Reviews

Historical and/or political drama are not necessarily my cup of tea, so I usually avoid these genres. I started watching this drama solely because of its popularity, a recent show, a romcom genre, and the ending. I surprised myself I binge-watched it in 3 days!

Like:
- Eye-catching front cover (see my comment on costume below)
- Straigth-forward story line, no plot twist, no shocking surprises, no betrayal. Secrets here and there revealed little by little like pieces of puzzles.
- Not dragging, no filler scenes or conversation.
- Perfect casting, every actor/actress fit their roles well.
- Great chemistry between ML and FL
- Some reviews/commentsI read about actress Shin Se Kyung, that she was bland or stiff in her role as FL. IMO she nailed it perfectly. Hae Ryung role is non-chalant and no-nonsense, which distinguished her with from most women in the drama Joseon Era. We can see her character intro in the beginning when she prefers to read a thriller novel to a group of women who prefer to hear romance instead.
- Some reviews/comments I read about actor Cha Eun Woo's bad acting skills especially in the beginning of the drama. IMO Prince Rim is supposed to be socially inept being confined all his life and only communicates with his subordinates whom have been with him for a long time. There should be a character growth for Prince Rim once he is introduced to outside world thru Hau Ryung, other historians, the French guy, the epidemic area, and Seoraewoon. and how the plot develops. Cha Eun Woo did an outstanding job acting the character transition. I actually cried when Prince Rim broke his heart due to the King's banning him writing romance novels and confiscated his writing tools.
- No love triangle (although there are potentials), so no Second Lead Syndrome
- Amazing friendship and family relationships, and loyalty.
- Happy ending for OTP and most other roles. No death.
- At some point of the drama, some roles become ambiguous , you will be uncertain if they are protagonist or antagonist. The ambiguity adds the spice.
- Beautiful cinematography
- Brilliant costume: I like they chose pastel colored costume for the OTP, symbolizes their delicate and sweet romance. Even the light blue color for the female historian uniform is distinguished from the male historian uniform.
- The OST is easy on the ear. Some notable songs are "My Dream" sung by Yoon Mi Rae, the queen of OST; "Come Here" sung by Lee Seok Hoon, and "Please Remember" sung by the ML Cha Eun Woo.

Dislike:
- I have not found any

Note:
- Probably should add a tag of noona romance, as ML is 20 and FL is 26. It does not seem a big deal in the story since their age gap is never opposed in the drama, and one arranged marriage candidate for ML is older than him (Sa Hee).

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" The Great Show " was okay but just not original.

What was nice and entertaining about this show was the family. They created a nice family environment, with a nice web of human relationships. The character development was pretty good and well made as well, with the switch from career goals to family goals for the main character. The performances were really good too.

However, the story was predictable and so the twists were easy to guess. It was also a plot that has been made into a drama countless of times, just with a few other genres in the mix. The pace got slower towards the ending and so there were some boring scenes.

So, overall, five out of ten.

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Story:
As the headline says, it's just a simple romance. If you're expecting something great out of the story or your typical twists and turns in a drama, you won't find that here. It's just plain and simple romance. I'm not saying that it was bad but it was great either. However, Radio Romance did succeed in one thing and that's making the viewers feel stuff what I mean is that you will laugh, feel the fluff, and possibly cry at some point. This drama is a good "filler" if you're feeling that drama burnout because it's just so sweet and a bit refreshing.

Acting/Cast:
Kim So Hyun is very natural and effective (I'm a big fan of her and TBH the main reason I watched this drama was because of her) she's just so good at conveying emotion. She was so natural that I couldn't even see that there was a big age gap between her and Yoon Doo Joon. Speaking of Yoon Doo Joon, he portrayed a socially withdrawn top star perfectly. There were times that you just wanna hug him and say "it will be alright". Yoon Park was great too but I just didn't like his character that much.

Overall:
The main reason that I gave Radio Romance a 7.5 was because it a bit too cliched but still very much watchable. As for rewatch value, just as I stated earlier this drama is good as "filler" you finish it once and you're done for good unless you have a big obsession with Kim So Hyun (like me).

Will I recommend this? it's a DEFINITE YES especially if you're feeling that drama burnout. Just chill and enjoy all the fluff that this drama gives.

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I really like this lakorn.
Not like i loved it, i fall in love with this lakorn head over heels.
Mick was perfect for a ideal hysband role.
And the chemistry between ML and FL wowwwwwww.............
I can't explain in words for the awesomeness.
While watching the drama i feel like wow what a gentleman the ML was.
I repeatedly watched this drama like 10 times.
And now I'm watching this when i feel like down.
It's not that i didn't watched these type of gentlemen like dramas or dignity maintained dramas.
But i think something magic is there to lure me to watch this drama again snd again and again........................
For all the actors and actresses i will give 10 out if 10
For the story i can't say thus is a new plot
But the way of screenplays i loved it for that 10/10
Really worth watch drama
And for the romance between them i can give 100/100
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

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The Adventures of Sher-Luo Hommies in Shanghai

This drama unabashedly sets out to create a Chinese Sherlock Holmes that is an upgrade from the original. I wish they had not done that but that changes nothing about how awesome this drama is. Set in the lavish sophisticated glitter of 1930s Shanghai, the glamorous surface visuals stand in sharp contrast to the darker and more ominous undertone of its citizens' dark side. The production borrows heavily from recent popular Sherlock Holmes movies and dramas. This is most notable with the OST which sounds uncannily like parts of the OST from both the movie and the BBC hit drama but has the audacity of being well... just better!

This fun and engaging drama follows gifted police consultant Luo Fei (Bai Yu) and his sidekick rookie female detective Qin Xiaoman's crime solving adventures. They are aided by forensic doctor Ben Jieming and criminal psychologist Dr. Huo Wensi under the eagle eye of Detective Supt. Shawei. Despite the overt allusions to Sherlock Holmes, this is really a crime solving team that is a bit of Elementary in the two leads combined with a bit of CSI and a bit of Criminal Minds. Despite the requisite sharp intellect and deductive talent, Bai Yu's Luo Fei is far too sociable, too stylish, too charismatic and way too relate-able to qualify as an iconic Chinese Sherlock Holmes. His interpretation lacks a defining obsessive eccentricity and that dispassionate deductive logic that is the quintessential Sherlock Holmes.

Nonetheless, the humorous antics of the all too human Detective Luo as he falls for his gamin and plucky young sidekick are simply delightful. Xiaomin is a strong, smart and tenacious female character who can kick ass but is also not afraid on occasion to just be a girl. I really like that about her. What I like less is how condescending Luo Fei is when explaining certain deductions to Xiaomin - all that "Elementary my dear Watson" crap is such an overused and passe preamble to a "this is how it went down" walk-through in this genre. In general, all of the lead roles are colorful characters that were well written, well developed and well acted.

What impresses me most about this drama are how well written the cases are and how they come together in an overarching larger plot. I devoured the Complete Sherlock Holmes when I was twelve and have probably read every critically acclaimed detective out there since. I am not that easily wowed by just any old whodunit. These cases are intriguing, cleverly crafted, largely original with cheeky allusions to many of Holmes cases, both famous and lesser well known. They were mostly crimes of passion, where we end up feeling rather sorry for the perpetrators following the great reveal. In this sense, the cases are much more Agatha Christie than Arthur Conan Doyle.

The approximate three-episode per case format is just the right length to properly develop the backstory to each crime and the potential suspects. However, the production rushes through some key interactions, as if they don't really want the viewer to have enough time register what happened and think things through carefully. A really good whodunit lingers to the point of actually rubbing it in your face. The casting is also a bit off in the cases. For example, if there is to be a femme fatale in a case, she has to look the part. It is like saying Mrs Peacock seduced Professor Plum in the Conservatory - all you get is a big fat eye roll and yeah, right. Replace that with Miss Scarlet and then its oh yes, of course she did, that tramp! I suspect that the producers just don't understand that part of the big hook in this genre is the audience really does want to have a fair shot at more or less figuring it out. And between the rushing (every episode is really only about 30 mins) and the misleading casting, they are kind of cheating a little bit. But its not a big issue, just don't hesitate to rewind if you think you missed something.



[MILD SPOILER - PROCEED WITH CAUTION]




The way the cases converge towards the end is marvelous (and original) and builds towards a Reichenbach Falls like moment as a final homage towards Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle was bored with his creation and had intended to kill off Sherlock Holmes. I don't think that is the intent here - I think it this is clearly angling for a second season but even if that doesn't happen, I think the ending is excellent and can stand as it is.

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This show is amazing. Shout out to Neko for those subs. An easy 1-2 day watch for sure.

A little confusing and slow at first but It's absolutely amazing in every way, shape and form and I'm not even over exaggerating that. I mean to each their own but let me tell you, the story starts off a little much because you're like "what's going on?" it's also a remake of many other remakes so you don't even know if it's going to be the same as all the other stories, but trust me, you will not be let down. I went from being like "eh" to laughing, crying and just going with the flow of this show. It really just made me feel some type of way.

The story is exactly what it is and more; it's not your average country girl and city guy fall in love, not at all. You've got your death, you've got your drug trafficking, a little bit of sex trafficking and I wouldn't say love triangle but it gets a little complicated between the characters. The main characters do end up falling in love but the story is not even based off of romance; so don't expect much in that area but the chemistry that Oom and Mai have together is amazing. You're gonna fall in love with the families from both the main characters and how understanding everyone is; even though the girl friend is a little frustrating; you're gonna love the bond between the friends as well. Even with all the plot twist and turns, you'll want to keep watching because there's so much going on but it's so greatly developed you really don't feel like you're missing out on anything.

The acting was wonderful, like huge ups to every single person. The side characters even just straight up felt like main characters and I've personally never seen anyone of these actors or actresses in shows but they played every single so right. With the main guy playing such a sweet guy, I'm definitely a sucker for shows where the guy is just nice through and through and doesn't lead anyone else on. He knows how to keep his distance and when to push as well. Female lead? AMAZING. Her acting was so funny and she played so well at being extra from going from the jungle to the city to learning how to just act right. The best friend? Wonderful man, he was really just the underdog and the girl best friend? For someone that was playing someone kind of evil, she wasn't bad at all. Everyone else? They did that.

The music? Dope. If you have apple music, you should download it; peep it though because it's so catchy.
Hak Kan (Let’s fall in love) by: Rueangrit Siriphanit
Bpen Pai Dai Mai (Is it Possible?) by: Tar Mr.Team & Lookwa Pijika

Rewatch value? 100/100. After I finish it, I feel like I should watch it all over again just to get that feeling. It's been a long time where I've just been hooked on a show and don't want it to end or stop but I also don't feel like I need to force myself because I'm sitting on edge. It was just good for a day off and then some. I even felt myself getting sad because I was like "what am I gonna do when this is over?" I still don't know what I'm going to do tbh. lol.

Overall? It was worth everything and anything if you love a good lakorn; which is rare because I've yet to watch such a mind blowing thai lakorn that really makes me go "omg" well, I have but just not one with this story line. It's the perfect amount of good acting, comedy, action and chemistry.

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A lot of people out there have constantly said Zheng Shuang is bad at acting, but after watching this show they may change their minds. Keep in mind how difficult it is to act a character that is going through hardships.
Back to the ACTUAL story though:
Meaningful friendships and relationships portrayed throughout, if you stick to the end, it may make you feel empty but full (I know, awkward right?)
I must warn you it's more sad than happy, but hey, if it's that your style, go for it ;P

Anyway,
I would watch it again to see the story from another perspective, and to see the actors acting together (cause the main leads are so cute together), but I would skip through some of the brutally sad an powerful parts...

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This one have very beautiful story line. Actually i did not read plot or anything before i start.. after i watch 2 , 3 episodes i confused thinking wht is going on becoz she is going out with everyone but next eposode did not match to it.. after that i found out wht really happening hear... i think all 4 stories have beautiful story line and i think we all watched before same as each love stories.. i love that 4 guys im ok if she end up with anyone.. but i feel so sad last episode becoz i wanted that love story go on bit more.. i think that becoz i love fantasy..

any how acting is all ok..
* when i see baek ju ho (zuho) i remembered yoon shi yoon and lee soo hyuk.. i dont know what but somthing look same zuho and yoon shi yoon for me.. and zuho and lee soo hyuk have same looking nose ???????? soo i think thatz why i remebered him while watching zuho ????????
* And when i see kang cha ni also i feel and remembered yoon shi yoon i think that becoz yoon shi yoon act soo cutely in ''flower boy next door' and it looking same cha ni s acting ???? and who do u remember while look at cha ni in this poster ???? i remembered tae oh in legend of the blue sea (shin won ho)

overall good and worth watching drama..

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After reading some of the comments half way through watching this drama I felt like dropping it. But for some reason I soldier on and watched it till the end. Did i regret watching it-NO, However this is definitely not my favorite drama. The drama is quite boring with a lot of misunderstanding and just total lack of communication between characters. The conflicts are non-issue when all they needed to do was talk to each other. There ML & FL romance is there but was not shown much. Their interactions looked more to be of a platonic but very close friendship than a romantic one. I've seen better chemistry than these 2 displayed. The drama is not even funny either. The secondary plot is quite cringe worthy but they did resolve that 2/3 of the way through.

However I did like the mountaineering plot as a whole. The acting was good but I have to nitpick that when an actor doesn't speak the language and they over dubbed them it is annoying to see their lips not moving in-sync with the sound. But that's my personal pet peeve.

Watch if you like Xing Zhaolin and Eleanor Lee.

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hi guys
This is my first historical Chinese drama ever watched and i loved it the most. i was very much impressed by the story line. a girl who plays the most important part in a story is what attracted my attention and pulled me further to the finish line. the way Prince Qin is impressed by her wits and kindness and most importantly those cute moments of Romance between both made me repeat those episodes. so tender and true to the heart. i felt as though i was in her place and dint prefer to come to my senses . hope there is such true love in this world. the opening and ending songs are excellent. nice background score during romantic, happy and emotional situations. i am a music lover and it has all that is needed.

every one has an important role to contribute to the story. they literally lived their characters. my eyes got wet in many scenes, as such is their acting. everyone are at their peaks. i couldn't take my eyes off the male and female leads. all are so perfect.

coming to the ending i was bit anxious how the director would end. in this world people are already facing problems and are being unhappy in their respective levels. so i think every drama should have happy endings. thinking optimistically , being optimistic would have optimistic results in our actions. however, its a good thing that the director gave two choices of ending , thus leaving the selection of ending that a viewer prefers. but, if it was a strong happy ending it would have been even more satisfactory. i would like to start watching all over again.

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I don't know how to start this review. I want to write a long review so that I can express all my feelings about this masterpiece but I know no one reads long reviews anyways. But I really want to look back at this review a few years from now and remember this sensation of infinite pain, love, tragedy and relief. For those of you who won't read this review and haven't watched it, P L E A S E W A T C H I T. I guarantee you it will be one of the best dramas you've ever watched and it might change your life and perspective on things, like it did with me.
So now, let me get into this review.

A little background: I'd never watched any xianxia drama (not even historical ones) and since I know many chinese shows are like that, I stayed away from them, because I feared not understanding the plot and not connecting to the characters. Nonetheless, when I saw the drama was one of the top-rated of all time I decided to check its profile page here on mydramalist and the plot really attracted me. I had no idea it was adapted from a BL novel (I like bl dramas a lot!!). But then I saw one of the actors is Wang Yibo and I remembered that name. I found out he was actually a member from a group I really like (Uniq) and I got even more intrigued. After reading some of the reviews and comments and realising the two main leads were supposed to be a couple, I was hooked. Even though it's portrayed as a bromance, I don't mind it because I love close friendships too.

I watched the first episode and I was LOST. I didn't know what was going on, who was friends with who, what cultivation was, why everyone hated the cinamonroll that is wei wuxian. The names confused me too. I left some comments on this page lol they serve as proof.
But as the drama progressed, things were starting to get clearer and clearer. After episode 10 I was already fully immersed in the story and I lived each moment of each episode very intensely. I don't want to write spoilers in this review but the way they structured this show is so well made because we get to know the characters and their intentions very well before jumping back to the present time. It's different from the novel and I think it's a good different.

I'm not sure this is the best acting I've ever seen. Honestly, I would have very much preferred the actors could use their own voices because a big part of the actor's abilities lay on their voice. I think some actors overdid their acting and some of the movements were strangely executed, like JiangCheng. I also think the team should have payed more attention to the cinematography. Even if this wasn't a high budget drama they could have worked with the lightening and the framing a bit more. I think the lack of editing was more noticeable on the last episodes. I liked the sentimental part of the last five episodes but I couldn't understand why they were in that situation and didn't run away??? Anyways, I don't want to spoil so I won't talk too much about it but I did find it weird. Some camerawork and editing could be better.

Although technically the drama wasn't the best (probably due to its low budget, most probably), it was still beautiful. The actors are S T U N N I NG, each and every one of them. Like, I didn't even know where to look!! The main leads are sooooo charming, in different ways. Our mesmerising Lan Zhan (Wang Yibo) is sublime. His facial expressions and body language were so interesting to watch. Very very very talented. And then there's XiaoZhan as Wei Ying, who literally went through hell for being too good for his world. Their chemistry is mind-blowing. The smiles they give at each other, the intimate looks, the subtle touches. To me their relationship was very obvious and I'm actually thankful they did it this way; somehow, it worked better than any BL I've ever watched.
In my opinion, every side character was soooo interesting!! The villains were great, the goodies were great, the moodies too (JiangChen, I'm talking about you). Personally, my favorite villain was the last one (don't want to spoil anyone lol). I just really like the actor, he looks so cute like what???? And the character was the most interesting to me. XueYang was just cruel, in my opinion. But I'm reading the novel now so I'll probably understand the characters a lot better!!

I finished watching this drama on Saturday and I've been writing this review ever since then hahaha This was the hardest review I've ever written because of the drama's length and my feelings about it. But, in conclusion, I'd just like to say that this drama really did change something in me and my perception of good and evil and I think the script is simply genius for making us like the guy who was supposed to be bad and how restraining the "good side" can be. I'll definitely rewatch this in the near future, probably this year or early next year if I'm being honest. When I'm done reading the novel I'll just watch interviews of the cast, suffer on twitter and wait for the MOVIES THAT ARE BEING RELEASED VERY SOON!!! Being a fan of this show is not bad at all.

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I really enjoyed about 40% of this drama. The beginning episodes, until right around Episode 6 or 7. Then, when it became clear that the entire story was going to revolve around pursuing the Woman in Red, and they kept going in circles, I started to lose steam. The only thing that kept me going for the next 10 episodes of the drama was the hope that Da Il would find and return to his body and finally get to have a life with Yeo Wool. But even that didn't happen. Yeo Wool and Da Il kept dancing around which one of them was going to sacrifice themselves to kill the Woman in Red, then Da Il finally took the plunge and killed his own body. I was angry when that happened, because there was a perfectly good option of the shaman girl doing something, but the writer decided "oh, suddenly she can't see or hear spirits anymore, all her powers are gone at just the wrong moment". Seriously?

The final scenes of the last episode also pissed me off. I had resigned myself to Da Il being dead for good. But no, he comes back as a ghost again and what? Stays by Yeo Wool's side as a ghost for the rest of her life? I was frustrated that this was the creative choice the writers went with. It was so dissatisfactory. There is no hope for this couple. He's stuck as a wandering spirit, and they can never progress further than "what could have been". That love and longing can never be resolved. If they had instead shown us a reincarnation of them as a couple meeting for the first time, then I wouldn't have been so disappointed.

It would have been so much better if this drama had picked a path and stuck with it: either go the way of "Bring It On, Ghost!" and revive Da Il with or without his memories, or simply never give the viewers the hope that he could come back alive. Just say "he's dead" and be done with it. I hated that we were strung along with the delicious idea that Da Il could survive the ordeal, just to have him play the Sacrificial Hero card.

I really wish I could recommend this drama. The first six or seven episodes were fascinating and gripping, with an excellent creep factor with the mystery of the Woman in Red. But the writer failed to deliver a satisfying middle or end to what could have been an amazing supernatural/mystery drama.

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The first half of the drama blew me away with its fresh story line. But as soon as second half of it began the writer started giving far fetched explanations for all the questions that were raised in our minds before. Even in fantasy you need some rules to make people believe what you want them to see. This was completely all over the place. The drama was full of Plot holes after Plot holes by the end of it. And not to mention, I couldn't understand when exactly the main two leads started having feeling for each other, and when did they realise they loved eachother? It seemed it just happened and they accepted as time passed with them facing challenges together. It felt very lackluster and ordinary if you just consider their romance in the story and not the other factors.

Still, if we keep logic out and watch it as it was shown to us then I must say it is quite entertaining. So yes, this drama is worth your time.

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