Always Waiting

Fun and sweet

I loved this! It’s mostly just fun, but the story line is engaging. Male lead is delicious on every level. The love rival is fun and lovable. Female lead is intelligent and entertaining. The comic bad guys are awesome, while the real bad guys were really evil. The show was very enjoyable. It was more about the characters getting to know each other and the guys competing for her love rather than misunderstandings and break ups, which was refreshing. I wasn’t sure which of them I really wanted to win. It had a good mix of lighthearted fun and drama. The ending did have me on the edge of my seat.
The only downside is that it was only 16 episodes. I’d like to see more. I’ll definitely rewatch this one at some point.

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Amazing show- until the last few episodes

This was a great story- great characters, great actors. It was beautiful. no real bad guys or villains, just two young people trying to figure things out. Then the last few episodes got really weird. The story took a hard turn, the plot totally changed and none of it made sense. I was completely confused as to how the story could even unfold that way- unrealistic and poorly done.
So do yourself a favor. When they get on the plane to go back to Africa, just turn it off. Tell yourself that they lived happily ever after and save yourself the headache. That’s what I’m gonna do when I rewatch it.

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Sweet and adorable

I love this show. Both leads are so sweet and adorable. They didn’t go with the standard of one partner being cocky and self assured while the other is insecure and unsure, and I think it worked well. Both seem more honest. I also love the cafe owner. He always stays so calm and collected while the two are working through their insecurities. And I do appreciate that they are both communicating, even though it’s not easy. I’m not a fan of the overly nosy coworkers, though. I’ve enjoyed it from the start, but today may have locked it in as a favorite when Kanade stood his ground and protected Mashiro. I rewatched that a few times. I would like to see longer episodes so they could get deeper into some of the backstory. I’ll definitely be rewatching.

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Rich, spoiled princess saved by powerful boyfriend

It’s a horrible story about horrible people.
One female lead is a cruel, manipulative, spoiled princess. The other is a doormat who continually takes abuse from the princess and never stands up for herself. At first, it’s fun to watch the princess suffer a little after the way she manipulates the other, causing her to lose her job in the process. You think she might start learning some lessons, but she doesn’t. And it’s hard to keep cheering on the other because she continues to go back and let the princess manipulate her without any consequences. I started to believe they both deserve to fail.
The only two likable characters are Yang Jian and Hong Die. The rest are overtly stereotyped and without depth. They hint at some secondary story lines, but by episode 23 they are still only hinted at with no development.
I know some of the actors are very capable of being adorable and charismatic and fun to watch, but it’s not evident in this show. Not sure if it’s the writing or the directing. Everything is bland and monotone.
The princess schemes and doesn’t care who gets hurt. The doormat quietly takes abuse and comes back for more. The mysterious guy both girls like is just sort of there in the background. The guy who loves the doormat teams up with the princess and almost costs her a second job (though he meant well, the princess didn’t.) Doormat sits around letting everyone else decide her fate. Powerful investor guy works behind the scenes to clean up the princess’s messes. No one has shown any progress towards becoming a better human being. I’m really not sure why this show has so many good reviews.
I watched it because of actors I like, but they’ve been muted by the story.

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I was hoping for more

edit: Later episodes did get a little better. You saw the heartbreak coming from a mile away, but it still kicked you in the feels. I will say I appreciated the ending with his father. They didn’t just gloss over everything and forget (I hate when they do that.) That part was very real. Loss, regret, and a relationships that would take work to mend- I liked that.
….
I really wanted to like this one more. The two male leads are great, and that’s the only reason I’m still watching. The ml’s struggle to find his own happiness and protect his family is endearing. He handles this role well and convincingly. I really do feel for him. Meanwhile, it’s near impossible to not fall in love with the 2nd ml. Strong, gorgeous, gentle, caring- he’s got it all.
But the rest of the show fell flat around them. The forced marriage is cliche. The inept and evil uncle, the cruel military leader, the clueless fl, the heartless father… all of it could have been copied from a textbook. There is no depth to the characters at all. The grandmother’s slow speech and pace seems very forced.
The story drags. By the end of episode 6 almost nothing has happened. No kiss, very few deep conversations, nothing that will keep you in suspense. The evil uncle tries to sabotage the wedding a few times. The dad yells at the kid a few times, the general makes threats a few times… The argument with one of them hiding under the bed was moving. But there’s not a lot of meat to the plot. I will admit this could be impacted by just having finished Shine, which was about the same time period but much more intense.

The leads are enough to keep me watching, but I find myself fast forwarding quite a bit. So… love the leads, but was hoping for better for the rest of the show. I’ll look forward to their next projects.

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Such a fun story!

There’s a lot to love about this one. ML is adorable. He’s a good guy who makes a mistake and just keeps digging himself deeper into trouble, even after he wants to correct it. Zhang’s facial expressions had me laughing- especially when his fake wife made moves on him. He’s usually so calm, but there are times that his face could tell the whole story. He was very fun to watch.
I like that the female lead (and the secondary females) are very intelligent and competent while still remaining warm and compassionate. Too often the female leads are either cold or are just not smart. The women in this show are very well rounded and likable. I particularly enjoyed watching the empress grow into her role.
The men in the shadow guard were also fun to watch, trying to get out of the messes that their leader put them in, ha.
While some of it was predictable ,it was entertaining to watch the story unfold. And there were some unexpected twists. There was growth among all of the main characters, and that was heartwarming. It was a happy ending, with most of the loose ends tied up neatly, but not all of them. I enjoyed this one a lot.

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More than I expected!

I expected a cheesy, silly, feel good show. And I did get that. Characters were exaggerated and fun, story line seemed predictable and light. Lots of eye candy and laughter. But I did NOT expect the plot twists towards the end that kept me up too late at night for “just one more episode…” Most of it was still fun, but it does hit you in the feelings a few times. And there were some plot twists that I wasn’t able to figure out for a while, so there was a bit more suspense than I anticipated. Overall a very entertaining show that I will watch again in the future.

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Sweet and funny

So… I’m picking up that the show doesn’t follow the book well and that’s bothering people. I have not read the book, so I’m watching without any expectations. I just stayed up until 3 am binging it and can’t wait for the next episode.
It’s a fun story. Parts of it are quite sexy, and a lot of it is just adorable. The antics have had me laughing way more than I expected. And I mean the real, big laugh that woke up my dog- not just an amused smirk. I did not expect that. There’s also a lot of playful teasing that is rather sweet. The street fight was awesome- I watched it 3 times.
Yes, it’s a little predictable. But I’m ok with knowing the destination as long as the journey to get there is entertaining. I’m still a little confused by the dream bit- sounds like that should have been played up a bit more by now.
It’s not a nail-biting cliffhanger. It IS a fun show that’s easy to watch and I am fully enjoying it.

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Toxic mess that I can’t stop watching

It’s not going to win awards for originality, but it is keeping me entertained so far. Engineering students pursuing other students in an overly aggressive manner, again. But the story is enough to keep me watching. Episode 6 left some questions. Are we going the Love Syndrome route or is the story they know not accurate? I’m hoping for the latter. The whole rape turns into love thing doesn’t sit well with me. I get it- it’s fiction and it’s ok to delve into some fantasy. It’s just not my thing. So I really would like to see the main guy be a better person. I’ll just have to keep watching to find out. The plot here is a bit odd. How did he not see who it was? Why were police not called? Why are the friends seemingly ok with this? Like I said, lots of questions. Will wait to see what happens next week.
The second couple’s story is actually more fun to watch, though. It’s fun and steamy. I’d like to see more about the two best friends who aren’t dating. They’re quite adorable.

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Hot guy falls for cold, petty woman who has no good qualities

I had high hopes because I really like some of the cast. But it’s awful to watch. The female lead is cold, petty, vindictive and mean. They were probably aiming for strong and independent, but they really missed the mark. Female lead’s best friend is also annoying, The male lead and many of the supporting cast are awesome. But it’s not enough to offset that horrible woman. Every scene is copied from some other show in the most predictable, yet illogical, way possible.
I did get a kick out of the make shift archery range set up in the courtyard… so any misfired arrow goes through a window and possibly into someone’s bedroom. Awesome.
If he really wins this woman in the end, his life will be full of misery and humiliation. I won’t stick around to find out.

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Adorably sweet and wholesome

I love this series so far! It’s light in that there’s no bad guy. Each character is genuine, charming and sincere. And I’m pretty sure each will get a happily ever after. I hope so, anyway. The story is light, but it’s done well without being too cheesy or cringey and it’s easy to connect, on some level, with all of the main guys. But it looks like the next episodes will get a lot deeper and will kick us right in the feelings. It will cover the full range of emotions, so it’s not meaningless fluff.
While I do also like the more intense dramas, I am thoroughly enjoying this trend of wholesome bl series. This fits right in with Ballboy Tactics, School Trip, Secret Lover, At 25:00 in Akasaka, etc. I appreciate that this one is a more mature story with working age adults instead of college kids.
Sometimes your soul just needs a good story like this one. And I’m thrilled that we’re getting them lately. I just wish the episodes were longer.

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A very grown up bl

First, I LOVE that this is a more mature storyline. Can we get more of these? The college kid stories are cute and sweet and fun, I’m not hating on them. But this one has real substance and I wish there were more like it. I’ll admit I had to rewatch the first couple of episodes because there is a lot going on. Along with complex relationships, the show delves into history, politics and cultural issues. One of my favorite aspects of this series is that it makes sense. You don’t have to suspend logic to follow the story, as is common with this genre. Many of the scenes are quite intense, both the drama and the romance. The conflicts between the couples (or would be couples) are realistic and leave you hurting for both characters.
I appreciate how they pulled people from multiple sides of the cultural and political divides and paired them up to really highlight what was happening at the time.
If you’re just looking for a lot of eye candy and romance… well, you will get plenty of that. But it comes with a deep storyline and a fair amount of heartbreak. I’m completely hooked and a little nervous for the ending.
The chemistry between these couples is off the charts. The music is also a highlight, and does its own part to tell the stories. The acting is so good- they just sweep you along on this rollercoaster. The story is not predictable, overdone or illogical.
The only part I don’t like is that hippy hair. But, even that does fit the times.

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Just too ridiculous- female lead is so awful!

The first episode was very dramatic and grabbed my attention. I thought this was going to be excellent. And then… oh, it was not! The cast did their best with what they had. The story is the problem.
At age 15 she “falls in love” with a man who saved her, even though she never even really talked to him. She states she will come find him in 10 years, and he blows it off. (Because what sane person would say that?) She remains obsessed for a decade and then, amazingly enough, stumbles across him randomly in… 10 years. He doesn’t remember her, so she stalks him. She uses a documentary as an excuse to stalk him more. Not only is this 25 yr old woman a professional investigative journalist, she’s also a professional dog trainer. And when no one is looking, she can sneak into a firefighter uniform and run into a burning building to save someone. This is where I had to quit. Apparently she’s a master of everything.
Then there’s the suicide jumper. A girl gets dumped by her bf and tries to commit suicide by jumping from a building. The hero saves her, so she transfers her “love” to him and says if he rejects her, then she’ll kill herself. Really?!?!? To top that off, our main stalker girl heads her off at an open house, stating that SHE is the captain’s “reserve wife”. Captain at that time wanted nothing to do with her.. FL tells her that she’s obsessed and it’s not love and she needs to focus on herself. Wow.
The evil coworker repeatedly risks destroying the company she works for (and thus her own job) in order to frame the female lead… I didn’t get far enough into it to find out what caused that level of hate. There are too many levels of crazy in this show.
I love William Chen, and he did well here, I have liked Zhang in other recent shows, and I guess she played the character as she was supposed to… but the role was so terrible! The support cast seemed good, but there hadn’t been any character development by the time I quit. I didn’t even know most of their names. There’s no way I can finish this show. I ‘lol just wait for whatever Chen does next and watch him there.

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