This review may contain spoilers
Defying the Narrative with the Absolute Cheat Code: Ultimate Flow | When FLs logic has left the chat
"My only life philosophy is that, life is about staying still. If I can lie down, there's no way I'm sitting up." - Song Yimeng / Song Xiaoyu
Honestly, I don't know where or how to start my review of this drama. I’m torn on what to write. I get the logic behind the plots and the necessity of the conflicts, but they still frustrate me. No matter how hard I try to understand their reasoning, it still continues to annoy me. One thing I have realized is that it is truly tough to remain objective and impartial at all times—even when the reasons seem justifiable—because not all problems can be categorized as simply right or wrong. Sometimes, both sides have a point, and it comes down to us as viewers to choose which one we are going to support. All I want to say is, this show gave me such an intense viewer's dilemma that I was unable to decide how to ultimately feel about it.
The storyline was great! The first 10 episodes are effortlessly hilarious. While the script may seem like the usual metafiction trope at first, the more I watched, the more I realized how different it is from other dramas in the same genre. It features an innovative style of writing that I personally haven’t seen before. The writing made me laugh my ass off because of how absurd the scenes and sequences are, while simultaneously making me realize there are still many areas within the metafiction theme left to explore. This drama successfully ventured into those areas in a ridiculously comical, fresh, and new way.
The most questionable part of this story—and what I consider the ultimate plot hole—is the entire Li Shiliu trope. It started in Episode 6 and dragged on until Episode 23. While I understood the initial purpose of this plot point, I cannot fathom how they had the nerve to extend it for 18 episodes. I would have accepted it if it had lasted a maximum of 10 episodes, but 18? Who are they kidding? The Female Lead is supposed to be a modern-day person—someone who is typically portrayed as observant and sharp. So I can’t understand how the writers expected us to believe she was fooled by a mere mask that only covered part of the Male Lead's face. It is impossible to accept that she failed to recognize him through his eyes and voice alone, especially considering how many times he wasn't even wearing his oversized dark hat. I remember questioning the writers by Episode 9 and becoming genuinely annoyed by Episode 15 when the FL still hadn't realized who Li Shiliu truly was. It's one thing that this "can't recognize a half-masked man" trope even existed in this genre in the first place, but prolonging it that much was another. It really was an unbelievable stretch.
By Episodes 23-32, I was introduced to the most complex situation I have ever been in while drama watching. It was a mixture of frustration toward the FL for taking a significant amount of time to recognize Li Shiliu's true identity, and annoyance over her reaction after finding out the truth. I was conflicted about how to process this part, as I have already painted the FL as not discerning enough for not realizing who Li Shiliu was much earlier in the show. At the same time, I am torn because I also want to acknowledge and validate her feelings of betrayal and disbelief—that she was fooled—but I can't entirely do so because it's mainly her lack of discernment that caused it.
I understand that Li Shiliu was created because, without him, the FL (Song Yimeng) would not develop affection for and break her prejudice against the ML (Nan Heng). However, I just can’t help the urge to blame her; she wouldn't have been fooled if only she wasn't so complacent and had been more observant of the people and situations around her in the first place. She should have been doubtful and skeptical of the changes when Li Shiliu, who was non-existent in the original script, suddenly appeared. Instead, she just treated it lightly until it backfired on her.
The thing here is she's been overly self-trusting and confident that she knew everything; so when she finally learned the truth, I find it hard to validate her feelings no matter how hard I want to. I tried, but I simply wasn't able to empathize with her anger—gaslighting and painting the ML as bad for lying—because it wasn't the ML (Nan Heng/Li Shiliu) fault that her expectations wasn't met and the original script wasn't entirely followed.
On the contrary, I find it outrageous that she's mad and resents the ML for hiding his identity from her when she's been acting smart all this time, yet it took her 18 episodes to blow his disguise. I understand that her know-it-all attitude may seem reasonable because she knows the whole story's plot, but everything still boils down to the root cause of this issue, which is her inability to identify the similarities between Li Shiliu and Nan Heng. Like gurl! I want nothing of this self-inflicted drama of yours. lol
I have a lot more to say on this, but I'll summarize by saying: the fact that she's from the modern world yet fails to immediately notice the similarities between Liu Shiliu and Nan Heng is a massive flaw. I’m struggling to digest this. It drags the story down and, in my opinion, represents the biggest plothole in the series. It likely goes unnoticed by viewers who are just caught up in the romance or the visuals, but I simply can't ignore it. For a modern character to be that unobservant feels completely unrealistic.
Finally, down to the climax and ending. I was low-key very proud of Song Yimeng for overcoming that long emotional and dramatic slump. God knows how much of a relief it was when she finally came back to her senses—after spending almost 10 episodes pondering over everything—to fight back and counter the evil plan against them. I must say that I still love her being all cheerful, mischievous, and clever in comparison to her depress state.
One thing I am extremely satisfied with regarding this show is how they deal with the antagonist through the use of the greatest plot device—unlimited flow. Seeing them plan things out after a scene reset, failing, then coming back again and again stronger and more equipped was satisfying. It was an ending that was fitting for this story's crazy plot. Everything aside, I just want to state here how I find the scene between Song Xiaoyu and Nan Feng (the modern-day male and female leads) at the end utterly questionable, but I will let it pass for the sake of not ruining my mood for the show.
P.S. I don’t know whether to laugh or not, given how blatantly they hit us with the reason the show is called 'A Dream within a Dream' at the very end. Haha!
Story - 9.0, I actually loved it and was amazed by their take and how they navigated the metafiction trope. It honestly would have been perfect if they hadn't fumbled and ruined it with the 'modern-day FL can't recognize a half-masked ML' agenda, and the FL lashing out after finding out the truth—which happened because of her own incompetence and failed discernment. Aside from those points, everything else worked for me. I even loved the antagonist's (Chu Guihong) characterization. I usually hate the 'kind 2nd male lead turned villain' trope, but they set him up brilliantly.
Acting - 10, I’ve been thinking about the performances of the leads and the supporting cast, and I honestly can't find a "bad apple" among them. Perhaps it’s because the show has such a light, fun, and comedic vibe that I wasn't bothered by the acting at all. Since I went in expecting funny and ridiculous performances, I treated it more like an entertaining comedic skit than a heavy drama that needs to be nitpicked. All in all, the cast executed their roles in perfect alignment with their characterization and the show's energy. Additionally, while I’ve watched Li Yitong before, this is the first time I’ve fully appreciated her beauty. Her look—modern casual pants, a sleeveless crop top, a loose button-down long sleeves shirt, and messy hair—was an incredible combo. She looked gorgeous and truly stunning.
Music - 10, A job well done to the music team of this show! I love each song and gosh! I was squealing with excitement when they randomly used the 'A Journey to Love' OSTs. I was literally on the floor laughing out of mere shock and joy! I feel like they used it as an homage and also to make things fun, as some of the scenes have a similar vibe to AJTL. And come on, Liu Yuning is here! Totally love it!
Rewatch Value - 8.0, I’m giving it this rating because, although I enjoyed the drama, it frustrated me by challenging logic and narrative coherence. I don't appreciate how the writers sacrificed the FLs characterization just to make the plot work. It was a truly unwise and poorly executed move.
Overall - 9.0, I know I voiced some discontentment earlier. The logic behind the FL was questionable, sure, but the scenes were well-executed and kept the plot moving. It was an enjoyable watch, even if the lack of coherence hurt the female lead’s characterization once you look closely. On the other hand, I have to praise those smooth, impeccable transitions—the editing team nailed them.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Honestly, I don't know where or how to start my review of this drama. I’m torn on what to write. I get the logic behind the plots and the necessity of the conflicts, but they still frustrate me. No matter how hard I try to understand their reasoning, it still continues to annoy me. One thing I have realized is that it is truly tough to remain objective and impartial at all times—even when the reasons seem justifiable—because not all problems can be categorized as simply right or wrong. Sometimes, both sides have a point, and it comes down to us as viewers to choose which one we are going to support. All I want to say is, this show gave me such an intense viewer's dilemma that I was unable to decide how to ultimately feel about it.
The storyline was great! The first 10 episodes are effortlessly hilarious. While the script may seem like the usual metafiction trope at first, the more I watched, the more I realized how different it is from other dramas in the same genre. It features an innovative style of writing that I personally haven’t seen before. The writing made me laugh my ass off because of how absurd the scenes and sequences are, while simultaneously making me realize there are still many areas within the metafiction theme left to explore. This drama successfully ventured into those areas in a ridiculously comical, fresh, and new way.
The most questionable part of this story—and what I consider the ultimate plot hole—is the entire Li Shiliu trope. It started in Episode 6 and dragged on until Episode 23. While I understood the initial purpose of this plot point, I cannot fathom how they had the nerve to extend it for 18 episodes. I would have accepted it if it had lasted a maximum of 10 episodes, but 18? Who are they kidding? The Female Lead is supposed to be a modern-day person—someone who is typically portrayed as observant and sharp. So I can’t understand how the writers expected us to believe she was fooled by a mere mask that only covered part of the Male Lead's face. It is impossible to accept that she failed to recognize him through his eyes and voice alone, especially considering how many times he wasn't even wearing his oversized dark hat. I remember questioning the writers by Episode 9 and becoming genuinely annoyed by Episode 15 when the FL still hadn't realized who Li Shiliu truly was. It's one thing that this "can't recognize a half-masked man" trope even existed in this genre in the first place, but prolonging it that much was another. It really was an unbelievable stretch.
By Episodes 23-32, I was introduced to the most complex situation I have ever been in while drama watching. It was a mixture of frustration toward the FL for taking a significant amount of time to recognize Li Shiliu's true identity, and annoyance over her reaction after finding out the truth. I was conflicted about how to process this part, as I have already painted the FL as not discerning enough for not realizing who Li Shiliu was much earlier in the show. At the same time, I am torn because I also want to acknowledge and validate her feelings of betrayal and disbelief—that she was fooled—but I can't entirely do so because it's mainly her lack of discernment that caused it.
I understand that Li Shiliu was created because, without him, the FL (Song Yimeng) would not develop affection for and break her prejudice against the ML (Nan Heng). However, I just can’t help the urge to blame her; she wouldn't have been fooled if only she wasn't so complacent and had been more observant of the people and situations around her in the first place. She should have been doubtful and skeptical of the changes when Li Shiliu, who was non-existent in the original script, suddenly appeared. Instead, she just treated it lightly until it backfired on her.
The thing here is she's been overly self-trusting and confident that she knew everything; so when she finally learned the truth, I find it hard to validate her feelings no matter how hard I want to. I tried, but I simply wasn't able to empathize with her anger—gaslighting and painting the ML as bad for lying—because it wasn't the ML (Nan Heng/Li Shiliu) fault that her expectations wasn't met and the original script wasn't entirely followed.
On the contrary, I find it outrageous that she's mad and resents the ML for hiding his identity from her when she's been acting smart all this time, yet it took her 18 episodes to blow his disguise. I understand that her know-it-all attitude may seem reasonable because she knows the whole story's plot, but everything still boils down to the root cause of this issue, which is her inability to identify the similarities between Li Shiliu and Nan Heng. Like gurl! I want nothing of this self-inflicted drama of yours. lol
I have a lot more to say on this, but I'll summarize by saying: the fact that she's from the modern world yet fails to immediately notice the similarities between Liu Shiliu and Nan Heng is a massive flaw. I’m struggling to digest this. It drags the story down and, in my opinion, represents the biggest plothole in the series. It likely goes unnoticed by viewers who are just caught up in the romance or the visuals, but I simply can't ignore it. For a modern character to be that unobservant feels completely unrealistic.
Finally, down to the climax and ending. I was low-key very proud of Song Yimeng for overcoming that long emotional and dramatic slump. God knows how much of a relief it was when she finally came back to her senses—after spending almost 10 episodes pondering over everything—to fight back and counter the evil plan against them. I must say that I still love her being all cheerful, mischievous, and clever in comparison to her depress state.
One thing I am extremely satisfied with regarding this show is how they deal with the antagonist through the use of the greatest plot device—unlimited flow. Seeing them plan things out after a scene reset, failing, then coming back again and again stronger and more equipped was satisfying. It was an ending that was fitting for this story's crazy plot. Everything aside, I just want to state here how I find the scene between Song Xiaoyu and Nan Feng (the modern-day male and female leads) at the end utterly questionable, but I will let it pass for the sake of not ruining my mood for the show.
P.S. I don’t know whether to laugh or not, given how blatantly they hit us with the reason the show is called 'A Dream within a Dream' at the very end. Haha!
Story - 9.0, I actually loved it and was amazed by their take and how they navigated the metafiction trope. It honestly would have been perfect if they hadn't fumbled and ruined it with the 'modern-day FL can't recognize a half-masked ML' agenda, and the FL lashing out after finding out the truth—which happened because of her own incompetence and failed discernment. Aside from those points, everything else worked for me. I even loved the antagonist's (Chu Guihong) characterization. I usually hate the 'kind 2nd male lead turned villain' trope, but they set him up brilliantly.
Acting - 10, I’ve been thinking about the performances of the leads and the supporting cast, and I honestly can't find a "bad apple" among them. Perhaps it’s because the show has such a light, fun, and comedic vibe that I wasn't bothered by the acting at all. Since I went in expecting funny and ridiculous performances, I treated it more like an entertaining comedic skit than a heavy drama that needs to be nitpicked. All in all, the cast executed their roles in perfect alignment with their characterization and the show's energy. Additionally, while I’ve watched Li Yitong before, this is the first time I’ve fully appreciated her beauty. Her look—modern casual pants, a sleeveless crop top, a loose button-down long sleeves shirt, and messy hair—was an incredible combo. She looked gorgeous and truly stunning.
Music - 10, A job well done to the music team of this show! I love each song and gosh! I was squealing with excitement when they randomly used the 'A Journey to Love' OSTs. I was literally on the floor laughing out of mere shock and joy! I feel like they used it as an homage and also to make things fun, as some of the scenes have a similar vibe to AJTL. And come on, Liu Yuning is here! Totally love it!
Rewatch Value - 8.0, I’m giving it this rating because, although I enjoyed the drama, it frustrated me by challenging logic and narrative coherence. I don't appreciate how the writers sacrificed the FLs characterization just to make the plot work. It was a truly unwise and poorly executed move.
Overall - 9.0, I know I voiced some discontentment earlier. The logic behind the FL was questionable, sure, but the scenes were well-executed and kept the plot moving. It was an enjoyable watch, even if the lack of coherence hurt the female lead’s characterization once you look closely. On the other hand, I have to praise those smooth, impeccable transitions—the editing team nailed them.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
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