Reviews

The story and casting are good especially role by wangxingyue

Scent of Time" follows the story of Hua Qian, an ambitious young woman, who becomes infatuated with Zhong Yelan, the heir to a renowned Chinese incense empire. Determined to claim his affection for her own, she craftily schemes to steal his heart away from another woman. However, her plans take an unexpected turn, resulting in her family's downfall. Trapped in the consequences of her actions, she finds herself slipping into a mysterious coma.

Miraculously, Hua Qian awakens to find herself back on her wedding day, presented with a unique opportunity to rectify her past mistakes. Can she navigate the complexities of love, ambition, and redemption, rewriting her own fate? Join her enthralling journey as she embarks on a quest to right the wrongs that led her to observe the sands of time.

The talented Zhou Ye takes on the role of Hua Qian, showcasing her versatility and captivating performances and wang xingye as zhong ziwu

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my friend recommended me this show and i absolutely loved it!!! i really like the plot and the back story of each character. it is not cliche and some parts are unpredictable which i liked a lot. although i got my heart broken watching this show but it's all worth it. i also liked the ending because that's the most appropriate ending for it. i don't want to consider this as BL because it is so much more than that! it's about life and friendship, really. it would be weird if they ended up as lovers because one, takashi is literally dead and two, koki is a 30 yr old guy while takashi was still in high school like?? chill out, guys. but i have to admit that they really have the chemistry. i really enjoyed this show and maybe i'll rewatch it someday <3

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WOW!

i havent watched such a good thriller is so long !!
lemme tell you i was HOOKED from episode one!
im really happy i let all this episodes air and then binged everything in one day even tho i had a paper due the next day XD BUT IT WAS SO WORTH.
every episode kept me on edge, and i love how fresh this concept was and this new game.
all actors did such a wonderful job.
i did see people complain about the show but personally i loved it and didnt think its was bad at all, and the ending well i can understand why people did not like it and i too have some issues however i think it was a good ending nevertheless

SPoilers incoming!
- okay even tho i enjoyed the show, i cannot deny that some things did not make sense.
like when the bullies tried to kill woo ram, like everyine brushed that off after he was exposed to be the mafia. like i was honeslty suprised how the bullies weren't voted out at the start when they were basically the worst. but i guess plot armour and ngl the episode where they start to point figures at each other was pretty good.
for the endning i think it did make sense all the thigns happening were a stimulation, because that would explain how everyone lost their memory of se eun and the weird things happening like the telephones not plugged or when our FL fell thru the vent into the basement etc etc.
however at the end it was revealed that this was the work of the se euns parents for revenge.
now this is actually BRUTAL becuase what they've been doing is seriously wrong and doesnt make sense, like yes okay you daughter was bullied into exiting, ofc i understand the pain and anger the parents must have had but to make the whole class suffer is just wrong since some of them didnt even talk to se eun or participate in the bullying al all ,and there were people who were her friends like Ml and Fl, so to put them all thru hell instead of putting the actual people who made her life hell just doesnt make sense to me.
the main culprits were basically the guy ( the last mafia beside jung won) who made that fake video, and then the bullies who made him post it publicly and the mi so and her bully friends.
it would have been satisifying if they were forced to play the game rather than the whole class and then we find out that these kids were actually 2 faced this whole time or some plot twist like that.
i do think the father felt guilty at the end but the mom just cannot move on.
another thing is why keep erasing their minds if you want them to suffer, why not let them remember everything that happened and what they did to their daughter, itll torment them alot more and they would feel atleast some remorse.
that aside, the parents could have just hired a PI to find out who spread the fake video etc (since the parents are really rich as we can see) and then take matters legally to court or smt.
idk but yeah i just find it unfair the whole class has to suffer and were probably kidnapped and sent to their lab or smt.
the last scene gave me chills, i finally thought okay are they back in real life?, but then BOOM jung won.
i honeslty feel sorry for jung won, i feel se euns spirit is in her but she cannot do anything to end the game when her parents are in controll.

neverthless this is going to my top 10 favourite thriller shows, and ngl i kinda enjoyed it a bit more than all of us are dead.
not sure if we need a 2nd season but i'd be excited if there were another!

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Sweet friends to lovers.

Muy lindo. Los personajes principales me parece que tienen muy buena química.
Las canciones me encantaron, la voz de Do Yoon es preciosa (Una Carat aqui)
Ambos hicieron un excelente trabajo.
En cuanto a los personajes secundarios, nada que sea relevante, solo estan ahí.
La historia es muy simple pero muy dulce no hay giros en la trama.

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The story and casting are amazing

The Zhong family is the wealthiest and most powerful family in the city of Huang, selling incense and medicine to the royal family. The young Zhong Xi Wu is the head of the family and rules with a firm but kind hand. General Manager Hua has a haughty and arrogant daughter, Hua Qian, who would stop at nothing to marry a member of the Zhong family Zhong Ye Lan. With the help of her father, she successfully marries him and also disposes of a rival manager and his family, the Mu family. Her misdeeds do not go unpunished as the daughter of the Mu family, Mu Yao, seeks revenge against Hua Qian. Hua Qian’s entire family is sentenced to death or exile. She tries to escape but faints in the chase.

She wakes up to find that she’s transported back to her wedding day to Zhong Ye Lan. Stunned at the turn of events, Hua Qian tries desperately to rewrite history and make amends to those she has wronged. However, she never accounted for how history sometimes will go a certain way exactly because of human nature. In her journey to change, she loses more than she bargained for but also forged new relationships in which she does not know the outcome.

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Watch for the Male lead's acting, chemistry btw main couple & some charismatic side characters

Love and Redemption is easy to get into as there is a nice pacing throughout the beginning of the story, accompanied by nolstagic bgm and a strong male lead who is able to convey emotions very well with his microexpressions, leaving no one doubting his pain and suffering in any form- emotional or physical, nor his affection for the FL.

Enter the FL. In my opinion, FL (Crystal Yuan) qualifies to be in the running for the worst actor award in a cdrama with her inability to emote and her excessive use of eyedrops that ironically highlight how poor her acting is than aid with any emotional scene itself . I will say she does have strong chemistry with the ML which is probably one of the reasons why it was easy to get hooked onto this drama if one is able to switch off when she had a crying scene or a scene where she is meant to act betrayed but just looks constipated.

I need to mention the actress who played SFL Ling long did not fare that much better than Crystal and Mingyan had a pretty useless existence in this drama despite being on the posters and all.

Side characters Brother Liu and Tengshe were a much needed presence and comic relief to this drama and helped pushed the story forward with renewed energy and charisma.

As for the narrative itself, there were lots of plot developments that make love and redemption quite an interesting journey, however it's a shame that this drama couldn't be the masterpiece it could have been because logic and character development were thrown out the window, with the story relying instead on misunderstandings to drive it forward.

You can watch this if you enjoy fluff knowing its just fluff and if you want to know what propelled actor Cheng Yi to his current fame. Just know that you WILL need to practice restraint when FL appears (post beginning stage) because you will wonder how she was ever able to become an actress and why nobody in her inner circle had the integrity to stop her from choosing this profession.

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a hidden friendship becomes something more as they both deepen their relationship

Short Synopsis :-

“One String Night” is a drama about the romance between two ordinary people. It tells the story of librarian Lee Jung In (Han Ji Min) who values the life she wants, and pharmacist Yoo Ji Ho( Jung Hae In) who is warm and sweet but has a fiercely competitive side. In the drama, Lee Jung In has mixed feelings about the idea of marrying her long-time boyfriend Kwon Gi Seok (Kim Jun Han), and is faced with further dilemma when she befriends Yoo Ji Ho, a single father who is direct with his emotions.

Review point :- The show is the slowest of slow burns, but that’s what makes it so wonderful.
One spring night begins with two adult protagonists running into each other and feeling strange attraction towards each other. The first few episodes are interesting, with "hidden tension" between the main characters. This romantic Korean drama then explores to a very real and mature subject: single parents and the possibility to start over again their life also this drama is not a regular love story; the characters encounter life challenges that every one of us can faces. It featured without antagonists, depending on their personality the characters can change into antagonists ( Kwon Gi Seok We see both of them struggle with Jeong-in's ex-boyfriend, who is an entitled jerk who doesn't want to leave them alone, not because he loves Jeong-in, but because he refuses to accept the reality that she is better off with someone else. and his father). This drama highlights the crucial nature of love, timing in relationships and emotions, and how, even as adults, you can't always predict how situations turn out at anytime.

PERFECT DIRECTION, PERFECT WRITTING, PERFECT SOUNDTRACK ,PERFECT VISUALS.
The show's director, Ahn Pan Seok, did not include any other elements. The pace of the drama is slow, however, it shows Jeong In's enthusiasm and Ji Ho's helplessness as his love for her grows.
This drama had some excellent writing; Kim Eun did an excellent job developing the storylines of the characters in today's society. The music in this show is fantastic and perfectly compliments the scenes it’s used in, Rachel Yamagata refreshed my OST playlist.

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A strong takeoff that misses the landing

What a true rollercoaster of a show in every sense of the word. This show presents some of the best acting out of GMMTV to date, with incredible performances from Khao, First, Force, Book, Mark and Neo. However, the explosive start to the series finished with a sizzle.

If you don't know, this story was loosely based on the writer's group of friends. I believe the biased view of these characters, coupled with the branding of these pairs, forced the story to take a turn that was neither good to its characters or to its audience.
You knew from the start that Top and Mew would be together because they are Force and Book. You knew that Sand and Ray would be together because they are First and Khao. In any other story this wouldn't matter, but you show that these characters are so deeply flawed and dirty and raw, that to try to clean it up in the last act feels cheap. Then your only non-branded pair (and the writers self-insert) ends with one feeling high and mighty, and one slut shamed.

I also think that the show suffered from the classic Thai 12 episode format, because it had its climax so early in the show, that the falling action felt like it was dragging and the fun was gone.

Overall I enjoyed the experience, but know that this is a very complicated fav.

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I Hate Omegaverse and This Is My Review

I am a long time fan and then an even longer time proud hater of omegaverse. I was fresh out of bls to watch, except stuff by mame, so I was prepared to look at literally anything else. I didn't notice the omegaverse tag and was horrified when I jumped into this and it came up. It's my least favorite trope-- it's almost always used to make a plot go from (possibly) interesting to outright horseshit. My personal saying after nearly a decade of being an ABO fiction reader was: once every five years, there is a cold day in hell, and an actually good ABO fic is born.

All that to say: I now stretch that over to series as well with great prejudice because, despite how much I actively wanted to hate this

OMFG ITS SO GOOD WTFFFF
And damn did I wanna be a hater, I was so, so excited for it but...the ABO is not in my face-- normally I'm cringing every time someone says Alpha or some shit but the ABO is like a background element. WHICH IS THE BEST WAY FOR IT TO BE. There's so little bs here I had time to forget the ABO entirely some episodes. This part of the review is literally just for others like me: I see you, I feel your pain, and stand in solidarity with you because if you start watching this, you will finish it. It's hot, good plot, nice conflict, no misunderstanding bs storyline, characters just ask what they wanna know. (And even with the one misunderstanding plotline, it's set up right-- you can pick a side instead of everyone just being immature, annoying, and wrong.) I should also mention that it doesn't seem to be cut-and-dry bog-standard omegaverse rules, so that helps.

Anyway, if you enjoy whump there's a lovely, modest dusting of it in here which is enough, I guess. I was constantly grinning in anticipation of one of the characters having a bad time. And when that character wasnt, a different, equally whump-tastic character WAS. Perfection. I won't spoil anything so I'll just say this: the peak whump you'll end up hoping for will be satisfied ?????? (Please do remember that I described it as a moderate dusting of whump and don't get too excited though, there will be at least two moments where you beg a character to stand up or at least consider growing a spine/self-respect.) I'm having the bestest time though, friend, you gotta go watch it and get caught up.

Also, sidenote: I didn't think American culture affected me that much, but when bro sent 8 texts in a row in a single minute? I won't lie, it really threw me off. No bearing on the review or my rating, I just noticed myself counting how many messages he was gonna send lol.

I had a short period of being interested in racing/NASCAR a long time ago, so I thought I'd probably end up skipping most of the racing scenes (I just watched Love in the Air and skipped every single one there. Or at least every one in the seven episodes I got through.) I skipped the first race and then there was always some gimmick or plot point that made every following race interesting. This script is so offensively good bro, I'm trying to explain that as clearly as possible. A lot of times, I have to give BL a bellcurve to stand it up against other genres, but this is just good. It's just a good story with good acting and good pacing. It's a satisfying watch, nothing dragged out for too long (especially the dramatic scenes omfl, looking at you wabi sabi. So refreshing to not look at a character for ten straight seconds of nothing)

I had to do a stroke test a few times because I couldn't tell if the translations suddenly made no sense for a few lines or if I'd lost the ability to read. Luckily, it was the first. Unluckily, it was the first. Sometimes you're gonna miss stuff because the words on screen could mean anything at all except a coherent sentence.

Cute side couple is cute and doesn't make me wish they were the main couple but also doesn't bore me. Ads are as aggressive as usual so if you dislike that, good luck, but I just find them funny so I didn't factor them into my rating. Everyone in the series is an adult and acts like it and it is so damn refreshing. There are issues in it that I'm actually torn on!! Issues complex enough to not have an immediate and obvious right answer! Heaven really is on earth sometimes.

The music is good (that generic club beat gets me bouncing in my seat) but the one sad piano track does get repetitive and can be a bit annoying by like episode 5. Everyone's eye candy in this show to the point that it's almost irritating. The side side couple is also cute, it actually took me a bit to realize they were another pair but once I did? Whoo-wee, I wasn't made about that at all, nosiree! The side side side couple is also cute but kinda unnecessary? Like I dont need them there, but I'm happy they are because I like them.... but also they're also taking up valuable story time, idk.


I was a little sad they made the plot points that should've been mysterious kinda obvious but, if you're an overthinker, you should be able to gaslight yourself into thinking you don't know what's going on. And even if you can't, it's still entertaining regardless!

You have no idea how much my pride was smarting when I bought iQiyi premium to watch an ABO show, so I hope this review also convinced you to do the same and join me in the comfortable lap of hypocrisy lmao, it's worth it (I got it for $2, I think it was a sale or newbie benefit or something¿ mighta hesitated more if it was like $10.) Anyway, long story very, very short: watch this.

EDIT: Ive finished the show now and....wow, everything in the last few episodes (maybe since 9?) Really ruined this. I thought this would be an all time fave but it just devolved into a shitshow. Some points of contention and then Im outta here:

1. Jeff can seenthe future but never uses it to help in all the dangerous situations? "Yeah guys, lets go contront traffickers who have guns but Im too scared to see if anyone dies lol" Please dont pmo

2. The amount of time wasted in Tony's house doing shit they could do very much out of Tony's house??? Like is this your home? Do you want to be caught?? LEAVE. Or leaving guns in arms reach of people who want to shoot at them. Little stupid things that are infuriating.

3. The KentaPete plot was unnecessary and wasted time they obviously needed to make the plot less awful.

4. Either give your villains knives or, if the must have guns, dont give them stiff trigger fingers and stormtrooper aim. And the MONOLOGUING, GOOD GOD JUST SHOOT. IDC WHO JUST FUCKING SHOOT. Actually make it me, get me out of here.

5. They needed more episodes or more writer rooms. Or both.

6. The easiest acceptance of someone faking their death ive ever seen.

7. The ending wasnt just rushed, it was mach speed.

8. People dying is treated more like a slight sad inconvenience than... idk someone fucking dying.

9. Way deserved better fr.

Im so annoyed because this had such potential but then it BL'd itself into oblivion. Ugh.

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There is ANGST in coupling up

Singles Inferno 3 brought the drama big time, and for that reason, it has been my favorite season so far, and that is saying a lot as I just loved season 2. Love him, hate him, swoon, or wish to throw a drink in his face, Gwan-hee brought the drama. It was entertaining, and it got people fired up and responding to the show. It also supercharged the panel and they were highly entertaining in the commentary of Gwen-hee's antics.

Here are my PROS and CONS for this season:
PROS:
The twist of the two Infernos and mixing up the contestants in the beginning. Loved this! Just wish it would have gone a little longer.

Dex being part of the panel. He really brought an insightful and entertaining contribution to the show.

All of the panel!! I loved their commentary!!

Strong personalities in the cast. I loved Hye-seon and Ha-jeon, their confidence, and not being afraid to speak their mind to Mr. You-know-who when his ego and just all-round jerkness got out of hand.

The drama Gwan-hee brought to the show. Most of the time I wanted to slap him for stringing along the girls, but at the same time, what he brought to the show was highly entertaining.

CONS:
Paradise was BORING!!! All they did was sit in a hotel room and eat. Let them have real dates where they actually do stuff.

The flower petal hot tub scenes were the worst! All the couples were excruciatingly awkward and they were hard to watch. I think it was the producers attempt to bring sexiness to the show, but instead it was just cringey.

I miss the kitchen on the island and the cooking scenes.

While I loved the drama Gwen-hee and his trio of ladies brought to the show, for the most part it seemed staged and fake.

The women in heels and carrying a bag on the beach. Let them wear comfy beach clothing!!

Really good season with a good deal of drama that can't be beat. The panel adds their reaction to the events unfolding both on the island and in Paradise. They are funny and honest in their reactions to the contestants, and brought even more to the entertainment level of the series.

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A real M-A-S-T-E-R-P-I-E-C-E!!!

Over the last few years, with alas increasingly common recurrence, I end up being in such despair ("à la" Zetsubou-sensei, I mean, LOL) due to the Nth "westernized" J-drama ("made in Hollywood", as I put it), that for a brief moment I find myself entertaining the idea of dropping Japanese dramas altogether.../.____.\
Luckily, though, every now and then good old Japan still manages to come up with the Nth masterpiece, so that I'm happily made to abandon that idea completely and my love for J-dramas is once again maintained and reinforced.
It was precisely the case of this "Tsuma, Shogakusei ni Naru".
A real M-A-S-T-E-R-P-I-E-C-E. There's no other way to correctly describe it.
The script? PERFECT. You cry, you laugh, you think....the whole nine yards, really.
The acting? MARVELOUS. Hard to name only three members of this *great* cast, but traditions must be respected, so I'll go with Tsutsumi-san, Kamiki-kun and most of all the adorable - and amazingly talented - Maida Nono (seriously, to be able to act that well at her age is kinda scary! Can't wait to see her in more dramas!!!)
The "packaging", as I put it (directing, editing, photography, music, etc.)? TOP-NOTCH.
The message? W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L!!!
'Nuff said, go watch it *now*, you'll thank me later! ^_______-

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This "Kamisan no Waruguchi" is imvho the *perfect* example ("a contrario", as the old Romans would have said) of how PC (Politically Correct) has mostly ruined storytelling (and not only that...).
Back in the Golden Age of J-dramas it was possible to make a drama with such a politically incorrect title (it roughly translates as "Badmouthing the Wives" - but don't get it wrong, at least 80% of the times - if not more - the badmouthing husbands aren't portrayed as being right at all in doing so!) and with such tridimensional characters, so full of faults and yet - or rather, precisely because of that! - so tremendously humane.
The script doesn't take sides "a priori" (OK, today it's Latin Day, bear with me, please), but rather shows two main characters who are right or wrong depending on the situation. They argue, they fight, they yell, but at the end of the day - and that's the lovely message conveyed by this old comedy - both are made better people by being together and learning from each other and from their mistakes, day in and day out. There are no *perfect* couples, but rather *functioning* ones, that are so exactly because they know that they're not perfect and *accept* it! (compare that with the current trend of demanding nothing short of *perfection* from your partner, and any failure to comply to that impossibly unrealistic demand leading to a divorce...>_____<).
Back to the drama: the script is wonderful, managing to be at the same time hilarious and thought-provoking. The acting is top-notch, with virtual standing ovations for both leads. The "packaging" might feel dated to younger viewers, but those who appreciate "oldiesbutgoldies" won't have any problem with that.
No surprise it was so successful it got a second season (alas, not yet subbed, if I'm not mistaken...?), not really a common occurrence for comedies.
Oh, a last side-note for my countrymates - who'll get the reference: this is basically the Japanese version of "Casa Vianello", LOL! ^_^;;;

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Afterlife of Love and Revenge is a lighthearted miniseries that starts with the premise of second chances in life. Pang Long Yue (played by Ma Qian Qian) suffers a betrayal and is killed along with her husband. Next, she finds herself alive on the night of her wedding when she decides to make the best out of this second opportunity. With the knowledge of her past experiences, she manages to outsmart those that hurt her and joins hands with her husband to better themselves. The leading couple was good together but there was no strong romantic chemistry, just a strong and steadfast support for each other and some funny scenes from her comedic antics. The drama has a nice ending.

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"Supokon" at its best!!!

As I've already confessed in a previous review, my favorite sport is baseball.
Of all different sorts of baseball, Japanese "yakyuu" is my favorite (in a nutshell: no doping - or at least much much less than in the MLB; less muscles and more brains; nobody munching tobacco and spitting it on the field, etc. etc.).
And of all different types of Japanese "yakyuu", my favorite is precisely high school baseball.
Why? Because it's poetic, pure, epic...it's Sport with a capital "s", sport as it *should* be.
Now, the Japanese have a whole genre dedicated to sports-related stories, called "supokon", and since baseball is (one of) the national sport(s), you can guess that the vast majority of "supokon" are about baseball, and particularly about high school baseball, 'cause Japanese *love* it and the Koushien's final game is basically the Japanese equivalent of the Superbowl in the States!
So does all that mean that there's nothing really new in this story? Could be, yeah.
Does that make it any less fabulous? Hell no!
A good recipe doesn't necessarily need any fancy ingredients to make for a delicious dish; more often than not, it's precisely the simple, good old ones that are the best of the lot!
As is the case with this "Gekokujo Kyuji": all the tropes of the genre are there, but still, you can't help but enjoying *every single minute* of it! Marvelously written, acted, directed. Production value reached Himalayan heights. The message conveyed was simply beautiful.
Jeez, I finished watching it before Christmas, but I'm still getting goosebumps thinking about it now, so good it was!!! ^______^;;;
Highly and wholeheartedly recommended! Perfect 10 all the way!!!

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