Reviews

This is as good as everyone says!

I can't believe I binged this for 12 hours straight, but also... yes I can.

This was so good I couldn't hit pause! The way this series absolutely captured my heart, broke it, and put it back together is insane.

As a spice lover, I almost didn't notice the fact the leads only kissed once (I think) so they did an amazing job selling the romance with little physical intimacy! (Though it is implied to have happened a lot off screen making it cheeky and funny)

Non being an angsty high schooler made a great villain. I thoroughly hated him. His immaturity and age showed quite well!

I loved both main couples, Rain and his love interest didn't interest me at all tbh. But Sun and Mork omg. Amazing!! Ofc Kao and Pete were epic.

I actually haven't seen any of the prequels and had no issue understanding and falling in love with this cast and the plot. Well done!

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Lighthearted, refreshing, and fun!

Wrong Carriage Right Groom is such a great, invigorating, and fun romantic comedy. The plot is full of intrigue that gives both leading couples the opportunity to showcase their strengths and their steadfastness toward each other. Although the first leading couple’s (Li Yu Hu and Qi Tian Le) storyline has an insufferable antagonist, their relationship and the ways that they support each other are really nice and refreshing to watch. The second leading couple’s (Du Bing Yan and Yuan Bu Qu) relationship, although a bit more toned down because of their roles and personalities, develops naturally and is very nice to see them work together and remain faithful to their committed love for each other. The plot also includes other interesting characters and couples that are nice and interesting to watch. The couples have great chemistry and, even though their intimate scenes are not torridly passionate, the actors did well showing their love and care for each other. Overall, this drama is a breath of fresh air set in a historical setting with very likable characters and a fun storyline. Enjoy it!

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Great Cinematography, Weaknesses With The Rest.

The cinematography was thoughtful, visually well-balanced, and frequently beautiful in composition (even with grittier settings). The rest of it was okay but had weaknesses and I won't watch again. I didn't feel like it was a waste of time though, so maybe give it a try if you're in the mood for something simple, short, indie, and overall sweet.

FYI: If you watch on YouTube the first episode is actually titled "Ep 0", NOT Ep 1! (At least that's how it is on the Jupiter Entertainment channel in the USA.)

What I loved: The cinematography.
What I liked: The sweet bit with the post-its and how comfortable the actors seemed in their intimate scenes.

The acting was decent but no one was compelling. The music was forgettable but not distracting either. I was glad with how it ended for everyone but I wasn't that emotionally invested.

The weaknesses:

There are six 13-22 min episodes and it's all over the place. The way the story jumps around (between couples and in time) is confusing and transitions are very abrupt. There's too much story for the time constraints. The plotlines and emotional arcs for the two main couples feel very rushed.

The hetero couple seemed so random and out of place; their brief and cryptic scenes didn't add anything of value. I couldn't figure out their purpose. The time on them would have been much better spent on the two main couples.

There is some awkwardness to the English subtitles that seem to be a translation issue so I'll give the script the benefit of the doubt on how natural the dialogue is. The content of what's said, though, is fairly simple and unmemorable (no really deep or moving conversations).

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We Are Family

I love the type of shows where I go in with very low expectations because of what the trailers show and because I may not like one of the cast, but by the end, I am satisfied and feeling slightly nostalgic because the show and the watching experience were completely different from what I was expecting. Romance on the Farm is one of those shows. And to think I almost did not watch this because of the main lead actress.

However, I decided to still give it a go because of Joseph Zeng. I became a fan after his role in Mysterious Lotus Casebook. I said to myself, “At worst, I would end up dropping it. At best, I would enjoy it and add it to my ever growing completed list.” I almost did end up dropping it like 8 minutes into episode 1 because I could not stand the family. But then Shen Nu came into the picture and I forgot all about dropping it. In fact, I enjoyed it.

This is probably the first drama I have watched with Tian Xi Wei where her character didn’t bother me to the point of yelling at the TV. I attribute this to the Lians. I was too busy hating all of them to even focus on her. They let them get away with too much because "they were family" and they just had made a "little mistake". The worst of them all were the grandma and Shouren's family, his wife, Madame Gu, and daughter, Hua'Er. If the transgressions these made were little mistakes (according to the grandfather) I would hate to see what they would have considered big ones. They were definitely an intense gaming experience.

Additionally, although the character the main female actress portrayed did lack some sense in some things, and the male lead kept coming to her rescue, it wasn’t as terribly lacking as the characters I have watched in previous dramas. I still feel she is typecasting herself, and wish she would take more challenging roles, but I managed to be moved by her in some parts of this show. Around the midway point of the show, the male lead leaves to take care of some things and I was somewhat bored without him around. I was battling myself to stay awake without the Lians being as prominent as they were in previous episodes. I thought I wouldn’t even say this, but I kind of missed their toxic existences.

Despite its title, there is not much romance but we have the pleasure of witnessing cute and heartwarming moments between different couples and on the occasions when the main leads kissed, they were REAL kisses. *wiggles eyebrows* I also loved the OST. Usually using contemporary sounds in a mostly period piece feel awkward and out of place, but not in this one. Plus, Joseph Zeng sang an OST and it fit the story and scenes perfectly.

Although the show doesn’t delve deeper into some issues post-game, as it ended almost immediately after she came out of the virtual experience, and I am still curious about how long she was in there, I am satisfied with all the endings, both the in-game one and real life one (even before the special) as I felt they were fitting. I can see myself rewatching this show, even the initial episodes when the Lians were stabby hand gesture worthy.

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Started super interesting then lost me mid way through

I'll be keeping this review very short and sweet.
The plots of this series were all over the place.
Seems like the writers didn't know to pick one story line and do thst very well. One minute the show is a mystery, the next it's Harry potter with spells and music and the next, it's a past love story.
I think they did all the past story lines much better. Everyone acted their parts very well.
But the rest of the stuff just didn't know. The office stuff with other Co workers. Her stuck between two guys who kept playing with.
The leads are good here. Though, the FL is charming and funny and the ML is also charming and got some good lines.
The SML is just there. I didn't hate him or like him
But the SFL was just horrible through the show. Not her acting but the character actions and the ML took way too long to break up with her.
Anyway, I think the show had potential like a lot but it ended just like any old drama.
Oh that creepy flower guy didn't need to be there. He was there just to make the show longer.

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Monologuing

This will circle back to "The Kidnapping Day" but it will be a bit of a scenic route.

It's easy to pinpoint the scene that transformed Bill Murray from one of many cast contributors on an after-dark weekend sketch comedy show. Sure, he was already known as one of the charter members of Saturday Night Live but he was anything but a bankable movie star. But one modestly budgeted, lightly raunchy summer camp comedy changed that. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, the summer camp setting was became one of Hollywood's favorite locations for everything from horror to teen drama to comedy. In 1979, the poor ragtag kids camp up against the rich, spoiled kids on the other side of the lake was the basis for one such movie. In "Meatballs", Bill Murray played the first of the many iterations of the sardonic, sarcastic, lazy, laconic and acidic cool loner. And like in many other of these roles, the centerpiece of the role is an extended monologue where he sheds his aloofness and delivers a fiery speech to rally his followers to new heights.

The rest of "Meatballs"? Pretty generic stuff. But the monologue from Murray is spectacular. Much of it is simply repeating over and over and over again "It just doesn't matter!". Screaming the same phrase at the top of his lungs. It just doesn't matter. Repeatedly. It just doesn't matter. Again and again and again.

It just doesn't matter.

"The Kidnapping Day" is a drama, unsurprisingly, about a kidnapping. Myeong Jun, a dad down on his luck with a critically sick daughter, kidnaps Ro Hee, the daughter of a rich doctor, hoping to ransom er for enough money to pay for his daughter's surgery. But nothing goes as planned because nothing in Myeong Jun's life does. As things spiral out of control, there's almost everything but aliens and ghosts and mermaids thrown in. Murders. Crooked police. Power hungry wealthy families. Stoic killers. Mouthy bad guys. Unethical medical experimentation. Orphanages. Slums. Mansions. Hospitals. Boats. Beaches. There's so many elements that it's impossible to coherently piece them together.

It just doesn't matter.

The rich family floats in and out when necessary as a plot device but they're mostly there to advance some forward action by the bad guy. The bad guy is basically a mouthy venture capitalist. He's not a flop as a villain, but it's a fairly generic character. The crooked cops are even less prominent than the rich family.

It just doesn't matter.

Kim Sang Ho plays a critical support role but the script asks far too little of him and it's one of his least compelling performances. The problem is less severe with Kim Shin Rok's Hye Eun (Myeong Jun's ex wife). She's meant to be a morally ambiguous character, part regretful mother and part brilliant schemer. But the mother side is never convincing and the schemer side rarely makes sense. If she's supposed to be in hiding, why would she wear some of the most garish outfits in the Eastern Hemisphere? Why has she anticipated so many things but left an absolutely vital item unaddressed until far too late? And for a character that viewers should be on the fence about, she's indefatigably unlikable. The performance by Shin Rok is solid but she's too often asked to do things with the character that are, even in the most charitable light, confounding.

But it just doesn't matter.

Even Park Sung Hoon who has been on a tear of scintiallating performances in 2023 with terrific performances in "The Glory" and as an unconventional police officer in "Not Others" comes across flat here. It's the maverick cop with a heart of gold. And it's not a fresh take on the archetype.

Guess what? It just doesn't matter.

The plot meanders through the kidnapping, the morally murky medical people, the venture capitalists, the police, the power hungry family and ends up with a weak final confrontation. A cliffhanger from the end of one episode transitions to a completely different place and an almost total absence of a resolution to a main character on the verge of death. The police are dumb when it's convenient that they be dumb. And then they wise up at the most convenient time. The crime scene is abandoned. Literally. The investigators take the bodies and apparently then just leave. It's bizarrely implausible.

One last time. It just doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter because the characters of Ro Hee and Myeong Jun and the performances by Yoon Kye Sang and 12 year old Yuna are transcendent. They are magical when they are together and the moments when they are pulled from each other are heartbreaking. It's an oddball pair, the rich girl from a sheltered life and a guy with a lifetime of fumbling away his chances at every opportunity. For Yoon Kye Sang, it is without question and by a considerable margin his best work of recent vintage. And for Yuna? It's a performance that can hardly be believed to have been rendered by someone of such young age. Among non-romantic relationships that have been portrayed in this genre, it is in acutely rarefied air. And it is why all of the other things just don't matter.

Minor items:

It is always welcome to see Kang Ha Neul in a brief but excellent cameo.

Same with Kim Di Doo.

Kim Dong Won does a nice job with the nearly mute assassin with unclear loyalties role quite nicely.

It just doesn't matter? Actually, nah. Not at all.

"The Kidnapping Day" is a tremendously entertaining drama thanks to the lead performances and it is highly, highly recommended watch.

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The Most Underrated Drama I Have Watched

There are two things to remember when starting to watch DNA Says I Love You: the first couple of episodes are a little rough, and the flashbacks are more important than you might realize. After getting through the first couple of episodes (mainly the first), it was almost as though the rest of the episodes were written by a different person (this is a very good thing). Regardless, this series turned out to be amazing. Without giving anything away, the storylone was refreshing, the supporting characters actually had depth, and the topics were explored with care and dignity. This series is more than worth your time amd attention.

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An enjoyable watch not for its mystery, but for the relationship of the kidnapper and kidnappee.

"The Kidnapping Day" falls short of standing out in the mystery murder genre. The storyline is decently maintained and mostly coherent, but the main antagonist lacks memorability, possibly intentionally, given the presence of the other morally ambiguous characters revolving around Rohee intended to add mystery. That particular antagonist seemed more like a device to drive the plot rather than a fully developed character.

However, the real gem of the show lies in the heartfelt journey of Rohee and Myeong Jun. Myeong Jun's character is portrayed as your typical, unequivocally morally upright father. There were a few scenes that hinted at something potentially more from him, but it was never brought up again which is truly a shame. However, despite the unexplored storyline regarding Myeong Jun, the chemistry as a father-daughter duo was more than enough to carry the show in my eyes. Rohee, in particular, will be an actress I will most likely keep an on in the future.

While the final episode and the resolution of the main story might not have been satisfying in my eyes, my overall rating remained unaffected as the show neared its end. I had already given it an 8 in my head because of the journey shared by Rohee and Myeong Jun in the drama. If you're seeking a compelling mystery, this might not be your best choice, but for the touching relationship dynamic, "The Kidnapping Day" is worth a watch.

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Sweet and fun series

The series was a lot of fun to watch. The lead pair and friends were all great. The cast
did a wonderful Job and taking you for a ride through different emotions of jealousy, past love, and future love to be. I love the whole dormitory feel like Harry Potter style where everyone is placed in a dormitory based off the personality it's a very interesting take. The series was a joy to watch and I found my self binge watching it because it was so good and I wanted more. The cast did a great job and showing you growth and development of each character. For me the only down part was the fact of I wish they gave you more backgrounds history about the 3-years from when they first joined till now. That would have been fun to see. I was also not a fan of a piece of the end with leaving Germany, that was not needed for the story and a wast. Overall this serious was amazing from beginning to end it did a really fantastic job in keeping you wanting to see what will happen next.

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If you have trust issues…

This was by far the most gripping and emotional nerve wrecking drama I have watched, it even tops Flower of Evil.
Ji Chang Wook and Wi Ha Jun have the best chemistry , and the Direcor and Screenwriters are The Worst of Evil (in a good way). I was on the edge all the time, and before the last 3 episodes I had a knot in my stomach because I feared for their lifes.
The end was heartbreaking…

Everyone in the cast was so good, and the leads were all excellent, with Ji Chang Wook and Wi Ha Jun showing outstand performances. I am still stunned, and overwhelmed with Emotions, and sad that we can‘t have more.

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So Much Potential But Super Rushed Last 2 Episodes.

General spoilers. Eight 16-20 min episodes. The first 6 episodes completely drew me in and tugged hard at my heartstrings. I was fascinated to see how things would unfold. It perfectly explored pining and unrequited love. What this did differently, and what I found special, was that it also explored how a friendship could be effected by this from BOTH points of view. In addition to that, it realistically portrayed how struggles with family and money can effect kids and sometimes strain their interactions with even their closest friends. (The kids in this case are seniors in high school.)

The last 2 episodes were rushed, introduced more plot than it had time for, and took the focus away from the evolving connection between the lead characters. It was slice-of-life and following the interactions and emotions between the two friends so I expected that to continue. Instead, the story started to jump large spans of time in episode 7. We go from not knowing how things will actually work out romantically to being 62 days into their dating, and then 100 days.

The ending was happy but unsatisfying because we didn't get to see/experience Jo Yoo Jae's emotions progress into romance. I couldn't help thinking the character might have decided to date Seo Han Joon just to keep him in his life. Which I don't think is the intended message, but the script and editing didn't really give us examples of it being much more than that. Episodes 7 & 8 showed us romantic milestones but didn't actually show the characters being romantic with each other.

The acting was very good. Especially Kim In Sung who conveyed so much through his face, eyes, and voice. Very natural, a lot of micro facial expressions, and captivating.

I would have been fine with the one lead-up to a kiss and not getting more if the script, directing, and editing had shown examples of them being sweet with each other. Even just staring into each others eyes and smiling. Something! Their physical interactions didn't change at all once dating. We especially needed to see something from Yoo Jae to believe his feelings had grown past platonic affection.

I would easily watch the first 6 episodes again so I'm really disappointed with what they did with the last 2 episodes. Feeling this unsatisfied by the end brought my rating from a potential 9 down to a 7.

Nothing remarkable or distracting about music or cinematography.

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A Realistic Portrayal of the Lives and Comradery of Firefighters

I definitely went into this drama not expecting much since I first tried a few episodes of Yang Yang's Fireworks of My Heart when that was airing. However, this drama completely pulled me in and I was surprised at just how good it was yet not many people were recommending it. Fireworks of My Heart pales in comparison to this drama. Both are dramas about firefighters with romance but Bright Eyes shines in almost every aspect. Realistic portrayal of firefighters' lives, natural and fantastic acting, balanced romance and firefighting scenes, and educational. Moreover, the story and character have logical development, which is somewhat rare in modern-day dramas.

The first and most important thing is the realistic scenes of firefighters' daily lives training and going on rescue missions was really impressive. It was really realistic and eye-opening. The drama really realistically showed the struggles of the firefighters' family members and how firefighters juggle being so busy. However, as a Chinese drama, there is a bit of propaganda but I don't feel that bothered by it because I believe any person would want to believe that firefighters are devoted and willing to protect them in cases of danger. It also isn't very obvious since it is subtly hinted at through the characters' actions and dialogue. Another thing is the comradery of the firefighter team members. I could really feel how much they trusted each other and their teamwork in rescue missions really touched me. The drama did great at making you feel connected to every member of the firefighter team just by watching a few episodes of them together. I really cried and felt relieved with them every time. Even the sacrifices of the members, though are expected since this is a firefighter drama, felt so heartbreaking and I bawled my eyes out. The dilemmas and mindset of firefighters are also effectively portrayed in many scenes and experiences of the firefighter team. The director did great at directing those scenes with those camera angles and bgm. Also, since the firefighting scenes are realistically portrayed, it is very educational about what causes fires and tips in case of fires. Particularly, it was helpful that they talked about the firefighters who deal with wild fires because people don't usually think of them. I found that part interesting and I learned a lot about what they do. It was also nice that they ended the episode with a short clip of fire safety tips. This is what a fire education drama should be like, unlike other dramas ahem.

Now the acting! Johnny is the perfect person to play Lin Lu Xiao! Before watching this drama, I had no clue that Johnny played so many characters with uniform but wow, he sure looks great in his firefighter gear. His build really brings out a charisma that Yang Yang could not do. It is like he was made for this character- he embodied Lin Lu Xiao and I can't imagine anyone else doing it better. His line delivery and acting were also just top-notch! He was amazing at being strict yet also soft towards his team. His crying and tearing up skills are so natural and real that I couldn't help but cry with him. So rare to find a male actor with that kind of charisma, line delivery, and acting skills. However, it isn't just him who is great at acting- the entire firefighter cast was amazing! They were all new faces but they all did great in their roles. I grew attached to each of them and felt heartbroken at how every one of them ended up. My heart still hurts a bit thinking of them. The firefighter team also realistically pulled off all the firefighting scenes to the point where they actually looked like firefighters. I really enjoyed the chemistry between all of the team members- Lu Xiao, Lao Yang, Lao Yu, Lao Liu, and Lao Lei.

The romance and firefighter aspects are also balanced nicely. I am not someone who likes too much romance so I found it enough that it was about 65% firefighter story and 35% romance. Life isn't only about romance so it felt real that it wasn't all about their love story. They are also firefighter so it makes sense that it doesn't show as much of their personal lives. It also isn't like there weren't any romance scenes at all because it was quite sweet for a while and cringe. To be honest, I enjoyed the firefighter aspects much more than their romance. If you are going in looking for a lot of romance, I don't think you would enjoy it as much. Everyone talks about the ending but I believe that the ending is however you want to interpret it. I don't mind open endings as long as the entire story was

Overall, I really enjoyed this drama. It is more heavily focused on firefighters, but rightfully so since firefighters do so much for civilians but don't get much attention in the media. So, this drama is a very good way to learn more about the work they do and what kind of lives they live (at least in China lol-). I will miss these characters, particularly Lu Xiao and his team. China should produce more of these high-quality dramas to educate about these kinds of occupations. Anyways, totally recommend this drama for those who enjoy dramas focused on special occupations. I can see why people keep comparing this to Fireworks of my Heart and criticizing Fireworks. I have to agree that they are on different levels. The only reason i didn't give it a 10 is that some episodes did feel a bit slow but that was only a few. PLEASE TRY!

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