Reviews

Mixed feelings

I normally don't leave reviews, but this drama is worth doing it.
Im a big sucker for the childhood trope evolving into a serious relationship later. But Sang Yan was so awkward. I think I even preferred the Sang Yan from HL.
Wen Yifan had a gorgeous character development: she went from being miserable and lonely into being kind and resilient. But I cringed really hard with the ballet scenes - I am a ballerina and it was very hard to watch.
I loved the second couple, it was easy to understand why they fell in love with each other. The grandpa arc made me think about my grandfather, and made me smile multiple times.
In the end, it was an interesting drama, especially because of the FL story. But feeling like the ML was boring and awkward really didn't help.

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Very entertaining

The only real issue I had with this series was the lack of physical transformation for the protagonist; the fact that her appearance remained virtually unchanged from before the calamity to after felt like a missed opportunity, which slightly brought down the plot's score for me. Everything else, however, is absolute perfection. It’s never dull or tedious; instead, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, moving you to tears of frustration while offering genuine moments of joy as the story unfolds. When you factor in the incredible performances by two of my favorite actors, I really have no choice but to highly recommend it.

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"A thief is still a thief"

Saga of the Vagabonds, Part 2: Forward at Dawn took place one year after the virtuous Taro was betrayed by his family and being hunted by the magistrate. He joined Rokuro’s bandits as their leader, changing all of their lives.

Taro’s leadership of the bandits has changed their entire operating procedure. They now only rob from the rich and give to the poor. There’s no raping or murdering of the peasants. Most of the bandits are strangely okay with this. Everyone, that is, except for Bonten and Jibu who have their eyes on the farm girl who had saved Taro in the first film. Their betrayal devastates the gang. Betrayals also hit close to Taro’s home when the evil retainer Hyoe’s plans are revealed.

Taro and Rokuro guided the band of merry thieves and fought side by side. I was shocked at how easily the bandits accepted Taro as their leader and was then reminded of a line from Ragnarok by Loki, "Well, it seems that you are in desperate need of leadership". Korg, “Well, thank you.” These bandits were not very bright and were also in desperate need of leadership.

This time the body count rose as Taro dealt with the fallout of Hyoe’s deadly actions. Part 2 was shortened in the version I watched and I wondered if they cut out the romance between Taro and the farm girl Tazu and any extended scenes between Taro and his love Koyuki. There seemed to be implied scenes that weren’t shown.

Whereas Part 1 was lighter and livelier, Part 2 was much darker as the deep betrayals burned away any ties that Taro had with his past. Not quite as engaging as Part 1, Part 2 was still enjoyable. The screen always sizzled more when Rokuro was engaged. Taro, bless his heart, could be a bit stiff. The message in the films was that the powerful and wealthy abused those beneath them in both social and economic status in order to prosper themselves. And when in doubt as the body count rose---the butler did it.

20 March 2026

Housekeeping note: In the version I watched, Parts 1 & 2 were combined. Part 1 was missing around 14 minutes and Part 2 over 20. If anyone finds the two in their entirety, please let me know.

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Review

I’ve watched dozens of Chinese fantasy dramas, and this is easily one of the most disappointing. Not only does it rely on those tired and boring memory-loss clichés, but it also features the typical over-the-top protagonist who decides that "protecting" his wife means treating her like trash and humiliating her. I just don't get it. There are at least ten episodes that could have been cut entirely. Add to that a lead couple with zero chemistry, and you have the perfect recipe for a flop. I’m not a "stan" of anyone; I just watch shows and either believe the performance or I don't. I've seen this lead actor in three different series now, and he hasn't impressed me in any of them—his expression is exactly the same in every scene, and he lacks any real depth or emotion. On the other hand, I absolutely love the second lead; his performance in Kill Me Love Me was also brilliant. In short, if you have nothing better to do and feel like giving yourself a headache with a nonsensical plot, this is the show for you. Personally, I would have appreciated a sincere warning so I could have skipped it.

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Pretty good so far

With a cast like Charmaine Sheh you can’t go wrong really. And you have the return of some old school TVB actors like Patrick Tam and Annie Man, so you know this will be something special. The only problem is that it draws huge parallels to the Netflix k-drama Juvenile Justice, but with a few changes here and there so that it doesn’t fully copy the story and plot like-for-like. Charmaine is a judge and was going to be a permanent judge in the High Court after judging a case involving Alice Chan’s underaged son. After acquitting him of murder, it turned out he really committed murder but there was no evidence to prove it, resulting in Charmaine giving up her position out of guilt and becoming a Juvenile Court Judge. This has the repercussions of her getting divorced and her daughter hating her.

Now, whoever it is that played Alice Chan’s son did an amazing job being this creepy kid who just exudes a psycho aura whenever we see him onscreen. The smirks he throws were great especially in the scenes where he secretly revels in getting away with murder. I want him to get caught but at the same time love how psychopathic he is. Alice Chan can feel something is off but as a mother she can only protect him, and this makes for great drama.

Kalok Chow also shows up as a Juvenile Court Judge who works with Charmaine, and it is so weird seeing him in this sort of role. He is well spoken and speaks calmly and yet in this monotone voice that is so strange to hear. After getting used to his comedy antics in his other roles, I found it extremely difficult to take him seriously in this role and I always laugh a little after he says a serious line, expecting his next line to be a follow up punchline to his last sentence.

So far I am 5 episodes in and this is shaping up to be a great drama. Could this make Charmaine get another best female actor award? Who knows but for now it is looking good.

Update up to episode 15: so far the cases have been great. Charmaine is unapologetically stern yet fair, even when her own step-daughter was called into a bullying case as a possible bully, she trusted her daughter was coerced into doing something she was not aware of and it turned out okay. Many were worried that they may mix her role up with the character from The Queen of News series, but this character is completely different in feel and unique in its own way. There are similarities, but here she is strictly within the bounds of the law with no grey areas allowed. However, in typical TVB fashion, they had to add some medical problems into the mix, and sure enough Charmaine suddenly has tinnitus and having hearing and balance issues. You bet your bottom dollar this is going to become a plot point very soon.

Seeing the late Benz Hui acting is bittersweet because this was his final role before his untimely passing, but what a role he played. His subplot was relatable as a father who doubted his son’s credibility and kept on scolding his son for things he did not do. The scenes where he was emotionally distraught were very powerful, but seeing the scene when he made up with his son was very touching and felt like a great conclusion to the father son finally making up.

Alice Chan is still being this overprotective mother and is constantly butting heads with Charmaine. Her son had once again committed murder, but this time Alice took the initiative to send him abroad after giving him a fake alibi, forced onto her by her son sure, but she still played along. I know her son will face justice before the drama ends for sure because his/her smirk as they flew away on the plane while watching how they murdered someone else again made me feel sick.

And I actually got used to Kalok Chow’s new mellow and calm demeanour. I mean, it took a while for sure, but I got used to it and I find it actually quite endearing because he is trying to fit into high society despite having a background of poverty and suffering from terrible parents.

Speaking of Kalok Chow, he started dating Joey Thye, a lawyer and also grand daughter of a powerful judge in the drama, but this came out of nowhere. One minute they were colleagues and then suddenly, out of the blue, boom they are now dating. There was no build up to it so it was just BOOM oh you guys are dating now? Okay la! I hated this as there was no visible chemistry between them so it needed scenes for them to get romantic. And the dumbest part in the drama was at the end of episode 15 when Joey suspected Kalok knew she was the grand daughter of a powerful judge and was only using her as a stepping stone, so she literally says this to him -

Joey: My grand father asked me if I was dating anyone
Kalok: So what did you say to him?
Joey: Aren’t you going to ask who he is? *pause* So you knew who he was then?

From that she worked out Kalok already knew her background and who her grandfather was. I call BS on that because who on earth would say “who is your grandfather?” To a question like that? Imagine if someone said to you “My dad asked me if I was dating” who would reply “who is your dad?” That is not how a conversation would go, so that made the scene immediately turn to crap. Most of the dialogue in the drama is okay but the writing staff must have been sick on that day and so they asked some intern to write that part for them.

Finally, my goodness the theme song. I am getting so annoyed at hearing it because it sounds like a wailing ghost who cannot find its way home, just screaming AHHHHHH!!!! Whenever I hear the end credits start and the singer screaming “LAAAAAATE!!!!” I immediately cringe. Awful song.

Besides from the 3 complaints above, it is so far a great drama. Let’s see how things go from here.

Completed: well the drama is finished and sadly it was quite underwhelming. Alice Chan’s son Adam returns and yes, he/she does murder again but his mistake this time was using Charmaine’s daughter as a scapegoat. This ultimately backfires as Charmaine, in classic main character form, gets her daughter acquitted and then presents evidence to pin it back on Adam. The ending could have been a lot more satisfying, but what really ruined it was how the bad guy was taken out by their own hubris. While held during his trial, he asks Alice to go to his locker to get some evidence to prove he was innocent AND to destroy all other items in the locker, so Alice goes and retrieves the contents of the locker and find a USB key. She checks it out and finds all the evidence to implication him as he kept clips as mementos of his murders. Instead of destroying it, she submits it to court as evidence as she realised what a piece of s*** her son was and he ultimately gets life in prison. This would have been so much more satisfying if Charmaine and her team had discovered it and used it to destroy that brat, so it was kinda anti-climatic.

And you know, I’m getting kind of tired seeing Alice Chan in these strong woman roles. There have been three dramas from her back-to-back on TVB where she is a strong-willed angry woman who would at the end go soft. I hope she does not get typecasted into this role as it is getting samey.

The drama is still very good, worthy of a rewatch but man we deserved a better conclusion.

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"Promise to not get angry"

Legend of the Vagabonds, Part 1: Tiger and Wolf began in a rather lighthearted manner. But as so often happens, as the story went on, the shadows descended.

Toki Taro Tarao chastises his young brother Jiro when Jiro’s men devastated the suffering peasants in order to gather a larger tribute to the Hojo clan. Taro accompanies the small fortune only to be besieged by bandits. Taro is injured and saved by a small farm family. Kahi Rokuro, a new member of the band of thieves, made off with the money, much to the chagrin of his gang. Rokuro becomes distressed when wanted posters for Taro appear as he knows Taro to be the best of men and not deserving of such derision.

The most compelling character in this film was not the upright and uptight Taro, it was the flamboyant and strangely ethical Rokuro. Once Rokuro realized who he had stolen from, he did whatever he could to make things right for his old childhood friend, Taro. Taro, on the other hand, had to learn the hard way that his family and villainous retainer were willing to sacrifice him for their own evil ambition.

Part One ends with Taro making a fateful decision that will change his life and the lives of the bandits. This was an entertaining film with several limited fights. Nakamura Kanemon III’s rousing performance as Rokuro lifted the story when rigid Taro’s presence often let it down. The vile Hyoe and immoral Jiro may have caused problems for the virtuous Taro in this film but they had more in store in Part 2.

20 March 2026
Housekeeping note: The only available version of this film I could find had Parts 1 and 2 combined. It appeared that Part 1 was shortened by 14 minutes and Part 2 was shortened by over 20 minutes which would have included credits as well.

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Disappointed

This drama is so repetitive, and the acting is really cringey—especially from Meena and the main actress. Meena’s acting is also so overly dramatic, which makes it even harder to watch. It’s so annoying how Niraon keeps acting slow and overly soft toward the middle and end. At this point, it feels like all the characters are just acting stupid. I also hate how the whole storyline feels like an old Channel 7–style plot from back in the day. On top of that, I can’t stand how Saran keeps falling for Meena and acts so foolish—he’s even willing to let his own sister get married just to pay off Meena’s debt and takes the blame for everything. What kind of brother does that? Overall, this drama feels like a complete waste of time.

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I AM SPEECHLESS RN!!!

This is so goooodddddd!!!😭😭
And so different!!!
And the fact that the two leads weren't the usual A-lists actors we are found of. And for them to dish out this masterpiece??? 🥺
At some point, I thought it would end with a tragedy, my bed was already soaked wet with tears.

But all in all, Mu Qingyan deserved more. I mean, he suffered all his life but he still lost his inner power and handed over his sect to his two right hand men. I am definitely not satisfied! I wished he ruled even the whole sect, for a change.

And as for the osts used in this drama, I hummed all along 😹😹. Especially the "intoxicated" song that plays at the end of each episode.

And to all haters home and abroad, PISS OFF!!

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Good start but bad oh so bad

It stared out all fun and interesting, a nice little window int japan meets Korea, food, insecurity, starting over there was so much potential to both the couple and the theme but then it took a turn that made the female lead copleatly toxic in a way that did not even have entertainment value. What made it even worse was that both the male lead and secound male lead kept buying in to her delusional world making me yet again role my eyes so many times that I wished I had dropped it or even better never started.

That said the chef and one of the side characters is pretty ice and the cooking was inspiring. .

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LOVE EVERY PART OF IT

I have such high standards when it comes to drama, especially the chemistry, plot, visuals, dynamic, and cinematography. This show exceeded my expectation. I am not familiar with any of the cast except for Tian Xiwei nor am I a historical cdrama watcher but the production really did their BIG ONE on this show. Everyone is so talented even the kids have a bright future in the industry.
I like how the show started at a great foundation of getting to know Fan Changyu/ her life in Lin'an then we get to see more of the Marquis/Xie Zheng/Yan Zheng going more into his life. The show basically highlight how both characters are merely living different lives yet their paths cross like it's destiny. Apart from romance, we see such a strong female lead, character development of the side characters, and the great balance of worry/relief about the future ahead. Overall, I can watch the main cast all day and their overflowing chemistry :)

Acting was great, It doesn't feel flat or cringe at all. The dialogues can be cheesy but this is what happens when it is based on the books so best to say their feelings out loud. These dialogue really is genuine and the actors/actresses really know their characters. Again, people can have their own opinions on this but I've watched far too many shows.
Casting 100% the best, I don't want to be too critical with the princess' acting but she is fairly new and could improve in her future works. The main villains (Sui brothers) their aura is crazy.

In terms of the story behind Changyu's parents, I feel like it wouldn't add much to the story as we are more focused on the main characters getting together and living a simple happily married couple soooo that's just my 2 cents. I can definitely rewatch the show without getting bored.

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BL Action-Romance starring First & Khaotung and Joong & Dunk

PLOT: Kant, a tattoo artist and informant, has a one-night stand with Bison, a romantic hitman/fast-food owner (along with his brother, Fadel). Kant is tasked by the police to gathering information on the hitman duo and tries to seduce Bison. But Fadel is suspicious. Kant asks his slightly unhinged friend, Style, to seduce Fadel to give him the upper hand. Style eventually wins Fadel over, but things go wrong during a botched mission. The two couples will have to face: 1/ the police 2/ their "mother" and her organization... and perhaps other dangers.

+++ Two couples with incredible chemistry. First and Khaotung are cute, but Joong and Dunk steal the show.
+++ Excellent OSTs
+++ Effective direction (even if the action scenes are a bit weak).

### The story is completely focused on romance. Don't take anything seriously, especially the "hitmen" aspect—so careless, so unprofessional, so naive... it's laughable.
### The sound quality is awful in some episodes (☆_@)
### The arc with Khun Mae in the finale is laughable and completely unnecessary.

=> Enjoy it without overthinking it, just for the pleasure of watching the two sweet couples.
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BL Rom-Action avec First & Khaotung et Joong & Dunk

PLOT: Kant, tatoueur et indic, a 1 one-night-stand avec Bison, romantique tueur à gages / tenancier (avec son frère, Fadel) d'1 fast-food. Kant est chargé par la police de collecter des infos sur le duo de tueurs et drague Bison. Mais Fadel est méfiant. Kant demande à son pote un peu cinglé, Style, de draguer Fadel pr lui donner le champ libre. Style finit par conquérir Fadel, mais les choses se gâtent lors d'1 mission ratée. Les 2 couples devront faire face à : 1/ la police 2/ leur "mère" et son organis° ... et peut-être d'autres dangers.

+++ 2 couples avec une alchimie d'enfer. First et Khao sont cutes, mais Joong et Dunk déchirent l'écran.
+++ Excellentes OSTs
+++ Réalis° efficace (mm si les scènes d'act° sont un peu légères).

### Story complètement focus sur la romance. Il ne faut pas prendre quoi que ce soit au sérieux, en particulier, le côté "tueurs à gages" si négligents, si peu professionnels, si naïfs, ... est risible.
### Qualité du son dégueulasse dans certains épisodes (☆_@)
### La scène avec Khun Mae ds le final est risible et parfaitement inutile.

=> A savourer sans se prendre la tête pr le plaisir de regarder les 2 sweet couples.

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FINALLY PERTHSANTA!!!

I am absolutely loving this series so far! PerthSanta are one of my favorite couples, and they are perfect for these characters. The story feels intense but also has those soft, fun moments that I adore in BLs. It feels like such a fresh, new story, and I’m already loving the plot—I can totally see this becoming a very soft and "comfort" series for all of us even though we’ll definitely all be crying later, but that’s part of the journey. I’m so impressed because even the first episode was engaging, which is rare!! I’m also so happy for them. Honestly, I’ve never seen Perth look as happy as he is with Santa, and the same goes for Santa. They are the cutest together and they don’t deserve any of the hate they’ve received in the past.
I truly hope that with this series, they finally get the success and recognition they deserve. Please, never separate Perth and his Tata! I’ll always support them and every project they do because, honestly, this is peak television. In fact, I think that even if they were to act in a boring series, I would still watch it and never get bored simply because they are in it together. I can't wait for the next episodes! 🖤🤍

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If there’s one thing that defines Fourever You, it’s emotional chaos… but the kind that keeps you hooked .

The story follows Easter, who moves to a university in northern Thailand to escape the memories of a past relationship. Of course, fate has other plans, and he ends up reuniting with Hill, his ex. This sets up a relationship full of confusion, unresolved feelings, and twists that, honestly, feel a bit messy at times.

I have to be honest here: the main couple didn’t really work for me. Ter’s childish behavior was something I just couldn’t stand. That kind of immaturity in a university setting feels out of place . Hill, on the other hand… wow he has such an intense, captivating gaze. But their storyline is all over the place, first it’s uncertainty, then misunderstandings, then hints about past feelings… it just feels unnecessarily complicated.

Now, the real highlight of the show is Johan and North.
They completely stole the spotlight for me . Their dynamic is fun, engaging, and full of chemistry. The whole “accidental debtor meets a flirty, spoiled creditor” trope works so well here. It’s entertaining, charming, and honestly the reason I kept watching.

The group dynamic is also a strong point. The friends from the art club and the medical students bring warmth and humor to the story, balancing out the romantic drama nicely. Those moments of friendship feel genuine and add a lot to the overall vibe.

In the end, Fourever You isn’t perfect. Some storylines work better than others, but it still has something special. And thanks to couples like Johan and North, it becomes a memorable watch.

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