This review may contain spoilers
I went in with high expectations, and I wasn't disappointed.
ACTING: I found a couple of the actors acting to feel very by-the-book, but it honestly didn't bother me; they still did a good job. I particularly liked JJ's acting; I found his energy and facial expressions (especially his smile) to be perfect for a comedy series. This isn't a comedy series, so we didn't get much of that side of him, but you get a good judge of his acting from seeing this and the more serious side that he has for the majority of the show. I'd only seen JJ in "I saw you in my dream" and "The Next Prince" previously and I found his acting very stiff in "I saw you in my dream" which was understandable for his first role, and we honestly didn't get enough of him in "The Next Prince" but based on what little I did see I can tell he's really improved. On a side note, I love it when JJ speaks English, something about it is really cute. JJ & Net really know how to cry.OST: Was pretty & not overbearing. They went with the mood really well, and the lyrics often matched what was happening in the story or between the characters.
PRODUCTION: Very well done. My only complaint is that there were some moments where we were just staring or rotating around the characters when we could have just moved on, and there are way too many moments where the characters are just standing in silence for too long. Even when we are getting internal dialogue from Nakun, the silence stretches long enough to be awkward.
PLOT: As time-traveling stories go, I think this is one of my favorites. I like how it worked. I do think they spent a little too much time trying to explain it as if it could logically be explained, but it was also nice to hear some of the different viewpoints. Normally, I'm really disappointed when the characters in a series have to investigate something because it feels like they either aren't doing enough or they are overlooking the obvious, which makes them look stupid. Not in this series. I liked it, and the historical setting (which I normally don't like) made it better. I liked that gathering information and proof was harder than it is today, where literally everything can leave a paper trail or video evidence. I also liked that Nakun was noticing the small details; he was really trying to Detective Conan this shit.
ROMANCE/CHEMISTRY: I liked both couples, but the chemistry wasn't anything explosive. For Nakun and Phop, it felt like a natural progression, but with Jom and Kaew, it felt very reserved, which I guess fits with the time period. For Thee and Pun, it didn't make me feel anything at all, and that's probably because we don't really see their progression from passive to interested. Besides My Stobborn, this is the first time I've been interested in the NC scenes.
PRODUCT PLACEMENT: Made no sense, but I found it funny.
SPOILERS:
I'm so used to the main character traveling through time mentally that it was a bit shocking that Nakun physically traveled clothes, jewelry, and all. It makes sense because Klao is dead and there's no living body for him to enter, and honestly, I think I prefer this because it's like Klao's death was the trigger for the time travel. It reminds me a little of Two Worlds, where they can only travel if the other world's version of themselves is dead. I'm assuming that age matters as well, but it was never brought up in all the explanations they were giving us, so I'm not sure.
When Nakun is randomly sent back to the present day, we spend a lot more time mourning than I expected. I love that we got to see everyone in the past mourning for Klao/Nakun, whereas a lot of series would just move on to them meeting again in the future and living happily ever after. We get to see Phop find Klao's body and then slowly waste away till he dies. I do wish we had gotten to know how long after Nakun returns to the past that it took. Nakun is given time (no idea how much) to heal and become more mentally stable after he returns before he meets Phop again. I did tear up a couple of times seeing both Nakun and Phop become so lifeless. Nakun at least had hope that Phop was alive and that he just had to find him, whereas Phop found Klao's body.
I was upset about them just missing each other because it's so overused, but it's probably in the novel as well.
(I may read the novel, actually.)
I also REALLY love that Phop used a wishing stone to wish to be reincarnated near Klao with all of his memories. He got his memories back on his 20th birthday as well, around a year before Nakun traveled back in time, and it was interesting to see him put the pieces together and then set things up for his trip to the past.
Nakun gets his ring back! It's apparently Phop's family heirloom, which I found interesting.
I would have liked to have seen more of their time together inbetween them meeting again and their marriage, but this is me wanting too much, and I'm aware of that. The "wedding," if it can be called that, was literally just an announcement and signing the paperwork, which they somehow made sweet.
What was the bracelet about? What did it actually do, if anything? We see it vibrate or something a couple of times in the first episode, and then it literally does nothing. Did I miss something? If I did, please, someone explain it to me because I was watching for this darn bracelet to do something or mean something in every episode, only for it to amount to nothing. Now that I think about it, this is the thing that annoyed me the most out of the series, and I thought all the scenes with the mom went on WAY too long, especially the one where Nakun realizes that she's the reincarnation of Klao's father. Why did we have to rotate around them, hugging for so long?
A couple of annoying things aside, I really loved this show.
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Strong Female Lead But Slow-Paced Narrative
I was engaged in a few subplots, which is what kept me watching through to the end to see how they would develop. However, overall I only enjoyed a handful of episodes, and I wouldn’t recommend this if we have similar tastes in dramas.The drama as a whole felt quite slow-paced for me, and there wasn’t much in the way of narrative pull to keep me genuinely invested. I struggled to stay engaged throughout and ultimately found the production underwhelming. In hindsight, I probably should have dropped it midway rather than finishing it.
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A Low-Budget VR Xianxia Romance with Strong Chemistry and Fantasy Elements
I really enjoyed this. It’s a VR xianxia with a Tantai Jin and Li Susu vibe. The production isn’t the strongest, but something about the storyline kept pulling me in, and I became genuinely invested in the leads. Their chemistry was dynamite, the costumes were gorgeous, and even the villain and his arc were intriguing. I liked the sci-fi twist woven into the traditional xianxia elements.Was this review helpful to you?
A Drama That Struggled to Engage on Multiple Levels
This was a disappointing watch and not one of my favorite dramas with Yu Xuanchen. I struggled to finish it because I couldn’t connect with the characters or the overall storyline. The narrative felt quite basic, and I never found a strong hook to pull me in. The plots and humor didn’t land for me, and much of the execution felt flat, which made it difficult to stay engaged. Even when the story introduced new situations or attempted to build momentum, I still felt somewhat detached from what was happening on screen.Ultimately, I didn’t find much that worked for me or anything strong enough to offset the parts that didn’t land. It just wasn’t a match for my taste.
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Better than Season 2
I was very hesitant to start this season when I realised that Haru wasn't in it, but I'm glad I did. First, they used Haru's character superbly in cameos to help setup the continuity. More importantly though, this season had MUCH more emotional depth than Season 2. I didn't really enjoy season 2 that much as I felt it was a bit ott comic/cartoonish.This season started off with a run of "revenge/vigilante stories and by episode 4 I was hoping for a chage. I got it. Several of the stories in the last half actually made me tear up a bit, something that never happened with season 2. That's why I'm giving it an 8
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A Detective Story with a Strong Central Narrative
I really enjoyed this drama. While the execution wasn’t perfect, the storyline more than made up for it. I’m especially drawn to detective and investigative-style stories that are tied to a larger overarching plot, and this one kept me fully engaged throughout. I didn’t want to put it down.That said, if I were recommending it to someone else, I’d describe it as a good rainy-day watch. The production quality isn’t the highest, but it’s still definitely worth checking out.
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The perfect summer drama!
Summer vibes, lovely family, fun friend group and a sweet romance: the perfect combination for summer dramas!I’m genuinely surprised by this show! It had everything i was looking for!
The storyline was such a perfect summer breeze. I love small town dramas and unfortunately, i watched a lot of them, this was exactly what i needed.
I loveddddd that we basically had the whole drama in the small town.
Young adults struggling with their own individual life problems, adults working on their own lives. It was not just a basic drama, it contained way more details and more emotions. Their were a lot of great characters who had their own big or small story, doesn’t matter. There are great life lessons to pick up from
Every episode was fun to watch. Cdramas have more episodes and tend to have a bit of a downgrade at the last 5-10 episodes, but it was great with this one. Thats a big plus for me!
I would highly recommend it. Most cdramas aren’t really touching in my opinion but this was did a really great job!
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A Short, Humorous Fantasy with Engaging Character Dynamics
I enjoyed watching this. It is highly comedic, with character dynamics that reminded me of Jiu Liu Overlord. The fantastical subplots were also engaging, giving the drama a balanced tone that blends comedy, romance, and conflict well. Although I wouldn’t rank it as top-tier, I can see myself revisiting it again. It’s short and light enough that I’d happily rewatch the parts that worked well for me.Was this review helpful to you?
A Visually Stunning Adaptation that Missed the Donghua Spark
This wasn’t for me. While the cinematography was gorgeous and it featured many amazing performers—Wen Zhengrong, in particular, knocked her role out of the park—and the storyline itself is one I typically love, the onscreen execution didn’t quite land for me. It actually took me a few tries to finish the series.I’ve watched the first three seasons of the donghua, which closely follow the manhua, and this adaptation felt off in comparison. The donghua is comedic and offbeat, which I love, but this version lacked that spark I was looking for. Often, I felt the story dragged and tried to juggle too many subplots across multiple arcs, while only one of them truly resonated with me. Overall, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
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A Strong Yu Xuanchen Drama with Emotional and Psychological Depth
I think this is one of Yu Xuanchen's stronger dramas. While I enjoyed it overall, it wasn’t entirely consistent as there were consistent pacing and plot issues. However, I particularly liked the revenge and rebirth elements, which gave us interesting characters and engaging subplots. It’s a psychological and emotionally intense narrative, exploring trauma for both the victim and the villain, while also delving into themes of second chances.Was this review helpful to you?
Hollow Despite Its Premise
I can’t believe I stuck with it for so long with no payoff. The plot revolved almost entirely around identity confusion and flat character dynamics. It was underdeveloped and had huge plot holes. Major conflicts were introduced but never explored or resolved in any meaningful way. What should have been emotional turning points were rushed or glossed over, leaving the story feeling hollow. I’m honestly baffled by how much of a miss this drama turned out to be.Was this review helpful to you?
A Rebirth Revenge Drama with Uneven Execution and Repetitive Subplots
This is an interesting rebirth story about finding solace and closure at the end of revenge. However, I had a difficult time staying engaged with the story. I feel terrible because many people enjoyed this. But I found the execution dry and the subplots repetitive. If this were 12 episodes, I would have enjoyed it better.Was this review helpful to you?
An Offbeat Comedy with a Fun Premise and Light Conflicts
I enjoyed watching this. It’s not a top-shelf drama, but I would still recommend it. The beginning is funny, the premise is interesting, and the misunderstandings are minimal and resolved quickly, which keeps the story light and easy to follow. I did start to lose interest in the later episodes, but overall, I don’t think that detracted too much from what worked earlier on. In the end, I still came away really liking this drama.Was this review helpful to you?
A Well-Executed Time-Loop with Strong Characters That Explores Choice and Consequence
I really enjoyed this. I liked the play on timelines and the way cyclical fate was portrayed—it’s almost like the chicken-and-egg dilemma. Even though time-travel and transmigration themes are fairly overused in Chinese dramas at this point, this one was well executed and still felt fresh and engaging. The narrative had a satisfying build, and I loved the character dynamics and the gradual unfolding of the plot. I was fully invested thanks to its layered relationships, the intensity of the sub-arcs, and the strong characterization across every role. It’s a solid watch.Was this review helpful to you?
A Political Drama That Takes Time to Find Its Footing, and Struggles to Land
I nearly dropped this a few times. The political premise is underdeveloped and confusing, I still don't understand what they did for 24 episodes. And it took a while to invest in the subplots. However, pieces of the narrative kept my interest and made me laugh. I’m glad I kept watching it, but I don’t think this is a must-watch. I would label it a rainy-day viewing.Was this review helpful to you?
