Reviews

The Boy Who Always Understands and Loves His Genius Girl

🩵 The Boy Who Always Understands and Loves His Genius Girl 🥹🧠❤️

🩷 FL: Lin Zhi Xia
— played by Tian XiWei

🩵 ML: Jiang Yu Bai
— played by Hu YiTian

💕 MY THOUGHTS:
I could have rated this even higher, but honestly… the math jargon and all those genius-level terms didn’t let me! 😂😂😂 There were moments when I was just sitting there like, “What are they talking about?” 🤣 I was literally in a daze, dizzy and completely blank! 😂
And come on… they only officially got together in the last few episodes! 😭 They could have done it much earlier and given us MORE romantic scenes! 😍❤️
Another thing that matters a lot to me in dramas is the OST. Music can really stimulate your feelings and emotions and make certain scenes more memorable. Unfortunately, I didn't really like the main OST, “Dusk Stealer.” 😅 But aside from that, everything was pretty much perfect for me! 😍

🩷 LIN ZHI XIA
As a genius, Lin Zhi Xia is incredibly advanced academically, but she is a little slower when it comes to understanding emotions and social situations. Sometimes, she simply couldn't understand what was happening, why it was happening, or what was wrong.
She isn't emotionally invested or sensitive in the same way other people are. She understands things from a logical point of view, but emotionally, she sometimes struggles to understand them.
Even as a child, she was already living in a different world compared to kids her age. That's why, when she met Jiang Yu Bai, she immediately liked him and asked him to be her best friend. ❤️
They were on the same wavelength, and Jiang Yu Bai could understand her and actually keep up with her intellectually.
Little by little, with Jiang Yu Bai's help, Lin Zhi Xia learned how to understand the feelings of the people around her. 🥹❤️

🩵 JIANG YU BAI
Thankfully, Jiang Yu Bai was always there for her. 🥰
Although he liked Lin Zhi Xia, he initially couldn't let go of the thought that if she hadn't appeared in his life, he would always be No. 1. 😂
He was always at the top, but once he started studying with Lin Zhi Xia, he often found himself in second place. So, naturally, he wanted to compete with her and eventually become No. 1 alongside her.
But eventually, he let go of that obsession. Instead of constantly trying to beat her, he simply went with the flow because, in the end, his biggest principle was making Lin Zhi Xia happy. 💕😍

📚 THE PRESSURE OF BEING A STUDENT
One thing I really liked about this drama was how it showed the struggles and pressure students experience—even those who are high-ranking and academically gifted.
I especially felt bad for Jin Bai Hui. 🥺 I just wish parents could learn to accept their children for who they are, as long as they're not doing anything wrong. Every child has different strengths, dreams and limits.

👨‍👩‍👧 THE LIN FAMILY
The Lin siblings were so much fun to watch! 😂 They were chaotic and constantly argued, but you could really see how much Lin Ze Qiu cared about his sister. ❤️
He supported Lin Zhi Xia all the way, and the same goes for their parents. They may not be wealthy, but they supported her studies and allowed her to focus on school instead of forcing her to work because they knew studying was what made her happy. 🥹❤️

👫 THE CLASS BREAK GROUP
And let's talk about the Class Break group! 👏👏👏
They literally showed what true friendship can look like. They were always together while studying, and eventually, they chose different paths and careers. But even after going their separate ways, they still made an effort to communicate, meet up and stay connected despite their busy schedules.
Well done, guys! 👏❤️

💕 OVERALL
Genius Girlfriend earns a 9/10 from me! ⭐️
It's a light, romantic, fluffy and sweet comedy drama—exactly my cup of tea! 🥰 I don't have to stress over anything except the math! 😂😂😂
And of course, Tian XiWei and Hu YiTian's chemistry was great! 😍 Although, for some reason, their chemistry didn't reach my ZLH-level for me. 😂❤️ Still, they were a lovely pairing!
Tian XiWei always delivers her characters so well, and Hu YiTian is just… freaking handsome! 😍😂

✨ Genre: School • Youth • Romantic Comedy
🎵 Favorite OST: Be My Light ❤️

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An intriguing genre and marvelous acting and well bromance

Starting from the plot, to the acting to the cast lineup to the direction, Wu was the pure showcase of talent, hard work and great storytelling and I think we didn't appreciate it enough for what it was.

The plot is complex. I had to pause and remember the small details so I don't miss out on anything. It tackles a lot of sub-context like Chinese mythology, fantasy, spirituality, sorcery and politics yet everything molded into each other perfectly creating a perfect craft. The main focus being Niran and Pete's story along with their traumas and struggles and how they overcame it by being with each other. It even has a touch of philosophy to it. The only thing is I wanted more. The potential it had, I think it didn't live up to it fully. This really should have been a 12 episode drama instead of 9. More lore, background stories and more depth. There were few things that left me wondering how it turned out the way it is for every character. I think they focused a lot more on defeating Qi Ran (or whatever the lord of warrior demon's name is) instead of giving us more from the characters.

The direction and cinematography is a great fit for the storyline. Except it was too dark for me that I had to increase the brightness of my screen to it's highest. But it successfully caught the dark theme they were going. The action scenes were directed so well and whoever did the CGI deserves a round of applause. It was very realistic. The OST should be in GMMTV's hall of fame because FILO what was that. It totally elevated the show. The script writing was good especially the chemistry of Pete and Niran. I took the bromance with a grain of salt though.

Oh gosh Nani, he worked so hard for this and executed it so well I repeated his scenes so many times. His micro expressions, vocal tones and small gestures truly stood out. The action scenes were amazing. Krist probably acted one of the greatest villain roles ever played on screen to the point he became unrecognizable to people. Godji, Great, Singha and the rest of the cast each played their part perfectly and brought out their characters to real life.

It was an original script and they did pretty good with it considering they probably didn't have as much time. This was an outstanding performance by the cast and deep lore telling on screen and definitely worth watching. Special mention to the yearnings because you cannot convince me those eyes were saying something else.

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Beautifully packaged show with a weak plot that does not match up

Watched this show because I do enjoy the visuals of the 3 leads, and it was a happy surpise to see familiar faces in the supporting cast who were also visual eye candy. To preface, I don't know anything about the original novel the show was based on, but the introduction was clear enough at the beginning. However, once you got past the first few episodes, the cracks in the plot logic start to show. Yes, the characters are presented, yes, some background context was shown, but somehow they still felt rather flat.

It was really the visuals (in terms of face cards, set design, and costumes that made the viewing more palatable till the end lol). The shots and scenary were actually also really nice, especially the scenes where they went to the mountains to light the fire, and I appreciated how the use of studio lighting was not too obvious so the show does look like a lived in set, and not just a prop/fake set. The OSTs also saved the day especially when you have heavyweights like Zhou Shen and Liu Yuning singing them, you know it will still be enjoyable to a certain extent lol. Especially some scenes with Zheng Shi and Fan Yun and 何故 starts playing and the longing (from Zheng Shi) just HITS you like a truck.

But this still was not enough to hide the glaringly abrupt scene edits/cuts, weird gaps in plot and illogical character development/incoherent character motivations. Certain things also just did not make sense, whereby I cannot reasonably believe that the same character carried out those actions or thought/said certain things, because it just does not align with how you would expect them to behave. The FL also charges towards her goal with little thought about romance along the way, and neither were there moments showing any chemistry of an unknowing sort of budding romance with either of the male leads, so it was hard to root for any romantic pairing there...in fact I thought she had more chemistry with Jiang Shu during one moment they had together in the library RIP LOL. On top of that there were other moments where the FL's actions felt a bit...inconsistent....or unrealistic. Though I would say both MLs did play their part and show their longing towards the FL, but I'm biased towards Deng Wei lol. However even his face card cannot help me understand or accept the actions and decisions that Zheng Shi did. What do you mean he's a big baddie at one moment rolling in the dough, and the next he's a big softie? And then he becomes a super perverse baddie AND softie at the same time at the last moment??? Make it make sense. At this point I am just watching because of all the beautiful cast members and suspending logical thought to be able to continue watching the show.

Notable relationships such as that between Elder Zheng and Zheng Shi, Shi San and Gao Ran, and even that between Yan Jiang and Fan Hui were lovely to watch. It was also enjoyable to watch Tian Xing / Tian Yue.

side note - maybe some of my motivation to finish the show was to see if Jiang Shu finally revealed his face he he. And of course just to see more moments of Deng Wei's acting lol. TLDR watch if you like the cast and if good visuals can make you look past glaring plot holes.

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KIM JAE JOONG !! The man that you are !

First of all I have to stop watching this I'm at episode 13 and I need to address how hot this guy is because what do you mean this is the only big show he's done in like years like a wtf do I do after 😭

I legit had to stop watching and write this because when I read the comments and the reviews while going back to rewatch the fun bits I'm like omg what the hell either no one is commenting on what's happening or you all just want this to be non fiction and desperately in the plot.

1. Can we just talk about the ML because why is he the only one riding this whole show because as soon as he's on screen it's like amazing. Like if there was one person solely carrying the show it's him. And I know it's his character etc but this guy is on another level and it almost CRIMINAL that he has one good show like this in the last few years like CRIMINAAL. Like why aren't networks getting him on shows he's soo good 😭😭

Also theres so many bits that he does well it's crazy like they could just leave the camera on him and it would be fine lol. But from the top that I can remember is when he runs around her in the hospital calling her his first love like DEAADDDD SO CUTE.

Then like that scene when they go to his grandma's house and after they wake up him exercising on the car like DEEEEAAADDDD.

Then the one where she comes in but he's walking around unclothed lmao.

Then when he's ill in bed like hello where is everyone been like are we watching teams show or what 😭😂

Also the reveal in episode 13 like he looks so good when you find out the revealll!!

2. Next id like to address the plot right it's a drama so there's been comments about how it's ethical or not this that etc and I'm just like what are we all medical students because I give ZERO SHITS lmao. Like that's life no where people are doing something for their gain but it's affecting others etc. like I don't say yh go do it but its a drama take a chill pill. And enjoy the beauty in the screen lmao.

3. Is it just me but I've legit heard no one say that the brother looks like Woo Do Hwan like hello why are ppl not seeing that omg. And yes the brother did good acting and finally he understands where the FL heart is at took him bloody long enough I swear 🙄

4. In Episode 13 there were comments people made that how the ML at the same beach meeting the FL was like a misunderstanding and I'm literally SCREAMING NOOOO he's legit sacrificing his relationship with her for his brother like omg I think like only 2 ppl said that but helloo have ppl not been watching Kdramas it's legit Kdrama 101 lol. Especially when he later cries it's proof that he didn't mean it and was purposely forcing her away and that's why he said the mean things he did say etc etc.

5. I will say I thought this would be a full on romance drama but it's also had a lot of mystery and suspense more story etc to it which is good but I didn't expect that. I would have been fine if there wasn't because obviously the ML don't care about anything else 😂.


My last point will be the same as the first that for me Kim Jae Joong carried this show he looks so good in black hoodie vibes etc was just like dead but then the reveal was so good too. I don't normally finish shows because I simply can't (don't want it to end) but I will watch probably like the last 30 mins of the show last episode etc u til I'm satisfied hopefully and will come back in the meantime please get this guy more shows like why be so cruel.

And yes I know he's an Idol etc but this is my first show of his and will eventually listen to his music but I need to see him ok more shows no I demand to see him on more shows. ✌️

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Diversity and authenticity

Overall this drama is such a gem!

THE GOOD:
- Cute romance that doesn't rush
- Funny and cute supporting cast
- The soundtrack is really well used, and gives a cute vibe
- Imperfect characters doing their best
- An honest look at physical disabilities and how they are viewed in society
- Diversity beyond disabilities: I viewed this (at least 2 different character traits) as an exploration of less "visible" neurodiversity and how some things are not exactly a disability, but still make life very hard because society is built for a "typical" person.
- An unflinching look at some personality challenges such as insecurity, without washing it away. Possible BPD representation.

THE BAD:
- Some of the acting and pacing are a little rough, though nothing too bad, just some indie film vibes mostly where things might have been more polished in a bigger production.
- The ending is not bad or technically incomplete, but maybe not as satisfying as it could have been. A few of the conflicts in the story are either not cleared up or we don't get to see the details of how they were cleared up. This is probably mostly due to the short runtime not leaving enough time to tie off everything. And maybe it was intentional, as the ending is still satisfying and being reassured that everything is resolved cleanly is not what this drama is about.

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Disgusting shameless FL. What a good drama.

FL is DISGUSTING and DOESN'T DESERVE to be with ML, he is too good for FL.
ML tries hard to love and commit to her, even refusing to let other women touch him. Meanwhile, FL is like a prostitute, not resisting being touched by other men. She even continues to have relationships with other men especially her ex bf, until the end of drama, she still keep in touch with her ex, even almost raped by her ex, and she didn't blame him, certainly didn't report it to the police. Because FL considers her ex to be her savior, when in fact, it's ML who's helping her. This is the concept of an independent woman who pretends to be independent but isn't smart, and refuses to even investigate small matters like this.

Just because of one person's words, she immediately asked for a divorce from her husband, without receiving any explanation, what an i d i o t. FL is just a s t u p i d, selfish woman who cares about herself. But after ML helped her with her work and showed his true identity as a billionaire, FL shamelessly still stuck to ML, even though at the beginning she hid her marriage because she didn't want to be seen as getting a position because of her husband and wanted to be independent, it was really inconsistent. what a B I T C H. Don't forget FL's shameless friend, who always sets FL up with other men and encourages FL to divorce. But after finding out that ML is a billionaire, she sucks up to ML. What a joke.🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

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A Flawed Romcom That Still Hit All the Right Notes for Me

strong 8.5/10

People complain about it, but I honestly enjoyed it. The drama tries to touch on identity, trust, and the idea of family that is not based on blood. These themes are present, but they stay in the background because the main focus is still the romcom. They add a bit of flavor, yet they are not the reason anyone watches this. The real draw is the chemistry, the tropes, and the comfortable chaos.

It also hits several of my personal favorites like shotgun relationship, cohabitation, and amnesia. These tropes usually come with certain predictable funny scenes that repeat across many dramas. Here, they actually created some fresh ones. Not jokes, but situational moments that felt new instead of recycled. It made the whole thing more enjoyable.

The tempo of the drama starts slow. The amnesia arc drags a little, but once it ends, the story suddenly shoots forward and moves much faster. Some viewers complained about the length. I get that. If it had ended around episode 10 and skipped the last two, it would have still worked fine. The amnesia part could have been shorter too, but at least it gave us plenty of cohabitation moments and bonding scenes.

Overall, maybe it does not objectively deserve such a high score, but it hit my personal likes, and that is why it worked so well for me.

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Very cute high school BL that handles homosexuality in an interesting way. The two are very cute together and contrast each other well. I personally like sporty outgoing guys so I felt a personal liking to this setting. The overall tone of the drama is serious but light-hearted. I watched the drama very quickly and liked every episode.

I did not expect a portrayal of sex between a minor and his brother's friend (salaryman so not a minor) but I am glad with the way the relationship was handled as the older man was calm and discussed stopping the relationship several times.

The intimacy between the main couple is very light with only a few kissing scenes. The last episode is the highlight in my opinion. I recommend it to watch.

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When all the homies gay

This is gonna be one of my longest reviews ever lol, so prepare yourself if you actually wanna read it. I am a very long term GMMTV fan, since 2019, BUT, I have ever since We Are aired refused to watch it. And the only reason was my lack of motivation. But I am a huge Narawin so I kinda had to, since this is my last show left to watch with PPW. The fact I have consumed thousands of hours media of PPW, without watching this is kinda insane. I finally got over it and yeah, watched it. I honestly regret not watching this series earlier. It's sweet, adorable and it has this found family vibe, which I am a huge fan of.

Beginning with PondPhuwin or PhumPeem, their chemistry is as always amazing. The enemies to lovers trope actually really suits them and I am begging gmmtv to give them another series with this trope. Even though I've been a Narawin for a long time, I still forget Pond had longer hair at some point. He just looks so much younger, not bc of his hair but also his features. What I keep noticing about Phuwin, he is always in a sort of way into art, in every single series I've watched. The way PPW kissed so many times before even dating bahhahaha. And they like "I'm hungry" yeah bro u hungry fr. Sometimes Peem really irritated me because he has this annoying complaining and mean personality. He has his reasons but I would never be friends with him honestly.

I was a bit too late when it comes to WinnySatang. I've seen their series but I just never really became a fan. But watching this after their pair break up kinda makes me sad. I know they're just a pair and not a real couple, but I do like them together as a pair. Honestly I am not a fan of QToey. I love Q as mental support but I think what Chain and Toey and the rest of the group planned was toxic as hell. Like they're making Q feel upset and even if it's by accident, I'm just not a fan of it. I understand it was testing but... no. I feel like Q and Peem are adorable together and they're such nice friends.

I am a hugeeeee AouBoom fan. I loved them so much in this series and I can't describe it. This series together with Only friends: dream on have to be my favourite AouBoom series. Gmmtv really mistreats them as a pair and I feel like they just have way more potential than gmmtv gives them. I am sooo excited for Billionaire Biker as well. I love how Tan is the biggest idiot ever and he makes every moment in We are feel fun. I love his stupid flirting. As for Khaofang, I love him because he feels like the MOST relatable character ever. My whole personality is the same as his. It's so funny because I genuinely understand how he feels in certain moments.

Okay then MarcPoon. Another broken pair but one that I never really got familiar with. I love Poon but if I am honest I have no idea about Marc. I think their chemistry was alrighttt in we are but I'm not a huge fan. Pun was funny as a character and he did make me laugh. As for Chain, I'm not sure why but he wasn't very outstanding. I feel like ChainPun were a very normal couple compared to the others and they also had less screen time. I said before that I don't like how Chain and Toey flirted with each other and I just felt bad for Q and Pun.

Title has to stop playing annoying roles. EVERY SINGLE TIME his face even appears on screen I know he's gonna be playing an annoying character who gets between a couple. Also please tell me why I felt this very strange chemistry going around Beer and Kluen?? The moment when Toey saw Kluen met was so funny. It was kinda how I saw PhumPeem in the series. Toey didn't seem to like Kluen trying to pull Peem. I love seeing Godji so much. When I see her I know a series is gonna be good. Her as an aunt was adorable and I know she was shipping Phum and Peem. I also really like how she was like the comfort adult in the series and everyone loved her. And seeing JJ in here is also amazing.

Even though I liked We Are, I am kinda getting tired of the whole friendship bl's lately. Although I think friendships are super cute and funny, they easily bore me. I am also turning older and it feels like I often watch things for 13-15 yr olds. And I am saying this as an 18 yr old. I feel like we are was for a younger audience even if it included NC but this is maybe just my own perspective. I also am a bit bored of the school drama's SPECIFICALLY those subject. It's always and I mean always engineering, art and then architecture.

The songs in We are are just amazing. It was so funny when Pun tried to sing but hit every wrong note. But jokes aside I am in LOVE with แค่ในวันนั้น (Truth in the Eyes). It's one of my favourite Thai songs. The lyrics is soooo sweet. It can't be more romantic than this. I'm not the biggest fan of เรามีเรา (WE ARE) but I LOVE the MV. It's adorable. We are delivered good songs but my fav has to be Truth in eyes.

Also Phuwin's and Winny's pulled back hair reminds me of me because my hair is getting too long to even see shit so I usually do it like his hahaha. Overall, this was amazing. I loved it. The whole series gives me this sort of weird nostalgia and the friendship is so adorable. Genuinely, where do I find my friend group full of gays?? I loved it, even if I was a bit bored by certain episodes.

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Possessed by Episode 4, Exorcised by Episode 10

I don't write reviews anymore. I've retired from this. And yet — here we are.

I clicked on this randomly, expecting nothing, and got possessed. Genuinely could not put the remote down. Early on, this show had it ALL: two grown, emotionally mature adults who brace yourselves actually talk to each other?? A ghost-whispering heiress and a case-cracking, ghost-fearing prosecutor, tackling mysteries together like a competent team instead of a walking cliché. I was ready to build a shrine.

And then. THEN.

Somewhere around the midpoint, the show got bored of its own excellent premise, ditched the ghost-detective duo energy, and full-body-swapped into a Queen of Tears cosplay except with the political intrigue of someone who googled "chaebol drama plot generator" five minutes before the table read. If this had simmered underneath the main story from episode one, fine, I'd have respected the slow burn. Instead it just... swerved. Hard. No signal, no indicator, just straight off the narrative highway.

Every character who was so carefully built in the first act proceeds to nosedive. The villains? All bark, borrowed moves from a 2003 K-drama villain starter pack, zero actual menace. The second-lead guy is a walking red flag that everyone sees waving and just... collectively decides not to deal with. Chef's kiss avoidance.

And the finale oh, the finale. One rushed episode goes "so THIS is why everything happened," slaps on every trope in the cliché cookbook, and calls it closure. It's wrapped like a gift, sure shiny paper, nice bow except the box was already broken before they started wrapping.

But through all of it , the leads shine. Park Eun-bin does the thing she always does, effortlessly gliding between icy heiress, haunted mess, and giddy romantic without ever breaking the illusion. And watching Yang Se-jong is genuinely a treat the man commits so fully to the ridiculousness, the fear, the swoon, that he makes even the shakiest plot beats watchable. Their chemistry is criminally good, and honestly? These two deserve a drama that actually knows what to do with them. Give them a rewrite and a script that respects its own premise, and I'd sign up in a heartbeat. And also all the other actors did a veryy great job too. especially Seong Wu, exciteddd for him!

And can we talk about the OST? Genuinely beautiful — moody, cinematic, exactly what this show's atmosphere deserved even when the plot didn't. DK of SEVENTEEN's "Stay With Me" in particular hit way harder than a mid-drama chaebol subplot has any right to make me feel.

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Realistic Tearjerker

Few shows have this sort of impact on me. While I am an avid fan of tearjerker dramas like When Life Gives You Tangerines, sometimes they are filled with melodrama. The Bond is, however, unique. In fact, it hits too close to home to remind me of certain aspects of my own family life. I love that the MCs are smart and not dumb. They are completely aware of their surroundings and people. In spite of that, like most people, they sometimes obscure their minds, hoping, wanting, and choosing to believe in a better future. Burdened by their poverty and a bad father, they continue to make choices, which they know they might regret in the future. Their helplessness and persistence are heartbreaking. Yet their bond persists.

Overall, great acting, storyline, set design and visuals. Truly complex and imperfect characters.

This reminds me of Shameless (US) to a certain extent, but hits a lot closer to home.

Spoiler: I am glad that the elder brother did not die in the end, else it would have broken something in me.

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