Reviews

Takes the cold executive trope too far for too long

8.5/10 is my rating.This is a 2023 Chinese romantic drama with 36, 45 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

As a reporter Zheng Shu Yi (Bai Lui) has a specialized and unique writing angle as a writer for a financial news publication. She is highly capable and career driven and her goal is to get enough headline articles that she can pursue digital platforming the publications to pull her magazine into the modern era. When the opportunity arises to land an exclusive with a young CEO who is rising in the financial investment world, it is the perfect chance to get a headline. Everyone is curious to know more about the cold but exceptional Shi-Yan (Dylan Wang). In fact Shu Yi’s arch rival, who is equally ambitious, is so determined to land the interview she even cheats in an attempt to get the exclusive. But Shi-Yan was more intrigued by Shu-Yi’s outline than her rivals so she still lands the interview. Once in his realm, Shu Yi decides she likes the handsome Shi Yan for more than just an interview subject, Can the determined journalist melt the heart of the cold young CEO?

Review

If you like the cold chief executive officer (CEO) trope then this is definitely a solid addition to that category. Overall I liked it. I recommend it for anyone that is fans of either lead or supporting actors as they all act their roles very well. If you like cold executives, romance and/or want a slice of the financial reporting or technological investment realms, you would find this interesting. There were some aspects that were not really interesting to me and some frustrating slow spots. It is not one I would rewatch in the immediate future, with so many choices available. I found the length of time he was “cold” and the parts about financial investments, tedious.

Spoilers

I think they take the cold executive trope a bit too far in this one. He is not just cold to her but I think his behavior borders on abusive. When she is trying to connect with him, if she doesn’t say exactly what he wants her to say, when and how he wants her to say it, he walks away or kicks her out. He says he does not like to talk business on his personal time and will shut her down even if she is doing it as a common interest to carry the conversation. And that would be one thing, but he seems to break the “do not mix business and personal” any time he feels like it. He doesn’t even say what she did that he didn’t like, he just shuts her out emotionally and often literally. His friends and family even find him difficult to deal with.

Usually by three fourths of the way through the series, the ice cube CEO has thawed and is now all warm and fuzzy, at least to the main girl. In his case, other than the briefest thaw before getting break up mad at her, he remained cold until the last few episodes. Which, to me, was entirely too long.

Okay so she approached him originally to get the story. So what? She is a reporter it is what she does. But she was using him to get back at the cheaters? I felt like they decided to twist it that way later because that was not a motivation she revealed in any of her abundant internal dialogues early on. But still, he should not have been so hung up on why she approached him originally, but where they went from there. I thought the level of cold shoulder she got from that was over the top. Then several commented later that he let her off easy. She was so heart broken she landed in the hospital multiple times, that is not letting anyone off easy. And I dd nit think she did anything so horrible to him to deserve his cold shoulder, yet again, anyway. Supposedly he still loved her but had no problem seeing how he was completely devastating her emotionally.

The second guy in this I thought was her perfect match. He noticed when she was sad and did everything to cheer her up. He let her talk work whenever, and even helped her find new opportunities. Through his actions and words he indicated how wonderful he thought she was. He was smart, handsome, successful and extremely kind to the main girl. She was happy and laughed a lot when she was with 2nd guy, so of course she liked the absolute opposite guy. I was disappointed he did not at least get someone else wonderful.

Other reviewers said her best friend gave her terrible advice and, early on, I disagreed. She gave great advice on how to catch his interest. But I found they were right later when she was advising on how to save her relationship. Continue to lie and deceive him until he is so in love with you he easily forgives? Main girl should have known better. In the book on being petty and holding a grudge (pretending such thing exists) there would be a picture of him. They never explained what made him so he assumed the worst in relationships but that definitely characterizes his reactions. Deceiving him was absolutely the worst thing with him and anyone that knew him well would know that. So the friend’s advice was so far from right with him. It was frustrating she kept following the friend’s advice and kept hiding things. Main girl should have known him well enough by then to know he would not forgive being deceived easily.

I found all of the “business talk” boring. Financial investment in technological companies just was not that intriguing. Reporting was more interesting but all the investment speak was a yawn fest. And it just made the main guy look less capable.

The side couples’ romances were all super heart warming and they spent just the right amount of time on them. I thought the triple wedding idea was great.

I know people love when the couples spend seconds to minutes just gazing at each other but it is not my favorite. I have never seen anyone do that in real life.

#OnlyForLove

#DylanWang

#BaiLiu

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ok for a one time watch ONLY

I thought this was just ok and was fine for a one time watch and no more than that.
But I made sure to watch this to the end to give it views on Prime Video in the
hopes that it helps them see that we need more foreign dramas produced by them.
Now
The female lead was annoying a good bit of the time and did unbelievably stupid
crap to many times to count. The second male lead was annoying and made you
want to push him off that mountain they kept climbing. What I liked most was
the supporting characters. I was more interested in Chun Dong Chil, Chun Dong Koo
and Chun Dong Pal and even the female lead's best friend An Do Ra.
I would've been fine if the leads were the side story and the supporting characters were the main story.

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Brutally good

One of the best things I have seen in quite some time.
Raw, devastating, complex, beautiful, unflinching, a masterpiece.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Less action-oriented than Weak Hero, more character-driven, slower, more real. Exudes a darkness so substantial, an edgy gloom, a tone so deeply depressing it almost equals "No Longer Human". For mature audiences or those who can handle the trauma inflicted in the drama as well as on the viewer. Adults are notably absent here, in a way adults are absent in Stephen King's "It".

A clear-eyed look at school bullying, its consequences and all the harsh realities that come with it even into adult age. There are a lot of revenge dramas out there but this is one of the few where the revenge feels justified. Deeply wounded, flawed, complicated main characters looking for a way to cope in circumstances that leave seemingly no way out.

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Perfect vibes, until the final scene

Our Times is more than just a love story—it's like a cinematic hug that throws you back to the wild and wonderful '90s.

Let's talk about Truly, our not-so-average gal who's head over heels for none other than the one and only Andy Lau. I mean, who hasn't had a crush on a celebrity, right? But wait, there's a twist! Enter Taiyu, the school's bad boy with a heart of gold. And how do they meet? Oh, just your typical chain letter but that turns Truly into Taiyu's personal assistant.

Now, at first, you might think, "Oh, it's just another teen drama." But hold on to your oversized scrunchies, because this movie is about to take you on a feels trip like no other!! The actors bring the characters to life with such charm that you can't help but cheer for them.

What sets this rom-com apart is its ability to sneak up on your emotions. It starts with laughter, throws in a dash of nostalgia with its '90s vibes, and before you know it, you're reaching for the tissues because those tears are coming. I mean, who wouldn't be moved when Taiyu gifts Truly a life-size Andy Lau standee for her birthday? That's not just a present; that's #relationshipgoals right there!

And let's not forget the life lessons. It's not just about romance; it's about friendship, self-discovery, and the awkwardness of growing up. The film takes us back to a time when social media wasn't a thing, and people found joy in simple pleasures like hanging out at comic stores and attending concerts. It's a reminder that life was pretty darn awesome without constant notifications.

In a nutshell, "Our Times" is like a warm hug from your past, sprinkled with laughter, love, and life lessons. It's a rom-com that not only tickles your funny bone but also tugs at your heartstrings. So, whether you're a fan of '90s nostalgia, hilarious romances, or just want a good emotional ride, this movie is a must-watch. Trust me; you'll leave with a smile and maybe a tiny tear in the corner of your eye. Enjoy the show! 🎬🍿✨

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best drama I've ever watched

the acting was amazing, the storyline was amazing, the message was amazing, the filming was amazing, it was just such a good drama!! I've rewatched it twice already. It is a funny drama with one or two sob scenes. I will never shut up about this. i knew this would be an amazing show knowing choi hyunwook plays in it. if you liked Julie and the phantoms, you will eat this up!! the music is amazing! I was wondering if choi hyunwook actually sings in this as his voice is very similar to the singer of higher... but that doesn't matter because it's great nonetheless. the fact they used sign language makes me so happy!! the actors also actually learned how to play the instruments so it's very accurate :)

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Lee Jae Han forever

This Drama is on a whole other level. I have never seen anything like it.

Starting with the hyper-high-octane nature of the Drama that makes 24 look slow, Signal is at the same time like a Russian novel, more complex than even Stranger 2 (which feels like a discourse in political philosophy they had the guts to make into a Drama).

I can overlook obvious flaws, like the decision to play up overly emotional moments which feels manipulative at times. During the course of the Drama I realized that emotional trauma makes up the crucial moments of everyone's life. Also, certain scenes are repeated over and over, because those crucial moments in life stay with you and are the ones you ruminate over.

These emotionally loaded scenes contrast with and bring depth to the gripping hunt for criminals and make for much needed breathing space. The Drama also infuses a very dark story with a lot of hilarious comic release moments that feel almost brutal in how they break the tension.

I think the storytelling and pacing is absolutely masterful here. It builds a perfect circle.

Signal seems to say that suffering is something you might never overcome but you can use as powerful motivator to change yourself and your environment. Without that you might live a more comfortable life but there is a price to pay for it, which may be the suffering around you.

Signal is about what makes you who you are. It closely examins in equal measure trauma, transformation and transcendence. It is healing and, in every sense, life altering.

I feel like I have lived an entire lifetime with these characters and consequently the connection I have to these people is much stronger than with other characters.

Watching Signal is an all-consuming, exhilarating experience.
This is largely due to one character and the acting involved in creating him.

Lee Jae Han: shy, socially inept, an almost naive idealist, tremendously sensitive, stubborn, defiant, gentle, strict, with a strong sense of justice, cheeky and bold, innocent, who shoulders too much responsibility, emotional, caring, grumpy, charming, unflinching, perpetually annoyed and frustrated with anyone and anything standing in his way, no-frills-no-bullshit-no-time-to-waste, quite a temper, empathic, a little silly, no sense for playing politics whatsoever, who over time embraces his outsider status, stepping over every line and on every toe in order to do what he believes is right.

Cho Jin Woong marry me.

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this IS not my tipe female lead

after watching this drama, I can't agree with what people wrote that it is the best series .. the series is good but not to my taste, it didn't excite me so much that I would have butterflies in my stomach from it .. maybe it will be a female character, I always like the older one a strong, independent woman, she's too young for that role ..it's more suitable for older people as we all know (its okay not be okay) that's exactly the kind of woman I imagined in this drama, unfortunately I didn't like her at all, I mainly watched ore song kang because I love every drama but this one is not one of my favorites

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Every little detail is meaningful

I will never again watch an on-air Murder Mystery Drama weekly, the suspense almost killed me. This is one of the best Murder Mysteries I have ever seen though, so no complaints.

My Perfect Stranger lives in the comfortable space between a high-octane crime thriller and a vivid 80's time travel melodrama. The fact that both main leads want to change not only the course of their own life but the ones of their close ones and go back in time to do so makes every single scene, conversation, even a mere gesture loaded with meaning. There is a lot of healing involved with a little romance on the back-burner. It is sometimes laugh out loud funny, often tragic, but always touching.

The story is also one of the most complicated murder mysteries with even so much detail and so many moving pieces that when all is said and done many questions are left unanswered. That doesn't substract anything from the final picture, if anything it adds a layer of intrigue and might benefit the rewatch value.

Episode 1.9 - the young Hee Sub hobbling, intercut with the elder Hee Sub hobbling - simply shattered me. Yu Sub with the watch, Hae Joon carrying him (one of the best unintentionally gay moments ever), the father-daughter-dynamic moved me the most. What a chance to be there as a witness, how you suddenly see someone close to you in a completely different light, and to be able to change circumstances, such a dark yet powerful moment.

In the end the healing aspect comes full circle and becomes self care - make your own life better. Tell the ones that need to know. Small adjustments can mean a world of difference.

Phenomenal Drama.

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GMMTV Dropped The Ball and I'm over it

First off I adore TAYNEW and was thrilled they were returning in another BL especially something so iconic as Cherry Magic. I loved Kurosawa and Adachi in the Japanese Version. Even though its TAYNEW I dont think they can redo it better but they can make it more suitable for them.

However after 2 episodes aired on GMMTV YOUTUBE CHANNEL it was pulled due to copyright issues so i have dropped this series even if somehow it is re-released in the states I will never watch this.

GMMTV is to blame entirely. They are an established production company and they should have known they didn't have the rights to air this series outside of Thailand.
Yes I realize it can be watched with a VPN but why should anyone have to. Because GMMTV messed up.
Are we in for same for their other Japanese Adaptations (OSSAN'S LOVE with Earth Mix) or( MY LOVE MIX UP with Gemini Fourth)

Apologies from GMMTV ring a bit hollow since as a company that's been around and produced so many series (many of them BL) should have been more diligent before even airing this series

So I'll stick to the original Cherry Magic and the recently released Anime Version from Japan. So yet another Thai Adaptation of an established series falls short because a production company that failed to cross all it's T's and dot all of it's i's.

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just a mixture of every other kdrama

Well well well wasn't this a big disappointment..
Looking at the cast you definitely end up expecting a great kdrama that will keep u waiting every week and have a promising story line.....needless to say this was not the case....
It started of pretty good imo but midway it just got all haywire as they started putting so many different kdrama plots all at once (which does work in some places but unfortunately not here)
As another review said it's basically a mix of all fantasy kdramas specially goblin........like for god's sake they had to copy the iconic goblin disappearing in flames?! I mean as writers maybe u cud come up with smthn different or just rather make him die like a normal person or smthn....but to copy a very very famous drama is just dumb....like did they expect nobody to notice or did they expect ppl to love it?
Also the overall plot was just like all cliche dramas.....but cliches still work if u add at least one new element......this was just tooo generalised and predictable like the past life? guwon having a connection to do hee's parents' death? a psycho sfl who's idiocy and obsession they just forget and move on? the dramatic break up in episode 14? the contract marriage? the 'i hated you but now i love u? the unexplainable change in his powers ? it's just everything that's been done so many times..... The audience obviously demands something new with everything they watch and if u cannot deliver this maybe think of doing something else that will make you stand out instead of all these cliche plotlines and a 16 episode long series....
Istg they did not fail to include every damn scene or plotline that has been done millions of times....
Personally for me and this may be for others as well.... i really was looking forward to song kang and kim yoo jung together on screen as they are such amazing famous actors.....im sorry to say but i just couldn't love song kang in this one......his acting just seemed so unconvincing....he was great in some parts but tbh his acting in the romcom parts didn't really cut it for me......that being said....the chemistry was fairly good if not the best out there.....
Personally i think there were just too many issues with the plot and the writing for me to be able to enjoy this for what it was and not look at its shortcomings.....
So if ur planning to watch this i would not suggest it unless ur a first time kdrama watcher and totally unaware of those 100s of kdramas this one's a mixture of

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what you need to know

I've seen the other reviews on this drama and I'm not entirely sure why it got less than 8.5 for a lot of people. I'm not new to the xianxia genre of cdramas but they're not my go-to genre if I must choose however, because of certain people in my life who are very picky when it comes to cdramas who recommended this to me, I just had to come and see what the hype was about.

STORYLINE: A lot of watchers who are considering to watch this drama even though you haven't seen it's prequel, 'Ancient Love Poetry' or read the novel 'Hidden God', you are not disadvantaged in my opinion, if anything, it gives you a chance to see this masterpiece in it's fullest. The storyline was fulfilling; it portrayed each of the characters' development as well as honing in on the individual struggles that they face, with the main focus on the main couple of course. There weren't a lot of plot twists, rather, there were originally devised plans created by the antagonists that were meticulously elaborated and altered to suit the storyline as the drama progressed. I really commend this, considering a lot of other dramas would add in irrelevant side issues that honestly have no purpose of being there except for filling excess time. The intense love between the leads make for a heartbreaking story at times as their love is constantly being tested, exploited and manipulated. It comes to show how important trust is in a relationship, especially when superficial aspects such as status and third-parties intervene. The friendship that is formed between the four main leads also leaves quite the impact as their chemistry on screen is immaculate.

CASTING: I have no idea why people are hating on Wang Anyu because I thought the execution of his character was exceptional. He acted childish when he had to and you will notice that he does mature as the drama progresses and same goes for Zhao Lusi's character. She had to act childish at the beginning because she literally just hatched from her egg; she knows nothing of the world so her innocence and naivety is expected but when the time came, she was able to be cold and indifferent. Anyways, the chemistry between the two was incredible; you would've thought they were lovers in real life. The sheer joy and sadness you will feel while watching these two will have you swirming and squealing as well as cry your eyes out. Furthermore, you know the actors are good if you want to pull their hair out. The actress of the character Hua Shu (i forgot her name, my apologies) who was one of the main antagonists, was able to convey her character so well that when it got around to watching the behind-the-scenes, I could not fathom that these two people are the same. It's hard to visualise hatred and envy on one's face without it looking so fake but she did it perfectly that I have no complaints.

OST: I am a SUCKER for shows who go above and beyond delivering the bare minimum. When I say this, I mean that they got the actors and actresses to sing their respective OSTs. Jaw-dropping, earth-shattering music to my ears. The theme music was sung by Zhao Lusi and the ending credits was sung by Wang Anyu with the other main leads singing their OSTs. Whenever the OSTs play up in a scene, it just adds another layer of sentiment and emotion in that scene, making it even more impactful on the audience. It shocks me everytime that they all have such amazing singing voices; I am hooked on this dramas OST and I haven't heard a soundtrack this good since "Till the end of the moon".

Rewatch Value: Yes. Just yes, although you'll have to wait a bit so you can forget the main plots and stuff. It won't hit the same if you remember all the important scenes.

It's a pleasure to have watched this drama and I really hope you don't go comparing it to it's other counterparts i.e. the prequel and novel. It's a wonderful standalone drama with all it's little hidden gems that also deserve to be recognised.

Happy binging!!

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Adorable Main Couple & No Annoying Characters

As i was watching the show, i kept waiting for any of the characters at the FL's workplace to turn into a cringy villain trying to humiliate her because I have been traumatized by those cliches. However, what i found was the colleagues the FL worked with were quite supportive and often looked out for her.

FL and ML were so adorable together. Storywise, they could have explored more of the villainous side of the ML so that the drama wouldn't have been so tame. Apart from that, it is a good watch. I'm not eager to watch it a second time but I know I didn't waste any time on this.

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Good to Unwatchable

The script and acting and direction IMO made it impossible for me to watch after EP 09

I really liked it up till the two main characters got romantically connected then it was so cringe I could not watch it and I love romcoms but IMO it was poor in every way.

The female lead should be better than this, but it was shot as if she had not been acting from the age of 10.

The terrible presentation of the two lovers was incredibly bad, poor storylines (Script), poor acting of these romantic storylines (Both Actors) and awful direction (Director).
I tried watching the remaining episodes, but I find I am skipping 80% of the dialogue, it's so bad.
Stopped watching it after EP 14 moved on to many other much better drama's.

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