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good but not mind blowing
The plot, well...its not really that exciting. Its an enemies to lovers plot with alot of other parties involved. First there is his revenge for his mother, then there is yixiao's revenge, then there is XJS's revenge....just all sorts of revenge stories mixed together. I enjoyed the start and the build up to the villains involved but it was quite obvious from the start. Halfway through the plot became a bit draggy and I was hoping there will be some big twist. But there was nothing much.However, its still a good watch cause i enjoyed CZY's acting. The most unlikeable character for me was his sister cause she was really very naive and just causes all the issues. Her stories with the emperor from Jinxiu was just a waste of time. XJS ended up being a villain because his revenge plan coincidentally included people from FSG's side but what both of them were doing was mostly the same.
The plot after eps 28 was just a mess...it was just a bunch of filler eps without much substance. They introduced issues between the leads to drag it out until the final battle which just ended in 2eps....Technically this is the pattern for cdramas, im not surprised anymore.
I enjoyed the acting by both the leads, they chemi was good as well. Their chemi was good but their kiss scenes were shot so badly kinda ruined the moment. I was impressed by CZY cause usually i only see him in modern dramas so historical was a change. Only issue was sometimes the makeup on his face was too much that it was really obvious. Especially his lips which always didnt have any colour. I really liked his fits tho! I feel like they styled him well. Li Qin was really pretty and also very good. Her acting was more graceful and calm. I loved her makeup especially the eye shadow.
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was really pleasantly surprised...??
I have watched many many modern cdramas before and in general most of them are super cliche and many have repetitive plots. So I usually only watch it when I want to watch something light and casual.I started this drama with low expectations but surprisingly it surpassed them. First of all because it was rated as 7.7 i thought it must be really boring cause dramas which were more boring are rated much higher. I would say this drama deserves at least a 8~8.2/10.
Of course everyone knows and can easily predict the plot. But i felt the way it was executed was good which made me still want to continue and not skip like I usually do with a lot of modern cdramas. Firstly, the screentime distribution for all 3 couples was handled really well. It was not the case where one couple is given extremely long attention without moving on to the next couple. It was filmed in a way where all 3 couples might be facing different issues and they were trying to solve it together. So this helped to keep my attention on the episodes.
Next I liked how they first show the problem, let the individual reflect and then show how they resolve it. The misunderstandings are not just resolved by a simple "oh im sorry i love you" kind off statement but they actually reflect and try to compromise to resolve their issue and understand each other.
The leads were really good. Their acting really made it look quite natural! Loved that the female lead wasnt a damsel in distress but was actually fierce smart and strong. The male lead was extremely loyal to her as well so he was really cute to watch. Started by being annoyed by her but turned into the most golden retriever for her. Both of them had their issues, both were sometimes wrong hence the process of them realising that was nice to watch. Although one downside was when they were in an "ambiguous" relationship, it felt weird cause I couldnt really understand what the FL wanted to do moving forward. And I think the ML just decided to go with it thinking that one day eventually she would want to marry. But yea they eventually solve this as their last issue.
Overall it was unexpectedly a very cute drama to watch. Alot of sweet moments. There are some annoying villains but yea it wont be a drama without them so...in the end the last episode is really cute and a very happy ending.
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wattpad as a drama but not exactly done well..
Unfortunately once again Esther Yu's character is the same cutesy childish like vibes...honestly every drama i hope she takes on something new but....I feel like in historical dramas its still okay like Love Game was really good but somehow in modern dramas its hard to watch...Ok that aside I thought of watching for Heyu and also cause i saw many spoilers for their chemistry online. The plot is really average but the drama is made for a visual feast. The biker/racer guy with a cute girl kind of vibes. But yea even with the visuals I soon got bored of the characters.
They get together in ep 15 but it feels like the director just decided to put all the sweet moments in 2eps, like cliche scenes after cliche scenes. I guess if you are a fan of the actors it is cute to watch!
I dont have much comments on any of the side characters no one was interesting...
Her fits are nice but seemed very unrealistic. Her motive to give up a life in canada and suddenly stay with her bro was also a bit...? cause at that time its not like she was dying in love with him...
anyway not my style so dropping...
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having a pure soul makes you the most powerful
This is a love story between a Demon and Taoist. Naturally these 2 clans do not go well together however, our female lead believes in no discrimination and doesnt harm the demons. Instead she befriends them and tries to bring out the good in them. Due to her outgoing nature which did not align with her clan's beliefs, she was kicked out and had to go on a journey on her own.While travelling she comes across the Dragon King who has lost all his ability after being betrayed by his ex. The dragon king realises that his heart is inside her and starts his plan to gain her trust. After alot of hurdles the two of them start their journey to hunt for all the missing dragon pieces (bones, horns, veins, scales). Only once all is found the dragon king becomes strong enough to defeat their enemies.
So this is the basis of the plot which was interesting and the hurdles and stories their introduced at every arc was good as well. There is comedy, romance, friendship and loads of cuteness. There are multiple heartbreaking moments as well. The leads were so devoted to each other that they did everything to protect one another.
Yanhui was a very outgoing character who was very bubbly, Tianyao on the other hand was really calm and collected. BXS was also a really interesting character. He was the cupid for our leads. Initially i though he would be the bad guy but thankfully no he was very helpful and saved them numerous times. I adoreddd the kids at the dragon valley. They were so cuteee. The dragon valley arc was both very cute and sad.
The drama isnt very heavy on romantic scenes but the leads are together 90% of the time so you get plenty of cute cute moments!
Overall it was a good watch!
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better than i expected!!
ngl I was really worried that this will become another boring extended series as the other dramas where they focus more on the emotional background of the origin of the games. BUT in this season once again the games have began and Arisu once again fights for his life.There were a few new characters introduced but their role wasnt really big. Especially the professor, i thought he was gonna be a key player but in the end he was just a random person wanting to know more about "death"
So borderland is the time between life and death where we get the chance to fight for our lives and live again in the real world. These games are just challenges in the mind to test the will of each person to survive until the end. Those that choose to be "citizens" of this place are just consistently in a coma stage.
They definitely did not reduce the production budget for this cause the CGI was really good. Especially the first game omg...the arrows of fire wow...
But definitely cause in this season there are lesser important characters you will feel the main character syndrome aka no matter what the issue is you kinda already know Arisu is never gonna die. So in that sense it was quite predictable. The production and games still made it interesting to watch. Since its only 6eps it ends quickly~
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natural and cute chemistry between the leads!
I enjoyed watching the dynamics between the leads especially during their uni era. Like hes a genius but his EQ is quite low and she is forced to involve herself with him due to some issues. I liked how they didnt make the FL character boring and gave her chances to be independent and strong. However at the start its nothing much, she was mostly following everything he was telling her to do.For the ML i wont say hes a red flag but more like his personality became like that because of all he went through. He was quite a bad leader in terms of leadership and bringing the team together. I was triggered multiple times when he used to just throw around comments like "are you sure you can do it?". Hes used to doing everything on his own so didnt treat his teammates well. Except for her he made her learn and develop (but thats cause he likes her).
The villain aka their friend, their 3rd teammate in the group. I felt so sad for him because he was such a passionate guy who just wanted to learn. But in the team continuously his efforts kept getting disregarded by Lixun. I didnt like how Zhu Yun also just stood and watched all this happening. She only tells Lixun "be nicer to Jian hong" and thats it. She does apologise to him but again disregards his feelings and follows her and lixun's plan. So Jian Hong going "evil" was just a matter of time.
The romance is really cute. I feel both of them were really natural with each other. Even after the breakup they had a regular colleague relationship until they got back together.
However I do feel this drama could have been 24 episodes. Alot of the scenes felt repeated and situations were just repeating. Other than all the angst scenes its still a cute fluff~
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why...just why... 0 added value
3 seasons later i dont even have any feels for the characters anymore. Most of them free loaders and just weird greedy people. The excitement from s1 games is totally gone by now. Honestly they should have revealed how this organisation fully began instead of adding more games in...the 10s of flashback we got about 001 was the most exciting part in the series cause we finally got some idea about how he became the boss.the detective....im sorry really for 2 seasons all he did was go from island to island like thats all...no progress at all...
overall since s2 i was quite disappointed so i didnt have much expectations but this was more boring...
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great writing great execution
This drama is beautifully written from the start to the end. Please note that it has a part 2 which is planned to be released later on so these first 32 chapters shows the build up of our main character Mu Dan.The story is highly based on women empowerment and it’s done so well. You won’t have random moments of the male lead suddenly appearing to save her but instead she finds her own way to solve her issues. The FL is extremely smart and is a great business woman. The ML is the emperor’s closest friend who puts on a facade of being a playboy but he is actually very smart and caring as well.
The drama showcases her hardships as a woman living in a society where they are discredited and not respected. She gives other women the courage to love themselves and live their own life instead of depending 100% on the men.
The pacing of the story is very logical and really easy to follow. The cinematography is amazing and the colour tone of the entire drama is beautiful. I was in awe watching some of the scenes.
To some you may think that there isn’t any excitement or huge issues in the drama to keep u on your toes but this is just the beginning. The writers have set the foundation really well for part 2.
The romance is slowww burn so don’t expect much for this season (but they do get “married” at the end)
Kudos to YangZi and Lixian who once again showed really good chemistry and YangZi acted very well for her character. Although the wait might be long but really looking forward to part 2!
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well...same concept as all the other survival games but nothing new
I finished this show in a few hours cause honestly you can x2 speed it and watch...there wasnt any strategic plays or smart tricks so if you were hoping for those kind of shows you can skip this. This show was mostly just surviving and and once again showing how greedy humans can be. I guess one interesting thing about this show is that apart from other shows where games are set of the participants here its a blank canvas and they have to do everything themselves.If you are bored and just want to watch something you can watch this but there isnt much of a deep plot or anything.
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an unexpected surprise!
I didnt have very high expectations for this drama and thought of starting it with the plan to just breeze through it. BUT who knew, this show was actually not bad! The cases were interesting and by watching them solve it I actually learnt a few tips :) They were able to explain concepts and ideas in simple terms making the drama more relatable. Every case was related to psychology and understanding the intentions of the culprit based on specific actions that can be triggered via the brain.The acting was average, there wasn't any heavy/deep plot for the actors to display their acting. It was more of a casual and light set up.
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That Plot Twist!
The drama perfectly blended romance, crime, thriller and mystery with an engaging plot and amazing acting by the cast. You are shown the double life of our male lead which establishes the base for the drama. Their love and trust in each other is clearly depicted and in some cases can be really heartbreaking :((The drama will really keep you on your edge. But really its the acting....the acting was insane I was getting goosebumps so often.
The OSTs are good as well, along with the directing and filming. Both leads are very smart and have amazing chemistry.
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started strong....but then what happened?
I was really excited to see Kang Ki Young as the lead and the couple was cute in the beginning! The plot started out as every other revenge plot where a naive girl is betrayed by her rich partners and decides to plan a revenge on them. Yes its a common plot but its okay, if the story is good it can still be a great show.However....the strategies used were bad and not satisfying, there were many instances were the female lead who was depicted as someone strong and smart fell into traps and became a damsel in distress...
In regards of romance, the female lead gave almost no chance for the male lead which made it seem like the male lead was just being desperate and the romance was one-sided. When the male lead tries to stop her from making wrong decisions she just ignores it and does it anyway...
Around the halfway mark, I lost interest in the plot and romance seeing no hope for a satisfying ending...
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The plot was very subpar compared to the chemistry between the leads...
Let me begin by saying I loved their main ost. Every scene with the ost playing felt so touching and beautiful.This was my first drama from Hou Ming Hao and Lu Yu Xiao. I feel HMH acted really really well. Like the way he always looked at her with either eyes of love or eyes of betrayal was portrayed very well by him. LYX also did well for her role, her character was not the annoying kind. She was strong brave and smart. The leads had amazing chemistry from the start itself. I wont really say they were a enemies to lovers couple cause she kinda finds out quite early that he was not the one who poisoned her. So her hatred for him dies down and then she is only behind her cure. Similarly, even JBZ ends up falling for MY quite fast BUT here comes the issues...
Every 5eps or so the writer keeps introducing misunderstanding or sacrificing plots so the couple is like never together properly in peace. Most of their cute or romantic scenes come with foreshadowing that something is gonna happen etc. This dragged on for sooo long. Too long actually for me that I ended up skipping alot of parts. The plot progression and speed was a huge loss for this drama. Cause i feel the actors even the villains were doing very well. The plot was just too simple for 33 episodes with sudden random reveals in the last few eps.
My favourite scene was actually at the marriage stone where he forced himself to carve MY's name and take the lightning punishment. It was also the time he found out Ming Yi was lying to him and he lost his trust in her. HMH's acting for that part was really really good.
Oh also honorary mention to the super cute proposal scene at the end. The drunk proposal was also very naturally done didnt feel cringe at all. Overall, the drama is a feast for cute moments and good romantic scenes (also heard alot was cut out) but just lacked depth in the plot.
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stayed for the mum and grandma...
After the success of the first show, I had high expectations for this. Although there were funny part, the story was not as engaging and exciting. There wasnt much chemistry between the leads do I lost interest in the romance. The scenes with the mum and her grandma was the most fun so those were interesting. Other than that I was skipping through most of it....Was this review helpful to you?
a non draggy medical drama
Like what my headline says you can take this drama as a sped up version of all the other medical dramas. There is an annoying leader out to cause issues and disrupt the leads. The leads are all about "saving lives is first!!" then there is a rookie who gets an awakening, there is a mysterious hidden genius and a feisty nurse.The pacing makes it enjoyable to watch as everything is covered really fast. There are some comedic moments especially the "Han Yurim" doctor lol. I was bit confused with his acting in some cases he was doing well then in some it felt so forced (not sure if it was intentional).
The acting is so-so alot of veterans and some of the younger cast seeing them for the first time.
I dont have much to say its good for a quick binge but nothing that remarkable or noteworthy...
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