Reviews

Healing comfort drama

2nd greenest couple to watch out for 2023, i love a strong fl not so hyper and a very mature ml,the characters are all well written the relationship and bond itself is so comforting that you can't help watching how they grow their love for each other,i will definitely rewatch this again, i thank god that mdl recommended this to me lin yu jing is the fl i am looking for in every youth drama i've watched so far. The storyline between her parents are realistic as that really happens in real life, i love how the show emphasize that yu jing and shen juan are each other's comfort whatever happens they will face it head on together. Thet have such an open minded and healthy relationship, I can't say anymore but this is really a must watch!!

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Shin Hye Sun did it again! BUT not a great storyline/ending

Imma keep this short and simple.
As an avid drama fan, a great drama includes multiple factors. With modern production companies and high quality VFX renderings, the cinematography is great; however, for a fantasy drama as 19th life, the storyline felt incomplete. I haven't read the webtoon so I am only judging based on the storyline of the drama.

The storyline started out great, entailing the details and explicit things that a viewer should know while keeping us guessing for more. I was genuinely excited. The flirting and butterflies within the drama--hands down to Shin Hye Sun for her AMAZING ACTING! Arguably one of the best actresses, and hands down to every moment of her, laughing, crying, FLIRTING, SCREAMING, ugh, just unbelievable performance. Have always loved her ever since Angel's last mission.

HOWEVER, there are things that got me so confused as to why it was even important or relevant, which sucked because the drama started out SO GOOD, and just crashed within a matter of minutes.

**MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD [read at your own discretion]**





My main questions have to do with why the uncle even got involved in such a thing as the car crash, and his excuse was because he loved the mother??? I'm sorry but why are we supposed to care? Either the writer didn't flesh his character out enough or there's something I'm missing?

Another thing is why did the guy in the first life help FL to that extent? I get that they wanted to paint a twist and act as if he was bad or something, but tbh there wasn't really a real villain, nothing exciting about the villain. Usually, I would salute an antagonist for portraying something morbid or wicked, but this dude really didn't have any of that. He was just there watching the people around him, then giving hints to the FL and didn't explain anything else. And all of a sudden the FL feels like she has so much to do with him, which she did, but it was so short lived, I really didn't get the point of him at all.

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Anywho, I loved the cast and the acting, the character developments for the main leads were excellent. Just there were quite a few things that I felt could have definitely been better executed/elaborated. It just didn't feel complete and suddenly, which is quite sad, I felt like became a waste of time. :(

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Made my heart dance

What an utter joy this one was to watch.
Breathtaking visuals and lovely music underscore and enhance this beautiful, incredibly well-acted story. The writing is excellent, from the realistic and oftentimes genuinely hilarious dialogue, to the cleverly-utilised symbolism. The "red thread of fate" theme is woven into the story seamlessly and effectively and even made me tear up over a simple pinkie promise.
I also didn't think I'd ever feel particularly emotional about hard-boiled eggs, but here we are.
This is a deeply charming story about two people who utterly and completely fail to be normal about anything ever (in the best way possible, I promise) and still manage to find and hold onto each other in spite of every obstacle in their path.

If you're looking for a quick and easy watch with solid writing and gorgeous visuals, about two people and a love that all feel deeply real, then I cannot recommend this show more highly.

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BURN TWIN SWAPS!

I absolutely HATE twin swap. It's a horrible plot, tricks and hurts so many people, and is so weird when the ML meets the twin.

The ML is terrible, and the excuse for the cohabiting was poor (most of them are, but idk why this one bothered me). I don't know, I think that if I watched this 2 years ago I would've loved it, but since then there have been so many good clichés but well-written dramas that I can't overlook how awful their development was.

I wouldn't recommend watching it. But if you, like me, have apparently watched every single Chinese drama on earth, then this is a good almost last choice.

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Again, Miao Yi is incredibly funny. If you want a funny, smart, and kind character that doesn't feel forced or even stupid, she's the right fit.

And the male lead, oof, I've been obsessed with Zhou Yiran since FIYS for absolutely no reason. His acting skills are amazing and his character here is so cool and serious that is heart-melting when he starts falling for Su Zaizai. I'm looking forward to his next work.

The storytelling in this drama is great, the writers were able to capture their growth through time very subtly, it's just like watching them grow and mature in front of our eyes, especially romantically.

The second leads have some amazing stories. Normally, I find it very hard to get involved in SLs stories, but not in this drama. The writers didn't only give them a relationship out of nowhere just to say they did it (something like this happened in Exclusive Fairytale, Miao Yi's new drama), all of the supporting characters have depth and we get to know them well.

Honestly, Friends to Lovers isn't my trope, but this C-drama flew fast to my top 3 favorites of all time.

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Surprisingly, my score is high even tho there's ZERO of my tropes in here.

This is my second Miao Yi's drama and I swear she's so cute and funny, this type of character fits her really well. The male lead is really good too. But what makes this a 9+ star drama is the involving and tender story of two childhood best friend, that has so much intimacy and care about each other in ways that no one understand, but also pick on each other and have fights like sibling.

The way the writers build this friendship into a romantic relationship is really soft, I was giggling through all the episodes.

This is definitely a must-watch if you are into cliché and cute dramas, even if this isn't your favorite trope.

Didn't like the SLs.

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A well grounded romance with an odd sting in the tail

I have a love-hate relationship with Taiwanese dramas. They can be either very good and creative or way too melodramatic for my taste. This show is somewhere in between.

I mostly enjoyed this show. It has a dramatic start but once the dusts settled, it feels more grounded than many other t-dramas. A lot has to do with the acting of the FL. She was put through the wringer when her father died suddenly and left her family destitute. With the help from some kind souls, she lands back on her feet and starts to put her life back together. I appreciate her acting and the fact that she is a plain Jane for the bulk of the show. The ML is handsome and earnest in his pursuit of the FL. He did a solid job and provides us with some nice romantic moments. The chemistry between the leads is good and their romantic journey largely feels organic. There is a decent amount of skinship which feels natural.

The Show is well supported by the ensemble cast. It is nice to see that there is not a lot of overacting from them. However, some of the roles are from central casting and can be one dimensional. The mothers of the ex-husband and the ML are next level though. Both are single-minded in their rejection and prosecution of the FL. I don’t quite understand why so many Taiwanese mums are portrayed this way. It is so tropey.

While I consider the show to be well grounded, it is not angst lite. If anything, there are segments where it is very melodramatic. This is particularly true towards the end when the writer throws in many angsty subplots. This is rather unfortunate as the Show was tracking well up to this point. The leads are overcoming the odds and things are finally looking up. They then have everything including the kitchen sink thrown at them.

Thankfully, the HEA ending arrived just before I adopt the fetal position. The Show took its time getting us there but we got there eventually. I'm not sure if it is intentional but the ending is very tropey and predictable. It also has a weird twist that makes me do a double take.

I won’t spoil it but imagine the classic horror movie ending where we see the survivors ride off into the sunset after taking down the evil antagonist. Just as they fade from view, the camera pans down towards the smoking ruin. Slowly but surely, a burnt and scarred hand push through the rubble and claws at the sky. Hold that thought when you watch the last few scenes of this show. This is a textbook romance so what's with that scene with the SFL? Could there be a S2? I hope not.

Production value is decent but they did spare some expenses. I can’t remember much of the OST, generic love songs mostly. Rewatch priority is low.

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GROWN, SEXY, AND MESSY!!!

From the moment that this show started, I was highly intrigued for what was to come!!!

You have Sand who is a musician and who takes a liking to the character Ray and they start to have a thing going on. Ray is what most would consider to be an alcoholic who is hung up on his feelings for Mew. Mew is a seemingly "good boy" and what you could classify as the smart type. He is dating Top. Top is a classic playboy who views Mew as a conquest but those feelings could turn into love and be a sort of redemption for his growth as a character (we will see). Top is friends with Boston but they have a history of messing around with one another. Boston is what you would call a huge red flag and his toxicity shows time and time again. He messes around regularly with Nick. Nick is a character that you would want to protect with all your heart from Boston's messy ways.

So,
Sand and Ray = bed friends
Mew and Top = boyfriends
Top and Boston = friends? with a little extra extra on the side
Boston and Nick = friends with benefits

See how all of their relationships are classified using the word "friends"

All of these characters intertwine with one another as the show progresses and the audience comes to know of a lot of shocking revelations. It's one of those shows where it's like peeling back an onion because it's so layered. Every episode you find out something new or you find out that a character actually knows this or that character or may not be as they seem and it changes the trajectory of the show immensely.

What I love the most about this show is that you can't classify any of the characters as being "good" per say. They all to me have something within them below the surface. You can kind of classify them as morally grey because they do discourage the audience from identifying them as purely evil or purely good. The characters in this show are multi-faceted and multi-layered. While they may seem inherently messy or inherently goodie two shoes, they all possess more than meets the eye and this show delves into those intricacies which is very entertaining to witness.

I'm very interested to see how the story and characters progress. I know it's going to be FILLED with drama and I am READY for it!!!

I am also highly excited to see if they will finish strong with this show that is taking the BL world by storm currently.

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A good attempt.

I liked the summary of A Different Mr. Xiao. The ML, Xiao Jing is from the future, 200 years in the future. He needs to save his sister’s life and the medicine is from a plant that is no longer in existence. He has the time travel to our present time (2023) where the plant was last sighted.

Zhao Yi Qin plays the ML and this is my first drama with him in it. I didn’t know he’s a seasoned actor. I haven’t really formed an opinion on his acting yet. I thought he played his role well and his expressions were pretty good, but the script he had to work with was a little difficult to really show his acting range.

Like typical C drama fashion, they like to cast super young actors, the FL, at 21 is very young. She doesn’t look young though. I haven’t seen anything with Duan Xing Yu in it. The FL character was a bit hard for me to get into. I wasn’t fond of her styling (very typical frumpy, FL, girl next door look) and she was a bit all over the place.

There are some aspects of the drama I like and there were a lot parts that needed improvement, but a drama with a lower production budget, I get it.

The chemistry between the leads was very lacking and I don’t want to say it’s because of the acting, but mainly with the script. It was hard to see the attraction when the ML’s character was so stiff. The drama starts out like enemies to lovers, but the antics the leads played on each other was a little silly and childish. I get it, the script writer was trying to make it comical and light, I appreciate that, but I was generally concerned with the FL every time the ML kicked her out of his car (especially at night).

The pacing was a bit off. It started out pretty quick, the ML hurry and tries to get the plant. The FL does everything she can (without knowing) messing up his plans. Again, tried to be funny, but it came out a little silly.

Then, the story gets a little flat and it almost feels like a slice of life kind of drama. You really don’t get much story with the plant, other than the ML is working on it. The plot is focused on the relationship between the leads and secondary ML. The Love Triangle.

The love triangle between the leads and second male lead is probably my favorite part of the drama. The second male lead is a baby too, no age is listed. He has great cameral appeal too and it was nice to see both leads fighting over the girl.

The worst part of the drama was the secondary couple. They were plain awful to watch. Just boring, lack luster and no camera appeal. I did fast forward their parts, sorry.

Another thing to note, I don’t think the subtitles were fully out yet. Once I got to episode 20ish, it felt like I was watching AI generated subtitles and I have to say that hindered my experience. So maybe once all of the subs have fully been uploaded / edited by a human, there will be better reviews.

Overall, I got great exposure to actors I don’t have any experience with. The leads were very good looking and had great cameral appeal. I will watch out for them. Even though the budget was lacking and the fashion was awful, I think the problem for me was just pacing. There wasn’t enough substance during the main episodes to really hold my attention for the duration of the drama. The script writer focused too much on antics and childish plot devices, instead of really focusing on character development and creating organic chemistry between the leads.

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Watch it for the Fashion, not for the plot.

I’ve had A Romance of the Little Forest on my watch list for a while and I was looking for a cute rom-com to watch with husband. The reviews were mixed, but to my surprise it started out pretty cute.

This is the first drama I’ve seen with Yu Shu Xin since Love between Fairy and Devil. I know she gets a bad rap for her high pitched voice and sub-par acting, but she didn’t disappoint. She’s pretty consistent, in the sense, yes, she still has a high-pitch voice and her acting is a bit over the top, but she kind of makes it her own.

If you aren’t a fan of her, then you shouldn’t attempt this drama because her acting style is pretty over-the-top and some may find it annoying. At times I just thought it was comical.

I’m a major fan of Vin Zhang, he has an understated kind of acting style that is so effortless but effective. He didn’t disappoint in this one and his chemistry with the FL was pretty good. There isn’t much skin-ship in the drama, but plenty of tension.

The best part of the drama was the FASHION. The female lead NEVER REWEARS A SINGLE OUTFIT. I’m a big fashion buff and that was a HUGE enjoyment of the show for me. I know it’s silly, but it’s the little things.

Like I said, the first 20ish episodes were really cute and I got the typical C drama rom-com I wanted to get sucked into. Then the plot gets dragged out and we get a silly conflict and it kind of just makes the show a little sluggish.

I can see why the reviews are mixed. On one hand I really enjoyed half of the show, a lot and on the other hand, I was highly disappointed on the other half and kind of gave up. If it wasn’t for the fashion, I probably would have fast forwarded a lot more.

The drama didn’t need to be 35 episodes, a good 10 episodes could have been edited out. The secondary story line with the best friend and CEO was a little silly and his hair cut! Oh my gah, it was pretty awful. I couldn’t get into the secondary couple. Sorry.

Overall, watch for the actors, watch for the fashion, but you will be a little disappointed with the script.

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There's so bad it's good...

But this is just so bad it's amazing it ever got finished (and I love bad).
A story with plot threads that appear from nowhere then vanish just as suddenly and it feels like entire plot lines were cut n pasted during filming, a couple are lovey dovey then one is shouting / crying at the other then vice versa (I actually checked to see if I missed an episode or something) with no explanations.
But - y'know, I watched the whole thing and didn't hate it (sometimes I worry about my tastes) so if bad acting, mixed up story telling and bad sound quality are your bag then you might not hate this.
4 stars for effort :)

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Plainly boring, invisible plot, almost none character development or action... DISAPPOINTING!

THIS SERIES IS NOT LIKE HIDDEN LOVE!!I whatched it for that reason, and...nope!
If you are thinking of watching this one, just let me warn you:

This is a sedative and idealistic story of how 5 teenagers have a happy life where they get everything they want with tittle or non-exintent obstacles.

Character development= near ZERO (just one character has some problem, and its solved within 1 or 2 episodes...)
Action: ZERO.
STRUGGLES= what is that word?
Plot twists= ?? It can't be more lineal and predictable.
Relatable characters or situations= Maybe, 1 or 2?
Comedy= nop, nop, nothing...
Romance= yes, but could it be plainer? Childish? Second couple is more realistic than first one....
Love trinagles= none, go find another series if you want some excitement or tension...
Action: ??
Charismatic supporting characters= nop, not even main characters or actors...
The Values or the moral of the story= doest it have one? which one?where? did I miss it?

This was an almost empty display of every day situations that weren't that realistic after all, everything was soooo nice and paceful that felt artificial and even forced.

Did someone fell out of love? NOPE
Are problems of society protrayed? NOPE
Did anyone have situations that couldn't solve by themselves, where they had to fight or find themselves powerless? NOPE
Can you find problems teeenagers face nowadays aside from studiying? NOPE
Where there some evil character o rival that challenged the protagonists to get out their confort zone? NOPE
Where there any parent or teacher or any kind of role model that inspired the characters to grow or change? NOPE
Where there any dangerous situations that the protagonists had to overcome? NOPE

So if after reading this you still choose to whatch this one, I hope you get what you are looking for! Be my gest! Enjoy it!
Maybe you are looking for a series that'll help you relax and distract from your estressing life...

I wrote this for people like me that thought it would be like HIDDEN LOVE and were hugely disappointed. If you watch it anyways, don't say I didn't warn you.

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This Drama is ALL THE GOOD FEELS

I don't know what it was about this drama, but it just called out to me. And I drifted towards it like a siren song... just soaking and absorbing all the good feelings that this drama had to provide. This reminded me, once again, why I come back to K-dramas again and again and again to energize myself.

The premise of the story was pretty simple. A city person escapes to a small town to escape from her life and her work and meets kindred souls in the small town, all of whom help each other heal.

The FL, Kim Seolhyun, is a normal 9 to 5 working lady in Seoul, but due to various circumstances, feels drained out and numbed out by life. That's how she lands up in Angok. Then we have the ML, Im Siwan, who has his personal inner demons to fight, and he's working as a librarian in Angok. There are other characters from the coastal town, each with their own stories and struggles. The characters are well fleshed out, and each character had their own trajectories to follow, which was so well done. The pace of the story was rightfully slow to encapsulate the easygoing pace of the town and the life of the FL.

The romance between the lead pair was also lovely and mature to watch. There were no over-the-top, exaggerated romantic gestures, no corny lines, nothing strange either. What made the romance even better was the representation of introverted characters. Both the lead characters were shown as introverts who would rather sit in comfortable silence next to each other than make bold gestures of love and go out on extremely ACTIVE dates. For an introvert, a date that is a bucket list of things to do is a NIGHTMARE (Speaking as a fellow introvert). The writers understood that pain so well, so here we have dates that are quiet, peaceful, and just spending time together in silence. HEAVENLY!

The subplots were a little extra, but that much drama is permissible. Otherwise, it would run the risk of being too boring. The music was soothing to the ears, nothing great to write home about, but not harsh and jarring either.

Coming to the actors now... I am officially in love with Im Siwan. I watched his Run On earlier and had heard of his performance in Hell is for Other People, but with Summer Strike, I am totally sold. That guy is so adorable and has the most beautiful and expressive eyes. Kim Seolhyun also did a beautiful job. Her character demanded her to be a quiet and laidback person, which she delivered. I personally could not relate to the sisterly bond between Seolhyun's Yeoreum and Shin Eun Soo's Bom, it felt a little too giggly and happy. But in times of distress, their support for each other felt pretty real. So that's okay, I guess.

But can I take a moment here to hail all praises to the writers of the webtoon/show for depicting the ML in the story as A Ph.D. RESEARCHER?! THANK YOU for showing research/ a researcher with all his frustrations and anxieties regarding work. WE GOT REPRESENTED FINALLY (cries happy tears)!

As I said earlier, there's nothing grand in this drama, it's the small things happening here and there that are the proper show-stealers. And these small realizations verbalized through Seolhyun's monologues in the background are what make the drama so worthwhile. Hearing the most relatable life facts stated in a drama like this left me with wispy eyes and a smile on my face even after this drama ended.

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Chaotic mother daughter

Not Others (2023)

Likes
1. Mother daughter relationship felt relatable, i hate that they kept fighting and yet i know at the end of the day they will protect each other to death.
2. I love Jinhee i think she is so sweet and grew up well.
3. I also like Jinhong! Not my usual type of ML but he is so steady and reassuring even though he is boring. And cute. Agree with Eunmi. I think Jinhee is more like her dad.
4. Jaewon is also similar to Jinhong. (Like mother like daughter). He looks grumpy but he is also a good guy and coworker.
5. Mijeong is the coolest bestie (except when she beat up Jinhong which he didnt deserve).
6. It started with 2, but show ended with a found family, including Jinsoo and boyfie.

Dislikes
1. Eun Mi was immature and annoying most of the time. Felt like the world always had to revolve around her. I sometimes want Jinhong to find someone else better.
2. Wished for more romance between Jinhee and Jaewon but I guess it goes in line with their characters.
3. Didnt really care much about the murder although it blendly seamlessly with the plot.

Rating: 8/10

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So good, I'd marry it

Wow! After I finished watching this, I sat for a long time in front of its entry on my personal Drama database thinking, "should I give it 9.5, or mayber 9.75?" In the end, I couldn't think of any substantive reason not to give it a 10, so I did.

The Drama was already at a solid 9 heading into the final episode, but the way it totally nailed the landing earned it the upgrade. The outcome of the defining conflict was wonderfully suprising in its low key realism. The writer(s) clearly grokked the principle of less is more - no implausible last second revelations yielding a fairyland win that defied belief. One reviewer said they felt the key villain didn't get enough payback for their actions, but here again I think the Drama excelled. Yes, I wanted, REALLY wanted the utterly vile human being to get their full comeuppance, but the route the Drama chose was no free pass for their crimes, that's for sure.

That part of the storyline was the central plot arc, but the other reason this Drama is another rare 10 for me is the amazing friendship between the 3 male leads. Bromance is an overused word, but this Drama showed possibly the best I've ever seen "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" - the perfect description of this trio. They were natural, credible and inseparable, prepared to do anything for each other. Their interactions generated laugh out loud moments, and real emotional reactions too. Superb.

Finaly, a tribute to the astonishing skills of Cho Seung Woo. I last saw him in Forest of Secrets 1 & 2, and watching him display a wide range of real human emotions in this Drama left me in awe of his performance in those two Dramas where he showed absolutely no emotion at all.

I'm now nearly halfway through my 11th year of watching East Asian Dramas. That I completed 100 inside the first 9 months, and have taken 9 YEARS to complete another 300 shows that Drama watching is like prospecting - you have to filter tons of dross to find the gems. But when you do, the hit it gives you is indescribable. Divorce Attorney Shin, is the latest, and onbe of the fines, of the gems I've found.

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