Reviews

Dare I say one of the best costume dramas!!

okay i need everyone to listen to me because i have to talk about pursuit of jade and i genuinely cannot hold this in anymore
this drama did something to me. something irreversible. i started it as one person and finished it as a completely different person and i think that needs to be acknowledged
and before anyone questions my taste let me establish my credentials real quick. i have been a zhang linghe glazer since love between fairy and devil. SINCE THEN. i have watched everything this man has been in. every project every look every era i have seen it all and i am telling you right now with full confidence and zero bias (okay maybe a little bias but its earned bias) that pursuit of jade is his best look yet. unbeatable. and tian xiwei i have followed her for so long as well watched so much of her work and THIS is her best too. both of them peaking in the same drama at the same time?? the universe was just showing off at that point and we were simply blessed enough to witness it
not a single bad angle between the two of them. not one. not a single second in the entire drama where either of them looked anything less than completely ethereal and this includes scenes where they were literally on the verge of death!! half conscious barely breathing clearly suffering and still looking like THAT?? i have watched zhang linghe look good in many things i thought i was prepared. i was not prepared for this. and same with xiwei she has always been stunning but something about this drama just hit different. these two just decided they were going to be the most beautiful people to ever exist in a historical drama and then they did it like it was nothing
but if you came here thinking this is just a pretty drama to look at then babe you missed everything and we need to have a conversation. And the music and ost slaps too. goosebumps!
the people calling xie zheng weak genuinely hurt my feelings because that take misses the entire point of his character. this man escaped death. ESCAPED IT. and yall want him to come back immediately doing cool sword stuff and proving himself?? he was already the marquis of wu’an with his own troops and a whole legacy built before episode one even started!! he had nothing left to prove!! Marquis doesn’t need to prove why he is a marquis! the drama understood that!! so instead of giving us yet another male lead who needs to constantly flex his capabilities every five minutes they gave fan changyu the spotlight she deserved and let her fully resolve what was hers to resolve. she carried this drama on her back with a butcher’s knife and pure stubbornness and only then did xie zheng step in to finish what was his. that balance was so intentional and so well done and honestly so rare to see in a historical drama and i had to pause mid episode multiple times just to appreciate it
also the way they softened xie zheng from his novel version?? novel readers you know what i’m talking about. that man in the book was not soft at all not even slightly. and the drama pulled back just enough to give us all these warm wholesome moments the novel never really allowed. changning getting her unofficial parents through them was so tender and so quietly beautiful. that little found family arc grew so naturally without ever feeling forced and those moments were honestly some of my favorites in the whole drama. so grateful they made that choice because we got so much more sweetness out of it
the child actors were incredible and nobody talks about them enough. they built the emotional foundation for everything that came after and they did it so well. snow kong was amazing. honestly everyone was amazing. not a single dull character not a single wasted role the whole cast just showed up and delivered
and wei yan. okay wei yan. a villain you can actually understand hits so differently than one you just hate and wei yan was exactly that kind of villain. you could follow his logic even while watching him do genuinely awful things and that kind of grey morally complex writing is so hard to pull off and they did it so well. terrible person. completely understandable. both things at once. love to see it
and the behind the scenes detail of their managers not getting along in real life while these two were out here giving us one of the best on screen pairings in recent cdrama history is the funniest thing i have ever heard in my life. the professionalism. the absolute refusal to let any of that affect what they were building on screen. they just showed up and gave us THAT and then went home. legends honestly
pursuit of jade you changed the game and i was here for all of it and i am still not over it and i don’t think i ever will be.
( will forever hate the leakers tho )

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How susceptible are you to PUA?

A drama that explores and deep dives into PUA techniques (Chinese slang for emotional manipulation, psychological abuse, or gaslighting) used in relationship crimes. It shows exactly how people become targeted and the thrill the predators gain from inflicting this type of abuse. The drama gives us enough hints from episode 1 that Luo Liang is not as he seems, yet viewers can't help going back and forth on his sincerity. They might ask questions, "But maybe he did love Yan Ling at some point?" and "Maybe he was pushed into a corner?" but the drama will make sure viewers leave this drama with no question that Luo Liang is not a good person. His cowardice, his inability to admit his own wrongs, etc. are all laid bare. Yan Ling on the other hand shows us someone who despite her traumas, wants and continues to work hard to be a moral person. It would have been easy for her to continue living in a fantasy, but she continues to survive and saved many others along the way. Just as she was there for others, she had others besides her to make sure she doesn't fall into a hole. Overall, an excellent thriller drama with A+ acting from the cast. One of my favorite C-dramas this year for sure.

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my Little bro is picky, it's dead to anyone but her ~ Xu Si'An

A.K.A. back to you, my violet Love ... i highly recommend this drama to all short rom-com drama fans .. the story is clean, the characters are loveable and the ending is satisfactory.
so the plot tells tale of couple that broke up due to some special circumstances and misunderstanding the girl had about the boy.. she dumps him and back away without proper explanation. four year later he is back for revenge .. like not 'revenge' revenge but 'i-will-follow-you-until-you-take-me-back 'revenge. So, he joins her joins company as CEO, promoting her as his personal assistant and start being pain in her a$$. As the time pass the feeling reignite and they rekindle their love after various trials. The best thing about this story was instead of a proper break-up it seemed like they were into a 4-years long couple fight; cause even after 4 years apart , she kept dreaming of him; he kept her, the sole heir of his heritance all this time. apart from this for a mini drama format the plot offers many shades of emotion , there is psychological pain, regrets, longing, fear of pursuing what heart desires, trauma, blind love, screwed parent-child relation, and a lot more.
chemistry between Lin Feng Song and tan yanyan was amazing. Lin Feng Song indeed surprised me .. he was so adorable .. a walking green flag ... tan yanyan added her own charm to the recipe.
~Definitely a must-watch.

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Journey of the crown prince to Emperor!

From a carefree young man full of innocent to the emperor of the great nation. This is full of friendship, love, lost (not too much) and victory.

The palace is full of corruption and power hungry group of people who stop at nothing to tighten control.

The ML together with crown prince clean up the capital and along the way meet lovers some one sided, others short lived and friends who together fight for the people.

Their are multiple archs in this drama. It shows how crucial it is that every branch of government/department be governed by honest and trustworthy people.

The country's Military, Intelligence department, palace (eunuch) household department and officials can cause great harm with corrupt leaders

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Fantastic efects

This serial is awsome and exciting. I realy liked the story but it would be better with little more love story. The efects are fantastic, realistic and the atcing is good too.

I dont want too spoil the story but after seaing the anding there will be the NEXT season and i can’t wait for this.

The maine actor is so handsome😍

There is only a few moments with music, i think ust too litle.

Don’t look belowe, it’s just to uplouded the coment.



































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Predictable, but other than that a good drama with thrill, mystery and romance in it...

Started off great but then in the last 2-3 episodes, it lost its momentum... The ending was okayish as the killer was too some point predictable but his motive was already predictable as he was always the lead prime suspect... I really thought they are gonna twist it in the last episode but they didn't do it... Ngl but till the scene of the FL and the culprit talking scene, him explaining her why he did, I thought there is a still a twist coming probably but I was wrong... Instead took a whole episode to stretch it.. I think it could have been better as the starting of the drama was great with intense thrill and suspense of who might be the killer but it failed to deliver... Overall, a great story with so much potential but it failed to deliver at last that too with a predictable ending... But its a good mystery thriller with romance, melodrama, especially how the leads got their happy endings (I was happy to see that though)... One can enjoy this in its free time because its gripping (although it had some loopholes)...

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Entertaining Lovely and funny at times

I love stories that go from modern times to the past. Even though this one didn’t have the usual time-travel twist, it was still fun to watch, relax, and laugh

Spoiler :

Male lead gets into an accident and dreams the whole drama. Don't neglect it just because of this, no drama is real so why do so. You will enjoy this, it has no jealousy, violent hate or any heart wrenching emotions. The ML is from dream of splendor. If you have seen it you will know this is good.

I usually don’t write reviews since others cover everything, but I saw just one review and had to add mine.

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MID, AND WEAK (dropping it)

after watching Episode 1: honestly, disappointing. I came in because of Elvira Cai, expecting something engaging with solid drama, but it turned out really bad. One of the worst directions I’ve seen in any drama. The director clearly doesn’t understand what this drama is supposed to be, so the nuances, setting, and overall environment just don’t land right.
The writing and character interactions are nothing special, and it all feels like the work of an immature director. It’s hard to ignore so many mistakes. For example, that boat scene... they used a body double (which is normal in dramas and movies), but it was so obvious you could instantly tell it wasn’t her. That’s poor direction. It might not seem like a big deal, but I just can’t unsee things like that. My instinct tells it's not going in the right direction there's no thrill or excitement at all in the entire episode.
On top of that, the camera angles are off, the execution feels weak, and the production value is very mid. Overall, I just can’t push myself to continue this. I think I need to drop it here.

0

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Masterful and refreshing adaptation

The absolute BEST Boys Over Flowers adaptation. All the cliches of the tale without the massive cringe and toxic red flags.

Gorya and Thyme are easily the best part of the drama. Each stands strong individually in their personality. Gorya is the determined, headstrong FL who doesn't take any BS and Thyme is this dumb but well-meaning puppy in-love who actually has character growth. Their chemistry is adorable and it's cute to see how they went from enemies to lovers.

It's like the drama takes the very classic story of the arrogant, rich guy with the stubborn, poor girl, picked out all the flaws, and transformed it into this coming-of-age masterpiece.

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Entertaining and forgettable!

This drama is what I would call "entertainment that feels like a chore... kinda", because while I will say that it was entertaining many of the times-- it also goes around in circles and spends most of its runtime on plot twists that are simply nothing more than just twists. You know what I mean? As in, it shocks you for the moment but leaves no actual impact on the viewer OR the plot itself.

Also are prisons really this easy to escape? I don't know what it's like in Japan but are female COs allowed at male prisons? That aside, being the romance fan that I am, the whole "epic" romance they had going on here felt underdeveloped and... unearned? Like it legit grew out of nowhere. I was just confused.

Still, if you're looking for some mindless entertainment to binge watch, this is not bad. I personally don't take too kindly to corny entertainment that is trying too hard to be something meaningful lol. Hot poster and cool soundtracks though!

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stepcest question mark

i tried so hard to care about this stepcest ragebait & make sense of the general plot idea but i guess #DeadDoveDoNotEat always prevails. i found the cast to be fine and i love the work qiming fei puts into his support roles ,, he's mastered the craft and his ability brought a lot of light into the episodes that i watched.

⟢ maybe i just pull out scripts that do injustice to esther yu as an actress, but i'm severely underwhelmed by her typecast tendencies. the music is cringy & the production isn't anything above average, but i really liked the filming locations and insight into the streets of thailand. . .all thai actors did great!

truly whatever ._.

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I had no expectations, but was still disappointed

The best thing about this series is that it shows how AI is ruining creativity and taking jobs.

All the actors did a great job, but good acting can only carry a show so far when the plot and the script aren't pulling their weight. To me, Dew and Gun just didn't have any chemistry, and it felt less like love and more like Pheem imprinted on Jira.

The plot was hollow at best and felt full of loose ends, especially regarding Jira's "job". The script spent more time on the artistic side of things when it should have worked more on the "plot" and developing the characters and their relationships.

I couldn't connect with or care about any of the characters because we really didn't get to know them. I honestly couldn't remember their names until around episode 7, when the show actually started to get a little interesting. Which is sad.

The friendship between Koh and Pheem just fell apart with neither of them actually caring, and I didn't care either because it had no history behind it, even though we are told they've known each other for 20 years. I believe Pheem had Stockholm Syndrome, but they didn't really do enough with it. It's like Jira just existing took him half out of it, and Koh breaking them up cured him. More time needed to be spent on his healing, and not being used like an emotional yo-yo.

Watching this honestly felt like a waste of time; I gained nothing from it, not even enjoyment.

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Great actors that had to follow a sh*t script

I loved the first season with a burning passion and maybe my mistake was to have expectations for season 2. Biggest flop of the year. Never wrote a review on any of the 300+ dramas i watched, but this one was worthy of one.
Dislikes:
1. No cinema, looks like it was filmed with an Iphone from a very weird angle and awkward single character focus.
2. Random lines about the power of friendship every 10 minutes, weird explanations of concepts like "dark web" and other overexplained stuff that had no relevance. Yeah, we get it, you got the police involved, but this season was sure as hell not advertised as an " 'Criminal minds' type profiling college course on how the police fails at stuff".
3. What's with the frustrating deaths?
4. Why was Woo-Jin nerfed ? Last time I checked he was also a good boxer, maybe not on the same level as Geon-Woo, but a boxer nonetheless. How come he gets his sh*t rocked in a random 1v1 fight with a dude (ep. 2, min 37) then Geon-Woo shows up and fights 10+ dudes with pipes all by himself in 5 minutes?
5. Ah, yes, dude with anger issues likes to show he's the best and pulls fingers left and right, then best fighter Geon-Woo waits till everybody dies, his mother gets kidnapped and cries every damn episode until he powers up on good feelings and loyalty to show he is actually capable of fighting said dude with anger issues.

Likes:
1. The actors. Because I know they are good and the only thing that failed them this time was the script.

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Beautiful and irritating simultaneously

PROS: Unique idea, good acting, on point soundtrack, beautiful cinematography. Good recommendation for people who enjoy crying and suffering while watching. Kim Hae-sook and Oh Jung-se are a quality guarantee in the cast.

CONS: There are some parts of the story that irritated me. Why did Hae-jo automatically assume he inherited the disease from his father, and not his mother? Why was Jae-mi in the clinic to begin with? Menopause symptoms? She was acting as if she was pregnant already and even asked the doctor if there was any possibility for her to get pregnant in three days, although obvious she never intended to sleep with Heung to begin with. What happened to the bag filled with money that Jae-mi had? What's up with Jae-mi's life in general - does she have no friends? No job? No apartment? There is a time space between her break up with Hae-jo and her meeting Heung, what was she even doing during that time? How did Hae-jo find her biological mother?

Jae-mi and Hae-jo's relationship being a middle point between healthy and unhealthy is obvious and I don't think their bond is meant to be romanticized, but Ko Mun-young was also abusive towards Moon Gang-tae at IOTNBO so I guess the screenwriter has a type. Heung has the best character arc and, although I am not in favor of age-gap relationships and Jae-mi never truly loved him and would be unhappy at his house, he was the most sympathetic character and the one that grew more as a person.

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