Reviews

I do not understand how you can rate this higher than 4

I am quite surprised to see so many high ratings, and I wonder if we all watched the same movie.
This was beyond mediocre, and the only interesting part of this movie was the last 20 minutes, but you can not save the movie with a 20-minute action sequence.

The story lacks build-up, background, and all of the things that were happening were so chaotic and failed to set that nice background pre-disaster.
Characters felt messy and were following their own script, and that feeling of "grab" most disaster movies have was completely absent. It did not grab the viewer's attention and felt chaotic trying to follow it all.
I also did not like how the movie was dragging for most of the time, and that feeling of "survival" kicked in only in the last 20 minutes.
This felt poorly written and mediocre.

Maybe someone will like it, but for me this was not good.

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MORE THAN JUST A BL DRAMA

I absolutely love this drama. The acting is so fucking incredible, and I was completely amazed by how much care and effort went into making this drama, especially with all the small details that stay true to the novel. You can really see how much thought was put into every part of the story, and I truly appreciate that.
The thing that touched me the most is the emotional connection I have with the main character. I really feel such a strong bond with him, and I already know it will be really hard to say goodbye when the drama ends. I laughed, I felt sad, and I truly cared about what happened to him.
I just know that this drama will stay in my heart for a very long time.

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I reallyhave to say that the acting is so so good. Non of them made me weird or cringe. And the story is good , actually its a novel based but without a proper direction this can't be this good. I actually felt emotional with sun during his emotional moments. In the 8th episode when he act for the suicide scene its actually felt real like the smile at end before jump its soo good. And the tension and chemistry between jay and sun is perfect. Its a perfect mix of revenge and romance non exceed another. Most of bl concentrate on romance but this has the right amount of everything. Good work guys.... this may be my second favorite after kinnporch if i have to say.
Anyway i hope for a perfect ending of this series....

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Worth Watching!!!

I had downloaded the OST Sole Love by Liu Yu Ning a while ago but never started on the drama because of some of the negative comments. But let me tell you when I finally watched it, it was amazing!

First of all, some say the powers were too comic like but honestly I love thinking of this show like a superhero in Wuxia world. That's honestly an amazing cross over and helps differentiate it from the rest of the shows. A lot of the Wuxia shows are now literally all about revenge so it's very refreshing to see a kind of different plot.

Best things I love about this show:

- Hidden Identity (HI)- I don't normally count amnesia as HI since other shows have it that everyone knows who the lead is but the lead themselves don't know which is weird. But this one was a kin to HI. There was HI when he was kind of hiding the man in black identity so reveals for that was good. Then there's HI for when his prince identity actually comes to light (to basically all at the same time). So love the many reveals and I live off of that.
- Superhero powers- only ML has this so it's actually quite different than other Wuxia shows where everyone and everywhere pops out a grand master.
- OST amazing, not only the Sole Love song which was played sparingly but epically so you know an epic take over fight was going to go down. But the other songs were great too.
- The leads acted well, both of them. Looks wise not the highest on my books but they have their charms. (I like Cheng Lei better as a Villian or Anti Hero). The side characters Su Mu Yang (prince) and Mo Ying (Wuling) were so hot/cute. I've seen Bi Wen Jun act in A Class of Her Own but he was just meh looking there. Literally trying to compare and see why he's so much hotter here- great job on the hair and styling.
- Side character plots were nice for the most part, ups and downs.
- I'll just sound like a girly girl here but I loved the superhero cross over with vampires as well with all the blood sucking. Also never seen this before in a full length historical C drama.
- Speaking of, drama was pretty hot on the hot scale. Kiss in the first scene and many dispersed. Sweet kisses, rough kisses, very long kisses, in bed kisses. All the variations.
- I also like when one lead stays consistent in suffering more. Which was clearly the FL here. So I can sympathize the whole way with her.

Some things that make me downgrade to 9 from 9.5 (I don't normally ever do 10)

- This is not a scheming show. But even then, it felt like the choices that the characters did were a bit not thought out and sudden.
Some examples- Qing Er taking her own life when being held hostage- with her fighting skills so can probably get out of that hold- don't think they broke her tendons yet.
And then the whole FL and ML in You state parting when she didn't need to go. Why didn't the ML make it clearer that he remembered all the times that they were together?
Then when FL went back to the country, and the ministers were calling for her death??? That was so weird, one esteemed General did one mistake and instead of just punishing them or banishing them etc, you need them to die? They have no other lead generals. And also generally the ministers can be influenced to say certain things when they're your ally. I guess that means that the new Emperor really has no one in his camp and that they're all impartial ministers now or even trying to be against him? But at least the twist ending helped make up.

But overall, amazing show!!! Worth the watch if you like vampiric superhero Wuxia with hidden identity!

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Lin Wanxing, Wang Fa, and Their Babies

Last year, I did look up to "Road to Success", but I literally had zero expectation of it - particularly, because I'm wary of Esther Yu's baby-ish voice and the fact that football isn't a prominent sport for the Chinese. Weeks before watching, I attempted reading half of the novel and found out that it actually did football justice. To be honest, I'm a football fanatic and currently supporting Arsenal in Premier League (Liverpool's performance had plummeted this season - but previously, I also liked Liverpool back in Juergen Klopp's shining era). For this year's World Cup, I support England - although they have been upended by Argentine (most likely to clinch the championship for the consecutive year, but let's see what surprise Spain has prepared for the final). Okay, it's time to rock back to the review again!!

The main story tells about a healthy and mature romance between Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa, with the football theme as a plot device to create a close proximity for them, as they tackle on the issues faced by the school's football team and do their best to secure a place in the league. Lin Wanxing, a psychology-PhD-dropout-turned sports equipment keeper, is a strong-willed and resilient woman who has a sanguine viewpoint of life despite a scandalous incident in her past. Actually, she has also considered suicide but still decides to live on so as to help other people realize their dreams. Against her parents' wishes, Wanxing applies to Hongjing No. 8 School as a sport equipment keeper, for the sake of her late grandfather (her grandparents were tutors in Hongjing and had helped many people through education). Wanxing has emotionally distant parents, which prompts her to loathe them. In this school, she incidentally meets Wang Fa, a former British club's coach and Wanxing's tenant who's been investigating his player's suicide case. All clues regarding the murderer points to her, thus begins the cat-and-mouse game between them. Wang Fa has a hilarious family consisting of his goofy father Wang Genfa, stern but doting sister Wang Tian, and faithful brother-in-law as well as partner-in-crime Yu Bo.

A legion of dramas has told us that love is usually built on perilous circumstances, including life-and-death situations, misunderstandings, betrayals, etc. Soon, we've become exhausted of them as these tropes are being recycled in a rinse-and-repeat mode. However, "Road to Success" provides none of the tropes listed above. Surprisingly, it encourages a mature and refreshing romance story between two supportive people. You don't need to worry about unnecessary conflicts, dramas, personal vendettas, feuds, or whatsoever. Despite both leads' gloomy past, they have never used it against each other (like Wang Fa says, everyone has their own right to hide their ugly sides of life, when Wanxing is afraid that Wang Fa won't accept her). Both of them also take turns to help each other when troubles arise (for example, Wanxing comforts Wang Fa as he tells Jason's suicide and how his mother still blames Wang Fa for her son's death - or maybe when Wang Fa insists on accompanying Wanxing to her grandparents' tombs, so as to prevent her parents from abusing her again.

Meanwhile, the babies aka the players of Hongjing No. 8 School are comprised of Fu Xinshu, Qin Ao, Chen Jianghe, Wen Chengye, Yu Ming, Lin Lu, Qi Liang, Zheng Ren, Zheng Feiyang, Feng Suo, and Zhi Hui. Previously, they were admitted to the school through special recommendation, thanks to their football's careers. However, when a teammate transferred to other school and their coach abandoned them, they began to lose hope and considered football as an omen or taboo for them. Since then, they have been divided into several classes and perform badly in academics (except Wen Chengye). Coincidentally, Wanxing is assigned to become the team's supervisor and encourages them not to lose their hopes and break through their predestined fate, creating an unforgettable experience in their lives. After much persuasion from Wanxing, Wang Fa steps in as their new coach, fueling their spirits to win the following matches. Aside from the leads' story, we also have Qin Ao, Fu Xinshu, and Wen Chengye's backstories while most serve as a comic relief or catalyst for the main couple's relationship. Personally, I like Fu Xinshu and Wen Chengye's pairing the most - the two teenagers come from troubled family and have many miscommunication issues (you know, teenagers are stubborn in expressing their ideas and prefer to keep their feelings bottle up, but it actually shows how realistic this drama is), but in the end they will resolve their conflict and become best friends again. Oh yeah, the football terminology is also handled meticulously - as someone who has some experience in watching real football matches (and a father whom I can discuss football with), I think it's kinda better than my pessimistic thoughts.

Now, to the acting part. I really love Esther Yu's portrayal as a level-headed and calm teacher who becomes a illuminating starlight crashing through her babies' bleak daily lives. She exudes the undeniably sunshine aura needed for Wanxing's character essence. Despite her doing the dubbing again, this time she sounds more mature and less like a pouty little girl (if you've seen "Speed and Love", you can relate to that). Aside from Esther Yu, I also like Chen Jingke as Wang Fa. Previously, I'd only seen him in "Amidst a Snowstorm of Love" as a supporting character. This role can be considered as breakout for him and he uses micro-expressions very well through act of service and love language for Wanxing. I hope there will be more main roles for him to take - he really has the potential to become a well-known star. Special mention for Victor Ma - his awfully nonsensical bickering with Wang Fa always gets me in laughter. The babies are naturally newbies who have recently entered the C-drama industry (while mostly take mini dramas or guest roles in other big dramas). Kudos to Zhu Boyan for his debut role as the rebellious yet righteous Qin Ao too. Meanwhile, another special mention for Liu Jun and Yan Yuchen for their bromance energy (or you can call it subtle BL if you want to) in this drama (I've only seen Yan Yuchen in "Generation to Generation", but his styling isn't my cup of tea - as for Liu Jun, he played a supporting role in "Revenged Love" prior to taking "Road to Success").

OSTs are better than my expectation after a slump of nice songs in C-drama land. I especially like Bai Jugang and Excuse Me's high-octane rock anthem, Dong Xianglin and Zhao Lei's melancholic pieces, and Duan Aojuan's jazzy track (thank God, this time she doesn't sing cringey songs anymore). I'm not into Curley Gao and Du's tracks though.

To cap it all, "Road to Success" is highly recommended if you're into healthy green-flag relationships, football, the team's camaraderie, the subtle psychological counterparts, and many more. Overall, it's a ten out of ten. Thank you for reading, good luck, and happy watching!!!

P.S.
1. The mysterious people who lead Wanxing to work at Hongjing No. 8 School and reorganize the chaotic football team is actually her grandparents, Director Qian (her higher-up), and Jiang Xun (Coach Jiang's son and Grandpa Lin's most beloved disciple).
2. The person who slanders Wanxing of having an affair with her professor is Xiang Zi, her senior. Filled with jealousy and resentment over Wanxing's popularity in the campus, he resorts to using underhanded tactics to destroy Wanxing's life and makes her as miserable as possible.

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I'll Be Right Back... And I've Sneaked Away Again!

I needed a break from romance, and Mysterious Lotus Casebook supplied that admirably. There was little to no romance in this story of a jaded martial arts leader turned traveling physician turned part-time detective.

The Good:
• Cheng Yi played Li Lian Hua/Li Xiang Yi, a man who was jaded by the disappointments of his past. He carried enormous self-condemnation for his youthful arrogance and judged himself far too harshly. To the same extent he condemned himself, he forgave all his betrayers. As Li Xiang Yi, he upheld justice and trusted too well those he befriended. Li Xiang Yi was a different sort of hero: he was admirable, though hardly approachable or easily likable. It took getting to know him well to understand his lies and subterfuges were protections for others, because he didn't wish to involve them in dangerous situations. And he wouldn't allow others to become close to him because of his past (not having good discernment) or his future (not planning on having one).
• Joseph Zeng played the part of the wide-eyed novice, Fang Duo Bing, well. He was naive and inept when first meeting Li Lian Hua. So gullible! The drama saw him grow from a coddled noble to a capable detective.
• Xiao Shun Yao was spectacular as the stony-faced villain, Di Fei Sheng. I especially enjoyed his character arc.
• The developing friendships of the male leads were the heart of the drama and delightful to watch.
• The anime moving the Lotus House to new locations was charming.
• Spirit Fox was a good dog. That smiling face!

The Bad:
• Li Lian Hua suffered 10 years of the ambiguity of his Senior's death. He spent those years frantically searching for his body and looking for closure. Would someone who had gone through that perpetuate that non-ending for others?
• Would someone please unharness those horses? It's like they lived in their harnesses. I felt angst over that!

The drama was open-ended. How could Li Lian Hua do that to me?! I've added a half star for Di Fei Sheng's look of annoyance whenever he dealt with Fang Duo Bing. Amused me every time.

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THE BEST DRAMA!!!!

I literally finished watching the drama today. Normally I don't watch ongoing dramas, I wait for them to finish airing. But this drama really made me watch it while it's ongoing. I really watched it from the day it started to air to the last day. Before the trailer I was excited for the drama before of esther yu and chen jingke(I love them both) but ever since the trailer was out I was more excited for this drama and tbh I kinda had high hopes for the drama and it freaking did not disappoint me.
The friendship, the school bond, teachers-students bond, romance, there were some psychological and mystery too. Ig I'll be the only person who'll have no negative comments on this drama. Lin laoshi and coach wang's and the football team's bond is really really awesome, everybody had so much chemistry ngl(bruh I'm teary even typing lol). And lin laoshi(esther yu) and coach wang(chen jingke) slowly developing romance nothing rushed, it was really nice watching them. And they had nice chemistry, even though there weren't many romantic scenes there little moments really showed the chemistry.
I think the director and the production team did a good job with choosing the cast. I really love this football team. Watching this while watching WC is haha i have no words to say.
And I really loved Yu Bo and Wang Fa's dad lmao they are hilarious.
In my pov this drama is also about healing.
I'm gonna miss this, like I waited everyday for the episodes to air.
I 100% recommend this!!! Ig this is gonna be my fav drama ever (I never had a fav drama before even though I have watched so many dramas)

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Suka banget!!!

Overall, suka banget sama drama Ester Yu yg ini, after Speed n Love. Ini beneran berkesan sih, bagi aku. Romance-nya warm, gak menggebu-gebu. Sangat dewasa dan menenangkan. Meski i hope, di ending ada extra romance buat XingFa, but, kalo merujuk pada judul sih, emang udah tepat endingnya gitu hehew.

Dan yaps, drama ini bukan tentang cinta yang datang dengan ledakan besar, tetapi tentang orang-orang yang perlahan belajar memaafkan masa lalu, menyembuhkan diri dan akhirnya menemukan keberanian untuk melangkah lagi.

Dan well, gue paling suka Chen Jingke di sini, sumpah yaa, aura maskulinnya sangat aur-auran TT TT. Mba Ester, gue iri bet dah. Keknya dia so far ini, lawan mainnya selalu tipe gue banget haha. Bahkan drama mendatangnya pun sama aktor Hengdian fav gue, si Neo Hou.

OST Favorit gue:
1. 光荣的前章 [Guāngróng de Qiánzhāng] - Bái Jǔgāng (白举纲)
2. 无声引力 [Silent Gravity] - Dǒng Xiānglín (董相麟)

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“Because God is love.”

I really love that they made this not only to open up the minds of others but to show them the real cruelty and struggle of a person that is stuck in between choosing his happiness as a person and to love one another and not to mention the same gender, or choosing God over everything even though he knows that if he let the person he loves go, the consequences of that would be him forever yearning for that perosn. It's not just about choosing to continue to love that person but this show also shows us that we can love ourselves and also love him(God) at the same time; because we wouldn't know God if we don't love. :)

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A Story That Quietly Healed Everyone

A story about 11 students, a teacher, and a coach who healed each other without even realizing it simply by being there for one another, believing in each other, and loving each other.

It’s about 11 students who believed they weren’t good enough and felt abandoned, so they pretended they had moved on from football and didn’t care about it anymore. But deep down, they still longed to play again, win, and chase their dreams.

It’s also about a lonely, depressed teacher who was ready to give up on everything. She went to her grandfather’s old school just to slack off, only to end up adopting 11 more lonely kids who became her biggest source of strength and support.

And then there’s a broken coach who lost his beloved student and gave up coaching because he believed he wasn’t good enough to teach football anymore. Without realizing it, he became the perfect coach for these 11 students, and through them, he slowly began to heal and rediscover his love for coaching.

I really love this series. It’s so healing and peaceful. The pacing is perfect not dragging, and not a single boring episode. I especially loved Wen Chengye’s character. He reminded me so much of my cat he always cared about everyone and everything, but pretended he didn’t.

I’ll always come back to this series. I love these characters, and I love this story. The cast, the OST, the acting everything was done so well.

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A Journey That Felt Like Home

Road to Success was an unexpected 10/10 for me. Before it aired, I barely kept up with any updates or promotions. I started it solely because of Esther Yu. By the end, I found myself completely attached to every character and every step of their journey.

This is, without a doubt, my favorite Esther Yu modern drama. Lin Wanxing was such a refreshing character—responsible, caring, emotionally mature, and the heart of the entire team. She wasn't just supporting them, she was the light that kept everyone moving forward.

This was also my first Chen Jingke drama, and he genuinely impressed me. He fit the role of Wang Fa perfectly. Calm, dependable, and inspiring without trying too hard, he embodied everything you'd hope to see in a coach.

The boys completely stole my heart too. Each of them had their own personality, struggles, and growth, making the team feel like a real family instead of just a group of side characters. Wen Chengye was my personal favorite (even though I loved all of them).

One character I absolutely couldn't stand was Xiang Zi. He was an absolute psycho, and every time he appeared on screen, he made my blood boil.

One of my favorite moments in the drama was Xingxing's courtroom speech. It was powerful, emotional, and incredibly delivered. I also appreciated how the director wasn't afraid to address certain issues in that scene. It gave the drama much more depth and made its message even more meaningful.

More than the romance or the football itself, this drama was about growth, dreams, friendship, and finding people who believe in you. Watching them overcome setbacks and celebrate every small victory made me feel like I was right there alongside them. By the finale, it honestly felt like I had gone through the journey with my own little family, watching them shine brighter and brighter.

Road to Success is warm, comforting, inspiring, and full of heart. It's one of those dramas that quietly stays with you long after it ends, and I couldn't have asked for a better surprise.

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