This review may contain spoilers
another DRAMA RUINED BY A BAD SECOND HALF.
Plot: 2 childhood friends discovering feeling for each other.
Observations🗯️🗯️
I fricking loved the first half of the drama. It was really sweet and Light-hearted. These kind of drama usually are more heavy on cuteness, but this one was also really funny.
The first episodes take place in highschool where we meet our ml and ml. They've been fraternal friends for whole their lives but at the end of highschool our little Didi starts seeing our jiejie under a different light.
This first half is really engaging because we experience their school life, friendship and private life.
There is definitely more stuff happening in the first half than in the later episodes.
We focus on our FL struggles with school and having dreams and on the ml past with his father.
Their friends are also an important part of their development.
Unfortunately once we leave highschool and enter university everything becomes flat.
The main focus is of course our ml pursuing his jiejie but when they get together, the drama declines drastically.
Nothing of substance happens and whatever is on screen is irrelevant.
The last 10 episodes are basically other people trying to get with our protagonists. Everyone is in love with them and this trope becomes tiring pretty quickly.
I know that this is a slice of life kind of shows but not even the characters are able to hold your attention.
Even though years have passed they all stay the same. They way they speak, act, not even their clothes change.
It was frankly Bizzare seeing them act so childish but at the same time talk about marriage, living together.
Even the kisses felt "childish" after 3 years of dating.
There is no saving grace In the second half. The characters they add are inconsequential.
The only main thing happening was the FL best friend falling in love. It was cute but not interesting enough to be honest.
To summarize:
Positives✅✅
Female lead. I know she always plays this kind of character but she does it damn well. She and her best friend relationship was super funny.
The first half of the drama. Perfect when you feel down and just want to see cute stuff.
Negatives❌
The ml acting. Boy was he bad.
The dubbing. It is often out of synch and weird in same moments.
The parents literally bullying a kid. When the FL invites a friend at home they are so rude to him because they fear he is going to "steal" their future daughter in law. Weird and frankly disgusting behavior.
Too corny. Talking about your kids wedding in their first years of college.. really?
The guy just graduated high school and is thinking about a family with her soon to be girlfriend.....
No characters development with very few exceptions. The only person I feel did grow up was the FL best friend.
Is it worth it? I think it depends on how much you can endure. If you are fine with corny stuff I think you'll be good watching this.
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Delightfully Sweet Romance Drama
Exclusive Fairytale is a sweet and delight romance drama- I wouldn’t say it’s a rom-com per se. It’s a genuine portrayal of friendship, love and relationships. The main leads deliver outstanding performances, love both the characters- bringing their chemistry to life on the screen.Thankfully the drama didn’t have any unnecessary villains or melodramatic twists. Instead, it focuses on the pure essence of a sweet romance. It’s shows the journey from young-mature love..once they got together there were steamy kisses the last few episodes … it’s lovely to see the couple staying committed without any needless misunderstandings or breakups.
Excellent on-screen chemistry between the main leads &
if you're in the mood for a feel-good romance that will leave you with a smile, and into soft, sweet and cuddly romances this is for you.
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Bubbly and no angst drama
I liked this youth drama where the leads are so good in their roles and the chemistry was great. As young as they are, definitely gave me the vibe of two lovers with tacit understanding of what was important for them to continue their loving relationship as a couple as they mature into adulthood. Their kissing scenes were swoon worthy and will give you butterflies. The female lead was very funny, and she was perfect in this role, she played it well the awkwardness and being their first of everything that a young person does. Supporting actors were given good character development too. From being nerdy characters into a mature look. I liked that the male lead is one handsome dude with nice physique. Somewhat pleasing to watch him. After this, I guess he'll have more projects in the future. Good job! I can re-watch this rom/com drama for sure.Was this review helpful to you?
THE CUTE CHEMISTRY AND DYNAMIC BETWEEN THE TWO LEADS IS HEART FLUTTERING
I found this drama through Zhang Miaoyi (If you don't know her, her recent popular drama of hers is WIFTY.)I'm familiar with Jun from seventeen too (thanks carat best friend ^^)
So... OF COURSE I HAD TO WATCH THIS DRAMA FULL OF EYE-CANDY ACTORS AND ACTRESSES!
I found their chemistry to be appealing as siblings and lovers. The storyline slowly transitioned the two from the stage of 'childhood friends' to 'lovers' very well. I could notice the small changes in the facial expressions and ways the two leads acted around each other as their relationship progressed from being childhood friends/siblings to having a crush, to falling in love with each other.
The outfits fit the style/time the drama was told. You could tell when there was a time skip and how the two leads grew up together as the world changed around them.
For viewers of this review, the drama is a little slower for relationship progression in the first half until around episode 14. After episode 14, my goodness... There were a lot of kiss scenes... ("Carat friend who is Jun biased, how do you feel?")
They were sweet and the mood was present! The chemistry between the leads was especially prominent!
I'll leave it here since it's hard not to spoil the drama any further!
Viewers who are thinking of watching this drama, give it a go! It's very sweet and light-hearted! Although there are some cringy romantic moments, I found it enjoyable to watch!
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8 for the storyline, but 9,5 for the rewatching value
English is not my main language so please bear with me hahaAs many people keep comparing this show to WIFTY, I’ll try to see both from my perspective. I’m an avid cdrama watcher but please remember that this is purely my opinion and preferences.
I, with no hesitation, give both shows a solid 9/10. Both are youth dramas with problems circling around teenagers and their recklessness towards life, but they have different approach to it:
1) If I could depict WIFTY into a scenery, then it would be a wheat field in the afternoon with a beautiful sunset, the dry smell of wheat leaves, and the tranquility of the wind blows. The show gives me a warm aesthetic; even the OSTs are of those slow and clutching songs. Those aesthetics goes well with the story, I cried 3 times watching the whole show because it just reminds me of heartwarming memories of my teenage days with my friends (and also family). The tinge of sadness is always there, but it’s pleasing sadness.
2) On the contrary, EFT gives me the vibe of summer pool. The smell of water that’s mixed with alum, scorching heat but your skin is cold because of the water, sounds of water splashing, and your friends’ screams as they have fun. EFT is definitely goes for the comedic and colorful side of youth more than WIFTY. I do feel the warmth in some of the episodes, but more than that, the whole show is just so chaotic (in a funny way), even they make fun of the supposedly sad episode. They breaks the 4th wall numerous times, my favorite is when Linglong meets her campus roommates and turns out it’s just the old characters from the high school arc and she goes something like “does the producer does not have budget or what?” I’m laughing so hard at that, because apparently yes, they do not have much budget for this drama. This drama is supposed to be a B-tier drama (because of the budget) but the good reviews in the website makes it an A-tier, a great proof that they execute everything well, even though there are some scenes that can be improved.
I’m gonna talk more about EFT because this is an EFT page.
Talking about execution, as someone that has read the original novel (you can search “Once We Come Across Love”), there are minor and major changes made and while I think some scenes are kinda disappointing, I understand why they changed it that way because it just goes well with the flow of the whole story. Good thing that they decided to dive deeper into the relationship of Lingchao and his father, because not only that we can understand Lingchao better, but also because it is where I think we can see clearly just how nurturing Tutu is, because mostly this side of her is hidden throughout the story. I was also kinda disappointed of the very few OST used in this drama, but then it’s a low-budget drama so I won’t complain. The ML is also singing for the credit scene which is very cool?? He is an idol, right?
Okay, move for the casts, I ADORE the FL and ML. I even follow their contents on twitter because they looks genuinely having fun working on this drama together. Their behind the scenes are my favorite because they look like a real childhood friends that bicker 24/7. Oh and I also love how they choose to make the FL’s best friend to be a fangirl of an idol named Junhui and Wen Jun, which is the ML’s real name, they are also using the ML’s real photoshoot pics for it. I give it 10/10 for the dedication and detailed research.
I’m watching all kinds of shows, and I include cdramas as a “very light” entertainment, which is shows where I don’t have to use much of my brain to enjoy it. WIFTY is excellent in so many ways, but EFT wins my heart because of the comedic atmosphere they give. That’s why, for rewatching value, I give EFT slightly higher score (9.5) than WIFTY (9.0), please remember that this is only my opinion.
If you prefer shows with more elaborate storyline, warm aesthetic with slow musics, you might love WIFTY. But if you like something more comedic, less-serious and a very light drama, you can try EFT because this drama has no rise of problem at all (they have some, but they are resolved just like that).
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Not Your Usual Fairytale
Honestly, I didn’t expect to enjoy Exclusive Fairytale as much as I did. At first glance, it seems like your typical childhood-friends-to-lovers story, but it surprised me by taking a slightly different route. Instead of the usual slow and mutual development, the female lead actually rejects the male lead’s feelings for quite a while—not in an annoying or overdone way, but in a way that feels true to her character. It reminded me a bit of "Family by Choice," which had a somewhat similar dynamic, though Exclusive Fairytale leans more into the fluffy side.I haven’t watched "Go Ahead" yet, so I can’t compare it to that, but this drama still stood out to me among the youth romances I’ve seen. I’d normally rate around 8.5 or less, but this one stayed with me more—probably because it plays with the usual tropes in a fresh way while still being fun and emotionally satisfying.
Definitely worth checking out if you enjoy these kinds of stories but want something with a slightly different rhythm.
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a fun light-hearted story
this is my first c-drama so understandably i was shocked by exactly how slow the slowburn is 😭 but it was definitely worth it, i loved xiao tu and ling chao's relationship and i so loved the side characters especially jia siwen and juan juan , jun and miaoyi did an amazing job and i enjoyed every second of itspoilers ??
watching the first few episodes was admittedly quite frustrating to me lol but in a good way i just wanted them to get together already but after eps 17 it was just smooth sailing from here on out i loved it
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Sweet childhood romance
Long time not find such fit title. Yeah this drama really like the title 'Exclusive Fairytale', cause not everyone get really such sweet romance story. From baby until grown up, our ML & FL never really separated with each other, except for 1 year while the ML go to university, yet he still come back a few time to meet our FL. Haha...Story about Xiao Tu (XT) & Ling Chao (LC) that already know each other since baby till grown up. How their friendship finally bloom into romance feeling for each other. The love that get a little 'blinded' by their closeness with each other, until not really realize that the feeling already start to bloom inside the heart. With classic jealousy, separation & advice from friend story, they made aware about their feeling with each other. Really cute and a little bit stupid, especially XT, feeling when she finally realize & admit to herself that she indeed fall in love with LC.
A love story that maybe all of us really dreamed about. We have childhood friend, family friend too, that accompany us from baby until grow up & finally grow into adult relationship. More over also without much hic cup & trouble with their relationship. This is one of the most relax cute youth romance drama that we really can just sit down, relax & enjoy watching.
But that's exactly why I didn't give this drama higher score. This drama, you can say, without conflict at all that actually feel a little bit repeatable & kinda predictable make me a little bit bored to watch. And if you compare the most recently drama of our FL, Zhang Miao Yi, When I Fly Towards You, I more like that one than this.. M
Although still cute enough, but I really can't bring myself to give this drama higher score. But for you who really want to just sit down, relax & enjoy watching, this is the drama for you then.
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Dreamt Childhood Sweetheart
A stress-free romantic comedy CDrama & a must-watch! It really is a fairytale. The story has its unique charm to it. The actors are giving so much chemistry to the point that I will definitely believe if ever they are in a relationship in real life (Though I bet Nah since Jun is a K Pop Idol). The ML & FL are so comfortable with each other, been totally swept by them. Sobrang nakaka-kilig!I also liked that there’s no cliche’ toxic/obsessed female/male antagonist here. Also how both families were approving their relationship.
All-in-all, this is highly recommended if you want to watch light hearted romcom youthful CDrama.
Please don’t hesitate to watch it. 💙💙💙
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Here mainly for Jun;)
Haha… as my title says, watching this mainly for Jun from Seventeen;) worth the watch!FL’s character was not your typical girl-girl type, quite tomboyish and no regards to boundaries when it comes to ML, who is her childhood friend. There’s one scene in the uni hall and she’s sitting half slumped in the chair with one leg hanging over his thigh! Uhmm.. not very eye catching imo.
Not much originality in terms of storyline- childhood friends, through high school, get together in uni, start working life and a few struggles here and there. No angst, no rivals, no breakups. An easy watch
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Best for mind relaxing
First of all, I have to say that I really liked this drama. I actually loved it because it’s very relaxing to watch. One special thing about this drama is the actors—almost all of them are pleasant to look at. Many are beautiful, cute, hot, or charming, so there are a lot of visually appealing characters. 😻The drama also gives an old-school school drama feeling. Nowadays, many dramas don’t capture that emotional school-life atmosphere like older ones did. This drama reminded me of those kinds of stories. When the characters left school, I actually felt a little sad because it reminded me of my own school life.🥺
This drama focuses on love, friendship, and life, and I especially loved the relationships, particularly both couples. The way their love develops step by step is beautiful. Their romance feels natural, and they are really cute together. ❤️ But as for friendships, I didn’t feel a strong or meaningful connection between the characters. Yes, they are friends and spend time together, but the emotional depth of their friendship didn’t come across strongly. Maybe it’s because I’ve watched other dramas where friendships felt very real and touching. Compared to those, the friendships here felt a little weak. Still, this isn’t a big problem for the drama overall.
Another thing I didn’t like was one of the conflicts involving the second couple. The boy couldn’t contact Juan, and suddenly the story jumps forward two years. That felt strange and unnecessary. It would have been better if it was only one month or a shorter period, because two years is too long for that situation. Also, Ling Chao bought the apartment two years earlier, and even after those two years passed, their relationship didn’t seem to develop much. When she comes to stay, she doesn’t even stay one night with him, even though two years have passed. It feels like the drama wanted to show that a lot of time had passed, but many things still stayed the same. For example, when the second couple breaks up, the story suddenly jumps two years ahead, but in other parts, it still feels like no real time has passed. Because of that, the time skip feels inconsistent.
Talking about the characters, all the actors and actresses did their best. The main leads are really cute—when Ling Chao smiles, it feels adorable 🥹.
As for Zi Han, he has a very cool vibe. He’s a chill guy, and his scenes are funny, so I really enjoyed watching him. He should have become a more famous celebrity—why didn’t they give him more focus? I feel disappointed about that.
The character I liked the most after the main lead is Ling Long’s cousin Ye Jun… actually, not the character—I think I just like the actor! 😁 When he smiles, it really melts my heart. He has a very cool and relaxed vibe, and I really liked him.
Overall, this drama is enjoyable, relaxing, and has a nostalgic school-life feeling. If you like light romance, school memories, and cool characters, this drama is worth watching.
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Love this drama so much
I love the story line, the acting, and the chemistry. I Their relationship as childhood friends was on point. When the ML develop his love for the FL. I feel the excitement and affection. Although the ML is a cold type of guy, he is soft with the FL. I feel how he really cares for her and love her like what his love confession. His love always seen in his action towards her. The relationship between the family of ML and FL is so great that I want to have it as well. I love the FL she is always funny and cute. She’s really a good actress as I watched her other dramas. She never fails to give a great acting skills may it serious or funny scenes. She always have chemistry with her leading men that lead me to ship her with them, lol. I always looking forward for every episode. It’s indeed worth watching for, most especially if we will really pay attention to the story.Was this review helpful to you?
