Reviews in Progress

I think part of this show's appeal is its underdog story. It's a low budget show with little marketing that got tossed against a blockbuster and won.

Positives:

• FUN FUN FUN!
• A show that dares to be unique & owns it (whether it succeeds depends on individual taste)
• China's censorship actually improved the storyline. Switching from a possessed body swap to an identity swap made the story more intriguing.
• Making the school arc/bet a team effort instead of a one-woman-show
• The performances, especially Liang Yong Qi as the haunted cowardly wife-killer
• The colour scheme choices of black, white, red, gold and teal/cyan/blue/green helped elevate the costumes and cinematography. Perfect choice on a low budget romp!
• The slowburn romance was shown through wordplay & actions. It was extremely well-done and exuded maturity.

Negatives:

• The constant zooming in & out was overdone. Any significance it added to the first few episodes was diminished by the shows over reliance of it.
• Some of the costumes were badly constructed and ill-fitted. The ministers' costumes looked especially sloppy, like oversized PJs.
• The school uniforms looked like cafeteria staff uniform. Especially the hairnet for women.
• The pearls are historically accurate but not aesthetically pleasing to a modern audience. Less is more!
• Including filler that added nothing to the overall story (slapstick comedy maids)
• Some bad makeup - most noticeably the yellow eyeshadow on FL
• I wish the FL had dubbed herself (but that's a personal preference)

Oh how I wish this done by the same team that did New Life Begins!

Positives:

• Lu Yuxiao
• The FL & ML talk! (but makes FL seem too trusting of a ML with pretty big secrets)
• The costumes

Negatives:

• Acting could be better
• First kiss was bad
• Struggles to juggle large ensemble cast
• Character motivations don't make sense
• ML is overly loyal to his uncle he cold shoulders (bad writing/acting)
• "Perfect" leads are fine as long as it doesn't come at the cost of other characters or the story. Unfortunately...
• Shen Qi is mysteriously written out of a good chunk of the show. My guess is that he is like Zhang Zhe; a 2ML that seems like a better match over actual ML
• Illogical writing that always elevates the FL for an action but demonizes any character that does the same thing
  • E.G: The FL is praised for taking a gamble for trusting the masked man that oversaw the seizure of her home and exiled her male family members (including a 10-year-old).
  • In comparison, her family is demonized for trusting the FL's fiance & the grandpa's students.
• In a setting that is absolutely harsh towards women (abuse, assault, foot binding, concubinage, etc) the FL always seems to find the good men that are kind to women. Other female characters are treated as idiots when they trust the wrong men unknowingly or are left with no way to escape.
• When the FL finally makes a mistake, the story is sympathetic. When other female characters do the same, the story is critical & elevates the FL instead.
• Treatment of some characters is badly written & unnuanced
  • An abused character lashed out at everyone but her abuser because she felt powerless & helpless before him. But the writers did not understand this, and sent a horrifying message to the audience.

Positives:

• The child actors did a great job!
• Fun harem with a nice mix of green & red flags.
• Tan Jianci
• Zhang Wanyi

Negatives:

• Kissing cousins rewrite does nothing but make plot points confusing
• Deng Wei's Tushan Jing comes off more like a sad puppy dog than a cunning fox
• I personally don't find YZ convincing as a male in both looks & acting
  • (but I acknowledge this was probably a hair/makeup/costume + directing/writing issue)
• They keep mentioning the FL's male facade & she overacts her idea of a dudebro that it becomes unconvincing
• Especially in the face of actual male characters who don't act like that (or even act the opposite)
• This makes the story point more about how class & abuse affects how people act than how women are raised
• Especially in light of female generals + a princess of 2 kingdoms having a lot of freedom as a kid
• The costumes are well-constructed but too angular & blocky.
• The costumes cheapen the show and make it look campy
• The cinematography is weirdly lacking in some spots and decently good -if not great-  in others (multiple DoP?)
• The weaker cinematography adds to the feeling of campy cheapness
• Just saw a tripod lol

I laughed when I saw ZLH sporting that goatee

Positives:

• Though weak, I  think the leading actors are having fun and it shows
• Interesting premise with two characters being reborn instead of one

Negatives:

• Two weaker actors as leads
• I can see the twist already

Oh what I would give if this was given a higher budget

Positives:

• Cute concept that takes a surprisingly deeper speculative turn
• Not all blind box boyfriends are "good", with some being controlling, obsessive, or clingy. But our FL still learns from them
• The 2FL fits the story nicely and isn't added on unnecessarily unlike other dramas
• Though probably unwelcome by some viewers, it's nice to see the horrible ex-boyfriend realize he's horrible and actively try to change for the better (including therapy!)
  
  

Negatives:

• Some weak acting especially from some of the blind box boyfriends

Positives:

• Strong acting
• Good writing, world building, and character motivations
• Good job juggling its large ensemble cast but there was some hiccups and sacrifices
• Good costume design, well fitted and constructed
• Love how each state had its own unique outfit and hairstyles
• Excellent writing of villains, great example of humanizing without redeeming
• Wonderful production design that completely transformed Hengdian and made it unrecognizable. With six states visited (Xin, Jin, Jing, Dan, Mo, Cang), it really did feel unique each time.
  
  

Negatives:

• The seventh quiet slowmo couple were mysteriously written out of the middle of the show despite being featured in the first and last acts
• 3 arcs focusing on the fifth couple was too much and simply rehashed the same story

Positives:

• THE VISUALS
• Genuinely some of the best set design & construction I've seen with well-integrated CGI
• The Costumes
• The voice actress for the FL absolutely salvaged what was left of Yang Mi's wooden performance. Her voice embodied the role of a stoic but weary immortal leader.

Negatives:

• LOL - you already know
• Absolutely wasted All-Star Cast
• The writing...
• The directing...
• The acting...
• The...everything really...

A cheap show that knows it's cheap but still does its best to deliver a good fun story (unlike our author FL)

Positives:

• A low budget show that knows that it's FUN
• Love shows that know it doesn't need a full 40eps x 45mins to tell its story
• There were some surprisingly good moments of where you can see the cinematographer trying their best to make certain scenes look good and significant.

Negatives:

• Like most author isekais, the author forgot that a backspace exists & give a happy ending to her story
• RUSHED ENDING (which makes no sense as they were under the 1800 min limit)
• In the ending, one character motivation makes no sense
• During the 2nd half, 2FL (Xiyao) came off as a pushover, instead of an educated & respected coroner
• 2ML held his torch for FL for too long, causing his relationship with 2FL to feel fake & forced
• Barely touched and didn't fully explore the conflict of ML wanting to kill FL before falling for her
• Some of the hair/makeup/costume choices weren't just cheap bad. They were bad bad.
• The grey cast colour grading was awful. I kept trying to clear my eyes.
• Red overcoat with pink underdress + colour grade = looks like FL was wearing a VERY revealing dress
• Those face flower petals were certainly a choice...
• There were times when Irene's quirky comedy was not needed/warranted and took me out the scene

Bold choice for the creative directors to make this a 2 episode series (I kid)

Positives:

• The first two episodes
• The young actors look like their older counterparts! Good casting
• The OG FL was unique & deeply compelling, a complete breath of fresh air for cdramas
• Though it didn't last long, JJY did surprisingly well as the OG villainess
• While not historically accurate, I do like it when hairstylists realize modern audiences want the male bun towards the back of the head, instead of upright on top.

Negatives:

• I agree with youtuber AvenueX - alone, you don't really notice how bad JJY is, but with a direct comparison? YIKES!
• When she wants to kiss it looks more like she's grimacing.

Dear China, more shows like this please!

Positives:

• Wow. That's all I can say!
• The themes of family/love/friendship/sacrifice/hardship/etc
• The mise-en-scene cinematography is breathtaking
• The darker styling is a breath of fresh air for cdramaland
• The actors doing as many of their own stunts as possible
• Lu Yuxiao, Ryan Cheng, & Jolin Jin were remarkable stand outs
• The chemistry between Lu Yuxiao & Ryan Cheng was off the charts
• ZLH does well as a sulky, sheltered scion.
• It changed my opinion of Esther from negative to positive. She wasn't the best but goddamn she did her best to embody this darker, mature role. I hope she doesn't get discouraged from some of the negative feedback, and tries something like this again in the future.
• Some may disagree, but I feel like the weaker but still earnest acting & writing of the leads worked for their story and their more simple wants & motivations.

Negatives:

• THE IDIOT BALL
• and it's not the fact that characters hold it every once in a while
• it's the fact the show wants the audience to hold it with them FOREVER
• Billed as a whodunnit spy wuxia but keeps the fights/spying/clue giving to a minimum.
• The villain's monologue lasted for like 30mins & always makes me zone out
• Leaps in logic to make the story work:
  • Like the brides get to stay despite 3 years mourning? Wouldn't the miasma affect their fertility? Other traditions are broken, why not let them marry?
• How did the villain know about Anonymous? Who told them?

Positives:

• THAT KISS
• Fun harem
• The costumes
• Wang Xingyue is a standout
• YFY & LX were a nice surprise
• Wang Ziteng as ZYZ was well done. From sniveling weasel to terrifyingly brutal fighter.
• Weak scholary male characters are actually weak & not secret martial arts experts!
• Unlike other shows, the writing doesn't fail a quiet & demure female character. She's given logical character motivations & sympathy.

Negatives:

• Giving ZZ content to XW is a spit in the face to OG fans
• Director's style is blinding & silly
• Writers don't seem to handle trauma well
• XW constantly threatens & attacks JXN then asks why she's afraid of him. Got old fast.
• JXN was afraid of XW for all of 5 eps, then she's being silly with a man she thinks killed her in the 1st life.
• Doesn't make full use of its censorship excuse (author rewriting story)
• The 2nd chance rebirth leaves quite a lot of plotholes
  • How did the Xue's not realize the JXN wanted to be Empress in the 1st life but attacked in the 2nd?
  • Why did the Dowager block the marriage with JXN's sister, but not JXN herself in the 1st life?
  • How did JXN know to save YFY in the 2nd life? In the first life, she went to the Xue's party and YFY survived anyways?
• Bad writing that treats the FL & the audience like a goldfish with 0 memory
  • EG: JXN discovers that XW told a lie to ZZ to get him killed. A little later, JXN tells ZZ that XW is a good person without a hint of irony.
• I get it's partly due to censorship (bad characters must get bad ends) BUT COME ON
• I don't know what JXN sees in XW. It seems like he just wore her down. As a dark romance fan, I don't mind that. But logically there is nothing.
  • XW acting whiny was not hot.

I want a pet pig now

Positives:

• The costumes
• Costume director definitely had fun and got creative.
• Probably the best heavenly realm I've seen yet

Negatives:

• I like the lead actress but she was a weak link
• Knowing they survive 7 lifetimes means that emotional beats aren't as effective
• Not really anyone's fault, but when a typecast is hired then it gives away the plot

Positives:

• Casting based on looks actually worked out well!
• The show sometimes embraced its low budget and leaned into its campy comic nature

Negatives:

• The first case dragged for 5 episodes and almost made me lose interest

I have a weakness for bodice rippers

Positives:

• The leads are good looking
• Decently written FL for a cheap bodice ripper

Negatives:

• I'm not an expert on Ancient China, but if your son-in-law killed a bunch of your family just because they spread a rumour... I'd do something more than visit him
• Story is sometimes illogical
• So far, the ML doesn't seem like a good choice for the FL
• He sees her react badly to an unwanted forceful advance and still has her paraded in a brothel because he's jealous
• This makes the 2ML seem better

The director of this should've done "Love you Seven Times" & the "Fox Spirit Matchmaker" series.

Positives:

• The OST
• Good character motivations, which I have now realized is lacking in cdramaland.
• The voice actor for DFQC is divine! Totally sells demonic, emotionless, ruler of a harsh kingdom.
• The costumes were good, but Chang Heng's heavenly attire looked like he was wearing PJs
• The actors did a good job at the soul/body swap acting
• Gave us a special about what happened after
• Loved that female characters are able to move on from one-sided unrequited love
• Non-romantic love/relationships between female & male characters that are still important and even life/world changing

Negatives:

• Weak acting in some instances
• Though part of the character, Orchid's baby voice might grate on some nerves
• Hated the dubbing of ZLH (Chang Heng). Wished ZLH dubbed himself.
• Tired of Heavenly realm is secretly evil (though they do tone it down for this)

Honestly instantly iconic & genre defining (for a cheap Chinese bodice ripper)

Positives:

• The leads are hot
• The chemistry was amazing
• Both Leads can act but the FL knocks it out the park

Negatives:

• You really have to enjoy the silliness of the writing if you are watching it for the plot

A show with writing I would've absolutely adored in middle school but dislike now

Positives:

• The costumes
• The chemistry between the two leads
• The acting makes up for the lackluster middle school writing

Negatives:

• Overuse of fake blood
• That ONE wig. Too thick and heavy.
• Writing is amateur & childish

Positives:

• The costumes
• Acting
• Chemistry between leads

Negatives:

• Some may find that FL is overacting but I think she's fine

A quiet, honorable, courtly romance that might not be everyone's cup of tea.

Positives:

• Some might disagree, but I think this show did well with the quiet, courtly romance between two honourable people that can't be together
• Though it has hiccups, the writers did their best not to fail its quiet, demure female lead. She had her own wants & character motivations.

Negatives:

• Ironically, I disliked the voiceover for FL. Wished Bai Lu voiced herself.
• The wig on Allen.
• Some of the costumes looked cheap.
• The fake pregnancy plot was absolutely stupid & unnecessary
  • If it was in the novel, it should not have been included in this adaption
• Not sure if it was in the book, but they needed to give Shiyi a win
• Reusing of battle scenes, which caused a little bit of confusion.

My first Cheng Yi drama and I'm impressed! (by him, not the drama)

Positives:

• Cheng Yi was absolutely amazing as a lackadaisical lead

Negatives:

• Betraying a character because of a cliche vixen? Good god.

What "Blooming in Adversity" tried and failed to be.

Positives:

• Good acting
• The kiss was an actual kiss (rare for cdramas)
• Costumes are well done
• Nice to see Man'er's costume gets "upgraded" like a game as she earns money
• Demure female character is treated with respect in terms of writing. Given hopes, wants, & logical character motives
• I actually audibly laughed at some of the jokes. Most notably Shen Nuo trying to impress the maternal uncles

Negatives:

• "Family is family" type of ending, which is disturbing considering what the first uncle & his family did
• Saturation overload. Some of the actors looked orange. I understand it going for an unrealistic warm & cozy vibe (farming sim isekai) but it was too much

I was expecting this to be a lower budget, more comedic SGQ/GSJ. Alas.

Positives:

• Better than expected cinematography.
• Some costumes were good

Negatives:

• FL got sacrificed. Starts off impressive then... sigh.
• FL is weirdly naive despite being one of the best thieves
• I know it's a comedy but the maid interruptions got old QUICK

Two of my favs unfortunately in a lackluster college romance. Again, another stoic/robotic typecast for Wang Xingyue.

Positives:

• Both leads can act
• Strong start (but couldn't keep it up)

Negatives:

• A toxic friend being forgiven was more annoying than endearing
• Ran out of plot. Could've been shorter.
• Should've had the medical senior be actual family (like a cousin) to FL

The second of three four Dawn Chen/Dai Gao Zheng short dramas

Positives:

• Dawn bodies this role. She convincingly acts through three states: genuinely blind, to pretending to be blind, to seeing.
• Again, the chemistry between these two are amazing.

Negatives:

• It's a cheap bodice ripper. You're not watching for the plot.

Another Irene isekai!

Positives:

• Irene was a bright spot

Negatives:

• The ML lacks so much chemistry with Irene, especially when compared to 2ML & 3ML
  • Even when the other ML started doing unforgivable things, I still preferred him over the actual ML. That's how bad it is.
• There's a lack of context shots (passage of time, location change), which can lead to confusion
• I was happy when FL walked away from the ML, and again when she stood her ground with him a dozen episodes later, but it was undone with a hand wave excuse.
• I felt a lack of closure when certain characters didn't appear in the end.
  • They were able to incorporate one dream character into the real world, why not the rest?

One of the better bodice ripper FLs

Postives:

• The ML is hot. (very important consideration for a bodice ripper)
• One of the better written bodice ripper FLs. Pre & post memory lost she still has agency and fights for her freedom.

Negatives:

• Cheap bodice ripper plot, as expected

Was super excited for this since the team behind New Life Begins produced this but it fell flat

Positives:

• New Life Begins fans will enjoy the alumni parade
• Tan Jianci was brilliant. He should do more comedies.
• The costumes were nice
• The production design!

Negatives:

• A lot of people are really gonna dislike Ah Shu in EP 6
• Yuan Mo weirdly forgave Ah Shu too quickly for some pretty serious stuff
• I can see why Ah Shu fell for Yuan Mo, but not the other way around after EP 6
  • He should have either gotten a crush-on-first sight then genuinely fell in love
  • Or re-written EP 6 to make Ah Shu actions more sympathetic
• Some weak, illogical writing

Another drama from the infamous Edward Guo that lacks the sane writing of MJTY

Positives:

• MJTY Alumni Parade!
  • Fans of 2nd Elder Yue/Yun Que pairing will be quite pleased!
• As per usual with Guo's other works, the cinematography is beautiful
• The OST is a highlight
• The cute little dance during the credits. It changes with the cast and set!

Negatives:

• All the talking felt a little drawn out
• Some of the conflict felt a little melodramatic
• Treating the audience like idiots who can't understand a joke

When a director doesn't waste his shots!

Positives:

• The director clearly knows not to waste his shots or budget!

Negatives:

Even 30 years later, we're still picking Boys Over Flowers

Positives:

• FUN
• The comedy was good!
• They incorporated modern tech & social media really well.
• Ren's art was a good change of pace from his usual music/violin background
• That Hana mirror hand swipe transition was smooth af
• Very creative lighting!
• Nice camera/editing work.
• The best adaptation for genuine remorse
• Kay Lertsittichai as Talay & First Kanaphan Puitrakul as Phupha were standouts!
• While Cindy Sirinya Bishop's acting was weak, her intimidating aura was not!

Negatives:

• Suffers from what every Hana Yori Dango adaption suffers from: Trying (and failing) to explain why the hell would the FL fall for such a crazy, violent bully.
  • Gorya was calling him boyfriend in the same episode where he viciously beats another student for no good reason.
  • The same episode where he almost hit her.
  • (But I still love this story oops)
• Suffers from another HYD sin: the F4 basically getting off scot-free.
  • These boys have sent multiple people to hospital. Assault and battery charges should be flying in their direction, with juvie for their future.
• So many of the cast were new to acting and it shows.
  • It was particularly noticeable with Win as Kavin. He was stiff, slackjawed, and had a constant deer-in-headlights look about him. He's supposed to be playing a smooth womanizer, but it was like looking at a boy seeing a woman for the first time.
  • His acting absolutely ruined his big moment in EP 5. What should've been a cool, iconic moment became a little bit of a joke.
• The story of Iris (MJ's backstory & romance) should've been included in the show.
  • Instead it was turned into a multipart KFC commercial that's hard to find
• You're collecting proof of violent bullying but you don't backup your files?
  • the show at least acknowledges Phupha isn't the brightest or the most tech savvy
• The amount of product placement was extremely frequent, noticeable, and distracting.

Ah, memories. An absolute time capsule of mid 2000s culture.

Positives:

• Holds up pretty well 20 years later
• Loved this take on the shopkeep

Negatives:

• Makino ending up with Domyoji will always be a headscratcher for some.

Negatives:

• It's been 30 years since the manga released, but people will always question why Makino chose Domyoji over Hanazawa Rui
• Felt like a lot of growth from the first season was undone in the first episode of season 2
• Always hated that one storyline fakeout. It ruins the growth and motivation of TWO characters.

Positives:

• A wonderful story about a mother and daughter reuniting after surviving abuse

Negatives:

• The ML's acting was weak, especially in comparison to Chen Duling. She carried their scenes together.

Halo Effect: The Comedic Documentary

Positives:

• Fun
• Great message needed for the modern age.
  • Acknowledges the existence of pretty privilege/halo effect but honest about being true to yourself

Negatives:

• Was Tan Jianci sick while filming?
• The show's back and forth on whether the ML was an asshole diluted the message
• While pretty privilege is real and has a detrimental effect on the FL... she didn't even try? 
  • When everyone is wearing work appropriate clothes, the FL shows up in frumpy casual outfits then complains when no one takes her seriously.
• The show keeps adding in enough plausible deniability to characters participating in pretty privilege that it's message becomes diluted and even lost