Reviews

Refreshing story, great chemistry ad Strong Natural acting performance from main leads

I was so looking forward to this movie when it was first announced few months ago and it did not disappoint.
every movie that Seven Tan appeared, She became the character as she portrayed it so well and naturally.
I love this drama as it started slowly to develop the background stories, introduced us the cultural history of the Shu brocade and how much process it had to go through to produce one and how they are being treasured by the country. I love this story how Seven Tan and YeCheng interact with each other so well and naturally. They have such a great chemistry and comfortable with each other. Ji Ying Ying portrayed by Seven Tan showed how resilient and persistent she is to protect her mother and brother and also to avenge the death and misjudgment to her father. the story has lots of twist and it also showed the challenges and trials that Ji YingYing had to go through and Ye Cheng was there to protect her even from the start when he knew YingYing was already engaged. the original boyfriend made a big mistake of giving up on Ji YingYing thinking this is his way of protecting her. It was so refreshing to see how the main leads love each other and support each other. there were so many touching scenes that hit us and we couldn't help but feel their pain and cried with them. Seven Tan is so good in her acting that you cried along with her when her tears keep flowing down on her cheeks on those tear-jerking scenes. I have rewatched so many episodes so many times because they are really good and refreshing..

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Quite a surprise

I’m not going to write some crazy in depth review like a ton of people do for these shows. I’m simply just going to review this on my emotions and how I felt watching this. Personally I am not really a fan of mystery mixed with BL. I am the stereotypical BL lover meaning I love the high school, college and office drama. Given that I have seen almost every BL on Viki and IQIYI, I was just seething for something else to watch. It took my a good thirty minutes to decide if this title is going to be worth my time. But I ended up giving it a shot. So far, the chemistry between the two mains is so/so. I feel the connection they have, but it’s just been such a slow burn which I love and hate, considering the fact that I just binged the first five episodes and now have to wait to see the rest. I was not expecting to love the mystery aspect of this. I think the cliff hangers and the not knowing is really hooking me onto this. Well that and just the face that the mains are such eye candy, I’m dying for them to get together. But they are playing this mystery off so well, like I could even tell you what is going to happen next. I also really like the idea of how they are using such a controversial topic as the main hook for the series. It’s risky in the public eye, but they have done it so well. I really would recommend this series, and please pray I don’t loose it before the next episode comes out, the stupid preview for episode six has really got me going crazy.

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probably underrated

This was too long, but not a bad watch. A few weeks later, I’m finally done ahaha

- surprisingly, I wasn’t annoyed by the back and fourth, repetitive things, the issues between them, etc… maybe watching this over a few weeks help, none of this was really annoying to me like it would usually do.
- I love the ost so much (at this point it’s now even an argument 😂😂I say this for almost every drama)
- Both leads did good for the acting, I don’t really like ML’s actor for some unknown reasons ahah but I liked him here. FL’s actress is pretty good. I remember 2 dramas with her that I never finished, « Use for my talent » and « meteor garden ». the emotional scenes were well executed, the crying scenes also looked real to me
- I liked the romance between the leads, the development of their relationship. they both had their flaws and grow to be better. They helped, supported and loved each other very much. Their romance was pretty sweet, gave us good sweet moments through the drama. It took a while for officially getting together, but we got some good moments long before that. The kissing scenes weren’t bad and we got a few
- It was a lot focus on the leads which I liked (still a bit of filler with side characters though, I’ll get back to it)
- I loved FL’s mom so much. she was such a good character. Kind, sweet, understanding. I liked her conversations with ML and FL. Her advice too. Her scenes with the leads were really good, their sweet memories. She became close to ML almost like a mom, the portrait he painted of her and the like display with the pictures, I loved that. I cried when she died
- I liked the friendships
- the comedy show were not funny at all, maybe a few joke that actually weren’t bad, but very very few
- I was anticipating the second couple after few meetings with them and I was mad when I learned they didn’t even end up together (open ending) when I was what, maybe pass half way. But in the end, didn’t really felt anything. I was mad at her at some point. Anyway their story ended up being disappointing and annoying. we got almost nothing (think they didn’t get enough screentime to develop correctly their story or maybe it was how they wrote it). did we even get one good sweet scene of them while they were dating ? I remember nothing. we got a kiss, I think that was before becoming a couple ? The only thing I remember is that we only saw problems. The issues with her non biological parents, her job, her lying to him. I felt bad for him how he was trying to be more « suitable » for her (because her trash parents didn’t find him suitable for her, too low and wanted them to break up), working more jobs to get money, etc… She was suffering too, but at some point I was annoyed, she had no spine letting her parents control everything in her life, etc.. I never understand in drama when they have their trash controlling parents and in the end, « oh they are my parents, blah blah blah » nothing happens and they stay with them. Just like in Fireworks of my heart.
- FL’s boss and the guy (her ex that SFL worked with) : that was complete filler to me and wasn’t interesting at all in the end. It wasn’t written interesting. there was no point to give us that, it lead nowhere, except maybe them finally moving on ? That should have been removed from the story
- It was funny when ML came back and started to get better. He was like a changed man and we got some good funny scenes
- very minimal love triangle. At some point he annoyed me a bit because I was like « stop confessing bro, she doesn’t like you and you even know it », it tooked him what 2-3times before that was over. Still not really much happened, it was coworkers, friendship and seriously not much scenes just the 2 of them. Also FL only had eyes for ML since the beginning. here it was like love at first sight between the leads. His presence created some jealousy moments.
- no unnecessary problems between the leads in the last few eps that we get in some dramas. Their relationship was strong after they got together. No breakup, I think their was no problems between them (I forgot already ahah)
- I liked the last scene of the drama, the dialogue, love confession and proposal. that was a good speech from FL

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Could have been a gem

I saw the trailer for this, and it looked insanely bad, so if course I decided to watch it. It's a mini dramas, so what harm?
I was greatly taken by surprise to find it hilarious. Every overused trope in xianxia was used and ridiculed. Even when they were being 'serious' the cast were sending a little wink our way, and it was delightful.
At some point however, roughly half way through, this little comedy, no budget drama, that had used it's shortcomings as strengths, decided to take itself very seriously indeed. The comedy flew out the window, the acting flew out the window, and left us with no option but to be held to notice, almost at gunpoint, everything lacking in this drama that the comedy has previously used to captivate us. The episodes may have been short, but this is still bloated at 48 episodes.
I thought this was going to be a little hidden gem, but alas, yet another disaster from xianxia storytelling. If I found out that there were two different directors for the first and second half of this series, I would not be surprised.

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unlike everyone else, i liked it a bit.

while i do agree that this k-drama wasn't super insane or anything. here are the things i liked about it:

- we could see what everyone was doing and thinking and in think that's really cool
- we could see the personal improvement of each character and how they changed as the drama moved on. for example Jae-i's and He-ra's friendship, Jae-i's emotional state and fears improving, Kang-ha and Ri-an's feelings which were mostly relatable as Ri-an always loved Jae-i and also had a strong value of what he wanted in his life and how he was mature enough to show his feelings to his mother even though she didn't understand him and slapped him.
- the diversity such as the student dating the teacher who ended up to be the culprit and also the student with his principal mom.
- the production was very good
- compared to others I've watched its not the best but it's definitely a good one as its only 7 episodes so it definitely isn't a waste of time as others say.
-stable connections. if you paid attention to the characters you would've noticed from the beginning that Jae-i was never actually over Ri-an and that Woo-jin liked He-ra.
- happy ending for everyone.

i'd say just watch it for yourself and see because its very short and it could be quite interesting for you too.

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Would've been a good movie without the poetical nonsense at the end.

First of all, I'd like to say that I have never written a review about a movie before no matter how good or bad the movie but because of this movie, I had to open an account just to write this review because what????

The storyline between the side couples Ho Rang and Won Soek. They needed to stop hurting each other and trying to make each other Happy at the expense of their individual happiness. He was trying so hard to make her happy but she either didn't notice his sacrifice or he didn't understand what she wanted and even when he Finally got it, he tried but he couldn't afford it. They needed space to understand each other's heart and they did well. I loved their storyline.

CEO Ma and Soo ji we're so adorable. He was really understanding and that was exactly what Soo ji needed due to the maltreatment and disrespect she faced at her workplace. Soo ji made me realize that life happens to your dreams and goals, life happens but it's up to you to stop running and face it when the time's right because your happiness lies in firing up your dreams not others dreams.

My problem with this movie is Ji Ho. Why would you do that to him? That was so toxic. At first, I thought there was a misunderstanding and she didn't understand his affection but before she left, she was told clearly (3 times) that he wanted to confess his love to her. If she needed space that was alright and she could've explained it to him and not make him suffer but she divorced him and literally told him she was never coming back just to go on a spa date and enjoy. He went into a depressed state, even sold his house and then she came back trying to act like nothing happened. The worse part was when he was expressing his justified anger and all she did was smile and said " Se Hee got angry; Se Hee told me he missed me" At that point i couldn't take it anymore.

The ending was too toxic and the poetical nonsense close to the end of the movie was absolutely irritating. Thank you

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Comedy meets heartfelt lessons in this fun twist on fake marriage and newfound family

‘No Gain, No Love’ is an amazing rendition of a rom-com done right. The classic trope of fake marriage is explored from a fresh, new perspective. Originally formed out of mere convenience, as the episodes run on, the leads’ relationship satisfyingly slips into what can only be labeled as a bright, bubbly romance. This transformation allows the leads’ true personalities shine strong, and reveal their most vulnerable and beautiful sides. The series manages to balance serious matters and romcom in perfect harmony, using this blend of genres to bring its hilarious and heart-touching plot to life. It offers its fun spin on fake marriage all while staying true to its core message: that family is not determined by blood, but is determined by the heart.

Inspiring, heartwarming, and brought to life with formidable acting, the characters are full of life, and their psychological growth is unarguably a significant part of the series’ forte. It is both refreshingly perfect and realistic as can be. Though the main characters’ true values and motives in life essentially stay the same throughout the 12 episodes, their decisions reveal that their mindsets have evolved into something much stronger, giving them the strength to find confidence in the actions they choose to take. The difficulties they face only strengthen their bond, making the chemistry they share even more appealing to the audience. Enhanced with mature romance, the leads’ relationship forces them to endure trials that make them step out of their comfort zone. Each difficulty they endure together allows them to see each other under a new light and gives them the opportunity to learn about one another in different contexts. Over time, they harbour strength and love in each other through these hard times, causing a strong and genuine connection to form—slowly but surely.

Though the plot is filled with events, the pacing of these exciting and enthralling happenings is perfect, though they could benefit from better closure. Each one of the storyline’s twists and turns all add up in creating a shift in the leads’ personalities, contributing to their growth. Once individuals who had fallen deep into the bad habit of letting their flaws dictate their everyday lives, they learn to free themselves, and the series ends on an inspiring note regarding this matter. Son Hae-yeong and Kim Ji-uk’s relationship is what fosters this growth, as it allows them to stray from the path of their everyday-life routines. Essentially, their initial connection is not only the start of a touching love story, but it also represents the commencement of their own exploration of self. The qualities they bring out of each other allow viewers to grasp a hold on their true personalities, and their depth crafts a sense of realisticness out of the unique relationship they share. This furthermore deepens the series’ essence, proving that love knows no boundaries and can be harbored out of even the most inconvenient situations.

The leads are depthfully crafted, with flaws made clear from the very start. Kim Ji-uk, the male lead, has a low esteem of self and undervalues his worth. This feeling of inferiority he has manifests itself through his selfless actions, his obsessive oath of keeping promises, as well as his nature of always setting his own priorities in accordance to those of the people around him. His relationship with Son Hae-young breaks his usual demeanour. When Son Hae-yeong enters his life, he lets her break into his bubble, and allows himself to crumble away from the strong and lighthearted posture he usually wears. For the first time, he lets someone bear the consequences of his presence, abandoning his fear of being a burden to others in a life where he feels he is only troublesome.

As for Son Hae-young, her long-time fear of suffering losses and consequently missing out on things in life subsides. The principles she had set for herself long ago don’t apply to Kim Ji-uk, who becomes the center point of her attention. Rather than weighing her loss when faced with situations, she starts making decisions for Ji-uk’s sake, acting in accordance to his own needs. This shift in her priorities represents the first time she puts someone, other than her own self, first. These steps that both Son Hae-Young and Kim Ji-uk take toward becoming better people simultaneously push their relationship forward. It may not be evident in the male leads’ case, but sharing your burden with your partner is more than self-liberating. It’s a healthy practice of care, because by voicing your struggles to your significant other, you are lending them your heart and growing your trust in them.

Through the side characters, ‘No Gain, No Love’ also explores the lives of orphans. With ease, the series manages to balance its lightheartedness with seriosity; showcasing the journey of individuals who try to navigate their life despite their past traumas and experiences. It highlights their determination to surmount their difficulties, as well as their will to make decisions that can be benefitted from rather than bring hell into their lives again. The series’ integration of these characters amidst its comedy invites an exploration of various themes; such as parental abuse, parenting, and tests common conceptions of both familial (with the orphan 'sisters') and romantic love (with a polyamorous relationship).

Because of the limits they confined themselves to, the growth of their relationship blossomed quickly and naturally. They convinced themselves that the love they shared wasn’t real, which let them sink into their vulnerability together without the fear of losing each other because of prejudices or judgement. Their fake engagement gave them the opportunity to explore what they truly seek in the world and how they want to seem through the eyes of others. As they spoke about their struggles openly without humiliation or embarrassment under the pretense of being a fake couple, they gave each other room to open up about their true desires in life—their desires that lay bare underneath the cover of their personalities that were crafted by their sad pasts.

Overall, the series is bright, though it ultimately tells the story of broken hearts and forgotten bonds. Interestingly, despite South Korea’s conservativeness, it didn’t steer away from delving into rather delicate themes such as abortion and modern-day femininity, and what this means in the context of marriage. These elements contributed to its depth, and helped shape ‘No Gain, No Love’ into the amazingly entertaining story it is.

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It’s been a long while since I watched a Chinese drama without fast forwarding or doing something else on the side. I forgot how nice it feels to float easily from episode to episode, buoyed by competent directing, writing and acting.

I'd love to see more work from this director, who firmly says no to ham and pretty posing, keeping it natural and believable. His style reminds me of Yin Tao, where the magic is in the tiniest of details. Peach Blossom Valley comes alive under his vision as an isolated and idyllic place with its own rustic culture and… lousy food.

The writers understand that every good romance also needs good character development. We have a leading lady who is learning to trust that people outside Peach Blossom Valley aren’t all bad. And we have a leading man who is learning to trust… someone other than himself. They don't try to be too cute and clever with the dialogue, relying on show rather than tell.

And show us they did. Huang Yi's large expressive eyes remind me of Vicky Zhao, while Wang Hong Yi plays his part with such control, conveying feelings with nano-expressions and the merest flicker of the eyes. His Zuo Jing Lun is so keenly attuned to Qing Qing's every move that you feel like his entire world revolves around her. It's interesting to note that Qing Qing falls in love with him twice, not because of how he treats her but because of how he treats others. Now that’s the kind of maturity and unselfishness I like to see in my romance heroine.

Like Peach Blossom Valley itself, this is a hidden little gem of escapism. It has a definite place on my rewatch list for Valentine's season.

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First Impression: ThamePo Heart That Skips a Beat

Overall: the first episode had a good set up and I appreciated the lack of comedy sound effects that are prevalent in GMMTV's series. 13 episodes about 45 minutes each. Airing on GMMTV's YouTube channel as well as Netflix

What I Liked
- the set up was woven in well (with the interview and information about the band) instead of a blatant exposition dump
- Po's supportive friend
- how both Po's and Thame's past experiences shaped their current views of the situation
- production value/music

Room For Improvement
- the "I can explain" but doesn't explain/other person doesn't wait for an explanation

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Not a really realistic story, but a sweet & light romance

The FL (warrior) is responsible for the sales of a beer brand in Busan. To prevent the closure of her branch, she must convince a famous craft brewer (the ML - strange and empathetic) to collaborate with her company.

+++ Healing romance, very cute within the CL, super handsome & all-green-flags ML (Lee Jong Won) and Kim Se Jeong very credible as a warrior seller. No break-up, no love triangle.
+++ Lots of endearing characters
+++ Short format (12 ep) enough for this trope.

### A little "Dramaland" and "all good guys"

=> Light and fun series, to rewatch for Lee Jong Won
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La FL (warrior) est responsable des ventes d'1 marque de bière à Busan. Pour empêcher la fermeture de sa succursale, elle doit convaincre un célèbre brasseur artisanal (le ML - étrange et empathe) de collaborer avec sa société.

+++ Healing romance, très cute au sein du CL, ML super handsome (Lee Jong Won) et Kim Se Jeong très à l'aise en warrior. Pas de break-up, pas de triangle amoureux.
+++ Bcp de personnages attachants
+++ Format court (12 ép) assez pour ce trope.

### Un peu Dramaland et un peu Bizounours

=> Light and fun, series to rewatch for Lee Jong Won

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Where or where are 41-46!!!

Oh Man, this drama would have been a TOTAL 10 in my book as it is an amazing series....BUT...
My only complaint is we in the online audience only got up to Episode 40, so, at least for me, the story felt truly incomplete!!!
This whole drama was so beautifully paced, the development of each character was so well done that you are totally vested in each of them. Then in the final episode (40) we are rushed through a single wedding of two semi-supporting characters, one which, in my opinion, was not the anticipated one and then left out in the cold on the rest of the storylines!

I really do not understand why we don't have access to the last 6 episodes (I've looked and cannot find them...if anyone knows where to find them PLEASE reply!!!). I feel like this beautiful drama got stopped mid sentence. Where are the conclusions of Ling Xiao and Li Jian Jian's story....and what about He Zi Qiu or Qi Ming Yue or Tang Can and Qin Mei Ying? I suppose we can all make guesses on a few of the stories but besides being a really unsatisfying exercise and because each had a well developed storyline that ended abruptly...it just broke my heart.

I really do love this drama,...just wish I could get ahold of the 6 missing episodes to really finish this drama perfectly.

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