Catalyst1999

Thank you for your review, PBG 😘 I'm always happy to see that you've written something, especially after I finished watching.

I enjoyed Northward and was thinking whether it deserves a 9 rating. But you made me realise where the weaknesses were 😬 I guess the fact that I didn’t shed a tear also meant it shouldn't be a 9 in my books 😂

My favourite characters were Grandma and Grandpa. They were so warm and wise - I'd love to just listen to them tell their stories and give them hugs.

The whole ensemble gave strong performances which drew me in. You're right though, about the Beijing arc being the weakest. Still, it was interesting to learn about the delivery industries.

Amazing! And so interesting.

Who are the other good voice actors of similar calibre?

You're right! Now i get it 😆 He's the the one who voiced Yehua in Eternal Love ❤️

Hahaha RJL is low bar indeed. I enjoyed watching him and Bai Lu in One and Only...but maybe because that was very early in my C-drama days. And maybe because Bai Lu made it work? lol

Now that I'm more discerning (ahem), I have very low expectation of his dramas. Have dropped quite a number. Hehe

Agree. Glad that his chemistry with Song Zu'er made this drama worth watching. This CP is stronger and more believable than her pairing with Ren Jialun. Plus better than his pairing with Zhao Lusi.

PBG....how I've missed you ❤️ So happy to read your thoughts here. You've encapsulated my take and explained why it didn’t feel epic despite the strong start.

In the first episode, Liu Yi Ning reminded me of his character in Pearl Girl which felt rather lame. But his performance improved as the story evolved.

Awesome review! Thank you for writing such a detailed and thoughtful analysis of this beautiful drama ❤️

Yes, Bai Jing Ting was phenomenal. He's definitely one of the best actors in his generation. He brought a completely different vibe compared to his past dramas, such as Reset and Always On The Move.

It's such a shame that it has come to an end 😢

That was quite a fun watch. Chen Xiao was funny with his limited martial arts skills 🤣 🤣

Haha she definitely did not stand out then. Kudos to YZ for continuously improving her art.

In the recent dramas with FL running businesses, Flourished Peony is the most entertaining and well made for sure. The casting alone helped heaps, when I compare to Pearl Girl and Brocade Odyssey. Was watching BO (I stopped at Ep30 as per your recommendation), and felt that it was such a waste of talent. I usually like Tan Song Yun's performances but in this one...hmmm... Such a shame cos the brocade business was very interesting.

Thank you, PBG, for another detailed review. Both Yang Zi and Li Xian seem to be clever at selecting good dramas. Is it because they have strong and strategic managers?

Thank you so much for your review, PBG. I was utterly lost, especially in the 2nd half of the drama. The characters kept spewing half truths or spoke cryptically. Their actions were also confusing 🤣🤣

Interesting insight 🙂

Well said!

The ML's acting is also quite stiff, even though he has improved since i watched him on Go Ahead.

Thank you

Did drama use ML and FL's actual voices? I can't find info using Google.

Hahaha I don't remember WXY in One and Only. I certainly noticed him in The Double 😆

Just finished this drama, and came looking for your review. Yay...glad that you've shared your thoughts. Your review is always insightful and well written. Same same for this one :)

The director did a very good job for his debut long format project, and the cast that he had. I read that the production team was very strong, and usually worked on S+ dramas. It's good that this drama created ripples in the industry. We will hopefully benefit from it when the drama gods up their game.

Some parts of the script were quite profound, even though these were mixed in with tropey bits. The CP lacked chemistry but it was still nice to get a HE. I'm still not a fan of Li Yun Rui. I think his characted in Love Like The Galaxy ruined it for me. Haha.

Agree that the Song Han and An Su arc was boring. Didn't help that the acting by both the actors was quite flat.

Overall, an entertaining drama. Hope to watch more high quality dramas by director Zen Qing Jie in future.

Give Will Love in Spring and Meet Yourself a go, if you ever feel like some modern dramas. Both are mature romance dramas that are more meaningful than the usual tropey cutesy romcoms. I've got nothing against these romcoms as they are one of my go to genres. Hahaha

Hello Goddess :)

Yes, MDL is acting up for me too. I couldn't link to this comment. Had to search through all your drama reviews to figure out which show I said something. Haha.

I liked Dilraba in the past especially Eternal Love and Long Ballad. She's not one of those character actors than I'm in awe of, but she's cute and likeable. Anle was horrible though. Hope she makes better choices in future.

I can't wait to watch Flourished Peony. I like Li Xian - such a dreamboat. Enjoyed his performances in GGS (not a difficult role but what eye candy), Will Love in Spring and Meet Yourself. Watching one of his early works atm - Tientsin Mystic. Not sure about this one; I'm pegging it as a comedy dressed up as a mystery. Gotta do that to overcome all the ridiculous costumes, hairstyles and quirky characters :P

Happy New Year, PBG 🎉🎊

Went through some dry season in cdrama land recently, which led to me watching this poorly rated show 😂 I watched the whole thing despite the bad writing and woeful performances. Totally agree with your review! Even the styling of the characters needed improvement. Gong Jun managed to look unappealing, and Dilraba’s white wig was awful!

Here’s hoping for better dramas in 2025 (which should be achievable if this drama was the baseline) 🤣🤣🤣