Reviews

A marvelous experience to watch as an avid kdrama watcher & lover since 2020!

I'm so glad I finished it today. The last few episodes really made me cry. In my past few years of watching a ton of kdramas, no other kdrama has made me cry this much before. They truly did exceptionally well with the entire show. It was a marvelous experience to watch. I am forever not gonna forget the last few lines of the series as it really struck a chord in my heart. The phrases & words "holding on" and "freely" will always stick with me thanks to them. The ending left me a lasting impression of feeling hopeful in the days to come too. I think this series is like one of those scent that you'd never forget no matter where you are. The connection of rain to this series is superb to me. Kudos to the entire cast, director, script writers, and pretty much the whole team for all their hard work in bringing this drama to life. I hope both sides of their pillow are always cold!~

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Very Disappointing

A Date with the Future

William Chan - Jin Shi Chuan
Zhang Ruonan - Xu Lai

Summary: This drama was honestly pretty disappointing for me. I started it with high hopes because I really liked Fireworks of My Heart but this drama just did not equal my expectations. There were barely any action scenes where we got to see the firefighters working, it was a lot of just fluff that made the drama kind of boring. Although the love story is idealistic and meant to be, sometimes, this drama was a little too dramatic as in these events would never happen in real life. I also don’t think the actors had much chemistry even though they may be great individual actors. I don’t know, I was more invested in the second ML, the second couple, and the third couple. That’s the reason why I finished watching. But, it wasn’t bad. It was just boring to me, too long, and didn’t hold much emotional depth or meaning. The only reason why this drama is getting as high as a 6.5/10 is becuase of the family that they created. I loved the bond with the firefighters, Jin Shi Chuan, Xu Lai, and Zang Qiu. When all of the firefighters decided to stay and help evacuate Jin Shi Chuan, that part made me a little emotional. I was so sad when the second ML Huo Yanzhong let go of Xu Lai, but I’m glad that he’s still saying as her friend. I also have to admit that I did cry when Liu Xu’s farewell party happened and Jin Shi Chuan was giving his speech and Liu Xu had that tear run down his cheek. Not only that, but all the firefighters saluting him and him and Zhang Yang’s bond. This is what saved this drama from being a dumpster fire for me, is this family. HOLY. WHY THE HECK DID THIS DRAMA BREAK ME WITH LIKE 4 EPISODES LEFT? I had a feeling something bad was going to happen. Why did it have to be Liu Xu bro? He was one of the most genuine people on the show. Not only that, but the screenwriters really made a mistake with their storylines. After Liu Xu died like that, I’m sorry, but I have no care left to care even the slightest about what happens to Jin Shi Chuan. I don’t really care that he’s not waking up for now because at least he’s alive. Disabilities are better than being lost in that fire. Don’t even get me started on Zhang Yang bro. I feel so bad for him, Liu Xu was his guy and Liu Xu sacrificed his life to save Zhang Yang’s. His last day on the job too…like what is with this? Xu Lai is really annoying me in these last couple episodes. How dare she come up to Zhang Yang saying that “everyone is hurting the same” (when they clearly aren’t) and that life and work must go on. Zhang Yang lost his mentor, his friend, the person he went to for everything, so how dare Xu Lai say that like she knows what it’s like. She’s not apart of the firefighter team, so she has no clue. Him losing Liu Xu was like Xu Lai losing a parent and I know for sure that she would be crying and not coming out, let alone if her parents sacrified themselves for her. She has no right. I’m so frustrated with her. everything for her revolves around Jin Shi Chuan and it is really pissing me off. Like there’s so many other people in this world, Jin Shi Chuan is not the only person. Every sentence that comes out of her mouth is “Jin Shi Chuan”. I think this is the first time that a FL has annoyed me this much. But, because of how much I love characters like Zhang Yang, Liu Xu, Lu Fangqi, Zang Qiu, this drama is still getting a 6.5/10 for me or else it would get much lower. I’m not even kidding, without those characters, I would be at like a 3.5/4.

Before even starting this drama, I wanted to say that I am super excited to watch this one. I have been in the need of some action in modern dramas lately. Don’t get me wrong, I love like youth dramas and sometimes workplace/business modern dramas, but they can get boring and repetitive. The last time I watched a police/military/firefighter drama was “Fireworks of My Heart” and I loved that one. So, I’m super excited to be finally watching another one…I just crave that action and protectiveness that I know the ML is going to have.

Yup, episode 1 done and I’m already hooked and loving this premise. I’m seeing a little bit of an enemies-to-lovers slow-burn type of thing where Jin Shi Chuan thought that Xu Lai was the one that published that criticizing firefighter news story, when in fact, it was caused by Xu Lai’s workplace drama and she was framed. I also love the parallels that are made between Jin Shi Chuan saving Xu Lai 10 years before and saving her in the present, with her running behind the truck and the tugging of his jacket. I ALSO LOVE THE DOG OMG. I love the name “ping an” because it translates to like safe and sound in Chinese and reminds me of how Jin Shi Chuan has made Xu Lai feel safe and sound more than 1 time and I don’t doubt there are going to be more. I have a little theory that “ping an” is the same dog that found Xu Lai 10 years back that Jin Shi Chuan used. I only say that because when Xu Lai put that picture on her desktop, the dog went crazy. So, I’m really hoping it’s the same dog because that would just be plain fate. After watching a bit more, I’m so much more confident that “ping an” is the same dog. He also got excited over Jin Shi Chuan’s shirt that Xu Lai borrowed. (Aw, I was wrong… Jin Shi Chuan’s dog passed away while on a mission, that would’ve been a really cool connection of fate though) I HAVE TO SAY: I LOVE PING AN. HE IS THE CUTEST DOG EVER AND THE MOST LOYAL AND WELL-BEHAVING DOG. Them 3 sitting together is like a happy family.

I’ve been loving the dedication from Xu Lai, following the firefighters everywhere and always being brave in order to get the footage she needs to paint them in a bright light. I also really liked the part where you can start to see Jin Shi Chuan’s care for the world in general, no matter who it is. Him giving Xu Lai the wasp sting medicine and thanking her for help with catching the chickens shows how he is a decent man with morals at the end of the day, no matter how cold he seems to appear. I also think the other firefighters are starting to warm up to her too, so I’m just waiting for that day where she ends up building a community at the fire station.

Wow, this slowburn is not moving as slow as I thought. Episode 3 and Jin Shi Chuan is already starting to warm up to Xu Lai asking why she didn’t contact him when she was in trouble during the exposure of the chemical warehouse factory place. Not only that, but he took multiple hits for Xu Lai and made sure she didn’t get hurt by the attackers.

Wow, episode 5 is definitely very very dramatic in terms of plot. I didn’t think that this drama would set up this dramatic of a scene so early on. Jin Shi Chuan was literally about to die until Xu Lai came in the scene, ran in the fire, and put the oxygen mask over her. Although, I thought this scene was very well done as I could clearly tell that Jin Shi Chuan’s only motivation to keep going was Xu Lai’s face and his natural protection over her to get her out of that fire. Then, he instantly put the mask back over her. I love when Jin Shi Chuan shields Xu Lai’s body using his own. He did it so many times during the fire to make sure any debris, glass, smoke, heat, or even that man’s punch wouldn’t hurt her. No matter what he says, he truly does care for her. I also love that by episode 5, Xu Lai already has the other firemen’s support with her pursuit of Jin Shi Chuan.

Man, I’ve really got to give it to Xu Lai. I think that everyone should try to be as brave as she is. She literally told Jin Shi Chuan she loved him endlessly and unbreakingly in the 6th episode of this drama. Not only that, but I think her whole speech and conversation with Jin Shi Chuan over dinner where he told her that he’s emotionally unavailable and she decided to respect that decision but also let him know that she wasn’t giving up is one of the most brave actions a FL can take. Getting rejected over and over, but still deciding to not lose her dedication to him is really really challenging for a female to do. But, Xu Lai telling him “You are worth it.” and then kissing him was the biggest turn of events I could’ve thought to happen. I’m excited to see this next segment of Xu Lai working as the search and rescue dog trainer and working hand-in-hand with the firefighters. Aw…now that Jin Shi Chuan knows of Xu Lai’s fear of thunderstorms, rain, and dark places, he made sure that she was ok when being stuck in the rain. Not only that, but the scene where she came down in just pajamas and he ordered the other firefighters not to look and then put his jacket around her, that scene was rlly rlly cute. And then when she pulled him even closer, I couldn’t really believe it. Aw, when Xu Lai and Jin Shi Chuan were on a mission in the rain together to look for the dogs, he ended up covering her ears to block out the sound of the thunder.


Ok, I do have to say though: as these episodes are going on (I’m on episode 12), the drama is getting a little bit boring. I need that tension, angst, yearning, and almost slowburn. Jin Shi Chuan and Xu Lai got together so early and their relationship has been smooth sailing basically so far, so I’m missing some of that depth and emotion in this drama. We’ll see if it gets better, but right now, I don’t know why this drama has 24 more episodes to go when they’re basically happy and dating already.

There are still some parts that get me pretty touched though. When Xu Lai met Jin Shi Chuan’s grandfather for the first time and they ended up playing the same song on the piano, I was really touched. Then, finding out that Jin Shi Chuan’s late mother was Xu Lai’s piano teacher, their connection just got that much deeper. I have to say though, I don’t think they did the best job of acting out playing the piano. I can clearly tell they aren’t the ones playing, but I also play the piano myself so I could be looking at it more specifically than others.

Um…not good news that I’m reporting while I’m watching episode 16. I’m getting second lead syndrome. It may be because I find Ci Sha more attractive and his persona in the show more protective, so it could be personal bias. But, when Huo saved Xu Lai from that group by coming and punched Sun Lei for touching Xu Lai, I started getting major second lead syndrome. “Xu Lai is my bottom line.” When Huo said that to Sun Lei, it gave me a really protective nature and feeling that I felt. I know Jin Shi Chuan is literally in the hospital from trying to protect Xu Lai, but idk what it is…I just can’t connect to these characters. Another thing that’s making me have second lead syndrome is that Jin Shi Chuan is very immature in my opinion when it comes to relationships and communication. Whenever there’s a small issue, he hides it from Xu Lai and just breaks off their communication. Huo Yanzong can hide his emotions in order to keep Xu Lai happy and think through it himself. Huo Yanzong is always considering Xu Lai, while Jin Shi Chuan has some issues figuring that out sometimes. Like with the whole recording and Huo Yanzong being put under fire, he reassured Xu Lai that he would handle it and told her not to worry even though she kind of got him in that situation. Huo Yanzong even got a whole fake gf to reassure Xu Lai and keep them as friends because he knows that Xu Lai was reserved about her rejection of his feelings. Huo Yanzong is able to communicate his communication, care, and love for Xu Lai in such a mature way that I can’t help but have some second lead syndrome. At the first sign of struggle, Jin Shi Chuan backed out, like is that really love? If you truly love someone, no matter what troubles you are experiencing, you work through them together, you don’t just abandon that true love. This is why I’m frustrated with Jin Shi Chuan’s outlook on this situation.

I am a full Huo Yanzong supporter as of episode 19. After that breakup scene in the rain, how could any man just let her stay out there? Yes, he was watching from the corner and called Huo Yanzong, but like, at least stay with her until he got there and then leave her. The fact that he was able to just watch her suffer like that. Also, Xu Lai is definitely better in my eyes than Jin Shi Chuan relationship wise, but sometimes, she’s too optimistic which can get annoying. If someone has told you multiple times they want to break up, there is no point losing your own self dignity for a man. I think that’s my biggest issue with her, it’s that she can disrespect herself for Jin Shi Chuan. I knew it was over for me when the part I got excited about was Huo Yanzhong showing up, princess carrying Xu Lai away. Huo Yanzong’s stare to Jin Shi Chuan was so possessive, warning him not to hurt her again, and he was soaking wet so he looked even more possessive. Ci Sha really does a great job of portraying his emotions.

On a more positive note, I love Zang Qiu’s character. She’s so strong and stands up for what she believes in as a person. She knows what she wants and doesn’t stand up for anything less. I also love Lu Fangqi as a character. He’s always there for Zang Qiu even if she appears to not accept it. When she broke down after the reunion and he held her while she remembered Fang Huai, I loved that scene. Even though Lu Fangqi was pursuing her, he respects Fang Huai a lot and tries not to overstep. I’m rooting for those two if anything. When he sent her the flowers even though he was allergic to pollen, I love how he said not to forget about Fang Huai if she can’t. All he wants is to make her happy and if she is happy when reminded of Fang Huai, he’s okay with that.

How dare Jin Shi Chuan even think about stopping treatment. Fang Huai lost his life for Jin Shi Chuan and now Jin Shi Chuan wants to give up. After all the doctors efforts and everyone’s support to get better, he wants to give up. Is he ok!? Also, he was the one who broke up with Xu Lai so “if life doesn’t have any meaning”, it’s his own fault. How dare he still hold her hand when she was unconscious. He broke up with her, so he no longer has the right. Bro, I’m so confused. How does he go from I want to give up to I need to try for Xu Lai. This back and forth is just so frustrating. Do you guys see the difference between Huo Yanzong and Jin Shi Chuan? Jin Shi Chuan has Xu Lai’s help but doesn’t want it. Huo Yanzong is in the hospital, severely injured too, went to save her, but hid this from her so she doesn’t worry. But, Huo Yanzong is going to give up because he realized that Jin Shi Chuan claims to love Xu Lai. Me personally though, I don’t like the way Jin Shi Chuan expressed his love, but that’s just me. One more thing that has annoyed me about this drama is how unrealistic it is. There’s no way that real fire scenes let anybody just run onto the scene. Even as a reporter, they always stay behind the tape for safety reasons. I don’t even know how many times Xu Lai has run onto the scene and even helped out some times. It’s just not realistic.

Bro Xu Lai is annoying me too. When Jin Shi Chuan was stuck under the rubble and Xu Lai forced the firefighters to let her go with them, I was thinking “What the heck are you going to do to help?” Her screaming and crying is not helping the situation. Moreso, she’s not trained for this, doesn’t have protective gear, and is adding one extra person that could be in danger or hurt. It just doesn’t make sense for her to be on the scene, it just makes everything worse. She’s getting on my nerves, like I know that you are worried, but what can you do by being there? She’s not a doctor or a firefighter, she’s just a reporter. There’s a reason why they don’t let family members in stuff like surgeries or across the yellow caution line in dangerous scenes. Family members just add extra unneeded emotions that make the situation worse than it already is.

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Makes you feel emotions in a way that it consumes your whole mind

Story - Intriguing and Heartbreaking - A Christian boy in a seminary whose never had any family and decides to become a priest falls for another boy who lost faith because of the pain he had been through.
- Faith, love , not being able to live your life, being misunderstood, lonely - it cuts you in one way or another

Acting - Extraordinary. GeminiFourth make you feel and I mean it when I say it, they make you feel what they are feeling - the struggles, the pain and the love. One look at each other and it's over. The tension is palpable and you can feel the love through the screen.

Direction/Sound - The story is very nuanced from the detailed acting to the direction, camera work and sound. They immerse you in. Every dialogue, every shot has a purpose, it has devastating amounts of symbolisms that takes your breath away when watching.

As a viewer, it consumes your every thought, even the happy moments can break your heart for them because of how much you start caring for these characters

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one of the best cbls

cbls have a history with rape to romance, i had my fingers crossed that this would be different, and it was. it was absolutely beautiful. every time i felt like it was going to be toxic, it never was, and any miscommunication, mistake, small or big, was addressed. i think its a wonderful bl, and i have to commend the actors, everything felt so natural, there was never a moment where they let it feel like they were acting, this applies to all the actors. i really do wish for season 2 since this has been a beautiful journey but with an open end, a cliffhanger, so i do hope a season 2 will be out. its a slowburn done right, when they kiss, it feels like the right time, not too late not too early. the dubbing was bad, however not as noticeable to me as people claim, the child actors hired for the flashbacks threw me off a little, but i was calmed when i found out the age gaps were 10-13-19 between xia liu yi, his sister, and his brother in law. they hired child actors too young and kept the same present brother in law in the past too, so it was confusing. other than that, there are no complaints regarding this bl. i think if you’re a slow burn fan, this is a beautiful bl to watch.

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MY LULU AND LEILEI! Is a PERFECT MATCH!!! Love them so much!?

I’ve really been enjoying The First Jasmine so far. The storyline is engaging, and what stands out to me the most is how carefully every character has been written. You can tell that a lot of attention has been paid to even the smallest details, which makes the story feel more immersive and meaningful.

As usual, every episode brings its own story, emotions, and character development. No episode feels repetitive because each one adds a new layer to the journey of the characters, making me even more invested in their growth and relationships.

The production quality, cinematography, and OST are also beautifully done and add so much emotion to the drama. Im still hoping for a happy ending, but we’ll have to wait and see how the story unfolds.

On a personal note, Bai Lu has been one of my favorite actresses for years. Many of her dramas are on my rewatch list, and every year i look forward to her new projects. As for Cheng Lei, ive watched several of his dramas before, but it was through The First Jasmine that i truly realized how much i love his charisma and screen presence. He has definitely become one of the male actors who left a strong impression on me.

Overall, i love this drama not only because of the story itself but also because of Bai Lu and Cheng Lei. Cant wait to see how everything ends. Lets continue supporting them and help boost all the ratings! ^^

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where do i even start

chinese bls have this thing with rape to romance that i simply am sick and tired of. although, please give the credit where credit is due, eliot’s acting was absolutely amazing. he’s the one that stuck out to me the most. the ability to change personalities through his demeanor, eyes, its really a talent. i had many moments where i thought of dropping this, it took me alot of time to finish, and.. speaking of finish, the ending was terrible. gao tu was probably the only one that was innocent completely althought sheng shao yu was innocent too in my opinion. gao tu had the most depth out of them all, though, and i’m upset how they sidelined him. not because i wanted him to get with shen wan lang though, oh no, i hated him, and you will too if you give it a try. eliot’s acting convinced me into finishing it, he did great, even tho his character hua yong.. was quite a complex one. the others, i cant say the same? no one sold me on acting but eliot. it has twists and turns, lots of them, things that will make you go crazy with realization, like literally, but overall? its not amazing. i think the non con elements add to my distaste for it, as well as the terrible fight scenes. it could be excused once, maybe twice, but god, sheng shao you and shen wan lang’s fights were absolutely horrendous, whoever edited them has got to get fired. it seemed childish, which is not what a fight scene’s vibe is supposed to look like. i can’t exactly call it mediocre, its a bit lower than that. but its revolutionary for a fixed couple in cbl, so i wish eliot and kipuka the best! and.. maybe better roles too..

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É ruim, mas eu gosto

Olha, vamos começar falando primeiro do elefante branco no meio da sala.

Não precisa dizer que é spoiler né!? Pois é spoiler.

Tem basicamente só beijo forçado, e algo mais forçado também. E clichê de dormir junto porque foi drogado/a.

Dito isso, tendo tirado o assunto principal do meio, vamos a minha resenha.

Eu amo esse filminho, inclusive é um dos que eu fiz backup, porque a quimica entre o casal é ótima. Esse moço, apesar de ser um chassi de grilo, ele tem uma pegada que me conquista. A moça é ótima.

Pra mim, quando eu assisti, era uma história inédita, então também me cativou.

Eu tenho uma queda por protas de época que são desenroladas, que sabem o que quer e que lutar para conseguir o que quererem.

Talvez, há quem diga que ela não deveria se deixar conquistar por ele. Eu acho muito prático quando a mulher é cortejada por um homi tão poderoso que chega a ser improdutivo resistir. E eles se enrolam de tal forma que fica meio ruim de resistir.

O final é meio esquisito, mas no meu coração é um final feliz e eu tenho boas lembranças desse curtinho. E no meu coração o título é "Cê vai casar comigo sim".

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KSalad Reciepe: Time travel + Soul Swap + Modern day drama + Flashbacks + Loovey Doovey Rom-Com

One thing about me is that I love time travel kdramas. Its one of my top 5 tropes, hence why I had HIGH expectations about My Royal Nemesis.
From the very first episode I though this was going to be an interesting experiment. A rom-com fantasy drama with a cast notoriously known for being ruthless villans. Like seriously BE IT MAIN LEADS or SUPORTING CAST they all did an AMAZING JOB. As far as ACTING is concered 10/10.
Music was also on point. I think I have at least a song that stayed in my memory and playlist so its a solis 9/10.
And now about the PLOT. I get why many people could consider this a salad. Way too many things happened simultaneously and there plenty of unexplained things left on the air.
First incredient of our KSalad and the major plot device its TIME TRAVEL. Obviously a lot of flashbacks and memories and switches from past to present. Ofc one might argue about its originality as well. Its giving Rooftop Prince meets The Story of Park Mariage Contract meets any modern chabol drama you might think of. HOWEVER the execution was exquisite up until the secound half where the writers started to complicate and intricae things in order to somehow set this drama apart from others. One one hand we had the reincarnation of the Prince being Sae Gye and of the shaman being also a shaman. And then we had some sort of soulw swap/transmigration phenomenon on Seori/Danshim side. Which left people confused. First because we though initially she was going to be a reincarnation too. Turns out there were 2 complete different souls that were swicthing supposedely because of the COMMET. The COMMET was absolutely missused turining from the time travel mecanism into a simbol for bad karma. Giving that it was reveled that the switch started from present time when Seo Ri was a kid, when there was no commet, and ended with Seo Ri choosing to return from the limbo to the present AFTER the commet that suppoosedely comes every other couple hundred years completely VANISHED. Writers wanted to be ambitious and somehow lost the control over this most important plot device over the episodes.
Another plot device was THE COMEDY + THE LOOVEY DOOVEY ROMCOME + THE MELODRAMA in the ending which was super cute and cpuld have worled a million times better into a less crowded plot. The Romance became more important then the time-space logic of the story. Don't get me wrong, I ADORED THE COUPLE and THE CHEMESTRY. I found Sae Gye a liitle bit childish and possesive but never the less, cute. The ROMANCE part that remained unclear to me is how and why would the real Danshim and the Prince end up togheter. The Prince supposedely fell in love with Seo Ri in Danshim's body. He died for her and that is why she needed to go back to change the fate. But the thing is if Sae Gye is a reincarnation it means we are talking about the same soul. Why would Seori look at them as totally diffrent human beings? Could not she have stayed with the Prince in that lifer and then reincarnate togheter in the present? Why should she let another women THAT LOOKS LIKE HER have her men for a life time? But then again...what would have happened with the real Danshim then? I feel like instead of trying to save the Prince she should have punished the King in the past. That would have changed the present Mundo's trajectory and meaby this way she could have given a happy ending both to Saegye and to Mundo's kid.
Which gets me to the 3rd plot device: The FIGHT AGAINST MUNDO/ The King: The king was left unpunished in the past and somehow Mundo was punished in the future with some stupid proofs that could and should have come to light earlier. The ML's family was completeley usless + a filler + a massive cliche. Aunties that want the money, a grandfather that wants to force a marraige upon him that has no control over Mundo but somehow threatens him with the kid. And the kid that was supoosed to show Mundo has a good part ended up as an extra in his own house cause Mundo ended un imprisoned. The entire fight against Mundo felt very repetitive. At least 3 poisonings in each timeline. Accident. A lot of hospital scenes, but NEVER a proper investigation over the murder attempts.

Another filler which makes this drama feel like 7 dramas in 1 was the actresses that somehow hated Seo Ri cause of her good acting. One became a friend, one tried to posion her (twice) and ended up not imprisoned but with a childesh BO HO HO threat on the wall. Gwang-Nam was the cutey puppey of this show. The stress relief factor. Kuddos to Min Seok's puppy harmless face. But his potential relationship with the frienemy actress was also left into a WHAT IF?
The grandma part was somehow need for Seo Ri to understand what happened to her. And the acting of mrs Haesook actually made me cry rivers. Such a good actress!!

The beginning was Rooftop Prince style. The ending was 98% copy pasted from The Story of Park Marraige Contract with the only difference being that the one in the past was not left alone in this one. (Spinoff meaby??)

Final thought/questions:
At the end the shaman kept telling Seo Ri that her punishment has come to an end. Why was she even punished for? She did not choose to spontaneously time travel and deal with idiots that try to kill her. She supposedely made a sacrifice. Which did not seem like a sacrifice at all in the end.
Why was Seo Ri in present time left in a sudden coma? Why did we not get to see Danshim? It felt like Danshim was asleep all the time and only walk up by the ending.

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the cast saved it

dont get me wrong, i love, loved, will always cherish revenged love. But.. that is because of the cast. i think the bl itself was… well, not groundbreaking. i get the hype, i really do, i’m a part of it, but its mainly due to the amazing chemistry shared by the pairs. especially the main leads. it sucks that they won’t get a chance to be in a bl together ever again, and the only role they got together was a mainly mediocre bl that their acting and chemistry singlehandedly carried on their back. i don’t believe its terrible, but it had so much potential. chi cheng’s character being a rapist, brushed over. forget rags to riches why are we doing rape to romance? the fact that he cant bear to force himself on wei wei is sort of… romanticized? like its not basic human decency? hes not an animal after all. it had humor, cute lovey dovey scenes, angst, twists and turns and little eye contacts that will get stuck in your mind forever, if you can get past the non con.. the story had good potential, and yes i know its an adaptation, im glad they toned in down in the bl, but two things can be true, it still could’ve been more than what it was. the actors and their chemistry deserve many praises, awards, and flowers, i still can’t forget them. im thankful to revenged love for bringing these lovely boys together. even in a not so flavorful story dynamic. i watch it again because of the cast, the visuals are beautiful.

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Poor script that good actors can't save.

I hate bad writing. There are so many common sense errors on the part of the characters that it had me shouting at my TV set. Example: S1 E16. When Park Yunang and his girl are approached by Hyewon and her henchman. it makes no sense once Park gets the rifle away from the henchman and shoots the Derringer out of Hyewon's hand. Park turns his back on the henchman lying on the ground to shoot at Hyewon's weapon, but the unharmed henchman never takes the advantage to attack Park from behind, until after he disarms Hyewon by firing the one and only bullet in the bolt action gun. Then Parks points the unloaded gun at the henchman, who stops in his tracks even though he must know the gun is useless. Then leaving both guns and their enemies behind, they turn their backs on their enemies and simply walk away. The hangun might be useless, but the rifle only needed another bullet loaded, so why wouldn't the henchman grab the gun, reload and go after them? Then people get shot throughout the show, but no one dies, and they heal in a matter of days. The memes I understand, but the tactical stupidity-- I can't suspend my belief that far. Then there's that guards that hear something and turn to look, clearly see a bush moving as if something passed by, but don't bother to check. And the dumbest thing, was having the traitors signing a pact with their fingerprint to overthrow their king. Why? It's totally unnecessary unless you want it to be your death warrant. And why is the King so helpless? He knows half his court is corrupt, but his ministers push him around like a rag doll and he seems to be unable to stop them. What a waste of a strong cast. I will finish watching this simply because of the casting.

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Male Torture drama~ Yee~ Haw~

I watched Yuan Yuhan and Liu Xiaoxu drama since LXX recent drama with the FL was not to my liking and realized it was on my shelves for long time. I only dared to watch it because I heard it was supposed to be a male lead-torture drama. I genuinely can't watch dramas that torment FL now. I originally thought it would be a typical chasing wife drama, but it turned out to be a memoir of a deceased wife, since the FL dies in episode seven. The rest is all about ML gradually discovering the truth. To be honest, I don't pity the ML at all . Some people think he was also deceived, but five years he couldn't see the FL's sincerity for five years. Based on that alone, he doesn't deserve her love. Even if he didn't like FL, after the SFL caused her miscarriage and lifelong infertility, he still said such hurtful things to her, which shows he wasn't a good person to begin with. So I think his ending is quite good; he deserved it. For FL's perspective, I genuinely hope her rebirth later on is real. She's suffered so much; I truly feel sorry for her and hope she can get the love she craves. Or, if she didn't die, SML could heal her later—he's really good person.

I don't have mood for watching tragic dramas, but I watched it entirely for Liu Xiaoxu and Yuan Yuhan's acting. Yuan Yuhan doesn't have many scenes; most of the later ones are Liu Xiaoxu's solo performance, a true acting showcase! Liu Xiaoxu is amazing. Of course, Yuan Yuhan's crying scenes are also superb, personally i quite like this pairing since they have wide range of acting.

If you are on mood for torturing yourself with tragic drama, this drama is your answer.

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Romance flavor Business Drama

HeHan and ZhanQiao succeed in their business partnership&romance, He's a web novelist, She's his editor, and together they achieved great recognition, his novels are always in first place. HeHan lives a carefree life, but after years together ZhanQiao wants to lives with him, but HeHan is just not ready. Distressed ZhanQiao makes harsh decisions, that affects not only their life together, but also her company and her other writers/authors/partners. We see the consequences of her decision not only now, but also their past decisions consequences.

ZhanQiao lives with her friend ZhouMei, Zhoumei lives a double life or should I say, triple life?.Cai ZhangZhu is HeHan number one fan. Bei Wen Qi is a reliable lawyer and something else. Newbie Lawyer YouSen is driven for bad and good. LanXin is pure ambitious & jealously, YiKai can flex both. Gu Yan shakes their world, Daishan profits, Mr. Fan dominates. Who is legend author Phantom Knight?

First I must say, it's a heavily business drama, majority of the plot are business rivalry, contract negotiations, scout of new writers, headhunting, negotiations of movies and games adaptations, new chapters schedule etc; very dynamic and upbeat for most part. The romance is slow and sprinkled in homeopathic doses, but highly engaging*. The drama is kinda melancholic, but the mood gets heavier in the second half, with lots of tears going on.

In the technical aspect, the acting was right on point for most of the actors, Tiffany screaming is a tad annoying, Mark was priceless with his laid back super star writer. Cai Yu such a fancy actress. He Lan Dou reminds me Rosy Zhou early career. Seniors did just okay, ShaoFeng, HongJie, LiuJun. OST was alike angst costume dramas, good enough. Photography, what can I say? Shanghai is one those cities that are pure glamour with old vibes buildings and neat streets, even in more poor neighborhood's.


*HeHan and ZhanQiao flashbacks are soo damn romantic I swear!

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