Reviews

A Total Fan Service! Great pacing & storyline spoiled by FL's rigid morals | Cloying make out scenes

"Every lonely journey ends in a fated encounter." - Postscripts/Ending Quotes

PRO TIP: Try to be EXTRA patient and bear with the FL's behavior during episodes 10–20. if you can get through that, you'll be fine.

I eagerly want to start this review by talking about the FL, since the majority of my negative feedback is focused on her. However, I was afraid I might drift away from sharing the narrative's positive sides and get carried away by all the negative aspects. So, let me commence this review by highlighting the strengths and redeeming qualities of the show first.

The pacing and progression of the story were excellent. The narrative is fast-paced and doesn't dwell too long on a single plot point. It moves from one arc to another without going in circles or overly dramatizing conflicts to force a desired result. This helps the story move forward effortlessly without leaving plot holes behind. It also makes the story more coherent and entertaining, preventing it from dragging—even if it was admittedly frustrating for a couple of reasons.

In addition, each plot was compact and well-crafted that after the first ten episodes, it completely slipped my mind that Liao Tingyan was from the modern world. This was the story's ultimate strength, defining its value until the very end.

The story moved at a steady pace during the first 10 episodes; however, it fumbled significantly between episodes 11 and 20 by overemphasizing the female lead's rigid morals. This was the most difficult part of the show to sit through. Fortunately, it regained its momentum from episode 21 onward, recovering from that grating phase to become exciting once again.

One piece of advice I’d give is: do not let yourself carry the irritation or resentment you have for the FL once you cross the halfway mark. Doing so can cloud your judgment regarding the trajectory of her character progression. I'm saying this because I was exactly like that. I immediately judged the FL when the second half started, assuming it would be another tiring "amnesia leads to manipulation" trope. At that time, I thought it was regrettable to see her change from a clever, funny lead to someone so easily schemed against. But as the story unfolded, I realized the amnesia was actually a catalyst. It forced her to adopt the mindsets she’d previously resisted or lacked. By using a well-worn cliché, the writers managed to deliver the exact character evolution the story needed.

Talking about the climax: I initially found the sudden shift to the mortal realm an unusually odd decision, at least until I witnessed how the plot developed. I guess I was just stunned that they had the nerve to go 'Sima Jiao' hunting while still having a final villain to deal with. However, that sense of conflict and discontent eventually diminished once I understood that the entire Mortal Arc had been prearranged by Sima Jiao—even before he perished—to subdue and defeat the main antagonist.

The ending, on the other hand, is equally delightful and baffling. While it nails the main antagonist's downfall and provides a satisfying "happy ending" as the leads meet in the real world, the reason behind her journey to that cultivation world remains unexplained. After her accident, she suddenly begins "dream traveling" into this fantasy realm while in a coma, yet the story never establishes a clear cause. I suspect it relates to the project proposal she was working on, but the narrative fails to explore or confirm that connection. This sadly remains a riddle, even after finishing the show.

Additionally, I find the symbolism and depiction of corporate serfdom, burnout culture, and hyper-capitalistic exploitation to be both alarming and commendable. In this story, the female lead, Zhou Yan, has literally just been discharged from the hospital, yet she has to rush to her company to respond to her boss's summons regarding a proposal she failed to submit due to her accident. What is even more disturbing is how their conversation centers entirely on work—focusing on her failure to submit the proposal and a "make-or-break" ultimatum for her career—while completely ignoring the fact that she is clearly injured and bandaged.

While the creators’ inclusion of this reality is significant—as it accurately represents the grind ordinary citizens must endure to survive, even in life-threatening predicaments—it is truly abhorrent to witness this reflection of our own world. We live in a reality where corporate slavery and the transformation of a person into an "industrial human machine" are being normalized, which is both saddening and maddening.

Finally venturing into the 'negative rant' portion of my review. Shall we start with the biggest issue I had with the show: the female lead herself?

I was relatively fine with the female lead's (Liao Tingyan) slacker, vigilant, yet witty attitude—until I noticed two distinct changes that increasingly made me dislike her. First, when she finally earned Sima Jiao's trust, she gradually started voicing her opinions and doing whatever she thought was right without thoroughly considering the overall situation or consulting Sima Jiao. Second, she is slowly turning into a "know-it-all," complacent girl who prioritizes feelings and kindness—even toward individuals who wouldn't think twice about killing her and have every intention to do so. This shift has led her in the wrong direction and caused nothing but negative outcomes. While I understand she isn't used to such brutality, I find it unbelievable that she fails to grasp Sima Jiao's intentions. She is trying to survive a world where "kill or be killed" is the rule, so I can't stomach or comprehend her convictions and principles. Even if I technically understand her perspective, it feels incredibly unwise and, frankly, dumb. That’s why I was beaming with satisfaction during the Desolate Lands arc when Yan Huan tried to kill himself and his daughter, Zhou Zhi Ming. It was such a wake-up call for her—a reminder that she can’t just look at the "morally correct" side of life. She also has to look at the darkest side to understand the real struggles and bottom-line issues of the people around her.

Spoiler: I really thought she’d come to a realization and learn something from this, but unfortunately, she didn't! Grr!

What’s funny is that she knows she’s weak, yet she still won’t take extra precautions or train harder. She’s a slacker, and I love that she’s fully committed to it. However, it contradicts her desire to stay alive. Since being known as Sima Jiao’s most favored servant is basically a death warrant—a literal invitation for people to kill her. I really can’t comprehend how she lack the sense of urgency to sharpen her skills or master enough magic to defend herself.

She was such a total liability during the entire first half of the story that I got so fed up and pissed off watching her survive, every time, solely because of Sima Jiao's protection. She became fully reliant and complacent, tending to overlook a lot of things due to her carelessness and simple-mindedness. It was frustrating how she practically needed saving 99.99% of the time, when she could've been more powerful due to the 'cheat code' power-ups Sima Jiao had granted her.

In fact, halfway through the show, I became so irritated with Sima Jiao’s mantra about not letting her die unless he allowed it. Honestly, one big reason she stayed useless and incapable was because he pampered her so badly. Good grief!

As I grow older, I’ve realized that while sacrifice is noble, it’s often a foolish choice. This is why I’ve started avoiding Xianxia dramas over the last few years. I've grown tired of them being infested with constant sacrifices and multiple lifetime reincarnations, especially after consuming so many of them over the years.

Lastly, all the kissing and sensual scenes are nice and romantic at first. However, this show overdid it to the point of indifference and disbelief. Such scenes should have been greatly anticipated and celebrated, but the frequency and intensity with which they were presented were way too excessive. The romantic essence gradually dissipated after the 3rd time and completely vanished from the 5th time onwards. I am a person who typically enjoys such erotic scenes; however, due to the ludicrous number of times they showed them to us, they have become completely bland and even an eyesore to me. It transformed from a symbol of affection into "soft-porn" used to showcase the main leads making out and touching each other pleasurably.

In conclusion, 'Partnership Cultivation' is entirely synonymous with sexual or erotic scenes. While the authors were clever in utilizing the 'her coldness eases my burning fire' trope, they ultimately went overboard with it.

In Episode 28, at around the 40 minutes mark, it’s implicitly confirmed that the leads entering each other's 'Soul Minds' is a metaphor for sex. What absurdity! lol

Story - 8.0, My conscience wanted me to provide a rating at least 0.5 higher in consideration of the progressive plot and nice pacing. However, my mind opposes this due to the indifference and frustration I felt during episodes 11–20, the totally unnecessary kissing scenes, and the fact that the reason for the transmigration was never fully addressed.

Acting/Cast - 9.0, This is my first drama from both leads (Arthur Chen and Wang Yinglu) and they executed their roles well. However, I'm just not a fan of the FL's characterization, which turned me into a total critic. I was hyper-sensitive to her every movement, making some of her expressions feel exaggerated. Another person I scrutinized with an eagle eye was veteran actor Bao Jian Feng. His ingratiating acting style put me off, reminding me of his performance in LLTG. The difference is that his character here forced too many smiles while trying to depict a duplicitous person, which I found awkward and unnatural most of the time. I don't know why I was so sensitive to facial expressions with this show! lol

Music - 9.5, I love that the majority of the songs are melodic ballads. My personal favorites are 'In This World, I Only Love You' by Tia Ray and 'Old Wounds' by Huang Xiaoyun. I was actually about to give this a lower rating, but after listening to the drama's OST playlist on Spotify, I realized I almost did this show a total injustice!

Rewatch Value - 8.0, While I like certain elements of this drama, specifically the plot progression, pacing, and how it uses a cliché premise to facilitate the FL’s growth. I just don't see myself watching it again. The FL is simply not my cup of tea; I have outgrown the 'willful and rigid' female lead trope common in idol dramas, and she embodies that to a fault. Furthermore, the excessive skinship felt repetitive; by the fifth time, the sensual scenes lost their impact entirely.

Overall - 8.0, Had the FL's characterization not spoiled the mood and nearly caused me to drop the show, I would have given it a higher rating. That single aspect permanently tarnished the series for me. Regardless, I'm glad I stuck with it instead of dropping it like many others did.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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This one is a masterpiece.

This drama is sooo good 😭 even though it’s a short drama, not a single episode felt boring. The storyline is actually mind-blowing and the plot twists just keep coming.

Usually I watch dramas in 2x speed or skip some parts, but not this one lol. I watched everything from start to finish because every scene actually has a purpose.

The main leads are sooo good and their chemistry?? insane. I really need them in a modern drama together next because they would absolutely eat.

So sad this drama is so underrated because barely anyone talks about it, but it’s literally chef’s kiss 🤌✨

Also love the female lead so much, she’s playful, clever, and super fun to watch. The sibling relationship was really cute too.

And yes, male lead is handsome af ☝🏻

Also, appreciation to all the cast because everyone did such an amazing job. Every character felt important and played their role so well, which made the whole drama even more enjoyable to watch 👏

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If you like friends to lovers trope, go watch this!

At first I thought I didn't understand the relationship between hana and won. Why would they take so long to confess their feelings to each other, even after almost 17 years? But if you go deeper and try to understand their relationship, their background story, their family and relatives, I think you'll find the answer. Love isn't something that is simple just like in 'kdramas' I think this story wants to give us a picture that love must be realistic. We love someone, but we can't have him/her, then in certain time, we should give up on that and we may be friends with that someone. We may happen to find or meet someone new that we might think "Ah.. I think he's the one.." or "I think we match together" and so forth, but unfortunately fate has its own way to twist our story. Some people might reunite with their first love, but some others don't. Here, with Hana and won's story, it highlights something that we know as "what's meant to you will always come to you." So, no matter how much hana and won feel like they couldn't love each other, or how much people have come and gone in their lives, they will always stay together, even if as a friend. They comfort each other, stand by each other, even they never leave each other at the lowest. This might be the proof that fate always find its way. And finally, the time when they realize that they don't see themselves as a friends anymore also prove that life is unexpected and relationship is complex. But somehow, they want to take their relationship into the next stage, love and being loved. Although this drama might seem not perfect and a little bit dragging, especially for episode 5-9, but believe me, starting from episode 10, everything is getting more interesting. Go watch how hana and won's love grow when you have time! 😉

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Could Have Been Good, But Wasn't

I’m a huge Lin Zehui fan—but I was all over the place with this drama. While the narrative was engaging and Lin Zehui’s performance was top-notch, I struggled to connect with the female lead’s character and personality. This fragmented the dynamic between the leads and made me biased against her role, which in turn closed me off to any character development—which often felt like two steps forward and five steps back. I found fault with many of her decisions—partly due to the script—but it still affected how I received the drama overall. I was also disappointed with the ending. While I can sometimes appreciate nuanced conclusions, this one just didn’t work for me.

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A must watch drama ...

what started as a simple crime mystery drama turned out to be more intricate and emotional one .
for me this was one of xu kai 's best works so far , overall the plot and acting were superbe .

in the beginning , you think that chen hui is that simple boy running his skating rink and trying to gather money for his girlfriend's kidney transplant surgery but as this goes on we discover that he is a drug trafficker , from him he was doing it to gather the money for the operation yet the more he tried to get out of this illegal business the more he sank deep.
ML was a big manipulator , he manipulated huo kaiming which lead him to killing lu yuan , he even tricked his family into believing he was paralyzed so his father won't ask him why he was kidnapped by huo kaiming , but here is what didn't make sense, songge was supposedly sick and weak why did he let her do the drug dealings ? even after lu yuan attacked her and her fistula bleed and she almost died, I mean he got into drug trafficking for her operation but couldn't think she might be attacked and killed in one of those drug dealings ????

songge is she really loved him why didn't she convince him to stop selling drugs ? couldn't she think of the consequences ? she should tried to stop him at some point instead of doing everything he asked her to do , but did it out of guilt that he is doing all this for her.

hui's father was sos hell bent on accusing and putting is son behind bars which was really annoying , I am talking about the first part when he doubted his son might be the drug trafficker , he had no solid evidence but he kept accusing him , even when hui did something to remove that doubt he still didn't believe it and kept digging deeper , did he trust his son in the first place??

chen hui 's character development came along way as they showed us how he sank deeper into darkness from killing tian jin hai and huo kaiming to pinning tian jian hai's death on detective liu.

the ending was very tragic , he managed to save her life and she had the operation but at what cost.
despite the tragic ending this is a must watch drama and truly deserves your time .

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That'll do, cells. That'll do.

I know this is technically a self-contained drama, but it will make more sense if we include Yumi's Cells 1 and 2 in our discussions.

Let's get the easy bits out of the way. The production quality is solid. Everything has a glow up. The FL is now a successful writer. She works in a swanky studio of her own and has a Padawan . . I mean assistant writer. However, she has been surviving in an emotional desert for years. No distractions = max productivity. That is a double edged sword though. Her romantic stories are more polished, but they are becoming tropey as they are no longer fuelled by raw emotions from her heart.

In terms of acting, Kim Go Eun IS Yumi. She owns the titular role by now. Her cells exist in a familiar space, mostly leading a sedate existence or placed in suspended animation as she locks away emotions that are deemed unproductive.

The ML is a young, up and coming actor. He already appeared in several high-profile dramas in various capacities. He is tall and handsome. His role swings from a cold, detached professional to a hot-blooded lovesick puppy. He has good chemistry with the FL and there are some nice skinship. Occasionally, he will drift into this bemused expression as if he couldn't believe he is the ML. He has room to grow and I'll be keeping an eye on his progress.

As expected, the cells shared almost equal billing. This time, we are introduced to the ML's cells as well. While there are some commonalities, there are also unique variants. The General who oversees the ML's principles is a gem. Thankfully, the cells are less of a filler gimmick this time round.

We now need to look at the series as a whole. While the first series planted the FL firmly in the role of a supportive girlfriend with limited agency. The second show took a different path as Yumi discovered self-love and developed a backbone. She is the tragic example of win some and lose some in the game of love.

This third installment starts off feeling same-y, yet . . different. For starters, this series is only 8 eps long instead of the usual 14/16. This means the story is much more focused. Once it hit its stride, the show really motors along. This is a good thing. While the first series feels about right in its pacing, the second one can feel a little draggy at times. Maybe it is due to the heavier tonal shift in YC2.

If I'm honest, I came onto this show with some trepidation as well. I'm happy to report that this series has found its mojo again. :)

To wit, instead of more awkward push-pulls as Yumi navigate a new romance. We are given a much more straightforward preposition. The ML is totally smitten by Yumi and he is not wasting time. Woof! It was cute to see all the cells that have been sidelined or even placed in suspended animation came back to life. The naughty cell is a hoot!

So, if we look at Yumi's journey as a three act play then this shortened drama makes a lot more sense. She is finally in the position to recognise when True Love™ comes knocking. In stead of the uncertainties and self-doubts earlier, she was able to push through and make the right decision for the right reasons. There are no fireworks or epic battle of Wills. Just a quiet confidence that speaks volumes.

The final scenes are beautifully done and firmly cemented the cells’ place in our hearts. It was a fitting finale to a years long journey.

The writer-nim hit paydirt when they created the animated cells, but all good things must come to an end. Fare thee well, cells! Peace.

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Cute but a bit boring

I found the premise of this drama quite interesting. Also, as a foreigner living in Japan, I could relate to her struggles a lot.
Their meet cute was really cute too, and I loved the connection with food and how they both were struggling in life but trying to make the best out of it. Sometimes, life take a completely different, unexpected turn, and this drama showed it really well. I even cried at a few scenes especially at the end.

Although their relationship was cute most of the time, there were a fee things I found annoying and childish, especially that midway break-up. It was intense and unnecessary…

I also didn’t like how the second female lead was such a pushover to her bum of a boyfriend 🤯🤯🤯how can she date someone like that????? with no job, addicted to pachinko games on top of it too… omg! I was just sooo icked out and didn’t understand why she was still together with him…

For the main couple, I also can’t say that I liked their ending… it wasn’t bad but not what i hoped for…

All in all, it was an ok drama. Good enough to watch in-between, but tbh I wasn’t really looking forward to watching it every week. whenever I had free time between my usual dramas or nothing else to watch I would turn it on.

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The best psychological, family and social drama of a decade

I lived in 90, I was then ofcthe age of main heroes Chen Hui and Gao SongGe. I lived in Poland on this time of big economical transformation, when system collapsed and nobody was protected from anything. Money rulled. This is a drama about similar times. And being young and inteligent, goodhearted and full od empathy, but without a good choice, without chances to live normal life. About love that is missing and deadly conflict between those, who should love and protect, but they dont even know how. And about love, that charish and protects till the end, to the extreme. It is about fighting the fate, about trying to change the path, about finding prace eventually. Great story, Great acting, Great directing, Great sets, really recreating mid 90.s. In Poland we had "Cinema of moral anxiety ". This movie like that Polish cultural phenomenon, shows person destroyed and eventually killed by the system, family system, economical system, system of opression. This drama is so a piece of art.

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não se deixe enganar pelos óculos ✍?

Eu gostei muito do enredo da história, e da química dos atores que é absurda. Amei todos os episódios, apesar que com esse final deixou muita gente dividida porém eu gostei sabe, uma vibe meio realista meio melancólica, obviamenteee preferia que ele não fosse preso, mas como desde o início dar a entender que estão investigando sobre as gangues não achei sem sentido. Meu sonho segunda temporada. Porém aff poderia só ter mais episódios, não tenho o que reclamar.
Eu acredito porém, que poderia ter entrado mais no desenvolvimento do casal secundário, no final a gente ainda descobre um plot sobre o personagem do irmão dele, a única coisa chata é que são poucos episódios com pouca duração 😭😭😭, pq eu acredito que poderia ter tido até um episódio único sobre o casal secundário pra a gente conseguir entender mais da dinâmica deles.

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