Reviews

The Gold Standard

I don’t know if there’s a way to express how much I love this one. I wanted to rewatch immediately after the first watch. I was ready to go back.

There’s so much emotion in this story. There’s humor. There’s joy. There’s sadness. There’s drama. And it’s all balanced so well.

Without giving spoilers, I will also add that one thing I was pleasantly surprised by was the children in the show. They are amazing. High quality acting at such a young age. And they avoid the tendency to be annoying or just plain trouble.

Trust me. This is the best show I’ve watched in my year of watching CDramas.

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The acting is weak and painfully stiff, really bad!

The beginning reminded me of Duang… Ugh! I almost dropped it right away.
Thankfully, that feeling only lasted for a moment… this is actually quite different.

It has a rather sad atmosphere, which worries me a bit. I really don’t like tragedies.

Still, despite the terrible runtime of only 23 minutes per episode, it’s worth giving it a chance…

27/05

Third episode in, and nothing has improved. The acting is weak and painfully stiff, and the characters are barely interesting. Unfortunately, I see very little potential here. Just really bad.

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My Journey to Plot Armor

I came for Tian Jiarui (because of “Fangs of Fortune”) and Esther Yu (THE9), but stayed for Ryan Cheng and Tian Jiarui.

Unless you’re a big fan of Zhang Linghe and/or Esther, it’s almost impossible NOT to be Team Gong Shangjue from start to finish. The series revolves around Gong Ziyu, our male lead (ML), passing the three trials and attaining his official position as the Sword Wielder after the assassination of his father (former Sword Wielder) and adopted older brother. Meanwhile, Gong Shangjue, who checks all the boxes of a great Sword Wielder, is continuously neglected because of plot armor. The Gong men work to make Gong Ziyu worthy of his newly inherited position while navigating assassins waiting to use their weakness against them and obtain their island’s treasure, the Infinite Heat. The plot is interesting, but the execution was not.

The show has a master’s degree in making the Gong Brothers the villains. Right out of the gate, Shangjue and his younger brother, Gong Yuanzhi, prove themselves loyal to the Gong Family, but because the Elders favored our ML, Ziyu was supported and given multiple chances to prove his worth. The series tries to convince us over and over again, and fails miserably, that Ziyu is capable of leading and protecting the Gong Family and that Yun Weishan is an innocent assassin. Endlessly, Ziyu is glorified as a talented yet foolishly good man with a photogenic memory. But Ziyu only cares and has mercy for people on his side. Meanwhile, Shangjue is the opposite and puts everyone in the Gong family and village before him. When Elder Yue (the Elder who shows Ziyu the most bias) was assassinated, Ziyu left the first round of the Three Trials and was hailed as someone who “cares about everyone”. The Elders broke years-old and long regulations for Ziyu, but when highly intelligent Shangjue clocked it and used it against them immediately (which was hella satisfying) he’s made the bad guy. Because the Elders favor Ziyu, they often give Ziyu and his party leverage over Shangjue and Yuanzhi. The last time anyone acknowledged Shangjue’s abilities was the last Sword Wielder (Ziyu’s father) and the assassin group Wufeng. From smarts to skills to looks, Shangjue doesn’t lack anything but the desire to convert the position of Sword Wielder. I mean, he's the sole reason why the powerful villain assassin group Wufeng refuses to move in and slaughter everyone on the island; they fear him.

One can argue that it was thanks to Ziyu that a lot was uncovered later on, but remember, Shangjue had already suspected everything and everyone accurately and without bias and fail. He just didn’t have all the hard evidence because he’s not Ziyu and was constantly challenged by Ziyu and his side (Jin Fan, Lady Wuji, Young Master Elder Yue, Young Master Xue Chong Zi, Xue Gong Zi, etc).

While the story and plot are interesting and simple, it was predictable and poorly executed. Lady Wuji being Anonymous (because of her age and gender), Ziyu’s brother being a villain, Shangguan Qian being with child, these were predictable. What the show did well was the revelation that Gong Ziyu and Gong Shangjue have actually been working together for a while to fool Wufeng and the viewers. Sadly, that came too late, and the best three episodes are the last three episodes, and at that point I was beat. From episodes 5-20, I debated if I should even complete the series because Ziyu was too ridiculous and Yun Weishan too boring for my taste. But I’m glad I watched til the end; however, the initial excitement and investment were gone. Also, if I were Shangjue, I'd be worried about the Elders' obvious bias when they didn't know I was working with Ziyu. Shangjue and Ziyu's teamwork was a secret, but the Elders' biases were not.

I personally would have re-organized a lot of the scenes for ‘shock value’ and eliminate dragginess, but that’s just me. Examples would be Xue Chong Zi and Xue Gong Zi’s last moment together. It came so late after all the “death” scenes in the second-to-last episode that it no longer mattered. Yun Weishan’s twin is a good twist, but also nonsensical because it came up in the remaining five minutes of the show. For some reason, Edward Guo has a habit of glossing over death scenes, and characters don’t end up mourning naturally. The news of Ziyu’s father and brother's assassination didn’t hit him quite as hard as I’d imagine, given that his main sob story is that his parents weren’t affectionate enough.

My biggest gripe is how Ziyu would leave after completing a round of the Three Trials. I understand not leaving during the rounds, but I thought the three rounds were supposed to be done continuously. Because Ziyu has to keep running to the Back Hill to complete these trials, the series suffers from major drags. Had the show dedicated the middle episodes to Ziyu's trials, then the last episodes plotting and fighting the enemies one by one, it would have been a much better show.

The action is a mix of both good and bad. Some angles and moments were creative, but there was a lot of unnecessary flying.

The music was hardly memorable and mostly background noise. The one time they did really well with the sound is Yuanzhi’s introduction scene on the roof. Since “Fangs of Fortune” 2024 has all the best OSTs, it’s a relief to know that the music has improved since “My Journey to You” 2023.

Acting-wise, I believe they should have chosen someone else to play “Yun Weishan”. I love Esther and was an Esther apologist during her idol days, but she’s yet to impress me as an actress. Weishan has about three faces: always in pain/worried, resting, and gently smiling. Zhang Linghe is undoubtedly good-looking, but he doesn’t have as much range as I felt the character “Gong Ziyu” should have. Ziyu is supposed to be childish and a playboy with cheesy jokes, but he always looks constipated. Ryan Cheng, on the other hand, did amazing as Shangjue and overshadowed a lot of the other characters and actors. His side eyes are lethal. His voice, effective. Lu Yuxiao did Shangguan Qian justice. Ryan Cheng and Lu Yuxiao’s chemistry was a lot stronger than Zhang Linghe and Esther's as well. Jolin Jin (Gong Zishang) was both fun and hard to watch. She masks her craftsmanship with theatrics to cope with her hardass father, and is man-crazed to the point of sexually harassing them. I wasn’t a fan of Jin Fan, but even I felt bad for the guy. The Wufeng Assassins did well; sadly, we didn’t get to see how and if the undefeated assassin Bei Xu did make it out since his death was never shown on screen. But viewers are to assume he’s lost because of Young Master Hua’s sacrifice. I like Ai Mi; she did well for Yun Que, but am I the only one who doesn’t care for her arc at all?

The final battle was…dare I say both satisfying and unsatisfying? For a lot of powerful figures, the battles were all very short. So short that they fit in half an episode, and we didn’t even see how Elder Yue defeated Han Yaqi. And Ziyu, who’s been working so hard to live up to Sword Wielder, fought one person, Ziyi, in the final big battle, fled after being "poisoned", wasn't even the one who killed her, and never reappeared to save or help his people. How a whole family and island could rely on him to keep them safe is beyond me when he’s yet to prove he’s capable. Shangjue was also knocked out cold before he could see Yuanzhi drive the killing knife into the assassin who killed his biological mother and brother, Lang, so that was unsatisfying.

I don’t have a problem with open endings and actually prefer them because then I can draw my own conclusions. I’d imagine Ziyu handing “Sword Wielder” to Shangjue temporarily so he could go into the martial world to look for Weishan while Shangjue protects the village, because otherwise, Ziyu can’t leave, and the position can never be vacant even if the Sword Wielder is alive. Whether Shangjue keeps the position depends entirely on whether Ziyu has a desire to be free with Weishan. We never got to see how and what the Infinite Heat can do, so maybe Shangjue can use that to help Ziyu and Weishan in the martial world, even if it’ll cost him his life.

If I were to rewatch this show, it’d be for the Gong Brothers. Can’t stand anyone else.

On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this series as a 6 for a “first-time must-watch”.

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I Can Watch Ahn Bo Hyun's Dramas Now

The best outcome of watching Flex X Cop is that I finally got over my aversion to Ahn Bo Hyun. His character was so despicable in Itaewon Class, that I stopped watching Yumi's Cells when he appeared as the love interest! I was like, no way, no how. He'd sneak up on me in supporting roles, and that helped, somewhat, to desensitize me, but I think this drama has erased the visceral reaction I've had to him. Chalk it up to good acting; I have nothing against the actor. He was perfect in this role (he was perfect in Itaewon Class, too, but eww!).

The initial fish-out-of-water scenes with ML as a pseudo-police officer were crazy and chaotic. I loved the brashness and sheer bravado of the ML. Then, it became predictable. I kept saying to myself, "Please don't let XXX be the baddie!" It would have been refreshing if it hadn't turned out that way, but the drama fell into an old cliche. Very disappointing. It was fun until then. I'm thinking season two, with all the childhood trauma behind him, could allow the zany, fun side of the character to return.

I must make mention of ML's stylist. His ensembles were amazing. Even great coats, watches, shoes... the whole look was sharp and perfectly chaebol.

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Episode 12 and 13 ruined the entire drama

I stopped watching the show after episodes 12 and 13 when the male lead chose to protect the man involved in trafficking women as sex slaves, despite the second male lead wanting to kill him. Up until that point I had been invested in the characters and the story, the show had built a strong emotional pull with sympathetic motivations, tense confrontations, and relationships that felt meaningful. But when the plot reached that turning point, it betrayed what I had come to expect from the characters, and it made the series impossible for me to continue watching

The decision by the male lead to defend someone who participates in such reprehensible crimes felt like a profound moral misstep. It wasn't just a minor lapse in judgment it was a choice that fundamentally shifted my perception of him. For much of the series the male lead had been presented as principled or at least conflicted, someone whose flaws were balanced by a clear sense of decency. Seeing him shield a trafficker undermined that foundation and left me feeling like the writers had cheapened his arc. It read less like complex character development and more like an unnecessary plot device that punished the audience's trust.

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Silly goofy little drama that doesn't take itself too seriously

A very light watch. I haven't finished yet, but I wanted to post a small review, because I'm having so much fun. It's a goofy drama, don't treat it too seriously. I like it so much precisely because it's very positive and unserious. Unlike some other dramas that turn out silly but try to be serious, this one is clearly made to be a fun watch with no elaborate plot or strong world building. It's so unrealistic but it works perfectly because it clearly never tries to be anything else.
The FL is a very positive person and she fights the scheming Empress by befriending everyone she sends to sabotage her. It's delightful and refreshing.
The ML so far isn't particularly fleshed out and we don't know much about him.
All the side characters have very vivid good acting (you could say it's not good because it seems over the top and unnatural sometimes, but I think it's on purpose) and it's satisfying to watch.
The music doesn't always fit the scenes perfectly imo, but hey, they played one of my absolute favourite Chinese songs for the first proper kiss scene, so I'm not complaining.
Watching this will make you feel happy (or cringe), but definitely not sad, so I definitely recommend it <3

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I want to live long enough to see the end of the world, too.

"Zero skills. Maximum chaos." Talking about me?

The heroine steals a child’s ice cream ; Shadow the Hedgehog would be so proud. I became a fan from the very first episode. We share the same references. (That said, I do hope Park Eun-bin can move on from the quirky, sassy roles she always seems to play)
The bloke whose daughter is both ashamed of him and feels sorry for him at the same time, I love him. He's always hanging out with his mates. The ultimate unfit dad.
They're all really touching and funny. Their powers turn out to be really well used, and we all love Katamari Damacy. All the Korean shows about superpowers are a massive hit these days. (Episode 6 !)
This antagonist is truly the worst of all the manipulators.

Nothing interesting to add : it's just excellent. Despite such a serious subject. And they've done the whole thing about conflicts being passed down from one generation to the next. To think that everything could be sorted out simply by talking. It's always the rich people's fault.

A sequel ! Now !

The opening credits are brilliant, aren't they ?
The only downside : I hate Radiohead, I cannot stand them, I don't want to hear them. Go away.

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The drama begins with an engaging premise that successfully captures the audience’s attention in its early episodes. The initial setup promises mystery and excitement, but unfortunately, the narrative loses momentum halfway through and becomes repetitive.

> Excessive plot twists: The script relies heavily on countless twists, many of which feel unnecessary and dilute the impact of the story. The constant shifts in who the “real villain” is, combined with time jumps, make the viewing experience exhausting.

> Central couples: The pairing of Chen Du Ling and Joseph Zend is far more compelling and charismatic, yet receives little screen time. Instead, Lu Wu Yi and Tian Jia Rui dominate the narrative with a repetitive dynamic, marked by endless cycles of death and resurrection.

> Dragged-out script: At times, it feels as though the writer was simply stretching the story to meet an episode quota, resulting in artificial pacing.

> Special effects: The true highlight of the production. The visual effects are well executed and elevate the aesthetic quality, partially compensating for the weak storytelling.

Conclusion

This drama had the potential to be memorable, but it became entangled in its own ambition to deliver constant twists. The overuse of filler and the choice to spotlight less appealing characters undermined the overall experience. Still, the special effects stand out as one of the few elements that genuinely make the show worth watching.

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still a redeemable and relevant queer narrative!

considering the two parts of the film as a whole, i do think it is redeemable as a queer work despite the excessive, melodramatic nature of it.

as one of the only few explicit chinese queer works of its time, a round trip to love has quite a bit of literature available on it. the main sentiment both among viewers and academics seems to be that the film points to the impossibility of queer love due to a heteronormative society and class differences through narratively blocking every opportunity where this relationship could work. however, that was not at all my understanding of the film. we must pay attention to just how the relationship collapses and not only that it does collapse.

the above popular framing reduces the central tragedy of the film to “censorship” not allowing positive depictions of queer love (not a thing), heteronormative kinship structures, class division, family pressure, and so on. most of these are absolutely relevant to how the relationship between lu feng and cheng yi chen took shape. however, i think the film clearly depicts the destruction as directly caused by lu feng’s masculinity. if you follow the emotional logic of and the dialogue within the narrative, what causes the central rupture isn’t societal pressure (which existed since the beginning of their relationship) but how lu feng’s masculinity fails to be otherwise.

the first part of the film shows us intimacy between lu feng and cheng yi chen is possible because lu feng is willing to change, to be kinder, softer, more vulnerable and considerate just to be worthy of cheng yi chen’s time and affection. during college or even when they meet five years after, lu feng continues to be sexually transgressive (on the basis of mutual affection) yet is always met with rejection from xiao chen (on the basis of his aggression and use of force).

the second part of the film is a lot darker as lu feng interprets xiao chen’s decision to end things as a challenge to his power, his masculinity. i do agree that it is quite a rough watch to see their relationship take an uncomfortable turn when lu feng decides to kidnap, rape, and humiliate xiao chen as a part of “taking revenge;” however, rather than being a political statement about the “impossibility of queer love” by the creator, i think these scenes are clearly portrayed as destroying the conditions under which love could exist at all. it is not romanticized nor is it sexualized. the revenge arc is only lu feng’s masculinity taken to the extreme. we see that his willingness to change collapsed in the absence of any reassurance of xiao chen’s affection for him, as well as in the presence of a direct threat to his masculinity. we see that, even though he once loved him, lu feng can no longer relate to xiao chen except through domination and harm.

love can survive separation or misunderstandings or societal norms (see: part one) but it cannot survive a man tethered to hegemonic masculinity (see: part two). this is, to me, exactly what the film wants to say. the ending, as well as all of the melodramatic impossibilities of this love, is a testament to this. in the end, after all the harm done, love can no longer exist. you cannot go back to be in a relationship with someone who harmed you in this way, and neither can you go back to the person you have harmed in this way. the mutual sacrifices throughout the film point to their devotion for each other but in the end, xiao chen survives his sacrifice while lu feng does not. so, how can one say it was not the rape, the abuse, the kidnapping by the party with more power in the relationship in every sense of the word, but it was the external factors of class division and conservative parents that made this love impossible? we simply cannot. because even when xiao chen made the choice to follow his mother’s last wish and have a traditional family, we can see it was in fact shaped by the absence of lu feng as a dependable partner.

to me, the film does a great job at critiquing gender in masculinity’s inability to process rejection, entitlement, conflation of love with control, and so on. lu feng, without access to xiao chen, resorts to violence, showing us their relationship would not have worked even in the absence of any familial or societal pressures. so, i think there is a logical narrative reason maybe not to the level of violence depicted but to the incentive for its existence. what the creator wants to say in part two is not much different than how it was set up for us in part one. violence, domination, masculinity is what annihilates love.

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An explosive mix that will steal your heart

I was already really excited for this drama since the cast was announced (I'm a fan of Cha Eun Woo, Park Eun Bin and Bae Nara and I can find all three of them in the same drama?!) but this series exceeded all my expectations!
From the start to the end, this drama captivated my attention and never let it go. Super funny and absurde interactions alternate with memories of deep wounds, intense action scenes and heartfluttering moments
Also, this is honestly the first series with only 8 episodes that I find complete and not rushed.
They used the time they had available in the best way possible, not only to solve the story and consolidate the bond between the main characters, but also to create amazing comic timing and a sustained pace that locks you in.
Even if the rithm is so fast, there are still beautiful poetic moments that convey not only the growth of the characters, but their vision of life, their ideals and leave us an heartwarming general sensation.
All the actors (each one of them was perfect for the role), their chemistry, the music, the photography, the screenplay, the editing, the setting and their looks made this series so enjoyable and unique.

I could try to explaind to you the special charm that this series has, but the only way to really understand it is watching it.
All of this can be described only with one word: The Wonderfools

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Honest opinion

If I'm gonna tell myself that this is purely fictional, then I might actually like it a lot. It’s funny, cute, romantic, and comforting in many ways. However, even if it’s fiction, I still see the story as somehow realistic. The life they’re trying to show, along with the lessons and virtues they want to convey, are things that genuinely happen in real life.
The act of taking things slowly, trying to understand people, and not being afraid to ask for help when you need it — those are all beautiful messages.
What I personally struggled with was how they approached Sun’s trauma and condition, which seems heavily inspired by DID and age regression. If someone you deeply love experienced something like that in real life, wouldn’t you continuously seek proper professional help until you reached a clearer understanding of what was happening? Going to the hospital once or twice doesn’t really feel enough. Handling it mostly by yourselves, testing hypotheses with friends, and relying on trial and error felt unrealistic for such a serious condition.
I think that’s why it threw me off. The conflict itself felt realistic, but the way they dealt with it felt unrealistic just to keep the romcom vibe. I’m not really sure if that came from the novel itself or just from the series adaptation.
On the lighter note, no questions when it comes to PerthSanta’s dedication, chemistry, and performance. They really carried the emotional side of the story beautifully.
Also, after reading reviews, I noticed that most people genuinely loved this series. So maybe this is just me being honest about how I personally experienced it. It’s probably just not my cup of tea… and maybe I’m also just not naturally fond of children in real life.

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plot twist for the sake of plot twisting..

I'm probably the only person unable to appreciate this drama.

is probably all on my side but I just can't.

This drama looks perfect on paper but I just can't get into it and I don't know why.

There is everything :Good actors, ,Nice costumes ,Good fighting scenes ,A decent looking plot, nice visuals, good CGI.
But I just can't feel involved.

The first episodes are basically an Agatha Christie story. Our protagonists find themselves in a house and have to solve a mystery.
Each of them is basically lying or conceiving their identity which also serves as a "plot" twist I guess.

Something that is putting me off is the fact that they try too hard to be cool and "modern".
"Modern" sounding music is nothing knew to xianxia but this techno music piercing my ears in fighting scenes is really putting me off.

They also really push about the Fox demons being sexually alluding. We get it.

So far the only scene I really liked was the one where our "Pinocchio" finds out he's not a real boy.
Man, that scene was heart wrenching.


Maybe I am still in my mourning period after finishing "till the end of the moon"😅 and need to take a break.


New characters keep spawning from nowhere bringing along their somber backstory and adding some "mystery" and it's starting to be irritating.


So far I'm on episode 12, trapped in this "catching the stone" timeline which looks like an escamotage to only further push the romance.


Maybe I'm bored because there is no real sense of urgency. Technically nobody is really aware about what the dragon god wants, there is no danger. These people are all demon hunters but we never see The demons outside the main cast do anything. We went basically no where. So far we saw the first house, the sect, the moon and this phantasy world.

These " inside the stone" episodes are boring, complicated and sometimes non sensical.

I'm done. Dropping this on episode 15.
They are adding plot twists for the sake of plot twisting.

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Good watch

C.First of all, before anything, shout out to Natthew (Nawin) for being the most adorable batshit-crazy idiot scene-stealer!!! This character deserves to be in more than just two episodes!!! I'd gladly watch a whole series with him in it!! And TBH he'd be my favourite character if it wasn't for Film (Charn) ~~~

And oh my god!!!! Charn stole my whole heart, mind and soul!! The complexity of the character was brilliant!!! Film was amazing!! This is the first drama I ever watch for the two leads, -haven't seen To sir, with love yet, but i plan to- and he was magnificent!!! ~~~
Loved the creepy smile with hollow stare! Like you're so weird, mate! But I don't feel grossed out, instead you got my whole attention now!
He was just too fucked up, the way he switches from evil revenger to sassy flirty with Tinn was very remarkable.~~~~

On the other side, there are a few plot holes here and there, and Tinn was the weakest Taekwondo Sabomnim I've ever seen, I feel like I could beat his ass easily even with my very humble skills, and the whole 5th EP does not exist for me, just deleted it from my memory 😂
I would give it a 10 because I enjoyed it as much but I could not turn a blind eye from the things that didn't make sense, they were just too many to ignore.~~
The series definitely deserves all the hype, and I'm glad I waited to binge watch it, highly recommended ~~~~

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Same ol'

Same with the previous installments it's a 10 mins kissing scenes for random couples.

Stories are less crazy in this season, and episodes are much longer than the original 2-3 mins in the previous seasons.

My favourite is Idol secret kiss, because it was the most natural and emotionally expressive, I know it's weird to say that but some other episodes has FLs kissing with their mouths shut, if that's not screaming awkward, I don't know what is.

This show is basically kisses, if you are not comfortable kissing another person on camera, just don't take the job.
I'm not saying they have to french kiss to look appealing, but at least don't make it look awkward, because literally there is nothing else to do here except kissing.

That been said I think it's an upgrade from the previous ones because it's longer and the ideas/stories are better ~~

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