fancy

Slowest burn to ever burn

Things I loved:

1. Mudan's relationships with her friends
2. Mudan and Jiang Chang Yang's character development as well as the exploration of their ever growing relationship
3. The way conflicts were resolved. Although Mudan suffered a lot, they didn't drag out each plot. For example, the prison camp plot, that was 1.5 - 2 episodes long. They didn't waste my time dwelling on that for 4 episodes.
4. The fact the every action has consequences. For example, Liu Chang and Li You Zhen are miserable at the end of s1 due to their own actions. Li You Zhen can't have children and is resented by her now husband because of the evil ways she tried to target Mudan that backfired. Liu Chang is stuck marrying someone he now hates because he thought the grass was greener on the other side and kept looking down on Mudan.
5. The wedding between Mudan and Jiang Chang Yang, as well as how the two of them handled the new concubine Ning Wang forced on them.
6. The slow burn between the main leads is actually done well despite me being slightly impatient waiting for their love to fully bloom.

Things I liked a lot less:
1. The fact that this is split into two seasons and I might have to wait a year to see the next part
2. The fact that a lot of the stuff in the trailer that I was anticipating won't take place until s2

All in all I give this a 9.5/10 stars.

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Great start but then....sigh

This started off so great, the chemistry between the leads, trying to figure out who was behind what, only for it to go downhill.

Major spoilers below:

The main problem this show has is that the story it's trying to tell is so greatly intertwined with a character that's already dead and not the main lead that it almost makes it unenjoyable. Every single second, everyone is talking about or in with or in hate with Pingshu. I get she was great, but my god, why is it every episode? Then we have Qi Yun Ke's insane obsession. He said he did everything to get revenge for Pingshu, but that's actually not the full truth. Is part of it to avenge her? Sure, but not fully. He's just upset she's dead and upset that not once in her life did she love him. Everything he's ever done was for himself and his own greed. And then his other sect brother had the audacity to lecture Pingshu's brother about getting revenge for her, as if he and Qi Yun Ke knew her better than he did. Honestly, I feel like the plot of this show is the type of plot that only works well in a novel setting.

I hope to see Bao Shang En and Zhou Yi Ran partnered up again because the chemistry was really good. Also, Li Yun Rui and Wan Peng.

So after reading all that, you are probably wondering if you should watch it or not, right? Honestly, I don't know.

There were a lot of really good parts and a lot of angst between the leads that I really enjoyed. Loved the scene where the female lead fights everyone to save the male lead. However, the issues I mentioned before...bugged me a lot. So honestly, it's up to you. I think I'd still choose to watch this if I could go back in time, but more so as a filler background show once we get past ep 30.

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Balance is important

Things I Loved: Coroner's Diary is a fun show that keeps you guessing from the beginning. While it's not extremely difficult to figure out who is behind the crimes and why in the show, it was enjoyable nevertheless. The chemistry between the leads is great. I love that we didn't have a misunderstanding trope thrown at them or any of the other secondary couple pairs. It was also interesting to see the misunderstanding trope done between a father and son. There are several themes of found family throughout this drama that I also love.

Things I did not like:
1. Yan Han's bloodline ending up on the throne and Yan Chi not being emperor. In the novel, Yan Chi was able to expose Yan Han's crimes, as it felt like everyone who did something wrong got the punishment they deserved. Here, all Yan Han got was death. He got to keep his rep, and his child inherited the throne. It felt like the big bad got a reward rather than a punishment to me.

2. The handling of Yan Ze felt way too rushed, and his death felt very... lackluster. I did not enjoy it. I felt the same way about the empress's death as well as the one consort. They died by stabbing each other and discussing what each of them had endured to help their son, etc. It just felt...off. Their characters are supposed to be very smart women who would do anything for their children, and yet this is the way they go out? I'm not upset at them dying, but...how they died...eh. Not feeling it.

So, in short, while I'm aware it's impossible and unrealistic for them to cover everything in the source material and that creative liberity makes things more exciting, they did not do a good job of spacing out the cases, and balancing that with the court issues as well as with the ending/endings of the 'villains'.

Rating:
Given the limited number of episodes and the fact that, in my opinion, the good outweighs the bad, I'm giving this a 9/10.

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Good fun

I watched this as it was airing, but put the review in the wrong section, so I'm re-adding it here.



Major spoilers!



That ending was ridiculous! But I am still giving this a 10/10 because I love this show so much. I still recommend that everyone watch this show. But pretend it ends at episode 39, or pretend it ends after the wedding, when everyone is still alive.

Favorite parts of the show:
1. The sisterly bond. In a lot of shows, we constantly see siblings backstabbing each other over petty things or over love, so it was nice to see sisters who are willing to do anything and everything for each other.

2. The romance. Watching YT and QK experience love for the first time with YQ and CF was such a joy to watch. Additionally, there are many couple pairs in this cdrama.

3. The importance of family bonds. Even the villains were willing to go to the ends of the earth for their loved ones. Watching how the void empress loved her son was very beautiful, even though she was very...crazy.

4. Friendship. In YT's and QK's darkest moments, watching their friends be there for them was so heartwarming.

5. Comedy. There are so many funny moments in this drama.

I have more favorite moments/things about this show, but I will just leave it at this.

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Fun times

Posted this review in the wrong section, so I'm reposting it here. This is the review I wrote when it had just gotten done airing on Netflix.

This drama was so refreshing and fun. There are a lot of tropes that are common in romcoms, but they are well done and funny. Plus, the relationships the main leads all have with each other are so nice and wholesome. For example, the friendships that the respective best friends have and how they are always wanting what is best for the other/holding each other accountable. When this drama was announced, I was so excited and had high expectations, which were met. I wish it were more than just 10 episodes, and that we got to see the leads get engaged. I hope to see the main leads in more romcom dramas because this was so good, and the other dramas I have seen them in haven't been romcoms. Definitely a 10/10, and I recommend this to everyone who wants a lighthearted, funny, easy breezy drama.

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Happy ending ... I guess.

I watched this show a long time ago, but I left my review in the wrong section, so I decided to repost it down below.

Abbreviations: MX --> Mo Xi, WJG --> Wan Jia Gui, BFY --> Bai Feng Yao, CWD --> Chen Wen De, WY --> Wu Yin,

Complaints: Note - Major spoilers

MX starts off romanticizing WJG and how his status can free her from her life of misery, but all that ends up happening is her being deemed unworthy of him by his parents, himself, and everyone else in their society besides BFY. And in the end, she is always self-sacrificing to save both him, BFY, who only seems to know how to cry, and eventually CWD.

Saving CWD is weird because he is a general and has more experience than her, yet he could not think of a way to take down his powerful enemies, and she seems to do it in one swoop? Sure, WY helped her, and she had time to save up and infiltrate the inner circle of the bad guys as a woman, but CWD should have been smart enough in the beginning not to make it known that he wasn't on the bad guys' side. He should have pretended and gathered enough evidence and support before making his move. There were also so many times he put the men under him in danger for MX, who made it clear that he did not hold as much significance in her heart.

Also, him forcing her to be with him and forcefully kissing her?... Then she's somehow magically in love with him?

Lastly, CWD's death...how did he even survive that? We saw that WY's legitimate brother had a brain injury from falling, yet somehow, all that happens to CWD is scars on his face?

Things I liked:

Controversial, but I liked MX a lot, even though some of her actions irritated me. I also liked BFY (not her crying or unnecessary righteousness), and I liked WY. I also liked the school arc. Additionally, I liked the acting, production, and OST. Lastly, aside from when CWD is forcing himself on MX, I liked their interactions.

8.5/10 simply because I don't know if I'd rewatch this show tbh, but I do think it was a decent watch.

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Captivating

This show was fun to watch and gave me most of what I wanted. There were some areas that could use improvement, but overall, it is a fantastic drama about female empowerment, revenge, and, most of all, what it means to be a family.

Spoilers below:

My top 10 moments from this show are the following:
1. Zhuang Shiyang's death
2. Ruan Xi Wen divorcing Zhuang Shiyang
3. All the flirtatious fight scenes between Fu Yun Xi and Zhuang Hanyan
4. The sismance between Chai Jing and Zhuang Hanyan (idc what anyone says they were in love)
5. The touching mother-daughter moment between Zhuang Hanyan and Fu Ling Zhi
6. The sismance between Nobel Consort Miao and Ruan Xi Wen
7. The 'accidental' kiss
8. The jail scene between Fu Yunxi and Zhuang Hanyan
9. That one insufferable prince finally meeting his end/being tied up
10. The way they ended the show

Things I did not like as much:
1. Fish kiss (why...let's stop doing this lmao. I'm not asking for a full-on makeout session but what's with the pressing lips together?)
2. How things were handled with Chai Jing and Zhuang Hanyan (I did not like how the writer chose to close out this relationship, nor did I like seeing Chai Jing on a boat in the middle of god knows where while it snows)
3. How the father seemingly never had any setbacks until the very end
4. How easy it was for Noble Consort Miao to meet her end...if she was his favorite wife, why did he easily send her off to her death?

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Lost you forever, a fitting title

Lost You Forever is such a fitting title for this drama. In this s2 part of the drama, XY is quoted saying "What is gained cannot compensate for what is lost" and this holds for all the main characters. They have all gained something in the end, but at what cost? For some characters, the gains seem to greatly outweigh the cost but for most, that is not the case. This lesson from this drama is one that I think will stick with viewers for a long time.

However, my only gripe with this show is that they made a very important and character-defining moment between CX and XY meaningless by making it all a tea dream of sorts. All that emotional angst that so many people were looking forward to turned into nothing. Due to that, I can't give this show a 10/10. I will say though, the acting was amazing.

So, the question remains, do I recommend season 2? Yes, but not as much as season 1. A little disappointed but still worth the watch.

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Highs and Lows

I love this drama so much. It is going on my rewatch list immediately. Now, that that's out of the way, let's get into the review.

I titled my review "Highs and Lows" because that is exactly what my emotions were when I watched this. I was constantly at the edge of my seat, tweeting about plot points or how I thought certain characters would react. I cried a lot, laughed a lot and even made some new friends while watching this drama. It has been such a fun and enjoyable experience to get to learn more about each character in the story, why they act the way they do, the relationships that they have, and the growth that they experience as the story goes on. This story is more than just a revenge drama, it is a story about finding one's self and overcoming.

Now that I have gotten some of the highlights out of the way, let's discuss some potential lowlights. Some of the plot points are a bit... far-fetched. But if you come into this drama with an open mind and intend to enjoy yourself, then it becomes bearable/you will be able to look past it. Additionally, some of the shots chosen in certain scenes could have been done differently.

All in all, I give this drama a 9.5/10 due to how much fun I had and the chemistry between each of the characters.

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Captivating

Wow, what can I say? It's finally over. This show was very interesting to watch without too many over-the-top theatrics. I liked how everything tied in together in the end.

Things I wish would have happened/my only complaints (minor spoilers):

1. Development of YJJ and CSE's relationship. We got a lot of flashbacks but I still feel like more could have been done for the audience to grasp what led YJJ to want CSE back after he got divorced. Additionally, it would have been nice to have had more than 1 episode focused on them. They start getting closer and she becomes vulnerable and then bam, something happens towards the end of the episode that leads her to distrust him. Though the distrust is brief it is still unsatisfying.

2. The husband's obsession. It's not fully explained why he is so insistent on staying married to CSE. We can make assumptions based on what is seen so far but I somehow wish that was explained further. It did need a lot of episodes but just even a flashback maybe or something that shows what exactly it is he's clinging to. Is it her prestige and the benefits of being her husband alone, or does she have some hidden wealth or is it a combination of that and some lingering feelings? I feel like we the audience are left speculating.

Aside from that, I think everything was well done. I won't say anything else because it will lead to major spoilers but if you are debating watching this, I think you should give it a go. It's great with a great, strong, and complex female lead.

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Ending could have been better

I really loved this drama and I feel like more people will like it if they go into it focusing more on the female lead and her journey to coming to terms with her situation. It's less enjoyable if you are solely watching for romance as she really doesn't end up having much skinship with either the ML or 2ML. Secondly, the way the story is written...she technically ends up with both of them...sort of...but you mostly see her spend the most time with the 2ML. Also, for this review, in my opinion, the 2ML is the guard, not the man she is married to.

The only additional thing I wish was added to this drama was either a part 2 or a special episode where we got to see what happened after she accepted reality. That short cartoon wasn't enough for me. I would have liked to see what led to her building up her relationship with the ML in reality as well as his reaction to her pregnancy. Other than that, it's a fun drama. It's full of angst though so this isn't a relaxing low-stress romance. It's mainly about the female lead pursuing a potential redemption arc.

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The acting from the leads was amazing!

When I first started watching this drama I was wondering how the main leads would end up together because of the prejudice the male lead had against the female lead. Watching their relationship unfold was very heartwarming and the acting from both leads was amazing. Some of my favorite scenes in this drama are during ep 20 - 30 most of which involve the leads opening up to each other more. Some things that I did not like about this drama were some plot lines and the addition of some characters which I felt were not necessary to the plot. Also, some of the actions of certain characters toward the end made no sense to me based on what we had previously seen from them. I'm mainly talking about some redemption plots. They seemed a bit random towards the end. Other than that, I loved this drama. I was on the edge of my seat every week waiting for new episodes. It's been a while since I have felt like this about a drama. Definitely planning on rewatching and I recommend this drama to anyone who likes romance and adventure.

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