Reviews

40 yet 20

What do 20 somethings who don't mature look like at 40? The first half is filled with womanizing antics and it appears childish and annoying. I'm glad I stuck with the series because they mature over time and you see the male comraderie and genuine support that they offer each other. The male actors are excellent. So is the rich wife of the playboy--she shows range and is believable. The role of Seo Yi-soo is a juicy one--too bad the actress shows limited range. Her acting was often stiff and the filming resorted to long music sequences where she needed to cry or look upset. Very stilted. Dialogs were often quite funny--especially when the 40 year old actors needed to play the middle school or high school versions of themselves. The guys in this series were fun--the women were often quite annoying.

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The main leads did the heavy lifting for the storyline.

I was excited to watch the drama because of the oh so beautiful Dilraba and the charming Authur Chen.I wasn't the only one because there was news of the first episode breaking certain records in streaming sites and online mentions in China.Sadly it did not sustain the hype, midway i paused watching it and picked it up later when all the episodes had dropped.Having not read the novel,i would love to read opinions of novel readers because it felt like the story might have been watered down making the story weak.The actors did an amazing job which made it bearable to watch the show.Arthur Chen portrayed his character (Duan Xi) so well.Despite being a great general with assassin like skills,his major goal in life was the reunification of the prefectures and was never interested in titles or power.Until he met Simu he had never truly lived or enjoyed life and lending his senses to her, he go to see the joy of life through Simu and loved her deeply.Accepting the fact his mortal life might just be a blip in Simu's life he made sure he would not be a forgettable lover in her life of over 400 years.
The rewatch value is low because it was not a happy ending.

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A touching fantasy romance between the Ghost King and her little Fox General

As many others have mentioned, this drama is a hauntingly beautiful love story. It reminded me of some of my favourite K-dramas like Goblin and Hotel Del Luna, with even a touch of Harry Potter-like magic. At its core, it explores the timeless theme of love between an immortal and a mortal—so it’s no surprise that the story leans bittersweet.

Highlights

- The aesthetics and special effects—especially the transition between the mortal realm and the Void—were beautifully executed. The level of detail in the costumes was stunning. One standout moment for me was when Duan Xu visits the Void for the first time; it had a magical, almost Hogwarts-like atmosphere.
- Reba looked absolutely incredible. This might be one of her strongest roles to date, as her ethereal, untouchable presence perfectly suits a 400-year-old Ghost King. It was refreshing to see her take on a more layered and complex character.
- Chen Fei Yu also delivered a compelling performance as Duan Xu. Episode 8, in particular, really showcased his range—his ability to convey intense, almost hysterical emotion was impressive.
- The chemistry between the leads was undeniable. I’d love to see them reunite in a modern drama someday.
- The OST was solid throughout, especially the instrumental themes used for character introductions. Moments like He Si Mu and Yan Ke’s entrances felt especially grand and memorable. The music really amplified the drama’s haunting, magical tone.
- From what I’ve heard, the adaptation stays fairly faithful to the original novel, which is always a plus. It’s clear that care was taken to preserve key elements of the source material.

Lows

- There were a few stretches where the pacing slowed and the story drifted from the main plot. If you’re watching primarily for the romance, it’s still enjoyable—but some tighter editing would have helped.
- While the costumes were gorgeous overall, some of the wigs and oversized headpieces were a bit distracting (a minor issue, though).
- The ending felt slightly disjointed. Combining episode 40 with the extra episode might have made for a more cohesive conclusion. It seems like they were aiming to offer two alternate endings—one more bittersweet and grounded, the latter closer to the novel’s resolution. While both have their merits, committing to a single, well-developed ending might have been more impactful. Although, both can technically be interpreted as 'happy' endings - with Duan Xu accompanying Simu as a spirit (with hope that he will take his real form one day) or Simu living her life as a mortal with Duan Xu.
- Not much of a con but I will say they really dragged things out in the last few episodes - it was painful! Not because it was bad, but because it was sad. I took my sweet time to get through them. But that's the price you pay when you watch this genre (you cannot help but root for the couple even when you know the inevitable will happen)

Overall, this was an easy and enjoyable watch. If you’re a fan of fantasy romance with a melancholic edge, it’s definitely worth checking out.

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Insane Chemistry.

I think that this show was written very well. The casting was well done and so was the pacing. Surprisingly all 28 episodes felt necessary and none of them really felt like they were a filler episode.

The main leads had so much chemistry and I loved their interactions so much. Honestly I think the female leads acting carried their relationship. I understand that the male lead is supposed to be somewhat broody and emotionless but near the end there were like one or two scenes where I feel like he needed to show a littl emotion like microexpressions but he didn't deliver. But thats just me being nitpicky. Overall he performed well.

I'm also so happy that this male lead actually had some weight to him and wasn't extremly skinny. It fit the character well. I also really liked the pacing of their relationship like it took long enough for us to feel that yearning and the jealousy. I also enjoyed the second leads storyline. I like how they were involved but their story didn't overpower the main characters

Anyways I would definetly rewatch this show since it lowkey has every element of a romance story that I like.

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Not what i expected

theres so many boring episodes and useless scenes like so much filler and we get to see so little of the son and what happens with him and his family like he cries about not being number one and as soon as he gets bailed out he’s forgotten again, but the casting for the younger and older actors of everybody was extremely good. i just expected better because of all the good reviews i’ve seen and so many videos. there was a lot of the same things going again, the episodes could’ve just been shorter without the useless fillers. but still very wholesome and i enjoyed most of it.

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WATCH THE UNCUT VERSION AND FINISH ALL 12 EPISODES

Please stop rating this beautiful BL after only watching the cut version on YouTube or just 2–3 episodes. The 2 episodes will tell you NOTHING. In other words: Stop judging a book by its cover.
Finish all 12 episodes in the uncut version, and then come back and share your opinion.

If you’re going to watch the Cut version, don’t expect any NC scenes or other important moments that help you understand the characters better.
If you want to watch the Uncut version, please watch the show on IQIYI or another platform. Tip: Find out where else you can watch it.

Of course, I recommend you the uncut version after watching Duang With You MANY times. Otherwise, like I said, you’ll miss a lot of important scenes and you‘ll be confused.

Thank you for understanding. ❤️

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Molodrama sob festival

For sure red flag ML's (both of them), but more in an obsessive negative kind of a way instead of a passionate way. 100% melodrama and not a drop of comedy at all, which is not something I usually enjoy, but I gave this drama a chance anyway. The chemistry was good, but the ML's (both of them) character was very difficult to like and repelled me as a watcher. This drama is full of angst, heartbreak, loss, loss and more loss, with no calm moments just all melodrama all the time. I enjoy angst and watching people overcoming that angst, but there was just so much injustice and abuse, it was would not be something I would watch again. If you have a tender heart, can't stand watching women abused/used, or need more tender/funny moments in life, than dramatic ones....than this drama was not for me or you.

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Visually Stunning, Narratively Hollow — A Missed Crown (ongoing review, updated through Ep. 8)

Main Points:
Shallow female lead lacks depth, stringent story line or some kind of relatability, lacks story/character building especially in the beginning (high school years). Also the story with the king, the royal prince, and the "bad" king's mom is stereotypical — potential not used, makes it very hard to keep going. Often also very unrealistic plot lines — like wtf was that car episode… Artificial creation of suspense → non-authentic. However, episodes 7 & 8 show genuine improvement — read full summary for the full picture.

Summary:
I've never felt the need to rate a series that early on, but this one is taking on my nerves… and sadly not in a good way.
So what do I have to criticize or highlight in a positive way:
Let's start with the good things: Visuals and OST. This drama is visually really pleasing and the costumes are great. I love how embedded the older Joseon dynasty style was woven into the modern 21st century business-casual style, and all of the cast (main + supporting) are looking fantastic.
The soundtrack is very subtle and fits the story line very well (coming from somebody who also watches a lot of C-Dramas, where the same songs are played 24/7, making it an annoying stretch in some scenes and utterly disturbing). I had to laugh for a sec with the K-Pop reference of EXID's UP&DOWN — that was hilarious (props to the secretary of the prince, he is such a good actor, loved him in his other dramas as well :))
Now to the not so nice things about this drama:
Let's begin with what initially actually caught my attention and till today makes me hang into it: Matching Joseon monarchy into the 21st century, having influential families of royal descent and on the other hand "normal" people or "just" businessmen. I loved the start with the high school scenes, the drama evolving there and the hierarchies, but that was like what? 5 minutes in total. It totally lacked in depth and threw out a lot of potential for this series.
This was also the main reason I felt this drama was very rushed in the first episode — switching between timelines, making up new dramatic plots, but lacking the most important thing: authentic storytelling and building up interesting characters that I, as a viewer, can either resonate with or despise in a good way, where a villain or unlikable character is also multi-layered.
However, in this case the female character is just utterly bizarre in her acting, non-relatable and honestly — should I be empathetic for someone just striving for a title, but coming from riches as well? Her younger self was rebellious in a "good" way, making it interesting to wait for more… but the more never came, as the story was too rushed. It all, and especially the interactions with the prince, felt so unnatural (not like it was intended), but also when they had 1-on-1 time without the official press beside them. Those scenes where I expected true feelings and honest reactions were mere disappointment. IU is a great actor — she perfectly nails the annoying FL — but that depth and acting to provide some insights into her "history" for the viewer just aren't portrayed very well, and those flashbacks also can't make up for that.
The same way I also feel for the prince. While he conveys his feelings to the viewer more (I still can't believe how the FL doesn't catch on to that, but nevermind), he has so few lines and it feels like a blur sometimes watching him… This is not to criticize the actors in any way or to incite hatred, I am just disappointed in how badly written the drama is.
The story jumps from one "happening" to another to create artificial suspense, whereas the main thing I am missing is depth and sometimes just a "rest". I am currently on episode 5, after that weird car episode which honestly just made me cringe, and this episode with less story and more genuine interaction felt like a relief after so much nonsense drama. I still dislike how the writers take on the same stereotypical villains as in the OG historical dramas. Also the idea of a "stronger" female lead is just not well-written. I get it — she wants to be independent and from a young age has to fight for herself, but making her a puppet of the media and a striver for a sheer title ruins it completely at that point. Like, that is not the strong female lead we preach for — it is a portrait of a FL with too great of an ego and at the same time so pitiable with her lack of a sense of belonging or greater achievements.

Update after Episode 7:
Heck yes — this drama is finally moving in the right direction. We're getting more genuine interactions and deep feelings, which aren't overshadowed by overdramatic acting or that disconnect where what a person says and does doesn't reflect their personality. Especially with the background stories getting more attention and, most importantly, more time to fully develop, it gives — especially — the female lead more character layers, and for the first time I felt like I could actually connect with her. Some dialogues still seem odd and my critique on most of the points named above still holds true, but there is IMPROVEMENT. Hoping we will see more of that in the next episodes and that the drama will fully thrive in the end. :)
Update after Episode 8:
The rising suspense and conflict are doing the drama and its figures a real service — we're now seeing how far these characters will go for what they love or desire, and their intertwined, opposing goals make for a nice guess-who-the-culprit-is dynamic. The female lead and her odd acting in some scenes bother me again — by odd I mean selfish and unbothered by how her actions affect others and influence their feelings. But props to the scene where she finally shed some tears — finally some genuine emotion from a character who is mostly a wall of stone. It might be a little too much happening a little too fast and out of "nowhere" at times, but in general a good episode that sucks you in and finally keeps up the tension so you actually want to watch the next one.

I think this critique might come off as very harsh at times — I am sorry if my words do not resonate with you, I just had to express how I am thinking about it and what I am truly missing. I am still disappointed by the earlier episodes but cautiously hopeful. Since I am not one to abandon a series, I will continue watching and keep updating this review as the story progresses. Current rating: 6.5/10 — and with any luck, that number will keep climbing.

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Unpopular Opinion: I Don’t Get the Hype for "The Best Thing"

I’ll be blunt: I really tried to see what everyone else is seeing in this drama, but it was an uphill battle. I understand the premise was supposed to be a "healing rom-com," but there’s a fine line between "healing" and "empty," and this show crossed it early on.
Calling this "slow-burn" is being generous! It felt like a show with no plot for the vast majority of the episodes. There was zero narrative momentum, making it an incredibly difficult watch. I found myself skipping through massive chunks of episodes because literally nothing was happening. It had a spark of potential at the very start, but it quickly devolved into a repetitive, mid-tier slog.
The Female Lead: One Expression, Zero Impact
I have nothing personal against the actress, but her performance in this was painful to sit through. She seemed to have exactly one expression for the entire show: a perpetually shocked face. Even the emotional beats were off; when she was supposed to be crying, it actually looked like she was laughing.
Adding to the frustration was the voice....whether it was the dubbing or her actual delivery, she whispered her way through the entire show. It made the character feel ghostly and hollow, and honestly, it’s made me want to avoid her future projects entirely.
As for the male lead, he’s the ultimate example of a "cardboard green flag." He was so over-the-top perfect that he became insanely bland and one-dimensional. There was no depth to work with. Furthermore, the "insane chemistry" people are raving about? I didn't see it. Without that spark to carry the thin plot, the whole thing just fell flat.
I am genuinely confused as to why this is such a hit. It’s a whisper-filled, plotless drama with a lead performance that made it nearly impossible to stay engaged. If you value your time and actual storytelling, you might want to skip this one.

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