Reviews

It's one of the most entertaining bls you'll ever see. Maybe even the most entertaining one. It's one of my favorites because it's a series that I really had a lot of fun watching. But the problem is that I watched it when it was airing and left it at episode 11. Episode 11 is a bit annoying, there isn't much going on when the plot is in the most important part, it's frustrating. Even the first half of the episode 12 is annoying.

So I watched it again recently and I finished the last two episodes, but I already knew what was going on with the ending. If I didn't know what happened, I would be very angry. If I watched it without knowing while airing, I would be really REALLY angry. I don't like things with time skips and I don't like being fooled. I would to cry while watching it, for litteraly no reason.

There are some annoying points, but I would watch it over and over again because it is really fun. The story is simple but beautiful. Sometimes simple stories can turn into the best stories when done well.

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If you liked Jade in the main story, you'll also warm to this series.

unfortunately, i could never really get on with jade and mai. both characters, like the story, are very flat in my opinion. king and uea's relationship is also different, more childish i would almost say, than in the main series. i think that's a shame, because i've always liked their energy a lot. But to mention a few positive aspects, I really liked the intimate conversations between king/mai and especially those between jade/uea, very believable with nice dialogue! The relationship between Tong and Gus is also great and I was surprised by the bed scenes at the end, beautifully staged, nice lighting.
to summarise, i didn't really like the show but it wasn't really bad either. unfortunately i could never really warm up to jade's character so the whole series was exhausting to watch

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a great novel-like love story told, yet...

A timeless romance drama and a pleasure to watch for the first time even a decade after it's initial release.
(spoiler warning)

I've seen countless dramas adapted from novels but in the case of "Ballad of the Desert" it truly felt like a novel-come-to-life. The characters, the interactions, the set up... everything felt like you could read it exactly like that on the pages of a book.
Script doesn't always translate well into reality but thanks to the cheeky and fun acting of Eddie Peng, the male lead came to life as all-in kind of guy that once he loves, he loves HARD. Possessive male leads can come across as toxic and icky super fast if they're only a tiny bit too close to reality and make you wonder how you'd react but here it's just d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s, again thanks to the novel-like feel of the drama. I mean who doesn't want to be chased by a hot general, that makes you feel like you are the only girl in the world?!

But a good ML is not all that makes this drama so enjoyable. I really liked the desert scenes, the set up of the story - a girl from the desert, that can fight and is not shy, finds herself in a love triangle that is *finally* worthy of being called a love triangle. Because if I see the "love triangle" tag one more time in a drama where it's just unrequited love I WILL throw fists!
Even if in this case it does start out as a typical one it just gets sooo good, when Xin Jue loves both and is loved by both. I read a lot of people hated it but THAT right there is the essence of 2010s love triangles (see the vampire diaries, jane the virgin). I don't know at what point and WHY love triangles suddenly turned into this weird thing where the lead girl or guy can only ever like one person. Don't call it love triangle if there is no LOVE TRIANGLE but just a third wheel.
The best thing about it here is, it makes you conflicted. Only a few (realistic) tweaks in the story and she would end up with the other guy. Not in a way where you are thinking "SML is so much better" yada yada but rather the story takes you along and you realize sometimes courage takes time to develop but people move at difference paces in life and ultimately there is no great difference in love, but in who is faster.

In all things romance I really like the writing of this drama. Not just between the leads but also everything surrounding them builds it up quite well. So many moments where I was totally loving it, stomping my feet or audibly saying "OMG".
I know censorship has always played a part in drama production but in 2014 it was much more lenient. I am fairly certain that this could not air these days anymore, nor have we seen a romance like this in years. Simply too sexy :P
The "I'll be your unlawful wife" scene is something straight from wattpad imo. Also the end of ep23... um what?! is this a vampire drama now? -there is a lot of playful biting this drama, haha.
I can say all of this having finished the drama but you definitely have to stick with it for a bit until it gets good. I'd say it was interesting more after EP5 and I loved it most EP15 onwards.
One mega plus point of this drama is FL has no female competition in love, what a nice and rare thing in dramas. She is going through a lot of growth and also does some questionable things but I prefer this much more than a too nice to be true FL. She sees through people and is never easily deceived. Very satisfying in that regard!
As you can tell by now I really liked this drama and I just think it just really worked for me and I hope it will for you too :)... that goes to say I also read some people gave up on it midway, which I find a pity because it constantly picks up again after being a bit slower for an episode or two (when it focuses on other characters around ep 20-22). It never stays in one place for long and this made it easy for me (a serial dropper) to keep watching.
That being sad it’s not perfect …the dubbing actors, especially for all important male roles, are the ones you heard a million times before. Fight scenes done by the FL are a bit comical (sound effects) but get better the more wars happened. Just a few CGI scenes are laughably bad but thank god they only use it 3-4 times in the entire drama. I think back then (2014) it must have had quite a good budget and I think you can definitely tell…it doesn’t look cheap in my opinion and by ep15 I completely forgot to even think about how it’s an old drama.

The OST is still stuck in my head and I recommend you check out 'Bai Touyin (白頭吟)' and 'A Kind of Courage Called Giving Up有一种勇气叫放弃)' by Della Ding.

This review has been anything but spoiler free so far, but this is my official real SPOILER warning as I will be discussing the ending and the "yet..." part of the review.
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If I had to summarize the big downside of this drama it would be "a great love story told, yet another story left unfinished" because essentially only the romance is tied up nicely (happy ending) which - granted - is THE main story. I am also aware that this drama is the Adaptation of one part of a novel trilogy so it only makes sense that the story is yet to be finished but the sequel drama has nothing to do with this story so I doubt we'll ever see more.
Ironically this drama gave me the satisfaction of the kind of happy ending "A Journey To Love" only left us to imagine. But in that is also sadness because if everyone thinks they're dead and revenge never ever took place, a lot of the story has been in vain - except for the main's romance. Brings me back to the point that this drama is heavy on romance and proved it once more with the ending. We're given what we wanted - a happy ending for the leads - but all the schemes and other plot points are left untold. It's not super annoying either but just a bit of a "hm" moment. For example... what happened to Hu Wei Li? He only showed up for one glance in the second to last episode but damn, his character and desert kingdom was too interesting to not be given closure about! Also FL's dance house bestie. Is she really left to believe that FL died? I mean we know QX thinks so and she totally wasted her life, forsaking her happiness to seek revenge but nobody ever even knew that. Worst attempted revenge ever...in a sad way. Also Shan'er? I know he's not the real Er but he doesn't know that nor does the King so when he grows up people will tell him his parents abandoned him and that is just SAD. I really would have loved to see the falling out in the Imperial Court and Harem because there was bound to be one massive house collapse after the Emperor lost his right hand man. For Mo Xun... I think his ending is pretty clear. The small tweaks in the story didn't happen and therefore the ending is fitting. In a true love triangle only one couple can remain and if there is happiness for the third party at the end it's not a true love triangle in all it's painful glory (according to me, hehe).

But here comes my counter argument and somewhat explanation of everything I just wrote: After finishing the drama I did some research and a LOT of the characters as well as the story of the palace is actually based on reality. Wu Ji, QX, Li Jin, the entire Wan/Wen Family and the Emperor were real people (different names tho) and many scenes come from historical records (the deer incident with Li Jin for example). This explains a lot because those stories also did not end and continued for generations. If you read up on it you'd also find out that the way our leads escaped is how the actual people met their demise. Wu Ji is actually based on the infamous general Huo Qubing that only lived until 23 and died under mysterious circumstances. It's quite the tragic story, although it did not include romance nor did the FL or SML exist. This is not part of the drama review but I fell down the rabbit hole and now I see this drama in a different light. In all fairness most of the drama is fun and not much sadness but my view has been a tad bit tainted with sadness after reading the real tragedy of the story, LOL.

Ep15-19 were my favorite because that’s when the leads are in the desert at war away from the palace. But when they came back FL kind of abandoned the dance house and I don’t quite get what all the build up before was for, if she was not going to pursue that career (she manages the house). On another note I loved that this is not a palace drama… meaning neither ML nor FL live there nor are the controlled by them for the most part. There is palace scheming later on but it won’t break the leads up and they always care more about their love than the rules and regulations. PDA in ancient times is high with these 2! They don’t care to show public affection
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All this goes to say, I LOVED THE DRAMA and actually the end is quite alright. Would have been crazy if a drama from 2014 was that much better than dramas in 2024 so yeah :D But in terms of flirty ML Wu Wei Ji is one of a kind! Loved him a lot, the teasing chemistry between the two leads was great. Definitely one of my favorite romances.
There is a lot more I could say but I feel like this review is already way too long, so I'll leave it at that: It's well worth the watch if you are a romance lover and what a pleasure to watch Eddie Peng as his best romance Character one last time before he quit acting in dramas (as of now).

P.S : please, if you watched the drama and also fell down the rabbit hole trying to decipher the meaning of "funghi soup" in ep27, tell me you also saw the comment "soup is just soup" after reading through hundreds of disturbing replies and almost losing faith in humanity. Haha

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agree badly done ending, not BAD ending, just badly filmed

I'll post when the spoiler is about to happen. It's barely anything, unless you're wondering if they get together in the end, and if you've read the other reviews you probably already know. If not, don't read after that part.

It was like being on a smooth cross country flight and then a bad landing. Or, no, wait! Eating a lovely dinner (not the most expensive kind, just a lovely tasting dinner), then being handed a bad piece of fruit at the end. You don't hate the whole meal, but you're left thinking, "what? Could they not have at least checked that last strawberry?" I'm talking about the last 3 minutes. I think I get it was meant to be artistic. Instead it just....ended. Like the author wrote a beautiful story (not the best ever but still heartfelt emotional entertainment), then forgot to save the update, and instead just sent the draft that says "put ending here."

SPOILER HERE - . What others have said -- give the ending at least three minutes of them coming back together. We've waited for this moment for 15 episodes, and they're like, "Oh, hey." As in, look like you're ENJOYING coming back together. The last three minutes loses an entire point for me. In fact until I read another review here, I didn't realize that I'd stopped the show early (it looked like it was rolling credits to me), and there was a 2 minute ending scene that I missed entirely. After watching it, meh. It didn't add anything to take the taste away from the bad strawberry.

SPOILER OVER: Also, dang people! When you are reviewing the show and checking the box that says "this review may contain spoilers", you are still allowed to write a little before you spill what the spoiler is. As in, not have the first words of your review be "I can't believe the villain turned out to be X!!!!" And yet, even though I knew that "X" was the villain, ARGH!, I don't think that deterred from my enjoyment. And really, there's more than a few villains to go around in this one.

I had no issue with her ease of entry into new Josean. It's been done before and I didn't need to see more than was shown.. She was a trailblazer in old Josean. She didn't shock easily. It showed her adaptivity.

SPOILER: The old Josean husband storyline. Yes, that was sad. But, just as they weren't meant to be the first time around, they weren't mean to be the second. Or rather, neither made the choice to make it happen. He'd always had a heart condition. He always followed her around and loved her from afar. All those years living in the same town, watching her and painting her, he could have approached her again but he didn't. The fact that she refuses to show romantic love for him in his last days the second time they meet, is consistent with faithfulness of her character in other situations. Even if she never sees him again, she's going to be faithful to the husband she chose with her heart. She did, however, make his last days easier by being his faithful friend. (On their first wedding night, she did like him and she did want him, but he died, she mourned him, and that relationship ended. Once she fell in love with his future self, she sees that they are not interchangeable.)

The plot hole that did bug me (SPOILER) - was the new husband had heart damage, it got way worse after he met her and fell in love, and was completely gone the minute she left. Uh...did I miss something? And when she came back why was it still fine?

Overall I enjoyed it. Just don't eat that last strawberry, ie. stop it 15 seconds ahead of the ending and make up your own reunion. it will be better than theirs. . then fast forward to the very very very end.

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This was what I always dreamed of.

I watched this series about 3-4 years ago. Before discovering this series, when I saw Triple H's 365 Fresh MV and I said it should be a series and I should watch it. I wanted it so much, I wanted it so much that it came true. Years later, I found this series. I definitely think it was inspired by that MV and I am very happy about it. I remember falling in love when I first watched. It's one of my favorite Thai TV series that I can't forget it for years, but my only problem with the series is the ending. It didn't seem like a poly relationship to me and I was so angry about it. But this was years ago, I grew up and maybe my thoughts are changed. I hope to watch it again and be more satisfied later, but I'm not so sure.

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A stylish, addictive mystery with beautiful action scenes . . .

Everyone is a suspect in this spy thriller of a drama. The twists and turns keep it engaging. As with many dramas, it starts slowing down in the last 1/3, and gets too complicated for its own good. But, it's genuinely unique and striking and worth the watch despite this.

The romances and character development are a weak point. Love is declared not shown, plus the good guys being mostly men and the spies being mostly women is a weird decision that makes all the romances feel a bit similar. Because there is so much action, also the characters are fairly thin and not fully fleshed out.

The writers leave space for there to be a Season 2/Part 2 to this drama, but I don't know if I will stick around for it. I really like character and theme driven dramas. This is beautiful, with a lot of suspense, but ultimately does not say much . .

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Really great!

This was just the cutest travel - adventure show I’ve seen. Lee Sueng-Gi and Jasper are so cute and funny. Both are smart and athletic.

I loved all of the countries they visited. So many places I would never know about and they took us to remote places and gave us an up-front view. The people in each country were very kind and friendly.

They went to several historic places, such as temples, and it was so fascinating.

Their fans planned the entire trip for them and it was so fun to watch their friendship grow along they way. I can see them being close friends for life. I teared up several times as they met their fans.

What great guys these are and I am now a huge fan of both. Will be watching all their works.

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So enjoyable

Even my husband has watched this show, twice, and I can barely get him to watch any shows. The story is based on history and I think that adds to its charm because it’s nice to see a woman depicted as beautiful and clever. This was the first c-drama we ever watched and that was a nice, refreshing change to how women are usually depicted in Western shows. However, everything about this show is great. The costumes. The sets! And, yes, the acting. Everyone, is excellent in their roles. And the twists are as good as anything in Dynasty but without the cheesiness. The chemistry between the FL and ML is the best. It’s only surpassed by the chemistry of the leads in Falling Into Your Smile. The music is beautiful. It’s a few years old at this point, but it’s still wonderful.

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Entertaining but the romantic aspects were weaker, I was rooting for some people to NOT be together

I enjoyed less this third season than the previous ones. I appreciate the effort made by production in switching up and spicing up the concept which aimed for people to be less stucked on one person and to have more options. But on the other hand, I felt that the relationships were much less compelling...I was really not invested in most of the relationships (except maybe one) and I found the romance aspect relatively weaker.

The cast was pretty diverse and with interesting personnalities but it felt really like the focus was on one of the guy becoming really the "main" character of the show. He brought a lot of drama with him and honestly carried the various storylines but I did not find his behavior appealing at all...Therefore making it very difficult for me to root for his relationship(s) within the show...The endgame left a bit a bitter aftertase for me on numerous pairings except maybe one...I do not remember rooting as much in the previous seasons for people to NOT be together...

Regarding production choices, there were some great ones: I really enjoyed the decors on the island, the protagonists had really nice and very picture-perfect spots to hold conversations. However, I'm a bit disappointed by the hotels selection for Paradise, it seemed less "dreamy" than in the past seasons...More city-like, something was clearly missing in terms of atmosphere.

I would still recommend this TV show to people that are looking for a good dating show. If you have liked the previous seasons, this one takes a different turn that might feel more enjoyable (or less if like me you are more interested in romance, angst and pining than in strategy and exploring options).

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*major* spoilers - a review for 1000 stars

Major spoilers -- just genuine love for things that happened throughout the show. Please don't open because it is genuinely full spoilers.

I struggle to remember many shows and finding love for them because there's always something that makes me just a little disappointed, but A Tale of a Thousand Stars (1000 stars) is something that I will probably hold pretty close to my heart.







On the surface of how the show is played out, 1000 stars has a very unique situation to work with and many different scenarios that can be built around a poor village. Typical BLs have the setting in the city, so it was new to see how acting in a rural village would work. The music is very particular to its theme. It's like a Pinterest board, it has a consistent sound and it fits very well with the visuals of the show. The actors (EarthMix) play their respective positions and characters very well given each's background. The Chief is stoic yet looks out for Tian a lot, while Tian is trying his best as a teacher in the village. The villagers are dynamic, there are people of all ages in the village with different personalities. They navigate life and deal with problems that come their way. I gave the cast an 8.0 because this isn't the typical "hot men kissing" trope, and it's not something that you'll find when watching the show. There is more substance to these characters, and later on, the message of the show.

Tian's character development has one of the best I've *felt* in a while. There's one thing about seeing character development but it's another to feel it in a character.

Tian starts off as the typical characters whom are born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and ironically enough, his parents have a very non-empathic approach because of their high status. They think low of the donor who gave their heart to Tian, they don't mind trampling on others to live on the high end. Although Tian isn't necessarily housing these same beliefs, he grew up with it.

He signs up to become a teacher impulsively out of sheer interest and wanting to do something for once. He doesn't know what he's doing but even when he gets dirty looks, he still swallows it down and stays anyways. And he makes core memories throughout the show that I still can remember clearly. The kite flying, the chief taking him to that small hut to look at the view, creating the tea satchels, the adorable parties they’ve had together with the villagers, Tian risking burning and risking his life for the village, risking his own health for the things he teaches around the village that he wants to show the kids. It's so clear the way Tian puts himself out there to support the village, and you can see how he gradually goes from just teaching kids to falling in love with the village and doing whatever he can to help them. It's really beautiful. I think actions speak greater than words in this show and it's refreshing to see.

The Chief is a pillar in everyone's lives, and it's really great to see how he can find support and fun in Tian. I think that one of my favorite quotes from him is: “When you choose to go home and not give everything you have up for me, I’ll know you’ve returned the feelings I have for you." It's so painful, it’s loving Tian to the point where he is willing to let him go because he knows what Tian gives up to be with him. It really shows is maturity in the Chief and I really like how blunt he is when he deals with Tian. He also is a pillar because he's always willing to wait for Tian, referencing off the hornbills and their patience. It comes up occasionally and I love the analogy behind it. I do think it was a little unnerving to see the Chief after realizing he had just protected Tian because of the money/promotion, but I think it was very interesting to watch them figure out whether it was actual feelings or simply work.

Now for the village aspect of the show. I thought that the village characters wouldn't be really well known and would just be supporting characters, but I didn't realize how close they would be to the storyline and plot. It really adds color and a familial aspect to Tian's life that he didn't have when he was living with his parents and drinking with his friends. I think it's really beautiful to see Tian helping the village in his own way, and the village welcoming him hesitantly but then forgiving him every time he causes them trouble. The ending with the montage of the villagers waving him goodbye was so beautiful that I cried. P'Aof made the montage so beautiful with Tian hugging the kids dearly and each of them bringing a gift for him, him hugging the village, him taking a picture with the village. It hurt me (in a good way) when they said to come visit sometime not ever knowing when they’ll ever see someone like him again. They are always staying as his pillar as family, unwavering and home. It's ironic because Tian also has a family waiting for him in the city as well, but he's also found another family in the village.

Time for the romance. The romance lacks any kisses, hugs, whatever typical things that are out there but instead has injuries, scars, betrayal, saving each other’s lives, introducing each other to new things, being there for each other. I interpret their love as action and bearing what might come next together. Their confession was executed so well because they are unsure of the time they have left before Tian leaves. It's not all perfect. The final scene actually gave us a kiss that was very rewarding to watch. I understand how it might be very frustrating to watch without any throughout the show, but the kiss for them happened because they knew they were finally sure they would be together (after Tian became a proper teacher and knew he would commit). They couldn’t kiss knowing Tian had to leave. They couldn’t kiss wondering where Tian would go. Everything was temporary. But after waiting and knowing exactly where their future is, they sealed it and, gosh it’s so poetic, the timing and everything.

Also Torfun was a really pretty aspect to the show. She shows what it's like to live a humble life and seeing Tian follow her steps out of curiosity was really nice to watch because I originally thought he wouldn't care much at all, like his parents. The ending where she wholeheartedly wishes for the Chief to find true love and him finding it in Tian, who has her heart, is a pretty twisted but poetic thing to watch.

There's a lot of pretty metaphors throughout the show (or maybe I'm seeing too much into it). Tian has a new heart literally and I'd say figuratively as well. He has a new heart for being open-minded and finally having a purpose in life, abandoning the luxurious yet dull life he lived before. The hornbill reference/analogy that shows unwavering patience from the Chief (and village). I love discrete storytelling and 1000 stars has it all.

Here are some lessons? messages? I got from the show: Socioeconomic perspectives, silent but unwavering love, familial love, finding the purpose in life. I felt like I was going through the rollercoaster right alongside the characters.

Thanks for reading, I didn't mean to spoil so much but I just wanted to post an honest analysis/review for the show.

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well made story of rekindling an old flame

Our Beloved Summer - 8,5/10 kdrama

firstly I am in kinda drama slump now and to even start this one I had to force myself. It was really good, but I cant say it saved me from slump.
Drama at start tends to skip between past and present timeline, but its done quite well.

This drama got really high quality story which is quite on :ordinary life side:. I mean characters backstory aint really ordinary like silver spoon, celebrity, :single parent family child etc. But happenings in this drama are modestly ordinary at least if you compare it to most kdramas.
Chemistry... yeah it was there, but again not in some passionate or cute way[was cute sometimes].
Yeah this drama will show you more of relationship based on old feelings which still lasts and some kind of spiritual solace between main leads.

plot - at high school ML and FL was part of documentary which became successful thanks their very different school social standing and personality which resulted in nonstop clashes and bickering through whole documentary. Later on they ended up as couple for five years just to go through hard break up.
Now 10 years after documentary aired it became viral again and both leads was pushed into joining new documentary about their life now. Will such sudden meet up after 5 years from break up, spark a fire between main leads again?

genre - romance, school, love/hate. second chance

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This is a must-watch youth drama that you'll want to see over and over again.

This drama is truly a treat for those who are nostalgic and over 20, as well as teenagers and young adults who are still in the process of growing up. It captures the essence of the best years of a person's life, where friendships are built that last a lifetime, and first love can blossom into a lasting relationship.

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this drama, as it was full of raw emotions that felt genuine and relatable. The challenges of growing up and dealing with complex emotions, the hopes and dreams of a bright future, and the struggle to become a strong and independent adult - all of these themes were masterfully interwoven into the storyline.

The character development in this particular story was truly remarkable. It was fascinating to see how each character's personality evolved throughout the course of the narrative, from their likes and dislikes to their jealousies and struggles. We all had best friends. We all had our first crush. We all met bullies. We all had study struggles. We all had parental issues. We all had this teacher we couldn't stand or on the contrary we loved. We all had to compete with somebody. This drama has it all.

Anyone who has attended school knows what it's like to encounter someone who is physically different or emotionally challenged, and this story perfectly captures the drama that surrounds such situations. What's particularly impressive is that this theme is relatable to people from all walks of life, regardless of where they grew up. This drama gave me many smiles.

What really stood out to me was the impeccable acting, which was brought to life by a perfectly cast ensemble. The chemistry between the characters was palpable and made the story even more compelling. The storyline itself was captivating, and everything from the pacing to the dialogue felt just right. All in all, this drama had everything I could have asked for, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a heartfelt and memorable viewing experience.

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