Reviews

I can't get over this drama!!!

This drama is a different kind of mature romance that I haven't experienced and seen before. I love how they handle misunderstanding between them. I love how she calls his name(Chen Maidong). I love the kisses and all, it's sooooo good 😊
Granny Chen carries the show as she continues to matchmake her grandson and Fl nonstop 🤣
The Fl mom's nags non stop 😭
This drama is an eye opener, it teaches me that THERE'S ABILITY IN DISABILITY, DISABILITY IS NOT A DISEASE!!
I love how the FL carries herself even though she's disabled. I would recommend this drama to mature and realistic minds 💓

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Sweet side couples

This drama was a nice watch. The story was ok. It was nothing special and there were some holes in the story, but it was entertaining enoug to enjoy the watch.
I only had one real what the heck moment, and that was when she completely turned her back on him for something his Grandfather allegedly had done. At that moment they ruined the good vibe i had watching this drama.
The visuals were beautiful and the music was good.

The acting was good and all the couples had good chemistry. I liked both side couples a lot more than the main couple, but that's probably because i am not a fan of the acting skills of Shen Yue. Allthough i must say, she improved a lot after Meteor garden.

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this couple shares the same core values—such as contribution, commitment to justice, faithfulness

A Roadmap for the Impatient

During the initial phase, EP 1 - 7, not much happens yet. The story gradually unfolds to show who the female lead is, how she ended up meeting the male lead, and what her motives are. It also reveals what the male lead wants from her. Originally, the male lead took her in because he wanted to deceive society into thinking he is a libertine, preventing anyone from sending a spy to be his concubine. Meanwhile, the female lead pretends to fancy him, acting all affectionate to stay by his side. However, nothing serious has actually happened between them yet. Still, they are evenly matched in intelligence, and she is able to assist him in his revenge. The female lead is fully aware that they will have to part ways one day. The male lead, on the other hand, is completely oblivious; he genuinely believes she fancies him and is helping him out of sincerity, causing him to fall for her little by little.

In EP 13, their relationship escalates into something serious. It becomes crystal clear that she has disguised herself for a specific purpose, but the male lead has already fallen so deeply in love that he just cannot bring himself to harm her.

From this point forward, the secrets will intensify, and the plot will become increasingly gripping.

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"I love that this couple shares the same core values—such as fair resource distribution, equality before the law, commitment to justice, faithfulness in love, virtue, and their care and kindness toward friends, and family. This is truly one of my favorite dramas.

Not to mention how perfectly their characters complement each other. Huge credit goes to the male lead for his love and respect, and for accepting her capabilities—even when she outshines or defeats him as her role demands.

Ji Bozai, the male lead, is someone starved of affection. It’s obvious he has never experienced love before, so he gives it his all while being utterly terrified of it. Once that trust is broken, he is deeply hurt and constantly doubts love, making him the most pitiful character. On the other hand, the female lead seems less starved of love, perhaps because she was too focused on survival at the time. In reality, she loves him deeply too. There are scenes where they beautifully share their love, sacrifices, and mutual pain with one another."
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This drama is highly focused on romance. For their relationship to successfully move forward, Ji Bozai deserves high praise. Notice that even after being betrayed, he still tries to find answers and is always ready to trust. There are scenes where he asks multiple times (3 to 4 times) if she is sincere, if she can be trusted, and if she will deceive him again. This is typical behavior of someone who is already deeply in love and trying to make excuses for the other person; naturally, the deceiver would say they aren't lying, but he just wants to hear that reassurance. As for Ming Yi, sometimes she doesn't even get a chance to answer before being cut off. The only time she does answer, it leaves room for doubt: "Right now, I am sincere." Although Ji Bozai seems aloof, distrustful, and acts like a villain, he actually helps everyone wholeheartedly. He sacrificed his life to save the Six Realms from the Heaven-Swallowing Formation, cared for the female immortal Ruo Shui, protected the people in the Slave Realm and the Abyss, and saved others from the demonic beast army. He possesses the true quality of a ruler—sacrifice. He is a very kind-hearted person who forgives everyone easily without complexity, including his lover, his master, and his mother.

As for Ming Yi, she truly deserves to be loved completely. The moment the male lead finds out she is Ming Xian and has been poisoned, he realizes that she has used her dwindling life force to save him multiple times, which is the deepest expression of love. The scene where he puts his neck against the sword and calls her a liar proves he knows she would never hurt him and is always ready to help. Even when he makes her believe he has destroyed the medicine, she bears no resentment or anger toward him.

How could they not love each other deeply? It is absolutely impossible, given how incredibly good they are to one another.

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REAL, HONEST, WHOLESOME, HEARTFELT, DEEP But Slightly Unstructured.

I promise you will not skip a single scene in this series!!! I actually started this series out of boredom, not expecting too much from it. But it was a blast to my idle brain!

The series is very righteous, targets the evils mindset of the society which are still very much prevalent in developing countries where they see being a part and/or ally of LGBTQIA+ community is a disease or much like a sin and are perceived as not being true to self.

Overall great writing, cast, acting, decent production and a fantabulous storyline which delivered the much needed message to the audience!!! TRUST ME Y'ALL NEED THIS, JUST GIVE IT A GO!!!!!

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A Promising Rebirth Story That Lost Me

I've watched almost all of Yan Zixian's dramas, and unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this one. I initially dropped it early the first time I tried watching, and even on a second attempt—this time all the way through—my impressions remained unchanged, as is often the case for me.

The narrative itself is intriguing and should have worked, especially since it revolves around three people who experience rebirth. It follows the familiar rebirth trope of righting past wrongs and trying to avoid one’s fate, which I usually find compelling. The beginning was especially strong and immediately drew me in. However, once the story got underway, I lost interest. The execution and pacing didn’t work for me—the scenes lacked smooth transitions, felt disjointed, and the overall pace was slow. And for some reason, I also struggle with Smile Hu’s performances, so there were many elements that didn't land for me.

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"Are we really in love?"

Director Ahn Pan Soek stated that this was the central question of the story at its inception.

I enjoyed this show and was immediately struck by the pairing of Son Ye Jin and Jung Hae In, a pairing which by the director's own account was so successful that it glossed over the original intention of the show which was to interrogate whether or not the two were really in love. The lead's chemistry was impossible to ignore, and I think their passionate, almost teenage- like love became the focus of the story more than originally intended.

This drama explores emotional maturity, societal pressures, filial piety, and the quiet complexities of adult relationships. It also offers a critique of Korean workplace culture, patriarchy as well as class expectations.
Jin Ah (JA) and Joon Hui's (JH) romantic love springs from a foundation of long-term familiarity and acquaintance and it feels grounded in comfort and emotional safety.

The older woman / younger man age gap is the main polarising factor in the narrative of the story, compounded by the long term familiar connection of the two since JA is a long time best friend of JH's sister; and JH is childhood besties with JA's younger brother. So, this dynamic alone ensures a lot of friction and conflict amongst the characters involved. The show is careful to portray how JA is judged more harshly by society for dating a younger man, while JH, on the other hand is considered to be cool and fearless (especially by his male colleagues) for taking on an older woman. I was actually very surprised after finishing the drama to realise that the age gap is actually only 4 years!

The conflicts that arise within this show are usually as a result of outside pressures and expectations such as family approvals, marriage timelines, status consciousness and maintaining appearances. I was constantly struck by how little freedom JA had to choose her own life even as a full grown adult with financial independence.
The story also portrays how family interference (from JA's mother in particular) or the lack of it (in JH's case) can have long standing repercussions in how adult children make decisions for their lives and also affects how they are viewed by society.

JA deals with a toxic workplace with sexism, harassment and misogyny, I like how the drama portrayed JA's office environment to reflect entrenched gender hierarchies and normalised abuse within corporate structures. This is a theme which caused a large portion of JA's conflict and her overcoming it marks her personal emancipation, I especially enjoyed how diligently she became stronger and more assertive in her workplace, thanks in large part to JH's love, acceptance and the fact of his having "chosen her".

I love the atmosphere of this drama. Stylistically it feels soft and melancholic with understated cinematography which enhances the intimacy of the story and the naturalistic acting style of the characters. The repeated use of motifs of elevators, rain and umbrella's marked the story's progression and the growth of the love between JA and JH. I enjoyed the choice of the music which spoke to each main character's particular struggle: "When a Man Loves a Woman" and "Stand by Your Man" The repetitive nature of the music enhances the nostalgia. Rachael Yamagata's "Something In the Rain" and "La La La" are beautifully employed.

Ultimately, this drama exposes the gap between love and courage. The drama repeatedly suggests that love alone is not enough if the couple is not willing to confront family systems, social pressure and personal fear; and in the end this aspect is what makes me conclude that these two are not ultimately meant to be. Their relationship serves the purpose of crystallising their respective characters, they hold a mirror up to each other and their relationship is meant to serve as a tool of growth for each of them. I think that's how it worked out for JA, she found a spot that she felt comfortable in where she was happy to live her life with agency and without anyone's interference.

I gave this drama a well deserved 9/10

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it felt rushing

Well the series itself is good coz of its story but it felt rushing at the end and also didn't get the idea of the last 2ep about how they make up so quickly like that. It was until ep 1 and 2 but the last 2 eps i feel like is where they messed it up. It felt rushing and everything was like that it doesn't happens in reality but the initial two eps is actually felt more real and relatable so yeah the story would have been better if the ending was well written. Acting was quite good of both, Humour was there too. So yeah definitely a good watch, and you won't be bored tho.

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A genre defying masterpiece!

I loved Broken of Love from the first episode. The date that Arisa and Lyla went on was magical. The development of the story from then on was an unexpected roller coaster. There was no way that I could have predicted what happens in every episode that I watched thereafter. The performances were top notch, the production value was great! Perhaps the biggest surprise was the love story between the two older characters. These two artists are masters at their craft and I cried when they performed their first scene together. That was hands down one of the most powerful scenes I have seen anywhere. Congratulations to Fabel Entertainment, Moongdoo Productions, the entire cast and crew. You all have created a masterpiece!

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A must watch drama

Here is the thing it has been long time i was so invested in a historical drama...a lot of dramas started as very interesting but end up getting bored or couldn’t feel like following the story line but this one is worth it... I love zhang linghe and tian xiwei a lot before this drama but in this drama i fall in love with the villain deng kai...I'm not into toxic or forced relationship but in this whole drama i felt he deserves love and his ending made me cry😭and for my lovely ml & fl, what can i say else! They are so perfect... They portrayed the emotions so well...I absolutely loved their entries, so magnificent🤌The aura was too mighty to ignore..i felt giddy and goosebumps while watching the episodes..In case of the mystery it was good but not very unexpected.. Weirdly i felt sorry for almost all the villains and couldn’t hate them..The visuals was very good...The connections and bondings was so loveable. Loved how the fl goes from a butcher girl to a mighty female general amd how the ml supported her and protected her throughout the whole journey even when he was not in love. And finally it was a happy ending🥰🥰. So It's a must watch even for those who are not into historical dramas..it made me feel to time travel to that era to see all these with my own eyes🥹

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Kidnapping Issues

This is the kind of claustrophobic thriller that has only a few characters, all confined to a small space for the entire duration of the movie. You know, like Phone Booth, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Devil, ...

This movie features just three characters, and 99% of it takes place inside a locked apartment. Adding more characters and different settings could have made the film feel more complete, but keeping it limited actually helps maintain the dramatic atmosphere and keeps the focus on the main plot. I really appreciate that the movie only included what was necessary for the story and didn’t waste time on unnecessary extras. It also keeps the budget under control.

Overall, for what it is, this was a great watch. The plot was quite interesting, and the tension kept building throughout the entire movie. It contains quite a bit of violence, especially toward women, so it might be disturbing for some viewers. If you like thrillers and get the chance, I definitely recommend checking this movie out.

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Beautiful show with interesting characters - if only it was more balanced!

Very interesting plot, nice acting, excellent cinematography, nice soundtrack, great recommendation for people who enjoy action scenes, female leads with strong personalities, and power couples. The dubbing quality is excellent and the child actors were adorable! Yet, a lot of the show's potential was left unfinished and some plot choices were questionable.

Changyu is a great protagonist and a lovable character. Although I had my doubts about the actress, not due to her acting abilities but due to the baby face, her appearance fits Changyu's lively spirit, playful and a bit naive personality. She looked her best during battle. Zheng is an ideal male lead - handsome, smart, compassionate, capable, and together they made an excellent power couple. Qianqian's character was intriguing and I would have loved to see more about her background and personality outside of her forced reality alongside Qi Min. Qi Shu and Yin Gongsun were adorable together, the background characters were interesting but a bit underdeveloped, and Wei Yan made a very good antagonist. The friendship between Changyu and Qianqian was one of the best dynamics of the show, combined with an overall strong female presence in the whole plot. The sociopolitical commentary was decent and the final results for certain characters were worthy of their actions, minus Qi Min who deserved worst.
The editing is superb in many scenes, the song choices are very good, and the alternative ending was a smart inclusion (although the original ages of the main leads do not add up, but I pretended they were both 27-ish anyway)

On the negative side, the political aspect of the plot was underutilized in favor of the romance, which is truly a shame. The show starts great, but slugs during the middle part exactly because one can not rely on the chemistry of the main characters alone in order to push the narrative - the show gains momentum once again when both Changyu and Zheng enter the Capital and the scenario starts moving. The makeup artists really did not hold back (not everyone has to look beautiful all the damn time) and the show had multiple unrealistic moments, like people surviving from injuries that would have normally end up in disability or death, and Zheng coughing blood multiple times without it harming him at all. Qi Min was unworthy of redemption, although I don't blame Qianqian for having confused emotions due to her apparent supernatural origins (?) and her traumatic life. Gongsun and Shu deserved more screen time, and we got no proper showcase of Beijue as a foreign power. The occasional fatphobic stereotypes were not absent.

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