Reviews

Fun, but...

Let's get what I didn't care for out of the way first.
-FL and no self-esteem. It was so bad, I wanted to smack her upside the head. You could see why, though, with always being compared to her brilliant brother, and having this totally attractive guy liking you. She felt she couldn't possibly measure up.
-ML sometimes acted like a child. When he was upset, he'd get in his bright pink sleeping bag and wallow and whine. Plus, he did a lot of physical bouncing around, which read as immaturity to me.
-Second couple. I love her. He was very wooden. I can understand the fear of moving from friendship into a relationship, but the back and forth was irritating.
-The ending was too rushed.
-FL's little brother's expressions were actually scary.

However:
-I loved the building where they met for their club. Mysterious rooms, ever-changing themes (where did they get all their clothes though?), bright colors, etc.
-ML was never swayed from liking the FL. It didn't hurt that he looks an awful lot like Woo Do Hwan! When he was worried about her and slept on the porch outside her apartment - cute!
-The others in the group. I liked how they were different ages and were able to see and speak to things that the teens couldn't see. When they confronted the bully, that was well done.
-The friendships that the ML and the FL had.

Overall, it was a fun watch.

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The drama is not good

The 10 Reasons Why The Early Spring is an ordinary, unrealistic, baseless, and one-dimensional drama! This is based on various Chinese entertainment videos that I watched in the U. S. that discussed about the current C-ent dramas, etc. This is not saying anything about the actor or actress real real life, their real issues, etc. Although I do not find Jing Bo Ran as good looking, charming and/or better acting than Xu Kai Cheng in Well-Intended Love I and II. This article is about the drama itself and my perspectives about Jing Bo Ran and Sun Qian's role as Luke and Flora and what I think of their acting performance. I think Sun Qian is better looking, better acting, etc. As a 45 years old Asian female who is currently living in the U. S. since 1990s, I have watched Chinese-speaking dramas from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and China since 1990s and have seen this evolvement into baseless, unrealistic, mediocre web drama about work place and mixing romantic issues for certain niche market.

I don't get paid or anything to write this article. This is from my authentic personal opinions after watching various C-ent videos in English discussing about the drama, clips on weibo mobile app to see what the romance and acting are about, the sypnosis, etc.

I believe that there are many people who are looking for dramas to watch all over the world so they're checking it out so people are attracted to light dramas, etc.

1) This is written from a web novel so the same repackaging and by screenwriters who are interested in commercializing the drama without any sense of the real world. Same old thing about CEO lacking EQ toward the female so it's one dimensional. Why do 45 years old women are interested in this about boss when his social issue is about toward love, which is personal subjective opinions. I believe 45 years old women who are working would be more interesting in office issues. Lacking social issues toward an individual that Luke likes does not mean that he lacks social skill. How can someone lack social skill can run an advertising firm?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmnVG6e_fJY - Marcus here

2) This drama is about the advertising industry, which is an industry in decline. Luke, the character played by Jing Bo Ran wears clothing as if the company rakes in a lot of money like an investment banker or high-end law firm. It would be more realistic if this office setting take place in a marketing firm of a larger company. Even in the U. S., the advertising industry is in decline. Companies have internal marketing department nowadays more.

3) As for Luke's EQ of helping Flora getting better paid, overtime, etc. The adverting industry is not a blue-collar industry. It's a professional services industry so overtime is not something that the ad industry would offer, which is in major cities, etc. This is why all kinds of web writer and screenwriters are working within their exclusive groups who know no real world, thinking they can replicate the same formula, etc. without any reality, human relationship issues, etc. Also, the ad industry is not a sales and commission job unless the job is a sales job so a person would have to wait until the end of the year to get a bonus if there are revenues. Also, the manager would have to see visibility for next year's revenue to give some bonus at the end of the year. If Flora or any employee is on a trial for work, then after 6 months, it can be reevaluated for compensation, etc. Or otherwise, entry-level jobs generally starts out the same fixed salary with potential bonus at the end of the year for the industry. Flora is his girlfriend and he is her boss so there is potential conflicts of interests. Also, if you're paying someone more, then what other people who also put in the work and want better pay.

4. I believe this kind of drama is bad for young women because why would someone hire you and then say you're not qualified to work there. If you watch The Devil Wears Prada, the editor is also tough so it's best not to over exaggerate these kinds of words. How many of you in these regular admin jobs are actually the best and brightest?

5) From Chasing Dramas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpwF52DWdJ8 - at 10:53
Also, Youku marketed the sypnosis of this drama on MDL and on Youku's platform is not the same. On Youku's sypnosis started with "The forbidden love..." There's nothing forbidden love about this.

6) If people are saying they're working hard, how come people have time to watch these dramas on a daily basis when the episodes are released. I also noticed that many women who are watching this are in comfortable admin job with their laptops with the couple on their screenshot. If you're complaining about your fat and/or low EQ bosses, then how come you still have time to watch this drama, which should not be your priority? In Japan, employees would wait for their managers to go home and then go home, which is a horrible culture that I do not believe China has. Also, there are woman in China making more than 2M Yuan!

7) This is not a good drama for young men to watch because it's not realistic, one-dimensional, etc. when it comes to how to help women with their pay, etc. It's popular in less developed and/or traditional countries like China, all parts of Asia and some parts of Europe but not the U. S. or western democratic Europe. If you want to watch for some light romantic parts when they're in private, then it's fine. I already watched some of them on weibo mobile apps, then watch for that only. There are scenes like Flora helping with his shaving, etc., which is something you already know. The kisses are not any better than Ten Years Late, Got a Crush on You or other dramas from other actors or actresses, etc.

8) I believe Youku belonged to Alibaba and is much a bigger company than 10 years ago, etc. so the people who work on these dramas are the same web writers, screenwriters, producers, etc. so they can also subscribe on Netflix, then Netflix would pay them a nice licensing fee, but Netflix is only 2.4M views because they cannot make other people who is not getting paid in any form or shape to watch a drama. Other people are looking for a drama to watch so they look at dramas all over the world, and the number of views is an easy metric to go by. The same with Tencent too. The same issue with bs writer unions that cannot produce a decent screenplay!

9) As for fashion, trying to do a v-shape, the actor is not as attractive, and he's not that big so having wearing overfit clothing is kind of out of shape, etc. I am sure men would not wear tight clothing, but wearing overfit clothing can look cumbersome when you have to work around to do business, etc. Also, the industry is not doing well even the in the U. S. so how come he's wearing clothing as a high-end investment banker so then, how come he would have money to pay his employees if he's wearing really expensive clothing!

10) This article has nothing about the actors' lives, etc. and about their roles in The Early Spring and their acting abilities based on my authentic subjective perspectives.

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It was indeed sexy and unexpectedly good

I had absolutely no expectations when I decided to watch this show, but it turned out to be surprisingly entertaining and kept me hooked with its unusual story. A young man who is curious about intimacy crosses paths with an older man who is very attractive physically. The casting was perfect for the characters.

The drama was playful, funny, and enjoyable to watch. Okumi really knows how to please Ainosuke, and that “itadakimasu” scenes always made me laugh. Their dynamic has such an interesting combination of sassiness and confidence, which adds even more flavor and charm to the drama.

The plots are pretty average, but the chemistry and interactions between the characters really elevated the entertainment factor. There was no unnecessary heavy drama, and both of them experienced satisfying development throughout the story. They truly had each other’s backs, both literally and metaphorically.

Overall, it’s quirky, lighthearted, funny, and works especially well because of the chemistry between the two leads. Definitely not a drama I expected to enjoy this much and I’m glad I gave it a chance.

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Strong at first

The story opens with an intriguing and mysterious atmosphere, easily raising expectations for a thrilling ride ahead. However, as the plot unfolds, it quickly gets bogged down in tired tropes and forced situations. Instead of resolving conflicts through intelligence or logic, the narrative relies on characters making mind-numbing decisions that defy basic human sense. These irrational choices happen so frequently that it becomes obvious the writer is just desperately trying to stretch the running time.

Because of some high reviews here I gave it a try but it turned out to be a complete disaster. I only wish I could turn back time and never ever started watching this slapstick, it would have been more thrilling watching paint dry. So many logic errors and impIausible plots, worst mini series I ever watched.

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Masterpiece satire of adult and teen life, really fun

This kdrama is super sophisticated. First, the filming, the music, the acting, the scenes, everything is done with amazing creativity, precision and quality. It is a masterpiece.

Most importantly, this kdrama is an exaggerated and metaphorical view of adult and teen life, and requires ability to laugh at oneself, as it shows us what we are really like. The dialogues and scenes are profound.

Mad Concrete Dreams is not exactly like this. It is also a snowballing disaster but ... it is based on greed, and not so loving as this drama :)

This drama shows "decent families" that protect each other and care for each other, and just have a few problems :) You get to see the snowballing chaos caused by a spoiled brat teenager, who is lying to their caring - and faulty - parents :)

The theme of this drama is realistic family life, with all its crises and patches... No matter what happened, each family ends up as a strong unit.

So this drama requires audience that has life experience and ability to think and laugh at itself and life. Ppl who do not have that, will likely give this drama a low rating

Imo this is 9 or 9.5/10 drama - and not a 10 only because it is without meaningful SOLUTIONS. It is only "fun," only a satire, it lacks the deep lasting profound life-lesson messages/solutions required for a 10 star drama.

For solutions, we need another drama from this crew :)

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The Early Spring, or How to Turn a Workplace Complaint Into a Love Story

I wasn't actually planning to review The Early Spring.

I put it on hold once, came back, made it to episode 13 and finally accepted that my grown-up self was objecting more often than my drama-watching self was having fun.

Truthfully, judging purely by where I thought the writing was heading, I probably wouldn't have made it past episode 3.

Somehow I made it to episode 13.

This is what happens when a questionable script is surrounded by attractive people, good styling and Jing Boran looking emotionally unavailable in expensive coats.

I am not immune.

Put that man in a tasteful knit sweater, give him unresolved emotional issues and let him stare pensively through an office window, and apparently my critical judgment develops a ten-episode processing delay.

So believe me, I understand the appeal.

Unfortunately, eventually the paperwork cleared.

And underneath all the talk about how "realistic," "mature" and refreshingly adult this romance is, I kept finding something much more familiar: a fairly conventional workplace fantasy that has discovered sex, muted cinematography and better tailoring.

Which, admittedly, is excellent rebranding.

To be fair, there are things The Early Spring does well.

It looks good. The production is polished without becoming excessively glossy, and the advertising setting gives the drama a distinctive environment for the romance. There are recognizable elements of workplace ambition, exhaustion, competition and hierarchy, even if I don't always buy the situations built around them.

Sun Qian gives Shang Zhitao an appealing awkwardness early on. She feels inexperienced without being completely incapable, and I liked watching her slowly find her footing.

And Jing Boran is extremely well cast as Luan Nian.

That is actually important, because Luan Nian is a character who depends enormously on the audience wanting to keep looking at him long enough to discover what exists underneath all that arrogance.

Jing Boran makes that very easy.

Possibly too easy.

There is also chemistry between the leads. Some of their attraction develops nicely through irritation, observation, proximity and those tiny shifts where two people start paying suspiciously close attention to someone they supposedly don't care about.

I understand why people are hooked.

And yes, chemistry matters enormously in a romance. But if "the chemistry is amazing" has become the final defense of a twenty-four-episode drama, I do start wondering what exactly the other twenty-three hours are supposed to be doing.

Chemistry is the spark. Long-form storytelling is supposed to build the fire.

That's the whole advantage of the format. It has time for attraction to become intimacy, intimacy to reveal character, conflict to produce consequences and those consequences to actually change people.

If two charismatic actors looking very good while wanting each other is enough to carry the entire thing, then we've reduced long-form romance to a short drama with longer loading times.

Watchability and good storytelling aren't the same thing.

My problem is what the screenplay keeps asking me to interpret as complexity.

Take Shang Zhitao's job interview. She is invited into a supposedly elite advertising company despite lacking the experience they apparently want, only for Luan Nian to point out those deficiencies during the interview.

Presumably somebody possessed her résumé before she entered the building.

But perhaps HR was going through something.

She gets hired anyway, of course, because this isn't really recruitment.

It's destiny wearing an employee badge.

Then there is the strange recurring pattern where Luan Nian behaves unnecessarily badly and somewhere inside the behavior we are expected to discover a lesson.

He humiliates, but he's teaching.

He dismisses, but he's observing.

He wastes her time, but he's teaching her that her time is valuable.

Which is certainly one way to do it.

Another might be not wasting it.

At some point I stopped watching a manager and started watching a handsome corporate escape room.

Find the hidden lesson before your self-esteem expires.

And this is where the "realistic workplace" argument starts losing me.

Yes, parts of the environment are recognizable. Young employees get exploited. Offices have hierarchies. People work ridiculous hours. Colleagues dump work on one another. Bosses can be arrogant. Talented people can also be terrible managers.

All true.

But recognizable details don't automatically make the machinery around them realistic.

Shang Zhitao gets pushed around.

Luan Nian appears.

She works late.

Luan Nian appears.

She needs a ride home.

Somewhere, Luan Nian's car senses narrative opportunity.

The company may have several departments, but the screenplay has one:

Romance Logistics.

And this is also where The Early Spring starts feeling like part of a larger trend I've been noticing in long-form dramas lately:

the short-drama recipe has escaped containment.

Manufactured proximity, convenient coincidences, sexual tension and carefully timed emotional spikes aren't inherently bad storytelling. Short dramas practically run on them, and they're effective for a reason: they keep people watching.

But effectiveness at holding attention isn't necessarily the same thing as effectiveness at telling a story.

Long-form has something short-form doesn't: time. Time to let attraction become intimacy, conflict produce consequences and characters actually change between plot beats rather than because the next one requires it.

Borrowing short-form's immediacy isn't the problem.

Letting immediacy replace development is.

When long-form starts borrowing short-form's addiction to immediate payoff while abandoning its own patience, we end up with an interesting exchange:

short-form storytelling with long-form running times.

And considering how enthusiastically the industry seems to be experimenting with it, it will be interesting to see where that eventually takes long-form drama.

At this rate, AI may not even get the chance to ruin it.

The writers may beat it to the job.

I just wish we'd stop confusing the absence of accidental kisses and cartoon CEOs with documentary realism.

The same applies to the relationship.

I have absolutely no problem with flawed people falling in love. In costume dramas I have watched couples survive attempted murder and thought, "you know what, I see the vision."

My issue isn't that Luan Nian is difficult.

My issue is that backstory is not character development.

Learning why someone behaves the way they do can make that person understandable. It can create sympathy. It can add context.

But explanation isn't transformation.

Knowing why somebody keeps setting the kitchen on fire doesn't make the kitchen less on fire.

And "he's flawed" cannot become a universal diplomatic passport that gets a character through every checkpoint.

Of course he's flawed.

So is Shang Zhitao.

She can be insecure, avoidant and frustratingly poor at communicating. In fact, the potentially interesting story here isn't "toxic man versus innocent woman" at all. It's two people whose weaknesses fit together terribly well: one has too much pride; the other begins with too little confidence.

That's interesting.

What bothers me is the power structure underneath it.

Luan Nian begins as the established superior: professionally secure, socially confident and holding actual authority in the workplace. Shang Zhitao begins as the inexperienced subordinate trying to establish herself.

That doesn't mean they can never have an equal relationship.

It means the drama has given itself the responsibility of convincingly showing how they get there.

And maybe the remaining eleven episodes eventually do.

But thirteen episodes is a fairly generous amount of time to ask me to keep waiting for the relationship to become the relationship the drama apparently wants me to believe in.

Up to the point where I stopped, the trajectory felt less like:

they grow toward equality

and more like:

she grows until she becomes worthy of standing beside him.

Those are not quite the same story.

And then we arrive at my favorite word surrounding this drama:

realistic.

They fight?

Realistic.

They misunderstand each other?

Realistic.

They have sex without immediately discussing marriage?

Adults!

They spend years struggling to communicate?

Finally, a drama understands relationships!

By this standard, half of Reddit qualifies as cinéma vérité.

Yes, people really do stay in unhealthy relationships. People sleep with people who are bad for them. They fail to communicate. They repeat patterns. They love people who frustrate them. They waste years. They change. Sometimes they eventually make it work.

All realistic.

But something being possible in real life doesn't automatically make its depiction psychologically convincing or its storytelling realistic.

People also win lotteries.

The screenplay still has to sell me the ticket.

And if we're going to invoke realism so enthusiastically, there is another perfectly realistic ending available:

Shang Zhitao grows up, becomes professionally secure, looks back at six years of emotional exhaustion and sends Luan Nian directly to a thousand hells.

Then she chooses her career.

Or herself.

Or another man.

Or nobody.

And Luan Nian's eventual emotional awakening becomes what emotional awakenings very often are in real life:

too late.

That would be realistic too.

Instead, we know what kind of story we're watching. All this messiness is ultimately moving toward romantic permanence.

And that's fine.

It's a romance.

But then perhaps dysfunction shouldn't automatically become evidence of realism simply because the happy ending takes six years to arrive.

Which brings me back to the reason I somehow lasted ten episodes longer than expected.

Take away the styling, the chemistry and all the attractive people. Take Jing Boran out of those suits, coats and strategically deployed states of undress, and leave the writing to fend for itself.

Would I still have made it to episode 13?

Absolutely not.

I would have been gone by episode 3 with remarkable efficiency.

So while the writing never quite managed to convince me, the eye candy clearly mounted a heroic delaying action.

Ten extra episodes is no small achievement.

And I do understand why the drama works for so many people. There is chemistry. There are good performances and appealing scenes. The production has atmosphere. The characters aren't sanitized into perfect romantic leads, and if you're tired of sugary modern romances, I can see why this feels like a more interesting alternative.

Where I part ways is with the idea that messiness itself proves maturity, or that finding this relationship unconvincing means failing to understand its characters.

Sometimes two viewers understand exactly what a drama is doing and simply disagree about whether it works.

That's criticism.

And perhaps that's why I finally wrote this review.

People should be able to enjoy The Early Spring without having to defend it as a masterclass in realistic relationships.

And the rest of us should be allowed to look at the same six-year romantic journey and conclude that Luan Nian being complicated doesn't automatically make the writing around him complex.

I understood him.

I just didn't particularly want another eleven episodes with him.

So after two attempts, thirteen episodes and a heroic amount of assistance from Jing Boran's face, I finally dropped The Early Spring.

My drama brain considered continuing.

My grown-up brain filed a workplace complaint.

For once, management listened.

The coat remains excellent.

5/10. Half the points may or may not be wearing Jing Boran.

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Entertaining mindless corruption meets cuteness

This drama is in no way a masterpiece, nor dees it have anything new to bring to the table but it works. Plot predictable as it may be has a decent pace and keeps things going from start to finish.

Does everything make perfect sense? No

Where there moments of over acting? Yes

Did I need to use my brain? No, not for one second. Which made this a decent de stress waiting for the last episodes of my other de-stress drama to come out.

The leads are attractive, their chemistry and acting is good. The development is nice and there are a lot of haertflutteing moments making me go oooh how cute. The friendships are decent too.

Making it lovely binge.

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A horrible mom makes for an interesting show

After the disaster that was Only You I couldn’t even make it past episode 1 In Love Forever was actually a really pleasant surprise. I found the series genuinely interesting because of the topics it explores: the control and manipulation of toxic parents, the responsibility children can feel toward their parents, and how a married couple deals with the struggles within their marriage.

Runch and Neen’s relationship… Honestly, what they go through is so unfair. You know they deeply love each other, but they can’t even live their relationship peacefully because Runch’s mother is completely insane and extremely controlling. And when you finally find out the reasons behind her behavior… it’s absolutely ridiculous.

But let’s talk about THE standout character of this series: Kingkamol. Yes, I hated her from beginning to end, but why is this woman so funny?! She was honestly the best entertainment in the entire show. THIS is what I call a proper drama villain: she is literally willing to do ANYTHING to stop her daughter from ending up with her love interest.

And Runch, my little cutie pie… I absolutely loved her character. She’s going through it from every possible direction: her mother is controlling, mean, and toxic, she gets bullied at work, and on top of that, everyone thinks she only got her job because her wife has a higher position than her. Seriously, being Runch is NOT easy. She deserved so much better.

Episode 11, though, is literally the worst episode of the entire series. Throughout the show, Neen is constantly suffering physically, and it all gets brushed aside like it’s nothing. That really frustrated me. And I especially hated that Kingkamol got a redemption arc after she literally destroyed her daughter’s marriage. Runch truly deserved better parents.

Thankfully, the ending satisfied me. I really wanted Runch to stop talking to her mother, AND I GOT EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED.

Overall, I absolutely loved watching this series. I feel like I’m in the minority here, but honestly, it was such an entertaining lakorn. I had so much fun watching it, and I genuinely got attached to the characters.

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Cute, Chaotic, and Completely Addictive

This is a sweet, funny and incredibly easy-to-watch university BL that doesn't try to reinvent the genre. Instead, it takes a familiar setup and fills it with enough charm, chaos and genuinely lovable characters to make it work.
The story follows Duang, an energetic and hopelessly enthusiastic university student who immediately falls for Qin, a popular but incredibly reserved music student. While Duang has absolutely no intention of hiding his feelings, Qin is basically the human equivalent of a locked door. So naturally, Duang decides that the only reasonable thing to do is to keep knocking until Qin lets him in. And honestly? Watching him try is half the fun.

Duang could have been an extremely annoying character. He is loud, dramatic, impulsive, ridiculously optimistic and completely incapable of hiding how he feels about Qin. But somehow, it works. His exaggerated reactions, silly plans and endless determination to win Qin over gave the drama most of its comedic energy. Yes, sometimes Duang is a lot. But that's exactly what makes him Duang. And what I appreciated even more is that beneath all the comedy, he's actually a genuinely good person. He's sincere. He's supportive. He's affectionate without being ashamed of it. And most importantly, he doesn't give up on Qin simply because Qin isn't immediately capable of giving him what he wants.

If Duang is sunshine at maximum brightness, Qin is basically a rainy day. He's quiet, guarded and emotionally difficult to read.
At first, it can be tempting to think that he's simply cold or uninterested, but the drama slowly reveals that there is much more going on underneath. Qin has learned to keep people at a distance, and watching those walls gradually come down was one of my favorite parts of the story.
I particularly liked that the drama doesn't suddenly transform him into a completely different person once he falls for Duang.
He's still reserved. He's still cautious. He still struggles with expressing what he feels. But little by little, he starts allowing Duang into his world.

Duang is constantly moving toward Qin, while Qin spends half the drama wondering what on earth to do with this human ray of sunshine who has decided to make him the center of his universe. The contrast between them creates most of the comedy, but it also gives the romance its emotional foundation. Their chemistry isn't based solely on physical attraction.It's in the little things. The looks. The awkward pauses. The moments when Qin starts smiling without realizing it. And, most importantly, the way their relationship gradually becomes less about Duang chasing Qin and more about Qin choosing to let Duang stay.

I genuinely laughed a lot while watching this. The comedy is intentionally exaggerated, with physical humor, dramatic reactions, playful sound effects and Duang's increasingly ridiculous attempts to get closer to Qin.
Some of it is completely absurd. And that's exactly why it works.
Duang's friends are also a huge part of this. Jamie and Pae are basically the supportive friends everyone needs when you're making terrible romantic decisions. They know Duang is probably being ridiculous. They encourage him anyway.

One of the things I appreciated most is how gradually the relationship changes both characters. Duang starts out believing that persistence is enough. Qin starts out believing that keeping people away is safer. Neither of them is completely right.
As they grow closer, Duang learns that loving someone also means understanding their boundaries and their emotional needs.
Qin learns that accepting affection isn't a weakness. Their relationship therefore becomes more than just "sunshine character falls for cold character." They actually make each other better.

Duang With You is sweet, funny, warm and surprisingly comforting.
Sometimes you need to watch a ridiculously enthusiastic guy fall hopelessly in love with a beautiful, emotionally unavailable musician and spend twelve episodes making everyone around him deal with it.
It's cute without being completely empty, funny without taking away from the emotional moments, and romantic without needing to constantly manufacture unnecessary drama.

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