Reviews

WHAT. AN. ADAPTATION. ABSOLUTE CINEMA!!

I genuinely can't remember the last time I was this impressed by a BL adaptation. From beginning to end, Payback exceeded every expectation I had.

As someone who read the manhwa first, seeing so many scenes, outfits, and iconic moments recreated almost frame by frame had me absolutely GAGGED. It was obvious how much love and respect went into bringing this story to life.

But what impressed me the most wasn't just how faithful it was—it was how incredible the production was as a whole. The cinematography, the sets, the costumes, the pacing, the plot twists... everything felt polished and intentional. Every episode left me wanting more.

I also loved how the series explored the darker side of the entertainment industry. The abuse, manipulation, empty promises, and exploitation weren't treated as cheap drama—they felt real, and that's exactly what made the story so impactful.

Another thing I really appreciated was the way it handled revenge. It wasn't presented as something purely satisfying or purely destructive. Jay and Sun walked the same path but reached completely different emotional destinations. For Jay, revenge brought the closure he had been searching for. For Sun, even after getting what he wanted, the emptiness remained. I loved that the series showed both sides instead of pretending revenge has only one outcome.

And chemistry?? Every interaction was packed with tension, emotion, and just enough toxicity to keep me completely invested. The cast absolutely understood the assignment.

Honestly, I have almost nothing to complain about. Payback delivered on every level: romance, suspense, emotional depth, production quality, and an adaptation that truly honored its source material while still feeling fresh.

Without a doubt, one of my favorite BLs of the year—and one of the best adaptations I've watched in a long time.

Ps.: Pakin and Sky... ABSULUTE END GAME! IDC!

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Dark, Rich Wuxia That Keeps One Guessing

When I think of darkness, spies, and poison, Esther Yu is not the first actress that comes to mind, but she did an admirable job navigating between good and evil, safety and danger, and love and hate in this wuxia drama.

The Good:
• Esther Yu was athletically mesmerizing to watch in her fight scenes. I was so pleased to see her in a mature role, and she did it well.
• The friction between the MLs was riveting to watch. Gong Shang Jue was a pit bull to Gong Zi Yu's golden retriever. Ryan Cheng evoked massive disdain with a slight narrowing of his eyes! And who had puppy dog eyes? It was Gong Zi Yu: he's a good boy.
• Loved the growth arc for Gong Zi Yu. I relished the scenes of his rebuttals to Gong Shang Jue's accusations. With his intelligence, he was able to turn the tables with irrefutable logic, much to Shang Jue's disgust.
• Beautiful cinematography.
• The supporting cast was composed of interesting characters. Shoutout to Tian Jia Rui. I wanted so badly for someone to wipe the smirk off of Gong Yuan Zhi's face!
• I loved how off-kilter the situations and people were. Who to trust? Who was a spy? Were the fellow spies telling the truth? Were they helping or hindering? And was that tea poisoned? I'd get skinny in a hurry in the Gong residence, because I wouldn't trust any food or drink!
• I'm not certain the Wufeng need to take over the Gongs, as I'm convinced most of them were spies anyway!

The Bad:
• The poster. I was never interested in the drama, because my eyes skipped over the poster. It was so dark, the two people depicted were indistinguishable. It's moody, but it didn't appeal to me.
• Can we please retire the horrible trope of the parent who demeans and destroys his child because he loves him and wants to make him strong? Belittling and torturing a child doesn't make him stronger: it makes him traumatized, resentful, and incapable of reaching his potential. I'm strict and stern with children when necessary, but I take the time to explain why I insist on certain behavior without calling them names. Conversely, when they do well, I let them know how pleased I am that they are growing into competent people.
• Idiotic assassins. Why sword fight, when you have access to guns? Why did the poison expert with the secret shooting weapons seem to never use them against the bad guys? I was left inwardly screaming, "Shoot your poison weapons!" when he'd idly stand by watching his friends in a fight to the death.
• The ending. There really wasn't one, as it seemed the story was meant to continue to a second season that likely will never happen. There were many loose ends and unresolved situations. In some way, I understand the ending being left open as realistic, but it came too abruptly and could have been handled more deftly for greater impact and understanding. It left this viewer frustrated and unsatisfied.

I'd love to see a second season. I want resolution with the Wufeng. I want closure for all my characters. I would have given an extra half star if not for that non-ending.

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13th ep had me fuming.. I'm so done with this show!

It seems like everyone wants Seungho and Jinwoo to end up together, but with all the emotional drama going on—especially Seungho’s hurt feelings and the comparing JinWoo to Hye Yeon—it’s clear there are deeper issues. Given his age, Seungho still has some maturing to do in certain aspects of relationships.

In my opinion, both of them should take a step back and move on. Jinwoo was honest about what happened & even apologized... several times. But Seungho played the victim and made things worse by comparing him to someone with a completely different personality.

If Seungho can't accept Jinwoo sincere apology... more than once, might I add, then Jinwoo deserves better and doesn't need someone who is going to continuously keep pulling the guilt trip card. The last straw for me was when Jinwoo even apologized while sitting in bed with Seungho and OMG ... I digress .. anyway:
If Seungho wants perfection and constant coddling, he might as well turn to Hye Yeon for that motherly touch, instead of guilt-tripping Jinwoo for being upfront about his feelings. It’s not all about Seungho—just because he’s attractive and people swoon over him doesn’t mean he isn’t stuck in a bit of a princess mindset.

I hope Jinwoo walks away free and without guilt. He would be doing himself a favor. Seungho would be someone that would end up stressing him out more in life. Besides don't they both live far away from each other?
At the end of the day... Jinwoo deserves better.
I was going to wait to see the last episode, but ... Why????

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Good Chemistry

This BL drama "Our Dating Sim" is so nice🤤

Though the story's plot is simple, both actors show their acting naturally. As a netizen said, their physical intimacy is far better than other actors in the same kind of drama.

The main couple of the drama may not become phenomenal celebrities like "Semantic Error" main couple Jaechan and Seo-Ham getting the Best Couple Award from APAN Star Awards. They still did a great job.

Just like many BL dramas, your brother wants to be your lover. It's 真香when you guys have a crush on each other but no one knows. Often, one like another is so hard that he/she will be about to give up. As the process of the story goes on, the audience will know that the one he/she likes also like him/her, in fact. "My Boyfriend is Student President" has a similar structure.

이승규(Lee Seung Gyu) has a tough contour of face like a dog/fox but his face isn't big. So he looks so attractive like a juicy peach. I love 反差so much.

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Chapeau

This drama is so heart-touching and deeply moving. I loved the way they tackled the issue of bullying. I really appreciated how they portrayed the exact reactions we always wish would happen in every real-life bullying situation—even though we know some of those responses aren't entirely realistic, deep down we can't help but cheer for them!
Like the scene where she kept calling and spamming the mother; it was like putting the bullies in a reverse situation to make them see the full picture, forcing them to realize how small they actually are, and that only the weak and insecure rely on violence to communicate.
I also loved that despite the tear-jerking storylines, the overall atmosphere wasn't gloomy at all. The way they injected comedy into the narrative completely changed the whole vibe... Chapeau to the entire production team!

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One of the better non-romance dramas I've watched!!!

I ABSOLUTELY adore the dynamic between the employees of Tengda, it was so fun to watch them interact and go through life together! Despite being colleagues, they felt more like family instead which I loved so much. The premise was so interesting that I immediately downloaded all episodes and watched it, and I would say it lived up to my expectations for the most part. I started this drama because of its premise, stayed for the characters, but almost dropped it due to side plots that I thought took away from the main story.

I LOVED the first half of the drama, but it got too convoluted with all the unnecessary side plots, such as PQ going to work at Sky Fire (what??), and the Sima brothers arc. It became a bit of a drag watching those parts because certain characters were so annoying to watch. Also, the supposed twist at the end felt weak, but I was pretty satisfied with the ending. I do think it was weird that the drama started off in the future talking about the success of Tengda while showing PQ looking weary and sick of everything, but the ending did not touch on that or even relate back to that scene which made me very confused because the ending made it seem like PQ was finally contented with what he had, but the first scene of the drama contradicts that ending? Hm...

Although they hinted at romance between certain characters, they did not develop that storyline much. Surprisingly, I did not mind that because I thought it was better without romance. I felt that romance would have taken away from the story, and that the drama absolutely did not needed that, but I felt that they should not have hinted at it if they were not planning to develop that part of the storyline any further. Felt like an unfinished piece of work.

Either way, it was at the end of the day, still a lighthearted and fun drama that I really enjoyed, so definitely give this drama a watch!

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Too many tropes and plotholes

Pros:
-The main leads delivered solid performances despite having to work with a weak, messy plot.

Cons:
- The flashbacks add almost nothing to the story and only slow the pacing.
- The show's message about nepotism is bizarre. The company is filled with unqualified family hires, everyone accepts it as normal, and success depends entirely on who you're connected to. It's no surprise the company is struggling. Then the biggest nepotism hire of them all—someone with zero business experience—shows up and saves the day, reinforcing the very problem the story should be criticizing.
- The idea that the entire country has only one person (the male lead) qualified to become Donghe's CTO, and that the company will collapse without him, is completely unbelievable.
The romance relies almost entirely on misunderstandings. One character overhears or sees something out of context, jumps to conclusions, they argue, they make up with a kiss, and then the cycle repeats. It gets repetitive fast and doesn't make for a compelling relationship.
- The secondary couple was easily the weakest part of the drama. The second female lead uses the second male lead until she thinks she has found someone better, dumps him, and chases a wealthy client instead. We then spend multiple episodes watching the poor guy desperately try to win her back. After discovering she's sidepiece number 20, she suddenly decides to return to the second male lead and asks, "How come you never begged me to forgive you?" - - Then, they're back together as if nothing happened.
- Overall, I couldn't find much to redeem this drama. I'd recommend skipping it altogether or only watching it on fast-forward if you're curious.

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Inception in the BL genre!!

I decided to watch this series on a Sunday afternoon coz I was bored. Obviously started it casually and without much expectations. The first 2 episodes were good, nothing exceptional tho, but it was intriguing enough that I kept watching. Starting from episode 3 I started to feel the shift, and by ep 4 I was hooked. Ep 5 is what made me obsessed. The rest is history.

This is not what you think it is. Everyone watching it thought they knew what they were getting into but its nothing like that. Ngl mid series I even searched up the novel and asked every person who said they had read it about spoilers in detail, coz I was too invested in the characters and anxious about what was going to happen to them. I NEEDED this to have a happy ending on both ends. But the novel exceeded my expectations too..and not in a good way. It has a great start, but in the middle everything goes downhill for one of the characters, arguably my most favorite one, and by the end there's one crazy ending for all. The journey to an end is equally as important to me as the end itself and in this one its really rough and extremely traumatizing. This almost made me fear for this character and what they were gonna face in the series, and I was literally praying that it doesn't follow the novel in that regard. Thankfully they didn't and I'd say everything wrapped up fairly well. They also didn't follow the novel ending(with the extras included), and its the only thing that I wish they had done..in my opinion that would've made this one of THE best BL series, period.

This is definitely NOT for everyone, it doesn't tell you everything you need to know about the characters, and the story has this incomplete feeling that you sometimes need to feel in the blanks for, and idk if that's on purpose or not. Overall I'd say its a solid 9. But I have personally rated it a 10 mainly coz of the actors and how obsessed I am with them. They're both near to me in age, rookie actors, and sometimes that did show, but there are also moments where they surpassed my expectations and left me shocked and surprised! They also have insane chemistry together, I've watched all their livestreams, vlogs and BTS of this series..so I think that says a lot about how 'deep in' I've been with them and this series. Oh and the OST, with 15 songs almost all in English, is one of THE best I've ever heard. That also helps.

All I can say is they have achieved their purpose and convinced me about why this series is called what its called!

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Who would have thought that a successful live-action adaptation of an anime/manga would come from a Chinese drama?

The original story and characters are already rich, so the drama's main challenge is adapting them to a Chinese setting. It's a blessing that Go is also deeply rooted in Chinese culture, and the screenwriting did an excellent job with that transition. The only minor drawback is Chu Ying's outfit, which feels a bit out of place. But it's understandable, as they needed to preserve Sai's iconic look from the original.

As a coming-of-age youth sports drama (with the main characters in middle to high school), the directing, music, and acting are all solid. The bromance, friendship, and teamwork that fans love in sports anime like Hikaru no Go, Slam Dunk, or Chihayafuru are all present here. This is very much an ensemble drama, though Shi Guang is the central figure and Hu Xianxu delivers the strongest performance. Every character experiences a growth arc, as expected from a coming-of-age story. You can feel the passion for Go in characters from all backgrounds, ages, and genders. The professional Go player path is niche and bittersweet; only a rare few geniuses like Shi Guang and Yu Liang achieve successful careers, but the love for Go transcends professional status. The bromance is strong across generations, from teenagers to young adults to the elderly.

The director even makes a cameo, and his character is quite interesting too.

That said, the drama does have a few flaws. There is a hint of overly patriotic sentiment toward the ending, which, while understandable, feels a bit typical. Additionally, the portrayal of the young Korean Go prodigy leans into racist stereotypes. He is loud and arrogant, and the actor can't even speak natural Korean, which feels off, especially when many real-life famous Korean Go pro-players are known for their calm and introverted demeanors

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The Lovesick Boys and the Throne Everyone Wants

I genuinely don’t know what they put into this drama, but it is ridiculously addictive. On paper, it’s another court intrigue drama about power struggles, revenge, succession, and the imperial harem. In reality, I could not stop watching. Every episode gave me something new, whether it was another political scheme, a plot twist, a new character, or another reason to stay up for “just one more episode.” It was one of the easiest dramas I’ve binge-watched this year.

I actually went into this drama expecting not to like it because I’m not the biggest Meng Ziyi fan. The only reason I started it was because of He Yu, and honestly… I was not expecting to love it this much.

Let’s start with the biggest star of the show: the male lead.

He Yu absolutely stole this drama. His character was shameless, manipulative, calculating, intelligent, hilarious, ridiculously handsome, completely lovesick, and somehow still incredibly endearing. He became one of my favourite male leads of the year.

I love a shameless male lead, and this man delivered everything I could ask for. One minute he’s pretending to be weak, fragile, and in desperate need of help, and the next he’s reminding everyone why he’s actually one of the smartest and strongest people in the room. His confidence, wit, fighting scenes, principles, and absolute devotion to the female lead made him impossible not to love.

Can we also talk about the face card? Please keep casting He Yu as the lead in historical dramas forever. The styling, the costumes, the hair, the acting… everything worked. That man served face every single episode.

I had mostly seen He Yu in lighter, playful roles before this, so seeing him completely own such a cunning, layered character genuinely surprised me. He carried the role effortlessly.

Meng Ziyi also surprised me.

This is easily my favourite performance from her. I’m usually not the biggest fan of her acting, but she completely won me over here. At first I honestly disliked her character because she felt cold, distant, and almost heartless. But the more the story developed, the more I understood her. She was driven by revenge and power rather than romance, so her emotional growth felt earned.

Her crying scene after his death was probably the best acting I’ve ever seen from her. That scene completely broke me.

The only thing I’d like to change is her styling. I really hope future historical dramas give her different hairstyles and costumes because I feel like she’s always styled exactly the same.

The chemistry completely shocked me.

Off-screen they gave me sibling or best friend energy during promotions, so I wasn’t expecting much. On-screen? Completely different story.

These two characters were genuinely written for each other.

They’re both intelligent, manipulative, calculating, ambitious, and willing to play the long game. Their personalities complement each other perfectly.

He falls first, falls hard, and isn’t shy about it at all. Meanwhile, she isn’t someone who believes in love because revenge has always been her priority. I never minded how slowly she accepted his feelings because it made perfect sense for her character.

And once she finally falls…

They become one of my favourite couples of the year.

That said, I do feel like we were robbed of several romantic moments. There were multiple scenes where it genuinely looked like kissing scenes had been awkwardly cut, making the editing feel abrupt. It was disappointing because their chemistry deserved more.

Another standout was Prince Lei, played by Lai Weiming.

I had only seen him in variety shows and Shine On Me, so I wasn’t expecting much, but he completely blew me away.

He was absolutely gorgeous, but more importantly, he had one of my favourite character arcs in the drama.

He loved her deeply, yet he still chose to let her go because he understood it was what she wanted. His feelings never disappeared, but he respected her choices anyway. That made him feel incredibly human.

Please cast Lai Weiming as the male lead in a historical drama. He absolutely deserves it.

I also wish we had seen more of him toward the end. The drama built him up as an important character, only to almost forget about him during the finale. I wanted to know what happened to him years later because he deserved a proper ending.

Prince Yu was another disappointment—but not because of the character himself.

I genuinely thought Shan He Yi would have a much bigger role because he was literally on the poster. Instead, he had maybe four scenes.

I kept waiting for him to return, thinking surely there was more planned for him, but nothing ever happened. It honestly felt like both the actor and the character were wasted.

One thing I loved was seeing so many actors who usually play villains all acting as brothers. It honestly felt like an assembly of famous C-drama villains, and I found that really fun.

Speaking of the princes…

I loved all of them.

Honestly, everyone had chemistry with everyone. The leads, the villains, the brothers… every interaction worked. I actually wish we’d gotten more genuine brotherhood between the princes because their dynamics had so much potential.

The second couple, Bu Shuyao and Cui Jinbai, deserves a special mention.

They were absolutely hilarious.

The entire misunderstanding where he believed he was gay because he had fallen in love with someone he thought was a man, then she thought he was gay after learning the truth, and eventually everyone else also believed they were gay… it was one of the funniest running jokes in the drama.

They also had fantastic chemistry.

Unfortunately, just like several other side characters, they were pushed aside after Episode 26 even though they still had plenty of story left to tell.

That became one of my biggest issues with the drama.

It introduced so many interesting characters with huge potential but kept abandoning them instead of fully developing them. Rather than exploring the existing cast, it kept introducing new characters.

Story-wise, though, the drama was fantastic.

The mystery surrounding the poisoning kept me guessing the entire time. Every episode made me suspect someone else. Eventually, after the letter appeared, I realised it had to be the Empress, but I still didn’t fully understand her motivation.

The biggest twist—that the Crown Prince wasn’t actually the Emperor’s son but Prince Qing’s—made me genuinely gasp.

The drama handled its twists extremely well.

Prince Ning was the only character I had mixed feelings about.

Sometimes I loved his ruthlessness, ambition, and power. I even appreciated his redemption when it was revealed that everything he did was ultimately to help her become Empress.

But his obsession took up far too much time during the ending.

If that storyline had happened in the middle of the drama, I wouldn’t have minded.

But shifting so much attention to him during the final episodes completely ruined the pacing for me. Those episodes should have focused on the main couple and delivered a satisfying conclusion instead.

Which brings me to my biggest complaint…

The ending.

Until the final episode, this was honestly a 10/10.

I was completely okay with the Crown Prince dying. His death was meaningful. It pushed her toward becoming Empress and ruling in her own right. It hurt, but it worked.

Then the drama brought him back… without explaining anything.

That completely took me out of the ending.

I shouldn’t have to read the novel to understand what happened.

Even with the extra episode, we never receive a proper explanation. We never find out whether he learned who poisoned him, despite that being one of his biggest motivations throughout the entire story. We don’t really get to see him reunite properly with his son. She hugs him, and that’s basically it.

After six episodes without the male lead, his return deserved so much more.

If they wanted him alive, explain it.

If they wanted him dead, let his sacrifice remain meaningful.

Instead, they chose an ending that somehow felt both rushed and incomplete.

That was incredibly frustrating because this drama deserved a much stronger finale.

Despite all that, I still think Blossoms of Power is one of the best dramas I’ve watched this year.

It has incredible pacing, beautiful cinematography, gorgeous costumes, amazing face cards, good OSTs, strong writing, memorable plot twists, excellent court intrigue, and one of the most entertaining shameless male leads I’ve watched in a long time.

If you enjoy political intrigue, revenge stories, arranged marriage tropes, slow-burn romance, brilliant scheming, yearning men, and characters who constantly outsmart each other, I highly recommend this drama.

The ending may have left a dark cloud over an otherwise incredible journey, but it wasn’t enough to erase everything the drama did right.

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Boring

I have a strange feeling about this series—it's good, yet boring. I had to literally force myself to finish the episodes.
Watching Chinese dramas always leaves me with one question: why is the female lead almost always written as so selfish? Why don't I ever see a satisfying, balanced dynamic of mutual giving between both leads? Why is it always the male lead giving, giving, and giving endlessly? Watching this dynamic genuinely makes me feel uncomfortable. I don't deny that she eventually gave back and helped in the end, but I'm speaking generally here.
I finished the series a while ago, and now as I try to write this review, I barely remember it—which is proof that this show will not be memorable or stand the test of time.
Another point is that the overall vibe of the show was so gloomy and depressing, it kept forcing me to constantly pause and resume watching later on.

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