Reviews

Comeback Relationship Trope

i didn't expect that this series would be good knowing that I'm not familiar with the main cast. but overall, this series is so underrated to the fact that i see negative comments here. those narrow minded people wouldn't understand how good the storyline as much as i do. it may be toxic to see for others since the other main character stuck on his ex but think of it as well that it also happens in real life. there are also exes who's going back to each other again. though i understand that they don't have a proper communication back then and it may look like a stupid reason to see for others but if you guys were on their shoes, it may be hard for you to tell since it's a huge problem to deal with.

i didn't expect as well for the plot twist in each episodes that make it more catchy to audiences. about the second couple situation, it's a shame that khun don died in an accident and it is only in pond's mind where he finally got a chance to say "i love you" to him. though it's already justified, but it would be better if khun don was alive so that they also have a moment together in the final episode.

but overall, this story is worth to watch and worth to rewatch as well, it justifies the bad reputation of someone who has coming back to his ex. it also proves here that "first love never dies" and it will always have a chance to comeback to each other again.

Read More

Intriguing Cases, Bland Romance

Tang Yingying is an accomplished senior lawyer in Shenzhen’s Chen Law Firm owned by her mentor cum father figure, while Kang Jun is recently hired Director that previously faced off with Tang Yingying in court. They started off on the wrong foot, with Tang Yingying having a certain dislike of him, frequently and subtly opposing her new boss in front and behind others. As they solved cases and headbutts each other profesionnally, they found that they were developing feelings for each other, just as Kang Jun about to leave the firm and accept another offer in his hometown Beijing.


This is my third show of Xin Zhilei. She is actually the reason I watched this and her performance definitely did not disappoint. She is ever so formidable as a tough-to-crack lawyer with solid conviction and belief on seeking for the truth. Her pairing with one playing Kang Jun is okay, as theyre both portraying a mature relationship. Although it’s because of this seemingly professional front that made the romance between them seem bland and lacks depth. Tang Yingying is more insteresting as the tough lawyer than a lovestruck woman.

I love their cases, each one able to invoke the emotion and relates to the ups and downs of the common people. Tang Yingying’s emotional burden for her father’s abandonment of her family that led to her mom’s death was written with significant growth that doesnt disappoint. I really liked how her relationship with her half sister progressed despite FL’s reluctance at first. I think theyre a great duo because Jiang Xiaoying (the sister) is as relentless and tough as the half elder sister that she used to hate but end up idolize in the middle of the show.

The only thing that seem to be different of this series than most legal-themed dramas that I’ve seen is there was no major case/grudge that usually becomes the main drive of the story amid the small easily solved cases.

Read More

Posted the review somewhere, but not here LOL

I started watching this when it first aired on iQiyi—right in the middle of the pandemic, when I was bored and just looking for anything to pass the time. I didn’t really expect much going in, but somehow, from the very first episode, it completely pulled me in. It just had that kind of effect.

Maybe it was Xu Kai—he looked especially attractive in this drama, like it was one of his best looks—or maybe it was the second lead, who also had me just as invested. Either way, the cast really did their job because I was hooked almost instantly. From then on, it became part of my routine to wait every week for new episodes, counting down the days like something to look forward to.

I honestly don’t even know how many times I’ve rewatched it at this point. I’ve lost count, but what’s crazy is that it still feels just as good every single time, like I’m experiencing it all over again for the first time. That kind of feeling is rare.

Of course, part of me wishes it had been longer because I wasn’t ready to let it go, but at the same time, I’m really satisfied that it ended on a happy note. It gave that sense of closure without taking away from the whole experience.

And the OSTs? Easily one of the best parts of the show. Every track just hits differently and makes the scenes even more memorable.

Read More

Zhang Linghe’s Charm and Chemistry Carried the Show

For those wondering, what’s the hype here?
Answer: the male lead’s character charm that’s worth “dying” for.

Every close-up shot of ZLH, the romantic scenes, the lines, the insane chemistry with the female lead, his "fatherly" moments with the kid, and all the classic rescuing (英雄救美) moments will have you smiling like an idiot in front of your screen. It’s the typical lonely, cold-blooded guy finding meaning in life after falling in love. Yes, you know it’s cliché, but people still eat it up, myself included. Honestly, this really is ZLH’s prime drama. The director clearly knows how to capture his best angles and make you fall for him.

In terms of plot, there are quite a lot of war scenes, which keeps things exciting through most of the drama, if you like fighting scenes. BUT, I do think it dipped a little towards the end. The climax wasn’t built strongly enough to really hit emotionally, and things got slightly messy when tying everything together. Still, overall it’s good.

As for the female lead (Chang Yu), I really loved her character at the start. She was cute and shy, yet also strong and brave as a butcher. But it kinda lost its charm later on after she became a general. She suddenly has a lot of pride and kept pushing away the male lead’s protective moments. I get that the plot was trying to make her an independent general, but it didn’t fully make sense to me. Honestly, she could have been just as strong as a powerful general’s wife. If you’ve watched other dramas focused on generals, you’ll know that becoming one requires experience in war strategy and leadership, not just the ability to strike and kill. Because of that, the “general” role felt a bit shallow, which is why I’m giving this a 9.0 instead of a full 10.

As for the side roles and stories, I personally didn’t enjoy the second couple’s abusive love dynamic, but I really loved the family and friendship arcs, like the two kiddos, the 杀猪小队 (Butcher Squad), the soldiers of Wu’an Hou, the Grand Tutor, and the villagers. Lastly, an honorable mention goes to Song Yan’s “shaming” scenes, so satisfying!

Read More

REGRET WATCHING

spoiler : THIS SHOW ENDS ON A CLIFFHANGER

So uh, i watched both seasons back to back i might mix up which plot was in which.

i have very chaotic thoughts about this season. the loudest of them is that im going to write my own fan fiction series to calm my mind after watching such a train wreck of a plot being made into a live action adaptation. I wish I was born in a country like Phillipines, i wouldve been able to write so much better books - which wouldve made so much better series. IF THE SHOWMAKERS ARE READING THIS REVIEW, I WANT TO MAKE A TV SERIES PLEASE HIRE ME!

*Clears throat* anyways, back to the topic,
1. The "love triangle" turns into "adultery" ? !?
2. Lots of revelation behind the toxic family of the problematic Male MC - Keifer
3. Attempt to make Yuri the bad guy but it still falls flat - IM TEAM YURI - if a choice must be made.
4. Detailed revelation about Jay -Jay's traumatisng childhood. Towards the end of the series i felt like reaching out through the screen and slapping her mom unconscious. Her cousin , aunt and grandma are very good godsent people.
5. There was a bit of a character arc of Male MC Keifer before all of it went to trash and his character devolved to -100000 in the last ep.
6. i still dislike aries
7. some random inconsequential stuff revealed about other side characters
8. The series ends on a cliffhanger and apparently even the source books havent been completed yet
9. i have been strongly inspired to write my own fanfiction based on the series since it is almost an year and theres no news of a season 3 yet.

This series has successfully re-ignited the fire to write in a burnt out person like me
STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES IM GOING TO WRITE A FANFIC
which platform should i write it on pls suggest.

Read More

A whole lot of nothing ....

I came across a little bit of a trailer before starting this drama, and I was quite eager to watch it; in fact, I waited for it to be over so I could binge-watch it. However, I was quite disappointed. There were so many things about the drama that did not just sit right. I felt very unenthusiastic to the point that it took me about 5 episodes to even get interested in the story. I watched the first episode, and I was not grabbed by the story or the acting, but sometimes you have to watch another episode before you judge it, so I watched another, then another, until I was about 5 or 6 episodes in, and I was still not liking what I was watching. There was something about the story that just did not work, and although there are quite a lot of series with rich CEOs and struggling employees, this felt like it lacked enthusiasm. Although the whole pregnancy could have made this more interesting, there was something about the way the actors executed that felt low energy. I have watched other work with the male lead, and I was pretty disappointed that this drama didn't work the way I expected. I honestly don't know if it was the acting, the story, or the chemistry; it lacked a lot and just was not driving enough. There were lots of scenes that felt connected just because, and there was no proper flow. For example, the fact that the male lead could not touch someone's hand yet he managed to get someone pregnant...like how? And also the revenge was lightely exciting, but once they revealed the reason behind it, it felt not strong enough.

Read More

A Whole Lot Of NOTHING!

God it actually felt like I was watching a 5 filler episodes that included 20 song breaks, 30 cinematography breaks and a whole lot of yapping. This series just isn't it, it shouldn't even be considered a series, it was mainly a lot of talking as kind of like narration, and a lot of cinematography scenes which I will admit were stunning and thats why my rating isn't lower, and a lot of singing and just music being played, there was barely any action or acting going on, it just felt like a 1 hour long music video. Some of the songs were good, I will admit that. But I just don't see what the point of this was... like theres nothing really. And to top it off the ending... I wont spoil but lets be fr... And also the story just made 0 sense, like at all. And maybe it's the subtitles ruining this even more for me, maybe not. But this series is just lacking a lot. Don't recommend.

Overall: 5.5/10

Read More

Great Story, Production, Acting. Thank you to 2ML/2FL for Bringing the Sizzle

I'll be honest: I watch these things primarily for the romance, but good production values do go a long way toward my enjoyment. The military armor in this was stunning and got a workout in the exciting fight scenes. The story was excellent, lots of political intrigue, military battles and encampments, and only a tiny bit of humiliation, but none of the torture that you can find in these shows. That said, I was looking for the romance between the ML and FL to get "spicy" and I waited a very, very, very long time for not much payoff. I guess this was in keeping with the book, but to have so much palpable love with little follow through, with the FL pushing the ML away all the time, well, it made me feel bad for the ML. When we finally had the consummation scene, it was over in about two camera angles. I just feel like the ML was waiting for the FL to mature, but physically, she never really grew out of the Tom Girl stage. This is unfortunate since the story is primarily about her growth. Matching the FL's vibe, I think, kept Zhang Ling He's performance a bit immature as well, since he did not seem as weary and "grizzled" a warrior as someone with 10 years on the battle field would be. He had the harder time, because his role was to figure out the mystery, rather than to have any significant character development. (Therefore, it wasn't a performance on the level of "My Journey to You.") The saving grace was the performance of the 2nd leads, smoking hot Deng Kai and Snow Kong, who really brought the sizzle to the screen. Yet, I experienced mixed feelings here, since the 2FL's character was being forced into the relationship and the 2ML (Deng Kai) was undeniably crazy. Deng Kai often plays this role, but here he committed 1000% and was superb. He even did something good at the end for those who were rooting for him. Lin Mu Ra, who played his equally villainous brother was stellar as well. There were other romances, but nothing to write home about. So, even though Zhang Ling He, who is my most favorite ML (thinking "Story of Kunning Palace" and "The Princess Royal") was the lead, I was feeling as frustrated as his character probably was. Therefore, there are a number of other military/romance shows that I have liked a lot better, such as "Wonderland of Love" with Xu Kai and Jing Tian.

Read More

OK-OK

If you like a high school drama this might be enjoyable.

SPoiler: I dont recommend watching both seasons BECAUSE THE STORY IS INCOMPLETE. DONT WATCH IT.

Since im obviously very infuriated by this series, i will list down the elements of this season below. no pros cons this time.

1. Multi lead. 1 FL. many major side characters.
2. Very loud voices and shoutings.
3. 99% school setting - rich spoilt kids school - the last grade / std
4. lots of foreshadowing no closure (you think the closure will come in S2? ha! dream on!)
5. i know it would be called as triangle romance, but tbh it was just the FL trying to be friendly, and the 2 ML trying to revenge date her. theres no actual romance. All of these children have PTSD. I felt old watching this show. Im not even Old.
6. 'Meddler' FL, tries to help all the classmates with their life problems. TBH this was the only thing that kept this show interesting
7. The strong interpersonal relations between classmates - eventho they are back biting
8. Strong overprotective FL family
9. Every male MC in the show is a player / rake / playboy/ manwhore / douchebag / back stabber. Except the older cousin. hes actually nice but doesnt get much screentime.
10. Fiesty FL. She stupid tho she gets catfished. but ig thats a problem for the next season

DONT WATCH IT. THE OG BOOK ISNT EVEN COMPLETED
WATCHING THIS SERIES HAS INSPIRED ME TO WRITE MY OWN BOOK.

Read More

A Strong and Entertaining Drama That Runs Too Long

This is a very entertaining drama with strong characters and excellent acting. The cast fits their roles well, and that makes the performances feel natural and convincing. One of the show’s biggest strengths is how well the action, logic, and drama work together. Instead of feeling disconnected, these elements support each other and help the story stay engaging.

The beginning is especially strong. It draws the audience in quickly, introduces the characters effectively, and builds momentum in a way that makes the drama easy to enjoy. The early episodes set a high standard and give the series a lot of energy.

However, the drama begins to lose that sharpness in the middle and toward the end. The story starts to feel stretched out, and some scenes last longer than they need to. That hurts the pacing and weakens the overall impact. Ironically, many dramas have the opposite problem and feel too short, but this one feels too long.

It really seems like this should have been a 12-episode drama instead of 16. With fewer episodes, the story would likely have been tighter, more focused, and more effective from start to finish. Even with that pacing issue, it is still a very enjoyable series because the acting, characters, and balance between action and drama are all done so well.

Read More