Reviews

This show was kind of hard to watch and I couldn't keep my attention on it whenever it was playing. I mean this guy was a North/South Korean guy and he left most of the bad guys alive? Which made it even more hard to get his daughter because they would always come back.
This show also made the bad guy seem like he was going to be really strong in the first episode but he just made other people do his dirty work. I mean why would you introduce this character as someone who scarred their own skin to remove his tattoo but then get defeated easily when it was just a 1v1 with him. It just didn't make any sense.

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A slow burn Lakorn worth every MOONLIT MINUTE

This is your sign to watch Love in the Moonlight. Seriously. Don't overthink it. Just press play and let the series do the convincing.

That said, I'd be lying if I told you it was flawless. The first episode can feel a little slow, especially if geopolitics or political drama isn't really your thing. Personally, I enjoyed those aspects, but what occasionally pulled me out of the experience were some of the dialogues in Episode 1. A few conversations felt a little too theatrical and overly dramatic, almost as if the characters were competing in a poetry slam instead of talking to each other. Thankfully, those moments become less distracting as the story progresses. If you ever feel bored during certain scenes, don't feel guilty about skipping ahead a little. The emotional payoff later is absolutely worth reaching.

There are also a few noticeable audio inconsistencies here and there. Nothing series-breaking, but enough to make you raise an eyebrow for a second. The premise itself may also divide viewers. It tackles themes that can spark different interpretations depending on your own beliefs and perspectives (between Pin and the two male leads part), which I actually think makes the series more interesting to discuss after finishing it.

Now for the good part.

This series is peak cinema. Yesss, Peak is in it, and yes, that pun was completely intentional.

The cinematography deserves its flowers. Every frame feels carefully crafted, making the moonlit scenery, palace halls, and quiet emotional moments look breathtaking. It's one of those shows where you occasionally forget to read the subtitles because you're too busy admiring the visuals.

The cast is ridiculously attractive. Whether it's the main leads or the supporting characters, everyone somehow looks like they walked out of a magazine photoshoot while carrying enough emotional baggage to fill an entire moving truck. More importantly, they're not just pretty faces. The performances are sincere, emotionally grounded, and convincing. Peak especially delivers a performance that reminded me why I became interested in this series after seeing him in My Only 12%. He brings so much vulnerability and warmth to his character that every emotional scene lands exactly where it should.

The romance isn't built on endless fan service or exaggerated clichés. Instead, it grows naturally through trust, longing, sacrifice, and quiet moments that speak louder than grand declarations. The emotional weight feels earned.

The soundtrack may not immediately dominate your playlist, but it blends beautifully with the atmosphere. It quietly enhances the emotional scenes instead of demanding attention, which I genuinely appreciated.

What truly elevates Love in the Moonlight is its ending. So many dramas stumble at the finish line after delivering a fantastic journey, but this one sticks the landing (or perhaps it's just me, but I cried, crode a ton). The story wraps up beautifully, answers the important questions, and leaves you with a satisfying emotional closure rather than empty shock value. But brah, by the final episode, I wasn't just watching characters, I genuinely cared about them.

I honestly started this series with very low expectations. I mainly picked it up because I wanted to see Peak in another role after My Only 12%. I expected a decent watch and ended up discovering one of my favorite BL dramas of the year. Despite its imperfections, the emotional storytelling, memorable performances, gorgeous cinematography, and heartfelt conclusion make it an experience I'd gladly recommend.

If you can survive a slightly slow beginning, you'll be rewarded with a story that shines brighter (or darker) with every episode. Sometimes the best stories don't run. They simply wait for the moon to rise. 🌙

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A soothing & frankly beautiful love story!

As a big Ai Mi fan, this drama was highly anticipated for me, and boy, it DID NOT disappoint!

The story is about the witty & genius (albeit naive) inventor of a girl, who meets the “evil villain” of a general. It just so happened that she found herself in the position of having to marry said general, and all the schemes were engineered by no less than… her own father.

This series was truly brilliant. From the visuals to the music to the acting, it was all very moving and amazing. There was many a plot twists, and everytime you think you know where it’s headed, you don’t! My absolute favourite thing about this show was the love story (can’t blame me, I am a romance fiend) and how both the main characters grew with their love.

Ai Mi (AM) plays Xie Jiayu, the young, smart girl who thrives from independence. She was initially mutually in love with our second ML, Li Mao. However, her and our ML Xiao Wuyi bonded as unlikely friends, which sneaked its way into a love where they would willingly die for each other. I adored AM’s acting in this. Even though she was only 17 when this was filmed, she carried this first role as a FL effortlessly. Her acting is amazing for her age, and the range of emotions she can display is just *chefs kiss*. Watching XJY mature into this capable woman was a joy.

Hou Minghao (HMH) plays Xiao Wuyi, villain to everyone but those closest to him. He is smart, calculating, yet giving (perhaps too giving), big-hearted and truly- just one big beautiful badass softie. XWY has had a burden he never asked for on his shoulders since he was young, and never thought about much else apart from politics and serving his country. Meeting Jiayu was wildly out of his plans or expectations, and I don’t think he could ever truly believe his luck for getting a wife that not only demands that he stays alive, but will walk beside him no matter what path he walks on. HMH is beyond incredible in this role, the skill, the acting, the fight scenes - and most of all I love the look on his face when he’s in love - like a puppy you just can’t help but love!

All the side characters were great, even the truly villainous ones. Every single person had depth and wasn’t just purely good or bad. You can easily go from hating someone one minute to feeling sorry for them the next. Like Li Mao’s younger sister for example. She did something really terrible, but the way her story ended was nothing short of sad.

The only slightly negative I could say for this show is that the pacing is sometimes a little fast. It seems that a lot happens in a short space of time, and some things are explained veeeery quickly. But, everything makes sense, and the relationship developments are very natural. You can understand why each character makes the choices they make. This drama also had a very fresh take on the whole revenge-arc, which made it very refreshing to watch.

As with many c-dramas, the OST is beautiful, obviously including the TWO that Neo (HMH) sing! Also the ending was so nicely done. It wasn’t just a quick hug-reunion-show finished. There was a full circle episode and a very loud, heartfelt display of love. I liked that they respected that AM was not yet an adult and therefore no kissing scenes, but honestly, you didn’t feel their love for each other any less.

All in all, a show well worth watching, and I really hope to see this pairing again in the future!

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Breathtaking musical journey with unmatched talent and stunning scenery

Started watching Moving Voices oly for my girl Hwasa but I ended up staying for the entire cast, especially Henry Lau. What an incredibly underrated artist! He is the whole package: an insane talent and an amazing human being. The lineup of talent overall was spectacular. I particularly loved the performances by Sohyang and Zairo, and one of the and Sunwoo Junga.

As a fan of Camp Rock, this show hit all the music-centered vibes for me. The locations they visited were absolutely stunning and provided the perfect backdrop for their live sessions. I wished they hadn't repeated some of the songs throughout the show. However, even with that, it was still an incredible watch.

If you appreciate raw talent, beautiful scenery, and heartwarming musical moments, Moving Voices is an absolute must-watch.

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Surprisingly sweet and stress-free watch.

I don't usually decide to watch modern Chinese dramas because the ones I've seen before have disappointed me, but Hidden Love was completely different—and honestly, it made me feel lonely AF *help* but amazing recommendation from my friend.

I went into this with almost zero expectations. School-themed dramas usually tend to be overly childish, exaggerated and often infantilize the female lead. There were no unnecessarily stressful characters or forced drama, which made the whole viewing experience truly enjoyable from start to finish. Why not a perfect 10/10? Simply because the male lead was TOO perfect and honestly, that just annoyed me, haha! Nobody in real life can compete with that standard.

Overall, it’s a deeply comforting, beautiful story with a very satisfying happy ending. Highly recommended if you want a feel-good romance that actually respects your peace of mind!

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Worse and worse by the episode..

I don't even know where to begin. I've never written a review before but I just had to in the middle of an episode because this is just absolutely ridiculous. I went into this blind and enjoyed the first 10 episodes or so, after that it already started to feel a bit boring to me, but i kept going since I was interested in knowing how our main couple would end up. These last few episodes I've constantly been laughing at how ridiculous this drama is. Oh and not to mention I find both the FL and ML so insufferable in this show so I guess they did a good job on acting.

I wish I stopped watching before this absolute horrendous ''love story'' happened. I'ts just nothing but grabbing our FL by the throat, pushing her up against walls and forcefully kissing her. AND TELL ME WHY THE ML IS JUST CONSTANTLY MAD? I'm genuenly curious about whos watching this and thinking: ''These are the sweet moments we've all been waiting for!!'' because what about this relationship is even remotely okay to literally anyone. Toxic slop with no communication.

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Pick me relaoded

How is this drama popular!? the depiction of the tennage girl as an airhead who was boy crazy was annoying but still tolerable but when the adult Xiao Xi continued to show the same traits, i got very upset. Both the male and female characters made no positive improvements. The male lead remained entitled and often belitled her while she seemed grateful to be the ''chosen one''. Change the background music and forward this story to them being together for 10 yrs with this same dynamic and it will become clearly apparent, how dangerous such a relationship can be. Anyway, this was one of those dramas that needed me to switch of my brain to enjoy it but i guess i took it too seriously.

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Can the step-sibling era end soon?

Started off strong but in between it dragged a lot. Their younger arc was good, but when they grew up and sometimes called eo “siblings”, it made me uncomfortable to watch. I loved officers zhao’s wife smmmmm- she is so pretty!!! Sad that she got less screen time:(( Her death was heartbreaking. Moving on to fl’s mother, what she was doing all her life, for survival while neglecting her child. At the same time fl not wanting to see her mother, i kind of understand both of them. Fl mom was not wrong trying to settle and survive, Fl is also not wrong for wanting to be acknowledged. :)

Overall it was a good watch with predictable story line. 6/10!

I loved MJ character, ZJY portrayed her emotions well. SWL was hot asf.

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A Cast of Thousands and Nearly as Many Plotlines

Three friends were separated by circumstances as children. Baili Dong Jun was haunted by his friend's unjust death and in true adolescent rebellion rejected his father's guidance and sought his own way of life, even though he was coddled and much beloved. Ye Ding Zhi, whose military father won too many battles and gained too many accolades and had to be contained by the Emperor by false accusations of treason, had escaped his family's massacre and grew up on the run. Yi Wen Jun was the pawn of her sect: to gain favor and power, she was offered to the Emperor's son in marriage even though she'd been promised to Ye Ding Zhi when they were children.

The Good:
• Hou Ming Hao suited the role of the dashing Liquor Diety. His exuberance, friendship, and loyalty never diminished.
• He Yu was excellent in the role of a man pushed beyond his limits.
• The camaraderie of the wuxia world was enjoyable.

The Bad:
• With so many characters (MDL says the cast had 212 members), I had a hard time figuring out who was whom and if I'd seen them before or if they were new.
• I know I'm supposed to admire Prince Langya, but he was an enabler of horrible things all coated with the false respectability of doing it for the greater good. I will allow that he held the same standard for himself, so he wasn't a hypocrite. But he was wrong. Enabling evil, even with the best of intentions, only strengthens evil and brings ruin upon the innocent.
• After Baili Dong Jun got the girl of his dreams, she was relegated to the role of arm candy in the drama. I wanted her to match him in terms of strategy and determination instead of sitting passively in a pretty white dress.

I couldn't decide on whether to put Yi Wen Jun in the good or bad category. I despised her even while sympathizing her predicament. Without her, there wouldn't have been much of a story, but it would have been a happier one. She was a self-centered coward, but she was a powerless pawn.

I added a half star for the character of free-wheeling, loyal Baili Dong Jun as portrayed by Hou Ming Hao. (Because he reminds me of my departed cat. Hey, it's my rating—I can be capricious.)

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Will turn you into a man-hater

The tragic portrayal of the reality of living as a consort in the emperor's harem. No matter your beauty or skill, a man in the ultimate seat of power is not one to be trusted.

It was refreshing to see a drama that chooses to paint the supposed ML, the emperor in a negative light. It was not a story of romance, but survival. His favor was not a reward but poison.

This is truly a story of female friendships. Ruyi's love towards her fellow sister-wives were definitely more tear-jerking than that bitchass king. I cannot put into words how much I hate that man. That childish, egotistic man. I wished Ruyi never showed up to the wife selection to be saved from that very long and painful journey in front of her. She did not deserve the ending that she got.

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Comedic Trash: TayNew Deserve better

I watched this for TayNew, but it just wasn’t enough
The beginning was so strong and promising, but it fell off around ep 4, then it just became almost unbearable to watch and uninteresting.

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The Story: the plot follows a flight attendant, Kanit (New) and a rescuer / EMT/ Paramedic Toto (Tay). They repeated bump into each other and at first find each other annoying. Then one day, by chance, they both fly to the same place and their luggage gets swapped, and Toto ends up in trouble for starting a fight and ruining Kanit’s expensive belongings. Kanit agrees to pay for the damages and Toto can work it off. Toto becomes a “sort-of servant” and does tasks for Kanit to work off the debt. Toto discovers that Kanit’s pilot boyfriend of 4 years, Lion is cheating on Kanit with another flight attendant Veha. Toto works to prove that Lion is cheating and exposes him, but develops feelings along the way. Kanit, heartbroken has to relearn what love means to him and if he wants to risk it again for Toto. The two eventually confess to each other and become a couple, only to face issues with money and family, testing their love and willingness to fight for and be with each other. Overall, the main couple started off interesting, but quickly became lackluster and no longer interesting, following the same rich/poor dividing mindset between the characters and need to live up to parental expectations. In my opinion (coming from an Asian person), parent’s opinion are given more weight than they deserve to. There cat and mouse / dog and cat game also became boring, don’t really know what the direction of their relationship was meant to be.

Now onto the side couple. Honestly, they were completely uncessary to this series. This is in no way hate to the actors. There visuals and chemistry are good together, but the characters they played weren’t necessary. I hated how this couple started. The story follows Toto’s friend and coworker Akki and Veha, same side piece as before. Akki hates cheaters because his ex girlfriend cheats on him, but he ends up with a side piece / cheater. Although Veha himself isn’t the cheater, he is cheater adjacent. They somehow develop feelings for each other after learning they went to high school or college together (forgot which one). Once Lion was exposed, Veha all of a sudden felt sorry and sad huh??? Like you were with a taken person hoping that they would break up, but now that it’s exposed now you no longer want Lion and are sad at the situation. Akki helps Veha get past Lion and they get together.
Honestly their story was confusing and not needed at all. Their ending was even more confusing??? Don’t know why they made Akki go to military and split them up, but whatever.

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The good: the only decent thing about this series was TayNew’s chemistry. Despite the weak and ridiculous plot, their chemistry shown through and was always a pleasure to see them together. Their acting was as good as can be given the script / plot.

The bad: As I mentioned before. basically (unfortunely), the storyline of the side couple. I didn’t like it and it wasn’t necessary. (already talked about this)

Toto’s job location made no sense to me. This might be because I live in the US and accustomed to our first responder system. But what exactly is Toto’s job? Is he a first responder? Is he a rescuer? Ambulance driver? Paramedic? Whatever it is, why does it always seem like him and his team is always lying around doing nothing, no incoming emgency responses, and the only ones they respond to in the show are the ones where basically they start happening by coincidence in front of them. Like if Toto is a first responder or something adjacent he should be just as busy or if not busier than Kanit, but he always seems to have time on his hands to pursue Kanit and work his hand full of odd side jobs.
***this could be entirely my misunderstanding of his job and what he does***

Next, while I understand that Kanit is a flight attendant and Toto is whatever he is, why do they have to include ‘emergency scenes’ (not really tho) to bring them together. Like I don’t understand why they had to deliver a woman’s child in the backseat of a car, why Kanit dealt with a fainting or whatever situation in the sky or whatever that incident was at the end during their I wanna say wedding (honestly don’t know because I sort of blanked out during the last ep). For me, if they wanted to include those scenes, I was hoping they would do a better job and made it seem realistic, but alas it’s GMMTV, so you know, we got whatever. No urgency, no idea what they are really doing, and not really the appropriate response. :(
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As you can see from the good v. bad paragraphs, my overall rating is a 5.5/10. ………don’t really know what could have have this show better, but it just wasn’t good.

Honestly I wouldn’t recommend this series or rewatch this series ever. I feel so bad for TayNew, but they definitely deserved a better series given their chemistry and acting skills.

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Good thing the acting is good.

I don't know what it is about this series, but every 20 minutes felt like an hour. I watched this at 1.5 & 2X speed, and it still felt like it took forever to get through. I had to do this in season 1 as well, and it had a lot more funny moments.

Also, can I just say that I love that they made Me and Thee a series inside the series? So what we watched was them acting out everything that already happened. I also liked that they inserted the series title and did a callback to We Are at the end.

The acting was really good. I liked the cameos at the end, but it got a bit much; it went from funny to being WAY too dragged out and not funny anymore, then back to funny when we got to PerthSanta. I have to give Junior credit for bringing the crazy. And have Pond & Phuwin's kisses gotten a bit better, or am I imagining things? William's English is so cute. William also did a scary good job making his eyes look "dead" when he was killing the guy who shot Mok. That was the first time I believed anyone in this crazy family is actually part of the mafia.

Now the things I didn't like are actually very few.

1. The fighting looked so fake that it hurt to watch.

2. The side couples. Why was a new one introduced? This show can barely handle the two we had in the first series. I still don't even know if Tawan & Aran are together, which pisses me off. Rome & Mok get a bit more screen time, but it still wasn't enough to make me care about them & at least we get to see a ring on Rome's finger to confirm that they are official. I get that Thee and Peach are the main couple and they are the most important, but this series had more than enough time to give the side characters more development.

3. Throughout both series, I didn't grow attached to any of the characters. Maybe it being a comedy makes it more difficult to really get you emotionally invested; IDK, I just know that I hate coming out of a series and not being sad to say goodbye to any of the characters.

As a sequel, this was good, but it's not one that I will rewatch. The series as a whole I wouldn't rewatch.

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