K-Drama 
I'm only watching because of Zhang Ling He
My most anticipated drama after POJ but it left me rather disappointed like most people. I am only watching because of the cast, other than that, the storyline is weak and the whole show was overly negative. I think POJ had created a high standard for everyone chasing ZLH so I would say watch it only if you like ZLH or the cast.Was this review helpful to you?
So disappointed
The story was very disappointing. The leads have no chemistry at all, I mean Linghe is a great actor and Churan is a great actress, but the story was poorly written that it makes the whole series very boring and disappointing. I watched it until the end hoping to see a surprising twist but nahhh.... I paid for VIP on IQIYi and I just wasted my money.Was this review helpful to you?
For me, the real problem lies in the visual choices. There is simply too much glamour, too many beauty filters, and too much emphasis on creating polished images, while underneath it all, there is very little substance in terms of character writing and development. The series does not really create a rich, immersive visual world; instead, it often feels like a collection of beautiful costumes and Instagrammable shots — something that has unfortunately become increasingly common in contemporary Chinese dramas that look gorgeous but lack depth.
The biggest problem, however, is the "overdose of drama". Perhaps "Overdose" would have been a more appropriate title than "Overdo". There is nothing wrong with melodrama when it is well handled. In fact, I would much rather see one or two strong dramatic threads explored properly throughout the series than have a new layer of tragedy added to every episode without ever really going beneath the surface. Here, the constant escalation eventually becomes exhausting rather than moving.
There is actually an interesting historical subject at the heart of the story: a period in which women and the sex trade could be treated as commodities and part of an established social and economic system. Unfortunately, the way this subject is handled never feels particularly believable. Everything becomes so exaggerated that the historical setting starts to feel more like Disneyland than a credible world. At some point, I simply became tired of it and lost interest halfway through the series.
The love story itself also left me rather perplexed.
And then there is the hero, who seems to spend the entire series being tortured in every possible way. Did the screenwriter have a personal grudge against him? Or were they trying to make all of Linghe's haters happy? I have no idea — I'm joking, of course. But seriously, the character goes through so much suffering that it eventually becomes almost comical.
Yet somehow, he remains the person holding the whole boat together.
Because the heroine, despite having almost all the keys and power within the story, is presented more as a glamorous figure than as a genuinely complex and dramatically developed character. She is absolutely beautiful — just like the male lead, who is exceptionally handsome — and she certainly knows how to look stunning on camera. We even get repeated close-ups of her feet while she walks — easily 20 times throughout the series, if not more. And, when the production calls for it, she can certainly deliver a beautiful, convincing tear.
So, in the end, "Overdo" is a series with a gorgeous cast, attractive costumes (It creates historical inaccuracies by featuring contemporary luxury brands) and plenty of visually polished moments, but far too little depth beneath the surface. It had the ingredients to become something much stronger, but the constant glamour, excessive melodrama and lack of meaningful character development ultimately made me disconnect from it halfway through.
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I am so disappointed kms
ugh idkkk 😭 i had such high expectations from the trailer, but this looks bad TT who gave this director the job bro... what a waste of such high-calibre actors and gorgeous costuming.i'm constantly sitting there questioning why he chose to shoot a scene a certain way, or why he thought something was a good idea. i even looked through his previous work, and yeah... i did NOT like those dramas either 💀
- there are WAY too many camera cuts in every scene. it feels so amateur, and it's honestly distracting. the cuts aren't even smooth, and they make the blocking confusing. you'll get a close-up from one side, then a front-facing shot where you can clearly see where everyone's standing, and then the next cut suddenly makes it look like everyone's magically swapped positions 😭 it's genuinely awful visual storytelling omg.
- the lighting is so overpowering that it completely flattens everything. there's no contrast, no atmosphere, nothing visually interesting. everyone just looks washed out, and the colour grading is so dull. i genuinely feel like i've been catfished because that poster is communicating vibrancy and interesting lighting, but this is just straight buns.
- he decided to use AI for the intro and a bunch of other shots instead of using that budget to pay actual animators and artists who know what they're doing. idgaf what anyone says, using AI here just screams lazy and cheap.
- don't even get me started on the sound effects 😭 the jingles are literally the same stock sounds every mini drama/vertical drama uses. it makes the whole thing feel incredibly amateurish omgggg.
can we just get zeng qing jie to direct every drama from now on because holy hell 😭 the difference in quality between this and Provoke is actually insane.
I'm going to keep watching because I've been waiting for this since forever, but my hopes and dreams are officially in the gutter... I'm just going to treat this like any other mini drama... 😭
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This review may contain spoilers
From tragedy to tragedy
This show represent full of tragedy I simply don't like story but outfit, acting and music is unbelievable amazing....Just director play with audience heart who specially love romance, love story etc... I think director made great contribution in this drama for making full of heart breaking it remind me another show that I regret to watch where Fl survive but ml died....
This my first republican era based drama but my right now is not good...
I hope future viewer enjoy this if you simply prefer Fighting, tragedy, thriller etc. Actually I am also good any type of drama that's why I gave this drama 8 rating but not more than that...
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high-budget production, massive marketing effort, and poor delivery
Readers, as a matter of long-standing personal discipline, I make it a rule to finish what I start; however, I must admit that *Overdo* joins the list of exceptions—out of respect for the viewers, whose intelligence was underestimated by the production's marketing strategy. My summary assessment is this: *Overdo* does not appear to be a ratings failure, but rather a case of inflated expectations and questionable technical execution. Critical consensus and entertainment media coverage suggest the main issue wasn't the cast, but rather the direction, editing, and visual choices; these factors undermined the "premium production" feel, contrasting with initial engagement—fueled by fandom, official marketing, and premiere-day curiosity—that was later dampened by a wave of criticism affecting critical perception and scores on international aggregators. In short: while actor Zhang Linghe’s fanbase clearly helped drive early attention, that alone doesn't explain the high "heat" metrics on Chinese platforms, as there was also editorial coverage, paid advertising, and organic interest from those eager to watch the premiere. The agency and campaign team likely amplified the hype, but the subsequent backlash and the final product itself demonstrate that the debate is not merely manufactured. Please note: this is not a critique of the actors' professionalism, but rather an invitation to reconsider how productions with smaller budgets are often delivering more compelling storylines and more enjoyable entertainment experiences.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Reel short drama with good looking leads
I am really disappointed with the awkward acting, sloppy vfx and not but not least use of ai in the drama. Somehow it gives low budget vertical short drama vibes despite it being a flagship production. The post production and editing is really bad. Talking about the story, nothing about the plot gets you hooked to the story and the cliche revenge plot makes it worse.Was this review helpful to you?
Am I in left field?
I had noticed the overall rating the MDL has by its viewers on Overdo and was really shocked by it being so low. I have now started it and am beginning episode 10, and I actually really like it! I think the costumes and sets are "right on" for this era. The acting is excellent (IMO Zhang Ling He and Chang Wu Ran only get better with each new series). The storyline is intriguing with mystery and twists.There are reviews on this page left by people who supposedly watched all 33 episodes which are so hostile towards it, and I just don't get it. If it was so bad, why did so many keep watching it until the end? I can't help but think that, as I see quite often, that people who are so negative about a drama only watched the first few episodes yet felt like they had the authority to give a review of it which I find ridiculous. BTW, I have liked all episodes so far and the music is anywhere from enjoyable to lovely and appropriate for that era.
Since I am only on episode 10, I can only comment on my perception of it through this point, and at this point, I am eager to keep watching.
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Oh, I'm dropping this!
Yeah, I'm fairly new to cdramas, I admit it but this is awful. Like horrible. Disaster. Titanic sinking.I'm not the target audience, I'm neither hater or lover of ML/FL and I'm not into yandere ML's. With that being said, I have eyes and ears and I can objectively say that the editing of this is a joke, the camera work I can't even describe, over the shoulder blurry shots, fast close ups that's giving hindi soap opera. Overall cinematography is meh. Sound editing? Never heard of her. The writing and dialogues are cringe and not like in the "I kinda like it" way but it's "I have second hand embarrassment". VFX? 90's and beyond. (Of course, the opening credits are made with AI, that itself is a disappointment.)
The biggest let down is the acting, the leads have no chemistry whatsover, and the performances themselves are below their usual standard. Most of the time they just smirk and scoff, but like.... make it sexy smirk or disappointed scoff or confident smirk and tired-to-pretend scoff. ZLH is unbelievable as Alpha male and Wang Churan tries and fails to act, and just seems blank (unless she scoffs or smirks, of course.) You can blame it on poor writing, I think it's combination of everything going wrong here.
I'm happy I never waited for this drama, genuinely watched it because I had time today and there was a lot of buzz around it.I'm feeling for everyone who went into this with high expectations. I don't understand that this is high profile S+ tier drama and I'd like to ask where the money went because it surely wasn't production.
TLDR: This is a vertical mini drama with very famous actors. And that's not a diss to vertical minis because at least they don't waste your time. They are on budget and they entertain you for couple of minutes. This eats your time, 4+ hours of my life I'm never getting back, and entertainment value is well.... you can hate watch it, probably, if that's your thing. Or if you are massive fan of the leads, I guess.... good luck. I don't know what to tell you.
I'm giving it 2* because I guess everyone showed up to work and Wang Churan and Zhang Linghe are both very pretty.
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Painful to push through but survived for the visuals
Let’s be completely honest: this drama was absolute trash, and pushing through it was an exercise in pure endurance. I skipped through an embarrassing number of scenes just to survive, because sitting through the initial drag in real time was painful. The entire first half was an aimless slog—it didn’t even border on watchable until episode 17, and it took until the final five episodes to resemble an actual, functional story. The endless, juvenile push-and-pull between the leads was infuriating to watch; rather than building genuine tension, it just drained the narrative of any real momentum. It wasn’t until the tail end, when the plot finally dropped the petty games and introduced genuine external conflict and real stakes to resolve, that the show offered anything of substance. The tragic ending hit hard, but the bittersweet parallel universe payoff at least gave some much-needed closure after all that frustration.The singular reason I didn't drop this entirely comes down to the face cards. The entire cast looks stunning, but Zhang Linghe in tailored suits and waistcoats is on a completely different level. His styling carried this production on its back, and the visual payoff of seeing him styled so impeccably was the only reward for sitting through such an exhausting script. It’s a 5/10 purely for his aesthetics, but as an actual drama, it’s a mess I’d never revisit.
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The biggest disappointment of 2026
After seeing a lot of BTS footage while filming, I couldn't wait for this drama! My friends and I were just burning inside, so excited for it — and finally, the day came.At the beginning, the story was quite interesting, but later it got worse and worse. Watching over 30 episodes about one handsome, good-hearted person who's perpetually wronged and harassed made me sick. How many times can you suffer with the ML and cry because of how he's treated? I started feeling exhausted... I didn't see any sunrays — just endless darkness, rain, and sadness.
Wang Churan was cold as ice. In the middle of summer, I had to wear a sweater just watching her :P Some emotion, any positivity, even a little bit of joy — all desperately needed, but completely absent. Her character was revenge-driven and ruthless, treating her "partner" terribly. I didn't like the role, although she played this emotionless, apathetic woman quite well.
If you're a fan of Zhang Linghe, you can watch it, but the minutes with his smile are very limited. He's good-looking as always, and he acts quite well. But if you're not — don't waste your time. It's definitely NOT worth it.
All in all, I couldn't stand it and dropped it a few episodes before the end. And honestly, I'm glad I did — I already know how it ends, and that's something I really didn't want to watch. That was the final nail in the coffin.
It's such a pity that a drama with this cast turned out to be so terrible.
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Biggest disappointment of 2026
It's really disappointing when high budget drama fails to fill the expectations.After watching upto episodes 7,I decided to drop it,Biggest disappointment.The editing feels like a sequence of short-form social media clips stitched together.The VFX looks too childish.They must have used all their budget on makeup and clothes.Instead of letting emotional moments build naturally, scenes cut abruptly from intense confrontations to sudden tonal shifts (thriller to comedy to romance), breaking immersion.
I am frustrated with the production’s lighting and color grading. Rather than having the rich, moody aesthetic typical of Republican-era pieces, the sets look overly bright, sterile, or flat-washed.
Intrusive Sound Design: The background music (BGM) is overly loud, mis-timed, or jarring, pulling focus away from the actors performances.Overall the drama is 5.5/10 for me.They are only depending on intimate kiss scenes,other part of drama is a huge failure.
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