Reviews

Must watch S1 and S2 for Zhou Keyu! Addictive competition and hilarious personalities

If you’re even remotely curious about We Are the Champions Season 2 (战至巅峰2), I genuinely recommend giving it a shot. I knew NOTHING about eSports or Honor of Kings, and just was curious because Into1 was in season one and Zhou keyu is in both seasons. I liked Zhou Keyu after Sniper Butterfly and started watching his variety shows. His personality is sooo funny and cute, and he's super good at this game!! It's so cool to watch him compete, lead a team, interact with friends etc. if you're a fan of Zhou Keyu or want to learn more about his personality, definitely watch this show!! But I would start with season one as the beginning of his arc and introduction in this show as a Jungle King. For Season one, I only watched his parts and his team's matches. They are amazing.

Season 2 is really addictive!! It’s way more gripping than “a celebrity esports show” has any right to be. What makes this season so fun is that it doesn’t just show matches; it shows the whole process of building a team: the drafting, the training, the clashes in personality, the pressure, the strategy, and the emotional meltdowns and breakthroughs along the way. We also get to know the coaches from season 1. Gemini was Into1 (Keyu's team from season 1)'s coach and Keyu and him became close. The Gemini vs Jiuzhe camp format is especially addictive because you get to watch two completely different coaching styles shape their teams in real time. I absolutely love both coaches and their friendly, hilarious rivalry lol!
Even if you know nothing about Honor of Kings, it’s still incredibly watchable because the real hook is the teamwork and growth arc. You see players go from awkward strangers and chaotic solo plays to slowly learning communication, trust, leadership, and how to fight as a unit. And if you like underdog stories, emotional highs and lows, and watching someone gradually grow into a leader under pressure, Season 2 is such a satisfying watch. I started it for Zhou keyu only and ended up fully stressed over drafts, team fights, and whether they were about to throw a huge lead, which is how you know the show got me. I even download Honor of Kings to play with friends! Now I'm watching season one to four, one after the other.

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REST IN PEACE SHRIMPIE TT

This drama is everything. The cinematography, plot, acting, cast, costumes—everything deserves a full 10/10. Even though the OST isn't particularly memorable, it's still good enough and doesn't take away from the experience.

The plot is the biggest highlight. Every episode has its own purpose and never feels empty. There isn't a single boring episode. The story constantly surprises you, making it almost impossible to predict what will happen next. About half of the episodes are absolute tearjerkers.

I love everything about this drama—the relationships between the characters, the character development, and the emotional depth of every single one of them. There honestly isn't much to criticize because it's just that good.

The only thing that gave me the ick was the CGI used for the monsters. They looked a little too cartoonish and unrealistic. Thankfully, the incredible storyline completely makes up for it.

Now, let's talk about Ding Yuxi (Shrimpie).

His acting was phenomenal. One moment he's Zhang Haixia with the softest, most innocent baby face, and the next he's a terrifying, dark, and completely unhinged psycho. The switch between personalities was so convincing. I honestly felt the most sympathy for Zhang Haixia because living with a split personality is such a heartbreaking fate.

Zhang Hailou was such a fun character. He brought a lot of humour to the drama, but at the same time, I felt sorry for him because he was always kept in the dark. Zhang Haiqi, his mentor, and Zhang Haixia never told him the truth about the bigger secrets. Everyone saw him as carefree and careless, so they assumed he didn't need to know, which made his character surprisingly tragic.

Zhang Haiqi is another heartbreaking character. She carried every responsibility on her shoulders and kept all her pain bottled up inside. As the mother figure to her two children, I can understand why she chose to bear everything alone, but it was still painful to watch.

Last but not least, rest in peace, Zhang Haixia.

You were my favourite character from beginning to end. Even after becoming the villain halfway through the story, I couldn't bring myself to hate you. You deserved so much better.

Overall Rating: 10/10

One of the best Chinese dramas I have watched this year, and definitely one that I'll never forget. 🤍

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Here are my thoughts on this drama so far.
As a massive heroine-stan, this show has been an absolute blast to watch! Even though it’s not labeled as a typical "female-centric" drama, the female lead’s actions, words, and choices give off major boss-lady energy. It completely breaks away from those tired old Xianxia tropes. She is incredibly realistic, completely immune to guilt-trips and gaslighting, and has rock-solid morals. She knows how to show gratitude but also stands firmly for justice. Honestly, it’s been ages since we’ve had a Xianxia female lead with this level of clarity and sanity. I don't mean to shade other Xianxia heroines, but Jiang Lifei is just built different. She doesn't just instantly forgive the male lead just because he "had his reasons" or played the pity card. A betrayal is a betrayal, a lie is a lie, and trust isn't something you just hand back easily. This is literally how a normal person would react! Like, sure, she gets that he wants to save his older brother, but since when does that give him the right to sacrifice an innocent person’s (Riyan's) life in a "one life for another" trade? Especially when Riyan actually saved their lives before. That's just fundamentally wrong.
Another thing I absolutely love about her is that she actually has a mouth and uses it! Seriously, in most dramas, the leads refuse to communicate, causing endless misunderstandings that make the audience lose their minds. But whenever Lifei has an issue, she confronts people directly to get things straight. She’s straightforward, doesn’t play mind games, and claps back on the spot. No internal conflict, no self-blame—if something is unfair, she will call it out right then and there. Her character writing is just top-tier. Every line out of her mouth is an absolute mic-drop quote:

"I know you want to save your family, your brother. And while I do sympathize with you, I am not going to help you. Everyone is busy; handle your own business yourself."

"Compensate me? If I had actually been killed by you, what were you going to do—cry at my grave?"

I am so obsessed with Jiang Lifei!!! Ju Jingyi completely brought this character to life. Honestly, she has so many more green flags, but I’ll talk about them as I keep watching. Haha! 😁

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Um romance comum

É tudo lindo: fotografia, OST, atuações bem sensíveis, mas o roteiro só se sustenta porque é a história acontece na Coreia do Sul, com uma visão de casamento patriarcal, negocial e pautada em status. Jeong-In está em um namoro morníssimo com Seok, um cara que tá empurrando o relacionamento com a barriga porque sabe que o pai não acha a namorada "adequada", mesmo trabalhando/empregando o pai dela. Os dois mal se veem, não há mais conexão, ambos possuem círculos sociais diversos. Quando Jeong-In conhece Ji-Ho, um farmacêutico, uma faísca se acende, mas aí surge o que chamo de "problema inexistente": além do namoro zumbi, que seria facilmente descartável, Ji-Ho é um pai solo, com um filho fofíssimo, criado pelos avós paternos porque a mãe os abandonou. Gente, vamos combinar, NÃO EXISTE PROBLEMA. Só existe preconceito desse povo que só pensa em status, no que os outros vão pensar, dizer... Isso aqui, no Brasil, seria resolvido em dois palitos: tchau namorado sem sal, ei menininho fofo! Entendo as responsabilidades afetivas, principalmente considerando ter uma criança envolvida, mas o roteiro não orbita sobre isso, mas sobre o casamento futuro, incerto e improvável entre Seok e Jeong-In. E Seok, ao descobrir que o interesse da Jeong-In é no Ji-Ho (e vice-versa), passa a enxergar a situação não como "agora sei o que é amor e vou correr atrás", mas como "não posso perder para esse fracassado". O roteiro ainda dá loop nas mesmas situações algumas vezes, arrastando tudo com disse-me-disse, aliás, que povo fofoqueiro! O que é realmente problemático na história é a visão do pai de Jeong-In, que acha que a filha tem que se casar com Seok para que ele (pai) ascenda profissionalmente. Pior: relativiza violência sofrida pela primogênita, porque o marido - um otário fudido, mas dentista, então, oh, maravilhoso aos olhos do pai - quer manter o casamento (claro que quer, ele se vale do casamento para sustentar status). Isso foi tão absurdo que quase me fez parar de assistir. Depois dissso - e dos vários loops no roteiro - quase desisti mesmo, mas assisti até o fim porque a fotografia é linda, a OST é maravilhosa, o Jung Hae-In é lindo e talentoso demais... Porém, não assistiria novamente. Se fosse aqui no Brasil, seria um curta, mas sendo Kdrama, 16 episódios (acho que a Netflix uniu episódios, reduzindo de 32 para 16, o que foi bastante certo). 🤣

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Teen Masterpiece

I started watching with very low expectations because I had just finished a lot of heavier dramas and wanted something silly and coming-of-age.

What I didn't expect was a character study disguised as a cheesy teen romantic dramedy.

For me, this was also the first love triangle that made sense psychologically, not simply because of fate, pheromones, plot armor, or "the script says so."

First there were three friends. Then there were two estranged people. Then somehow they became three again. The triangle felt deeply tied to grief, guilt, abandonment, friendship, and reconciliation.

What I find interesting about Seo-jun's feelings is that I don't think they can be reduced to "first love" or "not being able to get over someone because you never confessed." I believe that, just as he initially coped with his pain by blaming Soo-ho, he also coped by holding on to this connection. This isn't meant to undermine his feelings at all. They're clearly real. We watch him grow tremendously throughout the show, especially after Soo-ho leaves. I just think both things can be true at the same time.

I understand why so many people preferred Seo-jun. He was generally less flawed and easier to love because he wasn't carrying the same amount of emotional baggage as Soo-ho. But the aspects of Seo-jun that make him so attractive to the general public are of no concern to her. Actually now that I think about it, after her heartbreak with Hyun Bin (the cafeteria worker guy from first school) I could see her at least subconsciously developing an ick to cool guys.

Soo-ho and Ju-kyung's relationship felt purer to me.

Yes, Soo-ho made questionable choices. But most of them were completely understandable for someone who had experienced that level of abandonment and who had spent years pouring himself into everything except intimate relationships. What mattered more to me was his willingness to grow.

I can understand why some viewers feel Seo-jun never got the chance he deserved. Honestly, if I were Ju-kyung I probably would have given him a chance too lol. But I'm neither Ju-kyung nor monogamous, so looking at it through the lens of the characters themselves, I found the strength of Soo-ho and Ju-kyung's connection very believable.

She was the first person to truly enter his secluded world, while he was the first person to read the book "regardless" of the cover.

Seo-jun, meanwhile, is presented as someone who is more experienced and emotionally sheltered. He has a loving mother, a bigger support network, loyal friends, and eventually a clear path toward success. I never got the feeling that Ju-kyung felt as needed in Seo-jun's world as she did in Soo-ho's.

The abandoned child and the middle child whose mother later grieved not having raised as a princess but almost as an adopted child. Their wounds reflected and complemented each other.

In less words: Soo-ho's abandonment wound mirrors Ju-kyung's need to be needed.

I also loved how the show visualizes this. Ju-kyung's house is full of people, color, texture, noise, and life. Soo-ho's house is empty, cold, flat, and sterile. Her keepsakes often need close-ups because affection is already overflowing in her environment. His keepsakes stand out immediately because there is so little emotional warmth surrounding them.

The locked music room is probably the best example. To me, it's a visual representation of Soo-ho's heart. We only really discover that room through Ju-kyung entering his life, and by opening that room, she is effectively opening him.

One thing I rarely see mentioned is how much support Ju-kyung actually had throughout the series. Sure, she was bullied, but later she also recognizes that she often kept her pain to herself instead of seeking support, opening up, or fighting back. Her mother was awful at first, but she grows and repents once she knows about the bullying. Even that dynamic is an interesting gender-role reversal, since the harsh breadwinner parent is often the father in these stories.

As someone who had to deal with the death of a parent in a foreign country with almost no family and very few friends, I deeply related to Soo-ho's actions after his father became ill. He was stuck. He was exhausted. As heartbreaking as it was for Ju-kyung, I'm convinced it was even worse for him as both a grieving child and a caretaker. The fact that he never changed her contact name says everything.

Because of that, I never felt Seo-jun was the one who got "done dirty." If anything, I felt that Soo-ho was simply incredibly unlucky.

You can survive heartbreak.

Heartbreak combined with the looming death of the only parent you were finally beginning to reconnect with can push someone to the edge.

In the end, I think Ju-kyung's decision comes down to something very simple.

She didn't want Soo-ho to live with regrets.

The same way she didn't want to live with her own.

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I just couldn't.....

No matter how I tried, I just couldn't get past how choppy, nonsensical and boring this was. 12 episodes that basically lived on a loop for 10. The ending, the tatooed butt thong and the father being gay. Make it make sense and maybe my opinion would change. I struggled through the last 3 episodes ending with a headache because of nothing having any impact to warrant this.

Were there any moments that were endearing? I can only think of one - When they were in the hospital room and he weepingly begged him to live for him.

I was blindly rooting for the second cp until they allowed an older ex teacher to kiss a younger student on the school compound infront of the entire school. Now, where is this acceptable? All sanity left the script at this point coupled with the revelation of the thong. Another thing that felt very unrealistic: older brother is gay, younger brother is gay, sister is a lesbian, father is gay. I was waiting to see if they'd make the mother surprise us, too.

Their acting skills were passible. The older brother's face had one emotion. Dead. The script existed just for shock value. In entirety, it was not horrible but it was too much for me to care that much about. Easily forgotten.

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Amazingly thought provoking series, though very much old school J drama style

(I don’t normally write reviews, usually just comments, so forgive me if this review isn’t good. SPOILER FREE)

I started this drama while it was airing in 2019 & watched all the way until episode 9 but got too busy & forgot to come back to the last episode. It’s been 7 years but I finally came back to finish it since it got put onto Netflix in the US.

Yes, it’s got some pretty heavy cheesy moments & probably even seen as cringey. The style is very much old school J dramas (even though it’s not from all that long ago). However, the message of the series is really good & very thought provoking. I won’t spoil it, but there are so many lessons taught throughout this series. Things like truly believing yourself, asking for help when you need it, don’t judge others so easily, help those around you, don’t blame yourself for things you have no control over, don’t follow the herd, be there for those you care about before it’s too late., & many more. However, the last episode really ties together the real message of the whole series; think before you speak/act. You never know how your words or actions can affect others.

I’d definitely recommend this series, though if you’re not used to old school J drama cheesiness, it may take a bit to get through some parts, but nonetheless, I’d still rate it a 9.5/10.

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It works but the ending was trash

I started this drama without much expectations, mainly out of boredom. But here's my review anyways
It started with Zhang Wang coming back to Hong Town after a long while because he was diagnosed with a tumor and he wanted to visit his grandma one last time before he died and he met this kid who lived in his grandma's house. He grew hatred for him but still cared about him, Typical enemies to lovers.
I have to admit it was a low budget show, the kisses were totally rubbish and the so called ''spicy scenes'' were a mess. It's a bit cliché and cringe but it works. I guess it was something to look forward to. The last episode was kinda disappointing. Anyways it was okay in all but I will never rewatch it. It had great potential but oh well 🤷

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Crappy ending!

This was one of the best BL dramas i have seen, but that ending was one of the worst i have ever seen!
This story was very good and very well executed by the actors and production. It had beautiful visuals and music.
I loved the lines the couples said at the beginning of each episode.
The tattoo scene was a bit unrealistic but still beautifull.

The main couple had great chemistry, the kisses and NC scenes were very good.
The second couple had good chemistry and good kisses and NC scene.
And we even got a bit of GL as a bonus. No kisses, but clearly a couple.

The ending was awfull.
My interpretation of the ending is: they died. And the end clip means, you make your own luck instead of wishing for it.
But that was one of the most crappy endings i have ever seen....
I'd rather have seen them die, being together and telling how they love each other than this...

I do recommend watching this amazing series, but just keep in mind that you will be mad ad the last 5 minutes.

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Untamed???

Starting with the cinematography... who handled this series? They deserve to be hired for every GMMTV series because it was absolutely stunning. Every shot looked so well thought out and cinematic.

The story was good too. I won't say it's completely new since it shares some similarities with other fantasy series I've watched, but they executed it really well. I also like how they mixed fantasy with political issues, which made the story feel even more relevant.

One thing that made this series work so well is the casting. This is where I realized I really can't act because I would probably be laughing through most of these scenes. Everyone did an amazing job. As for Sky and Nani, I already expected great performances because I know they can act. And of course, Nani absolutely nailed the action scenes.

One thing I couldn't stop noticing though... why does the ending of Wu remind me so much of The Untamed? Even the OST gives off a similar feeling. Is this becoming the trend for bromance series? 😂

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What was the finale?

While I watched the show, it was the typical stuff I expected from such a show. We had the evil dad, who turns out to be gay in the finale, we have misunderstandings and we have even two gay and one lesbian couple... And because any show needs drama, we have the bullying. So far, so good.

But the finale... WTF? The both stand of the rocks and watch the broken up comet which were toooooo far away to have any impact directly, but of course could have made a tsunami is they would have hit water. Normally they should have the comet up their faces and then ok, they both die - for what is the question? Xu giving in so willingly did also not make much sense. When you are already out, you should not care about others anymore. Period.

So for me, the finale did ruin the whole series, because for me it makes no sense whatsoever. Dad being outed as being gay came too late, that would have had more impact if we had seen his past also. That he then turned 180 degrees also makes no sense. When you are in denial for DECADES, you do not change over night, It would have made more sense, when Wang had beaten him up about it, but no. But I guess they did not think about that or they run out of time (and budget) becauase they wasted it through the whole story. The series did have it's lengths, they could have compacted the story and put in some other focus like the dad to have much more impact.

And because the finale ruins everything I don't get the high praise from some reviews... what is wrong with you people? While the acting of the MLs was fine, the acting of the side couple was weak. They did not feel natural in the series, but when you see them in private they have the chemistry which is missing in this series. Production quality was also fine, but that can't save any series. Because of all the factors I deducted my rating heavily... it could have been a 7.5 with a proper finale, but this felt rushed and imprudent. And I don't like it.

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Good show, not so good ending

I started this series blindly and it quickly became a fave. I was always looking forward to this series every week but the last few episodes and the ending were disappointing. I usually don't mind open endings but this just feels like the writers didn't know what to do and just finished it randomly...
Positives
-Interesting story
-Interesting characters
-good acting and chemistry
-beautiful cinematography
Negatives
-Unfinished ending
-poor execution in last 3 eps
-Comet and dad storyline were handled poorly and the comet one just unnecessary
-uninteresting 2nd couple (imo) and would've preferred more time with the main
All in all I liked it but i ended up a bit dissapointed.

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Good show, without the ending

In this serie, the storyline of Zhan Wang and Xu Yuan was my favorite, truly loved their chemistry, the slow build up of their relationship, ZW who went from arguing about his grandma house to doing everything to make XY life better, to make him believe that he isnt jinx as everyone claim, the tension between them felt sensual even when it was not, XY loved ZY a lot that he risked his life by making a wish in dangerous weather, i fecided to believe they both survived and living happily.

I didn't care about the sister and the ex fiancé after the girlie outed ZW's brother, i couldn't look past that.

The abusive dad deserves hell, him turning out to be gay wasn't surprising to me at all, smh, ill ignore bs writing of last ep.

Overall this was a nice watch

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