Grace

c-trauma. emotional pain. too many tears.

Just gotta say something: first off, wHy tF was this so tRAgiC. Like I don't cry a lot in daily life and this shit got me bawling. Eps 1-35, some trauma, most of it is ok. If you want your sanity intact I will advise you to stop watching here. Eps 36-38? Pure emotional pain. It was all going well and them authors just had to insert some mentally brain damaged content to ruin the ending. Also, since when did elopement mean suicide??? WTF. And so it is implied that they both died tgt at the end. Help. Benjamin (Wang Tianchen) died. Jiang Lin (Wang Zhuochen) died. Rina (Florence Tan) died. Li Zan (Chen Zheyuan) died. Song Ran (Liang Jie) died. LIKE HELLO WHY IS HALF THE MAIN CAST SIX FEET UNDER? (I mean in Fangs of Fortune a bunch of them died but thats understandable since it's a wuxia.) But here?? The White Olive Tree? Pure c-trauma. Thats what this is. Not a cdrama, ctrauma. Like Li Zan actually needed psychological help in the end. Not even Song Ran could help him. They chose to die tgt instead. Like whY would you dO tHAt to them?? Went through so much together just to call it quits in the end and not live a good life tgt. I understand it's supposed to reflect real life circumstances, but this drama literally gave me mental disease too. With that aside, Chen Zheyuan is fantastic at conveying emotions. You can see the difference in him after eps 36. You can see the pain in his eyes, and also the love he has for Song Ran as well. They both of them (Chen Zheyuan and Liang Jie) were compatible and they both conveyed emotion really well. Too well in fact. I literally wept in the end. Advise you to clear out if you can't handle emotional pain.

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You most probably won't get bored

STOP the OST IS SO PEAK WHAT
I really like this drama, its so...unexpectedly expectable if you know what I mean...it has the perfect blend of comedy and emotion
Plus some eye candy is not a bad thing either; the second leads are sooo shippable as well. Did not get the Riley Wang hype during Back From the Brink maybe because I intensely disliked watching it but after this, he's going up there on the list lmao
I think this is my first Li Yitong proper romance drama where I haven't died halfway. She's so good yet some of them scripts are so crap that she barely has any well rated dramas on MDL. Glory of Special Forces was really good but it wasn't really romance oriented. Warm on a Cold Night? Eye candy. Good cast. Dropped/on-holded because I couldn't do it anymore. And don't get me started on whatever that mess of Sword and Beloved was because that was the most disastrous of them all. Credit to A Dream within a Dream now then for presenting my first successful watch of a Li Yitong romance drama *cue the applause*
Liu Yuning doesn't disappoint in his acting, and all the side characters were so necessary, not that type of random-ahh 'just stuck you in there because the space next to the ML and FL is really empty' type thing. There were a lot of misunderstandings, and the FL sticking to the storybook plot like glue and being the opposite of 'open mindeu' when it came to Nan Hong, and that Emperor who to me got off too easy in my opinion but OH WELL. Promise you won't get bored by watching it tho, as I said in the beginning. Happy ending was also a very good decision :)

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The moment I watched this I was literally in shock. It has a wonderful balance of both a little romance along with the main plot of Zang Hai (Xiao Zhan)'s revenge for his family. The twists are intriguing, the way the story develops is very commendable as well. All in all, Xiao Zhan and Zhang Jingyi did a wonderful job together making such a memorable and wonderful show. It is a rarity to find a female lead with more martial arts power than the male. This drama showed me how one can succeed by wit alone, something that I didn't expect at all. The romance between Xiang Antu and Zang Hai is just simply amazing even though it wasn't fully focussed on. One of the best not-wholly romance oriented chinese dramas. (Ignore my rating for music, unless it's really good I just put a two for everything)

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When I saw that this was rated a 9 on MDL I was shooketh. The only other chinese drama that I've watched that has a 9 is When I Fly Towards You, my all-time favourite (you should 1000% check it out if u havent already), but I was like I must watch this right? This is a rarity! And after seeing it was only 15 episodes I was even more shookethed. This is a rarity x2 when it comes to chinese dramas. Anyways, after spending some time on my Plan to Watch list I decided to give it a go. My mind was blown. alThOUgh I am not giving this a 10, if I could give it a 9.7 I would. This was so unorthodox as a typical chinese drama, it was clear and concise, no unnecessary drama involved, the loose ends were all tied up, Li Shiqing (Zhao Jinmai) and Xiao Heyun (Bai Jingting) got the happy ending they deserved (after going through all that complicated ahh shit). Overall, this drama is not overhyped at all, I did not feel a wisp of boredom while watching it and just binged this all in one go. Amazing. (ignore my rating for music unless it's really good i just put a two for everything)

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ok the main thing abt back from the brink are the visual ahh leads. Like sometimes when the plot was getting awfully draggy their faces saved it. Zhou Ye and Hou Minghao are literally a match made in heaven lookswise. Back from the Brink is an in part tradgedy and with parts of humour too. However I feel like 40 episodes was a little long as the interest in watching kind of fell off and on. The main bonus from this was Neo playing baby Tianyao: why was he so good at it?!? Like he could go from solemn Millenium Spirit Dragon from baby Tianyao looking innocent and wide-eyed. Props to him for playing it so well. I almost couldn't believe it. About Zhou Ye, I feel like her style in every drama is about the same. Funny, cutsey and just "her". Anyways, all in all, an 8 from me, not bad but not amazing. (p.s. the only reason I watched this was bc I've watched Zhou Ye before and wanted to figure out why Hou Minghao is so loved on MDL. Like ???) (Ignore my rating for music, unless it's really good I just put a two for everything)

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A great drama. One of the rarer ones that are not wholly romance oriented and yet still has an amazing ability to hook you in. It reminds me a little of the Legend of Zang Hai, both focusing on revenge instead of love. Wu Jinyan and Wang Xingyue served with acting, visuals and chemistry. The whole plot clicked, from the control Princess Wanning (Li Meng) had on Shen Yurong (Liang Yongqi) to make him do such a horrible thing to the wife he loved, and fate giving Xue Fangfei a second chance at life. Fangfei and Xiao Heng/Duke Su had a really positive relationship, albeit it being grounded on her plans of revenge and his plans of revenge as well. This drama deserves all the praise it gets, it's really great. The development of the relationship over time, them both not losing their heads over romance and staying sharp the whole time. The lead couple fit together well, the whole drama overall was well paced and had you hooked till the end unlike some other dramas that make you suffer trying to watch them till the end. I'm quoting another review now: "Xue Fang Fei was a female lead worthy of respect." I 100% agree with this statement, there was no silliness or immaturity, she was grounded and knew what she was doing the whole time. Quoting again from the same review, this time about Xiao Heng: "he was a drool-worthy male lead. Powerful, skilled, intimidating while being gorgeously green flag. " Sometimes others put things I mean to say into words better than I ever could, therefore I take bits and put them into my own perspectives. Overall, The Double was powerful and enticing, and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. (Ignore my rating for music, unless it's really good I just put a two for everything)

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Right. Down to business then. This was my first drama to watch while it was airing, giving me a new experience I guess to have to keep waiting for new episodes. However, through this, I realized that this drama started out really amazing, having me not being able to wait in between episode releases rating it a 9.5 at first encounter. Sadly after a while it went to a 9 and gradually at the end to 8.5 when the excitement faded and the yearning for new episodes decreased too. However, this does not mean Legend of the Female General wasn't an amazing watch. Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei (Ryan) are a really visual couple and they look great together. Although lacking in the romance between Cheng Lisu (Li Qing) and Song Taotao (Zhang Miaoyi (my queen)) it wasn't an undesireable match either. What could've had a lot more potential as a drama though, faded as time passed. Idk, it felt like there was something missing. The ending was really rushed and there was no concentration on any specific theme, it was just a bunch of random moments put together. I read another review and would like to quote it exactly here: "Me during the first few episodes: Why are these episodes so short? Why aren't they 45 minutes long? Me during the last few episodes: Why are these episodes so long? Why aren't they 30 minutes long?" This here is exactly what I thought while watching. Overall, this wasn't terrible but lowk let down my expectations a little after seeing the beginning and the cast. Solid 8.5.

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Loved it. We get a little perspective on Sang Zhi's brother, Sang Yan's love life after all. Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan have really good chemistry, the visuals are serving and the whole way along where Sang Yan and Wen Yifan finally give in to each other and realize they love each other is really sweet. The secondary couple Su Haoan (Edward Cheng) and Zhong Siqiao (Zhang Miaoyi) their story is also quite sweet. We get to understand the hardships Wen Yifan went through being sexually targeted by her uncle, having a difficult life and only Sang Yan being able to bring light in her life. Her family being not the best to say the least, and the decision in leaving her mother behind was 100% deserved in my perspective. The ending wrapped up satisfyingly with a much-needed proposal and the criminals Che Xing De and Che Yan Qin getting what they deserved. Overall, must watch. (Ignore my rating for music, unless it's really good I just put a two for everything)

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ahhhhhhh that felt long af. but overall, idk. the hype about it seems a little overhyped, yk but I've heard many ppl say that the hype is real but ig not for me. It's good but I dont think its as good as some people are making it out to be. HOWEVER, I finally understood why ppl crush on Gong Yoo all the time, it might be the way he just speaks that attracts you. He did amazingly in this drama, and how bro was such a small part in Squid Game as the Salesman yet still captured the interest of everyone watching. He just has this "vibe" around him that feels really nice. I'm glad it was a happy-ish ending, they met again after reincarnation. Idk how Ji Eun-tak (Kim Go-eun) rememberd Kim Shin but alls well that ends well I guess. The OST bro I feel myself whistling it sometimes unconsciously, but until now idk what it is called :( it has no words I don't think, the part that stands out to me is the little tune. But I feel like 16 eps was a little long for it causing me to lose interest, but as I pushed on it worked out in the end. I literally bawled my eyes out when Eun tak died, and I don't cry a lot on a daily basis. Overall, 8.5/10. Overhyped but not bad.

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Ok, gotta admit, this was really cute. The actors did great capturing the innocence of children just being free I guess which was refreshing for me (bc ive been drowning in xianxia dramas lately hehe). The ending was great and although predictable (married and kids), nothing would have been better to conclude Exclusive Fairytaile. I decided to watch it bc of zhang miaoyi but then i realized the ML was Jun from SEVENTEEN bro like a kpop group. If uve read my bio im a little into kpop so seeing this was a really nice surprise. Exclusive Fairytale is one of the cutest dramas I've seen before, the plot is just really chill, just teenagers living lives with no excessive drama which I like a lot. there's no lack of juicy scenes and Jun and Miaoyi have really nice chemistry. Every episode has at least one hilarious moment which will get you rolling. This is a really "fresh" drama as I've seen others describe it as, and its very lighthearted and fun. The childhood sweethearts thing didn't click w me in the beginning, but as I watched I just really enjoyed it. It was a good time. I really recommend to anyone who needs a good laugh and a nicely lighthearted cute drama, with just teenagers living their lives. :) It really put a smile on my face.

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Watched this for Zhao Lusi and Dilraba, my first of Wu Lei (Leo) and Liu Yuning. The Long Ballad was not what I was expecting at all. I was thinking a centered romance around Li Changge and Ashile Sun and a little bit of Li Leyan and Hao Du with little to no character development. Boy was I wrong. Li Changge being powerful and able to fend for herself was commendable, the love between her and Ashile Sun was pure and the chemistry did it's thing. First: Li Leyan's character development. With Li Changge's life being turned upside down and Li Leyan being naive and immature in the beginning, I thought she would stay that way during the whole show. Despite it being centered on Changge, I don't know how they had time to ground Leyan. She reached the real world away from a glazed life in the palace, and learnt a lot about life. The development is crazy with this one, the stark contrast with the Leyan from the start to the Leyan in the end. This just shows how much a real world life can do to perhaps a spoilt child. Moving on from Li Leyan to Changge and Ashile Sun: their romance was tangible from the beginning, although Changge was focused on justice, and was initially captured by Ashile Sun to be his military strategist, they slowly shifted their relationship. The visuals served and the cast came together naturally with no strain in sight. This drama was a good watch for me, no forcing myself to finish watching just for the sake of it, despite the lengthy 49 episodes. All in all, I highly recommend, and a solid 9/10. (Ignore my rating for music, unless it's really good I just put a two for everything)

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really weird

This one was a solid 6. Idk, it wasn't really my thing. It was fine while watching, but after watching it I feel like there was nothing really outstanding about it and wondered why I watched it at all. Now I'm gonna directly quote another review I saw: "What’s even more confusing is the fact I actually finished it, and I did not even have to force myself to watch it. Not many things worked in this show, but somehow I still kept watching the next episodes. Don’t know what weird spell this show put on me, but it worked." This is 100% relatable to me and put my feeling after watching it directly into words. I didn't have to make myself watch it like I do with other not-that-good dramas, but in the end they were the same quality of product. I feel like Baek Su-jeong and Ban Ju-yeon did not fit together at all whatsoever. The maturity of Su-jeong and the immaturity of Ju-yeon did not click whatsoever. Idk what the 'magic' in this drama that keeps you watching but in the end you realize you shouldn't have wanted to keep watching is, but overall: don't recommend. You can watch it if you want and you won't suffer, but in the end you probably won't enjoy it. (Ignore my rating for music, unless it's really good I just put a two for everything)

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That was unexpectedly really good. I thought the billiards would bore me, but lowkey I got really invested and didn't even skip any bits. Shocking when it comes to me lmao. Just as a side note: the men in this drama are so fine (shoutout to Lin Yiyang (Wu Lei) and Meng Xiaodong (Wang Xingyue) lol), theres something about them playing snooker at the table that's really attractive. Maybe its the suits or the concentration idk call me crazy but yeah. Anyways, loved the relationship between Yiyang and Yin Guo (Zhao Jinmai), literally no toxicity at all and no stupid breakups or drama. It was really nice seeing the chemistry between them, and am looking forward to more work of Zhao Jinmai after first watching Reset, I finally understood why she is so well-liked. She has this cute indescribable charm ig. I've got a lot of choices on my Plan to Watch but go for the higher rated ones lest I put myself through unnecessary pain, but this 8.5 does this justice, especially on MDL when everyone is so harsh on cdramas. Overall, a really nice drama with a great balance of different elements. :)

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Ok ngl this was a lot better than I expected it to be. My first thoughts: The romance between Li Jianjian (Tan Songyun) and Ling Xiao (Song Weilong) was a little disappointing, I was expecting it to be more centered on them and not having the time being split across everyone's family issues. So going on to the families: 1, Jianjian, Ling Xiao and He Ziqiu's (Zhang Xincheng) "dads" Li Haichao (Tu Songyan) and Ling Heping (Zhang Xilin) are both100% green flag dads, extreme support. 2, Tang Can (He Ruixian)'s parents: dad is too weak, mom is a controlling hypocrite. 3, Qi Mingyue (Sun Yi)'s parents - dad is ok, but he should've taken more responsibility as a father and not push his wife's anger onto Mingyue. Her mom? Disgusting woman, when Mingyue finally stood up to her the pure amount of satisfaction I felt was palpable. Finally. Got a reality check. Ur not the commander of the universe my guy. There are other ppl who don't give a fck what you want so stop pressurizing ur own child. 4, He Ziqiu's parents, fisrst the mom He Mei (Yuan Ran) is ok. I get why she left and at least she wasnt being such a hypocrite like almost all the mothers were in this show. Then the dad, Zhao Huaguang (Liu Jinlong) is lowkey a bad character. He was purely unreasonable and did not deserve the forgiveness. And at last then, moving on to the elephant in the room: Ling Xiao's mom. That hypocritical despicable mdfker (pardon me) but literally. I knew she was suffering from mental illness or something but tf is my guy thinking. You literally tortured your son on purpose, gaslighted so much that you literally made your own mistakes crash onto your child's shoulders, thinking you could manipulate your physical weakness to lie to your child to stay just because you can't let him go, brainwashing your other innocent child (Xiao Chengzi), literally cutting up his family pictures and acting like the definition of ungrateful. That rat should be happy Ling Xiao came to take care of her for so long and even moved for her. She should be grateful for the help he gave and acknowledge the mental stress she has been inflicting on him the whole time. She knew he had anxiety and depression and insomnia all because of her being such a rat and yet just tortured him further. No regard for his feelings, everything you do is right. If she had real mental problems and I was Ling Xiao she would've been in an asylum long ago. Idc if ur my mom. If someone did that to me I would not even wait for her to unalive herself I might actually do it myself (pardon x2). Her suicide was so deserved. That revival was not deserved. (pardon x3) ANYWAYS, putting that aside, I'm happy they all got a good ending, a tad disappointed with the lack of Ling Xiao and Jianjian's romance, I feel like some parents didn't deserve forgiveness (not just Chen Ting (Yang Tongshu)) but overall Go Ahead is a really great drama. You should watch it. (p.s. after watching this I realized Song Weilong is so fine)

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