Ella (2025)

That Thing That I Didn't Expect Got Me

This drama almost had me in a chokehold—almost. The plot? Surprisingly fresh. It's not the usual rinse-and-repeat kind of story we see in recent cdramas, and I appreciated that. It was unique enough to keep me curious. The cast? Super underrated. Seriously, where’s their hype? They acted like pros, and that’s a win in itself.

But then came that moment… the one that made me stop and think: “Do I really want to continue this?” See, I know the romance wasn’t even the main focus here, just something on the side—but the age gap between the leads hit me like a plot twist I wasn’t ready for. The FL looked like a 16-year-old fresh out of high school, while the ML had full-on dad energy. (It’s giving “drop-off and PTA meeting” vibes, not romance 😭.) Real-life 11-year age gap, and my discomfort just kept growing—especially during that kiss scene. I physically winced. They should've become best friends

What’s worse? The drama’s set in 2024, but the color grading dragged me straight back to 2007. Like, I checked my screen settings twice. Is this a flashback? Is this vintage? No—it’s just the filter.

That said, the story itself is super grounded. The fights felt realistic, the pacing was chill, and if it had leaned even more into slice-of-life without romance hints, I think I could’ve finished it without hesitation.

If the age gap stuff doesn’t bother you, go for it! It’s a solid drama with great acting. Personally though, I tapped out with a respectful bow and a tiny grimace.

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Fighting with HERself

"Her" tells the story of Liu Yan, abandoned by her mother as a child and who literally struggles to survive the conditions she was placed in from a young age until she became an adult. From a boxer with little success, mainly due to the mischief of others, her life begins to change when she receives information about her "missing" mother, embarking on a journey of self-discovery, acceptance, love, and overcoming.

What I really liked about this series was the main character. Strong on the outside and fragile on the inside, she gradually opens up and allows different people into her life, even though through these relationships, many of her weaknesses end up being highlighted, especially the trauma of fear of abandonment she has due to her mother. This trauma shapes much of her personality, preventing the development of close and healthy relationships with those around her.

See, she's not mean or treats others badly (sometimes) because she wants, but rather because of the distorted sense of love she developed with her mother, a gambling addict. The way their relationship is portrayed in the series is quite realistic, reflecting the manipulative, sociopathic nature of a person with a gambling disorder, with family members suffering the most.

Another crucial character is Lu Tianchi, the "lawyer." A sort of "good" Saul Goodman, Lu is an older man who initially helps Liu Yan find her mother and everything else she needs. From this point on, their relationship gradually seems to be moving toward something more.

The story is told quite dynamically for the most part, becoming a bit sluggish during the episodes surrounding Liu Yan's mother's official return, which ends up being quite detrimental to the overall series, as this was perhaps the story's greatest aspect and expectation.

The place where they live (is it a country?) is also very little explored. It seems like a made-up place, filmed in Macau (notable for its plaques and tombs with Portuguese writing), but nothing made much sense or felt necessary to invent a location.

The highlight of the series is definitely the restaurant's dynamic and her rise as a chef, while in parallel her social life also improved, especially strengthening her relationship with Tianchi, her brother and the restaurant's boss.
All of her friend's Tang stories are completely unnecessary, with the last one being a complete waste of time while dealing with a very serious topic.

In the end, I found "the event" a bit exaggerated. It seemed more shock value than an organic result of everything unfolding in the series. The final black-and-white episode made me question for a long time whether it was really happening or a dream, until almost halfway through the episode, the tragedy of the previous episode was confirmed and the whole journey of overcoming that she had to go through, and was going through, in the last part of the last episode, leaving that taste that life will go on, fighting and eating when she is at rock bottom.

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