A Great and Enjoyable Watch!!
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this that I signed up for Premium VIP on iQiYi just to get the final episodes sooner😅Loved both Leads, they did such a great job in their roles and their chemistry was perfect!!
The sets in the Virtual Setting were so pretty and our leads were just stunning in there!!
I loved ML's commanding (and handsome) presence in his virtual fit😍🔥
I was annoyed the FL didn't want to get married😅
I would've loved a wedding scene either in real life or in the virtual world lol
Overall I would recommend this, it was a fun watch!
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Good but not amazing!
Watched this for Oliver Chen as I had just finished 'Love between Lines' and I've loved him since 'Goodbye my Princess'🥰'The Starry Love' was visually pleasing and I liked the look of the different sets.
The villainous Empress of The Void is so stunning! I couldn't stop commenting on how beautiful she is😆 even though I couldn't stand her character lol
The Heavenly Emperor made my blood boil, I wanted to punch him through the screen🤣
Overall 'The Starry Love' was ok (pretty average).
I think if they had given me a solid ending, instead of what I felt was a rushed and unsatisfactory one, then maybe I would've rated it better.
The story itself was good, I just feel the execution wasn't great, and also the pacing was lacking.
I especially hate when an ending feels rushed and incomplete.
Hearing Liu YuNing's beautiful voice throughout was very satisfying and enjoyable though so that was delightful bonus😊
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Realistic
A very good and realistic story, the visuals were also a part what made it look more realistic. Key to the story is communication.Every adult relationship had it's ups and downs, but by talking about things they are easy to solve most of the time.
The visuals and music were good.
The actors did a great job and the chemistry between the leads was amazing! The kisses were ok.
This is a little gem you need to watch.
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Easy to watch time pass thriller
The story is fast paced easy to watch. I was very invested in it. The main character is okay...mangaka has given just enough backstory to add a little depth which makes her bearable. Its very predictable but doesn't bore u. The side characters are plain stupid at times which is why it did frustrate me a little occasionally but fine whatever works i guess. Its nothing special but not at all bad. Mid is the right term. Its been a longtime since i binge watched something. It felt refreshing.Was this review helpful to you?
Can This Be Two Different Movies?
I did not find this poetic or beautiful. I had so many what the hell is happening moments. I feel like these were two competing stories that shouldn’t have to have compete. I’m glad it spoke to other people. It was lost in translation for me.The casting was great. I really feel like this did a disservice to their talent. I wanted to drop this halfway through, but I’m not a quitter and needed to see it through.
I wanted to like this so much, but sadly did not. I don’t want to yuck somebody’s yum because it seems like there were people who really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I did not.
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Mixed feelings but they ended it very well.!
I watched this about 3 years ago, but didn't complete it. But the ost bought me back to watch this one. The characters have pros and cons. The plot was messy after the birth reveal thing.ML is a rich chaebol, very straightforward, and doesn't hesitate to poke someone. but is not aware of his own feelings and emotions. Park Shin Yang was the best fit for this ML character. The handsome guy was already 36 when the drama aired.
FL is an almost frustrating character. Like, why does she have to blame everything on herself? But she has self-respect and is righteous (not entirely). Kim Jung Eun was okay. But she somehow set standards at the end when she chose herself over everything.
Now the SML, the dashing, just popped out of an egg, entering into the real world, but smarty pants, knows how to deal with people, but is inexperienced in some matters. He was a good boy and understood the FL the most (more than ML, I can say). He became rebellious and messed up the second half of the series. Lee Dong Gun was the perfect fit for this character.
The dialogues for Soohyuk-shi were the best. The love confession and those heart-touching lines, literally, I was blushing while listening to those lines (as if he were saying it to me only).
Kijoo-shi was kind of late, but a happy realisation character. Once he was sure what he wanted, he was firm on his decisions.
Somehow, the family characters were meddlesome. Only Keon (Taeyoung's Nephew) was sensible. And the secretary of Ki-joo, he is soo good that I almost had a crush on him!!. But that SML Yoona, If i see her, I will kill her. The most annoying character.
But those hardships from every sphere of life made taeyoung-shi realised that she is involved in such a complicated mess. She took the right decision of letting go of everything and prioritising herself.
ALAS! Even though it sounded like a real story, it was not.
THAYENGITA!! The writer-nim is a smart lady. They ended it very well. A clean slate, and the story can be well written.
Thank god I watched it again to understand it clearly. !!!
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The FL actress tries too hard
Things I liked1 The premise. It sounded cute and exactly the rom com style I love. It could have been great with another actress I guess.
Things I disliked
1 The ML. I'm not saying he's not a good actor, I will check dramas with him again but here he didn't shine and I guess the problem might be the script or his costar.
Things I hated
1 The dubbing of the FL. So bad I cringed every time she talked.
2 The FL actress. I'm not sure why she's considered a talented actress. She always tries to be cute and she always ends up looking stupid. She's too old to play the ingénue and she never was talented anyway. I hated every second of her scenes and every time she tried to play cute and adorable she made me wonder if she has any idea how awful she looks. Well, she has enough fans I gather to continue acting badly. The only regret I have is that I can't stand her and I put aside Healer, which is a great series, because of her. Let's hope I can stand her enough to watch it one day. Until now every time I tried I didn't last more than 20 minutes.
3 The production. It seemed so cheap it bothered me and I'm not bothered easily by this.
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Generic in Disguise
Attracted by the warm glow, the sparkly dresses paired with fairy-like make-up and accessories, and the funny, almost “never-seen-before” atmosphere in a wuxia/xianxia-ish historical Chinese drama, I thought this would be a refreshing take on the transmigration-into-a-novel trope. But I was proven wrong… unfortunately.Transmigration was merely a backdrop for a straight-up royal political intrigue, and a generic one at that. Your typical struggle for the throne, with revenge turning a supposed male lead into a villain and a greedy queen who just wants power and money.
The villain, Xiahou Bo, is a hell-bent character who wants the throne and hates Dan at every turn. But his hatred doesn’t feel justified. It often comes across as if his actions are driven by whim rather than depth, which makes his character feel flat and underdeveloped.
The Empress is similar, existing mostly for the audience to hate and condemn for her actions toward Dan.
Our male lead, Xiahou Dan, has so much more to his character and story. He represents the darker side of transmigration, different from the glamorous fantasy one might imagine when traveling into a novel. He entered the novel at the age of fifteen and had to endure everything from that young age. The trauma he experienced and the life he lived are deeply tragic. Yet the way other characters reacted to his story felt lacking, almost as if they never truly processed what he had gone through. Had the lens shifted more toward his perspective, it would have been a far more intriguing drama to watch, even if it meant embracing a darker tone.
Our female lead, Yu Wanyin, is head-on and headstrong. However, the way she processes waking up in a fictional novel feels far too quick and almost unrealistic. Her goal is to survive the story, not by trying to escape the novel, but by making sure she is the one who has the last laugh in the end. That, to me, is the entire issue. There is no moment of grief, no confusion, no desperation to return to her original life. It was strange how easily she seemed to throw her previous life away and fully integrate herself into this world. She barely thought about her family, only bringing them up later when convincing Yong-er to side with her. Her attitude did remind me of Ting Yan from When Destiny Brings the Demon, where she accepted her fate and did not care much for her real life because of how overworked she was. But the drama never showed Yu Wanyin or Wang Cuihua having such a difficult life to justify that kind of detachment. Without that foundation, her mindset feels less like strength and more like narrative convenience.
The chemistry between the leads is there. But perhaps the circumstances placed them together too conveniently and too quickly, leaving no real room for proper development. Because of that absence of growth, the chemistry never moved beyond a slight spark. It was not bland or flat. It simply existed. Not the kind of chemistry that makes you swoon or feel something deeper beyond what is shown on screen.
Other characters also felt used for convenience, with little depth to properly sympathize with or feel intrigued about what happens to them.
Overall, the story failed to meet the expectations built from what the trailer teased. It was not a story about a transmigrator finding her way through a pre-written narrative. Instead, it was your usual historical political plot with a dash of sparkly dresses, pretty make-up, and good lighting.
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Average at the best
Things I liked1 The food theme. I'm always happy to check dramas that have a food theme. This one was too convoluted though. I even had trouble understand what was going on at first.
2 The ending. It wasn't as dramatic as I would expect and it felt rushed but it was good.
Things I disliked
1 It's hard to put the FL in the dislike list but I can't say I liked her in any of the dramas watched. She was better here than in others but there's something that prevents me from truly enjoying her performance. Maybe that she looks like a child. I don't know. I know that each time I try to watch something with her, I'm okay for a few episodes and then I get frustrated.
2 I could say the exact same thing for the ML. He's not someone I enjoy and I'm now watching another series with him, I think I'll drop. He's not ML material for me. Something lacks in his acting and I don't find him handsome either so what's there to see? That said, I didn't dislike the role he had here. I just didn't like it either so combined with the fact that the actor doesn't work for me I put him on the dislike list.
3 The cartoonish villains. I don't know something fell like the writers tried too hard and failed.
4 The lack of chemistry. Maybe it wasn't exactly luck of chemistry as luck of time to enjoy them together as a couple. It felt like the romance was weak. In any case, it was at the best average as a whole.
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no es taaaan buena
mire muchas ediciones de esta película, de unas escenas de peleas y eso me llamo la atención, también al saber que era mujer la prota (ya que la actriz ya la he visto en otros kdramas y me agrada)quizas hubiese funcionado mejor en una serie corta que una peli, porque siento que todo fue apresurado y el final fue el típico final feliz donde todo sale bien o termina bien sin importar si es realista o no.
para empezar, al antagonista de esta historia nos lo muestran como un estudiante que tiene poder, ya que su papá está metido en la política por lo que este estudiante puede hacer y deshacer en la escuela, donde quiera sin importar que, así que los profesores y demás deben seguir sus órdenes y no enfrentarlo, porque aunque intente denunciar por el acoso que hace a los demás estudiante no funcionará porque las influencias de su padre silenciarán todo, haciendo que su hijo no tenga ningún problema. y sabiendo todo esto me dices que una profesora (que es la protagonista y ex boxeadora) tuvo la facilidad de darle tremendos golpes quedando humillado ante toda la escuela, lo denunció ocasionando que fuera expuesto a los medios de comunicación y acusado de un homicidio, sin que el papá pudiera evitar todo ese escándalo con las influencias y poder que tiene??? es como??? solo porque es la prota pudo hacer todo eso, con tanta facilidad, no me lo creo. en esos casos casi siempre termina saliendo todo a favor de los que tienen dinero y poder.
otra cosa que tambien me pareció raro, es que en la pelea final, el estudiante aprobará que la pelea fuera en su escuela y mucho más raro que los profesores asistieran y estos mismos estuvieran muy emocionados de que alguien le diera una lección (se ponían demasiado eufóricos al ver como la prota golpeaba al que era su alumno, fue como ??? no disimulaban que estában bien felices por eso) siento que el papa de este, no aprobaría que algo sucediera en la escuela, sin embargo sucedió y todos estában felices de que el estudiante fuera golpeado (se supone que el estudiante era muy intimidante en la escuela y todos apoyaban a la prota a golpearlo) no se, esa pelea fue un poco extraña y poco realista (refiriéndome al como se dio y el lugar donde fue). o sea, si me gustó esa pelea, fue entretenida la verdad pero no quita que me cuestione en el contexto que estaba sucediendo.
lo que si me gusto fue las escenas de pelea, los sonidos y efectos, tambien las actuaciones de los personajes en aquellas escenas de acoso, eran muy creíbles.
pd: que sexy se miraba el cabron de lee jung 🫦
honestamente no es taaaan buena como la hacen ver, esta pasable pero no es la mejor por como desarrollan la historia y llegan a ese final poco realista. -9 feb 2026
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I fell into a trap !
At first, I had no intention of watching this series: the premise didn't interest me. But one evening, I had nothing else to do, so I watched the first episode... Then a second, and a third, and a fourth... So, I ended up staying up all night!I'm still not a fan of this kind of story. But Zhang Zifeng's acting (and Mark Chao's too) completely won me over. For her alone, you have to watch this series!
Je me suis faite piégée...
Au début, je n'avais pas l'intention de regarder cette série : le thème ne m'intéressait pas. Mais un soir, je devais attendre, je n'avais rien d'autre sous la main, alors j'ai visionné le premier épisode... Puis un second, et un troisième et un quatrième... Du coup, j'y ai passé la nuit !
Je ne suis toujours pas fan de ce genre d'histoire. Mais le jeu d'actrice de Zhang Zi Feng (et aussi de Mark Chao) m'a totalement conquise. Rien que pour elle, il faut voire cette série !
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In the meantime, this drama can be found in YouTube under the caption: “Reborn in the Dragon's Bed, the concubine hugged His Majesty and cried” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsqJ-2aNDF8)
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"What the future holds can't be known"
Flowing was a 1956 Naruse Mikio film with an all-star female cast. Centered on a failing geisha house and the women who worked there, it showcased their personal problems, debts, and loyalty.Otsuta is an aging geisha (39 IRL) whose house is diminishing. Once there were 7 geishas working there, now only 2 remain (one of whom is 50-years-old) and her bills are stacking up. Her daughter, Katsuyo, only lasted six months as a geisha and is now looking for work to supplement the family income. Otsuta’s lazy sister and young daughter reside in the house ever since she and her husband broke up. Rounding out the family connections, Otsuta’s step-sister helped her finance the house after Otsuta mortgaged it to give her lover money. The lover promptly left her after receiving the cash. Now she is saddled with heavy debt and a nagging, condescending sister. Into this mix walks in Rika, an older widow (45-years-old) who needs a job and is hired as the maid. Otsuta scrambles to obtain financing to keep her house open and also must confront an extortionist ex-employee. Life as a geisha is never easy.
To clarify, this was not one of those geisha films where the women slept with their customers, these geishas were for entertainment purposes only. The whole career field was languishing in light of modern amusements. Otsuta also wasn’t the most astute businesswoman or ethical. She had a habit of skimming the girls’ profits. Katsuyo felt like she was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea as the daughter of a geisha. She would feel “too small” if she married into another family and what man would marry into hers? Job opportunities for women were few and far between, with long lines around the temporary employment agencies. Rika provided the warmth of the film as she cared for the women calmly, insightfully, and nearly always with a smile. The film was based on a book written by a woman who had been a maid in a geisha house. Currently Tanaka Kinuyo is listed as supporting but she was every bit a main character and our avatar into this world.
It would be difficult to gather a stronger female cast---Tanaka, Yamada Isuzu, Takamine Hideko, Okada Mariko, and Sugimura Haruko to name but a few. It did create a few issues with the ages of the characters. Yamada at 39 was four years older than “older” sister Kahara Natsuko (35). Takamine was just 7 years younger (32) than her film mom! I was actually shocked to find the sisters were only in their 30s. Age discrimination was also shown as poor Rika had been turned away from other jobs for being too old at 45--well, clutch my pearls! And oddly Otsuta found the name Rika to be too complicated and foreign to say so she nicknamed her Oharu, the movie character Tanaka played in “Oharu” (1952).
Much like a river, Flowing, carried these women downstream in their lives, inexorably pulled by age, societal changes, and a need for love and acceptance. Loneliness was bred into their lifestyle despite spending their days entertaining men with song and shamisen. Relationships, like money, flowed in and out of their lives. Stability was a hard boulder to cling to as life rushed around them. I loved the cast and idea behind this film, yet I also found it overly long and repetitive. This is one of those films I desperately wished to enjoy more than I did. It was not a loss, for how could spending two hours with women displaying their polished craft ever be a waste? Even when my mind wandered, I was grateful to take a ride on the river of time with them.
19 February 2026
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Astronomical Bureau? Count me in!
I was hesitant to watch this at first since I'm a Xianxia type of watcher but dang, the episode 1 hook me in! It didn't fail me also because the fact that the FL is strong? GIRL MOTHER OF ACTIONS SHE IS ABSOLUTELY ✨🙂↕️The story is your typical-revenge-for-my-family, but it has elements that makes it unique for this show because wdym the emperor is not in cahoots with the bad guys but is kind and loving for the FL? He is a rational as he is soft hearted leader (but I get you guys if some of y'all hate him edit: i think i'm starting to hate him too) but we can't dismiss the fact that he is an emperor, too at the same time he's her uncle. Not many dramas between consorts (i love consort shu btw) but I am hooked when they're investigating cases that I haven't seen in other costume dramas. I was confused with the characters, but I definitely managed along the way (there's so many extras huhuhu). The FL is so niche that she can do it all, investigating, cutting people (this is funny in my mind sorry), can acupuncture, can tell which is which ingredients of decoction by smelling but she's also kind-hearted behind it all. I love her character is how beautifully written and Bai Lu just personified it for us.
The ML? His role is one of the reasons that I kept on watching this. Baby girl MLs are so rare that this really sink me in. WDYM HE READ STARS AND ALL? His work is that????? NOT A GENERAL? A PRINCE? OR WHATEVER LEADER OF A TRIBE? OHHH COUNT ME IN!!! As the FL is beautifully written, the ML is, too. I'm in deep for head over heels ML and this one is amazing. He read stars for her; he exists for her and what is wrong with that? He may be not physically strong, but he does his best to protect the FL in his own ways. He's beyond smart; thought of ways on how to investigate without the need of the FL experimenting on herself. He brought reinforcements and always calculated everything (that I'm thinking ain't your brain fried yet? 😭) PS. I'm in no place to comment on this but will definitely still comment cos I'm just a girl, the MU of Wang Xing Yue, I really wanna call you out huhu why is Xing Yue's make up like not evenly applied? It changes in every scene (not scene I forgot how to word it out huhu) but it really did bother me cos Xing Yue's really attractive, but that makeup is so not attracting I'M SO SORRY 😭😭😭
I appreciate all the behind stories of the show but my favorite one so far is the father taking revenge for her daughter (Secrets of Auspicious Time) my mind is blown in 4 different ways, the father really plotted a revenge that deserves the word revenge. From burning his in-law's house (with them in it ofc) to killing the rich man who's the father of his grandson. He spent no expense just to bring justice for her daughter's death.
And my least favorite? The Worshipping of False Deity GIRLY SCARED THE SH-- OUT OF ME. The extras are so talented that they're creepy af. They're so out of this world creepy that my soul left too while watching them (I'm jumpy I know).
The actors definitely did great with this show especially the main leads, Bai Lu and Wang Xing Yue. But I didn't expect Dai Lu Wa was in this also since she appeared only a little on that 1 episode and showed at the latter parts (BUT HER CHARACTER IS SO FUN IN HERE I LOVE IT). From sisters in Moonlight Mystique to subordinates in this show.
I'm a bit disappointed with the music, it's not giving that "it" factor when it played in some scenes (but the intro is giving revenge vibe and the outro is healing). But I love that they omitted the unnecessary background music when the ML/FL meet iykyk.
I will definitely not rewatch it since it's a bit revenge-y but will surely watch tt edits of it cos our girly Bai Lu is so badahh in this show.
CAN'T WAIT FOR THE REMAINING EPISODES AHHHH
EDIT: DONE WATCHING!!! HAVE YOU SEEN THE EPILOGUE OF THE LAST EP??? GIRLS I THINK THERE'S ANOTHER SEASON🤯🤯
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Painstakingly slow then kaboom! Then ??!
The title of this review is the arc of the whole show.Let me start with the good:
Amazing cast, music and costumes. The story is great too but I'll explain later why I docked points. Everybody plays their roles perfectly and believeably. It was my first time seeing Luyu Xiao in a semi-villainous role and wow, she killed it! I loved the intricate and complicated structure of the Gong family (back and front hill). Super cool and unique.
The bad:
So, the story itself is a 9. However, for some reason they paced it so slowly, which is why I rated it 7.5. Despite being only 24 episodes long, it really feels like a lifetime because a) the pacing and b) for some reason the director made all the characters talk.......like........this...... It's already a dark and moody show, there's really no need for the characters to speak at snail speed.
The story then picks up in the last 4-5 episodes leaving the viewer on the edge, only to end with great part of the storyline unresolved. It feels like you get tricked out of a reward for getting to the end and now I hear it doesn’t look like a sequel will happen. I wish more shows would end more cleanly without betting on whether or not they'll get a sequel.
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