Reviews

Fun Subverted Harem Trope

This series is unexpectedly hilarious and I found myself looking forward to each episode..I usually hate the harem trope but was surprised at how they subverted it. The writing has a self awareness of all the classic drama tropes and it feels a bit like they are inviting us to be amused by how they can still be upended. Very self aware and doesn't try to be anything other than lighthearted. I genuinely like the ML he is no paragon of virtue but just a nice guy but still a guy. For a short drama his character has some depth. all in all I'm looking forward to the rest of the series .

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An interesting concept that I felt wasn't portrayed properly

Disclaimer

What I am writing here are my views and thoughts about this series. Some of you may not like it. That does not give you the right to try to come at me with your opinions on why this series should get a higher or lower score and why it is better/worse than I think it is. You have your own opinions, and I have mine. Kindly respect that.

Don't get me wrong – this series was addictive and had me coming back weekly every Tuesday and Wednesday, as I wanted to know what would happen next. The concept was interesting, as we found out, along with one of the main characters, the things that he forgot, as well as how and why he ended up this way. And I will admit that the way and reason why all of this occurred was a new and interesting concept to me because I personally did not accept it. I just personally felt that it wasn't portrayed in a proper way, and that's why it lost some marks with me. I mean, I know that it is only an eight-episode series, but still I felt that it was personally rushed at the end, as everything had to be revealed in that last episode.

I feel like I am in the minority with the acting of the actors, as I personally didn't have an issue with their acting skills. I mean, I have seen worse generally, and they just weren't that bad to me (I'm not saying that they were stellar either). They were okay. I am grateful that I decided to give this series a watch.

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A Must-Watch for all Chinese BL Fans!!!

I can't get over this one!!!

See, I knew right after watching the first episode that I had to let it marinate before watching! And five episodes out, I went back to it and wish I had been patient enough to wait for all nine episodes.

It is a good watch!

Don't even hesitate, get into it! And please don't skip after the first two episodes because let me tell you something, episode three is where it starts to hook you in!

I have so much to say about this show but I'll save it! You should watch it and see for yourself.

I'll just say one thing though - THE DETECTIVE AND THE INVESTIGATOR???!!! EXCUSE MEEE!!! Side romance that we didn't know we needed.

I haven't read the story, so I'm new to the whole thing but will definitely be reading it later.

Why are you still reading? Start the show already!!!!

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A poorly executed mix of BL and fantasy. A waste of the actors' talent!

PLOT: When it rains, two soulmates suffer temporary deafness but can still communicate regardless of distance. Tai, traumatized by his parents' (soulmates') separation, refuses to respond to his soulmate for two years. However, when he realizes his soulmate is Phat, an handsome veterinarian, he regrets it because the attraction is very strong. Due to a misunderstanding, Tai initially resists, but the misunderstanding is quickly cleared up.

+++ Good actors, especially Pee (whom I'll be following from now on), but the main character's behavior (Tai) is unbearable (stupid, selfish, inconsistent) ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ
+++ Pleasant OSTs

### Poorly executed direction: some scenes are unnecessary (or unnecessarily long); many flashbacks and repetitive scenes + many filler scenes (the series should have been 8 episodes maximum)
### Some really stupid (and too obvious) twists
### Inconsistent character behavior (Nara, for example) (calm one moment, devastated the next, ... for no reason)

=> Interesting plot, but very poorly executed. A shame for the actors who did their best to make us care about such a poorly written story!
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Mix (mal foutu) de BL et de Fantasy. un gâchis pr le talent des acteurs !

PLOT: Lorsqu'il pleut, 2 âmes sœurs souffrent d'1 surdité temporaire mais peuvent se parler qqsoit la distance. Tai, traumatisé par la séparat° de ses parents (âmes sœurs), refuse de répondre à son âme sœur pdt 2 ans. Cpdt, lorsqu'il se rend compte que son âme sœur est Phat, vétérinaire, il le regrette car l'attract° est très forte. A cause d'1 malentendu, Tai résiste ds un 1er tps, mais le malentendu est vite dissipé.

+++ Bons acteurs, particulièrement Pee (que je vais suivre désormais) mais le MC a un comportement insupportable (stupide, égoïste, inconstant) ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ
+++ OSTs agréables

### Réalis° mal travaillée : certaines scènes sont inutiles (ou inutilement longues) ; bcp de flash-backs et de scènes répétitives + bcp de scènes de remplissage (la série aurait du faire 8 ép. maximum)
### Some really stupid (and too obvious) twists
### Comportement des personnages (Nara par ex.) inconstant (apaisée un moment, effondrée le suivant, ... sans raison)

=> Plot intéressant, mais très mal exploité. Dommage pour les acteurs qui ont fait l'impossible pr nous faire adhérer à une histoire aussi mal écrite !

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I loved it

If you are looking for a historical C-drama that masterfully balances high-stakes political intrigue with a deeply grounded romance, "Pursuit of Jade" (逐玉) is a must-watch. Starring Zhang Linghe and Tian Xiwei, this 2026 series breathes fresh life into the "fake marriage" and "fallen noble" tropes, delivering a cinematic experience that feels both grand and intimate.
​A Refreshing Power Dynamic
​The show’s greatest strength lies in its unconventional leads. Tian Xiwei delivers a powerhouse performance as Fan Changyu, a butcher’s daughter who is as practical as she is fierce. Unlike typical "damsels," she isn't just a love interest; she eventually wields her butcher’s knife on the battlefield, becoming a formidable force in her own right. Opposite her, Zhang Linghe shines as Xie Zheng, the Marquis of Wu’an. He portrays the transition from a broken, hidden noble to a ruthless general with incredible nuance, utilizing micro-expressions that capture his internal struggle between his quest for vengeance and his growing love for Changyu.
​Cinematic Excellence
​Visually, the drama is a "visual odyssey." From the serene, snowy landscapes of Lin’an to the sprawling, gritty battlefields, the cinematography is breathtaking. The production quality is evident in every frame, particularly during the action sequences which are choreographed with a visceral energy rarely seen in idol dramas. The use of traditional instruments like the Suona in the soundtrack adds a haunting, epic layer to the Marquis’s marching scenes.
​Why It Works
​The Chemistry: The slow-burn romance feels earned. Their "marriage of convenience" evolves naturally through shared hardships, creating a "power couple" dynamic where both characters are equally indispensable.
​Narrative Pacing: While the political subplots are complex, the story remains cohesive, focusing on the pursuit of truth regarding a 17-year-old conspiracy.
​Supporting Cast: The villains and side characters (especially the two Princes) are well-developed, ensuring that the stakes feel real.
​"Pursuit of Jade" isn't just another costume drama; it is a beautifully written, expertly acted tale of justice and devotion. It’s a rare gem that honors its genre while boldly carving out its own identity.

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All show No go!

I waited on watching the end of this, felt like I needed a breather, but it didn’t help and it didn’t work for me sadly.
7 episodes in and would have given this 10/10 it was near perfection but it started to unravel slowly, they spent too long in the village, in fact that was a big problem for me with this, locations became stagnant. I started to get distracted when our FL got into the restaurant business, but it picked up, despite its sadness, with the village massacre and her incredible fight scene spinning through the air. ZLH lost it for me here, his character started to make less and less sense to me , especially regarding his little sister or lack there of and that’s when it really started to unravel.
The time in camp seemed like a whole lot of nothing, Feeble battle scenes, a whole lot of cooking, a great general not generaling, even riding in with feathers lost all impact because he’d done nothing to earn them and the unbelievable almost comical fight scenes by our FL, finally defeated any chemistry I felt for the couple, they actually got irritating.
I’d already started to feel like shipping the FL with Lord Li, but at this point I wouldn’t wish that on Lord Li. I think I liked Lord Li so much because his character actually had some flesh on the bones.
The last three episode got better, but they weren’t great, which says it all. They were a mish mash of all the stories concluding but done poorly, I mean what was that final non battle in the palace?
The villains were great, but again not enough screen time or fleshing out of their characters stories, they felt rushed and don’t even get me started on the three of them hanging off of the wall, chained together having a whole ass dialogue in perfect stillness, no pain, struggle or fear.
The political intrigue was much needed but came too late and not enough, I was left wanting more of the prime ministers story, his wife’s and her son and his lover and of course the previous king. That could have been a whole episode on its own.
We had sparse exchange with our ML’s and even the bath tub scene left me flat because it came out of nowhere.
The second couple had all the chemistry and stole the limelight, but we saw them too little.

In conclusion, I don’t know what happened from episodes 1-7 to the rest but it felt like the screenwriter or editor got a lobotomy. I ended up giving it a MDL 7.5 but honestly that is because of those first 7 episodes and I think I’m being generous, both structure, pacing and character development went out of the window for me, no amount of beautiful scenes, styling or big names could save this imho for me anyway.

The takeaways were some brilliant child acting those kids stole the show, those perfect first episodes and definitely actors I’m going to look out for in the future, oh and our 🔥 uncle, he got me through!

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A Beautiful Journey Through Time and Emotion

Love Upon a Time finally graces our screens after years of delays and production challenges, a true testament to the resilience and dedication of everyone involved. While the concept of time-traveling to a historical period isn’t entirely new, the drama breathes fresh life into a familiar plot with its comforting story of eternal love and sacrificial devotion—a perfect escape from the real world.

The first episode is a masterclass in storytelling. The time-travel sequence is fully covered, yet the narrative never feels rushed or boring; instead, it flows naturally, keeping viewers engaged from start to finish. The cinematography is breathtaking, making every historical set and costume detail feel rich and immersive, reflecting the team’s meticulous attention to each character’s nuances.

The cast delivers remarkable performances. JJ, in his first major drama, impresses with his emotional depth and screen presence, effortlessly pulling viewers into his character’s journey. Net shines brilliantly despite limited screen time, hinting at the layers of story to come. KimLatte adds charm and warmth, rounding out a stellar ensemble that brings the script to life.

The original soundtrack is subtle yet evocative, perfectly complementing the emotional beats and enhancing the period setting. With its captivating performances, thoughtful storytelling, and visual richness, Love Upon a Time is a drama with high rewatch value, inviting viewers to immerse themselves again and again in its world of timeless romance.

It’s a first episode that promises so much more to come, making it clear that this is a series crafted with love, care, and an unwavering belief in the magic of storytelling.

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Not a must-watch for me

With how highly this drama was praised and the genres listed, I might have had the wrong expectations going into this.

But let's start with the good parts first:
🟢 Lee Dong Wok as Jeong Jinman was so good. Love his acting, love the characters he plays and love how he's never stupid but still human in his mistakes.
Oddly enough, this is the drama where I finally understand why people consider Lee Dong Wok a good actor. Despite this probably being his most stone-face role I have seen him in, his eyes speak volumes. And I love acting that's heavy on tiny expressions, especially around the eyes.
The very good acting also had a huge effect on my investment into the characters. I genuinely cared for them and hoped for them to either die or make it.
The story itself isn't overly complex, but not too simple either, with multiple strings coming together in one place.
Considering the genre, there's very few plot armor, plotholes or stupid mistakes.
Lastly, I should mention the great OST. Listening to it as a standalone, some tracks made me feel physically uncomfortable while others felt warm and homey. Someone really did their job in setting mood and atmosphere.

🟠 Now here's the things where opinions might differ:
First and foremost: Why did I have to wait for rainy days to watch this in order to actually see what's happening on my screen? Why is everything so damn dark?
Regarding the characters, Jeong Jian was well-crafted, considering she didn't know what she got into. A tad more badassery would have been neat at times though. Some more connections between what her uncle taught her and how she employed it would have helped in that regard while also emphasising the drama's main theme.
Side characters were very stringently written and had clear roles, but their impact on what was happening never went beyond their scope for the plot.

🔴 My biggest issue with this drama though was the patience it needed and the in comparison low payoff. There's very few action scenes in the first couple episodes and while as the viewer I knew what was going on very quickly, I was forced to wait for the characters to figure it out at their own pace.
Througout the drama, scenes are presented from different perspectives which often felt like stalling. Some add-ons were nice and contributed to context and suspension, often enhancing emotional investment in side characters, while others didn't add enough to be worth my time. For an action drama this had a whole lot of talking, plotting and waiting.
The whole anachronical way of storytelling was totally not my cup of tea. Ending the episodes on a thrilling cliffhanger and then starting off the next in an entirely different timeline works wonders in unengaging me over and over again.
Once I got immersed into the new scenery, it was easily engaging and I did binge this in just a couple days. But being thrown off over and over when I was impatiently waiting for things to go sideways was painful to watch. I love my plot to be in order.

The final slightly off aftertaste was enhanced by the ending. Not only was it rushed, the only reason why I kept watching got totally left untouched. Very dissatisfying. I had rather not watched scenes on repeat and get a more detailed ending than spending so much time on things I could easily figure out myself. Although plot over characters might be a personal preference, just ten more minutes would have worked wonders in making the ending less abrupt and actually providing emotional satisfaction.

Overall, my expectations were a tad off which didn't help the watching experience. This mixture of action, gore and plot was strange and unexpected. I don't recommend eating while watching though, you'll end up glued to your screen forgetting about food anyways.
It's a good drama. If you have good patience. I think I ordered mine from Wish.

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I Hope for Nothing, I Fear Nothing, I am Free

What a beautiful and lighthearted show! It's very easy to enjoy this show. This show is about three women in their 30s with a big personality difference: one is grumpy, one is somewhat dumb, and one is a workaholic. They all had their own problems. However drinking was always a solution for them as they said: "I drink when I'm happy, I drink when I'm sad, I drink when my friend's happy, I drink when my friend's sad."

This show is able to cover multiple issues at one time including, workplace harrassment, sexual harrassment, over-controlling parents, grievance, LGBT, woman empowerment, and many more. It's also surprisingly succeed to stir the audience's emotion: from anger to joy to sadness. Some topics are heavy, some are funny, and others are heartwarming. First two episodes are heavy so you might need to hang on, and episodes 9-10 are extremely sad. The comedy is written in the absurd-ish style (similar style to Be Melodramatic). It's hilarious and enjoyable. It also highlights the beauty of friendship. What an amazing storywriting.

The main actresses successfully carried out the job to be the three women in the spotlight. Since this show is quite short, they sacrificed the backstory of characters. They actually had each, but it wasn't really deep. However, I don't see it as a big problem.

It's a great heartwarming show to watch. Also it's good to revisit this since it's quite lightweight.

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Long lasting love story

I went looking for the work the ML had done and stumbled on this, yeah, it invokes the teary side of anyone with a heart, but I went in to watch after reading some very misleading review here on MDL . First of all, NOT EVERYONE DIED! You need to watch it with some sense of understanding of the circumstances like who the ML and FL were acting as and why was they plunged himself into those jobs.

POSITIVE SIDES (in my opinion)
The story was well laid out, ML, FL and all supporting cast did a good job portraying what they were meant to. They draw you in as you watch. The soundtrack is awesome.

You learn a lot about how some situations you aren't faced with daily are tackled. Found myself googling a lot as I watched. hehe.

I love the way the FL and ML cared for each other, and the rest of the world didn't matter to them. The FL's mom was a really strong personality, that is impressive. As for the FL's dad and his "universe" that was an odd situation for the FL and I understood how weird she felt when she visited them.
the ML's dad was quite understanding and a welcome safe haven.

Benjamin had the most fluent spoken English in the series; the ML also had some good English. I had no problems with switching between languages. if you are watching the subtitled versions, ignore the subtitles when they speak English or sing the songs.

The ML did an awesome job portraying the effects of deep rooted PTSD and if you ignore treatments it would spiral into something that you dont have any control over.

NEGATIVE SIDES (in my opinion)
The war scenarios... How do you send people on a mission with scanty soldiers on a mission, how do you add a volunteer with no prior training in the army, but some "physical fitness" to join a team and handle bombs and landmines? That part didn't make sense to me.

Now, to what I didn't like the most, the FL role was just an annoying, highly stubborn and stiff person. I forgot to say selfish.. yeah, she is really selfish. But I guess that is how human nature is, we tend to think of ourselves before others. SHE was no medical professional so taking the ML to the hospital when SHE felt it was okay was nonsense. The doctor who should have insisted on a better pathway for how things should be done came across as unprofessional to me.

Chemistry between ML and FL felt off; I didn't see her connecting with him, and it felt one-sided.

The ML was on a self destructive path that kept me puzzled all through.

The white olive part at the end was vague...note to all of you watchers...A White Olive tree takes 15+ years to grow so the end of the series will be clearer to you when you see that part.

OVERALL:
Should you watch this series? Absolutely
Should you guard your heart when you watch this? yes, it will help you get to the end.

They did a fairly good job. Enjoy!

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