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Enjoyable if you are into Ancient detective dramas
I think below are still better:The sleuth of the Ming Dynasty <-- still the best
Ancient Detective
The Imperial Coroner
But if you enjoy this kind of niche drama then you'll like the storyline of this as well despite being a low budget drama.
The story has multiple cases and gets solved pretty quick, but every case tied to a bigger mystery surrounding the ML.
Acting was ok, no one really stood out but at least none were terrible.
Chemistry wasn't strong between the ML and the FL, but the focus wasn't on the romance. I actually preferred that being the episodes were short and I wasn't looking for cheesy romance in this kind of the genre.
Each episode ended with some random rambling, some were quite silly and funny.
The ending suggested season 2 so I hope that it will happen!
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It will make you sm:)e
The cast was memorable. Short 24 ep didn't drag on but it could've used a few more. Ending could've been better. The development of the real 2nd lead could've used some more time to simmer the attraction. It felt rather sudden when he confessed & it was like "for real when that happened?".Memorable moments:
Shu Zhan's solo performance on stage showcased his potential. Although overall I felt he did a decent job but that scene was the best of his acting in the whole drama.
Bella Du: Her dance solo & and her screen solo audition was very moving. I love her acting through out the entire drama.
Live streaming of the 3 girls : 1st one was the best but the whole concept was fun and unique.
What makes the drama good:
1st ep will hook you with her playing dead. "professional no script" actor.
Twist of the true 2nd lead. 2nd lead who you thought was the 2nd lead really wasn't.
I also liked that no character was written one sided good or bad. This is very hard to do as typical drama has the one sided antagonist.
It was a good mix of fun but will touch you emotionally.
Could've been better:
Development of other characters.
Story could've used more development. It felt like it abruptly ended without a real ending.
Later ep got a bit more melodramatic than fun. They could've kept some more fun scenes going
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Questionable Casting
I was excited for this to air as I really enjoyed watching Lin Yu Shen in his many supportive roles in varies historical dramas. The first episode took off with a promising start. But overall story was average with mediocre dialogue at best. Nothing witty or memorable.Costumes: some of the best I've seen. I always appreciate the fine details of these elaborate costumes. The FL had almost daily outfits.
Fight scenes: great choreography and no shortage of them.
I wish the casting matched to the characters age.
You have the drama start off with ML at the age of 13. He's smart can save bunch of people with his quick thinking then he leaves. BOOM! 5 years later he should be (18 or at least under 20) but looking like a 35-40 year old. All his youthful smarts disappeared, and he got himself almost killed many times over. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Good thing FL came to the rescue! Now the FL has a lot of historical dramas under her belt, but there was 0 chemistry between her and this ML.
Mid way through FL left and came in FL2 the poison girl. Again, this character rescued ML a million time because she's smarter than him. Somewhere along the way ML's Kungfu improved 10x and in a flash ended with an anti-climatic finish. What I call an EASY way out with so many stereotypical C-dramas.
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Story gets better ~12 ep in
Not your A list traffic actors but the story is more interesting IMO. I started watching for Rain Lu. She was so wonderful in "Butterfly Lovers" that it was nice to see her in a non short drama. ML is however is more suitable for supporting roles as Bu Hai's mysterious character stole the show. The other 2 Female characters are also very good. Story gets better ~12 ep in but eventually got a bit too complicated ep 20 on. There's just a lot dialogue = too much reading subtitles.If you like:
- Supernatural story line
- Solving mystery
- Fight choreography
This could be a good choice. If you are looking for hot coupling CPs and side CPs, then this is not it.
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Perfect balance of mystery, romance & comedy
Don't miss the Epilogues!I haven't seen the ML/FL in many dramas but my goodness the pairing is so good! The supporting cast are filled with veteran actors. Production quality, storytelling and pacing all so good. I find myself watching every episode 1x speed without skipping ANY scenes (which is hard to do these days with so many generic stories out there.) 8 ep in (where most K dramas fall apart) this drama is still going strong. Every episode I find myself laughing at something.
FL is so impressive with her acting skills and the scene where she dressed up as a man is one of the best I've seen.
ML is equally good. Their chemistry is so HAWTTT! despite the age gap in the actors.
I could've used another 10 ep of this series. So sad it's over!!!
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One giant Hot Mess
Veteran cast with great 1st episode and the script lost its way to nowhere land. I thought it focused on "Trolley Dilemma" instead it felt more like a woman's bad luck in choosing a husband.The only reason I continued is because I loved Kim Hyun Joo ever since she was in the 1999 drama "Into the Sunlight"
Park Hee Soon (ML) was powerful in My Name
Kim Mu Yeol so memorable in Bad Guys: City of Evil
All such great actors and I just kept hoping that this drama will take it somewhere eventually. But that didn't happen and partly with the twists felt out of place. Other part was the good to bad characters ratio is way off making this drama hard to watch.
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Solid Casting Choices, hard story to watch
This drama is hard to watch but impossible to ignore—much like "Imperfect Victim" It highlights how blame often falls on the victim. The FL gave a powerful performance in an emotionally demanding role. Some scenes (like those with the mom) were too heavy for me, but the tension builds well toward the FL's breaking point.ML: Vin Zhang is solid as always—his character’s shifted from wanting a divorce to unwavering support. They are the type of couple you root for.
Highlight for me:
Ep 7 26 min in when she starts fighting back. I absolute love her fight back words!
Ep 17 ML's full back story.
In the end I can't say I loved the story
The setup of the mom was impossible for me to like. The whole miserable life that FL had to endure was because of her so regardless how great the acting was, I was unable to sympathize with the mom's character.
I do think its worth watching if you like the leads.
Semi Spoiler
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12 ep in: Not sure I get:
1. Why didn't the police do anything about the wife pouring sh*t?
2. Why can't they use the recording from the FL in the office?
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A Struggle to finish
Such big names cannot make this script work.First ep. was so enjoyable. The over the top comedy of Seo In Guk and his team operating cafe Minamdang got me laughing non stop.
Then came in the FL's grand entrance, taking down a van of bad guys, walking in slow motion with wind blowing up her hair on one side. WOW! SO Good I thought!
And then.....
FL went from super smart to can't connect the dots.
Somehow FL met ML are supposed to be at least a decade apart yet ML didn't age after so many years . Meanwhile she looks older than him. When casting doesn't match the characters, it's hard to make it believable.
FL & ML -- Zero chemistry. I enjoyed these actors in other dramas but this pairing was just terrible.
The last "twist" was not necessary.
Again same age characters as children (school age boys) ending up looking 10-15 years apart.
I finally finished it but definitely time wasted.
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Surprisingly I didn't hate this
I only watch these types of dramas for some noise on the side as most of the storylines falls into the typical drama tropes.Surprisingly its decent. Few interesting parts:
1. The topic of AI over human translator. AI language translator will continue to advance, and I believe it will close the gap between different nations.
2. The beauty of languages. "lost in translation" happens a lot. It's important to capture the essence of true meaning. I think it takes a lot to be a good translator so, it's a cool profession!
3. Some decent supporting cast: The single mom that became successful w/o needing a father for her child.
What's NOT working for me:
1. Beginning quotes in terrible Chinese accents. Honestly there are plenty of Chinese English speakers that can deliver the quotes better.
2. Over skin smoothing. Typical for modern dramas. What's wrong with texture of real skin? The anti ageism is overboard with K and C dramas.
3. Weak 2nd lead. the "spare tire" is childish and not even worthy of a 2nd Lead no fault to the acting but the actual character.
4. Typical drama tropes. Yeah ... there's a lot... if you hate these just don't watch.
5. Nonmatching dialogue. You can tell when the original dialogue changed for whatever reason so then it doesn't match the lip sync.
6. FL/ML mediocre chemistry. I don't find Victoria Song having strong chemistry with any male leads. Her acting is enough for these types of roles, but when there's an emotional breakdown scene that's when her acting cracks.
Is it a worthy watch? On the side yes..... If you love the main leads, then Yes.... If you expect unique story, then NO. Literally there is nothing new to this story line. It's very typical other than the topic of AI vs traditional translating service.
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Easy watch, not a serious drama
Lately there's been a lot of this kind of stories: Free spirit strong FL. The story genre is not new but if you enjoy easy watch costume dramas with happy endings (assuming) then this is enjoyable.It's not as good as Romance of Tiger & Rose which I would say it's been the best so far but its got decent amount of humor.
Positives:
1. Supportive family for FL. The family scenes are quite enjoyable. Dad/Brother are especially funny
2. FL's character's got some sharp come backs. Quite witty
3. If there was a Chinese Ken doll the ML would be it for those who likes idol looks
4. Fun names "ran mian mian" "ying bang bang"
5. Creativity in costume design. I love the use of bright colors: orange, dark teal with some creative head pieces
Negatives:
2nd lead is not strong
The 2nd prince looks older than the king LOL
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Makes you never want to date again
This is how suspense should be written. ML Wu Kang Ren is next level!What I appreciate about this drama:
-Brilliant script
-Intense all the way through. There are no wasted scenes.
-Police is not dumb
-Characters are complex
-Great cast all around. No weak acting
Perfect 10 IMO although content is so dark that makes me want to stay away from all people
There's a scene with ML and FL a door separating them at end of ep 18 that continues to give me PTSD .....
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Story telling perfection!
I waited a long time to watch this drama since I don't know the game, but I remember my father telling me how hard the game is. Never imagined that I'd be watching this drama in one GO! The cast/story/production were all so good. I love 99% of the characters which is very rare in any drama. Good job limiting single dimensional annoying characters with only few lines.Best of the Best in:
1. Casting. From leads to supporting characters, there were no weak characters. Too many outstanding actors to even list.
2. Character development. I love how the story not only focused on the lead characters development but also gave light to the supporting characters.
3. Friendships/Bromance: Story didn't have or need any romance. The multi layered friendships feels ever so heartwarming.
4. Story telling. Great pacing (except ep 33-35) I didn't skip any scenes and finished this drama in 3 days. I don't even know how they manage to bring GO to life! 36 ep went by and I wanted more! And once you finished watching, rewatching ep 1 beginning scene will be more meaningful.
.5 imperfection? Spoiler below **********************************************************************************************
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Ep 33-35 I cried... & cried but he cried for 1 ep too long.
Chu Yang on-line profile deleted. No one noticed? or asked?
Shi Guang never explained fully to Yu Liang. (but he told the truck driver about Chu Ying?)
Hong He quits but I swear his dad was telling him to continue to play.
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FL is amazing! OTP silly humor worked!
Best watching this drama when on wine.This is one of those dramas took me by surprise. I only watched this because someone posted on a feed with a specific funny scene of the FL catching an arrow then pretending to stab herself & die. The poster definitely was NOT appealing. Her expressions are so funny that I had to try out this drama.
These types of dramas are typical OTP stupid humor with paper thin plot so I can only watch these once in a while. The best part of the drama is the FL. Not that she looks like a guy at all but her gestures, her forced man voice & her manly expressions are exceptional. ML was ok but he was nowhere near the FL.
Strong supporting silly characters!
- 1st greatest assassin & the lovely princess who "never" lies
- Dad & the fake brothers
- 2nd ML
The stupid humor is not for everyone. If you want plot to totally work this is not it. If you want light humor, this is a good choice.
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Much to do about nothing plot but with a great cast
When I first watched Cha Soo Young in "Tell me what you saw" and I thought please don't play another cop character. She was stiff and expressionless and had an awkward run. So I definitely had 0 expectations going to this drama. However FL Jeon Hye Jin in WWW was amazing so I definitely wanted to at least try.This drama is for the more mature "non judgey" audience as it focuses on a topic often looked down on - HS single mom raising a daughter on her own.
What I loved:
1. FL Cha Soon Young. She was so expressive. I love her blunt comebacks. She walked a bit "guyish" & I loved this role for her. She's absolutely georgous but not in a standard pale face standard Korean K pop girl kind. She's so tall and has "real" color on her face (not ghost white). She can pull off the short hair, guyish walk, blunt comebacks & still be beautiful. I love how she deepened her voice to solute her superior. Her imperfections made her unique & perfect. She's true to her feelings.
2. FL Jeon Hye Jin She's just an all around awesome actress
3. Mom's Bestie - great character, completely 100% bestie worthy
4. Good characters all around. No excess toxic character with too many lines
5. Either you'll learn something or relate to the ups & downs of life's unplanned events.
- Single moms should not be looked down on but to be celebrated for their strength to sacrifice everything to keep the child.
- Family is defined not by bloodline. There are numerous relationship dynamics that demonstrate this
What needed improvement:
1. Choppy development between FL cop & Eun Jae Won. If they really wanted to make the chemistry work, they shouldn't have long breaks of no interaction between them. It's only 12 ep so short on time but this didn't work well. The chemistry needed to develop more.
2. No where to be seen bestie's grandma that helped the FL mom out. Again I think this impacts the flow of the story telling.
Still great watch on the side!
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Focusing on the few positives
I think there are plenty outstanding reviews of this drama & I agree with all the flaws. However there are few great minor characters that I thought were the only positives of this hard to watch drama.1. ML's Manager. He's an outstanding character. I loved all his scenes.
2. Female producer who just blurb out brutal honest comments for the comedy relief.
3. Female makeup artists for the show. Few funny moments but highlight of the drama.
4. Male ex co worker -- "Dimples" Seriously he doesn't need to say anything, those dimples are just worth seeing
5. ML's CEO - few humorous lines.
6. FL's Dad - Hilarious!
In the end you can't really out act a terrible script. I pretty much skipped all 2nd couple's toxic scenes and somehow manage to finish.
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