i dropped it, but you should try it

why i dropped it: 

1. i stopped for a couple days and then there just wasn't enough momentum and reasons for me to get back into it because:
   1. second ml, xiang liu is the most interesting character of this show and for him to  *spoilers* die by the end and still not end up with the mc is just. yeah i'm not that much of a masochist. i'm sure some ppl could put up with that but if you're gonna take so much of my time and make him so ridiculously charismatic as compared to everyone else i want at least a little payoff with his side of the romance.
   2. the ml she gets with is such a bland cracker and i get why but just. no. 
   3. cuts off and then second season with so many episodes only to have all the above waiting for you by the end? yeah no, nope. i don't even like the guy.

why you should try it:

1. it truly feels like an epic romance. the settings, the things that happen. the chance meetings. all of them are well-written and well-produced and it pulls you right in. its so easy to get hit with the feels and atmosphere of this story no matter what scene it is.
2. the show actually has some weight to it. the thematic, the character's choices, their feelings and the writing also surprises you by how good it is sometimes. the script is amazing, even. just that the way the original material went is just not for me dude. and the script follows that pretty religiously.
3. the dynamics between mc and her harem works because she is complex enough. she can relate to all of them, she's a mirror of all of them, there's a reason why they bounce off of each other so well and have that tension and attraction. its also not just the romance, every character relationship in this show is quite interesting.
4. listen xiang liu might just be xianxia love interest of all time and most complex xianxia male lead I've seen i'm not kidding. like...he's just so gratuitously interesting and charismatic he could've pulled his own friggin one man show. 

why i dropped it: 

1. it got so draggy my love for the characters actually faded
2. the highlighted dynamics aren't as interesting as the dynamics that don't get as much enough spotlight. listen, rival assassins with hostile yuri tension trying to survive in enemy territory? interesting. codependent protective step-brothers living in the claustrophobic ancestral home? interesting. but WHYYYY do you have such boring romances ?
3. the pacing is atrocious it made me not even care abt the plot at some point anymore
4. if you give me another slow-mo fight istg

why you should try it:

1. one of the best visuals you'll see in a c-drama ever
2. quite interesting characters
3. gjm's taste is impeccable and he just /gets it/ when it comes to certain things and themes. i'm squinting at you bcs i think i know what you are sir
4. one of the girls literally manipulate the male lead with his mother's tragedy to gain sympathy and i think that fucking rocks

why i dropped it:

1. i left it brewing for a week and then didn't feel like picking it back up

why you should try it:

1. you make a married woman climb out of a grave after being buried alive by her own husband and i will watch it period.
2. the chemistry is so good...the trope dynamic??? amazinggg consensual partnership for revenge benefits my beloved...he is her chess piece she is his yesyesyes use eo baby
3. they're not afraid to be cringe in a way that actually makes it entertaining. the cringe isn't a problem okay. its camp. its entertaining. its fun.
4. mc and ml are such likeable characters
5. you gotta turn off your judgement and sit back to enjoy the show for this one. because it IS entertaining but its also lowkey cheap but its good!!

why i dropped it: 

1. the mc just wasn't likeable and realistic enough. how are you gonna be a full grown adult woman and still act like you haven't gone though life's trials and gained some awareness like some high school girl. COME ON.
2. there wasn't enough interesting stuff going on for me PERSONALLY. like, okay the dude will die on some day and we wanna prevent it but so what. you're not giving me enough exposition nuggets on why we care about this guy. sure, the girl's probably gonna be the reason the guy died all along cause he was trying to protect her and that's why he died and you couldn't change fate all along and. maybe I'm wrong maybe its not that predictable but idk. it's just not intriguing enough for me. the guy isn't. the girl isn't. their relationship isn't. his background isn't. her background isn't.

why you should try it:

1. the male lead is adorable and refreshing.
2. i can see how this could be interesting to some people. high school nostalgia factors and the time travel element.
3. even though i said all that its not boring and very watchable. just not for me.

why i dropped it:

1. why would i continue watching a redeemed villain when the show doesn't highlight his redemption in a way that feels earned and just feels like they morally-whitewashed him.
2. every episode they stray further from what makes this a good show and what makes them compelling

why you should try it:

1. good soundtracks i guess
2. he keeps her corpse at some point and i think that's lovely
3. ep 1-8 was so insanely good in a timetravel-addict-heaven-way that i, at the time couldn't believe i could get something like that on my screen LMAO. the feelings hit so good in that period.
4. this show was at it's peak when ml was an abused evil plotting housewife and the mc was trying to mend her relationship with him. it was also at it's peak when he betrays mc and goes on his evil plan but fails. THEY LET HIM BE A LOSER WHO FAILS at the feet of his wife who then tips the power dynamic right back at him and basically claims HIS LIFE IS HERS TO MESS WITH!!
5. most compelling thing about ml is definitely his yearning to be human but lacking what he thinks is essential and basic to be human but he is so desperate for it and always so fundamentally hungry and that's what makes him interesting!! the show is great when it leans into that!! he's not good at being a person but he's sooooo desperate to be one and when he tries he fails miserably and its. awkward. and stilted. and just drives him further away from good and i love it. you barely get the show leaning into this after eps 8 though.
6. the recurring motif of mc being someone who slips out of his grasps, unreachable and the way that gets him insane is sooo so good
7. bitches be loving and overrating this anyway so i guess its not impossible to find enjoyment till the end of the show.

why i dropped it:

1. there's no glaring faults but there's not enough reasons story-wise for me to continue this personally. none of the characters were compelling enough or likeable enough for me. personally. 

why you should try it:

1. I started it for the delicious pseudo-incestuous aspect of their relationship being sort of 'step-siblings' but uhhh if that turns you off then I guess don't.
2. its plenty entertaining
3. it has a heart to it and its not just about the romance. i loved the found family's dynamic and how they all ended up together
4. its highly rated, so many ppl rec and love this drama I'm sure ppl have no probs getting into it and its one of the better modern dramas.

why i dropped it:

1. again, nice but not enough for me to keep going

why you should try it:

1. the gothic atmosphere of this is fantastic...i just love some of the places they've set up for the scenes...it rlly sucks you in
2. beautiful evil ju jingyi you are very dear to me
3. ju jingyi...have i mentioned ju jingyi? beautiful ml too
4. the dynamic and relationship was developed well enough to get you rooting
5. its paced pretty nicely and very watchable. entertaining and coherent enough to check out.

why i dropped it:

1. very entertaining but not enough weight for me to keep going at the time
2. i'm honestly considering rewatching and pushing through for this one because both mc and ml are likeable, the pacing is nice and the dynamic is working. like, the scriptwriter is good i'm just not sure abt the original material itself and how much the scriptwriter could pack or add into it so this doesn't fall into the "no substance" category y'know. not everything needs to have substance. but you've gotta have something...like putting comedy on the forefront, or whimsical plots, or epic romance, bad plot but complex characters, or just cheap but addictive. what i've seen so far has only been mid-to-good execution and its not particularly excelling in anything. there might be more to this though if i just hold on to at least 3/4 of the drama. so. i'll push for it one day.

why you should try it:

1. its entertaining and interesting! trust it'll keep your attention
2. the friend group is cute, main pair is cute, the vibes are just so funnn
3. the romance does hit you successfully with the fluffy feels, it does.
4. it knows how to build up the romance and dynamic.

why i dropped it:

1. this show has got everything except incorporating the necessary scenes in order to get you emotionally attached to the characters. there's factors that make up why a character is compelling and likeable. on this aspect the show gave them capability, tragic background, resilience, and righteousness. BUT its not enough. they feel flat and distant. compare it to One and Only which has about the same level of bland vanilla righteous main couple. at surface level, they should've been very boring but the very first episode they show you exactly what makes these people who they are and they feel real to you that you just want to root for them. Cui Shi Yi's withdrawn and rigid upbringing is turned into something funny and innocent abt her (she keeps bowing all day lol). Zhou Sheng Chen being a good, gentle person is showcased in a way that makes you interested in him(carries CSY with a blanket to maintain propriety, doesn't know how to handle CSY-). these examples showcase so much of their character and its just something Blossom lacks with its leads where instead they seem a tad too focused in showing their capabilities and melodramatic revenge chess board. Even hardened people have character and the show just never gives enough of that to get you to care about them. 
2. Li Yun Rui's acting got me initially dropping this on eps 1 but I tried to give it another chance, got to a nice several episodes and it just wasn't enough. he's just so wooden and its frustrating to watch because the production is amazing but you're not showcasing enough!!
3. honestly...in all honesty it just feels like every other reincarnation/time travel revenge story but glorified and well-produced.

why you should try it:

1. except for the aspects i mentioned it is well-written, excels in everything else and is breathtakingly produced. there's a reason a lot of ppl love it.
2. i quite like the slow burn and their chance meetings. 

why i dropped it:

1. its lowkey boring and ML's revenge thing and his enemies just aren't interesting enough

why you should try it:

1. mc's mentality is peak gen z i think millions of people could easily relate to her and find her very likeable lol. the ml is also pretty likeable
2. they got that chemistryyyyy the forehead touches really got me
3. i just like mc & ml's relationship and how ml can decompress and also find enjoyment in the simpler and small things in life. living well is enough. they're so right.
4. they're rlly cute honestly i just wish there was more interesting stuff going on with the plot. but the main couple is adorbsss

why i dropped it:

1. i'm just not gonna make myself go through all that and those lifetimes with these characters y'know. with more interesting characters and likeable characters, i would. that's not to say these characters aren't likeable, they are. just not enough for me to ride the whole xianxia shabang.
2. the plot is good but not good or compelling enough for me to get through all that...honestly, sometimes i feel like ppl view this show through nostalgia goggles

why you should try it:

1. i do like the dynamic...and the slow-burn is good. the angst is good and most importantly the chemistry is there and these actors can act dudeee
2. it was nicely produced for a show of its time...its easy to get submerged in the world
3. mc is so pretty i was just mesmerized every time she was on screen
4. xianxia realness.....dare i say better than TMOPB
5. trans rep....one of the characters.
6. true xianxia lovers would like this. I, unfortunately am a fraud.

why i dropped it:

1. honestly there's more reasons for dropping this than starting it. uhm. the script was a mess. the pacing atrocious. the tension between mc and ml not enough. so draggy. boring at times. unsatisfying ending. also what the hell did they do to my badass mc ? by the end yooo

why you should try it:

1. Bai Lu's badass scenes as Zhao Yao were lowkey worth all the nonsense....she was more overwhelmingly powerful and intimidating than most villains you see today like. Zhao Yao is just. GLORIOUS AND UNAPOLOGETIC. man i love love love love her
2. the dynamic was actually good. just not written well enough.
3. there ARE interesting aspects to it...like the plots are actually interesting just...the execution...is not...very interesting ideas though 
4. the way i see it, the novel must've been pretty good but this show poorly adapted it

why i dropped it:

1. i can't stand Zhang Linghe's acting I'm so sorry he shines in softer roles but with this sort of harsher rough-around-the-edges cold domineering type of role its painful to watch. he has the visuals for it but not the acting...

why you should try it:

1. the plot was actually interesting...her dynamic with everyone was interesting too honestly if you could get past ZLH's acting this is a pretty good drama
2. the opening sequence is so good......the literal opening OST is also amazing. its a good drama I'm just unfortunate enough to be uncomfortable by ZLH's acting
3. i don't see many ppl having problems with his acting tho, so this must be bearable-to-amazing for most people

why i dropped it:

1. i got through hidden love because i liked the brother's best friend aspect of it- the complications that could arise from such a situation and both the mc and ml's personalities as well as their dynamic together. there's nothing abt this drama in particular that attracts me. its a nothingburger for me.

why you should try it:

1. this is well produced
2. ZHOU YIRAN. ZHOU YIRAN DUDEE.
3. this is great for someone who needs something relaxing and nothing hurts.
4. honestly speaking idk why i put this here i really don't recommend this bland cracker. there are better bland crackers out there but so many ppl like it so. also, it has zhou yiran lol.

why i dropped:

1. i got bored...like, okay you're time travelling in certain durations backwards but i'm just not compelled by the guy...or the relationship....

why you should try it:

1. interesting concept, the tragedy is kinda compelling
2. pretty good script and interesting plot
3. leads got chemistry
4. gotta hype small but good productions!!!

why i dropped it:

1. overall not enough for me to keep going and the family drama was getting repetitive and annoying.
2. the romance wasn't developed well enough. the love triangle was annoying and made the female lead seem to have low emotional intelligence in a way that wasn't deliberately written.

why you should try it:

1. a very relaxing watch that's pretty refreshing because of the beautiful countryside setting. great production, the aesthetic of it is so good. the premise is interesting.
2. i held onto watching it for pretty long because the countryside setting was just nice to watch. literally a feast for the eyessssss. i quite like seeing the mc manage her business and seeing it expand, seeing the struggles of it.
3. its not that bad honestly solid plot, nice pacing- its just not intriguing enough.
4. that's about it. both mc and ml are rlly pretty i guess.