Enigma05

If There's a Will, There's A Way; Real Love Will Always Rebel!

ZLH was the reason I wanted to see this drama and we all know he can have chemistry with a pet rock plus when he wears dark colors and his character is darker, it's fantastic. That said, JT is no slouch either, so was really wondering about their chemistry together. Their story together was one that really had you understand that where there's a will, there's a way and that real love that is destined, will rebel.

Pros: Favorite character is the ML or SC/JY; though he was always the one who took the blame for things that weren't his fault just to try to set things right even when it almost never worked as he wanted. His love towards FL or NY grew gradually (really wish there were more kissing overall) and even if we thought that first arc took way too long, it showed that growth plus the introduction of the fox and young dragon lord who though two extreme personalities, ended up being the best friends of these two or sworn brothers though it would be more correct to say sworn siblings since NY was a girl. I liked how both evolved from annoying or obnoxious to understanding and mature. The first arc was more comical because we knew real angst was to come. JY becoming a demon that never lost his intelligence or really went too demonic that he couldn't control was rare or he was able to snap out of it and that made his character even more real and interesting. NY's mom tied her and JY together and even when he forgot everything due to becoming a demon, his heart remembered and that's what the Love's Rebellion really was.

Other favorite characters were FL's Mom, Chief Meng, the Dragon Lord, A Mian, NY's God pagoda Shifu, that kid from the Great Path sect that never gave up on SC even towards the end, Uncle NY. Even the cheesy demon Ghost God Sen Lou was more there for dark comedic amusement. Every single one played an important role in getting our leads to where they needed to go to destroy the mastermind. Actually there ended up being two masterminds; the one who kept stealing disciples’ souls in the mask or as people in the comments called him "the young John Travolta" and who Dragon Lord sacrificed himself for but of course JY was blamed for it because he was there and his sword was used though not on his own accord. You’d think by that point, those that were his friends would know he would never do that.

The real mastermind was dealt with in the second to last episode but almost everyone knew or suspected it was him from episode one. It was just too obvious. And he was beyond evil; he literally killed everyone and anyone that either stood in his way or he could gain anything from. He trapped spirits for his own use and gain under the guise that they were evil. Most were dead but thankfully the Fox clan survived. NY ended up being his daughter but thankfully she understood that other than DNA, they were total enemies considering that it was because of him that her mother died and JY’s parents were killed by him as well and he had the heart illness due to his immortal heart being taken by this freak just like NY’s mom; plus all the frame jobs and making JY become a demon. This monster would have killed the world if he won.

I consider this a fantasy not a Xianxia and therefore it made a lot of sense with CGI that wasn't overpowering and reincarnations. I really liked their costumes, sets were predictable as they've been used in many dramas and OSTs were great too.

Cons: It turned into a reverse harem with FL's mom where three men loved her and the one that she loved back and conceived a daughter with, killed her because of his inner demon that he conveniently blamed everything on. I really wish they didn't make the mastermind so obvious from the get go. Another point of contention was the repetition that I had with the leads promising transparency with each other only for JY to go off halfcocked to keep FL safe. Finally the Fox told him the truth and I was glad someone did. JY was always willing to "fall into the abyss" for NY without her having a say.

The show started slow and I wasn't even sure I wanted to watch it though it did pick up in episodes 4 and 5; that could have been done better. Furthermore, as we reached episode 26 out of 36 and then 28, they were still packing on conspiracies and information instead of starting to untangle the web. The mad dash to the finish line was not done well. I felt episode 35 was the best with the good guys working together except how was Li Chi still alive? When did he switch into that disciple's body and how did those people know it was him and not that senior? And how did his sister know it was him and uncle NY helped with his dying breath to bring him down? No ending explained for any of the disciples either; like what became of them? What in the what? All this preplanning wasn't shown to us like the leads and the good guys going after the big bad. It left me very confused.

Also what was episode 36? How did they determine that NY had to kill JY to get rid of all of the demons in his body in 3 days of the battle with big bad and than she sacrificed all three hearts and her own cultivation that were held by her to bring him back in 3 years? Where did these numbers come from? 36 was weirdly edited too; from the wedding to the fight with no real transition and than we didn't see the entirety of the fight but fade to black and 3 years later, after hotpot with now King Fox and new Dragon Lord with a wife and a son himself, she goes to the market, hears JY's voice and the mark her mom imprinted on them both that had vanished when JY died the first time before becoming a demon magically reappears and there he is! Wham bam boom! Memories and all. Of course, ending with standing under the same umbrella but not saying a word to each other. But literally zero explanation on anything else. It was like watching a separate series. It could have been done way better.

Would I recommend it? I would, just suspend disbelief a lot towards the end. I did really like the story and romance that even in the face of tremendous odds withstood the test of time.

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8 Reviews Later & This Was Sadly Underwhelming and Lackluster

When this series was first announced back in 2020, I was very much looking forward to it because I have done a lot of research on anti-narcotics units internationally and though knowing this was fiction, wanted to see how they would be portrayed in China. At the time Wang Yibo was the only actor I knew and wanted to see how he'd handle this type of tough genre. Sadly, neither came close to delivering the goods. 8 reviews later and this was sadly underwhelming and lackluster. Let's begin with the pros as usual.

Pros: Favorite character was WZF, he had a very chaotic start where you didn't know whether he was coming or going and he had few scenes in earlier episodes. However, when you finally understood what he was doing and why as well as how hard it had been for every inch he made forward (especially when he had the snot beat out of him practically every episode), you were rooting for him. Plus this year, I finally saw his actor in something where he did very well which peaked my interest once this dropped and he delivered despite the odds. Director Lin came in second as a man who could go from furious to placating in a blink of an eye. Loved how he was both a father figure to all of his underlings and still maintained his professionalism. YL didn't seem like much but as the series progressed, her emotional acting was very well executed. I had seen the actress in a drama earlier this year where she just didn't fit (for me at least) as an antagonist but here she did a really great job and her raw portrayals were palpable.

The main antagonists once you got a grip on who the leaders or mid leaders were rather reminded me of the old Italian mob La Cosa Nostra. That "family" came above all else and no matter what, you don't rat out family and you don't kill them or see them harmed. Even though the Marilyn Manson lookalike and WH were ready to kill others to save themselves from the other's family, they would do anything to bail each other out. Very rarely did the antagonists get that much screen time in other dramas, but for them at least it served a purpose that you understood their bonds and loyalty.

Other favorite characters included poor YY, Anran, plus all the other helper cops and complicated LK. The sets were a believable jungle and the OSTs matched the theme and genre of the series. The fight scenes were well executed and that ending operation was nice though wish they didn't jam it into the last 15-20 minutes.

Cons: The plot ran amok for over half of the episodes, the editing was uneven and felt like some weirdo deja vu. The amount of foot soldier drug dealers and who they ultimately answered to was very hard to keep up with. There was zilch chemistry between CY and YL as bf/gf and they essentially felt like siblings the entire series even at the end when he told her he loved her twice. Felt completely empty and devoid of anything that would seem like a relationship. There was also almost no real connection between the leads. We know what the story was but it was just not happening with their interactions; the "trust me/tell me everything you know" talking in circles got old quick. It felt like there were missing links somewhere between them. The first of the two major drug busting operations essentially looked like a rocket launch sans rocket; just too much.

Didn't believe the character of CY at all; he spent the first 10 episodes essentially yelling his lines and afterwards there was very little emotion--aside from the continued yelling though a lot less--not in his eyes or tone inflection. His face was literally like a stone even when he frowned. He smiled so rarely that it seemed like almost an afterthought. That crying scene everyone was talking about, looked super forced on his part but Director Lin sitting next to him just captured the agony of that scene with his tears. I wanted to cry with CY considering how close to the situation he was in that scene but I didn't feel it from him, YL and Director Lin on the other hand were gut wrenching on all sides.

The main villain was under everyone's noses the entire time it was so obvious it was ridiculous. He and the woman who I thought he treated as a daughter until he kissed her (eww) and her macho guy plus the other big bads were relatively lackluster as villains as they were arrogant, twitchy eyed, or walked stiffly; impression that I got was like "if I don't blink and walk in a robotic manner, I'm super evil." Just missed the mark; he was no John Gotti.

The ending....which one? The "is he dead or not" one? That just zooms out and then roll credits or the 3.5 minute one that was randomly added by the show's Weibo page as an extra with CY and WZF fighting thugs together in some carnival funhouse-like atmosphere a year later and running around haphazardly while making "funny faces" throwing colored dust on the chasing said thugs while people are tripping, chickens and feathers are flying everywhere. Glad he survived, but that was one weird and totally from a different genre and series "happy ending". Was it just me or did they run out of wardrobe for CY because WZF wore his usual while it looked like CY was essentially wearing Wang Yibo's SDC clothes because I remember watching him in that outfit on SDC4. Didn't jive with the character's wardrobe (earth tones or police uniform) from the series at all. Fault lands on production for lack of cohesion there.

Would I recommend it? No, I wouldn't and I'm sad to say that because I wanted this to be good. Though I know actor fans will watch anyways and that's fine plus action is good where you can get it, the messy and schizophrenic plot (special no thanks to those 8 reviews) is just not worth it.

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Make Any of it, Make Sense Please! 3rd Dumpster Fire of 2024

I decided to watch it for HK whom I loved since Ultimate Note and YIL who never quite got the romantic role he deserved; thankfully he did here. Though both did what they could here; this show started nicely and then spiraled out of control making it the 3rd dumpster fire I've watched in 2024.

Pros: Other than the beautiful colors, stunning costumes especially for the leads, OSTs, and the chemistry between the leads, this drama had no other redeeming qualities. I'm glad FL returned to her smart self and started to protect ML too not just be hellbent on revenge. Had an HE.

Cons: I don't know what drugs the screenwriter was smoking but this convoluted mess of a script was only slightly better than what readers described as essentially brutality in a book. SML was essentially the Chinese Khal Drogo who murdered anyone and everyone and brutalized all women along with his gang of bandits. The SFL, who seemed like a free spirit followed him and was just as callous. And the absolutely ridiculous thing is that they thought the audience would just forget that part when towards the end he started to regain memories of the past and act good. He never offered any apologies. Like "sure, me and my gang pillaged, raped, and slaughtered our way through the desert but we're the good guys now; no harm, no foul." I gave up on them very soon after meeting them and ffw. I stopped watching at 16 (though through massive fast forwarding resumed on 20 and lord knows how I made it through to 26) because even though all of the characters were connected, there was such a disconnect in the story plus crappy editing that made you feel like other then a small tether you were watching three different shows in a desert like setting. I didn't have any expectations of this show because other than costumes and some scenery, this was obviously very low budget.

The antagonist (I'd seen the actor in MJTY previously) can play a good villain but boy did they make him ridiculous. Ruthless yes, but he spoke so slowly and stared so much, you think he had a mental challenge of some sort. Nothing about him seemed intelligent or right. This is one of those times when you have good actors but crappy scripts that they have to lower their abilities to get whatever the director is getting at. If they had cast a bunch of unknowns or newbies, it wouldn't have made a difference. I feel bad because I know those 3 actors (am unfamiliar with SFL and SML), can act pretty well and to be given this mess, is just unfair to them. Yes, it adds to their resume, but is it worth it?

They dumbed down FL for a good chunk in the middle which just made you want to punch her. The ML went above and beyond and she still believed the villain over him. I skipped a good chunk of the episodes. I think the only consistent character from beginning to end was the ML. The ending of the antagonist was eye roll worthy at best; he killed SML [while cackling on his horse; y'all know how much I love a good Halloween witch cackle (add extreme sarcasm here)] and SFL (though smokescreen; she's alive!) and FL stabbed him and still he rambled on for like 5 minutes not dying; like why? Just end it! But no; need more over dramatic BS before he spat his magenta blood and dropped. Oh and the main guard that pretended to be ML because ML supposedly sacrificed himself to quicksand was really ML surviving quicksand through underground tunnels, and FL not even realizing it until he kissed her after everybody left and big bed wolf was dead. It literally took seven rewatches to understand any of this. What was that ending though? ML and FL just walking hand in hand in the desert becoming legends? Huh? Why even? After SFL gave birth? What an absolute mess. Even Frankenstein would run away if he saw this.

Would I recommend this? No way! As much as I like HK and YIL, they deserved a much better script and overall production. I'm sure the others do too. Please watch her in UN and decent in Jade's Fateful Love (only love line) while he's great in TLB and AJTL (hope he does a modern); not happy except the one but you can see coherent and decent or good storylines there. Stay away from this please!

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Yin & War's Acting has Improved Exponentially, Grandma is MVP, Plot & Characters Sold Separately

I will always watch Yin and War's shows or films whether they do them together or apart because I think they are great actors and that was shown in this series above all else. The improvement in the last 2 years is huge. This isn't a genre I watch and therefore have only watched their stuff and nothing else; am only a cdrama watcher. Loved grandma; she was the awesome MVP but the plot and some characters were in the twilight zone. Because this is different from what I usually watch, pros and cons will be mixed together as it's easier to explain.

As mentioned above, I can't get enough of Yin and War's improvement in their overall acting here as Jack and Joke. If it was just them two, grandma, Joke's family, the kids (especially Toi Ting, who was too cute for words), and some of the antagonists, it would have been enough. The first two episodes were the strongest and then it just spiraled out of control. The plot was a mix of too much flamboyance where serious words were spoken and actions taken, plot holes, complete nonsense, comedy that absolutely didn't land, and a bunch of actors like Prom, Bonz, Mark, and the dudes that played Hope and Save seriously need to take more acting classes. This just isn't their thing; I know Bonz is a serious singer so he should stick to that. Everyone else perhaps belong in other industries. The characters of Hope, Save, and Rose annoyed the ever living daylights out of me, but towards the end they matured and grew on me; still have a long way to go though.

You could tell right away who the mainstream actors were because they were actually serious and played their parts well; they didn't over act or be so over dramatic you just wanted to fast forward them. The comedy was slapstick and nearly shoved down your throat. Like this just isn't funny! Stop! The 4 Horseman plot with Sauron's Ring belonging back in Mt. Doom and the Ring Around the Rosie of more of the same was yawnsville. The finale episode would have been strong had there not been the obvious plot holes and dumbass humor of ok Jack has a gun, shoot boss but nope! Or the bomb activation tablet is tossed near a handcuffed Joke who can obviously get it but he just stays put. Meanwhile the martial arts were ground to slow motion and though Jack is great at going tit for tat with Carbon (both actors did well with learning basic martial arts kicks and punches), Jack periodically stops to run over to Joke and hug him; like what in the what? End it already! Make most of it make sense, someone please.

The actual ending was decent for all and the chemistry between Jack and Joke was undeniable from the get go so I'm glad we ended with them. I'm glad Joke's dad came around from an arrogant asshole to the father Joke deserved after Top and Jack's grandma talked some sense into him; it was a little too fast but given everything else, I'll take it. The opening theme of the series was great; it showcased what this show was supposed to be but ultimately fell short plot wise.

Would I recommend it? Only for Yin and War's awesome acting. It was believable and the chemistry was on point. Turn your brain off if you want a cohesive story that makes any sort of sense. It's entertaining enough and that's about it.

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Let the Detectives & Coroners Detect.

After watching ID2, I wanted to see Gala Zhang in another detective series and this one popped up. I looked through the reviews and comments and decided to go ahead anyways. It was very split; some liked it, others hated it but I'm a person that makes up my own mind. So I let the detectives and medical examiners detect.

Pros: I liked ML though he had his quirks and issues; everything from his childhood trauma (which seems to be the trope this actor works with best) that he had forgotten but was trying to remember and helping the new team of detectives with many unsolved crimes which ultimately led back to his mother's murderer and serial killer at large. The suspect was under their noses the entire time and figuring out it was him was actually pretty easy. I like the fact that the crush or romance aspect was just slightly mentioned. The rest of the team when working in the field were great and professional. FL, SML, SFL, Captain, her medical examiner ex, were good characters but they also had flaws.

Cons: I found SML and SFL to be quite cringey when not on the job, he acted like an arrogant God's gift to existence (thankfully ML and captain could put him in his place quickly). Meanwhile, SFL was Uber chipper to the point that when it came to everything from her clothing to voice and attitude, she reminded you of someone on LSD or too much caffeine. I preferred that they had less of those moments as they made me roll my eyes a lot. FL did some really stupid things like going into a suspected killer's lair alone. Also I didn't understand how cops chase after suspects without guns; only one case had them draw their weapons. A few inconsistencies here and there.

Would I recommend it? It's not the best crime drama I've seen but definitely not the worst. The cases were well put together and it did have a happy ending for all important characters. This is a series for if you're in between things to watch.

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Bad Fish, Monsters, & Sauron's Eyeball, Oh My! (Last drama of 2023)

So Chinese sci-fi huh? Only have ever seen the ML so know he can carry his own weight. The story started strong and the monsters were convincing; didn't end strong though. I'm glad it was only 12 episodes long and that it had some semblance of a finish though suspension of disbelief was necessary. This really was about bad fish, monsters, and Sauron's eyeball, oh my! Honestly gave it the rating I did purely for entertainment value.

Pros: The storyline had a very promising start. The ML, Shen Rong, and Bo Yan were the strongest characters in the entire series. I do wish they explored more into SR's background and history as well as those of the real origins of the Heng Masters and how the "Lord" aka misty alien thing that was really Sauron's eyeball created them in the first place. It wasn't just the semi-mortal fish; needed to be fleshed out more. The CGI was decent especially when it came to the monsters. I like how there was a mystery that was solved little by little by our characters. Music was good and OST's fit. The historical/post apocalyptic feel was there. The beasties were pretty cool looking though.

Neutral: First time I'm using this section in a review but I feel like the character of Angelica was neither here nor there. The actress is stunning but whether or not she was actually needed; I'm completely neutral about it. Maybe to show a tough woman among a horde of men. Her presence doesn't affect my score at all.

Cons: It's Spanish not Portuguese! Dear lord, even those of us who don't speak either language but have been around either can differentiate between the two. That was a pain in the ass and while Angelica was where she was, the rest of her men and the ship and that storyline was also unnecessary.

There were many unanswered questions like:
1) The meteor arrived 20 years prior but didn’t create a tsunami? Ok suspension of disbelief ✅. 
2) How did Shen Rong get infected? From that water wife gave him to drink? 
3) How much time was SR away from home that the islanders started getting infected? Because clearly not the case for when SC was still a baby. We get a timeline of 20 years since meteor touchdown and then 2 years since SR’s return and villagers already infected and mutating.
4) When did mainlanders start getting infected? 
5) How did CSY get infected; never told us. 
6) When and how was the cult formed? Why was SR's wife chosen to lead them?
7) Again what happened to that HLH kid? He fell into the water and disappeared. Did he drown? Did the Sauron eyeball thing integrate with him too?
I'm sure I'm missing other questions that I can't remember now but who knew Mordor and Sauron were alive and well, off the coast of an island during the Ming Dynasty; that was pretty ridiculous honestly.

Also, I feel that ML was pretty gullible thinking his brother was still alive while being with the "Lord"; yes twins have ESP but it never occurred to him until the last 15 minutes of the final episode that this was all a set up? He's supposedly so smart and that felt off even for him. Whether he really survived at the end as SC claimed, we'll never know but he's now hanging out with Sauron's eyeball whatever that means.

Too many green screens as characters would often stare off at something not there or react in a way that didn't really make sense or there's a delayed reaction to what the audience saw.

Would I recommend it? Only if you like sci-fi and have nothing else to watch. It was entertaining, I'll give it that.

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Which Season Did I Like Better?

(First review of a 2025 show) Creepy, crawly, great CGI, and performances. I was interested in season 2 to see the continuation of Season 1 but that didn't really happen. Other than the backgrounds and names of characters we had already met and more or less a conducive original story, these could have been 2 totally different shows. Which season did I like better? I liked them equally the same.

The most fascinating character this season was Chen Dou; it's a shame we really didn't get a deeper dive into her but kept trying to capture the MXH guy. They really didn't go too deeply into his storyline either. And why did WY say that he and WCL were similar? I was hoping they'd go deeper into the mystery of FBB's past but that wasn't done. The entire show was about great fighting, some humor, nice CGI; a leg up from season one. I did like when they did show CD's storyline come full circle that she made the right choice for herself. That was her dream after all; was to have the freedom to make a choice.

I'm glad WCL matured a lot here and was more strategic as opposed to just out of control; FBB was also acting more human though still her quirky self. Definitely wish WY had more screen time but with only 13 episodes, things were bound not to go the way we wanted. The new people in the group were definitely an interesting bunch and I feel like the organization they work for needs new leadership as they're shady AF. I do hope if there's another season eventually, it'll be longer and started explaining things not just adding layer upon layer of questions. We have very little answers now after 2 seasons. I could say this second season just scratched the surface of a story that started in season one. Plus, not having a lot of the same characters from season one made it slightly confusing and added a lot of plot holes.

Would I recommend it? For those who are fans of the comic or want to see some growth in the characters from season 1, then sure. It was a cool watch for sure.

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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 Script that Barely Scratched the Surface & Fizzled Out

I wanted a strong wuxia and this author has been spoken about by many people as being basically the creator of the genre. I know a lot of the actors from previous dramas but with this first compilation of 30 episodes, it was a watered down version of what I had seen in other adaptations. The script that fizzled out with the actors going along for the ride. Not doing pros and cons this time.

I liked the fight scenes; wish there were more of them and that they were more defined. I think the actors did the best they could with what was given to them but felt that what was written lacked any sort of depth and I've never even seen any other adaptation nor read the books. Just as a viewer, I felt that the romances were bland and there was very little chemistry between the characters. I didn't really know why they made it so shallow seeming. YK wasn't as complex as people said from the original and he was just a straight up evil narcissist that didn't struggle much with being good. GJ had very low IQ when it came to everything except martial arts and I still don't know how he "leveled up" each time. The senior martial artists were always asking subconsciously "how did he get this powerful so quickly?" And I was right there with them lol. Unless they showed him practicing, you had no clue how in a span of 2 mins he went from a certain level to full blown grandmaster especially at the end. HR was spunky and smart but her Jing gege voice and way too cutesy behavior was a bit much. The older actors were great to watch fight but I wish we saw more about them.

In any case, my main review will be added to this one on the main page once the other compilations are done but for now, I think this could have been amazing with a strong script.

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Cute and Quirky Drama, w/a Messy Start and Wonderful Surprise Ending.

While I originally intended to watch this series for ZZJ and QPX, after viewing TBOY, I wanted to see how LHY would handle a romance drama. This series would have gotten a lower score had it not been for the surprising and very cool ending. I'm very glad they deviated from the book because it would have been a confusing mess otherwise, when usually it's better if they stand by the book.

Pros: Though it claims to be both a wuxia and Xianxia series, it has very little of both. But that's alright because instead of focusing on the fantastical elements you get to see how the actors carry themselves. Favorite characters include the ML or LHY, I already knew from TBOY he could play aloof, arrogant, and narcissistic well, but when he finally began to soften up and reveal his secrets and love it was just melt in place time. Just a heads up, in no way am I comparing this drama to TBOY; firstly because they're completely different genres and secondly because I just never compare dramas regardless. It's a pet peeve and preference that each series even if they are exactly the same genre, gets a proper review.

The FL, I didn't like very much at the beginning because it just seemed like a hamster wheel of mistakes and men she wanted to save. And each time they ended up harming or "killing" her. But as time went on I realized that she was just a lonely girl who would lose her memory but not her nature and extreme penchant for helping people. She would go to great lengths to help a guy out and each one turned out to only want to use her and ultimately take her life. They supposedly fell in love at first sight with her but it was obvious from each one that there was something wrong with them. The only man that went to equally great or greater lengths to protect her was the aloof ML and not until one of her suitors and main antagonist attacked the Fenghua Valley did he finally open up to her about his love.

The entire storyline which I won't get into was as summed up as; a female ginseng root, 4 bouts of amnesia, her hexagram-harem, & the miracle doctor who loved her regardlessly. She didn't have a heart but somehow managed to have a pulse which was pretty funny. The comedy in the series was very tongue in cheek. The other characters in this section, were her BFF and later on flamboyant hubby. Uncle Hui who was always giving the best advice and the ultimate matchmaker for the two even though he didn't know about BY's curse, was heartwarming. I loved how YX would always initiate the kissing scenes and many of the hugs between her and BY as this woman knew who she loved and went after him with much fervor which was always cute and funny to watch. No matter how many times she lost her memory he was the one man that sooner or later she would still remember was her soulmate, her destiny. She could forget everyone else but he would be in first place of recognition.

Even though he was annoying as nails and yet another attempt at a bromance that didn't quite work out after mister purple flamboyant guy, the beyond obsessed emperor played by the very talented ZZJ definitely took the cake. Though we wanted to hit him with a stick and send him back to the capital without anyway to return, what made me put him in pros was just how similar his life before he became emperor was to that of his breakthrough character in CQL (TU) as Jin Guang Yao. It was almost eerie of how both were abused and tortured by their biological fathers, the only difference was that one became a worse monster then his father while the other was obsessive and domineering to the woman he loved but ultimately a good ruler of the people. It was great to see him let go of his obsession at the end (even though his main general helped BY win the bet as it was very obvious to everyone but CQ that his obsession and love was one-sided) and decide to follow the wishes of BY and YX. He definitely brought much comedy and eye rolling to this series.

Costumes were beautiful though this was a lower budget drama, I do wish the FL had better costumes, as only one of her red ones that seemed to have jewels and lots of white was very stunning. The amount of magic used was minimal and that is actually a good thing because Xianxias usually use so much CGI, it may blind you. So I'm glad there was minimum of it here.

Cons: This series had a very messy start. It made very little sense and was one of the many reasons I was looking to give it a lower score but if I decide to stick a series out, I'll wait until the finale before making up my mind. I'm glad that I stuck it out because as we got past the campy confusion, it started to come together and you understood what was happening. OSTs were for the most part forgettable.

I like QPX but casting him in the role of this monster antagonist was absolutely the wrong choice. It was too much and too hard for him. I also got to know him from CQL and there he played a bratty, arrogant, nosey kid that only really wanted to be loved. Those are the roles he should be doing; youth dramas, but not hardcore main villains. He bit off more then he could chew and the character fell completely flat. With the hairdo and facial expressions, he looked like a confused teenager not an adult with murderous tendencies and schemes. Poor casting decision here. I hope his work in the future is better selected.

There were definitely a lot of times where I had to rewind because the segmentation of the subtitles were just too fast to keep up with and wish there was better job done with that. Some loopholes were never explained or if they were, they didn't make much sense. Like how could YX have a pulse but not a heart? One is directly connected to the other; no heart, no pulse. But I guess she is a special root where common sense doesn't apply. She explained that she just wanted a home for herself and to not be lonely, but that didn't explain why she still got into two of the relationships that ended up killing her if she never loved them. Or why she only helped men in need but never women. She'd traveled far and wide and never ran into a single woman in distress? Hard to believe.

Would I recommend it? Actually, I would. If you can get past the messy beginning, you'll have a great time with the funny, nonsensical, and just cute series. This is one of those to watch without expectations and just for fun. The ending is worth it all for sure.

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Fluffy Romance & Nice Comedy (Just FFW 2nd Leads Until Episode 24)

I didn't know any of the actors but I wanted something fluffy that had a lot of romance and no need for thinking capacity. It had very little in the terms of cliches, but tropes and annoyances were mostly for the second leads, which I explained below.

Pros: I adore the main leads. Their chemistry was wonderful and the unwavering commitment of ML for the love of his existence was something not often seen in any of their modern dramas. The comedic aspect between them and the others was also on par. I loved the kissing, both subtle and not so subtle flirtation of the leads. It was a bit draggy but I was very glad when he finally told her the entire truth about them being childhood sweethearts and the man she's been searching for while he's waited for her. It's a very rare occasion nowadays for childhood sweethearts to wait for each other. Many forget. The ML definitely knows how to kiss and their wedding night was very sexy; wish there was more of it but I doubt that would have passed censorship. It was still very nicely done. The ending was very well executed.

Great OSTs and once they got together and got past that one misunderstanding, I loved every moment they spent together though I wish FL didn't always look surprised/petrified when ML was going to kiss her; it was quite silly. I think the only real time she looked totally comfortable was on their wedding night lol.

Cons: I do not understand this need in many cdramas for whiny, pouting, crying females. The SFL was a hot mess; I legit ffw'd a lot of the episodes because I just couldn't deal with her personality. All she did was cry, whine, bitch, moan, and complain in a pre-pubescent voice. The SML also had a lot of problems including an identity crises and not knowing what he wanted or when he wanted it. Honestly, if this was a drama with just the main leads and the supporting cast, it would have been so much better. The second leads didn't bring anything useful to the table.

The FL's cousin was an absolute nuisance; he popped up in the most in opportune moments and honestly, I'm surprised he didn't interrupt them on their wedding night. Dude was as dense as a rock. Good kid all around but just no contemplation of when to go somewhere or say something. It was because of the SLs that this drama is getting rated as I did it. I shouldn't have to fast forward full episodes because of the ridiculous and cringeworthy SL characters.

Would I recommend it? As a filler fluff drama full of romance, yes. Just concentrate on the main leads and you'll get your fill of fluff and comedy.

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ADWAD; Historical World, Real World...Both FAKE! The Bar Has Been Set!

I started watching this show for LYN; was very interested in how he would handle this character since he essentially was playing 3 of them and this supposedly regular transmigration story into a book. I knew many of the actors including the FL and support so it was fine; they all did a wonderful job for the most part. What I completely didn't expect was that this was totally not a regular story but that both historical and modern worlds were fake! Ep. 1 and 40 show things as well in the story itself that not all is what it seems especially when what I call the "glitch in the matrix" starts happening. The ending itself is an LSD trip of epic proportions and both as it ends and after the credits so don't forget to watch that. The bar has definitely been set for future both regular historical ones and transmigration dramas.

Pros: LYN nailed his performance as both NH and Zorro as I called him or LSL. This was such an unconventional role and series for him that he just literally seemed to be rolling with the punches. His crying scenes were so spot on. It's like LYN both put himself and at the same time totally disappeared when he embodied those roles. I remember reading an interview that he gave where he said when he first got the script and read his character, he wasn't sure he would be able to portray him properly given the fact there's literally two fake worlds and understand everything, but after much thought and contemplation, he decided to give it a go, and I'm very glad that he did because I don't think any other actor would have been able to portray this role the way he did. His ability for ruthlessness is already known well as is the softer side of him but being able to show his silly and romantic side was also awesome. Playing a figure at first who's "an A-List celebrity" but in the transmigrated world a man wronged and blamed by the world for things he never did (death of the Empress and not coming to the aid of his so called childhood friend at the cost of that person's father and 20,000 soldiers; called the God of Death trying to have himself vindicated as he's being set up continuously. Imprisoned in the cold palace since childhood, then sent off to the border to fight as the emperor in his blind and sadistic hatred towards him wanted to control and take away his power and if he died at the border, all the better for everyone who didn't know the truth.

The FL or SYM/SYX played by LYT who did very well playing her parts; both of them. Who would have thought that both she in her real world and the historical one as well as the ML were both fake characters and in the mind of the scriptwriter not that we later meet in the historical but the writer of the show we are watching and is a woman. That part was brilliant. Anyways, in episode 1 the FL was a lazy Z-List actress that was the last on a list to be chosen to play the FL plus for some reason the ML had specifically chosen her. So when she transmigrates, she's in fear for her life based on what she little read from the fake script & of the ML so she tries desperately to get out of that marriage & run to SML to get married however, every single time she tries, she ends up hysterically dying only to get resurrected to try time & time again & it being put into this humorous montage, she is just trying to save her family & avoid ML at all costs, which also does not work at least avoiding the ML. But she does save her family. Plus, there are certain tropes in the fake script that say things like when FL is in danger, ML must save her so she tries very hard to avoid those but unfortunately they still happen whether the ML is the one trying to kill her from the original script for whatever reason he still ends up saving her & even he doesn't understand what's going on because a lot of the times it's his intention to kill her because he's still going by that old script & if he kills her, then he may get the support of her family which is written in that old script but then because everyone hears typing sounds; so he ends up basically harming himself when trying to harm her because he saves her.

Then comes the creation of LSL and the Crescent River Nightwalkers who weren't in the original script but obviously there because the real scriptwriter wrote them in to counteract FL's hate and fear of the ML to someone who wears a mask and so obviously him to everyone except FL and SFL (who later also falls for him but thankfully that is worked out and quickly). Now FL quickly without fail falls for LSL or Zorro as I call him but that's the real NH. I love Zorro and his nightwalkers. They are great characters all of them, especially SGH who falls for SYM's sister SYT; they are a couple number two. And I have to say SYT is ridiculously smart in this series fake script not the original story but in this one she reads SYM to rights in regards to treating NH the way she does after the whole he's tried to kill me thing is over. And even after the leads have gotten together, she still tells her what she has done wrong; she's just smart in general. She's very feisty and knows what's going on, doesn't drag stuff out, knows what she wants. She's a great character.

I am very proud of WYS who plays the main antagonist or CGH who I called Darth Vader. This is the actor's first real role playing a villain and he did so well; his psychopathy was evident from childhood making me think he was born with it. As the series progressed, we started to understand that he wouldn't just snap out of it when the truth came out but that you could write the truth in giant letters in the sky and he would still find fault with it and the way his face contorted with almost orgasmic pleasure when torturing one of our Nightwalker guys who he falsely imprisoned told me everything I needed to know about him. He almost reminded me of Richard Ramirez the serial killer who always displayed the same sick smile. Glad he was dead. The actor who played the Emperor was awesome in the way he played him going from sadistic emperor (who I still do not give the redemption arc to) to basically a pussycat simp was kind of strange and kind of funny. The way he treated NH and through most of it until he found out the truth of who killed the Empress and what really happened in that battle was so despicable and disgusting. He literally seemed to enjoy NH's pain and suffering that sometimes he himself inflicted. The definition of a true sadist. When they were changing their own fates in the script (going through the two reincarnation phases) did he finally basically in his own weird way apologize to NH for everything. It was too much for too long. Uncle villain was responsible for the death of the empress and the whole battle fiasco among many other things framing NH because in his words, he wanted to make his nephew ruthless, so he basically killed innocent people, and tried to kill and harm those that NH loved to create that; it was basically an excuse because he wanted to seize power himself.

Fake Scriptwriter who wanted everyone to get back and do the iconic scenes just so he could return to the fake modern world was a villain in himself, though no one listened to him even when he created havoc with ML's health. We started getting more glitches in the matrix that we noticed as well as a moth or a butterfly that had started to appear early on in the series and I personally was wondering about it, but later on figured out that that was the actual real scriptwriter of both worlds. In the end, the fake scriptwriter finally joined the good guys to defeat Darth Vader (that final battle with Darth Vader was so awesome because when the townspeople as well as FL's family and ministers who also helped out came running in, they called themselves like passerby F or folk D or passerby A, passerby B; they didn't have real names because they were NPC's lol and that was so funny but at the same time, it was so great when they were all coming together to fight this one major villain, and the rock music going on was chef's kiss).

Other great characters Nightwalkers along with SGH (only he knew NH was LSL), Yun Long & Shan He, who were both great brothers & arms to Zorro; he created them as Zorro because he didn't want them to know who he really was until eventually, he had to tell them, but they still backed his play, Fugui who was the hilarious assistant to NH but couldn't read the room for shit as well, but he sometimes said a simple sentences that in a complex world & mind of NH just made all the sense. Donkey for brains a.k.a. 18th Prince, became a little wiser mending his grudge with NH & always had a good heart. Jixiang, FL's father the sly fox; and the rest of her family. Finally, because we know that the series had a decent budget so the costumes, sets, OSTs, CGI and comedy was top notch.

Cons: The biggest problem I had was the FL or SYM in the second arc. My biggest problem with her was the way she treated ML after the first arc was over. He's no longer trying to kill her. He has changed. Everything has changed; the original script is no longer what it was even the iconic scenes that she's so terrified of are no longer what they were. Everyone around her has changed except her. She is so ingrained with the original script that she cannot go beyond it and her vile verbal abuse goes too far, she makes him cry with all of the God-awful stuff she says to him and it was because the arc was stretched for too long too many episodes. And she's always bringing up a script (that's already changed that she hasn't noticed) that he has no knowledge of like it's the damn gospel. Yes, they both had miscommunication because he kept stuff from her later on too, so he had his own faults 100%; but she goes way too far with everything else.

Would I recommend this? I totally 100% would. It is totally worth it. Not to mention that LSD trip at the end! So give it a chance!

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"I Will Always Catch You."

Very proud of BJT for this role; he took his usual almost comedic persona and created a character who was deep, emotional, sensitive, and an iron wall of protection for his high school sweetheart dealing with trauma and tragedy of her past. Even though this series is in the Hidden Love universe (character names, more or less timeline, family, locations), it's a totally different world from the bubbly and happy romance we saw there. This story is so much deeper and more emotional than that one. One thing is for sure, both Sang siblings brought their traumatized yet loved significant others home to a warm and loving environment.

Pros: I watched this show for BJT, I didn't know it was going to be dealing with trauma, abandonment, PTSD and sleepwalking, and a love so strong from one person, even in his darkest moments, he still made sure she was safe and ok. Sang Yan is the iron wall behind the girl he fell for at first sight. He doesn't know what she has to go through or ultimately went through until their reunion 6 years later. All he wants to do is love and protect. He doesn't know what so silently as we see in the ever well crafted flashbacks in the beginning of the series (that are essentially puzzle pieces that slowly come together as the series comes to a close) and the "the story is not over yet..." at the end (where we see something that happened during the episode that explains a missing piece of the episode). We see what they went through, what their lives became and how through becoming roommates he got a glimpse into her inner world of pain and self torment.

WYF seems like she has it all together on the outside; good job, cares about strangers, wants to improve herself, has a friend. But on the inside she's a scared, traumatized young woman with scars that run very deep. She was abandoned by her mother soon after the death of her father and tossed from one house to the next until she landed at her uncle's where a relative nearly SA'd her; she had to jump from the second floor balcony to get away from this monster at the expense of her foot and being unable to dance again which was her passion. We see her break her promise to SY to attend the same university and break up with him in a cruel manner because of the shame, blame, and fear she had. She then ran away from everything and everyone. And still ran into a different freak at her internship after college where she had to quit her job though she got justice. It was like she never had any security anywhere she went and only during her college days when she functioned like an automaton. SY though still followed her and was always watching her silently, protecting.

When the monster gets out of prison and comes after her again, we learn that she was not his first nor his last sadly, just one of two that got away with their lives to boot. Meanwhile, in the apartment the two (SY and WYF) share as roommates, SY starts to see the sleepwalking and other signs that show things are far worse than he thought originally of just an unhappy home life in the past and her not wanting to be with him. Though there is humor (more on his part as she is very shy) and great chemistry, we know that at some point she has to tell him everything so there are no more misunderstandings. As he says to her, "I will always catch you." His love is unconditional no matter what; from the moment she walked back into his line of sight in the first episode, he would always be there, hovering like an earthbound angel protecting soundlessly.

What she had to learn and understand was that she could lean on those she loved and tell them the truth. She didn't have to face everything alone. It was SY that ultimately captured the bastard that traumatized her who was on the run for an unsolved murder years prior and assault on his brother in law's wife. It was SY who safe proofed the house so she wouldn't hurt herself when she sleepwalked. He walked beside her always calmly talking to her even during the times she just walked around and cried. It was SY who had his heart ripped to shreds when she ran away a second time; this time he didn't know where she was though he chased down more leads than the cops ever did. He even went to where she actually was off a tip from her childhood friend who thought he saw her and other leads and even though they happened to be in the same locations, they conveniently missed each other. But he was the one who never gave up and she had to let him in.

The second couple is ok, both deserving of love especially the guy who went through a lot of tragedy, trauma, and self blame himself. I think as best friends of the leads, they deserved a bit of their own storyline told.

I'm glad she cut ties with her "mom" and the bastard and his sister went to prison (with him sentenced to death). Going to the Sang house for a holiday made her see and appreciate what a real warm family with caring parents looked like. Their chemistry was great and they had great kisses and decent skinship; it was just enough for this story. I was glad she found out about all of his travels to Yihe, kept all of her article clippings, and the fact that he went to her graduation. For 6 years he never left her; he was always just behind or on the sidelines. The proposal was unique and heartwarming and SY getting emotional was beautiful; definitely a tear jerker. We even see that it was he who initiated their first contact, so love at first sight it was for sure. Even the ring was symbolic because it had a ribbon on it and SY explained they were each other's most precious gifts.

OSTs, modern sets, camera angles were all good.

Cons: I don't agree with her leaving a second time. I don't read the source material but it didn't jive with her character development at all. A few days before she had confronted her "family" bastard included and told them that if they came near her or her loved ones again she would go to the police and yet still she ran? It just didn't match up. Furthermore, her reasoning was that if she left, SY wouldn't get hurt? Yeah ok, because it wasn't the bastard that was harassing a woman at SY's restaurant and then got into a fight with SY where he told him kind of what happened 6 years before. That it didn't shatter SY's heart to know how badly she was harmed, that he didn't know, couldn't help and now not knowing where she was. To a man like him, it was the ultimate heartbreak. Plus, as a journalist, she should know that predators will go after their prey's loved ones if they can't find their prey. They want to harm the ones that person loves the most. They're all hard wired like that. So her choice didn't hold water for me and shouldn't have deviated. Production could have chosen for her to tell him some other way finally and not have him and friends run around the entire country looking for her. Though he did learn a lot of what she went through in the years away from him, I just think a more balanced version of who her character had become would have been best in that situation. Then she got mad at him at the hospital after he went against the bastard and caught him; he felt like a man, the man she deserved as before he felt useless. But she's mad? Because she would have done what? Run away for a third time? Come on now. Her anger was misplaced; yes most likely more fear for his safety and worry but still, she had to see it from his side of things.

It always felt like though she said she loved him and trusted him, there was a hesitation and the running away the 2nd time was a huge example of that. Communication with her character was lacking; she would declare things and then take two steps back. No wonder SY felt less than even after all this time. Also wish WYF when kissed or just in a general conversation with SY didn't have her eyes roll around on her face like she didn't know where she was or what was happening, again didn't quite fit her characterization.

Several characters were completely unnecessary like that Mu guy, his whole point of being there was what? And the grandparents love line was unnecessary too. They could have just been there to bring the 2nd leads together and let SML get past his own trauma. Their entire point was lost on me. Also the once in a blue moon HL storyline that didn't quite match up in timeline sequence could have been overlooked.

Would I recommend it? Definitely. I gave .5 higher than HL because this one was darker and deeper and the ending was much more satisfactory (not knocking HL, as that one was also good but just a much lighter version) and totally came full circle in more ways than one. BJT is definitely the perfect SY for me. Give it a chance.

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A Rare Gem in the Plethora of Detective Stories

And here I thought I was just going to see another crime drama....yeah right! This not so little rare gem came out of nowhere and jumped up to receive a perfect score from me; someone who doesn't give them out easily. Also something that literally becomes better in later parts of the series as opposed to the beginning. The entire cast for the most part did great and I know all of them save a few people. Despite the rating (which I never care about), this drama gave a lot of other detective/crime/conspiracy/supernatural etc genre shows a run for their money.

Pros: Dude, ML or BM played by WXY and TML or TS/BK played by HLL were my favorite though DK who played KY or Peacock 🦚 was hot on their heels. A serial murder occurs on a boat on a lake with only one guy left alive; BM who is quickly framed for it. He is shot with an arrow and falls into the water disappearing for 3 years, when he returns, his old sweetheart whose father was one of those that was killed, stabs him, shackles him, than poisons him with the most lethal poison instead of the one she wanted to give him. By her side is doctor/coroner Feng, someone she saved, while by his side is someone he saved named Tong Shuang or TS and secretly placed in the constable unit to seek information on the murderer known as Yesha who is getting revenge on everyone in connection with a mysterious case from 20 years ago or the 36th Ningtai year as it's known for a while from a town known as Haiya. Slowly the squad forms eventually also including HD a woman whose father is murdered and was part of the Haiya story.

There are 7 cases in total including the main large case. The squad solves each murder only to realize each one is connected to the original case. Hot on their heels is KY from the rival constable company wanting to catch BM as he's thought to be Yesha; the guy spends nearly the entire series trying to clear his name and get reinstated while trying to find a cure for his poison and find the real and very elusive Yesha. The killers and minions of Yesha are orphans of what turns out to be the massacre of Haiya. The twists are great especially of the poison of BM, the real Yesha (will be spoken about in the villains section), the fact that KY doesn't really want BM dead but loves the competition between them and ends up helping the squad a lot before joining them and becoming one of them. Dude was called peacock 🦚 first on Weibo then it made its way to MDL because of his wardrobe, hair (wig), and makeup. He was comic relief though second in intelligence after BM; DK played him to the hilt and it was awesome. WXY as BM was fantastic; he got all of the emotions & actions down pat; arrogance, maturity, loyalty, kindness, intelligence, anger, love, grief, depression, etc. still hard to reconcile how well he acts with his young age.

The main villain aka Yesha, made your mouth drop when you realized who it was because he was next to them the whole time. And not only that, there were two of them; first one (another general and original resident of Haiya) groomed or trained the second one before dying in that boat lake case 3 years prior and his well camouflaged protégé took his place. The actor, fairly unknown played the hell out of both characters in one person. He reminded me of Ted Bundy and the phrase “the mirror has two faces”; you never would have thought the handsome man with women on his arm and college graduate was a serial killer until he was caught. But he was none other than BK or BM's brother also known to the squad as TS until he faked his death and went full throttle on his persona and his horrifying plan. Turns out that both brothers and HD were Haiya orphans and 2 out of 3 turned out just fine; with the last because of who ultimately raised him, became a wolf in sheep's clothing, a killing machine.

My two favorite moments during the show is when BM told the Emperor, what was what essentially calling everyone out who participated in the Haiya massacre as well as the cover up that happened after including the emperor himself saying that there were survivors living in hellish conditions and they deserved better, enough of the cowardice. It was very powerful. And the second, even stronger scene was the face to face with his brother in the last episode when BM hammered into his brother that he used Haiya as an excuse for all the murders he did because he was manipulated and allowed himself into thinking the worst, and that he used other people who could have lived better lives but died tragically because of him after committing murder and those in the wilderness are living in hell in part because of his actions with that pill and mutations. That had their situations been reversed BK would probably had been a better constable and person but BM would never be a more wicked person than BK because even if he had to suffer he knew there was hope and there was always suffering and bad stuff in the world and it was their jobs as humans not to make it worse. He just kept chipping away at every excuse BK had until there were none left. Than he told him that he had plenty of chances to turn back and when a defeated BK said it was out of his grasp in this lifetime, BM reminded him that he had in fact had it in his grasp once meaning when he was TS; he had so many chances to tell them the truth as he had the love of a real family and not just his brother. That entire exchange was remarkable, raw, and powerful and BK took his own life as BM walked away after telling his "didi" that if there was another life, he hoped they wouldn't meet which I took to mean that he would still feel ashamed and guilty to face his brother even in the next lifetime. So thankfully no redemption for the ultimate predator but it was still so sad because it didn't have to happen that way and he was a character we had all grown to love a lot.

Everyone else whether squad members or others all did their parts well. And everyone was there for as long as they needed to be; no unnecessary appearances or disappearances. Great costumes (especially for peacock lol), sets, OSTs. I don't think this was a large budget production but it did well with what was shown. There was some comedy and though there were technically two couples, this was not a romance drama but more of a thriller which I was very happy with. The squad had 5 people at any given time with one single guy but it never felt like he was the 3rd or should I say 5th wheel. Everyone was equal or maybe because the leads always called each other "junior sister" or "senior brother" lol, kind of gave that incesty feeling though they were not blood.

Cons: Though I did give it a 10, it still had some flaws. It had many tiny inconsistencies like the dumbing down of the FL (going alone to rescue BM from Old Bug or constantly asking "what do you mean" when the answer was staring her in the face) or her having RBF for the whole first arc and well into the second though the actress usually does great with emotions so perhaps there was problems with the writing. Even with his redemption arc in the end after essentially being a glorified asshole the entire series, Mr. Zhuge aka peacock's father, I still couldn't get to like. The actor though did a good job playing him. Also found the poisoning portion of the story just slightly draggy; could have made it take up less episodes.

The largest inconsistency was why Mr. Zhong who was FL's dad and BM's Shifu didn't keep both BM and BK as he had carried both boys out of Haiya after the massacre. Had he kept BK and raised both boys, these tragedies may not have happened or at least BK would have had the same loving upbringing as BM had and not been abused so severely or found by first Yesha and turned into this monster. An answer as to why was never given. And it was very sad.

Would I recommend it? What do you think, with a perfect score lol? This is an awesome rollercoaster that ticks many genre boxes and where the second and third arcs were way stronger than the first. Will def be rewatching portions. Great job cast and crew!

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