Reviews

I am speechless - a true homage to Wu Zetian

I was already a huge fan of the first part and didn't see how this could ever live up to how good part one was, but I am so happy to have been proven wrong! This was an incredible homage to one of history's most interesting figures. It was full of betrayal, intrigue, and love and not a moment when by when I wasn't cheering, gasping or crying. I don't think I can really put into words how great this story is. All I can say is, if you like history, politics, and CDrama, PLAY THIS GAME YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

Of course a lot of the real history was altered to fit a drama narrative but I think they did a great job following Wu Zetian’s real life, I especially found the portrayal of Li Zhi’s dedication to her very well done and believable within the context of a drama. They also did a fantastic job keeping the main character (Empress Wu) likeable despite the bad things she does for power. I have found other dramatic portrayals of her simply make her a Mary Sue, but here she really feels like a real and kind but still ruthless and ambitious person.

This is a wonderful story of ambition, power, love and female empowerment. A true homage to Wu Zetian and her legacy as a China's only female emperor.

A little side note: I will say now that yes, the side story is much shorter and less in depth than the main game. A lot of people were disappointed by this however I would argue the purpose of the game is to tell the story of Wu Zetian (albeit a dramatised version of course), whereas the side story is fully a "what if" plot with no similarity to history whatsoever. While i love the characters involved in the side story adn I was very happy to see them played out, I understand why it's so much shorter. The main game is really where it's at.

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Cliche? Yes. But the kind of cliche I enjoy

It was obviously a low-budget series, yet despite its limitations, the chemistry was above average. The enemies-to-lovers trope is right up my alley, and I’m almost always sold on that premise, especially when the lead pair has great chemistry. Thankfully, the actors managed to deliver exactly that here.

Although one glaring flaw kept bothering me: the fake kisses! Every single time. Couldn’t they have made them look more realistic? I adored both characters, but watching them kiss without their lips actually touching was distracting and frustrating. Fortunately, the excitement of seeing what would happen next in their relationship was enough to keep me invested.

As for the actors’ characters themselves, the revelation that they were both gay even before accepting the BL-themed project felt like a plot twist on top of another plot twist. Something I absolutely lived for while watching this drama. The reel-to-real couple aspect made the experience even more enjoyable.

Overall, it was a good watch. The actors can definitely act, but they still need more experience to fully develop their potential. Enjoyable despite its flaws, carried by strong chemistry and a trope that never fails to entertain me.

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Most predictable, incest-type drama I've seen

Do NOT have high expectations if you are coming to watch this to recover from the drama, A Splendid Match. In Rise of Ning, the stylist hates them and the writers hate them because tell me why, their outfights are so garish along with this wacky, boring plot line.

I cannot reiterate how much I hate the "siblings"-to-lovers trope. I hate it to my very core. It gives me such ick that the couple would grow up together and literally call themselves brother and sister but all of a sudden, they found out they're not actually related, they start a romance?? Like HUHHH?? Personally, family is not blood to me. If I call you my brother, you are my brother for life. I also find the chemistry to be so lackluster, no yearning at all. He's just so cold.

What's even more crazy is how insane the chemistry is between the FL and the second ML/antagonist. A chemistry so potent that they starred in another drama together. I would literally skip scenes until I see their interactions. Don't get me wrong, the antagonist is incredibly toxic but I'm a sucker for the Cinderella trope. It's such a compelling dynamic as he wars with himself whether she's his first love and she fights to hide her past identity. He's a walking red flag but there's no denying he truly loved her.

I will shamelessly promote the better version of Rise of Ning which is A Splendid Match, the drama in which they finally play the main couple. It has the same tropes; cunning x cunning leads, political/royalty subplots, fight for power except this drama has the better romance, style, and execution.

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Best Modern C-Drama So far in 2026

I wasn’t expecting much at first—I only started this drama to support Li Yun Rui. But after the very first episode, Guan Xiao Tong completely won me over and made me stay.

Her character started off incredibly strong. As a rich city girl suddenly thrown into life in the countryside, she complained about almost everything, while Xing Wu quietly stood by, observing her with an eagle eyes. I really loved that the female lead always had a strong mindset and a clear vision for her future. She knew exactly what she wanted.
Once they began accepting each other’s presence, everything flowed so naturally. For those saying it’s impossible for a man to fall for a woman in less than a month, I think it depends on the circumstances. The drama actually explained it well. Xing Wu was written as someone deeply devoted to his family, even at a young age. He was incredibly respectful and caring toward his grandmother, and seeing Qing Ye treat his grandmother with the same kindness and warmth naturally drew him closer to her. At that point, it was clear why he fell in love.

One of my favorite parts of this drama is its slow-burn romance. It never felt boring or dragged out. Watching them go from constantly arguing to understanding, listening to, and protecting each other was so satisfying. And the moment Xing Wu decided to return to school because of Qing Ye was especially rewarding to watch.

By the end, it was obvious how deeply Xing Wu loved Qing Ye, and vice versa. Actually think the ending was really good, although a few parts could have been explored in more detail to make it even better. For example, I would have loved to see more of Xing Wu’s journey and the effort he put into catching up with Qing Ye, as well as the story behind his glasses, which could have made certain emotional moments even more impactful.

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed this drama and found it deeply touching from beginning to end.

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It's a very middling corporate romance carried by Shin Hye Sun..

The corporate plot is pretty weak, but the 12 episode format makes the usual fare tolerable. I have certainly witnessed far far worse corporate plots in my kdrama history. Also think the basic concept of the show is ridiculous, more specifically the audit team's various investigations feel like they are the virtue police & then the drama romance is about a boss-subordinate relationship in that setting & then everyone is just okay with it, I mean come on. While focusing on the romance itself ignoring all the weird crap, I can say it's decently fun at times, however the chemistry between the leads is really not great. The triangle is not too bad, it's more tolerable than average, though not having one would've been vastly preferred of course.

Also the supporting cast is really on the boring side. The only interesting character is -the technically second FL- vice president's secretary. I somewhat understand what the production team wanted with her character, sort of using her as a mood setter, but it was just too weird. Normally I'd say her character has gotten sacrificed on the altar of live filming, but this is a pre-produced show, maybe they forgot to tell the writer. Maybe the script had been written alongside the filming, completely negating any benefit of filming a show before airing it.

So why is it a 6.5 instead of 3? Well SHS even on a bad day is still one of the best kdrama actresses there are & oh boy she sure is carrying very hard. (though not as hard as in Angel's Last Mission if I want to be entirely honest)

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A Time‑Travel Romance That Completely Swept Me Away

As someone who doesn't like period BLs, I LOVED Love Upon a Time from start to finish. It has the perfect balance of comedy, angst, romance, and mystery that hit all my sweet spots. It also had the perfect amount of modernity/modern behaviors to keep me entertained. I genuinely had such a good time watching it.

CHARACTERS:
Nakun, our MC, was my fav part of the show. His Gen‑Z-coded humor and chaotic energy was hilarious in the Ayutthaya era. What I loved the most about him was his character growth. You can see the shift in personality/behavior. It felt really satisfying.

Phop is the definition of a green flag ML. He’s so down bad and gentle, but his character does not solely exist for romance. He has his own identity, values, and emotional depth.

Jom is the reserved doctor who tends to feel a lot of things, but struggles to express it. His internal conflict adds weight that contrasts the main couple in the story.

Kaew is the sweetheart who wears his heart on his sleeve. He is soft and sweet, but he is no pushover. He will fight back and doesn’t let himself be used.

PLOT/WRITING
For me, one of LUAT’s biggest strengths is how well-rounded every character is. This isn’t one of those dramas where only the main couple gets depth. Every character has different motivations and flaws. You can understand why they behave the way they do, and that makes the story feel realistic even when the genre is fantasy.
The blend of different genres was handled pretty well. The emotional moments broke my heart, the comedy made me cackle, and the mystery made me intrigued. However, the only critique I would give here is that sometimes the unnecessary scenes (to the plot) got a bit too long and happened a bit often, which messed with the pacing of the story.

CHEMISTRY
NetJJ’s chemistry was fantastic. There was something so compelling about them that I couldn’t take my eyes off every single interaction of theirs. I can confidently say I’ve become a fan (fan as in I will be looking forward to all their future dramas and works) of them as a pairing. LatteKim also delivered so much chemistry, despite not having too much screentime.

ACTING/PERFORMANCE
Net’s acting, especially eye acting, was fabulous. The way he portrayed the yearning of his character was simply so beautiful to see. His acting was consistently good throughout the drama, but his emotional performances are my favorite.

JJ had a lot of standout moments as well. Comedy is clearly one of his biggest strengths. His portrayal of Nakhun’s chaotic nature was quite charming and funny. His anger-driven scenes and his performance as Klao were also excellent. I was genuinely able to believe that Klao and Nakhun were two different personalities. The only area he struggled at was scenes that required grief-driven sadness. Some scenes were decent, but the scenes that required crying felt inconsistent, and there were scenes where he seemed either emotionally drained or unsure of how to portray that level of grief. I do wish the director would have guided him more carefully, especially considering this is JJ’s first main lead/big role. Either way, I think he has a lot of potential to improve and grow as he gains more experience.

Latte and Kim delivered solid performances as well. Their performances complemented the main couple well. I would definitely say that the MVP of acting in this drama would be Net or the actor performing as Cherd. Cherd’s performance was just..🤌. Amazing, nothing short of amazing.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, this was a very enjoyable drama. It knows exactly what it wants to be and embraces that. It has well-rounded characters, great chemistry, beautiful OSTs, and good performances. LUAT definitely one of the more enjoyable shows I’ve watched this year. I would definitely recommend giving it a try. However, this drama does have a lot of Thai-style humor and is very slow-burn. If you don’t enjoy either of those things, then this one might not be for you.

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I am a fan of this CP but had to dock points off for the plot and pacing.

Overall really sweet. I love this CP so much that it's hard for me to watch ML act with anyone else. ML and FL are both really good actors and I always like their performance. But the plot is always where I end up taking some points off. In this one, ML was so sweet and determined to win over FL. The whole drama is about how he wouldn't stop to support her, even if it means he has to give her up. I do think that the drama should have showed more of how she fell for him back. I felt like that was missing and so it was a very one sided love. It was also a bit weird that he suddenly came back later in the end and things suddenly progressed so quickly. The flow just didn't feel right. The ending felt rushed. They spent way to much plot time focused on their youth and neglected the end. Staff should have cut that beginning parts shorter so they could spend more time later to rekindle their romance. But it was cute overall. Again I love this CP so it was fun to watch overall.

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really good but still wished it could have been better

the casting is great, the plot setup is great, but i still feel like there was something missing. generally with this kinda mystery/horror vibe i wish it could have had me a bit more hooked throughout. it had the foundation for it but narrative structure was weak in development. they could have let us learn more about a handful of characters instead of introducing so many as also important characters in the plot. idk i'm bad at wording this i just know it could have made me much more interested throughout, like the folklore bit could have been used more, i wish production techniques could have also been used more outside of the "horror" scenes (which were actually really good)

i love taeri

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A Lot of Heart, Great Aesthetics, But Room for Improvement

The vampire universe and BL is always a tempting combination, and Revamp: The Undead Story arrived with the promise of giving us an intense and supernatural story from the hand of one of the most beloved couples in the industry: Boun and Prem. After finishing it, the conclusion is clear: it is not a perfect series, but it is full of feeling and can be enjoyed if you go in with the right expectations.

If something catches your eye from the first minute, it is its technical aspect. The cinematography of Revamp is top-notch. Visually it is beautiful, with a color palette and lighting that really try to submerge you in that atmosphere of mystery.
As for the acting, on an individual level there are no complaints. Personally, I think the whole cast did a good job. Each actor defended their role with dignity and you can see the effort to pull their characters forward.
In addition, I liked the story itself. Although the execution was not perfectly told, the overall plot was not bad at all; it was clearly understood where they wanted to go and what they were looking to transmit to the viewer.

Despite its strengths, it is impossible to ignore that the series carries several "buts." The main problem lies in the atmosphere: Revamp needed a much darker and more fantastical touch. Being a vampire story, a more mature and mystical vibe was missed. They tried to give a "tough" and mature air to the plot, but unfortunately that vibe did not work and several moments felt forced.
Throughout the chapters, there was always that persistent feeling that something was missing and that some parts of the execution fell quite short.

We have to be honest: Revamp: The Undead Story is not Boun and Prem's best work. We know perfectly well what they are capable of, they have a track record that backs them up and both are capable of much more than what we saw here.
The weakest point of the series, surprisingly, was the romance. Boun and Prem are not good at kissing, and in this project it became very evident. Their romantic scenes felt so bland and lacking in spark that even the uncensored (uncut) scenes disappointed me quite a bit. It lacked that passion and naturalness that a story of biting necks and eternal love required.

In general, Revamp has its obvious flaws, script bumps, and a romance that didn't finish igniting. However, it is still a very entertaining series. It is not perfect nor will it go down in history as a masterpiece, but it is worth watching, especially if, like me, you are a fan of the actors and enjoy seeing them on screen in new concepts.

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Mature, gentle, calm, yet ultimately quite forgettable

I went into this drama with high expectations, but it gradually turned into something different from what I initially anticipated. Takeda looks remarkably youthful here, despite his role emphasizing adulthood and maturity. In contrast, his partner often appeared weighed down and emotionally exhausted. Interestingly, his younger self, when he was still working as a medical representative, looked fresher and more vibrant compared to his present-day version as a writer. In which the obvious explanation of the eight-year timeskip.

One of my main complaints about the series is the lack of intimacy between the leads. The dry kisses throughout the entire show felt disappointing, and I understand the frustration some viewers experienced. I felt the same way after finishing all the episodes.

Putting that aside and focusing on the story itself, I appreciated the message that people can still feel lost regardless of their age. The sense of emptiness that slowly consumes us and leaves us searching for meaning was portrayed in a relatable and thoughtful way.

I also enjoyed seeing the world of literary translation. It was refreshing to watch a drama explore how translators work to preserve an author’s intended message while adapting it into their native language. That aspect of the story was genuinely interesting and one of the show’s highlights for me.

The drama has its ups and downs, mostly downs, if I’m being honest. But it remains a decent watch for those who enjoy melancholic and reflective stories. Much like its title suggests, life is not always filled with bright rays of sunshine. There are moments when smoky blues settle in, forcing us to reflect on ourselves. Yet through those periods of sadness and uncertainty, we eventually find the strength to rise again and continue living, carrying our own colors through everyday life.

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A fresh, unique C-drama that breaks away from the same recycled storylines.

You guys don't know how much I love this drama. Initially, I thought it wouldn't be for me because I usually don't enjoy slow-paced dramas, but this one completely proved me wrong. It's slow-paced, yet every episode is engaging and keeps me entertained.

What I love most is that I genuinely have no idea where the story is heading. In most dramas, I can predict the plot and even the ending within the first five episodes, but this one feels completely different. It's refreshing to watch something so unique.

The acting is absolutely top-notch. Every actor delivers such a strong performance that it almost feels like a competition to see who can act better. Yeli, played by Bai Lu, is the heart of this drama. Her character is incredibly well-written, complex, and compelling in a way that many drama characters aren't.

I honestly think this is going to become one of my all-time favorite dramas. I enjoy it far more than dramas like Pursuit of Jade and Ashes to Crown. In my opinion, those dramas relied on recycled storylines and became popular largely because of their visuals, whereas this drama stands out because of its storytelling, characters, and performances.

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BEST OVERALL. SOMETHING THAT I WOULD WATCH AGAIN!

I just freshly finished then in the time I write this, but I was really taking my own sweet time with the drama. Another drama, that I didn't skip any part. I have always love drama where every episode is different stories, and there is some inside on the character stories. Highly recommend everyone to watch this and because I'm writing without any spoilers, I can't tell much about lots of best part in this drama. So, you guys should watch it, and give your take out of each episodes. Everyone would have different opinion, but I'm sure most of us would aligned to one.

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