Reviews

Best series this year

Xiao Fang is a beautifully crafted Chinese drama that stands out for its heartfelt storytelling, memorable characters, and emotional depth. The series strikes a perfect balance between romance, family, and personal growth, making every episode engaging and meaningful.
One of its greatest strengths is the strong character development. The protagonists feel authentic, and their struggles, dreams, and relationships are portrayed in a way that is easy to connect with. The chemistry between the leads is natural and compelling, adding warmth and sincerity to the story.
The cinematography is equally impressive, with stunning visuals that enhance the mood of every scene. Combined with a touching soundtrack, the drama creates an immersive viewing experience that keeps audiences emotionally invested from beginning to end.
What truly makes Xiao Fang special is its ability to deliver meaningful life lessons about love, resilience, and the importance of staying true to oneself. It is a drama that can make you laugh, cry, and reflect, leaving a lasting impression long after the final episode.
Overall, Xiao Fang is a highly enjoyable series with excellent performances, a captivating storyline, and genuine emotional moments. It is a wonderful choice for anyone who appreciates well-written Chinese dramas with heart and depth.

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A Brilliant, Immersive Dark-Fantasy Sageuk with a "Stranger Things" Twist

The Review
If you are tired of the standard romance-heavy palace politics and want a fast-paced, atmospheric thrill ride, The East Palace is an absolute breath of fresh air. I went in not knowing entirely what to expect and ended up knocking out all 8 episodes in a single day. It completely hooks you from start to finish.

A Fresh Take on History & Social Status
What makes this drama stand out is its grit. It delivers a deeply compelling, darker take on royalty, showing how an entire empire’s foundation can be built ruthlessly on the backs of the less fortunate who are deemed "unworthy." The show masterfully portrays how compressing that much class-based trauma and dark history into one physical location can have immense, lingering effects on both physical and mental health.

It is a dark fantasy that skips the fluff—it isn't romance-heavy, it avoids draggy tropes, and it gets straight to the point.

World-Building & Video Game Potential
The highlight of the production is the Realm of Gwi. The show gives off massive Stranger Things vibes, with the characters essentially having to navigate a beautifully eerie, high-stakes "Upside Down" mirror world to hunt spirits. The immersion is incredible. In fact, between the mechanics of entering the spirit world, drawing power, and the creative weapon techniques, this entire concept is so mechanically rich it could easily be adapted into a dark-fantasy video game.

Unlike Chinese dramas, which have highly dedicated Wuxia/Xianxia genres for heavy martial arts choreography, Korean sageuks usually stick to grounded military history. Seeing this level of stylized swordplay and spirit-slaying choreography in a K-drama felt incredibly fresh and satisfying.

Character Arcs & Complex Performances
The character progression across the board is exceptionally well-handled:

The Leads: Nam Joo-hyuk delivers a fantastic performance as Gu-cheon. The visual double-casting play between him and the late Crown Prince adds an incredible layer of mystery. Roh Yoon-seo’s character, Saeng-gang, can be a little annoying early on, but her growth into an active, ride-or-die teammate who steps up to face the generational curse with him is written perfectly.

The King: Cho Seung-woo plays a terribly frustrating, selfish king who literally forms a home team by force to save his own skin at the expense of others. While it's wild that he gets spared in the end, it sets up an incredibly satisfying poetic justice. He has to live with the weight of his lies, and if we get a Season 2, he is definitely primed to get dashed away.

Final Thoughts
The finale leaves the door wide open for an expanded lore, especially with the literal and spiritual chains Gu-cheon is left carrying. The East Palace leaves a massive impact, boasts stellar writing, and proves that sometimes a short, tightly packed 8-episode count is exactly what a fantasy thriller needs. Highly recommended!

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A downfall to be studied

It all started so well, from their childhood, to their teenage years, to their reunion and first kiss. Then it all went downhill. I get that the writers wanted to explore why the FL came back, her career, and the ML's past, but their dynamic suddenly changed completely. Their relationship became so poorly developed. One episode she was calling him her boyfriend (how did he even become that?), then the next it was clear that nothing between them had actually been resolved. Her ex showing up, and almost all of their interactions seeming to exist just to make the ML jealous because the writers simply gave up on developing their relationship, was the icing on the cake for me to drop the drama.

I really tried to keep watching because I loved this couple, both in and outside the drama, but it was boring the fuck out of me. Such a shame to ruin something with so much potential.

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overacting that is painful to watch

I genuinely tried to understand what the production team was going for with the exaggerated acting and over-the-top facial expressions from most of the main cast.
Honestly, I was really excited about this series because the premise sounded so interesting, but that excitement slowly disappeared as the acting became more distracting with every scene. Pond Ponlawit is an incredibly talented actor (just watch 180 Degrees Longitude Passes Through Us. He is truly immaculate), which made this even more disappointing. He never really managed to sell the "stubborn, dumb" personality here. The voice, facial expressions, and body language all felt far too exaggerated, making the character and the humor it's trying to create come across as forced. The same goes for most of the parents in the drama... they're so overacted that some scenes are genuinely painful to watch.

The soundtrack is incredibly beautiful though.
Although, I quickly got annoyed by it basically being the ONLY music used in the series and appearing every few minutes.

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A MUST WATCH AND A FABULOUS SERIES WITH SUCH TALENTED ACTORS

First of all, I believe that, for a cinematographic project (a movie or series) to trully work and have outstanding quality, the chemistry and professionalism of all the actors must be the top priority for the production and casting team. This series, amongst many I watched so far for the last two years, is in my Top 10, maybe in my Top 5. Toptap and Min's chemistry is absolutely captivating and undeniable on screen. I searched about them 2 to 3 weeks ago and I must say that their company (Aplan International) really has to fully cherish, support and give many opportunities for them, as their acting skills are remarkable, from their facial expressions, the way they portray the series' characters (which, by the way, possess depth and traumas that make them human), the dynamics they form between them,... everything. I am very trully enjoying watching Payback for their perfect work but also to give my congratulations to the director, the screenwriters and all the cast and crew for this gem they created. As I wrote in my headline: A MUST WATCH SERIES that definitively deserves more publicity, more promoting everywhere. Some little details (maybe, 2 or 3) should have been more carefully reviewed before the exhibition to the public, but as the characters (Jay, Sun, Sky and even Kajorn), nothing and nobody is perfect, everybody has traumas, flaws, a survival instinct and the will to live the best they can and with a little bit of hope. My rating is overall 9,7/10. I trully hope to see more of Toptap, Min and Shogun's work and that Aplan International keep promoting and giving them such beautiful and interesting projects. A storyline based on the highs and lows of the cinematographic industry is a glimpse at the real world actors, managers, directors and CEOs face everyday. As us, fans, should always respect the hard work they provide and, at the same time, be aware that, sometimes, there are unscrupulous men (as Sunny and the ugly inside out investor) that are the true villains. A realistic story about power struggles, psychological and emotional games, the instinct of survival, the awakening of feelings and a form of redemption. As for the symbolism of Alice's nightclub, the messy Jay's office and home, the rooftop where Jay and Sun meet, for example, trully is perfect for my detective, investigative mind. Greetings from an international / Portuguese fan of the series. I also hope that Toptap and Min keep working together as partners in upcoming projects. They are my new favourite ship, I must confess. Blessings for everyone (cast, crew and other fans).

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Oh, I'm dropping this!

Yeah, I'm fairly new to cdramas, I admit it but this is awful. Like horrible. Disaster. Titanic sinking.

I'm not the target audience, I'm neither hater or lover of ML/FL and I'm not into yandere ML's. With that being said, I have eyes and ears and I can objectively say that the editing of this is a joke, the camera work I can't even describe, over the shoulder blurry shots, fast close ups that's giving hindi soap opera. Overall cinematography is meh. Sound editing? Never heard of her. The writing and dialogues are cringe and not like in the "I kinda like it" way but it's "I have second hand embarrassment". VFX? 90's and beyond. (Of course, the opening credits are made with AI, that itself is a disappointment.)

The biggest let down is the acting, the leads have no chemistry whatsover, and the performances themselves are below their usual standard. Most of the time they just smirk and scoff, but like.... make it sexy smirk or disappointed scoff or confident smirk and tired-to-pretend scoff. ZLH is unbelievable as Alpha male and Wang Churan tries and fails to act, and just seems blank (unless she scoffs or smirks, of course.) You can blame it on poor writing, I think it's combination of everything going wrong here.

I'm happy I never waited for this drama, genuinely watched it because I had time today and there was a lot of buzz around it.I'm feeling for everyone who went into this with high expectations. I don't understand that this is high profile S+ tier drama and I'd like to ask where the money went because it surely wasn't production.

TLDR: This is a vertical mini drama with very famous actors. And that's not a diss to vertical minis because at least they don't waste your time. They are on budget and they entertain you for couple of minutes. This eats your time, 4+ hours of my life I'm never getting back, and entertainment value is well.... you can hate watch it, probably, if that's your thing. Or if you are massive fan of the leads, I guess.... good luck. I don't know what to tell you.

I'm giving it 2* because I guess everyone showed up to work and Wang Churan and Zhang Linghe are both very pretty.

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THIS IS SUCH A COMFORTING DRAMA, MY HOME.

from i can't wait to watch ittt!!!

to updated: i never really though of watching something like this one. it's not all about the romance, it's more of a slice of life with their found family trope. as someone who loves romance a lot, i never thought i would really enjoy watching this one. especially, it has football haha. i'm not fan of world cup thing so it's really impossible for me to watch something like this yet I DID AND I'M HAPPY THAT I DID. I like every details about this story, about everyone's problem, and how they resolve it. it speaks maturity, and this is something that every relationship should have, though i'm saying that it should be standard for every relationship but i found this one, an ideal for me. i also, surprising love this RTS cdrama even though, laoshi lin wanxing and coach wang fa's relationship seemed to be a little slow-burn 😭 AND SURPRISINGLY, AGAIN, I DID NOT EVEN MIND THAT haha. I ENJOYED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT AND WOULD DEFINITELY REWATCH . and if i would say everything little things i love about them, i could write a thousand of it haha (not to exaggerate) and i think, i found my comfort drama guys after a long time that I asked what comfort drama should be. This is healing. They heal a part of me that I'll never knew, existed. They made me cry, laugh, and feel sad with them THIS IS MY COMFORT. THEIR FAMILY. THANKS FOR ALL THE HARDWORKING CAST, YOU DID WELL GUYS. I HOPE TO SEE MORE OF YOU IN THE NEAR FUTURE. PS. I LOVE HOW THE TWO LEADS INTERACT, ESPECIALLY IN THEIR PROMOTION, IT'S JUST FEELS REAL BECAUSE WANG FA LAUGHS A LOT. sorry, it's my first time to see him like that.

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Why am I allowed to post a review when only 2 of 12 episodes has aired?

Sure, I like the show so far, but what the heck? I shouldn't even be allowed to post a review until the show has finished its run. How can a "review" after only 2 episodes actually be "helpful" in any kind of meaningful way? What could the purpose of posting a review after only 2 episodes be other than to see my username in "print"? Is it really that hard to figure out a way to stop me from doing this? Here's a suggestion: On the drama's main landing page, in the Review section, replace the "Write a Review" link with your little "airing" icon, and a brief text that says how much MDL looks forward to user reviews once the show has completely aired. Stop me before I (or some other nitwit) posts a review on an unfinished drama again!

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Only you can define who you are

Road to Success offers much more than romance and football. At its core, it is an inspiring story about staying true to yourself and refusing to give up, no matter how difficult life becomes. The drama carries many meaningful messages about perseverance, personal growth, teamwork and finding the strength to keep moving forward.

Although romance is not the main focus, the relationship between Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa feels especially realistic and mature. It was refreshing to watch two strangers gradually get to know, understand and support each other before slowly falling in love. Their relationship develops naturally, without relying on the usual love-at-first-sight or childhood-sweethearts-who-reunite trope. Wang Fa, in particular, sets the standard incredibly high through his quiet care, responsibility and emotional maturity.
What surprised me even more was the second couple, Wen Chengye and Fu Xinshu. It is rare for a mainstream Chinese drama to portray a relationship that is so clearly BL-coded. Although nothing is stated explicitly, the intention feels unmistakable through the storyline, camera work, music, editing and the actors’ performances. From the very beginning, you can sense that their bond is portrayed as something deeper and more emotionally charged than an ordinary friendship.

Their storyline stood out the most to me. Both of them endured so much because of their selfish and neglectful parents, yet they still managed to hold on to themselves and keep chasing the light. Their resilience and refusal to let their painful upbringing define them are truly remarkable.
The drama even includes a subtle GL storyline, which was another unexpected and interesting detail.

The football matches also make the drama exciting and give the story its strong sense of teamwork and determination. They are not simply added for action, but are closely connected to the characters’ struggles, growth and dreams.

Every actor was perfectly cast and delivered a convincing performance. Even the younger actors made their characters feel unique, relatable and real. Each member of the team had a distinctive personality, which made it easy to care about them and become invested in their individual journeys.

Overall, Road to Success is a warm, meaningful and motivational drama about love, friendship, dreams and refusing to abandon yourself. It is definetely worth your time. I only wish I could have watched something like this when I was still in high school.

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“Chill Demon Fantasy Romance Drama”

The drama starts off with a fun and promising premise, but gradually takes a much darker and more emotional turn toward the end. Honestly, I didn't expect the story to become quite heavy since it began with such a lighthearted and chill atmosphere. (no worries it’s still a chill drama!)

I think the overall concept is quite cute. It's not particularly groundbreaking, basically about the journey of a group of demon and human friends. The cast has distinct personalities, the acting is solid, the CGI is well done, and the OSTs fit the story beautifully.

The plot is quite steady, and the opening is a little bit long because of the "loop," but it gets more fun once they start their journey. It's a good drama to watch if you want something chill or don't really want to think too much about the plot. I don't find this drama hard to watch, but at the same time, not every arc left a strong impression on me. The "steady plot" is quite tricky, it keeps things chill, but it's not very impactful (imo).

What I love about this drama is how they make every character unique in their own way. Also, can we talk about how cute their costumes are? I feel like they put a lot of thought into designing and styling each character. There are quite a lot of demons, but they managed to make each of them unique, both in terms of personality and style. My favorite character is actually Cui Cui, the little bamboo shoot demon!

There are several twists in the story (some are quite predictable), but the ending is the ultimate twist for me.
Overall, it's a good watch, but only several of the arcs/scenes are memorable to me. I think the characters leave a bigger impact than the overall story itself. The plot is fine, but I guess they could have given a better explanation for the ending since quite a few people on the internet are confused by it. It's understandable tho…(I had to pause several times just to understand the ending).

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good chemistry with a sub-par plot

i really tried to like this, but only forced myself to finish for the couple chemistry and ding yuxi. i went in with above average expectations, but sad to say i was let down.

let me list what i liked and what i didn’t:

what i liked/worked for me:
- DING YUXI
- supportive FL family and friends, no drama
- smart FL
- overall supportive main couple with good chemistry
- the costumes and makeup were comfortable to look at
- the empress dowager
- OSTs

what didn’t work for me:
- the story: the overarching mystery/case was not intriguing enough and they really managed to stretch it out for 40 eps, despite a few mini cases that served to add up to the main mystery
- slow burn romance that was a bit too slow for my liking: the FL is super clueless to ML feelings and this goes on for a while, many things could’ve been sped up with decent communication
- so many filler episodes and side characters that take up screen time and add minimal value to the story. same with sub-plots that almost lead nowhere every time
- the plot essentially was not plotting at all, the finale was underwhelming and predictable, villain is one dimensional

this show got lost in its own story, and while i appreciated the efforts to tie up everything, the process took way too long and by the middle i was so bored and lost interest in most characters and the story. the only saving grace was our two leads who acted very well.

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