Reviews

When a Max-Level P2W Player Rage-Quits Over a Lv.2 Slime: The Absurdity of the Forced Separation

Just finished the finale, and I am left with nothing but question marks and utter frustration. I have to break down the underlying logic of this show. Is this supposed to be a "realistic romance," or did the writer just forcefully pull the plug on the female lead’s internet connection?
Let's treat this drama as an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). The sheer comedy of the setup immediately becomes apparent:
1. The FL's Build: A Pure "Pay-to-Win (P2W)" Max-Level Account
What kind of starting stats does our Female Lead (FL) have?
Perk: Korean passport (built-in "visa-free/low-barrier" cross-server teleportation privilege to Japan).
Inventory (Endgame Gear): A wealthy mom acting as her safety net (ready to drop gold coins to renew her VIP status at any time—sure, she's controlling, but the funds are real); two years of playing on the "Japan Server" (Language skill at least Lv.5, map proficiency maxed out).
Early Main Quest: The FL finds a highly compatible co-op teammate (the ML) in the beginner village (the convenience store/izakaya). They grind levels together, build affinity, and the screen is full of romantic pink bubbles.
2. Big Words vs. Instant Rage-Quit
Here comes the funniest contrast. In the first half, the writer desperately builds up the FL as a fiercely "independent woman." She talks big to her best friend and defies her mom, expressing an intense desire to stay on the Japan server. She acts like she’s about to solo the final boss.
But then, the main quest presents a boss named "Securing a Visa/Job in Japan."
Anyone with common sense in the international student community knows that with the FL's stats, this is literally a Lv.2 Beginner Village Slime!
Failed interviews at top-tier corporate guilds? No problem! Just ask Mom for some gold to buy a "Revive Token"—enroll in grad school or a vocational school to extend the student visa for another year. There are a million legal ways to stay.
As long as she doesn't want to log off, for a player with her build, it’s just a matter of spending some gold to change classes.
3. The Foil Character's Reality Check: Noa is the Real Hardcore Solo Player
What's worse, the writer deliberately set up a foil character—Noa, the regular customer.
What’s Noa's build? A toxic, blood-sucking family (a massive debuff that lowers her max HP), and she just went through a bad breakup. Yet, she relies entirely on herself to grind gold, forces a cross-server transfer to the notoriously expensive NA/EU server, and solos a Lv.50 Epic Boss!
Compared to Noa, a "Free-to-Play Hardcore Gamer," the FL's excuse of "I can't find a job so I have to go back to Korea" instantly shifts from a "heartbreaking compromise with reality" to the behavior of a low-skill giant baby who's bad at the game but loves to play.
4. What is the Teammate (ML) Doing? Spamming Emotes on the Sidelines!
Facing this Lv.2 Slime, the FL's Sanity drops to zero. She cries, "Reality is too cruel, my sword can't break its defense, I have to delete my character and go back to my Korean hometown!"
And the ML, her co-op partner?
Not only does he fail to cast any buffs (like offering financial support or helping her find a backup job), he doesn't even dare to use the ultimate cheat code: "Let's get married so you get a spouse visa."
He just stands outside the boss room, watching his fully-geared FL get one-sidedly beaten by a Lv.2 Slime, while frantically spamming sad emotes: "Ah, this boss is truly too strong. I guess we can't cross the chasm of reality. This is our 'last' time partying up. I'll miss you."
Conclusion:
This isn't "a mature view of romance," nor is it "a helpless compromise with reality."
These are simply two players who lack the resolve to go All-In, and a FL with terrible survival skills. After weighing the pros and cons, the moment they faced a tiny bit of resistance, they took the easy way out.
To forcefully manufacture a so-called "high-art bittersweet ending" where "both shine brightly in their own countries," the writer hard-coded a script error, forcing a max-level FL to be killed by a Lv.2 Slime in a blatant forced scripted death!
That tear-jerking airport scene, full of beautiful promises but zero willingness to solve a simple practical visa issue together, can only be described in one word: Cringe.
If this drama were titled Diary of an Uncommitted Rage-Quitter, I’d give it a 10/10.

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Humor, Sex, Cringe, Chemistry, Weirdness.....this drama has it all!

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.25 (due to super low expectations)
Objective Rating: 6.0-7.0


My expectations for this drama are on par with “Sweat and Soap” but worse. Mm… I think I am right to think that way. I was one of the weird people who actually really liked “Sweat and Soap”. It was ridiculous, yet very sweet and cute. Now, what about “Tada no Renai Nanka de Kikkonai: Kojirase Joshi to Fetishna Buka”? It’s definitely not as innocent as “Sweat and Soap”.

The drama is a lot more erotic and the type of cringe is very different from “Sweat and Soap”. The plot itself is interesting, afterall, the English title of the drama is “We Can't Do Just Plain Love: She's Got a Fetish, He's Got Low Self-Esteem”. We have another smell fetish, but definitely not as cringe as “Sweat and Soap”. The over excited male organ is quite funny, actually. I thought I would see more instances of that, instead of the same high school flashback. The main romance is surprisingly honest and they are actually very communicative about each other’s feelings and horniness. It was actually quite refreshing to see, especially coming from the female lead. I’ve seen my share of shy, naive, innocent and super passive Japanese FLs, so it’s a nice change to have FL here being the persistent one to chase after ML.

This drama is not shy in showing us that the main leads have a very physical relationship. They are often kissing, caressing and having sex. It’s a nice change from the more demure dramas with bad fish kisses. However, I found the most cringe-worthy part of the drama is the sex, particularly the “humping” part. Mmm… how do I put it in a way that doesn’t make me sound super crude? Let’s just say it seems like the ML isn’t exerting much effort, or at least the drama does not show a lot of movement. They’re supposed to be enjoying sex a lot, but all they do is talk the whole time and all the time, and not move much. Their kisses and caressing, on the other hand, are so much better.

The acting is not too bad for a manga adaptation. The leads have pretty good chemistry and I enjoy their scenes together. I think because they are so honest with each other, and the female lead doesn’t shy away from speaking up, it makes their relationship very enjoyable to watch. But I think both ML and FL could use a little more emotions during the sexy scenes.

I was honestly expecting a worse drama, but it turned out to be OK. Low expectations for the win! Do I recommend it? I don’t think I can say yes, unless you are intentionally seeking for something like this.


Completed: 3/27/2026 Review #679

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Romance Shines, Weak Political Execution

I really love this drama. Every day, I looked forward to its release, and I even watched it together with my mom and she enjoyed it too. The leads are amazing and have such great chemistry. I’ve been watching ZLH since Maiden Holmes, and honestly, he looks especially good here. But it’s not just him, the entire cast looked great. I have to give credit to the director as well for the visuals, angles, and cinematography. Even simple details, like the wind blowing through their hair, felt beautifully done and very pleasing to watch.

As for TXW, I’ve seen her in several dramas like NLB, GOTD, ROTF, etc., and her acting here is just as good. Overall, it was really a feast for the eyes.

Story-wise, I feel like this drama leans more heavily into romance than politics, which I assume was its supposed main goal. On the romance side, I absolutely loved it. As I mentioned, the main leads have incredible chemistry, and even the second and third couples had their own moments to shine. I also liked the side characters like FCY’s friends, the Zhao couple, and others added a lot of charm.

That said, I don’t want to sugarcoat my thoughts on the plot. It started off very intriguing: a marquis and a butcher tied in a fake marriage that turns real, with hidden truths from the past. I was genuinely invested in uncovering what happened 17 years ago, especially with how the drama slowly revealed bits and pieces. However, I felt a bit disappointed towards the end.

The ending felt way too rushed, even for a 40-episode drama. Qi Min was built up as a major villain competing for the throne, but his conclusion felt underwhelming. The rebellion itself lacked impact like you couldn’t really feel its weight. I have also read that even the lines like QM colluding with Beijue seems farfetched considering his pain and memories from the death of his father, the Crown Prince Chengde during that war against Beijue. It felt like they just don't want QM to have a way out to fight for the throne. The 3-way conflict made things even messier, with the uncle vs. nephew dynamic happening at the same time. WY’s family suddenly appearing and even saving XZ, LHA already being in the palace with the puppet emperor, it all felt like abrupt jumps.

And after all that buildup about what happened 17 years ago, with WY being hinted as the main villain, the story suddenly shifted to reveal the previous Emperor as the true mastermind, despite barely being mentioned before. The arcs of the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and Consort Shu also felt cut short, even though they were tied to what seemed like the main conflict.

In the end, WY’s role came down more to personal selfishness rather than being the central figure behind everything, which didn’t quite match the earlier buildup, especially with the repeated assassinations involving the Fan sisters. It turned out he was also just part of that trap.

As I said, the drama is strong on romance but falls short on the political side, which was supposed to be the driving force behind the leads’ quest for justice. The ending also feels like it hints at a cycle repeating itself. Bao’er didn’t originally want the throne, and even from earlier hints, it was suggested that power can change a person. From the "If the event didn't happen 17 years ago" it was mentioned somewhere with along the lines that even a virtous person will be suspicious of his own son. With Bao'er starting to show signs of authority and the actual power being held by XZ and FCY, it feels like suspicion and conflict might arise again in the future. There was no real “cleaning” of the court, so the system itself remains flawed. I just hope YQQ's guidance might save Bao'er from being very much like QM.

That said, this is more from a political perspective. I haven’t read the novel, so I understand that these things might have been discussed more in it. And since the drama leaned more toward romance, it makes sense that they prioritized a happy ending for the main leads.

Even so, this didn’t take away much from how much I enjoyed watching the drama. Congratulations to the whole POJ team, they truly deserve the popularity it’s getting.

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Some things are quickly understood and some things take time

I was surprised by how much I liked this film. Usually, films like this one, films that get very philosophical and don't have much plot in favour of thinking about life, quickly tip over into "too much" for me. Either they are too preachy (like "The Zen Diary") or pretentious (like "Glasses") or too artificial (like "Bread of Happiness").

But for some reason, "Every Day a Good Day" managed to keep to the side of thought-provoking while not getting to obnoxious about it. I can only guess why that is. It might very well be because a large part of the first half takes the time to just show the Tea Ceremony in detail -- the way it is filmed and the way the teacher comments on the details, feels much more like a documentary than a fictional story.
Added to that, the way of the tea ceremony is carefully balanced with Noriko's life -- and what an ordinary life it is! There's nothing special about her, she's struggling to find a job, she's clumsy and very mediocre both in real life and in learning the ceremony, she despairs when a young girl learns much quicker than her. Not only did she stay simply human throughout -- she does it not in the pretentious "Look at how humble I am", but in the much more relatable way of "I am not good at the things I do, but I have to try to find the good things in life, even if it's hard". Her teacher is the same, and I love her last sentence in the film (which is the second-to-last overall):

"By teaching, we are taught."

Noriko's life also echoes much of my own experience through adulthood, and when the film ends, she is about the same age as me now, give or take a few years. And I feel that the both of us look back at our life (so far) in a similar fashion -- only that she is, of course, doing it in a much more concise way, since the author surely refined her own thoughts into the essence of her life when she wrote her book.

One aspect I really loved was how the seasons were an integral part of the narrative. The crew took the time to film throughout the year -- they connected the meditative aspect of tea making with the surrounding sounds and sights of nature, and thus they managed to show us viewers how much we stand to gain from paying attention to what is around us:

"On a rainy day, listen to the rain. Savour the moment with all five senses, with your whole body. On a snowy day, look at the snow. In summer, feel its heat. In the winter, the freezing cold. `Every day a good day` So that's what it means!"

I wonder how much I would have liked the film twenty or even ten years ago? Not much, I guess. Commenters on the JFF website mentioned how much they cried, or that the film was devastating. I did not feel that at all! I felt mildly melancholic, yes, but definitely not devastated. So, I think this is probably one of the films that either speak to the viewer (and everyone would hear something different) or it doesn't speak to them at all.


Was it good?
It was a film with great technical expertise, and marvellous actors. It's obvious how much care went into showing the ceremony and into integrating it with the life of the protagonist.

Did I like it?
Surprisingly, yes.

Would I recommend it?
I have no idea. I think this is one of the films where every viewer gets something else out of it -- or not. Those who need plot and exciting things to happen, or even a neat ending, might want to stay away.


"Some things are quickly understood and some things take time. The things easily understood need only be gone through once. But those other things you come to understand only with time, little by little."

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Be ready for the plot twist

A romantic fantasy comedy with a great cast, styling and soundtrack until the story itself nosedives into darkness. The comedic timing and dialogue is superb until it isn’t. I was laughing and enjoying to the fullest until a plot twist knocked me askew. There was no recovering my enthusiasm for the show afterwards. It’s a lower rating due to the storytelling. This is the best facial acting I’ve watched Zhang Beixi perform and he’s super sexy in this production. Jin Ya Na I praise for delivering a lower dramatic style of acting for her characters traumatic and tragic circumstances. The soundtrack is great with popular songs injecting the very mood itself into scenes. I don’t plan to watch this again due to disliking the plot. If I happen to come across in future knowing the story beforehand may change my viewpoint.

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Good story rushed ending

Pursuit of Jade is undeniably a good drama, but it is ultimately held back by severe pacing issues that drastically lower its rewatch value. The story is highly ambitious, and trying to cram it all into a single run was a mistake. This drama ideally should have been divided into two seasons of 24 episodes each. At the absolute minimum, it needed at least 8 more episodes to do the narrative justice.

The pacing problem becomes glaringly obvious in the final stretch. The last 10 episodes feel so incredibly rushed that it automatically takes you out of the immersion. Instead of experiencing the story naturally, it feels like someone hit the fast-forward button, leaving you to watch a frantic checklist of plot points being rapidly ticked off.

The elements that suffer the most from this rush are the war arc and the final ending. The battlefield sequences, which should have been the epic centerpiece of the story, lack the necessary breathing room to build real tension or stakes. Because the war is hurried, the ending naturally falls flat. The climax arrives too abruptly, and the final resolutions feel unearned. After everything the characters endure, the audience isn't given the time to actually feel the emotional payoff.

Overall, it is a solid show with a great initial setup, making it worth a first watch. However, because the chaotic final 10 episodes ruin the immersion and the emotional landing, I wouldn't go back to rewatch it.

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Best Chinese Drama so far in 2026

Pursuit of Jade is a kind of drama that captivates you from the beginning. I will write the parts of my liking and disliking.

Story/Script: Great script. There are many stories that put characters in just for the sake of it, but this show puts each of them on purpose. Every character has some kind of activity and part in the script. The way FL TXW's character is written without any cliches requires a mention. The transition from a butcher girl to a female general is commendable. Also, the ML character arc is something we don't usually see in Chinese dramas. The QianQian and QiMin storyline is also nicely written. The climax is satisfactory.

Acting—Very good performances from the ML and FL. In my opinion the FL overshadowed everyone, and it is her story in the first 12-13 episodes. Her transition and character arc were very beautifully portrayed by TXW. I have watched her in this drama only, and she nailed it. Fight scenes were also good. The ML did his job quite well as Marquis of Waan and a matrilocal husband. Showed his range of emotions and depth. The character QiMin was also very good. Toxic, abusive, and obsessive—all traits were meticulously portrayed. Side characters also did their job pretty well.

Overall in my opinion, it's a very good drama that will be remembered by me. Barring a few usual tropes, this was a fun, interesting watch. A solid 8.5/10 from me.

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“Hey, you wanna talk to cats?”

“Not really.” “Khao will be your lover and give you sexy eyes the entire time.” “Say less.” - The Director and First Lmao

This was a cute show, with some dark undertones because it's FirstKhao. It is a little bit boring, but First and Khao and their chemistry will carry you through. Okay, I would give it an 8.4 (8.5) out of 10. I am going to say what I liked, what I didn't, and then an episode overview, and then yay.

FIRST AND KHAO CAME THROUGH WITH THIS. I always say that Khao looks like a cat, and he embraced it for this. I think that their chemistry in this was genuinely phenomenal, and I feel like it always is, but they really delivered for this one, my god. They did a really good job with bringing the mood, even if they had a couple of kisses sprinkled and 2 implied sex scenes, just a great job overall. THE CATS. They are beyond cute, and I, too, am allergic to cats, and have had cats my whole life, but sadly never grew out of my allergy lmao. The cats looking at the camera were the cutest thing ever, I'M DEAD. Love at first sight trope, which I love to see, also these two had phenomenal communication, which was so nice to see. First made it clear he was pursuing him, and Khao just wanted to be sure, and he voiced everything to First, who listened and cared. God, that was beautiful communication between the two of them, so mature. I love to see it. FIRST ACTUALLY BEING IN LOVE WITH HIM. Like, I hate when dramas do love at first sight, and then they look at them awkwardly, no FIRST'S CHARACTER WANTED TO EAT HIM, MY LORD (probably the voices in his head or whatevera). He delivered, and it was so nice to see. And also my daddy Great was in this, love him. Also, RIP Satang and Winny, but they were also in this, and it made me miss them lmao, but nice final horrah. Khao's eyes are gorgeous. Okay, we know I hate romance building in shows because it is always bad, but I tolerated this one. I thought it was good, slow but good. They had dates, they communicated, the whole 9 yards. I think they could have done it better, but they did well for what it was. LYNX HAD EVERY RIGHT TO BE RESENTFUL OF HIS MOM. She literally neglected him his whole life for some damn cats. And Lynx didn't owe her shit, but he stepped up, and that just shows good character development. I thought that was good with the ending and forgiving her, even after all of that; that was nice to see. I think a reason I somewhat enjoyed this show was that it's not a lot of brain power, and it was a really easy watch. The sad part of the final episode was good and made me "unfathomably sad for literally no reason." I also loved the connection with the diary to his mom. And yeah, that's it for the stuff I liked.

The plot is fucking bullshit lmao. Like, he is a debt collector (which they forget about halfway through the first episode because First is so in love with Khao lmao), and Ja Meow or whatever her name was dies, and her final words were meow, and suddenly he can hear cats talking, like what the fuck does that even mean? Someone chatgpted this, or they wrote it when they were WASTED, because there is actually no fucking way. There were a lot of moments where I was genuinely having to look away because this shit was so cringe, oh my lord. Also, I hate First's haircut in this. The wispy parts in the front make it look like he is balding, like we need a haircut that shapes his face better. I still have pretty mixed feelings about this show because I think it's really random and I feel like they dragged their feet the entire time, but also didn't. A lot of the episodes were full of filler, because we didn't have enough shit to begin with. I wish they had added a little more relevant lore. I think that would have helped the drag plot vibe I was feeling towards the end. OMG, okay, I loved the cats, but holy fucking shit, why are they getting more screen time than our couples? WHY DID THE CAT COUPLE GET MORE SCREENTIME THAN FIRSTKHAO, LIKE BE FUCKING FR? First and Khao can't run lmao. Random debt collectors after satang, that they didn't go into more, and they really should have, I think that would have helped with the filler content that they had. Also, why was Satang a ho in this? bro be for real, you are pissing me off. I wish we had fleshed out some of the kissing and NC scenes a little more. I don't need full on, but they felt very abrupt and random at times, and I think a little more writing them out would have helped with that. I can't lie. The dad part was good, but it felt really irrelevant for some reason. Like, I think they should have alluded more to it throughout the start, and the same with Lynx having a half-brother, because that all felt very random. It was well done, but just felt very VERY random. It felt like it was just dumped in the show to just drag the plot along, and I didn't like that. I wish they had written more into it, and also didn't just fade it out as soon as it was done. Some of the episodes, specifically episode 8, felt so fucking random, and I think they could have used those episodes better. The ending that wasn't the sad part was mid and felt rushed. I don't know. I feel like they could have written that out better, but it's whatever, okay, that's it.

Okay, here are some of my thoughts during the episodes lmao. "Whoever came up with this idea used chatgpt bc i aint no fucking way. This shit is so random, but the cats are cute, and we are getting some slow romance in there, which is good. My cats LOVE plastic bags lmao. “Hey, you wanna talk to cats?” “Not really.” “Khao will be your lover and give you sexy eyes the entire time.” “Say less.” -the director and First probs." Me with the final bit of episode 3: "And that final scene is the start to a questionable porn video, but that's okay." "SMELLING HIM OUT LIKE A HOUND DOG IS INSANE. WAIT, THIS IS CUTE. DATEEEEE. CUTEEE The romance building in this is pretty good." "ZERO SHAME FROM LEO OH MY LORD. GREAT IS SO FUCKING SEXY, MY LORD, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. Satang has chem with everyone, I fear. rip winnysatang tho. Sorry that summer ended terribly, and same with y'all." "Also, we are dragging the plot rn, there is not much else we need to do, stop packing these episodes with nothing at the end."

Uh, would I recommend this show? I don't really know, it was okay? Watch it for FirstKhao and the cute cats. Okay bye!

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Sammy's children day -- A sweet & Emotional BL worth watching ?

Sammy’s Children’s Day is a soft, heartwarming Chinese BL that focuses more on emotions and character growth rather than heavy drama. The story feels simple at first, but it slowly builds a meaningful connection between the characters that makes you genuinely care about them.

One of the best things about this drama is its gentle storytelling. It doesn’t rush the relationship, which makes every small moment feel special and realistic. The chemistry between the leads is natural and comforting, even without overly dramatic scenes.

Visually, the drama has a calm and warm vibe that matches its theme perfectly. The background music also adds to the emotional tone without being overwhelming.

However, if you’re expecting intense romance or bold storytelling, this might feel a bit slow. It’s more about subtle feelings, innocence, and emotional bonding.

Overall:
A soft, emotional, and wholesome BL that’s perfect if you enjoy slow-burn stories with pure vibes.

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