Reviews

Something was missing...but damn Zhou Yi Ran was superb

This was one of those dramas where I kept wanting to love it more than I actually did. Zhou Yi Ran is an actor that I'm very excited about because he feels like a true performer, and this is my first impression of Sabrina but she looked so nice from the promos that I really wanted to give this drama a fair shot.

However… Like I didn’t hate it. I actually think it’s decent. But by the end I was left sitting there feeling like something important was missing and I still can’t fully pinpoint what it was. The vibes were there, the actors were definitely trying, the emotional beats occasionally HIT… but the overall show felt strangely hollow. I think a huge part of that comes down to the fact that the drama never really figured out what it wanted to be.

The high school portion was genuinely my favorite part by far. The friendship dynamics, the found family aspect, the quieter emotional moments all felt warm and grounded in a way that made me really attached to the characters. There was this comforting slice of life energy to it that worked SO well. Then the university timeline starts and suddenly it feels like I accidentally clicked on a different drama.

The found family aspect gets pushed aside, the tone shifts, and Shen Juan’s storyline takes such a sharp turn into sports that the show almost starts feeling sports focused instead of coming of age. Which would’ve been fine… if it felt cohesive. When you think about it Shen Juan is a physics major, a silver goods craftsman and a genius sharpshooter all by the age of 18? Like my dude was out here collecting skill sets like Pokemon cards. And yes, there was technically some setup for the sharpshooting thing earlier on, but not enough for how heavily it later shaped his character arc. There were just too many ideas competing for attention.

That being said, Zhou Yi Ran absolutely carried a huge chunk of this show emotionally. He’s genuinely such a compelling actor to watch, especially in quieter emotional scenes. I think his performance made me connect to Shen Juan far more than I normally would have on paper.

Same goes for Sabrina Zhuang. I thought both leads did a really good job individually. Which is why it’s even more frustrating that the romance itself felt so underdeveloped.

Because here’s the thing, I did feel the chemistry early on. The tension was there in the way they looked at each other, the pauses, the emotional undercurrents… but there was almost zero payoff. They genuinely felt more like best friends or an old married couple who occasionally hold hands than two people who had just fallen in love. Their romantic scenes, if you could even call it that, had the flavour of a cardboard box.

And I cannot stress this enough: the lack of romance really hurt the show.

I’m not someone who needs constant fluff or forced romantic scenes every five minutes. In fact, I usually prefer when romance is woven naturally into the story instead of being used to distract from weak writing. But this drama desperately needed something. A little more intimacy, more vulnerability, more moments that actually established them as a romantic couple rather than occasionally holding hands and calling each other boyfriend-girlfriend. Like, if you removed exactly two kisses from this show, almost nothing about their relationship dynamic would change. That’s a problem.

I also found myself less invested in the side character storylines as the episodes went on. None of them were terrible, but they lacked impact, and the pacing started dragging because of it.

What did work for me was the family dynamics. The show actually did a pretty good job making the world feel grounded and emotionally believable. There’s a realism to the writing that I appreciated, especially in the quieter domestic moments. But overall, I really think the writers didn’t fully know what kind of drama they wanted to make. Was it a coming-of-age story? A romance? A sports drama? A healing youth drama? It keeps touching all of these things without ever fully committing to one. They actually could have written a story that dove into all of these but this show wasn't it, which is frustrating because there’s clearly a good drama somewhere in here.

I don't know, it was just very meh.

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There better be a second season (and third?)

What just happened? Not one issue resolution in the entire finale!? This is killing me! I hope we get season 2, because otherwise I'm going to pine for closure for the rest of my days.

This show has me hooked. The leads are adorable. They have amazing chemistry and comedic timing. Liuyi's facial expressions are everything. The character is great. The actor, He Yan Zhao, is fire. He should change his headshot to the caramel-colored deliciousness that we see in this series. He looks divine. I don't know if the asian entertainment industry generally has figured this out yet, but many of us prefer a little melanin.

He Chusan is great too. Sweet on the outside and a fierce protector on the inside. And since were talking about beauty, actor He Chang Xi is also truly handsome.

I dont know how to feel about the second couple. But we can sort that out during season 2.

I love the supporting actors. The dad is great. The main lackey is great. The number 2 is great. I want more of them all.

So go ahead. Start production on season 2. I'll wait. And don't feel like you have to resolve everything there. I'll watch season 3, too. I'm just saying...

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good one

start - fml gives ml trauma twice first in school 2md by filter
there's misunderstanding for both which clears in last 10 ? eps
in starting I felt bad for FML later I did for ml because FML was deceiving him alot ,she faked death of the filter people twice
misunderstanding - ml says she's looks bad he meant makeup she thought he meant ugly so she starts to dislike him he does too because of school memories so in start he doesn't care about real her but fake her the filter, the first 15+ eps are took over by fakes story more the side characters than the FML and ml interaction, he interact with fake version for 15+ eps than with real one ,fake version are 4 people, then the filter characters is coming to end they suddenly add colour blindness? that time I felt like I'm watching a complete new drama because after 15+ eps ml and FML finally started to interact for real, I thought he would be angry and won't forgive but it gets solved easily, I wished the side characters parts was less and more ml FML interaction,
2nd couple - not interesting I skipped, I wasn't interested in their romance and why the 2nd couple is always pregnant in every drama ?
Good Comedy alot of comedy,
romance is good too it's starts usually at last 10-13 eps, I liked it enjoyed, can't believe the rating is only 8.5 ? not 9 10?
got hooked which is rare for me

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A Bold Idea That Didn’t Work for Me

Definitely Not Today is a drama that deserves credit for being bold and daring in its concept. However, for me, it was simply too dark.
I feel like it could have worked much better if there had been a balance — more grounded, intimate moments between the two leads. Their relationship wasn’t explored enough, and instead, it felt like an endless chase with bad guys, without giving the audience a real emotional connection to them.
Even though I managed to finish it, I can’t say I truly enjoyed the experience. Unlike other dramas where I feel engaged and excited to watch the next episode, here I was mostly just waiting for it to end.
I really wish there had been more emotional depth and closeness between the main characters.
Conclusion: An interesting and bold idea, but too dark and lacking emotional balance for my taste. Not for me.

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evenly matched MLs

Overall: I really enjoyed the mutual attraction and evenly matched MLs (it wasn't one was constantly abused and the other the abuser or one was super innocent and the other wasn't). Seems to be patterned off the Chinese BL vertical "Caged Bird". 55 short episodes (vertical). Aired on iQIYI app or Shortime app (can eventually watch for free by watching ads, My referral link is https://playground.shortime.en/invite/NKNIWI (all letters) and it should get you a bonus. You can view the first few episodes for free on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0vtefTLhn0

Content Warnings: past murders, attempted murder, attempted rape, torture, violence (including choking, slaps, hits), manipulation, drugging, kidnapping/held against will, non con recording

What I Liked
- the characterization of the 2 MLs, I didn't feel that one was a horrid bully and the other a victim
- intimacy, pretty spicy for a vertical (and included mutual want)
- cliche evil woman who wanted to be his wife (but I did not see how that would end so bonus for doing something different)
- the reason for the past split made sense and their actions based on the information they had in the present

Room For Improvement
- nonsense plot stuff, but that's kind of baked in to this style of vertical so I didn't really take off points for it

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Two Hot Guys Dancing

This movie is definitely not for everyone, if you're looking for your average BL this is not it!

Plot:

I would say the plot is the dance and the emotions. The emotions between the leads is the main drive of this movie, and we'll have to thank the actors for not disappointing us with their immaculate chemistry!!

Really though, at least 80% of this movie are dance scenes, so if you try to skip them, you'll be sure to end up with nothing! The dances are what move the plot through, you have to watch them dance and understand the story they're telling you, only this way will you be able to enjoy this movie fully.

Although I'll have to admit, my little heart wanted to see them together at least once, but it's a personal problem of mine. Since it's an open ending, I'll have to imagine the rest myself!

Acting:

Just fabulous! Amazing! I feel like the human vocabulary is not enough for me to describe their acting, even though I'm sure it must've been hard, the actors did a fantastic job conveying the characters' feelings while dancing!

The kisses were so passionate as well, I got worked up just by watching them!

Cinematography:

Very pleasing to the eyes, the lightning and the shots were to my liking, they complimented the atmosphere very well!

Music:

Could've been better for such a high-quality movie. It didn't make me feel what I should've felt, you know?

Favourite moment:

I loved when they danced together at that event instead of going with their partners; "Dance in neither about technique or stamina, Love makes it whole." As far as I've realised, Suguki Shinya must've understood that to unlock his full potential, to dance with "love", he must do it with Suzuki Shinya instead of his formal dance partner. The scene where he asks "May I have the honor?" made me go crazy, I absolutely adored it!

Overall:

If you want something clear-cut and simple, or you just want to watch a spicy BL, this isn't for you. It wasn't perfect, I think I should've made my rating lower, but personally that's the rating I want to give. Pick the time where you have a right state of mind and watch it!

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the story keeps going in circles like this; it’s just too much to bear.

For anyone who feels it’s dragging, you could watch up to Episode 9 and then skip straight to Episode 19 until the end. You’ll still catch the whole story, as the earlier details are revealed in the second half anyway.

A little tease for Neo Hou (Hou Minghao)—if he’s not being stood up at the altar or having a ruined wedding, he’s getting a one-night stand only for the girl to run away. Poor guy! The fate of a Chinese drama lead is truly tragic. At least, luckily, no one died in his arms this time.

There were stretches where Hong Ye completely vanished—like, actually gone for so long it felt strange. Fortunately, Xiao Yao stayed present; otherwise, the connection would have been totally lost.

The plot is a bit too "muddy" (messy/convoluted). They could have cut out the parts that don't impact the main storyline. Honestly, this could have been a 25-episode series.

The leads did a great job, but it’s a shame the storytelling was unnecessarily dragged out.

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High Potential, Poor Execution

Leap Day had a very interesting idea, but the execution was honestly disappointing. The story follows two characters, Day and Night, who were both born on Leap Day and are affected by a strange curse. Every four years, on their birthday, the curse takes away someone they love.

On their 20th birthday, something unusual happens, the people closest to them, Ozone (Day’s brother) and Dream (Night’s girlfriend), survive. This happens because Day and Night meet each other. From there, the story focuses on the four of them trying to understand the curse and find a way to stop it.

The biggest problem with the series is how inconsistent and poorly explained everything is. The characters never really try to understand why the curse exists. There is no proper explanation it just exists, and everyone accepts it. That makes the story feel incomplete and frustrating.
There are also many scenes that feel unrealistic or just badly written. For example, at one point, Day and Night suddenly think there might be a loophole in the curse and start searching their houses randomly without even knowing what they are looking for. It feels forced and not logical at all. The clues are right in front of them, but the characters struggle to understand something so basic. It makes them look unnecessarily clueless.

Another major issue is the timeline. The story jumps from 2020 to 2024, but there is zero sense of time passing. The characters don't change, the world doesn't change, and it feels like four months passed instead of four years. To make it worse, even after four years of "research," They are still confused about what they have to do until the very last second.

Despite all this, there are some positives. The relationship between Day and Ozone was the best part of the show. Ozone added humor, and Day as a brother was genuinely likable. Their bond felt real and was the only thing that kept me interested.
The ending involves a sacrifice where Day realizes he must die to break the loop. While the emotional payoff for the brothers was there, it didn't make up for the inconsistent writing and the lack of common sense from the main characters.

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Good show

The chemistry between Kim Go-eun and Park Jinyoung is soft, mature, and deeply moving..The show reminds us that:Life is a series of chapters, and some people are only meant to be in one of them.What makes this season so heartfelt is its honesty. It doesn't just focus on the "happily ever after"; it focuses on Yumi’s journey of finding herself..The drama beautifully portrays that even when a relationship ends, the growth you gained from it stays with you forever.While the ending is bittersweet, Babi’s role in Yumi’s life is ultimately transformative. He wasn't just a boyfriend; he was the catalyst for her career.
• He believed in her "Writer Cell" when no one else did.
• He taught her that she deserves to be pursued and adored openly.
• Their relationship serves as a bridge, moving Yumi from a woman who defines herself through her partner to a woman who defines herself through her own achievements and resilience.
In the end, Yumi and Babi’s story is a tribute to the people who come into our lives to help us bloom, even if they aren't the ones who stay to see the full garden. It was a love that was necessary, refined, and deeply moving.

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These Two Have My Whole Heart

If you're debating on watching this or not, DO IT. This show is soooooooo good. These two make me swoon and their relationship development is so sweet and natural. One of the only issues is that the dubbing is a little awkward but I'm able to ignore it, some people might not be able to. However, give it a shot and try it out.
I love them so much and I'm hoping hard for a second season. If this is only 1 season, then the show is very unfinished and it would lower my score but there are strong rumors that they've already started filming season 2.
But overall, the show is amazing. These two are so perfect for each other and I can't believe I waited so long to start the show.

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The Joy Is Real

Joy of Life came into my life at a strangely perfect time, right after I walked out of a scholarship interview that did not go the way I hoped. I was not expecting much, but somehow this drama lived up to its title in the most literal sense. It brought me joy. Not in an overwhelming or dramatic way, but in a steady, satisfying flow that kept me grounded while constantly surprising me. It feels rare to find a drama that is this witty, this fresh, and this confident in its storytelling. More often than not, I found myself shaking my head in admiration, thinking, “okay, that was smart.”

The story opens with a young man who regrets a life he barely got to live, only to be reborn as Fan Xian in a completely different era, carrying memories of the 21st century. What follows is not just a typical rebirth narrative, but something that plays out like a carefully constructed puzzle. Raised in Danzhou under the watchful care of his grandmother, trained by the mysterious Wuzhu and the terrifying yet oddly endearing Fei Jie, Fan Xian grows up equipped with skills and knowledge that make him stand out a little too much. When he finally heads to the capital, expecting a comfortable life, reality hits quickly. Assassination attempts, political marriages, inherited power, and dangerous secrets all crash into his world at once. From there, the story never really slows down, yet it never feels overwhelming either. It is layered, but light on its feet.

At the center of it all is Fan Xian, easily one of the most memorable characters I have seen in a costume drama. There is something so refreshing about how he is written. He is sharp, skeptical, and occasionally chaotic, yet grounded by a strong moral compass and unwavering loyalty to the people he loves. His modern perspective allows him to question traditions and authority in ways that feel both bold and oddly satisfying. The way he casually avoids kneeling in a rigid royal court says a lot about who he is, which is why the one moment he does kneel carries so much weight. He is clever enough to navigate political schemes, skilled enough to survive physical threats, and lucky enough to have people who would step in for him when needed. Watching him never feels stressful. It feels reassuring, like you know he will find a way, even if that way is completely unorthodox.

Zhang Ruoyun deserves a lot of credit for bringing Fan Xian to life. This was my first time watching him, and he made an immediate impression. His comedic timing is effortless, and his expressions land perfectly without feeling exaggerated. He knows exactly when to be playful and when to pull things back for emotional moments. There is a natural charm in his performance that makes everything feel believable. He does not just act as Fan Xian, he becomes him in a way that feels seamless.

Beyond its main character, the writing itself is where the drama truly shines. The premise might not sound entirely new, but the execution feels incredibly original. It treats time and memory almost like a quiet scientific riddle, something closer to a cosmic physics problem than a simple plot device. The drama does not overexplain. It trusts the audience to follow along, dropping hints here and there while focusing on Fan Xian’s journey. Sometimes I had to rewind a scene or two, but once things clicked, they really clicked. The balance between humor and politics is especially impressive. The comedy never feels forced, and the political intrigue never feels too dense. Hidden motives, shifting alliances, and unexpected twists are all presented in a way that is easy to digest yet still impactful. Some twists genuinely made me pause and think, wow, that runs deeper than I expected.

The supporting cast adds even more depth to the story, particularly the three father figures in Fan Xian’s life. Chen Daoming as the Emperor and Wu Gang as Chen Ping Ping both carry an undeniable presence. The Emperor feels unpredictable and quietly terrifying, while Chen Ping Ping, confined to a wheelchair, commands attention in a completely different way. Their interactions with Fan Xian are fascinating because they blur the line between care and manipulation. Fan Jian, on the other hand, offers a more traditional form of warmth and protection, grounding Fan Xian in something that feels genuine and familial. The contrast between these three dynamics adds so much texture to the story.

Other characters leave strong impressions in their own ways. Wuzhu remains a mystery that lingers in the background, making every appearance feel significant. Fei Jie stands out as both a harsh teacher and a deeply caring figure, someone who expresses love in the most unconventional ways. His quiet admission of seeing Fan Xian as a son is one of the more emotional moments in the drama. Lin Wan Er, while likable at times, can be frustrating with her hesitation and internal conflicts, though she never becomes an obstacle to Fan Xian’s path. The Fan family dynamic is another highlight. From the fiercely loyal Fan Ruo Ruo to the initially cautious but eventually caring stepmother and brother, their relationships evolve in a way that feels natural and rewarding.

What ties everything together is the production itself. The use of modern-style background music in a historical setting should not work as well as it does, but here, it feels just right. The entire drama has a certain sparkle to it, like champagne. It is light, smooth, and quietly celebratory without losing its depth. Even smaller characters and background moments feel thoughtfully executed, adding to the overall immersion.

By the time I reached the end, I realized I could not easily pick a single favorite aspect. It is everything working together, the character, the writing, the humor, the quiet philosophical undertones, that makes this drama so memorable. Joy of Life is something I would return to without hesitation, especially on days when I need a reminder that stories can still feel this alive.

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The best storyline lots of mysteries and the visuals were amazing

One of the best drama that I have ever watched from the episode one. It was like really hooking.There were a lot of mystery.And when they ended into the starstone illusion, there were also surprising facts about the background. He might look confusing at first but You will get it as the stories go on there were also a pleasing beautiful ending as well. The last 3 episode was really hooking and amazing. There were emotional scenes.I was crying when watching episode twenty eight and twenty nine. But after all the mess, everything will be said. The time will be rewinder, and every characters come back to life ❤️

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