MadelineMaureen

The fact that the actor playing Lin Mao is somehow supposed to pull off playing Duan Jia Xu in First Frost has me nervous as i havent seen enough of a range in this to say he can pull off a fox like flirt. (Duan Jia Xu was the ML character in Hidden Love, & is the best friend of the ML in First Frost so he will be around a good bit...)
The actor who plays Han Zhao is the cousin in Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, proving once again not a single face card declined in that drama.

I think that if Mister Han wants to be friends or business partners with her & her furture hubby it could work. Cause Mr. Han just enjoys watching her eat because she looks so happy & makes food look good. Think food blogger or mukbang-er(not the over eating kind but the food reviewer kind).

I love it when the director/all departments understands the assignment. The close up on his entwined fingers as he desperately tries to hold onto his sanity as she discloses her past with his enemy. Saw the teaser trailer for the next two episodes & cant wait for the rest of thar scene to play out.

The shot before the title card has them standing together as they look on the rest of what's left of the family...

I would hope not as i believe her character is like 15/16ish now making her 12 or 13 when she was with him. I believe she is currently like 14 in the novel, someone correct me if im mistaken.

The silence from fear of what might be said/heard is so real. The mistakes of young inexperienced love. The fear of being hurt, but unable to stop from hurting the one you love most. I haven't watched a show that has my body having such a physical reaction as though I'm experiencing those emotions again. The gut punch & stomach dropping anxiety of not knowing where you stand as the loneliness creeps in....helplessness.
Highly recommend this drama, but oh boy are you going to feel it.

The logic of the bf thinking that moving to a foreign country where she DOESN'T speak the language while he does a MEDICAL RESIDENCY & she would stay is actually insane. He knows that she felt lonely in Japan while her ex was busy working & she had no one else, but she at least had a job & could read & speak the language. The audacity of men...I swear.

Mind you, he fully still believes that she is the woman he loves and has been looking for. Knowing that the last known sighting of her was falling off a cliff because of a woman obsessed with him. So in his oh so logical brain that somehow means that choking her to threaten someone she loves & believes is her family member...Sir...stop it, get some help. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

She was helping them escape after his senior sacrificing himself by slicing his neck with the Marquise's sword that was being held at his throat. The Duke showed up and witnessed him die "by the Marquise's hand". He sniffed out that the whole thing was a set up by the Marquise and is gearing up to reopen the original case that killed ML's master/teacher.

In episode 24 she helps Shen Yuan and his friends escape from the Marquise by throwing firecrackers off a balcony into a group of his guards.

Okay so lets walk through this real quick.

The woman you love and have been looking for for years is most likely in front of you. Do you...

A. Confess your undying love for her

B. Tell her that you've been looking for her since you found out a stalker of yours harmed her

C. Threaten the only family member she loves, and brag about torturing and killing his friend in front of her?

If you guessed A or B you have a working brain and emotions...if you guessed C you might be Lu Jai Xue.

After the fire crackers went off I really wanted her to throw a middle finger up....so I did it for her.

No body grew up together. It is in-law of in-law Uncle x Niece.

oh, 100% will be playing matchmaker for both in the next episode or so. Someone that nosy and two people that pretty...yeah she about the meddle meddle.

First love and forever love were in reference to themes of the shows not the shows 'Frist Love' and 'Forever Love' 🤣🤣💀🤭
Currently still watching 'First Love' so can't really say how it is one way or another. It's got Wang Xing Xue in it so yay...but boy oh boy was he still in his teenage boy era.

Ten bucks on that neighbor lady trying to get Mei Lin married to a villager.

I have been summoned....
Okay so after looking through your lists I have a few recommendations.

For only fluff no stuff(aka drama) 'Love Me Love My Voice': Slow-burn sugary sweet first love. Great voice acting and singing...best watched with snacks on hand as the food shots are mouth watering. OST is amazing, so even if the show is too slow for you(it was for a lot of people) check out the music. Centers around a doctor/voice actor and a music student.

Fluffy with a pinch of stuff: 'Amidst a Snowstorm of Love': Slow-burn seductively sweet first love. Shot in Finland and China it's has a great cinematic vibe throughout.

One that's already on you plan to watch list...'Love Scenery': very little drama or miscommunication between the two leads. When there is a misunderstanding they work it out quickly. Female celebrity/singer and her not so secret, secret first fan who is famous in the gaming world.
'Love Scenery' is the Younger/more youthful version of 'You Are My Glory': Celebrity/actress FL asks her old high school crush to teach her a mobile game that she is the spokes person for. He is on leave from his job as an aerospace engineer while he questions his future path...they meet again as adults...lil spice.

'Hidden Love', 'When I Fly Towards You', and 'Exclusive Fairytale' you've most likely been recommended at least one of these before. Very little drama in them...first love/forever love high school to university students. All green flag MLs. I'm not saying much because honestly these are the most common recs for fluffy shows.

Wanting a little shot of sugar, but don't want to stay for a whole meal? 'Our Secret Diary' is a Japanese movie that is super cute and sweet.

I would recommend 'Lovely Runner' as it was in my top list of 2024 dramas, but it's a bit heavy and with timeslip being a plot point not really a complete turn your brain off kind of show.

Most of the above recommended shows have little to no major plot other than finding their "person" and furthering their career/dream goals. No one is trying to murder anyone. And if you don't like the side plots they are easily skipable if you so choose. Hope you find something you can palette cleanse with.
spoiler tag cause long

I don't just look at the pretty pictures and people and call it a day. I majored in Photography and Fine Arts in university so cinematography is the FIRST thing I will pick up on in a show or movie. How a show was "treated" in post etc.
To make a comment on the plot/writing of a show without even getting 4 episodes in is honestly just weird imo. Pacing can be mentioned, maybe questioning where the writing/plot is going but to assume with such authority that YOU know exactly how the show will go and promote that on a channel people use to get information on shows that they wouldn't have access to otherwise is just unprofessional. If she knows she hates romance shows, stop watching fucking romance shows. She will make a comments on things that haven't even happened and NEVER happen in a show to hundreds of thousands of viewers giving them a mistaken impression of someone's work.

She repeatedly makes comments belittling not only certain dramas and actors but the people who enjoy those dramas and actors as well. She can barely find a decent thing to say about some projects altogether. As someone who reviews as many things as she does sometimes it's better to say nothing and call it a day. "wasn't my cuppa tea, but I'm sure others will like it if they like x, y, and z similar thing" is not a hard thing to say.

Commenting on the production of a show is one thing, as she has a background in that and can give insight. But as someone who has made it her job to give opinions about things, she has starting making moves that seem nasty and mean spirited towards the people in the projects and those that consume them. That is not someone I want to support. Being called stupid for enjoying something is not what I had subscribed for, so I no longer do.

I follow many review and commentary channels and don't always agree with what they say, but they don't belittle the viewers or the production(unless extremely warranted because of misconduct). After the fifth or so video in a row that she torn into something she watched 5% of I realized she wasn't the channel for me.

She is more or less a hate rant channel than a reviewer.

Come back after next Friday's episode & check the comments to see if the ending is happy or sad or open.

Min Woo! What are you doing here?!
The scream I scrumpt. ☺️