I know this is an old post but what the heck imma give my 2 cents: 1. I LOVE bad boys in asian dramas (honestly it needs to make a comeback because current dramas aren't doing it for me anymore). What i love about a bad boy trope is the unapologetic way the ML loves and adore the FL. They would burn the world for them if that's what it takes. My first drama was Devil Beside You and Mike He murdered his bad boy role. One thing i noticed when it comes to the bad boy trope, if a drama has it i tend to enjoy it more because there's more passion and emotion involved. I love the forbidden/bad boy/rich ml & poor fl type of love trope. Not many dramas can do them justice but when it's done right it's chefs kiss. 2. Characters you should add (I don't want this to be too long so i'll just add the name of the drama): Healer, The K2, A Millionaire's 1st Love, Cheewit Puer Kah Huajai Puer Tur, Autumn's Concerto, Fall in Love (best one), The Forbidden Flower (love love this one), Lighter and Princess (another good one), Love Me if You Dare, Crush, Memory Lost, My Lethal Man (best one yet), etc.. 3. Bad girl x good guy storyline? I actually love them when they're done right. Some of my favorite ones: Doona, Hotel Del Luna, Into the Ring, Yong Pal, A Beautiful Life (movie), My Only Love Song, etc. 4. Second leads bad boy that I like? Yes, absolutely. I like Roy Chiu in Easy Fortune Happy Life, Chris Wu in Autumn's Concerto, Lee Wei in Bull Fighting, etc.
The nostalgia!!! the devil beside you was what got me into the asian drama rabbit hole. I remember back in 2009 i don't quite remember what i was doing on youtube but I stumbled on an edit of "the devil beside you" drama it made my heart skipped a beat after seeing Mike and Rainy sweet moments in the drama. At first i didn't even know it was a drama but after reading the comments ii found out that it was a show and when i tell y'all i spent the whole day and night watching it. I think what i loved about it the most was the forbidden love aspects of it. Once Mike sets his sight on Rainy he did not let up. He pursued and fought for his love for her and was unapologetic about it. Mannn the feels I got from this drama. After finishing the drama i became a huge fan of Mike and Rainy that made me go on a mission to watch all of their dramas/movies. And Oh Man is Mike a good kisser!!
Only gave this a chance coz of my girl ZJY! I would've rated it much higher if the romance gave me the feels but sadly i didn't care much for it. I much preferred the family dynamic and how they overcame their fall from grace.
FL - She's strong, responsible, & cares deeply not only for her family but her friends & the people around her. When i first started the drama I looked forward to see how she was going to turn things around for her family and to say i was impressed was an understatement. She carried the whole fam including the commoners on her back! Even in the face of adversity she always comes out on top. Her chemistry with the ML was so and so, i didn't care much for it but it was nice when they were shown together. I applauded her when she decided to break things off with the ML coz he deserved it. I didn't like how both of them were indifferent about the break up & went on about their live even if it was a short-lived one. I wanted more oomph to the romance but sadly it was stale. One thing I've noticed I like when done in romance dramas is when both leads when faced with relationship issues hash things out & communicate their feelings and worries. Examples are Doona, dating in the kitchen, it's ok that's love, etc.
ML - If i'm being honest I didn't like how they wrote the ML! The story would've been much more impactful if he wasn't too fiercely loyal to his uncle/Emperor. Even though he loved the FL and protected her here & there it wasn't enough for me. And when he finally stood up to for the FL i wasn't touched enough because he took too long to defend her against his uncle constant bullying. What pissed me off the most is the ML constant excuse of how he's unwilling to go against the emperor/uncle because he raised him. The 2nd ML acted as a better man than the ML if i'm being honest.
Emperor/uncle - He wasn't evil per say I would describe him as being petty, a bully, selfish, and a terrible father!! His death should've been more grand & cruel tbh he would've deserved it. He abused his power & treated the ML like his plaything. Truthfully, i think he loved the ML as a son but it wasn't fatherly love it was more like possessive love.
The first episode had me on a chokehold! But as much as i appreciated the rural life scenery and the healings journey of the main leads and supporting characters, i felt like the story dragged. I honestly think 40 episodes was too much.! I did not feel the chemistry between the leads. I'm aware this was a slow burn drama but it got so boring. I fast forwarded through all the episodes and thanked God when i got to the last episode! and because it took so long for the leads to get together by then i was already over it. I understand that this was a healing drama about life struggles, dealing with death, and finding the light at the end of the tunnel, but i dk something just didn't clicked for me. Just my opinion!
I didn’t really see the disconnect between the 1st half of the show vs the 2nd half. I know a lot of people commented that the 2nd half felt like it was written by a different person compared to the first half but I didn’t really see it at all. To me I saw growth in Wu yan! Coz in the 1st half of the drama they showed her being infatuated with Nian Qin and her doing everything possible to please him even with him being distant and closed off. After they broke up and saw each other again, I thought how Wu yan reacted seemed realistic. She was hesitant to give in to him trying to pursue her because she didn’t want to get hurt again. I also liked how they show Wu yan doing the pursuing in the first half and switched it to Nian Qin in the second half. I don’t think she was being childish or annoying at all to want to protect her heart since she was hurt by him before. It makes sense for her to resist his attempts in the later half and even tho she was rejecting all his attempts to get her back you could clearly see that she never stopped loving him. He was just trying to win her love back again and redeem himself for all his past mistakes.
Oh and I know a lot of people from the comments didn’t like the FL mom but I actually did not despise her at all. Yeah she went overboard on multiple occasions but I understood her concerns and saw where she was coming from. And in the later half of the show you could clearly see her growth when it comes to how she treats Wu yan. Compared to the other parents from the other dramas that I’ve watched Wu yan mom was a saint. I also loved how even tho she didn’t want the FL to date the ML she respected her decision and didn’t threaten her. She even told the FL that she wouldn’t cut off her funds because of that and that as a parent it was her responsibility to support her daughter until she becomes independent.
Overall, I give this show a 8.5/10 just because it was an easy decent watch. It had good character development, non toxic and supportive friends, no love triangles, and enjoyable ost’s.
I liked the main characters relationship but I kinda enjoyed the side characters relationships more. Like I would have preferred Lee Dam’s little brother & Sun Woo’s little sister to get more screen time together and also Lee Dam’s best friends relationship. I also wanted to see how Hye Sun became a human, they didn’t really go into depth of how she became a human. Overall, I thought the main characters had an amazing chemistry but I was more invested in the side characters relationship than them. Just my opinion!
Same here! I was super excited about this show being aired. But throughout the show I found myself skipping a lot of scenes. Even though i love shows with mature leads, this one didn't give me any feels. I didn't really feel the affection between the main leads. Idk maybe it's just me! But it was a meh for me.
1. I LOVE bad boys in asian dramas (honestly it needs to make a comeback because current dramas aren't doing it for me anymore). What i love about a bad boy trope is the unapologetic way the ML loves and adore the FL. They would burn the world for them if that's what it takes. My first drama was Devil Beside You and Mike He murdered his bad boy role. One thing i noticed when it comes to the bad boy trope, if a drama has it i tend to enjoy it more because there's more passion and emotion involved. I love the forbidden/bad boy/rich ml & poor fl type of love trope. Not many dramas can do them justice but when it's done right it's chefs kiss.
2. Characters you should add (I don't want this to be too long so i'll just add the name of the drama): Healer, The K2, A Millionaire's 1st Love, Cheewit Puer Kah Huajai Puer Tur, Autumn's Concerto, Fall in Love (best one), The Forbidden Flower (love love this one), Lighter and Princess (another good one), Love Me if You Dare, Crush, Memory Lost, My Lethal Man (best one yet), etc..
3. Bad girl x good guy storyline? I actually love them when they're done right. Some of my favorite ones: Doona, Hotel Del Luna, Into the Ring, Yong Pal, A Beautiful Life (movie), My Only Love Song, etc.
4. Second leads bad boy that I like? Yes, absolutely. I like Roy Chiu in Easy Fortune Happy Life, Chris Wu in Autumn's Concerto, Lee Wei in Bull Fighting, etc.
FL - She's strong, responsible, & cares deeply not only for her family but her friends & the people around her. When i first started the drama I looked forward to see how she was going to turn things around for her family and to say i was impressed was an understatement. She carried the whole fam including the commoners on her back! Even in the face of adversity she always comes out on top. Her chemistry with the ML was so and so, i didn't care much for it but it was nice when they were shown together. I applauded her when she decided to break things off with the ML coz he deserved it. I didn't like how both of them were indifferent about the break up & went on about their live even if it was a short-lived one. I wanted more oomph to the romance but sadly it was stale. One thing I've noticed I like when done in romance dramas is when both leads when faced with relationship issues hash things out & communicate their feelings and worries. Examples are Doona, dating in the kitchen, it's ok that's love, etc.
ML - If i'm being honest I didn't like how they wrote the ML! The story would've been much more impactful if he wasn't too fiercely loyal to his uncle/Emperor. Even though he loved the FL and protected her here & there it wasn't enough for me. And when he finally stood up to for the FL i wasn't touched enough because he took too long to defend her against his uncle constant bullying. What pissed me off the most is the ML constant excuse of how he's unwilling to go against the emperor/uncle because he raised him. The 2nd ML acted as a better man than the ML if i'm being honest.
Emperor/uncle - He wasn't evil per say I would describe him as being petty, a bully, selfish, and a terrible father!! His death should've been more grand & cruel tbh he would've deserved it. He abused his power & treated the ML like his plaything. Truthfully, i think he loved the ML as a son but it wasn't fatherly love it was more like possessive love.
Oh and I know a lot of people from the comments didn’t like the FL mom but I actually did not despise her at all. Yeah she went overboard on multiple occasions but I understood her concerns and saw where she was coming from. And in the later half of the show you could clearly see her growth when it comes to how she treats Wu yan. Compared to the other parents from the other dramas that I’ve watched Wu yan mom was a saint. I also loved how even tho she didn’t want the FL to date the ML she respected her decision and didn’t threaten her. She even told the FL that she wouldn’t cut off her funds because of that and that as a parent it was her responsibility to support her daughter until she becomes independent.
Overall, I give this show a 8.5/10 just because it was an easy decent watch. It had good character development, non toxic and supportive friends, no love triangles, and enjoyable ost’s.