Started out promising, kind of a mess ending
Drama is packed with good actors and the story started promising (for mystery thriller fans)A questionable murder with multiple suspects. Victim actress has plenty of reasons to be loved and hated so who could be the murderer and why? Is it jealousy? hatred? revenge murder? Combined with a troubled detective unable to move forward obsessed with the case. This is the standard recipe to a promising murder drama.
However, 10 ep in, the story gets overly twisted and complicated. Twists are good but shouldn't be over 3x. Quality over quantity but apparently, they can't stop with the "But way here's another twist plot."
Characters started out likeable, but more & more became unlikeable.
Felt like a hot mess heading to the ending. I did enjoy the solid cast and the real acting.
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Another great collaboration between Rong Zi Shan & Zhang Song Wen
This drama is definitely not as same level as Bad kids, but the collaboration of Rong Zi Shan & Zhang Song Wen is just so good.If you enjoy dramas such as:
Bad Kids, The Disappearing Child, Homesick.
You'll want to watch this one.
Story pacing is very good. Being 16 short episodes, there weren't any filler episodes.
Likeable lead characters and good story overall.
Expect the annoying bold letters (Yellow in this one) absolutely spelling out everyone's outcomes, but that's how censorship goes.
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Happy 7 Happy Watch!
This is one of those silly dramas with stupid humor if that's your thing. It might be a good break between serious intense dramas.80% of humor is blah but there's 20% that really hits! I am not sure if this works if you can't understand Chinese because 1/2 of the humor depends on the accent and word play.
Initially I watched for the FL: Bu Guan Jin. She's one phenomenal actress known for her animated expressions. Her character portrayal with her fake accent and expressions definitely don't disappoint.
I don't know if she gotten plastic surgery or just the makeup is overly heavy, but she looks almost unrecognizable here. Yes she's gotten prettier, but I much prefer her natural looks in "Dear Diary" Still! Wonderful actress!
Supporting character Fan Zhong Ju (Actor: Li Yin Wei) would be the 2nd character that delivered the funniest scenes.
As you get through 10 episodes the characters will grow on you and the drama becomes funnier. I end up loved all the characters and the pairings. Sweet funny all the way to the end!
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Hard to watch
As much as this drama is filled w/ A list cast and A list supporting cast but the script itself its hard to like. The story started off intense with badass ML that even Italian Mafia can't mess with. Song Joong Ki's baby face wasn't exactly believable for the role but I still enjoy his acting. So as flames go up in ep 1 I am thinking K2 kind of drama coming up, hopefully he'll stop trying to speak Italian and just go into more action! Then came the over the top characters trying too hard to be funny. Most are just filler side characters that failed to be humorous at all. Maybe some people do enjoy this but the frequent switching back and forth between cool Vincenzo & idiotic forced humor really threw the whole drama off for me.I love all the actors so I made myself watch through the drama however it was a struggle to be engaged in the drama. If they just stick to the story as an action drama instead of the absurd comedy nonsense it would've been a hit. My favorite part of the story is Jang Han Seo's character and the relationship developed between him & Vincenzo. Story deserves a redo!
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One of the best of 2023!
This is not your typical idol drama but it's definitely an eye candy fest. You'll see many so many familiar good looking actors/actresses all gathered in 1 drama.This is a quality production in a very dark setting. Ep 1 instantly got me hooked with the female assassin concept which remotely reminded me of Bloody Romance. The cinematography, CGI & fight scenes are all really good.
Make up on the MLs are a bit overwhelming but it works well on the FLs with the dark costumes. Costume designs are very beautiful with lots of black and fine gold detailing. Even the plain monk costumes you can see the fabric texture detailing. Quite impressive.
Storytelling & dialogue is engaging to where full attention is required at least the first 1/2. Story revolves some power struggles , murder mysteries, assassin frenemies making me wish this series is longer than just 24 eps.
Only parts I don't care for is the sister of ML. OTP forced humor feels out of place for this drama. A few lines were funny I admit but most I can do without. 2nd half though she did grow on me to my surprise. It's been a while since I loved almost every character and every fight scene!
Overall:
2nd FL & 2ML out acted the ML & FL
2ML's brother makes a great trio dynamic
Ending is.... tragically messy to the land of no where. Hoping S2 will magically appear one day and answer all unanswered questions.........................
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Best Costume Drama of 2022!
I am so sad that it ended. I honestly could use another 30 ep of this.Sure the drama started out with all the excessive ladies gossiping & doing evil things trying to get the ONLY bachelor in town but aside that minor flaw the story overall was executed close to perfection.
Why the perfect 10
1. ML/FL amazing chemistry. I've seen every Rosy drama but this pairing with Leo Wu was perfect. Leo Wu is just a talented actor since a baby.
2. Supporting cast. There were so many supporting characters that I equally loved in this drama notably:
- 2 Generals by ML for comic relief.
- Mom and Dad of FL. Dad is so funny and the mom's facial expressions always on point. I actually loved her character
- The Emperor and the 2 wives. The emperor especially was entertaining.
- Brother / besties of FL
- 2nd ML , 3rd ML (Yuan Shen) started out annoyingly funny then through character development became a worthy 2nd/3rd lead.
The whole cast was incredible.
3. Story . On the surface it's about love and revenge. However it's got:
-Plot twists. Not overly complicated. Not overly outrageous
- Best character development of main and supporting cast. Shao Shang started as a playful 15 year old. She went through varies struggles to learn about herself and the meaning of true love.
- Family dynamics, relationships between friends, family members
- Strong female characters
4. Beautiful costume, cinematography & music provided that dream land feel.
5. Rewatch Value. I already rewatched 3x.
6. Happy Drama overall. Not like traditional dramas where every character dies because let's face it, SAD endings sucks.
7. Ending of every episodes. Actors playing some games.
8. No cheesy voice dubbing. Unless it's due to actors having thick accents then I would always like to hear their own voices.
Sadly I really felt I want more in the ending not necessary story continuation but more of grand happy ending scene.
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Ep14 on gets interesting but can you make it there?
Ep 14 was SAVAGE! Before then I actually didn't care for the drama, but I kept watching thinking "What if this is the last of Zhao Lu Si I get to see" (which I really hope not)Before ep 14 I hated:
1. The nasty characters: felt like old tropey drama where everyone around FL is one dimensional nasty getting TOO much screen time
2. Zhao Lu Si OTP make up. She's beautiful in a unique way before she started doing makeup like AI.
3. Unrealistic amount of time to do ALL of that and be perfect.
Only if you are into makeup, fashion, glamour, there's unlimited amount of that.
Ep 14 post showdown
1. The Zhao Lu Si I once loved returned! Her crying scene felt genuine again. Especially the scene in ep 15 where she took off all her make up in controlled tears talking to her grandma.
2. The transition from glamor to her real self was so good.
3. Positive development on supporting characters though a few remained one dimensional (which I still skip)
Ep 19, they started to add more humor almost too silly but entertaining. They are so good together! (IMO)
For those who complain ML /FL age gap is too big. From head to toe he legit fits that Bossy CEO image (not like some young kid playing cosplay) His acting is always solid!
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ML's character officially killed the drama 7 ep in
FL actress is quite good and the storyline started out interesting. There's mystery of why she went into another world or did she? Going from highly privileged life to a girl with nothing. Her character is believable. I like the transferable skillset from her art major to hair and makeup is not so farfetched. She shows how resilient she is proving herself over and over again.The ML's character initially is quite likeable. He's caring and helping her to survive in an unfamiliar environment.
However 7 ep in how the ML acted is so irrational making you think who write's this crap? That neck choke was way out of left field. It's not like she wants to stay here. Why go crazy serial killer on her? Doesn't help the ML isn't a great actor either. He's pretty much unwatchable after that.
I continued watching for the FL. Her emotions are on point and hits so I can see why she is such an upcoming actress. Her crying scenes are superb!
The story developed in a complete direction without things making much sense. Rushed ending to explain what happened and amend all relationships in one episode.....
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Ep 37 she finally wore flats!
I started watching this drama for Dai Xu. It's been so long since I've seen him in a good drama like Burning Ice or the Legends.But this drama is about a gifted housekeeper who can walk in high heels anywhere.
High heels walking on grass
High heels walking in the country side
High heels pushing a wheelchair down the slope
The FL "gifted housekeeper" can fix apparently everyone's problems (other than her own). She's a psychiatrist, a nurse, a nanny all in one. Much of the drama lacks focus since it's about everyone else's stories and not really about her.
I keep watching this for sometime of development but it never really happened.
Honestly the basis of the story line isn't bad. Had they drama focused more on the slow burn development between the FL and the Man bun ML (who will grow on you) then the drama would've been more watchable.
Instead I had to skip through the filler lines and creepy 30+ year old calling "MOMMY" left and right. ...
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3 Strong MLs carrying the FL's acting
I've seen Sabrina Zhuang's prior works as she gets some interesting scripts. Its not that she can't act but it's just not amazing. Her expressions are pretty much the same in every character I've seen her in. The 3 MLs were all better. Huang Jun Jie's acting definitely gotten better over the years but the pairing didn't really spark any chemistry for me.The story itself is quite enjoyable if you like less serious ancient detective genre types. (i.e Miss Truth, The Imperial Coroner, Maiden Holmes)
What I enjoyed:
1. Actual story - smart (but not witty) female litigator with the unique name of Tumi defends the powerless and fights for equality.
2. Bromance worthy between Han Wu Wei & Kang Zheng Yuan
3. Fan Zhi Xin (Han Wu Wei) stand out acting. His face is very expressive. I can't believe I never seen his works!
4. Father / Daughter relationship - I am a sucker for those
5. Decent fight scenes. This is not big budget production but I thought the fight scenes were not too shabby
6. Actual cases - no dragged out cases, not overly complicated, easy watch if even if don't fully pay attention
Downside
1. I wish Tumi was a bit less serious. Hardly any humor compared to other similar dramas.
2. Lots & Lots of words. My Chinese is limited so I may need subtitles and story focuses on arguing cases = lots & lots of tiresome reading subtitles.
3. Ending with no ending .... yeah I watch dramas so there are endings but which would you rather have? Not an ending or bad endings? It's a toss up. Waiting for S2 could be forever painful.
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Don't miss the Epilogues
Starting ep 2 there's mini epilogues at the end for about ~10 ep.Underrated cute drama ruined by no subs but if you can understand Chinese and enjoys costume rom coms, this is a great pick.
Loved great cast & characters:
FL Shen Yu is super cute without over acting (which a lot of dramas tend to do). Her character is cute, witty & smart! I loved her expressions.
ML (Old Male Chicken) is a great looking actor and the young actor they picked is a perfect match too!
The back and forth dialogue between the leads is written pretty well. Of course with any rom com there will be the standard "catch & fall" moments but if its cutely done, its very enjoyable.
Zhou Yue - one of few females that can pass off as a male at least in a drama.
Gao Mo - Funny supporting character
If you enjoy dramas like:
Dr. Cutie
A love so Romantic
Chances are you'll like this one too but personally I thought the pairing & dialogue was better in this one.
The only down side is that like many C-drama ending's kind of a mess starting ep 20. There are also a few one dimensional bad characters that you can skip through.
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Lots of politics but must watch if you are a Zhang Ruo Yun fan
If you are a Zhang Ruo Yun fan this is a must watch and the fact that Wang Yang (the lawyer) is also a main character makes it that much better. They were my favorite pair in Joy of Life.The story is unique but you can't get away from the politics so if you can't stand political dramas then this may be hard to watch. In addition the dialogue is quite complicated so hopefully translation can fully capture the meaning.
Loved:
1. Casting. Stellar cast and interesting characters
Shuai Jia Mo - Mathematical genius played perfectly by Zhang Ruo Yun
Cheng Ren Qing - sharp tongue lawyer that will help anyone for money.
Feng Bi Yu - Out spoken female character
2. Supporting cast. I love that many were not written as one dimensional good or bad characters
3. Few twists but not overwhelming
4. Overall story with a gratifying ending
There were no romances or side character's story lines so 14 episode felt pretty short. I wish the story could've been longer as I think many of the characters are interesting.
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Light hearted historical drama
Same category as:Dr. Cutie
Romance of Tiger & Rose
Romance of Hua Rong
A Girl like me
If you enjoy this kind of silly historical dramas then you will enjoy this one. Started off strong with so many funny moments. I loved the nickname ML called her. "Xiao Jian Shang" Drama also had more than average cuddly kissing playful couple scenes which is quite refreshing. The best friend couple was also a good pairing providing some comedic moments.
Of course the overall plot didn't flow & some of the characters just randomly popped in & out with no rhyme or reason.
The downfall came around ep 20. After so many of the SAME character introduction trying to pull them apart, it got tired out. Previous rivals all were likeable somewhere along the way except the last one was unbearable. They should've just ended at ep 20.
It was still quite enjoyable overall.
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Only worth watching if you love the Leads
The only reason to watch this is because you saw the ML/FL in Love Better Than Immortality.The story goes from mediocre to worse
The character development goes from bad to intolerable
The few good supporting characters goes from few to zero
Zhao Lusi's lovely voice gets dubbed & subpar at that
after ~20 the story just gets worse and worse. Obsessed people all turns evil over unattainable love as that's an excuse for bad drama
It could've been a great drama w/ the frame work. Magical land with CGI, fun magic powers, powerful healer with mysteries to be solved. Instead they focused entirely on evil obsession love.
Chu Tian Yao lives to be one the worst written characters ever in c-drama history. Completely unnecessary.
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Face change revenge drama. Insta Bro is great!
I kind of lost count of how many FL wronged and gets a chance at revenge dramas in the past 2 years now. I wasn't expecting much especially with the poster of ML Wei Zhe Ming in really bad hair.Production isn't the greatest like these fake horseback riding scenes with hair not moving (at all) makes me laugh.
But if you disregard:
1. ML's bad hair days all day everyday
2. Typical female revenge drama storyline
3. Insta face change, Insta Kungfu
4. Mid way change dubbed voice of the evil sister
You can enjoy this.
This is better than other revenge dramas in that:
1. FL is smart & strong w/ her "insta" Kung Fu. Actress Xu Lu is doing a pretty good job.
2. Her insta Bro is a pretty darn good character.
3. Pacing is not bad. There are plenty of bad characters, but so far % of screen time is tolerable.
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