Reviews

Overhyped. Needs A Lot Of Notes !

I'm so sorry if my comment was not nice or anything but i really do feel like this series is just overrated, It okay but wasn't that good either. Nothing memorable in this series caught my attention. If you saying im being biased, then you should watch 'The New Employee' that is how you do a great romantic office drama. I feel like watch this series just bcs i want to see how this series will ends, not because i want to see their interaction or anything.

Story : So many things happens in just 8 episodes with less than 30 min duration. Not a lot of interaction between 2 male leads, they only have most of interaction in the early episodes and last episodes like... Also the last episode kissing was really bland for me, theres no atmosphere that bulit with their kissing, the scene just change and suddenly they're kissing. That's not how you do romantic scene please. Also the side couple that really doesnt affect main leads CP why do they have to make it like they're chasing the same guy while in the end they are ended up together ?(they already tgt in the first place anyw)

Ost : Ost is okay the only i liked is Stay Your Night, the rest is okay enjoyable but not that memorable.

Acting : I feel like their acting is already good, but again the production makes it looks like just so so. Wasted potential.

I dont think I would rewatch. I dont even remember what just happened in the pas episodes. If you really liked this series, I bet you should try to watch 'The New Employee'. No offense im just saying that darma is has good and really proper production.

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Made it to look Funny........But felt Cringe.......

I watched it(Marry Go Round) because I really liked "Destiny Seeker"(with same leads). Considering the runtime and the episodes it just felt like a movie with a routine Thai drama story and nothing new. According to me, the entire team tried to make us laugh but it did not work out.

One thing I would like to address is that visuals are good, but the acting felt so cringe and a bit exaggerating. Except for Earth, I think his character is somewhat okay(bearable). But the climax where the parents accept their relationship is somewhat emotional and felt worth watching the climax.

After watching it I only wanted to say to the cast in the drama that "Communication is the key to every relationship". If only they talked to each other this whole story would have ended in 40 mins of runtime. One misunderstanding lead to the whole fake marriage thing.

One commendable thing is that even though it is a two episode drama they tried to make it look lavish and did not compromise on the budget. The leads are really great actors. Hope to see them in a drama with a strong story instead of a drama special. Wishing them the best for their future endeavours.

P.S. - Watch it at your own risk!!! Cause this is not everyone's cup of tea.

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:)

i just finished binge watching this, and i have to say, i think it deserves a little more love than it’s received. when it comes to korean bl, you should go into the series not expecting anything spectacular. have low standards, so you won’t get disappointed!
i may just be easily entertained, but i really enjoyed watching this series.
i really liked the plot. i love reincarnation/soulmate tropes.
i do wish the episodes were a bit longer. the 2-3 minutes of recap from the previous episodes didn’t help either. i’m not sure if this series has a movie version, but i feel like if i had watched that, it would’ve made the story move more smoothly. when series have a short amount of viewing time, if you watch it with a movie mindest, it won’t feel as off paced. this series was basically a movie cut up in 10 episodes.
i have nothing really bad to say about youdam and dongbaek. for once, a main couple didn’t have any unnecessary problems and drama, and their communication was quite well. their acting wasn’t terrible and chemistry is there. i feel if they had a better written/produced show, their chemistry would be a lot more visible.
for denis’ character, i have a lot of questions. it’s clear from the start that there was something wrong with him. i spent my time wondering what it could be, since the series never explained it (as the episodes went on, i was hoping they were going to.)
it was clear he had some type of mental illness. at first, i thought he had a panic disorder. but then as he interacted with dongbaek more, i thought maybe he had some type of personality disorder.
he was on medication, and when his episodes would start, if dongbaek were around, he would be there to console him and calm him down. i think that’s what started denis’ obsession with him— since dongbaek knew how to take care of those situations.
denis had a huge fear of abandonment. he’s mentioned many times how youdam had used him and abandoned him. this boy definitely had some trauma and i think that’s where his problems could be rooted from.
anyways, i wish they went more into depth on his character. but with the time limit, it was bound to not happen.
the parallel from the present time to the past time was genuinely heartbreaking for me. it killed me seeing youdam have to live through that again, especially when he thought the curse was over.
i’m not unsatisfied with the ending of this series, but it definitely took a turn that i wasn’t expecting.
i thoroughly enjoyed this plot, and i feel like it could’ve done a lot better than it did if there was more time. nonetheless, i still really enjoyed this series. it’s very different from most korean bl’s, too. hopefully there will be a second season!

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You can tell this was a very low-budget web-series production. The progression of the story was very choppy, confusing, and incomplete at times (like what happened to the second couple?). However, the series made huge waves in the genre, which significantly changed how the topic was allowed to be shown in Mainland China (being banned and prompting censorship). This was one of my firsts within the genre as well, and I found the story pretty addicting. Although the main leads' story started out hella problematic, they eventually developed a loving and supportive relationship. I was forced to read the novel after watching the drama to actually understand what was going on. The drama left out a lot, but I'm glad they didn't follow some of the novel's plot points. The leads performed well, and they had great chemistry. I'm pleased to see that they paved their own way in the industry after this, especially considering the backlash they received. Good for them.

(Completed: 2016)

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Anthing can be achieved if one is persistent and determined.

Message from this drama is that being weak doesn't mean you are useless... Be resolute never give up and victory shall surely be yours.

Xing chen, FL says if it doesn't work once, I will try 10 times, if it doesn't work 10 times I will try 100 times and so on.. Attagirl!!!?

If a person doesn't give up, then with multiple attempts even weak eggs can break a stone.



The story started on a light hearted note, first 12 episodes focused on the character development and their relationships..... These episodes were humouros and had many noteworthy hilarous dialouges.


Quoting a few humourous situation from these episodes

Episode 2 - how NOT to select a good matrilocal husband. ?....jiang buting, ML drew an egg in the second round of selection hoping to get disqualified, but it was interpreted as ' bold and powerful' so he was advanced to the final stage of selection. ( presumably the FL's family was advancing a cripple to allow Mu Binghe their favoured future son-in-law to win)

Episode 4: Xing chen, FL taking a job of a janitor because she is the head of her family and needs to provide for 'two useless men in her family' ?( useless men referring to her would be husband BuTing and her would be brother in law BuYing

Episode 11: xing chen, FL to Bu ting, ML......."since I can't hold your hand, we both can just hold the branch"... Bu ting keeps walking on holding the branch while xing chen gets kidnapped. ?



Some enlightening issues brought forth in the latter half of the series. (Which slightly changed the tone of the series)

1. Women Empowerment:
It was difficult for Xing Chen, FL to be accepted as the head of wuyue sect in a patriarchal ancient martial world... However she had strong backing from her father and other loving members of her sect also BuTing, ML always supported her to achieve her true potential... Every woman should be self sufficient and is capable of achieving great heights was the dominant theme of this series in my opinion... Apart from the FL, other FL characters were also shown to be aspiring, SFL Mu YaoGuang secretly wrote manuscript and published articles... Other minor female characters were also depicted as endeavoring to stand out in the community.

2. Greed for Power:
Doctor Song a brilliant scientist was corrupted due his ambition, he poisoned the person who loved him the most throughout BuTing's life as the doctor was consumed with greed for knowledge.. He played with peoples' lives and made them nothing more than his puppets to be sacrificed to realise his dream of being a superpower... I am glad he did get some absolution in the end and saved BuTing's life who trusted him whole heartedly.

3.Obsession and Weakness:
SML, Mu BingHe became obsessed with the idea of saving the FL, xing chen due to his failure to protect her in their childhood... However this plauged him to such an extent that his desire to protect her changed to stifling and caging her... He too got some redemption when he was at last able to protect her by sacrificing his life.



There are two OSTs that standout in this series for me, one is the song 'Is this the end' and other is 'kilig love' the ending credit song.. Both have good lyrics and catchy tune.


Ceasar Wu was amazing, playing the character of Jiang BuTing a physically weak man who defied the odds and fought back against his limitations.. BuTing was a character who was supportive, compassionate and retained a sense of humour.


Xu Lu was equally good at portraying Xing chen's character and managed to depict the changes in her character from being frivolous to a dependable sect head.


Overall, can be watched when your mind is preoccupied with other matters and you need some light entertainment with simple plot.

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Decided to write a review for this after watching it many years ago, so I guess I’ll keep it brief. This was one of my first Asian mystery thrillers I completed, and at the time, I thought it was well done ("smart writing with a lot of suspense and mystery" were the exact comments I left in the notes). However, looking back at it now after watching better dramas in this genre, I have to say this was not the best. I think it’s still good for beginners getting into the genre since it's not as intense and can be easily followed. Also, this was labeled as having a strong FL, but that was not the case... she was extremely weak and did absolutely nothing to advance the plot except to make googly eyes at the ML who was nothing but rude to her. The only interesting thing was the whole brother concept, but even that could have been executed better. Doh Kyung Soo (D.O.) as the killer scared the crap out of me, and for the longest time, I couldn't look at him without thinking he was psychotic. I thought he played the role extremely well. The ending was meh; I would've given it a higher score if it were different. Overall, I'd suggest this drama to beginners who prefer a lighter and less intense introduction to the genre.

(Completed: 2016)

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The Writers Gave Up

To be honest, I have no clue what happened. I started out very excited and hopeful, but all of that was snuffed out very quickly.


There is so much to be frustrated about in this drama, but the most notable for me personally is being able to physically see the writers giving up.
Based on what I was presented with early on, Yeon Doo’s dedication to her job, Tae Kyung’s absolutely horrid family, etc., I was expecting to see a drama where Yeon Doo tried to stay on top despite being a single mother in the workplace and Tae Kyung to break free from his very toxic family environment. Instead, I got Yeon Doo basically giving up without a fight (until the very end) and Tae Kyung continuing to take his family’s bullshit. The writers began with a very clear view and presentation of the type of people each character was, but they ultimately gave up on portraying them in a way that made sense considering what had already been established.

In all honesty, everything after episode 30 was a fever dream, and it was very frustrating to see.

Characters such as Tae Kyung and Yeon Doo’s mothers faced zero consequences for the horrible things they said and tried to do, ( alienating and demonizing their own children, being horrible people, playing victim) and they both suddenly had changes of heart and decided to become mother of the year overnight ( seriously, I almost got whiplash and I one hundred percent thought it was a ploy to get their trust and try and break them up).

The writers just decided that they were going to ignore any previously established characters traits, flaws, misdeeds and otherwise unforgivable actions or words in order to have a big happy family at the end.

We got Tae Kyung’s father, (who stared him dead in his eyes as he knelt before him crying and begging for him to let him and Yeon Doo stay together, and told him he was a horrible son [for wanting to be happy I guess]), suddenly claiming Yeon Doo as his daughter in law and Ha Neul as his granddaughter.

Grandmother, (who orchestrated much of the mistreatment of Tae Kyung, who routinely referred to Yeon Doo as a thing), was suddenly the poster child for doting grandparents.

All of these family members who had said and done unforgivable things were all of a sudden a big happy family that loved Yeon Doo and Tae Kyung and wanted to see them happy.

This isn’t even mentioning the mishandling of the absolute dumpster fires that were Se Jin and Jun Ha’s storylines. This drama fell so completely and utterly flat because no one thought to see things through. There was much that was left unresolved and much that was skipped over, and the only reason I watched all 50 episodes was out of spite. At least they tried, but I could have written a better drama in my sleep.

(Tae Kyung and Yeon Doo, tired of the mistreatment and abuse, leave, only staying in contact with the sensible family members. - This would have cut the drama in half)

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Never Give Laugh

‒Exec Summary‒
Couldn't muster more than 3 seconds of cumulative laughter for the 6 episodes I tried. But the episodes are short, and you don't need to pay attention to plot for sitcom, so if you find the humor, more power to you.

--Short Review--
This is an office sitcom modeled after the hit kdrama Gauss Electronics. The story revolves around the various employees at a Chinese conglomerate Gaofa and reflects some of common complaints and peculiarities of the urban Chinese office. I haven't watched the kdrama so I couldn't make a comparison between the two. Unfortunately, by failing to deliver even a charitable chuckle, I suspect that this drama failed the only comparison that matters.

Other than the comedy part of the sitcom, the drama provided your standard idol web drama quality in cinematography and production value. The acting was adequate, with Dylan Wang and Yukee Chen as the main leads. Perhaps I'm being too harsh or too divorced from the Chinese workplace culture since the drama did receive an perplexingly high 8.1 score on Douban. But it's not like the show was layering the dialog with frequent word plays or internet memes. Rather, it was just an endless assembly line of haphazard setups, milquetoast punchlines, and tepid characters. While the show misfires with its jokes about workplace drudgery, it nevertheless achieves mastery for atmospheric immersion‒by creating a viewing experience that feels like a marathon day of pointless meetings. Perhaps the experience is especially underwhelming for me as sitcoms are what American TV excels at and for whatever reasons, China produces very few. But my goodness, this show feels like a hatchet script from the dysfunctional Planning Department of Gaofa.

‒Why Watch‒
1) You want to cure your unhealthy obsession with Dylan Wang and Yukee Chen (assuming she has fans)‒this show might just do the trick.
2) You want something quick and easy. Only 25m episodes of concentrated boredom in sitcom format.
3) You need some guinea pigs to hone your review writing, so you end up writing a mediocre review for a mediocre show.

--Rating Subscores--
- Overall - 5
- Plot - 5
- Theme / Message / Impact - 5
- Acting - 6
- Visual & Production - 6.5
- Audio - 6
- Rewatch - 5
- Accessibility - 8 (yay at least crappy shows generally are more accessible)
- Subtitle quality - 7

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Surprisingly deep, thoughtful and accepting

This is not a show I would have thought to watch on my own. (Let's be honest, I mostly watch bl series) However, I'm SO GLAD I watched this after it was recc'd in a YT video for various kinds of queer rep.

I did NOT expect the sort of thoughtful and accepting conversations around kink, intimacy, being true to yourself even if it's outside the norm, etc.

I ADORE that this show has mf couple where one of them is trans but they are never referred to as being different from other opposite gender couples. The character being trans is acknowledged only by some transphobes who get quickly shut down by our ensemble of characters. I wish this was more indicative of RL for trans individuals.

Mollie! OMG Mollie! This character was amazing to see for me. Mollie is a femme/andro-presenting nonbinary individual. Not only are nonbinary folks rarely represented in media, but usually we are seen as needing to be very androgynous or leaning toward presenting to the gender opposite we were assigned at birth. As a femme-presenting afab enby, seeing them in this series made me feel so seen! Thank you!

My only gripe with the show at all is that they left one specific part of Alex & Jean's first time together completely unacknowledged. Considering it's a theme that is presented in the very first episode, I was very disappointed about that. That conversation was important to have and they chose to pivot to the side instead. I could make a case for it being okay to sidestep it if it wasn't literally the thing we constantly saw in PTSD flashbacks.

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Not for me...

This is only my second cdrama. After Hidden Love, I was excited to try other cdramas. The fact that both leads were good looking and the story sounded interesting, made me try this one.

Alas, this isn't for me. Many people loved it but I found it a bit dragging. I felt that it didn't need that many episodes at all.
Except for Yang Yang, who was very easy on the eyes, and the guy playing Jiang Yu, no other characters were that notable for me.

The FL's character was very flawed. And while this was probably the writer's intention, she came out as a beauty with no brains woman for me. She would probably do well as other characters but as a doctor, she failed to make it believable for me.

After half the series, I finally stopped.

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Fabulous

Sep 2023
First off; whenever a story has been successfully told once and is then remade, those who LOVED the original shouldn't watch other versions... they'll never compete. Those willing to watch as a drama in its own right, view on. After all, if subsequent productions are only to be carbon copies of an original, what's the point? So, moving on...

I watched this over 2 days and absolutely loved it.
Time travel, fantasy, mystery and a well thought out, gripping story, will make me putty in that drama's hands!

I read a lot of stories where the central theme is often transmigration (souls awakening in another body, which can be years apart from the last life).
This drama is a mix of that and time travel; the latter not being an easy subject to write well, mainly because it can be easy to lose the thread when trying to end the story. I've watched a few dramas where the plot's gone askew, but not this time!

However, this drama does need concentration and watching very closely. It isn't one to have on whilst doing something else and the FFWD button should be taped over. So much can happen in different scenarios, where subtle repetition of words and actions are actually so important.

It can be a little odd in feel, to start with, until the way the story is presented becomes familiar and comfortable ~ but please bear with it, as it really does make sense and come together.

Time can alter at each scene change and initially that threw me. I watched ep 1 & 2 twice! It was worth it though, as I quickly learned the difference in the characters that shared faces.

It is a complicated, but fascinating plot, full of intrigue, questions, frustration and very gripping. It is also so romantic, in the best way; a true love story, yet not at all saccharine. There's wit, angst and tragedy as well.

The cast were bloody perfect ~ all of them.
However, I have to credit Jeon Yeo-been, as how she was able to play 2 characters that looked identical, and managed to portray their totally different personalities, so that they became identifiable as 2 different people, was SO good!
Ahn Hyo-seop was the same ~ he, in effect, played 3 (almost 4 ~ one much more briefly), different roles and, again, brought a noticeable difference to each.
All the characters were such an interesting mix, the story, whilst complicated, did make sense and what an ending! I was so surprised by the whole thing.

The consequences that love has on characters who are so desperate to be together, they're willing to move through lifetimes, is such a surprise and also comes with a couple of shocks.

The soundtrack is mostly great (there was some instrumental background music I wasn't keen on). The main song that repeats through and is an important part of the story, has a sad background though.

The artist is Seo Ji-won, who tragically took his own life in 1996, just over a month before his 20th birthday, due to the pressures of having had such a successful debut album. I loved the songs and learning what I did from Googling the artist, felt the tracks chosen were made even more poignant.

I loved almost every second of this drama.

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AH

SO CUTE?watching this literally felt like having a first love. like i was swooning with them all. I LOVE THE TEENAGER DATING SHOW AHHHH. it was so good and i was squealing. legit finished in two days. NO HEEJI AND PYEONGSEOK SOOOO CUTE. Plus yerin and jimin I NEVER WOULDVE SEEN coming i legit shipped them but thought nothing would happen. JUNGYUN IS LIKE..MY IDEAL TYPE HES SO CITE. but jiwoo kinda got on my nerves. SUCH A GOOD SHOW THOOO UGH I WISH I WAS ON IT. SWOONED SM UGHHH I WANT TO BE THEM. lowkey got so messy too HAHAH but fun. i liked them being at the 19 school better tbh. seyoung? the guy got annoying… yerin was loyal but he … UGH messy messy…

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