This was rather enjoyable!!!
I binge-watched this show in two days and was not disappointed. While it's true that the body-switching angle has been done in C-dramas time and time again, this show did a great job keeping it fresh and entertaining.The ML (Zhang Xin Cheng as Jiang Yi) and FL (Liang Jie as Yu Sheng Sheng) did a wonderful job portraying each other after the body swap. I was especially tickled to see Zhang Xin Cheng act as Yu Sheng Sheng-I could imagine it would have been difficult for him to stay in character without bursting out laughing.
It's a simple slice-of-life story showing the relationship difficulties that can arise for the typical Asian celebrity/influencer, especially when they decide to date a regular person. The twist is that there's some body-swapping going on every now and then.
Don't set your expectations so high that you become distracted critiquing the rationale behind every single plot deficiency. This show is meant to be light-hearted, warm, and fuzzy. It'll lighten your mood and possibly even get a squeal or two out of you.
Just be sure to make it past episode 1, or you might be tempted to give up and miss out on a really good series.
8/10-highly recommended!
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Don't judge a book by its cover!
After finishing the series, I can honestly say that I misjudged how much I would end up liking it. The first episode was a bit like watching paint dry, mostly because it lacked sufficient context. But things picked up after they met in the cafeteria in episode 2. From there, I was giggling through almost every episode like a silly schoolgirl.While I don't know how I feel about Zhu Yun having to chase Li Xun from beginning to end, the chemistry between the two was palpable. Li Xun is a complicated character. I found him to be charming at first, then after a few more episodes I grew tired of his arrogant, obstinate behavior, then I eventually found him to be charming again by the end of the series.
Gao Jian Hong is another complicated character, who struggled with his own insecurities and the eventual projection of those same insecurities onto others. His tug-of-war with feeling like he's always in Li Xun's shadow became the demon that he had to eventually confront and defeat, though it took literal sickness to halt him in his march towards self-destruction.
It's rare to come across a modern love-story c-drama as potent as Lighter & Princess. The approach to storytelling is very mature, and hyper-realistic. Ignore anyone who gives this show a low rating, especially if they haven't at least watched the first few episodes.
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What a pleasant surprise
Initially, I was skeptical since the first few episodes gave the impression that Xingxu Chen's acting was robotic and one-dimensional. Boy was I wrong. Midway in, I realized this was done intentionally to demonstrate Empyrean Xuan Shang's personality when purged of his desires. Later on, I loved his performance as the different soul shard personalities, as well as his complete change in personality near the end after his desires were restored.I also loved the performances of Landi Li as Li Guang Ye Tan, and Xuanlin He as Li Guang Qing Kui. Chen Muchi was also great at playing the third prince of the void and I enjoyed the character Wu Dai played by actor Xiaolin Jiang as well.
All in all, I liked this series more than I thought I would, though the ending seemed abrupt and left me a little bit disappointed.
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Dylan is the perfect fit for this role
Ok first of all Princess Lin'an is a super-annoying character, and I almost gave up on the show when she started getting more screentime. Luckily, I powered through and was not disappointed.This show was so fun and lighthearted for most episodes that I wasn't prepared for Xu Qi'an's transformation (albeit provoked) into a no-nonsense, bone-breaking, body-dragging, enemy-beheading executioner. I thought it was an interesting progression for his character development, and perhaps the start of an arc where he would be feared rather than loved. I was curious about what would happen next. But, to my dismay, the writers took the easy way out and essentially "reset" everyone's memory with a spell of forgetfulness.
Aside from the lousy ending, I felt like there were some lazy plot holes here and there throughout the show... but overall, it was still quite entertaining. Definitely looking forward to a second season.
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Strong start, weak finish
W - Two Worlds Apart had so much potential. In the first half or so, this potential was maximized. The pacing was just right, and there was a good mix of offbeat humor, romance, and suspense. The basic premise of the webtoon being a parallel reality was interesting, and both the male and female leads did a great job in their respective roles.However, somewhere past the midway point, things began to get a bit repetitive. A few episodes near the end, the storyline transformed into something convoluted (particularly regarding the antagonists), the humor dwindled, and the show began to take itself so seriously that it was hard to ignore the unraveling plot. I, like most people, hung in there for the romance, but there wasn't too much of that in the latter half either.
I'm torn because the series is decent, borderlining on great. It's probably just a bit too long (should have been 12 episodes rather than 17).
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It deserves all the hype!
Zhou Ye was the perfect choice as the FL He Yan, and after watching series like "Word of Honor" and "Back from the Brink," I can safely say that she is not only a versatile actress but that she always takes her roles seriously. She is one of the few actresses I love to watch because I know her performance will be far more seasoned and balanced, and not to mention much more tolerable than the typical C-drama FL.However, it was Ryan Cheng's performance as Xiao Jue that surprised me the most. Even though I remember him from the series "My Journey to You," he didn't quite leave an impression on me like he did in this series. He was a perfect fit for the role. Not only is he a superb actor, he's stunning to look at, and his aura was convincingly that of a military general.
To be fair, the entire cast did a stellar job. The plot is well put together (with a good balance of humor and suspense), and to say anything less would literally be nitpicking. While it's true that the pacing seemed to suffer a bit near the end (perhaps they were pressed to condense quite a few plot developments within just a few episodes), it was still quite enjoyable, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking to pick up a good, solid C-drama in 2025.
The reason I gave it an 8/10 rather than a 9/10 is solely due to the pacing issues near the end.
As a side note (and I digress), every time I spot Bai Shu in a series, I can't help but wonder how the heck he's managed to feature in so many C-dramas within such a short period of time. Somehow, I can't unsee him as Lord Flying Snake from when I watched "Love and Redemption," which makes it so hard for me to take him seriously as a villain (He Ru Fei). He's also been in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," "The Legendary Life of Queen Lau," "The Blood of Youth," "Dashing Youth," "Love of the Divine Tree," and "A Moment but Forever," just to name a few. I'm starting to think that whatever he features in turns to gold.
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A Guilty Pleasure
Ok, I'll be honest. As a straight woman, there are no words to explain how exciting a good BL show is. Plus, I recently learned about the "omegaverse," and that was enough to pique my curiosity, but I wasn't in the mood to read any manhwas.I started watching this show randomly based on a user's list of recommendations on IMDB. Imagine my surprise when I saw the acronym "ABO" spray painted on the wheel in the background at exactly 7:43 minutes in episode one. I squealed because I knew I was in for a treat!
True, the storyline and plot are simplistic, even cheesy at times.... and yet I still couldn't look away 'cause it was so SPICEY!!! Let me tell you (and spoiler alert)... in a certain episode, when Wu Suo Wei finally took the lead and embraced Chi Cheng with a kiss, I started cheering him on. Then when he bit Chi Cheng on the neck, cried, and said "YOU'RE MINE".... I near lost my marbles... lol.
I'm ashamed to have enjoyed this series so much! Normally I'm picky about depth of content and all that.... but a good BL turns me into a simple woman... I see attractive boys embracing and I start giggling like a schoolgirl.
This show gets a 9/10 on the guilty pleasure scale.
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Truly a hidden gem!
I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Jingyi Zhang was amazing as the lead actress and honestly, the entire female cast did a wonderful job. At first, I was skeptical about Yitian Hu but he proved me wrong real quick. Plus for some reason he kept getting more attractive with each episode.All in all, the pacing of the storytelling helps the audience to truly connect with the background of each character, and the interplay of their relationships makes it even more meaningful. It wasn't just about overcoming hardships and situations of uncertainty but about defying certain norms and expectations that not only limit but divide us.
This show was heartwarming, with just the right amount of humor and suspense. My only regret is that I didn't watch it sooner.
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