This review may contain spoilers
One of the dumbest dramas I've ever watched, for a C-drama (but not the worst)
I'm starting to think that C-dramas will only allow natural acting unless there's a big budget or one or some of their high-profile actors are involved. I had recently seen Unforgettable Love before this, and I wish I hadn't. How in the world does a child actor dwarf the entire cast of this one?
I think it's a cultural thing. Directors just can't match the natural dramas of South Korea. But if you watch some of the latest and popular C-dramas, they are getting better. I thought that since this was new, 2025, this would continue the trend. But nope, every actor in this drama is reading their lines like it's the first time they've read them. There's no synergy, no chemistry, and no natural writing/progression to really embold the talent that some of the cast have. It's not just the stoic presentation that every actor displays when they deliver their lines, it's also the writing. The storylines and the writing itself are just incredibly bad.
Case in point, the FL moves in with her family to a new apartment complex that is filled with a sense of a close neighborhood feel. Everyone there is a doctor or nurse, or at least a teacher. But halfway through the story, they retcon it and reveal that the parents have actually been friends since college? WTF? Later on, the second couple also break up because of cultural and class differences, which makes no sense. The second male lead's parents aren't literally a doctor and a nurse?! It's implied that the second female second lead's mother is insanely rich, so I can understand that to some extent. But to make it so strangely odd, feels like a cop out just to move the plot. Let me remind readers that after high school, all the younger characters go to their own universities and still somehow have enough money to fly across the country and visit each other, let alone stay at a mountain resort. Like I said, it makes no fucking sense. Then, there's the huge problem with the male lead. Throughout high school, he was an idiot. That's literally how they wrote him. He had no talent in academics, but he wanted to be a professional soccer player because of his dad. Let's ignore the fact that he looks nothing like an athlete and just move along. Later, he gets injured and finally takes his studies seriously. I think this happens when he's a sophomore. Out of nowhere, they again retcon his story, and he's now a computer science prodigy. This means he's good at math, a subject he literally failed at in the earlier episodes. For those who don't know, computer science is one of the hardest degrees out there. Right alongside math, engineering, and physics. In one episode, they show him writing code out of nowhere lmao. I'm sorry, it's just hilariously bad. They just gloss over these things like it's nothing.
I'm sorry, I must apologize for sounding so negative. It's not uncommon for dramas, especially C-dramas, to just forgo realism in a certain way to tell a story. Nothing has to be perfect. It's just that the performances really are that stoic. It feels like everyone is enunciating their lines and speaking in a tonal form. And this is expected in Mandarin. But when you watch recent hits like "Lighter and Princess" or the "Unforgettable Love" I mentioned earlier, you get the idea that this is changing. So when a new drama reverts back to this cultural tone and doesn't allow informal banter, it's hard not to get frustrated. Chinda doesn't allow provocative content, but this shouldn't hinder tension and synergy as much as it does. Waiting over 22 episodes for a kiss doesn't help matters, too, btw. So I do feel bad for comparing, but those retcons to the story and loopholes that feel made up really frustrated the viewer. Or at least they frustrated me.
For what it's worth, though, I think the FL has a very bright future. You can tell she tries her hardest with the script she got. Her smile feels genuine. Her effort feels genuine. I really enjoyed watching her. And also, I will admit that when topics got a little serious, the acting partially felt natural and raw. It happened so sparingly, but not enough to make me think this drama was worth watching. So I did watch the whole thing, but I skimmed pretty much every episode after 20. I'm sorry to say, but you're better off watching something else.
I think it's a cultural thing. Directors just can't match the natural dramas of South Korea. But if you watch some of the latest and popular C-dramas, they are getting better. I thought that since this was new, 2025, this would continue the trend. But nope, every actor in this drama is reading their lines like it's the first time they've read them. There's no synergy, no chemistry, and no natural writing/progression to really embold the talent that some of the cast have. It's not just the stoic presentation that every actor displays when they deliver their lines, it's also the writing. The storylines and the writing itself are just incredibly bad.
Case in point, the FL moves in with her family to a new apartment complex that is filled with a sense of a close neighborhood feel. Everyone there is a doctor or nurse, or at least a teacher. But halfway through the story, they retcon it and reveal that the parents have actually been friends since college? WTF? Later on, the second couple also break up because of cultural and class differences, which makes no sense. The second male lead's parents aren't literally a doctor and a nurse?! It's implied that the second female second lead's mother is insanely rich, so I can understand that to some extent. But to make it so strangely odd, feels like a cop out just to move the plot. Let me remind readers that after high school, all the younger characters go to their own universities and still somehow have enough money to fly across the country and visit each other, let alone stay at a mountain resort. Like I said, it makes no fucking sense. Then, there's the huge problem with the male lead. Throughout high school, he was an idiot. That's literally how they wrote him. He had no talent in academics, but he wanted to be a professional soccer player because of his dad. Let's ignore the fact that he looks nothing like an athlete and just move along. Later, he gets injured and finally takes his studies seriously. I think this happens when he's a sophomore. Out of nowhere, they again retcon his story, and he's now a computer science prodigy. This means he's good at math, a subject he literally failed at in the earlier episodes. For those who don't know, computer science is one of the hardest degrees out there. Right alongside math, engineering, and physics. In one episode, they show him writing code out of nowhere lmao. I'm sorry, it's just hilariously bad. They just gloss over these things like it's nothing.
I'm sorry, I must apologize for sounding so negative. It's not uncommon for dramas, especially C-dramas, to just forgo realism in a certain way to tell a story. Nothing has to be perfect. It's just that the performances really are that stoic. It feels like everyone is enunciating their lines and speaking in a tonal form. And this is expected in Mandarin. But when you watch recent hits like "Lighter and Princess" or the "Unforgettable Love" I mentioned earlier, you get the idea that this is changing. So when a new drama reverts back to this cultural tone and doesn't allow informal banter, it's hard not to get frustrated. Chinda doesn't allow provocative content, but this shouldn't hinder tension and synergy as much as it does. Waiting over 22 episodes for a kiss doesn't help matters, too, btw. So I do feel bad for comparing, but those retcons to the story and loopholes that feel made up really frustrated the viewer. Or at least they frustrated me.
For what it's worth, though, I think the FL has a very bright future. You can tell she tries her hardest with the script she got. Her smile feels genuine. Her effort feels genuine. I really enjoyed watching her. And also, I will admit that when topics got a little serious, the acting partially felt natural and raw. It happened so sparingly, but not enough to make me think this drama was worth watching. So I did watch the whole thing, but I skimmed pretty much every episode after 20. I'm sorry to say, but you're better off watching something else.
Was this review helpful to you?
