Reviews

You don't need conflicts to have a wonderful story. Sometimes we just need peace in love.

If you are someone who loves to watch dramas without complicated plots and issues. You should give this a try. It's fun, cute, mature and healthy show that would make you reflect about why we complicate life. The drama is light, but it touches issues about insecurities, understanding, communication and security.

This drama gave me the kind of peace I hope for in a relationship, be it romance or friendship. Two people giving the kind of support and understanding that is rarely seen today and friends that would be with you without doubt. The story is simple, yet it will you such warmth you never thought you needed. The most important thing is that it teaches you that distance and differences should never be a source of conflict to break a good relationship. It might require trust, effort and maturity but growing in different surrounding doesn't mean that you are growing apart.

I really love how brave the main lead in expressing their thoughts and feelings.

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The best of the best!

THIS DRAMA IS A MASTERPIECE. I've seen so many c-dramas that I loved, but this one really takes the crown. This is proof that you do not need love triangles, second leads, infuriating misunderstandings, toxicity, messy drama, or breakups to make a well-written and captivating show. Other dramas in recent years also accomplish this, but the way WIFTY does it is just so perfect and magical. It may seem like a typical coming-of-age youth drama with a basic plot in a cliché setting, but it’s actually special in a lot of ways, and it's also executed SO WELL that it doesn’t matter. There are so many valuable lessons to learn from this drama that are beautifully interwoven into the characters’ lives as they navigate adulthood, and it is so healing. Every part of the story is meaningful and the delivery is on point. I’ve seen a lot of dramas that fall under this genre/concept or use similar themes, but this is easily my favorite. (Warning: long review ahead.)

The character development is incredible. The relationship progression between ZLR and SZZ, in particular, was so natural. I loved that they were kinda together even way before they were actually together lol, like it was so obvious they liked each other and there was never anyone else. It felt like they were already committed to each other before they even came close to confessing and becoming official, but it wasn't some corny, lovey-dovey thing – it felt very genuine and realistic, and it happened gradually but not like a slow burn (they managed to achieve the perfect balance). ZLR wasn’t the cold, tsundere type you would expect him to be. He’s quiet and introverted, but not mean or aloof. He’s quite clear about his feelings and intentions and he reciprocates the things she does for/with him. He is kind, he looks out for her, he notices her, he’s attentive, he shows he cares through small gestures, he always responds to her messages/calls/letters, he speaks to her gently, the list goes on and on. It is such a breath of fresh air to not only see an FL who is super active but to also see an ML reciprocating and not ignoring or dismissing her or finding her annoying. I feel like it’s so rare to come across this type of relationship dynamic in dramas – it’s always one chasing and the other rejecting, but that doesn’t happen at all here. He doesn’t really hide his feelings about her (he did shy away sometimes at the start or pretend like he wasn't doing anything special for her when he obviously was, but it was charming and she can always read him like a book – and he knows she can), and she definitely never hid her feelings for him. This is the first drama I’ve seen that depicts this pre-relationship phase so well and takes its time with all of the subtle-yet-obvious actions, hints, and glances between them as well as the teasing, jealousy, cute interactions, and candid conversations. And it never got boring, the pacing was really good and every episode was interesting and entertaining.

And once they actually started dating, their relationship was literally everything I ever wanted. They actually communicate and talk to each other. There are no fights or misunderstandings. They unconditionally support each other and are always there for one another. They wholeheartedly trust each other and never let anyone or anything interfere with their relationship or get between them. They are thoughtful, considerate, and understanding toward one another. They are both the greenest flags and bring out the best in each other. Undoubtedly one of the healthiest relationships I’ve ever seen in a drama, especially in a youth drama. I just love them so much, they're so sweet together and are absolute couple goals. I felt so single watching this drama.

I really felt for ZLR when it came to his individual arc about his backstory, family, and academics. There were a lot of things I could relate to, and you can see how his upbringing shaped him and affected his self-esteem. It's a tough story with complex emotions and feelings involved, I could understand him on a deep level and my heart really hurt for him at some points. I am so glad he opened up because of his friends and that we got to see him smile and talk more as the drama progressed, and I like that his demeanor changed gradually while still staying true to his reserved nature and personality. It felt very natural and authentic. It was wonderful to watch him develop into a more confident person, and I really admire him for being well-disciplined, persistent, determined, and resilient. And as for SZZ, I love how she knows her self-worth. She is the cutesy type of FL like we’ve seen many times before, but her character is actually different and refreshing in a lot of ways. She has a backbone and stands up for herself and for what’s right. When she is wronged, she will defend herself and make a good argument, and she doesn’t back down when challenged. I like that they didn’t reduce her to the typical dumb, poor, helpless, naive FL. Her femininity and vulnerability are portrayed very well, and her confidence, eloquence, and tenacity really shine too. SZZ has her own strengths, she has so much to offer and I'm glad they highlighted that. For example, ZLR and SZZ tutored each other since ZLR was better at math and SZZ was better at English. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, like we all do in real life, and can help each other improve. And when pursuing ZLR, she valued her friendship with him above all and never begged him with the whole “pick me, choose me, love me” thing. SHE chose him. She believes in him. And as good as he was for her, she knew she was good for him as well whether it be as friends or more – and they really are the best for each other. She may have been the clingier one in the beginning, but she would never let him or anyone walk all over her. She showed that she would never chase after a man who doesn’t like her or doesn’t want to be with her. She is strong-minded, smart, brave, courageous, and also highly emotionally intelligent. She is adamant about pursuing her own goals, and I completely agree with her that we should not sacrifice or give up our dreams for others – we should focus on ourselves and become better together. I love that they are strong as individuals and even stronger together. And I enjoyed watching the rest of their friend group grow as well.

All in all, I loved the whole storyline and all of the main/side characters. Everything just felt so real and organic and human, and this drama really teaches you a lot about life, school, family, work, and relationships. There is nothing I would change. I could nitpick and say I wish we got to see just a little bit more of ZLR and SZZ's married life at the end, but I was totally fine with it (after all, this was a youth drama so the focus was on that). Honestly I'm grateful they even included those extra bits, the finale was beautiful and really wrapped up the show nicely. The kiss scenes maybe could have been a little better but they were fitting for the setting and characters so I was also ok with it, they were still decent and did not take away from the show by any means. With how amazing the writing, acting, and production is, I can't bring myself to criticize this drama very much, it was flawless to me. I am so happy I have found my ultimate comfort show. I’ll definitely be rewatching this one often. 10/10!!!

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98 people found this review helpful
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Overall10
Story10
Acting/Cast10
Music9.0
Rewatch Value10
The most youthful youth drama!

The best youth drama I have watched this year. Felt like I lived the high school life I always wanted through them. The scenes did not feel like cringe at all but showed how crushing on someone at that age looks so innocent and lovely. No unnecessary dramas and no dull moments. The love between them won my heart and got me kicking the air and dying of jealousy. However, I find the lines to be more powerful and even a simple line went really deep to my heart. A simple drama that I can't recommend

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Wasted potential

I quit this drama around episode 10. I pondered this decision for a long time, because in terms of cinematography, costumes and, most importantly, set design, the drama looks far above average. I abandoned this drama because of the plot, which literally and figuratively is torture.

You know, I have nothing against violence, suffering, good torture scenes, but what's too much is unhealthy. Tormenting someone for the sake of tormenting someone is just boring and unpalatable. I think by the third episode I was already fed up with how the creators non-stop emphasize how miserable and tragic FL is. That's the only theme of this drama - she is unhappy, lonely, betrayed. Instead of a healthy relationship between the four main characters, we have BDS&M. Literally. I tried to like any of the 4 main characters, but I can't, because there are more negative traits in any of them than positive ones. In the first episodes I got curious about Little 17, in the next episode they show that he's an asshole. You know, showing the hero's journey from bad to good is cool, but not when all 4 main characters are bad from the beginning. I can accept that I haven't learned the motivations of each of the 3 men so far, but not that I still don't know the motivations of FL.

There are no dynamics here. Every scene is shot at exactly the same pace. It doesn't matter if they are fighting each other or talking at a table, if she is running away through the woods or he is erotically sucking the blood out of her - everything is devoid of dynamics, as if in slow motion, which is tedious and annoying. The pace should change, give the viewer some adrenaline, then a moment to calm down to attack again with something dynamic. Monotony kills interest.

In conclusion - technically the drama is nicely done. I very much appreciate the open air (but the green screen is bad). The plot could have been interesting if it wasn't so monotonous, depressing, beating around the head with the idea of "you're supposed to love FL because she's had a hard life and is so weak that she couldn't even save the cat" (save the cat is the motive). If the pace and characters of this story were varied, more dynamic instead of torturously pathetic, this drama would really be excellent. But it isn't. It is boring. On top of that, the music, which is average and of which there is simply too much, is terribly tiresome. I've watched 10 episodes and can't recall a single pleasant scene. I don't see any point in torturing myself further.

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Unique, Entertaining, Memorable

This is one of the few dramas that I'll never hesitate to rewatch. I loved watching this drama due to its storyline, OSTs, but also the emotions that I felt throughout. There are scenes that can be scary, scenes that will make you laugh, and scenes that will make you cry. The storyline of this drama is something new and unique that I haven't seen portrayed in other dramas that I have watched. There is great chemistry amongst the actors/actress. The OSTs are very nice and fitting to the drama, even without watching the mv to the most just by hearing the song you'll be able to picture a scene from the drama in your mind.

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Very touching, no fast forward

A story about a long farewell of Li Lian Hua who used to be the No.1's Swordsman to his past & friends
"It was good then, it's good now"

This is one of the 2 c-dramas which I highly recommend for 2023. Viewers will be touched by the effort spent on producing this drama. Every component just makes sense.
There is no need to fast forward as plot is fast-paced (kudos to screenwriter), the acting skills of all actors are online, scenes are well shot, settings & props are very well prepared, OSTs and BGMs are very suitable.

-Plot
Screenwriter has done a really good job. The rhythm is very fast. This is the only drama I don't fast forward. In fact, sometimes I need to pause for fear of missing some clues.
The author Teng Ping and Screenwriter Liu Fang also interpret respect to women very well through Li Lian Hua's character, which I really appreciate.

-Update based on ep20: Kudos to screenwriter
The screenwriter is really good. Now that we are at episode 20, I realise that the previous cases, such as Yipin Tomb & Li Xiang Yi's flashback to his return to Sigu Sect have had brief introductions to future cases. As a viewer, I just did not realise the significance. Not only do I not fast forward, I need to go back to prior episodes to find clues. I really love this drama.

-Acting skills
Very good acting skills, especially Cheng Yi, this is his best role yet. It's really not easy to potray Li Lian Hua's letting go. He used to be best swordsman and he's now living an ordinary life, with poor health.
Li Lian Hua is not an easy character to potray. Li Lian Hua is sickly, but tries his best to live happily to the best of his ability. He has a chivalrous spirit, but at the same time, a bit gossipy, like to talk nonsense. There is also no filter in this drama, so you can see the up & downs of his appearance very clearly. In short, there is no character buff.
FDB & DFS interactions are very fun.

-Martial Arts Scenes
There are many good martial arts scenes.
The first 10mins of the Battle of The East China Sea is really excellent. There are many more we haven't seen yet as we are only halfway through the drama.

-Cases
Focusing on human nature's worst vices. I won't give any spoiler, so please watch and try to guess the culprit.
We now have up to 8 episodes free on IQIYI. Some people who are used to suspense/detective may find ep1-3 a bit slow, so I recommend going directly to ep 6 Yipin Tomb. The cases got more complicated as we go. If you like ep 6-8, go back to watch ep1

-OSTs
There are only 4 OSTs for this drama.
The first love OST, a pot of lotus wine is fast-paced, but now I cry when hearing this song. Li Lian Hua & Qiao Wan Yu's farewell in ep 17-18 are just too emotional. How can a martial arts/suspense drama have one of the best BE asthetics?

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Ignore that low rating, it's 10/10!

If you watch this for nothing else, watch it for the final episode. Although... it's flipping amazing anyways.

How do people rate this so low?! Was it the homophobia? Because I can see that, although we had people loudly voicing support for LGBTQ+ there was quite a lot of homophobia. That being said, we have dealt with that in other shows and not condemned it for that. And if that isn't the reason, I have no idea what it could be. Was it the pandemic? Was everyone still just angry at the world? I really just don't get it. I mean.... I usually rate shows a little lower than average or about the average. But this was a 10/10 for me.

I flipping loved this show! It was hilarious! It was a great plot, and Chonlatee was everything! The friends were AMAZING! Every character played their role so well! I was laughing so much. I LOVED this friends to lovers trope, I loved the journey, and I routed for Chonlatee the entire time! I loved the differences between our two main characters. I loved how right away Tonhon was treating Chonlatee as if not a day had passed. Their first meeting? Hilarious! Their first sleepover? Hilarious! Everything he did was just so satisfying.

And can we give this series credit for not having Tonhon break up with his girlfriend FOR Chonlatee! He was heartbroken BEFORE he ran into him again (and while heartbroken he ran back to his 'home' if that tells you anything) and then things went from there. That is SO refreshing. Look at Love Mechanics, although I loved that show, I couldn't bare to watch another show where the GF card gets dragged along for far to long!

One of my big issues in this show was Ton and his feelings. When Ton was faced with a truth and suddenly seemed to change so much, it felt unrealistic. Buuuuuuut after everything played out, his reactions made SO much sense! I even want to go rewatch it right after finishing it to see the series in a whole new light!

There is not one thing in this show I disliked, and THAT is very, VERY rare for me.

Oh and let's not forget Na! We love you Neo! and Gunsmile, sad to see you in this role but you did great! Mike, TopTap, a pleasure as always. ALSO this is SUCH a change in character for Khaotung! I saw one episode of Eclipse and him in 2gether and he seemed SO different here. I love him the most in this one but what a versatile actor! And Pod! I actually wasn't a huge fan of him in Dark Blue Kiss but LOVED him in this one! Okay at first I thought he was a bit dense but again, I have to go back and watch the show in a new light to truly see his entire character now!

GMMTV, a pleasure as always.

I have many more thoughts but I have to stop somewhere!!

Okay one more thing! When Ton was apologizing LOL OHMYGOD.
Me:
"HE DID NOT JUST DEHEAD THAT TEDDY BEAR AHAHAHHAHA
THREW THE WHOLE GARBAGE AT HIM HAHAHAH
Oh you're hot? HERES A BUCKET OF WATER AHHAHAHHA

THAT EPISODE KILLLLLED ME! I had to rewatch so many times and started crying I was laughing so hard!!

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Memorable memories of hard work

I would honestly rate this drama a 9.5 but I just couldn't help but rate it a 10. Personally for me it's one of those dramas where you may find yourself skimming through some parts of episodes but you can't help but to end up loving the drama. This drama holds a special place in my heart with the portrayal of the work behind firefighters and doctors. The OST "Ni De Da An" aka "Your Answer" is what made this drama a 10 for me. That OST plays during scenes of hardship and success of the firefighters which is very memorable. I love the romance in this drama especially the bromance.

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Survival & the pursuit of happiness

For the watchers who enjoyed The Guest, this is like its younger cousin twice removed. Still very eerie at times, and gloomy in its own right, but it didn't crawl up my spine near as much as TG did.

It starts off following Sanyoung, who lives a life cleaning up after her mother and never quite making ends meet despite working herself to the bone. She's tired, rarely smiles, and contemplates ending it for herself. This drama does not have much humor in it, and consistently portrays graphic suicide and violence. If you're looking for something light with ghosts in it, this is not the one.

The storyline and pacing is honestly kind of eh. I found myself bored at times, and scrolling through my phone while half listening through the more filler moments. There is a lot of running around, finding clues, and a slow reveal of the truth, that constantly backtracks with twists and turns.

Yet, despite the more dull moments, I still clicked the next episode without hesitation every single time. Why? The acting takes the whole bakery in Revenant.

By far, the acting is what got me through this. I was unsettled, jump scared, horrified, and angered through this. The first few episodes are rough going, but once the ball starts rolling, the characters were what drew me in and kept me there. They delved into the true motives of peoples actions, the meaning of happiness, and the lengths people will go to just to survive. I highly recommend for the performances alone. Just be prepared to have to push through a few of the repetitive scenes where they run around and extract information.

All in all, a great watch and I finished in three days. If you're looking for truly bad ghosties and superb performances, then definitely give this one a go.

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Lie to keep me interested.

This series had a strong interesting start. I have seen both leads in other series and was very curious how this would land. The cast was very strong. However, some scenes started to drag at times to lengthen the episodes. The chemistry between the leads was minimum. Let's just say the ML and FL acted out the script. At no time did the characters make you want more. After episiode 20 where the main relationship is 'solidified' it was touch and go. It is a solid series as far as production. However, the OST was distracting at times. This definitely needed a cleaner edit to keep things from feeling like it would never end. All on all, the story itself was interesting but the execution missed the mark.

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An entertaining watch

I was very excited for this drama to air but unfortunately it came right after two amazing dramas that set the expectations too high (Hidden Love, When I fly towards you). It was definitely enjoyable to watch and never felt boring, although it felt like the second lead couple made me more excited since they had their own character development, which actually wasn't too big either. The main characters have known each other their whole lives and so their relationship basically never goes through any challenges. This was the thing that made me most disappointed, the challenges that they had were because of random people who had crushes on them. Therefore, I think the story itself is very monotonous. But overall, I did really enjoy Zhang Miao yi's silly acting and the supporting cast's personalities. 🌼🌼

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This drama was very “matter of fact” for lack of better words. It sorts out the Good and Bad for you so you couldn’t even think twice to pick a side; the evil were unquestionably evil you couldn’t help but root for the main character.

First it traumatizes you exposing you to the absolute worst that a person can go through then lures you in, dangling that carrot of sweet, sweet revenge. Now you’re invested and can’t help but see this journey through. And for some reason this was exactly what I found to be wrong with it.

The drama relied heavily on your feelings of absolute hatred for the bullies and placed all of its bet on your desire to see them hit rock bottom ignoring everything else.

Everything was just too convenient. How people blindly sided with the FL, how crimes were casually committed and how, for some reason, people were more than O.K. with it and how there was a pattern to everything that after a while you could predict exactly what was going to happen next.

There were no apparent plot holes and the acting was superb but there was still something missing. The characters lacked depth and the plot, despite its heavy nature, did too.

Our FL, Dong Eun, despite going through the absolute worst of abuse, displayed some very random, nonsensical trauma responses that seemed to only arise at times of convenience.

Which brings me to the romance. I don’t see why it needed to be included in the first place. It was so forced and did not add up nor make sense when taking into account Dong Eun’s past.

It was almost like the writer woke up one day and was like, this is how things would go, no questions asked. Now let’s take them there no matter what. Lots of cringy moments were born thanks to this and I almost dosed off in a lot of parts.

But guess what? I still tuned in ‘cause I wanted to see how these motherf’ing bullies go down, which was also for some reason not as climactic as I would’ve like/thought it would be. All thanks to the writer’s “convenient” way of sorting matters.

So yeah, will I be rewatched this ever again? Don’t think so, but I still enjoyed it. Not the thriller I expected but still a fun watch as long as you turn off your brain and leave the character analysis at home.

I understand the buzz around this drama, but it could’ve been much better.

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Once again, Kim Tae Ri has proven why she's a Rank 1 actor. Special mention was her portrayal of the ghost desperate to live yet Tae Ri's character was forcing her to burn the final key object to banish the spirit.

I played that scene multiple times because I can't get enough of the out of this world acting by Kim Tae Ri. I felt compassion on the ghost in that scene. She only wanted to live because she was wronged when she was still alive. And her very strong desire to live, by trying to fight back San Young (Tae Ri's character), was delivered by Tae Ri in a very powerful way. I think Tae Ri's theater acting training and exposure greatly helped her at that moment. She knew how to act the ghost's desires and desperation to live without overdoing it.

Of course, I also commend the director and the cameraman for perfectly capturing that moment, up close and personal. It magnified what Tae Ri wants the audience to feel: this ghost, she was a victim, while it doesn't justify the ghost's murders, it is us humans who turned her that way.

Which is true. Many of humans only think of their own desires and greed, and doesn't care if another human being turn evil because of their actions and words. Yes, we cannot blame others for our own actions, but we also cannot deny the fact that we are who we are because of our experiences.

For me, the moral of this story is that we should always strive to do good. If you truly want to be selfish, then keep your mouth shut instead of speaking hurtful words behind other people's backs. For example, San Young realised how she was killing herself in the final episode because of how people said hurtful words, like that scene with the convenient store manager. If one did not notice, Tae Ri showed her "evil face" at that time, and she was not yet influenced by the ghost then.

Many of us probably reacted that way too after hearing hurtful words from people. Our faces probably showed how we want "kill" them for looking down on us as if us struggling in life was our fault (when it was just what we're given). Or, like it was a sin to have been born in that situation. And that moment was when San Young, without her knowledge until the final episode, that she started to slowly kill herself.

I've been there, too, without me realising what I'm doing. You gave up. You just try to live every day, but you no longer have any desire to live. You are just waiting for death to collect you, and you'll even welcome death with open arms. And the ghost that possessed San Young, she was right. San Young was wasting her life, and she (the ghost) wants to live.

The show may have been about ghosts and suicide. But if we look deeper into it, it is sending us a message that we should strive to live no matter what. Why? Because there were people whose lives ended not out of their own will, rather, they were forced to it. They were victims.

So, to you and me, this show is a strong and powerful message. Fight to live. It is hard. I know, I am struggling myself. I want to give up. I had enough of this life. But, let's fight to live another day. Let's show this world, let's show this evil society that we have today, that we can. If we know people whose lives ended early, either through suicide or they were murdered, let's live for them. They have desires and dreams, let's live for them, and maybe, through us, our society will become better.

Thank you, Kim Tae Ri, to the cast, the staff, the director, the writer, for this very timely story and message. I hope you'll win awards for this, you 100% deserve to grab all the awards.

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