Reviews

An Incredible Series Undone by Its Own Finale

My Journey to You completely hooked me — the atmosphere, the cast, the visuals were all incredible, and I loved watching these actors bring such a dark, intricate world to life. But the ending ruined it for me. After all that buildup, it collapsed into a confusing, open, honestly crappy finale that felt more like a cliffhanger than a real conclusion. Even the reviews say the same thing — anti‑climactic, nothing resolved, too many mysteries left hanging. And knowing they actually filmed a different ending just makes it worse, because that version could’ve saved the whole series.

Read More

Layers of Truth

A very good crime mystery thriller with all the right ingredients. It features a heavy, burdensome atmosphere, mounting tension, and compelling characters, each carrying a hidden past that gradually shapes the central story. With several twists and multiple layers, the film takes the audience on an engaging journey to uncover the truth behind what happened with the white car —and why.

This is not a blockbuster or a film that aspires to be a masterpiece. Instead, it is a simple yet effective psychological thriller in which the characters and their emotional depth drive the narrative. The cast delivers excellent performances, convincingly portraying their emotions and fully inhabiting their roles. If, like me, you like character-driven thrillers of this kind, you will almost certainly appreciate and enjoy this film.

Read More

Great Cast. Horrible Script.

Wonderful cast. Horrible script. The overall plot, the setting, the production level and of course the actors were all great. Unfortunately, the script was just awful. The script writer clearly was in love with the "misunderstanding" plot trope as she used it again and again and again in various forms throughout this show. This trope was used to drag out contrived drama for far, far longer than was remotely entertaining. Worse, the script also required some of the characters to act, well, bizarre. Dylan Wang's character, Shi Yan, was just so bizarre and not likable at all until around episode 31 or 32, which is how long it took before the show finally resolve the main 'misunderstanding' to allow the two leads to finally become a couple. Through most of this show his character is so incredibly petty, sullen, ridiculously resistant to normal human communication and to the FL, often downright cruel and abusive. That all magically goes away when they finally turn the corner, but that doesn't happen until, like I said, around episode 31+. Most of this series is just dragged out contrived 'dramatic tension' that you are left waiting for the plot to finally resolve so they can be together. Then you finally get a tiny handful of episodes of them actually being together. This is not good storytelling. There are some good points. While their characters are at times annoying and ridiculous, both Bai Lu and Dylan Wang perform them well. The then-very-young Shen Yu Jie, as Qin Shiyue, is wonderful and steals much of the show as one of the only consistently 'sane' characters and one who goes through a lot of personal growth. The cast and the overall plot premise were good, and the last 5 episodes were much better, but man, it was tough hanging on to the end. I blame all the problems in this show on the awful script.

Read More

I've watched Youth many times,

I've watched Youth many times, and when something starts to irritate me, I switch to Youth. It's cozy, lifelike, and unpretentious. Even when I remember it, I feel better. Even the actor plays the traitor so well that it doesn't evoke disgust, because everything is in the context of the era, the ordeal—you couldn't say it better.
The atmosphere of the drama "Youth in the Flames of War" is truly incredible: the intelligentsia at the crossroads of time and the trials that befall an entire generation. This series truly saves you from artificial pathos and falsehood. Why "Youth" heals irritation and gives comfort: Real life instead of gloss. In "Youth," the characters sweat, get dirty, freeze, and sincerely fear death. This down-to-earth nature creates that very feeling of "life." Even the opponents don't seem like cardboard villains from a fairy tale. Their actions are dictated by a harsh and cruel time, so they fit seamlessly into the story and are aesthetically pleasing. The warmth of human relationships: the series' coziness is built on genuine student camaraderie, a thirst for knowledge despite the bombings, and faith in the future. Dylan Wang and the entire cast managed to convey the maturation of souls without intrusive and inappropriate romance. As their familiar world crumbles before their eyes, the characters simply try to remain human and preserve their country—and this inner strength is conveyed to the viewer, bringing emotional relief.

Read More

Don't get all the hate

Honestly, it's a cozy watch. The leads actually communicate and the drama level is low. To me, they showed well how outdated some of the social opinions are, like divorce and how conservative the corporate world is. Everything is handled like adults should. The romance is tranquil and mostly mature. Male lead is a totally green flag. Women support each other, people forgive each other, talk about things and loyalty is all over the place. Maybe this is why people are hating on it. I will be definitely rewatching this because is warm and cute. Plus, it's SIG playing a part that is his own age, so it's very appropriate.
The only boring thing in this whole story was the second couple. I literally skipped them, big snore.

Read More

Genuinely Funny, Great Chemistry

I love when you can tell that actors have worked together for a long time, and that's exactly how I felt watching Tay and New in Dog and a Plane. It's obvious from the start that the two actors understand each other very well, and this is especially apparent in the way they play off each other in comedic moments, and the chemistry they bring in the romantic ones. For a show to be funny in its native language is one thing; for the humor to translate into another language is another talent. This one was genuinely funny, even translated, and was super fun to watch. While it wasn't some deep, emotional show and maybe could've created a little more intrigue or tension in some places, it was still a great time.

Kanit (New) is a flight attendant with a pilot boyfriend, doing very well for himself. During a luggage switch-up, he ends up with the suitcase of rescuer Toto (Tay), meaning all of Kanit's designer clothes were replaced with Toto's cheap and rugged ones. Toto capitalizes on this switch up to try out some luxurious clothing, and ends up paying the price when he gets into a fight, Kanit's clothes get destroyed, and Kanit wants him to pay up. Unable to pay with cash, Toto enters into a deal with Kanit: determine if Kanit's pilot boyfriend is cheating on him. As Toto investigates Kanit's (obviously) cheating boyfriend, he starts to fall in love with Kanit himself.

I really enjoyed this series, especially the first half where Toto was trying to find evidence that Kanit's boyfriend was cheating on him. As a viewer, you're almost immediately aware of the answer, but watching Toto try to prove it was super fun. Then, the development of the relationship between Kanit and Toto was wonderful. I really enjoyed the tension between the characters, Toto's boldness in pursuing Kanit, and the comfortability that Tay and New brought to these characters. Not to mention, this show was super funny! Toto's over the top pursuit of Kanit was hilarious. Plus, Mond and Ryu's roles were a great complement to Tay and New, and I was super invested in their storyline too. Overall, a great comedy that you don't need to take too seriously.

Read More

A stunning visual ride, featuring great acting and a deep mystery.

Luo Yunxi shines bright with great style and strong acting. Cool fights and lovely clothes make it fun to watch.
Found family themes add heart to the story.

Alen Fang's complex performance as Liu Yan is widely considered a major highlight of the series.

They share a captivating, tense rivalry that drives the narrative forward.
Alen Fang breaks out of his usual typecast, brilliantly executing a heartbreaking, slow descent into darkness.

Cool fights and striking, elaborate costumes provide consistent eye candy.
Found family elements balance the heavy plot with heartwarming character bonds.

Slow parts stall the pacing, particularly when navigating the dense mystery lore.
Emphasis relies strictly on martial arts brotherhood and revenge.
Rushed ending drops the ball on resolving several complex subplots smoothly.

Read More

Something New and Interesting

I really loved the storyline of Deep In and how it often went back and forth between the real characters and them as actors. Combining how their characters they were portraying affected them in real life and their relationship. It was something new in BL, at least in the way they captured it. I have some small complaints here and there but nothing that made me feel like dropping the series by any means. I think overtime both Ollie and Shu Yuan will become very skilled actors as they continue on. The only thing I will say I’m a little disappointed in was this last episode, the last episodes in C-BL always feel so rushed and a little unnatural. I wish we had gotten a little more or maybe did a separate episode for the conflict that happened in the last episode and then a final episode with just the fluff of a happy ending. But again, it was concluded overall fairly well but I always tend to complain about an ending feeling rushed when a series I enjoyed feels over a little too soon.

Read More

My fav cbl

This is definitely a cbl that will make it to my top 10 series this year, the characters and storyline was complex, unhinged, intimate and crazy, it was well rounded, its a dark story so it will not be for everyone, the cast did incredible job, the acting was so good The serie within the serie and plot twist by end was immaculate, the serie had one of best pacing I've seen, i didnt struggle showing us 2 love stories in perfect way, kt was entertaining, the chemistry was on point, emotional core was strong, the intimacy was hot, the only issue I had that my shayla was entitled to an apology for the sa by end, im getting tired of romanticizing this in media.
The side characters were good, served different emotions, the director was one of my fav
Anyway this will get long if i get into details, but this was well rounded serie

Read More

An inspiring sports drama about a Winter Olympic discipline

Sport dramas are difficult to make in my opinion, for several reasons. First of all, scripts have to strike a balance between the technical and the human aspects to create compelling storytelling for a general audience. Second, the technical requirements present a difficult dilemma to producers and directors: do you go for athletes with hopefully decent acting skills, or do you choose real actors and train them in the basics of the sport while finding ways to film great sports scenes that remain believable? Beyond**,** a drama about the history of Chinese Olympic short-track speed skating from the 1990s to the 2022 Beijing Olympics, manages to overcome both challenges quite comfortably.

The story starts in 2014 with a young girl determined to compete and win gold medals at the highest level in the sport. Her father and coach were both former national athletes who now coach the next generation. This provides the perfect excuse to tell the struggles and dreams of those athletes back in the 1990s while balancing them with the state of the sport in the 2010s, before naturally culminating in China hosting the Winter Olympics.

From technical and medical conditions to infrastructure, training methods, and the creation of an ecosystem capable of nurturing young talent across different parts of the country before reaching the national team, everything is covered in a very solid way, with a particular emphasis on friendship, mentorship, and the lives of athletes.

The story set in the 1990s revolves around three friends whose lives represent the three main paths within the sport: the outstanding talent who finds himself alone at the top, the good athlete who simply isn't good enough to compete among the very best, and the one who is forced to abandon his passion because of an accident.

On the other hand, the story set in more recent times revolves around teamwork and the individual challenges each athlete faces in the pursuit of gold. The coaches, the former athletes themselves, serve as the link between both timelines and highlight both the evolution of the sport and the contrast between past and present from a national perspective.

One aspect that is sometimes even more touching than the series itself, at least for me, is the brief segment at the end of each of the 29 episodes dedicated to interviews with real short-track speed skating athletes and coaches, sharing their own personal stories; you can genuinely feel their passion and love for the sport. The team behind the cameras used this material to write the script, so each episode's central theme is paired with a real-life testimony told by the people who actually lived it.

The pace is really good, with an excellent intertwining of human relationships and the various sporting situations throughout the whole drama. The focus on the core groups of friends, both in the past and the present, helps us as viewers connect with and become invested in their stories, although I felt that, during the last third of the series, this focus shifted somewhat and lost part of the strong hook it had.

At that point, the drama begin introducing short stories about other members of the national team that, while being representative of the diverse conflicts and struggles modern athletes face and are still interesting in their own right, don't quite have the same emotional impact as the core characters I had grown to cherish.

I'd also like to highlight the casting and directing choices, because the resemblance between the younger and older versions of the characters is fantastic. You can immediately tell who is who in each timeline, and the performances of both the seasoned actors and the younger cast make that continuity feel completely natural. Among the latter, I'd particularly like to mention Teresa Li and Liu Yi Tie, whom some of you may know from The Long Season; they're quickly becoming two of my favourite very young actors.

All in all, it's a very inspiring story about the determination, passion, and sacrifices these elite athletes make in pursuit of their dreams, while also offering an insightful look at the advances in sports science and technology, as well as the importance of public policies that support athletic development.

I wouldn't have expected to become so invested in a drama about a sport I'd barely watched in my life, but I did.

Read More