Reviews

_A Masterpiece of Emotional Storytelling: "Back from the Brink"

"Back from the Brink" is a cinematic masterpiece that will leave you breathless, tearful, and ultimately, hopeful. This Chinese drama tells the poignant love story of Tinyao, the Dragon King, and Yanhui, a young woman with a troubled past.

The film's narrative is expertly woven, with a cast of complex characters that leap off the screen. Huo Minghao shines as Tinyao, bringing depth and nuance to the role of the betrayed Dragon King. Zhou Ye delivers a heart-wrenching performance as Yanhui, capturing the vulnerability and resilience of a young woman abandoned as a child.

The chemistry between the leads is undeniable, and their romance is tender, passionate, and authentic. The supporting cast adds depth and complexity to the story, with memorable performances that linger long after the credits roll.

The film's themes of healing, redemption, and love are timely and timeless, resonating deeply with audiences. The cinematography is stunning, with breathtaking vistas and intimate close-ups that draw you into the characters' inner worlds.

Overall, "Back from the Brink" is a must-watch drama that will capture your heart and imagination. With its outstanding performances, nuanced storytelling, and emotional depth, this film is an unforgettable experience that will linger in your thoughts long after the credits roll.

Read More

Overhyped albeit nicely choreographed and with pretty costumes

At first, I watched this drama because of frequent comparisons to The Untamed I saw people make. Then I watched for the heavy flirting between the two leads (it was quite enjoyable, and I guess part of me was curious how far they could take it while still passing the censorship). Then I watched for the side characters whose stories somehow became more engaging for me than the main storyline.

Then... I just watched on because of the time I already invested in it.

I'm not gonna lie. This series was a let down for me. The acting from two leads was average at best. Gong Jun is very pleasant to look at, but his performance here was simply switching between three different facial expressions. I found Zhang Zhehan's repertoire of facial expressions richer, but they often felt kinda... off to me. Like they didn't align much with what the story tried to convey? I think I prefer him as a musician.

The story itself would benefit from being cut shorter, I feel it dragged on towards the ending and lost its grip on me for that reason. I definitely enjoyed the first half of the drama way more.

As for positives, I liked the costumes and overall visual character design, especially for the Ghosts. They looked like they belonged in an anime, which was very much to my liking. I found some of the side characters intriguing and charming, e.g., the Scorpion King and Luo Fumeng. I would've Ioved for their stories to be explored further.

I also enjoyed fighting scenes. I've watched a few wuxia and xianxia dramas and Word of Honor had some of the more interesting fighting sequences. People in charge of choreographies did a good job.

Music was nice...

All in all, however, with all the hype I'd seen this drama receiving, I expected something better. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't really great either.

7/10, hugely due to the vivid, charismatic side characters, fighting choreographies and costumes.

Cross-posted with Viki.

Read More

Teen Emotions 2024

This series have more characters than the goddamn dictionary, literally, which dentist office did they find all these people in braces? Somewhere in Thailand, a dentist is missing half his clients, and they out here trying to start bands and find love. Also, did this drama make anyone else remember their first love? cuz, same!

Listen, between the 1000 characters that we had, these children also had more drama/problems than the Kardashians. Damn, they were hustling. From emotional cheating, coming out, bullying, insecurities, misunderstandings, one-sided love, school work, abusive parents, blackmailing sisters, heartbreak, the band/singing, and to top it all off, braces! Like, how did any of them even passed their courses?

Now, why did these children came off more talented (acting) and their characters more mature than most veteran bls out there? That breakup scene between Aim and Phun was the most mature scene I’d seen in a bl. They took time off, cooled down, then sat and talked and even decided to be friends. And Noh and Phun were so mature as well with their feelings and how to move forward when there was Aim and Yuri between there. Kudos to the whole team for that, clap clap. Of course, this was a teenage drama, so there was a lot of unnecessary drama, insecurities and misunderstanding, but with the target audience, it was spot on, so again, kudos.

Even with its 3000 characters, this drama held my interest because it reminded me of my first crush/love. You know, those days when your friends push the two of you together on the football field, and you hold hands after agreeing to start dating, and you forget to breath for a second? Noh and Phun made me remember those awkward first love days, and that’s why I enjoyed watching this every Sunday.

So, yeah, with 15 episodes and 7000 characters, a lot of things happened in this show. Lots of side characters all out there doing their own thing, so I can't possibly review everything in details, so I'mma give a quick rundown of what I remember/held my attention on both plot and characters.

PHUN & NOH
When I find out this drama have like 10,000 characters already in the first episode, I thought I was gonna be confused on who the hell was who to even have a favourite, but Phun and Noh stood out, and managed to get my attention and keep it. In most shows that have these many characters, somehow, some side character always manage to steal the spotlight, but not here. The two leads did an amazing job. The way they handled their problems was how I came to love them. They were so mature and strong, making the characters very relatable. Which of course it's a testament to the actors and how well they understood the project. Almond (Phun) & Progress (Noh) were the perfect actors to play this version of the drama. Of course, the characters were teenagers and sometimes misunderstandings lead to unnecessary hurt, still, as a show about teenagers it was expected.

Noh is a better person than me though, being strong enough to let Phun go although they loved each other so he can keep being with his girlfriend, and then after they broke up, he even waited for Phun to sort out his feelings. Me and my broken-heart would have moved to Taiwan or something, cuz that must have hurt like hell. Most of the time, I felt angry and frustrated on his behalf when Phun gets jealous, and I'll go: 'Noh, my boy, let him sulk, he has a girlfriend, he has no right to get jealous!'

Phun on the other hand. I understood him as well, dealing with his feelings while also trying to do right by Aim, and trying to please his father. But he handle the whole Aim thing so well, and I'm glad he didn't even blame her, and also took some of the blame. I was happy that when Phun made his mind about Noh, he was all in and didn't care about anything else. That being said, no one, and I mean no one can outdo Phun when it comes to making that bitchy, unimpressed, sulky expression. Dude graduated from the school of sassiness with honours in attitude studies. Damn, sulk much?

These two grew as characters, overcome everything, and ended up together in what is a healthy relationship, surrounded by people who loves and cares about them. Well, there was like 15.000 characters, so they had a lot of people supporting them. I was happy watching their stories unfold, and glad everything worked out in the end for them.

AIM
I admire Aim’s commitment to not give a single eff at all. Literally, homegirl didn't even bat an eye when the whole thing with her, Phun and Li happened. I liked her, because let' be honest, they both cheated, emotionally or physically. She had her own thing going on with her mom, and then being rejected, finding herself. Yeah, her still being mature about everything and even knowing it was her fault for fumbling Li, was impressive. Also, imma need her and Phun to play a drama in the future as sibling/twins, cuz their expressions would be spot on! Loved her in the finale, still a Queen to the end.

EARN
Oh, Earnie, my boy. This child was so sad, falling for a bald-headed cute dude who let him down oh so easily, only for him to disappear from the drama like 80% of the run-time. No, where he go? Then, he came back in the final two episodes only to get his heart broken again. When he was sobbing. Yikes. Anyway, I liked Earn, he deserved so much more. If only Noh had a twin. That scene when he saw Noh sleeping on Phun's shoulder and got shock and hurt... I felt so bad for him, but like, I laughed a bit cuz, I love drama. I'm glad the friend finale made a move in the finale. As he should, with 17.000 characters in this show, if Earn didn't find anyone else, that would have been sad. Noh and Earn though, I aint saying anything, but I am not, not saying anything... wink wink.

YURI
I liked her, but homegirl needed to go find somewhere to sit and touch some grass. Damn, she made a whole relationship in her head, then proceeded to make it our problem when it didn't work out. Sure she was sweet and whatnot, but that girl needed to take a hike at some point or another. She knew Noh wasn't interested in her that way, they even talked about it, and still she kept her hopes up. Really, SUSAN?? I understood her though, unrequited love sucks, but she broke her own heart, so there's only so much empathy I can show her. Haha, love how bold she was in the finale, letting Phun know she's still around. Though, like how is this girl not looking for anyone else? This is a show with 20.000 characters, like, start looking elsewhere child. I really love how she defended Noh and them getting back to being friends, this is all I wanted.

OHM & MICK
Hahahah, Mick taking charge of their relationship was so fun. I was laughing so hard when Mick went 'yeah, I like you, so prepare yourself, imma make you mine.' and Ohm just went back to eating in shock, and just accepted his fate. Sometimes I wished Ohm would stop playing and accept the poor boy's feelings already, verbally that is, our boy did show his love through his actions. Ohm's best-friend energy was on point. Poor Film though, in the novel he said something along the lines of 'I can't believe I let a cat go look after my fish.' LMAO. No, but Ohm and Mick almost stole my attention for a moment. Glad they finally got together, and thank the eff Ohm wanted Noh as nothing but a friend, would have rioted if they'd ruined Ohm and Mick.

PER & WIN
First off, yes, Win is young so making bad decision is a must, but trying to get with the bad crowd and ruin your life because the guy you have a crush on don't like you back is dumb as hell. But, I love how he got brave and stood up to his military dad, thought at what cost??? #tears. Per was so over the place with his feelings, pretending not to want Win, dating that poor girl who had to put up with a jealous Win. But Per bit more than he could chew with Win's father acting like a waste of space, so I understand he got scared. I'm glad in the end he fought for Win and they had that two minutes of happiness. Though the ending of this couple was so sad, but also hopeful in that they promised to keep loving and waiting for each other. I really do wish they end up together, somewhere in the drama universe, they deserve happiness.

OTHER THINGS
- Ohm randomly, suddenly, having feelings for Noh in episode 14 was total BS, unnecessary and stupid. Whoever's idea it was to include that plot should be fired. Like, that friendship was amazing, did everyone and their mamas have to have feelings for Noh? I thought we moved passed the main lead being super special nonsense. Ew!
- Per's friend who liked him though... Pete? I felt so bad for him, cuz you could see his emotions on display in his eyes, and Per just... pretended he didn't notice. So sad.
- That one friend who went out to the other one and went, 'I like you, let's date' and then that was it. He was like, yeah, I have a boyfriend now, and the other boy was like, 'wait you were serious?' HAHAHAH, I loved it. No drama, no nonsense, just straight to the point, my kind of love. They win the couple goals. LMAO, in the finale, that dude was like... yeah we broke up. He needed me and I helped him, and now he don't so... what????
- Phun's father though, dude showed up one time and tried to be a father, like, go sit down. Also, is that actor like the only one auditioning for the father roles in bls or he's like the default choice now? I just saw him pretend to be a cop in Kidnap.
- Love how Noh and his house workers got along, also with his parents. At least not all the parents were portrayed as bad.
- Love how their age all the boys acted, their friendship was so chaotic and nice to see.
- That Jet or Jeremy girl was annoying as hell, they should have left her arse at the camp.
- Lowkey, but highkey liked EarnNoh though... like...

---
LOVESICK 2014 Vs LOVESICK 2024
If you are wondering if you should watch the 2 seasons of the first adaptation of this drama, then I'll recommend it, because it had its charm. There are some difference, although they both follow the novel, the first version had lots of scenes/plot focus on the girl school as well, with lots of drama coming from them, so there was a lot more characters and storylines. Frankly, my glad the 2024 version removed most of the drama with Jeed and the other girls, it made the season 2 of the 2014 version dragged a lot. When it comes down to it, the changes reflect the current times rather than anything, so yeah, watch it if you want more Phun and Noh, cuz both couple did amazing job with the characters.

THE NOVEL (spoilers)
If you are looking for more depth, read the novel. It's in first person POV and Noh is the narrator, so we get to be in his head, and all his rumblings and thoughts are so much fun. I found myself laughing at his antics and inner thoughts throughout the novel. Since we are in his POV, everything is limited and we get told stuff that happens with others instead of being show, so there's a lot of telling and not enough showing, but we do get to connect and understand Noh better.

This 2024 adaptation of the novel is very cute and a heartwarming watch, although it had its heavy topics. It practically followed the novel, except of course a few charges to get with the times. A lot of people were waiting for a kiss between Phun and Noh. I saw some even complaining that, the ending scene in episode 10, when they finally agreed to become boyfriends needed a kiss. While I do understand, that scene was so emotional and well acted by the two leads that it didn't need anything more than what we got. Personally, I think the emotional impact with the viewers was better without the kiss.

But of course, for those who wanted more, I'd recommend you read the novel, cuz it has more intimate scenes. Which starts as earlier as in episode 3. In the novel when Phun first confessed that he wanted Noh, they had their first kiss, first time, twice. So, yeah, lots of things that both dramas didn't show, so if you want a more mature version, where you get a kiss and more during the let's be boyfriend scene, then do yourself a favour and read the novel.

All in all, of course this drama wasn't without flaws, the main one being, trying to keep up with the 20.000 characters and their storylines. I almost gave up, but then I kept going because Sundays were my drama watching days and I loved having five-six shows to watch XD. But even with its flaws, the team made a decent and coherent show that managed to keep my interest for 15 episodes.

FINALE:
Everyone, all 26.000 characters got their endings, and relationships and misunderstandings were resolved. I love how wholesome the whole series was, though that glass kiss in the finale was foul... like... seriously? I am satisfied with the ending we got. I am holding up hope for a special episode XD. This was a slice of life/coming of age bl that everyone who loves bls need to see. I will highly recommend it. The whole series was adorable and hilarious, filled with emotional and playful moments. I am looking forward to more from the cast, all 30.000 of them, they have a bright future ahead, given how talented they already are in their first work.

Until next time. Always Friday.

Read More

Beware the Male Lead—A Shameless Man Like No Other

Talay Prae (The Seawave) dives deep into the themes of infidelity and its consequences, delivering a story that is emotionally intense and thought-provoking.

The plot revolves around Tadd, a kind and sheltered rich girl raised by loving parents. She falls in love and marries Jaron, a man she barely knows, believing he is her soulmate. However, her dreams of a happy married life are shattered as Jaron reveals his true nature—a playboy who treats infidelity like a hobby. He is spoiled, narcissistic, and arrogant, often disrespecting and cheating on Tadd repeatedly, even sleeping with other women on their wedding night.

Jaron’s character is written to be thoroughly unlikable, a shameless cheater who manipulates and provokes everyone around him, including his cousin, Charlie. Despite showing some good qualities and eventually realizing he loves Tadd, his actions often feel irredeemable. While he apologizes and vows to change, even risking his life for Tadd by taking a bullet for her, his redemption arc feels too rushed to outweigh the pain he caused.

Tadd, on the other hand, is a well-developed character with a compelling transformation. Initially naïve and blinded by love, she trusts her husband too much and endures countless betrayals. Over time, she grows into a strong, dignified woman who handles her husband’s mistresses with grace and eventually divorces Jaron. Her evolution from a naive girl to a resilient, independent woman is one of the show’s highlights.

The acting performances are noteworthy. The actor playing Jaron does an excellent job portraying a deeply flawed and despicable character, nailing even his emotional scenes. The actress playing Tadd brings strength and grace to her role, although the male lead’s performance slightly outshines hers.

The ending, where Tadd and Jaron reunite, may feel polarizing. While Jaron’s sacrifice shows he has changed, his redemption could have been explored more deeply. Personally, I would have preferred Tadd to move on with someone else or for the story to focus more on Jaron’s journey toward earning her forgiveness.

Talay Prae is a gripping series for fans of intense dramas about love, betrayal, and redemption. However, it’s not for everyone, especially given how difficult it is to sympathize with the male lead’s actions.

I recommend it to those who enjoy this genre and are prepared for a story that doesn’t shy away from showcasing the harsh realities of infidelity.

Read More

Emotional and Heartwarming: A Hidden Gem

I really enjoyed this film. Initially, I noticed the low ratings on MDL and saw that not many people had watched it, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But despite that, I loved the storyline, and since it was only one hour long, I decided to give it a try. At first, I wasn’t fully convinced by the lead actress’ performance, as I didn’t quite feel the emotional depth I expected. This story had so much potential for big emotions. However, the actors are young, and after about 30 minutes, I found myself crying—so clearly, they did an amazing job bringing the story to life.

I especially appreciated the bond between the sisters. You could really see how much the sister cared for the protagonist and how much effort she put into supporting her. The father’s character also stood out to me; he was such a sweetheart and truly understood the struggles of living with anthropophobia. It was so moving to see his empathy.

Another powerful aspect was the portrayal of being a 'glass child,' which added a deep layer to the story. Despite its short runtime, the show really managed to pack a punch. I would love to see more series exploring this topic.

Overall, it was a really nice watch. While the acting could have been stronger in some moments, I still loved it and found it very touching.

Read More

I’M IN LOVE ?

An amazing drama. Park Hyung Sik does an excellent job in the role of a policeman—brave, courageous, and protective of the weak—rather than a sweet boy, as he appeared in Doctor Slump. My admiration for him keeps growing. 🩷

The romantic subplot is well-executed but isn’t the main focus. There’s a lot of action, but the most important message of this drama is how people react in moments of crisis, how they reveal their darker sides when their lives are at stake, and how material things become meaningless in the face of illness—which is the central theme here!

I highly recommend it! 🧚🏻
9.5/10⭐️

I started watching this drama solely because of tiktok edit, and I had no idea what it was about. I haven’t been this pleasantly surprised in a long time.

Read More

Good, but not great

I'm gonna explain each of my ratings so bear with me (ill start with good then bad):

STORY
(good)
The story was somewhat interesting, there were plot twists and mysteries that we had to figure out or find out later. That made me anticipate the following episodes. I liked how well written the characters were. Sometimes in CDramas there is complete focus on the main couple and none on the others. I really liked Ji YunHe, she's a somewhat strong female lead. I also loved the side couples and their stories, specifically Li Shu. The setting was pretty enough and the outfits were nice, but not particularly outstanding. The enemy was generic but it was good and I really liked the contrast between Shunde and Ning Xi Yu and being able to learn about their story, it was really interesting.
(bad)
The beginning was a bit slow and confusing, I didn't feel as drawn into the world setting as I have in other dramas- ashes of love had a beautiful setting. While I liked how well written some of the characters were, they really messed up on Chang Yi. I'm not sure if this is because of his actor (which i'll talk about later), or just the character himself- but Chang Yi felt very 2 dimensional, not changing much through the story and not getting his backstory flushed out. Spoiler- they kill off his clan and father, but we get like a 2 second glimpse of it and then nothing else. It feels like they should've put more time into making us feel empathy and understanding for the change in Chang Yi's character after he was betrayed and his family got killed. Here's the best way I can explain my dislike of this character- no offense at all to Xiao ShunYao (Lin HaoQing actor) but if they had picked a more attractive actor for Lin HaoQing (think like Dylan Wang) I would've gotten second male lead syndrome. Objectively Lin HaoQing's character is much more flushed out and lovely than ChangYi is (or at least the portrayal). I also didn't like how everyone died at least once in the story, some dying twice. While at first I felt sad, when they kept getting revived, I stopped feeling bad. Literally when Luo Luo almost died, I anticipated it and laughed when it happened. Like seriously the deathcount and revival count is crazy.

ACTING/CAST
(good)
Dilraba did an excellent job, I liked how she was able to express her character well in all stages of her character's development. They did a great job flushing out her character and her character's change. I love strong female leads and Dilraba did a great job acting out the strength and the emotions of this character. I also LOVED Ci Sha's acting of Li Shu, he did AMAZING. I love myself a sassy man and his actor was able to portray all those emotions, as well as caring for SanYue and his dilemma of saving the world or being with her. Cristy Guo did SO GOOD, the contrast between Shunde and Ning XiYu was crazy. I was able to hate Shunde and love NingXiYu even when they shared the same "face". Playing the villian is never easy and Cristy did amazing. The other actors did a great job too, Luo Luo was great and Lin Hao Qing was amazing.
(bad)
Oh my flipping days is Allen Ren painful to watch. Chang Yi was so boring what a snooze fest, he was really 2 dimensional and I have to blame the plot a bit for it, but even portraying the character he didn't have any emotion. Allen Ren has like a track record of playing stonefaced emotionless characters, and I read a bit of the novel and Chang Yi isn't really all that stonefaced. Allen Ren didn't do a good job with ChangYi and I honestly felt nothing towards that character or when he died. Also Dilraba and Allen didn't have chemistry. I blame that mostly on Allen since I've watched some of Allen's films and some of Dilraba.

MUSIC
lovely I love everything Sa Ding Ding. I think they repeated the music a bit too much but otherwise no comment

REWATCH VALUE
Not likely rewatching, plot wasn't great enough for me to feel too attached to the characters. Sometimes after finishing shows and movies I will feel depressed because I want more and im so attached the characters it feels like something died in me, but this show felt complete.

OVERALL
My rating probably sounds a bit harsh for the numbers I gave, but the show was good and I was very entertained, like i said good but not great. And I will be avoiding films with Allen Ren after this :)

Read More

Kind of good but boring.

I've seen a lot of bad reviews on this drama; I don't think it was necessarily bad. I just think it was boring. Still, it was interesting enough to finish. And there were some things I liked about it.

I'm glad it was short; 6 episodes was a good length for it. I'm not sure if this was a good or bad thing, but I feel like a lot of the time spent in the show was flashbacks. I liked the high school flashbacks, though. I didn't really take a liking to any character, but the acting was good. I have seen Fukuhara Haruka in another show that I really liked, I think she's a good actress. I did kind of force myself to watch it at times because, like I said, it was boring. But I'm glad I finished it because I liked the ending; it was nice and inspiring.

Overall, there is nothing memorable about the show, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. But I don't think it's as bad as the reviews I saw.

Read More

Watch this for the alphabet challenges. Turn out quite good…

Story about a goblin name Ban Sook (BS). He wants to be human, so queen goblin gives him task to kiss 10 woman to learn about their emotion.

BS can smoothly kiss every woman with hypnosis and everytime they kiss, the woman will forget about BS. So, BS easily do the task given by the queen. Until one day, BS meet Oh Yeon Ah (YA).

YA actually already sees BS kissing women since the first woman. And since YA herself just broke up with her boyfriend cause he's cheating on her. So, YA was so pissed when she saw BS kissing her friend. But YA was just so confused when her friend said she didn’t kiss BS.

They meet again later at YA workplace, when BS also shows up to work there. And by accident, YA finally learn everything about BS & she agreed to help BS. So with that, their destiny and story entangled together. How will this relationship go from hereafter…? Will BS in the end be able to become human…?

This is a really interesting short story. We learn, to gain something there's always a price we need to pay. Is it worthed or not, that's up to you to decide.

Below I'll write every emotion the goblin learns. It’s up to you want to read or not. But I don't think it's a spoiler.
1st lesson: emptiness
2nd lesson: compassion
3rd lesson: Sad
4th lesson: Angry.
5th lesson: Joy
6th lesson: desire
7th lesson: excitement
8th lesson: fear
9th lesson: happy
10th lesson: Love

Read More

Light hearted drama with a refreshing start and a few stumbles

*Story*
As most of the comments mention, the first half was very strong and well written, despite the decline in quality, I still found the second half to be quite decent (maybe because I watched it once it was finished airing). However, I wasn't a huge fan of the last episode. I get their intention of having Ziqi talk to his younger versions in reality but it felt quite abrupt to me and a huge shift in the story. The ending itself wasn't too terrible since we know that Miaomiao and Ziqi/Fu Zhou meet up, and Cuicui and his grandfather also exist in the real life, but I wish we had a more fleshed out happy ending. Not only in terms of the main couple properly interacting, but also maybe meeting Mu Yao and Fuyi in the real world, especially since Miaomiao didn't really get to say good bye to them at the end.


*Acting and Characters*
For the main couple, I really enjoyed the writing for Miaomiao and Ziqi, and I think that Yu Shuxin and Ding Yuxi were the perfect actors to pull off those roles. That being said, I still am not the biggest fan of YSX's acting. She's so different from her peers in that she does heavy emotional scenes really well, but tends to overact in the simpler scenes. Ding Yuxi on the other hand really shone in this show, I really don't have any criticisms for him because I was really impressed by his acting. He pulled off all the heart-wrenching scenes perfectly but also did well in the ones where he was just supporting Miaomiao.
Their chemistry admittedly went down after they got together but I still liked their dynamic in most scenes, and I like the fact that after going back in time, they defeated the Resentful Woman together!

The side couple were the complete opposite for me. All of original Miaomiao's complaints of Fuyi's character still occurred in our version of the story as well. I found him incredibly bland, and I think the way the actor chose to portray him made it even worse. He was like a piece of wood to me, I can't emphasize enough how much I didn't enjoy his scenes. Mu Yao was great, though I disliked her self sacrifice at the end because we already had her go through an arc where the lesson she learned at the end was not to carry everything on her shoulders alone. Zhu Xudan was great in the role, I genuinely loved her, no notes. Their chemistry... was not great though, I blame it on the ML's woodenness lol.


*Music*
The main OSTs were amazing, especially the ballad for the emotional scene and the fast paced one for the action scenes. I can't remember very accurately so don't quote me on this, but I think there were a few music arrangements that I found a bit out of place (not OSTs but background songs). No huge complaints though, especially since I adored the ballad so much.


*Overall*
If you're looking for a light-hearted drama with really good production and beautiful costumes, I recommend that you watch this show. Keep your expectations tempered since it's far from perfect but I found it a very enjoyable watch overall!

Read More

An excellent series despite a lot of wrinkles

Historical series with an excellent cast, well written

PLOT: The young FL witnesses the execution of her father and her family, falsely accused. She is saved by her "older brother", the ML2. 6 years later, she joined the Palace music troupe to investigate. She becomes friends with the king (unnamed, then identified), becomes an investigator, but makes an enemy of the ambitious Royal Consort and her powerful family.

+++ Excellent actors
+++ Story more and less consistent with historical reality

### Production outdated, slow, excessively melodramatic, with long presses on facial expressions (each emotional scene lasts 1 minute too long), (comic) actors who overact, OSTs like we don't do anymore, etc. .
### Even the supposedly intelligent characters (as well as the FL) are at times shockingly stupid... The endless unspoken misunderstandings, the "I am the only one responsible, I deserve to die, but I don’t explain anything”!!
It's very frustrating щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

I am surprised to realize that production has changed so much in 15 years!!

=> A series that could be considered emblematic in 2010, but which has taken on serious wrinkles :(
***************************************************************
Série historique avec un excellent cast, bien écrite

PLOT : La jeune FL assiste à l’exécution de son père et de sa famille, faussement accusés. Elle est sauvée par son "frère aîné", le ML2. 6 ans + tard, elle intègre la troupe de musique du Palais pour enquêter. Elle devient amie avec le roi (anonyme, puis identifié), devient enquêtrice, mais se fait une ennemie de la Consort royale ambitieuse et de sa puissante famille.

+++ Excellents acteurs
+++ Story +/- conforme à la réalité historique

### Réalis° datée, lente, excessivement mélodramatique, avec de longs appuis sur les expressions faciales (chaque scène émotionnelle dure 1 min de trop) , des acteurs (comiques) qui surjouent, des OST comme on n'en fait plus, etc.
### Même les personnages supposés intelligents ( ainsi que la FL) sont par moments d'une stupidité à pleurer ... Les malentendus et non-dits interminables, les "je suis le/la seule responsable, je mérite de mourir, mais je n'explique rien" !! C'est très frustrant щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

Je suis surprise de m'apercevoir que la réalisation a tant changé en 15 ans !!

=> Une série qui pouvait être considérée comme emblématique en 2010, mais qui a pris de sérieuses rides :(

Read More