Enigma05

Amnesia-dragging for 30+ Episodes with Decent Small Case Solving & Love of Friends

I think I added this to my watchlist for the SML and TML. It sounded interesting at the time. It's a good thing I go into all dramas without any expectations; saves from disappointment. This drama had a lot of potential but the main plot was literally the first two episodes and the last maybe 6. The rest was amnesia-dragging for 30 episodes with decent small case solving and love of friends.

Pros: The second couple stole the show even if they didn't get that much screen time. YSZ or Prince Rui (PR) was sexy as hell especially when he smiled and showed his dimples and his eyes could melt glaciers. Paired with SK, they were the cutest couple out of the 3.5 we had (the .5 was for mom with Marshal as we never found out how they ended up). Story is basically a fight for the throne with good prince vs evil prince that involves multiple people whose entire family gets wiped out as they learn of the conspiracy and try to tell the emperor but are intercepted. This happens to both FL and TFL. However, FL learns of this and is chased by assassins so she falls off the cliff and gets amnesia for over 30 episodes. The ML being her childhood crush who rejected the creepy groom snatching and was drugged to boot for an impromptu wedding to FL, cruelly rejected her thinking she was just some spoiled little rich girl. He had tunnel vision of vindicating his master posthumously as he and his entire family got slaughtered by bandits working for the creepy prince under the assumption of corruption which was a frame job; he was also TFL's father. But when he found FL at the bottom of the cliff, he rescued her and made her believe she was his younger sister as they headed towards the capital. After learning of her family's slaughter as well, he promised to himself to keep her safe no matter what, now he had to find out and vindicate two families but refused to tell her. He fulfilled that promise but feelings obviously grew between them and it was getting creepy sometimes.

The SML was a great character though sadly the third wheel. I really liked the character because not only did he help in anyway he could with all the villains running around but he saved the FL many times and after her rejection, he didn't become obsessed though it broke his heart. He considered the ML his good friend and sworn brother. Rivals in love but absolutely no animosity otherwise. People may disagree with me but his ending was appropriate. No, he didn't get the girl but why should he forget her? He made peace with it and continued his duties as our prince took the throne; he was content with his life.

What I liked about the show was also one of the things I disliked; it involved many cases of getting women out bad relationships or away from other hardships. FL ever the smart one opened up a jewelry business in the capital and what was equivalent to a day care center and a shelter for abused women was also part of the store. Though she lost all of her memories including her own name, she hadn't forgotten how to run a jewelry business or apparently solve cases either. She was whip smart and could figure things out almost immediately.

Other characters that were good were ML's mom, the marshal, ML's friend and guard YX, the three women she became sworn sisters with, one being SFL and married to the prince and later became the empress, all with FL's help. Even ML's father though seemingly useless, just ass kissing whomever in power, made up for it by sacrificing his life to save his son and FL. The creepy evil prince was a great antagonist as this actor proves time and time again. He has a way to make your skin crawl.

Sets were ok, nothing amazing. Same went for costumes and OSTs.

Cons: As I mentioned above the story made me like it and not so much because the main plot of vindicating two sets of families went on the back burner after the second episode and was only picked up in the last 6 something episodes. Now while I liked the mini subplots, I wish they remembered the main plot in the middle too. The amnesia arc dragged on for far too long. And it seems that each time she got hit on the head and was unconscious, she'd start remembering something. It was kind of ridiculous and unbelievable.

Both leads had an issue with emoting. It seemed like they were stone faced most of the time. Though the FL did smile, everything was tempered down and felt rather dull. You get second lead syndrome here a lot; despite the fact that ML was destined to end up with the FL, the chemistry; to me at least didn't have the same level as she had with SML, who basically wore all of his emotions on his sleeve.

The third couple were so unnecessary and I didn't like TFL at all; she wanted to get revenge for her father but the way she went about was just cruel and crazy. At times I thought she was crazier than the creepy prince. She did seem to pull it together the end but her death was weird after she herself killed said prince; I have no idea how she ended up stabbed also. Their relationship was one of the creepiest ever; he had mommy issues so when she dressed up in similar clothing, he fell for her meanwhile she had Stockholm like syndrome. It was all very bizarre and nuts. First he would beat her up for failing to carry out his tasks, then he would tend to her wounds wanting her to be his wife and all this other shit. Like it was so revolting, you wanted to ffw.

A lot of characters didn't have proper endings but just disappeared like ML's mom, the Marshal, that Qi bodyguard who it looked like had a thing for TFL; there seemed to be 3 love triangles going on in the show. The ending was very anticlimactic in general. Honestly, I have forgotten probably half of the bad things because I couldn't write for 4 days.

Would I recommend it? Only if you have nothing else to watch. It's a good in between drama. It's not bad, it's decent plus most of the actors did pretty well.

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Love Surpasses and Overcomes All; "I Will Always Be By Your Side".

This was my most anticipated drama for this year, and I had no idea if they were going to drop it and when and it completely delivered. This is a drama that I never expected or anticipated to give a perfect score to but absolutely everything came together. All of the actors gave 150% and the storyline was solid as were the sub plots and always kept you guessing. There were so many twists and turns you never knew the outcome until the very end. Though GJM is allergic to happy endings, he finally gave us one or should I say two because there were two couples.

I have been in the comment section for this drama since they started filming last year or the year before last because I believe they started in late November early December. It was a very lively comment section with a lot of solo fans, multi fans like myself, drama fans, and people just wanting to talk and it definitely delivered. We loved watching the fan sites show us how the actors were acting the BTS and everything else. And now we got to see this amazing work of art with fantastic acting, cinematography was incredible. It had you laughing, it had you crying, it had you feeling with the characters were feeling and being along with them for each and every journey. I follow about four people but from the main cast it's TJR for me and he absolutely nailed his what we originally thought were going to be three or possibly four characters ended up being six and he conveyed every single one of them completely differently. I don't even know how that's possible in one series to do six completely different characters and nail each and every one of them. It's like he had six split personalities or something. Can't forget our characters with the two flowers on their forehead that helped out so much; the demon hunters three of which sacrificed, but then came back at the end. I know I'm probably going to forget so many other people that meant so much to our main five. And if I do, please remind me in the comments.

The only real negative was the fact that even though WSG was ultimately the 10th dragon and the real one and granted it took him to a while to get there, and JL was the fake dragon deity, he had lived as one, the longest and cultivated the power of the demons the longest, and it was him that did the last reversal of time that led for the amnesia and what not. But it was his ability to kill JY before she got her hands on the newly born LWY that allowed WSG to destroy LWY possessed body and last fragment of the demon. Because even though WSG was the dragon, he was fairly new at it and hadn't had the same amount of power and experience as JL did.

I am very glad we had a happy ending and my take on how that went was that JL created another entrance/rift with LWY's help and at first I thought they just went into a different timeline but watching it again, I think they returned to the same timeline just as mortals in some little village far away from the people or should I say one person that still remembered them. But the reason I think they return to the same timeline is because LJ seemed to be pulled toward JL like a voice was calling to him, and if he was in a separate timeline that wouldn't have happened, and he felt compelled to travel the world and find out who he was for real and so I think he will probably travel the world and maybe he will find JL and some sort of memory will spark, or they will just become friends who knows? Only WSG & JL retained their memories everyone else forgot everything. They all had new memories and one person even had a different personality altogether should I say the weasel guy I'm not even sure whether he was a weasel still or something else. But I'm glad that the four major demons and moon dude helped JL open the portal back to be able to destroy JY and save LWY and his makeup and hair with those demons powers was just amazing.

I think everyone's fights and sacrifices with their lives even though they came back at the end were amazing. The chemistry of both couples was phenomenal. I loved it in the illusion in the desert, which ironically was the very first scene they shot, but it ended up like toward the middle of the show. In the illusion, the chemistry between WSG and WWY was really awesome even though they were playing his adoptive parents. But hey, they did the deed in that one. Our other couple did the deed toward the end, but I was actually very proud of TJR since it was his first on screen kiss and more or less intimate scene so congratulations for getting that out of the way lol. I don't even remember when they shot JL and LWY's final scene because I don't remember watching it. What I do find amazing was that the very first arc in that house they spent so much time filming and it was literally the shortest arc other than maybe the tree demon guy; Han Ba.

I can praise the series to the moon and back it had so many over lying arcs and other things and special messages but the most important message and it's something that GJM had conveyed from the very beginning when he did an interview was that this particular series was about love and the type of love that you don't let go of. It’s not a passing phase type of thing; this was a love that you would walk-through time rifts and time travel a zillion times just to protect. You would go to the ends of the Earth and back for. But also there were friendships like JL and LJ that were just so strong or WSG and weasel dude or the sisterhood of WWY and LWY; or the two leaf demon hunters or JL and BZ. There were so many of those I can't even put them into this review because as you guys all know, my reviews are short now. But this show just literally had everything that you want to have in a good story. The story was amazing.

Every single character was necessary and needed for however long they were in the show for and even though you did get an introduction of zillion characters at once the ones that were the most important stayed and you got to know them. You got the back stories of all the leads and even some of the support plus a few of the guests so you really had a very layered experience. I think that's the best way to describe this; an experience for the soul, a feast for the eyes because the costumes, the sets, the cinematography, the CGI; it was all so amazing. The OST's and that tribal BGM I absolutely adore. I want that thing somewhere or maybe I can use it as a ringtone because it was so awesome and even if you heard it several times in one episode it fit every single time. Nothing was ever like out of place or made you scratch your head and go why. I must say that in the last episode when the four Great Demons plus moon dude came back to help JL open the rift. I really love that that was like so awesome and made you cheer like a cheerleader because these guys even though they were now gone, it was just their spirits they were there to help the man that they spent a century protecting or teaching or at least one of them did but all the others knew who he was. There were a zillion moments like that where people came together to help bring down some sort of evil, especially once the team had formed up and they knew who was who and what was really happening and who the big bad villain was. I think one of the funniest comments came out of CHS who played Han Ba, who after a particular night of filming as fans crowded around him, and he made his way back to his RV, shook his head and said "I am not a good person" in regards to his character, which was just so funny. They had so many moments like that and even on the set in between takes, they were just a bunch of goofballs even the ones that were introverts were pulled into the extroverted circle. Considering how heavy this drama is, having those funny moments on set with their fellow costars I think really got them out of that serious state. And who could forget that flipping inferno (the wind whipping the flames literally went at least 20 feet into the air and the fans that were standing on the mountain evacuated as well) that was so dangerous but thankfully nobody got hurt only two huts burned down and we all watched it on full as it was being filmed, but thankfully fire trucks and emergency personnel came quickly and all cast and crew were evacuated to safety. It was determined that wind blowing embers from the bonfire caused the inferno.

Would I recommend it? 150%! I always go as most of you know into shows without any expectations whatsoever even if they are my most anticipated and/or I follow actors or whatever the situation may be and like I said I follow at least four people here and all I can say is that this show has to be seen by people, especially who loved the fantasy genre because it is truly an experience. Think of it as you're going on an adventure, like your personal self not just you're watching a show and this is the experience. I think I can gush for hours about the show, but I'm just gonna leave it here. Please watch!

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Lots of Comedy, Scheming, Lies, Truth, Many Strong Bonds, Untouchable Love; Oh & Some English!

I was watching back to back transmigration stories and I was really curious how this one would pan out. I like both WRC and CL and they really did do a good job here. Seriously, give this awesome series its dues, it really deserves it!

Pros: "How are you? Fine. Thank you and you?" In English no less! There was no way that was going to be how they met after she transmigrated into the historical book from the modern world and yet that's exactly how it happened and it was hysterical. The comedy was fantastic. Because the original concept of the story was cheesy and FL didn't like it, upon meeting the ML aka "tyrant emperor" she decided that she was going to rewrite it the way she saw it especially after she saw how things really were, that it was the SML that was the tyrant while the ML was considered the puppet by the wicked witch of the west (who had been poisoning him ever since he transmigrated into the novel and probably even before then) and the SML who took his vengeance and whatnot for the wicked witch out on ML. Once the audience learned that ML had been stuck in that book not as long as the FL but for over a decade, a lot made sense and your heart went out to him. CL's range of emotions was also impressive; he went all out for this one. Huge props to him for really embodying the character. He had secret guards and a crossing dressing master fighter (Bei Shu) as well as another army general/martial artist (A Bai/ General Lin) who came to protect him but he was still incredibly lonely until the FL popped in.

They went through a lot to make the emperor formidable against the two enemies; wicked witch and the SML. As well as turning the SFL from the bad side to the good side. The majority of the drama had a lot of comedic elements which were all spot on. As the drama progressed however, a more serious tone was introduced but it never took away from the eventual love that blossomed between the leads. Especially when the FL learned the truth about ML being stuck in the book for as long as he had been through the long letter. We the audience learned that he was drugged and SA'd by the wicked witch and some maid so a CP was born. It was horrendous all the stuff he had to go through as a kid. A lot of double crossings from people but FL was also very clever and used her modern day knowledge to outwit the bad guys. There's so much that I can't put it all down, you have to watch it. We did lose some good guys like 3 of the original 6 scholars, the Shu master, and Yong'er which was hard especially Bei Shu. You just wanted to shield ML and go, “stop hurting him!”

I loved how we ultimately learned that the prophecy in the synopsis was real but FL was not going to give up and with her and A Bai working nonstop, they along with the doc, found a cure. Also the ending though they did return to the modern times, right before, her in that red gorgeous dress at their dual coronation and his proposal using their real names to her amidst fireworks was chefs kiss. A lot of great characters that haven't been mentioned, the harem girls that evolved, the Eunuch, secret guards, etc. I have never seen TXT in an antagonist role but he absolutely nailed it as did the Empress Dowager actress, though I think I've seen her before. Both played exceptional villains. Costumes were gorgeous as were sets. And the ending came full circle with them reconnecting in the subway and the "How are you" greeting being used. It was maybe 2 minutes long but it ended just how they met originally. Third transmigration series that had a good HE without some nonsense off screen.

Cons: Last few episodes had a lot of dialogue as if trying to stuff in as much as possible. On top of that, it was more confusing because after ML was cured, you didn't know how much time had passed because there was never any thing written on screen in regards to time skips, and it was quite obvious that there were quite a few of them. But the most annoying thing and that got the .5 ticked off was that the OST's drowned out both the dialogue as well as obscured the faces of the actors speaking. The translations of the music covered the actors faces; even if you didn't understand what they were saying, you were stuck, trying to read the subtitles as they were whizzing by the screen and still be able to somehow focus on the characters. Things were definitely sped up in the last few episodes, especially dialogue wise to the point where you had to actually slow things down or rewatch things because you couldn't keep up with what everyone was saying at the speed they were saying it plus if there was music with words, you couldn't see who was saying what or why as faces were obscured. And when people were speaking and the music was playing, even if you had the subtitles, you couldn't hear what was being said because the music drowned everyone out. The powerful rock ballad in the final fight was important but the lyrics could've been put anywhere else on the page even sideways the way they were done in Mandarin. Same went for the enthronement and proposal scene; turn the damn volume down and move the lyrics.

Also felt that during important moments meant for the ML and FL; the scholars scenes could've been less. Otherwise, I had no problems with them. Lastly, though ED was a formidable antagonist they could've stopped her from cackling as that automatically brought down her evilness level in my book; people who have read my reviews before and seen my comments know how I feel about cackling, evil characters, and how that makes them seem like Halloween store witch decorations. That's it; no more cons.

Would I recommend it? 100%. The cons were annoying but minor. This story has a little bit of everything and don't underestimate it because of the comedy, it's quite powerful with the was it's told with all of the twists and turns.

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Good but Could Have Done Without the 15 Episode Drag-Fest

The storyline was what originally got my attention and I wanted to see Zhang Xin Cheng in something other than Young Blood. It was also cool to find out the leads were childhood friends in real life. The story itself was interesting but it shouldn't have dragged out the leads getting together for 24 out of the 30 episodes.

Pros: Friendship goals for real; from high school into adult life! That was the best thing of the entire drama. How they had each other's backs no matter what. The chemistry between the leads was the best as well as the 2nd couple who deserved so much more screen time; I called them the odd duck and the actress. The comedy that he provided was so low key but awesome. They were the most interesting couple out of the three though the kisses of the leads once it actually happened were very good. Think all actors did pretty well with the script they were given.

Cons: The 3rd couple were two morons that even though great friends, they sucked at advice giving and I think kept the leads apart because they'd make them even more insecure. Their overacting and lack of normal voices unless it came to business was ffw worthy which I did. None of the parents could read the room of the obvious feelings of the leads and the repetition of the script got old quick.

Also felt that the revenge plot of Mo guy and the sexual harassment of Gan pervert were just thrown in haphazardly and didn't fully go into either nor punishment. I think had they cut back on the 3rd couple, given the negative aspect of the series a better fleshing out, given the 2nd couple their time, and brought the leads together sooner instead of just repeating the same even dialogue; this series would have been way better.

Would I recommend it? It's a nice series to watch in between anticipated ones. The actors did the best with what they had and were believable.

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37 minute Film Better Written Than Some Series

Was recommended this by a friend and as I have seen MJTY recently so have become aware of GJM's writing and direction style. Only 37 minutes told the story of two lives and how they became intertwined due to fate. The leads felt their characters deeply and it showed on screen. And there was a proper ending, which was nice. You felt everything one should feel in the dark settings but also hope in the future or at the end rather. Enemies to friends, then protection, facing adversity together, making a sacrifice for the other's safety. But not all is what it seems as the at the end reunion was made even more important and special.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely. As mentioned above, just 37 minutes was written and acted better then some series with double the episode count.

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MPD: A Sequel, Explanation, or A Totally Different Story?

8 episodes of something that came a year after the original story which many hoped would tie all of the loose ends "The Psychologist" left hanging. Not only did it not do that in many ways, but it added some more. This drama special legitimately had multiple personality disorder or MPD--which considering the subject matter, ironically fit--because to the very last scene you still couldn't figure out which it was trying to be; a sequel, an explanation of what was missed, or just a totally different story with the same characters and cast.

Pros: What I did like about it and not gave it an even lower score was we finally got to understand He Dun's origins and she was able to reconcile with her stepfather, get over her half brother's death, forgive herself, and as well as stop being afraid of the water. Understanding everything her mothers had been through and getting to a great point with the one who raised her the longest, was an incredible process for HD. If they had focused on just that and her romantic relationship, these 8 episodes would have been in much better shape then they were. QKY was an amazing support system for her the entire time even using many psychological techniques to help her through her PTSD. Their relationship had become even stronger and healthier then before which was wonderful. All of the actors did a fantastic job with acting even when the script failed. The OSTs and scenery were much on point.

Cons: The script was a joke. It had massive holes in it all over the place. The extra stories needed another 30 episodes just to untangle. Like when did Lili and her cop boyfriend get married? One moment, he's meeting her mom for the first time, the next HD calls him Lili's husband. I understand bringing in the An Na storyline was necessary to explain HD's past and have her come to terms with it, but it was done in a very jarring fashion.

Where was Jia Hui's mother? Last we knew she had tried to commit suicide and was taken away in an ambulance. Was she alive? Did she just heavily relapse? That was never explained just short flashbacks were given. They literally turned JH into Batman in this one. We knew he could con people into believing he was anybody and everybody but in this one they gave him some superhuman skills of being able to vanish without a trace in seconds only to somehow appear on top of two shipping containers only moments later. And then within that also humanly impossible timeframe, set off a plethora of explosions at that yard.

What was the purpose of bringing in the professor and Dr. Wen? She came clean to HD about much of her purposes and then later got arrested after they set up a joint counseling session for terminally ill hospital patients. In a sense one could argue that she was there to bring JH's lunatic stepfather to justice, but we never saw that.

What we did see was said lunatic beating up an employee, then kidnapping HD supposedly, who both JH and QKY went to look for and rescue; they were all buddy-buddy again going to HD's book signing. JH got knocked out by his stepfather's goons but then those same goons were beat up by the lunatic for hitting JH too hard. The lunatic even gave his stepson a knife to cut his own leg off in exchange for HD's safe return; that whole scene was straight out of the twilight zone. JH stabbed himself in the leg 4 times but had no reaction to the pain, than as the lunatic grabs the knife, JH says some line about the lunatic deserving to be alone and leaves. Screen fades to black and then there's a time skip of 3 months where HD and QKY are at some school giving a lecture. So was she kidnapped or not? That was a massive hole. JH is then seen with the professor as father and son have a heart to heart and JH is ready to accept all of his consequences. There were so many holes and inconsistencies that it made you forget the original story's loose ends as this added a lot more to it.

Would I recommend it? Only for HD's plot process because she finally got everything sorted out in her own life, forgave those she needed to, learned about her real origins, and got over her PTSD. Everything else was a mottled mess that 8 episodes could never explain.

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Train Wreck in a Fancy Wrapper

Only watched this because I really liked Checkmate and this had the same theme and cast. However, I didn't expect a debacle of these proportions. How this has an 8.4 rating here is beyond me, unless its because of actor fans; but then different strokes for different folks.

Pros: Literally the SML or QCS carried the entire show on his shoulders. His character was intelligent, gutsy, had great martial arts skills, loyal, caring, supportive to all he cared about. Maybe not the full brains of the operation, but very close. Other likable characters were Old man Bai, Adou, and Salim. They rounded out the support nicely. Production when it came to sets and costumes was gorgeous as all Republican era dramas are. That's it, there were no other pros for me.

Cons: I could just say everything else and that would suffice but I will elaborate a bit. The ML had serious issues of laziness, greed, and multiple personalities that only seemed to slightly disappear towards the end. The FL was the usual toxic, prepubescent voiced, self entitled brat that thought the entire world owed her for her father's lack of parenting skills. There was zilch chemistry between the leads other then constant bickering, so them getting all lovey dovey towards the end and getting hitched was very much an afterthought that felt more like incest because they acted like siblings with QCS having to essentially babysit both even during cases, which made things look very unprofessional and half-assed.

The plots and cases were rather dull and unsatisfactory; all suspects confessed very quickly after always repeating the same remark about evidence; there was no real pull between ML and murderer. Like "Yep ok, I confess". The European additions to the cast had to be the worst and what got hit for ratings first for me was the nasty anti-Semitic remarks by both the Chinese and European cast. While I understand the time period and things were up in the air in China politically, Jews never posed a threat and therefore the Fascist comments were not only unnecessary but revolting. Had that continued, I would have dropped the series on principle.

The lack of cohesion of the Europeans speaking English, with their lips moving inaccurately to what was being said was sometimes hard to watch and often caused a headache. Also what was the point of them speaking English to their Chinese counterparts only to switch to Mandarin? It looked very sloppy. The ending was rushed and felt like it was filmed in a day. This was basically a train wreck in a fancy wrapper.

Would I recommend it? No, I absolutely would not. Yes, this was somehow a spoof on something to do with Agatha Christie, but for the life of me, I don't know how or where. This is probably one of my shortest reviews for a show, because it had literally just about everything wrong with it. So, save yourself the headache and find something else.

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An Honest Review

Obviously, I watched this for Xiao Zhan. I also knew this was his first drama and that the thing was low budget, so I wasn't expecting miracles. It's been in my "plan to watch" list for a while. Was it good? No. But it wasn't an unmitigated disaster either. His acting and that of the SML were the best out of the bunch. It was like if Harry Potter met the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers with a side order of the X-Men; also just without much of a cohesive plot nor any character development and really bizarre melodramatic characters. The villains were too stupid to ever put together anything really impressive. The 7 minutes of BTS footage after each episode was sometimes more entertaining then the episode itself. It's not something I'd rewatch but I would recommend it for younger audiences who like cheeseball types of dramas. But Xiao Zhan's acting abilities shone through even then at the very beginning of his acting career. I'm really impressed how far he's come in 5 years since the airing of this series. I can't wait to see more of his dramas in the future.

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Live Each Day to Its Fullest, Don't Take Anything or Anyone For Granted & Be Mindful of UFOs

What a beautiful, multilayered journey with very complicated characters! I was watching this for LYN and I can say despite what I think is an OE/SE for his character and those that loved him, it is his best acting to date. Obviously the reunion with ZLS after TLB was something special to see, but this drama was about the realism of life, business and revenge more than romance. It reminded one to live life to the fullest, not to take anything for granted, & always be mindful of UFOs.

Pros: Favorite character for me was LYN as YZJ; each drama of his that comes out is such an improvement over the last and I'm so proud of just how much he gave to this character. Starting out living only for revenge as a morally grey merchant of the west. You really didn't know what his motives were at beginning other than he had a deep grudge against a ruthless bandit leader named LK, his gang of thugs, and two families the Cui's and Zheng's. He was super intelligent, filthy rich, and his plans always included contingencies. It was only when he met DW played exceptionally well by ZLS who herself was struggling just to live a moment at a time as a slave pearl diver (btw though it looked beautiful underwater, free diving is hard as hell and without proper equipment it's even more difficult, so serious props to ZLS for doing all of those scenes herself. Though for safety reasons, they should have hired a professional certified free diver) in some beyond deplorable conditions and her bargaining her life over a pearl just to get herself free and sneaking herself and a little boy named "shrimp" onto YZJ's boat that the seemingly ruthless merchant, started teaching her everything he knew about the pearl and jewelry business as a whole. He didn't just take her in slave and whatnot, but because the woman she thought was always torturing her in the cave was actually her mother (YZJ’s mom’s maid and best friend since childhood) and she taught her accounting and was particularly strict with her because she wanted her to live and her something priceless in her possession that with her dying breath she gave to DW; a blood-pearl that became an essential piece of this entire story. Turned out that the pearl made YZJ recognize DW as the daughter of his family's chief jade carver and who was slaughtered along with his own family when he was a boy as he watched them murdered by the bandits sent by the Cui and Zheng families and three (Xu, LK, & PY) other sinister and powerful figures behind them so they could take the entire jewelry business in different places over as well build the mastermind's power. Meanwhile, YZJ was imprisoned, tortured, and poisoned for 8 years until he escaped with another young boy KJ who later became his best friend and most trusted aid/guard.

I won't go into the entire story because then what would be the point of watching? But that's the essential original connection between YZJ and DW. SML or ZJR traveled undercover and had initially fallen for DW but because of their totally different worlds, he had no chance with her and instead opted to become the best friend and fellow investigator alongside the other two later on. What struck me was that ZJR, Xu, and PY had the same Shifu and were brother disciples but only ZJR was upright and just while the other two were corrupt and murderous. The three of them (YZJ, DW, ZJR) made for a great team. YZJ was the one who relentlessly taught DW how to stop being easily trusting and naive and how to be ruthless when need be. He also taught her the basics of martial arts and how to use a short sword. He saw her passion, will to live and taught her how to stand on her own two feet and rely only on herself which became essential in many situations. In the meantime, she taught him to open his heart and learn to love. She wasn't afraid to call him out on his bullshit and that was new to him. She was warm and caring and stood up for anyone that was being bullied but unlike him who hid that deep within himself, she wore it on her sleeve towards the people she cared for like ZJR, shrimp, Loud, accountant Wei, Yunxia, and the others she met both on the convoy and off of it (like Lady Wu who was her sister for life, though after their stop in Guangzhou, other then through letters, they never saw each other again). Because of that, he started to open up more to her and care/be protective of her. He recognized that they were kindred spirits in a sense.

Their love developed gradually; there were several occasions that she saved him and that's when he told her about being poisoned and that it was almost impossible to cure even more so when the only witch doctor that could cure it was killed by LK when she was also kidnapped but everything was put to the ultimate test during the ambush of the convoy when just about everyone was murdered as those bandits infiltrated the convoy so you couldn't tell who was good and who wasn't. All of it was done by someone YZJ considered to be a brother but all he wanted was the blood pearl. DW went through her lowest period because she lost everyone (with shrimp dying in her arms) and thought YZJ had tried to kill her when in reality he had shot the poisoned arrow that was aimed at her out of the way but his arrow did hit her which all things considered wasn't bad. She also didn't know that it was KJ that arranged for her to be saved by the migrating tribes.

Them reuniting in Yangzhou, the last place they would be together for this series and just how many emotions went into that. The betrayal she felt, the pain at knowing the truth but going the noble idiocy arc route that he decided to shoulder everything himself. Everything was so raw and beautiful; whether you laughed or cried. It was in Yangzhou where YZJ brought the last of the original male Cui family down with his own work. Bringing down the Zheng family proved to be more difficult and dangerous as more evil figures started to pop up as well as the original instigators of the first and second massacre; and this is where YZJ, DW, ZJR (who the entire time was conducting his own investigation with the occasional secret help of both YZJ and the emperor) plus their guards and employees came together.

CSJ started as a morally grey snob who because though she didn't have it easy, her life wasn't impossible compared to what DW went through, so I didn't pity her and wished she had less screen time though they were determined to show her for a while like that before she finally started going through really hard life threatening things that towards the end made her realize just how misguided and wrong her behavior her entire life had been and she finally came together with DW on several occasions especially towards the end to bring down Zheng big bad himself.

The emotions displayed by our leads especially during their best or absolutely worst times really made this storyline whole. The real antagonist here was YCWY aka LK (played very well by his actor); an absolutely rotten to the core human being ruthless beyond measure; even though Prince Ying (PY) was the mastermind; he was just a loud mouse in comparison. And the absolute heartbreak of the ML when in episode 39 he found out the truth, was hard to describe. Though most of us had guessed around the time the ambush happened at the sanctuary as how would bandits perfectly disguise themselves as convoy guards just as YZJ was to set out to meet ZJR and together they'd eradicate the bandits. YC knew of this plan as the master of the sanctuary; he killed the witch doctor, kidnapped DW, then set up the ambush just to get the blood pearl. And many people in the comments didn't understand how someone as smart as YZJ couldn't put two and two together. But when you go back and think about it, he was shot himself by at least three arrows, also sliced with a blade and that pesky poison, the man was barely alive. After which he was scared for DW and when he made it to Yangzhou he had to get back to work with what to do next. He couldn't just put all of that aside and think. So when that reveal happened, he was dumbstruck. He considered this man his brother because YC had done everything in his power to gain his trust and support him including financially but this was the same monster that imprisoned, tortured, and poisoned him for 8 years. I do wish they had lingered longer on his emotions upon reveal; because of just how raw they were. For once he realized how devastating this revelation was both for himself and DW. But he was just a kid when they met again and LK had reinvented himself as YCWY a sanctuary owner for merchants "hiding from the bandits." Which was brilliant for the antagonist.

Ok let's talk about that ending as it goes both in the pros and cons for me. YZJ and especially DW had exhausted all avenues in search for an antidote, his body was breaking down day by day, we saw it. LYN played a man dying of a slow acting poison brilliantly. YZJ had decided to leave and KJ had made all of the preparations for his passing and for all of his money to go to DW. That last scene he was officially in as DW was begging him not to go was heart wrenching; you could tell in his eyes that he was fighting with himself about that decision because he couldn't bear to leave her. After that scene we saw a shooting star (LYN's UFO came to get YZJ) and then next scene DW (who's wearing YZJ's ring and is visibly upset as she talks about not sharing moments with people who couldn't be with them) wins the competition and is appointed Guild head but turns it down and gives it to CSJ who's more appropriate for the position. DW then spends the next 40 years traveling the desert as a merchant as she wanted though we never see her face.

My thoughts on it is that he did leave after giving her the ring which was something he never took off even when he was held captive in the first arc and she rescued him; so it had very special meaning to him and by giving it to the most important person in his life was his way of letting her know that they belonged to each other. But the competition was only 2 or 3 days after we saw him last so he couldn't have passed away so quickly. I think after the competition, she left and met up with him and they spent some time together before he indeed passed away and KJ joined her in the traveling caravan. So to me it's an OE/SE. If he had died immediately, KJ wouldn't have left at all so that wouldn't have made sense as YZJ was his whole life and DW was I guess his sister in law so he would spend the remainder of his days guarding her no matter what. But in this situation, I have no problem with the ending at all.

Everything else was beautiful; costumes (though could've done without the Rapunzel braid for DW), sets, CGI on point, great OSTs & BGMs, and awesome fight scenes.

Cons: After that larger than life pros section, this section is small because my biggest issues were with editing and writing ie production. The second arc had the most problems as it seemed scenes were cut into something and you would get a whiplash. I really wish the noble idiocy arc didn't last for 10 episodes though their paths crossed all the time and almost right away he was secretly helping her. KJ should have stepped up sooner as he was the best wingman ever. But there were many inconsistencies like where did YZJ and KJ find such a luxurious horse and carriage in the middle of the desert after the ambush that had them hiding in caves and with traveling caravans? There was never any recording of time passing especially when you had multiple people walking around a grand desert alone all Willy-Nilly like they were in their own backyard; that legitimately looked absurd. Then the absolutely ridiculous part of first a kidnapped Yunxia, then DW, and then maybe 5 minutes after the first two escaped, ZJR coming to the same inn in the middle of nowhere woods. And he's back hot on their trail to find them yet in an actual town, they miss each other by literal steps. Suspense of disbelief deployed.

Towards the end when they were running the glass business there were times when you weren't sure whether you were looking at a flashback or real time because of the way the shots kept jumping back and forth. I was very confused. The ending, I wish they rounded all of the important people out better not just left them hanging and had actually shown YZJ leaving and how much time passed between that and the competition where everyone was pretty much just left there. Even DW who supposedly traveled on a merchant caravan for 40 years wasn't shown but just a bunch of people covered in black garb on horses and camels with goods looking like Ringwraiths in the desert with an older woman's voiceover being the old DW. This way, that same UFO returned and picked up DW too! It was a bit sloppy. It should have been much tighter and satisfying, even if did become an SE. I'm fine with those, just tighten up the writing and editing.

Would I recommend it? Regardless of some sloppy and loose writing here and there, I absolutely would. This was a realistic live every moment to it's fullest and don't take life or those you love for granted story and it was rich, layered, lush, complex, and absolutely beautiful. Don't pass it by just because it has an OE/SE. It deserves the praise.

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A Martial Arts Cinematic Feast for the Eyes

First time in over a decade I went to the movie theater to watch something and it was an XZ film. I went in just like I go see any movie, no expectations and just enjoy what I'm about to watch hopefully. I can say for sure this was the type of film that you can only watch in the theater to get the full effect. It really was a martial arts cinematic feast for the eyes with a very LOTR vibe to it.

Pros: The martial arts were top notch and given the director's experience in that sector, not a surprise. The large scale battles were amazing and breath taking. All of the actors delivered and I have to give it up to XZ as GJ for being able to so convincingly speak Mongolian; I mean monologues of it at a time. A total foreign language nothing like his own. The ending showdown between GJ and very creepy looking OYF was by far the best. Costumes, sceneries, CGI, OSTs, all the aesthetics were top notch. There are several battle scenes during ending credits so don't miss out by running away before the lights come on. There were comedic scenes which broke from the seriousness of the situations.

Cons: The greatest and saddest part that was lacking was the storyline. If you didn't know the plot to begin with you would have been very lost here. Thankfully, I watched last year's LOCH: HB series, though itself not great, I at least had an idea of the storyline. Because here everything was so rushed through that you had no idea how the leads met, when GJ met his shifus, or the guy who got him started on his path to greatness. Literally everything about the story was condensed into maybe 15 minutes of screen time. The 7 freaks dying on the island save one was done in 30 seconds and neither HR nor HJ were given the proper screen time to have a proper connection with GJ. Everything was battle focused.

I disagree with many and say that GJ had way more chemistry with HR than HJ who seemed more like a little sister though both of those were mere moments in time. Same could be said about GJ and his mom who it seemed to appear on screen for a maximum of 5-10 minutes total before she kills herself to not be used by Great Khan anymore as leverage. Another thing that made me scratch my head, the entire film the Great Khan spoke in Mongolian and in his last scenes, he busts out the Mandarin and it was like wait what? What just happened; completely inconsistent. Had this film been properly executed, it should have maybe been a trilogy like LOTR so the wonderful story wouldn't have been sacrificed for the sake of fight scenes; though very awesome ones.

Would I recommend it? Yes. If you're a fan of wuxia and the original work of the writer, you're in for a feast. The battles were absolutely phenomenal and it was a very entertaining film.

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A Story of Friendships & Love Built in a Tiny Courtyard While Overcoming Personal Hardship.

After watching LX in Will Love in Spring and hearing good things about this one as another slice of life story, decided to check it out. Glad I did; he was able to play a more smiling, joking character though with no less responsibility on his shoulders. I've only seen Crystal Liu in A Dream of Splendor where she did very well. This was a story of friendships and love built in a tiny courtyard while overcoming personal hardship.

Pros: I really love the friendships that were built in the courtyard and how they went beyond the courtyard but into the rest of the village and were intergenerational. Also though FL or XHD lost her best friend in the first episode, she was never far from her mind especially when she finally told her new friends about her. ML or XZY (lovingly called A'Yao) was my favorite character because of just how much he shouldered and was always still joking and smiling. He was essentially taking every major project from the village on himself. When HD and A'Yao became friends, it was nice to see that it wasn't a rushed romance but a real bond that grew. We saw that he caught feelings first but she wasn't far behind. The other great characters were DM, NN, HY, Mr. Ma (when he wasn't flipping his hair), granny Xie and a few of the other grannies, XC, XX (girl) and XX (guy). The 4 kids were cute too. Joseph Zeng's two episode guest appearance was surprising but good. How all the courtyard folks and others would rally around those going through a hard time was very heartwarming. Brought hope to humanity.

Chemistry between the leads was awesome and comedy within the story was pretty good. I really wish they had more time on screen as a couple as opposed to giving that up to her 3 episode leaving and town revitalization towards the end. Their kisses were very good so that as always was an added bonus. The OSTs and BGM, locations, were all very on point. Though there were times when there was maybe a bit more verbiage than necessary, a lot of it was beneficial. Really loved the growth of the characters into better versions of themselves. Found out afterwards that the person who played XC's ex-husband was actually the show's assistant director. Pretty cool when the directorial staff can play extras or do cameos.

Cons: Too many side characters and plots that I felt took up too much of the story. You already had so many important supporting characters that everyone else should have been left alone. Most of the time that XQ girl that had a yen for A'Yao for a while or the embroidery lady who had a heart attack but for the life of me I couldn't remember who she was, there were others too but I don't remember. The leads could have had more together time since this was billed as a romance and they only technically had 9 episodes but most of that was taken up by things and people not important to the story. It would have been easier to focus on the quality not quantity and have the leads maybe get engaged by the end. Show more couple time in those 9 episodes. Wish NN and male XX's friendship/feelings were better fleshed out too.

Forced propaganda was so unnecessary here. You can revitalize a village without sticking propaganda into it. Even the poor kids were singing an indoctrination song. It stuck out like a sore thumb especially when the friends in the courtyard would be just shooting the breeze drinking and making toasts to each other and out of nowhere someone pops out with "may our country prosper"; like who says that when they're just hanging out with friends? It's not a political or even business meeting. Made me role my eyes on more than on one occasion because it was not the series for that. If you're going for a country living romance with friends, you just don't need that. Not realistic at all when there's a juxtaposition to everything else.

Would I recommend it? Despite those few baubles, I enjoyed this story and glad I listened to people in the other comment section. Look forward to LX's future dramas. Check this out if you haven't yet.

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Never Lose Hope in Seeking Justice & Love is the Destiny to Embrace.

(First review of a show in 2026) After seeing Wow the World, I had really wanted to check out CXX's work even more and the first one was LOTTL w/Reba which was decent and I liked his character though this one I already had on my watchlist. I knew LYX from previous other works so I knew she would handle herself as well as some of the supporting cast.

Pros: Though the leads originally met in a VR game designed by the ML or XZY and the VR game was important, it wasn't centered to the plot. XZY was a lonely young man with one friend, one ally, and a small architect firm though growing in fame because of his natural talent. Behind all of that though, was for 20 years harboring a secret for justice and to vindicate his father who he and his uncle Xu knew was framed and killed after a stadium he and his business partner (ultimately the killer and the one behind the tragedy) were building, collapsed, killing 3 people and injuring 6 others. His name and identity was changed by his stepfather (the same psychopath responsible for everything else) and mother (who very conveniently and without waiting too long jumped into the arms of the business partner; I'll talk about her in the cons), XZY whose real name was QXY and he only used it in the VR game; which was his refuge. He studied in the states after becoming independent at a young age, not wanting to use his stepfather's or mother's money; he concentrated hard on earning his own money while also researching and slowly gathering evidence with the help behind the scenes of uncle Xu. By the time our story takes place he had gathered the majority of the evidence except some very key pieces.

FL or HX was a young woman working a job she hated because she studied architecture and that's what she wanted to do. She lived in her childhood home and after being dumped by her crappy fiancé on the eve of their engagement party, quit her job and decided to apply at different firms; the first one she was offered the same position as before so she declined and left. This was a big firm owned by XZY's stepfather that was originally started by him and XZY's father as well as named by him. The firm that she ended up working in was the one owned by XZY as that was her dream place anyways and the two of them met in real life after he rented her place and they had a series of funny encounters. He was aloof for obvious reasons so didn't warm to her quickly though she was bubbly and hardworking. But he did protect her and helped her get back at her ex fiancé among other things. She fell first and he fell later.

As cliche as things have to be, her father was one of those that were injured in the stadium collapse and his best friend was killed as both were engineers building it. This is where a rather unpleasant person comes in aka PZ; he was the GM of the big firm HX interviewed at as well as XZY's stepbrother, one who cheated, plagiarized, and tried to do anything to one up XZY. He hated him because XZY was always better and more natural. Furthermore, he was physically abused by his psychopath father which didn't help matters. First, he tried using HX to get back at XZY but she saw right through him and called him out on it. Than, after she gave him a band aid, he developed some convoluted feelings for her (Buffalo Bill style); but upon learning she was XZY's girlfriend, he exposed XZY's identity and name and the showdown 20 years in the making was about to hit a climax. I do have to say though the actor that played PZ or DX did a phenomenal job at playing him! This actor has done many characters, both protagonists and antagonists in different genres and I have to say he's very versatile.

The rest you'll have to watch yourselves; it does have an HE for all important people so don't worry. Both best friends of both leads were great, the rest of NPC's from the VR game, and FL's mom was alright. Loved uncle Xu, Xie Lyman guy, co-owner and the other employees of D Studio, were all good. The two antagonists were psychopath stepfather (justice was served after 20 years with all evidence found on him and he was most likely going to get the death penalty); ironically I had just watched him play a drug mastermind in a crime thriller before I started this show so he plays these types of characters very well and PZ who though thankfully didn't get a redemption arc because he did too much wrong, he did ultimately apologize properly to XZY for absolutely everything and left the industry (after turning himself into the police) though as creepy as he was, he took the used band aid HX gave him that he kept like a trophy with him. The thing probably already had fungus on it, 🤮.

Cinematography with the VR game was absolutely stunning for Republican era and all of the costumes for that period was beautiful as well as other scenes where you had outdoor shots were great. Oh and the kiss calendar was awesome (all dramas with romance should have them lol!); CXX is a very good kisser, just need LXY to be more natural and actually open her mouth so he’s not kissing her teeth as she pierces her lips together. P.S. There's an extra scene after the credits returning back to the VR game only with a role reversal, so came full circle.

Cons: There were issues with fluidity with the story. Firstly, the synopsis on the site only covered the first few episodes and not what the story was really about, which sucked because it was this huge story intertwined within and we had no clue it had such serious undertones. Next, they should never have had her best friend married because they started by randomly chucking this couple into the show and their scenes felt like very much an afterthought. It was all geared up to eventually show him "cheating". But they both were at fault because he had mentally checked out a long time ago and was solely married to his work while she had just grown complacent and also never really put much work into their marriage. I've got friends that work as much as these characters do plus have kids and still find time for an occasional date night in or not or something to keep things spicy. If there's love there and you want to make it work, you do. If you don't, like he was hospitalized from all that work and the breakup and instead of "let's try marriage counseling," she just said "I choose not to love you anymore," gave her ring to him and walked away. The entire thing was just weird to me; because feelings like that you can't turn them on and off like what we saw with the leads, even when FL broke up with ML more from being pressured by her parents and guilt then because she wanted to after his real identity was revealed, couldn't even function and they weren't married but just in a relationship. He cared about his clients from his new business more than his wife and she didn't see anything nor put in the effort. Both were at fault.

I have 2 small issues someone else mentioned in the comments with the FL; that CNY ML spent with her and her parents and than later was invited by her to sit on the roof when she tried to kiss him. It was most noticeable here because he was completely shut off and hurting and she didn't see it at all. On the roof she just babbled about her dreams and whatnot while the man she cared so much about was going through something and not mentally there and not once did she ask him if he was ok. It's like men are supposed to be able to take pain and loneliness and just swallow it while women can just not see it right in front of their eyes and people blamed him for not seeing her and her feelings. He's dealing with so much and always apologizes for everything even if none of it was his fault. Also, when she did her speechifying without letting him talk which was highly annoying; with the breakup and then after the factory thing. This man has been hunting for the truth for 20 years with only uncle Xu helping here and there and now he's just supposed to open up to you after you've said a bunch of hurtful, untruthful shit to him (after the factory especially) when he's not done a single bad thing to you nor was he responsible for what happened 20 years ago. I understand people say mean things when they're angry but some of what she said she should have apologized for and I don't think she said I'm sorry to him once the entire show. He was the one always apologizing; it was ridiculously unfair. It's one thing when he was in the wrong, ok good, but when he didn't do anything wrong even put her dad up in a private hospital room and gave him all of that equipment. He didn't have to do any of that.

FL's father was fine up until he started blaming XZY for what his father was framed for. When towards the end and they met instead of XZY apologizing again even though his father's name was cleared by then and HX's father knew that, instead of saying "let bygones be bygones" he should have been the bigger man and said "I'm sorry for blaming you for something you never did, were a child when it happened, and that I couldn't see that, letting the injustice continue." That would have been what a real man would say.

XZY's mother on the other hand was a lost cause; she never cared about his father or really him, just herself. She was insufferable, playing the victim while XZY had to essentially grow up on his own and look for evidence more or less alone. What mother wouldn't know that a father would only call their son by a pet name or what that pet name was? If she was dialed in, when that text message supposedly from him came through to her with the wrong name for their son claiming he was at fault for the collapse, she would have known instantly, he wasn't the one who sent it. But she took every opportunity to berate XZY about losing "another family" when he and PZ got into a fist fight without even knowing what it was about, as well as speak up for her new husband and stepson every chance she got. She resented her dead husband without knowing the truth but hopped into his killer's and the one responsible for the collapse's arms and bed before the ink dried on his tombstone. Only went to see his grave when his name was cleared after the psychopath confessed and was arrested. She actually asked XZY why he never told her about his findings after which she apologized to him for being weak, unhealthy, and incompetent which just seemed like weak, BS excuses for not being a proper mother to him basically most of his life. She briefly acknowledged that he essentially did this for 20 years alone without a mother. He thanked her for being with him in the end and she hugged him but by his awkward reaction, it was obvious she hadn't hugged him in a long time. She didn't deserve a son like him, so I was happy she was returning to the US after the divorce was finalized. I didn't want to see her anymore. Just made me want to throw something at the screen; glad they didn't give her a lot of screen time.

Would I recommend it? I would, absolutely. Despite the cons, the pros were more favorable. The story was rich and deep and though it wasn't lighthearted and had a lot to chew through, it was worth it, so give it a go!

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Illogical, Fun, Twisty, Cheesy Romcom! Just Turn off Your Brain and Enjoy!

I'll start by saying that I don't compare any dramas ever especially if they're not in the same genre and their only similarities are the ML and SML being the same actors. I was wondering what this drama was going to be like but since I also go into each one without any expectations so knowing this was a comedy, I just jumped into it and boy, did I have a good time! It was an illogical, fun, twisty, cheesy romcom; just turn off your brain and enjoy!

Pros: So one of my pet peeve's is slapstick humor which I can't stand but here the comedy was as smooth as water on a quiet lake. A girl, our FL or LHE who is basically allergic to romance gets transmigrated into a 1999 vintage romance novel in the middle of her livestream broadcast being against anything love related. Now, what also makes this different from other transmigration series except ADWAD is that we also meet ML or GHM in the first episode and he seems to recognize her though she's got no clue who he is, she's busy bitching at her boss while he's there to buy the entire company. That gave us all room for pause because the entire premise of her going back in time and into a book is to win over a cold CEO and get and accept a marriage proposal from him while also falling in love with him. In the book, GHM has no idea who she is and she tries every trick in as she later called it her 2025 "romance playbook" to get him but he also needed her to get rid of an annoying chick and his toxic father's attempt to arrange a marriage for him. So they for a bit were using each other for their own purposes. She was given missions to grow GHM's fondness for her by some supernatural pager system that gave her rewards or punishments based on how she did but many times those rewards were cheesy as hell and you were just left cracking up and shaking your head. She couldn't reveal the plot of the book to the people in it or change the narrative. Nothing worked until as she summarized herself later upon returning back to 2025, that once she stopped with the tricks and started being sincere, is how she ultimately won his heart and she in turn fell for him. But because she started to care deeply not just for him but the friends around her, she started to not want him to propose so soon or she would have to return; her solitary, career-driven life in 2025, was no longer appealing.

GHM, for his character was great as a CEO because he actually worked hard as opposed to other characters out there in these roles that just walked in and out of rooms and strutted around like peacocks. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty so to speak and given the fact that the business he was in was feminine products and diapers, said a lot in 1999 China. He oozed sex appeal; whether he was cold, jealous, grumpy, polished, lazy at home, and especially when he was in love. I was a bit worried that since CXX and WYW had known each other for 16 years, their chemistry wouldn't be believable but I had nothing to worry about, it crackled especially episode 20 and when they did the deed and we got to see him take his shirt off to reveal a masculine body and not a stick figure as we know CXX works out so all the muscles were there without looking super buff with a six pack or anything extra; nice flat stomach works too.

What worked so well for this series is that you laughed at all of the ridiculous happenings because they were funny but in the last episodes when you knew she had to return and after another manipulation by the pager which I'll speak about in the cons, GHM and everyone that had ever seen them together forgot about her or that, as he regained his memories after a near drowning incident, started to put pieces together that she didn't belong in his world and had to leave soon with the proposal, there were a few moments when he cried and we cried too. So it was this rollercoaster of believable emotions. Another thing that worked was that when she returned back to her world, and he had also somehow come back or maybe he was there the whole time (many unanswered questions with this transmigration thing), was that on her way to meet him, she passed his assistant from the book as well as her two friends one who was killed in the book, but alive and well here with her book best friend happily together. So they properly exited out the important characters from the story. We didn't see her book father and sister but assume they should also be part of her world somewhere. Plus though the ending of them together was like two minutes; unlike a lot of these dramas, they got to hug, cry, and kiss. That was so important as opposed to just standing 5 feet apart smiling at each other and roll credits. Honestly, I ffw'd the 2nd couple for a bit but more towards the end they started to grow on me especially during everyone's memory loss, it broke up that whole thing up a bit.

Having been in High School in 1999-2000; a lot of the costumes, technology especially the phones and computers made it nostalgic and fun, though much of their wardrobe kind of reminded me of the late 80's/early 90s with shows like Saved By The Bell and Beverly Hills 90210 lol! But everything was pretty on point with OSTs, locations, sets it being a modern, etc.

Cons: I had a serious problem with the pager system for LHE; it created the unnecessary issues in the book. So LHE couldn't break certain rules or she'd get punished but the system could make her book gold digging ex kidnap her sister and harm GHM so GHM's fondness for her would grow faster. And I'm almost 100% sure the pager wanted to harm GHM by having him push her out of the way when the truck came through only to get hit himself; when he proposed on NYE of the millennium (neither of these scenarios were in the original novel; so why was the system allowed to rewrite the book published for 25 years but LHE would be punished for trying to do the same?) which is why she broke the "cardinal" rule and revealed that she was from the future and they were all just characters in a book after which all the memory of her were wiped. Also pretty sure the system was responsible for a random NPC to jump into the water and bystanders told GHM it was some girl drunk and on the phone and he assumed it was LHE because her phone had cut out just as they started yelling so even though he couldn't swim he jumped in, followed by LHE who was by then told the original girl was pulled out but XL (GHM's assistant) told LHE GHM had jumped and he can't swim which she knows is his trauma so the system created this outlandish way for him to get his memories back by her saving him.

After he got his memories back is when he started piecing together things about her not being from his world. And the system was at it again. First, it told her that she was only supposed to be in the book until the millennium and if she didn't secure a proposal and leave, GHM and his world would collapse. Now it's been at least a month past the millennium so the new deadline was 72 hours and the new threat was that everyone who she cared about, their worlds would collapse. It was ridiculous. But he agreed to her request for the 72 hour proposal because he knew by then she would leave. I really wish the 1999 him told her he loved her before she poofed.

Also how was it that in episode 1 it was February 28th and in episode 24 when she returned, it was the 16th? So she had also traveled back in her own timeline? Does that mean again now on the 28th, he will come to purchase her company now with her as his 2025 girlfriend or fiancée whichever? I have no idea if he had her pager or his own afterwards, because how was he able to see her in the future a few times? And the 2025 him, same guy as we saw in episode one, was this the same one from 1999 or were there two because while she was only able to bring back a note from him from the book, he was able to bring back the pager where it showed their moments on the carousel as well as multiple models of those airplanes. Also it seemed like all of their shots together were taken from a distance and by a third person when the 1999 GHM looked at his camera. I know the director said that the 4 episodes cut by censorship would have explained all of that, instead of someone typing words on a screen making it seem like the 2025 world was possibly a novel too or they were living in a wormhole of space. I wish we got an extra episode to at least explain some of that lol.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely! It makes you giggle and cry and just enjoy all the nostalgic moments. Don't compare apples to oranges but just enjoy each drama as a separate experience!

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The Analysis

At first I was going to watch it the whole way through but then after I got to episode 10 and spoke to various people; I decided to just to do what I did with GoT because I knew I wouldn't be able to make it all the way through though I will watch season 2. This is different from my regular reviews as it's really an analysis from my pov.

Ok what I found solid in the series was the world and story building. Everyone we met started somewhere solid. It wasn't a drama where you were thrown into the middle of it and you had to catch up to with figuring out who was who and what was happening. Episode one was mostly focused on the children and making us invested in their story and lives which I thought was brilliant. Then the transition to adulthood and this where the story really got going. I will now go through the characters as they stood out to me. I will say that every character is flawed in some shape or form but some seemed worse for me.

XY: The anti-heroine. A massive red flag and I figured that out by episode 10. Life imitates art or art imitates life; YZ did well here (I'm usually not too thrilled with her roles; again just my opinion). I think she played a narcissist with abandonment issues who uses men to her self needs like a pro. I would say my favorite arc with her was that first one. It's where she was the most genuine. To her everyone was expendable as long as her needs were met. I felt like she really had no idea what love was. Though TSJ was the one and end game; even when he sacrificed himself and was in a coma, the way she spoke to him just rubbed me the wrong way. She used a lot of verbal abuse towards everyone; she spoke like she was the only one who suffered; yet we knew both TSJ and the demon were imprisoned and tortured. Like ok once, twice, but it got old quick. Saying her mom abandoned her instead of dying on the battlefield was so weird and foreign to me. She got the victim card down on lock. She needs an immortal pet not a lover. It'll never leave her and give her unconditional love. Her reaction to TSJ saying his grandmother essentially drugged him and he was most likely assaulted, just made me freeze. Yes she spit blood later but in the moment, she couldn't even offer words of comfort; it was all his problem and now they were strangers. She just called it quits. I was like what just happened here? I'd be worried, go confront grandma; poison the bitch. Hell, I'd fight for my man from the get go and that's something I think she needs to do evolution wise. She always treated it like whomever had to do something for her first and always. She never gave an ounce of herself and that's why I didn't like her; I couldn't root for her. But I do hope she figures herself out in S2 and what or rather who she wants and makes the necessary steps herself.

TSJ: This was my first time seeing DW in a lead role as I had just seen him previously in one small supporting in a modern. I will have to say that perhaps this role was a bit too complex for him but you gotta start somewhere, right? Hopefully in the future he'll be up to the challenge, he definitely has the potential. The character was complex in the sense that on the one hand he was a killer strategist but on the other hand he was essentially a doormat with the equivalent of Stockholm syndrome (victims that are so broken by their abusers, they love them because they believe no one else will) towards his toxic family; especially his brother who essentially nearly killed him after 3 years of insane torture. He couldn't kill his brother after what brother did to him; he was too timid and yet so easily manipulated even by the woman he loved. And watching her do that to him for her own pleasure made me sick to my stomach. So many times I wanted to shake him or smack him, like "do something, say something, stand up for yourself!" No one else will protect you even XY who promised in the cart they were imprisoned in by CX in the beginning that she would protect him against bullying, never did. Everyone seemed to remember how he broke promises due to the toxic family, but not that she lied and manipulated the hell out of him too and yet he would still die for her. My hope for him in S2 that he grows some balls and starts to go on the offensive. Enough already. I actually like his character as frustrated as I was with him.

The demon: Sorry folks, with so many ppl, this is what I called him. By far the most complicated character out of the entire show. I have only seen TJC in modern dramas up until this point but boy did he nail the demon, I was very impressed. Let me clear something up for people; he never abused XY; in the beginning before I knew he was a demon I thought he was a vampire. And she wondered into enemy territory for her herbs first; there's a war, he on the opposite side and leading troops, so capturing her and the whiplashing is understandable. The biting, her bored expression made me laugh; no one being abused would react like she did. Moving on, he was very smart, he knew when she was toying with him and it'd piss him off and he'd walk away in a huff and I was like "can you teach TSJ how to do that?" How he's able to let himself be entirely a different person with the black wig that's all fun and playboy that even those that know him can't figure out who he is? Love that versatility from the hard ass silver haired demon. His weakness is that country he fights with and the soldiers. He's repaying the emperor who became a father to him and it's very admirable but he should know when to tell them to stop because they're obviously losing as sad and unfair as that is. He falls in love and his love is both refreshing and extremely painful. He's more of a sadomasochist to himself because of her. He gives one of his lives away (and of course there's no gratitude from her) and from what I understand is planning to give his life on the battlefield and also wants XY and TSJ to be end game as he understands no one else will give her themselves. They just don't want to or aren't capable. I feel that the demon likes TSJ the most out of the other options. He admires the doormat's unwavering love even when others complicate things. In my perfect world, end game (not in a romantic way) would be TSJ and the demon as like sworn brothers or good friends living a peaceful life with women that deserve them in a little village; no power struggles, manipulation, wars etc. All the rest could bite the dust for all I care honestly. What I wish in S2 for him which I know won't happen; is for him to survive. But other than that, go out the way you want and make sure you give the two people you want to be together, their opportunities before you do. I really wouldn't change anything about him.

CX: First time ever seeing the actor. CX is complex in the fact that he's power hungry and creepy towards XY. But honestly, even though she only sees him as her brother, I feel that because of her narcissism, he's the perfect match for her. Even though she says even he's abandoned her. I'm over that sob story but I feel like his thirst for power will ultimately be his downfall somehow. I liked the complexity of the character and the actor was convincing. In S2, I want to see how he gets worse and how convincing it'll be.

FF: Actually currently watching this actor in another costume drama, he's an antagonist there. I have more issues with the script than his acting. Here, though he's also part of this harem of men, because he hasn't appeared as much so I'm not sure where to put him. He's friends with CX but is that just to get benefits for himself or whatever, I don't know. Also are his feelings for XY genuine or like hers towards just about anyone it seems; like a business deal? I hope they flesh him out properly in S2.

All the antagonists, I want them dead especially TSJ's toxic family. Make them suffer. The other supporting characters or A Nian are either good from the get go or grow on you.

Overall, when it came out last year and people said that this series was one of those you either love it or you hate it things, I wasn't sure what to make of that. Was there no middle ground? That can't be. It's got great coloring, OSTs, costumes, the storyline is complex and so are the characters.

Would I recommend it? This is my analysis of the show and the characters I felt were important. My rating is based on just that and if you want to watch it, go for it. I think it is a good middle ground story.

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