A Vibrant and Faithful Tribute to the Original Legend
I honestly didn't expect to be this blown away! As a long-time fan of the anime who hasn't read the manga yet, I finally dived into this live-action adaptation. I had my doubts — I was afraid they’d turn it into a melodramatic "soap" or drown it in unnecessary philosophical monologues. Fortunately, none of that happened. The drama is a remarkably faithful adaptation, staying true to the source material except for a few minor details.Admittedly, the over-the-top (OTT), almost cartoonish expressions of the actors felt a bit jarring at first. It takes a few episodes to get used to the FL's wild energy, but once you do, it feels perfectly natural for this specific world.
At its core, this is a beautiful coming-of-age story about finding one’s place in life. The journey of Gong Xi (Kyoko Mogami) from a girl blinded by betrayal to an actress learning to see the world through the lens of love is incredibly moving. I loved the "found family" aspect — the manager, the agency president, and the cafe boss. They provided the warmth and support she lacked while her world revolved around her selfish childhood friend, Bu Po Shang (Fuwa Sho).
While the romance is minimal here, it’s clear that love isn’t the main focus of this specific arc. This is an underdog story about a "ugly duckling" transforming into a swan through sheer determination. For the heavy romance, I’ll definitely be heading to the manga!
The casting is absolutely spot-on:
Ivy Chen (Gong Xi): She masterfully captured everything from bone-chilling hatred to shy, blossoming love. Even with the exaggerated expressions, she stayed true to the original character's spirit.
Choi Siwon (Dun He Lian / Ren Tsuruga): Total crush material! His portrayal of a guarded yet deeply caring star was perfect. He didn’t need many words; his screen presence and expressive gaze said it all.
Lee Donghae (Bu Po Shang / Sho Fuwa): A fantastic antagonist. I think I hated his character even more here than in the anime—he captured that arrogance and egoism perfectly.
The Supporting Cast: They truly stole the show. The President and the Manager felt even more vivid and "human" than their anime counterparts. My only minor gripe is that the FL's female friend felt a bit overshadowed by the extravagant male characters.
As a co-production between Taiwan and South Korea, featuring members of the iconic K-pop group Super Junior, this project had high stakes. Even though the Korean actors were dubbed into Mandarin, the voice dubbing was incredibly seamless and never felt distracting.
Verdict:
A worthy adaptation with a great heart. Despite minor flaws, I’m ready to overlook them because of how much I love this story. I’ll definitely be rewatching my favorite moments!
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I thought I would be disappointed, but not at all ! Yes sometimes, you can forget about the original characters, but the interpretation of actors (Chen Ivy <3) is so nice that for me there is no problem about that.
Main characters made a great team (even Choi Siwon, is getting better and better), but also the second characters rocks (manager <3).
Moreover, the 2 main male actors are playing in Korean while dubbing is in Chinese, which is quite a difficult exercise.
Humor is everywhere, universe and links between characters are well respected. Truly this is my favorite Taiwanese drama.
Last point, Everyone knows that the opening is just soooo cool you just don't wanna skip it, and that's soo rare in taiwanese drama.
GO FOR A SAISON 2 PLEASE.
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I was really worried about the actress who plays "Gong Xi" that how she can truly give back the character's feeling and expressions. But I was surprised to see her real talent. She definitely got the scary and also shy features of the original character. I laughted a lot.
Siwon and Donghae played cool at this drama but I really hate that they said everything with playback... It was irritating and it was not really authentic...
About the episodes: The first few episodes was really really long... I got bored sometimes but after the 4th episode (i think) everything speed up. The drama is still cool :) so if you liked the anime and manga give it a try!
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If you read the manga or watch the anime you'll see that everything is absolutely amazing!
A girl that becomes an actress by revenge and finds her passion by acting, and learning to love at same time...
My favorite story ever!
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The effects used in this drama are SO unrealistic, it's anime like. Maybe it's because they're staying attached to the anime like glue, or maybe because it's a taiwanese drama. You tell me.
The story follows a teenage girl, Gong Xi, who moved from the countryside to the city together with her childhood friend who aspires to be an idol. Always working to support him and his expenses, she feels heartbroken when he betrays her. As she swears for revenge, her friend challenges her to enter showbiz, because if she doesn't, she'll never be able to lay a finger on him. This plants motivation in the Gong Xi, and she eventually teams up with the agency of her friends ultimate rival.
The story in my opinion is really shallow, but for a romantic comedy of this kind, it usually is. The drama isn't there for the deep and meaningful moments. It's there for entertainment, and if you're able to throw all pre-judgemental thoughts away before watching, it will entertain you. It's a lay-back-and-watch kind of drama, so just roll with it and ignore the overused anime effects.
Honestly, the only actor I actually like in this series so far is Siwon. Normally I'd say Donghae as well, but we haven't actually really SEEN him yet. There's mostly flashbacks or small cut scenes. Maybe this part will be edited once the drama progresses, who knows. Siwon does an amazing job though, and I find myself reminding myself he's primarily a singer and not an actor. Yay Siwon!
The music is amazing. The soundtrack for the drama is a VERY VERY catchy song sung by Super Junior M, and I am ripping my hair out to this day due to the lack of a full version. It's the only drama I actually sit through the intro of, and sometimes even watch twice. Way to go, whoever is responsible for the soundtrack!
Meh, I dunno.. If you're a big fan of the anime, then I guess you could watch it. You are warned though, the story here is identical to the anime, so if you hoped for diversity to the original story, you better ought to spend your time doing something else. If you haven't watched the anime and are considering to watch the drama, then maybe you should watch the anime. The effects belong in anime, not drama...
That is all.
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The only thing I didn't relly like was the girl Gong xi hair,and also the fact that each episode took soooooo long to come out. I hope there's a second season because erm the end was a bit unsatisfying. Overall GREAT drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
What I liked about this drama was Si Won, and the strange but cute relationship between the leads. I also liked the chicken costume (I'm hoping that wasn't a spoiler).What I disliked was Ivy's personality. I'm not sure if this was due to her acting or the poor interpretation of the manga's character. I wish the director could have toned down the craziness to make this drama more believable.
I enjoyed the majority of this drama because I did root for the main characters and hoped for that sweet ending. I don't think I got what I wanted. There was a lackluster in the beginning and end, but the middle was enticing due to the lead's character development. The actress did please me when she changed into a more mature adult.
I have very mixed feelings for this rom-com, and would only recommend this to people with lots of patience for immature, whiny girls.
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acting/characters: I think they did a fantastic job choosing the cast. Shang and dun helian was exactly as I pictured them and portrayed their characters magnificently. I also greatly enjoyed the side characters such as the manager and CEO who each had their unique characteristics. okay the CEO in this cracked me up he was hilarious. There were a lot of times I burst out laughing watching this and 98% of the time he was the reason. the only complaint I have as far as acting go is the main girls character. although, she portrayed gong xi's character well, I still felt that when it came to the epic acting moments where Gong Xi was supposed to shine brilliantly, she was lacking a little and the scenes fell a little flat. I also sometimes wished there was a little more depth to her character.
story: loved the story. then again i'm a sucker for revenge plots and underdog rising to the top stories. I also liked how there are a lot of life lessons to be learned that were incorporated into the story such as learning to forgive, accept yourself, and love again.
music: soundtrack for this was amazing. I especially loved the music for the more intense scenes. definitely did a bang up job setting the perfect mood for a specific scene.
overall, I greatly enjoyed this drama. some of the special effects were super corny but that was what made it comical and enjoyable. seriously though, if the crazy bike scenes don't make you laugh then you're a stoic statue.
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There are funny moments captured in this drama. But I would say, the story line are so-so. At times, I do get confused not understanding if Dun He Lian is really in love with Gong Xi or otherwise.
I would say, you would probably like to watch this drama only if you are a die-hard fan of SuJu, Donghae & Siwon that is.
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