Reviews

Combination

Looking for a solid story? TURN BACK! Looking for large combo of drama? LOOK NO FURTHER!
Like many others, I've seen half the cast in BLs lol So naturally, they're why I'm here. Each episode tells a different story and in all honesty the first ep had me at a 9/10. The first ep was by far the best (in my opinion) and I'm really disappointed they didn't tie the stories in with each other. Each episode has different levels of drama with all of them having different morals so at least one can be relatable to most people. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied and would recommend to a BL newbie or someone wanting to kill time with short story-like episodes. My re-watch value is average though.
Enjoy...

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Not worth watching all episodes...

This was okay. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst either. There were many issues such as continuity of other couples/characters as they were either hinted at or added to episodes that had nothing to do with them, leaving us, the viewers, wondering about them or their story. Some episodes felt incomplete even with the open ending, which sometimes can be annoying.

If I were to rank each episode from best to worse it would go like this
6 (Boom and Peak's story was the more cohesive of them all IMO)
1 (Santa and Earth were really really good with their chemistry)
4 (Prem Boum had a nice story and I liked the dynamics of all characters)
3 (this GL could have been soooo good, but the script fell flat in most areas, still better than the last 3 on my rank)

Wow I just realized that my least favorites ones were the straight couple.
2 (I LOVE YATCH...but I didn't like their story at all. Though the "mean girl" actress was really good.)
7 (I like Perth, but this was so bland)
5 (Plan put me off and I couldn't watch this without cringing. He spoiled it for me)

Cons
Acting of some of these actors was horrible. I mean Plan has been in the acting field for years now and still he comes off as a newbie and uninterested in his roles. Doesn't appear he even has a passion for acting, so I wonder why he takes these roles. Guess cash money...
Oreo---I love Oreo he is so adorable, but his acting as a bully just seemed illogical or unconvincing. He's adorable though...

Story:
GL....This one started off strong and by the last fifteen minutes, it just fell flat. It was promising and they could have really done a great GL story if the script wasn't so weak and scared to go there!

All of the straight stories were FLAT AF...no idea why, but it was just boring and uninteresting. Those episodes could have been condensed and given that extra time to the other stories that could have used more development.

Director New sucks, there I said it. He has no rhyme or reason and probably needs to go back to film school or something. His works have always left something to be desired, but I wish he would give more care to storytelling and not to stylistic filming.

Pros

The cinematography was beautiful. That is the one thing that New knows how to do, He takes care in catching the right lighting and sounds. I wish he put more care into the script/story/acting.

5.5/10

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hands down my favorite episode

i know probably most of you think otherwise, but i love this special even more than the main drama. it's practically my favorite episode. it's just coool to see the past of yu zhen, more so cause of the striking difference it has with the present timeline. like the name zi tong calls him by, yu zhen was "real" back then, in the sense that his emotions were raw and his expressions were much less filtered than they're throughout most part of the drama. and it's just simply sweet to see more of soft, fluffy, cute yu zhen xD

that all aside, i think aaron and deyn got incredible chemistry. yu zhen and zi tong deserve their own drama. their story is sad but BEAUTIFUL. and it ended nicely. the friendship they share is precious still now.
i really think we could have an incredible prequel starring them. at least, they should work again as a pair in some other drama.

i understand the frustration of all the people who missed shi lei in this episode and wanted to see him more. however, i think this episode also had wholesome shi lei x yu zhen moments as well that are much better than many earlier ones? like, yu zhen being cute & needy & playful with shi lei. and i think we got to see that because yu zhen was reminded of the good & fun parts of his past relationship with zi tong. he was reminded how he used to be before the breakup & the trauma changed him. tbh, i started liking yu zhen (& his relationship with shi lei) only after the ost "you're my comma" played in that one scene where shi lei was helping yu zhen to sleep. the song really helped me understand yu zhen, just how helpless, heartbroken & alone he was, despite looking like an accomplished, strong guy on the outside. and i really wanted to see his past, when he was younger.

also, both yu zhen & shi lei seem more relaxed & mature here, though, in the timeline, it's probably only shortly after the end of the last episode of the drama, but a lot changed in them and that's apparent in how yu zhen was calm while watching zi tong's message. or how he was totally fine to see shi lei checking zi tong's text. that reminds me, i think zi tong & shi lei's friendship is another precious thing. it's also something i miss in many other dramas where two lovers of one person usually have a jealousy filled enmity.

i've watched this episode 2x. and i know i will watch it again. love real's shy grins every time zi tong touches the mole on his collarbones T_T bye.

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A mixed bag but a pretty enjoyable mixed bag

Almost every episode was touching in some way and often addressed topics not generally talked about or shown in dramas. Of course, there were episodes far better than others and all the episodes had their own problems that were either entirely obvious or just a bit noticeable.

If you were to ask me which ones you can skip?
-Honestly, it would probably just be Ep 7. I found the others beautiful in one way or another and was very glad to have seen them, and I rewatched them. I doubt I will for Ep 7 though as it was really just okay and the plot didn't feel new or highly emotional.

Which ones are a must watch?
-That's kind of tough. If you forced me to pick, I would say Ep 1, Ep 4, Ep 6, and Ep 2. It's really hard not to pick Ep 3 or Ep 5 as well though. Ep 3 is a difficult pill to swallow though which is why I wouldn't recommend it for most people. Ep 5 was basically on par with Ep 2 but didn't tackle the important subjects it did, but it had much more heart and realness than I expected it to.

Really, this is the kind of drama where you can pick which stories appeal to you the most. There are some characters that appear later in other episodes but there isn't really a running thread. The episodes that are the most connected and will leave you missing a part of the story if you skip either of them are Ep 1 and Ep 4. I'd say give at least one or two episodes a shot, I'm sure there's at least one you'll really like.

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Perseverance is Magical

I didn't plan on writing a review but it doesn't make sense for me how the top reviews for this drama are the low-scored ones. It was actually a pretty good watch for me.
Definitely, it's your typical rom-com , rich guy, multiple couples, cliche Chinese drama -- but aren't most Chinese dramas like this?

At the beginning, when she was pretending to be a boy, I couldn't find it interesting but it was really funny how he thought he was gay when he was already falling for her, that early on. Then, they got married, that's when it really started to kick for me. I'm a sucker for male leads who never admits their feelings but cares for the female lead so deeply -- oh, never fails to make me flutter.

I'm only guessing, people might not have liked the conflict, which explains the low score. There were also too many conflicts -- looking back, probably just one conflict that just branched out, which sucked. I would understand the Li Man part 'cause she's an ex who's obsessed, but when the FL ran away pregnant? They prolonged the Congqing 'arc' too much. I was already eager for them to get back together that I no longer gave a damn about DaHuang's and the cat couple's love stories. She was already pregnant, he's trying to win you back, just give in already! I think that's the only part I didn't like.

Going back to the Li Man 'arc'... I super commend the male lead during these episodes 'cause he was never swayed. He was very stern on not getting back together even after learning the truth... but still disappointed 'cause he never tries to explain to his wife.

On the other couples, i literally didn't give a damn on the Gu-Gu (cat couple). I even find their ending so-so, whatevs, don't care. I liked the sister and the best friend. Altho it doesn't do me justice when he just suddenly fell in love with her. I wanted more, but I guess it was explained by saying, "perseverance is magical."
Another thing I like is the male lead's family, his parents and his sister. His parents for being so lovey-dovey and ignoring their children, lol. But really, mostly for being ever so supportive. At least it saved us from hating another evil mother-in-law.

In general, this was actually a pretty good watch!! It was very similar to You Are My Destiny, except the pregnancy came a little bit later. and Anna = Li Man -- very similar, evil ex-girlfriends who ruins arranged marriages. Plus, I love Xing Zhao Lin so I would've persevered watching this anyway even if it's not any good, and i'm glad I did because PERSEVERANCE IS MAGICAL :P

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Some more episodes

To see the number of episodes ,I said thank God because historical types dramas always have more than 35 episodes but when ending reached I asked why there are only 28 episodes.
Drama started with a good note . Starting few episodes were funny . But love story is short means not much romantic scenes. As soon as love story started , misunderstanding entered and brought hatred and when hatred got over ,drama is over.
That's why felt little bit more episodes should be there.
About characters all are excellent.
Plus point of this drama that all characters have happy endings except second lead ,though he also got happy ending but still felt that he should have the charming princess at the end.
I want to see their baby in that heaven place in this way drama has the best ending .This I think so.
As a whole I enjoyed watching the drama.
Songs were also good

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"I saw the thing that is the farthest away from me...... It's you"

This is a MASTERPIECE, and I haven't seen stuff much better! In fact, it's now my all-time favorite TV Series of all time!

It's intelligent, emotional and a very colorful journey and character exploration with the past, present and future blended in a mind-blowing mystery that's thrilling from the first to it's last moment in it's runtime.

The romance is the all-important part of the story, it's mature, mellow and bright and funny at other times, the music is AMAZINGGG, the song "Last Dance" along the glitch, the disturbance effect used at specific scenes brings chills, joy and anxiousness at the same time whenever you hear, and the OP Theme Song hits soo much harder in the latter episodes, especially the lines "Impossible to stay away.... "

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This Drama Has an Underrated Charm

I cannot remember ever rooting for a couple as I did with the 2 main leads - Qiaoyi and Yan Mo because the love story in this one was just incredible. I started watching the first episode and just knew it was going to be a good one when I realized that the 2 leads have such great chemistry. How do I know that this drama completely blew my mind? The fact that it had my absolute worst Asian drama trope (the "smart guy, stupid/dumb girl") AND YET still got me hooked. I felt every heartbreak, mourned the misunderstandings and rejoiced when Qiaoyi and Yan Mo finally got together (yeeees, there's a happy ending!!!)

Let's talk about the story (which I learnt after finishing the drama was based on a real couple). It is so realistic, which makes sense in hindsight. because there weren't any cliches (I promise) Instead we got an imperfect supposed-to-be-ordinary-but-completely-isn't kind of love story. The casting for this drama was perfect. The acting was a bit lacking. But did I mention the chemistry? I really loved the documentary camera style and the seamless way the plot weaved through the past and the future.

In sum, binge-worthy, great love story.

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WEIRD

Drama had a great starting and I was hooked but then a lot happened and in the very first few episodes Zhen Rong died and ever since it's just depressing and wholly business. Zhen Rong and Xiao Su had one of the best chemistry I've seen, it's simple yet sweet like a fairytale though had a tragic ending. Other lead was nice but he never seemt all that genuine to me and he wronged fl in more than one circumstances and even though story progressed and they fell in love it just felt weirdly out of place since he questioned her love for his brother over and over and used harsh words when she was barely surviving. Things like that stick by me and it's something I can never forget if happened to me so maybe that's why I don't like other lead. Forgiveness is great but forgetting isn't.
I only watched first 9 episodes without skipping then it was all just skipping. even if i rewatch this it'll only be for first 5 episodes. Rest just make me pissed off or make me bawl my eyes out.

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I'm Impressed

Okay so if y'all gonna bash the show for not having logic then please what else do you expect from a fantasy show. I mean like come on you already knew what you're watching. How do you imagine a show that has a "ghost as it's main lead" to have science and logic.

I loved it. It was so good. Unlike some other bls it did have some story and twists. It wasn’t cringe. It was not hard to watch. It had many sides. I loved the story. Though it was hard to believe but that was inevitable.

The actors were damn good. They Didn't overdo it like in other thai bls. I liked the chemistry a lot. Peach and Yoon-Oh had the perfect casting.
Both of them were good enough in reflecting their own cultures which was really fascinating. Also the side characters were great too.
Jimmy's acting improved significantly. Like I didn’t like his acting much in "Why R U" but this one? He totally nailed the character. You could see the emotions in his eyes. Jae-Hyun was perfect too. I wonder if they have a good friendship in real life too. I'm too invested in them.

Also I was never really a fan of Jimmy-Tommy ship. I've always felt like Tommy was too old for Jimmy as a partner specially cause they portrayed same aged characters in most of the series and Jimmy looked way young than Tommy lol. So I loved this ship more.
Jae-Hyun and Jimmy made a hella hot couple. And I would love to see more of their works together.

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One of the best kdramas I have watched

So this Kdrama really gripped me. Not going to lie, I started it because of the cast but I wasn't expecting it to be this gripping

If you really like suspence and mystery, this is one of the best kdramas for you. The plot really kept me wondering who the real bad guy was although it was kind of clear, it still made me doubt everything while keeping it interesting and putting in more information bit by bit.

The character death were unexpected as one wouldn't really expect such important characters to just end up dying and it really added a lot more emotion to the drama. There were small happy moments that kept me alive even in the darkest part of the drama which I was greatful for because many dramas completely remove all happiness when dark or deep parts appear making those dramas very depressing. This one was different in that way.

The ending was bitter-sweet which left a deep impression on me as many dramas have either a happy ending or a sad one.

All in all it was a worth while drama and very well played out by all the cast members. The acting was amazing! I shed a lot of tears and smiled at the heartwarming moments.

I really recommend this drama to everyone

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Lovely story about self-love and friendship

I started watching this drama cause a friend of mine said the female lead Haru-chan reminded him of me.
After watching I can tell where he's coming from, but I can assure you I am quite different from her.

Enough about personal matters. :D This is a good in between watch if you need something lighthearted and maybe want to learn some nice receipes for Japanese bento. But most importantly this is a story about self-love and accepting other lifestyles aswell as accepting oneself.

Despite the typical Japanese overacting "Oishiiii" and the short episodes (about 20 min. long) this drama manages to make you feel the actions of and relationships between the characters are portrayed in an authentic way. I am always amazed at how quick some Japanese drama suck you right into the story and give you a warm fuzzy family vibe.

As their friendship progresses, and Haru and Ao learn more about each other, they also help each other to love themselves more. While both of them feel pressure of how their way of living differs from what's "normal", they constantly reassure each other that they are okay the way they are. I would tag the content LGBTQ+ although the focus isn't put on this issue too much.

Since this is a short drama I won't go more into detail, I just want to tell you the final message:

"Any colour is fine as long as we are living together happily. It's okay that there are many colours. That makes it more exciting somehow."

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The BEST BL show I’ve seen (till now)!

I watched ATOTS while it was airing and looked forward to spending my Friday nights with the show! Everything from the acting/cast, to the cinematography with beautiful locations, OST and storyline was simply perfect! What I liked the most was how the series didn’t need to show many intimate scenes for us to understand the love that was growing between the two leads.

The second half of the series was especially good and I was crying so badly every episode (Ep 8 - 10 were just crazy good)! I love how real it got towards the end and they did not try to give us a “fairytale” ending. Things happened when they were meant to happen and I love that about the show!

I still cry every now and then when I revisit my favourite scenes! Overall, I give it 10s across the board and I would recommend everyone to watch it!

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