Reviews

Jang Hyun and Gil Chae - that's who you need to know

This review comes with spoilers - the spoilers are in the second half of this post and I shall mark it in bold letters so you can stop reading at that point if you don't want to be spoiled.

Referring to just part 2, this was literally actually theoretically a not so enjoyable rollercoaster ride. But theory cannot compete with Nam Goong Min and Ahn Eun Jin's acting so it was still very much enjoyable. Perfect man and perfect woman who are perfectly interesting both by themselves and together do not need the best chemistry to make their collaboration a success. That is my conclusion after seeing Jang Hyun and Gil Chae portrayals. They are gems ❤️ who will last a long time.

Pros:
CANNOT emphasize on the whole amazingness of this production enough. It surpassed everything in this show and even many other shows. They've left every other part of this show to play catch up to them, and when it almost seemed like some parts did, it left everything and everyone (except one aspect) in the dust and won the race. That one aspect, the only thing that was at least able to keep relative pace with (behind) the production was NGM & AEJ's acting. It was golden. These people can act. Coupled with those melting OSTs, this duo is pretty much unstoppable.
Coming to another important thing, the story. Despite the tumbles the writing took, the story and context (special praise and mention here - to how well they showed the difficulties of the commoners during a trying period) and plot - felt new, interesting, engaging and thought-provoking and in many places, the characters themselves were swoon-worthy. Forgetting all the flaws for a second, I think this deserves much appreciation.
However the side characters ended up, I cannot deny how I loved so many of them. I enjoyed Gu Jam, Jong Jong, Young Rang, Crown Prince & Princess and even the stupid Yong Gol Dae.
Best was the main couple of course. The characters held so much power and stood on their own so well and together, the pleasure they could give us was always double. So ya, all of that makes this drama a really good watch.

SPOILERS:::::

Cons:
Man, for an ending episode, that I was satisfied with in many ways, especially after the let down of the previous eps, it still left many things to be desired :( I was right, that they did seem to have had some of the ending planned before so it was not a complete mess, but it was still messy. Especially when it comes to Ryang Eum & Eun Ae. Ryang Eum - mainly cause of the ending - totally left him and us hanging there after all the build up in the first scene with the letter and finding the truth and if JH is coming back and all that stuff. Eun Ae - her role in part 1 was genuinely good. I cannot describe it properly but that's clearly how it was and how it felt. And in part 2, it all felt just lacking when it came to her - SO - the downward transition of this role and the character's importance feels like poor planning. As for Yeon Jun, it's a bit confusing - BUT - to me, the show has taken a confusing stand point forever when it comes to Yeon Jun. From part 1 till now, it's like they are unable to make up their minds which part of his personality they want to emphasize on and they're presenting all they can think of for him as it is. To me, that at least seems consistent even though it's a bit frustrating because if I want to call him names, I don't want to have doubts about it. I don't know if that was intended, but I doubt it. Possibly many other ifs and buts and uncrossed t's and undotted i's.

Overall, decided to stay consistent to my part 1 rating of 9 / 10.

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So far, Pit Babe is worth the wait

Just watched the first episode and I must say, i am impressed. The episode introduces this series perfectly without so much spoilers and a hint of suspense to keep you glued. The characters are introduced with as much information as necessary to give you a hint but not so much that you might predict what might happen next. The hint of omegaverse makes this an exciting add to my watchlist as I am a huge fan. Who is the mafia looking businessman at the end of the episode? What does he have against Pit Babe? Is Charlie on Pit Babe's side or is he one of the bad guys? Who did he talk to on the phone at the end of the episode asking for an update on Pit Babe? Sooo many questions needs answers and I can't wait to watch this and hopefully I will get my answers. Highly recommend

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Lack Of Communication

**Brief Synopsis**
B (Student): Third
T (Student): Khai

- Beginning: T and B are students at the same school. T is a player, changing girlfriends quickly. B is in love with T and is used to T's antics and accepting to simply be a friend until T starts prioritizing girls over him, ditching him to go on dates. The first half of the show is B sad over T's actions.

- Middle: After a while, B bad enough and decides to distance himself from T. T realizes this and starts missing B's presence. Just as he thought he was only missing the friendship, he sees B with someone else and feels hurt and jealous. He then knew he liked B in that way. However B isn't that ready to accept him. T perseveres, slowly softening B.

End: Before they could have their happy ending, a misunderstanding undoes everything T has done up to this point to soften B. He tries to explain but B won't listen. Their friends takes B's side. This would have continued if it wasn't for the fact that B finds out that all their friends has ditched T for a trip related to their film project. Feeling bad that no one has told T, he immediately goes to find him, and they talk, explaining the misunderstanding. B finally decides to forgive him. The series ends with them together.

**My Opinion**

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT
- The acting is pretty okay from the main characters and the ensemble cast. It doesn't feel cringey or seem awkward.

WHAY I DIDNT LIKE ABOUT IT
- The plot is predictable and cliche and full of overused BL tropes. The writing is just boring, the whole store simply following a set formula. It's not a fluffy show; it's frustrating and annoying and should have been alot better if the main characters simply talked more invested of simply sitting there in silence with their mouth open. for example the misunderstanding at the end, when B have him the chance to explain clearly, he didn't. B had to hear the explanation from a common friend. It's frustrating seeing them not talking and end up fighting again.
- The characters aren't likable and the main couple shouldn't have gotten together. From what I can see, they don't fit with each other at all, and dating would certainly lead to more heartbreak in the future. T is a jackass and B is afraid to tell anyone how he is truly feeling. Together they will end up fighting again for some other misunderstanding.
- Its way too dramatic for my tastes and it's only drama. There isn't an underlying plot. Everything revolves around romance. Because nothing really happens to the characters, when the romance doesn't attract you, the show simple becomes boring. The drama is also boring and feels useless. Its always the same thing over and over again.

**Conclusion**
A series of angst stemming from a lack of communication. It's a show I won't be revisiting.

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What did the college student end up choosing? I dare to say that the path, which is a dead end and at the same time, is most in line with the proclamation of the Chinese infallible party. It's a pity, but such a "solution" exists, even if it usually only brings misfortune and suffering. But otherwise, the movie was very nice, engaging, I watched in one breath...


Co si nakonec vybral student vysoké školy? Troufám si tvrdit, že tu cestu, která je slepou uličkou a zároveň je ale nejvíce v souladu s hlásáním čínské neomylné strany. Škoda, ale takovéto "řešení" existuje, i když většinou přinese jen neštěstí a trápení. Ale jinak to byl film velmi hezký, poutavý, sledoval jsem jedním dechem ...

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Too much blood.

I remember back in 2021 when everyone was obsessed with this show and at that time i simply couldn’t even hear about it anymore. Two days ago i was scrolling through netflix and decided to give this drama a chance. First of all: NEVER TRUST ANYONE and don’t “fall” in love with any character bc they WILL DIE.
Secondly: there’s away too much dead and blood in this show and that’s something that i personality don’t like. I also didn’t liked the ending to be honest. And the reason why they did this game like honestly fck you. It’s kinda of hard to watch too. Overall it was good bc the actores made it good.

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Best 2023 Modern Drama. Realistic, non-cliche story, slow burn romance & fantastic cinematography

This drama tells the story of a female lead who is a spoiled princess until her father dies and she loses everything, and a male lead who is a ruthless investor but despite all odds, decides to help her revive her father’s old shoe company. The drama shows the realistic side of life and starting a business, with morally grey and flawed characters who make mistakes but learn from them. Both male and female leads go through a major character development, from a spoiled princess the female lead becomes a hard-working business woman and from a ruthless investor the male lead opens up emotionally and becomes more caring and loving towards others, realising that money and making the most profitable deals is not the most important thing in life.

The drama executed fantastically many important life lessons such as never giving up, no matter how much challenges life throws at you, that money is not everything, about selfless love and sticking to your morals and promises no matter what.

POSITIVE:
- Realistic drama about the struggles of life and starting a new business
- Morally grey characters that feel like real human beings (make mistakes and are not perfect).
- Non-cliche/predictable storylines.
- Hot chemistry between the main leads.
- Platonic relationships between men and women are done well (which is very rare to see in cdramas).
- Breathtaking cinematography - the aesthetics from colours to buildings and people’s wardrobe is on point.
- Exceptionally well done directing - when characters are experiencing internal struggles, it's visually represented very well.
- Stella cast with brilliant acting (especially the female lead).
- Slow burn romance.
- Cute dog scenes.
- Great pacing, engaging plot, no filler episodes or boring parts.
- Business talks are part of the plot and meaningful compared to other dramas that feel more like filler scenes.
- Male and female lead that are both strong willed and determined.
- Happy ending for both couples.

NEGATIVE:
- The first 8-10 episodes of the drama are quite heavy on business talks. If you don’t know anything about business you might find it hard to follow. But the talks are done really well and easy to digest. I especially learned a lot from this drama so it's not a hard negative but personal preference.

OVERALL:
This is one of the best modern cdramas that I’ve watched with fantastic cast, meaningful storyline and beautiful cinematography and OST. If you want to watch a realistic drama that feels like a biography, with an engaging and non-cliche/predictable story about reviving a business and a slow burn romance with characters that are human and real, this drama is for you.

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One of my favourite contemporary dramas

Rising With The Wind explicitly presents the reality in both the investment and manufacturing industries, and the unruliness that comes with it. It explores the conflict of interest that arises as two people with different nature collides, and also exhibits the difficulty of keeping business and personal life separately.
 
The script writing is compelling. I thoroughly found the dialogues refreshing, and the variety of flawed (or rather dynamic) characters make for a more interesting viewing. The plot knows its theme well and did not go astray into any unnecessary tropes. It gave perfect balance between the following genre: business, romance, and life. The business aspect was intriguing and got me emotionally invested throughout. I enjoyed the flirty banters that the leads had from the beginning, the friendship that they formed while being business partners, and ultimately their seamless progression into being in a relationship. I like the chemistry between the leads, but I had to admit that their relationship was not ideal given their career situation.
 
What I like most about this show was our heroine (Jiang Hu) and her resiliency. She’s smart, capable, passionate about her work, and true to what she believes in. She’s not someone who puts romance first. She sets her priorities straight and someone who could quickly come back up again after every obstacle. SHE’S A QUEEN!
 
The performance of the cast was exceptional. I had a bit of a prejudice with Gong Jun after watching him in The Love Equations. But this drama made me a big fan!  He nailed his acting as the ruthless investor from BaoXing, while on the other hand giving out the most loving expressions after falling in love with Jiang Hu. The portrayal of Chu Xi as Jiang Hu was also amazing -- her natural acting as a fallen heiress was perfect and made me sympathize with her character throughout.
 
I love the friendships that were interwoven with the main characters. These supporting characters were not just there to take up some of the screen time. You could see how they were used as emotional support in multiple ways. Not often do we see such healthy family/friendship/platonic relationships be presented in dramaland, so yes this is very much appreciated.
 
The production quality was above average, and the only problem I had with it (as always with the censorship) was how certain scenes had to be cut, which eventually resulted into awkward scene transitions.
 
Overall, this has been an addicting watch and 40 episodes seemed like nothing! I could see myself rewatching this again some time in the future.

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The best C-drama in 2023!

It’s a mature romance. Not too sweet, all flirty, with some business talks in most episodes. I like it because it felt realistic. The casts, cinematography, ost, all are perfect.

This is my first time watching Elaine Zhong. And I can say, among all of C actresses, she’s definitely one of my favorite. She doesn’t use that high pitch voice to deliver the script. She got the sass, and she’s very well portraying JH.

Gong Jun also showed some improvement. I’ve seen his other work. And I can say he really performed well portraying XS.

Anyway, it’s really the best c-drama at least for me.

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As elegant as the tea in jade cup

I finished it! I finished it! I'm informed that this one is a brotherhood focused kind of drama and it has Cheng Yi- Cheng Yi my legendary blood spitter. After watching Immortal Samsara last year (I still use Immortal Samsara's wallpaper on my laptop), naively I thought MLC is not romance based genre, so Cheng Yi can't possibly spit that much blood. I'm wrong. I'm totally wrong, I'm laughing when I wrote this.

Our legendary blood spitter spits /vomits blood THE ENTIRE SHOW, it was his identity now. I'm not complaining here, I'm amused. I don't remember watching Cheng Yi in any contemporary drama, (I knew he'll do great) but Cheng Yi definitely suits historical/ period drama, he has that charismatic demeanor if he carries it properly. MLC bring out the "attitude" out of Cheng Yi and it was refreshing to see him sass out people and being a cunning old fox. And how can we not praise Di Feisheng, Fang Doubing and Rain Wang? They are splendid, they carry the show so well it was a 'smooth' journey of watching (I'm not complaining much acting wise throughout the show)

As an intermediate martial art learner myself, I'm glad to say that the execution of the show are not just blindly swinging the sword left and right, but it has a little technique here and there, it look solid enough to be believable. The plot twist had my eyes glued. I'm waiting for Fang Doubing to acknowledge Xiangyi as master formally (bow for student to master) but I'm not getting it till the end, it will be touching scene if it was added in :[ The romance part is a little suffocating. Thankfully it's not to much like The Blood of Youth, who had constant barge of new romance/ fling/ ex in any way possible,... but MLC is not stingy with romance either, at least it had a sprinkle of it as flavor and love how they move on very maturely later on.

Oh the ending; the special episode one. I need to say I'm a little glad they didn't outright show Xiangyi's death or live but the disappointment is undeniable... they can do better- come onnn.

That's all I can remember to comment on for MLC,
till the next of ChengYi's work,
Rubiy Young.

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A sweet but slightly messy rom-com.

I really enjoyed this drama overall - I think the casting was good and I love that it depicted such a mature and healthy relationship, however I had some slight issues with the plot. It felt like it was trying to do a lot of things all at once and I'm not really sure if it succeeded in balancing them very well as it often felt like the plot had completely changed direction to what it was doing a few episodes before.

While I appreciated the representation of "fangirls" who are older and not just teenage girls, this whole part of the plot ended up feeling completely inconsequential to me. At the beginning of the show this is such a huge portion of what the show is about and it kind of gave me the impression that that was what the drama was about at it's crux, but at some point along the way it was almost completely dropped and I honestly kind of forgot that that was where we even started. Duk-Mi's fan site was made to be such a huge deal, but then it reaches a point where it's basically not even mentioned again until the very end, and I'm just not really sure any of this was needed in the show as it had no real consequences on the plot or the characters.

It also felt like it was trying a little too hard with all of the side characters having feelings for other characters, when again these storylines beared almost no impact on the overall plot, and all of the sudden backstory we get at the end also felt like it was trying a little too hard and felt unnecessary when it was all just rushed in the last couple of episodes.

Overall, despite having some issues with the plot, I am glad that I watched it, and I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy rom-coms as I think that element of the show was very well done and the leads did an amazing job.

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Definetly unique from the usual C-dramas

I realised Man with a career and Women with passion are super sexy .

This drama is mostly about the business world out there, this revolved around companies and investments, how the market works and how is the market competition like. This is 60% business and 40% romance.
I Love watching dramas where leads are 2 grown up mature individuals who have their own career to focus on, this mixed with inspiration and growth is totally my cup of tea.
I saw many dramas where leads go through diffult times and BOOM , without focusing much on their struggle and growth they achieve success, i am telling you this series explained the struggle and cruelty of enterprenuership in much detail without compromising on the romance .

Oh gosh the leads chemistry was LITTTTT!!! . I absolutely loved how they wrote their characters. Xu Si this man is a perfect portrayal of an investor and loved watching him though i was kinda annoyed by his choices and overpowering behavior.

Now lets talk about our inspiring and bold female lead Jiang Hu, she is a character that we can look up to. Tough initially we saw how broken and dejected she felt, she picked herself up, banged on every possible door looking for opportunity and did her best to stand on her own feet again and proved that no matter where talent goes it will standout.
Loved the leads together, though i was kinda annoyed by Xusi in the ending few episodes and the situations around JianHu , there was no single episode that disappointed me . Oversall this is satisfying and worth a watch

Things i dint like -
--> The abrupt and unnecessary cuts
-->ZhaoYang and YangJian's relationship, i have my own prejudice against them and no possible reasoning can convince me to change my opinion on them

Points worth mentioning -
--> How they designed Gao Yi's character and his story , was satisfying
--> If you are here for Zhe Ming especially someone like me who watched him as ML and liked his dramas , dont expect much screentime here as mentioned in casting list he has a support role
--> The osts are worth listening to, just concentrate on the lyrics they are just lovely and inspiring.

It is definetly not the place/ company you are in that matters, its your attitude and confidence that will make you shine. - BY ME?

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At the Moment I could use some more Moments of these...

I started this anthology, thinking I am not a huge fan of anthologies and thinking it should be okay if I just space it out so I watched the first episode felt this was ok... maybe a 7,5 or so nothing wow but an okay story with interesting characters that I could not fully relate to so I took a break and watched something else before I took on the next episode, an episode that started all weird but ended up pretty good and before I knew it I had completed episode 8 and felt a whole bunch of feelings...

Anger, disappointment, sorrow, pain, oooh how cute, and wait what was that... All interesting stories in one way or another, all had well developed characters and all kept me curious about how it would go... I guess wanting more but all I got was this moment... or maybe another couple of moments but most of those moments added to my will to learn more instead of satisfying my curiosity about the people in this show.

There are a few lessons that I am sure you will figure out, a bunch of balls flying in a really good way, some balls flying in an not so good way....

The match point of this show is however the so called real stories, they may be scripted, but all stories are of the kind that are taken from real life events, regular people, regular struggles, and a whole lot of love...

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Father & Son

Not knowing what to watch, after finally dropping about 5 dramas after 3/4 episodes, I started this one because it was on the top of my PTW list. I said to myself: I'll give it a go, the episodes are short! I ended up binge watching it in an afternoon! And loved every second of it.

49 is the number of day a soul wanders on Earth after death. In this case it is the father who became ghost after saving his son in a car accident. The father borrows his son's body in order to sort out some unfinished business with his family. Both son and father get more than they bargained for from this soul infestation. While the father realizes he'd been wasting his life on work, his son discovers the joy of life and friends and being confident.

The drama deals with heavy topics of life, death and grief, love, friendship, school and bullying but it is an easy watch. The father in his son's body goes around with adult's attitude, taking no nonsense from other kids making them respect him and therefore his son. He wants to make his son's life in school better. Soon the father enlists the help of his son's slight acquaintances from school creating a tight and varied group of friends. This is what high school should be but it is not. Therefore the tag is fantasy!!!! But one can dream that kids could be nice to each other and not eaten up by jealousy and envy! Sometimes the watch is a bit uncomfortable especially when the father in his son's body interacts with the mother. The father is full of regrets about neglecting his family just to give them a good life and he still has strong feelings for his wife!

The main actor is amazing: I think he was 17 when he filmed this. The transitions from father to son were flawless and you could see who was in charge of the body just by slight changes in posture and facial micro expressions! Amazing. The rest of the cast is just as good! The basketball team, in order to help the son's sister, create an idol-like group Chicken Basket who perform in a club! They are simply incredible!

This drama is a gem, deftly striking the balance between the fun and the serious! I hope that the main actor has a great career. He amply deserves it! Go watch this, you won't regret it!

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Although this film seems simple, it carries a very beautiful message of life itself. I'll use a quote from MDL: "It's a shame to say when you're an old gray-haired person that the one you loved from your youth still lies beside you". They are played by two nice, even beautiful young Chinese people, and it's a shame that LGBTQ+ topics are not allowed to be more promoted in this country, what would it be like with 1.4 billion people ... if only a "mini China" with this topic waves and makes the whole LGBTQ+ world happy (Taiwan, 26 million inhabitants). Communicated very nicely, gently and with insight. What meets only a few couples, like a pair of swans, is a beauty, a gift ...



Ač se zdá být tento film jednoduchý, tak nese moc krásné poselství života samého. Použiji citát uvedený na MDL: "Je stěstí říci, když jsi už starý šedovlasý člověk, že ten, koho miluješ od mládí, stále leží vedle tebe". Hrají dva sympatičtí, ba přímo krásní mladí Číňané, a škoda jen, že LGBTQ+ tématika nesmí být v této zemi více propagována, co by to s 1,4 miliardy lidí muselo být za studnici ... když jen "mini Čína" s touto tématikou mává a obšťastňuje celý LGBTQ+ svět (Taiwan, 26mil obyvatel). Sděleno moc hezky, jemně a s nadhledem. To, co potká jen nemnohé páry, jako párek labutí, je nádhera, dar ...

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