Reviews

Such a Pleasant Watching Experience

Fantastic lakorn. It promises a light romantic drama and executes it nearly at full. There is no intolareble evil characters, no annoying bad guys, nothing to disturb the viewer with cheap tricks. Bad guys getting what they deserve without waiting much. You like even them because their motivations are not evil but just little schemes for their little lives. Incredably, you dislike a good character more than them in a part of the story. You just want this good character disseappear and give way to our main couple. So its structure is so different from other similar lakorns. There is lots of cliches as expected but it tears down many of them too and those scenes are refreshing. There is good writing and solid directing here.
Comic characters are all funny and lovable and gives a fairy tale aspect to the story. Main characters are not stupid and not doing (very)stupid things, if they do, it is all for romance reasons, not to torture the viewer. Nadech is all good, never fails even a minute in his role. A bit boring character though because he is all good and his willpower is indestructible but this is also comforting.
But Yaya... oh my... a fantastic exciting character and she is playing it top notch. So successful to overcome the hardship of showing the progress and evolution of her character skilfully. At the same time, spreading cuteness and beauty all over the place from beginning to end amply. She is charming every scene she is in, just incredible.
Farming life and scenery is so good to see. Story is flowing, sometimes slow but I'm not bored a bit. Thanks to the writer, good dialogs and fast solutions enduring the viewers' nervousness and don't give stress but just joyment. You don't have to fast forward any scenes. Such a pleasant watching experience.

Read More

The One Who Can Stay With Her Forever

The chemistry of all the three male leads with Xiaoyao begins with... "because I was once all alone and abandoned and you stayed with me. And even if the world hates my dark side, is after my royal position, you like me for me..." Be it Cang Xuan or Tushan Jing or Xiang Liu, all three first found a great companion in Xiaoyao for their loneliness. While Xiaoyao herself, was on the search of someone who would accompany her till the end.

Lost You forever is a compelling, intriguing narrative spanning over hundreds of years set in kingdom Dahuang where deities are struggling over power and these ambitious or least-interested-in-power characters are struggling to stay alive or do as they like among the harsh palace and wordly walls.

Half of the plot is about how these main characters have merely one percent control over there own lives and that's what made them selfish, desperate and cold. Ngl their struggles never end and no single soul has happiness in the whole Dahuang. More than liking or hate I've a truckload of pity for them... The male protagonists only see the leading lady Xiaoyao as their light of hope and Xiaoyao who is almost numb to the world, sceptical, she wants a man who can be kind to her forever without breaking her heart or promises... the rest half plot is about some fast paced politics where Cang Xuan is trying to make a name for himself.

Lost you forever has to be the most fast paced, polished, top tier production quality palace drama I've watched this year. The direction and acting are worthy of praises. Tbh I was reluctant to start this earlier but Yang Zi's performance here surprised me eminently. Scattered scenes like her visiting her father in Haoling after long, getting injured by thousands of incoming petals and her staring at stairs looking back at what she has been through, all these scenes made me as heartbroken as she was. Would dare to say that this might be her best work as an actress where she got to show her range in her craft.

Being a historical where female lead stays as a 'Male' for half of the drama, Yang Zi was far impressive in her part. her Wen Xiao Liu was so convincing that it took me some episodes to digest that she's a woman now. I often saw a man in her face after she transformed xDDD... But this was the reason Xiaoyao got along well with all four male leads in the first place (expect Fenglong who fell at first sight for her feminine side, but he later admitted how comfortable he was with her as a buddy indicating that he also liked her straightforward cool-bro nature)

Let me introduce you to the options, Princess of Haoling, Haoling Jiu Yao (Xiaoyao) has —

1. Cang Xuan (I'm far ambitious but I'm doing this so that I'm powerful enough to protect her. I'm so in love with her that I don't mind being her brother for life if I get to stay by her side)... Zhang Wanyi has crazy eyes that have accurate longing and helplessness this complex role needs. He's both a psycho and a heartwarming brother favored by ladies. He was so impressive that I kinda want him in more darker roles in future.

2. Tushan Jing (I like her but I'm also too kind, I'm good at strategies but I still fail in life becoz I'm too gentle for this world)... Deng Wei's face suits the nice male lead trope but he felt a bit off in some scenes. Maybe its about experience that he will gain slowly, even so he was good. his chemistry with FL is all mushy and cute type where they talk and paint and I'm blushing hahaha

3. Xiang Liu (yes I'm that white haired guy most of you were swooning over. I would kill and not kill for her. I wander the world in white robes but go back to tease or bite her once every episode)... Picking Tan Jianci for Xiang Liu is epic!!!!!!!! (He looks great( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)) He's scheming, maybe an extremist but damnnn his deep talks, nonsense bickering, drowning in water has hell lot of chemistry with Xiaoyao.

4. Chishui Fenglong (I met her late but I've power I can promise to stay with her for longer so who knows?)... In front of the three above, he obviously seemed less charming and like a supporting character instead but I'm excited to see his growth in S2.

While almost all the viewers have already picked up their ships and started rooting for them, I'm more like Xiaoyao and just enjoying it with the flow lol (maybe I'm heartless too :))... I was once all into Jing's puppy love, then I got swayed by TCJ's Xiang Liu and now I'm not choosing anymore haha. Just excited for season 2 and can they please release it tomorrow? Like waiting for 6 months means I'll lose this emotional build up I've for this drama right now.

The song I loved the most from the huge OST list has to be the theme song ♪Nothing Can Be Compared to You♪ (万物不如你) sung by Zhang Jie.

To sum it up, lost you forever is an addictive, thought provoking, melancholic romantic historical that keeps you entertained for sure. The exceptional setup and dramatic music is something you get in handy.

Read More

Ambitious & powerful historical epic done with perfection - right down to the supporting roles

Wow! Historical epic. Visually stunning. Magnificent. What starts out harmless is caught up in the merciless story. Please buckle up. "My Dearest" goes all out. Thrilling! Moving! Intoxicating.

The excursion leads into a painful chapter of Joseon's past, its historical cornerstones being emotionally successfully captured in striking scenes. Already after the third episode one may have forgotten the harmlessly rocking swings... back when everything was right with the world. On the other hand, the worst at times brings out the best in people. This may certainly be true for our protagonists, because the more hopeless the circumstances, the more persistent their personal commitment.

A dramatic story. A moving love story. An excellent historical drama. Definitely worth seeing. The time around the Qing invasion on the Joseon Peninsula will remain unforgettable for everyone... and the epic relationship of our protagonists too!
What a couple - in the course of their encounters, Namgoong Min and Ahn Eun-jin develop a strong, charismatic attraction for their ambivalent and baffling, yet complex and nuanced characters. All this is visually perfectly staged. Perfection applies overall to the dramaturgical layout of the intertwined personal and political processes. "My Dearest" offers differentiated, touching character portraits right down to the supporting roles. Powerful!

Unfortunately, after the tenth episode, we're stuck for a while before we continue with the second season... But until then, as far as I am concerned, "My Dearest" has been a complete success!






-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SIDE NOTE --- the Qing invasion 1636 ---
The historical context of “My Dearest” is quite an issue for Joseon history! For the Korean national self-image the impact of the Qing invasion of 1636 can be reckoned even more traumatic, shameful and dramatic than the unparalleled Japanese invasions of the Imjin Wars in 1592 and 1598. This is because Joseon finally had to ignominiously submit to the Qing and eventually remained their vassal state until the First Sino-Japanese War end of the 19th century. (With Imjin Wars, Joseon was actually able to repel their invaders - at that time with the help of the Ming - and thus could preserve the grandeur of sovereignty.) That second Qing invasion in 1636 went down in history as a truly disastrous defeat. Who likes to remember such a 'weak' king and such unspeakably embarrassing humiliation?

Apart from its touching epic love story, "My Dearest" thus also deals with the narrative of the people of Joseon back in the 17th century - their different positions, either pragmatic or idealistic. That time of the invasion is well documented in diaries of contemporary witnesses. Historical scholars to date, however, have discussed the Qing invasions in Joseon mostly from the perspective of the Qing against the Ming and the political power struggles concerning the Chinese empire. In “My Dearest” the Joseon perspective is given its own emotional narrative. And this is characterized by personalities, ideals, value systems, symbolic gestures, as well as those small and large deeds and sacrifices of inconspicuous people who often fall through the cracks of historiography. So "My Dearest" isn't just heartfelt entertainment. To a certain extent, the KDrama has an identity-forming, great mission and takes it very seriously and right into mass consciousness. Its intention is to be suitably great. It offers portraits of the people at that time an how they were processing historically questionable/questioned decisions, too. It brings us close to the dilemma of that time. And greatly so.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read More

It's Really, Really Good. I Wish It Was Great.

This is probably the best Thai BL I've ever watched. It was like a regular show and I didn't feel the need to give it a pity grade(look, we all do it).

That being said, it's still not very great. Good. Not great. Writing still lacks in the pacing department. And, yeah, that makes a difference. I imagine that for some reason an editing department doesn't exist or maybe they think it's unnecessary to have one but, whew, watching fifty different angles and facial expressions as they repeat how sad they are is--it's less impactful not more. And it takes a solid 5 to 8 minutes of additional runtime. Now, imagine this is the worst example but certainly not the only one.

The story is solid. The actors are good. Earth really shines here. And so does the actress who plays Gaipa/Kaipa's mother. And it's egregious that she doesn't have a casting photo or even a blank one on the cast list. She's important dang it! For several of her scenes, I forgot I was watching a genre of television that gets shafted(don't laugh) when it comes to the writing room. And, boy, did this one ever.

I won't go on to complain because that's a bit unfair. The cinematography in the opening shots and the consequential ones were beautifully done. Lighting. Perfect. Set design, environment, and casting, so far as appearances go, are spot on. When Jim and Wen met, I was ready to love this. This was going to be the BL to end all and be all.

But, it suffers from a lack of editing necessary for proper pacing. And it was really only the times involving Wen. Which is unfortunate because I enjoyed his backstory. The funny thing is that for all that time spent on camera angles and repetitive conversations, it would've been better spent on Wen's internalized feelings blossoming into something real. I would've liked to see the differences in Wen's behavior compared to at the start of the drama when he was being flirtatious but lacking all experience in that form of confidence to when he learned to own his confidence completely. Instead, I watched Wen appear to always be confident from beginning to end except during his backstory parts--where he was a normal human being.

I have the typical issues with unnecessary relationship drama(not Wen) that could've been better set off as something that happened prior to the start of the drama and then tying off loose ends in the actual drama. It probably would've cleared up the pacing to make room to focus on Wen. Just saying. I wanted more Wen character-focused backstory but whatever.

I legit have nothing to say about Heart and Li Ming's portion. I think Heart's story is pretty interesting and it seems like it's been done very well. My isolated experiences with the deaf is that I was raised near the Maryland School for the Deaf. And I've probably see more deaf people than others have. It really doesn't give me an idea of what's proper or not. Add on the cherry that Thai sign language is a different form of sign language altogether--it seemed legit.

But yeah, maybe that should've been my headline.

The entire show.

It seemed legit.

Read More

Nice story, nice actors, nice happy ending

A beautiful story, for a long time one of the most beautiful, for me perhaps the most enjoyable ever. Central, besides a criminal case, is the endearing conflict of the beautiful princess with the capable but arrogant writer who is convinced of himself.
The writer becomes a detective, as his well-known sharp sense is needed to solve an outrageous crime. Circumstantially, the clever princess gets involved.

Many uninspired stories almost turned me off Asian shows, this one from Korea was great and very amusing. What was pleasingly absent were the otherwise inevitable annoyances, such as annoying love triangles, gratuitous cruelty, human badness of the main characters, ridiculous misunderstandings, and whatever else might ruin an evening after work.

Needless to go into detail, friends of shallow entertainment. I enjoyed this funny, friendly and yet exciting story.

Read More

People are thinking to deep but I'm just vibing

I went into this show blind and honestly stayed for the vibes. Sure, the story isn't complex, but not all stories need to be that way, and some shows are just meant to vibe and feel good. People's expectations these days are high, but not as high as their attention spans. Mmm, that's sad. Either way, I really enjoyed watching this show and hope in the future BL shows could be 12 episodes or more so things could be more fleshed out and not crammed.

The stories basically about 2 guys who share the same name and lost contact at a young age but met again in their adult years. things are awkward at first but slowly they began speaking to each other and there is this inviable tension and angst and romantic chemistry between the 2 male leads and along side that, their is 2 other male characters who are also attracted to one of the main male lead.

Read More

Hidden gem!?

First of all, i'd say its a very good story!
I initially thought it was abt mermaid hence I always skipped it. Turns out not at all!? the plot is very fast w duration around 30mins each ep. It tells about a former lover in high school reunites again after 8yrs and now ML becomes a doctor while FL becomes a popular cartoonist? At first FL still hesitates upon her feelings towards ML, but ML remains persistent to be on her side, and support one another. The misunderstanding isn't draggy, they clear it asap. Let alone, the 2nd and 3rd couple are also interesting to watch! All couples are funny, I'm so done? I thought it would be angst, however I feel many butterflies in my stomach?
the kissing scenes are good! (yea thats important to me) and they already kissed in ep 5 xixi? not too long to wait for their dating (again) and become a cute couple? moreover, the wedding scene is the kind of unique one!
Thus, I highly recommend u all to spend ur time w this drama!!!

Read More

The SHOW that DAMAGES you for a LONG TIME and traps you in a REWATCH cycle for its beauty

I HAVE been SMITTEN with the BRILIANCE of L&P, it's made everything else look uninteresting and pale in comparison.
I echo many of the L&P fans addiction to the show when I say "L&P has damaged me for dramas"

I have been puzzling over why for many it did not click.
- those who have dropped it inspite of being initially interested
- or those just didn't get the point of it
- couldn't tune into the 'sizzle' in the convos between the lead characters
- a reason for the many who did not enjoy and got tired, bored, dropped

It did require knowledge in Computerese (software AND hardware / Coding / Apps / Internet / Hacking / IT industry / future Tech, which played a BIG role in the "juice" and "thrill" of the show.
The entire dramatic suspense pivoted on 'understanding' even if just at basic general knowledge and current affairs level the world of computing / IT / computer hardware / game design / App and Website design / hacking / programming / viruses
There is so much 'technicalese' in the long convos amongst the characters, that would require unpacking :

- when and why Li Xun wins the Blue Crown Deal (the entire presentation for bidding)
- why it was a Herculean feat by Li Xun to have "rewritten" the bid AS WELL as the coding for the final website design
- how Zhu Yun was discovered and what was she up to at the Xiaobei computer lab
- how Xiaobei's understanding of the website design was so shallow
- why it was a genius leap to have come up with the App for Blue Crown over Website of Blue crown (Li Xun's vision for future of Smart Phone use when 4G is moving into 5G soon)
- Li Xun's ability to see the future of how Apps / Internet use can be harnessed for GREATER GOOD of humanity
- the brilliance of dreaming of a future for medical Science and reducing the rate of cancer deaths by 1% (propelled by the all consuming grief at the death of his mother) and HOW were they going to go about it; why it needed deep pockets and backers; to see in it the immensity of the idea's scope
- when and how Li Xun exposes the weakness of Fang Zhijing's Star Award winning product
- how the Invincible General Game was turned around from being a laissez faire product to a product for nerds / geeks and found its niche following
- why it was a HUGE touching moment when ZY purchases (with her own money) the HOST component and is trying to assemble (Titan) while we see LX has gone "shopping" for the same after taking the day off and not even intimating what he is up to.
- what was the Blind Box Game's allure (why it bothered ZY but all the males were cool with it, including her 'green flag' artist beau Xiu Jhu Tian) and why it would take 6 months even for any COPY to be made, unlike how easy it was for Old Gao to have copied Invincible General
- the significance of LX financing the Blind Box Game and becoming a majority shareholder at Flying Heart.

And last but not least amongst this listing is WHY it was clear that Old Gao was bright BUT mediocre, his goals materialistic ... while Li Xun was a visionary, an institution builder (are there shadows of Ayn Rand's FOUNTAINHEAD in his and Zhu Yun's character portrayal) ??)
OKAY I thought I could write several reviews the show .. But MDL does not allow that .. therefore today I posting additonal material :-D
And I can't stop sharing how the show looked from my LENS (I've been on the Discussion Thread also)

Here I copy-paste my comment, with the main intention of just freely expressing WHY L&P works for me, in an attempt to offer a 'different lens' to Li Xun's character and rescue it from the one dimensional view of him as :
- toxic
- red flag
- contemptible
- devoid of ANY redeeming features

I was JUST about to chip in with that. Li Xun can't be described as MORALLY GREY without some elaboration and examination of his behaviour and actions.
Right from the beginning we see proof that he does not choose to INTENTIONALLY betray, take advantage of, back-stab, take people for a ride - he knows what is right and what is wrong, knows what is evil and what is good. MOST IMPORTANTLY he know what it means "to break the law"(I'll get back to this with a few examples from the show).
Yes.
He definitely has a rude, impatient nature, a cut and cold way of speaking; is strongly opinionated in his own field of interest and pursuits; is single minded to a fault when it comes to chasing his ambition and dreams; is intolerant of mediocrity and isn't 'polite' about telling it as it is.

In short, he's NOT a touchy-feely guy - it very quickly becomes evident (and the evidence keeps piling up as we watch the episodes, getting to learn his backstory, watch his actions.
He was probably born with a strongly introverted personality, so when tragedy struck (father passing away when he was very young) his life script switched on a style of defence mechanism not uncommon in such personalities. And he's GIFTED, a GENIUS. He has learnt to shroud his 'sentimentality, and softer emotions' from the world.

ONLY those most intimate to him, know this side of him.
ONLY those he feels understood by, those who manage to get close enough to seep into him with their genuineness and warmth; those who can rattle him, make fun of him, (Zhu Yun / Old Gao), challenge him, question his way of thinking, threaten him, press triggers in him that elicit reactions. He's been used to for too long of being feted, due to his REMARKABLE BRILLIANCE. He is an outlier one can easily gather from how his abilities are portrayed in the show.

The most intimate to him include his sister Li Lan, his mother. Li Lan is the one we get to hear from the MOST about LX childhood, what it was like for him growing up. He without wallowing in self pity stepped up to wear the mantle of guardian to his mom and sister, selflessly working to 'make money for the family' and be as little of a burden to them as possible. He is a self-made human from a young age since his father passed away.
We see such warm touching, affectionate moments with his mother, the softness in his gaze when he looks at her, tends to her. We hear Li Lan telling ZY how deeply he cared for his mom, so much so that it led to a falling out with her also. In his teen mind drunk with grief he told her off : "if you gave up on mom, leave me alone now" - meaning "stop fussing about my health now" when she was worried and insisting on him getting a surgery.

He sank even deeper into a pit and hid after his mother's death, unable to even keep in touch with his sister over the years. Probably grew a few more prickly thorns and a harder shield.

One can only imagine what transpired for him from the moment he became an orphan, was kicked out of school, lost a school year, survived on his own, and YET came out on top as HIGHEST scorer of the batch - retaining his reputation as a GENIUS.
When Li Lan resigned to her "destiny" : "All in all this our destiny. We have to admit it."
LX was ALL determination steaming from his red eyes, swollen with grief, his face plastered with tears, he countered with: "I won't admit it" meaning he'll never allow that to become his mantra.
In an act of rebellion he declares to himself and to the world (dying his hair blond after his mom's death, knowing very well that his "uncommon look" will draw attention and might even affect his school admission: "Even if everyone in the world admits the fact, I want to be different from them. Nothing can beat me down. I won't give in. I can only depend on myself."
Pu Shu's song playing in the background - at the concert that LX has bought ticks for Li Lan and ZY - how much more of hidden knight in shining armour can you get - BEAUTIFULLY highlights the moments of this back story scene.
"Just so Young ,
Just so Crazy.."
His dorm buddy Fu Zhio instinctively knows this aspect of him, and 'likes LX' A LOT and sees through all his tough and rough and gruff, and thus is one of the RARE folks in the show that LX goes over to off load his inner disquiet (Ren Di is like his alter ego, the ONLY other person we see him seek out when his mind and emotions are in a muddle).

And then of course there is Zhu Yun.
After a bout of Zhu Yun's initial negative impression of him (which incidentally is Zhu Yun's trigger to squash him and show him his place by ridiculing him at the Fresher's Night StandUp Cross Talk; and then teaming up with Old Gao, to challenge his academic superiority during the fight for LX's Programming Base vs Old Gao's Interest Group Computer Club) she slowly starts to see that hidden side of him too.
Of course his STUNNING HANDSOME LOOKS, good enough to be a model, ;-p also plays a role (a well established TROPE in Dramaverse *chuckle*)

The side of him that is :
- humorous, (he makes that silly pig virus, alluding again to the Little Piggy joke ZY cracked on stage, as the HW she was sent to collect by Fang ShuMiao, for her to download and submit. he calls her Princess and jokingly introduces the princess he has 'especially invited' to the Base - Old Lin had a role to play in coaxing ZY to join the base ..and one suspects Old Lin might have also exchanged words on that with LX .. since he was waiting just outside his class when ZY emerges after Lin's "talk" to her )
- playful (how he teases ZY .. when she persists on getting him to do HW / attend morning study class etc; connects with her by lobbing / flicking things at her - paper pellet, keys of the roof, bread packet he's bought her as lunch that boinks her head. ..
Close friends do that .. joking and kidding around ..
- jealous, (of Volleyball School Champ - Jiang Xing Chi whose making moves on the girl who he by now clearly fancies; of artist friend of ZY - Tian Xiu Jhu when he sees him drop ZY off in a fancy car and she seems very close and friendly to him
- warm, kind, loyal, upright
- capable of self reflection (when Zhu Yun explains to LX why Gao is upset and that he should make amends .. LX meets him on the roof and tells him that he wants Gao in his team and together work on the goals)

Examples of which start to build up as the drama progresses :
~ LX even as a down and under kiddo, never takes a penny more than he needs - 1000 from his game buddy in middle school when he's trying to make extra cash for his hospitalised mom, even though he offers a LOT more;
~ 140300 from Fu Zhio for breaking into the school grades system even though he says he could get him millions for sure;
~ refuses to take Fu Zhio's money and ZY seems to KNOW there is NO WAY LX will accept Fu Zhio's hard earned savings;
~ does not throw his buddy Fu Zhio under the truck when they are found out for cheating, IN FACT it's Li Xun who GOES to the Director Liu (in the Rain dripping like a wet crow) and BEGS her to let Fu Zhio off and asks to take the full blame for it; (which self serving person would risk doing something like that!!);
~ refuses to accept Xu Lina's funding even when she is throwing herself at him, and then failing that, she disguises it under "you don't need to marry me .. just take my money as an investment" .. in his upright heart he knows it would be wrong to use XuLina's money when she is so clearly in LOVE with him .. He won't "use" her, not for this.

He steers clear of people and things he thinks is a 'waste of time" - in his opinionated world - he's a man in a hurry to get things done ..
Things IMPORTANT in his world view : building institutions and a future where tech serves the greater good .. an App that reduces the "cancer detection and cure rate by 1%" ..
That long haul project becomes his mantra! The main product of the business set up he has been planning for - probably EVER SINCE his mom died. They were not aware of this drug Levartini because of lack of info and shared knowledge in the medical world.

In its scope he has taken on a gargantuan project that will need to align with hospitals across the nation and collate millions of data points from medical diagnoses (that is what we see him preoccupied with in the second half of the back story of college .. he has even dropped out of college to fast track this business plan - it seems like he wants to prevent deaths due to lack of info as soon as he can launch this App.

He is a visionary and he's written into the character as a person whose goals are lofty .. and because his eyes look so far into the future of the IT industry and he has a sharp searing intelligence that cuts through low quality b.s. ideas (in his qualified, fine critical judgment ability), he seems unable to or even interested in slowing down.

(You know this is the reason 'gifted' children are put into separate programs to cater to their super speeds of absorption and cognitive abilities - they are often loners because they cannot understand their peers, vice versa. While emotionally these gifted kids are often lagging behind a lot .. and thus special teachers are assigned to them who understand their minds.)

Winning the Blue Crown website Bid, making the Blue Crown App for sale, is all in alignment with how step by step he is planning for the start-up venture ..
He is not one to back down even if it means killing his body and health speed coding - writing revised bid documents that run into hundreds of pages .. all the while reading up and staying abreast of current advances and needs of the industry (ZY is amazed at when did he even gets the time to find out SO MUCH about Blue Crown .. including personal info of their owner's wife ? or was it mom? being an expert in Chinese Medicine).

Using up hours and hours arguing and explaining his strategy, his design ideas (especially when he senses a 'denseness' in the questions asked) dearly tests his 'energy level'.
He is probably anyways always functioning at the edge of his exhaustion limit, with the amount of sleepless nights he spends on the roof on that rickety back ache-y seat, and at the base slouched over his laptop, setting deadlines for himself AND delegating work for the large team he is already leading.

The fact that he loses patience; and often allows his team members to learn from their mistakes, rather than stopping them; asks them directly to decide if they can take the "pressure of the work"; asks them to trust his leadership skills is quite understandable and worthy of consideration in assessing his reactions, actions, behaviour.

NO ONE understands or condones his attitude and behaviour at college (not Old Gao, not Fang Shumiao, the other kids are too in awe of his 'mind' to even consider approaching him ... NOT EVEN Old Lin .. who is a a SENIOR professor and although he holds Li Xun's abilities with tremendous respect he also chastises him for his 'arrogance' and sometimes, bullies him into participating in 'competitions' that to Li Xun is again a TOTAL waste of time, FAR BELOW his capabilities.

Li Xun already belongs in the big bad adult world of professionals and entrepreneurs competing for a foothold when his peers are simply 'students studying from books'.

The Base is his idea .. and his pitch must have been SO FANTASTIC (given he's a noob freshie at college) to the College board that they immediately constituted a "profit aspect" AND "credit aspect" to the work done there in lieu of STUDY periods .. which according to him was wasted on books .. when all the learning in Programming HAD to COME from "breaking a few keyboards" and working within the real world industry.

I am NOT sure if my long long piece explains anything about the DRAMA's build up, action and character and themes.
Whether it adds .. clears up anything about it's MUCH reviled ML - Li Xun.

Bottomline : not everyone is going to be interested in watching a SLICE OF LIFE kind of show -
~ about a character like Li Xun and Zhu Yun,
~ or a show that has Computer and IT jargon as BED ROCK of its action and dramatic tension;
~ has ML descend into the darkest pit possible in "dramaverse" (short of murder - as in Cruel City);
~ with character arc of the lead being a slow burn evolution;
~ where even in the end you JUST ABOUT BARELY start to see the flecks of sunlight flickering in his eyes .. and his body get more easygoing, his persona open up allowing the entry of many more humans (flawed and pock marked).

I could keep writing .. endless are my observations as I keep rewatching the drama for the beauty of its script, construction, cinematography, mise en scene, music which is a potent punch to the scenes unfolding); the audio track that goes pin drop silent, or listens in on the ambient sounds, or cues up music; the direction; the the acting; casting choices; set design; production quality.
The symbols that appear .. Lighter / the usage of Princess as it appears in its many connotations / ZY's many different reactions to being called by that name.
Character analysis of the MAINs other than ML and FL .. Gao / Xu Lina / Fang Zi Jing / Fang Shumiao / Ren Di / Father Zhu / Mama Liu The nature of their inter-relationships amongst each other.
Anyway I'll stop now ROFL ..

Read More

Electrifying leads, with similar plot to You Are My Glory

As other comments pointed out, the plot has many similarities to You Are My Glory. You have an established FL with a cold-at-first ML that's aiming to become a scientist/researcher. The plot is a bit underwhelming but don't let this deter you - it's rare to have a high-budget modern drama with great leads, amazing chemistry and an easy to digest plot without a billion cliches and angsty moments.

I'll start with the pros, and why you should watch it.
1) Characters. The leads are amazing. It's rare to find such great chemistry, good-looking leads and such a healthy relationship. There really isn't any notable love triangles, the characters start devoted to one another and remain devoted throughout the whole drama. One minor "break" in their relationship close to end (approximately 1 ep in length) but really not a big deal. Kisses are intense. Janice and Vin fit perfectly in their roles. Janice's character was so endearing and character growth was really well-written. Side characters are good too, although the second couple was really an afterthought, with no real development - whatever, I'm not here for them haha. Main couple didn't have too much drama - was healthy overall and they always talked whenever they were upset so issues were promptly discussed.

2) Plot. The plot is solid. Nothing to write home about but for a modern drama, it's well worth watching. No angsty moments, no cancer scares and no mindmelting love triangle.

3) OST is solid. A couple nice songs (notably the ballads).

4) Good budget. You get the real voices from the actors (very limited dubbing) and you get to see the cities of Shanghai and Xi'an. As a modern drama, I think it's so important to get the vibe of the city right.

Cons. There aren't really any notable cons, but I'll point out some things that could've been done better.
1) Needs some more "high" and "low" moments. Since the main couples were well-written, there really weren't many highs or lows in the drama. I never found myself thinking: "wow this is so swoonworthy". No tears either. There was a lot of missed opportunities during some pivotal moments where the writers could have had the main characters show a bit more emotion (so the viewers can empathize).

2) Plot starts off exciting but plateaus. The latter half of the drama was noticeably weaker once the couples got together. Since they have such a healthy relationship, I guess there really wasn't much to write about so they made the main couple do long distance, so was a bit underwhelming. The last few episodes were also extremely rushed with choppy editing (what even happened?!?!)

3) A bit too much advertising. So much advertising... and it culminates in being a giant advertisement for China's Beidou (GPS) navigating system. Almost like the show's whole theme is dedicating yourself to being a government researcher. This really took precedence over anything else (family, relationship, even the FL's hundred-million dollar company).

Overall, worth watching for the leads alone. The main leads are just eye-candy. With the solid budget, viewers get a real taste of Shanghai/Xi'an. For a modern drama, plot isn't anything revolutionary but solid, backed by generally down to earth characters.

Read More

Tin fell first but chan fell harder!

The way actors portrayed their character is really mind-blowing. It's all started from the hate and distrust relationship and ends up in pure love and care.. moreover the final episode really gives you the satisfactory feeling.
Chan was only cared for money and power since his mom was murdered brutally.. But the moment when he fell for Tin the former wanted to change himself to be a better person. Even though Tin fell for chan ,he tried to step back cuz he doesn't want to get hurt..but at the end they really made it together and did justice to Tin's niece...

This drama really portrays different relationships and how deep each of them are.. Tonkhao lost her parents at very early age and from that moment Tin and his grandma was taking care of her.. Tin was a fatherly figure to Tonkhao..The emotional attachment between Tin's grandma and Chan.. True friends like Rose and Maya who were always with charn and being supportive at the worst.. the cute relationship between Thanthai and his bodyguard Thee.. The Antagonist also did his job well.. Even they ends up as married couple where Tin is the proud of husband of his naughty lawyer ?. Overall this drama will give you the fulfilment


The chemistry between Jam and Film is really cool and awesome.. Hope they will get some good project together, in future.. gonna miss Tin and Chan.

Read More

ONE OF THE MOST ENJOYABLE K-DRAMAS I'VE WATCHED SO FAR!!!

I'm not very good at saying review but let me give my thoughts on the drama as an avid kdrama viewer.
-Story is well written. Solid premise, intriguing plot, well-rounded characters, and dismissible plot holes.

-Actors fits they're characters so well that I could feel the tension in their expressions. The minute details of how they express their emotions whooo! I'm blown. They really got them right!

-Music is good as well. It manages to make me feel more and be more connected in the story. But there were parts that they're a bit too loud for my liking, maybe it's just me.

-Rewatch value-yes of course I will definitely rewatch this but I WOULD ABSOLUTELY CUT the drawn out flashback like OMG it was frustrating to be honest. I've never missed characters like this! I CANNNNT BELIEVE HOW LONG THIS FLASHBACK IS -___- I'm not really that invested in their history because we viewers were not that dumb to figure things out without them putting so much detail in it. I'm more interested with what's going to happen in the future -____- I know they're important details as well but they dragged it on a bit too much for my liking I'm more than exasperated!

NEVERTHELESS OVERALL THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST ENJOYABLE FANTASY KDRAMA I'VE EVER WATCHED!!!

Read More

The perfect comedy to cure your drama hangover/withdrawal

What an unexpected delight! This show is loaded with laughs and parodies of common costume drama tropes. It's so silly yet funny that you will pay no attention to its less than stellar plot.

This is the perfect change-up to cure your drama withdrawal as its silliness and hilarity is sure to break the trance. Best of all, there should be no concerns about whether the plot will suck, angst, unsatisfactory ending, and all that nonsense. Just laugh along for the ride and get off investment free if the funny stops.

Also kudos to the FL for not afraid to look ugly occasionally for the lols.

7.5 (+1.0 MDL inflation)

Read More

Mr. Bad -- my bad hero ?

I just finished watching it. Thanks to hidden love I got to know CZY. Although I had watched all about secrets even before hidden love, I didn't know it's the same actor. So I started watching his drama. After finishing our secret. I have now finished this Mr.bad. Shen Yue's acting is also amazing.
You can't lose watching such an amazing drama. It was quite funny sometimes, sometimes serious, romantic. It is an amazing drama.
Xiao wudi came from other world, his characteristics transition, and the most important thing is when the fairy told that it wasn't Nan Xing who created him.
Overall it's worth watching. Must watch

Read More

steamy second season with a lackluster plot

Overall: though I don't love part of the plot, the production value/acting is good (and it earns its R rating :). 6 episodes about 15 minutes each. Aired uncut on GagaOOLala, cut version on YouTube BL Pictures channel

Content Warnings: grief

What I Liked
- the beginning hooked me in right away
- NSFW scenes were realistic though I wish they hadn't been quite so choppy/broken up and we heard some of their sounds
- grief scene was very well acted
- production value

Room For Improvement
- wish they'd come up with different plots for second seasons of BL
- excellent long take in episode 4
- her actions didn't really make sense to me
- background noise/music was too loud in the pool scene
- did not feel they were ready for what happened at the end of ep 6, they need to work on their communication

Read More

too slow but with some good NSFW scenes, start at episode 6 or 8

Overall: I initially dropped this after 3 episodes but sped thru the rest and my advice is to watch ep 1 around 12 minutes and then skip to episode 6 (and watch on a faster speed). 10 episodes about 1hr each. Aired on iQIYI. Re-aired on 9NAA YouTube channel. 9NAA also produced Check Out and I Am Your King series.

Content Warnings: manhandling, harassment, kick

What I Liked
- established couples
- NSFW was well done
- sibling relationship
- the title was hilarious
- production value (which makes sense because there was a lot of product placement)

Room For Improvement
- as a viewer I need to want the two leads to be together in a romance series, however, I didn't want these leads to be together, I didn't understand what changed Sky's mind and I think Venus was too harsh towards Sky for way too long, they could have had a five minute conversation but the viewer had to slog thru hours and hours of nothing to get to a mutual understanding
- most of the scenes could have been cut or shortened, watched it on 3x speed, as an example you could start episode 9 after 12 minutes and miss absolutely nothing
- when the beginning scene took place was unclear for awhile, flashbacks/forwards without clear transitions
- who interrupts like that and then continues to have a conversation, get out of the room! (episode 1)

Read More