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A Sketchy Job! chinese drama review
Completed
A Sketchy Job!
5 people found this review helpful
by Jojo
7 days ago
5 of 5 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.5

Started strong with good chemistry then came the self sabotage trope!

This drama started with a charming setup and two leads who carried it effortlessly, only to fumble halfway by squeezing in unnecessary melodrama like it’s a full-length series. It has 5 bite-sized episodes, we are talking 8 to 10 minutes each, you would think every second would be used wisely right !!? But no, apparently not!

The premise here is familiar with the "classic fake dating" trope where Zai Rong is desperate to avoid an arranged marriage and Lu Xiao is a broke uni student trying to get by.
But what starts as a transactional setup quickly shifts into something deeper. From the second these two share a screen, the chemistry is fire with those looks, the body language, the quiet tension! Nothing feels forced and it felt like they don’t need big dramatic moments to sell it. Their vibe was lowkey sweet, a little awkward and just right.

Then the second half rolls in and suddenly someone decided this was the moment to throw in a dramatic ex and waste precious time on a classic meddling third-wheel plotline that added absolutely nothing

Even though the production is bare-bones, it uses its limited space well. Everything feels too intimate when the leads are on the screen.

Overall, the pacing is fast and with such a short runtime, everything from plot to characters stays surface level.
I have watched another BL "Trapped in Osaka" from this production house and loved it. The difference (not talking about the actual plot) was that they concentrated on the main characters and their stories. There were backstories and other characters mentioned, but they never took away from the screentime.

I would recommend it if you are here just for the chemistry (which is solid) but don't expect much. It's more charm over substance but since it's a mini series, there is not much to lose.
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