Surprisingly not so bad
This one is actually one of a short drama where the cinematography, acting and costumes doesn't look like those obvious cheap short dramas.I was trying to kill some time but the first episode hooked me into the drama cause it's actually interesting and i like this kind of plot. It's actually decent although there are things they could've execute way better and how the plot gets kinda jumbled and rushed at the same time. It is flawed but it's still a decent short drama to watch with only 22 episodes with a duration of 16 to 20 mins per episode.
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This review may contain spoilers
That wasn’t it
Feel like I am giving too much rating, but anyway it’s a short drama too, can’t compare to normal late length dramaSo, this wasn’t much good to me, the plot was kinda messy to me and it was lacking.
I mean, don’t think the leads had much chemistry honestly either
Also still weird to me how he switched so fast from present FL to futur FL
Costumes looked fine.
Ending: I knew from the beginning it would be some kind of « special ending ». It was obvious, these kind of plot are banned, so the ending was definitely gonna be censored. I was expecting a dream or something, but they went for the writer FL in modern time, so everything that happened was the script story. And they hit us with the classic meeting for 2 sec as if everything that happened was real and they remember…. Only hints, they will never saw explicitly. We have seen these kind of ending many times
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Mostly style over substance
22 episodes at approximately 20 minutes each is exactly my style in speed. What it means is you can’t have too many fillers and you have to get on with the story..This show is not bad. I really like the cast and the story is a slightly different take on the reincarnation trope.. the female lead is born again into a different character, but three years before but is identical to herself in this timeline if that makes sense. She eventually gets together with the ML in this version and they fought her father the main antagonist who killed her mother and who plans a rebellion but is taken down by our heroeswith the help of the Crown Prince and her former herself from three years ago.. the one thing I will say about the FL is that her former self was a bad character. She actually was a villain and you have to suspend belief to reconcile a change between the two even though they are the same person. Overall it was enjoyable though they ended it with her being the author of this story in modern times and meeting the ML and having love at first sight as it ended. Not too shabby.
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EPISODE REVIEW
REMINDER: THE RATING HERE IS NOT THE ACTUAL RATING. I'LL RATE THIS AFTER WATCHING THE DRAMAEp 1 (⭐: 9/10)
Damn, my first impression of ZRX is that she’s gonna be a total badass. I love how the drama instantly pulled me in, and now I’m hyped to see how the love story between ZRX and LY will unfold. I didn’t even read the synopsis, so when that ending hit in episode 1, I was jaw-dropped. Finally—a fresh take on the whole “reborn” plot!
Ep. 2 (⭐: 8.5/10)
Damn, now she suddenly becomes a princess! But honestly, I really want to know what happened to the real princess back then—like, where’s her soul now? I also have this feeling that Zhou Ruo Xi (in her second life) might end up becoming the villain because of Li Yan and Fu Wei’s future relationship, but I really hope that’s not the case. What I do wish is for Fu Wei to actually help Zhou Ruo Xi in the future, rather than them turning into enemies.
Ep. 3 (⭐: 9/10)
-Mind-blowing! Turns out she isn’t the real princess—guess I was too dumb to not notice that earlier. What I’m really waiting for now is Li Yan’s reaction when he finds out that the girl in his dream is actually Fu Wei (2nd life) and not the current Zhou Ruo Xi. Also, Ling Lan teaming up with the new antagonist wasn’t too shocking, since short c-dramas usually pull off a twist like this, but it’s still fun to watch. At the moment, I’m totally loving Fu Wei, and what excites me most is uncovering her background from her first life.
EP. 4 (⭐: 8/10)
-This one’s going to be a short review, but I just need to say what I think about Li Yan (2nd life). Honestly, I really hope that this time he doesn’t so easily fall into a romantic relationship with Fu Wei. Like, if he does start liking her, then he needs to move on from Zhou Ruo Xi (2nd life). Because imagine him liking two girls at the same time—I’d seriously go crazy.
Ep. 5 (⭐: 9.5/10)
-Damn, Fu Wei finally revealed her face to Zhou Ruo Xi and Li Yan. Honestly, I kinda wish she hadn’t revealed it this soon. I get that she wants to investigate the Wang family case, but it might’ve been smarter if she just made Zhou Ruo Xi act as her replacement whenever the maid went to her room, instead of showing herself too much. Still, I can’t deny it’s getting more and more interesting!
Ep. 6 (⭐: 8/10)
-Last episode for today! To be honest, this one wasn’t too superior compared to the others, but that’s okay—it feels more like they’re adding fuel to the fire for what’s coming next. Personally, I’m just not really into the romantic scenes, so that part didn’t hit for me. On the brighter side, I actually kind of like Zhou Ruo Yao (Zhou Ruo Xi’s sister). She seems genuinely good and kind, and I really hope she doesn’t pull a sudden turn and become a villain like her mother.
Ep. 7 (⭐: 7/10)
Kaboom—looks like we’re heading into Zhou Ruo Xi (2nd life) villain territory! 👀 But honestly, this episode didn’t feel super mind-blowing or impactful compared to the previous ones. The highlight for me was definitely the moment when Zhou Ruo Xi’s father’s wife died—that scene stood out the most. Other than that, not too much grabbed me this time.
Ep. 8 (⭐: 8.5/10)
Last episode for today! Finally, my misunderstanding has been cleared up—Li Yan only sees Zhou Ruo Xi as a friend. That’s honestly a relief, because it would’ve felt so weird if he ended up liking both of them.
In this episode, the one who really grabbed my attention was Zhou Ruo Xi. Damn… is her villain arc about to kick in too soon, or will Fu Wei be unable to stop her and change the outcome? Also, I’m kinda confused—why did Fu Wei say she wouldn’t go meet Li Yan, but then moments later she shows up? Did she already know Zhou Ruo Xi was impersonating her?
Ep. 9–10 (⭐: 7/10))
To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy these two episodes that much. I always want to see what happens after a big twist, but here it just didn’t hit as strong as I hoped. What confused me the most was when Fu Wei told Li Yan that they can’t meet again in this lifetime. To me, it feels like she’s Fu Wei now—not Zhou Ruo Xi—and the one who caused all the pain was Zhou Ruo Xi in her first life. But since she’s no longer that person, I don’t fully get why things have to play out this way.
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Disappointing, confusing, and emotionally hollow
Echoes of the Self tries hard to appear profound, but ends up feeling like a drama that’s confused about its own identity. The storytelling drags, the emotional beats don’t land, and the pacing is painfully uneven. Instead of building tension or depth, the plot meanders with scenes that feel disjointed and unnecessary.The characters are another major letdown—flat, inconsistent, and strangely detached. It’s difficult to connect with them when their motivations shift without logic, and when the script fails to give them any real growth or weight. Even the supposed “twists” feel forced, as if added just to keep the story from collapsing entirely.
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Faire face à soi…
En ce moment, le destin me pousse vers les drames de renaissance. Bien qu'ils ne soient pas les plus originaux, j'apprécie la façon dont les personnages déjouent leur destin. De ce fait, Echoes of the Self possède une narration dynamique, des personnages sympathiques et un couple adorable.Fu Wei (Chen Yao) utilise sa première mort avec intelligence. Elle devient une femme mature, calme, mesurée qui agit avec réflexion. Cela contraste avec son autre "soi", rongée et guidée par la colère et la vengeance. On distingue facilement les deux personnages. Je n'avais plus revu Chen Yao depuis Maiden Holmes (ce qui date), et son jeu semble plus affirmé.
Li Yan (Quan Yi Lun) est un prince prévenant et juste. L'archétype de l'homme bon qui, lorsqu'il tombe amoureux, s'y plonge avec une dévotion chargée d'intensité. C'est un homme intelligent et protecteur au sourire magnifique. Je suis ravie d'enfin voir Quan Yi Lun dans un rôle principal, même s'il s'agit d'un court drama. Il dépeint un personnage tendre, mais intense.
Le rythme soutenu nourrit les complots, les manigances, les révélations et la romance. On ne s'attarde pas sur les détails, les événements sont rapides, toutefois, les personnages manquent de profondeur. L'antagoniste principal, en particulier. Quant à la fin, personnellement, je la trouve intéressante. Enfin, la photographie, les effets et les costumes réhaussent l'ensemble.
En bref, Echoes of the Self oppose son "soi" du futur à son "soi" du présent dans un drame entraînant et un couple principal chaleureux.
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