Reviews

A good drama with amazing chemistry

I watched this drama after seeing the clip clip on TikTok. I've wanted to watch Yang Yang's drama for a long time, it's just that nothing suits my taste yet.

In my opinion, the first episode is still quite general, but it is quite a 'hook' for me to continue watching the next episodes. From the start, this drama has determined that outer space will be its main focus. I feel that in this drama the topic of outer space is reviewed, not only as a sweetener for romance. At first, it was quite confusing because episodes 1-10, it was mostly filled with playing games, but in my opinion, it was quite interesting, our initial episode was given a fairly light flow. After entering dozens of episodes, this drama has just shown a plot that is starting to get serious but can still be enjoyed and doesn't make us think hard.

In my opinion, the flow of this drama is also quite neat, although in some parts it is sometimes a little slow. But for me, who is very new to the Yu Tu profession, the explanation given is quite an illustration, even though some terms are still not understandable. To be honest, I often watch Chinese dramas that tend to be light and start plots from high school. This is the second Chinese drama that I watched with a plot that didn't start in high school, and it was quite refreshing because the demeanor wasn't heavy either.

I think the most interesting thing about this drama is that the conflicts raised are common conflicts that often occur in the real world but are not discussed too often in dramas. Yu Tu becomes insecure when he is with Jing Jing. In fact, from the start, we have shown that Yu Tu is quite insecure about his job. He takes pride in his work, he also loves his job. But the demands from the environment make him feel less valuable, this is because he doesn't have enough income according to society's standards, and also doesn't have enough time. And this is also a strong reason why Yu Tu rejects Jing Jing for the second time. I think this is one of the toughest conflicts that happen in the real world, and I like the way Yu Tu is finally able to fight his insecurities without trying to bring Jing Jing down to his class.

The problems that Yu Tu and Jing Jing face are real problems that often occur in the real world, especially for couples who are both pursuing careers. Even though it seems difficult to have the same ending as this drama if it happened in real life, I think this drama can be a reference and lesson for adults in starting a relationship. As Yu Tu said, a relationship will not work if one party feels that they are always making sacrifices.

I think the relationship between the two in this drama depicts the relationship between two adults. Both Yu Tu and Jing Jing both understood each other's preoccupations. Both of them always try to support each other. They do this not because they sacrifice themselves to maintain a difficult relationship, but because they want their partner to be a better person.

I like it because the two main characters in this drama are consistent until the end of the drama but still have developments. Like Yu Tu's character who was often insecure from the start, actually, until the end, Yu Tu was also often insecure, but Yu Tu at the end was far more optimistic about the world and himself. Likewise, Jing Jing from the beginning was indeed quite a confident person, and until the end, Jing Jing was always a light for the people around her.

And there's something I like about this drama, which is when they talk about how smart people in class weren't as rich as normal people in school. This drama shows that the definition of success cannot only be measured by money. Sometimes there are achievements that not everyone can understand but you want to achieve them. Because like the title of this drama, that's your Glory. Until the end, Yu Tu's income will never be greater than Jing Jing's, but Yu Tu's pride as a spaceman will never be lost because of that.

And one more thing that is very special and I like this drama. The chemistry between Yang Yang and Dilraba is truly insane. I feel like the two of them are a couple because both of them act very naturally and well. This is both very good and 'bad'. It's very good because I enjoyed this drama from beginning to end, but it's very bad. I haven't been able to enjoy another Yang Yang and Dilraba's dramas because I still think about Yu Tu and Jing Jing.

I feel that Yu Tu is one of the most 'green flag' characters in Chinese dramas. I feel that Yu Tu has pretty good emotional control, he is also the type of person who thinks before he acts. Yu Tu was polite and always asked permission first whenever he wanted to do something. Yu Tu is a good colleague and has high empathy. When watching this drama, I want to have Yu Tu in the real world :') but I'm sure I won't be able to become Jing Jing in the real world. Jing Jing is an extraordinary woman. Jing Jing is truly a sincere and courageous person. Jing Jing is very bright both intellectually and emotionally. I think Yu Tu's world is much brighter after meeting Jing Jing. Jing Jing is light for Yu Tu. And they are both perfect for each other.

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So boring.

In the entire series, the Korn-Phawin duo was the only interesting and exciting thing. At first I only watched for them. But they also had to spoil it at the end. Let's just say that the sex scenes were also a bit funny... The Gun-Pitch couple is a big no-no. I've never seen a main couple so unprogressive. The ending was also terrible, the story was not even closed properly. Overall a very bad series, the actors can't act, the story is a mess, the only watchable thing was messed up, the ending isn't really an ending. I can't say anything positive about the series. I don't recommend it.

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Last episode make me cry

i finished all episodes, i impressed with last 5 episode, its long 3 ep more then 3 hours but its not feel boring, its been long since i have finished any full xianxia, i like to watch xianxia as a fan of this genre i am quit satisfied, starting feel little slow like like first 20 ep but its always same in xianxia so used to it, overall is fine, not fine with male lead death, i don't like when lead died in drama i like to watch happy ending, talking about acting shi ying/xiao zhan acting is great he is hard carrying last episodes, heaven punishment scene was amazing its hurt when you see him, in later ep when he lost memory his young child acting impressive xiao zhan never failed with his acting, female lead zhu yan/ren min not impressed me much i like her acting in starting ep but she can't carry angst scene, when she killed ml her expression is blank, even we look more socked then her, last killing scene same, sy dying front of her and she like what should i do, drama is good, seen lots of discussion about fl look but i don't care about looks so no comment, enjoy drama very much...

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Promising Beginning but Don't Expect so High

IC got a promising start but went downhill later on. That's one of the flaws of most kdramas, they give you a very good start then mess it up in the later parts.

The things that I personally find that ruined the drama are these:

1. nonsense love triangle

2. Saeroyi achieving his goal through luck and connections

3. ridiculous characterization for Geun Soo (I feel bad for him, his initial character got so much potential but there's not quality development)

4. time skips

5. lack of chemistry between Saeroyi and Yiseo, I like them better as just business partners and friends

6. Soo Ah, Ho Jin, Hyun Yi and Toni's grandma are the key characters to actually destroy Jangga (especially Soo Ah), not Saeroyi

7. the nonsense kidnapping and fighting scene on the last two episodes

The things that I like:

1. strong and motivating beginning
2. versatility and inclusivity of issues
3. marketing strat (in the first half)
4. Dae Hee's kneeling
5. actor's acting
6. Saeroyi's consistency with his beliefs and attitude (except w/ the romance part)
7. APPEARANCE OF PARK BO GUM (LOL)

How I wish it happened this way:

1. Saeroyi learned business and marketing while reading books in the prison (I was expecting that at least he learned something after going out of the prison, it turned out that he just read Dae Hee's book. He just turned out to be a clueless businessman with a high dream but didn't even know the "basics" if not because of Yiseo).

2. Soo Ah being front to her feelings (I can't blame Saeroyi why he fell for Yiseo in the end, bcoz Soo Ah did nothing for Saeroyi).

3. No love triangle (or at least just subtle, but the drama gave emphasis to this).

4. Geun Soo's drive to be better so that Yiseo will see him, not an evil kid that he become like his dad (his character is so lame, I had so much hope for him at first bcoz he's different from his family, but he turned out to be one of them still).

5. Saeroyi destroyed Jangga bcoz of his beliefs that he learned from his father and from his life, his hard work, his knowledge, and most importantly, HIS COOKING SKILLS. He's given the potential to be a good cook and make signatured dishes. Unfortunately, it is Hyun Yi who made IC get its first investor.

6. Romance would work out better if they stick out with the initial expectations.
- Saeroyi being faithful to his promise to Soo Ah
- Soo Ah being transparent even a bit to her real feelings and helped Saeroyi behind still
- Geun Soo not being so blinded to his feelings toward Yiseo, and
- Yiseo respecting Saeroyi's space and appreciating Geun Soo

7. If not the number 6, at least they should have developed Saeroyi and Yiseo's relationship better. It felt forced and sudden. It didn't feel so natural for me.

I enjoyed a lot of Park Seo Jun's dramas, and Itaewon Class is pretty decent. But it's memorability and impact are not that much for me. I expected too much after enjoying watching Fight for My Way and Hwarang T^T

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Great with some plotholes that don't ruin the shop

A piece of history, a few scenes in See You In My 19th Life and I already want to turn on period k-drama! I love Joseon places dramas and it's been a while since I watched one. There is never enough adventures with Hyo-Seop Ahn !

I fell in love with this series from the first episode. It featured everything I'm crazy about - children connected by destiny, mysterious creature, court schemes, loving couple despite being evil-faited and story twists at the end. The whole story is well organized and it was fantasic to watch! So far so good, this year I have a great streak of hitting brilliant dramas (ok ... part from 2 poor choices but the procentage is small ^^) and I hope it will be like this until the end of 2023!

Pluses:
+ Charming leads
+ Cast, secondary characters & acting
+ Detail and admiration of the art
+ Visuals & special effects

Minuses:
- Male lead behaves too much like a sighted person than blind one. Feels unrealistic
- Female lead plays too much of a woman of XXI century than Joseon dated one
- Weird and sudden receiving of the sight by female lead
- Unsatisfactory ending with a few unresolved issues
- Never expleined mystic creatures

Lovers of the Red Sky has some issues, nevertheless drama is a 7 for me. It was a great escape from the dramas of the present day which I am watching now. I love fantasy productions and I will probably never grow out of them ? Throw in romance, destiny and magic and I'm done! I'm sold! I watched the first episodes with bated breath as well as the last ones. The middle ones were slower but still intense. It's definitely not a drama to take nap ?


? HAVE A LOOK AT MY DRAMA BLOG - https://my-asian-dramas.blogspot.com/ ?

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Surprisingly good on rewatch

When watching Thai Lakorn (if it’s not BL), people must realise it’s made for domestic audience, just like Indian over the top serials, Korean Makjang and Pakistani dramas. As such these programs will infuse a lot of local traditional beliefs, local biases. They could be more conservative for people or could be very non relatable for people. But International audience must realise that not everything is made for their consumption unlike big budget Korean dramas.
My advice to drama writers and directors, try viewing in your drama in a serialised way just like how viewers watch it. Things which make sense if you binge watch it versus when you drip feed is very different. I have been binge watching now and it’s a much more enjoyable experience. If you don’t want to do what Netflix does which is release them all at once, you need to find a way to make each week interesting and not lump all story conclusions at the end. It puts people off.
When i rewatched this drama, so many things make sense. The sheer emptiness the female lead feels which is why she passively went along. The negativity shown shown by the mom towards the adopted child is a very realistic and honest portrayal about how women sometimes treat children who are not their own in traditional societies. Women have to bear the burnt of child raising and they project all their angers on undeserving children (according to the stepmoms). In the 1990s we had many Bollywood movies with the same concept the most famous being the very hit movie “Laadla”. Showing a mirror to a society in how people behave like the toxic mom in something in the rain or this step mother makes for a very uncomfortable watch but these things happen in real life.
I really like the little details which make this drama so likeable for me, like the shipping route shown in ep 3 from China to Poland etc. the production team and the writing team did their homework and it shows in the well constructed scenes and the sets around them.
Overall this drama retains some key hallmarks of a Thai Lakorn but it’s very watchable if you binge watch it… A solid 8.5 from me

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Messy plot and characters

The beginning was super boring I never thought that the plot would advance at all. It felt as if the show was made 20 years ago. I had to search up the release date so that I could make sure I wasn't watching some ancient show. After the first couple of episodes it got a bit better. The show actually started to advance and more characters were added into the show. Later when the Dongbo Qing Shi met Ji Rong I felt like DQS got so annoying. He became one of my least favorite people in the show. Unless you are watching the show for Xu Kai it isn't worth it. Later, it was super clear who was part of the demon clan but the elders wouldn't listen at all and they were so stuck up in their own minds it got annoying there too. The show made Dongbo Xue Ying way to talented. There is talented and there is this dude who is literally first in everything. He literally has the genes for the strongest power and a mind that isn't actually stupid and then somehow he is immune to demonic power? The show doesn't even explain how or why then he is able to break through any barrier and he always know when things are a hallucination. Even when he got pierced by the soul needle and the voodoo thing he got out of it both. It is way to predictable and too much like la la land for the main character. On the other side Pu Yang Bo and Kong You Yue had no luck at all. Especially Kong You Yue. That girl watched her family die then she died while Pu Yang Bo holds her but the main character still had his lover? Shouldn't it be the other way around or the support relationship dies? Anyways the person that pisses me off the most is Situ Hong. He annoys me since the start. He decides that his family isn't good enough for him then he decides that his cultivation isn't good enough for him since he wants to be as good as someone who put triple the effort in then he decides his teachers isn't good enough for him and joins the bad side then he decides he doesn't like the bad side but by that time he is dying. Like that dude from the beginning jumps keeps on changing his opinions and shoves everything into his heart then releases is at Dongbo Xue Ying and says that the reason he is like is is because of of him. Only the main people were actually interesting and the other people were super annoying. Anyways this is just me rambling since I want my 30 hours back.

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She Healed Him and He Made Her Dreams Come True

When I say this is a absolutely beautiful story…I mean it heart to heart. Some ppl felt a way about the FML and the ML meeting while she was a teen and he an young adult but I believe this drama executed this plot in the most perfect way possible. This drama gave puppy crush, first love, love discovery and finally 1 true love and wrapped it in the most heart pumping bow. First off, the chemistry was phenomenal! Both the FML and ML literally oozed connection. I previously did not find the actor that plays the ML attractive from other dramas he’s in but THIS drama changed my whole mind, he’s freaking Smexy af!!The leads were the perfect match for this drama, she gives innocent but assertive and charming and he gave provider mature manly man with a cup of subtle hot nerdy lover boy.

Loved the story line. I loved how they met when she was very young. There was connection but it was all innocent(as it should be). I liked that they didn’t make it weird. While they met while she was 14, her crush for him didn’t start until her senior year of highschool and their love story didn’t begin until her freshman year of college. It was perfect.


I Loved how much love and appreciation he poured into her as soon as he realized his feelings. It was literally end game from there on. He literally began building his life around her if that makes sense.

At times I was nervous about the FMLs feelings especially in the beginning because it was borderline obsessive but I had to put myself in the shoes of a girl who falls in love with a older guy with no romantic experience. I would probably be the same way. The need for reassurance that he wouldn’t forget me and go off with some other woman in his age group once he started his life after college as an adult. Which is why she wanted him to promise her to stay single which I thought was sooo cute, I yipped. To put it frankly, she
had to secure her man and her future spot in his life ?As she should.

I loved how he went from being this “brotherly” figure in her life to being her lover. The emotions felt so real and so beautiful. It was almost as if I was the FML being persued. I felt all giggly and nervous.
And I especially liked that the FML allowed him to “chase” her even though her feelings were prevalent and alive before his. I think that was specifically important. There was a line the ML said, where he basically told her that she deserved to be wooed and persued like every other girl regardless of if she had feelings for him already. That was such a cute
and secure move. The ML has made my unrealistic standards for men even worse. I WANT MY OWN JIA XU!!!(my heart)


I have so many favorite parts but the 2 I can think of now is when he got jealous of the classmate who had feelings for her and kept asking if he was the guy she liked? and the part when he said “I love you” for the first time and it got steamy…iykyk.

I give the side characters an applause. Love the brother. His reaction to finding out his best friend and sister were dating was so realistic lol. Her parents just wanted to protect their princess and while he tragically lost his family, she became his true family(my eyes are tearing). The obsessive “debtor” woman was annoying but her story was even understandable AND she wasn’t much of a hassle at all after ML drew a line with her and told her to F off and leave his woman alone basically.

All in all, this is now one of my absolute favorite dramas. It was the perfect mixture of emotional and sweet. A 10/10. I am grateful to have experienced it.

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A Wonderfully Crafted Love Story

This is a wonderfully crafted love story that takes a unique spin on the time travel genre. I've seen many time travel dramas, but this one is undoubtedly the most intriguing. In this drama, the first time our male lead, Shen Bu Yan, travels back in time and meets our female lead, Lu Yuan, is actually the last time she sees him. He first meets the older Lu Yuan - and each time he time travels, he meets a younger Lu Yuan. So it's like a reverse timeline story which makes it even more depressing imo.

It is a low-budget drama, but I think they've used the budget very well. I can tell there's been a lot of care put into this. The cinematography actually looks really good and has some memorable shots.

I have to say, Zhang Ya Qin [Lu Yuan] carried this drama! She absolutely nailed the character. She perfectly showed the different personalities of each Lu Yuan, from a carefree Lu Yuan to an empress. She's also so beautiful I can't- On the other hand, Guo Jia Nan [Shen Bu Yan] honestly delivered a very mid performance imo... He was definitely outshined by Zhang Ya Qin.

Overall, I highly recommend this gem. It's a short one, so it should be very easy to get through. Plus, the story makes you wanna watch the next episode right away lol.

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Tried doing so many things which comes out as nothing

I generally don't write reviews may be this is my first time and trust me this is the drama I m glad I didn't watch in one go after releasing because for sure if that would be the case I would have surely dropped it
The writer just tried to do so many thing which comes out as nothing
The unnecessary plots uninteresting love triangle and so so many loop holes in the story I might elaborate it later with cast and spoiler but after just finishing the last 12th episode this is it coming out. The ending was such a mess that i had to check if there would a special episode or something but dang noooo 12 episodes and thats it.
I would recommend to watch something else than this there are so many awesome bls out there you can happily skip this one out trust me.
For the actors they were good somehow if I want to be polite but the story with them indeed a pure injustice

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When The Snowy Rosa blooms, a beautiful love story is born.

The Longest Promise is a great drama full of love, devotion and bitterness of fate.
I suggest this drama for those who are truly fans of xianxia and are used to the bitterness of angst. Xiao Zhan as the main lead is something to look forward to if you are a fan of xianxia. A beautiful love story of a master and a disciple.

STORY:

Kongsang's young Crown Prince Shiying meets the young Princess of The Crimson Clan, Zhu Yan. Zhu Yan is a strong-willed girl who wishes to learn magic techniques and goes to ask the Crown Prince for permission to learn. Unfortunately, after meeting the prince, She falls down from the roof of the palace, right in front of the Emperor's beloved consort. The Consort wants to punish her and her clan for it, but Crown Prince Shiying stands up for her. Later on, Shiying gets framed for killing the Consort, even though she killed herself. The Empress decides to fake Shiying's death and asks for help from The High Priest of Jiu Yi Mountain. Emperor declares that Shiying is a criminal that shall not be mourned.
Princess Zhu Yan decides to go against the law and in secrecy pays her respects to Shiying which triggers a fate between them. Zhu Yan is now Shiying's cursed lady, who is predestined to kill him. Later on, Shiying and Zhu Yan meet in Jiu Yi mountain and the kind-hearted Shiying doesn't kill her, even though he knows that she is predestined to kill him. They soon become Master and Disciple. Meanwhile, Merfolk has been waiting for their Sea Emperor to return, as Kongsang people and Merfolk go to war, Zhu Yan and Shi Ying have to not only fight against their destiny when giving into affection, but also the whole kongsang's and merfolk's destiny too.




SPOILER PART OF THE STORY SHORTLY

First, I'm going to give warnings to those who want to watch this.
ENDING? - It's an "open" ending but also a happy ending. I'm going to talk about the ending later on this review.
LOVE RIVALS? - There aren't real love rivals that are actually romantically interested in Shiying or Zhu Yan. Princess Bai Xuelu tries to come between the main couple a couple of times, only for the title of the empress. Zhu Yan's clan's keeper, Zhi Yuan, was in love with Zhu Yan's ancestor and for a little while mistakens her to be Yao Yi's reincarnation.
ANGST? - Yes, very much. Shiying's and Zhu Yan's love is forbidden, and they dare not to express their feelings openly to each other easily, which creates misunderstandings between them.
DEATH? - Yes, as a matter of fact, Shiying dies but gets resurrected 2 times.



SPOILER PART OF THE STORY, MY OPINION:
The Longest Promise is great. It reminded me a little of the drama "Immortal Samsara". The CGI is good, the scenery is beautiful, and the story and the characters go well together.
Zhu Yan's personality can be a little overused in xianxia, the disciple who is clingy to their cold faced, yet kindhearted Master. I was happy that in The Longest Promise, Zhu Yan as a girl didn't always need Shiying to save her, instead she too saved him multiple times. Their love is equal, and I applaud this drama for it. Bai Xuelu, the illegitimate princess of the White King, had one of the best character developments for me. It was understandable where her ambition was coming from, as the only thing she wished for was justice for her mother. She wanted to become the empress and got used a lot because of that, but you could see her progressively feeling bad for what she has done and in the end she redeemed herself beautifully, I was expecting to hate her in the end, so I was very pleased. High Priest of Jiu Yi Mountain tried to redeem himself in the end, but he can't wash away the sins of trying to pressure Shiying to leave priesthood to become the next emperor, only because he wanted to avenge his loved one, Shiying's mother.

The angst between Shiying and Zhuyan was just as painful for me as it was when I was watching "Immortal Samsara".
Shiying and Zhuyan meet in Jiu Yi Mountain as Zhu yan wishes to learn the spell to bring back a person from the dead. Se wishes to bring back the Crown Prince. Even when knowing that she is the cursed lady, Shiying holds her dear as he is grateful to her for being the only one who mourned his fake death and remembering the crown prince. Zhu Yan and Shiying were never meant to be disciple and master, but due to his own growing affection and to protect her, accepts her as his disciple. They eventually become a very close Master-Disciple pair. Shiying slowly but surely falls for Zhuyan, but to protect her, after 3 years, she is sent back to home from the mountain. She is sad and misses Shiying. Zhu Yan's parents want her to get married, and eventually she is forced to marry into Huotu tribe, but she plans to escape. Shiying has been investigating a matter that concerns Huotu tribe and comes to witness her wedding and her escape. Huotu Tribe had been involved with the Ice Clan, a banished clan, and were planning on making Zhu yan into a puppet.

Merfolk and Kongsang people have been at odds for a long time, and the Sea Emperor's return is a bad omen. The Sea Emperor turns out to be a little boy, Sumo. Sumo met Zhuyan at the Huotu tribe, as Sumo's father is the Huotu tribe's deceased chief. She saves Sumo and his mother. Eventually, Zhu Yan's keeper, Zhi Yuan, finds the sea emperor and tells a lie to Shiying and Zhuyan that he is the sea emperor. This creates a rift between Shiying and Zhuyan, as Zhuyan eventually stops Shiying from killing Zhi Yuan by claiming to love him. Zhi Yuan stops the war between merfolk and Kongsang people and willingly fights again with Shiying, losing is life. Zhu yan is devastated and points a sword at Shiying and tells him that she hates him. Shiying takes hold of her blade and stabs himself with it, because he feels guilty of killing Zhuyan's loved one and to protect her from a curse that High Priest had planted on her. As Shiying dies, she tries to tell him that the one she truly loves is him, but it's too late. High Priest helps Zhuyan to bring back Shiying. She performs a spell to exchange half of her life for him. She succeeds and as Shiying fully recovers and realizes that Zhuyan loves him, he leaves the priesthood and goes through the tribulations of hell. As they finally think they could be together for good, Crimson Clan is accused of treason as they kept Zhi Yuan in their residence for 200 years, as Zhu yan and Shiying try to find evidence of Crimson Clan being innocent, they find out Zhi Yuan is still alive. He gets possessed by the god of destruction, who is the culprit behind everything. He kidnaps Zhuyan and after she gets rescued, Shiying and Zhuyan get married. Eventually Shiying and Zhuyan fight against the god of destruction and Zhi Yuan dies and god of destruction possesses Zhuyan. Shiying decides to let god of destruction to possess him instead and asks Zhu Yan to kill him. She kills him and mourns him for a year until when the snowy rosa blooms, and he is resurrected.

Now, that was a lot. And this was all simplified as possible. For me, the angst was a bit too much, but it was saved by the sweet moments and due to the amazing acting of Xiao Zhan. The fact that Shiying dies 2 times and gets resurrected was for sure too much for my heart. The ending is similar to "The Starry Love" and "Immortal Samsara". At least, we get to actually see him come back to life. I was hoping for a really happy ending, but this wasn't the worst. The drama was overall a good one, and I highly suggest this for xianxia lovers.

ACTING:

Xiao Zhan as Shiying,
Amazing. Maybe I'm a little biased, because I happen to be a fan of him, but I honestly think his acting is great. I love the way he acts, especially the "being in love" acting. He manages to make me believe that he is truly in love and is committed. Also, he for sure is one of the best cdrama actors when it comes to showing the feelings of pain, sadness and misery. He makes me cry when he looks so realistically sad. My favorite scenes were in the end when "he is possessed." It was great acting from him. Just the perfect casting for this role.

Ren Min as Zhu Yan,
Beautiful and courageous. I don't get why some people commented on her looks. I think she looked very beautiful. Her acting was great, especially when she was acting sad. I could really empathize with her. A great pick for this role.

Alen Fang as Zhi Yuan,
Just right. He was just the perfect choice for this role. When "being possessed", his acting really shined.


Overall a 8,5.

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Tragic, beautiful story about predestined hearts.

This should've been called The Longest Sacrifice LOL. I went into this expecting a lot of things and came out with the drama exceeding my expectations. The CGI was superb, probably the best I've ever seen in a xianxia, the acting was beautiful, and the story was heart wrenching, heartfelt, and gorgeous. The visuals of the actors were so beautiful, the settings of the drama OMG, I wish I could go to those locations especially Jiuyi Mountain and Starry Lake. This was my third Xiao Zhan drama and I would probably put this one as my top from what I've seen so far from him. He was a beautiful sight to see in costume, his characterization of Shi Ying was superb and I can't see anyone else playing SY, he did his very best and it's very apparent. Ren Min was amazing in this also. The way she could adapt to be as eccentric as Zhu Yan, to be as matured as Yao Yi was amazing. This is my second project of her's I've watched and I hope she becomes booked and busy after this because she is extremely talented. The OST is so good, making me cry everytime the main song or the other sad one played.

(Mild Spoilers)

The reason why I didn't give a 10/10 scoring is because of the last 5 episodes. I felt like it was rushed. They made the backstory long, which is great because I liked the pacing of the first 18 or so episodes. But, I felt like TLP should've had more episodes, because we missed out on seeing them as a couple, before s*** hits the fan, cuz it always does with them SMH. The side couples has more screentime as an official couple than the main. I know there were a lot of sweet moments of ZY and SY's buildup but, I wished they gave us even more than half an episode of them being married before the whole God of Destruction battle, that would've been nice. I hate to complain about an ending because it's the ending the drama decided on but, imo I wish it was executed better. Regardless, I will rewatch this because it is still a great xianxia and deserves so much love and praise.

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Not Your Usual Revenge Story

Overall solid show. Female leads carried the acting but even the supporting characters were pretty good!

The show definitely has some flaws and people who are looking for a fast-paced revenge story will be disappointed. This is a plot on the slower side of things with a lot of family drama and plot twists.

The highlight of the show is definitely Suzuki Kyoka’s Makiko. The character, whether you like her or not, is superb and an excellent example of a multi-dimensional antagonist. Even with her pretty ghastly personality, I was kinda rooting for her a little bit by the end. She is what I call a milfboss.

Shinji’s character is also one of the most interesting ones, even if at first he seems like a boring background character, the more we learn about him and his broken inner world, the more layered he becomes. This can be said about ~most~ of characters in the show. I don’t think any of them are either black-or-white, and you might like them at one point of the story and dislike them at another.

The romance is a bit weird to me, in the sense that it’s well-paced and there’s definitely chemistry between the actors, however, it didn’t strike me as particularly necessary. A platonic relationship between Anzu and Kiichi would’ve been perfectly good as well. I think at the end of the day, I perceived their relationship as meant to be healing rather than romantic. If you’re not a fan of romance just know that it’s not really a huge part of the plot, and it is not a forced relationship, it’s very natural. Heed of warning though: the main couple are technically step-siblings for most of the show (even though they’ve never really seen each other that way).

The plot twists were actually kind of fun, and whenever I thought I had it all figured out, there came another twist to mess me up. If you’re into happy endings… this might be for you.

Good show to binge watch!

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Too long but Good leads chemistry

Subjective Gut Rating - 7.75

For some reason, the lakorns that I picked all have a similar plot of sibling rivalry and fighting to be the heir of a company or family fortune. Not sure if it’s me or it’s just a very typical/common plot. “My Lovely Bodyguard” is no different. Our ML has to fight off the villain to protect the company that he was asked to oversee, and in doing so, his life's in danger. Therefore, he employed our female lead to be his bodyguard. Of course, our female lead needs money to support her family (cliche) so she took the offer.

What I Like:
1. Good chemistry between the leads with a slow burn romance and pretty good kisses.
2. Good-looking cast. ML has a gorgeous smile and his eyes smile with him. FL is beautiful no matter what she wears.
Smart, independent leads who are good people and easy to root for. The secondary leads are likable characters but not super memorable.
3. Lovely relationships between uncle & nephew, grandmother & granddaughter. These foursomes brought some much fun and sweetness to the show.
4. The child actor and grandma are both adorable!
5. Enough comedic moments here and there to lighten the mood, but not typical slap kiss, over-the-top humor.
6. Acting is pretty good all around. I enjoy the villain’s acting the most.

What I have mixed feelings and don’t like:
1. Draggy plot about the villain. Not enough happened to contribute to 12 long episodes.
2. Interesting ½ of the drama, but then it slows down in the second half. I lost focus towards the last ⅓ of the drama when the villain and leads keep on going around in circles.
3. Action scenes could be better. I might have watched too many Chinese dramas. I expect fight scenes to be more hard-hitting but our female lead is not delivering.
4. Plot holes and illogical inconsistencies here and there. Just little things that if you use common sense, you would have made a different decision. Nothing major, just minor annoyances to me.
5. Last episode is too over-dramatic with the fight, injuries and hospital scenes.

Compared to a few other lakorns I watched this year, unfortunately, this drama is below average. It was unable to keep me interested and focused for ⅓ of the drama. Just this fact, the drama will get a below 8.0 rating. If not for the good chemistry of the leads and the lovely foursomes, I would have rated this lower. The draggy plot is not exciting enough to fill all these long episodes.


Completed: 7/17/2023 - Review #331

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