A drama that makes my heart warm
Where do I begin. GOSH! Just came out of a rewatch and had to come here to praise this show. First off, I remember thinking this was a GL drama cuz kim min jae looked like a girl in the poster and only watched this cuz my girl park eun bin was in it just to find out this unfortunately was not a fruity drama😞On a more serious note though, this drama stole my heart on my first watch because it was so heartwarming and tender. The characters were so thoroughly fleshed out and the story, though simple in nature, had depth that a lot of dramas like it lack. You see a love triangle between friends in both the ml and fl's lives, and you get to see how they both deal with silently loving someone their friend is openly in love with. I loved watching them awkwardly get closer to each other, comfort and understand each other, and being the one to make the other smile during a hard time. This drama had me grinning at my screen in the middle of the night cuz of these two.
Warning! Jung kyung is annoying for a majority of the show, even more so during my second watch. Like she kept on hurting the dude who was so unconditionally in love with her just to cling to a guy who was never able to express his feelings for her because of how much baggage they got between them. It really felt like she was just destroying her relationship and friendship for no reason. However, I love how they didn't just make her character an evil jealous second fl, cuz the added depth to her character made me value her role in the show even more.
This show wasn't typical and it didn't take the easy route by following popular tropes. It made characters that felt real and stayed true to them. It isn't flashy, they are no plot twists, and if your impatient, it could even be boring, however, if your willing to sit and watch something heartwarming then you might be as moved as I was.
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No cuz it gets to a point...
The heavy makeup, the blood spitting every other episode, and the misunderstandings that just never get resolved...yeah you lost me with this one. The thing is I really was loving this drama for a good 15 episodes before I started questioning my sanity. I really tried to use xianxia logic or at the very least stick it out for my girl bailu, but I fear I am not a cdrama warrior, or at least not a xianxia one.First off, the CGI was good sometimes, other times it bordered on excessive and kinda jarring, but rly thats just my opinion. What is FACT however is the copious amount of makeup on the main leads faces ought to get someone fired and jailed for the crimes they committed against the audience and the actors. No cuz tell me why I'm watching a very cute romantic scene where ye xiwu is giving tantai jin a peck on the cheek but I get distracted cuz all of a sudden her lips look very chapped. COME to realize that very well might just be the makeup on his face transferring to her lips despite the peck being relatively light. that left me so flabbergasted I paused the show came back a day later cuz I needed 24 hrs to process that level of ridiculousness.
The only thing that bothered me more than the makeup, in fact, pmo to no end was the misogynistic trap called ye bingchan AND tian huan(dont get me started on this trifling b). Tbh, unfortunately I did not realize this was a misogynistic trap until I read the reviews for this show after deciding to drop it. No one has made my blood boil to such a dangerous degree. No cuz why was everyone dying BUT her. All the episodes during and after the dream had me praying on her downfall.
Anyway, bai lu ate up even though li susu was barely a character and rly just an idea of a fully fleshed out character. Luo yunxi ate up too even though he rly isn't my cup of tea. Deng wei... you r what I imagine an iphone face to look like(coming from someone who disagrees with the 'iphone face' rhetoric) but xiao lin was a cool character. PIAN RAN I LOVE YOU💕
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5 dramas in one
I really love this concept of having multiple main couples. It was like watching 5 different dramas in one relatively short c-drama with all the tropes and feels of any regular show. Each couple had their own struggles before rly finding each other and while at times the misunderstandings were beyond annoying, I appreciated how the conflicts always got solved and didn't last forever like in some other shows. The show has its flaws, but it really shines when it comes to the character and cast.The mom was my favorite part of the show. She was absolutely hilarious throughout and held such compassion for all her son-in-laws except for when they did her daughters dirty. She is such a mama bear cuz even when she was afraid after her husband just died and people where taking everything from her family, she learned how to stand up for herself and her family and since then, she did not take no bs. Even when people called her crude, shameless, or vulgar she did not care as long as she was protecting her daughters. She raised all them on her own with such strong principles, she never wanted them to settle for anything less than what they deserved and that is why all her daughter had such successful marriages(eventually😂). The actress for this character was SOO freaking talented. Her comedic timing and facial expressions rly made any scene she was in. Missing Madam Li terribly and hoping to see her in more dramas
The reason I even started this drama was because I loved Lu Yu Xiao in Blossoms of Adversity(which i totally recommend if u haven't watched already), and Wang Xing Yue is fine shyt. Their relationship was a great start to the show, always bickering like a married couple even before getting married. It gave enemies-to-lovers with both plotting on each other's demise. I love kang ning for standing up for her family and not marrying Chai An when his mom was being so disrespectful. Loved seeing the mother beg for kang ning to marry her son afterwards. I enjoyed seeing their domestic life throughout the drama, and their scheming antics being used to protect the li family.
Now the most trifling couple in this show was du yangxi and shouhua cuz he treated my girl so badly so many times. They get married he ignores her and when he finally realizes his wife is a baddie(duh she's from the li family), he starts being jealous of her DEAD ex-husband like bro ur so corny. He had the nerve to be like "i could never kneel to my wife" and then ended up kneeling to gain her favor but after doing all that to make her love and trust him, he divorced her in the most embarrassing and degrading way ever. This girl has asked nothing of him but to stay by her side and he couldn't even do that. I guess his redemption arc was fine but my Shouhua was too good a wife to be treated like that, she wasn't even as hostile as her sisters and he still treated her like that, I can only thank God he now treats her like the Queen she has always been. Anyway, loved HeYi in The Princess Royal and was so hyped to see him paired with Liu Xie Ning(loved her in Story of Kunning Palace).
Now my favorite couple was haode and shen hui cuz their chemistry was unmatched. I was skeptical at first because when Shen hui was advocating for the death of yangxi I rly wasn't fcking with him, he also just looked weird a majority of the time. Idk if it was just me but he looked like a robot and his eyes were always bulging out and it was so weird cuz he's good looking when I see photos of him but in the show he just looked off for some reason. Anyway, this ship was the cutest. The amnesia plot didn't bother me at all(shockingly) because haode told him the truth immediately. She is an absolute cutie, no wonder shen hui couldn't resist falling for her. I loved how she made him a more empathetic person. They were so perfect together and I need to see them in a modern drama together.
While haode and shen hui were my favorite couple, leshan was my favorite sister and her relationship was very entertaining to watch. Yang xian can actually go to hell tho. Cuz what did u think would happen when you did that on her WEDDING DAY!! Also, people praising him for saving haode and the rest doesn't sit right with me especially since my girl had to beg before he even considered going to save them. All the male leads did things that made it hard for the audience to forgive them but yang xian was genuinely so hard to forgive cuz he was genuinely evil. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him get beat up by leshan. So glad she didn't change her violent ways once she got married and started falling for him cuz it was refreshing to see a woman in a historical drama that shamelessly demanded respect in that way. I appreciated how she was given the power to punish the yang family even beating her elders into submission(queen sh*t fr). Anyway, I was glad to see their happy ending, they were rly enemies-to-lovers. Tian Tian did such a good job in this role I was beyond shocked to find out she was a minor. SO glad they didn't make her be intimate with her significantly older co-star
Lastly, I appreciated them completing Qiong Nu's story and giving her a love interest. Her story as the adopted daughter was sad but I could understand both sides. Madam Li did treat her as a daughter but it was hard to forget her son whenever she looked at Qiong Nu and at the end of the day she is already doing her a favor by adopting her on top of having to raise 5 daughters on her own. I also empathize with Qiong Nu being abandoned by her family, losing her betrothed, and feeling left out as the adopted daughter. I'm glad they were able to actually talk it out together.
Overall, I loved all the character and all the ships. I could see why people found it hard to watch, the male leads were mad toxic. But I don't agree with people saying the wives were being abusive, they never beat their husbands without ample reason(cheating, lying, scheming). Fu Hui was being disrespected in her own home by her husband, she was 100% justified in beating his ahh. Now he is the obedient husband to a beautiful wife. I deeply respected the girls telling their mans they will not be allowed to get a concubine unless the wife is unable to conceive by the age of 40 which is impossible since their family is so fertile. That is actually so iconic. Also I was shocked to find out 3 members of the main cast were in kpop groups. Wdym fuhui was in WJSN, Shouhua was in gugudan(with god sejeong), and yang xian is in NCT. Like how did I not know any of this till now. Anyway, while imperfect, this show was so great, totally recommend.
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The ultimate married couple
GURLL Im not lying when I say zhang linghe was MADE to yearn. I saw SKP and the best thing before watching this(can u tell im obsessed with linghe), and I can confidently say pei wenxuan was the biggest simp. No cuz wdym she had you assassinated in your last life and the first thing you wanna do when you wake up is see her again😍I watched this show with no background info just knew my favorite actors jinmai and linhge were in it so I HAD to watch. Also this would mark my second historical cdrama and boy am i impressed. I usually stick with modern dramas because I'm not a huge fan of palace politics or being reminded women have little to no rights. However, I quite enjoyed our powerful, intelligent, gorgeous Grand Princess Li Rong. I loved how she stood on business and got shxt done while still being compassionate and forgiving. Watching her learn to accept wenxuan's love despite all the backstabbing and betrayals she's witnessed by the people around her was so beautiful. And rarely ever do I get to see a richer more powerful woman in historical romance dramas heck in the romance genre period.
That's only one reason out of a trillion that makes me LOVE this drama. The other being zhang linghe as pei wenxuan cuz YES SIR!! omg when the scene in the rain happened I was very genuinely screaming. Best scene in the entire show, cinematic truly. Storming out in the rain, running back just to yell at her "I love and I lost li rong"😭 i freaking love them so much
Their relationship is so refreshing to see play out on screen. You can tell their a married couple when their constantly bickering, but also looking out for each other(as allies, enemies, or lovers). They know each other and accept each other even when they believe they other to be in love with someone else. I really enjoyed watching their story unravel. They truly just complimented each other so well in this drama. Jinmai delivers an amazing performance as always, and linghe is proving to be the hottest man in cdramaland who can act the boots house DOWN(that rhymed didn't it)
But it wasn't only them making this show so good. The side characters and their actors really held it down. From the crown prince and his girl finding each other in a new life, to my favorite shangrong couple or HuaYa if you will(making ts up on the spot) the supporting cast really did their thing. We have yet to bring up Mr. Rongqing, heyu step on to the podium...
Ngl did not rly pay much attention to rongqing's character in the first half of the show despite him being a prominent character cuz I rly just saw him as the second male lead stopping my ship from sailing. But once SRQ dialed up the evil, something snapped with heyu. For some reason he just become hotter to me even though his character was being such a nuisance in the story. Anyway much of the girlies where saying that his character was getting to much screentime and was overshadowing linghe as if that is even possible), uhm idk...to each their own ig cuz for me I barely noticed him until he became so much more aggressive in wanting things to go his way.
The only thing that gets me with this show and with many a cdramas is were there's a lot of episodes, there's just a lot of plot that complicates things, confuses me, and lowkey makes me lose interest a bit, but ig that's something I'm gonna have to get used to. A lot of episodes means a lot of stuff will go down before the story reaches its happy ever after. Anyway, highly recommend, the storyline is so entertaining, the actors ate, and the plot didn't make me want to throw my device into a brick wall(just slam it shut with a bit of force).
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A masterpiece that tugs at your heartstrings and never lets go
This is the best drama of 2025 and top 5 kdramas for me. I was laughing one second, swooning the next, and crying the rest of the time. Maybe it's cuz I'm an immigrant's daughter that I related so much to the parents sacrifice for their children and their kids feeling the need to pay them back tenfold for all their sacrifices but these characters where just so well-written there is no possible way you can't feel for them. Every relationship in this show is executed perfectly and the character arcs r so satisfying(even captain a**hole got a good arc). Another great thing about this show is how smoothly it traverses through timelines. The past is just as relevant as the present; the parallels drawn leave me speechless at times.Ae sun and gwang sik's love affair alone had me wanting to give this show an Emmy. like wdym this man swam through an ocean for her. Park bogum plays this role excellently expressing how desperately and pathetically in love he is with ae sun. Selling her cabbages for her(cuz she's too shy and prideful to do it herself), reciting nostalgia because even though he can't give her everything he will memorize her favorite poem. Everything makes me just wanna cry cuz no man could ever love me this much.
The best character award has to go to Ae sun. The life she has LIVED. Living in a house she wasn't wanted, becoming so ambitious and prideful in respect for how her mother raised her, choosing love, experiencing loss, trading an old dream for her new one, loving her family so fiercely. If I continue I fear I will never stop.
The writers were in the room cooking with geum myong. What a complex yet transparent character. She is who she is because of how much her parents loved her. Her entire relationship with lee jun yeong's character(yeong beom) was executed so perfectly it gave me goosebumps. They were giving her parents love story a run for their money. Also bug props to IU for her representation of both characters in this one. She was the anchor in this show, a physical representation of the past and present. The way IU expresses her emotions is is satisfying. If she deserves to win all the awards for this.
Anyway watch the show. no actually watch the show cuz this changed my brain chemistry in irreversible ways and you need to experience the magic I witnessed. This is a straight MASTERPIECE
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The perfect cdrama
I don't know why I have been holding off on watching this cdrama cuz it is literal perfection. It's not dramatic, it doesn't rely on tropes or plot twists to grab the audiences attention, but it delivers the romance of youth in a way that warms your heart and lingers there long after you've finished the drama. I can see this becoming my comfort cdrama and a constant rewatch because its short, sweet, and so wholesome. No literally nothing is more wholesome than su zaizai and shang lurang.Their relationship had me kicking my feet, giggling, all the butterflies in my stomach like it hurts my head how cute these two were. Everybody in this show is good looking but there's something bout Zhou Yiran's dimples that makes me lose my mind every time he smiles. I love how zaizai was able to bring that out of him. She loved him so unconditionally and unwavering like everyone deserves a zaizai in their life. But more than anything, I love her she wasn't fragile. When people tried to come for her she stood her ground and I rarely see that out of cute, bubbly female leads. She was nice but she sure as heck wasn't a pushover and I adore her for that. I love the way she warded of girls who were tryna get her man like she is not ashamed to be like "my man my man my man" cuz rly that is HER man.
Rang rang was also down BAD for my girl. He can play nonchalant all he wants but my guy was a simp. One thing I rly loved about lurang was while he was indifferent at times, he was never rude. A lot of times , in kdramas and cdramas, the popular guy treats the female lead like dirt and that to me was never attractive so I rly appreciated that lurang respected zaizai and didn't bully her becuz he couldn't process his emotions properly. I also loved the depth to his character, we get to see his relationship with his parents and how that rly strained his relationship with his brother. I absolutely abhor parents who pit their children against each other. To have such blatant favoritism for one kind and absolutely disregard the other is disgusting. I really wanted to see someone confront his mother(particularly the uncle lin) cuz she was doing way too much and needed a wake up call cuz the way she was acting wasn't benefitting anyone and was only hurting the children she claims to care about. Still glad lurang and his brother were able to rebuild their relationship despite their parents, and zaizai was there to heal those parts of lurang that his parents and society broke.
While lurang's parents pmo, his friends however were such good side characters. I love when side characters have their own distinct characters and aren't just there to prop up the main couple then given generic and shallow storylines. Guan Fang was my favorite side character, his whole storyline was so impactful, his growth is admirable, and in many ways he is the glue of the friend group. Gu ran too like even though they were both jokesters, the writers took their time to ground their characters and give them a solid background. I related to jiang jia loving someone and learning to let them go. Everyone of them was so integral to the enjoyment of the show.
The entire cast was amazing, definitely gonna be checking out Yiran's other shows cuz his dimples r my new favorite thing. Zhang Miaoyi has made a stan out of me. Her and esther yu r so effortlessly and naturally cute, but I can see it in this show that just like esther, miaoyi can really eat up a more serious role. I saw people say she was just cute and a mid actor, but I strongly disagree, because while at face value su zaizai might be a simple character, I felt like miaoyi brought so much life to her in a way no one else rly could. Her acting ability was very apparent in this show and I will be watching all of her stuff and praying she gets bigger roles and gains more popularity domestically.
All that said, love this show, love the romance, nothing like a wholesome youth drama to make me feel like life is worth the living. Highly recommend.
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Historical Chinese drama without messy storytelling...I'm sat
This show is really just my type of show. Someone who is overlooked steps up when everyone is in need and proves everyone wrong by saving them. Characters finding the importance of family especially after almost losing it. Slice of life with a female protagonist who dont need a man to save her, I fear this is exactly what I needed right now.As a fairly new c-drama watcher, I struggle a lot with there being 30-40 episodes and halfway through the plot takes wild twists and turns often confusing me to the point of losing interest and finding it challenging to finish the drama. However, Blossoms in Adversity is not at ALL like that. This is one of the few dramas where I can keep up with the plot even when a lot is happening. I also enjoy being along for the journey. Watching the ups and down, feeling for the characters yet still trusting the writers will deliver a satisfactory ending. Often times in c-dramas the writers be the one playing in my face and pmo but they really held it down in this drama.
Now for the characters, Hua Zhi the woman you are. Gosh I loved her growth, like she didn't start perfect. Yes she was intelligent, but she was also naive in believing marriage wouldn't change anything in her life, and her reluctance to being close to her family members showed how she thought herself to be above them in a way because she didn't care about the things the women in her family valued. Seeing her grow out of that and learn to value what the other women in her family bring to the table, and work alongside them to achieve her goals was so satisfying. Especially her relationship with her aunt JinE. Like it would've been easy for her to just brush her off and do everything by herself but because Hua Zhi is so compassionate she instead lets her in and validates her aunt's feelings and experience. But in the same breath, Hua Zhi don't let no one walk all over her. She gone get her lick back, trust. I so enjoyed watching her fight back when people did her and her family dirty. A character can have compassion without needing to be a complete pushover and Hua Zhi was exactly that.
The supporting cast ATE. All the women in the Hua family had distinct storylines and character traits and weren't just carbon copies each other. They were fleshed out and each of their actors did a good job of bring them to life. I didn't mind the romance and am actually quite surprised with myself(as a major romance lover) for not caring too much about the romance. I mean the main lead was fine but he didn't captivate me and he really didnt need to cuz the Hua family was enjoyable enough for me. Honestly Shen Qi was more handsome than Yanxi but that's just my shallow preference. This drama had all new faces for me, I usually watch dramas with actors I know and love or just heard of cuz their really popular and want to check their stuff out. But I found new favs in this cast specifically our Shao Yao my girl was my second favorite character in the show. Enjoyed seeing her on my screen and will definitely be looking out for more of her stuff.
Lastly, the romance pairings in this show was also very lovely to watch. It didn't feel forced and I could connect with each couple despite them only getting very little screentime. It just felt like the characters were given more dimensions when they got married or had storylines of their own that didn't just serve to make Hua Zhi the hero and push the story forward. The characters weren't just plot devices is what I'm trying to say. Anyway, I really do recommend this show.
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The perfect spin-off
If we never get a season 3 of Hospital Playlist, I will die happy having watched resident playbook cuz OMG what a show. I truly have to give it to the creators of both HP and RP cuz they know how to make a drama with relatable characters and relationships you can't help but fall in love with. Everything was perfect from casting to music and literally everything in between. My second favorite part of the show r the wonderfully written charactersSa-bi our smart, studious, ai-like doctor didn't steal my heart right off the bat, but with each episode I grew to love her robotic delivery and objective personality. It frustrated me at first how comically unable she was to emotionally connect to patients, however, seeing her struggle to cope with her peer doing better than her and learning to find answers outside a textbook really humanized her character. She wasn't cold and pretentious but oblivious like a robot learning to be human which was adorable to watch playout. The actor for sabi was perfect for the role and rly embodies the essence of her character.
Um Jay our idol turned doctor makes mistake after mistake and exhausts his seniors with a million questions but that's because he really loves his job. Of the four residents he is my favorite. He acts as the glue keeping their friendship together, even when he keeps getting turned down. While he isn't the brightest, he is the most dedicated, hardworking, and passionate of the four. He takes great care of his patients knowing what to say to soothe their worries and provide comfort in their hardest moments. Also I'm officially a stan of Hi-boyz cuz that song was too good.
Nam Gyeong our socialite. The trendy doctor who dresses up to work and is always going on blind dates and up to date on the latest trends and slang terms. I know I said Jae-il was my favorite, but NG holds a special place in my heart. She is the most normal of the four imo, but her flaw is being more concerned with status and looks. I found myself really relating to her tho, she always compared herself to yiyong and had one-sided beef, she tries to be nonchalant but is in fact very chalant. I can't help but love her especially when she tried to run away after being overworked but ran back just to check on a patient. Gosh I love her growth.
Oh Yi Young, our main girl and nonchalant final boss. I find it hilarious how the most reluctant to working was the best at it. Honestly kinda hated her cuz imagine someone who doesn't even like their job being the best at it(sabi i feel ur pain). But I gotta give it to her tho, she is humble, talented, and genuinely so down to earth and relatable. It's so fascinating how unbothered she is at times and blunt even with her professors, like straight up saying no to their face(boss shi). But then, when she's with her man she is so freaking cute and when she delivers her first baby and starts rly caring about her job I can't help but love her character. Watching her come to rly care for the patients and want to do her job well even if she says she hates her job, and slowly getting closer with the other first year residents despite consistently saying they r strictly coworkers, like my girl is a tsundere fr, she will do someone a favor even after saying no when they asked her.
This show was perfectly casted. I love how mostly newer or relatively unknown actors where casts as the main leads. Each actor brought something special to this drama. I definitely will be checking out the actors' future projects, especially my girl shin shi-ah cuz tell me why i didn't know she's the girl from "The Witch pt 2", had to rewatch the movie and indeed shi-ah is talented af.
Now to the supporting cast, they understood the assignment. Ku do won, Mr. fine shyt himself, is the sunbae everybody wishes they had. he protects his hoobaes and corrects them when their wrong. He is kindhearted and dedicated to his job that's why everybody loves him, and did i mention he is the cutest when he smiles omg he is literally so good looking in a subtle way. I know people were saying he isn't good looking but they must be blind cuz this mans aura alone is so attractive. I need him in more projects.
Professor Ryu is mvp fr. He gives off girl dad vibes. Him laughing at his own jokes is literally so endearing, but his best moment was when he stood up for Sabi like the girl dad he canonically is. Ugh I love his character. Now a character I don't love, in fact rly hate is Myung Eun Won. So very annoying, a snake to the core, no shame at all whatsoever, she can fall in a ditch for all i care. Professor Seo Jeong Min is a real one for never falling for her bs and being a very good mentor for yiyong. Yiyong's sister and her husband r so couple goals. Please that man loved his wife so much and honestly if my man ain't like that i don't want him. Their marriage was a breath of fresh air in this drama. The patients also ate down. Everyone rly made this show feel so complete.
Now unto my favorite part of this show...the romance. No cuz the romance was my favorite part in HP too cuz the writers do it so well. The tensions, the buildup, the confession OMG everything is so perfect. Especially that last episode GURLLL!! Cuz wdym handshake rizz(if ykyk) and a kiss scene in the snow during new years, yall had me giggling, blushing, and smiling at my screen the entire episode. Like the creators of this show know how to get the mood just right, the aesthetics, music, everything. They never miss not with a single ship. I love how they handled every relationship, didn't rush things and they all played out differently and matched the characters.
Lastly, as someone who watched and loved hospital playlist...I was SCREAMING at the cameos. Seeing our couples come back or even just talk to each other on the phone had me losing my shit. When Ahn Eun Jin(Chu Min Ha) appeared I almost cried she is so freaking petty and when she called her HUSBAND and was like "yeah we r newlyweds" I was screaming my head off cuz they were my favorite ship in HP and I love them so much. I genuinely wish everyone watches Hospital Playlist cuz it's the magic in Resident playbook x10, it is so freaking good. Anyway, Resident playbook did not disappoint as a spin off. Great watch even as a stand-alone. Recommend especially to people who watched and loved grey's anatomy(like me) and was missing the vibe of the earlier seasons.
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