Reviews

a c-drama that surprised me

My relationship with this drama, out of all the dramas I've ever watched, was the most "different." I thought I wouldn't like it because when it premiered, I watched the first episode, thought it was "weak," and abandoned it. But I ALWAYS wanted to finish it out of obligation; I never liked watching anything halfway through. So, after a long time, I decided to continue, and that was the best thing I did. The drama that I thought I wouldn't be able to like managed to be so good that it became memorable. The acting, the cinematography, the soundtrack, the story—EVERYTHING. It's a drama that might not grab you at the beginning, but it will take you to the end, and you won't regret getting this far. A story that promised nothing but delivered everything. I already miss my Ji Bozai and my Ming Yi ❤️

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The Real Perfect Crown! 10/10

at first, I was kinda suspicious because the drama theme was about a kingdom, BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE SO GOOD 😭 it’s not like an old traditional kingdom drama, they mixed it with modern times too.

IU and Byeon Woo-seok’s acting was sooo good too. The storyline was INSANELY GOOD!

I usually don’t like dramas with too much conflict, and I also hate it when a romance drama spends the whole beginning making the couple suffer, then they only become sweet or finally get together at the very end (because sooo many dramas do that 😭) BUT THIS DRAMA ISN’T LIKE THAT AT ALL!! It’s seriously so good, fun, cute, wholesome, and exactly what I hoped for

The main female and male characters also aren’t overly prideful or complicated, so the story flows naturally without making me annoyed or stressed. They already loved each other from the start, so I really enjoyed watching them. This drama also perfectly shows what an ideal relationship looks like, like the way they face problems and struggles together instead of dealing with everything alone or drowning in misunderstandings.

OVERALL 1000000000000/10 ⭐
anw I-AN ur so freacking handsome prince 🤩

+
For people saying the Queen Mother wasn’t selfish because she felt like she had already sacrificed a lot by marrying the king, but then the king suddenly wanted to step down and just hand the throne over to his younger brother... honestly, I don’t really agree with that opinion..
Because:
1. The Queen Mother already liked Prince I-AN, so if we simplify it, she could’ve just said that from their school days
2. Maybe there was a reason why the king wanted to step down
3. Her child was still too young. There’s no way an 8-year-old kid could handle becoming king
4. She was willing to let her husband die and forced her child to become king at such a young age (like Ian said, basically a “royal puppet”

⚡Unpopular opinion: Honestly, the Queen Mother should’ve just accepted I-AN becoming king first. Then later, when her son grew up, I-AN could simply pass the throne to his nephew

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This Made No Sense - Still Watched Everything

Affinity (2026) is one of those dramas that leaves you wondering whether you actually like it or you're just watching out of pure curiosity.

The premise is genuinely interesting: a seemingly normal world affected by a virus that divides people into different types with unstable and dependent behaviors. However, the execution is extremely inconsistent. At times, the story tries to be serious and intense, while in others it drifts into almost absurd territory (yes, including things like the octopus and dragon scenes that make little to no sense in context).

Character development is fairly weak, largely due to the short episode length, which makes the central relationship feel rushed. In the beginning, the romance is very physical and impulsive, sometimes even uncomfortable, with a possessive dynamic that can feel questionable. As the story progresses, though, their relationship becomes more balanced and emotionally grounded, improving the overall experience.

Despite its flaws, inconsistent tone, confusing worldbuilding, and some outright bizarre moments, the drama manages to stay engaging. Much of this comes from the chemistry between the leads, which helps carry the story even when the plot falls apart.
In the end, Affinity is a flawed, sometimes cringe and absurd drama, but somehow more entertaining than other shows that should have been better. It’s not memorable for its quality, but definitely for its weirdness.

Rating: 6.5/10

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The visuals blinded me.

I have been watching this drama week by week and haven't really given it much thought, until today I realized I was clicking on episode 9 not 5 and thought to myself, "wait a minute, I've watched 8 episodes of this thing?!! what? when? how?! I really can't comprehend because I was convinced that I was enjoying it, that it was good and that the plot was going somewhere, but not really when it's this forgettable, I guess I was just looking at the pretty visuals, the stunning cast and interesting world building. Honestly other than the ugly fake nails, I liked how beautiful everything looked.

At first I enjoyed the cunning female lead, the fantasy element, it was pretty interesting to me, but now I realized how shallow it really is. There's a lot of nonsense that has happened that I had ignored because, it's fantasy, you have to suspend disbelief to really enjoy but, I guess I suspended my whole brain because I can't really tell you much about what has happened so far other than the marriage contract that turned into really love, the evil queen, the marriage contract eventually being found out, an so on and that's something that someone who hasn't even watched an episode could tell.

So I don't kno w if I want to keep watching or drop it all together. I am sure I don't want to go back and watch the episodes again, I lost interest in watching this week, so maybe I'll wait for the last 2 episodes to air and maybe pick it back up then.

I just realized that this ended today and I hadn't thought about it since I wrote this review. I was really planing on at least skim through the last 4 episodes, but I'm not even curious about the ending so I'm done, this drama is all beauty (except for those hideous, hovering fake nails) and no substance a total disappointment in my honest and humble opinion.

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Every moment is worth watching.

The Earth gave the 4 Elements series a strong start, and The Water has built on that tenfold. I’m not sure how The Air and The Fire are going to top this, but I wish them luck.

Before The Water, I would have said that Petrichor was the best script Englot had ever been given, but The Water surpasses it by miles. If this ends up being their final series together, I honestly could not ask for more. It would be a perfect way to conclude such a successful pairing.

The series featured exceptional writing, beautiful cinematography, and strong performances across the board. Every painful moment felt worth it because the writers delivered on the emotional payoff so effectively, which was elevated even further by Engfa and Charlotte’s undeniable chemistry and, most importantly, their talent. I would love to see them star in another series together because, whether the script is excellent or flawed, they always deliver. I will always look forward to seeing them on my screen.

The Water is not only part of the best ensemble project I’ve seen in Thai GL, but more importantly, it stands as a leading contender for one of the best series of the year.

If you haven’t started the 4 Elements series yet, do it. There is a lot of heartache, but you won’t be disappointed.

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This is going to be EPIC!!!!

Wow! This has all the ingredients to become a Spectacular show!!! So many of us have been waiting for a Wuxia BL that is a rightful successor to the unmatched drama that The Untamed is...this might just be it!! Story, screenplay, acting, twists, production values - all Top Notch. The only sad part is that it is just 8 Episodes 😔

BL-needle Score: 6. 5 Moderate BL-ness so far

To say that I'm hooked after the first two episodes wil be understatement. We had three Chinese BL releases this week and this is the last one that I got to, and it is, without any shred of doubt, THE BEST of all three!! The conspiracy theories are so delish and so is the understated chemistry of the leads!!

The script is script-ing, the cinematography is splendid, and the performances are fantastic!! The production values are also really really good...in one word, this seems slated to become an epic show of recent times unless they really screw up going forward, which, I doubt they will.

What are you waiting for, GO WATCH...like right now!!!!

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Seriously good!

I'm most likely getting ahead of myself but I think that even though the ratings so far have been fairly good, this drama is still underrated.

Seriously even with the great casting I didn't have anything expectations for it but it just so good. It's not the first workplace romance drama, there's nothing really new to the plot, but it's still feels fresh.

Joo In-Ah is such a great leading lady, scary at first but slowly showing her soft side, I'm crushing on her hard! I really admire her strength and dedication, she's not the kind of female lead that would play the victim, cower and cry, she stands tall prideful and strong, love, love, looove her.

Episode 6 so far has been the best, and allthough their love triangle has peeked it's ugly head around the corner, I'm still hopeful that it won't ruin what has been so far a nearly perfect drama, with the only flaw so far being that there hasn't been enough scenes involving Kim Jaewook, but I'm sure that he will be featured more in the second half of the drama. I am excited and hopeful that it will continue to impress me, so let's see what happens next.

Why is this drama only 12 episodes!!?? I'll be so sad when it ends, I just can't get enough of it honestly. I got my wish and the second half features Kim Jaewook a lot more and I love it, so much that I'd watch even if every characters was played by him every single one from the male lead to the rats rummaging tjrough the garbage, it'd be confusing, nonsensical, absurd and stupid but it'd be beautiful and enjoyable for me. With such a strong bias towards the actor playing him Jeon Jaeyeol hasn't triggered my second male lead syndrome. Hes seems to be a pretty nice guy but he doesn't come close to No Gijun, the guy is just perfect in every single way. I love this drama beyond words and simply cannot wait for more episodes!

I just finished this one and I'm so satisfied with how it ended, I'm adding it to my favorite damas list. The only reason not rating it a 10/10 is because Park Ajeong was so bland, I never liked her, I didn't hate her, I didn't pity her and frankly I didn't understand her, I kept waiting for her to make me feel something and it never happened, never understood why she was so broke and alone, maybe because I wasn't interested in her from the beginning and didn't pay close enough attention or maybe it wasn't explained, I truly don't know and don't care, but I'm sure that'll be cleared up for me when I watch this again, because I am for sure going to.

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This Remake Didn’t Just Improve — It Completely Outdid the Original

I am on my knees for the Chinese BL industry — like, fully collapsed, no dignity left — because at this point they’re not just producing BLs… they’re out here crafting straight-up masterclasses and redefining the entire game 😩🙇🏻‍♀️🔥

Their expressions???? I don’t even know how to explain it — all I know is… they were absolutely on point 😭✨ Like, insanely good 🔥

The very first thing that completely hooked me (especially after watching the original) was their A-tier acting paired with S-tier chemistry 😮‍💨💫 Uffff, they did NOT come to play 💅🏻

The way they portrayed that teenage relationship?? And those rendezvous?? Executed in such a PEAK way 😩📈 — it felt natural, intense, and ridiculously addictive 🫠💖

Just 2 episodes in and I’m already fully invested 🎯 This is one of those rare dramas that has the audacity to keep you intellectually engaged from the very beginning 🧠✨ and I LOVE that ❤️‍🔥

At this point, I just know this series is going to dominate its genre and leave absolutely no crumbs 👑🔥

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Impressive!!!

OMG! This drama completely broke me, this was so impressive and i kept crying long after it was finished. The story was breathtaking and the dialogues were so impressive, and oh how i hate that mother!!!
This is nothing like any other BL i have seen, and for me it instantly became one of the best after The untamed and Until we meet again.
The cinematography was amazing and the music beautiful. I am so sad i can't find the music on Spotify.

The actors did such an amazing job. I already liked Pond's acting, but his acting in this drama was another level!

This drama is a must watch!!!
I will definatly watch this stunning drama many more times in the future.

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A Decent Arranged Marriage Drama Held Back by Mediocre Production

First Impression

I'll be straightforward — this drama is nothing special. It's filled with typical tropes you've seen in plenty of historical C-dramas. But if you like both lead actors, and especially if you are a fan of Song Weilong, and enjoy the arranged marriage trope, you'll probably have a good time with it.

The Gist

Youthful Glory is a historical romance with a bit of palace intrigue starring Song Weilong as Jiang Xu, a prince who returns to the capital to investigate a conspiracy, and Bao Shang'en as Ming Tan, a smart noblewoman who marries him to protect her family.

Production Quality

The biggest drawback for me was the lack of budget, and it shows. The color grading feels faded and outdated, giving the whole drama a washed-out and somewhat depressing look. I think if the cinematography and post-production had been even slightly better, it would have made for a much more enjoyable viewing experience and would really elevate the drama. As it stands, the writing, the plot, and the camera work are all fairly mediocre. But the acting is fine, so I stuck around because of that… and the romance. However, I do think fighting scenes were pretty decent. I saw way better, but definitely much worse as well.

The Pacing

The first few episodes are actually pretty good as they set up the romance and all the main conflicts. Things get a little boring in the middle after Jiang Xu and Ming Tan get married because there aren't any high stakes and we just watch him trying to pursue her to no avail. There are misunderstandings between them that I think writers genuinely need to retire at this point — come up with something else. The last ten episodes pick up and become quite interesting once the characters leave the capital and action, secrets, and real romance kick in. The final episode is light, fluffy, and cute, giving us an insight into the characters' future, which I think is very satisfactory since a lot of dramas have a very rushed ending.

The Romance

The romance starts out pretty strong, and we have a lot of time dedicated to our lead couple in the first few episodes and the development of their romantic journey. There are a lot of interesting and engaging situations between Ming Tan and Jiang Xu. The trashy kind that comes up out of nowhere, but I needed it at the time I watched this lol. So I didn’t care about the way those together moments were written into the story. Another thing I liked is that you actually get to watch how they get tangled up and why they end up getting married. And this drama takes its time setting up the premise, which I appreciate. I liked that because in a lot of C-dramas, arranged marriage situations happen fairly quickly within the first three episodes to bring our characters into a forced proximity trope faster. In Youthful Glory, things develop slowly before the marriage, and once they're married, the writers also take their time to let the characters get to know each other. And once they start getting closer, we get quite a few romantic tension-filled moments that I genuinely enjoyed. Again, I for some reason didn't care how they were written into the story.

I hated the stretch of the drama after Ming Tan's father was allegedly dead — I hated how she treated Jiang Xu during that period. And while I also disliked her stubbornness, I kind of understood why she felt the way she felt. Putting myself in her shoes, it made sense. But I can see why this made a lot of viewers hate her. Again, this is one of the elements that needs to be retired entirely from the script writing unless it's done right. And I don't think it was done quite right here.

However, because we see both points of view—hers and Jiang Xu’s it made her insufferable. But she doesn’t know the whole truth, so I gave her a pass. Luckily, this rough patch didn't last very long. Things pick up once Ming Tan and Jiang Xu make up. For me, this was a really decent romance that gave us great romantic moments and several amazing kiss scenes. That one-bedroom scene with the soundtrack from Lars Huang was great. I don’t know why people say there is no chemistry between the characters. Yes, Bao Shang'en isn’t on the level of some of the A-list actresses just yet. But I felt the tension in that scene. So overall, as far as the romance goes for the main couple, I quite liked it. I think I probably watched this purely for the romance, to be honest.

On the Female Lead

There's a lot of hate toward the female lead on here, which I don't quite understand. If people are coming into this after some of the 2025/2026 blockbusters where female leads are generals or warriors, Youthful Glory is simply not that kind of drama. Some of us women are fragile by nature no matter how hard we train. This is in defense of women like me who have always had weak constitution. That does not stop us from being somehow less important than those who can go onto the battlefield or do manual labor. Not all leads need to be wielding a weapon to be leads. Ming Tan is presented as a woman who takes responsibility for her family, so how is this selfish? I don’t see it. She is compassionate. She arranges help for refugees. She does her part and helps Jiang Xu with the investigation of the smuggling case byt being undercover. I think the biggest problem is writing itself because she just doesn't read very consistently across certain episodes. I expected something a lot worse based on the criticism in reviews. But there is absolutely no need to say that she is selfish or worthless because her character is a whole does develop, and she has some positive traits. I'd say watch it and decide for yourself. Also, people criticizing her character for doing something extremely dumb and putting everyone in danger is really unnecessary. This is something that exists in every single drama because it’s a device for writers to get to the point where they’re trying to get, and they just can’t think of anything better. In 90% of the dramas, to put one of the characters in danger, writers always make them act without any logic.

Final Verdict

This is an okay drama to pass the time while you wait for a better one. If you want sweet romance and you enjoy the arranged marriage trope, it delivers on that front. Just don't go in expecting high production value or a groundbreaking plot, and you'll be fine.

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Pfff

*sigh* Yep, it is bad. Really bad. The expectations were low and yet it still surprised me. If someone tells you this is a 10, they are trolling you (or they are paid). Or they have a mental condition... Or they are missing the fact that a review should be about quality not personal feeling. So, again, a mental condition. But I digress.

Visuals. Well, the OP is better, now if feels like a proper show. And very sparse good cinematography. Other than that, bad.
Sound design. Does all the heavy-lifting. Seriously. Dunno who the guy in charge is, but he should get a raise. Fantastic work for every scene, even if the story was sht.
The pacing, dragging. Yeah, yeah, so everything is the same, you get the idea.

The "good" parts. While the first season was silly and you could enjoy the fun, even when the story was sht, this one got "serious" while still being sht. So, there's nothing left to keep it alive.
Lets start with the most obvious ones. The writing is extremely bad, full of red herrings, plot devices, plot contrivances and so on. Just to paint a better picture, I guessed every fkin' thing they tried to do. How? Just by guessing "let me guess, now they will make this happen, just because it would be silly. And here it goes, yep". When episode 3 ended, I was sad because I thought I guessed something wrong, but then episode 4 happened and I laughed. And now I'm talking about who the villain is. And I also guessed what his motivation would be. The simple reasons (the five ones), not all of what we got, there was no way to "guess" all that nonsense. And then I guessed the parts for the later episodes. All the red herring, all those "subverting expectations" failures.
Another point to mention here: the season is full of manipulative editing. Thats the proper name for it, I'm not calling names. For example, when a scene is modified by cutting out some dialogue while first watching it, only to be added later in a flashback, to pretend being a reveal. In other words, manipulating your emotions. And the "funny" part? Not only are they doing it every time for this season, they even added for some scenes that happened in the first episode, to change the narrative. Their would-be defense? "Well, we never saw it so you don't know, it could've happened like that". So yeah, everything changed. And with it, character assassination. Because making a "cool" character acting like a "loser", just to make the scene feel emotional, its exactly that, out of character. Anyway, you get the gist. I wont keep going about it. Just know that it is full and it is sht.
Oh, quick side note. You're a paramedic, a person trained to act under pressure and what do you do in case of danger/emergency? You just stay in place and only turn around, yes? And then just look at that person, zero defensive maneuvers, like raising your arms (something etched in out DNA, something that they even said in this sht show), yes? *sigh*
Another side note. This one make me cringe-laugh. "-Go in US and learn. -No, I'm going there to teach them our forensics methods. No one can compete with Korea's forensics skills in speed and accuracy". You gotta admit: that is funny as hell.

OK, the last 5 minutes or so were really fun/good. This time for real. Too bad the show wasn't full of all that.

To sum it up. Sht season. From the writing, to the editing, everything is extremely bad. And I must repeat myself. If you hear someone saying it is good, they are trolling you. You can enjoy it (I don't know who though, but again, there are people who enjoy hitting puppies, so sure, why not?), but the quality is bad. Since the ending of the previous one, when you can see them trying to make the story more "legit", you can feel that its gonna go sideways. Maybe they wanted higher viewership ratings or something, so they went with the safe approach: emotional manipulation of the simple people. Thats all there is to it.
It gets a rating of 4. Apart from the sound design and some sparse good acting (or even really good, from just a few), nothing works. No enjoyment, no rewatch value etc.

Have a lovely day.

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