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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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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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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Nice Detective storyline but ignore the acting
This is one of those underrated dramas that less people will get to watch. If you enjoy Ancient detective story lines you will enjoy the story but don't expect a big budget production or strong acting.FL - Acting started out ok but later episodes got worse & worse as she can't portray the array of emotions needed. "love, anger, sad" all end up with this blank stare reciting lines.
ML 1 - I think he carried the show in terms of acting
ML 2 as Su Fu - I've enjoyed some of his other works and obviously he's manly hot but his lack of expression didn't do the role justice
What I enjoyed:
Mysteries that connected to the bigger mystery of the missing mom
The love triangle was well written, better than most actually. Instead of the standard 2nd lead syndrome she had real feelings for both although with Su Fu it's more because he saved her. A mysterious badass assassin that random shows up and rescues you is obviously appealing.
Xiao Song started off as a like/hate relationship. As the story continued they grew to love each other while she's trying to forget Su Fu for his betrayal (but which she didn't try to understand why? and she's "Miss Truth" WHAT WHAT??)
Nicknames for each other: Fish & Fox very cute.
Pace of the drama didn't feel slow. Not so many "filler" moments
Sidekick Sang Chen was a fun character
What's lacking
Obviously needed better acting
Story was a bit too fast, they founded clues super speed
Lack of character development, No depth to the characters. How they started out is how they ended
I really wished there was more story to the ML
Su Fu : Initially not too much background on him. Too many questions of why later episodes. Total downfall of a great character potential
What you will need to ignore:
Standard jumping out of water scenes and "insta dry" moments
The cheesy freeze flying fight scenes (low budget) not very well choreographed
The countless moments of she being knocked out, pass out and randomly wake up on a bed
The cheesy props
Last 2 ep. very rushed. Didn't make a lot of sense to me
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Becoming quite a fan of the director and screen writer
I never cared for short dramas until I watched "A Familiar Stranger" I was hooked on the story/casting/production.Then I looked up the screen writer & director and saw this drama. It's definitely got a similar feel in that it's got an interesting story line (if you like some dark magic, non human stuff) with that dreamland feel with beautiful visuals. The quality & design of the costumes & accessories are on par with many big budget dramas. Make up was a bit too heavy for the Males but I loved the creativity for the females especially the "Die Nu" FL make up.
The cast was very good:
ML Zhao Yi Qin is a familiar actor to me every since I watched him in Accidentally in Love then bunch of other dramas. I can't say he captivated me like the ML in A Familiar Stranger but he did a pretty good job overall.
FL Rain Lu is so cute. She's cute, innocent looking and beautiful all at the same time so those innocent scenes don't feel forced. I don't think her death painful scenes were convincing but overall she did a great job. I would rather watch her playing a innocent girl falling in love for the 1st time than many of the seasoned big name (who shall remain nameless) actresses playing down 10 years.
Supporting Cast:
I enjoyed the princess character & Yuan po po's character
OST: Quite good. similar style again w/ A Familiar stranger as well. 小时姑娘 sang both 灼风 in this drama and 听闻风月事 in A Familiar Stranger
Drama also worked in the couple from "The Killer is Also Romantic (2022)" in multiple scenes. Either you'll like that cross drama visit or you'll be like uhhhh so not related. Regardless it's a clever way to promote their other work.
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Worth watching but not amazing
Positives:1. It's an expensive production. Quality sets, costumes, accessories.
2. ML - Liu Yu Ning, he's improving little by little with every role. I continue to be a fan of his efforts and his OSTs
3. FL - Cute capable actress but I have never seen her look so beautiful in costume dramas. She is so stunning in this drama.
4. Supporting cast - Many veteran actors and all solid choices for their roles.
It was an enjoyable watch where the plot is simple without many twists. Focus was more on the love story with a side of politics.
Where the story could've been better:
1. The push pull between leads needed to create that constant tension was not as good as let's say "Blossom" I mean.... it took 31 ep for ML to figure out how great FL is. It was good enough but not amazing.
2. Supporting cast storylines: Not as good as "A Journey to Love" (1st half). Other than the comedic relief from the chubby guard the other supporting guards hardly had any screen time to develop.
3. Broken flow: some parts of the drama felt choppy.
4. One dimensional bad characters pushing the story along feels like lazy writing.
Ending: some characters ending felt unnecessary for an otherwise less serious drama.
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