Completed
Mysterious Lotus Casebook
14 people found this review helpful
Aug 11, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Best wuxia 2023

It’s my first time leave a review on MDL, I started this drama with no expectations at all, and its ny first Cheng Yi’s drama that I watch. Im surprised I can enjoy a non-romance drama this much, Imo It’s a beautiful bromance drama, the casts are perfect, the acting are great, (esp Cheng Yi, he has done fantastic job in here) solid plot. It’s easy to follow and Im drawn effortlessly into the story, episode to episode. Love everything about this drama, I can say it’s a masterpiece of 2023.
Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Mysterious Lotus Casebook
5 people found this review helpful
Aug 11, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10

Li Lianhua, Everytime you walk away, it feels like you're going somewhere faraway.

I have been following this drama ever since this was a rumor back in December 2021, to June when this started filming and now when it finally released, as I've read so many articles about the novel and the ending, the story is about letting go of the past and I thought the ending would be a good ending for Li Lianhua.

I knew of the ending but when I watch the last episode, I'd never thought that it would make me stare at an empty wall for hours. There's something about his character that when he's walking away and you look at his back, there's this lingering feeling that he's going somewhere far far away where he lives a quiet and peaceful life alone. I don't know how to describe it but everytime I watch him walking while looking at his back, there's just this indescribable feeling that I couldn't meet him again everytime he walks away, and who knows if we'll ever meet again.

I also love the character development of each Characters and how they hold important roles in the story. And I must say, I love and Hate Jiao Li Qiao AHAHA, there are some parts that I hate her but I can't keep myself from also liking her for some reason, I like the way her character is written.

Kudos to the directors, screenwriters, actors & actresses, and to everyone ‼️‼️

Even as a student journalist, I'm not good at making a good and detailed review lol.

PS: This might be random but as an LOTM fan (Lord of the Mysteries[A Chinese Novel]), I can Consider Cheng Yi as Klein Morreti. No, I really consider Cheng Yi as Klein Morreti if they will ever make a live adaptation (Since the Donghua PV Released a few days ago, it's not impossible for a live adaptation to happen). Considering Omniscient readers Viewpoint is having a live adaptation, Can LOTM have one too starring Cheng Yi? I'm blabbering rn but I'm already imagining it lmao. ?

Thank you too for everyone on the comment section, I had a good time with you guys even though I'm only reading comments from the sidelines. I'll probably still camp here as I am having withdrawal symptoms.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Exclusive Fairytale
0 people found this review helpful
by Bali
Aug 11, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 10

A lighthearted pleasure!

This drama is really a breath of fresh air! Even though the leading couple bickers a lot throughout their high school years, this drama is not about a hate/love relationship. The synopsis describes it well: “A love story revolving around childhood sweethearts, Ling Chao and Xiao Tu, who journey through youth and share experiences in sadness and joy together.” The cast did a great job bringing their characters to life and, every one of these characters had its own endearing qualities. The leading couple, each on its own and together, is a fantastic pair to watch and once they become a couple, they were adorable and delightful; their chemistry as friends and lovers is fantastic. Overall, main and supporting cast did great; the leading couple’s parents are a riot and so much fun together. Overall, if the viewer is looking for a lighthearted pleasure, this is the drama to watch. Enjoy it!

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Single Wife
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 11, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

A drama filled with comedy. Focuses on both ambition and romance

Liked the story. It was funny, some parts were heartbreaking. There are also times where the scene is cringey. However, I enjoyed it. It's not the best drama out there but it was very entertaining.

Ending Spoiler:
I was looking forward for the ending but I got disappointed by it. I understand that Rahee needs to focus on her ambition but I wish the ending showed more moments between her and Minhong. With the final scene, we can only assume that the two actually ended up with each other.
Was this review helpful to you?
Dropped 5/10
He's Mine
1 people found this review helpful
by Pebee
Aug 11, 2023
5 of 10 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 2.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 3.0
Music 2.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

No Saving Grace

Watching this is like torture. The acting is atrocious, actually the closest I could call acting was from the girl playing Calix's little sister, the dialogues seemed to have been automatically generated in no way resembling how real people talk, the characters were badly introduced so I didn’t even know who was supposed to be the main couple in it, the audio sounded like they were talking with the microphone inside their pockets. I understand it is a very amateur project, but I have seen good low budget dramas so I wouldn’t use it as an excuse.

I also wish they would drop the random English or at least not use it for full sentences, because the broken English was very distracting. I think a lot of the weirdness in the dialogue came from using a foreign language they didn’t speak fluently.

I got a headache watching 5 episodes, I can only assume if I watched 10 it would give me an aneurysm.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
The Uncanny Counter
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 11, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
I wasn't even going to watch the show, because i was so adamant on just watching romance, but its a really good watch and i feel like the character development for the main character is really good, like the kid actually learns to trust his team and everything. the only complaint I can think for those who might think my opinion is too biased (lol, it probably is.) is that the progress of the main character learning to control his special ability (won't say to avoid spoilers) is all mushed in to the last few episodes, i wish there was a progression in him learning to control his powers, but overall it doesn't really stop the show from be unenjoyable.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Sing My Crush
1 people found this review helpful
by luca
Aug 11, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

Loved it

I honestly wasn't expecting much from this series. I usually accept that these kinds of series are going to be a 7 out of 10 at max, and move on afterwards.
However, I really enjoyed this series. It's not perfect, but it's one of the most enjoyable out of the last few ones I've watched.

The leads have good chemistry, and they both look considerably younger than their actual age (27?? Literally how?), which makes it easier to believe that they are young and inexperienced. Their scenes together are adorable and carry most of the series. If they weren't there, consider 80% of the rating gone.
I also love that we got a decent kiss. Their first kiss is fine, but very kdrama-esque (as in, it's short, tight-lipped, and a little stiff) - the second one is great. Good job on that front.

The music was also a pleasant surprise. The first song specifically was really good, and even though we hear it multiple times throughout the series, I didn't get tired of it. The last song was also okay, albeit maybe not as memorable.

The production is great. The shots are really pleasant to watch, the color grading is immaculate, and their clothes tend to match their surroundings. It's just really aesthetic and visually appealing.

I think the weak point of the series is the story. At times it felt too dramatic and the characters weren't communicating properly, which was very frustrating. The main couple had like four big fights with the respective make-up scenes, which got a little too repetitive for me - Just talk to each other?? It's not that hard??
I also disliked the teacher the second I saw him, personally I thought he was attracted to Han Baram because of how touchy-feely he was acting with him. It made me uncomfortable, considering that the actor that plays him looks much older than the other two. And then he had the audacity to act surprised when Han Baram developed a crush on him? Like, be ffr, you were all over him a second ago.

Overall, I would for sure recommend this series. It's cute and (relatively) light.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Zombieverse
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 11, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

forced myself to put it on at first but turned out to be a good decision.

Although others seem to have a completely different few on the show I felt like it was 100% worth the overall rating of 9.

At first I was bored and just scrolling through Netflix, I had finished watching another zombie drama and was in a total zombie mood. Zombieverse was the first show to pop up when I typed in zombie so I clicked on it. I noticed the filming was 'off'- nothing like a typical drama. It felt as if I was watching a reality show (which it sort of was?). I clicked it off that very moment and scrolled further for other series but I couldn't find anything so I just put it on, after one episode I was completely into it, I still didn't understand what it was supposed to be so I googled it and it made more sense which also made it a tad better.

Zombieverse is a mix between a drama and a variety show, most of it is unscriped and made out of the actors genuin decisions and reactions, there was ofcourse a basic script of some things they had to follow. (I assume the quests and such.) People, especially Redditors, will continue saying it was scripted but if you watch the show you know it's painfully unscripted- in a good way. In my opinion I think having an unique show once in a while won't hurt even if it didn't play out as you wished it did.

The cast was put together very well, there were people who i ha never heard of but also a few familiar faces, Lee Si-young who I recognized from Sweet home and Billie's Tsuki. Nevertheless, the combination of 'unknown' faces and well known people did not dissapoint or ruin the story at all. Alot of people seemed to hold a dislike towards a few cast members, like Tsuki; "She was so annoying." "I got so many second hand embarrassment from her.", There were of course moments were even I was like "Stop making sounds." or "Just stop screaming." but despite that she was a great person, always tried to include everyone which left with good results at the grocery mark parking lot.

Dex, who entered the show a bit later than the start group got a lot of screentime, he did very well, was sweet and caring and also took care of the others. He was always helping others and putting their safety before his own, in the store, on the parking lot, in the fabric, in the themepark and on the water. Even with his 'cold' look and introverted personality he was someone to rely on.

Many people seemed to find Na-rae useless, which she was at first, with the injured leg but after she got bitten she helped out a lot. Her teamwork with Seong woo was amazing and even though she sometimes was doing a bit too much it didn't irritate me at all and I was able to completely ignore that.

I am very neutral about Si-young and Patricia, Si-young seemed to be a bit more helpful at times but I completely understood Patricia's struggles. I was very pleased with both actors and the teamwork they had with the others.

Jonathan was also a very neutral member, his death didn't really do me much, he didn't have a very negative death, rather he was able to joke with the others and still laugh. He didn't do much throughout the entire show but at times was still very helpful.

DinDin was helpfull from the very start, he was a tad more scared but who wouldn't be if zombies just suddenly appeared? He helped at the gas station but also knew when to not help, he overall has helped the others and especially Tsuki a lot. That brings me to Tsuki's and DinDin's teamwork, DinDin helped her multiple times and in return Tsuki did the same for him.

now the last person, and potentially the most relatable member; Hong chul. I believe most people held a love-hate relationship with him, he would always put himself first, leave others in dangerous situations and laugh. All that probably made him the funniest and most relatable person in show, imo. I dont think he is to blame at all, for laughing, leaving and saving himself, its the most reasonable and best thing to do in a life or death situation. He kept the mood good and also worked great together with Patricia, even after he turned he was still funny and unserious, which is a personality trait not a forced act.

I would not rewatch the entire show but there certainly are parts that I would definitly like to see again for shits and giggles, the Tagada scene but also parts on the parking lot or at the 'funeral'. Even in a normally seen bad situation they were able to make jokes and laugh which gave the show lots of + points, if there weren't jokes it wouldn't be enjoyable at all.

My closing statement is that I would definitely recommend it to binge watch on a boring weekend or watch it with family/sleepover with friends. If you don't understand anything in the show googling might help, I didn't understand the ferris roulette but after googling I was like "ooooooh." and it made the, kind of boring scene, better.

I really hope there will be a season 2 after that cliffhanger.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Cheer Up
1 people found this review helpful
by padme
Aug 11, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Best heartfelt drama I watched in a while!!

Sometimes all we want is some silly romance and some characters that feels like friends, Cheer Up has all of that.

I haven't watched a drama so good in so long, that I had to make a full-on review for this one. The thing with kdramas nowadays is that they feel too forced, too right up in your face, or entirely off (at least to me). This drama was so much fun to watch, the characters were silly and entertaining, and time itself just passed too quickly as I was enjoying this.

The main annoying thing for me here was the love triangle plot, it was a tad unnecessary and sometimes cringe to watch. But at the same time I kind of like to see how it pays some homage to the old dramas in that sense, were we are so annoyed that the main leads just keep going around each other and just never committing. Still, I loved it.

The acting was great, the writing was funny and by the end, they dragged a little bit but since I didn't want to say goodbye to the characters or to the drama itself it was fine for me.

Another thing I have to add it's that the whole thriller plot wasn't anything new or actually exciting, but I get that they were going for a more heartfelt kind of watch and the suspense was just there to add a little spice to the relationships and to make character have something other than their family issues to dwell on, I wish it was explored a little bit more 'cause it felt vague by the end, but then again, the drama wasn't really about that.

If you like goofy dramas about college students just being friends and having fun, with a little bit of a silly thriller, you've hit the jackpot!

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
A Model Family
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 10, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Man up

The premise and preview of a model family seemed pretty interesting. Rather than being negative, I'll just say this.

I thought it was a decent effort. It makes sense what they were trying to do. However, I was looking for more from the lead. Particularly within the core of the story and the inciting incident that drives it. I understand wanting to avoid being typical cliches. The story was downshifted from a template from which a more powerful one might have emerged. Just a disappointing waste of a decent production.

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Mysterious Lotus Casebook
10 people found this review helpful
Aug 10, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

MLC will make you smile a lot :)

When i saw the trailers, i thought wow, heavy detective theme and spooky ?

But right after watching some episodes, it turns out to be light comedy, refreshing and funny ???

What amazed me is they were managed to add natural funny elements just within serious cases. Never watch a detective drama like this before, i smile and laugh alot ?

Stories are very interesting and interconnected each other and to the main plot. It teaches us a lot about letting go.

How LXY as number one martial art hero in the world, letting go everything and become LLH a simple man with carefree life. It very relate with our own life, where actually lots of things need to be let go.

Cases are like agatha christy novel style where there are so many suspects and twists in the end.

Martial art scenes are very aesthetic and artistic. Li Xiang Yi (Cheng Yi) is like dancing with his sword.

Acting is top notch. Cheng Yi never disappoint us. 99.9% people agree that he has unique face, eyes and acting skill that can express from funny, sad to villain.

Joseph and Aero + other casts are all also very good in acting and suitable to their roles = perfect cast.

99% people who were at first hesitant to start watching because of no romance, turn out to love MLC even more than their favorite romance dramas ?

All the reviews everywhere are very positive, even MLC page in MDL is the most peaceful page in MDL ? why? Because no debate at all, everyone just surprised how refreshing MLC is.

Overall i would say, this is a worth watching, unique and funny detective drama that we will never find anywhere else and may only happen once in many years.

So, happy watching new watchers, i can guarantee that you will smile alot with our trio main leads ??

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Shigatsu no Tokyo wa...
4 people found this review helpful
by Giuca
Aug 10, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 4.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Japanese BL version of Something In The Rain

The fluffiest part of this drama were opening credits. The rest is a slow burn, angst filled, heavy with secrets and untold truths and I loved it. Moreover it reminded me of my favourite K-drama, SITR with the stress put upon family ties, friends to lovers theme and workplace sexual harassment. Since it is a japanese drama, it is shorter, more succinct and the family is just touched upon but it is just as bad.

Tokyo in April Is... tells the story of Kazuma and Ren, best friends when they were in school but separated due to an incident. They meet again accidentally ten years later and the spark that connected them years earlies is still there. But something is holding Ren back, he does not want to confide in Kazuma so they become sex friends. And then slowly more.

The main theme of the drama is acceptance: how to accept and define yourself, how does the family see you and whether they accept you regardless.

The main leads were excellent, they had good chemistry, were very much at ease with each other and were deceptively obvious. At the start of the drama, Kazuma looked like a shy, sweet and innocent boy while Ren seemed like a much stronger characters, he was outspoken and nonchalant. But very soon it turned out that Kazume, behind his sweet exterieur, hides a core of steel while Ren hides his wounds and his fragility. I liked this non conformity. They met when they were teens and struck a firm friendship which developed into love neither was really conscious of, especially Kazuma. Ren quickly figured out he was gay himself but Kazuma always refused to put the term to the feelings he had for Ren. And he stuck to this notion to the very ending, refusing to define himself as gay but saying he "only loves Ren". This gay-for-you-only trope is really getting old and unnecessary. It was very much obvious from the beginning that both boys have strong feelings for each other.
At this point, I would like to congratulate casting director on casting two young actors who played Ren ans Kazuma at 15(in flashbacks): they were perfect, there was a definite resemblance with the main actors and they portrayed those young man with talent and sensitivity.
The romance between them is an adult one, they are not afraid of physical contact. What scares them both is communication: so they sleep together regularly, practically live together but do not talk about important things. That leads to a lot of misunderstanding and missed chances. And almost to another unwilling separation because of "it's for your own good" classical plot point. The main events, the ones that shaped them and caused them a lot of suffering happen in the rain under transparent umbrellas. (Is there any special meaning to it? Not an umbrella expert, here!lol)

The boys' families are something special. After the first incident, Ren's family disowns him to the point of having him change his surname. Ultimate cruelty of unloving parents. Kazume is a child of divorced parents and his mother seems to be just as bad if not worse than Ren's parents. But her reactions are explained by her being worried about them (since she quickly understood that those two have extremely strong connection!) which was not really clear to begin with.

Personally, I really liked this drama, it is my kind of drama!I wanted to rate it higher but then they went and ruined it with two of my most hated tropes. Still, if you make abstraction of those, the drama is an excellent short watch. Great story, lovely cinematography, excellent acting, natural, subtle skinship; and cuteness overload in credits where they show off their domestic bliss!

When I think I almost did not watch this believing all those posts saying that the second half was bad etc. True, it was not as good but it was far from ruining a great drama (which went, for me from 9.5/10 to 8.5/10 so still an excellent drama!)

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Lighter & Princess
3 people found this review helpful
Aug 10, 2023
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.0

The best cdrama ever

To be honest I wasn't sure myself to watch Lighter and princess but now I'm so happy that I gave it a try. Definitely I'm going to watch it again.
Trust me I'm a kdrama addict and I watched many dramas but when I watched this Cdrama I was like this.. OMG .
The plot , the style, the cast, songs even the way this drama started, everything evvverything were new not a cliche like most of the Kdrama.
If you are bored of seeing repeatative storyline like a gorgeous rich boy fall for a poor ordinary girl who wears beautiful expensive clothes every single day ( how is that even possible!??) so watch this one.
I can't believe it's not even in top10!




Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Circle of Love
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 10, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 5.0

Great Chemistry but ridiculous plot

This is not as amusingly ridiculous as Maid’s Revenge but it has a very similar plot. This drama had me suspending disbelief numerous times. I mean how many times can you get amnesia and survive stabbings, gunshots, and bomb blast. It’s so unrealistic and ridiculous that it’s bingeable. All I have to say is 10 for couple chemistry and 6 for the ridiculous plot overall a solid 8. The scences between the FL and ML were sizzling hot and both actors were great. Maybe I want to see them both in a contemporary setting.
Was this review helpful to you?
Dropped 7/8
Dinosaur Love
28 people found this review helpful
by RoseQ
Aug 10, 2023
7 of 8 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 2.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

No. Just no.

I should have know this was going to be a disaster after seeing the trailer and the intro episode. I honestly don’t really like anything about this show. Not the plot (it wasn't really interesting), not the execution, not the acting, not the OST… it was all very bland and mediocre. The cinematography isn’t the worst I have seen, but the lighting and certain shots are done very strangely. The comedic sounds were horrible and didn’t really blend in.

Dino & Rak: Dino looks too old to be in university and most of his “seniors” look like they are ten years younger than him. As a character, he was very straightforward but also in a slightly creepy way. I didn’t like how pushy he was at times, but also super closed off and not ready to share anything with Rak. Rak is… well Rak. There is nothing about him that stands out, he is soft and innocent. And that is his whole personality. There was some chemistry between the two actors, but it didn’t translate well most of the time. I knew Pepper (Dino) from before and I must admit I didn’t really enjoy his acting in this series. As for Kong (Rak), it felt like he had one, maybe two, expressions throughout the series. His crying was not believable, and the adorable-yet-dumb look that he wore the rest of the time was annoying.

I really wanted to give this series a chance, hoping I would at least like some of the side characters. I know that there are three more couples in the Buddy Line Y Animal storyline, so I thought at least one of them might interest me to watch its future series. Yeah, this was my one and only try at it because the rest of the characters were very meh as well.

I honestly ended up skipping a lot of the scenes, mostly because it got boring and kind of repetitive very quickly. I don’t fully understand what they were trying to do by dragging this series out into 10 parts when the storyline could be done in a much better-rounded way in less episodes. It would probably be less boring too.

I dropped this on ep 7, mostly because I couldn’t force myself to watch any more of it. Even with skipping big chunks of it. It just wasn’t an enjoyable watch.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?