Reviews

It was one of a kind ~ we need more dramas like this

The plot is One of a Kind delicately captures the political nuances and shifting dynamics in China and its surrounding regions after World War I, particularly following the fall of Germany. Over the course of 48 episodes, we witness the profound influence of Russia, Japan (most prominently), the US, and the UK in North China. Given the historical context, I can't help but feel that this is the version that made it past the censorship filters of the CCP-affiliated board,... leaving me to wonder what the real cost of freedom must have been in those times.
If someone asks me to recommend a similar show i cant... Sure genres can be replicated but the plot was entirely unique .

The pacing is deliberately slow, as the story doesn't strictly begin or end.. it simply follows two years in the lives of AMA cadets during their graduation period. What surprises me, however, is just how much happens in that short span: military standoffs, shootouts, undercover operations, kidnappings, bombings, political intrigue, coups, and financial crises. The odds feel stacked, and at times it seems as though the writer mistook this small military academy for the only functioning institution in all of China. From something as pivotal as the Twenty-One Demands to something as trivial as an underground fight club, everything ties back to the academy and its cadets. It's a lot—even for fiction. That said, I was never bored, so I'll let it slide.

Where the writer truly shines is in character development. The first half is heavily dedicated to the parallel leads, especially Qu Manting. Wu Jiayi delivered a phenomenal performance, completely overshadowing Bai Lu in the first 20–25 episodes—something I never thought possible. Her character is written with immense care, and she plays it with savage precision. Every single-breath-dialogue-delivery, every expression, and her chemistry with Xu Kai? Chef's kiss.

As for the leads, Xie Xiang (or Xie Liangchen) felt lackluster, and Bai Lu struggled to bring much depth to the role. For most of the show, she wore the same dull expression. Even Gu Yanzhen wasn't given much to work with, but Xu Kai's effort and expressive acting made his character worth watching. The type chemistry (in-organic) between the leads wasn't my cup of tea, for most of the series they were not involved with each other so that romantic aspect was very much missing.
On a side note, Bai Lu must have been injured multiple times during filming—her hands were visibly wounded even in scenes with no prior action.


The OST is just okay. I wasn't particularly fond of the "Romeo and Juliet" track, so I won't rate the music highly.

However, the costumes, weapons, set design, and impressive casting all reflect the high production value of the show.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this drama. It could have been improved if the writer had involved other institutions or cadets in filler plots—centralizing everything around AMA felt a bit forced. Still, One of a Kind is absolutely worth watching.

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This is one of my favorite dramas, even though I initially started watching it because it stars Bailu, who is my favorite Chinese actress. But after I started watching it, I found myself eagerly awaiting the release of each new episode, and it became a source of inspiration for me. Maybe it’s because I really love romance and angst-filled dramas, which made me enjoy this one even more. The plot is full of twists, so it’s hard to predict and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The soundtrack is pleasant to listen to, and the acting by the cast is excellent. ˃͈◡˂͈

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some of the best written thai gl characters

this is less of a review and more of a very long think piece read at ur own discretion lol

honestly, i didn't particularly care for the storyline during the first half of the series. one of the main reasons i kept watching was because of how brilliantly the characters were written. right from the start they felt incredibly real, flawed, and three-dimensional, even when i wasn't fully invested in what was happening around them. but then episodes 7-8 happened and from then through to the end of episode 10 (which i think is the strongest-and my favorite-episode of the series) i was completely hooked and that is easily my favorite stretch of the show. the final two episodes were slightly weaker in comparison, and the mafia plotline completely threw me for a loop ?? lmao, but by that point i was already very emotionally invested in the characters that it didn't take away from how much i ended up loving the series.

what i think the series excels at more than anything else is character writing. these are some of the most believable protagonists i've seen in a thai gl ever. the show never tries to force them into neat categories of "good" or "bad". it allows them to be contradictory, selfish, caring, impulsive, immature, 3 dimensional characters. they make bad decisions, and hurt each other, then they regret those decisions, and continue making mistakes because that's literally what real people do. the biggest strength of the writing is the show understanding and showing you that flawed people are still deserving of love.

the push-and-pull dynamic between pun and ploy works so SO well. from the get go, the relationship is complicated by pun's plan to get close to ploy because of her brother, (something we later learn ploy already knew about, which adds even more layers to the conversation), but there's a much more interesting emotional layer underneath that, ploy. she completely shuts down the moment she senses abandonment, betrayal, or emotional pain. she refuses to communicate, lashes out, she is avoidant and becomes intentionally hurtful, she hides behind an emotionally cold exterior. the series makes it clear that it stems directly from the way she was raised. i loved that they allowed her upbringing to have lasting consequences on the way she navigates relationships and how that seeps into her every day life, they don't treat childhood trauma as something people just "get over."

and then, pun. her characterization might be truly one of the most realistic i've seen in a thai gl. almost everything she does is so so believable to me, down to the smallest details and quirks. her artistic side especially resonated with me specifically. the fact that she writes down her thoughts, folds them into little paper butterflies, and creates an entire butterfly wall out of them is such a beautiful piece of characterization!! small stuff like that to tell you what kind of character and person she is. i think her choices throughout the series are so incredibly grounded and realistic as well (count how many times i use the word realistic or real lol). sometimes she acts selfishly, (ex. using ploy to get closer to her brother, using bee, and kissing her just to make ploy jealous.) other times she makes impulsive decisions without thinking (and still the series does not reduce her to a dumb character whatsoever!), or keeps very important things to herself, like refusing to tell her family about the money she lost because she's worried, because she doesn't want to disappoint them, especially when she constantly compares herself to prang in her parents' eyes. i don't view her as a bad person because of these choices, but i dont think they automatically make her a 100% good "pure" character either, i loved that!!! that's good!!!! the series consistently refuses to moralize ALL of its characters (but esp pun and ploy), you are forced to sit with the choices they make and the consequences of them and you are forced to think about them and spend time trying to understand.

THIS!! is how you write toxicity🙏🙏🙏🙏😭😭😭😭😭. both pun and ploy are deeply flawed, but the narrative refuses to romanticize or excuses the ways they hurt each other. their actions have consequences, they're forced to confront those consequences, and their character development feels gradual and earned. so many thai gls are guilty of introducing conflict simply for the sake of creating angst before resolving everything an episode later with a quick apology or confession. this series does not fall into this pattern. i think every conflict pushes the characters forward, and every reconciliation feels like something they have to work for.

despite dealing with heavier emotional themes, the series also has an incredibly fun personality. i loved how quirky and unique so much of its execution was, esp in the 1st half. the "angel" persona on pun's shoulder that's actually the devil in disguise (literally lmao) , alongside the pun-in-a-mustace man / sherlock persona (?) that acts as the sensible voice of reason, were such funny additions that made her internal conflicts much more entertaining to watch.

im not one to be thrilled for romcoms usually, but i need to admit that the series does comedy so, very well. at the same time, i think the show is at its absolute best during its quieter, and more vulnerable scenes where the writing and performances shine the brightest, and where i find myself able to emphasize most with the characters and join in on this vulnerable space that the actresses manage to create.

another small aspect that i think is worth mentioning is the friend group. it felt like an ACTUAL group of queer friends living their lives. it's such a small thing, but it made the world feel so much more lived in. one other creative decision i absolutely loved was episode 10's choice to never actually show pun in the present. we only experience her presence through a video, or flashbacks and memories other characters have of her after she's disappeared to the other side of the world. very deliberate choice to heighten the emptiness her absence leaves behind, and i 100% think that episode wouldn't have hit the same if the audience had been able to see her normally.

i legitimately stood up and started clapping when pun chose new york despite ploy still being in thailand. i loved that the writers allowed her to choose herself. new york is her dream. it is one more reminder on top of tens of others the writers sprinkle throughout the story that these women are individuals before they're partners. they have their own ambitions, identities, and agency outside of each other. media so often strips female protagonists of that agency by having them sacrifice their dreams, careers, or education ect.. for love because everything magically works itself out in the finale. the series doesn't exactly do that. it frames pun as her own person first and foremost, and i was seriously glad to see that thank you player

one could argue though that ploy leaving thailand is maybe in itself a sacrifice , but i also think the series addresses that through their conversation where she admits that acting was never truly her dream, pun was, she made a deliberate choice that her character does not suffer from or 'lose' something from.
regardless, it is a deliberate writing choice that feels like a breath of fresh air.

pacing is another thing i thought the series handled exceptionally well. i might have mentioned above how the show took their time with conflict resolution. i also just found the story itself coherent. outside of the mafia subplot, which felt almost completely disconnected tonally 💀, i don't think i found myself questioning the internal logic of the narrative and i dont think there were any plot holes that were left unresolved. i also have to mention the supporting cast because i seriously enjoyed jay and prang just as much as pun and ploy, and at certain times even more than them. they work beautifully as a couple, but they're compelling as individuals too, especially prang.

to further highlight just how strong i think the character writing is, ying's character has what i think is like less than thirty minutes of total screentime (if even) and STILL comes across as a fully realized interesting person. the same can be said for most of the other minor supporting characters. that is something i find a lot of thai gls struggle with, with their side characters usually ending up feeling very flat, but this is absolutely not the case here. and this to me is another testament to just how much care went into the writing.

one of the very first things that caught my attention, and something that continued to impress me throughout the entire series, was the cinematography, post-production and overall editing style. the framing is i think unlike anything i've seen in a thai gl before (ik i still have a lot to watch ok). the camera lens choices, the barrel distortion, chromatic aberration, vignetting, color grading, and lighting all come together to create a really distinct visual identity for both parts of the show. and past episode 7 (i think?), the series undergoes a very deliberate shift in its color grading that mirrors the emotional shift in the story.

i also really appreciated that the soundtrack wasn't just the same ost playing over and over again. the sound design is some of the strongest i've heard in a thai gl i think?, i dont think i can remember even a single moment where the audio felt awkward or poorly mixed

i think my criticisms are fairly straightforward? the abusive parent redemption arc strikes again... we're tired......... i'm always put off when stories decide to go in that direction. the mafia plotline was actually so random that i'm choosing not to even unpack it because... what the f*ck was that?

while some of the romantic dialogue felt a little clunky during the earlier episodes, that completely disappeared for me in the second half. the 2nd half honestly feels like a completely different series. i absolutely LOVED how the tone gradually shifted from something quirky and fun and very classically romcom-y into this much heavier, angsty and emotional almost melodrama. that's also where i think the actresses really shine. icememi are fantastic in the quieter, and more emotionally demanding scenes. that’s also where the acting feels most natural i think. the acting was absolutely phenomenal all throughout the second half and the slight doubt i had completely vanished.

overall! i can very obviously tell just how much love, care and hardwork was poured into this series. i can only hope more writers and directors look at shows like player for inspiration because this is the kind of character writing i want to see more of!!

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Watch for Heo Nam Jun and Supporting Cast - NOT for Storytelling ⏳☄️✨

Let’s start with our leads and the foundation of our story, its romantic arc. First, I gained so much respect for Heo Nam Jun through this series! I have seen him do decent work in the past, but this character gave him an opportunity to shine, which he did brightly 🌟 His character went from two dimensional chaebol, to emotionally complicated prince, to a love stricken, heart driven man - fluidly - with a clear evolution that we could follow and get behind. He very much carried the romance, particularly when our comedic time slipping aspects needed to mellow so we may connect to the heart of this love story. If you are a fan, i would watch the entire series for him, easily.

Im Ji Yeon, on the other hand, doesn’t exhibit the same fluidity between comedy and melodrama. Through this series, i am noticing that I have a preference for her realistic characters, which of course this one was not. She tends to rely on outside/in personality development in comedy, which works for short pieces, like a comedic film, or the theatre. This character, however, was complex. The script didn’t fully sell it, so in the end it landed on her to make us believe it. For my taste, her farcical/comedic approach to her astronomical time slipping character was very appealing at the top, but needed to melt at some point to support the romantic arc, which was the absolute core of this world. Further, she needed to be able to meet the emotional development of her co-actor / romantic interest. Unfortunately, for my oreference, she opted to stay with the personality driven character that was relevant at the top of the series, but not toward its more heart wrenching aspects toward the end. The director is ALSO very much responsible for this. Although I enjoyed her plant whipping 🌿 chasing antics when it was appropriate, we needed to FEEL this life altering, time bending kind of Love.

As for our supporting cast, it was mostly A list actors, and i truly celebrate them. It would have been a blast to be part of this set, with this group of diverse and talented actors. They also carried the piece in the places where our directing and screenwriting disintegrated. I laughed a lot and cursed them often (as appropriate for the narrative 🫰🏽).

The directing was decent and mostly supported the story, minus the already mentioned lack of support of the romantic unfolding. Unfortunately, It was a mediocre script. They took a crazy risk with this concept, and it had potential to be great, but it needed to be fully developed in order for us to suspend disbelief and simply enjoy it at face value. Dramaturgy (script development) needs a home in Kdrama land. In this case, aspects of the story seemed added part way, while others fell away, leaving holes in its stead. In general, our script lacked coherence. Yet! It was entertaining, at that superficial level.

All in all, i enjoyed the ride ⏳☄️✨ even with the disappointment of the script and imbalanced depth of our romance.

(Initially a comment, but thought it might be helpful to others later 🤓)

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Now this is more like it!

This season is so much better than the first one it is no comparison. Most of the cast from the original season are back minus Sisley Choi, but this is not a bad thing because Sisley Choi’s character in season 1 was such a hateful woman. I really disliked the character so cutting her out - although a coincidence - was actually great and made the drama much easier to watch. Putting Kalok Chow as a new character was also a great idea, watching him is always a lot of fun and it is no different here.

The show still promotes HKIA but now it adds some needed drama into the mix, like truly misbehaving passengers, landing problems, computer malfunctions due to international antivirus updates (that actually happened), it was quite entertaining. Also watching Kalok Chow as an intern being smitten by Kenneth Ma’s ex was really funny and a much needed humor injection in this otherwise quite a bland drama when the characters interact.

That’s not to say I don’t have issues with the drama. The services that the drama show to provide are still very different in real-life because at HKIA nobody is as helpful as the show makes the personnel out to be. You would be lucky if staff made so much effort to retrieve someone’s passport like the drama showed as we see the ground staff running to a shuttle bus to find a passengers’ passport. I guarantee you that would never happen. What does happen is they would call someone and hope that person is near the bus and then that other person would walk slowly onto the bus to search in slow-motion for something. This is the truth, but of course a drama promoting how great the airport is is going to make it look like the staff would run marathons for you.

My other complaint is Kenneth still missing his ex-wife. Seriously, even though Sisley is no longer part of the show, the drama gives the excuse of Sisley going to work at Dubai airport. We get scenes of him reminiscing about their time together and I was like “did you forget what happened in season 1?” When there was suddenly news about an accident at Dubai airport with a floor collapsing, I was hoping Sisley’s character was killed so Kenneth could move on but nope… suddenly Kenneth gets a silent phone call and oh ex-wife is okay. Damn!

And my other problem is that the main characters seem to always be at the airport. Like they eat there, sleep there, drink there, enjoy their free time there, go to the gym there, flirt there, we never see them leave the airport and go home or go out to a restaurant in Hong Kong. No, everyone is always at the airport as if it were this place that is both a second home and social hub for them. What? Seriously, I understand they work hard but you can’t make their entire lives revolve around that airports, it is just sad. Watching Tony Hung and Samantha Ko, who are dating now in the show, eating at the canteen and trying to make it look like some romantic moment seemed really forced.

And man… Samantha Ko’s character is my last complaint. She is a single mother in this show but she has no idea what her daughter is doing, like at all. She doesn’t know when her school has any activities or when her daughter is off school. Tony had to tell her and her reaction is always “Ha? What? Really?” What kind of mother is she? And when she made a decision to go to Shanghai as part of some temporary 1 year transfer program, she agreed to it without even considering Tony or her daughter’s feelings at all. Seriously, just “oh yeah I am going” when she discussed it with Kenneth. Wtf? When Tony found out last minute he was hurt but said they would discuss it later, and I thought Tony would rip into her because Samantha was just plain selfish. Instead, Tony did a 180 degree turn and was only upset because she didn't give him time to plan everything to help her pack and arrange to look after her daughter for her. Jesus, I know some simps but Tony here took it to another level. I lost all respect for Tony’s character here and I started developing a hatred for Samantha’s character as well. When Samantha replies, “Why are you so good?” I also wanted to ask Tony that, but with a baseball bat.

I am up to episode 7, so let’s see how this rolls when it finishes at episode 10.

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Extreme love and extreme hate

Feud is a show that you have to bear with a little before you’re rewarded. Ultimately it is on the deeper, angstier side, with some philosophical tones and food for thought- I think that’s in line with this screenwriter (she’s actually the reason I watched it). But it takes some time for the layers to fall into place.

The beginning has a silly tone, complete with sound effects and funny expressions. The FL is total ditz for at least 5-6 episodes, kind of annoying but not the worst I’ve seen. Some great tragedy / misunderstanding in the past is constantly hinted at with little real information, leaving you sitting there with growing impatience wondering where it’s all going.

But it turns out that many of the things I at first thought were poor writing, plot holes, or just general inconsistencies, were actually not. Don’t get me wrong, there are some of those too. But many are actually clues. This show loves grand plot twist reveals; it also loves misdirections and confusing hints. So by halfway through, I’d been whacked so badly by plot twists that I found myself constantly and suspiciously guessing at secrets and hidden plans. It’s that kind of show.

The main plot is about the feud between the ML and FL, both resolving it in the present as well as unveiling its origins in the past. The feud is so intense that at first I thought the backstory couldn't possibly be worthy of it... but in the end, I think it is. It was bad enough to merit a lot of hate- maybe not THAT much, but debatable- and I could also see and understand how it happened. A little communication would have gone a long way, of course, but its lack here was not as outrageous as some other shows. I was satisfied with the uncovered motivation and story.

Even more, I understood both sides of the feud, and my sympathies shifted back and forth from one lead to the other. I tend to think this is a sign of good writing in setting up a meaningful and multi-dimensional conflict, involving relatable characters with sympathetic actions and emotions. And it's nice that the characters in the end are more self-aware than not, and that there are some other characters to speak the audiences’ mind.

In general, there’s a lot to unpack in this show, and some themes are carried well throughout- autonomy, karma, love and hate, etc- I’m tempted to go on about it here, but this is a review and not a critical analysis, so just know that some of the issues can get philosophical if you think about them more deeply.

Of course, a show that’s only about two people tragically broken apart by misunderstandings and unfortunate but unintended developments would probably be somewhat depressing and unsatisfying to watch. So I am glad that they came up with some final villain for them to fight together. Unfortunately, this villain is not that well constructed or explained. Their story and motivation are in line with the themes, but introduced late and kind of glossed over, especially as the show gets pretty rushed towards the end.

In fact, I waited what felt like the entire show for the two leads to make up and work together, but it kept not happening. The feud only seemed to get worse as my frustration grew. This is not the angstiest drama I’ve seen- there are some breathing breaks and even flashes of lightheartedness- but it did start to test my patience. When finally things start looking up, we are only left with a rushed last few episodes.

For better or worse, though, this probably makes the show more bingeable, because you blow through it trying to get to the part where you can finally relax.

Main villain aside, I do think the characters are generally well constructed. Like many shows that want to be deep, there aren’t that many characters to truly hate. I was ok with it here because the show and I tended to agree on how to feel. My favorite character is probably Ling’er, who has her head screwed on remarkably straight.

I also like that this show puts a spotlight on many kinds of love. The core relationship is definitely a romantic love, but many other kinds of love are shown to be just as important. I wish this weren't so uncommon.

On a less flattering note, this xianxia world is one of the more poorly constructed that I’ve seen. Some concepts or aspects of the immortals’ lives seem too lofty, others too mundane. The entire setup and world mechanics are poorly explained (and don’t get me started on that Empyrean)- I think it’s just something you have to overlook.

For the acting, I thought it’s exceptionally good. Both Bai Lu and Zeng Shunxi have some great, nuanced expressions that convey lots of different and complicated emotions. They are just as convincing for the many dramatic, emotional scenes. I also thought the second leads did a good job (Ling’er with her resigned smile!) as well as many of the side characters, like Zhao Yiqin playing three different personalities.

For other production stuff, the costumes and styling are pretty good. Bai Lu looks super pretty in this show. The CGI is sometimes not bad but, erm, mostly not that great. But for the most egregiously bad SFX, I think it was on purpose as a joke, hah. The music is alright but not really my favorite... it set the mood well enough, but I think the emotional scenes helped the music more than the music helped the scenes.

Overall, this is one of those deeper, more philosophical shows that I like. But it is more angsty than my normal preference, and it feels like a lot of the show is spent waiting for things to get better. It also has so many plot twists, clues, and misdirection, that I think by the second half when they’re mostly done with, people were disappointed by the lack of further intrigue. So it isn’t perfect, but I still liked it; it made me think and feel, even if it was somewhat emotionally taxing.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





The ending is... happy? The main couple does end up alive and together, but we only get a flash of their reunion. I found it somewhat unsatisfying.

The second leads also survive, though with no romance between them. I was happy with this more realistic development and with Ling’er saving herself rather than some guy doing it for her. However, I did secretly wish she could find the love she wanted.

Many likeable side characters die in the episodes leading up to the end, which is rather sad. There is a time reversal artifact, but luckily they don’t use this cheap trick. The role it actually plays is somewhat confusing and subject to debate.

BTW, not sure if this counts as a spoiler, but I found the ML’s love brain to be super extreme, almost as frustrating as the FL’s hate brain. But somebody on reddit pointed out that she was the first thing he saw and so he imprinted on her; that made it make a lot more sense to me. As for the FL’s hate brain, I was rooting for her to let it go, but I don’t think anyone really has the right to judge. Hatred can really feed on itself. And feelings are feelings; whatever a person feels is valid, as my therapist once said.

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A Great Catastrophe: Born of the Insurmountable Obsession w/ Cai Pingshu—the De Facto Protagonist.

"To judge a person, you should not look at how good they are in good times, but how bad they can be in bad times." - Mu Qingyan

I don't think I can start this review any other way than to address how our main leads were thoroughly utilized as mere instruments to honor the legacy of the valiant Cai Pingshu and clean up after the mess of several other crooked-minded predecessors.

What I thought was a simple flashback—a tribute to their predecessors' prowess—turned out to be the main plotline little by little. It was a narrative progression I had never foreseen, and something that caught me completely off-guard. It was an element of the story that utterly bewildered me upon discovery because, as the plot progressed, it gradually took over and soon revolved heavily around them instead of our two main protagonists. This deviation overshadowed, and ultimately stole, the story's focus from our "supposed" main leads, stealthily stripping away their identity as the legitimate main characters of the story. This structural subversion significantly reduced them to being mere icing on the cake—ones who were bestowed with life and characteristics for the sole purpose of unraveling and denouncing the hidden, filthy truth behind the atrocious events of the previous generation, revisiting the connection and friendship they built, honoring the sacrifices they made, and ultimately taking revenge for Cai Pingshu—the de facto protagonist of this show.

Was I disappointed? Damn, Yes! How could I not be when what I thought to be a simple, prolonged flashback appearing every now and then—one that lasted through approximately the first 10 episodes and that I assumed ended for good—suddenly came back several episodes later and became the core narrative the story goes back to every time, and later permanently rotates around? I am still in disbelief! I felt like I was tricked, because little did I know that they simply took a quick break from those flashbacks to "somehow" develop the main leads' story, only to shortly go back to the same track again. This progression was definitely not on my bingo card when I picked this series. At this point, it won't even be an exaggeration to declare that this story is a memoir, a grand tribute to the legacy of the legendary Cai Pingshu.

One distinctive attribute of this story's writing style that utterly mystified me—and totally deserves a resounding round of applause—was their flawless ability to manage the story's flow and transitions without seemingly overshadowing the main protagonists, simply because they are still technically the ones fighting the antagonists. *Eyerolls* It was meticulously executed to the point where it may have gone unnoticed by some, unless you're like me who's extra sensitive to and incredibly invested in the main leads.

To be fair, I was not hypercritical of the flashbacks at first. It only became a concerning factor for me when they finally went overboard by investing more than half of the show's runtime in the previous generation and their unresolved conflicts, instead of focusing on the new generation's growth and journey—as they should, since they are the main leads being promoted.

That said, just because they provided an excessive amount of exposure to the previous generation—more than I think should have been given—doesn't mean the leads lacked sufficient character development. It was never like that. In fact, I can say that the leads' arcs were still compellingly realized. Their story, although highly influenced by the past generation's conflicts, was still properly developed with steady pacing, consistent growth, and a beautiful ending—all of which were nicely dissected and delved into through different means, but most commonly through flashbacks. Countless, endless flashbacks... since that is something they are experts at. Lol

At the end of the day, it's just a mix of accumulated emotions—feeling disappointed, bewildered, and in total disbelief. Imagine, even the time that should've been spent exclusively on the main leads was instead spent on yet another batch of countless flashbacks that heavily included the past generation's shenanigans. *Sighs* Mind you, I was initially curious and interested in the past generation's story too, but as time passed, I gradually got tired of it because they were just being shown way too much.

In addition, despite the good flow of the story, there really were some scenes that made my forehead crease, my eyebrows raise, and my eyes roll at the farcical plot devices. Some of those scenes include:

First, the male lead creating their own demise. Mu Qingyan repeatedly stated his desire to kill Nie Zhe once he captured him. Yet, he allowed himself to be manipulated by Nie Zhe's diversion technique, which used his emotional weakness and caused him to escape—when he could have easily slit his throat, since his sword was literally half an inch away from his neck. I understand that he still wanted to squeeze more information from him, but I never expected him to be a victim of such schemes given how smart he is.

Second, the frustration toward Cai Zhao's parents. They forced her to leave Luoying Valley to train at the Qingque Sect and enter the Pugilistic world, when all she ever wanted was to become a businesswoman—even with the infamous knowledge that their Cai lineage has been known to produce the so-called "Demoness" for the past several generations. Thus, I find it infuriating how they reacted with shock upon learning that Cai Zhao has a mutual romantic relationship with Mu Qingyan, when they should have fully expected it following their family's historical pattern. It's just ridiculous that they have the audacity to react this way when they are equally responsible for this foreseeable outcome. On the positive side, I loved how they finally grew to accept and support Mu Qingyan toward the climax.

Third, Cai Zhao's misplaced trust in her sect mates and master, Qi Yunke. It was grating to watch her stay in denial about her master's involvement and identity as the "Man in Black," even when the evidence was pointing directly at them. More so, it is outrageous how she cried and felt conflicted about what to do with him when he deserved nothing but a painful death for the countless innocent lives he took to achieve his utterly crooked revenge.

Fourth, the leads' pitiful state. It made me scoff out of frustration to see how vulnerable, weak, and miserable both of our leads were during the final fight scene of the climax. This entire situation could have been avoided if the FL hadn't hesitated to suspect or doubt her master in the first place.

Fifth, the excessive amount of blood splattering. The sheer volume of blood in this drama felt completely unnecessary. 😅

After completing this series, one issue that totally stood out to me was the production's greed to introduce most, if not everyone, in Cai Pingshu's circle of friends from her generation. This became a considerable concern because the majority of them don't even participate in the main story's timeline—and even if they did, it was just for an irrelevant, ephemeral scene—yet the show constantly jumped between flashbacks of their younger selves and scenes of their older selves in the present time. This created so much confusion because, aside from the fact that they were never given enough individual screen time to establish themselves, there are just so many of them. So keeping track of who is who became a truly overwhelming struggle for me, especially when they were all clumped together. It reached a point where I just didn't give a fuck at all by the end.

On a brighter note, I want to praise them instead for their seamless buildup and execution of the final enemy's identity reveal. Up until the very end, I didn't dare conclude who the final antagonist was until it was officially revealed—my primary suspect was Li Wenxun. The production did an impeccable job crafting Qi Yunke's identity as a righteous, pure-as-white man, to the point that I didn't dare doubt him even a little. I know that this is an extremely cliché plot device, but I have to say they did a stellar job with it; I never held any suspicions toward him, nor did I ever doubt him.

To finally conclude this review, I just want to say that I still thoroughly enjoyed this story despite all my rants, unfavorable feedback, and complaints. I love how our main leads match and rival each other's wits—he was an excellent manipulator and she was highly perceptive—leaving no room to develop any "I'm oblivious to your schemes" drama because they could see through each other's plans along the way. I also love the ending so much! I appreciate how he stuck true to his word about marrying into her family and settling down in Luoyin Valley. There is simply no better way to end their perilous journey than this.

"Cai Zhao, listen to me. We can never be separated. So what if my meridians are severed? Even if I am reduced to ashes, I will return to find you." - Mu Qingyan

Story - 9.0, The story was actually well-crafted—fast-paced and progressive. If they had at least halved the number of flashbacks, everything would have been perfect. It's just frustrating how I came here for the main leads but ended up drowning in Cai Pingshu and her generation's unresolved drama.

Acting/Cast - 9.5, I was planning to give this a 9.0 rating, but I was reminded of how the actors pulled off the excessive amount of blood splatting and vomiting, and I thought I should give them credit for that. lmao This is my first Zhou Yiran drama, but the one who captured my attention the most remained to be Bao Shang'en—despite this being my third drama of hers. Her styling here was insane! It was simple, plain, and muted, with absolutely nothing fancy about it, yet it looked exquisitely crafted for her, making her naturally beautiful features and body proportions stand out in a graceful, striking manner.

Music - 8.0, The songs beautifully accompanied every scene from the beginning until the end. I don't particularly have a favorite, but I certainly love the ballad track the best.

Rewatch Value - 7.0, Despite it being beautifully and evocatively written, I don't think I can sit through all of the flashbacks ever again. This rating is solely based on the narrative's positive aspects.

Overall - 9.0, Honestly, I think the writer and the entire production team should go back on set to film a prequel to this show focusing on the previous generation, just to fulfill their unconcealable obsession with them. Dang! I still feel a bitter distaste in my mouth whenever I think of how our leads were discreetly stripped of their roles as the main protagonists.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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The Escape of the Seven: A review that sees beyond the surface

I finally finished this show and I pushed it because of the reviews I saw which were mostly negative. But I didn’t have anything to watch and I finally watched it, and here is what I took from it; (still asking myself why I didn’t watch it sooner)

When I first started, I noticed something strange. Everyone around me — reviewers, casual viewers, even some fans — kept talking about Dami.

"It's a revenge drama for Dami."
"Dami deserved better."
"The show lost its way because Dami didn't get justice."
“Why didn’t Dami come back.”

And I couldn't help but think: Did we watch the same show?

Because from the very first episode, it was clear to me that The Escape of the Seven was never about Dami. She was important, yes — her death was the spark that lit the fire. But she was never the fire itself.

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What the Show Is Actually About

At its core, The Escape of the Seven is a story about evil, consequences, and the slow unraveling of people who thought they could escape their sins.

· It's about K — the insecure, manipulative puppet master who uses everyone around him to destroy everything and the one person who threatens his identity: Do Hyuk.
· It's about the seven villains — cruel, selfish, broken people who stumble into each other's lives and slowly, painfully, begin to realize the weight of what they've done.
· It's about Do Hyuk — the reckless thug with a good heart, who becomes the target of K's obsession and finds himself caught between revenge, love, and forgiveness.

Dami? She's the sacrifice. The tragedy that sets everything in motion. The innocent life that reminds us why these villains need to fall.

But she was never the main character.

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The Love Story Everyone Misunderstood

One of the most misunderstood parts of the show is the relationship between Do Hyuk and Mo Ne.

Most viewers saw Mo Ne as a villain — cold, selfish, irredeemable. They saw Do Hyuk as a fool for loving her and forgiving her, especially after she left him to die in Season 1. (I am even angry that they didn’t really let them end together visibly at the finale)

But here's what they missed:

Mo Ne was never just a villain. She was a survivor.

She built walls to protect herself from a world that had always been cruel. Her selfishness was armor. Her ambition was survival ( remember when they showed us how her brothers treated her and her mother and why she started what she started. Not agreeing with her but bullying and whatever she did started there, if we really watched her character from the first episode). And Do Hyuk? He was the first person who saw through those walls — and stayed.

Their love story is not about grand confessions or perfect romance. It's about cracks — the small, almost invisible fissures in Mo Ne's walls that Do Hyuk gently, patiently widened until she finally learned to let him in.

And yes, she betrayed him. But that betrayal wasn't proof that she didn't love him. It was proof that she wasn't ready. Yes, she began to like him but she was still that person, the ambitious, selfish person we knew.

Do Hyuk understood that. He forgave her — not because she deserved it, but because he loved her. Because he saw the little light in her, even when she couldn't see it herself.

And by the end, Mo Ne did change. Not overnight — not in a cheap, unearned redemption arc — but slowly, painfully, authentically.

She went from a woman who cared only about money and fame to someone who would give herself up to protect Do Hyuk. (She protected him by the end afterall and redeemed herself). She went from a bully, selfish, ambitious person who would do anything to put herself first to someone who asked for forgiveness and wanted to live justly.

Why he forgave her easily but not the others when she is done arguably worse than others even to him?

when he says he won't forgive Rahee or the others, it's not because they don't deserve it. It's because he doesn't care about them the way he cares about Mo Ne. He doesn't have the emotional investment to want to see their redemption.

But Mo Ne? He wanted to forgive her. He was looking for a reason to. And when he saw even a flicker of a reason in her, he grabbed onto it — because forgiving her meant keeping her in his life.

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The Reviewers Got It Wrong

Most reviewers failed to see any of this. They got stuck on Dami. They got stuck on "justice." They got stuck on surface-level morality — "Mo Ne is bad, so why does Do Hyuk forgive her?"

But they missed the chessboard — the game K was playing, the pieces he was moving, the real story beneath the chaos.

They missed that the seven villains were never just villains. They were people — broken, cruel, worst people but ultimately human. And their growth wasn't instant or easy. It was earned. Their growth started as they feared K, but ultimately they began to know the weight of what they did

They missed that Do Hyuk's love for Mo Ne was the most human part of the show — irrational, inconsistent, and completely blind to logic. Do Hyuk didn’t ask anything of Mone, I mean it may have started as a crush but ultimately it grew into something more from his side. He was angry when he was betrayed, He was hurt, yes. But she really didn’t promise him anything, and from what I’ve seen he loved her more than he loved being right,

And they missed that Dami was never the protagonist — she was the catalyst.

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Final Verdict

The Escape of the Seven is not a perfect drama. It's messy, chaotic, and sometimes overwhelming. But it's not confusing — it's misunderstood. Anyone who went to see it knowing what they were getting into didn’t get confused because the drama told us what it was about from even the title (I am still angry that I let the reviews judge it and I let it get to me before)

It's a show about evil and its consequences. About people who thought they could escape their sins — and the slow, painful unraveling that follows.

It's a show about love that doesn't make sense, forgiveness that isn't logical, and redemption that isn't earned easily.

And if you watch it with open eyes — if you look beyond Dami, beyond the chaos, beyond the surface — you'll see something truly special.

You'll see a story about cracks and walls, about games and pawns, about broken people trying — and often failing — to become something more.

people got fixated on Dami, and that fixation blinded them to what the show was actually about.

And the actors did a great job of making us feel mixed emotions, be it the negative ones or the positive ones.

And I really don’t like people who, in order to feel that they are right, started applying the logic to real life. Because this is a drama, a fiction, if one likes Mone and Do Hyuk, that’s not how they are in real life

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An incredible journey that stays on your mind

The drama starts off quite lightly; it is fast-paced and has a very entertaining action-comedy kind of vibe. However, after a few episodes, it becomes slower, more serious, darker, suspenseful, and mysterious—keeping that tone for the better part of the remaining story. But there is nothing to fear, because, oh, what an incredible journey and an emotional rollercoaster it is! ✨

Ding Yuxi and Zhang Xincheng play their roles brilliantly. This was the first time I had seen Xincheng on my screen, and I was really impressed by his acting. However, Yuxi showed sides of his talent I hadn't seen before in any of his other works. His performance took my breath away and made me sit on the edge of my seat for the better half of the story. The main characters don't have any romance, if anyone is looking for that, but they do share a brotherly love, and that love is one of a kind. I was incredibly invested in both of their characters and still can't get them out of my head or move on. This is how big of an impact this drama—especially Yuxi and Xincheng's characters—left on me. 🥺❤️

I would highly recommend this to anyone. Even though it had a few flaws, just like any other drama, it is still a complete 10/10 from me. 🌟🏆

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A mystery-filled journey that broke and healed my heart

Southern Archives: The Nanyang Mystery is without a doubt the best drama I have watched in 2026. It is a hidden gem that perfectly blends mystery, thriller, adventure, brotherhood, friendship, and emotional storytelling.

Ding Yuxi's performance as Zhang Haixia was extraordinary. Knowing that he always wanted to act in a Republican-era drama makes this role feel even more special. Haixia's story is one of the most tragic character arcs I have seen in a long time. He suffered endlessly, was forced into impossible situations, had to go against the people he loved, and carried unbearable pain throughout the story. Watching him struggle was heartbreaking.

One of the strongest aspects of the drama is the mentor-disciple relationship between Zhang Haiqi, Zhang Hailou, and Zhang Haixia. Their bond felt genuine, heartwarming, and heartbreaking at the same time. Jiang Peiyao absolutely stole my heart as Haiqi. She was such a cool, capable, and badass mentor. I cried so hard when she died, and I cannot describe how relieved and happy I felt when she came back. Hope to see her in more roles as a main character

Zhang Hailou's character development was equally impressive. At the beginning, he was carefree, playful, and always seemed to find a reason to smile. However, the deeper he became involved with the Southern Archives and its secrets, the more that carefree side slowly disappeared. Watching him lose pieces of himself as he uncovered the truth was devastating. The emotional burden he carried, especially when forced to make impossible choices involving his closest friend, left a lasting impact on me.

The chemistry between Hailou and Haixia was one of the highlights of the drama. Their friendship, trust, sacrifices, and unwavering loyalty to each other formed the heart of the story. The brotherhood portrayed here felt natural and powerful, making every joyful moment and every tragedy hit even harder.

The mysteries were engaging, the suspense kept me hooked, and every case revealed more layers to the larger story. Combined with strong performances, emotional depth, and excellent character development.

This drama made me laugh, cry, and sit on the edge of my seat. It's rare to find a series that balances mystery, action, friendship, and emotional storytelling this well. For me, it is easily one of the best Republican-era dramas ever made and my favorite drama of 2026.

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When Crazy Meets Crazy

As a child, Seo Yeoreum (Summer) grew up in hatred and violence as he witnessed his father assaults his mother on constant basis. The final straw was when he saw his mom hang herself but he never moved to help, and eventually blamed himself as his mom’s killer, never managed to catch a sleep and constantly looking for a way to die. He lets himself gets beaten by schoolbullies because the pain takes away the pain of watching his mom die. His mom’s first love, Detective Nam Woo fostered him in out of guilt for not marrying Yeoreum’s mom when he had the chance and he tells Yeoreum to find a girlfriend so he would want to live. Feeling suicidal every single day, Yeoreum constantly gets in trouble and one day the local thugs got their hands on him. Han Gyeowool (Winter) saw the beatings and decided to help, subduing them in a matter of moments with precise skills. As if falling in love at first sight, Yeoreum finally got the deepest sleep since ages ago and found his will to live again. To make matters more interesting, the next day, Gyeowool turned up at Yeoreum’s class as a new transfer student. Things escalated when they were caught yet again in yet another altercation with schoolbullies, both fell from the rooftop and developed amnesia. Gyeowool gets hunted by a group of unknown people when a local reporter printed their news, and Yeoreum gets dragged into the chase.

This show focused more on the trauma survival of both main characters, one with his dysfunctional family tragedy while the other with her forced assassin training as a child. One badly wanted to die to atone while the other was fighting hard to stay alive to get revenge. ML and FL were both uniquely intriguing cases for psychologists, those psych people would literally drool if any of them walked into the clinic. When theyre together they conjured up fantasies to their own liking of how they wanted to live their lives.

However, the production tried too hard to paint the FL as the ultimate final weapon - they put it on the title, they repeated this so many times in the script, but apparently that’s just it - a mere label. A supposedly ultimate assassin, the best ever trained, and yet she cant even pull the trigger to save a life. If she’s really an ultimate weapon, then she should know where on the body to shoot to avoid killing instantly, if they really wanna go by the script of the assassin who never kills. But naaaaahhh. I hit play expecting Arya-like teenage assassin but saw a streetfighter wimp who is quite skilled at hand-to-hand armed combat but cant pull the trigger instead 😒🙄 So much for ultimate weapon. She only grew some spine when she realized her uncle might have been gone. Urggh much to late, sister! Like for real, I wouldnt have nitpicked this if they had just portrayed her as a common child-assassin who escaped the Company with their dirtiest secret in tow, treading the path of seeking revenge.

Honestly i am not really mad that she’s an assassin who cant pull the trigger, it’s just that I expected this ultimate weapon would showcase some awesome combat skills that look extraordinary from the usual streetfight, something like how Teach You a Lesson’s Na Hwajin fights, or even Study Group’s Yun Gamin packs his punches. But nah, she got injured while fighting Yeoreum, and even falls off the building while fighting schoolbullies, so yeah, she fell damn short from my expectation. The only thing extraordinary i could see here is the villain who doesnt feel pain, now thats really something, though they placed him much too late in the plot and appeared no more than half an hour roughly. The cat and mouse chase wouldve been much exciting had he entered the picture earlier. Things got real gory when he steps into the picture, that’s for sure. Definitely not for the faint hearted.

The story is rather shallow and easy to follow, you don’t need your neurons to fire up all over trying to figure out the plot or mysteries. It’s just about a couple of teenagers who found love while trying to stay alive while escaping from a group of demented assassins’ clutches. Dont put too much expectation, there isnt much skinship or action per se, but it is okay to fill your free time, just 8 episodes, it’s over before you even realize it!

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Really good drama, just a few shortcomings

I've seen a lot of reviews that are critizizing this drama for having a lot of plot holes and that the ending kinda doesn't make sense. And tbh I kinda agree with them. some parts of the plot made no sense to me, especially the plot line of the girl that stalks seo-ri, like why did she even hate her when she was nice in the beginning? Seo ri was supposed to move because the stalker vandalized her house, but she never does?
As for the ending and the overall plot, what I didn't understand is why seo ri is punished? also we didn't find out that she was being punished until the very last eps. All we got the whole time was that she's had a miserable life in jeoson and in the modern world. if it was something along the lines of her trying to break the cycle of her misery it would have made sense.

Besides that, this is a great drama. love the chemistry between our leads, and they're soooo cute together. I love the way their love for each other grows deeper as we watch. Also, one of things I want to mention is the fact that they don't torture us with the misunderstandings followed by break up and then getting back together again after a lot of lamentation 😂 especially when it came to se gye's family trying to use seo ri against him for their own advantage. When he finds out that Mun do was in contact with her he doesn't take it at face value and leave her, but demands why she didn't tell him earlier. I love that!

overall a lovely drama 🥰

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Short, sweet, and definitely worth your time!

I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. The story was engaging and I was locked in from the first episode. I don't know what it is about CBLs that I enjoy so much more than bl from other countries. Between the great story and the romantic moments, this show deserves so much more attention. I seen that some of the actors are new to acting and this was their first role. Even with that said, they all did a great job in their portrayals.
There were a couple times the wigs were obvious but other than that, the costumes looked very nice. The fights scenes were well done and the NC scenes were shot beautifully. If this company, director, or cast work on more projects in the future, I will definitely tune in!

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Love this Show!

This show is crazy. I love it so much. The hosts always having me laughing. Can‘t get enough of his dimples!! 🙈They are so cute together tho as hosts. love them. I didn’t know who he was at first but thought he seemed familiar, then realized he’s in one of my fave groups! 😅 MONSTA X!! ❤️❤️❤️

I literally watch this at 2am & my poor hubby gets woken up from me laughing at the hosts or going crazy over the cute couples!! episodes 1-2 were nuts. omg I loved it so much. they are so adorable!! episodes 3-4 I knew were going to end on a cliffhanger. ugh! I waited so long!! 😭 I seriously adore this show, though!! and it’s not often I make it through a dating show, let alone get this excited about it. can‘t wait to see what happens!!

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