Reviews

A fascinating *mature* BL drama that's sensual, seductive and highly rewatchable

"HAI ! WE NEED A SEASON 2, KUDESAI !"
The finest mature JBL of the year so far — This Is A Do Not Miss. Also extremely useful for language learners, as the conversation is normal polite pace and easy to follow.
Both leads, Furuya Robin and Hasegawa Makoto, play their roles to perfection as the highly likeable, playful eagle and his confused but willing prey. If you like jealous villains on the side, this is your show too!
Made for adults, with chemistry so electric you'll rewind the scenes that are dripping with sensuality and passion. Trust me, you'll hit replay within the same week, maybe even the same day. And fight the urge to skip ahead to the steamy scenes.
All 6 of the 25 minutes episodes dive deep. We witness both characters peel back each other's layers, leaving us wondering: is it manipulation, seduction, or revenge? The suspense, juicy dialogue and mystery will have you craving more.
Enjoy the fantastic assistant played to perfection by Takamatsu Aloha, with his razor sharp campy queen one liners; the little dashes of Japanese style symbolism throughout (the pursuer devouring a redundant engagement cake, matching yakuta gowns, etc), a fair bit of above waist action and plenty of oh so sensual kissing, a dash of gay guilt melodrama, and several amusing moments: this series is a delightful ride. Accomplished screenwriters Watatane Aya and Yasukawu Yuke have absolutely delivered quality in this series.
Also appreciated, is the beautifully edited sequence featuring both main characters and their younger selves, along with energetic opening and closing tunes and a romantic musical score throughout. Although the music occasionally drowns out the dialogue, hopefully this will be fixed next season.
Each episode closes to Ayumu Imazu's thumping dance track "Bandage", a toe tapper that perfectly suits the emotional rollercoaster and smouldering sexual energy of the show. I guarantee you will find yourself bopping along to it in the car or bus!
*** Thank You For Reading! "Follow" to be notified of the next review! ~Fuyimawagi

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In-lust to in-crush to in-love. Physically affectionate & healthy relationship with steady feelings.

The Ep 1 rooftop situation is odd, but equivalent to kissing a stranger at a club. I think it's the unfamiliar context that throws people off of what is a fairly common event used in many romance stories. After Ep 1, it's actually a very sweet, trusting, healthy relationship with a TON of chemistry.

I also think some suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy this story! But again, that's true with many rom-coms. This is a light, sweet, and steamy (but non-explicit) romance without much angst.

The age gap didn't feel fetishized because the lead characters felt so compatible (physically and emotionally). The way they get together IS super fast, but also believable as instant attraction. The physical attraction is what gets them started, but as they continue, they learn more about each other and go from in-lust and in-crush to in-love. Both characters try to take care of each other in actions as well as with words and make efforts to communicate. What's great to see is that both characters gradually grow through their relationship. As they feel more secure with each other, the FL grows more confident and relaxed, and the ML grows brighter and relaxed (less reserved).

The FL is 22 and very naive. VERY. But I don't think she's dumb, I just think there's a part of her social radar that is oblivious because life hasn't dealt her enough lessons yet for that part to improve. It's like a translation issue: she *does* notice shifts in people's moods (she's especially aware of the ML), but she can't accurately tell what those shifts indicate. She likes to be helpful and to see people be happy, and treats everyone with the same genuine enthusiasm. She can't see how she might be sending mixed signals to some people because the concept is so far removed from her intentions that it can't even register. The ML understands this, and though he naturally gets a little jealous, he is more worried about her being taken advantage of than he is about her feelings wavering from him (which was also refreshing to see).

I enjoyed the clever ways the script had the FL's naivete turn expected clichéd situations on their ear; some of them were pretty funny. In addition to that, there were multiple times I thought "here we go" when there was prime opportunity for a cliche to start, but the screenplay would do something different. Not in a groundbreaking way, but still different enough that I would be pleasantly surprised.

I also greatly appreciated that though the FL character was completely inexperienced with intimacy, that she had a desire for it and actively participated. The portrayal was, I thought, completely believable for a 22 year old virgin, and easy to understand why she would be physical with a stranger so quickly if she felt an instant attraction. Though she's eager she also has moments of shyness and I love how the ML is conscious of how she feels/reacts and never forces her past what she's ready for.

The ML is 38 and *not* standoff-ish to the FL after the first episode. His growing affection is steady, patient, and occasionally lightly teasing in a playful way. He tries to alert the FL to social dangers and though he steps in to disrupt some situations, he does not try to dictate her life. Ep 3 has a couple scenes where their dynamic is written a little uncomfortably/imbalanced, but thankfully that didn't continue. The ML didn't feel condescending or like a father figure (which would have been a turn offs for me).

Both the desire and feelings the leads have for each other remain consistant throughout the show. There is a ton of skinship and making out, and even a couple kisses with a little tongue. There's nothing explicit though. The passion, affection, and sweetness feels natural, comfortable, and realistic. It's more satisfying than most JDramas (or KDramas) in that regard.

The secondary characters were mostly fun too. Nothing memorable about the music.

I watched on Viki and they had the 2 special episodes included with the main series. There's Ep 5 then an "Ep 5 Special" and Ep 10 then an "Ep 10 Special". The specials are basically recaps but done as the couple reminiscing together about their relationship thus far. It was fairly realistic, as that is something that couples do, but I wish it had given a few more insights into their thought processes than it did. The specials gives a little extra information, but they are not that necessary. The recap after Ep 5 was too repetitive when binge-watching. For me, I would have preferred to watch both specials at the end as a way to extend the good feelings from the show before leaving it to figure out what to watch next.

The story and characters may not be the most unique, but it was an easy, enjoyable, and satisfying watch for me, and I expect I'll re-watch again.

I also really like dramadesciples review:
https://mydramalist.com/profile/dramadisciple/review/152525
They have similar thoughts but say different things and summarize the lead characters and their dynamic well.

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Sometimes I think the writers do it on purpose lol

I didn't have high expectations, I just excited about the farm romance theme.

However, I didn't expect it to actually go downhill.

The drama starts out very interesting, it has the vibe of a funny romantic comedy, and in fact, it is. However, it seems to me that the screenwriters purposely made the worst choices! It is not possible that anyone thought the narrative choices were made in this story were good.

What was supposed to be interesting, especially seeing the male protagonist struggling to adapt to life on the farm and even further exploring the female protagonist's choices in leaving the big city, became a big mess. In fact, it became a love competition.

Obviously, the scriptwriters brought in the old tactic of the second lead and the second female, but with an awful detail: the second female is the FL's BEST FRIEND, and the second lead thinks it's a god idea to live in the FL's house because, of course, he has been in love since college, so she "needs" to accept him.

I don't blame ML for being bothered by the situation, after all, FL playing dumb with the closeness that her friend has with her is eye-rolling. But.. ok. Nevermind, she didn't know *yeah, right*

For me, if the story were *just* the two of them adapting to farm life and ML's complications in having to choose the big city and be with the woman he loves, it would be much better, but it seems to me that, honestly, the writers cannot make reasonable choices.

Furthermore, I thought it was a wasted chemistry between the actors, and I would really like them to explore FL life more; I missed knowing more about her.

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A rather disappointing series despite the casting.

I made the mistake of watching this series just after "The rebel princess" (with a top cinematic quality)... Suddenly, everything seemed cheap: the costumes, the abuse of the green screen for outdoor filming, choreographies with cables, etc.

PLOT: The FL, princess of a kingdom decimated following a conspiracy and the last survivor of the family, joins the neighboring kingdom to take revenge. She claims to be one of the Prime Minister's daughters. She meets (again) the ML, imperial grandson, who cannot help but come to her aid when she is in danger. They will gradually fall in love, but have to face multiple obstacles and struggles for power, to survive and be together.

PROS:
+ An epic saga with 54 episodes.
+ very good actors and lots of endearing characters
+ the OSTs accompany the emotions well.
+ an almost realistic and credible story

BUT
### cheap costumes & very abusive use of cables
### slow narration. OK, the journey to power is long, but the series lacks rhythm => so, I followed certain narrative arcs in dotted lines.
### I can understand the excessive ambition of some characters, but I'm frankly fed up with stubborn "one-side" lovers despite repeated rejections...
### some characters are not credible: the angry emperor, the evil "super warrior" Chi Yun Nan, etc.
### I don't know if it's the subtitles' fault, but a lot of dialogue seems flat, even offbeat.

=> I will not rewatch this series, which for my part, I found rather disappointing despite the casting.

*********************************************************
J'ai fait l'erreur de regardé cette série juste après "The rebel princess" (d'une qualité cinématographique) ... Du coup, tout parait cheap : les costumes, l'utilisation du fonds vert pour les tournages en extérieur, les chorégraphies avec câbles, etc.

PLOT: La FL, princesse d'un royaume décimé à la suite d'une conspiration et dernière survivante de la famille, rejoint le royaume voisin pour se venger. Elle prétend être une des filles du 1e ministre. Elle rencontre (à nouveau) le ML, petit-fils impérial, qui ne peut pas s'empêcher de venir à son secours quand elle est en danger. Ils vont peu à peu tomber amoureux, mais devront affronter de multiples obstacles et les luttes pour le pouvoir, pour survivre et être ensemble.
PROS:
+ grande saga de 54 épisodes, épique.
+ de très bons acteurs et beaucoup de personnages attachants
+ les OST accompagnent bien les émotions.
+ une story à peu prés réaliste et crédible

### costumes cheap & usage très abusif des câbles
### narration lente. OK, le parcours est long vers le pouvoir, mais la série manque de rythme => du coup, j'ai suivi certains arcs narratifs en pointillés.
### Je peux comprendre l'ambition démesurée de certains personnages, mais j'en ai franchement marre des amoureux "one-side" obstinés malgré les rejets à répétition ...
### certains personnages ne sont pas crédibles : l'empereur colérique, le "super guerrier" evil Chi Yun Nan, etc.
### je ne sais pas si c'est la faute des subtitles, mais beaucoup de dialogues paraissent plats, voire décalés.

=> je ne revisionnerai pas à nouveau cette série, que pour ma part j'ai trouvé plutôt décevante malgré le casting.

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More makjang than expected

I read the webtoon, which was rather funny, so I was quite surprised by how makjang this drama adaptation turned out to be. Much of it seems to due to the choices made by the writer and director. It took too long for the female characters to grow backbones. Na In Woo, whom I find acceptable, could have done much better. The best actor definitely was Song Ha Yoon, who portrayed Jeong Su Min. She did a fantastic job of realizing the twistedness of the character. I also preferred the webtoon's treatment of the villains' outcome, as well as the webtoon's depictions of Jihyuk's family. Overall, the adaptation lacked the lightness that balanced out the crazy in the webtoon, a balance that I really appreciated. So watch this knowing that it'll be makjang with unnecessary additions to/deviations from the webtoon storyline, when the original storyline would have been just fine.

AND one more thing. What is with Jiwon's work outfits? An off-shoulder getup to work? A bustier to work? Is she going to a fancy dinner at a luxury hotel or coming into work at a big conglomerate with a fairly traditional corporate culture? Her outfits were such distractions.

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It was very fun

This Thai drama left me impressed by its production quality. The premise it deals with is very interesting and even though there are only 6 episodes they are very enjoyable and make you want to keep watching one after the other. Undoubtedly, I think it's a plot that could have been approached more deeply, but for its format I don't think it was too bad (although I was left wanting to see more). I think it's perfect for non-stop weekend viewing, it's fun, the games are entertaining and I really liked the characters. It was hilarious sometimes and I loved it, without getting so reflexive or critical it is a show that I would watch again because I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Let's wait if they decide to bring out a new season.

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Loved it, comedies are the best!!!

I'm a little late to the K-drama scene.  I liked this show a lot.  First, before I forget, Park Seo Joon, who plays the male lead, looks uncanny like my late Japanese friend, Matsumoto-san.  Not at every angle and all facial expressions, but especially when he smiles.  First Japanese person I became friends with, an unbelievably kind guy whom I miss a lot.  I first saw Park in "Itaewon Class".  Seeing him made me happy and very sad at the same time.  I think we all knew the female lead, played by Hwang Jung Eum, even with the weird hair was going to turn out to be attractive.  Besides the physical part, her character being bubbly and sweet, is something that is a very attractive quality!

Star of the show has to go to Choi Si Won's character, Kim Shin Hyuk.  Hilarious and creative role that Choi was perfect for, makes me want to go find some other things he's been in. I hope there are some Korean guys in real life who are like that character, maybe not as crazy though with the pranks though, lol.  I like to joke around too, because I enjoy making people laugh and forget their problems.  Shin Dong Mi, who plays Cha Joo Young, is also an attractive lady and stood out, maybe because she was the only lady who had her natural hair color.  I know this drama is dated, but I hope Koreans, like Japanese and all Asians, STOP dying their hair color, natural always looks best!  I realize people in Asians countries tire of black hair, as almost all people tend to have it, unless they are seniors, but if everyone dyes their hair brown then people with natural locks stick out amongst the crowd, hah hah!

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Best Short Lenght Chinese Drama!!!!

The story is brilliantly written, the action is on point, the OST is chef's kiss and it has a healthy main's relation and a happy ending, and that is precisely what I want in a drama, so it has everything to have a 10 «/10 in every point, but that finale stops me from that...

That finale seemed a bit rushed and I wanted one episode where they explored the Butterfly curse from the prespective of the ML and a episode where they explored the pain of the ML and FL separation instead of giving us two filler episodes before the finale where the ML returned seemilgy unafected by the butterfly curse...

That takes me a bit out of the finale and that is the only reason I don't give it a 10/10 on everything and can only give a 9/10

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"But on a Wednesday in a cafe, I watched it begin again"

This one lyric comes to my mind when I finished the final episode. If you watch it, you would get what I mean. Their love stories started from that place. I would not spoil it so you need to watch it. This drama was about how a fated couple found their ways back to each other bcs they were destined to be together.

ML, Chu Kong, the God of War, was a man who was devoted to his duty to protect the six realms and lived just for that. He was intelligent and very good at fighting ofc. So to him, he didn't have time for pesky emotion like love. But supposedly, he needed to go through the love tribulations to enhance his damaged primordial spirit so he just acquiesced in the name of fulfilling his duty. So he just settled with FL since they were entangled and thought he could get over this "task" fast. Times spent together, he was moved by her actions, love for him. Chu Kong as a man in love, treasured Xiang Yun with all his heart, he just willing to do anything she said, just happy at the sight of her and willing to die for her.

FL, Xiang Yun or Empress Cang Hai, was a fairy that also devoted to her duty at Marriage Pavilion. She was willing to use any trick to save the Marriage Pavilion from being destroyed. ML being the God Of War was valid to be angry at her trick so somehow they got entangled together to help him recover his primordial spirit. She was wary of ML and fear of him coz he was God Of War, so she also thought to get this thing with him over with. But the second love tribulation, I hv to mention his name coz this version of him was still part of ML just... buried deep I guess. So in this lifetime, Lu Changkong was sincerely in love with FL, he was so sweet and understandable that made her wavered and she fell in love with him. She didn't regret dying for him and just wish she cld be with him forever. It was a start for their relationship, bcs back in the heavenly realm, ML didn't disappoint although there was still up and down in their relationship after that.

Their love tribulations after that were touching to me. There wld be times that he wld sacrifice himself for her but she could not bear to be without him so she did something shocking in order to be back by his side.

I love all the important characters: Our other couple who went through so much, the kind and loyal Zihui and the ruthless but need some love Jin Luo. Jin Lian who had character developments. Our 2ndML, Prince Xiuming, you were my type of 2ndML the one who love FL from afar, willing to help her and know how to move on. How I wish I could see who you end up with, you deserve to be happy after all the suffering. Shout-out to the Red Thread Master, Immortal Li and Immortal Sun too.

I actually decided to watch this drama just because. I didn't expect it to be a bit related to Love Between Fairy and Devil. There were a few things related to it but that was it. It just funny how I just finished LBFnD before this drama and somehow then I chose this drama randomly to watch after it. I also was curious about ML since the last time I watched him was in TRoTnR.

I love love love all the different sets, outfits, dresses and accessories, stories of different lifetimes. It just so amazing and different to me that it could be this way. Myb it could be bcs this was my second Xianxia drama.

I love some of the OSTs too, "Only Love", "Grief Record", "Break Through" and I definitely need to find who was the singer who just sang with her voice, just AaaAaaAaa (idk what the term is used here) signalling the end at each episode.

Tbh the happy ending was not my type of happy ending coz the moment of the ML and FL's happiness was so short (I ranted about it a bit in my review of LBFnD too). I might lower my rating if I rewatch idk but for now, considering the plots and the lifetimes, I will give it this rating.

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Disappointed

Really disappointed. The drama was good till the ep 12 then storyline started going downhill. I loved the bromance.

Yo Han character was great, his whole show was planned really well. On the other hand Ga On was soo annoying. He was so blinded/stupid that he couldn’t see that justice does not exist for people that do not have money or power. You would thing he learned his lesson but no…he stayed naive till the end and almost ruined everything.

The detected character was really useless….could not solve anything and the only thinkg she cared about was Ga On for who she just left everything and run to him if she known he is in a danger. And she was really obsessed to make Yo Han the villan.
They could write the story better. Its shame as I was hooked at the beginning of the show.

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A wonderful series!!!

An amazing series!. The trailer, was the one that made me curious
to watch it and even from the first episode, I got hooked! I have seen many but this one has become one of my favourites. The chemistry of the protagonists, and the rest of the couples, is fantastic. The constant twists and turns until they become a couple is one of the really cool elements of the series. It keeps your interest throughout the run without getting boring. The last episode is one of the best and gives this fantastic story, the ending it deserves. Well done! I wish there were more like this!

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