Reviews

FRUSTRATING AND GASLIGHTED AS A REALISTIC PORTRAYAL.

*THESE ARE JUST MY THOUGHTS; WE DON'T HAVE TO AGREE*

The plot wasn't appealing to me, particularly how their relationship started and what went on in their relationship. It was a struggle watching this from episode 1, and it became more of a struggle reaching episode 12; toward the end, it became frustrating. At some point in the drama, I literally forced myself to finish this. Quite bad, this being my first Chinese modern series of the year.

LIKES
Shang Zhi Tao's friends were the kind of people you find it privileged to have as friends. They were supportive, encouraging, and really helpful. They weren't jealous of one another; instead, they rejoiced at the success of the other. Loved the moments they went on the mountain trip together, glaring at the sun rising. I also love how some of Flora's friends are written to have struggles and problems outside of her (FL) character. Towards the second half, the plot sidelined and forgot their friendship and didn't bother to delve deeper into the challenges and problems they had, while focusing much on the leads and their miscommunication.

Their chemistry had me in the first half; there was tension and magnetic stares, and sometimes I actually felt I was distracting from their moments. While moving into the second half, the chemistry lost me; with the back-and-forth breakups and kisses, all that was left was miscommunication, kisses, and intimacy scenes. I thought they had chemistry in the last episode.

DISLIKES

Let's be real, Zang Yao's character arc was predictable and unnecessary, as she was a plot device to create a rift and misunderstanding between the leads, and when she realized that they really loved each other and couldn't stand them acting all sweet with each other, and went outside to cry, I SKIPPED THAT SCENE. THERE WAS NO EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT TO KEEP ME WATCHING. At least they gave her good closure, in which am sure she escaped from a good disaster by not dating Luan Nian. If she had a purpose in coming down to China outside her love for Luke and all, she would have been better written.

I couldn't believe Sun Yuan died, LIKE HE DIED. I almost forgot I was watching a modern romance drama, and thought this was some murder mystery series. The fact that he died is really strange; he clearly had an emotional breakdown of tears, bare himself in front of Shang Zhi Tao, and he had friends who could actually heal him and console him. They were his greatest strength, and the plot forgot that and granted him death. It didn't even delve into what challenges he was going through; IT'S LAME. I actually suspected Sun Yuan liked Flora, but I would have loved to see things work out between him and Sun Yu; they had the chemistry, supported each other, were best friends, but he only took her as a friend. It was disappointing to know he liked Flora, and he kept it a secret until death. But I felt that was his way of expressing his love; it was good and way better than Luke's style.

I couldn't take how the plot used silly misunderstandings that could be cleared in one statement, an apology, or by speaking your heart, to drive the plot forward, and it left out important details. I was really curious about a lot of things, which the plot either didn't get to develop well or did the telling instead of showing. E.g Would have loved to see Sun Yuan's complicated family background, how Lumi got Will to be her boyfriend, and them developing feelings to become lovers; that would have been really interesting. What happened to Shang Zhi Tao's worker and Xing after she had a company? Why did Shang Zhi Tao break up with her ex-boyfriend, who treated her like an angel? The fact is, the writers left far too many things hanging while trying to live vicariously through the misunderstandings of the leads.

I disliked how silly they often had a quarrel, only for them to fawn over it and get back together, as if nothing happened. I believe they should have sat down and talked things through like normal adults, not getting back together like kids do when they quarrel.

I really dislike Luke; he was arrogant, insulting, had an ego, and it was clear that he didn't deserve Flora's love.
In the initial episode, when he and Flora slept together, and the next time they met, he threw insulting words, like she made them sleep together because she wanted him. THAT WAS ALREADY A BIG NO FOR ME, and the fact that he couldn't even apologize proved he wasn't ready for a relationship.
I really hate it when this man tries to be controlling, telling her what dress she shouldn't wear, trying to keep her from her heartwarming friends, and trying to restrict her movement. LIKE, SIR, SHE ISN'T EVEN YOUR WIFE; WHAT BECOMES OF HER WHEN SHE IS YOUR WIFE?
It irritated me when Luke pretended to be in pain just so he could get Shang Zhi Tao care; they tried to mask it as humor, but it tasted dry.
It was really WILD&INSANE watching him become a jealous freak who refuses to understand or see more into things, when Flora gives her ex-boyfriend a goodbye hug and hugs her friend to comfort his pain. The fact is, he hugs his close friend, who is a girl, and he goes straight to her, and Flora can understand him, but when it turns the other way, he keeps his distance without explaining the cause.
Couldn't believe that after six years of dating, Flora tells him she wants them to get married sooner, and he just rejects it(without a reason). Flora must have been terribly heartbroken, and after a three-month time skip, he comes hooking Flora up with his mother and tells Flora he wants marriage. Everything that happened was me telling Flora she shouldn't accept his request, for she has fallen into a mess. This man has an ego that everything must be done on his own time; I REALLY HATE THAT.

I was annoyed with Flora because she always leaves the relationship only to come back; she should be REAL with herself, knowing this relationship can't work out, and back off early, rather than dwelling on heartbreak.

Their relationship wasn't built on love, so what can you expect? It was built on desire, KISSES and s*x, and all this isn't enough to have the right lover.

I actually love when Flora vented all the pain she had inside her in front of Luke, and her calling the relationship dirty and disgusting and putting an end to the relationship they had was so satisfying, but she should have done it sooner and forged ahead with her life. The writers tried making Luke so down, sad, and teary to have sympathy and empathy for him; it was distasteful. If it worked for anyone, IT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME. Could they have just spared me the noble idiocy Luke tried to portray?

By the end, it is already predictable, and as you can expect, the leads meet again, grow a bit of connection, have s*x, return to Bei Jing, and Luke proposes to Flora, and she accepts it. I didn't feel anything when he proposed; if anything, Flora shouldn't have accepted. They would surely have misunderstandings if allowed to continue, at least offscreen. Lmaooo.

The ending was really rushed and not properly developed, with the characters, plot, and storyline, but I didn't actually enjoy the drama as a whole.

The amount of insulting words Luan Nian always threw at Shang Zhi Tao when they had a misunderstanding was really unhealthy and not called for. I would have ended that relationship early and never sought to go further.



FINAL THOUGHTS
By the end, I understood that Luan Nian was a character who can love, but clearly can't express his love, can't understand the woman he loves, and doesn't trust the woman he loves, and coupled with his arrogance, ego, and insulting way of speaking, it was clear this man shouldn't be in a relationship sooner; he should go for love therapy or something of the sort; in all, they should teach him how to express his love and understand the woman he loves before he thinks of going into a relationship.

It was clear Flora tried to understand Luke in every way, while Luke would never try to understand her in any way. It was obvious that such a relationship should be cut off early. That was the message I got from this drama.

Shang Zhi Tao/Flora should have gone back to her ex-boyfriend or any other good guy, but not Luke, because it's clear their relationship won't last.

Lastly, if this were a realistic portrayal, the leads shouldn't have ended up together; the woman would have left early when in a relationship with such a man, and if it is actually fictional, it's frustrating. Putting yourself in the character of this girl, would you stay in this relationship?

I wouldn't rewatch this drama at all; the pain and frustrations I felt in my first watch were enough. If the leads actually came together, reasoned, and resolved their misunderstandings with good communication, there would have been much less misunderstanding, but the plot took an unhealthy turn. This shows chemistry and intimate kisses really can't save/
help a show if the plot is a MESS.

You should go check it out if you can cope with unhealthy communications and silly misunderstandings, but by no means am I recommending THIS.

Thanks for reading the long review.

Read More

The only thing lacking is time

This is one of (if not) the best KBLs out there, however it lacks what most KBLs do: time. Time to develop the story, time to know the characters and time for the characters to know each other. While the atmosphere of this drama was 10/10 I couldn’t believe in their love for the simple lack of time, it all felt a bit rushed and not intense enough to make me believe that a love developed in the 3 days the plot takes place in, however, this is no fault of the plot itself, I blame it on the running time, it feels like they had to cut stuff to fit the time restraints and so it lacked, but they worked really well for what they could produce. This is one KBL I wish was a pilot for a more developed series in the future, but I know it’s just wishful thinking.

Read More

Refreshing to watch

honestly I only started this drama because I saw many young and handsome faces. Just seeing their faces drew me to watch the drama. I started it with just little expectations but it turned out to be wonderful.

I really love the whole sport concept. All of them come together to form a team which i find really cute and the way my heart races whenever they're playing a game i can literally feel the tension with adrenaline pumping in my veins.

This drama could be considered a bromance but as an ex fujoshi I ship many of them together. ofcourse at times I find some characters childish, annoying and arrogant but it's all the point of youth. The youthful days may never return but friendships can remain forever. honestly I really recommend this drama if you're looking for something fresh and it really hurts me that it's so freaking underrated.

Read More

Yang Se Jong and and Park Eun Bin have amazing chemistry!

This was such a needed summer rom com for me! The first 10 episodes of the show was very impressive with its balance of comedy, investigative elements and budding romance. I was already a fan of Park Eun Bin's acting and I seriously did not expect to become a huge fan of Yang Se Jong!! His comedic timing and ability to move between different genres is so impressive, it made me go watch his other shows afterwards.

The chemistry between the two of them was the defining element of the show. Their romance elements are amazing and I wish there was more of it especially in the last two episodes!

The key problem with this show was the writing and directing in the last two episodes. I don't know if they were rushing and trying to cram the material into the short length but the story went too much in the direction of wrapping up all the uninteresting side character stories, instead of focusing on the two main leads.

Overall I still enjoyed it a lot and have been rewatching a the scenes of the two leads <3

Read More

Why do people think the ending is sad?!

Really great watch - the story and the visual presentation pulls you into this fantastical love story, yet the acting is grounded in realism and there is not a moment of doubt that they love each other.

I am confused by people thinking the ending is a sad ending?? Seems to be it's up to the audience to choose how they want the ending to be and it seems to me lean towards a happy ending. This feels like the best way to end the show as even if their relationship continues there will be many hurdles to overcome and the way that the director told this reality at the end is quite clever and artistic.

Last but not least, Yang Se Jong is seriously GOAT!!

Read More

Silly and a cool concept

I loved to see PondPhuwin in anything and was happy to see them in this. I think they did a great job with these characters as well. We actually got quite a few kisses from them in these two episodes which was nice to see. I loved how silly and flirty they were with each other because it made the relationship feel more real. I loved hearing their letters they wrote for each other too. I really liked this and I thought the concept was cool and I thought that it played out pretty nicely too. I liked their relationship and seeing them grow stronger after going through this. I think two episodes was the perfect length for this story because I don't think it would've been as interesting if they drew it out for a whole series.

My one complaint is some of the dark/night scenes were so dark you couldn't see anything!!

Read More

Pretty toxic relationship glorified as mature romance

This is a story about the relationship between a young woman fresh out of college and her boss that started from a 1 night stand that devolved into a 6-year secret office relationship with poor communication & shallow emotional connection erupting in a prolonged 3-year break up after FL didn’t get promoted and finally ending with her taking ML back after he made more effort.

Admittedly there were a lot of good things about ES – JBR & his amazing portrayal of Luke, the production value, the visuals, the friendships, how it showed the struggle of making it as a young professional in Beijing, and how I looked forward to each new episode to see how the story would play out... Most modern romantic cdramas don’t have this kind of thrilling pacing.

But TBH after finishing it, I am left feeling troubled and uneasy, almost like there’s a bad taste in my mouth. It really wasn’t a very romantic story, and most of the time I was frustrated or pissed off with Luke/Flora/both. Despite the good points, my overall viewing impression is too negatively influenced by the toxic relationship between the main couple. Luke alternated between mentoring Flora, liking her, and disrespecting her. Imagine, 6 years into their relationship, he was still calling her dumb. Maybe it was playful teasing bordering on bullying. Still, it felt disrespectful. Let’s keep it real - he gets away with such asinine behavior mostly because of his looks and his position. Meanwhile, Flora would just take in all the verbal abuse, probably justifying it as a learning lesson, and also thinking this is how he is. I couldn’t believe how over 6 years, their relationship continued to be pretty shallow with little meaningful conversation, and still the insults. Yes, they got together initially because of physical attraction, probably both were drawn to each other because of the power imbalance, and later on there’s probably some form of respect over their similar work ethic that developed...but I was waiting for growth in their personal relationship, a deeper understanding and emotional connection during their 6 years together...it just didn’t happen.

Their interactions in episode 19, after 6 years (!) into their relationship really show the lack of maturity, understanding, and progress in their relationship -

During the drive to Tibet:
Flora: You are so gentle today.
Luke: Have I ever hit you? (ICK!)
Flora: No...I just wish you could be this gentle with me more often. (HOW HAS SHE ENDURED?!?)
Luke: So you like someone who’s soft? (WHAT?! HOW DOES HE NOT KNOW?!?)

And then back at their hotel in Tibet:
Flora: I appreciate that you never threw tantrums at me. You didn’t leave me behind on the streets. Congratulations. You have become someone I trust. (JUST DIDN'T FEEL GOOD LISTENING TO THIS!)

And following her phone call with parents:
Flora: Then, can we talk?
Luke: About what?
Flora: Let’s talk about the first time we met.
...
Luke: When I first met you I was thinking how can someone be this dumb? Like a big dummy.
Flora (pouts): I’m tired now.
(JUST, NO)

Their long breakup should have come sooner!

Even though they both evolved for the better after their 3 year separation, seeing them get back together still felt wrong, an ill-fit. If their story continued 10, 20 years down the road, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them repeat the unhealthy cycle of breaking up & getting back together ad nauseum.

I agree with the opinion that she should be with someone who can read her emotions and feelings better, someone who is gentle and understands her...and that he should be with someone confident & daring who can rein him in and call out all his shenanigans (he’s kind of like Domyouji in Hana Yori Dango, he needs a Tsukushi...). So the imbalance of power, different emotional level, lack of empathy, were just too much...it’s like each one is feeding into the other’s negative traits. It’d be best if the story ended with them going their separate ways.

Read More

I needed more Heart and Li Ming!

I watched this because I saw a clip of GeminiFourth's story and wanted to check it out. I absolutely loved their storyline so much! I love Heart and Li Ming as characters individually as well as together. Their scenes together were my favorite! Heart was such a loveable and funny character and Gemini did a great job playing him! Li Ming was my favorite character in the series overall. I loved how he learned sign language to be able to communicate with Heart easier! So sweet! Everything he ever fought with his uncle about; I was always on his side rather than Jim's. I loved what he stood for and what he fought for. I just adored his character and Fourth did a great job as well. I just think the two of them are such incredible actors!!

I liked Wen a bit, I think out of the adults he is who I liked the best. I liked how he was always trying to make Jim see Li Mings pov on things. I thought he was pretty caring and funny too. As for his relationship with Alan, I was happy to see him move out of their place. I think it would've been impossible for Alan to be able to move on if he stayed there any longer. I think Alan needed to wake up and realize that Wen already moved on and they couldn't be together. I understand why he would be confused in moments with them sleeping together as well as living together though. Their one big fight scene felt so real, and I have to give major credit to First and Mix for that! Love them!
Now about Jim...I didn't like this man the entire show. He was grumpy, negative, always giving Li Ming a hard time for no reason, and was just very unlikeable to me. I just constantly disagreed with what he was doing or saying. I was never on his side when he was fighting with Li Ming or Wen, and just never liked how he handled most things. The thing that pissed me off the most was when he was mad at Li Ming for being gay when he's gay himself. I did think his best and sweetest moments were with Wen. They were pretty cute together and I of course LOVE EarthMix!
I loved Kaipa! Him or Wen were the two adults I liked the best! He was so loveable and I loved seeing Khaotung play such a sweet guy (feel like it doesn't happen often). I really thought we were going to get more of him and Alan sooner in the show, but I actually really liked that it just was a little thing at the end. All the stuff with his mom passing made me so emotional. It was so beautifully done. My heart hurt for him. I felt bad about his crush on Jim not working out and Khao's acting made you really feel his heartbreak. So sad.

I liked Saleng and Praew for what we saw of them. We didn't really see very much of Praew at all, but I liked hers and Saleng's relationship. I loved that Saleng really stepped up to work hard now that he was becoming a father. So sweet.

Overall, I did like this show, but I will say that the Li Ming and Heart storyline was way more interesting than the main storyline with Wen and Jim. There were quite a few moments I was bored with their story where I was always looking forward to and wanted more of Heart and Li Mings. That could be because I didn't care for Jim though. That being said, I am happy I watched it. I love this cast of actors so much and am always happy to see them in something.

Read More

gamer boyfriends being wholesome

I think this series was really cute, Bas and Maxky are always a treat to see on the screen. It was very different from the characters that got me hooked on the pairing but seeing Bas play a more shy character and Maxky a more goofy one was a treat.
I do agree I wish there was a tiny bit more romance, but I also think the people rating this sooo low because of it is a little overkill. I think maybe we are all just used to a bit more explosive romance from these two.

Gunner Newton kinda kept my eyes glued to them a majority of the time. There was a tension there that was insane and I really really loved their chemistry.
I LOVED seeing Ben and Jay back on the screen as a subtle side character pairing, I wish we had gotten more out of them tho. I hope we see more from both pairings, Ben and Jay stole my heart with Caged Again and I know some people hated it but I can't relate. I get excited to see them both on the screen since that series.

I wont lie that this was a little lackluster than I was expecting, but I am also chalking this up to it not entirely being my type of series. I like a little more tension personally. I think the most memorable scene for me was the scene where Bas's and Maxky's character were in the bedroom and it was very clear Bas's character wasn't ready to get physical, the display of recognizing when your partner wasn't ready to take things to the next step was literally everything, even if it was just a small scene.
It left a lasting impression on me.

Anyway, excited to see what comes next for all characters~

Read More

What an interesting, heart-breaking story.

It is a story that shows how gray, corrupt, and unfair the world can be. A world where some have to steal and con to survive, and others steal and con to thrive. Where people who have fallen are used as lower rungs to lift those who selfishly want more than most.

I love how real and dark this story is and how it portrays each side in such a dramatic way.

Tan Jian Ci, once again shows his acting range. He can play a character that towers over everyone and everything then can shrink and lower himself. He has multiple facets and emotions, and I love how he can play such heartwarming, heart wrenching characters.

The FL (Lan Xi Ya) was amazing. Such emotions and determination are shown in her character ... Superb.

Read More

Typical Wish Fulfillment Drama filled with Cliches.

Love Scenery has a pretty cute premise: a famous singer unknowingly becomes gaming partners with a college student who happens to already be one of her fans. The whole thing gives me very old-school shoujo vibes, with an extremely idealized male lead, fate constantly pushing two people together, and an overall fluffy, easygoing romance. At least compared to a lot of older shoujo, the ML is also genuinely nice instead of being toxic for half the story.

My biggest problem is how artificial the romance feels. I don't mind coincidences at all, especially at the beginning of a story like this. One person is a celebrity and the other is a random college student, so obviously the writer needs something to bring them together. But this show just keeps doing it over and over again.

They're on the same flight. Their completely unrelated events happen at the same hotel. They independently go to the same internet café and somehow end up in the same row. The ML even happens to live in the exact dorm room the FL used to live in and sleeps in her old bed. They met each other years ago. They have a friend who is close to both of them. After a while, fate stops being cute because you can practically see the writer moving these two people next to each other.

And the annoying thing is that the show eventually doesn't even need to do this anymore. They're already gaming partners. They're texting each other. They're interested in each other. They have a mutual friend. At that point, just let their own decisions bring them closer instead of constantly having the universe do it for them.

The gaming was probably my biggest disappointment. I actually like watching dramas built around games. Falling Into Your Smile and The King's Avatar made me interested in the games themselves, even though they're obviously fictionalized. Here, the game barely feels like it has actual mechanics. Here the characters can fight, grapple, hold each other, flirt, do ridiculous physical moves, basically whatever the current scene needs them to do. It feels less like a videogame and more like a virtual world where the writers can make the avatars kiss, fight, flirt, or do whatever whenever they feel like it.

And even ignoring the unrealism, the gaming scenes just weren't that fun to watch. I can forgive a fake videogame for being unrealistic if watching people play it is entertaining. Here I mostly found myself waiting for those scenes to end because the action most of the time was just FL screwing up ML being the hero.

The FL being terrible at games also gets taken way too far. She doesn't just suck at the game. Sometimes she acts genuinely terrified of dying, hides instead of fighting, and behaves like something is actually going to happen to her if her character dies. It's supposed to be cute, but it started feeling ridiculous pretty quickly.

Then there's the ML, who is basically wish fulfillment in human form. He's a genius student, elite gamer, insanely popular streamer, musician, great basketball player, ridiculously perceptive, and apparently good at whatever else the episode needs that day.

Again, an idealized ML isn't automatically a problem. This is a fluffy romance. Go wild. My problem is how hard the show keeps trying to prove that he's amazing at everything.

Some of the CS/genius scenes were especially funny to me. There are scenes using extremely basic CS and machine-learning concepts to show how intelligent he is. At one point, two students doing supposedly important academic research are struggling with an overfitting model, and he basically looks at it and suggests reducing the number of iterations. They're amazed that they didn't think of it. Like what is that its like asking a mechanic who my car does not start and the mechanic is like oh did you check the battery?

The second male lead was another problem entirely. He's interested in a woman who barely talks to him and repeatedly avoids him whenever he approaches her. Somehow his response isn't to take the hint but to become even more persistent. The point where I was completely done with him was when he learned she was filming a variety show in another province, flew there despite still having his own acting job to finish, found her show, sat in the audience thinking something like "baby, I'm here," and then had to fly back the same day.

They've barely even had a conversation.

Like that shii is just plain old CREPPY

There were still things I liked. The basic premise is cute. The acting is not that bad. The show is light and easygoing. The ML is actually pleasant instead of being the usual cold, controlling jerk. And I liked the whole gaming partner turning out to be my Idol mystery case and him figuring that out was fun.

The romance wasn't strong enough yet to make me stop caring, the gaming wasn't entertaining enough to carry it, and the secondary romance was actively making the show worse for me.

Read More