Cioran

For anyone searching for the show’s OST, here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHGSfG3r_vg&list=OLAK5uy_kDGybcgbGrp127-ByXWlVdIy13kGdqvKg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d3gE5Has_8&list=RD0d3gE5Has_8&index=1

Not every love story needs strong chemistry, but in Infinite Cycle of Love it felt essential. Because it was missing, the whole story ended up feeling somewhat flat. I think that kind of perfect connection between leads is mostly independent of acting skills. It either happens naturally or it doesn’t, it just happens on its own. Here the actors performed well individually, but they never fully clicked with each other.
Actress Zhao Xi Xi almost always has amazing rapport and real sensual tension with whoever she’s paired with. On the other hand Ren Jia Lun, even though I like him, always seems slightly mismatched with his leading ladies. There’s never quite that spark in his romantic pairings.
A necessary disclaimer: where some see chemistry, others see absolutely none.
Sinful Marriage on the other hand had everything. If anything was missing, it was probably just more episodes. That drama was close to perfect in every single aspect.

Yeah, I just finished Infinite Cycle of Love. It’s a solid, well-executed drama. It really doesn’t deserve all the hate in the comments.
What I missed was more passionate or intense scenes between the main couple. It felt a bit too lukewarm in that department.
The final twist was actually really well thought out. The way the whole cycle of coming back to life got so brutally cut off fit perfectly as a conclusion to their love story. Honestly, I kind of liked that slap in the face the writer gave us with this ending. If I’d been more invested in the characters, this ending would’ve probably hurt a lot more.

The ML is my biggest discovery in this drama. I remember him mostly from villain roles. He was always styled in such a way that he looked kind of unattractive and rather dull. But here, with long hair and royal robes, he is insanely handsome and magnetic. That warm, gentle smile of his and those melancholic eyes…
That said, credit where credit is due: the actress playing the FL did an excellent job too. It would have been very easy to make her character annoying and insufferable, but she created a truly dignified person who “learned how to fulfill her own wishes”.

Chinese dramas always leave you wanting more at the end. I can’t remember ever being fully satisfied with a finale. Luckily, we at least got some nice kisses and a beautiful love scene earlier on.
For me, the strongest part of the show was the main leads. They were absolutely stunning together and the chemistry between them was electric. All in all, a really great drama.
Quick tip: As for the subtitles, you can download the free Copyfish program, it does a pretty decent job with Chinese subs. The downside is that you basically have to manually crop/screenshot the lines to translate them, so watching a 15-minute episode takes way longer. Still, you can always just translate the most important lines and skip the rest.

It’s a happy ending, but the happiness comes literally in the last minute of the series.

All episodes are available here, but without English subtitles.
Chinese-only version: https://nnyy.in/dianshiju/20258808.html

All episodes are available here, but without English subtitles.
Chinese-only version: https://nnyy.in/dianshiju/20258808.html

I watched it on a Chinese website. There are only Chinese subtitles. I can send you the link if you're interested.

For me, those tropes just don’t hit the same anymore. They feel way too repetitive and not fresh at all. A bit of awkwardness and embarrassment is totally understandable (and can even be cute) especially on early dates, but in this case, at least for me, that charm was missing. FL and ML already had plenty of chances to get to know each other a little. They work together after all, but I still don’t really feel like their relationship has made any meaningful progress. They just seem so stiff and uncomfortable around each other.
Honestly, the part I liked most from today’s episode was their conversation on the bench after FL’s mom attacked. That felt real and actually moved their connection forward a bit.

Those ML and FL dates were so cringey, awkward, and honestly pretty unsuccessful. ML does the rich-guy cliché: takes her to a luxury boutique and buys her expensive dresses. FL takes him to an amusement park to rediscover their inner child. She gets whipped cream all over her mouth, he melts completely and falls even harder for her. Can there be more overused date ideas in K-romcoms? These are grown adults who already spent a passionate night together and are going to have a baby… and yet we get this childish nonsense and painfully shallow dialogue. I know romcoms allow some embarrassing moments, but there were just way too many cringey scenes here. I hate feeling second-hand embarrassment for the characters.

I finished all the episodes. And it remains pretty intense and serious right until the very last one.

Hope this is the last time Ying Du dies… but on the other hand, the actor looks so beautiful dying in his beloved’s arms 🥺
So, what are your first impressions of How Dare You? I’m thinking about starting it.

I think we might have misunderstood each other 🙂 When I said ‘pretty painless to watch’ I meant it’s actually very easy to watch, no heavy emotions or frustration. Sorry if it sounded negative! Ancient Bracelet is still my favorite though, the couple there is on another level 🔥

This drama really reminds me of Dominion and Devotion. The whole fake-eunuch trope, plus that constant undercurrent of sadness and melancholy that’s pretty much in every scene.
Both actresses absolutely nail the cross-dressing role. There’s a real depth to both series that most mini-dramas just don’t have. I’m really hoping the ending won’t be as mentally crushing as Dominion and Devotion was… fingers crossed.
But damn, what a strong start.

We don’t know that for sure yet, but it’s hard to imagine it being anyone else unless there’s some unexpected plot twist.

Ancient Bracelet is better and has a way more electrifying couple, but this drama is also pretty painless to watch.
From the newer ones, I recommend Shall We Dance. It probably has the most depth out of these three dramas (yes, it has that childhood friends-to-lovers trope that many people hate, but in this story it actually has some psychological justification and it’s even quite touching). Plus the main leads are excellent. Completely fresh, unfamiliar faces who don’t just look good but can actually act.

It’s not bad in my opinion, but it’s not exactly memorable either.
The fact that FL has to piece the truth together herself while everyone hides it from her does get frustrating. By now she’s been reborn three times already, and each "new" life comes with more knowledge about the secrets everyone else is keeping. The main villain is also pretty obvious from early on. Still, the acting is solid, even if there’s no real sizzling chemistry between the leads.
Visually the drama is gorgeous and the male lead in particular is extremely good-looking. I've really liked this actor ever since "Grab Your Love".

No, there isn’t really a lot of heavy misunderstandings or deep hurt here.
This drama keeps a lighthearted, almost comedic tone the whole time, so you won’t find any truly painful scenes or frustrating, drawn-out miscommunications. Even when the FL and ML are temporarily on “enemy” terms, it’s mostly playful bickering and funny teasing rather than real hatred or resentment. Overall, it’s just a fun, breezy watch with zero emotional trauma, perfect for relaxing viewing.