Reviews

For what it's worth, I thought it was good.

I finished watching this and I'm seeing how a lot of other people weren't too happy with the movie but personally I was SO invested while watching. I also saw how people said that the ending was obvious when they saw that it was the detective all along so now I feel a little slow because I was convinced that Kim Jun U was the killer for a hot minute... I am currently sitting in tears because I hated how it ended. When he said that the man holding her hand 60 years later wasn't him I burst out crying, even worse when they turned and walked away from each other, i was like "is that it?!" absolutely terrible. I wouldn't recommend it but I did enjoy it, first movie to make me cry so insanely in a while.

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Zhou Yiran’s rendition of Mu Qingyan is Why You Watch

Quick take

If you’re here for the romance, watch it for the romance — specifically if you like an obsessed, stalker-ish ML with a breathtaking on-screen presence who takes forever to grow. I personally started Generation to Generation because everyone was talking about that chair kiss, stayed for for Zhou Yiran’s rendition of Mu Qingyan, and stuck around because the drama is actually not as bad as people say it is.

First impression

The sets and costumes are very pretty and create an interesting atmosphere, but the production feels uneven. It doesn’t read as a high-budget drama overall, and my suspicion is that a lot of the money went to pay Zhou Yiran’s salary (and maybe Li Yunrui’s gorgeous guest role). The post-production definitely suffered a lot.

Things I liked

- Zhou Yiran’s Mu Qingyan: I’ll give him his own paragraph below, but he’s the main reason I stayed.

- Music and action scenes composition: some action scenes are amazing — I re-watched a few just for the way they’re scored and framed. There are other really good emotional scenes that are done very well. The ending butterfly scene in episode 18 is a standout: great soundtrack, set design, and camera work.

- Supporting cast and backstories: there are a lot of supporting characters, and many of their backstories are interesting (my favorite is the Mu Zhengyang and Cai Pingshu relationship). They add flavor, loyalty, and fun to the broader story.

Things that didn’t work

- Choppy camera work and inconsistent effects: some scenes have gorgeous slow motion and thoughtful framing; others look cheap (like speed changes done manually because the crew didn’t have the same professional camera they did the day before or they had an intern do the post on select days). It often feels like different teams handled different scenes.

- Color and composition problems: costumes, sets, and backgrounds blend together too much. Characters often disappear into similarly toned backdrops. For example, earth-toned clothes against an earth-toned mountain, which makes it hard to tell who or what you’re looking at without concentrating. The color grading feels inconsistent, and that distracts from otherwise pretty visuals.

Main characters

Mu Qingyan
Zhou Yiran’s rendition of Mu Qingyan is why I loved this one a lot. He’s a deliciously messy mix of a red flag and an occasional green flag, obsessive, manipulative, and needy, but also heartbreakingly loyal. He does awful things, and yet his sad backstory makes you root for him in spite of it. You might blame him for the things he does and for the fatc that he doesn’t grow up for the majority of the show but considering the first five years of his life, I’d say, it’s pretty normal. Zhou Yiran’s performance makes the character’s extremes compelling. The camera totally loves him. His close-ups are consistently gorgeous — if nothing else, it’s worth watching for the eye candy. He does grow toward the end of the show. Again, this is my first time seeing this actor in anyone at all, so I’ll check out his other work.

Cai Zhao
Cai Zhao is headstrong, stubborn, and mostly consistent. She’s decisive about a lot, except for accepting her feelings for Mu Qingyan — which drags on way too long. Her acting is solid, especially in episode 36, but the character itself isn’t particularly original; she’s a pretty classic “strong independent heroine” archetype. That said, she’s effective and sympathetic. And she as a character and her love story with Mu Qingyan are believable.

Supporting characters
There are a lot of sects and names thrown at you early, which makes it hard to track everyone at first. Still, many supporting roles are interesting and add texture. I just wish some of them had been integrated into the story more cleanly. Like we had one character for a first 6 episodes and then they are gone. But this is a writing problem.

Romance and pacing
Romance is mostly why I watched this drama. There’s a lot of push-and-pull between the leads that keeps you watching. The chair kiss is chef’s kiss, literally and figuratively. That said, don’t expect a lot of kissing. There’s more at the end and I wouldn’t say we’re getting the level of When Destiny Brings the Demon, but it’s also not the Long Ballad kiddie stuff. There are plenty of OTT high stakes moments that involve the conflict between the demon clan and the Six Sects, but here they largely work and add to the vibe. There are not too many draggy scenes. I only skipped a few times.

My main complaint in the romance department is Cai Zhao’s drawn-out denial. It’s obvious she likes Mu Qingyan almost immediately, and the prolonged inner conflict gets old. When she finally owns her feelings, the payoff is dramatic and very satisfying. I wish we'd had them together, I mean truly together a little longer.

Missed opportunities
The show wastes some chances to build stronger conflict and tension. For example, Mu Qingyan’s reintroduction after disappearing from the sect could have been handled in a way that created more lasting tension between the leads. Instead of just introducing him, having some sort of interesting situational reveal would be more impactful. There are other moments like that, but I won’t name them all. I think there is only that much you can do when you are rewriting a novel into a script.

Final verdict
This drama isn’t as bad as some people make it out to be. Yes, post-production feels like it’s stuck in 2020. There are missed opportunities to raise tension and tighten the script. The last two episodes slow down, and the way Mu Qingyan’s survival is explained feels rushed and offhand. It’s a bit anticlimactic and feels strange after all that action-packed run we’ve had with these characters.

Still, most characters get their happy ending, and I found the romance genuinely satisfying. At least for me. I needed something a little trashy with crazy ML, and that hit the spot, haha. I ended up enjoying the drama more than I expected. If you go in knowing not to expect top-tier cinematography and CGI, there’s a lot here to like — strong romance, standout performances (especially Zhou Yiran), and some genuinely beautiful scenes. The plot itself isn’t bad at all. There’s a central mystery that keeps things going. The conflict between the Six Sects and the Demon Clan could have been explored better, but again, there’s only so much you can do with the source material.

I would say give it a try before reading all the negative reviews. I saw dramas with much higher ratings that I dropped because they didn’t hold my attention. Generation to Generation is definitely not for everyone, but some will love it.

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The Man Who Forgot How to Feel

Xie Jun Lin’s life cracked early—he discovered his father’s affair as a child, and that betrayal carved something deep into him. What grew in its place wasn’t just resentment, but a cold detachment from emotion… and even from desire itself. He became distant, controlled—almost inhuman.

But fate, as it loves to do, threw him into a game he couldn’t ignore.

His grandfather laid down a ruthless rule: whichever branch of the family produced an heir first would inherit the entire company. That meant a race—not of ambition, but of bloodline—between Jun Lin and his uncle.

Refusing to let everything fall into his uncle’s hands, Jun Lin turns to an unusual solution: stimulation therapy, suggested by his doctor. Clinical. Calculated. No emotions involved… or so he thought.

Then comes Tao Tao.

A bright, warm-hearted nurse working in the hospital’s men’s department, she’s everything he isn’t—genuine, lively, and completely unprepared for the storm that is Xie Jun Lin. But in a twist neither of them expects, she becomes the only person who sparks a real, natural response from him.

And just like that, the man who felt nothing decides he wants everything… from her.

What follows is a whirlwind pursuit—equal parts awkward, intense, and downright ridiculous—as Jun Lin barrels forward with all the subtlety of a storm, while Tao Tao struggles to keep up (or escape 😄). Between misunderstandings, unexpected tenderness, and moments that swing from absurd to heartfelt, their story becomes anything but ordinary.

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DOGY is well written, and can leave you in a nostalgic phase. Zhou Ye and Xiaowen are well matched and supporting cast were amazing as well. I love the way they made the end of it, I couldn't have imagined any better ending than like that. Thank you DOGY cast and crew for this beautiful journey onscreen. If you haven't watched it yet, go for it, it's worth your time😍

My type of comfy show: filled with love, hope, emotions, principles, values, solid plot & storyline, more realistic, true friendship, no annoying/overbearing character.

Ladies believe in yourself, be
independent, fight for your rights, be with someone uplifting you,well
surrounded, cherish your dear ones. This one of the best transmigration drama I've ever seen.

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Toxic but too much.. Unbelievable

I ubderstand that we eatch series to live in a fantasy world, and I was very excited for FortPeat to try something new, and I am hapoy for them. They did try something new and this script was good.

However, Peat's acting was wanting. Fort did a good job. Ken, the antagonist, made us hate and question him, so he did a good job too, ig.
Peat was chasing, for a change, and that premise was good.

The problem was: TOO MUCH DRAMA, TOO MANY TWISTS, LOTS OF NEGATIVITY AND IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE. Peat's character was actually borderline psychopathic, it seemed.
And the script just keep on flowing uncontrollably, mindlessly like a river. Kelvin (Peat's character) just kept on going.
The problem was that the writers made him do every toxic thing that audience falls for... And they made him do all those actions.

They tried to recreate the Wicked Game but this show jusy turned out to be even more wretched than the Wicked Game, which was good and enjoyable till at least 8 episodes.

This one I could only continue watching because of my guilty pleasure: FortPeat. The NC scenes were good, a notch higher than Love Sea. The wine scene, especially, took my breath away and I had to pause a few times. Similarly, another scene where Vier gifts pyjama set to Kelvin.. My my!!

Overall, one can watch this if they have nothing else to watch and admire FortPeat's chemistry.

Sidenote: TOO MUCH MAKEUP. FORT LITERALLY LOOKED LIKE A DOLL. Dumb it down makeup team.

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"Trust doesn't exist in this business"

Humint combined spies from North and South Korea, Russian mobsters, and sprinkled in a good helping of romantic angst and human greed. The pace of the story faltered at times, but managed to finish with a banger of an ending.

Director Cho (Rok) carries a terrible guilt regarding the fate of his North Korean informant who had been trafficked to a different country. His boss only cares about the drugs coming across their border, not the unfortunate women tortured as sex slaves. Cho seems to play ball when he’s assigned to a post in Vladivostok in order to make the drug connection between Russian mobsters and North Korean agents. This time, however, he has no intention of letting anything happen to the informant working for him. A North Korean agent is in town to investigate the disappearances of a number of women and Captain Park has a connection to Cho’s informant.

The number one reason I watched this film was for Zo In Sung. He works infrequently and I enjoy his acting. It feels like he’s played this character before, but he does it so well, that I’m okay with it. Shin Sae Kyeong gave a strong performance as Cho’s informant, Chae Seon Hwa . I was pleased to see her character fight for her own future with whatever she had available. Park Jeong Min, as the conflicted lovesick Captain Park Geon, gave a good performance though his super spy could have used a better poker face at times. Park Hae Joon as the evil Hwang Chi Sung can always be counted on to bring the maniacal menace.

Humint’s story and pacing languished in places with character motivations only skimming the surface of the murky waters they swam in. Where the film excelled were the fight scenes which ranged from hand-to-hand, knives, guns, even the kitchen sink. The fights were sparse for much of the film and then in the last half hour director Ryu Seung Wan brought the mayhem. It’s the first film I’ve seen with such excellent, deadly snow donuts. I will say, the gun fights near the very end of the film went over the top for me and I probably shouldn’t have laughed when I did. Sometimes, too much is too much. Fair warning, the body count was high.

Humint was flawed but entertaining. My first inclination was to give it a 7.5, but I bumped it up to an 8.0 for Zo and a competent female lead…and maybe the snow donuts.

"Since everyone's on the same team, we should probably raise the Korean Unification flag!"

2 April 2026
Trigger warnings: Drugs, prostitution, torture, gruesome deaths.

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It just didin't click for me

I couldn't buy their romance. It felt way too rushed and I didn't think they had good chemistry. Yes, Mr. Thee is hilarious but his cartoonish-ness was almost too much for me to be emotionally invested in his character. Also in the horrible, capitalistic world we live in we don't need media that makes us sympathize with the uber-rich.

Another thing that I couldn't stand about this show was the horrible product placement. I genuinely haven't seen a worse case and I am a Thai BL veteran. Every obvious advert would immediately take me out of the illusion. I understand if you enjoy this show, it is rather campy, but just not my cup of tea. (Or should I say Thee).

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Fate and Destiny

I fell in love with this show. It was very captivating and kept me interested. Also, it did not hurt that the ML was Zhang Ling He. I would watch anything he is a part of. This show had everything in it - romance, comedy, action, royal scheming, political intrigue, found family, revenge, etc. You name it, this show literally has it.

The cast did an amazing job with their characters. I really loved the entire premise of the show, and the subplots were also engaging. It was definitely not a boring show. I especially enjoyed the first half/part of the show. These were episodes I couldn't get enough of. I loved Changyu and Xie Heng's life in Lin'an. As the story progressed, it did not hold my attention as much. It felt more and more like it was just unneccessarily being dragged on. It could have been shorter than 40 episodes and it would have probably been a better pacing and ending. Not to say the ending was not good. It was satisfactory but just a little underwhelming compared to how good it started. Not to take away from how great this show was, it really took a lot of turns to get through the end.

Still, I loved this show. Beautiful cast, good acting, amazing cinematography, and a well-told story. Highly recommend!!!

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Couldn't live up to initial hype with uneven pacing and a crash & burn ending

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

“Pursuit of Jade” was all the hype when it was first aired. The Feeds couldn’t get enough of Zhang Ling He (of course) and also praised how much they love the female lead, Fan Chang Yu (played by the adorable Tian Xi Wei). Add on a long silver haired toxic Deng Kai, it has all the ingredients to be a successful drama. But then, it somewhat crashed in the end and just could not stick the landing. “Pursuit of Jade” is not a bad drama, but the expectations were just so high that many were disappointed. I don’t always agree with the ‘highs’ but I do with the ‘lows’.

Since the title of the drama is about the pursuit of Jade, Jade I assume is the female lead. The story focuses on her journey much more so than the male lead. I guess this causes some criticisms that the male lead’s character was not fully utilized. His investigation of what happened 17 years ago gave us the initial setting of a plot that is not romance-focused. But as the story goes, his investigation becomes more of a way to help FL instead. Did he still want to find out what happened? For sure! But I think he cares more for FL than his father’s death.

Many love Fan Chang Yu (FL). She’s smart, caring, sweet, and strong both physically and mentally. She can hold her own, push back when needed, even when she’s in love or heartbroken. Yan Zheng (ML) never gets an upper hand when he’s fighting with her. He will eventually give in. She has girl power! She will fight alongside her man in battles, but not behind him. She saves his ass a few times, too. But there are certain decisions she made that I want to shake some sense into her. I was especially mad at her for her actions in the army camp. She is smart enough to know you can’t do whatever you want and not follow the rules. She’s not a careless person, but a very considerate one. Yet, time and time again, she didn’t listen. Of course, Yan Zheng is at fault as well, as he kept his identity a secret for way too long. Additionally, she said she wants to be independent, not relying on others and doesn't like others making decisions for her. Yet she did that several times to Yan Zheng and Li Huai An. She made decisions on their behalf all in the name of protecting them. I don’t think she would have appreciated them doing the same to her. She doesn’t care what others are going to gossip about her and her status, yet she would break up with Yan Zheng for his sake. This girl has a lot of double standards! Having said all that, she’s still a rare independent and strong female character.

Many also love the first 17 episodes when a lot of time is spent in the village. Those times were a great set up and introduction to most characters. It’s the time when romance blooms in a slow but natural way. The villagers are mostly likeable and even the annoying ones aren’t that bad. However, I might be one of the few that feels the happy times lasted a little long. I wanted a little more of the serious plot, e.g. investigation of what happened 17 years ago, the scheming that the silver fox is doing behind-the-scenes, or court politics. Because this didn’t happen much, the last 10 episodes felt rushed. I knew a lot was going to happen, that’s why I wanted the happy village arc to end soon. There’s a lot of business ML needs to attend to instead of hanging out in the village!

As for the actual romance, I do like the scenes of the leads together. They have good (not great) chemistry and they are both very likable. I’m glad to see ML didn’t fall into the lovesick puppy trope and forgets he is a ruthless warrior. I like that he only goes soft for her, but resumes his charisma when he’s needed. Aside from the hidden identity part, they communicate, understand each other and have a very loving and healthy, mature romance. Well, but the kiss scenes are quite disappointing. We all know Zhang Ling He can do better. I think even Tian Xi Wei kissed better in “Moonlit Reunion” with Xu Kai than in this drama. But luckily, our toxic couple comes in and saves the day. The secondary romance between Yu Qian Qian and Qui Min has so much potential. Both are great actors, have good chemistry yet the story felt very one-note. There’s not enough backstory about Qi Min’s obsession with Yu Qian Qian. Is it just because he saved her? All their scenes are the same: he’s obsessed with her, she wants to rebel and leave, rinse and repeat. I wish we got more, especially Yu Qian Qian’s backstory with what she said she came from a faraway land.

Let’s talk about the last 5 episodes and how disappointing they are. I will try to not spoil anything. This is the most childlike, unexciting and anti-climatic palace takeover I’ve seen in a big production. While the takeover is happening, on the other hand, we got some family drama/duel. Where is the sense of urgency here?? Additionally, we got dumped a lot of information/revelation about what really happened 17 years ago. Where is the foreshadowing? There’s so much time in the first half of the drama to plant more seeds, so the revelation doesn’t feel so sudden. The breadcrumbs that were shared through a couple flashbacks were not enough. It was a disappointing end to a great start of the drama.

Well, my review is getting long. So I’m going to wrap it up by saying I would only recommend this drama if you like Zhang Ling He, Tian Xi Wei, Deng Kai, Snow Kong and Yan Yi Juan (ML’s uncle). Their acting is great and they have good chemistry. But if you want a well-written and well-executed drama, I do not recommend it. I would go for “Moonit Reunion” if you like Tan Xi Wei. She’s amazing in that one, too.



Completed: 4/2/2026 Review #680

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