This review may contain spoilers
MAJOR SPOILERS - Complaints about each couple's storyline
How I wish story should've or shouldn't have been:(1) 1st Couple - It seems that Du Yanxi has been planning to take revenge on his dad for a long time. Maybe he didn't have a plan at that point but he could've given reasons to delay any marriage till he figured out a plot. If he happened to marry someone else instead and didn't fall in love with the wife, would he have allowed her to go through the same?
I don't dislike his character; he's flawed, but still a decent husband. He doesn't need to be the perfect ML. It's his whole plan I'm not a fan of. And why keep Shou Hua in the dark? Why not just tell her about your childhood trauma and plans so she can be better prepared? She might have actually helped you plot a better revenge plan that this coz she's so smart and cunning.
Also, a small point - they could've shown his reaction when he found out about the initial bride-switch that took place. That could've set a better context to his initial reaction to Shou Hua on their wedding night and not shown his character like an outright demon.
(2) 2nd Couple - Would've been nice to see some kind of quick backstory to how these 2 got married in the first place. It obviously seems to be arranged but how did the poor Li family from far away manage to even connect with the richer Fan family and arrange this? How come the Fan family even agreed to this marriage?
(3) 3rd Couple - I think the only thing I wasn't particularly happy about was the pretend-kidnapping stunt he pulled-off. It was cute but I felt like Kangning wasn't angry enough or scared enough about it coz imagining to be in her position of being picked up and sold off to traffickers is pretty frightening. Her sister Fuhui had a proper reaction of crying and relief. Any person would have this reaction even if it's your crush in front of you.
(4) 4th Couple - They're definitely my 2nd favourite couple in this show. But why go with the Amnesia trope? đ It felt lazy to me. Very Lazy. And it felt so odd to see a cold-hearted Hui Shao to be force-smiling. I thoroughly enjoyed the cases they solved together. But if they wanted a reason for the both to hang out and solve cases, they could've done so even without forcing Amnesia. Just a normal fracture or injury would do. And I definitely feel he should've told her at one point about his trauma with his sister (this was the most tragic plot in the show IMO).
This is what should've happened - Give him a fracture instead of Amnesia, make her take care of him. She starts noticing and reading through his cases and gives unsolicited opinions which he would start to appreciate gradually. Later he starts asking for her opinions upfront. Show the other 4 sister's involvement also when required. Definitely show the BIL Alliance. If she's not around, he would start to miss her in a friendly way. Along the way, he informs her about his past which makes her understand his behaviour. Now that he's opened up to her and feels vulnerable around her, slowly and steadily, make his heart melt for her.
(5) 5th Couple - I'm sure a lot of people agreed that this plot started well and ended in the garbage bin. Firstly, the violence was funny in the beginning, but it was starting to get a bit too unrealistic. It took me a while to understand that the dad had a concubine so I kept confusing her to be one of the sisters. I think her character should've been presented gradually or atleast make the audience aware that she's one of the evil ones. I get that they wanted character development for Yang Xian but it could've been done while they were rich too. The explanation of why the King Majesty decided to make his consorts poor was very weird. If they wanted to go with this plot, they could've atleast established a romantic relationship between Leshan and Yang Xian. We never got to see this till the very end. They had a chance to show affectionate scenes when he would visit her at her window but that didn't happen either. No hug, no kiss, only a stick to beat him with. (Even the 6th couple got a long hug)! It feels like they only wanted to show this as a funny couple but there was definitely chemistry brewing between the 2 that the writers SHOULD have exploited that but they never did and we all truly missed something good.
Oh, and that whole adopted sister of Yang Xian - completely UNNECESSARY. They didn't even use her for a Jealousy Trope.
(6) 6th Couple - Before getting into the plot, in my personal opinion, I find Qiongnu to be one of the most beautiful of the sisters. She has a combination of a pretty face, cuteness, sweetness, and elegance. Therefore, I feel the casting of She Cong was not the best. Their looks did not match at all. Forget everyone else for a moment, his looks did not even remotely match his own twin sister Kangning! Infact! The side actor who was casted as She Cong's right-hand man or his guard actually looked much better suited AND his sharp features could even match with Kangning's while complimenting Qiongnu's beauty.
Now getting to the plot, like someone rightly mentioned, we were truly robbed of a decent love story here. Only 1 singular uno scene. Realistically, if you knew each other before adolescence roughly 10-15 years ago, it's odd to suddenly have romantic feelings for each other. Even a single episode that was dedicated to this couple to establish some affection or atleast some respect would've worked.
They could've even showed a scene where he gets along with all his sisters and BILs but they only showed him hanging around Leshan for Yang Xian to feel jealous which also felt incomplete.
And why was it never mentioned that Qiongnu was promised to Madam Li's son when they were children? I just assumed she was an orphan who was rescued by him and so she was adopted by Madam Li due to pity and to honour her son's "death". This whole time, she was her to-be in-law. That changes the dynamic completely.
Now, aside from this, that whole plot about the case of 200 children and some priestess getting kidnapped, the whole scene with the King, She Cong and Shen Huishao (and what I'm assuming was the 4th consort who is now a priestess)...... I don't know why was this included nor did I understand how it impacted the story at all or for whom they had written it. It feels like this was part of a larger plotline that was cut out but because it was linked to Yang Xian and Leshan's scene, they left it I guess.
(7) There's no 7th couple and I know I'm asking too much now but I feel they could've done something small for Chun Lai. She was also quite pretty and cute.
I enjoyed this show alot, which is why I have so many complaints đ
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acting masterpiece about trauma and healing through love
While many Western viewers might get lost in
the surface-level "scandal" of its NC-17 rating,
Lust, Caution is a profound, soul-crushing
exploration of the human condition under the
weight of history.
As noted by prominent Chinese critics, Ang Lee
doesn't just adapt Eileen Chang's text; he
reconstructs it as a recurring trauma. This is a
film about the brutality of performance-where
acting isn't an art, but a desperate, animalistic
survival tactic.
Tony Leung delivers the performance of a
lifetime. He portrays a man who has suffered, a
collaborator whose cruelty is merely a thin veil
over a visceral, internal torment. You don't need
subtitles to understand him; his silence speaks
of a "killer's light" and a profound loneliness.
Opposite him, Tang Wei is mesmerizing as the
manipulated woman. She is a pawn who, in
trying to deceive her predator, ends up losing her
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The lead is awsm ... I loved it fr
I don't know why everyone is just so negative about this DRAMA . ..... I actually liked the drama ..... N tbh I've never watched any short drama ... This was my first one ... I literally watched all the episodes within a single day !! N i literally enjoyed this yrr !?... Like okay ... Wasn't something so special... But like it had a thrill and fun ofc to watch this personally... Idk what do ppl actually expect n why spreading so hatred for this drama ... Ik the ending could be better n a bit detailed... But can we just appreciate the cast ??.. like in my opinion i enjoyed the storyline fair enough to watch at least ... And like wu jiayi is just my fvrt sooâ¤ď¸â¤ď¸âand the main actor (yun zhan) .. loved him too đ¤Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
not what I was hoping for
Overall: I was hoping for a fun mess like the first one, but even setting the first season aside I had struggles with the characters/plot. Viewers do not need to have watched the first season. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6274/only-friends-dream-on-2026Content Warning: vomiting around 43 min of episode 1, non con recording/sharing, punches, blood, past alcoholism, intimate partner abuse/violence, victim blaming, non con touching that turned consensual
What I Liked
- so many GMMTV actors in one series
- different dynamics (exes, hookup, secret crush)
- sweet moments
- Raffy and Rome
Room For Improvement
- Jack should have apologized multiple times and Dean shouldn't have apologized multiple times, you can't have boyfriend expectations when the label has not been agreed upon (and even vehemently rejected)
- intimate partner abuse response was terribly handled. She said she was repeatedly physically abused and Jack's response was "Whoa that's not okay Dao. How did you put up with a cheater like that?"
- made no sense to set this during/at university, could have been a play production post-university age
- the non con hugging with Arnold and Tua was awkward to watch and not romantic
- the interviews/tried to be edgy like Real World but shied away from being edgy
- I don't normally take off for production value but GMMTV has money and years of experience, the slower background music clashed with another beat on top of it
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This review may contain spoilers
Such beautiful scenarios, and totally wasted.
Such a good cast, and I had high hopes for this one. It started off pretty goodâfunny and entertainingâbut the storyline got more and more twisted. Like, he was just fine with her having a personality disorder, and I felt like they weren't happy for even half a chapter. The side couple gave me more joy than the lead couple. Even in the last chapter, they kept inventing more and more problems for them. It was like, chill, just give them the final happiness of a classic K-drama.Was this review helpful to you?
Story is good. Main Leads don't have chemistry
I know why the chemistry is not evident in the relationship of the main leads. It's the ML ,Sung Joon. The way he looks at the FL is not too authentic. He always has a reserved/sarcastic expression.The 2nd ML is better. He acts as if he likes her.
The FL actress also has no expression in her eyes. It's like "dead eyes". She's pretty though.
The story is decent.
Second leads act very well! Look at their eyes - very expressive and lively!
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good for the cooking scenes but it is a bit slow
At the start I laughed a lot with their scenes, but after some episodes it stopped being funny at all. The slow pace and the ML made me drop it.The cooking plotline is attractive and made me want to try the recipes. However the ML was not to my liking. Most of the characters are annoying...
Since this drama is pretty recent, the scenery, the production, the costumes and make up are sublime.
Some of the side dramatic plotlines are interesting and well done. The time travel accuracy was okay
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Very interesting and good
It took me alot of effort to start this series, especially the first 5 series. This is because I couldn't tolerate the Female Lead's - Wang Yu Wen - acting for the first 5 episodes where she literally (please in my PERSONAL OPINION) is a royal bit** and a pain in the ass. Do not misunderstand me, I love her shows but this one, for the first 5 episodes especially, was tremendously hard to go by. After the 5th episode, I gradually grew to finally like the female lead character again and managed to finish watching this series successfully.Overall, the show is very interesting, keeps you on edge, exciting and funny. It also shows how 5 students from different backgrounds, wealth etc managed to become bosom friends in their 4 years in school. It is also amazing how they trust each other and care for each other. It is definitely a good watch, not a very long series (only 24 episodes long) and if you want action and some mystery, this series has it too! I would say that this series has a good balance of seriousness and comedians - especially the part where a female enters an all male school. It is a good watch - for first timers - but rewatch would depend if you like the series in the end. For me, although I love the series, I can't do a rewatch unless I skip the first few episodes. =)
The songs paired to this series is very beautifully paired and nice. If you are a fan of chinese music, something worth searching for.
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Hard watch ngl
okay so first off, I've seen worse. I'm thinking the actors tried to portray the best outta the shitty plot. The acting wasnt great at all nor necessarily terrible... I'd say okayish. As my personal opinion, definitely don't recommend. It's all scattered, having unnecessary scenes, and overall felt very rushedâwhich ofc an episode lasted about 10mins. And not to mention it felt like those highschool budgeted film projects..and almost worst. I think overall it could've been portrayed better and maybe like that it wouldn't be such a hassle to finish (I barely could even if it was 10 mins each ep.) So, in a nutshell it was disastrous.Was this review helpful to you?
The beginning was a bit unpolished and jolty. What kept me going was the refreshingly modern closeness between the leads despite not being a couple yet. The way they outsmarted the palace people every time to keep each other company even at night, was a satisfactory watch. There was this immediate trust foundation from the very first meeting between them - probably because they were "of the same kind". And even though some things changed later on, they kept supporting each other. All their interactions were one of the driving forces of the story.
At first the plot seemed chaotic and with no purpose, the common thread only became apparent later on when the story progressed. Only then the real excitement started. At some point the drama's atmosphere changed alot when certain secrets came to light (at least for the viewer). It added more depth and darkness to the story and also made the characters more palpable and reasonable. That was the moment I started to be fully invested in the story, was shocked and moved by the ML's past and even created a soft spot for him in my heart. The outstanding performance of the male lead which defined an interesting and complex character, played a big part in that.
Although the lead actor was incredible in what he was doing, the rest of the cast should be mentioned as well. No matter how small the role or how little they had to say, each and every actor/actress played their part exceptionally well. None of them felt like amateurs. I cried as much for the side cast as I did for the main couple.
Another personal thing I enjoyed a lot were some smaller details that included some medical knowledge. Without telling too much, it was interesting to see how people treated certain things in the past and how they counterattacked while I was connecting the parts and compared them to modern times.
The final episodes had something of a roundabout closure. Things that appeared in the beginning and which were almost forgotten, fullfilled their actual purpose at the end. That created a moment of cognition and felt nice for a change.
Emotional and moving songs, emphasizing the moment, beautiful costumes of the leads and well done kisses were other things to support the overall mood.
Conclusion:
You'll definitely get more than what the poster and summary give away. Highly recommended to those who enjoy well written complex characters, magnificent acting and a well thought out story that rather lives by its people's stories than by some "over the top" plot twists. The story - except for the supernatural transmigration part - felt pleasantly normal.
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Innocent Love full of respect and harmony
The story itself is refreshing with adorable ML and FL. ML is a perfect husband character with wonderful traits of a man and FL is self-preserved, self-respect, kind, patient and extremely hard working with personal goals and dreams. Both give the drama a heartfelt harmony and peace. I love the directing, beautiful scenery, humble costumes, and the selection of ML and FL. The only negative parts are the 2nd ML and FL. They are so out of place in this drama. It's as if the director wants to create something exciting (sexually charged) portions just to attract certain viewers looking for steamy parts. I just skipped all their parts without even affecting the story. It baffles me when some viewers are in love with the 2nd ML and FL. To me they are so irrelevant like a separate drama cut and paste into this drama. Overall, I really enjoy watching it.Was this review helpful to you?
Your Arrival Coincides with the Spring Time
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In the meantime, this drama can be found in YouTube under the caption: âHer FiancĂŠ Dumped Her for Best FriendâŚHe Never Knew the Cold CEO Had Already Crowned Her His Queen!â (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX0oMNGf9xs&t=181s)
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Two Things I Donât Understand
So I just have two major complaints about this show.1. How does a BB gun make a real gunshot sound? The guy shot his gun into the air, which was what got everyoneâs attention, but the gun turned out to be a toy gun? I must have missed what happened there because that made absolutely no sense.
2. So the guy is driving with his pregnant wife, and these crazy kids are riding motorcycles recklessly in front of them and shooting fireworks back at them. Um, why does he not stop his car? Instead he keeps driving behind them, tailgating them to be exact, and crashes. Whose fault is that? Stop your damn car!!
I really didnât pay too much attention otherwise. There ma have been other major holes I didnât catch, thankfully.
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This review may contain spoilers
I See The Intention But... Such A Wasted Opportunity
I've never tried writing a review before but I'm watching BL's for over three years now and I wanted to try writing it. So please bear it with me.Dare You To Death was one of the tough ones to watch it. Writing in this series is... well to put it kindly: childish, sloppy, unprofessional. I understand the intention when they produced this series. But, my god the story just kept getting worse and worse each episode. Irrational behaviours of police officers, stupid decisions of the victims, jarring tonal shifts from romance to "mysterious" murder scenes... The list goes on and on. Firstly, writer/s clearly did not know how law enforcement bureaus work because the errors that have been made during solving the cases is just stupid. Knowing the potential victims but not providing them protection, not asking for a full autopsy report for the first deceased, or even not interrogate the suspects/victims fully in a police station is wild. And these things I mentioned here is just a glimpse. Anyways, there is so much to talk about the script of this series; but if I get in to that, it'd be full on spoilers so I'll cut it short here. It's just full of many illogical things that doesn't even cover up other story plots and left us with a whole bunch of mess.
The acting very surprised me. In my opinion, we saw the potential of Dunk's acting in Heart Killers. He was really good in that series. But unfortunately, Joong kept getting the same roles over and over again which is a very boring caracter type for me, we couldn't see his acting range. But in this series, I believe he really outdone himself. both Joong and Dunk. They both play different characters from their previous works which is refreshing. And seeing Joong in a character that can actually show emotions was really nice. Their acting really carried this series.
If I really have to say something about the music, its just boring. GMM has stock music/sounds to play in certain scenes. And they used those musics so much that using it here too is just feels lazy at this point. Also, the production quality was a mess either. Especially for a series that's been produced for Netflix. The audio issues were jaw-dropping. The editing that caused tonal shifts were horrific. At one point, It felt as if the production team didn't like certain people who were involved in this series so they tried everything in their power to ruin this show. And clearly they succeeded.
It's such a shame that these good actors were wasted in such a sloppy series. The only reason I gave this show a high overall rating is the acting in this series.
As I said in the beginning, this is my first attempt to write a review. I know probably not many people will see this review but if there are things you want to discuss or just talk about the series, let me know so that we can discuss it.
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