Reviews

The Writers really need to think about their lives

This drama started out well but I eventually hated this drama so much simply for how they handled Wei Qing’s trauma. I felt like going into the screen so many times to hit someone. This guy suffered in the hands of his parents, his uncle, so called adopted brother and still everyone glossed over the fault of all these people. His parents should be jailed! And that little thing called Ning Fei should stop walking around like some sort of righteous thing, you hurt someone and still running your mouth. Mtchew. And I don’t care what he had been through either. Then abusing your child in the name of “it’s for your own good”, where do you get off on that!? I hated Ning Fei from the start and in the end, I was right to hate him. Wei Qing had horrible parents and I hated how the writers still made him to keep seeking for their love, especially his mum. I liked Wei Qing and Zhou Shi but even she annoyed me a lot. Anyway, so many unresolved shii, I will not be watching S2.

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It took me 30 Minutes...

...to absolutely fall in love with this show. Could it be, that I myself am in my twenties and really felt understood through the themes, hardships, and happy times in this drama? I don't know. Due to the plots and Storyline being this relatable, I was able to grow through this show, mainly because it pointed out how insecure and below our worth we present ourselves sometimes. It taught me and brought some healing in certain areas because I felt understood and less alone. If there are Dramas about situations that we feel lost and completely alone, there must be others out there feeling the exact same as I do, making the same mistakes not once but maybe twice.

This Drama showed me the beauty of friendship and how you grow not only within yourself but within your group of friends if you're ready to fight and make up. To speak your mind and have each other's back even in times where you'd rather slap the other silly.

I can only recommend watching this Drama. Not only because of the (literal) paragraph written previously but also because of chemistry amongst the cast, the production, and the many many many jokes and funny arguments.

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Between a great love and even greater responsibility

Ancient love poetry has been a slow drama to get into right from the very start. The first episodes were a bit tiring to go through and the setup they hold for later execution felt weak and underdeveloped. Supposedly the lives of the great Gods should have a bit more backstory than what we were given in the beginning, considering everything that comes after is reminiscent of their relationships and origin. From about episode nine or so there is more development where the story is finally getting somewhere interesting, but then eventually we have a huge time skip, and oh my, does it help to keep the show alive. Although at that point the story becomes a rehash of cliches a lot of Xianxia novels and shows made after them have, I still think this was the strongest point of the whole show.

This brings me to the last part of the story where all of the beforementioned development goes nowhere in particular, as the same old problem from the past is brought back again. Unlike Ten miles of peach blossoms, for example, a story where love is a secondary objective at best, Ancient love poetry is a story primarily about love and sacrifice for the greater good. The whole time during watching this the viewer struggles alongside the characters with the same dilemma they have, in the process hating many decisions the characters make for the sake of attempting to keep both love and responsibility satisfied. Is all of that worth it? The ending itself makes it unclear, but I suppose the whole point is that we get to see just a glimpse of that story, and we get to decide how much trouble a love that great is worth.

Plot discussion aside, I was impressed with the male and female leads that were chosen; their acting leaves little to be desired and their chemistry is superb. Whatever faults I can find when it comes to them I attribute to cliched writing at times and lack of romantic scenes for a good portion of the story. We could have had and certainly deserved to see much more than that. The love triangle is practically unobtrusive and non-existent; the second male lead has his faults but treasures his friends above everything else.

One major positive aspect of this story are its supporting characters, as there are more than a few of them that you will come to care about during the progression of the show. Despite some plot holes and unresolved stories, the majority of what is shown gets a resolution in the very end, which is also another plus for me.

The villains are of the saddest and scariest kind, those that start of perfectly normal but end up evil due to blackening over time. Of course, this means you have a lot of tedious scenes of power misuse that people around them tolerate beyond any reason or common sense, which made this old cliche dampen a lot of screentime that could have been used differently. However, it's not as bad as in Ten miles or Ashes of love, but maybe only because this drama has fewer episodes. I'm kind of scared to think what other scheming we could have had with an additional ten to twenty episodes, for I have already seen more than enough of it. The villains get away with a lot and get little to no repercussions for it, and at times it feels like the protagonists just ignore a lot of what they do which will make just about anyone watching this angry. But hey, it's a cliche.

The music that was used in the background of the scenes, as well as the opening, was pretty good, however not as memorable as some other similar shows.

I wouldn't rewatch this show; it's a bit too sad and too frustrating to deal with for a second time. However, for its very likable female lead and sometimes the male lead as well (when he is not hit by the hammer of the scriptwriter/novel writer themselves), side characters that I cared about and that each had a purpose for being there as well as overall world-building and great acting from everyone, this drama was more than a good watch. I'm hoping we get a second season that is based on the sequel of the book so our collective grievances over some characters can be put to rest.

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an overall good show

I decided to write a review after forcing to watch myself for a second time. I kind of run through all the epsidoes becuz i wanted to know if they managed to keep the quality till the end and they do. So i will rewatch the entire thing to appreciate more but i can write a preview with my current knowledge.

The cinematography
It is good actually. The shots are actually well done and i can see they put a lot of effort in this one.

Acting
gun acting is really good and i can see he can pull off into mood for the drama. I prefer more experience actors pls @/gmmtv

The plot
The very first gmmtv show that makes me want to read the original novel. I have tried a couple gmmtv shows and a lot of them felt like superficial shows with comedic purposes and characters not acting according to their age. I am not saying the characters here are perfect but they do make it work and they act like university students and i appreciate the film reference part, can say that the author referenced the movies for the couples in this. AND I LOVE IT.
cons
The very classical "got hurt and the other one takes care" genre is kind of old but i guess i can let it slide since there are worse genres in bl cinema aka "fangirls running around the gay couple".

The ost
Is nice but i need to rewatch it to fully appreciate it

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It’s fair to say that I’m bias on this drama because I absolutely love Liu Xue Yi in everything he’s in. Zhang Yu Xi may seem soft-spoken and timid, but her character is strong willed and determined to make her own choices after her ten year relationship with her fiancé falls apart. Li Ze Feng and Li Si Qi do an excellent job of making you despise their characters. Xue Yi is extremely sexy when he leaves the office and gets on stage with his guitar. Gu Zi Cheng and Zhao Yuan Yuan have a good chemistry going as a younger man pursuing an older woman (as a woman who tends to date younger men myself, I approve whole heartedly). We’re about half way through the season and I’m really looking forward to seeing how this one wraps up.

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Silent Criminal

really interesting start and just gets better from quiet small beginnings in small provincial town about a clever local constable the plot becomes more complex progressing to involve high affairs of state〜the MLs have appealing chemistry of opposites reminding me of 「The Untamed」 and main female leads also have well-drawn characters〜 the wuxia is exciting without taking over the story。among the few dramas I can rewatch and wish was longer though one of the strengths is the tightness of the plot。music very good too。 very glad I found this drama and I wish the MLs had more good roles though seem limited to support roles from MDL list❤️

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Don't miss this drama!

Sometimes Japanese BLs are a hit or a miss. This is a definite HIT!!! Even though this drama isn't over you HAVE TO watch it!! It's so darn adorable. I'm so in love with Aoki's quirky personality. They way he wants to help his friends and the way he treats Ida is so cute. There are 2 story lines and sometimes we like the second couple more but not in this drama. You will definitely stay for the main couple. The second couple is is adorable too but not as much as the main one. You root for the girl who has had a secret crush for years and can't seem to find the courage to confess (some of us have been there....lol ) The guy of course is oblivious (duh) Happy watching <3

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Watch it again and again!

This beautiful story has so many unexpected twists and turns to keep the viewer engaged! Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin are perfect in their roles! They are accompanied by a stellar supporting cast. You also can't help but love the villains because the acting is just outstanding, even among the children. True, there are some depictions of N. Korea that are inaccurate (bright clothing, for example), but overall there was so much research and thought put into this drama. I have watched it three times and recommended it 300 times! You will not be disappointed, but you will laugh, you will cry, you will sit on the edge of your seat! Great for men and women to watch, or watch together. Not my utopian ending....I would have done a couple of things differently, but I'm in love with this drama and every actor.

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Guilty pleasure kinda drama..u’ll luv the leads,the visuals&chems,but the plot isn’t the best..

U know why I said this is a guilty pleasure kinda drama? Coz somehow u gotta admit u luv it despite the trainwreck plot...

What I like:
- I luv the chemistry between the leads, they r just so cute! It’s JJY’s drama, so we only got 2kisses with unmoved lips... but it doesn’t really matter, their lowkey skinships r just so adorable... not cringy, so natural... stolen small kisses, backhugs, n their always hand holdings really made up for lots!
- JZ is just looking his prime here! His style n hair is the best from his other historical dramas... JJY always looks pretty, n eventhough her accessories r sometimes too much, i think it suits her, so no complaints from me...
- JZ & JJY got their best characters in this drama compared to their other dramas (at least before their characters were suddenly ruined by the writer to create the big angst)... LQ is goodlooking, smart, has supreme martial arts, brave, loyal, loving, n all the good things u r looking for in ur dream guy... JBN is pretty, smart, witty, humble, independent, decisive, n all the good things that’s an upgrade from her old characters, esp from LOY & TBARP...
- The leads’ small adventures... they r both smart, so when they plot things, it’s a guaranteed success... i wish they did this scheming everybody kinda thing instead of the long angst near the end...
- The casts... DD&QA’s luv story is cute, n DD’s relationship with her sis in law JBN is cute too... JX&DS’s luv story is ok, wish they could have double date with their BFFs, LQ&JBN, that would’ve been potentially good scenes... JBN’s grandma, Qingke the maid, Susu the BFF was ok, but LQ’s dad&stepmom got mixed reviews from me... they r ok people but indecisive at different times, so at the same time u can only like 1 of them n hate the other...
- The overall visuals... the casts, their wardrobes, their sets & some of the fighting scenes r good n done properly...
- Luv the OST! Esp the one the leads sing together...

What I dislike:
- The unnecessary angst that u can always find in JJY’s dramas, like LOY&TBARP... The pattern was alike, interesting story with lots of potentials in the beginning, amazing chemistry with her ML, cute fluffy OTP moments, some filler eps, n the full unnecessary angsts&misunderstandings in around the last 10eps, then happy ending in the last eps! I’m still grateful with the HE, but can they just not kill their good characters just to create the final neverending angst??? Those eps r just unreasonable & unbearable to watch...
- The villains r all over the place, n in this one they r just crazy obsessive... again, since this is is JJY’s studio’s drama, where they always wanna promote another actress under their company as the SFL, the screentime that SFL gets is just too much! N this time the SFL is a villain, so it’s just so annoying to have her from the beginning till the end where after everything she’s done she kinda redeemed herself... she doesn’t deserve it n honestly I skipped scenes where her face popped! She isn’t a good enough villain n her character just annoyed me too much... N the SML, OMG, talk about delusional n obsession, his character is just so flawed that eventhough he’s the villain, he’s just not a convincing one...

Anyway, I still enjoy the drama... yes the plot was mmehhh, but just focus on the leads n like me, u’ll like it... actually I’v rewatched the leads’ scenes... IMO they r one of the best drama couples in 2021, I hope they’ll get paired again in future dramas, modern one if possible... FYI if u wanna skip the unnecessary trainwreck of angsts, it’s from eps33-39, so I suggest to FFWD those eps n u’ll be fine... it’s a happy ending for all good characters, so yeah there’s that... Happy watching!

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When I first watched the trailer for this show I though Evan Lin was going to be playing a sexy bad guy. That is definitely not the case lol. I love the cast chemistry in this drama. Evan is gorgeous as always, Chen Xing Xu is also quite handsome and plays the lead very well, and Zhang Jung Yi is both precious and cunning in her role. The 1920s were such a beautiful and elegant era and it’s really refreshing to see a historical type drama in that setting. The costumes have a classic charm, the music fits perfectly, and the whole production really transports you back in time. Even without watching the last episode, I feel confident in giving this one a re-watchable status.

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Kawaii ! Sweet and Cute

I love how the actors are introduced. It's interesting to see what they do and say when they arrive. Seeing their growth throughout the episodes is fun to watch, too. I love the panel comments and their funny stories. The only thing I don't like is Sawada. She seems out of place and a bit too harsh. The surprising ending to the season was cool. I'm not sure I would watch this again, but I really enjoyed the drama and learning more about each of the actors. Taeju stole the show for me. I would rewatch just to see his outstanding acting! Can't wait to see Taeju in future dramas and movies. I think he will be successful.

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Cruella de Ville, much?

Wow, way to start things off with a lot of drama! Interesting, albeit cruel. This season is way too cruel! Reina gets rewarded for being the worst actress who only knows how to act if she likes her partner. She should act with whomever she is paired! I don't blame Amon for being assertive. I was so disappointed in how mean Sawada was in Season 3 for the first half. I really didn't want to watch the rest, but I did. I'm glad I did because it helped me understand Sawada better, but I still don't agree with the cruelty of the first half. True, real-life can be that way. I wanted to cry with the actors. People should not have to be humiliated. The panel and the actors said it correctly, "Too cruel!" Sawada and the scriptwriters crossed the line. Whoever was responsible, it was WAY out of line! I am not sure if I'd watch a fourth season of the show. I give FIVE stars for everyone, except Reina because she is harsh and petty,. I'm glad I watched it through the end. Seasons 1 and 2 were the best because of Taeju.

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Rebirth of You - Rebirth of Miaorong

I really wanted to like this show. I really really did. It started so well with strong male and female leads, with seemingly mature characters and temperaments. I was very pleased that, unlike may other shows, the main couple got married within the first 12 episodes. So I thought that ok, this show will be about how a. young couples love grows over the years and matures like fine wine.

NOPE. Even though the couple's path to marriage was full of challenges, I just can't understand how after so many trials and tribulations (before and after marriage) they can still have such a shallow understanding of each other and be so emotionally stunted. I was so disappointed with the evolution of their relationship.

Everything went insane after the 30-something episode. It was like the screenwriters got drunk, went batshit crazy and wrote the storyline by playing the game "finish the sentence" where you say a sentence and the next person continues the story by saying another sentence and then you get this insane story. This is it. For sure this is what the screenwriters did. While drunk. I mean they had money for FORTY FREAKING EPISODES. They had so much time to deepen relationships and strengthen bonds, but everyone's relationship just remained very shallow. None of the key characters developed very deeply and I don't think any character really evolved over the whole show except for Dong Dong and Qing An. They are the best and most mature couple. Honestly, I would prefer to see a spin-off show just between Dong Dong and Qing An.

There is also so little screen time for the main couple. You hardly see their relationship developing. Maybe that's why they are so easily broken up by other people. Another reviewer said that this whole story should be renamed Story of Miaorong. I could not agree more. Actually, maybe she should be on the cover of the show as the lead actress. I don't understand how she can have so many chances. She is really a cat with nine lives. Maybe the title "Rebirth for you" is referring to her.

If this drama was an alcohol it would be a cheap vodka shot. To be downed quickly, and beware of side effects like annoyance.

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Great Story

This is a very cute drama series. Interesting actors from diverse backgrounds. The guest actor is the best! I hope to see this actor in many shows! I don't like Sawada because she chooses actors based on her own uninteresting whims, not on acting ability. She can also be quite mean in her feedback. There is no need to humiliate people, nor to be cruel. Cruelty does not make the show more interesting. The panel members are awesome. I love their commentaries and appearance. Naomi is so cute. She seems like the leader and is very good in her role. I have already rewatched the episodes with the guest actor.

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Extremely Basic ....

Once again I was let down but the title of the drama, Craving you was not what I had in mind for this kind of BL!!!

I understand it’s challenging to produce a drama with well fleshed out plot and real character growth when you’re making a 10 minutes episode drama, But not now. Not when there are other dramas out there that has shown that they can produce good content with fluff or a little angst and with great chemistry can this be acceptable. This drama for me just didn't have any flow to it, we never got to see a build of the characters, then a second couple got thrown in and we never got to understand what happened between them, the airport scene was a really cliche, the wedding was so done, then move to a couch where they make out (this last episode of them making out was probably the only good thing about this entire drama)

The acting was extremely basic, to the point one could say low budget, the music was okay not going to make my playlist.

This series felt like a fever dream. With me not knowing wtf was going on half the time lol. They shoved so much into this that I kept getting whiplash from character/plot changes.

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