Reviews

I liked the story although the romance was a bit restrained. The leading lady is only 17 years old afterall.

I watched sungkyunkwan scandal and somehow I always refer to that for comparison. Nevertheless, We don't get a lot of gender bender series so each series should be appreciated for itself.l

It's a story about an 18 year old girl who has been dressing up as a man all her life. She gets sold to the royal palace to become a eunuch and somehow narrowly escapes detection during the selection process. She unknowingly became friends with the crown prince. She thought he was just another noble who grew up with a silver spoon. The crown prince doesn't know she's a woman but can't help getting attracted to her (dressed up as a man).

For several years, the kingdom was secretly being ruled by the prime minister. The king has been having anxiety attacks for almost 10 years which make him edgy and not sleep well. His officials take advantage and rule the kingdom in his behalf.

The crowned prince is left to determine who their enemies are and how to uncover the treachery within the palace.

My review:

The heroine wasn't really trying to be "manly" when disguised as a man. Dressing up is different from trying to blend in the crowd as a man. She could have been easily mistaken for a woman on several instances. She was too feminine so it wasn't really convincing for me. There was nothing tomboyish about her or anything that would indicate she was one of the boys.

For the prince, His acting was good. Although I wish there were more scenes that allowed him to show his acting skills.

I wish there were more flashbacks on the prince and his friends. That was sorely lacking. They were childhood friends and yet there were only a handful of flashbacks about their time together. What was it like when they were still boys up to growing up. They could have developed a better back story about the friendship. What strained their friendship. How the prince and his other friend parted before he went to Qin kingdom.

Then there's also the anxiety issue with the king. I was thinking they were putting something on his food but it was intrinsic in nature. Wouldn't his royal physicians be able to help him with it? What were they doing to alleviate the symptoms?

Then, whatever happened to Hong Ra On's parents? They simply disappeared and never came back. Did they just leave their daughter behind? What happened to hong raon's relationship with her father?

What happened to the white cloud society? Where did all the activists go?

Also, there wasn't any sense of danger around the palace at all really. They talked in their normal voices. Not worrying who would overhear. There wasn't a sense of secrecy going around. Even the villains were plotting their evil plans in broad daylight.

I'm starting to feel the story was not well developed.

There were great actors: The prince, the prince's friend, the child princess, the grandfather physician....

But without the storyline to support and promote their acting skills, it all feels a bit bland.

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It's over! Thank god it's over. I struggled with this show. So much so that I contemplated dropping this show, but by the time it got to this point (around episode 17) I had already invested so much of my time that I was determined to finish it.

The show isn't flat out bad, just elements were. For every one thing this show had going for it, two things were dragging it down. For one, 24 episodes was far too long for this show. The last 8 episodes or so were so tedious for me. Two, the show seemed to lack direction. It felt like it didn't know where it was going or what it wanted to be. And when this show was going places none of the places where particularly good. That's not to say none of the episodes were good because there was definitely a few that actually made me want to continue to the next episode, but they were sporadic and few.

The worst part about this show was Jang Geun Suk. I'm sorry, I realize that he is a well liked actor on here and in general, but his performance was wooden and bland. Besides glaring me to death I didn't get much of anything from him. Counting sheep would've been more compelling. Truthfully though the only ones really bringing anything in terms of acting were Kang Ji Hwan (who I found to be incredibly adorable and actually makes me want to pick back up Capital Scandal), Jo Hee Bong (fantastic as the insane king who truly blessed my screen) and Kim Ri Na (I can't help it, good acting can make me like characters that I'm not necessarily supposed to like or root for). Having said that no one (outside of JGS) was particuarally bad, just not memorable or worth mentioning.

The show had some fairly likeable secondary characters in Gomi, Su Jeon (what can I say, I fell for his explosions of love) and Mal Nyeo. I had no complaints when they were on my screen.

Music wise there were only two songs that I even remember hearing and they were both nice (one by a man and the other by a woman). No idea who sings the songs or the titles, but they were nice and helped to set the mood.

Definitely would not watch it again seeing as I struggled the first time around. Can't say I'd recommend, but hey I could be the lone wolf when it comes to not liking this show. Much too campy for my personal taste, but if that's up your alley then this show might be for you.

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Guys watch this drama!!

It is good you can really get into and the actors they were great. Job well done!!
Wish I could say the some for the writers... It started soo great but they ploped it a "little". The plot of this drama is amazing if they make a season 2 I would watch it because I was left with a mehh... Lee Joon did a great job and others too! If you are into the cute Kdramas you wont be that hyped as you are normaly. I'm not saying you wont like it... Know its not romance! Its ACTION!!
You won't be sorry, go watch it. There are as I said mehhs in it but the plot is good and the actors are great. They f* up a little if you ask me XD... But you wont be pissed about it... more "ahhhh"... It is just that they could do a lot better :(

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The drama "Madame Antoine" is not bad... its pretty good. :)

Soo... when I started it I had nothing else to watch (like most of you). After the first episode you start to get into the drama. The more you get into the drama the more you like it.
At first I didn't like the actors when I found it because... they are older than most actors I've watched, but they are pros. Acting was great and the plot is original. Great idea, but sometimes it was slow at other times fast. It is watchable and super funny!!! I was like Lol!! WTF??? It is funny, so watch it.
When I finished it I learned something from it... As someone with problems, that you can see in this drama... I can relate a little to it and the story... 99% of you will relate with something in it. The drama is not the best of the best, but is good and you can watch it without feeling like you lost your time. I finished it in 2-4 day... I think but not more... As I said its good, but not like super good. The funny stuff and some of the plot saved it for me. It depend on the person watching it. If you are older you will like it more, it deals with some grown up shit, what I'm saying is its not all funny it can be sad, because the main leads haven't had it easy. They learn to deal with stuff from their past... I found it usefull, if you are not old learn from the mains amd you will get to understande how a grown up thinks. The world is not about you, sometimes you have to let go and move on.

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Mindblowing is the word for this drama!
The story is pulling you in...right away! It makes you use your brain...lol...it makes you think while you watch it... about what's happening, what is going to happen. Your brain is full of questions and you want answers! There is romance, crime and everything else you would want in a drama.
At some point 24 episodes were too much for me, i think it would have been better with 16 or 19 at most, instead of streeching the story to get more money. Anyway, the acting soo on point. You cant say that they are not good actors, perfect for the roles.The music is perfection it goes well with the story and it sets the mood. I would watch it again and you would too. Overall its the perfect drama to get you into chinesse drama's if you aren't already! ;)

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As my ratings show i loved the movie you won't regret watching it! :)
The story is great, from the beginning to the ending it only got even better. The reason i gave it 9.5 is that i felt something was missing maybe somewhere towards the beginning, i myself don't know why i feel that way ..
The acting and the cast couldn't be better! The acting was great, i loved the female lead's and luhan's character and the way they connect. The villain made me wonder am i watching horror! Loved him too ;)
Music- helped me get into the atmospher like im there...lol...with headphones at night your going to have a great movie night 100%...
Rewatch Value - I would watch it again! I wish i could buy it on a disc or something and watch it on tv
Overall it was great 10/10 made me love Chinesse movies and dramas more, considering i dont like this type of dramas even Signal didn't impress me...forget about movies...lol... XD but i liked it! I felt relaxed while watching it, like when i was 7-8 and watched "Home alone" lol not a good example but thats the way i felt....

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I just finished watching this today, and I must say I absolutely loved it!

If you have watched Misaeng (kdrama version) and actually love that drama, please take time to try and check out this drama with an open mind. Not to compare with the korean version (which is I also actually loved), the storyline was also good for this. Though somehow I wished they could have made more than 9 episodes.

Nakajima Yuto did a good job as Ichinose Ayumu. I guess with this role, you can see his acting skills developed more.And Endo Kenichi as Chief Oda, well, as expected for a veteran actor like him, he also nailed it. And I also love the other casts, everyone portrayed their roles very well. Ichinose's batchmates - Shinji Kiriake (Seto Koji), Shogo (Kiriyama Akito) and Kazuki (Yamamoto Mizuki) have great chemistry. From being unfamiliar with each other to ever working and being concerned as a team. That greatly touched my emotions. I just hoped that their back stories were shown more here.

Just like in the korean version, this also touched my heart and made me empathize with the characters in the story. I cried and laugh in each episode. I feel like there is a need for me to pause for a little while watching because I was so absorbed with some scenes and I need to get back to myself.

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It was so wonderful to see Ji Won act so natural as Oh Ha Na. Likewise seeing her went through career, dating and married life like any typical woman was exhilarating. On the other side, I would be lying if I say I didn't feel bored watching some of the episodes. The drama was gradually progressing which made others to just drop it. Unlike any "Ha Ji Won" dramas, it didn't have any interesting action which would take you on the edge of your seat or have you cry a river. Nonetheless, it felt refreshing to see Ji Won act so casual like this. Lastly, with Jin Wook, they both made a good pair.

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Chanyeol is my ultimate kpop bias, so my opinion on this movie is definitely a bias opinion, so be warned. What I loved about this drama was the lightheartedness, fluff, and the whole cute rom-com vibe, exactly what I was looking for at 1AM on a Friday night.

And I loved it, it was exactly what I wanted. Cheesy and sweet, and while cliche, my love for Chanyeol overshadowed all the flaws in the drama, such as underdeveloped character and plot, but I didn't mind having to watch it in 1.5 hours because I find that most dramas run along the same lines and drag it out for too long. Sure, the characters become more developed but other than the addition fo plot details, the ending most of the time would still be somewhat as predictable. I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary with this movie---I just wanted to see my bias for an extended period of time.

I loved Yuan Shan Shan and the character she played. The kind of girl to be able to crack open the stiff, tsundere male lead who reacts violently at first but opens up. She was an energetic and funny character and I enjoyed the two immensely. My only concern is that the romance at the end was rushed and I would have liked it more if it was extended to 2 hours. Mentioning this throughout already, Chanyeol is my bias so of course, I'd be naturally drooling over him in this movie. The strenuous life of his portrayed in the movie must have been similar to his own idol life, so the role must have been easy for him to act out. Nevertheless, I'd love to see Chanyeol in more acting roles so that we can see his full potential bloom.

I'm also very happy about the OST he sang because of the lack of vocals he gets in EXO, being the main rapper. I'd rewatch this on a rainy day in the mood, or perhaps with an EXO-L friend to fangirl/boy over it together! But in the meantime, I've still got Choco Bank featuring Kai to check out.

I would recommend if you're a fan of something lighthearted and cheesy, and a fan of Chanyeol ;)

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Usually, i dont write reviews, but this one is an exception.

Story:
Reminds me a little of Lord of the Rings with a mix of Final Fantasy. You dont know, besides the protagonist (Qi Ling) who is good or bad. You have to watch the entire movie to discern the aspects of the characters. Everyone has a dark side here and that is one of many good aspects of this film. The plot is well paced and answer all of the questions and the final leaves a margin for sequels. The story rounds for four chars (Bing Bing, Kris Wu, Cheney Chen and Lin Yun's Chars) even if the others have good attention to their sides of the plot.

Acting/Cast:
Its the most strong point of the movie. Cheney Chen and Lin Yun surprised me (Cheney Chen really does well naive characters and its good to see Lin Yun in a more strong female lead instead of the ingenuous character that she played in Mermaid). The rest is no comments. Fan Bing Bing, Kevin Yan, Yang Mi, Willian Chan... Its a wonderful sight. And if you wonder about the CG, you can recognize the actors even with the CG. The unique caracteristics of the actors are well represented.

Music:
Its good. Well placed in the moments.

Rewatch Value:
The plot is kinda ingenious. You have to rewatch a few times for better understanding because, as i said, the aspects of the several characters is hidden even after the ending. If you miss something, you will be pissed off with the ending.

I will wait for the sequels (if they are in planning)

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Well, I've been doing some research on this show and I've reviewed quite a few peoples comments on it so I've come to this conclusion: The story line is a pet shop owner and an author dealing with love and friendship over the course of the series, not to much not to little. To me they tried to do a more "artistic confusion" i guess you could call it. One example is Queer Movie's "Butterfly" as well as "The Monster." But so long as you can grasp the concept behind it and keep up with the flow of the story then that's mostly fine. Sometimes that's way for the creator to get you to re watch it, so you can understand it better and say maybe "okay i get what they're saying, i kind of like it." That's how it was for me when watching this series and alot of other moves like "Futureless Things."

Now the series itself: I love how this series actually is different from what I've been watching its so cute. A pet shop owner falling in love with an author and how their love transpires over the course of the series, it has a little fluffy tone to itself and it is a more fluff based series. The characters were very entertaining, the friendship inside all of it was really nice. Most BL series are high school, a little dark, and little weird and normally just end sad or have an overly gripping story line that yeah you can relate to but seems to become the same staple for a series/movies like how car accidents or getting ran over is the staple in most k-dramas, that doesn't mean that I'm dismissing those staples because many of great works have those. This story line is still relatable, the conflicts are what people have gone through, still go through, and is still alive with others today it. I love the rising actions that take place, I got irritated with Liang Ze of course because most bottoms bother me in BL stuff but his character is a little different than most bottoms. I love the dialogue it's lighthearted and fun, the music was well placed for certain scenes, flat out i would recommend this as a nice beak away from a very serious show that you may have watched.

Now I don't give it praise, but i cant bash it either. Definitely, I love the fact that it's lighthearted and that it ends on a sweet note : (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywqp4Ve7qX8) (I do apologize that this has no subs but it's the ending part where someone mentioned that this is one of the BL series that ends happy) but truthfully the reason why i wouldn't give it all 10's is because the story line was simplistic the scenes weren't edgy and it didnt have as many transitions that reopened some foreshadowing in the series to uncover tension or a surprise for the viewers but honestly you don't need that all the time; a simply, delightful story structure goes a long way people. The series is really sweet but not like Moon Lovers, it's not like Diary of Tootsies, it's a short collection of episodes that you can watch when you cant decide on what to watch. It's really cute but then again everyone this is just an overall outlook from my perspective, my opinions. Some from a collective selections of other reviews and my knowledge gained from watching the series.

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I think like most people who watched this drama i loved that it had a realistic ending even though it was super sad, unlike some dramas where a miracle cure would just appear out of nowhere and everyone gets to live happily ever after. I do wish though we got to see a bit more of how the other characters fared after what happens at the end (you'll have to watch to know what I'm talking about), i dunno, i feel like i didn't get closure or something :), but i guess thats what make it realistic, since something like that happens to you theres no such thing as closure, just moving on...i guess they wanted to show that instead.
Like i said above i loved the realistic ending, and also that when he wasn't being a jerk to her their relationship seemed really genuine and cute :)
But other than that Kim Woo Bin was AMAZING in his character portrayal as always, and as you've seen in my ratings i really loved the cast, i feel like every character had a purpose to the storyline unlike some dramas where you just find yourself fast forwarding scenes that include that random character and their story. Even though i don't think i will re-watch it (don't think i can go through all that crying again), its definitely become one of my favourite dramas so far, and would highly recommend you watch it!

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