Let's get Vertical

My kind of pretentiously artsy vertical that wants to be "more".

Ben Wang is dreamy, Guo Yu Xin looks like a princess, plot is more or less steamy Skip Beat, what's not to adore ?

Excellent ZZD drama that focuses on the mending part of the "captured by the boss" plot. 

Classy and striking undercover romance serving quality acting, plot and direction, taking inspiration from big movies (also a great villain has to be mentioned as it does so much to elevate the story). 

Going straight to the pantheon of ZZD best dramas, great chemistry, plot, love the short format (two hours, just enough). 

Toxic love, but going both ways. Zhang Chi looks (and act) like all your fantasies given life. 

Thrilling cat and mouse game. Chen Si is magnetic. 

It has a page ! So good, very stylish, budget was high for a vertical, now I want to see more of XZZ and WKM vertical stuff.

Hilarious contract marriage romance bordering on parody.

Sharp toxic romance with a great pair of leads, could have used a bit more time to serve a better ending. 

Fun and explosive "captured by the mob boss" version with bombshell leads.

Very hot but beware of the very "high melo" three hours long plot.

Tries to tackle too many crazy ideas at once, ends up being carried by its lead actors. Still very fun if you like the concept of the story, just don't expect a masterpiece. 

Pretty good and well-paced revenge story, forgot about it a soon as I finished it so not so memorable. I'm not a big fan of the "pretending to be dumb to avoid troubles" plot device but it was refreshing to see the ML do it for once. Production values were strong for a mini and the actors were good. I don't have enough thoughts about it for a full review. 

Trust the MDL synopsis : yes he will trap her in his cage of love, proceed with caution. 100% reserved for yandere/obsessive lovers enjoyers with an acquired taste for this stuff. 

Fascinating for all the wrong reasons, at least it's memorable ?

She's a painter running from her abusive family (creepy af uncle who was obsessed with her mom included) and he's a big tycoon who can't forget her since they lost their virginity together at her cousin's wedding. She's desperate to runaway while he's desperate to find who did he sleep with exaclty on that night, and do it again. This encapsulates what makes verticals great : back to back efficient shots that give a lot of informations in a flashy, shocking style, heroïne struggling in a pit of snakes , crazy villains you love to hate, impossibly hot and powerful hero with a dark side obssessed with the girl, twist galore, etc. The tone is just right, very angsty but with some levity, sexy but classy, and the drama is legendary for its amazing one-liners.  Will update this post when I'm done with it, I'm watching it slowly. 

Very disappointed after the hype around this. It's just Circle of Love again except with a blander heroïne. I got bored around the second time she magically cures some elite lady, tired to guess the confusing plot from the usual terrible subs, and kept watching only to see ZZD being his amazingly hot self in a uniform. I would have liked a more interesting heroïne for him, and also an actual ending. 

No MDL page

Using this as a placeholder for the third version of this story with Li Ruo Xun. I can see why this plot is being remade, it's a strong premise : FL has been forever in love with her adoptive elder brother who saved her life, becoming the perfect bride shaped by his taste and coveted by many men in the city, waiting for him to finally claim her, only to see him get concubine after concubine. After the eleventh enter his household she's over it and resigns herself to an arranged marriage with the prince regent, who is crazy about her. This drama was HOT, probably one of the hottest period short I've seen, the regent's love is all consuming and she's more than ready to be over with being a parangon of virtue put on a pedestal and never touched by her coward of a savior. The writing is a cut above the usual fare, quite detailed and cohesive. A very generous short that is good on every front. 

Very cute, shameless flirting, but I like the more daring and tense Wang Xuan version of the Ximen Lichen plot better. This one is perfectly fine and ZZD is yet again criminally handsome and dashing, but the romance doesn't have enough tension for me. 

Comfort food in drama form. This is one the verticals that made me a fan of the format. Had a crush on Zuo Yi from the moment she appears (her wardrobe gives her an irresistible baby doll look), her chemistry with Weng Nan made me seek other dramas with them. It's very funny, it's the famous body-swap romantic comedy type of plot, but can we ever get enough of those ?

Hilarious transmigration story where the heroïne is just trying to get by but falls into the tyrant's lap (the safest place in the world in Cdramas, maybe challenged by deep waters under a cliff). The lead actors are a bit different and more mature than the usual wide-eyed, angel-faced idols, which was refreshing. 

Ximen Lichen plot with a light sub/dom power play. I always lose interest in the middle of this plot (I'm also having trouble to see what the ML sees that's so special in Zhi Zhi every time) but I need to go back to this and the ZZD one to see if they manage to pick up some pace. 

Oooh this is mean, I like it. Saving it as a reminder to keep watching. 

I was beyond tired when I watched this Republican revenge drama, the plot was so confusing to me and painful to follow but it might be thanks to fatigue and the usual garbage translation. Visuals are great, the opening is striking (avoid the DM censored version) but I need to watch it with better subs and after a good rest, I struggled too much to understand what was going on and it kept me from enjoying it.