Reviews

Too contrived

I wanted to drop this series several times, but persisted to the end mainly because I like Bai Lu. But honestly, it probably wasn't worth it. The ML was not my favorite, although his acting was good. The real problem with this series was the storyline. There were strangely 4 different stories in the series, the first 10 episodes or so, then the Mo River story arc, then the part after the Mo River arc and then 500 years later the finale arc. Having so many different story arcs in which the actors portrayed different characters entirely was hard to follow. The characters would fluctuate wildly between good and evil. And worst of all, the plot felt very contrived as many Xinxia series do, but this was worse than usual. So many weird magical artifacts used to fill in plot holes and illogical actions by the characters and situations created simply to achieve an outcome to mess with the viewer's emotions. Overall, I would just recommend that you best avoid this series altogether unless you want to stagger through a nonsensical mess that can't seem to stick with one storyline.

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Nothing lost in translation!

When a film in one language gets adapted for the screen in another language, it often loses a bit of its original essence. Happily, this 2025 Thai remake of the 2022 Taiwanese film "Marry My Dead Body" more than does justice to the original. Chiefly, the remake resurrects the original's sense of whimsy, maintaining a light comedic touch throughout. To differentiate itself from the source material, a few details change, but these innovations serve primarily to add a bit of Thai spice to the mix. The Red Envelope never feels like a shot-for-shot remake, although it does retain a few notable screen shots from the original. Those deliver the hijinks as effectively in this version as they did in the progenitor. As with the original film, a young man finds himself bamboozled into a ghost marriage. A string of terrible bad luck overwhelms his natural reluctance to marry a dead person, and he agrees to the union in a bid to change that luck. As with most ghost stories, the plot then concerns itself with the living person trying to figure out what tasks the deceased left undone, so that they might move on to whatever is next. Along the way, the audience is treated to a man streaking through a sobriety check, a Pose-style dance off that would make Mother proud, a Muay Thai boxing camp, and a cops-and-robbers shoot-out. Lead actors Billkin and PP Krit, serving here as executive producers as well, established a proven chemistry with one another across multiple previous projects, and they use that familiarity to good advantage here. The actors bounce off each other in a way that keeps the film energized. If you enjoyed the Taiwanese film, you'll probably enjoy this take on the same story. If you never saw the Taiwanese film, you don't need to start there as this version stands on its own merit.

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Too long and drawn out scenes

I really liked the story from the the background of the main characters and the dynamics and intrigue of both the mortal and spiritual realms.

However many scenes were drawn out too long and this made the whole drama very slow and way too long. it could have easily been condensed into 30 episodes without loosing its charm, depth and character.

I loved the acting by all actors. Arthur Chen was a mix of a cheesy and sentimental fool who portrayed the deep commitment really well which was a surprise.

Dilmah perfectly portrayed a cold and intelligent woman of integrity which is how I would imagine a person without senses might come across. the transition to a playful deeply emotional person once experiencing senses such as taste and the love of a man willing to give his all for her was believable.

While I was moved by the romance it was not passionate nor did it exude chemistry. This romance started slow and deepened throughout becoming achingly beautiful.

I cried and cried. not many CDramas have made me feel such despair. 😞

The loss of friends, comrades, family and love ones felt by all characters was truly memorable and well acted by all the actors.

CGI and othe special effects were really well produced to make the fantasy world like magic but overdone when used in the real world. so much beautiful landscape naturally available looked and felt fake and not appealing when characters were in the mortal realm.

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UNVEIL JADEWIND

I love the casting, acting and the storyline was great however for some cases the “plot twist” didn’t feel like it was worth the wait, there were maybe 2-3 cases I enjoyed (吉时秘闻 was definitely my favorite) However my biggest issue was the AI intro AND outro. Yes I know China is developing quickly. But the amount of AI is sickening, a company with a big budget for this drama is so easily capable of hiring illustrators or editors to create an intro and outro, I dont understand why they didn’t. Cdramas are a form of art and it takes away the creative value when AI is put into it. As for the ending, I was satisfied. Huaijin and Peiyi got their revenge and happy ending, we also got to see clips of the characters involved in the cases from start to end.

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Yuckkkk

I have wanted to watch the drama for a long time but I never got around to it…

I should have just stayed away.

SOKP is time travel drama that uses the trope of rewriting a past life. It's similar to The Princess Royal, but somehow it's worse in every single way.

This show is BAD.

It's ugly, nonsensical, juvenile, and dumb.

The technical aspects are borderline horrendous. The sets look generic and cheap, the costumes are boring and also look cheap. And the cinematography?

This show looked so bad that I HAD to look up the director. ( found that I've been unknowingly hating on his work for the past decade.)

I'm not a film student, but even I can tell that whoever was behind the camera had a fundamental misunderstanding of what should be communicated in the cinematography.

Everything is so bright and pale, it makes everything feel bleak. The exterior shots in some scenes were startlingly bad. The lighting was so artificial in some places that it made me laugh at how bad it looked. Be prepared to look at multiple shots of clenching hands over and over and over and over and over again. There's hardly any variation in how anyone is filmed. Everyone emotes the same ALL THE TIME.

I'm not sure how this team achieved it but they also managed to make objectively attractive people look awful. Both Bai Lu and Zhang Linghe suffer from this… but Zhang Linghe is the biggest victim.

I can't comprehend how a director would look at his performance and expressions and think it was appropriate to shoot, edit and air those scenes. Bro was working overtime to seem menacing 24/7 but I'm not sure if that was the best approach for both the character and HIS FACE.

People will be talking and the camera and cuts will give you expectations that never come to fruition, OR it'll have the most terrible shots with egregious usage of flood lights and fans. It's dumb.

I can't remember a single song that made an impression on me. In fact I hated some of them.

So just to speak on the plot itself, it makes no sense at all. We have a weak emperor who lets a known treasonous subject just chill after committing heinous acts??? The main villain massacred hundreds of people (including children) and his rebellion was quelled…. but instead of being executed, they just let him go back to his fief with basically no consequences. Mind YOU later in the show another party basically does the same thing which resulted in multiple executions and the exile of all related people. One of these parties seems way worse than the other and yet the punishments are so unbalanced. It's dumb.

The court politics is nonsensical as well, our ML is soooo smart and he anticipates everything and everyone without flaw. Bro never stumbles a single time, all his opponents are dumb. FL lead deals with the most juvenile conflicts, and if she is involved in something more serious she becomes a wooden post that just gets led around by the ML.

Side characters are just as underdeveloped and shallow as the plot. None of them feel like real people. Not a single one seemed like they existed outside of the scene they were currently in, even when they DIED. I felt nothing. They feel like the toys in Toy Story. Once the camera is not on them they drop to the ground and stop moving.

The female villain from the Xue clan is probably the most frustrating supporting character. She gets caught basically committing treason because she sends her maid with no mask or change of identity to do her dirty work. After this incident she does the same sh*t AGAIN, clearly not learning her lesson from the first time she got caught. She gets frustrated with being used by her family and cuts ties with them and proclaims that she will get back at them, only to immediately fold to her father's wishes and jeopardizing her new elevated position. She basically commits the same mistake THREE TIMES. It's dumb.

And the romance offended me the most. This is the biggest lack of chemistry I've seen in YEARS. That includes ANYONE in the main triangle. It's even worse off than Blossoms in Adversity and that show had a wooden nutcracker for a ML.

The FL spends 70% of the runtime chasing after a man with no personality who ISN'T our ML, while a man with no control over his face chases after her. 30-sum episodes in and the creators have these two actors scream at each other and forcibly kissing… they expect me to be invested in a relationship that does not exist? The FL has no romantic interest in the ML until 30-sum episodes in and the plot decides its time.

This was a growing experience for me because I really forgot how bad things can get, this show doesn't have a single redeeming quality, it doesn't do anything right. I hope I never see a clip from it again.

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This story brought me back to life

Lmaoooo, I’m not the type of person to write these kinds of reviews, but I just wanted to say how talented they are, even though this is their first main series. I genuinely loved everything about it, and honestly, coming from someone who literally stopped being a fan girl of Thai BL pairs and series for two years, they truly brought me back to the Thai BL industry. You would never catch me supporting a pair like this before, and that just shows how peak this series is. I keep giggling, kicking, squealing, and rolling around my bed every time a new episode drops, and the anticipation for Saturdays during the weekdays will never be replaced by any other series. I hope they keep it up because they’re genuinely such talented actors. I really thought I wouldn’t like this series, but I still decided to give it a try, and luckily, I did. They also pretty much followed the novel, except for some parts, and honestly, I’ve never seen such a good adaptation of a novel. It’s like they embodied the characters from the novel in real life. This series is actually so cute, meaningful, and funny, and it explores a more realistic side of a relationship, which I love. Also, I don’t know why everyone thought making Tiw Qin’s first love was bad, but personally, I kind of like it since they always say that “first love just hits different.” Honestly, I think most people wanted Duang to be Qin’s first love, but in my opinion, your greatest love doesn’t have to be your first love.
I hope they get more series as time goes on, and I would love to see their continued improvement. ✨

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Nice

My favorite part of the drama was when she first arrived in "New Joseon." I found it confusing that the male lead had a double with the exact same appearance and last name back in "Old Joseon." While the second lead couple was funny and cute—making them my favorite pair—there were overall too many evil people for my taste. The number of villains made it harder to focus on the parts I enjoyed.🌻🌻🌼🌻🌼🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸💮🌸🌼💮🌼💮🌸💮🌸💮🌸💮🌸🌸💮💮🌸💮🌸🌸💮🌸🌸🌸💮🌸🌸💐🌻🌻🌺🌺🌺🥀🥀🥀🌺

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coulda been but wasn't

So great visuals, cast not bad, story could have been intriguing but the damn writer(s) kept lifting plots and story lines from so many other BL's. What hacks. Was akin to a low budget GMMTV offering which is pretty common these days.
When in the 6th episode they "lifted" a core plot of Ai Long Nhai I just had to stop. Just saying. I will continue to watch just to see how many other plots they can "lift". Not just common BL tropes but plots. And a doctor whose only advice is breathe deeply and let it out..... Sheesh. But they are an attractive cast.
Alright I have now finished and adjusted score slightly. The last two episodes got pretty mawkish/sentimental and all the difficult stuff got tied up in an easy bright bow in about 2 minutes. But the actors overcame the bad writing and ended on a grace note.

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Me ??‍?? Slowburns

I live for romance like this.

It was a slow comforting show even if it depicts serious disturbing problems.

The main couple was great even if in the past Sang Yan gave a bit stalker vibes when he went to her city.

The side couple was cute too and didn't outshine the main.

I love how when Sang Yan started his sentence by " Wen Shuangjiang" you knew he was about to spit the facts to reassure her or support her.

There is just one thing that I could not comprehend: the part where Wen Yifan is gone during 6 months to HongKong and then just changes her mine when Sang Yan pop up? like, what was the use for this? idk unless I missed something...

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Somewhat similar to "13 Reasons Why"

There's no doubt that the show's story is controversial; issues such as dysfunctional families, domestic violence, sexual assault, substance abuse, adolescent sexuality, gender, death, and bullying are depicted in detail and explored throughout.

Queen (the central character) projects herself as this charming, alluring, and mesmerizing person who has it all: good looks, thousands of followers on social media, an opulent and privileged background, and the ability to get along with just about everyone and anyone. When a night out ends in her unfortunate death, Phaphaeng and Gale, her two best friends exhibit shock and horror; they can't quite understand how she died.

Gale (the secondary character) seems to be the character struggling the most; her mother is an alcoholic and a gambler, her father is dead, she is struggling to land roles that can allow her to pay off her mother's gambling debt, and her boyfriend (Toy) is vitriolic, explosive, possessive, verbally and physically abusive, and controlling. Phaphaeng (the tertiary character) is a promiscuous party girl who has had encounters with almost every man on campus. Chivas (the quaternary character) is a character with a mysterious connection to Queen; he claims she was the "most important person" in his life, and he offers to help out the other characters discover the truth of what happened that night.

As the show goes on, each character's struggles and complexities are highlighted in depth, and it seems that they are all somehow linked to what happened on that tragic night. Expect major twists along the way.

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The Perfect Crown for the Worst Acting

This drama is the perfect example of beauty over substance…

The production is visually stunning, but that’s about it.

There’s no real emotion, no chemistry, and the acting is very poor in IU’s case. She doesn’t perform well at all, it almost becomes unintentionally laughable at times, and her facial expressions are quite unconvincing.

I watched three episodes and I won’t be going any further it’s disappointing. I keep giving it a chance, and every time I end up let down. There’s no improvement, which is frustrating for an acting performance that feels very amateurish.

As for the story, there’s nothing particularly remarkable. Honestly, it feels more suited for a younger audience, around early teens.

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POV: The demon to my sleep paralysis

You don't like this drama? You actually do 😐🔪.

Twinkling Watermelon is like the demon to my sleep paralysis. You think it's done with you just because it didn't showed up for months? You think you can keep it away from you by having a regular sleep schedule? You think you can feint it by faking falling asleep? No it will always find its way toward you 😈

On a more serious note someone help me, this is my favorite tv show ever, I've watched it countless time during the last 3 years and still can not get sick of it.

There is the perfect balance between serious and light moments, a lot of characters are well developped and will move you (not only the main 4). It simply healed the teenager inside me and will remain as the most comforting show ever.

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Incredible Plot, Underwhelming Ending

Although I really liked the premise of the series, I was disappointed by the ending. The last two episodes felt too rushed. Rei's mom suddenly solving all her issues with her daughter was unrealistic. The three-year lapse after Prim signed her contract with the Korean agency was barely noticeable. The girls' engagement and marriage felt a bit forced. Sometimes going for what the audience usually wants is not the best decision.


Anyways, let's now talk about the good stuff. The kissing scenes were incredible, and don't get me started with the intimate moments! I think it was one of the few GL's that showed a different kind of intimate moments (if you know what I mean) and I was soooo into that. Whoever came up with those ideas, I know what you are.

I would recommend this show, nonetheless. I had a great time watching it.

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Watchable but very dry

The series visually looks great but after 15 episodes and a few story arcs, it still feels really dry. There's nothing particularly offensive about it but there's also not much to look forward to. The ML was interesting in the first two episodes but stayed pretty flat thereafter. And there is way too much screen time with him running off to his songstress love interest, and way too many cases that just so happen to involve her somehow. His two bandit companions are also equally as dry and there's just no chemistry with any of the characters.

The story arcs are just fine but nothing very intriguing either. They over-dramatize the sound effects and music but nothing really dramatic is actually happening. It's also quite boring for the culprit to ALWAYS be someone who's somehow close to the ML. And because there's very little character build up in general, you're just watching it play out with no actual attachments.

It's quite unfortunate because the overall production was actually done pretty well. It's a good super casual watch if you just need something to pass the time and if you need something you can drop quite easily.

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