Zero chemistry
This is my first time watching a drama starring Song Weilong and Bao Shang’en.I’m sorry, but the female lead’s acting didn’t work for me. Her facial expressions were very limited. It felt like she only had two expressions throughout the entire drama. Song Weilong was okay, but the two leads had absolutely no chemistry.
Zero. Bland.
I just couldn’t connect with the story because of them. I also felt that the storyline wasn’t compelling enough to keep me invested.
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Healing tropes, but misses the mark
Retreating to the countryside—the sea, an unfamiliar community with a whole new culture. No money, nothing. My first impression was that this would be one of those youth dramas centered on healing, character growth, and chosen family. And it actually is, which is why I picked it up.However, the storyline feels a bit too unrealistic for the theme it’s aiming for. I don’t mind one, two, or even three situations that don’t quite add up, but when they start piling up just to push the romance forward, that’s when I begin to raise my brows.
There are also certain kinds of cringe I can enjoy and tolerate, but unfortunately, this isn’t one of them.
The pacing is good, and the relationship dynamics provide a strong foundation for a good story. Still, I can’t bring myself to wait and see if they’ll be used properly.
Objectively, I understand why this could be considered a “good” drama. But honestly, I’m just not the target audience.
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ITS PERFECT TILL THE END
Ik it has some flaws but the main motive or the plot that is being depicted throughout the series is great... I mean school/college bullying, harassment has been going on for years and to make a drama based on this particular side is pretty amazing and skill worth... Now comes to the casting and their performances, the ML and the his FIL who is also the Education Minister did an excellent job with the ML owning the screen whenever he is shown. The SFL who is considered here as as the FL is also great with her performances but the SML is a bit down for me... I don't know if he is written like that only or that cast could have been a better one, but nevertheless I loved everyone and the chemistry between each of the member of ERPB was just too good... And also all the other casts who gave a cameo in each of the episodes were too nice especially all the bullies did an amazing job... I mean your blood just boils every time you see them on screen... I just loved it and I would rate it high... and one thing that is the yearning love of the ML for his love is too emotional and it can make you cry...Was this review helpful to you?
Grief, jealousy, and two people finding each other in the friction between
A series about loss, suspicion, and the complicated thing that grows between two people who start out wanting nothing to do with each other. I believed the pairing completely, and I'd go back for them without hesitation.The setup does a lot of quiet work. A transfer student whose jazz playing echoes someone who's no longer there, a boy still carrying his brother's death, and then the two of them thrown together for a performance evaluation neither of them wanted. Jazz is present as a shared space and a point of connection, but it's not the engine of the story — the emotions are. The jealousy, the grief, the suspicion about Seo Do Yun that keeps things complicated longer than either of them would like. All of that felt genuinely layered to me.
My one personal sticking point is the physical side — the emotional intimacy between the leads is real and well-built, but the kiss and intimate scenes didn't quite match the intensity of everything surrounding them. That gap is something I notice, and here it was noticeable enough to mention.
Everything else lands. A quietly strong series that stayed with me more than I expected.
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Just as good as season 1.
I love this dating show so much! It's my favorite dating show.This show isn't only about dating but also about personal growth.
I love how they help and suport each other, friendships for life are forged here.
I loved to see how Izaya and William reconnected and fell head over heals in love.
The visuals were stunning, the music great!
It was great that they spend 2 months together, that really gave them the time to get to know each other.
And i thought it was so nice that they all cleaned the house together before they left. It's probably a culture thing but i loved seeing that.
And the 5 people discussing what happened in the show, i loved them too!
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A Story That Dazzles Instead of Shouts
Dazzling is a gentle coming of age romance that proves timing can be both a thief and a matchmaker. After a family crisis forces Qing Ye to leave city life behind and return to her hometown, she struggles to find her footing in a place she never planned to stay. Things begin to change when she crosses paths with Xing Wu, a local boy who seems destined to fall through the cracks. What starts as an effort to help him graduate gradually blossoms into something deeper. Years later, life takes them down separate roads, only to bring them back to the same crossroads. Like the old saying, "what is meant for you will not pass you by," Dazzling explores first love, missed chances, and the quiet pull of fate. It is a heartfelt story about growing up, growing apart, and discovering that some feelings only become clearer with time.One of the biggest strengths of this drama is its ability to remain light and fluffy without feeling shallow. The story never dives into overly heavy territory, yet both the characters and their struggles carry genuine weight. Everything unfolds at a steady pace, creating a viewing experience that feels smooth and comforting, like sitting on a porch during a summer evening while watching the world go by.
Qing Ye's characterization worked surprisingly well for me. At first glance, she comes across as a spoiled city girl who complains about everything. She nitpicks the living conditions, struggles with the food, and finds it difficult to adapt to life in Zhazhating. Some viewers may find her excessive, but honestly, her reactions felt realistic. Moving from a city environment to a small town with shared bedrooms, shared bathrooms, and an entirely different lifestyle would require adjustment for anyone. The infamous bathroom without a doorknob alone would probably send me into a panic.
What made her behavior even more understandable was her grief. Qing Ye is introduced as someone who is extremely health-conscious and somewhat of a germaphobe. Considering that she lost her mother, those tendencies made sense to me. Grief often manifests in unexpected ways. I have seen people become hyper-aware of health and safety after losing someone suddenly, so her worries never felt exaggerated. Instead, they felt human. As the story progresses, Qing Ye steadily grows into a supportive and inspiring presence for those around her without losing the core traits that make her feel authentic.
This was my first time watching Guan Xiao Tong, and her performance was a mixed bag. There were moments where she captured Qing Ye's vulnerability and growth beautifully, but there were also scenes where she felt a little too distant emotionally. Li Yun Rui, on the other hand, delivered a convincing performance as Xing Wu. A few scenes occasionally drifted into awkward or slightly cringeworthy territory, but overall, I found him very likable in the role. His lean build may not scream costume-drama general, but it fits Xing Wu perfectly.
Among all the characters, Xing Wu undoubtedly has the most depth. Growing up with an irresponsible father while caring for both his mother and grandmother, he becomes mature far beyond his years. He is smart, hardworking, dependable, and constantly willing to help others. Whether it is repairing something, running errands, or taking on odd jobs, he always shows up. He even considers leaving school behind in order to support his family financially. While his mother and grandmother want him to continue his education, there is no denying that his sacrifices help keep the household afloat.
What touched me most was how naturally generous Xing Wu and his family remained despite their own struggles. Burdened by debt and limited income, they still opened their doors to people in need, including Qing Ye. Every time Xing Wu quietly said, "I'll take care of it," it carried both warmth and heartbreak. He shoulders responsibilities that should never have belonged to someone his age. For a drama that is largely lighthearted, I appreciated how maturely his character was written, especially when it came to romance. He gets jealous, but never becomes possessive or controlling. He does not spend his time sabotaging rivals or hovering over Qing Ye's every interaction. It is refreshing to see a male lead who understands that caring for someone does not mean owning them.
Beyond the main couple, Dazzling shines through its ensemble cast. In fact, I would argue that family relationships take center stage even more than friendship. Xing Wu's mother, Li Lan Fang, and her two best friends were absolute friendship goals, and some of their scenes near the end were among the most touching moments in the drama. The community dynamics on Xuan Island create a warm and welcoming atmosphere that makes the neighborhood feel like a character in its own right. While friendship arcs exist, they mostly serve as stepping stones for Qing Ye and Xing Wu's growth. One pairing I unexpectedly found myself rooting for was Li Lan Fang and Zhu Feng. Sometimes reality writes the sweetest stories. Also, not every supporting performance was equally polished, but none of the weaker moments significantly affected my enjoyment. The drama remains consistently charming throughout its run.
Visually, Dazzling fully embraces its title. The script frequently circles back to the idea of being dazzling, and I appreciated how the metaphor was woven into the narrative. The analogies were also really nice. The cinematography leans heavily into blue hues and summery aesthetics, giving the entire drama a bright and nostalgic atmosphere. The neighborhood set occasionally looked almost too clean and neat, to the point where it looked theatrical or reminded me of a Broadway stage production, but it never distracted me from the story. The soundtrack deserves praise as well. The music and visuals worked hand in hand to elevate emotional moments without overwhelming them.
The ending was another aspect that the drama handled well. Rather than leaving viewers to fill in the blanks, it provides clear closure for all of its major characters. Everything is laid out openly, and the resolution remains faithful to the themes that the story has been building toward from the beginning. While some viewers wanted more time spent in the adult era, I personally found the balance satisfying. Most of the growth happens during their teenage years. By adulthood, the remaining questions revolve around reunion and romance, both of which are addressed. What lies beyond is fairly obvious. Of course, a wedding scene would have been nice, but the ending we received felt more realistic and more in tune with the drama's overall spirit. It leaves the characters looking toward a bright future rather than stopping at a ceremonial finish line.
In the end, Dazzling feels like comfort food with a little extra seasoning. It is light, fluffy, and easy to watch, but it also contains enough depth to keep the story from feeling bland. This is not a drama that aims to overwhelm you emotionally or leave you sobbing into a pillow. Instead, it keeps things gentle, warm, and quietly meaningful. Perhaps I watched it at exactly the right time, but its relaxed energy was precisely what I needed. If you are looking for a coming-of-age romance filled with family bonds, neighborhood warmth, and a touch of fate, all while maintaining a breezy and comforting tone, Dazzling is well worth the journey.
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A Shaw Bros Spaghetti Western
With the dusty, fatalistic vibe of a spaghetti western disguised as Shaw Brothers swordplay and blessed with an incredible black-and-white opening sequence, you'd be forgiven for thinking that The Flying Dagger would be a rape revenge tale lead by a female swordswoman; what you get instead is Lo Lieh wandering into town like a wuxia Clint Eastwood, throwing knives with absurd accuracy and looking cooler than everyone else in the room. It's certainly an impressive bait-and-switch, opting instead to deal with the internal struggle between good and evil that exists within all of us, where honour and chivalry often carry little weight in the world. Chang Cheh's direction already shows his growing fascination with violence, sacrifice and masculine heroism, hallmarks of his later works. The action is relatively brief but frequent, often punctuated by the deadly precision of thrown knives and colourful villains. Lo Lieh is always a great watch, dominating the screen with his effortlessly charming if not entirely noble persona, Yeung Chi Hung makes for a wonderfully nasty villain, cackling wildly and throwing daggers with absolute precision into his foe's limbs or torso as he sees fit, while Cheng Pei-Pei, who, despite headlining, unfortunately takes a backseat, barely getting a chance to break into action, is shackled to the tortured woman in love stereotype. It means that the third act is bogged down when the romantic sub-plot takes precedence over the film's main drive of loneliness, belonging and redemption. Still, the stylish camerawork and snappy pace mean that The Flying Dagger soon gets back on track, delivering just the right kind of heroic sacrifice and blood-soaked righteousness you'd expect.Was this review helpful to you?
Watched it for the leftover MaxkyBas — ended up curious about one more pair
I won't pretend I watched this for the new storylines. I was there for the remaining MaxkyBas moments, and once those were done I mostly moved on. The new couples didn't pull me in enough to follow all three properly.That said — Ngern and Oat caught my attention more than I expected, enough that I followed their storyline at least. A small surprise in a season I came to with limited investment. The rest I left largely unwatched, which probably says enough.
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Came for MaxkyBas, stayed for MaxkyBas — and they were worth every minute
I'll be upfront: I watched this almost entirely for MaxkyBas, and they delivered in a way I didn't fully anticipate.What makes them interesting to me isn't just the chemistry — it's that they quietly subvert the archetypes they're supposed to inhabit. On paper Bas looks like he fits the serious, good-looking top role, and Maxy the cute, slightly nerdy, cheeky counterpart. And yes, the series plays them that way to some extent. But anyone who's spent five minutes watching their actual dynamic off-screen knows that Bas is genuinely a little weird — charmingly, endearingly so — and Maxy is nobody's damsel in distress. Compared to pairings that operate in a similar register, like ZeeNuNew for example, MaxkyBas break the mould in ways that feel authentic rather than performed. Bas charater can talk about his feelings and Maxys doesn't need rescuing. That distinction matters more than it might sound.
The main couple's storyline — the second chance romance, the mentor dynamic, the loose end that never got tied — is fine and carries its own charm. But honestly MaxkyBas are the reason I was there, and the reason I'd go back.
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Watched it for the leftover MaxkyBas — ended up curious about one more pair
I won't pretend I watched this for the new storylines. I was there for the remaining MaxkyBas moments, and once those were done I mostly moved on. The new couples didn't pull me in enough to follow all three properly.That said — Ngern and Oat caught my attention more than I expected, enough that I followed their storyline at least. A small surprise in a season I came to with limited investment. The rest I left largely unwatched, which probably says enough.
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This review may contain spoilers
This was exactly what i wanted (kinda) from omegaverse BLs
Wait, this was like unexpectedly good. Just so you know, its an Enigma x Alpha storyline, which, damn, I never expected such a thing. Personally, I love pretty-looking tops so this is my cup of tea. I never expected that this type of dynamic would exist as a series to watch so maybe thats why i LOVE IT SO MUCH.The production quality is actually surprisingly very good (other than some scenes, like with cgi..uh...), the acting is top notch except for some typical cringe lines (you cant avoid them in omegaverses lol), but the actors kinda save it. I wanna praise especially the actors for the main Sheng Shao You and Hua Yong...cuz omg they did so well, BRO ESPECIALLY THE ACTOR FOR HUA YONG LIKE HIS ACTING IS SO GOOD. Honestly would see them in another BL cuz holy! I wouldn't say their chemistry is top-notch (its still pretty good) but visually they are both quite suitable for each other. Another thing to note is that when I watched it, some of the translated lines for subtitles were not exactly 100 percent accurate (I'm glad ik Chinese), but its not a big deal. I would also add that though the side couple wasnt really my thing, that area wasn't very well developed on (but for me it isn't a big deal, the side couple is an Alpha x Omega but they dont rlly get tgt :( ).
Overall, if you love non typical omegaverse or top and bottom dynamics (Like pretty top and cool bottom), this is for you! The storyline was pretty good, though it could be better, but i have no complaints. PLEASE DO GIVE THIS A CHANCE!!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Ill start with the negatives and then ill go into what I loved.What I didnt like at all about the drama was the reason why Death started all this game. She said it was because he killed himself and therefore rejected and disrespected his fate and "made fun" of Death. I didnt like this perspective at all because its not fair. No one knows how much suffering you have to go through for your mind to decide that its better to kill yourself than live, except for the people who choose to kill themselves. Yes, its true that he didnt think about the pain he was going to inflict on his girlfriend and his mom, but instead of shaming the victim for wanting to end their pain we should shame the system and the ones who made him want to end it all. Its the peoples fault who act like they are more superior to others and bully others just for fun, like for the high school kid who also killed himself. Its the systems fault for not offering a good-enough support for people who go through so much hardship. Its the systems fault for making it so difficult for us to create good communities. And its also the peoples fault for supporting this kind of system. And instead of putting all the blame where it should be put, this drama made it seem like the guy had sinned. I would have absolutely loved it if he were a former-bully who now is suffering and maybe one of his victims kills him and then Death wanted to play with him. And being in all those different lives he learns what wrongs he did and how to repent. This way the drama would also give the message that people deserve a second chance and deserve to be forgiven after they have done the work. Instead, he suffered so much and now he has to suffer so much more just because he was a bit selfish when he was in so much pain?????
Also the ending from a directors pov is beautifully done, but from the writings pov it looks a bit lazy. Does it mean that he returns to the past? If yes that means that he is going to watch his girlfriends and his moms death. It also means that all that work was for nothing. All those corrupted people are just going to get away with it. How is that satisfying for us viewers? I wish there was one more episode to show us how he prevented his moms and gf death and maybe how he found a way to put all of those psychopaths to jail.
Now to the good things. It has an amazing cast. Everyone did a great job. It is very difficult for all those actors to portray the same character and still they nailed it. It never felt like there was a disconnection. It felt like all of them were the same soul.
The writing was so good too. Even thoughits easy for it to get boring the drama keeps us entertained by making each death interesting. I also loved how they were all connected. I like how it takes time for our guy to make the right choices too. Hes not a God. Hes just human and we all repeat the same mistakes over and over again until we learn from them.
The director did a great job also. I liked how with every story it did not take too much time to go straight to the point. From the first episode they explained his life, why he killed himself, why death punished him and what did he have to do to not go to hell and they also included how his first death happened. Thats a lot in just 45minutes., and they did an amazing job at making it not confusing and also interesting.
The shots in this drama were beautiful too. The videography was amazing. They even did every gunshot from Death in a different way.
So, except from the premise, everything in this drama is wonderful. I highly recommend it.
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Te best HIStory.
For me this was the best HIStory, all the others had one good and one not so good story.And the getting his stephbrother drunk and having sex with him wasn't a good thing, but unethical things happen in real life, so why not in a drama. But i did love the whole process of the father growing to accept their relationship.
The stories of both couples were very well executed, not steps were skipped in the growth of both relationships.
The visuals were stunning, the music very beautiful.
Both couples had great chemistry and great kisses.
And i loved to see the wedding of Lu Zhi Gang and Sun Bo Xiang, my favorite couples from HIStory 3 Make our days count.
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Great so far!!
Amazing show and love how they show both sides pov from the leads. Can’t wait to learn more about the story for revenge and how the leads will grow together. So far at the first five episodes and I’m hooked, great acting from both leads. If only you can drop all the episodes all together that would be amazing!Was this review helpful to you?
Muay Thai, great chemistry, and exactly what it needed to be
Sometimes a series doesn't need to reinvent anything. Muay Thai setting, a good-looking pair with genuinely strong physical chemistry, and a story that knows what it's doing with both — sign me up, and I mean that without irony.NiceGun work well together in every sense, and that's honestly the core of why this series succeeds for me. The chemistry is there in the quieter moments and it's there in the intimate scenes, and when a pairing clicks that consistently it carries a lot. The Muay Thai backdrop gives the show a specific texture and energy that I found genuinely engaging — there's something about the discipline and physicality of that world that feeds into the dynamic between the characters in a way that feels intentional.
Is it a masterpiece? No. Does it break new ground or do anything particularly unexpected with its premise? Also no. But it's confident in what it is, it delivers on what it promises, and I had a genuinely good time with it. Sometimes that's exactly enough.
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