his thing for series acted on the whole. All character on this drama portrayed very beautifully. I have no words to ill on this drama a completely filled and happy. I am so happy that i didnt ignore watching this. Thank you for the production, direction teams to make this happen thank you so much

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Life in Zha Zha Ting is Never Flat

Truth to be told, I wasn't really interested in "Dazzling" when the promotional poster came up in MangoTV Conference 2025 or 2024 or whatever year it was, as the story gave off that kind of summer carefree vibes that I couldn't bother to discern. Moreover, the plot is quite simple - 2 high school teenagers meet in a coastal village, and their lives are turned upside down - that sort of set up has been recycled multiple times by other youth dramas and I perfectly know how this drama is going to fare with its predecessors. Nonetheless, I started watching because it is written by the same author who pens "Speed and Love", Shi Jiuyuan. Since y'all know I have a deep affinity for "Speed and Love", I can't possibly miss "Dazzling" despite being starred by the two leads that I particularly don't like at all. Let's rock, shall we?

The story revolves around two troubled youths, Qing Ye and Xing Wu. Qing Ye, a high-and-mighty pampered germaphobic little princess from Beijing, is sent away to Zha Zha Ting when her father's business empire crumbles and is particularly unhappy with this arrangement as she has been used to living like a grand princess in the city, not in a modest and unassuming small village with all of its obnoxious inhabitants, ranging from noisy neighbors, creepy perverts, and even her ostentatious aunt, Li Lanfang.

Meanwhile, Xing Wu is Qing Ye's cousin (they are not blood-related, as Li Lanfang was previously adopted by Qing Ye's grandparents before she ran away after being found pregnant with Xing Wu inside her belly). Having lived under torrents of piling debts scraping here and there to make ends meet, Xing Wu decides to suspend his studies and focuses on making money to help his mother put food on the table. Because of that too, Xing Wu develops an indifferent attitude towards other people and dislikes Qing Ye on their first encounter as her prickly personality often gets under his skin. However, beneath the hardened bad boy shell, he's actually good in the heart and often helps other neighbors in need, sometimes without charging money from them. Whenever Li Lanfang gambles the money away to play mahjong, Xing Wu will always look for more opportunities to earn more money. Aside from that, he's also deeply passionate about Qing Ye and wishes to stay by her side forever.

Meanwhile, Xing Wu is Qing Ye's cousin (they are not blood-related, as Li Lanfang was previously adopted by Qing Ye's grandparents before she ran away after being found pregnant with Xing Wu inside her belly). Having lived under torrents of piling debts scraping here and there to make ends meet, Xing Wu decides to suspend his studies and focuses on making money to help his mother put food on the table. Because of that too, Xing Wu develops an indifferent attitude towards other people and dislikes Qing Ye on their first encounter as her prickly personality often gets under his skin. However, beneath the hardened bad boy shell, he's actually good in the heart and often helps other neighbors in need, sometimes without charging money from them. Whenever Li Lanfang gambles the money away to play mahjong, Xing Wu will always look for more opportunities to earn more money. Aside from that, he's also deeply passionate about Qing Ye and wishes to stay by her side forever.

Heavily marketed as a summer drama, "Dazzling" does it job pretty well by showcasing the mundane life of the coastal villagers and how their interactions impact the whole society. Despite the fact that the leads always end up getting into multiple troubles, the screenwriter does a nice job in concocting the resolution and how they still persevere through sheer tenacity and nominal sum of money. The neighbors are surprisingly kind-hearted, jovial, amiable, and supportive of the mismatched family, often lending a hand when they are in dilemma (to the point of letting them staying at their houses in the arson case arc). I also like how the screenwriter portrays the leads to be sanguine in spite of their predicaments and the way they pull themselves together. Most families would've wallowed in grief, frustration, anger, or even a combination of those. They also have a healthy friendship bond with the teenagers there, ranging from the boisterous Hao Chenggong/Huang Mao, the loyal Fan Tong, the art enthusiast Shi Min, the 'bitchy' Cao Fan, and the lovesick straight-A student Ye Yingjian. Together, they establish a study group in preparation for Gaokao with Qing Ye becoming their tutor. Oh yeah, I also love grandma as she is one of the most crucial pillar in the family's little house as the moodmaker of the day.

I understand that this is a coming-of-age teen drama with tons of recycled cliche scenes to display the sizzling chemistry of the main leads amidst the hustle and bustle of the coastal village. I also have a perfectly-timed premonition when a cliche is to be applied and even make some mental notes to embrace myself in the repetitive cycle of rinse-and-repeat. Honestly, a simple high school drama's material isn't that much to begin with, so the screenwriter needs to rake his/her brain and find several feeble excuses to make the episode's counts longer than necessary, including the issues that the family must face in every single episode. From piling debts, salon's vandalism, the neighbor creep, the laptop robbery, arson case, Cao Ping's inability to redeem himself, and lastly dear daddy fetching her back to Beijing, the couple seems to be plagued with endless problems that come out of nowhere as if there were such coincidences in the world.

What is more, I've noticed that "Dazzling" has a myriad of similarities with "Speed and Love", in terms of characters, plots, and even their personalities. I'll list down everything below:
1. Qing Ye's high-and-mighty attitude VS Jiang Mu's spoiled princess act
2. Xing Wu's fondness of fixing miscellaneous stuffs VS Jin Zhao's omnipotence in repairing mechanical things
3. Hao Chenggong and Fan Tong's bond VS San Lai and Jin Fengzi's
4. Li Lanfang as an irresponsible and selfish parent VS Jin Qiang
5. Ye Yingjian's infatuation to Qing Ye VS Pan Kai's lovestruck mode towards Jiang Mu
6. Shu Han is Wan Qing 2.0, minus the brother
7. Qing Ye's daddy VS Chris (Jiang Mu's stepfather)
8. Arson case VS vandalism case
9. Both FLs have the same mindset to set the MLs' path to the bright side
10. Officer Xu VS Officer Lu

As for the acting, I guess I find several problematic points here. Firstly, I'm not fond of Li Yunrui since the catastrophic "Go Back Lover", and I feel that I'm not really liking his model student or even adult vibes - but, he conveys the emotion pretty well during the burnout scene plus his bleached hair is like an icing on top of a cake - he would make a good street punk in another time. Secondly, I feel awfully cringy with Gabriella Guan's acting because she attempts to create several histrionics which doesn't bode well with her character's personality, especially the salon's promotion in the marketplace and him taking her away from the cafeteria after her uniform is stained by food. Moreover, she seems to force her voice to be pitch-high and tries to enunciate every word in a very-slow-mo pace (oh my god, seriously?). Another thing is that Qing Ye is such a sweet talker, and I hate sweet talkers the most because their words often hide ulterior motives beneath and I'm not going to be fooled a second time. For other casts, I have no idea of who they are, except Bian Tianyang (always goes all-rounder playing sidekicks in every drama he stars in) and Wang Jiaxuan (the guy who plays Meng Ruihang, another lovestruck boy who falls in love with Qing Ye - previously, I had seen him in "Amidst a Snowstorm of Love" as Yin Guo's younger cousin, Meng Xiaotian and in "A Journey to Love" as Li Tongguang's attendant). Their acting is quite fine, I must say, because they really embody the village atmosphere so well that I feel I have been thrusted into the same society as well. I may not have grown in a village like them, but I settle down in a suburban area of my city, so we naturally cherish every precious moment in our lives, especially my friends in school.

The OSTs are meh if you compare them with "Speed and Love". Liu Yuning's is the best out of the 6 songs, but I still end up deleting it from my device because it disrupts the flow from "Sing Me to Sleep" by Alan Walker to "Easy Love" by Sigala. Liang Yongqi's is a tad of cringy, but it grows on me after multiple listens. Li Yunrui and Gabriella Guan's is a no-no to me and don't ask me why I say this. Duan Aojuan's is the most cringy song I've ever heard from this drama, as if the melodies were distorted, truncated, or whatsoever. Yao Chen's is too melancholic to my taste, as if I had been listening to a maudlin farewell song. Jeffrey Dong's is decent and has me singing it on loop.

Overall, a not-so-good experience of binging through "Dazzling". However, if you are into heartwarming family drama or realistic romantic relationship, then this drama may be designated for you. One more thing, you'll have to suspend your disbelief for a little while as things can get unrealistic (I mean the conflicts). For me myself, I won't be watching it for the second time since it's not that worth it. That's all for my review, good luck and happy watching!!!

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Honor to Tian Xiaojie!

I enjoyed this not only because of the until-now obscure craft of ink production and use, and the very genuine portrayal of what was involved, but the strong family relationships. Maybe I missed it but I have seen no review that mentioned Tian Xiaojie, who stole the show in my opinion. He was the vehicle for family ties, for family honor, for deep love of his son and grandchildren, for love of his craft. This would be a much poorer production without the depth this actor brought to his role. He was a major mover of the action, Zhen's inspiration and mentor - and he played the role to perfection.

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✨Love Upon A Time✨ - A beautiful love story which continues from the PAST!!

Love Upon A Time, omg this...... this was straight up perfection!!! I love this series so much that it is so hard to let go of this.... Nakun (aka Klao) just sparked up everything to the present..... I just love the way he changed Kaew's curse to Jom to making that curse, a curse of falling in love!! He did anything just to protect his friends!! As of for P'Phop, ohhh the man you truly are.... He raised my standards so high, that I don't think so anyone in this world can beat it!! He yearned for Nakun, loved him ever since a young age, and kept his promise... 'until I find you and seek you again, I'll love you once more.' this line changed me, my whole perspective of this world of hatred. I just love him so much, that I couldn't bear to see him die!! He waited, waited for his loved one to come back, yet he disappeared once again.... leaving him all alone... I felt soo bad for Klao, getting killed all cuz of the stupid opium trade case. As of for Nakun, from wanting to go back home to wanting to stay with P'Phop.... Even if it was for an hour or less, it felt like an eternity, time moving along with the pace of their relationship.... After 400 years, they finally found each other and once more fell in love and got married!! Jom, being the physician was so hot.... like his attitude was understandable towards Kaew in the beginning cuz of the incident between Roong and the high lord's son.... I just wonder, if they met again in the present world and fell in love again??? I rlly wish that happened but it's fine..... we hv ChermChey now!! OMG Kaew was sooo pretty, in the past and present.. And I just loved the way Jom stood up for Kaew.... in the present life, Thee yearned for Pun, with everything he could do, just for him to be with Pun.... and their NC scene was sawr hawt that I fainted.... Same goes for PhopNakun, both the past and present!! Ahh DOMUNDI, you've gave me another drama which I will never forget..!! All the side leads were soo good in portraying their characters, they made me laugh and cry and hate..... I will miss my ancient gang from the past. All of them connected,, ahhh I want a friendship like them!!


Anyways abt the drama, the acting and script was top-notch!!! OST's sounds beautiful and the colour of it is just amazing.... TYSM LUAT TEAM FOR MAKING THIS MEMORABLE...... u will always hold a vein in my heart.... ITS JUST SOO HARD TO LET THEM GO... and I have also learned something new, 'To a love unbound by gender, standing resolute against the tides of time' this proves that true love can be in many lifetimes, whether the past or present or future!! Phop and Nakun didn't fall in love with each other just cuz of their looks or gender, BUT THE LOVE WHICH HOLDS THEM TOGETHER, like the red-string theory!! LOVE ISN'T JUST A RANDOM THING, ITS THE POWER WHICH MAKES YOU FIND A TRUSTWORTHY PERSON FOR YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!!! 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️

Goodbye Love Upon A Time, you will hold a place in my heart forever... until we meet again, in my next life!! 😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ (yellow mango and espresso petroleum forever 😂⭐)

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Realism and glimpses of depth, but also missed opportunities

- The series portrayed a realistic compromise in a romantic relationship.

- It offered a well‑written depiction of a female lead who is strong, takes charge, and dominates in the relationship.

- The presence of good gray characters added depth.

However, the transition and development of the romance felt confusing and not properly established, which turned into one of the missed opportunities of the series. I wasn’t a huge fan of the OST, and the production fell short in certain aspects, though given the limitations, it’s clear the budget wasn’t large. Taking that into account, this series is still objectively good.

Also, the puppies stay perpetually puppies, which isn’t a bad suspension of disbelief!

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So beautifully done!

Almost perfect! Just, wow! The feels be feeling.

This is a good story. The acting is good. The costumes are good. The sets are good. The locations are good. There was a good mix of humor, drama, suspense, romance, etc. The main couple is fire. The second couple is fire. I love the supporting cast. Chuay is my hero. I love both moms. Just so many good things happening!

My very small complaints are with production issues. A few too many zany sound effects. And the sound in the NC scenes was sometimes distracting, which is a real shame because they were beautifully done.

I was crying at the end! It really hit me in my soft spot.

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A Messy Disappointment

Let me start out by saying I heard great things about this drama and was excited to watch it. Unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations at all.

By the end of the show, I didn’t like any of the characters. I have no problem with them being morally grey, but honestly almost everyone in this drama is a terrible person.

Chi Cheng starts the show by stealing his friend’s man and then ordering a group of men to SA him. Then he meets Wu Suowei and suddenly becomes a soft boy, with the exception of personal boundaries. This man told Wu Suowei’s best friend, the Doctor,, that he would SA him if he didn’t trick Wu Suowei into giving it up! WTH?! I would dump a mofo so fast if he said that to my best friend. So their first encounter was forced by Chi Cheng. Then when poor Wu Suowei is sore the next day, Chi Cheng proceeds to laugh at him. You hurt him and that’s funny to you?! Subsequently after that, there are plenty more scenes where Chi Cheng carries him (WS) off while he’s yelling for help and resisting. Gross.

I found Wu Suowei to be annoying. Why did he never address the problems they were having? How about “hey I saw your ex boyfriend get in your car and leave with you, and then you didn’t come home all night”. Or “I caught you making out with your ex in the yard”.. He witnesses all this terrible behavior and then never addresses it! He just gets sad. And the constant fake crying was on my last nerve.

I started out liking the Doctor but then he started heavily manipulating Wu Suowei for his own selfish reasons. To be fair, Wu Suowei did pay him back for some of that.

Yue Yue, apparently the only dateable woman in their world, is a pretty but incredibly annoying gold digger with no redeemable qualities. I can understand why Wu Suowei liked her (he’s annoying as well) but Chi Cheng? I feel like he wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes dealing with her fake act. And you’re telling me he put up with her on a trip for 5 days straight? Nah homie, I don’t believe that.

Guo was the one character I somewhat liked. To me, he was a much better boyfriend than Chi Cheng. I like that he got revenge on the man that hurt the Doctor. And he bakes beautiful cakes!

I feel like the story line lost the plot. What happened to the snakes? Where did Yue Yue go? Why did so many of the characters completely change personality?

Random thoughts: I’m fully convinced there was something going on between Guo and Chi Cheng. I saw those videos. Those were not friend vibes.

Does anyone else think the couples should have been Guo & Chi Cheng and Wu Suowei & the Doctor? I get the whole “opposites attract” but I feel like those pairings would be a lot healthier for everyone involved.

I rated this a 3, because there were moments of good chemistry and acting. However, I couldn’t bring myself to root for this couple.

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HE'S 500 MILES FROM HIS HOME IF YOU EVER CARE

And just like that, Love Upon a Time is over. I can’t lie, I didn’t watch the trailer or read the description. I just wanted to come out and support some new ships, and I am glad I stayed, because this show was actually awesome. Of course, I have a few criticisms, but overall, I enjoyed this a lot, and if you are looking for something fun to watch, watch it because it’s amazing! I would give it an 8.5 (8.7) out of 10, and of course, we know the drill for my reviews. I am going to say what I liked and what I did not like, then do the episode overview, and then we will be done. Let’s hit it to the beat one final time for this great show.

Starting with what I liked was our couples. And I am NOT just saying that because "oh we have to support them", I actually mean that. So before this, Net was with James, and I had seen him and JJ in The Next Prince, but I also haven't finished that, so I don't know what I was really expecting with that. And for Latte Kim, I had only really seen them on my social media, and I thought they were cute, but other than that, for both couples, I wasn't really expecting much, but they still BLEW ME OUT OF THE WATER. I think that they both have really good chemistry, and for specifically Net JJ, it feels very natural, which I quite enjoyed. I think that is in part due to JJ's acting. He is lowkey a phenomenal actor, because it feels so natural. Like, he embodies Klao/Nakun so well that I felt like I was right there with him. Whether it be his expressions, the shy smile, or all of it, he did a great job, and I can't wait to see him in other stuff. Also, Net and JJ looked beyond sexy in this. I went into this having a fat crush on Net and not really JJ, and I came out with two brotha on my armmmm. God, JJ is like beyond sexy, especially with these wispy bangs. I AM DONE. I said on episode 8 that, "JJ has an evil smile and Net has these sad yearning eyes, and I fear we ate," and that is them in a nutshell. And then for our other couple, Latte sleeper build say what? I was not expecting all of that, my godddd. Also, Kim is to die for, ESPECIALLY THOSE LEGS, IM DONE, BE FUCKING FOR REAL RIGHT NOW. Just great job to both couples, they really rocked their shit with this one.

What I liked about the characters was that Nakun was actually gay, not just gay for Phop. I think it really seemed like that at first, but in the third episode, he was checking out the other guys in the water, and I WAS ALL THE DEADDD. I love that, that was so much fun lmao. ALSO NAKUN WILL NEVER BE KLAO EVEN IF THEY ARE THE SAME PERSON. Yeah, just gonna leave y'all with that lmao, because oh my god that made me sick thinking about that. Good job, show. AND, I made an edit to the 500 miles song and this show, and god that is such the case for him. He was in a place he didn't know for so long, and he was so far away from his home with no way to go back. I'm gonna be sick again. TUTOR YIM CAMEO AT WHAT COST, GOD THAT WAS SO SAD. They didn't even get reincarnated, oh my god, I almost SOBBEDDD. UH PHOP KILLED HIMSELF? HELLO? I am so dead (just like him) and will never be okay, my lord. I loved Net's glasses, and great sex scenes for both couples. AND AT THE END, PHOP PROPOSED WITH THE RING FOR THEIR PAST, I AM GONNA BE SICK.

Going into the show, I thought the start was actually great, and they did a fantastic job setting it up. (Also look at me spacing out with different paragraphs instead of jumping around, clap it up for your goat...or don't...freak) It was perfect in that it didn't reveal the entire show in one go, but it also left me wanting more. I also quite like the concept of this show, but I feel like the more I think about it, the more scared I get. I said this in my episode 2 review, "This is mortifying. Seeing a bunch of faces you can remember, but they’re not the people you know, is genuinely horrifying." Like fuck no, I am all the way NOT okay. Also, the thought of people in this time period and even now, not being allowed to love, makes me so sad, oh my god. More on plot, I LOVED THE REVEALS. I was gonna complain about the timeline, but it gets cleared up by the end, which is such a nice kind of full-circle moment, so they did their big one with those. I also loved everything with the dad, because it was just so well written. I also loved the bigger fish to fry with Cherd being a figurehead and Victor's character being evil, and the same with his dad, and I loved that. I also liked that it was all unfolding at the same time, and the audience didn't really get lost in the moment. That was so much fun, oh my god. And finally, PHOP LITERALLY BUILT THIS SHIT BRICK BY BRICK TO GET NAKUN TO TRAVEL BACK IN TIME AND REMEMBER HIM. IF HE WANTED TO, HE WOULD. I loved that plot point, and I was actually not expecting that at all and thought they were gonna do some That Summer, memory lost shit. YALL ROCKED YOUR SHIT ONCE MORE DOMUNDI. The reflections of their past shelves on the TV were also so well done. I loved that they did that. Regarding the ending, I felt like it was lacking, but at the same time idk what else they could have added besides seeing more of the characters from the past, so I will take it lmao.

Regarding things I don't like, the biggest thing is that this is a slow burn. And we know I don't like slow burn, but sometimes it can be done well, and well, I did enjoy this show. This was slow burn done wrong, my lord. It was too slow, and they action-packed some episodes, but not all of them, so it felt weirdly empty, which I really didn't like. I am not saying they needed to reveal everything in the first couple of episodes, but just having an even balance would have been nice. Also, some of the "action" had nothing to do with the plot, and we were just sitting in the pond like a duck.

DOMUNDI, TAKE OFF THE FUCKING FILTER BEFORE I COME TO YOUR FUCKING BUILDING AND TEAR THAT ENTIRE BITCH DOWNNN. Like, my god, it actually makes me nauseous looking at the filter. Bro, it's okay to have textured skin, fuckkk. Don't piss me off. The camera angles were making me sick, I beg, I know we have these thousand-dollar cameras that do so much, but please PLEASE KEEP THAT BITCH STILL I AM GONNA VOMIT.

Regarding the story, I don't understand why being hit by a shooting star makes you time-travel. Like, I think the show explained it vaguely, but I feel like we should have explained that more because I was actually really confused. Okay, so he came out to his parents, and they were really angry, but then that kind of faded out? I am confused on that part, like did we realize we have bigger fish to fry or what? Like, that was poor writing because it was a really big deal, and then suddenly it wasn't.

For my episode overview, I am just going to look for funny quotes I said for my episode reviews and be done, lmao. Episode 1: "Khemjira, if they all smoked weed." Episode 2: "They’re definitely fucking. Also, the servants aren’t telling him everything because they are definitely fucking too." Episode 3: "Nakun is so gay, what the hell lmaooo." "ALSO, I KNOW HE WAS LAUGHING TOO HARD IN THE WATER FOR THEM TO ACTUALLY HAVE A CUTE MOMENT LMAO. LOVE JJ LMAO." "Babe, you got the assaulters afraid lmao. Klao must have been a menace." Episode 4: "I don't know what he did to these fucking village pppl, but wtf lmao." Episode 6: "JJ and Kim, anyone? AHHHH, ALSO THE WISPY BANGGGSSSS. JJ and this flirty ass voice got me acting brand newww." Episode 7: "I would never drink WINE OR ALCOHOL EVER AGAIN IF I GOT HIT IN THE HEAD WITH A DAMN SHOOTING STARRRR, DONT PLAY WITH ME." Episode 8: "IF THE GUY WE MURDERED AND DROWNED WAS WALKING AGAIN, I WOULD GET THE FUCK OUT OF TOWN." Episode 12: "I'm literally going to shit, cry, and diarrhea everywhere, and it’s all their fault." "He’s like fuck, my man can’t remember me, only relatable issues, but shit, I’ll make him fall with me again." "Also, the fact that that net's character literally manipulated time the whole time, continuously, the entire timeline to be with him if he wanted to, that’s all I gotta say."

Overall, they did such a great job, and I would recommend this show. I hope they have more projects as a foursome (Grammarly was getting on my ass about the word quad, lmao) in the future. Okay bye!

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Good plot with merman and female CEO tropes but was destroyed by leads' subpar performances

I was in the mood for short dramas with mermaid / merman trope this week so I chose to watch this drama a few nights ago. After watching more than 10 dramas with that trope, I had low expectations. Now this drama started off good but it could not live up to its potential.

What I liked:
1. Plot - I must say that I had not seen this plot in other mermaid & merman dramas. I liked the story enough.
2. ML characterisation - I liked ML's puppy behaviour. He was clingy to FL.
3. Duration - I think this drama is just over an hour so it was an easy watch.
4. Styling - While the styling was hit and miss in this drama, there were a few points that I liked: the merman outfit & wig (it gave ML a different look compared to his human form) and the water resistant suit that ML wore.

What I disliked:
1. Antagoinst - For me, the antagonist arc was too simplify that he seemed like a caricature. No substance.
2. Acting - The acting by both leads felt amateurish. I simply couldn't connect to FL because Zhang Qing was bad at portraying an arrogant female president. There was zero chemistry between Zhang Qing and Su Yu Hang. They gave friendly acquaintance vibe rather than lovers vibe.
3. Romance - I was surprised when FL told ML that she liked him too. I didn't see any romantic buildup but then again their lack of chemistry most likely led me to miss out this part.

Favourite scene
When antagonist did something to ML to get ML's tail to appear

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