Reviews

The weakest of all Love Classes so far....

I'm still not a fan of two people not speaking the same language, while mr. thai boy is doing at least an acceptable job in english, mr. korean boy can't even speak english. It's not like such a project materializes over night, so there should have been time enough to put him into language school, so both could talk in english with each other.

And then there is the editing and run-time. Love Class Season 1 episodes were around 20 minutes each, while Love Class Season 2 episodes were between 22 and 34 minutes. Season 3 episodes have a runtime of just 13 minutes. They could have alternated between the two couples per episode but no it's mixed, so depending it's often just 5 minutes for one couple. For me there is no natural flow, it feels choppy.

So the story is predictable, the chemistry is nothing to write home about and everything feels flat. I'm not happy with this season because even the "Love Class" in University only plays a role in the beginning and the finale. They could have removed that part completely and it would not have changed anything. And what's with the finale for the second couple? The prince in shining armor gets disgraced (but not the boss), they meet again and then no falling in each others arms, no kiss, just credits? That was one of the laziest written finale ever.

I did expect much more from this series, both previous seasons are sooooo much better. But we can't have it all. It's just a generic BL with not much depth, predictable story, forced drama with homophobic antagonists (because it's Korea). Also disappointing that there was not enough music considering it's about an idol group. There was nothing which kept me excited. It's there, you watch it and you forget it.

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Not for me

S2 would always stand out compared to the others. It had everything that was needed - drama, comedy, trauma and romance. They could act. Sadly, for me, S3 failed drastically to match it. While each season had different storylines, which is a plus, it could be evaluated for its content.

The rivalry between the groups was weak, to say the least. Sae Byeol's face could not save his limited acting skills. Most of the cast went in circles until ep 14. The only plot line moving forward was Khun and Jae Min, though Khun kept changing his mind one moment to the next. The ending lacked any impact whatsoever.

The entire production lacked the maturity of college students and the wit of S2 script. I would place this last in the franchise. Even S1 had the intrigue to capture the stalker, here had the intrigue of a weak concept with even weaker acting. Petch, LWJ, SIH and SB in that order. The polygot girl was believable as actually knowing and speaking the different languages.

I expected more or simply better.

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Nearly Perfect!!!

Some of you might think I'm exaggerating, or be surprised, but in my opinion this series makes the top five among GL dramas. What makes a series good isn't extraordinary cinematography, expensive outfits, skyscrapers, or flawless makeup. Sometimes we just want to find a piece of our own lives in something. Look at the new series coming out — everyone's rich, everyone's got a luxurious life. Which of us actually lives like that? And I noticed something else, too: in almost every GL production there's always some character getting bullied and crying, and the show drags on for 2-3 episodes of pointless drama. But look at Hour Channel's series — there's none of that. They're always positive, always full of life. They genuinely lift us up in our hard, difficult lives.
Anyway, let's get to our actual series. Yes, I said flawless. Here's why:

1) The Script
Think back on the GL series that are so beloved, so talked about, the ones that keep showing up everywhere — almost all of them have the same script. Rich girl / boss girl, oppressive family, luxury buildings, sports cars, meeting in the past and running into each other again in the future... Now look at this show's premise. Completely unique.

2) Setting / Scenery
The best so far. Birdsong, chickens, sunsets, lush green forest, nature... I watched every episode in total peace. We were honestly sick of series set in skyscrapers.

3) Chemistry
Yeah, I don't even need to say it — Ferin and Puifai are the pair with the best chemistry in GL. They really just flow...

4) Cinematography
Take a look at the new productions — the camera changes angles so much it makes your head spin. You're not making an action movie, so why shoot from so many different angles? This show is the exact opposite: you can watch the whole thing in 3 or 4 angles, which lets you focus purely on the script or on how wonderful the pair is.

There's only one negative I can point to:

The kissing scenes were unfortunately weak. Especially having so few scenes for such a good pair — and on top of that, the heavy music and the scene transitions hurt those moments. The episode count was also low. The show finally opened up in episode 5, and episode 6 was already the finale.

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Great Cast, But It Didn't Keep Me Interested

I mainly started this drama because it stars Seo In Guk. He's one of my favorite actors, and I know how much potential he has, so I was really looking forward to this one.

The drama started off well, but after a few episodes, I felt like the story was going in a completely different direction. Instead of making me excited for the next episode, it just became frustrating and filled with unnecessary scenes. I ended up dropping it around Episode 8.

I also didn't feel much chemistry between the main leads. Personally, I found both of them a bit annoying as the story progressed. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the second couple much more—they were cute together and had better chemistry than the main couple.

I honestly feel like Seo In Guk's talent was wasted here. I kept waiting for the story to become more engaging, but it never happened for me.

If you're a fan of slow office romances, you might still enjoy this drama. But if you're watching it mainly for Seo In Guk or expecting a strong romance with great chemistry, you may end up feeling disappointed, just like I did.

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Beautiful Cast but Too Slow for My Taste

This drama was a bit boring for me.

The story follows a smart female lead who gets a second chance at life through rebirth. She decides to fix her past mistakes and live a better life this time. I actually enjoyed the first episode because it had a strong start, but after that, everything felt dragged out.

The male lead is very handsome, but even that wasn't enough to keep me interested. The romance also takes a long time to develop. The leads don't get together until much later, and they only get married around Episode 20. By that point, I had already started losing interest and eventually dropped the drama.

Maybe this drama felt more exciting while it was airing week by week, but binge-watching it now just wasn't my cup of tea. It has a very good rating, but I feel like no one talks about how slow it is or how many unnecessary scenes it has. For me, the pacing was the biggest problem.

If you enjoy slow-burn historical dramas with a rebirth storyline and don't mind a gradual romance, you may enjoy this one. But if you're looking for a fast-paced drama with frequent romantic moments, this probably won't be the right choice.

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Slow-Burn Mystery with Too Much Investigation

I'm not going to write much about this drama because I dropped it after Episode 18.

The story itself isn't bad, but there are just too many investigation cases. It does have romance, and I found the main leads quite compatible. However, their romance doesn't really begin until around Episode 15, so it takes a while to develop. There are also two side couples, which adds a little more variety.

The biggest issue for me was the pacing. The drama starts off well, but it never reached a point where I felt excited to watch the next episode. There weren't many "must-watch" moments that kept me hooked, and eventually it became boring for me.

Another reason I dropped it was because I watched it on YouTube, where it only had French subtitles. I had to rely on auto-translation, and many lines weren't translated properly, which made it even harder to enjoy.

As for the story, the female lead takes on someone else's identity to uncover the truth behind her father's case. He was framed, and she also lost her entire family because of that incident. The male lead is a prince who leads an army, but he's also investigating a case that's connected to the female lead. They eventually begin working together to solve the mystery.

Personally, I would have preferred to see the male lead more on the battlefield than solving investigation cases. He discovers the female lead's true identity, yet he still falls for her. I expected a bit more drama after that revelation, but the show handled it in a more romantic way. I think it worked for many viewers, but by that point, I had already lost interest and ended up dropping the drama.

If you enjoy investigation-heavy historical dramas with a touch of romance rather than a romance-focused story, then this might be worth watching. But don't watch it just because of its high rating. That's exactly why I started it, and unfortunately, it ended up being quite boring for me.

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Pretty to Look At, Painful to Watch

I usually try to find something positive in every drama I watch, and I almost never drop a series because I always hope it'll get better. Unfortunately, The Eternal Fragrance never did.

I kept telling myself, "Maybe the next episode will finally pull everything together." It never happened.

The story is surprisingly weak. It's slow, repetitive, and emotionally empty. Instead of getting invested in the characters, I found myself checking how much time was left in each episode. There were moments that were clearly meant to be emotional, but they had no impact because I never felt connected to what was happening.

My biggest problem, though, was Ju Jing Yi.

I know she has a lot of fans, but for me she's one of those actresses who plays every role exactly the same way. The same facial expressions. The same voice. The same mannerisms. No matter what character she's supposed to be playing, I never see the character—I only see Ju Jing Yi.

"Ju Jing Yi's performance was one of the biggest problems for me. She came across as too childlike for a role that required maturity and emotional depth. Her acting felt repetitive, bland, and flat, and I never truly believed the character she was trying to portray."

For me, she simply doesn't suit this type of adult role. She has a very youthful appearance and her acting style often comes across as overly cute and childlike, which completely clashes with the emotional weight this character was supposed to carry. Every dramatic scene felt flat because I just couldn't connect with her performance.

Another big problem for me was the lack of chemistry between Ju Jingyi and Song Weilong. Their relationship never felt natural or convincing, and I never really believed their connection. The emotional moments that were supposed to feel powerful ended up feeling flat because the spark between them just wasn't there.

It's a shame because Song Weilong has shown before that he can create great chemistry with the right co-star, but here the pairing simply didn't work for me.

This role needed a woman who could make me believe she had lived through love, pain, sacrifice, and heartbreak. Instead, I kept feeling like I was watching someone trying to act mature without ever quite convincing me. Her performance felt too childish for the role, and because of that I couldn't take many of the serious scenes seriously. Every time she cried or was supposed to deliver an emotional moment, I just felt... nothing.

Then there's Song Weilong.

Honestly, this is the part that frustrated me the most. Because I know he can do better. I've watched his other works, and I know he has the ability to carry a character when he's given the right material. His recent drama "Love for You" is a good reminder of that. Watching him there, you can clearly see the difference when an actor is working with a stronger script and a role that actually allows him to show his emotions.

That's why I keep asking myself: why does he continue choosing projects like this? "The Eternal Fragrance" isn't the first time I've felt this way. I had the exact same feeling while watching "Youthful Glory," where the problems ( bland and childlike) with the female lead, Bao Shang En, also made it difficult for the drama to reach its full potential.

It's honestly frustrating as a viewer to watch an actor with potential being placed in dramas that don't help him grow or showcase what he can really do. These roles don't make him look bad because of his acting—they make him look weaker because the overall projects don't give him enough to work with.

Someone watching only this drama might easily think Song Weilong is just an average actor, but that's not the impression I have after seeing his better performances. I just hope he becomes more careful with his future choices because he has the talent, and I would really like to see him in productions that actually allow him to shine instead of making viewers wonder why he accepted the role in the first place.

The music was just... there. I finished the drama and honestly can't remember a single piece of it. It never added anything memorable to the experience.

Would I watch this again?
Not a chance.

The beautiful costumes and cinematography aren't enough to save a drama when the story is dull, the emotional moments don't land, and the lead performance never convinces. I finished it only because I hate leaving dramas unfinished. If I had been watching it alone instead of trying to give it every possible chance, I probably would have dropped it halfway through.

I know many people enjoyed this drama, and that's perfectly fine. It just wasn't for me. I walked away feeling that it had all the ingredients for something memorable, but none of the heart to make it worth remembering.

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The Last Jasmine because I'm not rewatching the whole show

I became a huge fan of Ryan Cheng for his role in “My Journey to You” and decided to give this one a try. The drama is overall…mid. I enjoyed some parts, but took issue with most.

Story [5/10]: The story has intriguing complexities, but fails miserably in its execution. This show would have been way better if it had focused on the two leads' pasts and stories and upped the villains' game. There is never a time when our leads are beaten by the villains in this show, who are annoying at best and cowardly at worst. I thought at least one of the Marquis’ sons would become a worthy opponent, but no, they just led common lives, and we never saw them again. At times, side stories and subplots are okay distractions, but when they stray and are left open-ended, incomplete, and rushed, they only ruin your main plot. For a show where the leads are exceptionally smart, surprisingly, it wasn’t mentally stimulating enough.

The development of Ye Li and Ye Ying’s relationship was fun to watch. In their last meeting, Ye Ying had said that if Ye Li ever needed a place to stay away from Prince Ding’s mansion, Ye Li was welcome to stay with her. I low-key wished Ye Li had done this during the 5 months Xiuyao had been back at the border. It would make sense because she wasn’t a fan of being dragged all over the city by Lady Wen (Xiuyao’s sister-in-law), so she could have hid out at Ye Ying’s for a bit. But at the same time, we don’t know where Ye Ying was because after Mo Jingli ditched her, we don’t know if she simply went back home or maybe stayed in Mo Jingli’s mother's hometown (like to wait for him to come back).

My biggest issue with the latter part of the story is how Princess Lingyun was assassinated. Mind you, she was praised for single-handedly putting her brother on the throne by defeating powerful enemies. She’s so powerful that the people of our leads’ feared hers. Her death was so random and rushed that I thought there was going to be a plot twist where she would survive. But no, she was assassinated by her servant-assassin, and our FL, Ye Li, was framed for it. The annoying thing is that NO ONE, including Ye Li, spoke of the maid who got her throat cut right before Su Zuidie put the knife in Ye Li’s hand. Like, why would Ye Li kill her own maid? What happened to the maid? She introduced herself, then was killed shortly after; it doesn’t make sense… We also don’t know what happened when her people went home because Su Zuidie was rescued and no one seemed to be looking for her for killing their beloved princess. Lingyun was a very cool character, too bad only Feng Zhiyao recognized that.

Also, we never got to see how Mo Xiuyao pushed Mo Jingli back; we were just told Xiuyao was successful after success. This not only screamed ‘low budget’ but also rushed the ending and eliminated any opportunities for us to see how Xiuyao felt about leading battles again. I don’t want to hear that Mo Jingli went from 50,000 soldiers to 500 men because Xiuyao was that good. I want to see how Xiuyao did it, even though I know Mo Jingli doesn’t hold a candle to Xiuyao’s strategies and fighting abilities.

The final battle was weak. The action was good but could be better. Also, why did they keep breaking the statues into three perfect pieces? Looked like knocking over stacked boxes.

So again, Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao’s pasts were very interesting (on the surface), but the execution was meh. Especially for Xiuyao’s past.

Acting/Cast [8/10]: I have no complaints about the cast, overall. The acting felt stiff at times, especially in the facial region. When the Marquis was exposed, Guo Jin couldn’t be bothered to show any emotion, be it relief or anger. Another issue with the show was that it didn’t seem to know how to handle its large cast, so most characters either appeared only a few times or were written out because the plot needed them gone. There was chemistry between Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao, but at the same time, there was very little harmony. I love it when main characters have lives outside of each other, but this was the case from start to finish; there was little room for teamwork between Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li as husband and wife.

The character of Mo Jingli/Prince Li was seriously pathetic and horribly designed. Despite being our final boss, he is boring. He attempted suicide multiple times throughout the show to gain sympathy from our married female lead while secretly leading a rebellion. I wouldn't be able to rely on or follow someone like that for very long, someone who would try to kill himself over a woman many times. He also kept saying, "if fate has it, we'll meet again" to Yeying/Princess Li (Yeli's younger half-sister), as if it meant anything. He had no feelings for her, so what would change if they met again? It also didn’t make sense for him to say that because there were only two final outcomes for him: become King or die trying. He can’t meet her again if he’s dead, and meeting her again as King will do what exactly? Anyway, Guo Jin [Empress Dowager], Maruis Muyang, and Qin Zheng [Consort Dowager] were all awful villains. Qin Zheng showed potential and was portrayed as a clever, cold woman, but her primary role was to withhold the original edict and ultimately give it up when Guo Jin didn’t return her sisterly love.

Music [10/10]: I don’t mind any of the songs, really. I wasn’t in love with any of them, but they weren’t annoying or overused. There were times when audio and BGM would just cut out, and I complained about not using fade-outs, but that’s a personal preference.

Rewatch value [2/10]: Every time Bai Lu (Ye Li) was on screen, I’d unconsciously whisper “wow, she’s so beautiful,” but unfortunately, I won’t sit through the series a second time even though she is stunning. I may rewatch certain episodes or scenes down the line, but not the entire thing again.

Overall, “The First Jasmine: MoLi” gets a 6.5 from me. I admit that the only time I was truly bored was when Mo Jingli/Prince Li was on screen, so the whole show is easy to binge. I just wasn’t a fan of how things unraveled, so the 6.5 is a personal preference and not what I believe the show is (an 8). If you don’t have the same picky issues as me, you’d most likely enjoy the show.

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A Dark Historical Drama That Keeps You Hooked

This series grabbed my attention from the very first scene. The dark, stormy opening with the heavy rain, eerie atmosphere, and suspenseful soundtrack immediately sets the tone for a gripping historical dark fantasy. The cinematography is stunning, the attention to detail in the royal costumes and palace settings is exceptional, and it's clear a tremendous amount of care and effort went into bringing this world to life.

Set in a kingdom where supernatural forces quietly lurk behind the palace walls, the story follows a powerful ghost slayer with extraordinary spiritual abilities who joins forces with a court lady cursed with the ability to see and communicate with spirits. As they investigate the growing darkness surrounding the East Palace and the royal family, hidden secrets, restless ghosts, and sinister conspiracies begin to surface, creating a thrilling mystery that constantly keeps you guessing.

The blend of action, historical drama, horror, and fantasy is executed brilliantly. The supernatural elements feel genuinely unsettling, while the royal intrigue and mystery add even more depth to the story. Episode 1-5 was fantastic from start to finish, with strong performances, excellent pacing, and enough suspense to leave me eager for the next episode.

If the quality stays this high, this is shaping up to be one of the best historical supernatural dramas on Netflix.

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