Reviews

the point isn’t the leads getting together, finally. but still enough romance for me to love it.

I love patterns and I love when a show depicts a specific type of symbol throughout it. In this case, this show had a pattern of father/son relationships. A son who lost his father, a son whose father almost killed himself, a son whose father taught him to be the devil on earth. It find the diverse depictions beautiful and so, so exemplary in teaching us all something. I don’t recall any other symbols falling under this pattern but their were *many* more patters that were all so illuminating. I honestly loved the show and would recommend it.
This is the second Korean show I have watched based during the economic crisis in Korea and I’m interested in watching more. People in poverty are the closest things we have to devils and angels on earth and I’ve found Korean dramas to do an amazing job at depicting this.

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First Arc Was the Strongest & Then……..Yeah and Then

Regardless of my health, I got a lot of encouragement from all of you or many of you to put my comment as a review so here it is. It’s completely different than any review I have ever written because this is just a comment so I hope it’s still is up to some sort of standards of my original reviews for you guys.

Well, I finally finished it. I couldn’t even really watch that otherworldly alternative universe because it didn’t make sense. They brought everyone back, but why didn’t they bring back the parents of the leads because wouldn’t that make sense if QM is the actual emperor or is he just the CP and his dad is the emperor? Or did they? And we never even found out whose dream or alternate universe was played out because nothing was written on the screen other than if the events 17 years ago never happened (if this was only to show that just because it didn’t happen 17 years ago, doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen 17 years later then it still was unnecessary to be shown other generations would’ve suffered something). In any case I give it after a careful thought an 8/10 because though it started off super strong, I think with great character development in that little village. The military arc was a complete mess and they turned someone who had no military experience, couldn’t read, couldn’t write, had no tact for military anything into goddess of war overnight and she was able to kill all the important generals while the man who's the Marquis, it’s his niche; it really was watered down and his fight scenes came to be about five minutes each.

I have spoken at great length in the comments about this before, so I don’t feel like reinventing the wheel and basically repeating what I had written. I think those people that agreed with me will agree with me here as well and if they feel like commenting, please do, we can continue having conversation in regards to it. The other thing that people mentioned was the fact that his power was on the battlefield was more talked about than actually shown, which was also unfair. I understand that ZLH he was excited for this role because it was the first time he had ever played a general and got to fight a little bit or rather it was filmed like a lot, but was cut. I was very dissatisfied with the FL in that second arc; she could’ve stayed at that Stone quarry and used her brute force, and she would’ve eventually run into her husband, but the fact that she essentially treated him like crap, like he was less than was unnecessary. She made a lot of errors that cost lives and walked away without consequences and that was just unrealistic writing to me.

In the last arc, it seemed that people just forgot what the show was really about and that was understanding the truth of what happened 17 years ago and getting that vindication and vengeance. The fight between uncle and nephew I think was all right. I can’t say it was great. The real standout character here was DK. I’m very very proud of him for the role that he pulled off as the absolute complex lunatic. However, I feel very bad for him because now he can’t even go to pee at an airport without fans sticking phones in his face, and the guy is so shy in real life completely opposite of the character y’all saw that the overnight success is driving him a little batty.

In any case this show could’ve been so much stronger. I feel had it been written stronger and from the novel readers perspective, I think that had they written the leads as a unit and really developed the FL into at least a foot soldier forget all those titles that were heaped upon her because of people that sang her praises in court and her brute strength. The other thing that I really didn’t like was the fact that she used physical abuse a lot; she slapped him, hit him, and punched him when they were having arguments and that’s just not how it rolls. I don’t care what gender because she was like a light version of Amber Heard. It made me wonder in some cases whether she loved him at all because that’s not how you show love. I understood because of her rough upbringing, she was not going to be this googly eyed whatever but there are different ways of showing love and sadly I think it missed the mark. So that’s my take on the show. As you guys know I have taken a hiatus from writing reviews because of my health so this is the most that I can do and say. I really truly wish and I am disappointed that ZLH did not get a chance to showcase his fighting or his characters fighting rather giving that he’s the general of all generals and instead they gave her all of these scenes and all military law and code and everything was forgotten just so she could shine and it was just ridiculous. He had more fighting skill and showcasing it in the first arc when he was injured to the point of death, then he had in his niche arc and I think that the problem there is completely because of poor writing and directing. I know a lot of people loved it. I’m happy for that, but for me personally as a writer, as an editor of scripts, I feel that it was very incorrectly written.

You can make people equally powerful, a great unit like shows like Fated Hearts (I’m not comparing it to anything and I don’t compare shows but that series just shows an equal unit between ML and FL she’s got the prowess with the bow and arrow and he’s got the prowess with the sword and the two of them were invincible, a real power couple from start to finish there was never anything lacking nor taking away from a character to add to another character.) without making one basically Robo Barbie, and the other one her poodle. It was reverse sexism. It was unfortunate. But because of the stellar acting of the actors, all of the leads, support, everyone is why I’m giving this an eight.

Honestly, I don’t even remember the OST’s that much. I also think that that Li tutor should’ve been killed not just exiled if that abdicated emperor was murdered and so were the other conspirators, he should not have gotten away with just confiscation of property and exile because he had a great grandson that begged for his mercy. This man was just as culpable as WY. People see WY as also a victim and at the beginning, he was but his later choices, killing a lot of people so he’s got to face the consequences; and even he had hallucinations of seeing the nephew whom he harmed right before his own death.

I’m glad the leads got a happy ending (the falcon also got a girlfriend lol) and apparently parents of two kids what I don’t understand is why the ML upon returning to the village had to dress in those patched up clothing when that’s not who he was; I hope Mr. and Mrs. Zhao were told that FL‘s husband was the Marquis unless they already knew and now also the Prince Regent. And I guess what I mistook for everyone being alive at the beginning was really just her illusion the real alternate universe is a post credit scene so I got that a little confused. I do wish we could’ve seen the third couple with their marriage. Also wish they had properly exited out the characters that were still alive even with that bizarre as hell post credit scene, which I honestly think we did not need. I think it was almost a slap in the face that the leads last official scene was riding off to a new war with her saying I’m not going back home I wouldn’t have become general so and so if it wasn’t for all the battles I’ve been in and I’m thinking to myself you’ve been in all of three battles most of which were not that successful other than the killing of major generals. The rest was word-of-mouth of your triumph. Now the man next to you is a different story; but sadly we never saw that it was just told in stories or conversations like he was already dead. Weird and unfair as hell. And lastly, the cinematography was beautiful.

Would I recommend it? Honestly, the high score is for wonderful acting, beautiful cinematography, costumes, some sets. But this show had a lot wrong with attributed to screenwriter and director making even fiction unrealistic in the last two arcs and the potential for amazing was great. So give the show a go, but don't set your expectations high just because of the high ratings and now over 300 reviews most of which saw zero negatives and/or are certain actor fans. Though I watched for ZLH, as you all know, I watch with an open mind. Had it not been for the things I mentioned, my rating would have been a whole half a point if not a point lower.

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Number 1 best drama of 2026

Tian xi wei wow such a strong female lead her actions scenes were so intense i kept rewinding back to watch. But her and zhang ling he chemistry is everything . Storyline just was chefs kiss the fact that he doubted that her father was guilty and always had her back . This the prefect and one the best contact marriages i have seen. Glad they got their happy ending. I also enjoyed the alternate ending too.This drama even had feel sympathy for the villians. Snow kong and deng kai even though their characters relationship was toxic theres def chemistry i would to see them in a drama again. I def recommend this drama there is no boring episode in my opinion

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The budget for this drama is very low. From the costumes and makeup to jewelry, everything screams mini budget. But surprisingly it's very entertaining and easy on the eyes. Maybe it's because unlike other historical dramas, there is not much talking but only killing 😂
I mean 5 minutes into the drama and the FL kills the 1st person who harmed her in her past life 😍

The visuals and acting was also on point specially the FL and the Grand Princess. The ML is always supporting FL no matter what she do. The plot was a bit fast paced and some things like retribution of the step brothers and sister was only said through dialogues and not shown actually. Overall, for a mini, rebirth trope drama, this one was very good

P. S the wigs of the step mother were hilarious. It looked so fake. They didn't even try to hide it😂

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Deep dive into the "behind the scene"

Without the cells, it would be a very mediocre romcom about two immature people. BOTH YUMI AND WOONG ARE PATHETIC. The cells make it funny.... and deep. We get to see how immature people think and operate.

Yeah it is very clear they will break up .... they are both soooo immature and do NOT communicate..... and YuMi's Intuition is exiled and all her cells are scared of listening to him... YUMI DOES NOT RESPECT THE DEEPEST PARTS OF HERSELF. ANd it is clearthat Sei Yi is a total total snake, and Woong is a total total immature clueless guy who has the Lustodinosaur... Perfect match for the SeiYi who is 100% skilled 100000% sociopath poisonous TOXIC snake... wow Sei Yi is something else, sooooo evil.... just like Ruby..... and Yu Mi is .... too.... immature and naive good girl - after she found out that Sei Yi picked the necklace and gave yuzu, she should have NOT called Woong, he had to come back crawling to her or else be dumped. It is clear he will cheat, eventually. That snake will snag him as soon as he lowers his guard even 1 milimetar.
And instead of setting clear communication and accountablility, that dumb starved girl runs to him and calls him upstairs... And he... does NOT talk.... the immature moron..... he cannot even say he needs to stop at the restroom. He is a total clutz
Woong goes to date with Sei Yi and hides it from YuMi

Well... she is starving after 3 years of abstinence, but ... at least she should know that he is just a little snack and not take him seriously.

One thing that is missing is how Woong decided to break up. We did not see his thinking at all. The money was not an issue anymore so he could have gotten married, but he decided not to.

I love how real this is, the triangle is 2 women on 1 guy. The real life is almost always like that. Unless the woman is somehow a s.x bomb and/or influential, and used just for mating and/or status.

Excellent acting by FL actress. MLs are decent but nothing special.

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season 1 is about ONE guy Woong. but BaBi is lurking in the background posing as YuMi's friend while he is breaking with his ex
Meanwhile Woong has a "second wife" an ex from the past that consistently and openly butts in to get him away from YuMi
finally Woong dumps YuMi and she accepts bc Woong went off the deep end with the bankruptcy of his company and did not say a word about it - Woong is a lame proud arrogant selfish he-man man-child AND a fun boy toy, and she keeps kissing his as# to keep the fun boy toy

season 2 is about BaBI taking over YuMi, genuinely loving her... and once in a blue moon, Woong trying to come back and bailing out fast every time.
But the whole thing is slimey as YuMi got with BaBi not out of love, but to use him as a happy pill and to have him treat her like a princess. So she essentially leeches off him. And as soon as she is far from him, he finds another chick who kisses HIS as# and genuinely loves him. And YuMi stops "loving him" as soon as it is clear he cannot be 100% perfectly serving her 100% of the time.

So the cells makes this interesting. The stories are about flawed ignorant unaware people, and the cells show how these people operate.
Season 2 is so cheesy cringe bc both Woong and BaBi stay single and loyal to Yumi FOREVER although she dumped them.

YuMi is like this worm that just chews through men, using them for s.x, attention, etc.


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Season 1 is interesting only bc of the Cells... bc it shows the typical hormone-driven relationships that fall apart, how immature people think, what operates them inside to create those stupid external behaviors - how mismatched immature ppl get together for the sake of s.x and fun and keep it going for a short while until the first problems.

Woong is an arrogant dude and he keeps his "second wife" bc she strokes his ego, and he stays around YuMi only while his ego is stroked and looking grand. So he and YuMi used each other, and YuMi was a lot more giving, in order to keep her fun boy toy.

Season 2 is a study in toxic relationships. YuMi does NOT love BaBi and she gets together with him for convenience, takes him as a happy pill, "loves" him when it is all perfect, and loses any interest as soon as he is less than perfect. He essentially cheated by emotionally attaching himself to another chick, who was kissing his as@ and who genuinely loved him from the start, which YuMi never did. YuMi and BaBi relationship was majorly slimey, and BaBi was a lot more giving. YuMi was there as long as she was THE PRINCESS, and BaBi had to keep kissing her as@ and taking care of her.

The key problem is that YuMi is totally oblivious to her Hunch Cell and her Deep Inner Cell and is fact scared of them, so she keeps operating out of limited / dumb Emotions, Reason, etc

Season 3 is about .... ? hopefully real love for who the people ARE and a real relationship where both give and take and LOVE equally.

But there could be 100000 seasons and NOTHING WILL WORK AS LONG AS THAT HUNCH CELL IS FEARED AND PUT TO LIVE ALONE IN THE DESERT, AND DEEP INNER CELL IS BURRIED IN AN UNDERGROUND PRISON

YuMi is an ordinary clueless ignorant person, living life on automatic pilot. The interesting part is the Cells, we get to see how that all works

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Season 2 was so soap...
Adult men moping after their woman for YEARS AND DECADES and unwilling and unable to have new relationships - and one woman having at least 2 great guys like that forever dedicated to her - wow what a super disgusting lie soapy cringe trope that shows up on most if not all dramas. So those moping men just do not have s.x all their adult life, or for so many years and decades?
WOW WE FOUND WHY S KOREA HAS THE LOWEST BIRTH RATE IN THE WORLD - and why hostess bars and prostitution are so normal in Asia.
The reality was shown by both Woong and Ba Bi. Woong was keeping his "second wife" at work, and Ba Bi found "second wife" as soon as he moved away. And both those "second wives" had NO problem butting in to steal the man from his official girlfriend. On the other hand, men who were told the girl is taken, backed off immediately. THAT IS THE TYPICAL REALITY

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Just watched Yumi's Cells season 1 bc of really great review on byrei.ink - indeed it is a great study on how immature ppl get together for fun and then quickly break up. THE CELLS ARE SOOOO EDUCATIONAL AND DEEP!!!! I rated that 10 bc of its uniqueness and insights. I just fast forwarded through the cringe parts showing the external behaviors of two really dumb immature ppl butting heads without any communication.

Season 1 was about puppy young love based on hormones.

Then I watched 14 episodes of Season 2. And I feel very upset after, because it was about two slimey adults. YuMi using BaBi as her happy pill, to have someone kiss her as# and take care of her ALL THE TIME like she was a princess, and YuMi lost any interest and bailed out as soon as the dude could not deliver that all the time. And BaBi - he needs someone to truly love him, and I guess he wants someone to kiss HIS as# too, so he essentially cheated by emotionally attaching to a chick like that - and probably would have proceeded to switch ships at one point, JUST LIKE he was switching ships and jumping on to YuMi while he was breaking up with his ex.

SO SEASON 2 IS A STUDY IN VERY SLIMEY TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS.

And then this cheesy idea of 2 guys being loyal forever to one woman who used them while it was fun and then dumped them... SO unreal soapy!!!!

There was real stuff... both guys had "second wives", women who openly catered to them and tried to take them away from the official girlfriend YuMi. That is soooo realistic.
YuMi's male suitors behaved in typical ways of real life and backed off as soon as she said she has a boyfriend.

Overall, YuMi is a very ignorant unaware person and also a coward in many ways because she keeps her Hunch away in the desert and is afraid to listen to him, and also DEep Inner Self is burried in an underground prison.

So Yumi's Cells can have 10000000000 episodes where YuMi keeps using men, chewing them up while they are useful to her and then spitting them out.

In Season 1, YuMi has to kiss as# of Woong, to keep her fun boy toy. He is a moody arrogant man-child and a great boy toy
In Season 2, BaBi has to kiss as# of YuMi and make her feel like a princess, or else she loses interest in him. She gets with him not out of love, but for health reasons, to be treated like a princess, and loses interest as soon as he cannot be that loyal doting SERVANT ALL THE TIME. BaBi sold his soul and then could not resist his need for someone who truly loves him and gives to him, so he essentially chated.
BaBi needs someone who gives to him as much as he gives. BaBi did not have a mother and his father is cement, so BaBi needs real love, to be the center of attention.

Yeah BaBi is slimey too... He jumps ships as soon as it is not productive for him to stay.... As soon as "his woman" is "away" - he starts jumping ships...

So Season 2 is just ... ugly toxic muck bc it is clear these ppl are adults adn SHOULD be thinking...
BASICALLY SEASON 2 SHOWS THAT NOTHING WAS LEARNED FROM SEASON 1
and season 3 looks like the same concept


Season 1 is cute bc it is "starter kit"
but Season 2 is infuriating bc there is no progress whatsoever
the story just repeats
And Season 3 looks the same repeat...

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To continue or not????

I used to like Park Min Young. But of late, I find her dramas boring. Her acting has become so one dimensional and predictable.
Don't even get me started on her looks..... She just seems way too thin to the point of looking gaunt.

The drama plot? seemed interesting at first but then WHJ seemingly starts to fall for her after being adamantly believing she is the culprit??? Not realistic at all. Is it believable for someone to be interested in the 140K payout after cancelling the policy??? (am i correct in understanding that for every policy cancelled there is this amount of payout? Amount is fairly small to commit murder)

So, those 2 points are my only gripes so far.

Am I contemplating finishing this? not sure.........

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Little Miss Sunshine

This drama should have been called "Little Miss Sunshine", because the FL spreads her mega smile, cheerfulness and dopamine wherever she went. This drama shows that family can be one your are born into, or one you make and that everyone deserves love and acceptance just as they are. Families can also be the source of stress and anxiety, but this drama faces those issues straight on and everything is resolved very nicely in the end.

Lovely romance and there was decent chemistry between the leads, but not enough fire for me. But it is still my most fav T-Drama that I have ever watched,. I do recommend this drama for it's humor, healing vibes, romance and of course the fab ladies of The Cage!

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Cute Little RomCom

I've been very lazy about writing actual reviews of the dramas I watch and instead just inserting the notes I take as I watch as a "review" (which is really just a play by play of random things that upset me. lol

I'm going to put my scattered notes at the end but I will say this was a cute drama. Anytime I start a new drama I have a bit of a hard time getting into the first and second episodes but this one really wasn't an issue for me.

I don't have much to say because yet again I didn't write this review immediately after finishing the show but I will say, looking back, it is very What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, and that is an absolute classic. Same type of dynamic between ML's role at work and FL's role at work. However, he's obviously far less grouchy than the ML in WWWSK. lol

Very cute drama. Could definitely see myself putting it back on down the road as a fun, uplifting watch.

NOTES:

I already love this. Him sticking up for the other guy and taking him with him. Amazing. Although I spun my "to watch" kdrama wheel and when it landed on this I was thinking it was the one with Lee Min Ho (King Eternal Monarch). I only realized it wasn't when he took the skydiving helmet off. lol

Oh wow. The boat guy runs a scheme with his mom right? Where there is "something wrong with the boat" and they're forced to go to his mom's crappy little hotel. Oh well there it is. lol

I really got lazy with keeping notes. Probably because thing's were going shockingly well for a k-drama. Every time I thought the issues were gonna kick off, there he was to fix it.

Now I'm on episode 13 and his sister has gone super b*tch and we're doing the bs lack of communication thing. She has to serve the meeting where his dad and Yu-Ri's dad discuss their marriage and he asks why she's there. Instead of saying that she was told he requested her there, of course she says some dumb stuff like, "I wonder that myself.". He clearly didn't request you.

Man am I glad he clocked her a** about the articles and fired her. However, I KNOW they are not about to try and make me feel bad for her. lmao That isn't gonna happen.

Why is grandma not losing her mind about him being the CEO's son? Wouldn't the article be the first time she learned that? Why is she not mentioning it? That's odd. I definitely would have imagined her hitting him and asking why he lied. But here we are with the townspeople being mental and grandma not really addressing it.

Him and his parents suck but I too would be enjoying them giving him hell for a change.

If she doesn't tell him what his dad said I'm gonna lose it. They've been so good about not doing the typical lack of communication non-sense.

Well, not a terrible drama in the end.

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A Gentle, Magical Start That Feels Both Refreshing and Emotional

After 1/4 of the year is gone, finally our first Taiwanese BL for 2026 did not disappoint. Wishing upon the Shooting Stars is already proving to be one of those series you just feel connected to from the very first episode. This series has completely drawn me in with its soft, emotional storytelling and unique concept.

The premise is honestly one of the most refreshing I have seen in a while. A simple wish turning into something so life changing adds this quiet magical layer to the story. Watching Xiang Yong live under a second identity as Zhong Xiao You is not just interesting, it feels deeply personal. It is less about fantasy and more about rediscovering yourself, your worth, and what you truly want in life.

What makes this even more special is the setting. No flashy city lights, no over the top luxury, just a peaceful hometown that feels warm and real. It is such a nice change from the usual BL settings, and it makes every moment feel more genuine and heartfelt.

And then we have the romance. The return of the high school crush already has me invested. There is something so soft and nostalgic about their dynamic, like unfinished feelings slowly finding their way back. It is subtle, but you can feel the chemistry building, and it makes you want to keep watching just to see how it all unfolds.

The acting so far has been really solid, especially in the quieter scenes where emotions speak louder than words. The music fits perfectly too, adding to that dreamy, slightly magical atmosphere without overpowering the story.

And we can we talk about episode 8 is my favourite episode so far. They cleared up their misunderstanding so quickly instead of dragging it out for a few episodes.
You can really tell how much they love each other during their NC scene. It was filmed so beautifully, one of the best Taiwanese NC scenes I’ve ever seen. I’m honestly speechless.

Unique plot, strong emotions, comforting vibes, and a romance that already has my heart.

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Damn, Yee is a little badass.

How many times is this poor family gonna have to deal with this damn ghost?!

While I felt like the story was completed perfectly with the second movie, it seems the cash cow has struck again.

Did I enjoy this movie? Yes, I very much did. But, it wasn't actually needed as the story of Yak and his siblings was finished, I felt, in the second movie.

The storyline wasn't bad, and it sorta fit with the previous movies. We get to see more of badass Yak and his delicious 6-pack, and we get to see happy, pregnant Yud. (I still think if the baby were a girl, she would have named it Yam, and since it's a boy, she will name it in honor of Sarge. If you know, you know)

I felt like the repetitiveness of a severely haunted forest was a little redundant since we got that in the second movie. The twist of the helper/revenge ghosts duo helping Yak and the others was a nice little surprise I almost missed. (Yes, it's very subtle.)

Yee is my new icon. She is such a little badass, and I loved her scenes.

Sarge's death hurt me deeply. I cried.

I didn't like how abrupt the ending was. One second, everyone is crying over Sarge, and the next, the ending credits are rolling. That quick post-credits scene was very confusing for me, and I had to look up what it meant. Looks like we are more than likely getting either another Death Whisperer movie or a spin-off featuring Sarge's daughter and possibly Yak. Do I smell a possible romance?

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If you can even then you shouldn't watch it.

The story revolves around Zhuang Man Ying, an orphaned heiress who is sent back in time to reset her mother's life trajectory. She aims to undo all the wrongs done to her mother and help her lead a happy life. In comes her adoptive uncle Qin Mo, who looks uncannily handsome in the 90's. Made me wish I had an adoptive uncle or two to make life just more complicated. Said uncle is rude and harsh in the present but was the love of her life in the 90's.

What worked: The lead who looked gorgeous, it is their pairing that initially drew me to this drama.

What was wrong: Everything.

Let me clarify what was bad, the story line, even if one searched with CIA approved thermal heat binoculars one wouldn't be able to find it. The writer must be on some sort of kool aid when they decided to hash this haphazard regurgitated garbage. The production team then decided it wasn't enough that the story sucked so bad they topped it off with an equally low budget and appalling direction. Dai and Chen have proved their worth in far better productions and do not need to do such crappy dramas.

The misuse of a perfectly awesome genre, a perfect pairing and a dearth of proper kisses killed the drama for me. Extremely disappointed, please watch when the world is about to go off the map of the universe.

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