Awesome Story!
Story :its well written, kudos to the writer's
Acting :
shi qi, shen qin, general all roles were played well by the repective actors.
A special mention to Prince Ning (Wang ze xuan) acting, i had seen him in the drama "Hard to Find" his acting there was good,
here in this drama he played a different character, its good to see him in various roles.
Loved the last twist (who is the real who).
- > Mini drama which is worth the watch.
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sensible plot
The plot, although a fantasy one, was solid enough.The characters didn't waste time with self-evident and totally obvious things. The idea was that the characters had a problem and they should solve it. The show didn't use 90% of the episodes on stupid misunderstandings, boring flashbacks and totally unrealistic twists. For a fantasy plot, it was sensible and also it had some good ideas and twists. It wasn't lazy writing, just too basic.
The acting was not life-changing, but it wasn't bad either.
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This review may contain spoilers
A generally fluffy watch, with a pair of surprisingly tragic villains
I really liked this take on the switched identities trope. It was overall sweet and fun.The main couple is refreshingly sweet and earnest with each other, without the painful misunderstandings that these kind of plots usually come with. I liked them a lo.
But shockingly the emotional impact actually comes from the villain couple. The both of them were deeply morally grey. Often cruel to each other and to others, but at the same time seemed to sincerely care about each other in the end. They even had one or two moments where they used their villainy to protect people they viewed as helpless. Combine that with their incredibly tragic ending and they ended up delivering a surprising gut punch.
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Despite FL keeping secrets, not being able to share the full story, and constantly appearing suspicious, ML was discerning and perceptive and judged her actions based on what he had seen of her true character "beyond" her appearance, so to speak. I just love an ML who is fully on FL's side, believes her, gives her the benefit of the doubt, supports her, etc. In this situation, so much of the deck was stacked against FL, and having ML in her corner literally saved her life. The way the show portrayed their relationship in the past and present is so beautifully done.
His razor-sharp attention to detail, patience, kindness and loyalty to her was so sweet and captivating, and they had really amazing chemistry. I love how intimidating he portrayed his character as, just as I loved how she portrayed her character as reserved and demure, slowly gaining confidence. Their devotion to each other and feelings for each other were conveyed so beautifully. He knew he wanted her and went for her! And thank goodness because nothing ever would've happened otherwise, lol. I loved the slowburn romance (well, as slow as it can get in a mini) and the scene where she finally confessed all was so sweet.
Highly recommend as a gem among minis. Great for binging!
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A must watch minidrama!
It hasn't been long since I started watching cdramas. Considering that, I also haven't watched that many minidramas, just a few. But even from that and the countless reviews I've seen on several other minidramas, I can say that there are very selective ones that are actually good.And I assure you, this is definitely one of them. Despite the limited frame of time, production and budget compared to long dramas, it fulfilled its job of engaging the viewer. I'm very impressed by the main cast (four characters). Even the side characters like the military advisor, the maid and the child were really good in their roles. This minidrama has the right blend of story, little bit of humour here and there, healthy & greenflag romance of leads and well developed characters within limited time. It also had good direction I must say. As a person with zero friends and social life who is obsessed with dramas, movies and takes them seriously, I don't watch just anything.
So yeah, this is a must watch minidrama!
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Loved this miniseries
This was one of the best mini series I've seen. And it's always so nice to watch the handsome Cheng Li.I usually have to skip over boring filler scenes but there really wasn't any here.
The romance, chemistry and kissing was top tier.
It also had a little reveal that I wasnt expecting that was a nice add in to the story.
This is definitely one worth watching.
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good short cdrama
I thought this was well done. It was a bit dark to start and I tend to stay away from dark stuff. But I am glad I gave it a try.Likes:
1. The story-line was good and kept you interested to know how things were going to turn out.
2. The writers and director did a good job and I hope they get more jobs. It was nice that it wasn’t a fluff piece like most of the shorter c-dramas.
3. The chemistry between the actors were good. The romance scenes were good and better then some that I have seen lately.
4. The ending was a definite surprise. There was a surprising twist.
5. I liked the contrast between the two couples in the love. It showed the difference between genuine love and obsessive love.
6. I liked the little daughter. her character was a nice addition to the story. I thought the little actress did a good job.
7. Solid acting- nothing outstanding but it was well done.
Dislikes:
1. Incomplete English subtitles but it was a good series so I just overlooked it and replayed some parts again to figure out what was going on.
2. Length of each episode-I would have liked the episodes to have been longer. Some of the story felt rushed because of the allotted time. The first episode was 11 minutes.
3. A little inconsistency in the story, In the description it says King Ning but in the story he is referred to as the prince. So that was a little confusing. I think he was the prince not the king. Other than that the story was good. This may be translation problem. But with the way this character was freely running around it was more believable he was the prince.
4. The ending was good but I felt like it could have been better.
I definitely recommend it. I will re watch it again. In fact I have re watched certain parts of it already.
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Short and worth a watch just for the bombastic side-eye
If you're a historical CDrama fan, this one is short and worth your time if only for the ML's bombastic side-eye. His side-eye game is so strong, he'd win the side-eye Olympics if such a thing existed.The story is rushed, but that's to be expected with the small episode count. That also means every episode is worth watching and there's no draggy bits. Really impressed with the ML actor. This is the first drama of his that I've watched, so I'll be seeking out more of his work ASAP (I already have 'My Journey to You' queued up).
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Best short I've seen
Wow.On the one hand, I like shorts because they're quick and there aren't any unnecessary plot lines. On the other hand, shorts tend to sacrifice quality and continuity.
Familiar Stranger is well written, well directed, and well executed. The plot makes sense, isn't rushed, quality is superb, and I love the music too!
Actors and actresses in shorts tend to stay in shorts, and I've seen the ML elsewhere (Queen of Attack 1 and 2). I think he's a first rate actor.
Anyway, this one's definitely worth watching!
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A really good mini drama
I am not the person that wants dramas to be longer, ever, but A Familiar Stranger is the exception. I liked everything about this drama, from the story to the characters, and I wish I could have had more time in this world.For starters, the camera work and storytelling was really good and when I found this drama is from the same director as last year's hit cdrama Blossom, it all made sense. The cinematography, the way the production design, costume design, make up and character development are all connected in a cohesive way to tell the story, it's wonderful to watch.
The performances are really good and the cast's chemistry solid. One of the reasons why I would want this drama to be longer is because I would have love to see a more extended character development for each characters, as the resolution to the villain's story seemed rushed. I would have also loved to see more of the leads' love story and their found family.
Overall, this was a really good and fun watch for the weekend.
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Suprisingly good for a short Drama
Typically these short dramas are low budget with no name actors. Acting could be cheesy or over the top but occasionally it's easy to watch on the side. So going into this drama I had zero expectations but did NOT see this coming.Great Story filled with mystery and twists definitely good enough to be a longer series.
Great acting by the cast especially the 4 main leads. Chemistry was on fire between the ML and FL. In addition there were some interesting supporting actors, notability Yuanbao the little girl and ML's military advisor. Both offered periodic humorous lines.
The cinematography feel reminded me a bit like Love like Galaxy, beautiful and magical.
Music was also really good.
Only flaws:
1. They left some lose ends w/ the ending
2. Interesting stories like this should continue.........................................
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Surprisingly good mini-drama!
I started this drama with no expectation. I was surprised to find it has a great story. It has its share of romance, love, mystery, supernatural elements. The plot is gripping which keeps one at the edge till the last episode. Since it's a mini-drama, it did feel a bit rushed.All in all, an extremely enjoyable mini-drama!
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