Reviews

Excessive and forced

I really wanted to like this series particularly because the male lead does have a good look for the roles that he plays. Unfortunately, I also dropped his other series (Fangs of Fortune) and now I'm also dropping this one. And after this, he seems pretty one-note or maybe he just isn't being cast well.

The pacing is really slow and the ML/FL interactions are just ridiculously overdone. The whole staring at each other closely in the eyes and excessive seduction scenes this early on are likely for fans who like these actors for their looks. The main plot hints towards something more interesting but definitely not enough to bypass the over-dramatizations. Too bad as the rest of the cast have been decent but it plunders if the ML/FL aren't impressive.

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Romance and fetching frisbee

Modern plot of fluffy office romance between FL who is an intern in the company and CEO ML who is dealing with a secret condition. One day FL accidentally discovers his secret which leads to their entanglement and further falling for each other. The plot is silly but adorable. Chen fang tong and cheng lei made a good couple .. I can't say their chemistry with each other was the best they have with any co actor but it was workable. The Music and aesthetics of the set were pleasing. I only thing missing was a hint of intimacy in the climax, cause for FL and ML to fall in love despite his secret, the ending felt a bit plastic and underwhelming.

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Bitch, what the fuck

I'm really not quite sure what this was. It was a short drama that I discovered in my first period class today, and then I just now finished it, and it was lowkey a waste of time. I would give it like a 7.5 out of 10. I'm going to say what I liked, what I didn't like, and then my overall notes on the show. But I can save you my terrible review and tell you watch this if you want to see one really tall Japanese guy flirt with a less tall Japanese guy, but they're not actually flirting, and it's like watching two brick walls try to speak to each other. Don't watch this if you don't want to see that.

Starting off with things I liked, I feel like if this wasn't 30 minutes of just straight bullshit and it was like 12 episodes or longer, this could have been really good because the idea is good. I like their interactions with one another, and my only example is from episode 2, where he's like hugging him in bed. I have no idea why they're in bed together, but they were, and it was kind of cute, and then I was like oh I can't wait for more moments like that. I then ate my words because there weren't any more cute moments until the very end. A cute one-sided crush thing that was lowkey double-sided, but the guy was hella in denial despite us starting the show with him daydreaming about his best friend asking him out like the fuck? Whoever played the taller guy in the main couple was sexy as fuck. I don't know if it was the haircut or the fact that he was a little bit tall and a little bit built like a tree, but he was really sexy. This was a very basic Japanese BL with like the oh I like my childhood friend or whatever, and my childhood friend has a fuck ass haircut, but for what it was, I did kind of like it, like it wasn't a hard watch, but it was just your basic Japanese BL. The second guy in the couple, who wasn't the tall guy, had these big bug eyes, and he was low-key kind of cute, but his haircut was not it; he looked like he was 12. Our main couple has a gnarly height difference, and it's a damn shame they didn't use it. They didn't have a single kiss in this, but they could have had some fire kisses with that fuck ass high difference. I like the dynamic between the extrovert and the introvert. And that's kind of all the stuff I liked in this show.

With things I hate, this whole fucking show was dog water. They need to go back to the drawing board, rip the paper, and then jump off the school building where this whole thing took place. Also, they jumped around a lot, like in the second episode, we were doing something completely different. I was like what are we even doing right now. Another thing, they needed to make the dream sequences clearer because just because there's a little bit of whimsicalness on the screen, it doesn't make it a dream, bro. I just thought it was glitchy, like what the fuck? Going back to jumping around, we jumped the gun so much despite this literally being like 30 episodes, why did he confess to him like the third episode, like what? I don't even know who these people are. I don't have any reason to care, and we're just going to be like oh I like this guy, bitch ain't nobody give a fuck. There were four people in this entire show, and they were all irrelevant. And every single girl in this had the same haircut. There were like three different girl characters; they all had the same haircut. I had no idea who was who. There was a random bullshit misunderstanding. I don't know why they did that. The guy with the big bug eyes is the stupidest mother fucking bitch I've ever met in my entire fucking life. Like bitch don't piss me off. You know your friend fucking likes you, you have known from the start, but you just wanted to waste my fucking time. But you're playing on my phone. The confession was very on the nose and a little bit awkward. There is zero plot building (AND ROMANCE BUILDING, BUT THAT’S FINE) in this entire show, like just dumping us in here for no reason. This show is going by very quickly, but time was also standing still, and I don't know why that happened, but oh my God, we need to pace this show better. And that is all of the stuff I didn't like in the show, mostly the whole show.

I took all my notes on paper during my class because we weren't supposed to have our electronics out, and we were watching the same stupid video that we've watched like one time already, so I was trying to be nonchalant about it, hence me writing this on paper. My first note was these guys look 30 LMAO. (I just got clowned on by one of my roommates for writing my review on paper). I did not read the description of this show, and I was watching this with no sound in my class. And the rest of the notes that I took, I put in what I like to what I didn't like.

If you want to waste your time and watch two mediocre, sexy Japanese guys not kiss or flirt, then this one is for you. If you don't want to do that, I do not recommend this fuck ass show. Okay bye!

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Not worth watching it

I just finished watching this, and I can confidently say it’s not worth it. The story feels loose, slow, and painfully boring. Taishin is portrayed as an ignorant rural guy—to the point where it almost seems like he came to Tokyo from a completely isolated society. Nearly every line he has is either a question or something he doesn’t understand.

The secondary characters don’t add anything meaningful to the story. The episodes are slow, cringe-worthy, and honestly hard to watch. I kept giving it second chances, hoping it would pick up or take an interesting turn, but it never did. I even had to watch it at 2x speed because it felt so stagnant—no progress, no real entertainment.

Ironically, the episode after the finale was the best part. The girl documenting Takaro and Taishin’s relationship was actually interesting, and I wish they had introduced her much earlier. Also, Taishin comes across as such a stalker—it’s hard to believe a situation like that would realistically happen.

I also wish they had included more scenes with Takaro’s mom. Overall, truly not worth your time.

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Started off decent before it trails off...

The plot started off pretty well with engaging characters and good pacing. But for some reason, the dialogue starts to increasingly becomes more bland and both the plot and character developments just drops off a cliff.

Although the ML and the FL were decent individually, they didn't do a good job building up their chemistry. And from far away, one can see a good story but it starts to crumble with random inserts of events and people. It's as if they weren't sure how to connect the dots and just threw scenes in abruptly to fill in the blanks. The mysteries behind all the cover-ups are compelling for me to want to finish series but I've lost feeling any connection to any of the characters. It's a good-looking cast so it likely will still appeal to a wide audience (except they used slightly too much of that whitening filter).

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"You actually watch this s**t?"

This is the kind of BL that, if one of my normal, non-BL friends IRL watched it with me, they would turn and ask, "You actually watch this shit?" lol

By far, the best thing about the show is the love/sex scenes.
From acting, to blocking, to cinematography, they are feature film level.
Which is why I suspect a director other than the series's credited director handled them. Not kidding, they are that different and that much better.

There are far too many ridiculous plot holes and inconsistencies to mention, so I won't. If you choose to watch, skip ahead to the sex scenes. I think there are only three and a half of them, though.

As for the MLs, they'd do better to establish a co-OnlyFans account and stop inflicting their non-sexual acting upon us.

4/10 (For the four sex scenes.)

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Loved This Series

I know there are people who have complaints about this series, but I’m just not one of them. Although I suppose if I had to pick something the keeping track of what time. We were in was a little confusing but overall I loved this show. I thought it was just long enough . I loved all of the actors the main couple clearly, but even the supporting actors were all excellent. I thought the cinematography was beautiful. I thought the music surprisingly was very well done especially in the NC scenes this light piano music was always very lovely. I just thought it was great.

I wish there was more Korean BL of this caliber. Just loved it. I think it was a gorgeous love story even with the sadness of some of the plot points, which I will leave out because I finished it on fast track so lots of people haven’t seen it yet. In any event, I would rewatch this absolutely, and while I’m sure there are some valid criticisms, when I finish a show and my first thought is wow that was great then I want to give it a review right away. Kudos to the main actors, really really enjoyed them.

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A shared offering of the heart written together, across time

Some stories break your heart… and some, very rarely, come back to heal it. Forever and Ever is the latter.

As a companion to One and Only, this drama doesn’t try to recreate the tragedy but completes it. Where the former was defined by restraint, silence, and duty, this one is built on presence, choice, and quiet certainty. It feels less like a sequel and more like a promise finally kept.

What makes this series stand out is its gentleness. There are no grand conflicts or overwhelming twists but still enough to create tension. There are painful moments, ebb and flows, as every story should be. A yet it focuses on the beauty of the ordinary like shared meals, soft conversations, touches and lingering glances. And yet, because we carry the memory of their past life, these simple moments feel deeply significant. Every touch not withheld, every word spoken aloud, becomes an act of redemption.

The relationship here is not dramatic, it is intentional. It grows steadily, grounded in mutual respect and emotional security. This is what their love might have always been, had time and circumstance been kinder. Watching it unfold feels less like falling in love and more like finally coming home.

The symbolic “fu” (上共賦) in the Imperial Park captures the essence of the story. Traditionally a poetic expression, here it feels like a shared offering, something written not just in words, but across lifetimes. It represents what was once left unsaid, now quietly fulfilled. Their love no longer needs to fight to exist; it simply does. “What we could not say then, we inscribe now, not in words alone, but in the life we are finally allowed to live.”

If One and Only was about love constrained, then Forever and Ever is about love realized. It doesn’t erase the pain of the past, it honors it by allowing something whole to grow in its place.

And that is what makes this story so memorable: not just that it made us feel the loss, but that it gave us the rare gift of resolution.

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A long, long journey filled with hardship yet unwavering loyalty

To give some context, this was by no means a drama I was super into since the beginning. Actually, I was very close to dropping this drama. I was just so bored; the pacing was painfully slow. However, something deep inside me made me pick it up and tough it through- curiosity of the schemes and how the drama would redeem itself story-wise. I'm glad I did, it was worth watching for me. I cannot say the same for others, though. It definitely will not be everyone's cup of tea, so I strongly recommend the decision to watch, of one's own accord. If you do decide to watch, tough it out through the first 15 episodes, and it will get better.

Story: I think the story had potential. The characters were beautifully written. I appreciate how every decision the characters made was true to themselves. The schemes took time to build up and unravel, but were engaging enough for me to tough it out. I honestly find 40 episodes for this plot to be ridiculous. It should have been 36 episodes, max, and that is pushing it. I docked off 3 stars for the misuse of flashback scenes (too many and some were repetitive), pacing (some side characters were unnecessary and contributed minimally to the plot; talking scenes could have been replaced with more action scenes). My issue with this drama was the inconsistent pacing: painfully slow in the beginning, improved in the middle, dragged again, picked up again near the ending. If there wasn't a 1.5x button, I very well may have dropped this drama.

That being said, the scenes that did matter portrayed hardship and didn't shy away from suffering, tragedy, and obstacles. I do appreciate the themes in this drama- undying loyalty, friendship, family, love, and difficult, difficult decision-making. The characters showed us all sides of these, and there were numerous moments when even I myself couldn't even process how a decision could be made. It was deep with lots of challenging decision-making moments (What do you do when you're caught between your loved ones, the right thing to do, and the consequences? What truly matters most in that very moment?)

Regarding the romance- yes, the romance was there and was worth watching. Jiang Ci and Wei Zhao's chemistry was unexpectedly so good. It was also just the perfect amount of romance in between all of the dark schemes. I would say it was about 40% romance.

The ending was sad and tragic, but it actually wrapped up everything in the drama well. This is much better than those happy endings that are so forced that they leave you feeling empty and unsatisfied. The ending made sense. Realistically, if the emperor is your enemy, you're bound to sacrifice/die in return for your lifelong wish, if you're lucky.

Acting/Cast: This was the show's saving grace. The strongest backbone holding this drama together was the cast and their acting. The acting was PHENOMENAL. The cast really brought every one of their roles alive. They were fully immersed in their characters, it was impressive to watch. Not a single flaw. To top it off, everyone was good-looking. No one was miscast.

Ren Jialun was dashing, and every time he showed up on screen, I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was incredibly charismatic and charming. He was the perfect person to play Wei Zhao. This was my second drama of Landy Li (loved her acting in The Starry Love, but chemistry was a bit lacking on her side), but this time she pleasantly impressed me. Her acting was so different from her role in The Starry Love. She was the perfect Jiang Ci. Her chemistry with Ren Jialun on screen was off the charts. In the beginning, I didn't see any chemistry at all, but throughout the drama, I was thoroughly convinced by their love and loyalty towards each other. Despite everything, Jiang Ci couldn't abandon Wei Zhao, and he did everything in his power to keep her safe while constantly restoring her freedom, only for her to come back for him. Neither of their decisions were to blame, it aligned with their natures. Jeremy Xu was amazing as always. He was the perfect Pei Yan. I hated him the most in the beginning, but after his mother was out of the picture, his character truly grew into the hero he was meant to be. The growth was incredible.

Music: I loved the music. It came at the right time, had the right vibe, everything was appropriate, and served its purpose.

Rewatch value: I personally would not rewatch it. It took me longer than usual to finish this drama since I really had to push myself, so I would not rewatch it. It was a one-time watch for me.

Overall, I can't say I would recommend this drama or if it was worth watching for others- it's really not everyone's cup of tea. I struggled through it, but it was worth it for me. Heavy on the politics, an appropriate amount of romance, and probably the most complex, top-tier level acting ever. It has its pros and cons. Not a perfect drama, but if you want to give it a try after reading all of the above, then it may be worth watching.

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One of the better Transmigration stories

The focus is on a kickass spunky gal who goes back in time to rectify the false charges against her family and save them from massacre. So, you say to yourself, "again?" yes, but this was actually rather watchable and not as frustrating as other "I've gone back in time" stories and as a mini drama, it's rather watchable. It is hard to find on the web as the title is only in Chinese characters and came across it at Dramabox Mini.

Also, the actor is a fav-he's great in My Fantastic Mrs. Right--Zhang Jiong Min.
And there's a small role for the ever good looking Hei Ze.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhkqJh_wSso
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPWXPdwEODo

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