Reviews

Dated Xianxia that's a little too long with noticeable crappy CGI/AI technology

It’s very unfortunate that “Love Never Fails” was filmed in 2021 but didn’t air until 2025 due to former female lead, Crystal Yuan’s tax evasion problem. Even though Hu Yi Xuan did a fantastic job stepping in, reshooting many scenes with the help of AI technology/CGI/green screen and Liu Xue Yi’s help, the drama still looks dated and low-budget.


Plot:
“Love Never Fails” has a very traditional old-school xianxia plot. It’s full of angst, misunderstanding, and noble idiocies. I would say this drama has 4 different arcs. The Heaven Realm was a good (but long) introduction of all the characters. Hu Yi Xuan plays a very lovable red camellia demon Hong Ning. She was innocent and sweet, yet not annoying. Hong Ning’s character growth throughout the drama was central to the plot and great to witness. Liu Xue Yi’s Jin Xiu is the typical stoic King of the Central Heavens. The second arc is the first of two mortal realms. I like the setting of the academy and seeing a more human version of the leads. Unfortunately, I feel that this arc lasted a little long. I also did not enjoy seeing ML turn into a lovesick jealous puppy from a more reserved teacher figure. The white camelia demon also irritates me. The third arc is my favorite as it's shorter, and I enjoy a different dynamic between the leads. I enjoy seeing a more human ML who plays a general that’s not too stoic and will chase after a girl (yet not as lovesick as the previous trial). I was also glad to see that the trials are over, now I am looking forward to the background story of the leads and what the scheme the drama has been alluding to by the Heavenly Emperor. Unfortunately, it drags and I eventually lose interest in the last 5 episodes or so. Looking back, I think the character development of all the major characters is the best part of the show. They have all matured so much, little by little through their different trial experiences.


Romance:
The main romance is very eventful. Hong Ning (FL) and Jin Xiu (ML) have gone through a lot. They have some really sweet and cute scenes, and also scenes where I want to shake some sense in them. There are too many unspoken explanations, self-sacrifices and noble idiocies throughout the drama. I was exhausted. Every time Jin Xiu says he will protect his little red camellia, you know something bad is going to happen. The chemistry between Liu Xue Yi and Hu Yi Xuan is fine. I am not sure if this has to do with the changing female lead. They are both great actors, but given the circumstances, it’s really hard to expect a sizzling, fluffy or heart-wrenching romance when you have to act in front of crappy green screens and AI face swap. I also find the evil, clingy third wheel very annoying, especially when he's there for most of the drama. Many viewers like the secondary romance. I like it fine, and they do have a more fun dynamic compared to the main romance. But I feel that it’s not given enough time to fully execute.


Acting:
The acting for the four main actors carry this drama on their back. As I said, Liu Xue Yi and Hu Yi Xuan are great. A younger Ao Rui Peng shows potential that he can be the main lead in future dramas (and we’ve seen that happen). The 9-tail princess might be the least well-known of the four, but she did fine (not great). However, the rest of the supporting cast is only OK. None of them really impresses me but they are not horrible either.


Production Quality:
Unfortunately, I don’t have anything good to say about the production quality. This drama screams low-budget and old. The Heavenly Realm is blinding me with all the white! I was even missing the pastel colors from other dramas. Everyone is dubbed, even for Liu Xue Yi, and I don’t think the voice acting is that great either. The CGI is dated which makes the fight scenes look like child’s play. The AI technology/green screen is so noticeable. The costumes for our female lead look great and Hu Yi Xuan looks beautiful in her different characters. Unfortunately, the male leads look like they are wearing oversized clothing. The top knot hairstyle does not suit anyone. Thank goodness I get to see Liu Xue Yi looking fantastic when his hairstyle changes when he was dressing in simple attire during the cross of the bridge and in the final episodes.


Do I recommend this drama? Unfortunately, no. I don’t regret watching it though, because I want to support all the actors' hard work despite Crystal Yuan’s departure. It wouldn’t be fair to everyone else. I especially want to support Liu Xue Yi for reshooting scenes with Hu Yi Xuan, and her great work stepping in and probably acting in front of green screens all the time. I just wish this drama aired sooner and the technology/quality is better.



Completed: 2/21/2026 Review #668

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TOP photo shooting

I really liked the novelty of the photo shoot. It's clear the cast wasn't chosen at random. They aim for high standards of beauty, including Miss Korea, athletes, and photogenic people like models and actors. I have no complaints about it, because it's beautiful to look at, but on the other hand, I feel like they somehow "look fake" and are acting rather than truly interested in finding their soulmate.
In this season, compared to the other four, I missed the part where they get to know each other in their bedrooms, where their personalities could have emerged more (where they sleep, when they wake up, small gestures like brushing their teeth together or drying their hair...) than in the restaurant or in a group setting, where those personalities aren't easily revealed.
During the last dinner, I was disappointed that they didn't show everyone's reactions to the two taboo things they couldn't reveal: their age and job. I also found it unfair that the questions weren't asked to everyone, but almost exclusively to Go Eun.
What about the news that one of the commentators, Hong Jin Kyung, was supposed to apologize to Mina for something she said about her? Afterward, there was a real sense of self-censorship and a restraint in the comments, and I'm disappointed about that. Personally, I think they're all excellent and never inappropriate.
Mina, for sure, was a self-centered figure who repeatedly disrupted the stability of some couples just for the sake of getting attention. I also find her final choice purely selfish, so as not to go out alone. A woman like Min Gee, direct and honest, my best, would have been much better. Another woman who made us despair was Go Eun, who, the entire time, kept three men on edge before surprising us with her final choice. On the men's side, I'll definitely remember Jae Jin with his guru-like aplomb: calm, reassuring, and quite intriguing.
"Paradise," the 5-star Inspire Hotel in Incheon, was truly a fairytale.
After every reality show of this kind, I'm always curious to see if the couples hold up outside the bubble that is the show, or if they fall apart in everyday life. In this regard, I saw that six episodes of "Single's Inferno Reunion" are scheduled to air on February 14, 2026, which I absolutely must watch.

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Its a must watch!

As I watched the first few episodes and the storyline, I found the idea of losing money in a business to earn bonuses really ridiculous and interesting at the same time. Since it was unsual and healthy to see the employees treated well, I found solace and comfort by seeing them doing well. Though it was all happened in the virtual reality than in real life. It felt good.
I really like the story premise. Instead of focusing on profits and earning salary for each month, if we could find a way to inspire employees to do what they want and bring out best results without worrying about budget costs, then the real world would be a better place to live.
I also found the line very comforting when Pei Qian says to Mr Ma that in Tengda, we fullfill everyone’s dreams and help them achieving it through financial means.
It was a really good line because so many people give up on their dreams mostly because of money and financial support.
If they had someone they could rely on, so many people would have bring out something beautiful and great onto the table.
I wish Tengda was a real company. I really liked this series. The story's purpose and message has been engraved in my heart. I will never forget such a wonderful story made me feel alive after such a long time.
Thanks to the author who created this masterpiece and the screenwriter/director as well to bring out it in live action version.
God bless them all. It was a great fulfilling time for me.

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Another drama of Pond Naravit and Phuwin Tangsakyuen of course here I come…

The story follows Thee, the heir to a former mafia family that has since transformed into a high-end luxury perfume and jewelry empire. Growing up surrounded by immense wealth, isolation and secrecy, Thee becomes wildly out of touch with reality—emotionally distant, socially awkward, and completely out of touch with everyday life.

His father sends him to Thailand to oversee the business there. Lonely and far from home, Thee spends his time watching his mother’s old soap operas (lakorns). Having grown up on dramatic romance tropes, he believes love should involve grand gestures, orchestral background music, and intense melodrama.

His world shifts when he meets Peach, a grounded and straightforward freelance photographer. Peach is hired as the photographer for the company's new perfume campaign, but he quickly finds himself in the role of a "love mentor."

Peach’s mission? To teach the overly dramatic and romance-deluded Thee how to act like a normal person: how to date without buying entire buildings on impulse, and how to communicate without behaving like he’s in a prime-time drama.

Thee’s original target is Aran, the model chosen as the face of the new perfume campaign. Peach agrees—half amused, half exasperated. However, as time passes, Thee’s interest gradually shifts—not toward Aran, but toward Peach.

With Peach, Thee slowly learns how to tone down his exaggerated behavior and experience a more genuine, grounded kind of love & life.

Now the question remains:
How will Thee’s family—especially his father—react to his relationship with Peach? Will they accept it, or stand firmly against it?

That's pretty much the story without giving the spoiler. Now what I like and don't.

What I like:
+ Seeing Pond act as Thee made me not know what to say… But surely I’m happy seeing him having different kinds of roles…
+ Always happy to see Pond & Phuwin on my screen, their chemistry never fails. And seeing William & Est, Perth & Santa is a bonus aside…

What I not like too much:
- There’re times when this drama makes me cringe so much with what Thee did… Haha…

Overall I’m quite happy to watch this drama…

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I quite like Fang Si Chang attire in this drama

I watched this because of Wang Kaimu and personally i just quite like Fang Si Chang's attire but her acting still average and nothing special for me.

ML is particularly good at flirting, flirting with her from the very first meeting. If you like watching Wang Kaimu's kissing scenes, you should definitely check it out. However, I felt that many parts of the plot were a bit strange. For example, why didn't the ML and FLs recognize each other at first meeting? Later, when they wore masks, they would recognize each o
ther sometimes and not at other times. ML's behind-the-scenes identity was hinted at but not really explained.

if you only watch it for the visually appealing ML and FL, this drama is pretty good.

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Keep your friends close… and your secrets closer.

This was a bloody revenge drama wrapped up in a innocent, soft wrapper. Nobody could have imagined how friendship turned fatal.

Storyline wise, it was intensely scripted. The characters Baikhaw (Pat), Tao (New) and Namo (Boun) circled around one girl, Tulip (Emi), who is a kind-hearted person who is soft-spoken and helpful. Her postive attributes garnered her with some amazing people in her life. But her fate has some other plans, while some only targeted her for the same. Baikhaw was evil not by choice but by mistake. The whole journey of Baikhaw and Emi was not smooth, but when they were together, they truly enjoyed their companionship. All the relationships will make you think how genuine and loyal a friendship or relationships can be.

The characters were highly flawed, raw and fresh. In particular, Pat as Baikhaw was just the most amazing that this series could have. And Emi, as her partner throughout the series, nailed the proper "non-doormat" girl who just trusted people innocently. Throughout the series her character was cold, calculative and chilling. I came here to watch the series for Pat, and I'm 10000% satisfied with her brilliant performance. Once again she showed me why she's my favourite actress. New and Boun as supporting characters were awesome. And not mentioning Jamie and Title for their roles would be a crime!
The OST was sung by Emi, and it was melodious and soulful. I can imagine myself listening to it again and again. This girl is so talented!

Personally, I feel that this drama is an underrated thriller by GMMTV. It was gritty, unhinged and chaotic. But it wasn't without flaws. Some situations start and end abruptly when people face serious consequences. They were roaming free like the law, police don't exist. That's the biggest loophole of the drama. The revenge that once was vague it didn't solve properly, and it lacked explanations. But if you ask me, it would be a great thriller if you turned off your brain and just enjoyed the performance. (Honestly, there were times when I asked questions about things, but I realized that the time limit was too short to give any proper explanation.)

Overall, it's a great bingeworthy thriller that one can finish in a day. I definitely recommend it if you're looking for some adult thrillers that aren't innocent at all and will go all in with unhingness.

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Surprisingly, really good?

Okay, I haven't watched the whole series and will update the review when I complete it obviously. But the reason I am writing a review after just 1 episode is because I have been trying so hard to find good GL series that makes me click next as soon as the episode ends, and I have failed miserably in like 90% of the cases. But this???? WOW.
I liked the poster of the series, so I decided to watch it and since I always give the first episode all the chance I could, I watched quietly. But as the episode progressed, I was like, bro this is top tier material!!! It was good, in fact really really good. The acting? wow! The cast? Everyone is fvcking gorgeous. The dialogue? (and this was the highest factor that contributed to my higher rating for now). It was so smooth and SMART. And I kid you not!! The dialogues are in fact better than many straight or BL dramas I have watched. Whoever wrote the screenplay, good job man. With years of watching experience behind me, I have seen many thai dramas trying to dumb down their dialogues between actors for whatever reason they have and that was my biggest ick about thai dramas (except notable few obviously). But this was done really good. All the conversations flow naturally, no dumb follow up for forced comedy. It just seems natural.
And did I say the casts are gorgeous? Even if I did, hear me again, they are gorgeous and make me excited to watch the romantic scenes between them, the chemistry. Yeah, yeah I have the fetish.
The plot seems good as well, they are moving with good pace, with good amount of suspense. I am looking forward to this.

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Don't waste your time on a shallow drama

I've waited this drama for almost a year because I am fan of Kim Hye Yoon's acting. But alas this one drama that I hope will disappear from her filmography.
The storyline is shallow and there is no sense to the so called love story in the drama. I can't understand how is it possible for a fox that doesn’t trust human to fall in love amd deeply love with a character that totally lacks charisma and is 900 years younger than her. Seriously this drama must be targeted at teenagers.
I think the production team really did a bad job with this drama and its method of storytelling.
If you have plenty of time and love the actress, you can watch it for her acting only.

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Production below expectations, weak plot, and poor scene composition choices.

The production is far below what is expected for Channel 3:

* Siblings: The relationship between Ing and Itt is impeccable. As siblings, they have perfect chemistry; they are the best characters in the series. We look at them and believe that they are indeed inseparable siblings. They did a great job.

* CEO: Analyzing only the character "Lin" (not the actress) - Always open-hearted, ready to accept Ing as she is. A kind CEO, without prejudices or constraints, who knows how to respect Ing's space.

* Drama: The most dramatic moments that the series could explore to give more layers to the characters are wasted with the bare minimum of drama. When Lin discovers Ing's past, the scene is very basic, without weight, without dramatic music, without flashbacks (even if they weren't expository) to give the scene more weight, and to make matters worse, Tan continued with the same expression as always. A moment like that would serve to connect the audience with the character, to generate empathy, but because the scene was very basic, quick, and poorly executed, it didn't generate that feeling. Yada and Tan failed to convey the necessary emotion that the scene demanded, and the directors didn't help at all by making it so basic. It even seems like they didn't want to include the scene in the series, and since it was necessary, they did it in the quickest and most emotionless way possible. They should have changed the script if they didn't want to include the scene, or at least done it right!

* Several long scenes without dialogue and in slow motion, just one person looking at another: In 15 minutes there were about 3 scenes like that. Why? Didn't they think of any good dialogue to convey the same feeling? It became repetitive and tiring.

* Empty, lifeless, and personality-less sets that don't feel real to the viewer: This is expected from a small production, but being a Channel 3 production, it seems careless. White rooms with a table and a chair, or a box and a rug, didn't fill the scene.

* Amateur cameras that constantly shake, giving a sense of unprofessionalism: In one scene or another, it's normal to include this type of camera movement to give the impression that the camera is the viewer's eyes, always in motion, exploring the scene, but in this case, the constant camera movement was exaggerated, almost seeming like behind-the-scenes footage. I was extremely bothered - This includes poor framing choices.

* Weak plot: Until the end of the first episode, it's possible to summarize the events in two lines, as there was little dialogue and little introduction to what the series is about, what layers it will address, and who the protagonists are. A first episode serves as a "pilot," that is, it guides us on what the series will cover, who the characters are, what their purposes and challenges are, and how the dynamics between the protagonists will be. In this case, the pilot was very weak, and many things were not clear. We're already on episode 3, and yet it feels like so few events have happened. The story seems to stagnate in some parts and rush extremely in others, but without good scene composition.

Tan's acting is really bad; her face never changes expression, she remains silent during some lines—more than usual—as if she were waiting for a page to turn to read the next paragraph. Just because a character is serious or grumpy doesn't mean they shouldn't have expression.

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A fresh new take at time travel!

The story drawed me in simply because the premise was unique! Usually, characters who time travel , travel back as their own self in some point of their life so it's a cakewalk for them to mold the future as they wish and the stories still feel unrealistic. But this drama won my heart.
When she travels back in time through the book, it takes fl a good while to accept she travelled back in time, while it takes others just a second to accept their reality. Fl's reaction was extremely realistic and her relationship with the tyrant was also realistic. Here, the tyrant is a tyrant , not a misunderstood person. I liked this too. Even the consort and the prince intrigued me. Gil-geum and fl's relationship was cute too.
What I didn't like is :
1. Fl is a black belt in karate? It doesn't seem like it. She was probably bluffing.
2. The king and the consort's relationship is weird. It doesn't seem like there's anything romantic or sexual in their relationship, which was unrealistic.
3. It's just a me thing but the stungun is bugging me. Where tf it it go?
4. I spoiled myself cause I had exams but I wanted to know the ending. The ending was beautiful but really? They all look like those chefs?
5. Their reactions after eating her cooking was too cheesy like wtf.
As I said in 4 I loved the ending . He somehow travelled forward in time for her! It literally parallels their meeting back in the past.
I liked the actors pretty much, and specially the ml. The way he was so human, expressing his emotions properly, was beautiful. He is a breath of fresh air where other mls are 'cold and expressionless'. I was literally thinking he was being sarcastic all the time though lmfao.

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Very nice and fun drama. One of the bearers of the new age in gender equality and relationships

I like this drama a lot. ML and FL are pretty equal, have great communication, and messages of the drama are very positive. Acting is pretty good, pace and script are pretty good.

It is a twist on old time kdramas. This drama often starts with an old trope, but then ends it with a totally new age ending. So old timers are probably confused - the FL starts weak and irrational... and quickly turns out very strong and helpful, there is communication and teamwork between ML-FL, it is an equal relationship between two people, he happens to be CEO and she happens to be a manager, there is no dragging of "anio!" lying and cheating plots..... whaaaat??! LOL all new stuff...

and westernized audience is left in the dust LOL bc there is no skinship or violence or "excitement" like that, drunken one night stand is considered an embarrassment and not "ok we are already familiar" LOL LOL LOL which to old times is obviously shady morality, and to these new timers, is normal.... LOL Then these new timers also expect some plasticized 20 yrs old to be the main leads LOL LOL LOL as if romance does not exist for any other age.... !!!!! what a limited world view... ! Think the famous movie Harold and Modd, or 40 Year Old Virgin....

In this drama, everything gets resolved fast, as ML-FL work well as a team, and the drama is really about them building their team trust and operation. By ep ... 10? is it 10 now? They are a well oiled successful team, and a great great couple. I really like this drama.

The drama does start with the doormat passive FL - as usual - that is the signature sexist ploy of most if not all kdramas (and cdramas and possibly others - I dont know bc I dont watch them) - but again, it metamorphoses into a relationship of equality. They help each other and they COMMUNICATE about everything.

So I think this is one of those revolutionary dramas that sets the tone for the new era. I think it is very deep, constructive and positive.

It does have some flaws, FL is dragged out as passive too long, so we missed on her varied and excellent acting of more than just that, and there is not enough COM out of rom com
But the lack of that is made up with great love scenes and chemistry between the leads, and a very tender and dear portrayal of new parents.
ML - FL PAIR IS CUTE!!!! they are just so cute!!!

Overall, I like this drama a lot. It is on the right track. It shows a new age family. A very nice way to be a family. Yay!!!! times are a-changing!

==
So... I am gonna act as a cultural and ettiquette translator and explain how to read the room.
So: ML / FL met at a drunken one night stand. They were kinda total strangers when they met. That one night stand - and esp a drunken one - is an EMBARASSING situation and THEY ARE STILL PRETTY MUCH TOTAL STRANGERS. And ashamed to look like mating dogs to each other.... AND HE IS HER BOSS.

This is not a situation of two singles having fun. She is risking being a single mom or accepting this total stranger into her life to support her baby. Those are huge changes. These two lovebirds need to make a nest first before they can have fun. Just having fun is INAPPROPRIATE.

Now, this world view totally clashes with the Western idea promoted by Western media, where one night stand is totally ok, and you become familiar with a total stranger just by sharing your private parts. Well... some other cultures would call that ... insufficient LOL I would actually call it crude :)

Bc, to really get to know someone enough to feel ffamiliar and comfortable, it takes time and effort and involves a LOT of things to share - your mind, heart, and soul, .... and yeah eventuallly the private parts. Here we also have an employee and boss... a wrong move, and single mom loses her livelihood. DONT YOU THINK THE SITUATION IS DELICATE AND REQUIRES CAUTION AND BUILDING TRUST FIRST?

But this idea seems "childish" to so many ppl here who are ranting about it in a very loud way. Please remember, you come from the Western promiscuity standards. Not everyone in the world has those standards, and certainly, they are not obliged to follow YOUR standards :)

So those of you who expect ML/FL to be suddenly super comfortable and familiar with each other in every way after a drunken one night stand .... aren't you showing ... a certain lack of sensitivity? Calling ML/FL "chaste teenagers" or something like that. Isnt't that very crude?

If you want explicit s.x skinship etc - then go watch something Hollywood. You didnt come to kdrama to watch that. You came to watch a MEANINGFUL STORY.

Western audience expects ML/FL to jump on each other instantly bc "they already had s.x so they re already familiar" but ... to a person with integrity, it happens ONLY when you get to know someone enough to feel comfortable around them. That takes time. And, these two started from an embarrassing situation of a drunken one night stand... AND, HE IS HER BOSS.... and first things first, does she keep the baby... ? esp with her mother trauma... Then... he plans to just plop into her life and support the baby... WOW that is a huge change... Who is he??? and, what happens at work???

So this drama takes 1-2 months of drama time and so these 2 people just figured out that:
- she is ok with being a mom and she is keeping the baby and her job
- he seems responsible and wants to stay
- he is a safe boss and she is not an exploitative employee
- he is good enough to be allowed to stay and hang around,
- she is good enough to handle the demands of his position i.e. she is strong enough to be a CEO's wife and handle all the gossip, politics, publicity, and official functions that goes with it
- they like each other
- their families are ok and so a marriage is ok
-- OK!!! so the "nesting permit" is obtained.
They have built enough trust in each other and are just starting to date and handling all the emergencies that happened to them.
***I think their actions match. the situation.

I think they are just starting to become a team, just starting to date, so the NEXT step would be to see them holding hands, whispering on a pillow, hugging on the sofa and going to a room. But we are not there yet.

But CAN YOU ALLOW that this is THEIR TIMELINE and that not everyone jumps on each other so fast like you see in Hollywood movies - and maybe in your own lives... ????

Well please refrain from applying YOUR standards on other people. Maybe you will learn something :)

Or else.. you gonna be stuck in Waikiki, which has NOTHING to do with Hawaii, it is just San Francisco or LA on a nice tropical beach instead of cold windy foggy beach... basically, you havent left your home at all - so why bother to travel then.... ????

==== WHY HAWAII? =====
I think I am seeing a clash of standards here, and ppl who are here to watch kdramas for their storytelling and sophistication, are trashing what they came for...
Like Hawaii -
everyone comes to Hawaii bc it is PERFECT climate and quiet green and natural, and when they get there they want 30 min hot showers, A/C, restaurants, cars, crowds, etc and basically are recreating San Francisco or LA where they ESCAPED from to rest and rejuvenate in lovely quiet natural Hawaii..... ... And so - yeah, shove all those snowflakes into Waikiki, the ghetto for tourists, and the real people go see real Hawaii.

So right now, I see people who came to sophisticated, meaningful, creative, story oriented kdramas ..... and expect Hollywood cesspool skinship etc.

I think it would be better to stop being an ignorant tourist and to actually ENJOY THE NEW LAND YOU ARE IN, ENJOY IT AS IS, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO MAKE IT INTO SOMETHING YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH - AND BORED TO DEATH WITH

==========

Generally, I forgive some amount of cringe in a drama LOL Why? Because it is to be expected :)

First: characters in a drama/movie/any story MUST START "LACKING", with flaws and/or problems lol - it has to be like that, bc there has to be serious flaws, lacking, ommissions, misdeeds, previous trauma, ongoing attack and/or misunderstandings etc etc etc etc to create the story :)
and then the drama/movie/story consists of overcoming that ....
So it is to be expected that some cringe will happen, and heavily at the start... then it should start resolving and disappearing.... (and in some cases, never be totally gone LOL )

WHERE do you draw the line how much is "dragging the cringe phase" ? That is a very personal thing. To you, this drama dragged it too much. To me this drama passed the test.

Second: it is also personal what kind of cringe the audience is willing to tolerate LOL Lazy scriptwriters like to use tropes and stereotypes, bc they are sure the audience will can accept that particular type of cringe and the drama will "sell".

Third: A common cringe in asian dramas is a weak dumb irrational loser MARGINALIZED AND POOR AND POWERLESS woman who is KIND, and an overbering controlling cold wounded RICH POWERUL man who gets healed by her kindness.... this is the cringe that Asia is willing to tolerate ... this cringe is based on sexism and women as "lesser ppl" - so you get lots of scenes of FL in confused anxious state, yelling, doing stupid things, crying, etc and ML with a poker face saving this damsel in distress from HERSELF!!! ....
(Sexism is a global disease, so in the western version of this trope, the woman is broke, pretty and willing to lay down, and you get to see a lot of s.x - related scenes and a lot of push up bras and cleaveage and car chases.)

Fourth, Asian dramas are too often sexist and use stupidity of women, esp FL, to create the plot. That is asian drama #1 fundamental flaw :) and luckily is slowly going away
It is ok to start like that, and it is great that 99.9% of kdramas have a transformational ending.

What we call "bad dramas" drag the transformation too long... And "good ones" resolve it fast. And practically all of them are a lot better than something western. kdramas at least have creative stories and plot and unique characters, and are usually about positive lifestyles and messages. So... Ii take some cringe in a kdrama rather than something meaningless, lewd and violent. So... I have to forgive some flaws in my chosen form of entertainment LOL but never give hope that it can be even better :)

Fifth: kdramas have various acting styles and means of conveying the message, and they heavily rely on comedy and making things light and making fun of various situations so that we can see what is really going on - that makes kdramas so fun - and that comedy can be very sophicated and dry, can be super polite and subtle, can be face/body language, something said, a funny camera angle, .... ... can be in so many forms, all the way to recklessly silly and exeggarated theatrical behaviors, to make sure to convey the message LOL
The point is that the auduence gets the message :) So - we the audience go along with the ride :) we watch the story presented to us and we think what is it trying to say....?

Sixth: amateur audience always wants to redo the drama they want it but it is not possible. The script writer had their own ideas. Also, the drama picks the most important points, it is NOT the real life. We do not get to see every single detail as if in real life. So chill out and allow it.

So if ML/FL were hiding and looking back - was it one of those exaggerations... or a cringe... I will check :) Also, you may have never done that, but other ppl might do that :) so it might not be unusual... Then I see you complained about not seeing a bump, etc. THAT was not importnt to the drama.. and the drama is about the first 1-3 months so realistically, there is no bump to show... I also thought with the amount and stress and anxiety, she would have miscarried five times LOL but ... it is a drama... that was not important... so ..... who cares :)

I also thought that it was abusive to ask her to drink and silly that she could not stand up to it - but I also understand that it is actually how it is in real life... ... drinkers HATE those who do not drink, the boss was super abusive to the "nobody" FL .... ... - and FL is trying to be on the friendly side of her colleagues and boss, and keep her job and a good work environment.... It was educational to see how the boss changed when she realized FL has backing.... Those are actually important and realistic messages..

This drama uses the well known tropes - the insecure weak blind loser FL ("I am gonna have a baby all on my own and keep my job and I dont need anyone") and petty controlling ML ("give me all tthese reports back on Monday") - ....... BUT IT DID NOT LAST LONG. AND IT WAS NOT TOO BAD. IT WAS REALISTIC, many ppl would go through such a phase LOL and these drama characters luckily quickly overcame it.

Imo this drama is a pioneer in gender equality and rational thinking ability and communication ability ..... it often starts with a trope - bc the audience is so used to it - but then twists it into something totally new and different, rather fast. So there was no dragging and being stuck. The development moved along really fast and it was interesting to watch for us, imo.

At the start of this drama, FL was professionally competent and had some personal cringe to start with - not too much- and pretty fast was shown as a competent strong CEO's wife material who talks things through, rationally, and helps her darling in many ways... ML was a petty spoiled arrogant brat but quickly got wiser and softer too....

In this drama, QUITE FAST, ML and FL formed a strong team in clear honest communication. THAT is precious :) ML started already from like ep 2... and FL totally turned around by ... ep .. 5? I forgot.

I dont know how many kdramas or cdramas you watched, but FL *could* have started and stayed almost to the end as a loser... and never really became strong... like in dramas Would you Marry Me, Dynamite Kiss, etc...

I remember seeing some cringe scenes like that at the start of this drama, but luckily ... this FL was totally not bad :) She got very wise very fast :) And ML too :)


So I would like to know which scenes bothered you because that will tell me where your personal line is. Everyone has a different personal line..
Like in Our Universe drama - someone saw 2-3-4 episodes, wrote a super bad review how ML is a man child, etc , and dropped the drama, all angry..... . But the man-child was used at the start for comedic and real life effects, spoiled selfish man not interested in children... BUT it got quickly reversed and by ... ep 4 or 5 for sure. ML was a very caring father figure and connected to the baby. But that bad reviewer wasnt willing to risk waiting for it LOL

So .... where you draw the line of how much cringe is too much, and how much you are willing to tolerate to get to the good stuff - is YOUR CHOICE
Btw, it is a gamble, bc sometimes good stuff just does not happen, like in Dynamite Kiss,..... and sometimes the development is so mature and wonderful, like here where she becomes true CEO's wife material and he becomes softer AND stronger

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Such an underrated gem of a show!

I wish this show was longer than 26 episodes. The humour was golden and tastefully used everytime. Nothing ever got old! I never thought I'd laugh so hard at a scene about an old man getting rolled into hospital (ep 25), but there is a first for everything, I guess. 😂

The actor that played Pei Qian did phenomenal job at developing his character throughout the show, from becoming a hopeless one-dimensionally thinking character to a benevolent and thoughtful one. He brought out the potential in all his previously misunderstood colleagues and rooted out toxic work practice. Everyone watching this show definitely had this thought cross their minds at least once; "I wish I worked at Tengda!" How nice it would be to work in such a carefree environment with such amazing benefits. 🥲

An unexpected surprise was also the amazing OSTs, I didn't expect to like them so much but they were great. All in all, a 10/10 show from me and one that I will definitely miss! ☺️

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