Reviews

It was indeed “ A Splendid Match”

The whole point of this drama was the “splendid match” between a young, feisty, intelligent girl forced to grow up too quickly and an older man who is calm, clever, and incredibly cunning. The drama gave us exactly what it said it would from the title.

From the romance and masterful plotting to the epic battle scenes and the young, brilliant emperor, everything was amazing. This is officially my favorite drama after The Untamed. It’s been a long time since I connected this deeply with a drama.

I have rewatched it so many times, I love every minute of it, I love YeXian character, WINWINs acting blew me away especially towards the end when he owned his character. Oh Cisha expressions on his face was just perfect. I am a sucker for people that act with their eyes, you can see pain, joy, sadness just from looking at their faces and for someone that was playing a calmer man, he nailed his role. That was a 100/10.

Overall the drama gave me what I wanted entertainment, I was entertained and that is all that matters.

Read More

So many plot holes!

I wanted this to be better! It started out good but it seemed like the producers were working with a script that was missing pages.
There wasn't very good chemistry between the actors, which was a shame, because I think both were talented; I just never got the vibe they clicked with each other.
That said, it was beautiful scenery! The setting was gorgeous and I would love to visit if I could.
I would like to see more LGBTQ productions with settings like the Steppes, possibly among the Uhgyurs or other ethnic groups in China, because each group has unique norms regarding sexual orientation.
This is the first BL I have ever given a rating under a 7.

Read More

Just, not my cup of tea

The show had all the ingredients to be something emotionally intense and genuinely memorable, but it completely wasted its potential. A toxic relationship in itself is not a bad premise at all — some of the best dramas are built around complicated, unhealthy, or emotionally destructive relationships. The problem is that this series never actually does anything interesting with that idea. Instead of feeling layered, emotional, or psychologically compelling, it ends up feeling painfully empty and exhausting to sit through.

The biggest issue is how unbelievably slow and uneventful the story is. It feels like the entire plot could have been condensed into one or two episodes without losing anything important. Scene after scene passes by with very little progression, and instead of building tension or emotional depth, the show just repeats the same dynamics over and over again. It constantly feels like it’s leading toward some kind of breakthrough, confrontation, or revelation, but nothing ever really happens. By the time the final episode ends, it barely feels like the characters or their relationship evolved at all.

The characters themselves are also incredibly flat. One of them spends most of the show being cold, emotionally unavailable, and unnecessarily cruel, while the other just drifts around looking defeated and emotionally numb. Instead of creating an interesting contrast, their personalities quickly become repetitive and frustrating. The show gives almost no insight into who they really are beyond these surface-level traits. You never fully understand what draws them together, why they stay in such an unhealthy relationship, or what emotional needs they fulfill for each other. Because of that, it becomes difficult to feel invested in them as people.

What makes the experience even more disappointing is that the show occasionally hints at deeper themes or emotional complexity, almost as if it’s about to seriously explore trauma, dependency, loneliness, or emotional manipulation. There are moments where it seems like the relationship is finally going to be examined in a meaningful or even shocking way, but the series always pulls back before doing anything substantial. It avoids emotional honesty in favor of endless silence, vague interactions, and repetitive miscommunication. Instead of tension feeling intentional or meaningful, it just becomes frustrating and emotionally draining to watch.

There’s also very little character development throughout the series. By the end, the characters don’t feel significantly different from who they were in the beginning. The final episode tries to imply some kind of emotional resolution or happiness between them, but because the communication between the characters is so poor and the writing is so vague, it’s hard to even tell what changed or why it matters. The story never earns its emotional payoff because it never properly builds toward one.

The acting is another mixed aspect of the show. One actor clearly gives a much stronger performance than the other, which makes the imbalance noticeable in emotional scenes. Still, it’s hard to blame the cast entirely because the script gives them very little material to work with. Most conversations are minimal, repetitive, or emotionally flat, so even talented actors would struggle to create depth from it.

To the show’s credit, it does have a few strong qualities. The cinematography is genuinely beautiful at times, and some of the intimate scenes are filmed in a very natural and emotionally soft way. The actors also have decent chemistry, which is probably the main reason the relationship remains somewhat believable despite the weak writing. There’s even a quiet, melancholic atmosphere throughout the series that could have worked really well if the story had more substance behind it.

But in the end, good visuals and chemistry aren’t enough to carry a story that feels this hollow. The series becomes an endless cycle of awkward silence, frustrating misunderstandings, emotional detachment, and scenes that go nowhere. Rather than feeling emotionally profound or realistic, it just feels empty, repetitive, and unsatisfying. Overall, it’s a frustrating watch that mistakes slowness and silence for emotional depth, and despite its potential, it never becomes as meaningful or compelling as it clearly wants to be.

Read More

Came for Tian Xi Wei, Stayed for the Comedy

Honestly, this is one of those dramas I started mainly because of Tian Xi Wei, and I’m glad I did. The first three episodes were seriously so entertaining and instantly pulled me in. I do wish Xi Wei had more screen time, but I’m still really happy seeing her take on a rookie police officer role.

What made the drama especially enjoyable for me was the humor. Zhang Yi Ang is the type of character you can never fully take seriously because he’s naturally comedic, and the same goes for the entire team. Even the criminals somehow added to the comedy. I’m usually not very interested in crime-focused plots, but this one managed to keep me entertained throughout, even though I wish the storyline had been a little more gripping at times.

When it comes to the cast, I’m only familiar with Tian Xi Wei and Lawrence Wang, who I remember as Si Ming from *Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms*. Still, you can easily tell the cast is filled with experienced actors. I’m especially glad Tian Xi Wei stepped outside her usual roles and tried something more unconventional. Li Qian had such a cool and refreshing vibe because of her performance.

The OSTs also deserve praise because they fit the drama’s dark comedy atmosphere perfectly. Everything felt chaotic in a fun way, which honestly made the experience even better. It’s understandable why the drama is getting attention on local TV, even if it isn’t receiving the same level of popularity on MDL. Personally, I think a 7.3 rating is way too low for a drama this enjoyable, though I can see how this kind of genre may not appeal to everyone.

I probably wouldn’t fully rewatch the entire drama, but I’d definitely revisit a lot of specific scenes because the comedy here was genuinely gold.

Read More

not worth watching

I watched this since it was highly raved by my cousin and we both love Park Seo Joon...but I was not a fan of his hair cut in this show! lol This drama did not need 16 episodes. I am the type of person who binge watches kdrama in 1 sitting or 2. It took me a good week to finish this drama coz I couldn't really get into it. I really liked the the love interest between ML and the 2nd FL. The main FL lead irritated me - both her acting and how she looked in the show. Granted, yes, her look was probably intentional to be kind of quirky and eccentric. She was extremely selfish and arrogant and treated Jang Geun Soo so terrible and he did everything to try and be with her!! I didn't like the fact that Sae Ro Yi ended up with her. It would have been a better ending had he not ended up with either of the love interests.

If you have misophonia like I do, Yoo Jae Myung's character while eating will trigger you. The loud slurping was rage inducing >_<". I also can't believe Sae Ro Yi actually kneeled to him!!!! UGH!!

A lot of scenes felt like fillers to me and I almost didn't even bother finishing the show.

Read More

Just give it a shot. Please.

it's my first actually feeling like I HAVE to write a review for something I've watched. I was so excited for Soul Mate but when I saw the negative reviews, I was a bit mixed but I still gave it a shot.
Thanks God I did.
It's the first time in years that I've cried so much watching a series. My eyes are still red from how much I've cried nonstop those past few hours.
I saw people complaining that it's not a real bl, that it's disappointing since they don't kiss and I even saw someone calling it a "homophobic crap". In my opinion, those people didn't understand at all the whole point of the story. There's something between Ryu and Johan, it's a fact, but it's just that sometimes relationships are too complicated to be put in boxes like friendship or romantic love. A soulmate doesn't necessarily mean a romantic lover by the way. And I would argue that here, the soulmate aren't only Ryu and Johan because almost everything that happens is by chance, by coincidence. It's a miracle as Johan said.
I found this series truly beautiful. It reflected life so well. Even with everything that happens it didn't feel heavy. I liked everything about this series: the way it was shot, the acting, the ost...
Everything.
Of course, if you're starting it thinking you're in for a cute little bl, you'll be disappointed. But if you're starting it with an open mind and if you're able to see and understand human relationships that go beyond labels, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did.

Read More

Neat! Winning in its human elements.

Let's just say, the director ran with the writers and the actors went seeking their characters.
Winning in its human elements - a well woven suspense drama and setup giving us a peek into the complex secret lives of the many residents of a notorious decrepit building, as our crime branch detective duo dig into the mysterious case of the missing lady and her father.
Retro look from the 90s was done very very well.

Only gripe, it often felt far too stretched specifically in the second half. I do understand the need to unravel the suspense as deliciously as the mystery was built, however it was five episodes too many.

Emotional portrayal of the leading characters- both the MLs, FLs, as well as the perfect creepiness of every single villain and villain-adjacent character is what makes this drama work. Anything less would have made this story sorely unconvincing given how long we spend exploring every new suspect, and then watch all the evidence and the associated crimes ending up being red herrings for the main case.

It took some time to get used to, but somewhere mid way you get pulled in by Dylan Wang and his many side quests rather surprisingly.

Well done! A tighter script would make it a 10 but 8.5 it is .

Read More

It was good but not that good

I just finished the show and tbh comparing to business proposal and what’s wrong with secretary Kim it was my least favorite. It’s good show but not as good as them. Here is the reason:
1- business proposal have a great comedy. With great romance between support characters. Here we have some good comedy in the girls trio but it’s not that good
2- what’s wrong with secretary Kim have very interesting story With a good mystery and plot twist but here the story was not that good to me. The mystery (small spoiler) of the Male lead about their mother is not that interesting, and detailed and everything get solved eventually without not that much of info farming. Just like I talk with him and then I asked him and that was it. Done

But overall it was a good show. Even though it was 16 episodes it didn’t feel dragged at all. The romantic story and the couple is fun to follow. Unfortunately some of the support/background characters really pissed me of and they didn’t get what they really deserved. I would appreciate it more if the show put more focus on other characters relationship and stories

Read More

This must be a show for fans of romance

I think you have to really like romance to like this show. I figured this out after accidentally reading a bunch of comments where people were gushing about things that I was rolling my eyes about.

Basically, this is not one for fans of intricate plots, nuanced characters, meaningful conflicts, subtlety, or anything of the sort. It is remarkably light on plot- it’s basically just power struggles in the human realm and power struggles in the Spirit realm. The villain is lame and delusional, many characters are caricatures, and so many plot elements are just cliché.

The FL is the boss in this show, the supremely powerful sovereign of the spirit realm, but actually very lonely. Into this gaping emotional void steps our ML. Although he is the most capable among humans, as a mortal he should still be insignificant to her. However, he is such a total sap for her that he worms his way into her heart.

The romance gets played up right from the beginning, all flowered up and sparkly even before you think there should be anything there. He really should be beneath the FL, and she does seem to be the badass and in-control type, yet here she is flirting her days away. Said flirting includes things like “accidental” half-naked sightings and random, unnecessary physical contact, and of course those scenes with long gazes and slow motion that are simply forced into the plot before there’s any real connection.

So if you like romance, I suppose you might get a hit out of these “heart-fluttering” scenes. But if you want a properly built up and meaningful relationship, this is not it.

However, after I understood that the point of the show is to play up some epic romance, then I stopped cringing about it so much, took it easy, and actually almost enjoyed some of it. It wasn’t bad to watch at accelerated speed while doing other things (like exercise), and halfway through I switched platforms to WeTV which has user comments floating across the screen. I found these sometimes snarky comments to be excellent company and they helped me take the show less seriously, otherwise I might have exploded in frustration if I actually immersed myself.

Given all this, I do think the show goes through some phases of being more genuine or interesting. Duan Xu (the ML) grew on me after I realized that being shamelessly audacious is just part of his personality. I found his perpetual and somewhat tone-deaf cheerfulness in the Void arc to be quite endearing. There are also some side characters I like. Jiang Ai, for instance- her loyalties are unclear but I thought it sweet to see her giving He Simu love advice like a gal pal would. My favorite character is Fengyi, who is super cute and funny. It’s fun to watch the three devoted members of the shipping club- Jiang Ai, Fengyi, and Chenying- do their best to get the main couple together. Several side couples are also neatly paired up, which I felt pretty good about. I enjoyed watching the side characters and their relationships get some development in the 20s of episodes. And there are some decently heartfelt moments towards the end, like He Simu at her parents’ grave.

That said, at its core this show is an epic romance. The entire premise is built around it, and all the plotlines are feeding into it. Actually He Simu’s character is pretty inconsistent- sometimes badass, sometimes self-aware, and sometimes a transparent, lovestruck girl. It’s like they couldn’t decide which classic romance scenes they wanted her to play out, so they just rotated through them. But Duan Xu, he is fulfilling somebody’s fantasy of the perfect boyfriend, because he is SO devoted to her. Clearly she matters more to him than anything, he would give do anything for her. This overly romantic and idealistic kind of devotion is completely in line with the vibe of the show, and I think the target romance-loving audience might like it. But I prefer more realism.

As for the world-building, this imaginative world features spirits floating like jellyfish and the Spirit Lord riding on her staff. The CGI is pretty good and there’s a lot of great imagery, so it’s rather evocative and sparks the imagination.

But upon closer examination, the mechanics of the spirit world make little sense and are quite arbitrary. The idea of obsessions might have been a good theme, but it’s too open-ended and complicated to be a guiding rule (eg how does “collecting obsessions” actually work? If obsessions are keeping spirits alive, how can their society even function? How does He Simu, born a spirit, fit into all of this?) It’s not the first time I’ve seen this concept in Chinese lore (that ghosts are the lingering spirits of the dead who can’t let go) but I think it’s the kind of thing that’s best left vague. Start world-building around it and you’ll find more holes than you can patch.

The whole thing about the five senses is also not consistently executed and enforced. If you look at He Simu’s actions, she doesn’t seem to actually be missing all her senses all the time; she just selectively doesn’t have them when and in ways that fit the plot.

Acting-wise, I don’t think this is Dilreba’s best role. It was just too extreme, whether she is trying to be badass or cute or worried or whatever. Towards the end she has some better expressions. For Arthur, I have a hard time taking him seriously when he is trying to be stern and tough, it might just be his baby face (sorry Arthur). But I liked him better as his character evolves away from that archetype. My favorite performance is Ding Jiawen as my favorite character, Fengyi... I have seen him in other shows before but this is his most endearing role yet.

For production stuff, I thought the CGI is pretty good- it’s not the realistic type, but instead the pretty type- and costumes are nice. The cinematography seems very idol-style and there are many scenes that seem meant to just capture Dilreba’s best side or her looking like a queen. For the music, there are two songs in the OST that I really like (along with their instrumentals), and they are used well, so that I actually felt emotional at the proper moments despite not being that into the show. I wasn’t that into the rest of the OST or the BGM.

Overall... it is an idol drama with all the idol drama vibes, focused on some idealized and epic romance. Definitely appeals to some people but not to me, but I still made it through by watching with half attention while reading snarky comments.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





There are two endings to this show. A 6-minute “episode 41” rewrites part of the last episode to be the “happy ending” that many people want, accomplished via a deus ex machina miracle.

Actually, I didn’t think that the original ending is that sad or bittersweet. The ML does die, but he comes back as a jellyfish and follows her around as she explores the world, presumably to take form after some amount of time. I always thought this is a big plot hole in all these Chinese stories that allow those who can’t let go to come back as ghosts... just doesn’t seem like such a bad deal to achieve immortality this way.

Of the side character deaths, there is only one that made me upset. Fang Xianye dies in a lame way for no good reason. He is already forgotten by the end. None of the side stories get much wrapup, which is pretty disappointing (what EVEN is going on with Fengyi’s maid, what is she even doing here).

Chenying is the other upsetting death but he comes back as a spirit. Simu gives up her Spirit Lord spot to him... ok, given how much she hated her job, why is she subjecting this poor kid to it? Who even let that child on the battlefield in the first place?

Read More

I would classify this drama as a comedy, romance, drama, and fantasy.

Actually, I really love this show, but I feel like the later part and the ending were poorly executed. I wanted a touching finale that truly cared about the audience, letting us feel the beautiful moment when the long-separated characters finally reunited.

Given his personality, Tian Yao is someone whose love is firm and unwavering. He is a man of few words and subtle expressions, yet he does show his feelings. He really deserved some time to just enjoy being in love. As for Yanhui, she is straightforward, bold, and has a bit of a tomboyish charm, so she doesn't need any pushing when it comes to expressing herself. I wanted them both to deeply immerse themselves in their love, but those moments never came, which is deeply disappointing. Other than that, everything else was good. I love this drama mainly because of Zhou Ye and Xiao Hou. Yanhui was so adorable when she helped Tian Yao even before falling for him. It’s no surprise Tian Yao fell for her once he realized that behind her harsh exterior, she was actually a good person. However, Tian Yao trapped himself in the mindset that love would only bring trouble, leading him to make wrong choices that he later regretted. Once he had time to reflect, he realized his past heartbreak was simply because he loved the wrong person—loving Yanhui would never be a problem.

Read More